June 19, 2009 - July 9, 2009
Last contest period's winners each received a copy of THE ANGEL'S GAME by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, AT LEAST IN THE CITY SOMEONE WOULD HEAR ME SCREAM by Wade Rouse and THE BOURNE DECEPTION by Eric Van Lustbader
| Susan Mermer |
| Something Borrowed by Emily Giffen |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This is great beach reading! I took this book on vacation and it was the perfect light entertainment. The characters are believable and the story line is entertaining, if a little predictable. It took me back to my single days and reminded me why I am glad I am not still living there, but did provide for some enjoyable nostalgia. I am looking forward to reading the follow-up book, SOMETHING BLUE and would definitely recommend this to friends. |
| Debbie ([email protected]) |
| The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A must read that is difficult to put down. Of course, I like Harry Bosch more than Jack McEvoy. This time, Connelly reveals the killer in the beginning, and the reader must wait for law enforcement to "catch up". I liked the appearance of Rachel Walling. And of course, with Jack losing his job, I have empathy for him. The small commentary on black and white crime is very truthful and sad. |
| Kim |
| The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
At the start of World War II, a 12-year-old boy's life is turned upside down when his mother dies, his father remarries and he is uprooted, moving to his stepmother's ancestral home. The only constant in David's life are the books that contain the fairy tales his mother had read to him, and he takes refuge in these familiar stories. In the attic bedroom of his new room are shelves of older but still familiar tales, yet these books appear to belong to a mysterious missing relative of his stepmother. The books start to speak to him, pulling him into a world of fantasy where he must meet numerous trials with monsters, dragons, and wolves that appear to be turning into men. David must decide if he wants to fight his way back to reality and his family, growing up along the way. Could not put it down. |
| T. Thomas |
| Blood Alone by James R. Benn |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A Billy Boyle mystery set in Sicily during WWII. Benn uses historical fact as a start to his mysteries. |
| Kim |
| Sima's Undergarments for Women by Ilana Stanger-Ross |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
Sima Goldner is known for her uncanny ability to look at a woman and instantly tell her the correct size of her bra. Not the size she is currently wearing, but the one that she should be wearing! She is an expert and the queen of her basement lingerie shop in Brooklyn's orthodox Jewish neighborhood. This underground haven is a gathering point for women to share their lives and stories and it is the backdrop against which Sima's own story is revealed. Sima has a secret, and it takes the chance entrance of a young Israeli seamstress to shake Sima out of her rut and face her past. Sima's ability to make women feel better about their bodies has never included her own and the seamstress's joy for life turns Sima's upside down. This is a very tightly written narrative that pulls you into Sima's world and the characters that wind their way through her shop. Sima's strange obsession with Timna, the seamstress, is an odd note at times and it certainly isn't always easy to like Sima, but it is an interesting peek into her world. |
| MarthaE |
| Heart of the Winter Wolf by Dani Harper |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This paranormal changeling book simply flew by. There was a fine threat of danger threaded through the romance keeping the reader anticipating when, where and how an attack would take place. The love scenes were vivid and beautifully done. The author easily wove wildlife history and facts into the story giving the feel that she had done her research well. This book has all the elements of a wonderful romance: a strong, intelligent heroine, a tortured, hunky hero, a solid love story, a threat of danger and a HEA. |
| MarthaE |
| Breach of Trust by Kimber Chin |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This is a fast-paced business romantic suspense! There are several evil and nice suspects for the bad guy and you are kept guessing and second guessing until the end of the story! I found this book to be well written with detailed character development and interesting business details filling the plot line. The sexual content is steamy and flowed well with the story line. |
| Kellie ([email protected]) |
