Triple Time Book Report

So between the time I left for Jamaica and the time I got back, I finished/read three books. Here are the Danielle Book Reports for all three of them. I promise I'll try to keep it to a snippet synopsis and a grade.

Bill Cosby: Love and Marriage
There's something about Bill Cosby's perspective on life and how he can capture it into words that has always caught my attention. Be it his stand-up comedy or his books, I've never run into a Cosby "thing" that I didn't like. This book was no exception. In this book he travels through his journey with all the other fish in the sea up until he meets the woman he marries, Camille. From that point on, Cosby is able to capture the quirks of marriage that I can only imagine every couple runs into and puts his comedic spin on it. It's a quick read, is entertaining, and also gives you an idea of where the basis for the Cliff/Claire relationship came from on the famed "Cosby Show". A great book for any couple who is either married or in a serious relationship (and if anyone wants to read it let me know, I'll start sending my copy around).
Grade: A

Madeline Wickham: The Gatecrasher
My good friend Kiki has never led me astray when recommending a book, and this was no exception. While I have to admit that when I first started reading this book I wasn't too turned on to the idea of a woman preying on innocent widowers and stealing their money, there was something about the main male character of the book that she got involved with that kept me interested. Wickham does a great job with her character development and with this story understanding the characters and their backgrounds is so key to the plot. I can't give this book an "A" because like I said - I wasn't too keen on the initial premise of the book, but the ending was mildly heartwarming. Kiki almost never wants books back and I've been given the OK to pass this one around, so if anyone wants to read it next let me know. It's a good "beach read" or if you're looking for something decent you don't have to think much about.
Grade: B+

Sidney Sheldon: Master of the Game
While in Jamaica, I finished "The Gatecrasher" and with Steve still reading Clancy's Rainbow Six, I knew I needed to find something to read or I would go crazy. I went to the resort lending library and among the many books in foreign languages found this as one of three books in English. While it was not one that I would have picked out for myself on a Barnes and Noble or Borders trip, it was not a bad book. Some parts of it are a bit far-fetched (like... crawling on all fours across a minefield to escape a pack of crazed dogs in a massive fog storm?) but overall the book wasn't bad. The basic premise is that this guy leaves his home in Scotland to go hunting for diamonds in South Africa, ends up in a world of trouble, and defys death to beat his nemesis and build a giant conglomerate. His... either daughter or granddaughter Kate becomes a business-obsessed woman whose main goal in life is to make sure that there is an heir to take over the family business before she dies. I would deem this one another beach read, but there's a bit of thinking involved to follow the plot at times and you have to look past the parts that aren't all that realistic though. However, if you can let that go and just look at the book as it is - it really isn't a bad story.
Grade: B-
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