Angels Fall

Angels Fall (2006) by Nora Roberts. Potboiler about a lone woman, drifting across the continent as she tries to recover from traumatic events, who finds intrigue and love in scenic Wyoming. Half mystery, half romance novel, "Angels Fall" really succeeds as neither. There are lots of scenes involving the preparation and consumption of food, however, and if nothing else this book will stimulate your appetite. Grade: C+

The Sportswriter

The Sportswriter (1986) by Richard Ford. Frank Bascombe, the first-person hero of "The Sportswriter," believes that, "for your life to be worth anything you must sooner or later face the possibility of terrible, searing regret." Having lost a son to disease and a wife to divorce, he has plenty to regret, but professes not to be disappointed in life and to still be an optimist. We can only admire his spirit as he struggles through a few days in his life, with all their attendant memories. Grade: B+

The Road

The Road (2006) by Cormac McCarthy. A father and son travel through a post-Apocalyptic America filled with ashes and death, trying to go south to avoid advancing cold weather. It's a relentlessly downbeat story, by turns touching and horrifying, but compellingly readable. Grade: A-

The Planets

The Planets (2005) by Dava Sobel. This slim volume presents an enjoyable survey of the Solar System, focusing, of course, on the planets. Sobel's vision is more poetic than scientific, but she gets enough of the hard science in to satisfy all but the most demanding of nerds. Grade: B

A Good Year

A Good Year (2004) by Peter Mayle. A harried Englishman inherits a house with a vineyard in France from his Uncle Henry. After moving to France, he discovers some funny business going on with his grapes. Along the way, he meets several lovely women. Entertaining, but not very deep. Grade: B