Found Reviews 2023

 

Occasionally we discover that patrons have shared opinions on a book.  Here are some of the ones that have turned up in the last few months:

Dead of Jericho by Colin Dexter came back from a visit to another library with a note that said, “Thank you for keeping these ‘old’ books.  I enjoyed it!  Your Inter-Library Loan patron”

We were a bit confused by the review of The Sherbrooke Bride by Catherine Coulter which read, “Good but scandaless.” We weren’t sure if the writer meant “scandalous” or if she were hoping for scandal and didn’t get it.

A very polite patron included his review on an index card tucked into a copy of Colson Whitehead’s Zone One: “Mundane is right!  I’m on page 193 and nothing has happened.  I keep plowing thru the convoluted and unnecessarily verbose prose, hoping to get to the spot where ‘things start to go wrong.’”  He then provides a quotation, “… he concocted the thin broth of the silhouette from this despair over the death of connection” and adds, “Huh??”

James Patterson’s Mistress had briefer reviews but a diverse group.

“Same ole thing.”

“Good overall, but somewhat boring at times.”

“Loved it!!”

“Rambling! Boring!”

G. A. McKeviett’s Murder Most Grave attracted a trio of unimpressed reviews:

“Middle school level”

“Silly” and right below, “I agree!”

Last Call by Tim Powers has the dubious honor of being dubbed “Worst Book ever!” by an anonymous reviewer.

Beyond the Blue Mountains  by Jean Plaidy had the comment:

“Stupid”

Another patron took the trouble to reply, “Not stupid at all Victoria Holt and [Philippa] Carr style last ¼ [presumably means last quarter of the book] author played with different style storytelling.” (Note: author Eleanor Hibbert wrote under all three names, Plaidy, Holt, and Carr.)

Finally, Fresh From the Country by Miss Read came back with this notation:  “Nostalgic—very readable, but modern teens would be bored stiff. I would suggest these for older home-schooled children, or for history buffs.”  As a fan of Miss Read, I tried not to take offense. I was cheered by reviews on another of her books, Village Centenary:

“The very best of story tellers is Miss Read.”

“I enjoyed this book and may of the others Miss Read has written!”

“Love, especially when you’re English!!”

Finally, another patron tucked a comment written on a scrap of paper inside the old card pocket of The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge: “Love this book” followed by alternating hearts and exclamation points.

More Found Reviews

When library staff prepares to re-shelve books, we always flip through them to look for forgotten items, damage, etc. so that the next person won’t have a surprise. Sometimes we find comments.  Here are some of the ones we’ve enjoyed:

An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor apparently pleased a couple of readers, since one wrote “Good” and in a different handwriting, “Couldn’t put it down.”

 

I have to say I love dueling reviews.  Plaster Sinners by Colin Watson was deemed “Very very dull” by one reader, perhaps evoking this response:  “This is a work of deductive genius.  Very enjoyable & well done.”

Bluebird Winter by Linda Howard drew two “Good” notations, a “Good (heart),” a “Very good,” and “Every woman’s dream!  Just plain wonderful book!”

James Patterson’s sophomore title Season of the Machete earned a one word review:  “Lousy.”

Still Glides the Stream by D.E. Stevenson came out in 1957, but this tale of a Scotsman who sets out to find the truth about a friend’s death drew a lot of comments on the review page.

“A delightful romantic story.”

“A sweet, simple, nostalgic story.”

“Very good—I really enjoyed it.”

“Great—I hated to see it end!”

“A little ‘tame,’ but I agree with the above.”

“Very good—I really enjoyed it for the second time around twenty years later.”

“D.E. Stevenson is my all-time favorite author, bar none.  I have read all her books many times & enjoy them every time.  I just found one from 1923, Peter West, which was overly descriptive, probably her first, but she certainly learned the right amount of adjectives as she aged.  I think she wrote the best family values—ever!”

 

Sherryl Wood’s Sweet Tea at Sunrise in large print had a couple of “Good” and “Very good” reviews, followed by, “Can’t believe it took 469 pages for two people to get into bed together!”

Christmas in My Heart: A Second Treasury edited by Joe Wheeler had “Very good book 2015” written in it.  Just beneath it, in the same handwriting was “Very good book 2016.” It’s very good to know that the reviewer’s opinion hadn’t changed in a year!

