Dacula Patch Book Club: Lost Treasure and Lurid Romance

Well, the past week turned out to be a busy one for me (launching Buford Patch and all), so I didn’t get as much reading done as I normally do. The week wasn’t a total loss though. I managed to finish two books and skimmed a third (I’ll explain later).

Anyway, here are my mini-reviews of what I read this week. Please let me know what you have been reading this past week -- good and bad -- by posting a comment below or sharing your thoughts in a blog.

“The Emerald Storm” by William Dietrich – Verdict: Would make a fun movie. Apparently this fellow William Dietrich has been writing books for quite some time. I had never heard of him before until I spotted this book on the shelf at the Hamilton Mill Library. The book, part of a series, features Ethan Gage, an Indiana Jones-type adventurer with a penchant for finding himself in trouble. Set in the early 1800s, “The Emerald Storm” follows Ethan as he attempts to rescue an imprisoned warlord, works to rescue his kidnapped wife and child, seeks out hidden Aztec treasure, rides out a hurricane on a wooden ship and so forth. The book was fast paced with a very witty dialogue that I much enjoyed. It was a fun read. I’ll probably check out another of his books at some point.

“Lady Amelia’s Mess and a Half” by Samantha Grace – Verdict: The cover is nice. As for the inside … predictable plot with lots of naughty bits tossed into the mix. Truly, this may be the first romance novel I’ve ever read that might not even make a NC-17 rating if made into a movie. Mind you, I haven’t read “,” but, from what I’ve heard, this book wasn’t nearly that explicit. However, it was more explicit than I would’ve expected. The plot, such as it is, involves your typical star-crossed lovers kept apart by forces beyond their control. Just when it looks as if everything is going to work out, an obstacle is thrown in their way. Never fear though, it all works out in the end and concludes, as these books usually do, right after the nuptials (Ever notice how romance novels don’t feature married couples -- at least not those past the newlywed stage?). The dialogue was fairly amusing, the characters likeable enough and it certainly isn’t anything that requires study or contemplation while reading. In that sense, it makes for perfectly suitable entertainment.

“Apocalypse 2012” by Lawrence Joseph – Verdict: More scientific than “Ancient Aliens,” but less scientific than … well, science. I admit to harboring a certain amount of curiosity regarding all the 2012 hoopla. I checked out this book looking for an explanation as to why some people are taking the so-called doomsday so seriously. Joseph, to his credit, comes up with some semi-plausible reasons for why Dec. 21, 2012 could very well be the end of the world as we know it. However, he just didn’t commit to his premise enough for my taste. In other words, if you are going to put out a non-fiction book, you better sell me on your theme. Joseph hedged his bets too much. As a result, I ended up skimming the second half of the book because he lost me with his lack of conviction. I’m reasonably certain we’ll all be here on Dec. 22 laughing at all the apocalyptic literature that has been cranked out over the past few years. And if we’re wrong, no one will be around to say “I told you so.”

What have you been reading this week? Let us know in the comments.

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