December 5, 2008 - December 18, 2008
Last contest period's winners were Darlene, Douglas, H. Hopwood,Lola and Richard, who each received a copy of DASHING THROUGH THE SNOW by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark and JUST AFTER SUNSET: Stories by Stephen King.
| Ozarks reader |
| The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Long is the key word. Yet, although the story progresses slowly --- sometimes with way too much detail --- there are sudden surprises so the reader simply cannot scan or hurry through. I learned probably more than I 'll ever need to know about breeding and training dogs. Start this book when you know you'll have some time (I read it on vacation). It's definitely a keeper. |
| Ozarks Reader |
| Heaven Has Blue Carpet by Sharon Niedzinski |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I just cannot say enough good things about this book. It is, without doubt, the most inspiring book I've ever read. I simply loved every page. I've told all my friends to read it. I've also suggested if they have a friend who may be ill, grieving, or depressed, it would make a wonderful gift. |
| Readingrat |
| Longitude by Dava Sobel |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A short little history of the various attempts to solve the longitude problem. I have encountered this same story briefly before in a book I read last year, THE MAPMAKERS by John Noble Wilford, but this book focuses more exclusively on John Harrison and his battle for getting his highly accurate chronometers accepted by the English Parliament as an acceptable method for determining longitude. |
| Readingrat |
| Scarlet Feather by Maeve Binchy |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This is the story of a tumultuous year in the lives of Cathy Scarlet and Tom Feather as they try to start a catering business in Dublin. This is my third Binchy book. I enjoyed it but it didn't ignite my wanderlust like the other two did. However I did enjoy the characters enough to want to check out Quentins and see who shows up there. |
| T. Thomas |
| Fire Study by Maria Snyder |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
Third in the series. Very good. |
| Louise ([email protected]) |
| Stalking Susan by Julie Kramer |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
If I could, I'd actually give this one more than a 5. Julie Kramer is a news producer for the "Today Show", "Nightly News" and "Dateline." She's a former award-winning investigative producer for a Minneapolis TV station. This experience is evident in her novel wherein the main character is a television investigative reporter. Not only does Ms. Kramer possess the experience but also terrific writing skills. Her style is so entertaining and keeps you reading till you finish, then wish it weren't finished. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading (and even those who don't). This is Ms Kramer's first novel and I'm really, really hoping there will be others to follow! |
| Crystal Blackburn |
| Santa Clawed by Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
A great read! |
| Bridget |
| Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I am totally in love with all of The Hollows books. They are easy to read and the characters are likable. |
| Cheryl S. |
| The Charm School by Nelson DeMille |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
As always, Nelson DeMille writes a truly plausible story of intrigue. It's scary to realize that what he has written could actually be true. |
| Debbie ([email protected]) |
| Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
A tale of the French roundup on July 16, 1942, of Jews, and the termination of over 13,000 individuals --- mostly children. The story is about Sarah and the key she carries for the cupboard where her brother is hidden. The story focuses on the 60th-year anniversary and a journalist unfolding Sarah's saga. |
| Art Harriman |
| A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
In the guise of an adventure tale of life in the 6th Century A.D, Mark Twain develops a mocking satire, one both hilarious and mocking, of the United States as it was in the USA in late 19th Century. Though written over a century ago, much of that exquisite satire is, sad to say, painfully appropriate today. |
| Leola Harris |
| The Miracles of Prato by Laurie Albanese and Laura Morowitz |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Fra Filippo, a Carmelite monk, and Lucrezia, a novititate, are two of the most unforgettable characters in THE MIRACLES OF PRATO by Laurie Albanese and Laura Morowitz. This is historical fiction at its best. The story takes place during the fifteenth century. Fra Filippo Lippi is a monk as well as a very talented artist. One of his famous patrons is Cosimo De Medici. Lucrezia, a novititate, from the Santa Margherita convent becomes the woman who will pose as The Holy Mother for one of his paintings. While he paints Lucrezia, Fra Lippi falls in love with this beautiful woman. Sadly, in Prato, it is well known that Fra Lippi is weak when it comes to fleshly desires. Amazingly, he does not succumb to the beauty of Lucrezia. He respects her as he would the Virgin Mary. Nothing unsavory happens between him and Lucrezia during their time together in the monk's bottega. Although these two people hold themselves above reproach, scandal takes over their lives. The monk and novititate meet all sorts of obstacles. I cried while reading the novel. I thought about the power held by men in high religious establishments. I pondered the fact that beauty can become a curse rather than a blessing to women. I wondered about marriage vows. Is there more than one way for a couple to become legally married? The novel constantly awakened thoughts and made me question age-old philosophies. THE MIRACLES OF PRATO is also suspenseful. Fra Lippi sees a flash of red walking quickly past him more than once as he travels about the city. Who is it? There is a missing child. Where is the baby? Who took the child? Then, there is the Sacra Cinola, the belt of the Madonna. It is a Holy relic. If it does not remain in the right hands, what will happen? Is their a curse attached to the Sacra Cinola? Do miracles flow from the green and gold belt belonging to the Virgin Mary? Saint Thomas was the one who gave the Sacra Cinola to the Holy Mother. Teresa de' Valenti is one of the people who believes she has witnessed a miracle from The Gift of Heaven. With the miraculous birth of her son, Ascanio, she chooses to always believe in the truth and virtue of Lucrezia. More than once, she will show her appreciation to Lucrezia. Laura Albanese and Laura Morowitz have written an extraordinary novel. It is a portrait of long lasting love. I anxiously await their next book. |
| Judy O. |
| Too Close to Home by Linwood Barclay |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This is a very compelling murder mystery about a family --- mother, father, and son --- who were killed by someone who came to their door. Derek Cutter, the next-door neighbor, was hiding in a cubby hole in the neighbors' house while the murder took place. He heard the whole thing. This is an exciting, fast-paced book. |
| Christy H. |
| Demon's Kiss by Eve Silver |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This first book in Ms. Silver's Compact of Sorcerers series is absolutely wonderful! A fascinating plot with intriguing and believable characters (if sorcerers and demon's can be believable). I thoroughly enjoyed this thrilling paranormal romance and have already started reading the next book. |
| Coop |
| I See You Everywhere by Julia Glass |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
By the author of THREE JUNES and THE WHOLE WORLD OVER, I SEE YOU EVERYWHERE follows the story of two sisters over the space of about 20-odd years. Unexpected, but satisfying ending. It's well written, but sometimes difficult to keep track of the time periods. I would definitely recommend it. |
| Christy H. |
| Gone With the Witch by Annette Blair |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I am addicted to and in love with Ms. Blair's Witches! This second book in theTriplet Witch Trilogy is such a fun and romantic read. Filled with sexual tension and heat, witty dialogue and humor, Storm's and Aidan's story kept me reading from start to finish in just a few short hours. February can't come soon enough for me to read Destiny's and Morgan's tale ~ in fact, I've already pre-ordered it. |
| Christy H. |
| Boo Who by Rene Gutteridge |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
This second book in the Boo series is a fun and light-hearted read. Even though you don't have to read the first book, it does help with the background and quirky character development. The zany residents of Skary are a hoot. |
| Debi |
| Grace by Richard Paul Evans |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
In this short novel, a teen-aged boy finds a runaway girl and gives her a home in his old fort in the back yard. He sacrifices his hard-earned money to help her, yet she keeps secrets. This is a powerful story of human charity and love. I enjoyed it. |
| Fran |
| The Rope Walk by Carrie Brown |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
Although it took me a while to get into this, I wound up enjoying it. It tells the story of two children who befriend a man dying of AIDS and decide to build him a rope walk. The author captures the innocence of childhood and has great descriptive narratives. |
| Debi |
| A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This is the first of the Gemma Doyle trilogy. Set in Victorian England, Gemma watches her mother die by being swallowed by a dark being. Gemma finds that she can travel from one world to the next. She is the chosen one of the Order, a group that restores balance to the universe. I'm not usually a fan of the fantasy novel, but this one kept me interested from beginning to end!! |
| Vicki |
| The Pagan Stone by Nora Roberts |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
This is the last book in Robert's Sign of 7 trilogy. I actually enjoyed the first 2 better, but it ended nicely. |
| Sara M |
| The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
If you can get past the creepy cover art, you may enjoy this retelling of the Salem Witch Trials. The narrator is the young Sarah Carrier who has just moved to Salem, and is forced to contend with the witch terror gripping the town at the time. This harsh coming-of-age story is told in a time where family squabbles, neighborly disputes, and mild forms of fortune were causes for condemnation. Using a child to try and make sense of what is happening is heart breaking and genius. The details framing the hysteria and the treatment of witches are vivid and obviously well researched. The characters are well developed and honestly flawed. Kathleen Kent is a promising historical fiction writer. That said, the novel’s structure lacks continuity; it begins as a letter to a relative, but doesn’t finish that way. The telling also alludes to several historical incidents involving the Carrier Family, which never sufficiently materialize. Overall, the book is more of a very good read, and less of an eye opener regarding the trials. The message is a little obvious—the Witch Trials were BAD, and unless you are almost completely devoid of knowledge on the subject, you won’t learn anything new. |
| Jud Hanson |
| Wildfire by Nelson Demille |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
John Corey returns in this cutting-edge thriller by Demille. It's a year after the World Trade Center attacks and tensions are running high against the Muslim world. At a remote mountain hunting club known as the Custer Hill Club, some of the most powerful minds in the US Government are planning to implement a final solution of sorts, know as "Wildfire," against the Middle East. Their plan is discovered when a detective sent to conduct surveillance disappears and later turns up dead. FBI consultant John Corey and wife Kate are put on the case and to their horror, realize that this group of power brokers are willing to sacrifice American civilians' lives in order to achieve their goal. This is an excellent novel with real world implications. |
| Jud Hanson |
| Treasure of Khan by Clive Cussler |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Clive Cussler has outdone himself yet again with another suspenseful novel. Who else can begin a novel in 13th-Century Asia, jump forward 600 years to an archaeological dig and then jump another 70 years to a lake in Siberia? The book starts with a planned invasion of Japan by Mongolians that ends in disaster. 600 years later, archaeologist discover clues to the location of Kublai Khan's tomb. However, the key artifact is stolen by a mole in the midst and the plane carrying the archaeological team is shot down and lost to history. Jump forward 70 more years to modern day Siberia. Mysterious seismic events began to occur across the region in key oil producing countries, causing death and destruction and huge hits to the oil market. Pitt's adventure starts with the rescue of an oil survey team and he is led to discover a mysterious new company in Mongolia who recently came on the scene, with a plan to own a significant stake in the world's oil market. What follows is a chase to stop the people causing the seismic disasters and to find the tomb of one of the greatest warriors to ever live: Ghengis Khan |
| Peggy |
| A Death in Vienna by Daniel Silva |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
A DEATH IN VIENNA involves the pursuit of a Nazi war criminal, and issues about the Holocaust. Art restorer and spy Gabriel Allon is sent on a mission to locate a Nazi war criminal involved in the murder of two women during World War II. If you enjoy a thriller, you will enjoy A DEATH IN VIENNA. |
| Billie ([email protected]) |
| The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I just finished this audio book and absolutely loved it. Can hardly wait until I start KNIT TWO. |
| Farhan Ghazali ([email protected]) |
| Firmin by Sam Savage |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
FIRMIN is the name of a rat who was born in a second-hand bookshop in a seedy and sleazy area of Boston in the sixties. Firmin was puny and weak, and he was usually left hungry as his other dozen siblings drank all of their mother's milk. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Firmin resorted to eating the old books around him which gave him a special power: the ability to read. And then he stopped literally devouring them and started actually reading them. Now the books offered not physical nourishment, but an intellectual one. He read everything: from classics to pulp fiction, from religious tomes to erotic texts, from biographies to histories, from philosophy to humour. He just read and read. Such wide reading contributed to his unusual mental development, but despite his formidable intellect and powerful imagination, he was unable to communicate with his intellectual equals --- humans --- since he could not talk. He did not have the right vocal cords to speak the humanspeak. As he says in the book, "...loquacious to the point of chatter, I was condemned to silence. The fact is, I had no voice. All the beautiful sentences flying around in my head like butterflies were in fact flying in a cage they could never get out of." And when the shop owner spotted Firmin, he tried to poison him; and Firmin, who had grown very fond of him over time and felt deeply devoted to him --- constantly observing him from his secret cracks and holes --- could not stand this treachery, and lost what little faith he had had in the world to begin with. No matter how much Firmin read, he could never make sense of the seeming randomness and futility of life. Attention-starved, spurned by his own kind for a freak and loathed by the humans whose companionship and respect he sought, Firmin led a life utterly alone --- socially as well as intellectually. He lived his life as an outcast, a fine mind forever trapped in a repulsive body. All the beautiful words and thoughts he had in his head, he could never share with anyone. He was a hopeless romantic, a venomless cynic, and an endearing dreamer; he sometimes imagined himself as Fred Astaire, dancing and singing with the most beautiful women; he sometimes fantasized that he was a war hero, or a great writer or poet, a human being dressed in tuxedoes and hats and gloves, discussing great ideas with fellow humans. His genius was both a blessing and a curse. Despite his shining intelligence and sparkling wit, despite all his escapist flights of fancy, his life never let him forget for too long that he was a rat. It is obvious that the story is an allegory; it is not really about a rat who could read, but about any human being who has felt like a misfit in this world, a pariah, with only his runaway imagination as his friend; unable to find someone who would understand him and see him for what he really is, beyond the physical looks and beyond his societal standing. Deeply moving, ruefully funny, heart-breakingly cynical, highly original and incisively metaphorical, this is an unforgettable tale of loneliness, under-achievement, and helplessness in the face of immutable circumstances. Liberally sprinkled with wise truisms, this is a novel which brilliantly uses a non-human protagonist to open a window on the human condition. My highest rating for this staggering work of genius. |
| Marsha |
| Divine Justice by David Baldacci |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
This book strives to tie up ends with the Oliver Stone character, who leads the Camel Club. If you have not read the previous books featuring the Camel Club, you might find this book rather confusing. |
| Eileen Quinn Knight |
| Love Walked In by Marisa De Los Santos |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
A lovely book of fiction that shows that joyfulness and merriment of friendships of all ages and kinds. |
| Jessica |
| Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Alternating chapters tell the stories of two very distinctive main characters whose paths seem destined to cross. Reading KAFKA ON THE SHORE is like candy for your imagination--it's a fantastic story filled with talking cats, "living spirits" and beautiful descriptions of Japanese culture. |
| Angela Satalino |
| Swan by Frances Mayes |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Intriguing story about a Southern Family with skeletons in the closet. |
| Joanne |
| Tweak by Nic Sheff |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This is written by an individual who is addicted to methamphetamines. He writes about how he became addicted at a very young age and the book is written to make you understand the feeling of being high and addicted. I liked it because he really wasn't trying to cover anything up, just letting you know how he lived his life. |
| Juanita |
| Hanna's Daughters by Marianne Fredriksson |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A wonderful "Generation" book --- loved it! |
| H Hopwood ([email protected]) |
| The Gate House by Nelson DeMille |
| Rating: 1 Stars |
|
I was very disappointed in this book. The first 265 pages kept going over the same story, and if you have read THE GOLD COAST, I do not believe you need to keep re-telling what I already know. I completely lost any interest in the characters. I would like to say why but I do not what to give anything away for anyone still reading this book. By page three hundred five, I put the book down and I am not going to finish it. I read two to three books a week and have never not finish a book, but this one just draws out what is going to happen without my having any interest whatsoever as to what happens to these sallow characters. I loved THE GOLD COAST. |
| Lola Boca Raton Florida ([email protected]) |
| The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Very well written. If you love animals, this is a must read. You will never look at them in the same eyes as before. I laughed, I cried, I was sorry to see this book end. |
| Genie |
| The Christmas Pig by Kinky Friedman |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Great story! A tale of the importance of love, friendship and loyalty. Not sinceBabe has a little pig been such a major player in a work of fiction. |
| Kellie ([email protected]) |
