I haven't read any of those books yet, but I'm glad you wrote this review because now I'd rather not waste my time (a couple people have recommended them). I can't stand it when the character goes off on some diary-entry self-examination. RA Salvatore books come to mind - he also does that SHE IS WOMAN thing, where it's not even "she" but "The woman ran..." and "The woman felt.." and inevitably, "The woman randomly took off all her clothes and jumped So-and-so, which automatically equals epic romance."