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April 07, 2006

This Week in Reading: April 1 to April 7

This past week has been a fan-freaking-tabulous week for reading. First I read both Larger Than Life and Deep Breath (both by Alison Kent) as part of my SG-5 Weekend. Then I read the excellent Imaginary Men by Anjali Banerjee for my RA class. Finally, I wrapped up the reading week with Don't Look Down by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer. Here's the publisher's blurb:

Lucy Armstrong has come to Savannah to finish the last four days of filming on a romantic action movie called Don't Look Down. What should be an easy shoot is made a lot more difficult by the stunt coordinator (Lucy's ex-husband, Connor Nash), the script supervisor (Lucy's very unhappy sister, Daisy), an inquisitive five-year-old (Lucy's niece, Pepper), the backer (a sinister Irishman named Finnegan), and one strong and silent stunt man (J. T. Wilder, the stuff Lucy's dreams are made of). Then she starts to look beneath the surface and realizes that, unless she finds out what's going on fast, the movie isn't going to be the only thing that's finished in four days. J. T. Wilder has come to Savannah to make some quick money as a stunt double while on leave from the Army (he's a Green Beret). What should be an easy job is made a lot more difficult by the star he's doubling for (goofball Bryce McKay), the starlet who's intent on seducing him (Althea Bergdorf, not that he's putting up much of a fight), his skirt-chasing best friend (gonzo-pilot Rene LaFavre), an eagle-eyed five-year-old (binocular-toting Pepper Armstrong), and a tough, exasperated director (Lucy Armstrong, the stuff Wilder's dreams are starting to be made of). Then the CIA calls and Wilder realizes that somebody is taking "shooting a movie" much too literally.
I looooved this book, and felt that it was the perfect reading companion to the SG-5 books this week (I can already picture a library display in my head). The pairing of a contemporary romance author with a former Green Beret who normally writes military adventure may at first seem odd, but it actually works very well. With two interesting and very likeable main characters, a pallet of interesting secondary characters (including a kid who doesn't make me want to hurl), great dialogue with just enough humor, lightning quick pacing, and a plot that had me from the very first chapter and didn't let me go, Don't Look Down was a book I could not put down.

Sounds fantabulous, right? It was. But the book itself leaves bookpimps like me in a bit of a pickle. Crusie and Mayer call Don't Look Down romantic adventure, and I would even go so far to say that it is straight Adventure with some romantic elements thrown in. However, this book is in no way, shape, or form a Romance novel. And that's where I feel like I've been screwed in trying to pimp this to readers. All of the Crusie readers who have been waiting for what seems like forever for the follow-up to 2004's Bet Me who go into Don't Look Down expecting a classic Crusie romance will be disappointed as this is not one of those books. Then again, to be fair to the authors, that expectation really shouldn't exist as Don't Look Down isn't a Jennifer Cruise book. It's a Jennifer Crusie/Bob Mayer book, and it shouldn't have the Romance label slapped on it just because Crusie is involved. Is it a great book? Yes. Will many readers enjoy it? Probably. But if they go in expecting one thing and are given another they will end up being disappointed. Forewarn your readers people, that's all I'm saying.

Diatribe over now, sorry about that. So, what have you been reading this week?

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Comments:
I just finished Don't Look Down too. I'm not quite as enthusiastic about it as you are, though. You're absolutely right about the reader's expectations being upset by this one. I was really hoping that this collaboration would take all the things I love about Crusie books (quirky, unforgettable characters and complex and totally satisfying relationships, plus hot, hot lovin') and just add a really great plot. I sort of felt like Crusie didn't hold up her part of the bargain on DLD--the plot was good, but the character development and romance were definitely lacking.

But I think if I hadn't had those expectations, I would have thought this was a fantastic book.
 
Well, I've only read one Crusie book, so I really enjoyed this one. I've acctually read quite a few of Bob Mayer's books. Which I'm betting most of the other romance readers haven't. :-)

I saw it in the romance section today at Waldenbooks and had to groan at the placement.
 
Oh, books read this week. Two in common with you, DLD and Deep Breath. Also finished up Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley, Doppelganger by Marie Brennan, an ebook anthology from NCP called From the Deep and if Sunday counts, I read In the Thrill of the Night by Candice Hern.

I liked all of them except From the Deep and that was okay, just more average than the rest.
 
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