Running Blind

Running Blind by Lee Child
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Yet again GoodReads has me frustrated that I cannot give 1/2 stars. I would really rate this book 2.5 stars. It certainly dragged on, but I will admit there were some parts which were quite interesting, ie the killers way of killing (but that doesn't get revealed until the last few chapters). I also found that Jack Reacher in the book is completely different than the Tom Cruise character portrayed in film. In real-life Cruise is short, where as the book has Reacher portrayed as a man that is plus 6 ft and is approximately 230 lbs.

I was very disappointed with how Reacher came to the conclusion of who the killer was. It just didn't seem very logical to me and there was a lot of time being wasted. I have read a lot of books and I was pretty sure that I would be able to figure out the killer. I had my guess to who I thought it was and was totally out in left field. Then when I found out who the killer was, all I was saying to myself was WTF? The ending was a disappointment as well. Jeez Lee Child, you create a character like Jack Reacher, you've got to be able to have a story that meets his abilities. Reacher is a lone ranger, out on his own. Goes to the beat of his own drum. Then an ending like that just makes the whole story fall flat. Then there's the whole issue of the FBI. What a bunch of dummies. I'm left thinking, if that is how you truly think the FBI operates what a huge disappointment.

Now that I have written all this I am finding that the book doesn't deserve 2.5, a two will suffice.

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Wild

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I had a lot of hopes for this book. I enjoyed the idea of following Strayed on her hike across the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). I liked the idea of being immersed in nature and Strayed having to find her way and herself. This book had a lot of potential but in many areas it fell short. There was a lot of repetitiveness throughout the book. If you read something once surely you were going to come across it again. The were quite a few things that were bizarre, ie the Bigfoot dreams, having to shoot her mother's horse with her brother, as well as her wanting to be alone but than there were times where she would be yearning for company. Part of the book that made me a quite angry was how mad Strayed was at her mother for dying of cancer. She considered her mother's death a form of giving up and I don't really agree with that opinion or belief. Cancer is an awful disease and imposes struggles on people that some would consider insurmountable. It was very selfish of Strayed to say she hated her mother for dying. I wasn't really impressed with this book or how Strayed handled some circumstances. The best thing was the descriptions of the mountains and what Strayed got to see on her journey. They were mediocre descriptions but it was nice to travel the PCT without the hardship. Also, I found the ending very rushed. It was like there was a cap on how many pages it had to be so she wrapped it up really quick. She even gave a bit of detail as to what happened a few years after... but it wasn't very important information. Everyone could take a pass on this book... but that's just my opinion.


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