| Portuguese Irregular Verbs by Alexander McCall Smith |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This is the first book in the series. The one thing I like about this author is that his series are so different. Sometimes, authors start to produce works that are so similar that you feel like you have read the book before. That is not the case with this author. I have read several of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series and the writing style, plots, themes etc. are very different. PORTUGESE IRREGULAR VERBS is actually a book written by the protagonist, Professor Dr Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld. The series is about Igelfeld and his 2 intellectual colleagues, Professor Dr Detlev Amadeus Unterholzer and Professor Dr Dr Floranius Prinzel. The book contains eight short stories about these 3 and some very funny situations they get themselves into. Sometimes it is hard to catch some of the dry, intellectual wit. But when you do, it brings quite a chuckle. These characters are obviously very smart, however, common sense sometimes escapes them. I like the uniqueness of the characters, settings and plot. I think sometimes the humor goes over my head (like the last chapter --- I'm still trying to figure out the radioactive relevance) but for the most part, this was a very light-hearted, enjoyable book. |
| Kellie ([email protected]) |
| Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
This was a different read for me. I enjoyed the story, but I thought the way it was told could have been better. The author jumps back and forth between past and present. In some cases, I think relevance is lost. The story is about a boy, Trond, who vacations with his father in the wilderness of Norway during the summer. He has a friend, Jon, who he "steals horses" with. Jon's family experiences a tragedy one day while Jon is supposed to be watching the twins. It is a devastating tragedy. Trond comes back to the area as an older man and remembers the past and how it affects the rest of his life. The story pulls in pieces of Trond's family story during World War II and a few years after it. I felt like not all the pieces fit together and the ending left me a bit unnerved. I was expecting a little more closure. I enjoyed the descriptions of the Scandanavian setting. Some of the descriptions placed you right in the cool, foggy landscape. Maybe the translation lost me a bit and therefore took some of the magic away. I also found this quote meaningful: "You decide yourself when it will hurt." |
| Lisa A. ([email protected]) |
| The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson |
| Rating: 2 Stars |
|
This book had an intriguing plot: a woman who sees ghosts attempts to untangle the mystery of the dead girl in her backyard pool. Is her creepy neighbor responsible? Is her daughter in danger? However, there was just way too much family conflict and self-absorbed whining by the narrator to make the story truly great. By the time the final scene played out, I'd long since lost interest. It was also a bit strange how the narrator "knew" what had happened to the dead girl, and that it turned out to be a bit of an anti-climax. |
| T. Thomas |
| Wormwood by Susan Wittig Albert |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Latest in the China Bayles series. This one takes place in a restored Shaker Village. Different and quite good. |
| T. Thomas |
| Vision in White by Nora Roberts |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
First in a series of romances about four women who run a company that plans and hosts weddings. |
| Debbie |
| The Right Attitude to Rain by Alexander McCall Smith |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
In the 3rd installment of the Isabel Dalhousie series, Isabel and Jamie finally come together during a stay in the country. Isabel tackles many philosophical issues: love, hate, death, elections, money, and appearances. As usual, the mental conversations that Isabel has with herself are enlightening, and help in coping with everyday problems. And, as with #1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, both women share a love of their homeland, even though the homeland is not paradise. I enjoy this acceptance. The book ends with Isabel's announcement that she is pregnant --- what a cliff hanger. |
| Debi |
| Grace (Eventually) by Anne Lamott |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
This is a collection of short essays about the ups and downs in the author's life, and how she has dealt with them. It was recommended to me by a friend. Personally, I found it to be a memoir and not the uplifting, spiritual read that I was expecting. |
| Kellie ([email protected]) |
| The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks |
| Rating: 2 Stars |
|
This was a strange book for me. I always enjoy reading about the Civil War and I heard a lot of great things about this particular novel. I just could not get into the storyline and the direction the author took it. I thought the idea was fantastic. It's about the battle in Franklin, Tennesee and the woman who was pulled out of a depression, which was brought on by the death of her children, so she could help the men brutally wounded in the fight. Her house was turned into a hospital at the demands of a Confederate General. The author expanded upon this history and kind of threw in a love story. This is where I became pretty lost. I don't think the author really did a good job pulling this fictional portion of the story together. I thought it was choppy, somewhat realistic and it lacked the kind of emotion I thought this story deserved. I am on the fence about this one. I enjoyed the history but could not stomach the fictional aspect. |
| Bonnie |
| Bones by Jonathan Kellerman |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
