The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales - The Brothers Grimm

one sentence summary:
Before there was Disney fairy tales were much more gruesome.
review:
I happen to know a lot about the brothers Grimm and I can tell you that they did not come up with all of these stories on their own, rather they collected all the folk tales in Eastern Europe and wrote them down, thus they get all of the credit. I do not recommend these for children unless you stop reading and add your own happy endings because none of the true endings of fairy tales are happily ever after ones. These are all timeless classics and I believe no library is complete without them in it. Translated into almost every language these are all brilliant stories. Personally, I have a beautiful copy that was given to me by one of my mom's friends at my baby shower.
10/10

Eragon - Christopher Paolini

one sentence summary:
A boy finds a dragon.
review:
This is a novel that does it's job very well, it is written to bring preteen boys (and girls) into the world of reading and expand their vocabulary while at it. It is not particularly well written and the story is not particularly original, in fact it is one of the most unoriginal works of fantasy I have ever read. That said it is a good introduction to the fantasy genre as it touches on almost every trope of the genre. I recommend it to preteens without a lot of experience in the genre.
4/10
6/10

Eve Duncan Series - Iris Johansen

one sentence summary:
Eve Duncan is a forensic sculptor she gives faces to forgotten bones.
review:
This is a decently written entertaining series. Eve Duncan, the protagonist is a very strong character but there are many other notable ones as well. Some of the books Even takes centre stage and in others she doesn't and that is what makes the series so interesting. The writing and settings are pretty standard for the genre, the plot of each novel is interesting as a stand alone with an over arching mystery covering much of the series. Well worth the read if you like that sort of thing.
6/10

Check out: Tami Hoag, J A Jance, Lisa Gardner 

The Complete Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

one sentence summary:

Holmes is a bit of an egotist, but well tempered by his friend Watson.

review:

This is fantastic reading, a good mix of story lengths. All well written and entertaining. The characters all interact with each other in most interesting ways, especially the relationship between Holmes and Watson. With driven, fast paced plots the stories are all page turners. Because they were written so long ago they have taken on a historical feel which adds to the general awesomeness of great writing. I recommend everyone read at least one of the stories of Holmes, after all the stories are a huge part of our culture.

8/10

Lincoln Rhyme Series - Jeffery Deaver

one sentence summary:
an interesting take on the cop drama, one partner a paraplegic the other on the trail of the criminals

Review:
Well written (for this genre) with an interesting idea at the core of it all. Strong characters create really rather interesting situations and interpersonal issues that add a lot to the typical crime solving suspense. Each novel seems to have a plot twist that is actually a twist. You relate to the protagonists and really worry for them in dangerous situations. I recommend these to anyone who really enjoys suspense type stories.

6/10
*i have only read the first 5 books in this series, in fact i didn't know there were more.*

if you enjoyed this series check out James Patterson, Lisa Gardner, Michael Connelly and the like

Sphere - Michael Crichton

one sentence summary
Why the fuck would anyone explore a spaceship so deep in the ocean that the pressure outside would kill you?? read this book to find out why...(tho I am still pretty sure it is a terrible idea)

review:
The writing is above average for the genre, the story is really quite interesting (once you make the assumption that some people just need to know, and that need outweighs any sane reasoning they may have had) and the characters are all horribly flawed and entertaining. The novel is written in what I like to think of as the Crichton style, long explanations of science, decent dialogue, rushed action and plot holes the size of the grand canyon. I recommend this for plane or cabin reading, a fast paced story whose details don't matter. I recommend it to anyone looking to read an action movie with shoddy science.

8/10

i recommend checking out Robin Cook, Carl Sagan (his fiction), Steve Alten etc

Julie & Julia - Julie Powell

one sentence summary:
Julia decides to do a blog by cooking every recipe in Julia Childs "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" in one year.

review:
This book, while far from great writing is entertaining in an easy read type way. One of those grand quest, kind of funny, memoirs that hit the best seller lists. It covers all aspects of her life, not just the grand quest, and that is what made it worth reading. Both Julia and her husband are bona fide yuppies but that kind of adds to the charm of them. Quirky in an "influenced way the eff to much by Disney ideals" way this is a very interesting look at the quest for a "perfect relationship". I enjoyed it. I would recommend it to anyone who this description appeals to.
6/10

if you enjoyed this check out A J Jacobs