Monday Mornings by Sanjay Gupta

Sanjay Gupta, MD has jumped into the fiction arena with his latest book, Monday Mornings. Based on real experiences, (Yes - some guy really did operate of the wrong side of a man's brain) the stories seem at times fantastical but maintain their hint of truth.

Told by the perspective of the different doctors and nurses who work in the hospital, the switch of the narrator keeps the pace moving. However, the climax of the book becomes unrealistic with all the awful things happening at once. This is the mistake of a first time author and even though Gupta, or at least his editor, should have known better, I can forgive him because I was ready for the novel to wrap up - which seems to be the same feeling Gupta had when writing it. His character development is hit or miss but again, I can forgive him because when he did a good job, I really enjoyed the character.

The title of the book, Monday Mornings, comes from a practice at some hospitals where doctors must stand before their peers and be responsible for their mistakes. Take a minute to think about that. These doctors have to put aside the fact that they are highly specialized and qualified members of the medical community and admit that their mess up killed someone. Woah. Humility. Of course, as the book shows, everyone deals with this "in your face mistake analysis" differently.

The whole message of the book is clearly stated over and over and over again: Doctors are human and make mistakes too. I did enjoy seeing the doctors point of view, specifically the humanity they felt when dealing with tragedy at their own hands. The book did a really good job of driving this theme home. It just happened to drive it home repeatedly, almost loosing its effectiveness.

DANIELLE'S VIEW: This book is like a season of ER or Grey's Anatomy in novel form. If you love a good medical drama it's worth your time. Otherwise, it's ok. A good book to read in the waiting room of your doctor's office - something to kill time while you hope your doctor, unlike some of the ones in the book, doesn't make a mistake that kills you! 

Witch & Wizard by James Patterson

James Patterson is an author I know best from his Alex Cross detective series and, of course, from his creepy book commercials. Seriously, James. Stop the commercials. Watching an author talk about his book doesn't make me want to read it. It makes me think you need to hire a better advertising company. But, I digress.

Patterson has broken out of his typical murder mystery role in the last years. Oh, he's continued to extend his murder repertoire but he's also dabbled in romance with The Lake House and adventure for teens with Maximum Ride. Which brings us to the book at hand, Witch & Wizard.

This teen novel, the first of a series, touts itself as a cross between Harry Potter and The Hunger Games. Let's stop there and ponder that for a moment. This book is supposed to join the 10 billion dollar empire Rowling created with a young adult series that's popularity has spanned the age gap to create a frenzy the media hasn't seen since Twilight. Wow. I'm expecting this book to be epic. Unfortunately, it does not live up to its grandiose boasting.

I had trouble with the story from the very beginning because honestly, the set up is terrible. Immediately, I meet Whit and Wisty, brother and sister, whose home is being raided in the middle of the night by the new totalitarian government that this family has no knowledge of existing. This raises several questions: When did this government take over? How new are they? Is this the first thing they do when they enter power? As I learn more, the harder it becomes to choke down the original premise. Apparently, the siblings are turned in by an informant. So, this government has been around long enough to create a spy network. I also learn the government has established facilities and propaganda littering the streets, yet this family is clueless to their existence. I can get behind a literary dystopia, but one whose existence the main characters are completely unaware of? Come on. That's ridiculous.

Not only are the siblings ignorant of the new regime, they are also ignorant of their own magic, the reason they are being arrested in the first place. Apparently, they are, as the title suggests, a witch and wizard. Strangely, both Whit and Wisty have a hard time accepting this fact. They don't reminisce about times they made things happen accidentally or find clues in their pasts about this sudden revelation. Nope. They just start being magical. I love a good fantasy but these characters aren't small children. I'm really supposed to believe Whit has lived for 18 years and Wisty for 16 without any signs of magic and then poof! Now they've got powers.

I decide to ignore these glaring plot holes so I can continue reading the book in its entirety. Told in first person, the needlessly short chapters constantly remind me that this is a book intended for teenagers with short attention spans. The story becomes choppy and frenzied even when the plot isn't progressing.

****SPOILER ALERT****

The first 160 pages are spent in jail. That's a lot of pages in jail and it feels long. Finally, they are broken out of jail by a ghost and led to the resistance, an army of children fighting against the corrupt adults. Wait a minute. Did I just enter the plot of The Newsies? Yes, but without the fun song and dance numbers to keep me entertained. Then comes the 6 part prophesy which, you know, basically outlined the plots of the next books. And, really? A six part prophesy? Harry Potter only had one prophesy to deal with and that took him seven books. How many books will this series last if it has to fulfill six prophesies. Yikes.

****SPOILER COMPLETE****

Patterson does do a good job of developing Whit and Wisty. I care that they survive just not enough to continue the journey with them.

DANIELLE'S VIEW: Skip it. If you want a cross between Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, read them simultaneously, switching books at each chapter.