Guys Read
ed. by Jon Scieszca
ages: 10+

It was a good idea to get together a bunch of talented writers and compile a collection of thriller stories. The problem was, in my humble opinion, that none of the stories (that I read; I bailed, I have to admit) were even remotely thriller-y. Perhaps if I were a 10-year-old boy, these would have some appeal. (Maybe it’s just that my humor is more along the lines of a 10-year-olds, that I liked Funny Business better?) Or maybe I just don’t go in for thriller stories anyway. Whatever the reason, this fell flat.

The Power of One
by Bryce Courtenay
ages: adult

This was a case of me just not being interested in the book. I tried; I got about 100 pages in, but this boy’s story just wasn’t to my interest. And the writing wasn’t holding me. And I have a huge pile of other books to read. So, I abandoned it. Who knows, though: maybe someday I’ll come back to it.

City of Orphans
by Avi
ages: 10+

Heaven knows, I enjoy an Avi book. The detail, the characterizations, the plots: all top-notch. But, this one didn’t grab me. The language, while authentic, was off-putting, and the plot was just so dang slow. I gave it 75 pages, and then realized that my time is much more precious than to slog through a book I have no interest in.