Usual serviceable mystery...Kellerman can write them in his sleep. |
| Judy O. ([email protected]) |
| Two Rivers by T. Greenwood |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Harper Montgomery has had lots of heartache and guilt in his life. His wife Betsy was killed while still pregnant with their daughter. The baby, Shelly, is saved; but Harper feels so guilty about the circumstances of her death and of the aftermath that he can hardly function. One day a train derails in Two Falls, VT and a young pregnant woman who was on the train takes refuge with Harper and his daughter. But, he begins to suspect that Maggie's appearance in their lives is not the coincidence that it first seems to be. This was a good story of love and the choices we make in our lives. My book club will be discussing it next month. |
| Renee |
| Lord John and the Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon |
| Rating: 2 Stars |
|
A real disappointment for fans of her Outlander series, which was fantastic. |
| Debbie ([email protected]) |
| Imagined London by Anna Quindlen |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
An interesting jaunt through London via literature and a current day walking tour. Quindlen discusses literary and historical references of the different sections of London, and to the various points of interest. The tour, sponsored by the National Graphic Society, impelled me to reread or read English literature. A thoroughly enjoyable guide to London. |
| Ali |
| My Antonia by Willa Cather |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
This was a good little book on the surface but had a wealth of issues and interesting concepts to discuss for a book group. |
| Marisa |
| De Niro's Game by Rawi Hage |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Set it Beirut during Lebanon's civil war between Christians and Muslims. This is the story of two young men, best friends since childhood. The author draws a dramatic picture of life in war-torn Beirut and the different paths the young men pursue. While the story is intense and disturbing, it is the writing that sets this book apart. Poetic, sumptuous, the writing leaps off the page and turns this book into a masterpiece. |
| Diane |
| A Carrion Death by Michael Stanley |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A well-written mystery set in Africa with a likable detective. This story involving the diamond mines in Botswana keeps you guessing. This is first in a series. |
| Dave Roy ([email protected]) |
| The Road by Cormac McCarthy |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I know this book is not exactly a hidden gem but I must endorse it as one of, if not, the best novels written in my lifetime. I am a librarian and THE ROAD is almost always my first recommendation to readers of all kinds. |
| Carolyn Griffin ([email protected]) |
| Bitter Sweets by Roopa Farooki |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This is an anguished story of several generations of an Indian and Pakistani family. The relationships in each generation are often based on lies. The author makes you feel for all the characters and gives insight as to why they are they way they are. |
| Kearstie |
| The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Fantastic story, well told! The first chapter was so dark, I wondered that it was meant for younger readers. But as I continued to read, I was sucked into this amazing world of the dead and undead. Far more than a ghost story, this book was truly deserving of the Newberry - a terrific story of good and evil, of growing up and coming of age told with that wonderful, sly, dark humor which Gaiman does so well. Not to be missed. |
| Kearstie |
| The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I loved this book. Written as a series of wonderfully crafted letters, it makes one long for a quieter, gentler time before email and text messaging. I almost didn't read this book because I thought it would be a "war book", but it was so much more. Cleverly written with wit and humor, it gives insight into another time and place with characters so charming you want to visit them yourself. A terrific summer read. |
| Kearstie |
| The Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A well-written story about a woman who recently lost her husband to cancer; how she copes (or tries to cope) by starting afresh, how he had attempted to reach forward from his sickness to help prepare her for this change. A story of connections made and severed, and of finding oneself. |
| Rebecca Cox |
| The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz |
| Rating: 1 Stars |
|
I was very disappointed in this book. The language is foul, a lot of Spanish which I don't read or understand, and the subject matter is just not interesting to me. I made it 1/2 way through and put it down and I struggled to read that far. I just could not relate to the characters, the writing style or their lives. |
| Juanita |
| Play Diry by Sandra Brown |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
Very interesting- I'm about 1/2 way through the book and I keep trying to figure out how all of the characters are connected. It is entertaining. |
| Carolyn Griffin ([email protected]) |