| Skipping Christmas by John Grisham |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This is so not Grisham, but I really liked it. It's about a family who decides to forget Christmas this year because their daughter is out of the country and won't be celebrating with them. Their neighbors totally harass and make fun of them. Nora and Luther try to ignore them and focus on the cruise they have decided to take instead. When their plans suddenly change, the Cranks realize who their true friends are. This is a really funny book that shows the comedic side of Grisham. This was made into the movie, Christmas With The Kranks. |
| Louise |
| Hidden Star by Nora Roberts |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
I bought the Stars of Mithra Trilogy at a benefit auction a friend had. Knowing they were by Nora Roberts, I figured I couldn't go wrong. However, these are not among Nora's best works. It felt like she had to put them out in a hurry for the publisher (this first one, anyway). It started out interestingly enough. Cabe Parris is a private eye in the D.C. area. One day a frightened young woman came into his office, wanting to hire him to find a missing person. When he asked who the missing person was, the girl said, "Me". Yep, she had amnesia. I had a hard time finishing and only really did so because I had paid so much for them :) Hopefully, the other two will hold my attention better. |
| Genie |
| Cowboy Logic by Kinky Friedman |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A collection of quotes. Some are quotable and some are not. |
| Bev |
| Cross Country by James Patterson |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
The usual high-adrenaline Alex Cross novel, and is easily read in one sitting. Lacking the depth of character building found in his earlier Cross books, Mr. Patterson seems to be focusing more on the graphic thrill-a-minute than the thoughtful plots he used to turn out and the wonderfully complex characters. Who can ever forget Gary Soneji? |
| Danelle Drake ([email protected]) |
| The "O, MY" in Tonsillectomy & Adenoid by Laurie Zelinger, Ph.D., R.P.T.-S |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
A must have for any parent. |
| Danelle Drake ([email protected]) |
| Born on Friday 13th by Anna Murray |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
A great, courageous woman who shares a story of loss, Anna Murry will grab you heart and pull you in. |
| Danelle Drake ([email protected]) |
| Speaking for Myself by Cherie Blair |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A very driven woman writes about her life in the spotlight! |
| Danelle Drake ([email protected]) |
| A Bridge Back by Patrick M. Garry |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Wow! What a wonderful read! Curl up on the couch and become engrossed in a book where what you want to happen doesn't always happen! |
| Danelle Drake ([email protected]) |
| Amazing Grays by Maggie Rose Crane |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
A wonderful guide for any woman reaching that milestone age of 50, or who wants to better prepare themselves for life's golden days! |
| Rose Nesbitt |
| Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands by Dr. Laura Slessinger |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A compelling and thought-provoking book on making your marriage work and having a happier life. It may be a hard read for some women. |
| Marsha |
| Brimstone by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Childs |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
I have heard of the books featuring FBI Special Agent Pendergast but this is the first one I have read, and I am hooked. The details are so finely drawn and the literary references are a delight. This is a rare find. |
| Jeanie |
| Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
In the same style as THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS, this story tells of the horrors of HItler's rein through the eyes of a child. The French police rounded up Jews in France and sent them to prison camps. Sarah left her brother in a secret room, hidden from the soldiers that came knocking at their door. This story tells of her life and the horrific details of how the French participated in the Holocaust. |
| Tanya |
| The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This is a great holiday read. Some of the book is based on the author's life experiences, which makes it that much more enjoyable. I read this book in two days, it was so good. |
| Jeanie |
| The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This book is a series of letters written between a writer, her agent and the townspeople of Guernsey who survived Nazi occupation of their island. |
| Marion Miller ([email protected]) |
| The Alchemist by Paul Coehlo |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
A wonderful fairy tale and a great book to escape with. It's about a shepherd and his search for a wonderful life. I loved it. |
| Kaye |
| Perfect on Paper by Maria Murnane |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Maria Murnane was very generous and kind in sending me a copy of her new book, PERFECT ON PAPER. Thank you so much, Maria, for such a fun read! Everything is perfect! He’s handsome, rich, smart and comes from a very impressive family. What more could a girl want? For one thing, for the wedding to actually happen, not for him to back out just 2 weeks before the fairy-tale day. I was drawn in immediately with the contrasts between Waverly and her fiance. This was a good way to set up the scenario and it definitely worked. With a broken engagement behind her and a broken heart to be mended, Waverly Bryson tries to retreat from the land of dating until her two best friends McKenna and Andie try to get her out of her funk. This effort involves blind dates, yuk! Some are just plain horrible while some are barely tolerable. Some of these scenarios will have you laughing out loud. Murnane shows her incredible sense of humor through out the entire book. At one gathering, Waverly looks over the crowd and says, “just like straight off the rack at Nerds R Us.” There is plenty more where that came from. I liked the way Murnane builds up Waverly’s character. She has a conflict in her feelings with her father and the emotion in this shows clearly. The dialogue between Waverly and her two best friends is always witty, while still being caring. I found it very plausible with only one quibble. Do almost thirty year olds say they would like to meet “cute boys”? I would think by that age they would be looking for “hot men”. But this is only a small annoyance because over all the book is very good. Murnane creates a character you want to root for as this book made me smile, laugh and at times groan out loud. Waverly learns to discover her true inner self and comes to the realization that she needs to do what makes her happy, not what others think should make her happy. Out of what seemed like the end of her world in the beginning, came a lot of good for the future. PERFECT ON PAPER is perfect for those who like humor and chick lit with some real substance to it. I give it 4 /2 stars. |
| Kellie ([email protected]) |
| East of Eden by John Steinbeck |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
I was intimidated by the size and notoriety of this book. I was pleasantly surprised. This was an interesting story. Steinbeck is a master, not only in character development but in the portrayal of the times placed within his California setting during the turn of the century. Steinbeck took a biblical theme, Cain and Abel, and used it to establish relationships within his characters. Many lessons can be learned by reading a Steinbeck novel. I am so glad I read this book. I think I might like to read another by this author. |
| Judy O. ([email protected]) |
| Plain Heathen Mischief by Martin Clark |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Joel King, a former Baptist pastor, has just been released from a 6-month sentence in the county jail. He pled guilty of seducing a young girl in his church, but he might not have even been guilty. Now he is being sued for divorce, the young girl is suing him for millions, and he is finding life on the outside is very tough. To top it all off, he goes into cahoots with two crafty scam artists. What more can go wrong with this modern-day Job? This sounds like a serious story, but it is all told in a "tongue in cheek" style that makes for compelling reading. Clark's latest book is THE LEGAL LIMIT. |
| Carol Hoyer from VA ([email protected]) |
| A London Scrapbook by Polly Grose |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Polly Grose has written a very entertaining and warm memoir of her life with her last husband, David, who has taught her to capture her love, dreams and experiences in scrap booking. After two failed marriages and grown sons, Polly has become a legend in the world of theater and cultural events. She was no longer concerned about finding her prince. Little did she know that he would find her. Not intending to leave Minneapolis, Polly had a chance to go to London to visit and scout around for a college program. It is there she met David. After some considerable pondering, Polly leaves her home and moves to London. She finds that Londoners are much different than those from Minnesota --- the rules are different and in English eyes she is aggressive. David teaches her about life in England, introduces her to his circle of posh friends and reinvents her love for sailing. Through her warmth and colorful words, Ms. Grose has given us a scrapbook look at her life from a child to the loved wife of David and now a widow. Her ability to vividly describe events makes you feel like you are right there with her. |
| Carol Hoyer from VA ([email protected]) |
| Lizzi & Fredl by Dr. Willliam Stanford |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Dr. Stanford has written an incredible book about his parents who were living in Austria when Hitler began his torturous journey. Having read many personal accounts of life with Hitler, this book really saddened me and made me really look at what was going on in the lives of people who were caught up in this hell. As a psychologist who has studied torture victims for over 2 years --- it is nothing that anyone will ever understand nor fully realize what these individuals, families went through. Hitler is overrunning Austria in 1938. Lizzi and Fredl are happy where they are, have successful jobs and family members around them. The fear that they feel in being drawn into Hitler’s pathology only reinforces that they must leave. Scared and traumatized at what they see, they leave every possession they have and family to escape. Dodging spotlights and Hitler patrols, the couple --- with friends and family --- seek to leave to France where they think they will be safe. Little do they know that as the war increases they will never know who to trust, even Fredl’s own brother. His brother and wife are separated, and the wife does not want to leave their homeland. It causes many problems amongst the family. Fredl is arrested many times, as the government thinks he is a Jew and a spy. Crawling on the ground, having neither food nor money is a hard road to go. When Fredl is arrested, Lizzi doesn’t know where he is and he is in poor health. Luckily, she meets many who are in the same situation, and they help her find her husband and get jobs. Hitler’s soldiers don’t care if you are dying. They are out to control Europe. Many are sent to detention camps to work until they are dead --- it almost happened to Fredl. Lizzi fared better in that she was a master seamstress and gained the trust of all she met. As in war, every area has different rules and the author has given a great detailed account of the political nightmare that all go through. I can’t imagine what this couple went through, although the author did a great job of describing incidents and checking his references. There are many who say this never happened; yet, there are many who still suffer today. It is a harrowing ordeal that I have never experienced except through the words of survivors. I have met many and even though they tell you their story you cannot imagine what it was like. This is a must read --- as a psychologist I look at the mental damage, and these people will never be the same again. Can it happen to us? Is there life after their soul deaths? |
| Carol Hoyer from VA ([email protected]) |
| Until We Reach Home by Lynn Austin |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Lynn Austin has written an exceptional story about three young women who have lost their parents, have no funds and are being taken advantage of by a devious uncle. Elin, the older of the sisters promised their mother she would watch out for the others. Little did she know that she would turn into a mother at such a young age. Her sisters, one a dare devil who trusted everyone and the other shy and meek, were the joy of her life. This is a story of their leaving their home in Sweden to live in America, where everyone said it was the “dream world.” Elin felt it was her responsibility to get her sisters away from the uncle who would take advantage of them in every way. The trip would be long, hard and scary at times. Their first stop would be to Ellis Island, a gateway to America for immigrants. There, they would be screened and screened for illnesses, and correct documents. Elin becomes very sick with typhoid fever, which she contracted while caring for a sick family on the boat over. Kirsten, the carefree sister, is also isolated as they discover she is pregnant and not married. Their entrance into America is denied for the time being. Sofia, the youngest and shyest sister, is sent to live in a woman’s dormitory until a decision is made about her sisters. It is here that Sofia changes into a determined, strong-willed woman. Having little funds once in Chicago, each of the sisters make arrangements to marry someone they do not love so all three of them can live together. It is not easy for any of them as now the sisters will be split apart; something that has never occurred since they were born. In the end, they discover love and what it means to be home. A wonderful, enticing story of growing up; learning to love and appreciate what we have. |
| Kathy Kasten |
| The Red Scarf by Kate Furnivall |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Takes place in Russia during the revolution at a concentration camp. People try to get free with the help of a Gypsy who has powers to aid those in trouble. |
| Kathy Kasten |
| Dark Pursuit by Brandilyn Collins |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I thought this was an excellent book. I couldn't put it down. |
| Genie |
| Even Vampires Get the Blues by Katie MacAlister |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
I've got to say, Katie MacAlister has a good imagination. The basis of the plot was the search for an ancient statue. Around this hub is a complex tale of love gained, love lost, and love re-gained. The main characters are two vampire brothers and the two PI/cousins (one elf and the other fairy) they hire to find the ancient statue. During the hunt, we are introduced to a wild array characters, which include an army of ghosts (kilt clad Scotts military men), demons, a seer, ancient gods, etc) some of whom a helping our fearless foursome and some hindering the investigation. All in all, this is a quick, easy and entertaining read. |
| Readingrat |
| The Mighty Queens of Freeville by Amy Dickinson |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This book is a series of anecdotes from the life of advice columnist, Amy Dickinson. The story centers less around the "Queens" of the title and more around the men in Amy's life who have left --- her father and her (ex)husband. The whole tale is told in an endearing fashion without a trace of bitterness and leaves you rooting for both Amy and her daughter at the end. |
| Rose Hately |
| Friend of the Devil by Peter Robinson |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Another great read by Peter Robinson. It's easy to see why he is an award-winning crime fiction writer. The latest Inspector Alan Banks novel is set, as usual, in Yorkshire, England and is another superbly-written, thrilling and complicated murder mystery by one of my favourite authors. And will Banks and Detective Inspector Annie Cabbot get together again? |
| Germany |
| The Kitchen Boy by Robert Alexander |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
The "story" of the kitchen boy who witnessed the killing of the Tsar, his family, and others. |
| Genie |
| Tombs of Endearment by Casey Daniels |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Pepper Martin knows ghosts won't let her alone since Gus, her first client (DON OF THE DEAD) has been telling everyone in the afterlife what a great PI she is. In this third book of the series, things once again become complicated when Damon Curtis, the ghost of a sexy 1960s rocker, asks Pepper to help him make his transition to the other side. A member of his band, Vinnie Palucci, is channeling him in order to write hit songs. This is keeping him earth bound. Damon wants Pepper to ask him to stop channeling so he can pass on. Just as Pepper manages to get Vinnie to understand the consequences of his actions, Vinnie is murdered. Pepper makes contact with Vinnie (with the help of her old friend Dan) and is told another band member is going to be murdered. What she doesn't realize is that she is also in danger. In a secondary plot, Pepper's ex-fiance, Joel, came back to tell her he's getting married and wants his ring back. Just as she is beginning to feel sorry for herself about being dateless, Detective Quinn asks her out on a date. Then Dan Callahan, the mysterious man who has been trying to get Pepper to admit she believes in ghosts, makes another appearance. So much attention at a time when she is trying to solve not one, but two murders. Timing is not the best at this time. What's a girl to do? Whether she wants to or not, Pepper is PI to the ghostly ones so she must find a way to solve the crimes so her clients can go on to the next plane. |
| Genie |
| Ghost Dancer by Robert Westbrook |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
An unusual pair of private investigators Howard Moon Deer, a Lakota Sioux graduate student, and a blind, retired San Francisco police officer (Jack Wilder) find themselves involved in a strange but interesting case. Their client, an ex-U.S. Senator/ski resort owner, is shot dead with an arrow before he could tell the detectives why he hired them! Howard Moon Deer made the gruesome discovery when he and Jack showed up at a remote location on the ski resort where they were to meet the Senator. This meant they would have to begin by looking into their client's past. What they found was a tangled series of affairs of the heart as well as business which led them into places filled with a deadly web of intrigue and murder! |
| Genie |
| You Can Lead A Politician to Water... by Kinky Friedman |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This book has some of the best suggestions to improve the political system (not just in Texas) that I have ever read. A good read for anyone interested in our political system. |
| Dave |
| The Night Stalker by James Swain |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A taut serial killer mystery that is hard to put down. It is well-crafted with well-drawn characters. |
| Kay |
| The Gold Coast by Nelson DeMille |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I am a Nelson DeMille fan but had not read this book and was interested in his latest one, THE GATE HOUSE. I began reading THE GOLD COAST and have been hooked on the good writing, humor, and the well-developed characters in the novel. The Sutters and Bellarosas are unlikely neighbors and maybe that's part of why this story works so well. I'm looking forward to the continuing story in THE GATE HOUSE. |
| Betty |
| ELISSA'S QUEST and ELISSA'S ODYSSEY by Erica Verrillo |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
These are charming books. The characters are endearing, the plot is interesting, and the writing is fluid. I especially like the fact the Elissa is a strong, independent-minded girl. She can think for herself, and doesn't follow the crowd. Her animal friends provide comic relief. These are ideal books for readers aged 10-14, but anyone would enjoy them. |
| Genie |
| Cravings by edited by Laurell K Hamilton |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
As always, when reading a book of short stories, there were some I really liked ("Dead Girls Don't Dance" and "Burning Moon), one I didn't like well enough to finish reading ("Originally Human"), and one I thought was too short ("Blood Upon My Lips). |
