Book Reviews from the Summer Reading Hamper (December 2019)

12/19/2019

Book Reviews from the Summer Reading Hamper (December 2019) Drama vs. Dramatics

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For anyone who is new, this sums it up:

I won the SUMMER READING HAMPER Sweepstakes and was given a boat load of books and got on twice as many author newsletters.

It was awesome and I couldn't wait to get into my stash!

Each book & author was given a chance no matter the genre.

However, I gave you a few I liked and others that weren't for me and why. What I consider books I can recommend are books that interest me. Take in mind, if I was not able to finish the book, my tastes are eclectic.

With all the different distractions of t.v., other books, games, and various activities for fun & pleasure, if I put a book down it doesn't mean the story was bad. It just means I was not interested in it and I explain why in my reviews.

The way I define books that aren't for me... but could be for someone else, are:

Books I couldn't get into and Did Not Finish (DNF)
Books I finished to see if they could be redeemed (good start, bad finish) GSBF
Books I finished to see if I wanted it to get better (awesome premise, poor execution) APPE
Books I finished, barely, because of the saggy middle. (SM)

I start with the status of the book, DNF, Read through the train wreck, stopped half-way, etc. Then I give a short reason why the status is as is, followed by a longer explanation.

Now that everyone's caught up, here is current events...

I started realizing all the books were from one genre. There were a few romances, dystopian and off-the-wall type of books in the mix to throw me off the scent, but I soon saw a pattern. The bulk of the books were crime/mysteries.

My most beloved genre is m/m romance. I don't know what's going on with that genre, but it seems there's a lot of interesting going on there.

Anyway...

Next beloved genre is romance (just in general). There are some stories I gravitate more to than others. Those with a paranormal (but not ghost), sy-fy, fantasy or contemporary flavor will attract me first.

But as I read further, it got to the point that I didn't want to read any more of the books I'd won.

Call me picky.

It wasn't even that the writing was bad (on some of them), it's just, I have to read things for work that I'm not terribly interested in already. Reading things I don't want to read in my free time just isn't going to happen.

MANY of the books were very well written. Take High Crimes by Libby Fischer Hellmann for instance.

A Book for Thriller Lovers

Status: DNF (Did Not Finish)
Reason:
Great writing.

Great cover.

I wasn't into the drama.

Which makes me want to educate people on drama vs. dramatic.

Crap.

Off on a tangent but here's the short example:

Dramatics = the 5 minute death scene where the actor moans, falls to the floor, raises a hand to the sky and carries on until finally he decides to die with a huffing last breath.

Drama = a gripping event that you can't take your eyes away from, have an amazing realization and changes your outlook on the character entirely.

There is no crying, no screaming, no "Why, God, why?" and often times there's just... silence. The kind of quiet that seeps into your bones and haunts you, forever. That is drama.

The best example I can think of is when we realize Professor Snape has been on Harry's side all along.

If you can't tell the difference, I'm done with you. Find someone else to explain.

Carrying on...

So High Crimes─probably a great book.

Not interested.

And then, I just wasn't interested in any of them.

Books Only a Mother Could Love

Status: DNF (Did Not Finish)
Reason: Nice cover, but A Dream Come True was weird because it not only "told" everything but the premise might have been interesting if the writer hadn't given everything away in the first chapter of being a medium.

Meh.

Status: DNF (Did Not Finish)
Reason: In The McDougal Pack Alpha the Author's note went on about this story being Omniscient POV and I decided it wasn't worth it.

She even called it head hopping and I hate head hopping. There's so much to be confused with on how she wrote the story.

No thanks.

Status: DNF (Did Not Finish)
Reason: I hope the cover for Naked Came the Sharks means that I'm not supposed to take the subject matter seriously.

I wasn't into the first Sharknado movie forget about two, three and four.

I'll pass.

My belief on my reading burn-out is... it became so difficult to find the diamonds in the rough that I went back to the tried and true authors I love. I've even found some authors that are under the "must buy" banner within my winnings, but while someone might be in heaven, I'm feeling more and more genres that I'm not interested in are being foisted upon me, which is also why genre giveaways would attract me more. I'll dare say it would be good for giveaways to be even more specific.. like POV & genre. Or writing style & genre.

I've become a snob.

I know it.

I admit it.

There's just a certain type of writing I like.

Honestly, I get diversity from my job.

I guess it's the hazard of editing.

But I think I'll leave the rest for when I'm desperate and wanting.

Don't worry. I'll be sure to tell you when I come across a good 'un!

But these... well, they're a crash and burn for me.