Back from vacation & my beach book reviews

I received several emails asking my opinion of the books listed in a previous post, so here are my lame book reviews. (I've quoted reviews from Amazon as a brief description & then added my 2 cents - that's about what it's worth.) I'm always looking for book suggestions - feel free to leave me a the titles of your favorite book. Thanks!

The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult:
"It's the story of Daniel Stone, a man who grows up as the only white kid in a native Eskimo village where his mother is teaching. Because of his race, he's mercilessly teased...and he fights, lies, steals and cheat his way out of Alaska. When we meet him 15 years later, he's reinvented himself completely as a mild-mannered, quiet, stay at home dad. His wife Laura teaches Dante's inferno at a local college; his daughter Trixie is the world to him; and he gets all that old rage out on the page as a comic book artist. Or so he believes, until a single moment of violence destroys his family - and exposes the past he thought he'd hidden." .....My opinion: Another good novel by Jodi, but not my favorite. An interesting book, but didn't quite live up to my expectations. But, I'll still be waiting in line when her next book is released. I'm giving it 3.5 stars

Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow by Faiza Guene:
"15-year-old Doria and her illiterate mother, having been abandoned by Doria's alcoholic father, are stuck in a Paris housing project called the Paradise. Throughout, the strictures of patriarchal Muslim culture clash with a nascent feminist freedom and Doria's exuberant, sophisticated teen talk. This small novel reads like a quiet celebration within a chaotic ghetto." .....My opinion: Interesting book about a 15 yr old girl's angst & reminded me a little of Million Little Pieces crossed with Kite Runner (weird blend, I know). I really enjoyed Doria's (main character) biting humor and loyalty to her mother. I'm giving this one 4 stars.

Brick Lane by Monica Ali:
"This novel chronicles the life of Nazneen, a Bangladeshi girl so sickly at birth that the midwife at first declares her stillborn. At 18 her parents arrange a marriage to Chanu, a Bengali immigrant living in England. Nazneen accepts her fate, which seems to be the main life lesson taught by the women in her family. Over the next decade-and-a-half Nazneen grows into a strong, confident woman who doesn't defy fate so much as bend it to her will. . Brick Lane combines the wide scope of a social novel about the struggles of Islamic immigrants in pre- and post-9/11 England with the intimate story of Nazneen, one of the more memorable heroines to come along in a long time." .....My opinion: I really enjoyed this book - at times it was a little slow (not English Patient movie slow) but a little slow nonetheless. For those of you, like me, who love to see the world through someone else's culture, you'll enjoy this book. I'm giving it 4.5 stars.