| Sal Williams |
| Dreamcatcher by Stephen King |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
The master has done it again --- there's plenty of gore and suspense to go around in this story of an alien fungus, a crazy General and the four friends who form the core of friendship that is the basis for the whole story. I could not put it down. |
| Wendy Catalano ([email protected]) |
| A Dangerous Fortune by Ken Follett |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Drama. murder, mayhem, and a great banking family saga. |
| Louise |
| Last Look by Mariah Stewart |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I've wanted to read Mariah Stewart for a long time but have so many hundreds of books I haven't read yet that I didn't want to discover another author I liked. That's just what happened, though. Now I can't wait to read more of her, especially the other two Look books. I don't want to give any of the plot away but I can say that two FBI agents are investigating a new murder which, they learn, is related to one that supposedly happened 24 years earlier. Lots of new developments along the way. |
| Sherrie Gil |
| Fortune by James Michener |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This is the first book I have read by James Michener. I really enjoyed his style of history! |
| Angelina M. |
| The Thin Pink Line by Lauren Baratz-Logsted |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This book starts out a little slow, but oh boy, when Jane's story starts to evolve, you'll love it. Jane is a young, attractive woman with a boyfriend who's not ready to marry or start a family. After missing her period, one day while Jane is taking a cigarette break at work she strikes up a conversation with another woman, and that's when her bizarre plan starts to take shape. At first she thinks she is pregnant, then she gets her period and a pregnancy test confirms she is not. But, since Jane sees nothing wrong with telling little white lies, she goes all out to convince the world that she really is with child. she uses a pink marker to paint the thin pink line on the pee tester and shows it to her boyfriend , telling him the great news that he is about to become a daddy. I don't want to give too much away, but she takes this as far as she can, even attending a baby shower thrown for her, while she sits there dying for a glass of wine and a cigarette. Parts of this story will actually make you laugh out loud at her brazen, shameless and audacious behavior. Enjoy! |
| Angie Lindell |
| Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I love how in this Harry Potter novel, we get to see even more layers and details of the wizarding world --- the Ministry of Magic, St. Mungo's, Number 12 Grimmauld Place, the Department of Mysteries, etc. All of the Harry Potter novels are fantastic, and as I reread them with relish, I can't help but comment on their imaginative brilliance! |
| Reva Wamsley ([email protected]) |
| Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This has got to be one of her best books. In this book, Ranger takes the stage. His daughter has been kidnapped by a Ranger look a-like who is also wanting to add Stephanie to his collection. |
| Fran |
| Twilight by Stephenie Meyer |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This was a cute "vampire-human" love story marketed for teens. Despite the fact that it was written for a teen audience, I found it had something to offer everyone. You find well developed characters, a cute storyline and some suspense thrown in here and there. I look forward to reading the other books in the series and seeing the movie. |
| Julie |
| The Fire by Katherine Neville |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This is a continuation (about 25 years later) of THE EIGHT. It is fast paced and a good mystery, but I liked THE EIGHT better. This book is written in the same formula as THE EIGHT. The author just plugged in different names. It's a little predictable. But if you enjoy Katherine Neville's writing style and you like THE EIGHT, you'll like this as well. |
| CC |
| Keeping the House by Ellen Baker |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I enjoyed this book. The premise was not always believable, but the characters were enticing and the story engaging. |
| Helen |
| The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A beautifully written story, as well as a heart-wrenching tale of the love and loyalty between a deaf mute boy and his ever-faithful dog. |
| Diana |
| Bright Shiny Morning by James Frey |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
With his unique style and unique insight, this guy does not write a bad book no matter what Oprah said. |
| Douglas R. Cobb ([email protected]) |
| The Brass Verdict by Midhael Connelly |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
THE BRASS VERDICT teams up two of Michael Connelly's most famous literary figures --- the defense lawyer Mickey Haller, from his novel THE LINCOLN LAWYER, and the policeman Harry (Hieronymous) Bosch. It's a fantastic book. Mickey is thinking about getting back into accepting clients again, after suffering injuries in THE LINCOLN LAWYER and becoming addicted to Oxycontin. A lawyer he knows, Jerry Vincent, is found dead in his car at the parking garage of his office building, shot twice in the head through his window. He'd specified in a contract that if he died, Mickey Haller would inherit all of his cases, so Haller goes from having zero to over thirty. The book focuses mostly on one of the cases, that of the movie mogul owner of Archway Studios, who is accused of murdering his wife and her German lover when he discovers them in bed together. The police don't find the murder weapon, but he does test positive for gun residue. The only way Haller can get his client off is if he can figure out a sort of "magic bullet," way of defending him --- a miraculous way to prove his client is potentially innocent. The novel also focuses on Haller's and Bosch's attempts to discover who the murderer of Vincent could be, before he tries to go after Mickey thinking that Haller might possess information he wants that Vincent might have told or given to him before he died. It's relatively rare for a defense attorney to want to co-operate with a cop, especially because of the importance of the attorney/client confidentiality laws; but, Mickey wants to bring Vincent's killer to justice as much as Bosch does, so he agrees to help as much as he's legally able to do so. It's a really good book I highly recommend it! |
| Ellen R. |
| The Inferno by Dante Alighieri |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Timeless. |
| Ellen R. |
| The Grift by Debra Ginsberg |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
Formula book. |
| Kay E. Tealer |
| It's Mostly His Fault by Robert Mark Alter |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This is not a man-bashing book by any means. It is written by a man for men to help with their relationships with their wives, girlfriends, lovers. Perhaps it will even trickle down to their relationships with all woman --- mothers, sisters daughters, friends. For the first time, this book validates what women have been trying to get their men to understand all these years in a way that men may listen to more readily. I think all couples should be given this book as a wedding gift, all boys should be taught this at a young age. |
| Vicky Burkholder ([email protected]) |
| Phytosphere by Scott Mackay |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Mr. Mackay has written a thought-provoking, entertaining, hard science fiction tale. There was action, chaos, adventure, desperate measures being taken, family dynamics, and a kick-ass soccer mom who shows everyone --- especially the invading aliens --- how to be strong and what a woman will do to protect her family. |
| Ginny |
| Light on Snow by Anita Shreve |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This is an unusual tale of tragedies affecting two families that merge into an inspiring event. When an accident kills his wife and baby, a man takes his other daughter and drops out to a life of virtual isolation in the snowy Northeast. When a newborn baby ends up left alone to die in the snow, the man and his daughter encounter new beginnings and weighty challenges. This is a read in one sitting book, if you can find the time. |
| Debby Creager ([email protected]) |
| Bloody Bones by Laurell K. Hamilton |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
It is one of her best from the Anita Blake series. |
| T. Thomas |
| Salvation in Death by J. D. Robb |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Latest in the Eve Dallas series and one of the best. |
| Readingrat |
| The Aviary Gate by Katie Hickman |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
THE AVIARY GATE is a story of two romances. One takes place in ancient Constantinople, the other takes place in present-day Istanbul. Elizabeth Staveley is our modern-day heroine who stumbles across part of a letter detailing the story of Celia Lamprey, a young woman who was captured and sold into slavery. The story alternates between Elizabeth's trip to Istanbul (taken to further research Celia's story), and Celia's adventures in the sultan's harem in Constantinople. Overall I found both stories very interesting and entertaining. |
| D. Lohrdign |
| The Rose Of York: Love and War by Sandra Worth |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Off to a great start! I'm not too far into this book yet I can tell it is going to be a winner! Love and history! |
| Theresa Norris ([email protected]) |
| The Debs by Susan McBride |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Very well-written story for the high school age about two separate groups of girls wanting to join the Glass Slipper Club. Who'll get in? Two very good couples' stories are going on in the book: Laura and Avery, and Jo Lynn and Dillon. What is going on with Dillon? Mac's new stepmother Honey Potts is a must watch for character. I'm waiting on book 2. |
| Ginny |
| A World of Difference by Leona Blair |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
This is a good old-fashioned romance, but with characters that are drawn a little better than the usual brainless brawn of this genra. Old, but worth a read. |
| 1storm |
| Waiter Rant by Steve Dublancia |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Know anyone that has or currently waits tables for a living? Maybe works close with the public? Get them this book for the holidays. The author remained anonymous as he created his "Waiter Rant" Blog online, which is hugely popular. Approached by a publishing house and suggested by a friend, he wrote this book. The book guides you through how he arrived at waiting tables and what he has encountered in the upscale restaurants in NYC. Lots of laughs and terrific insight --- both on the job itself and on life as well. I myself have never waited tables but work closely w/ the public on a one on one basis and rely on tips as well and I could really relate to his tales. Excellent!! |
| Theresa Norris ([email protected]) |
| Thank You For All Things by Sandra Kring |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I loved this book about a family with hidden secrets and how the secrets have shaped their lives. Lucy McGowan, the main character, reminds me of Harper Lee's Scout as she digs for all the answers. I'll read this book again. |
| New Orleans Reader |
| Roads to Quoz: An American Mosey by William Least Heat-Moon |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I love Heat-Moon's writing style. His metaphors and similes are beautifully creative and his sentences flow like water in a mountain stream. This book more than lives up to the standards he set in BLUE HIGHWAYS and RIVER HORSE. |
| Kaye |
| A Song in Stone by Walter H. Hunt |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Ian Graham, an unemployed television interviewer, gets a job offer to do a documentary on the mystery of Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland. Ian takes the tour to get a feel for the location. As the guide is talking about the mysterious stone carvings during the tour, Ian starts to hear a humming noise that intensifies as he goes farther. The guide explains that the stones have a meaning but that it has been lost to history. Not only does Ian hear a humming noise as the guide speaks, he thinks he is hearing his agent and another man talking in the crypts area. He then begins to hear music that no one else seems to hear. As the music swells, he hears the words ” truth conquers all” in his head. Fade to black as Ian falls into nothingness. When Ian awakens, he is but he isn’t Ian. If this seems like an enigma, it is. He is Ian in body but not Ian of the 21st century. It seems he has been transported back to the year 1307 as an initiate of the Knights Templar making his way on a pilgrimage. The final destination is a location not to be built for another century or more. He has memory of his other self in the 21st century but also can function in the 14th, just as if he had lived there for years. Because Ian has the sole ability to hear the “healing music” he is a target for those who have it in for the Knights Templar. Ian knows that in approximately 6 weeks, the King will give an order to rout out all the Knights Templar and arrest them. In order to save the music for the world, Ian must finish his pilgrimage and return to his own time. Will he be able to finish this dangerous but very important mission? Will it be in time? What an absolutely incredible imagination Mr. Hunt has! I was pulled into this story from the outset and did not want to put it down until the very last page. Although Hunt writes with a simplistic clarity, the reader feels as if he or she is actually in the scene eagerly anticipating the next stage of the journey. The ways of the pilgrims and their faith in God are vividly portrayed. There is a tremendous amount of history woven into this amazing tale bringing the whole story to life. If you like symbolic mysteries with a little fantasy and history woven into the story, then this book is for you. After greatly enjoying books such as THE DA VINCI CODE, I was predisposed to like this book and it certainly did not disappoint. Indeed, a highly recommended read. |
| Dolores ([email protected]) |
| A Puzzle For Fools by Patrick Quentin |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
I'm in the middle of this murder mystery, which was published in 1936, and am really enjoying it. Recommend highly for fans of classic whodunits. |
| Tracey Byram ([email protected]) |
| The Heroin Diaries by Nikki Sixx |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
A harrowing journey into addiction and depression as told by a rock star. Written in diary form, Nikki Sixx takes you through his world of sex, drugs and rock n' roll. Plenty of famous names pass through the pages with insights and memories of their own. Nikki Sixx descends into the madness of heroin addiction and comes out the other side older but wiser. |
| K Peters |
| The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This historical novel about the 18th-century Salem goings on took a while to get into but once I did, it's one that I don't like to put down. So much for a full night's sleep! It's worth the work to stay with it. |
| New Orleans Reader |
| Nurk by Ursula Vernon |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
I picked up this book because it was written by my daughter's friend. I'm glad I did. Vernon has written a fun, imaginative story about how we often have inner strength that is discovered only in times of crisis. It's recommended for ages 8-12, but it would also be a good choice for reading to slightly younger children. |
| Wendy from West Virginia |
| Bel Canto by Ann Patchett |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
A funny, haunting, beautiful story about unlikely friendships in the face of extraordinary circumstances. |
| Mary |
| Women of the Silk by Gail Tsukiyama |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I love books about other cultures and this novel, set in China, is fascinating. Young girls save their families from financial ruin by going to work in the silk factories. The independent "working women" who make good money and live together in a house for the factory girls, also go out to eat and to the theater. A few people make fun of them, but they live a life that is their own in a country and time when most women had very little control over their destiny. The characters are beautifully developed and I was sorry to see this book end. |
| Bridget |
| The Fire by Katherine Neville |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
I read THE EIGHT several years ago and found it pretty interesting. I was pleasantly surprised to see the author has written a sequel and am quite anxious to read it. I must confess I was a little disappointed. Very well written, yes, but the constant unraveling of clues grew tedious after a while. |
| Jeff |
| Half Magic by Edward Eager |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Sometimes you like to travel back to your youth and find out why certain books ignited your imagination back then. Over the years, a book called HALF MAGIC --- which I must have read when I was about eight years old --- kept calling to me from the back of my head. So, the day I noticed it in my local bookstore, still in print and seemingly a young readers' classic now, I bought it and read it in one sitting. And although I must admit that it's lost a bit of its magic over the years, it still casts a spell with its spirit of fun and its big heart. |
| Vicki |
| A Christmas Visitor by Anne Perry |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
This is a light, easy-to-read mystery that is set at Christmas time. This is a first for me by this author, and while enjoyable, it is not my usual type of read. |
| Marguerite |
| Twilight by Stephenie Meyer |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Great read! Ms. Meyer writes a story that is so compelling that one must keep turning the pages to see what happens next. I have to admit, I peeked every once in awhile to see if certain characters remained "safe" or looked for some clue as to what will happen next. It's a fast read, very enjoyable, and I look forward to the next book in the series. |
| Reva Wamsley ([email protected]) |
| Map of Bones by James Rollins |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This book starts out with action and doesn't let up all the way through the book. It travels from Italy to the U.S., to Greece and Switzerland. It's about a group called the Smigma Force who teams up with a Roman Police Lieutenant --- who happens to be a woman --- and her uncle --- who happens to be a Monsignor at the Vatican --- to solve a mass murder that took place in a Cathedral in Germany. |
| Sue Williams |
| Home to Holly Springs by Jan Karon |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This is a heartwarming continuation of the At Home in Mitford series. Tim Kavanagh returns to the town that he grew up in evoking many memories of his youth, his family, friends and various people that lived in Holly Springs. I love that he has taken his old dog back with him in his little red sports car. I feel that I am right there with him seeing the old town, its changes and many places that haven't changed in the many years that he has been away. |
| Linda B. |
| Paraworld Zero by Matthew Peterson |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
PARAWORLD ZERO was the absolute best YA novel that I have ever read! A young teenage orphan boy is thrust into a parallel world after an alien girl saves him from 3 school bullies, and they crash land on an alien world where Simon learns that he has special magically abilities and he has to unite the small and big Puds to save their world from the giant lizards who want to eat them all! I can not wait to read the rest of the four-book series!! |
| Leslie D. |
| The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
I was given this book as a gift and it sat on my bedside table for months before I finally opened it. Boy, was I glad I did. The story is so inspiring, I couldn't put it down. |
| AmandaSue |
| The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Even though this book has gotten mixed reviews, I am really enjoying it! |
| Jud Hanson |
| Vixen 03 by Clive Cussler |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
