Msmiz - I read almost anything!
What a Blog you say? Really you shouldn't have, no I am serious, you shouldn't.
I love that I have a place for a blog description. I am not creative enough to blog, hence never blogging before. I absolutely stink at well thought out reviews, but I read. I read A LOT. It used to be more, I could average 800+ books a year. But then the EDJ started asking me to put forth more effort for pay. Bastards.
Written in the Stars
Most important here though is my rating scale. I put forth a lot of 3 stars. I would prefer a scale of 7 points measurement, hence my 3s are more like 3, 4, and 5 respectively. In fact, most books that fall within the 3, I would like to take out to the 3rd, if not 4th decimal. With that said, here is the basic summary of scale.
5- Beyond brilliant, would read again without question
4- Better than your average bear. Would not hesitate to recommend
3- Do not be fooled. These are books I liked but the fall into the category of:
Cotton Candy for the brain
Great story, needs editing
Great characters, needs editing
Hit the right spot, needs editing
Could not quite get me there. The story was just short of a home run.
Short stories. While I do love a good Novella/short story, etc, it has to be AMAZING
to the Nth degree to knock it up to a 4.
2- Story, characters, and/or editing were not enough to pull it out. My head popped up
and out of the story too often
1- Are you kidding me with this shit?
What I read
As the title professes, just about anything. I prefer stories that take me out of real life. I get enough of that at home. Thus, I tend to stay away from self help or theory based books. I am a very character driven reader. I like a good plot just like any reader, but for me, a story really wins if I can fall into the stories and feel the characters.
Enough out of me for now!
I have read many stories where, when a partner/love dies, the author spends time building the story around the dead person as 'bad' - they were cheating, drugs, lost all their money, etc. All this while the surviving MC still mourns the lost lover, but now has a 'free pass' to fall into new love. Most of the time this plot device is not needed and I think this is the way an author uses to ease the surviving MC into a new love, especially if it happens quickly after their partner's death. I have had complaints about this and I have read many reviews that have complained as well. In Paper Planes, the story opens with a look into Stuarts life over a year after his partner dies heroically in a terrorist plane crash. Stu is a photographer who has molded his life after Brenden were he is surviving - living and breathing slowly, learning to be with out Brenden. On one fateful trip to Dallas, we get our first introduction to Dustin, who is a 48 year old pilot as he tries to flirt with Stu. So begins their love story.
This book was a slow meandering emotional walk through their story. What I loved about this book is that there was no 'insta-love', but attraction and eventually love. Second both of them were very respectful of their past loves (we learn that Dustin had a partner that died with AIDS). There was such care given to this part of their lives, that the second chance that both of them have been given is a blessing and so well deserved. We are left happy and celebrating, I even dropped a tear or two at the end (which is surprising for me). Finally, their love story was the story. There was no secondary plot line - there were no kidnappings, additional terrorists, threats, cheating..etc etc. It was just a story about two guys falling in love. How can you go wrong with that?
Beautiful story that will break your heart, warm it back up and make you fall in love again.
For another great review on this book: LA's review
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