Books I Have Forgotten

Each month I want to revisit some of my past reviews. One of the reasons I started this book blog was to remember what books I have read. My memory isn't the greatest anymore and I would read a book and then not remember if I liked it or what it was even about.

Maybe one of these will prompt you to seek out an older, but amazing book. Or, if you've read one of these and your review was different, please share!

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A Cup of Tea: A Novel of 1917 by Amy Ephron
2/5 Stars
6/2008

"The writing is beautiful. The author conveys depth and feeling with a modicum of words, yet I found myself wishing for more information about each character. Truly, it reads like one of those difficult short stories we all read in high school or college. You remember them, I'm sure. Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" or Updike's "A&P" where the reason for reading it is completely lost on you. The ones where no matter how hard you tried to interpret them, according to your teacher, your interpretation was wrong! I think this would have been better as a longer, more developed novel."

I don't remember it, but I want to reread it to see if I feel the same way about it today.

Chasing Diana by Jack and Robin Firestone

10/2008
1/5 Stars

"If the story is so important and is meant to be told, then do that: tell the story. Actually write a book that describes your experience, your frustrations and your thoughts. Don't trivialize it by writing it as a screenplay. Flesh it out and give us some depth. Give us a reason to care about you and your experience. I would have enjoyed this much more if it was actually a memoir."

I remember reading this one and I remember not liking it. I also remember it because the authors did not appreciate my review and commented to that effect.

White Christmas Pie by Wanda Brunstetter
2/5 Stars
11/2008

"I'd call this Amish-light. It's a sweet novel with a great deal of unrealized potential. The characters are one-dimensional and the misunderstandings and lack of communication are far-fetched and unrealistic. The ending is convenient and contrived. Will and Karen and the rest of the cast don't inspire any compassion whatsoever. The recipe for the White Christmas Pie mentioned in the story is included in the book. My impression is that the author thought it would be a cute gimmick, but instead of a rich story with depth, we are left with the sugary fluff."

I haven't read Brunstetter since.

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What about you? What are some of the books you've read in previous years?