One of Cussler's early books, it proves that he was just as good then as he is now. What do you get when you mix together a classified military mission that goes awry, a deadly biological weapon nicknamed "Quick Death," a South African rebel group clamoring for power and Dirk Pitt's unstoppable curiosity? One heck of a good book! When Dirk Pitt discovers remnants of an aircraft in lover Loren's father's garage, his curiosity gets the best of him. Though met with roadblocks at every turn, Dirk discovers that the parts belong to a military transport plane that disappeared without a trace more than 30 years earlier with a very deadly cargo on board. What follows is a race to raise the plane from its grave in a Colorado lake and to find the missing weapon canisters. Fans of Cussler won't be disappointed and newcomers will be hooked. |
| Dolores ([email protected]) |
| Split Second by David Baldacci |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This was truly a "couldn't put down" book. It had so many twists and turns! I highly recommend it. |
| Linda Fast ([email protected]) |
| What I Loved by Sisi Hustvedt |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
I thought this would be a thriller from the reviews I had read. but I found it to be more of love story. It had the overtones of real life and was a nice read on a rainy afternoon. |
| Connie |
| A Good Woman by Danielle Steel |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
I would really rate this book about 3.5 stars. I felt it had a really slow beginning, but halfway through it really pick up. The main character in this book went through one trauma or crisis after another and made you feel quite sorry for all she had to endure in her life. |
| Donna Tanner |
| Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
So far, so good! I would have to wait for the ending to see if it rated 5 stars. |
| Sheldon Friedman ([email protected]) |
| Testimony by Anita Shreve |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Tightly written, this novel about the destruction of three marriages, the lives of three students, and a death resulting from a sex tape involving three members of a boy's basketball team and a freshman girl, will keep you turning pages of this slender novel until you reach the unhappy, but reasonable end. |
| Sabina Edwards |
| Raven Rise by D. J. MacHale |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
A great read for teens as well as adults. |
| Jay French |
| Fugitive's Fire by Max Brand |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
After finishing THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH, this is a quick and well-written read. |
| Jacqueline Childress |
| The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I read this book back in 2005 and it was so good I have re-read it two more times. Now that the movie is out --- which is very good, by the way --- I am re-reading it again for the fourth time. This book is awesome! |
| Leola Harris |
| A Christmas Secret by Anne Perry |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I enjoyed this Christmas mystery so much. It takes place in Cottisham, an English village. Dominic and Clarice have come to the village to substitute for a traveling vicar. While living at the vicarage, a body is discovered, and the villagers begin to talk about secrets and suspicions, leaving one to believe there is scandal served along with tea everyday. A CHRISTMAS SECRET is a great escape for the holidays. There is murder, gossip, snow and hope. Please read it. |
| Sue |
| The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
The characters in this book live for sex and sex alone. All the characters' sex lives or non-existent sex lives are explored till boredom sets in. Even the life of the dictator Trujillo's escapades do not escape this reading. All the sex-craved characters are one sided to say the least. Enough already! |
| Tanya |
| Pieces Of The Heart by Karen White |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This is what I call a great feel-good book. The author does a great job getting you to love the characters. It was also a quick read. |
| Jean Miller |
| Mr. Emerson's Wife by Amy Belding Brown |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This was selected as our current Book Club book. It tells the tale of Lidia Jackson, who married the famous orator/philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson. While married, Lidia becomes enamored with Henry David Thoreau, and starts a relationship with him that spans many years. This story allows the reader to take a peek inside the home of well-to-do American families during the early 1800s. It is a fairly quick read and is quite interesting. You're apt to learn more about the "woman behind the man" than about Mr. Emerson, so don't be disappointed. Ms. Belding Brown does an admirable job of reconstructing what life was like for this family and all the people surrounding them. |
| Cynthia Baxter |
| An Irish Country Christmas by Patrick Taylor |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
If you are looking for a cozy book to snuggle up with in front of the fire, this is it! Although it is third in a series, the story does stand alone. The language and dialogue of the book is dialectic but easy enough, but if you do run into problems, the author's website offers a glossary as well as some recipes of the foods depicted in the story. The story is about young Dr. Barry Laverty's apprenticeship in the small Northern Ireland village of Ballybucklebo (say that five times fast!!) under the watchful eye of salty veteran Dr. Fingal O'Reilly. This will be Dr. Laverty's first Christmas with the villagers and you follow him throughout the holiday season, tending to their ailments and emergencies. There's folklore abound and lots of memorable characters. This is, altogether, a very charming book --- perfect for yourself as well as a gift for that book-lover on your list! Enjoy! |
| Susan M |
| The Guernsey Literary Potato and Potato Peel Pie S by Mary Ann Shaffer |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This was a very interesting book about the German occupation of a little island called Guernsey. Good character development. Great read! |
| Mary Ferwerda |
| The Forest Lover by Susan Vreeland |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I would read this again and again. The fact that is is fiction based on true events makes it more interesting. The way the author puts words together makes it seem as if you are actually there. |
| Marjorie Clark ([email protected]) |
| Austenland by Shannon Hale |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This is one of the most charming and enjoyable books that I have read in quite a while. I recommend this book to all Jane Austen fans. If only there were an Austenland, where everyone could find their Mr. Darcy. |
| Cindy Jackson |
| Christmas Letters by Debbie Macomber |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
It was a quick read. A fun love story, with fun characters. |
| Carol |
| Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdoch |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Another fun read from this author. This time, she used a medieval setting and infused the story with magic. |
| Carol |
| Death by Cashmere by Sally Goldenbaum |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
There are multiple murders in a small New England village. Four friends are concerned when the police are not. The friends who knit together are lucky to only be verbally threatened themselves. This was entertaining, but not interesting enough for me to follow the series as it progresses. |
| Jessica |
| Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Imaginative fiction at its best. I'm only a few chapters in, but I'm already hooked. |
| Mary Ferwerda |
| Off Season by Anne Rivers Siddons |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I became part of this family by reading about them, and I was so angry at the ending that this author must be an excellent writer to bring forth such emotions by the reader. |
| Michelle |
| The Gift by Richard Paul Evans |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
A wonderful story of a child who can heal others with his touch. |
| ck |
| The Spy Who Came for Christmas by David Morrell |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Nice, easy book with a Christmas theme --- the code names for the bad guys are those of the magi who traveled to see the Baby Jesus. They kidnap a baby. One of them has begun to think he should break away from the mob. David Morrell is an excellent writer, so there is suspense and interesting information in this book. |
| Louise ([email protected]) |
| Chasing Darkness by Robert Chais |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I have only read one other book by Robert Crais, but after this one, I will be trying to read all of the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series. I couldn't put it down, and that happens too rarely to me. A dead man is discovered in his home, and that opens a whole can of worms. Since Cole is involved in his past, he, therefore, becomes involved in the new case, as well. |
| GladysMP |
| The Warrior by Kinley MacGregor |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This author has the unique ability to keep you breathtakingly in suspense over what is going to happen next. The twists and turns in this love story are constant, but you will love it all. |
| Crystal Blackburn |
| The Keepsake by Tess Gerritsen |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
A scary, creepy, excellent read. |
| Crystal Blackburn |
| Murder Can Crash Your Party by Selma Eichler |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Desiree Shapiro is a plus-sized, auburn haired, 5'2", NYC private investigator who has funny friends and odd clients. In this turn, she goes to give a talk at a mystery writers convention and ends up with a case involving solving the mystery within a manuscript. It's a very interesting mystery manuscript: it makes for a really good read and an interesting and different case for Dez! |
| Crystal Blackburn |
| A Spoonful of Poison: an Agatha Raisin Mystery by M. C. Beaton |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Agatha and the usual cast of characters are back again. Even though there are murders, the story and characters are quite funny. The book is a wonderful example of a cozy mystery. |
| ck |
| Cole Family Christmas by Jennifer Liu Bryan |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Every year, I add a book or two to my Christmas collection. This one is a delightful book for ages eight to eighty. The Cole family lives in a small KY coal mining town. They have nine children and are a lively group. On Christmas Eve, there is a heavy snow and the presents ordered from Sears don't arrive. But, somehow, it is the best Christmas ever. The illustrations are charming. Consider reading a chapter or two of the book aloud to the family during the upcoming Advent season. |
| Vicki |
| Grace by Richard Paul Evans |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Wow. I seriously could not put this one down. It is the story of Grace, a pregnant teenage runaway, and Eric, the boy who helps her. It is deep, and not a "feel good happy" type read. I loved it. It will stay with me. |
| Mary Ferwerda |
| The Shack by William P. Young |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
I am 2/3 of the way through it and it is just getting better and better. It will be interesting to see how it ends! |
| Ellen Rey |
| The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Fantastic read. Enzo is the most lovable character. |
| JODI |
| TWILIGHT and BREAKING DAWN by Stephenie Meyer |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
If you haven't read the series that is taking everyone by storm, then start now! There is so much more to this story than just a vampire and a teenage girl falling in love. Once you start reading the first page, you will not be able to put any of the four books down until the last page of BREAKING DAWN. Read it, read it, read it! |
| Darlene Wright ([email protected]) |
| Twilight by Stephenie Meyer |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Since I have read the books and just saw the movie, I think I qualify for TWILIGHT Mom status. So, speaking for all the over-40 crowd, this book rocks! Love, love the love story. Who didn't want the super cool alien-like boy in high school? So what if he has to drink a little blood? Edward and Bella are the dream couple in the book. This story is so engaging you'll feel like you're really there. I love books like that! Hopefully Mrs. Meyers will continue to entertain us with future stories of the couple. Please! |
| Ellen Rey |
| The Bestiary by Nicholas Christopher |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
Intriguing subject, and well-written. |
| Kellie ([email protected]) |
| The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Connelly has some of the best quotes in his books. "There is nothing you can do about the past except keep it there." -- Mickey Haller when discussing his prior addiction to OxyContin. This was a fantastic read! Mickey Haller is taking a break from the law. After being injured, and becoming addicted to pain pills, he is planning on getting back into his practice gradually. When one of his colleagues, Jerry Vincent, is murdered, Haller has suddenly found himself back in the game. With 31 clients. Jerry Vincent had Mickey appointed to take over his practice if anything was to happen to him. Now Haller has inherited one of the most high profile cases of the day. Walter Elliot is a prominent producer in Hollywood and is accused of killing his wife and her lover. Enter Harry Bosch. Harry is in charge of the Vincent murder and he thinks Haller knows more than he does. I thought Connelly was great at writing from the perspective of a LA homicide detective. He does an equally great job writing as a defense attorney. I can't wait to see what Connelly does next! |
| Judy |
| The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
A violent thriller that focuses on a complex financial fraud and a powerful family's sinister secret. Forty years earlier, Harriet Vanger disappeared off the family's private island. Nobody saw her leave, there was no sign of her disappearance and no corpse. Her aged corporate scion uncle, however, is convinced that a family member murdered her. Blomqvist, a journalist, is hired to write the family history and find out what happened to her. A disgraced journalist, Blomqvist, is facing a 3-month jail sentence from a lost libel case involving another financial scion. Almost immediately, he sees a link with a number of other murders taking place around the same time. The family only pretends to help and Blomqvist doesn't know where to go next. Weaved through out the story are small peeks into the unconventional life of a private investigator, the titled tattoo girl, one angry punk hacker. When the journalist and the hacker team up the plot thickens and reads like an Agatha Christie novel complete with a secretive family on a isolated island and twists and turns galore. |
| Holly Thomas |
| Matter of Panache by Debra Sanders |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Read this book for inspiration, for learning about the poorly known aspects of education, for a plain old enjoyable read! |
| Holly Thomas |
| The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
An excellent well-researched and well-written reporting of life in the dust bowl, and an example of how the US dealt with crises in the '30s and '40s. |
| Quinn Knight |
| One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
In order to take your mind off of the financial worries that you have, read ONE FIFTH AVENUE. It is about the Upper East side of NY and filled with all sorts of antics by the rich and not so rich! It is fun and distracting! |
| Bonnie |
| Honolulu by Alan Brennert |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
I received an advance reader copy of this to review and have thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a novel about "mail order brides" sent from Korea to Hawaii to marry Korean men. It covers a span of time around World War I and is an engrossing story of the lives of these people, Hawaiian history, political and racial unease --- all told in a fascinating tale of a group of women and their families. I learned a lot while being highly entertained, which is all I ask of a good novel. |
| Marcia ([email protected]) |
| The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Interesting perspective of World War II. It takes place in Warsaw, Poland and is told through the diary of the zookeeper's wife, chronicling the people they helped. The animals they loved. And all that they lost. |
| Marcia ([email protected]) |
| The Guersney Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shafer and Annie Barrows |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Another interesting perspective of World War II or actually, life after World War II. The author tells the story all through letters. You need to pay attention to dates and to whom the letter is written, and who's doing the writing. I've laughed and sighed. World War II is a tragic time but the author weaves in humor and touching stories while telling of those who did and didn't survive the war on the Channel Island of Guersney. It's been a wonderful read and a good one to read after THE ZOOKEEPER'S WIFE. |
| Lu from Philadelphia |
| Playing for Pizza by John Grisham |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Light-hearted story of an NFL quarterback who has seen his better days. His last game ends in humiliation and his career comes crashing to an end. As a last-ditch effort, he heads to Italy to play on an "American Football" team. Filled with robust Italian characters, this book is fun glimpse of the culture. I didn't quite follow all the play-by-play football explanations, but a football fan would enjoy it. The Italian tradition of hospitality while gathering together to feast on delicious cuisine was so warmly written that I wanted to pull up a chair and join them! |
| Sally B., San Antonio TX |
| Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee by Charles Shields |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A pretty good, all-around look at Nelle Harper Lee and her life (author of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD). Quite a bit about Truman Capote. You wonder what Ms Lee thinks about this book. Numerous articles and personal interviews are noted. The author did a good job in his critiquing of the interviews. |
| Jodi |
| Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This book is a "must read". I couldn't put it down. Anyone who has ever struggled with not fitting in, depression, moving somewhere new, or everyday stress will relate to how the main character struggled in her life. And even if you haven't struggled in your life, you should read it anyway --- it might help you help someone else. |
| Kaye |
| Talk of the Town by Sherrill Bodine |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Sherrill Bodine was very kind and generous in sending me her new book, TALK OF THE TOWN, which is due out in December. Thank you Sherrill, I really enjoyed it! When Rebecca Covington, 15-year veteran gossip columnist for the Daily Mail in Chicago, finds out she has lost her job to a younger woman, she threatens to sue the paper. It seems the paper has been bought out by an as yet unidentified media mogul. Her boss tells her she will now be working with Kate, editor of the home and food section. This will be tricky because Rebecca hates to cook, doesn’t even really know how, and her oven is broken. Rebecca’s friend Harry has recently inherited a lot of cookbooks and is willing to help her after Kate tells her she must actually cook a recipe while adapting it to her tastes. What follows is a hilarious episode in Harry’s new kitchen. Absolute laugh-out-loud moments. Rebecca is determined to keep up her image because she feels in no time she will get her old job back. As she tells Kate, “her job is her identity, the armor she puts on every day. She needs it back to feel safe.” It seems that Rebecca’s husband had left her for a younger woman, leaving Rebecca with a lot of abandonment issues and fear of commitment. When Rebecca is invited to a charity function, she spots an absolutely gorgeous man and the sparks fly as the two exchange looks. No stretch of the imagination to know that this is the new owner of the paper, David Sumner. When David tells Rebecca she can put her own spin on the food column, she does it in an innovative and very successful way. While their personal and professional lives progress, it is not always in a smooth fashion. There are a lot of bumps along the way along . This book has a lot more going for it than just a romance. Although at times, you can turn up the air conditioning because there are some steamy love scenes here! Some “chick lit” books, I find are vapid without much real content, but not so this one. The plot line is extremely plausible. The characters are very well drawn, especially Rebecca and David. The reader gets to see all facets of their personalities as Bodine makes them come to life on every page. They both have had some triumphs and disappointments in life along with real heartbreak that left themfeeling adrift at times. Both work at learning how to deal with the emotional fallout, finally figuring out what they really want out of life. There are several more subplots involved with some wonderful peripheral characters that will keep the reader interested from the beginning until the very end. This new book from Sherrill Bodine will have you talking for quite a while. I really liked the story. |
