The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

I started and tossed: April in Paris A Novel by Michael Wallner. It was written originally in German, and translated into English. The French in the novel was not translated, however, making the plot difficult to follow. I also had a hard time accepting an SS Nazi soldier as a sympathetic romantic hero. I also started and tossed: The Fortune Teller's Daughter A Novel by Lila Shaara. The prose was flat, and the storyline unlikely (people not acting like real people would act).

One that I finished (because it's title is 38 letters long :0) ) is Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire A Novel by Margot Berwin. The title is cool, and the first third of the novel (which is set in New York City) is offbeat and has definate potential. Then the heroine goes to the Yucatan peninsula. Berwin tries "magic realism" and some spacey "new agey" happenings, viewed by the author in a positive light. I say "tries" because the prose was leaden, the events unlikely, and the author was cheering for the wrong characters to win (and, since the author is in control, the wrong characters DO win). I almost tossed this novel around page 250 but the novel is only 288 pages long and I wanted to use it for one of the tasks so I finished it. The title IS cool, though, Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire A Novel , what a title!

anyone notice there is some books on both 1 star and 5 star lists for the fall? always interesting how much opinions vary...