The Adventures of a Constant Reader

       I just finished reading The Boy at the Door by Alex Dahl.  This book was provided to me for review by Penguin Random House but the fact that I received this book for free has not influenced my review in any way.       The Boy at the Door is Alex Dahl's first novel, and for a first novel I think it is very good.  I was drawn in from the beginning by the mysterious little boy and wanted to keep reading so I could find out where he came from and how he was related to Cecilia.  I do think that their connection is fairly easy to guess but the way the author gets us there is suspenseful and full of twists and turns.  Some of the things that happen in the book seem far fetched at first but the author connects all the dots by the end.      I liked how the characters in the novel are not always what they seem at the onset.  Anni is not just a scruffy heroin addict, Cecilia isn't entirely (though she is mostly) a conniving, selfish bitch, Moffa is not who you expect they'

     This week I read Ok, Mr. Field by Katharien Kilalea.  I was provided a copy of this book to read by Penguin Random House.  This does not effect my review in any way, as always my thoughts on this book are my own and not influenced by the publisher.       Ok, Mr. Field is about a concert pianist who gets injured in a car accident and is unable to continue to play the piano.  After the accident Mr. Field purchases a house by the sea and then proceeds to do absolutely nothing.  For the entirety of this book Mr. Field wanders around his house, watches some construction that is taking place next door, and goes for drives.  He does creepily stalk the prior owner of his house but it's the most uneventful stalking ever written because all he does is stand around outside her window.  I kept expecting something, anything to happen but nothing does.  Since there's no conflict, there's also no resolution and I walked away from this book feeling like I had just wasted my time.