| LouBabe |
| Irresistible by Karen Robards |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
The second in a trilogy about the 3 Banning Sisters. Trouble is that the 3rd one seems to be missing --- never written. This book was published in 2002, so I don't know what the delay is. I really enjoyed the first two books, though, and would love a third. They take place in the early 1800s in England; I really like reading about that time and place. |
| Barb |
| Skin Deep by Gary Braver |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Medical thrillers are my favorite type of reading. This is one of the best --- very well written and exciting. I read it in one sitting. However, I may avoid cosmetic surgery in the future! |
| Joellen Nellums ([email protected]) |
| The Shack by William P. Young |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A good fiction book to read, that tries to answer the age-old question, "Why is there pain and suffering in the world?" The author tries to let you see God in a new way, and lets you read it in prayer form. The book will leave you questioning your faith in God! |
| Mary Ann |
| Summerlight by Lluanne Rice |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A very good read with a story that involves true love of each other, family, redemption, and faith. May meets a famous hockey player through her adorable but clairvoyant daughter. He has a troubled past with his father. Can their marriage survive their vast differences and his determination not to forgive his father and the terrible memory of his daughter did years ago? Tragedy strikes and May embraces rather than pushes Mike away. It wasn't sappy, and it made me admire the characters for being so life-like. |
| Donna |
| A Lion Among Men: Volume Three in the Wicked Years by Gregory Maguire |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This is the 3rd book in the series that started with WICKED. For anyone who hasn't read them, I strongly encourage you to. While the outside story takes place in Oz and has the familiar characters everyone knows, the real story in these books is so much more. Everyone who reads them will get something different out of it. And you don't realize how they fully affect you until you finish this third one. They really just make you think. |
| Judy O. ([email protected]) |
| The Legal Limit by Martin Clark |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This is such a great book that I don't know why it's not number 1 on the New York Times bestseller list! It reminds me of John Grisham and his early books. It's about two brothers, Mason and Gates Hunt, who share a deadly secret from their younger days. Gates ends up in prison for another offense and threatens to expose this secret in order to "bring down" his lawyer brother. The characters in the book are so finely drawn that they almost become real people. It's absolutely one of the best books I've read in a long while. |
| Leah Boyer |
| Key Lime Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Great mystery and great recipes. I enjoyed reading this mystery and my family has benefited from all the new recipes I've tried. What fun! |
| Katherine Clark ([email protected]) |
| Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I have laughed so much, and now my husband is reading this series. He loves them. |
| Julie H. |
| The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson and Reg Keeland |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Wonderful crime/mystery type story full of dysfunctional family secrets and many twists and turns. |
| Pattie Berryhill ([email protected]) |
| The Sister by Poppy Adams |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
This is an excellent book if you are interested in scientific studies of moths. It is also interesting in the workings of an alcoholic mother who is killed by the father and the secrets this family keeps for forty-nine years. |
| Caroline |
| Russia Rules by Daniel Silva |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
O.K., I'm still in the process of reading this book but so far it's Silva's best, although I say that about all of his books. |
| Laurie |
| Twilight by Stephenie Meyer |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Just started, but so far is really good. |
| Anna Robinson |
| The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This book takes you in and doesn't turn you loose until the last page. The ending is a shocker. I had to go back and reread the last chapter. This author knows how to how to write! |
| Helen |
| People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
An exquisite telling of the history, the people, and the events that touched the Sarajevo Haggadah --- a story that spans five centuries. Such a beautifully written work and great storytelling on Brooks' part. |
| Rebecca Stephen ([email protected]) |
| Deep in the Heart of Trouble by Deeanne Gist |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Essie's journey is funny, touching, and refreshing. It will warm your heart. |
| Lita Jones |
| The Candy Cane Murder by Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine, and Leslie Meier |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This is a delicious book; my favorite combination of mystery, romance and humor. A trio of stories, and the first one comes with recipes; the main character is the owner of the Cookie Jar Bakery and main character of several other books. I have read some of her books and enjoyed them. The other two stories introduced me to two new authors. These are light stories, the kind I like to read at bedtime or in a tub of my favorite bubble bath. |
| Sharon |
| Breathing Out the Ghost by Kirk Curnutt and Jim Gilbert |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
A very beautifully written and enlightening view of how parents cope with the abduction of their child and the other lives their decisions affect. A very real story that sucks you in to the very end. Well done. |
| Kathy |
| The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I was totally fascinated by how just about every character interacted with each other. |
| D. Lohrding |
| A Dog Named Christmas by Greg Kincaid |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Good Christmas story about love and acceptance. Kincaid is a local KS author, too!! |
| John Drew |
| A Matter of Panache by Debra Sanders |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
As the subtitle states, this is a unique memoir of one woman's adventuresome career as a public school psychologist, a traumatic brain injury incurred on the job, and how she survived both. From a remote 80,000 square mile school district in Alaska to the reservation land of southeastern Utah to an Army post in Colorado, Debra Sanders takes the reader through her often hilarious, sometimes poignant and heartbreaking, always engaging adventures in public education. Then, when she is injured in a work-related automobile accident, Debra is confronted with all the challenges faced by her special education students in her struggle for acknowledgment and understanding by school officials, competent medical treatment, to her own ability to comprehend and overcome the changes in her behaviors brought on by the injury. This story of enduring courage and strength is a must read for anyone involved in special education as a teacher, parent or administrator. And if you just love a good adventure played out against a stunning backdrop, A MATTER OF PANACHE is a beautifully written personal account that is sure to engage you. |
| Anna Robinson |
| March by Geraldine Brooks |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
An amazing look at the father of LITTLE WOMEN and his story. The book gives a look into the March marriage and to the reality of a soldiers life in the Civil War. |
| Anna Robinson |
| The Alexandria Link by Steve Berry |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A page turner of a mystery that sends you to your Bible and the Internet to check out facts. I have read several books by this author and think he is amazing. |
| F Tessa Bartels |
| Triple Witch by Sarah Graves |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
This is, at best, an ok mystery. I think she's trying to do too much with the series. I'll try one more before I give up. |
| Patricia J. Huhn ([email protected]) |
| A Matter of Panache by Debra Sanders |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Hooked on this story of a dedicated educator who contends with the maze of a brain injury and administrators who resist her work with wounded kids. |
| Beckie Dicke ([email protected]) |
| Indignation by Philip Roth |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Marcus Messner enrolls at Ohio's Winesburg College in 1951, the second year of the Korean War. Raised in Newark, New Jersey, Marcus escapes his father's obsession with his safety. INDIGNATION is a story of inexperience, resistance, sexual exploration and bizarre relationships. |
| Gail S. ([email protected]) |
| The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Loved, loved loved this book about a young man, Denny, and his family, and their struggles after his wife dies. Her parents try to get custody of his daughter and Denny is trying to become a professional racer. However, the book is told from the view point of the family dog, and how he struggles with helping his owner with his limited ways of communication. A sweet story with allegories to racing and life...full of hope and love. |
| Donna Tanner |
| Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This is my 3rd or 4th time reading this book (I've honestly lost track)! |
| Richard Clark ([email protected]) |
| Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
My wife was reading these books, and she was always laughing out loud, so I had to see what was so funny. I have read 1 thru 7, what a hoot, I have laughed out loud in the Dr's office. What a hoot, I love them. Keep going, Janet. |
| F Tessa Bartels |
| Crossed Bones by Carolyn Haines |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Sarah Booth Delaney manages to lose three beaus in one night! A new Delta record. I really enjoy this series. |
| Irene |
| Hornet Flight by Ken Follett |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Ken Follett never disappoints his readers when it comes to his novels. It is June, 1941, and World War II is not going well for England. The story involves the RAF and Nazi occupied Denmark. When 18-year-old Harald, a Danish schoolboy takes a shortcut through German Occupied Land he discovers an astonishing sight. The book gives a historical view of what went on during that time. The Danish and the British worked together in an underground spy network. Harald discovers that he must save England from German victory over most of Europe. He must fly an old Hornet Moth biplane from Denmark to England to save the war. This is not a new book but a interesting account of that period. I recommend reading this book. |
| Fran |
| Queenmaker by India Edgehill |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
Average historical fiction novel. Although I found myself connected to the main character in some parts of the book, I periodically lost interest in her as well. Perhaps a good editor could shorten it to maintain the integrity throughout. It was okay. If you like stories of Kings and Queens, this one depicts the life of King David and his Queen, Michal through the eyes of Michal. |
| GladysMP |
| The De Santis Marriage by Michelle Reid |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
The is a rather small book by an English writer, and hence a quick read. The author takes the unusual tactic for a romance book of having the leading couple wed early on, but that doesn't distract from the complications of love, the intriguing dialogue and a plot that proves surprising in many ways. |
| Kathleen |
| Hot Mahogany by Stuart Woods |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
So far it is an intriguing tale. I haven't finished it yet. |
| Julianne Perretta |
| The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
The story of Catherine of Aragon, and the prequel to THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL. |
| Paula Shene ([email protected]) |
| A Reason For Dying by Wilfred Bereswill |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This debut novel deserves five stars but the typeset is small and reminiscent of an older style which us older readers gladly gave up years ago. The story, however, is timely, delving into the mores of our time: terrorism, and on our home ground. We see both sides of the equation. The reasoning behind the terrorism explains fully the terrorists' motivation while one still wants these zealots to be apprehended and punished. Bereswill's writing captures you and there is a flow to the narrative which keeps you going back to the next, and the next, and just one more chapter before lights out. He is a bright new star. |
| MJB |
| Cross Country by James Patterson |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Alex Cross is back chasing a killer and his band of teenage accomplices. The chase takes him to Africa where we learn of the atrocities that take place against innocent women and children. A fast-paced, easy read. |
| Marjorie L. |
| Salvation in Death by J. D. Robb |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
One of the very best in the Eve Dallas series. |
| Marjorie L. |
| Dewey, the Library Cat by Vicki Myron |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This isn't just a story about a cat, although Dewey is remarkable. Vicki Myron also gives the reader a look into a small town in an agricultural community, starting in the late 1980s. I would give it 10 stars if possible. |
| Debbie ([email protected]) |
| The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Mickey Waller and Harry Bosch work together to solve the killing of an attorney and the murder of a movie producer's wife and her lover. The story brings in aspects of the past and the connection between Mickey and Harry. |
| Sheila D |
| Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Written by a professor of literature who taught in Iran during their war with Iraq, this illustrates how limitations creep into our lives slowly, one at a time. Azar worked with a group of young women who wanted to continue reading and discussing literature, despite the danger of doing so. |
| Sanda Winters |
| A Matter of Panache by Debra Sanders |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Put a high-achieving woman behind the wheel, add lack of sleep and end up with a recipe for a roller coaster ride known as a "Mild" Traumatic Brain Injury. Before her accident, Debra spent her career providing students and fellow educators with new and innovative ways to learn and grow and get beyond their limitations. Ironically, a car accident gave her a life altering set of physical and mental limitations of her own. This book will make you laugh and cry. It takes the reader on a mental and physical journey of a highly intelligent woman, who experiences physical and emotional loss and pain. You see through her eyes the recognition that the special "panache" which helped her in her career was lost in the accident. With her recognition comes the chance for her to create a new and different life, regaining that "panache" in a different way. I really enjoyed this book and I believe it is a great read for anyone, especially: - Someone who has suffered a brain injury - Family members, caregivers, and support team members of those who have suffered brain injuries - Educators that aid and serve students with disabilities - Safe driving advocates - Those that support our brave soldiers who are now returning home --- especially those who feel that their loved one isn't quite the same You will get a glimpse of some of the oddities that come when a brain no longer functions in a "normal" manner. This was generously edited by my husband so you can understand my thoughts, because I too am on the brain injury roller-coaster. |
| Allyson Crawley |
| Deadly Night by Heather Graham |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A great Flynn Brothers mystery, in wonderful Louisiana. |
| Coral Harrison |
| The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shafer & Annie Barrows |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This is a remarkable book of the letters written mainly by Juliet Ashton and some written to her, but other letters as well. I thought this might be a bad way to write a book, but it surely worked with this one. It is the Guernsey Channel Island, England. They were invaded by Germans during World War II. It is about their spunk, ingenuity and the way they lived on his small, beautiful island. Juliet is an author and wishes to write a book about their experiences. I really enjoyed it. |
| Elizabeth V |
| The Longest Trip Home by John Grogan |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
I'm still reading this book after three weeks because I just started a new job. New jobs are stressful to me, so I'm tired when I get home and don't do much reading. John Grogan is the author of MARLEY AND ME, which is laugh-out-loud funny. This book is funny, too. It's Grogan's memoir and takes place largely where he grew up, Orchard Lake, Michigan, not far from where I grew up. He also went all through parochial schools, as did I, so I enjoy the coincidences. |
| Connie |
| A Matter of Panache by Debra Sanders |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Enjoy the ride --- the observations and the connections. A great book --- I'm only 1/2 way through it and find it hard to put down. |
| Vicki |
| A Cedar Cove Christmas (Cedar Cove series) by Debbie Macomber |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This is the first time for me to read this author, but I am a sucker for mushy Christmas novels. This one fit the bill perfectly! Reminds us what Christmas is really all about. |
| Karen Haney |
| Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco Stork |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD is a wonderful, quick read and one I think everyone should read so as to get a realistic picture of people with Asperger syndrome. Currently, 1 out of 150 babies born will have some kind of autism. Marcelo gets an education on life in this book as will the people who read it. Marcelo Sandoval is an autistic seventeen-year-old man with the specific autistic trait of Asperger’s Syndrome, which makes it hard for him to communicate and handle social situations. He attends a special education school called Paterson, which is for students with varied disorders. At Paterson, Marcelo has been somewhat protected and his special trait of hearing music that no one else can hear is dealt with by specialists. There they study his “music” and what it can mean and represent. As he grows up, his mother and sister instill in Marcelo the secure environment where he is accepted for who he is and there is no judgment. The story gives those not familiar with Asperger Syndrome a realistic look at some of the characteristics that one must be aware of when living with someone with the syndrome. Unfortunately, Marcelo’s father thinks he should experience more of the real life world. The work experience is obviously life changing for Marcelo. Here Marcelo is not sheltered and is opened to dealing with feelings such as anger, trust, jealousy, joy, failure, and longing. He begins to learn what it means for things to be unfair and how people suffer and what he can do about it. He also finds that the music he always hears which keeps him balanced begins to fade as life complicates things with all these other emotions including possibly falling in love. How this summer will change Marcelo’s life is a question answered perhaps when you read the whole book. |
