Books you should read and one you shouldn't

So now I've read two posts (one here on this enlightening blog) and one at Tales of a Psycho Momma, which you can find to your right since, again, I can't link things like this. In the interest of showing off my ability to critically read, I want to give you a rundown of what I've been into these days.
_The Sultan's Harem_ by Colin Falconer. A deliciously long book based on the life of Sultan Suleyman Something-or-other (aka Keeper of Men's Necks, a dashing title if I do say so myself) and a few of the women in his harem. For some reason (perhaps because of the Alhambra in Spain) I'm fascinated by harems. They were basically a group of women kept for the needs of the sultan, and they developed their own complications out of his control. It's really, really easy to read and based on a lot of fact, although surely he embellished a bit. Checked against the never-erring Wikipedia, however, this is certainly a historical novel and not one made up out of nowhere. If you want a book you can't put down that won't be over in an hour, READ THIS BOOK.
_The Monk Downstairs_ by Tim Farrington. I grabbed this at the library having never read any of his books but this was really quite good. Kind of an interesting concept (man leaves monastery after 20 yrs and falls into a relationship with his landlady. High bubblegum factor, and overall a fun book.
_Mappin the Edge_ by Sarah Dunant. Also one of those grabbed-at-the-library-as-fast-as-I-could books. This book was good, really good... I think. It was a little confusing, in a Choose-your-own-adventure kind of way. I won't say more than that. The gist of the story is that a single mom of a 6-yr old girl takes off for Italy without telling anyone what she is up to and doesn't come back as planned. No one can figure out if there's been foul play or if she's running away from her life... I hope my sister reads this one, because I really want her take on it.
And finally!
A BOOK I HATED HATED HATED! Possibly because I had high expectations, but most likely because it was just AWFUL!!!!! (and all of you know I'd never be overly dramatic)
_Two Women_ by Marianne Fredriksson. The reason I had high expectations was because I've read_ Hanna's daughters_ and _Simon's Family_ and really enjoyed them both, I think (it has been a while). Marianne Fredriksson is Swedish and her stories are typically based (at least in part) in Sweden. That's always appealed to me, having Swedish blood coursing through my veins as I do. This is the story of two women who meet at a gardening center and then go on to have this really deep friendship that is supposed to be understood but is never developed in the book. It is also about how not to translate a novel. I took an amazing translation class as an undergraduate, and the one thing our prof wanted us to learn was that translation is an art, and it creates a new work of art, it doesn't just morph the original piece into a different language. I think this translator used a computer to translate this book from the original Swedish. She uses weird words... not words you don't know, just really strong words where a more subtle word would have made much more sense. There's one part where I had no idea who was angry at who and why, but apparently "there was so much tension in the room that you could feel it." Huh? Unfortunately this book's presence on the shelf is simply a result of Fredriksson's prior successes, but absolutely does not stand on its own two feet. Actually, I'd like my sister to read this one too and tell me if I'm being ridiculous. The other literary point I'd like to make is that the woman's daughters call her "Mummy". The are in their 20s. Ick.
So there you have it. Thank goodness tomorrow is library day so I can get a few of Psycho Momma's recommendations!