Book Review: It’s no secret that I’m one of Mark Helprin’s biggest fans. So when In Sunlight and in Shadow came out in 2012, I was really excited to read it. And then I read some of the reviews for the book, which made me set it aside for three years. I finally got around to it, and if it weren’t for the previous reviews I’d read, I would think I’m just a crotchety guy now and can’t appreciate great fiction anymore. But this book just drags. It’s the love story of Harry and Catherine, about how they defy odds to get married and support each other through their individual ordeals (one of which makes for a not-so-happy ending). But entire chapters had me skimming the book wishing for it to end. Every movement of Catherine’s as she rehearses for a musical is described in excruciating detail, and there are two or three chapters that flash back to Harry’s exploits in WWII…but they come at the end of the book and aren’t necessary at all, either for character or plot development. This is Mark Helprin, though, so the writing is exquisite. There’s just too damn much of it. Three Stars.

Book Review: The Poisoned Crown is the third book in Maurice Druon’s Accursed King series, which George R.R. Martin has said is the basis for his Game of Thrones series. (And don’t think they don’t let you know it on the cover of every book!) What makes this series great historical fiction is the fact that while every book is short, they’re all jam-packed with intrigue and double-crossing at every turn. Like Game of Thrones, you never know who will survive to see the end of any particular book in the series (unless you’re a scholar of Medieval history). It’s a book and series that constantly keeps you guessing, while delighting the reader and making the pages–and hours–fly by. Five Stars.

Book Review: Rubbernecker is a mystery by Belinda Bauer, an author I’d never heard of before, but one whose work I’d be more than happy to read again in the future. This book has the unique plot of a lead character with Asperger’s Syndrome who is accepted into a medical school. Once there, in the dissection lab, he comes across some evidence left behind in a corpse that would point to murder. The point of view shifts brilliantly from the main character to the corpse before he was murdered, and it all comes together in a conclusion that is sure to satisfy. I would say I’d love to see a sequel, but that doesn’t seem like something this author does. And more power to her…her wonderful plot ideas shouldn’t be diluted by any type of series format. Four Stars.

Book Review: Asylum is the first book in Madeleine Roux’s Asylum series, which is–to date–up to three books deep. Let’s just get this out of the way: This is the best young adult book I’ve read in a long, long, time. Forget the popularity of The Hunger Games for a moment,  and you can certainly skip over Ransom Riggs’ Peculiar Children series, another illustrated series which this clearly aims to capitalize on. This series is so much better. Sure, it’s young adult, which means that the writing isn’t anything award-winning (after all, the writing in some of those other books borders on pretentious, which is just another way of saying boring). This follows a group of teenagers that attend a summer program at a college that was converted from an abandoned lunatic asylum. What they find there is thrilling, scary, and vastly entertaining all at once. Any time you can work family history, serial killers, and a cast of characters (none of whom can be trusted)…well…you’ve got yourself a recipe for a winner. I’m already reading the second book, Sanctum. Five Stars.

Book Review: There’s already been some criticism about The Marvels, Brian Selznick’s latest book (he’s the one that gave us The Invention of Hugo Cabret, his most popular book). People are upset about the alternative lifestyle portrayed in the book. I say that kids probably won’t care or even notice for that matter. Instead, enjoy the lush pencil drawings that tell one part of the story for the first 400 pages, then the wonderful prose that tells the second part of the book, followed by another short drawn section that ties everything together into one of the most masterful children’s books I’ve ever read. This book was a true masterpiece of storytelling and a pleasure to spend a few hours with. You know…if you can forget about the other stuff that seems to offend people for some reason. A wonderful book nonetheless (but pricey!). Five Stars.