| Ricki ([email protected]) |
| Child of the Prophecy by Juliet Marillier |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
A wonderful close to the Sevenwaters Trilogy. A must for fantasy fans. |
| Deb Ayres |
| The Ten Year Nap by Meg Wollitzer |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Love this author --- she really captures the dilemma and angst of career v. stay-at-home motherhood for the You Can('t) Have It All generation of women. |
| Renee |
| The Afterlife by John Updike |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Short on time? Turn to the short story! This is a wonderful collection about the midlife, and life transition phase. A wonderful way introduction to Updike. |
| Katherine Clark ([email protected]) |
| Twilight by Stephenie Meyer |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Vampires are not usually my choice of reading material, but this series is great, wonderful for young people. I am 66 years old. |
| Edward Keneeski |
| A Matter of Panache by Debra Sanders |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
First you fall in love with her students, then you fall in love with her. Finally, after her traumatic brain injury, you are left in awe at her courage, honesty, and love for life. This is a deeply beautiful must-read book |
| Lorraine M. LaRose |
| Twenty Wishes (Blossom Street, No. 4) by Debbie Macomber |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I don’t think anyone can read this book without making their own personal twenty wishes list. It just makes you want to make your life better and the women in this book are all wonderful inspirations. |
| Sharon |
| The Abortionist's Daughter by Elisabeth Hyde |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A gripping tale of mystery --- who killed the local doctor, who performed abortions? Was it the husband who fought with her that fateful day, or the daughter who could not get along with her mother? Perhaps it was the daughter's estranged boyfriend or the local anti-abortion minister. There are loads of suspects and as you learn about the characters you hope that each individual is not the killer. The characters are written honestly and sympathetically. There is no typical bad guy. Suspenseful reading! |
| Vicki |
| Light On Snow by Anita Shreve |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
I really enjoyed this book. It reached out, and I felt like I was there. It was my first Shreve book, and surely not my last. It revolves around a girl and her father, walking in the woods in the dead of winter, and they find an abandoned baby. I recommend this one. |
| Christy H. |
| An Angel to Die For by Mignon F. Ballard |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This is the second book in this series of cozy mysteries with guardian angel Augusta Goodnight. Filled with a plethora of fun and quirky characters, I found this story to be a delightful and entertaining read and I look forward to reading the next installment. |
| Julie ([email protected]) |
| Dark Pursuit by Brandilyn Collins |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I won this book from Bookreporter.com --- thanks very much! This is a book you just can't put down. You think you'll read just until the next chapter .. and then it's the next chapter ... and the one after that! I have to find more books by this author --- she's awesome! |
| Danelle Drake ([email protected]) |
| Twilight by Stephenie Meyer |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Oh my goodness....the best thing ever. Such tension makes you unable to put it down. |
| Mary C |
| Talk of the Town by Karen Hawkins |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
A contemporary story from historical writer Karen Hawkins, this is a funny, sexy read filled with unforgettable characters. |
| Mary |
| Time Of My Life by Allison Winn Scotch |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Wonderful book exploring the question, if you could change your life, would you? This book takes you on many twists and turns before reaching a very satisfying conclusion. |
| Bonnie Capuano |
| The Shack by William P. Young |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Wow, what a book! I'm halfway done with it. The first third was very hard to read but then it gets easier. There are so many questions in life you'd like answered by God and as you read this book you seem to find the answers. Very enlightening. |
| Laura H. |
| The Reincarnationist by M.J. Rose |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This is a suspenseful novel with an intriguing plot. This historical details bring a reader right into the scene. |
| Jean J |
| Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Great book! A powerful, haunting memoir of the author's impoverished childhood and the difficulties he had to overcome to make it to adulthood. |
| Ali |
| A Parchment of Leaves by Silas House |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This is a fabulous story full of twists and turns. The writing is lyrical and evocative. Don't miss this one. |
| Lauren |
| Because They Hate: A Survivor of Islamic Terror Wa by Brigitte Gabriel |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
This is a very controversial book, yet I found it to be a very interesting read. I liked the parts about Brigitte's life in Lebanon the best. It really was awful what she and others had to endure. |
| Debbie ([email protected]) |
| Void Moon by Michael Connelly |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Bravo, Connelly --- another story that drew me away from my routine and away from cleaning, cooking, etc. This is the story of Cassie, who went to prison for a crime she did not commit. Again, we have no mention of the infamous Harry Bosch, but a hint with the mention of Joey Marks. The story centers on L.A. and Las Vegas, and the cameras in the casinos are scary. In the end, a mother's love and sense of justice must be answered. |
| Dorothy |
| The Gate House by Nelson DeMille |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This was good. I wasn't as good as THE GOLD COAST, but I did enjoy it. There was too much emphasis on sex. It was a page turner. |
| Cynthia Plaza-Harney |
| Perfect Nightmare by John Saul |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Love, love love this one. It gets you to think about how crazy people think. Kara Marshall puts her house up for sale and a few days later her daughter vanishes from her bedroom during the night. It will keep you thinking. Read this one with the lights on! |
| Cynthia Plaza-Harney |
| Dragon Tears by Dean Koontz |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This is one of Koontz's first books, written in the nineties. I like how he blends the action and illusion together in this story. I also like how his monster seems real and his characters are as normal as anyone you meet on the street. I have not read all of his books, but will continue to read more. Great book. |
| Susan |
| Damage Control (Joanna Brady Mysteries, Book 13) by J.A. Jance |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Joanna Brady's police department ends up with four bodies on the same weekend, straining her staff and resources. When a rookie officer is killed, Joanna deals with the guilt while solving the suicides-turned-murder. She also tracks down her father's former lover and lays to rest her suspicions that her husband may have had an affair. Joanna always strikes me as a control freak but she has likable human qualities as well. |
| Dawn |
| The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A sweet coming of age story. It's worth keeping to give to a daughter when she gets of age. |
| sal williams |
| House of Smoke by J.F.F. Freedman |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This was the introductory novel featuring lady detective Kate Blanchard. Freedman develops a very likable character who he puts into the middle of an old money family's evil doings in California. This is a good, engrossing read and will explain a lot about the character if you have read other novels that feature her, but if you do not know Kate at all, let me be the first to recommend her to you. She is fun! |
| sal williams |
| Midnight Graffiti by Jessica Horsting and James Van Hise, Editors |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This 1992 collection of short stories, taken from the magazine by the same name, concentrates on fear and starts with a grand tale ("Rainy Season") by Stephen King. Also included are stories by Neil Gaiman and Harlan Ellison, two of the other best short story writers of the last or present century. Some great offerings are to be found here for those who like a spine-tingling read every so often, as I do. |
| Readingrat |
| From a Buick 8 by Stephen King |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This probably would have worked better as a short story rather than a full-sized novel, but overall, it was a good, quick read that held my interest. |
| Kellie ([email protected]) |
| The Three Miss Margarets by Louise Shaffer |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Lil'Bit, Maggie, Peggy and Laurel are the main characters of this book. They each have a story to tell. I feel like this book revealed a small piece of the main plot page by page, almost like putting a jigsaw together. The mystery unfolded piece by piece. It was a unique way to tell a story. I was moved by this book. Highly recommended. |
| Darlene |
| The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A wonderful book describing what life is like for autistic kids and their families. A must read for anyone who lives with or works with autisitic children!! |
| T. Thomas |
| The Dirt on Clean by Katherine Ashenburg |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This book is about how people in western civilization have regarded cleanliness and bathing through time. Quite an interesting read. |
| Lou ([email protected]) |
| Christmas in My Heart by Catherine Palmer |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Really enjoyed this Steeple Hill Christmas novel and kept picturing it as a movie. Clare, a high school history teacher, tries to be a good Christian and exercise her patience in trying to help an elderly "spinster" aunt with a major attitude problem, a slight case of insanity and several dozen cats. A really fun read! |
| Lou ([email protected]) |
| Christmas Moon by Gail Gaymer Martin |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I highly recommend the Steeple Hill novels --- some great wholesome stories with no bad language. In CHRISTMAS MOON, Rose Danby is a nanny who experiences some conflictions when she realizes she is in love with her charges' father. |
| Annetta Stolpmann ([email protected]) |
| The Shack by William P. Young |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Very good book. I know why it has sold so many copies and caused so much contraversy. This book gives a different take on God and religion while telling a heartfelt story. |
| Jessica |
| Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Always a classic to revisit this time of year; I have the audiobook, which I've found is a great way to take in Sedaris. He reads for the recordings and often features his sister for alternate characters' voices. |
| Kathy V. |
| Where Angels Go by Debbie Macomber |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
What a wonderful book to start the holiday season with the three angels are back in this book, Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy. They are sent back to earth to solve the prayers of three families, but by God's will. It is one of hard-to-put-down books that make you feel good on the inside. |
| Cheryl S. |
| The Machiavelli Covenant by Allan Folsom |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This book is a very good read, but I gave it a 4-star rating. I chose this rating because the book leaves you completely hanging at the end and is to be continued in the next book the author is writing. I like my books to end! I don't want to wait another year or so to read the next installment. |
| Readingrat |
| Undead and Unappreciated by MaryJanice Davidson |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Queen Betsy is back and just as funny as ever. I particularly enjoyed the appearance of Evil Betsy and her hell spawn half-sister. |
| Linda Fast |
| The Russlander by Sandra Birdsell |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
THE RUSSLANDER is a novel of a wealthy Mennonite family in Russia in 1910. A true story of prosperity that falls as communism takes it grasp upon the country. |
| Annetta Stolpmann ([email protected]) |
| Dark Pursuit by Brandilyn Collins |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I could not put this book down once I started it. It kind of reminded my of THE QUICKIE by James Patterson with the pace that it moved. Although you know most of the storyline early on there are still many suprises at the end. |
| Readingrat |
| A Separate Peace by John Knowles |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
A story of two friends in 1942 during their last year in a private boarding school. This was a good story but it didn't really do much to set itself apart from other similar stories. |
| MississippiMom |
| Where Are My Christmas Presents? by J.G. Rives, Mary Jo Rives, and Dot Young |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
What a wonderful way to remind all of us that the true Christmas spirit is one of giving. We join Edgar on his quest to find his Christmas presents and watch as his joy of giving grows with each new gift. This book is a great way to share the gift of giving with our children and grandchildren. I would recommend reading this story early in the holiday season and then helping your child to find someone special with whom to share the special gift of Christmas books. |
| MississippiMom |
| A Lick of Frost (Meredith Gentry, Book 6) by Laurell K. Hamilton |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I think this is my favorite of all the Merry Gentry in the series so far! We are getting a more in-depth feel for Merry and her relationship with each one of her royal guard. I am anxiously awaiting my copy of SWALLOWING DARKNESS to arrive in the mail... Hamilton just can't write these fast enough to satisfy! |
| Kaye |
| In the Shadow of the Sun King (Darkness to Light S by Golden Keyes Parsons |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Seventeenth-century France was religiously split between Catholics and Huguenots, and Catholicism the favored religion. Even though the Edict of Nantes had granted protection to the Huguenots, King Louis XIV and his dragoons sought to convert the Huguenots to Catholicism or suffer the consequences. Many were persecuted and when they did not convert, mercilessly executed. Their children were kidnapped and put into monasteries or nunneries to be educated as Catholics. It’s hard to believe the cruel atrocities people commit in the name of religion. When Francois Clavell returns home and tells his wife dragoons are on their way and to send their sons to a hidden cave for protection, she fears greatly for their family. After several days of dragoons being quartered in their home, Madeleine decides she has had enough. She tells her mother and husband she plans on prevailing upon her friendship with King Louis to protect her family. She is gambling that his youthful promise to love only her for always will spare their family from harm. What she doesn’t foresee is that King Louis is no longer willing to do anything purely out of love. He makes her a proposition where her family will be spared if she agrees to his terms. Madeleine, a staunch Protestant and firmly committed to her marriage vows, will not agree to any such terms. The price is way too high. Her decision has consequences that are both far-reaching and dire. I was pulled into this story immediately by the way Parsons writes. The dialogue gives the reader a deep sense of the hearts and minds of the characters and makes the reader care about them. Putting them into this historical context, it just makes the story come to life. The Clavells’ devout love of God and family is one of the prevalent themes throughout this wonderfully touching story. I had a hard time putting this book down. |
| mary ann |
| Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
This goofy novel is pretty funny --- not at all realistic --- but a good light read, with laugh-out-loud scenes. |
| mary ann |
| The Secret Between Us by Barbara Delinsky |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
In being mothers and trying to protect our children, do we make incorrect choices? Of course. This book takes you through the aftermath of an auto accident where the sixteen-year-old was driving but her mother takes the blame. Things go wrong, life unfolds, and oh what a tangled web is woven --- one with many repercussions and a little cleansing. This is a little bit of a departure from usual Barb Delinsky but is well-written and thought-provoking. |
| Donna Compton |
| Play Dirty by Sandra Brown |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Really good, suspenseful mystery --- one of her best books that I have read so far. |
| Judy O. |
| Woman in Red by Eileen Goudge |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Alice Kessler spent nine years in prison for the attempted murder of the drunk driver who killed her son. Now she is back on Gray's Island in Washington, trying to start a new life and reconnect with her other son, Jeremy. She meets Colin McGinty, another lost soul, who is also trying to get his life in order. This modern story is interwoven with a love story from the 1940s. A great novel from an author who is new to me. |
| Kaye |
| Murder Takes the Cake by Gayle Trent |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
In this delightful new series by Gayle Trent, we are introduced to Daphne Martin, now returned to her Virginia hometown and trying to establish her new business as a freelance cake decorator. When Daphne is delivering a spice cake to one of her more difficult customers, Yodel Watson, she finds her reclining on the sofa in her bathrobe --- except Yodel isn’t just resting, she is dead! As Daphne explains to the police over and over after Yodel’s death is declared suspicious, “I was just delivering a cake. Honest!†Yodel’s daughter Annabelle calls Daphne from Florida and asks her to retrieve her mother’s diary, telling Daphne exactly where to find it. Of course, Daphne can’t help but peek inside and is appalled when she finds some volatile secrets concerning her own family and many others in the town. It seems there are a lot of people who would be happy to see Yodel meet her end. The suspense is heightened when Daphne finds a warning painted on her walkway to MIND HER OWN BUSINESS. Of course, she just can’t do that! The fun begins as Daphne tries to discover the identity of the murderer and the truth about her own family. Trent has written an absolutely captivating cozy, complete with all the traditional elements of the genre. There is the requisite dislikable victim, the nosy neighbor, the town blabbermouth, and a host of possible suspects in a cast of colorful characters. Motives abound and there are enough red herrings and real clues to keep the reader guessing until the very end. Throw in a town full of petty feuds, the local beauty shop’s hotbed of gossip, a little budding romance between characters and you have the recipe for a delicious mystery. I hadn’t even read past page 7 and had already absolutely laughed out loud numerous times. The dialogue in this book is filled with snappy wit that will regale the reader time and time again. The characters are so well-drawn, the reader will feel as if they are real. The plot is well-constructed and well-paced with just the right amount of subplot to keep up the interest. If you are a fan of the cozy mystery, this is one you will definitely want to read. If you like Diane Mott Davidson or Joanna Fluke, you will be enthralled as Ms. Trent gives a lot of cake decorating details and the book contains some mouthwatering recipes. Highly recommended. |
| germany2263 |
| Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I received an advanced copy of this wonderful novel at the Book Expo. It is a beautifully written love story that takes place in Seattle during World War II. It is the beautiful story of Henry and Keiko, who meet and fall in love with one "minor" problem. I don't want to give away the entire plot, but it is a very sweet and touching story. |
| Michelle |
| Finding Noel by Richard Paul Evans |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
A wonderful Christmas story --- a must read. |
| Michelle |
| A Good Woman by Danielle Steel |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Fanatastic historical read. The heroine was definitely a good woman, but lots of horrible things happened to her for a really long time, until finally the tides turn and things started going her way. |
| Cindy |
| Patron Saint of Liars by Patchett |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Heartwrenching. Also, I was surprised to catch the movie on Lifetime this weekend as a bonus. |
| Katy ([email protected]) |
| Knit Two by Kate Jacobs |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
It picks up where THE FRIDAY NIGHT KNITTING CLUB leaves off. The characters are like family --- very realistic and personable. I dare you to try and not like them. See, I told you, you couldn't do it. |
| germany2263 |
| No One You Know by Michelle Richmond |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Murder, manipulation and resolution in the San Francisco bay area. |
| Cecilia H. |
| The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Kathleen Kent based her fiction story on an actual event involving one of her ancestors who was hanged during the Salem witch trials because she refused to claim she was a witch. This absurd and almost unbelievable period of our American history is brought to life by Kent's telling of the horrific conditions the accused suffered while in prison. In the end, Kent shows us the strength and determination the human spirit will endure to do the right thing to help create a better society for the future of our children. I found myself crying several times while reading this book and I can't say that about many books I have ever read. |
| Juanita |
| Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A fun read with lots of laughs! |
| Sue Williams |
| Loving Frank by Nancy Horan |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
I was rather frustrated reading this book --- upset with the two main characters for abandoning their families. Frank Lloyd Wright was so much into just himself. His need for women was evident but he only ever truly thought of himself. His architecture is wonderful, but the man himself was all for himself with never a real care for his family or his lover. |
| Debbie ([email protected]) |
| Skipping Christmas by John Grisham |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
A funny, bittersweet story of a couple 'planning' to skip the 'thrills' of Christmas and take a cruise, due to their only child being away from home. This is a wonderful story with a sense of community, and the movie version follows the book fairly closely. |
| Norm Brontman |
| Forty Words for Sorrow by Giles Blunt |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A look at police work -- not in an American big city -- but in the small, fictional town of Algonquin Bay, Northern Ontario. |
| Julie Towson |
| The Eight by Katherine Neville |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Enthralling, involved mystery that moves back and forth between 1793 and 1973, THE EIGHT is written like a chess match and a real page turner. |
| L. Hann |
| Fresh Disasters by Stuart Woods |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Another great Stone Barrington Novel. This one will have you puzzled. |
| Louise |
| Scrooge Wore Spurs by Janet Dailey |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
A really cute holiday story about a bachelor rancher who loses his sister and is waiting for his inheritance so he won't lose his ranch. The inheritance he receives is not quite what he expected! |
| Sue, from North Carolina |
| Outlander by Diana Gabaldon |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Not my usual read, but I am really enjoying this historical fiction about a woman traveling back in time from 1945 to war-torn 1740s Scotland with the MacKenzie clan, where her life becomes intertwined with James Fraser’s. This is a just the first in a series of Outlander books by Gabaldon. I certainly plan on reading her others. |
| Jayne |
| The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I loved this book and have since read many of her others. The period these books are set in is very interesting and keep you reading till the end. |
| Sandy |
| The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A little slow for the first couple of chapters, but then it is very good. Lots and lots of history in this one. Cain and Abel and Superman. I loved it. |
| LouBabe ([email protected]) |
| An Angel in Time: The Christmas Collection (Harleq by Stella Cameron |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I wasn't going to read any more Stella Cameron, but I happened to have this one and wanted to start reading Christmas stuff, so I picked it up. I'm glad I did. It's a fun story with some miracles thrown in and even an angel here and there. |
| Booky |
| The Fiction Class by Susan Breen |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Mother/daughter relations are so interesting. Here, the daughter teaches a night school writing class where we meet an assortment of characters. Meanwhile, she visits her mom every week at a nursing home where she is in declining health. I found the writing assignments intriguing, and recognized the daughter's struggles with her conflicting emotions. |
| Readingrat |
| The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Beautifully written and plotted --- this is easily one of the most compelling books I've read all year. I would award it six stars if I could. Plus, this author really knows dogs. His canine characters are every bit as diverse, developed, and realistic as their human counterparts. |
| LINDA B |
| Primary Beneficiary by David Tackett |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Never have I come across a book that looked so unappealing, had not a hint of sex, yet read so good as this one! The story has many players, but in the end it is a washed out football jock who moves back home to sell insurance against a street-smart know-it-all who has the perfect plan to raise two hundred thousand dollars when his cocaine deal goes wrong. |
| Mike Lowrie |
| Duma Key by Stephen King |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
King takes his time creating this masterpiece, but it gets there. His best 'long' novel in quite some time. |
| Booky |
| The Rest of Her Life by Laura Moriarty |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This was a difficult story about a young girl who has a tragic accident. How she handles the aftermath and how her family lives with the events is fascinating. There's much to think about in this story. It's a must-read for book groups. |
| Booky |
| Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him by Danielle Ganek |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Meet the art world. Lulu is the subject of a larger-than-life painting by her uncle, a painter of modest renown. Unfortunately, the night of the opening, and of Lulu's reunion with her relative, he is tragically killed. The story, though, is not about Lulu but about the young gallery assistant and her adventure. This is a light-filled, humorous, and charming book about a world many of us do not know very well. |
| Patricia C. |
| Proof of Intent (Charlie Sloan Courtroom Thrillers by William J. Coughlin and Walter Sorrells |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A legal thriller that will keep you guessing. An author is accused of killing his wife and it looks like he wrote a book about it years earlier. The crimes are almost identical. Is it a coincidence, a frame job, or is he really guilty? Read this book --- it is a get-under-the-covers-and-sit-by-the-fireplace-book. |
| MsAnnie |
| Wicked by Gregory Maguire |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
I re-read WICKED in anticipation of SON OF A WITCH and LION AMONG MEN, and this second time, I loved it maybe even more than the first, several years ago. The irony and satire drip from the pages and seeing the Wicked Witch as a tree hugging precursor to PETA princess is a hoot -- and thought-provoking. I think the best books teach you something in a sneaky way, sometimes just a new way to look at an issue or event. Maguire does that so well here. |
| Rene Parnell |
| The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
What a great read! If you like THE SECRET HISTORY by Donna Tartt then you will love this one. Very interesting book. I figured some of the mystery out, but it was still great! |
| Rene Parnell |
| The Shack by William P. Young |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Great book! Lots of thinking will accompany this book. |
| Bookie |
| The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This book came so highly recommended that I was expecting something a bit different. This is a mystery with a bit of magic, good characters, and an ending I didn't quite see coming. Try it. |
| Cindy in CA |
| The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
If you only had a few months left to live, what words of wisdom would you want to pass on to your loved ones? How would you like to be remembered? Randy is a computer science professor diagnosed with terminal cancer and has been asked to give a 'last lecture'; a common lecture request among professors. Randy's lecture is titled, "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams", a positive talk about seizing every moment. |
| Bonnie Capuano |
| Delicious (The Buchanans, Book 1) by Susan Mallery |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
It was a nice book to read! I enjoyed it very much...kind of like light reading. |
| Raymond Palen ([email protected]) |
| Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Written in 1961 by an author who passed away in 1992, this novel’s theme --- the perils experienced by a young couple relocated to suburbia and attempting its associated lifestyle --- still rings true even today. Frank and April don’t know what they want, and suffer a mid-life crisis about twenty years too early. Yates writes with such force that every sentence hits home with the reader. I cannot want to see Sam Mendes' film adaptation and whether it comes close to the power of Yates’ novel. |
| Peter |
| The Great Karoo by Fred Stenson |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
A great read about a young man's experiences and adventures during the Boer war in South Africa. |
| Karen Hany |
| Marcelo In The Real World by Francisco Stork |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Marcelo Sandoval is an autistic seventeen-year-old young man with Asperger’s Syndrome, specifically, which makes it hard for him to communicate and handle social situations. He attends a special education school called Paterson which is for students with varied disorders. At Paterson, Marcelo has been somewhat protected and his special trait of hearing music that no one else can hear is dealt with by specialists. There they study his 'music' and what it can mean and represent. His love of animals, especially horses, is satisfied as he is allowed to work in the stables at school. Also at Paterson, and as he grows up, his mother and sister instill in Marcelo the secure environment where he is accepted for who he is and there is no judgment. The story gives those not familiar with Asperger's a realistic look at some of the characteristics that one must be aware of when living with someone with the syndrome. For instance, Marcelo doesn’t understand sarcasm like other AS people. In my experience with AS students, I had to learn that they also don’t respond to facial expressions, such as a disapproving look or a smile. Unfortunately, Marcelo’s father thinks he should experience more of the real life world. His dad, Arturo, is a well-known lawyer and wants Marcelo to experience situations that everyone deals with so he sets Marcelo up with a job in the mail room for the summer prior to his senior year. This work experience is obviously life changing for Marcelo. He meets Jasmine, a lovely girl, and Wendell, the company partner’s son, when he goes to the job. Here Marcelo is not sheltered and is opened to dealing with feelings such as anger, trust, jealousy, joy, failure, and longing. While working with some files, Marcelo also finds a picture of a girl with half a face and for some reason connects with the real world because of it. He begins to learn what it means for things to be unfair and how people suffer and what he can do about it. He also finds that the music he always hears which keeps him balanced begins to fade as life complicates things amidst all his other emotions, including possibly falling in love. How this summer will change Marcelo’s life is a question answered perhaps when you read the whole book. MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD is a wonderful, quick read and one I think everyone should read so as to get a realistic picture of people with Asperger's Syndeom. Currently, one out of every 150 babies born will have some kind of autism. Marcelo gets an education on life in this book, as will those who read it. |
| Andrea |
| The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This was the best Christmas story I have read in a very long time. It was full of many different emotions and the ending was great. |
| Pam C |
| The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
I picked up this book expecting it to be a medical mystery like her other books. It is a medical mystery but added in is a mystery from the past about a serial killer, a baby, and the present-day characters who solve it. |
| Diane Burrow |
| The Widow's War by Sally Gunning |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
THE WIDOW'S WAR is the first of two books; the second is called BOUND. We talked to the author, and were told she is writing a third book. Although these books are fiction, they are based on information Sally Gunning found while researching her genealogical background. Both are terrific reads and very interesting. |
| Diane Burrow |
| The Shack by William P. Young |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
I am currently reading this book so I am only on page 67. I thought the first chapter was hard to keep me interested but have enjoyed the book thus far. |
| Andrea West |
| The Pleasure Was Mine by Tommy Hays |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This book was selected by Greensboro, North Carolina for its "One City, One Book" program, and our book club joined this community reading project. This is a gentle, bittersweet story of a marriage impacted by Alzheimer’ and the resilience of a family. A wonderful, moving, and heartfelt book. |
| Danelle Drake ([email protected]) |
| Retirement Readiness by Mike Bonacorsi and Deidre Randall |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
$14.95 everyone should spend. This is a great guide to use to get you started thinking about retirement. Worksheets are included so there is no excuse not to do the planning. |
| Colleen Reilly |
| Safety of Secrets by Delaune Michel |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Very enjoyable book about friends; you will want to share it with your best friend. |
| Cindy in CA |
| A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
The sixth book in the Outlander series. this is the continuing story of Claire, a time traveler. This 1000-page novel provides a great escape to the time period leading up to the Revolutionary War. |
| Karen Haney |
| Belle in the Big Apple: A Novel with Recipes by Brooke Parkhurst |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Brooke Parkhurst gives us Belle Lee, twenty-five and straight out of Alabama, who is off to New York to make it as a big time journalist. Her grandfather’s newspaper at home would afford her a column of her own, but Belle wants to try her hand at the big city lights! Full of Southern spunk, she sets off to tackle the town, resume in hand, only to find that getting a job isn’t as easy as she thought it would be. Belle learns all about New York the hard way, from awful dating experiences to having her purse snatched. She finally lands a job at a very conservative 24-hour news network and thinks she is on her way. However, Belle finds that she is a gofer used to find footage reporters want late at night, take scripts to those who need them, and do anything to keep her job, including putting up with some obnoxious people. Belle finally thinks she gets a break when one of the station's star newscasters, Paige Beaumont, takes her on as her protégé. Paige shows Belle around, gives her a glimpse of the 'in' crowd at certain restaurants, and shares office gossip with her. Sadly, Belle is being taken for a ride and gets involved with some illegal political dealings and has to decide whose side she is on and what to do with the information she has. In a light and charming book, Parkhurst also gives us the bonus of lots of yummy recipes to try --- making them in the book, of course, Belle’s recipes. Readers will enjoy finding out how Belle deals with the corrupt 'Yankees', also what happens to her career and love life in this New York setting, during what is -- if pretty predictable --- a really enjoyable story. |
| Susan, Saratoga |
| A Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
As always, Amy Tan's novels delight the reader and you can't put them down. A HUNDRED SECRET SENSES doesn't disappoint Tan's fans. |
| Danelle Drake ([email protected]) |
| Out of Vienna by Ernie Weiss |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Chronicling eight years of a family's flight from the Nazis, this book will make you laugh, cry, and realize that history cannot repeat itself. |
| Coral Harrison |
| How the States Got Their Shapes by Mark Stein |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This is a non-fiction book about each of the states and how they got their boundaries. If you like history, you will love it as I do. It is very well-written and diagrammed. |
| Sandy Greathouse ([email protected]) |
| The Red Leather Diary by Lily Koppel |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I loved this book! |
| Sandy Greathouse ([email protected]) |
| The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
My top read for this year. Wonderful! |
| Linda H. ([email protected]) |
| Tempting Evil (Prison Break, Book 2) by Allison Brennan |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Joanna Sutton writes romance novels but she’s got one fan she hasn’t counted on. In prison for murder, Aaron Doherty has fixated on Joanna and read all of her novels under the belief that she has written them for him and is in love with him. When he escapes, he heads toward Montana and Joanna --- armed, dangerous, and accompanied by two other killers. Joanna lives with her family at a lodge which has become snowbound due to a blizzard. While the local sheriff and FBI are on their way, the only means of transportation available are snowmobiles. Can they get to the lodge in time? Another suspenseful book by Allison Brennan. |
| Debbie |
| A Suitable Vengeance (Inspector Lynley) by Elizabeth George |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Written fourth in the Inspector Lynley series, this book tells of the various and tangled relationships that existed between the main characters before the first mystery (A GREAT DELIVERANCE). It's got fine English manners, dead bodies, scandalous backgrounds, and all the other components of an enjoyable mystery. I'll probably need a scorecard in later books to keep the past, present, and future interpersonal relationships straight, but that's all right. |
| CC |
| Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I always like this author's books and BRASS VERDICT is no exception. He brings back two past characters with an interesting twist.. |
| Debbie |
| The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This is a wonderful book! I'm a cat person, but this story --- narrated by Enzo, the dog --- will charm everyone. You want to read it!!! |
| Reva Wamsley ([email protected]) |
| Eleven On Top (A Stephanie Plum Novel) by Janet Evanovich |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
