Book Update

I just finished reading the new Elizabeth Berg novel, Dream When You're Feeling Blue. I was very dissapointed. I've read all of Berg's novels and have found them often thought-provoking and insightful. They are intriguing in their own way and I eagerly waited the release of her new novel. I should have waited and read this one in paperback. It is far from Berg's usual style, the majority of the novel is written with dialogue. It is set in the early 1940's during WWII and the central characters are young women writing to men fighting the war. It is a short novel as most of her's are but not very filling. If you are a big fan of hers you probably still want to read this one but otherwise you can plan on skipping it. Sometimes, I think the pressure on an author to churn out a new novel each year causes their work to suffer. I know that all of John Grisham's novels are not of the same caliber. But is it so much to ask an author to give us at least one good book a year? (What else are these people doing with their time besides book tours once they start making the big bucks!) I know many of those romance writers churn out several and I don't expect that. But especially, if a writer is publishing a series and we are waiting to find out what happens to our characters, a book a year is expected. I know lots of good books have been written by an author with only one or two others to his/her credit. That is too bad, too. But once you have become accustomed to their work you come to expect the greatness to continue.

I also, recently read two of Michael Chricton's earlier works, The Andromeda Strain and The Terminal Man as part of a collection. The books were written in the late 1960's - early 1970's. If you've read any of Chricton's other novels then you might be dissapointed with these. You can really tell how his writing has improved over 3 decades. They were both written about technology that has long since become obsolete (or commonplace). But I enjoyed both of them and would recommend them if you are a fan of Chricton's other novels. (If you haven't read his novels I would recommend Prey or Sphere to get started.