The Bookshelf - Best & Worst

I read a lot more than I review!

I loved:

1.  "Pride and Prejudice" - Jane Austen
   Literary Romance. This is a classic and really doesn't need to be listed, but it is the benchmark for romance and so it has a place of honour here.
2. The Night Angel Trilogy - Brent Weeks
   Fantasy. Richly drawn world, complex characters, moral dilemmas. Absolutely outstanding.
3. "Outlander" - Diana Gabaldon
   Literary Romance. I was late to the table with this series but place it here to recommend to anybody who hasn't discovered it yet. Vividly written, utterly compelling.
4. "The God of Small Things" - Arundhati Roy
   Fiction. This book will break your heart. Painful, haunting, lush and beautiful. Read it because it deserves to be read; don't read it because it shakes you, changes you.
5. "French Children Don't Throw Food" - Pamela Druckerman 
   Parenting.This book affirmed my parenting philosophy and is also a really fun read, as far as parenting goes.

I loathed:

1. "Bookish" - Olivia Long
   Romance. None of the characters had any dimension. Papier mache leads who fall in love for no discernible reason. No chemistry. Un-erotic erotica with weird, jarring word choices (ie, mons).
2. "The Billionaire's Fake Girlfriend" (Parts 1, 2 & 3) - Sierra Rose
   Romance. Why did I keep reading these? The whole time it felt like I was stuck on a public bus listening to two teenage girls gossip about their obviously made up older boyfriends.
3. "Prince With Benefits" - Nicole Snow
   Romance. Just ick. The hero was 100% ick and was not redeemed.
4. "The Spinster and The Earl" - Beverly Adam
   Regency Romance. Interesting premise but terribly written. I was constantly jarred out of the story.
5. "Because of Him" - Jessica Roe
   Romance. This book has a disclaimer that it's not suitable for anyone under the age of 15, which is unfortunate as they are the ones most likely to enjoy it. The LL is a teenager dating an older man and the whole storyline has this horrific power-play that I found off-putting. Add to that the obvious immaturity of both characters and I finished with the sense that maybe I'm just a little too old for this crap.