I love all of the Stephanie Plumseries and this one is as good as the rest. Stephanie has quit being a bounty hunter because she was tired of people trying to kill her, but in this book, some still are. |
| Donna |
| Salvation in Death (In Death) by J.D. Robb |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Robb's 27th installment to the In Death series, but it could just as well be the first --- the plot and characters are as fresh as ever. |
| F Tessa Bartels |
| The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
I love Amy Tan, but his may be her 'oddest' premise, involving reincarnation and a double story line. Ultimately it's about belief, loyalty, love and hope --- just not her best work. |
| Ann |
| The Gate House by Nelson DeMille |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This is the sequel to THE GOLD COAST which came out about eighteen years ago. I loved that book and this is another winner from Nelson DeMille. It takes place ten years after THE GOLD COAST ends and is just as good. |
| Coral Harrison |
| The Other Side of Silence by Bill Pronzini |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
A very good suspense book by a very good author. Rick Fallon is divorced and goes on a vacation to Death Valley, as he likes its silence. He finds a stranded car and a woman nearby who has nearly died from the heat. The story goes on from there. |
| Lana E. Mason |
| Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
I had a hard time putting this book down. We've decided to read it for our book club. |
| Mary |
| The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Told through the eyes of Enzo, an extraordinary dog who has learned much of life from watching TV, THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN is three love stories in one: the deep love of Denny, a young race driver and his wife, Eve, theirs for their little girl Zoe, whom we first meet as a baby and know into childhood, and Enzo’s own profound, unwavering love for Denny. The young couple are torn apart when Eve is diagnosed with terminal cancer and Denny fights an anguished battle to retain custody of his young daughter. Through it all, the determination, confidence, and dedication that mark Denny as a great race driver help him to triumph over his wealthy in-laws who seek to raise the little girl. What could be a sad, even maudlin novel is kept upbeat and exultant by the fact that our view of what unfolds is given through Enzo’s point of view. There is a theme of reincarnation running through the book, as Enzo hopes to return to earth as a great race driver. There is also the theory that many of us animal lovers hold: dogs really are men’s and women’s best friends. This is a book that I loved from cover to cover. |
| Mary |
| Before You Know Kindness by Chris Bohjalian |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A quotation at the start of the book suggests that before we can know kindness, we must know loss, and in this story, all of the characters lose something, and all gain from the experience. Spencer is a wealthy East Coast husband and father who has put his family a distant second to his passion for animal rights. Three generations of Setons visit the family summer home as they have for years, but this year Spencer’s wife is about to leave him, when his pre-teen daughter accidentally shoots her father and inflicts a painful, gruesome wound that will cause him to lose his right arm. The other family members share Spencer’s inability to communicate, and their relationships seem to just skim the surface. After the horrific accident, they learn to value honesty, love and forgiveness. If you have read Bohjalian before, you know he moves the story forward by zeroing in on one character at a time, and showing us the story from that person’s point of view. I read this book at our Library Book Club and it made for one of our best discussions all year. I recommend it to your book club. |
| sharon wilk |
| Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
You heard, you saw: "It is neither living nor history..." That may be but that is not what one would look for when choosing an autobiography of a First Lady. Do you remember, "...vast right wing conspiracy"? The book will give some insight into what she meant by that. As a Midwesterner and a Methodist, Clinton is not one to wear religion on her sleeve, so her deep belief in prayer will come as a surprise to some. If you’re wondering why a well-educated, successful woman would stay with a cad like Bill Clinton, this book will give you some understanding of that relationship. Reading can be tough going in a few places, even downright boring, but overall it is worth the read. Lastly, don't expect any revelations about the Lewinsky affair. |
| Richard Bartels |
| The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Talk about the futility of war! This is a classic war novel, published just three years after the end of World War II. We learn the individual strengths and flaws of each man in the platoon and how battle affects him. As a Combat Infantry Platoon veteran, myself, I can attest to the authenticity of the 'feel' of this work. |
| Michele Van Epps |
| Kissing Games of the World by Sandi Kahn Shelton |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
A very enjoyable story with wonderful characters. The relationships between Nick, his father, and his son, dominate the book, but the developing romance between Jamie and Nick reveals another side of his personality. Jamie is a very sympathetic single mom, and, as with all the characters, easy to like. Shelton also manages to create two little boys who are realistically portrayed. |
| Laurie |
| Mulberry Park by Judy Duarte |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Good book! |
| Linda H. ([email protected]) |
| Fear No Evil by Allison Brennan |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
When Lucy Kincaid misses her high school graduation, the whole Kincaid clan searches for her. She has been kidnapped by a sadistic billionaire who calls himself Trask. He owns several porno sites and takes Lucy to use in one of his online internet shows where the victim is raped and then murdered. Her family calls on a FBI agent --- Quinn Peterson --- for assistance and Quinn contacts a former agent, Kate Donovan, who had previously been on Trask’s trail and lost her partner, who was killed by Trask during a sting operation gone horribly wrong. Donovan’s persistence, however, helps her to discover many of Trask’s offshore bank accounts and seize their assets. When Trask learns Donovan is helping the Kincaid family, he plans to kill her as well as Lucy. Allison Brennan’s novels are great --- you won’t be able to put this one down. |
| Donna Tanner |
| Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Over many years, this is the fourth time I have read this book. It's a wonderful period piece that takes place during the Revolutionary War, but don't be put off by that --- I'm not a history buff either! You will thoroughly enjoy this novel. |
| Sandy |
| California Girl by T. Jefferson Parker |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This one keeps you reading! The story spans from the 1960s through present day, and the many plot twists keep a reader guessing. Who killed the beauty queen and cut off her head? |
| Ginny Lazar |
| O'Hara's Choice by Leon Uris |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This is Uris's last novel, heavy on the history of the Marine Corps. which celebrated its 230th anniversary in 2005. The book follows the career of a young Marine and the daughter of a wealthy family who sets out to conquer him. |
| Ellen Rey |
| The Oxford Murders by Guillermo Martinez |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
Easy reading -- murders are solved in Oxford, England, through the use of mathematical formulas. |
| Kellie ([email protected]) |
| Hissy Fit by Mary Kay Andrews |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
I grabbed this book at Goodwill one day because I loved SAVANNAH BREEZE and SAVANNAH BLUES. This wasn't bad. I really liked the character, Keeley, a spunky Georgia-born girl. This book gives a lot of interesting information about antiques. I think the author is big into antiques. Keeley is an antiques dealer and works with her aunt in her store. She is trying to deal with a relationship gone bad and throws herself into her work. She gets hired by a gentleman who is new to town. He is renovating an old home and has hired Keeley to do the job. Mary Kay Andrews writes with humor and a lot of Southern flare. I do enjoy her books. This one had a little love and a little mystery rolled into one --- a book to read on the beach or when you are in the mood for something light. |
| BethAnn Miller ([email protected]) |
| Blood Canticle by Anne Rice |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Good book, and featuring Lestat. This novel is humorous and kept me turning pages, when in past works she's had a hard time keeping me interested. |
| E. Quinn Knight |
| One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Edith Wharton and Candace Bushnell can really tell stories about New York's Upper East Side! Since I am originally a New Yorker it is fun to read the stories of happenings in NY that remind me of some instances in my own life! It is certainly not the same as Thomas Friedman's flat, hot and crowded, but it does provide a good relief from it! |
| Lu in Philadelphia |
| Peony in Love by Lisa See |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
This story takes place in seventeenth-century China, a time and place where women are cloistered and single girls not even seen in public. Teen-aged Peony’s sheltered life of obedience changes when she crosses paths with a handsome poet and she begins her journey of love. After thoroughly enjoying Lisa See’s previous book, SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN, I was a bit disappointed in this novel. A great part of the story centers on the Chinese interpretations of death, the three-way splitting of the soul, ghost spirits roaming the earth, and ancestors dwelling in stone tablets. Not my cup of tea. I must say, however, that I am glad I hung in there to appreciate the story's culmination. Family loyalty, self-sacrifice and the liberating power of forgiveness were well-illustrated. |
| Joyce |
| The Piano Shop on the Left Bank: Discovering a For by Thad Carhart |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This delightful book came out in 2000, but is worth seeking out for anyone who loves pianos, music, Paris, or just wants a good read. |
| Bonnie |
| Catching Genius by Kristy Kiernan |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
It took me a while to warm up to this book. At first I thought there was a little too much sturm und drang in the story, but as I got involved in the novel I found I cared about the characters and what happened to them. That's the key to a good novel, to me. |
| Nancy |
| The English Major by Jim Harrison |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Harrison is a classic and he does not disappoint. His travel escapades --- across the 48 states --- are not only entertaining but also prompt much reflection. |
| Bridget |
| Fade Away by Harlan Coben |
| Rating: 1 Stars |
|
Not his best. |
| Darby Lohrding |
| Royal Exile: Book One of The Valisar Trilogy by Fiona McIntosh |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Very good, a fast-paced page-turner about a young man protecting the newly-appointed young King of a township that has been recently overtaken by enemy forces. Many special effects, a good plot, and great characters! |
| Ellen Rey |
| The Collector of Hearts: New Tales of the Grotesqu by Joyce Carol Oates |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Excellent storytelling. |
| Elizabeth V |
| The Longest Trip Home: A Memoir by John Grogan |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
This book is John Grogan's (author of MARLEY AND ME) memoir. Although I really enjoy this because he was born and raised in the same Detroit metro area that I was and went through similar parochial schools to those I went through, I think this might not grab others unless they've read and loved Grogan's MARLEY AND ME. In that case, they may wonder about the author's earlier life. I still have more than half to read, so I may change my opinion. |
| Lori S. |
| Pieces of My Heart by Robert Wagner |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I have never been a Robert Wagner fan --- didn't not like him, just shrugged him off --- until I read this book. The life he has led, starting out as a caddy at the Bel Air Country Club and seeing a foursome strolling toward him --- Fred Astaire, Clark Gable, Cary Grant and Randolph Scott! The women he has loved --- Barbara Stanwyck, Natalie Wood, Jill St.John (and more)! The wonderful actors he has worked with --- James Cagney, Spencer Tracy, Humphrey Bogart. This was one of the best biographies I have read --- and I've read a lot of them. |
| Vicki Hurst ([email protected]) |
| The Death and Life of Gabriel Phillips (Faithwords by Stephen Baldwin and Mark Tabb |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This one really makes you think about how grief is expressed, and about law enforcement and the abuses of power. It definitely is a great discussion book. |
| Lori S. |
| The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Great Britain, 1985. Time travel and cloning is a reality and literature is taken very very seriously. Special operative Thursday Next must track down someone who is kidnapping characters from novels when Jane Eyre is taken from Bronte's novel. The only way to do that is to enter the novel herself! Very imaginative and wild. |
| Lori |
| The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Fictionalized account of the relationship of Queen Elizabeth I and Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland, complete with the intrigues, dangers and betrayals of the court. Gregory does an excellent job researching so entertains and informs the reader at the same time. Very good read. |
| Lori S. |
| The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn by Robin Maxwell |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
When young Queen Elizabeth I reads the diary of her mother, Anne Boleyn, she learns a great deal about her much-maligned mother and lascivious father, Henry VIII, than she ever knew before. Though this leads her to swear she will never relinquish control to any man, she does have a long, hot affair with her horsemaster, Robert Dudley. A page-turning historical fiction. |
| Helen |
| Testimony by Anita Shreve |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A very well-written page-turner with a heart wrenching storyline. |
| Lynn |
| The Shack by William P. Young |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I read it to see what all the buzz was about. Have had a hundred conversations about it! |
| Readingrat |
| The Believers by Zoe Heller |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This is a story of a family. While the catalyst of the story is the stroke and subsequent lapse into coma of Joel Litvinoff, the father, that familial drama actually takes a back seat to the search-for-self that the other family members experience at this time. Apart for the first time from her husband of forty years, Audrey, the mother, begins to discover that the contentious mask she donned as a young girl has gradually hardened over the years and has changed her. Each of the children, Rosa, Karla, and Lenny, is looking for a way to define her- or himself. Rosa turns back to the religion her great-grandparents previously deserted. Karla, an exceptionally passive and submissive person, looks for a way to take control of her life and happiness, while Lenny tries to free himself from drugs and become a contributing member of society. Throw into this mix an ex-lover and illegitimate child of Joel's and you have fireworks waiting to happen. |
| Maryann |
| The Gate House by Nelson DeMille |
| Rating: 2 Stars |
|
Too many pages and not enough story.... |
| Pota Tammaro ([email protected]) |
| Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This is a story about an aging rock star who buys a ghost off an online auction website --- but what he doesn't know is that the ghost is out to get him. |
| Linda H. ([email protected]) |
| Killing Fear (Prison Break, Book 1) by Allison Brennan |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Robin McKenna has brought and transformed the seedy joint where once she worked as a stripper into a showplace lounge. Several of her stripper friends have been killed and their convicted murderer, Theodore Glenn, is serving a prison sentence. When an earthquake tumbles walls at the prison, Theodore escapes and comes after Robin. Robin, though, has been seeing Will Hooper, the cop who originally arrested Theodore for the murders. Robin and Will receive letters from Theodore, stating that he will kill either or both of them. How will this attorney-turned-criminal be stopped? A great book! |
| Linda H. ([email protected]) |
| Speak No Evil by Allison Brennan |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
In this suspenseful book, San Diego police have circumstantial evidence that links Steve Thomas to the murder of a young waitress. The murder is especially gruesome, with the victim’s mouth glued shut before she was brutalized and suffocated in a plastic bag. As Detective Carina Kincaid investigates, she must contend with Steve’s brother, Nick Thomas, a Montana sheriff come to his brother’s assistance. Though at odds when first they meet, Carina and Nick work together to solve the crime. |
| Linda H. ([email protected]) |
| The Kill by Allison Brennan |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Olivia St. Martin was only a small child when her sister was abducted and killed by a stranger. Based upon young Olivia's testimony that the stranger had a blue tattoo of an eagle on his arm, Brian Hall was convicted and sent to prison for the crime. Now, it is thirty-four years later and DNA evidence has proven Hall's innocence. Having attended each of his parole hearings and adamantly opposed his release, Olivia is wracked with guilt for her part in putting an innocent man behind bars. She learns about other murders of girls her deceased sister’s age and sets out to discover the pattern behind the killings. When she finds out, she offers her assistance to a sheriff in Seattle, where the latest crime has occurred, passing herself off as a federal agent, rather than the FBI scientist she actually is. Olivia and the sheriff become attracted to one another, but she has to admit she lied about her credentials, though cannot until the murderer is caught. A great book! |
| Linda H. ([email protected]) |
| Sail by James Patterson and Howard Roughan |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Katherine Dunne goes with her children and former brother-in-law Jake on a sailing vacation in the Bahamas, but everyone gets more than they bargained for. As a storm comes up and disables the sailboat, Uncle Jake throws everyone in the water, and before he can join them, the boat explodes. Meanwhile, back in New York, Katherine’s new husband --- a well-known defense attorney -- is entertaining his mistress. The Coast Guard lieutenant assigned to the Dunne rescue and a dedicated CIA agent who has met the attorney in court on previous occasions notes that the man doesn’t seem too concerned about his wife’s situation. The CIA agent tracks him to the Bahamas, to a meeting with another individual who later tries to kill her. Who is the mystery man? How is he involved? Was the explosion set? Another suspenseful tale from James Patterson. |
| Pattie Berryhill ([email protected]) |
| The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Interesting tale of a dysfunctional family, Raised by an unfit mother and an alcoholic father, the children must forage for food. The parents end up homeless and enjoy being homeless. |
| Renee |
| Oh My Stars by Lorna Landvik |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
An enjoyable story about a ragtag group of musicians during the Great Depression. the story is told as the experiences of a maimed, one-armed girl named Violet who must confront her own --- and her society's --- racism, sexism and fears. |
| Jeff |
| Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
| I read this the first time just after he announced his candidacy, and it made me a fan. I just read it again and admired it even more. A must-read to understand our next president. |