 

Jill Marie Landis’ Magnolia Creek won rave reviews from three readers.  The story is set during the American Civil War and chronicles the story of Sara Collier who marries her sweetheart Dru just before he rides off to fight.  Our readers judged it as “Great,” “SUPER GOOD,” and “A wonderful heartwarming book!  Among the best I have read!” 

Murder for Treasure by David Williams earned two reviews.  One was the pithy “Boring!” while the second was a bit more descriptive:   “Not top grade English but readable if you’re hard up for a weekend read.”

Found Reviews

Note: There is no Nevermore Book Club report available this week, so instead we offer you some "Found Reviews."

 

 

While re-shelving books, we sometimes come across comments left by patrons about a book.  Most date back to a time when each book had a sheet attached inside the cover just for that purpose, but occasionally there is a rogue comment.  Here are some we've found recently: 

Robin Cook’s Toxin, about an outbreak of E. Coli: “No more beef for me!”   Second comment “Me either!”

Time for Me to Come Home by Dorothy Shackleford:  “EXCELLENT (in a strange sort of way)”

Large print Scandal in Spring by Lisa Kleypas had rave reviews:  “Very good!”, “Love it! (heart)”, “Very Good!” (in different handwriting) and “(checkmark) good.”

“Hot STEAMY romance (heart) Loved it” was the comment on Never Lie to a Lady by Liz Carlyle

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah:  “Such a nightmare of a book.  Really dismal and cruel.” On a blue post-it note underneath was a rebuttal:  “Ignore this person’s comment & form your own opinion.  This person not only is defacing this library book but presuming their opinion is more valid than yours or mine.  The library should fine this person.”

Kiss the Girls by James Patterson drew a number of comments:

 “Interesting.”

 “A. Super.”

 “Good story.  ‘X’ rated.”

 “V. good.”

“Sick.  Weird.”

 And then this succinct comment:  “No.”

One post-it note review for Sometimes I Lie  by Alice Feeney did cause some outrage.  It begins, “I enjoyed this book—but I think you need to know before you read—“ and then proceeds to spoil the intricate plot. “I thought about the author and how carefully she had crafted the book to surprise the reader and this person just ruined it!” said the finder. Needless to say, that review was removed immediately.

Larry McMurtry drew some comments in Some Can Whistle: 
“Peculiar! Risque!” 
“Mostly nonsense.”
“Larry McMurtry is usually Great.  This book is Stupid!”

The White Plague by Frank Herbert concerns a man who creates a plague in revenge for the death of his wife at the hands of IRA terrorists. This 1982 novel drew a number of comments:

“Captivating.”

“Interesting concept—frightening, even.  Written in a too-technical manner—vague, rather disjointed.”

“Dull—no character with whom to identify—had to force myself to finish.”

“The person who read this book before me wouldn’t know a good book if it kick it in the head—it was a good book. PERIOD.”

“Terrific—not dull at all.  However, it’s frightening also.”

“It is amazing how prescient this book is/was. It still holds up 32 years after it was written. 07/06/14”

While briefer, No Greater Love by Julie Ellis also drew dueling reviews:

“Very good!”

And underneath: “Are you kidding?!”

Clive Cussler’s Ghost Ship had two comments: “V. good. A+.”  To which someone responded, “No.  AA++.”

A 1981 novel, Home Ground by Cecelia Holland, received several reviews.  The novel takes place in California in the 1970s where a disparate group has come together to grow marijuana.

“Could not finish reading about people whose lives seem so sub-human.  Not (illegible) character that makes any sense.”

“Nothing—absolutely no plot—nothing except growing pot.  I wonder how this book ever got published.  It certainly takes no brains, no imagination--  Hopefully the author will go to school a bit longer before attempting to write.  A fourth grader could have done better.”

“A very dumb book.  My opinion of it is far worse than the above patron who read it.” 

And finally, our Andrea Camilleri fan noted in Voice of the Violin:  An Inspector Montalbano Mystery that "Camilleri calls to life the great violinists: Paganini, Ole Bull, etc..... as well as Argentine novelist Marco Deveni, all worth getting."