Book Report - Week Ending 10/9/10

I am a one-click addict.  I admit it.  Freely.  For some odd reason, I assume that all Kindlers are one-click addicts as well.  That being the case, I have been checking out the Top 100 (Free and Paid) and thought that readers might like an abbreviated list of what’s going on in the Kindle Top 100.

As I am all about reading, I will only discuss books (not the available games, blogs, newspapers, or magazines) and I will focus on Fiction, as that is what I prefer (as well as what tends to be the most popular in the Kindle Store).  This is simply a synthesized list of the top 10 Fiction books in the Kindle store.  I will not claim to have read all, or even any of these books, I can simply tell you what other readers are purchasing.

Top 10 Paid Fiction Books:

1.      Raising Jake – This is a story of father and son bonding over a weekend trip.  It garnered 4.5 stars out of 85 reviews.  It is available in the Kindle store for $9.60.

2.       The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest – This is the third novel in the Steig Larsson trilogy, and was rated 4.4 stars out of an impressive 710 reviews.  Kindle Store Price - $9.99.

3.       The Reversal – Harry Bosch is an extremely popular character for Michael Connelly, and Mickey Haller is one of my favorite of Connelly’s characters.  These two characters share this book.  It’s ranked 4.6 stars but with only 9 reviews thus far.  It’ll run you $14.99.

4.      The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – This first book in the Larsson trilogy has spent a whopping 707 days in the Top 100 paid, with most of those being in the top ten.  Rating – 3.8 stars from an impressive 1922 reviewers.  Its price has come down a bit, and it is available for only $6.64.

5.      The Girl Who Played with Fire – The middle child always seems to get the least attention.  This book is the second in the trilogy, and is ranked the lowest of the three, although being in the top five is still nothing to sneeze at.  It’s rated 4.2 stars from 952 reviewers and costs $7.59.

6.      Elvis and The Dearly Departed – This book is debuting in the top one hundred at an impressive ranking of number six in paid Kindle books (Scrabble also falls above it in the rankings, but we are only looking at books for this list).  I do think that it is significant that this book was available as a Kindle freebie recently, and that may account for its high numbers in the paid store, as many people would have downloaded it as a freebie.  I definitely did.  The premise sounds cute, and the book promises to be a good read, but I have not read it yet.  It is rated 4.1 stars out of 13 reviews and will set you back a mere $4.47.

7.     Freedom:  A Novel – I can’t tell you much about this book, as its product page is loaded with reviews, both from professional sources and from readers, but the page does not really have much to say in the way of book description.  I can say that this is an Oprah’s Book Club selection, but it also got some fairly bad reviews.  It got an average of 3.2 out of 5 stars in the Kindle store, and was reviewed by 253 customers.  It is also priced $12.99, and has been tagged heavily by the $9.99 boycott.

8.      Fire Dance – This book is in its second day in the top 100.  I am uncertain as to whether it was available as a Kindle Freebie previously.  It is a romance novel set in England during the Middle ages.  It received 5 out of 5 stars but from only 2 reviewers.  It is one of the two least expensive books in the top ten at only $0.99.

9.      Safe Haven – This is a Nicholas Sparks book, and I am not certain that I need say more.  I have not yet read his work (I know, it’s like I live in a plastic bubble or something), but I can say that my husband’s grandmother has excellent taste (she loves me, after all) and she is currently reading this book (via audiobook, as her vision is failing).  It has been in the top 100 for 23 days and has received 4.1 stars over 58 reviews.  It will run you $12.99.

10    Haven – Yes, I recognize the irony here.  This novel is ranked #1 in its genre, which is Sci-Fi Adventure.  It is set in the city of Haven (hence the title) and is about a future where the upper class is separated by law from the working class.  It sounds interesting and I downloaded it when it was previously available as a Kindle Freebie.  It received 3.8 stars from 4 reviewers, and is tied for the lowest priced book in the top 10 at a whopping $.0.99.

Top 10 Free Fiction Books:

1.       Only You – This book is listed as #1 in the category of Contemporary Romance and has garnered 4.6 stars from 13 reviews.

2.       Dixie Divas – This one ranks at #1 in two categories in the Kindle Store:  Humor and Mystery – Women Sleuths.  I have downloaded it myself, but have not yet read it.  It is rated 3.9 stars out of 8 reviews.

3.       On Bear Mountain – #2 in the category of Contemporary Romance, this novel involves a romance between a Georgia hillbilly girl and city boy from New York.  It averaged 4.5 stars out of 28 reviews.

4.       Outlander:  With Bonus Content – This book is listed at 2471 KB, so it’s an epic.  One description lists the DTB at over 600 pages, another at almost 900 pages.  Don’t let that deter you, though.  I didn’t.  I downloaded this freebie after checking out the description and reviews.  It is ranked #1 in Historical Fiction as well as #1 in Historical Romance.  It’s described as a “Time Travel Romance”.  I can vouch for this one.  I have not read it myself, but my mother has read it and she is hooked on the series.  She is also a woman of discriminating tastes.  This book averages 4.4 stars with 1676 reviews.

5.       To Conquer a Highlander – This is a historical romance set in 15^th century Scotland.  It ranks #2 in both the Historical Fiction category and the Historical Romance Category.  It has been reviewed by ten reviewers and received an average rating of 3.8 stars.

6.       Rain Song – I downloaded this Kindle Freebie as well.  It is rated #1 in Religious Fiction and has 35 reviews averaging 4.5 stars.

7.       Intervention – This is the first in a series entitled “The Intervention Series”.  It is ranked #2 in the category of Religious Fiction, as well as claiming to be a bit of a suspense / mystery novel.  Although I have little experience with religious fiction, I have downloaded this one as well.  I became far too tempted while describing it to you.  Religious fiction that is also a mystery / suspense and deals with the mother / daughter relationship while solving a mystery in a rehab facility?  Yup, too much for me to turn down.  Its 37 reviewers gave it an average of 4.3 stars.

8.       The 7th Victim – This one is ranked #1 in the category of Mystery / Thrillers – Suspense.  I downloaded this as well.  The Editorial Reviews state that it has a strong female lead, a compelling plot, and an intricate serial killer.  Well, now, what more can a girl want.  I had to download it.  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars by 29 reviewers.

9.       The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – I can vouch for this one.  It has four classic Holmes mysteries, two of which (Speckled Band & Bohemia) happen to be two of my all time favorite Holmes mysteries.  It received a 4.4 average review from 146 reviewers.

10.   Blue Boy – I originally passed on this one, I actually DO pass on some Kindle Freebies occasionally.  I passed on it based on the title, but when I checked out the description, I jumped the fence and ordered it.  It’s ranked #1 in the category of Literary Fiction, and received 4.3 stars from 12 reviewers.

Don’t own a Kindle, but would like to?  The latest generation of Kindle is available at the following links:  with WiFi only   or with WiFi and 3G.

For comments, questions, and feedback, the author may be contacted at:  unkemptruminations@comcast.net or in the "Questions and Comments" forum at the bottom of the product information page which you can find here.