| The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This is the best book I've read in a while. It takes place in Sweden and centers on a noted journalist who becomes a detective to solve a forty year old disappearance case. All the characters have their own particular quirks. The relationships are sometimes unusual but that makes the story what it is. |
| Sandra Lee Smith |
| The Scarecrow by Michael Connolly |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Harry Bosch fans may be disappointed at first that Harry is not featured--but Connolly fans who remember THE POET, a much earlier book, will be pleased with the return of reporter Jack McElvoy & FBI agent Rachel Walling. Excellent read! Hair raising! |
| Carolyn Griffin ([email protected]) |
| The Scandal of the Season by Sophie Gee |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
This is a view into the early 18th century during the time of the poet Alexander Pope. The story evolves around Pope and his friends. One situation led to his writing of, THE RAPE OF THE LOCK. The story was somewhat interesting but definitely not compelling. |
| T. Thomas |
| Wormwood by Susan Wittig Albert |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Latest in the China Bayles series. |
| Jessica |
| Dear Husband by Joyce Carol Oates |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
These stories are beautifully crafted, as readers have come to expect from Joyce Carol Oates, and the characters are so hauntingly real they could be living right next door. The themes are dark, serious and often troubling, but the collected short story format enables you to take a break when needed in between reads. |
| Julie H. |
| Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
On the night of her 30th birthday, Rachel, in what seems to be a very uncharacteristic move, winds up in bed with her best friend's fiance, Dex. Rachel had actually met Dex first, in law school, and fixed him up with her oldest friend in the world, Darcy. Darcy and Dex clicked and now seven years later, are in the final planning stages of a late summer wedding. Rachel wants to put it all behind her, this 30th birthday aberration, and move on with her maid of honor duties for Darcy. But as time goes on, it's no longer so black and white. Darcy has always been the beautiful, lucky one, but will Rachel stand up for her dormant feelings? |
| Kearstie |
| Matrimony by Joshua Henkin |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
An interesting and insightful look at a marriage that lasts, and several that don't. The characters are engaging and keep you reading - cheering them on, wanting this marriage to succeed through thick and thin. As a person who's been married for 30+ years, I felt that the story has more than a grain of truth. The ebb and flow of a strong relationship are so well delineated. |
| Ellen |
| Population: 485 by Micheal Perry |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Interesting observations about living in rural Wisconsin via volunteering for the local fire dept or overhauling an old favorite truck. Will also improve your vocabulary. |
| Ann Brim |
| The Thor Conspiracy by Larry Burkett |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This was an interesting book about a 50 year old conspiracy. The first part really is a page turner about the EPA's domination of our nation. Lost me a little when it got to the details of the conspiracy but got into it again when it got back to the present. It was very interesting. |
| G. Reba |
| I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
One of the recent string of books turned movies, this title reads like a combination of recent "teen" flick movies. Covering the 24 hour period from a commencement ceremony with a declaration of love between two VERY different social cliques, to the devastation of the learning your ideal may not be as perfect as imagined, and all the way back to a harried and hilarious run for your life from her military boyfriend. Worth at least one look....try it for your next quick/funny read. |
| F. Tessa Bartels |
| Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
The author wrote the play THE HISTORY BOYS and has a fixation on gay issues. This novella is a different approach and has a nice little twist at the end. There are some real tidbits to think over. Still, it's VERY English in its dry humor; not sure I'd recommend. |
| Richard N. Bartels |
| Fury by Robert K. Tanenbaum |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This is a riveting, morally complex, nonstop legal thriller about the politics of crime fighting. Highly recommended. |
| Margi |
| Three Weeks to Say Goodbye by C.J. Box |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This is adoptive parents worst nightmare. The couple have had their adopted baby daughter for 9 months when the agency tells them that the birth father never signed off on the adoption and wants the baby back. They are given three weeks to turn the baby over. As the story proceeds you learn that the father of the baby could care less about her, its his father, a prominent judge in Denver, that wants the baby. As the couple investigates further they know that things are not right with the Judge and his son but proving it will be difficult. This is a page turner and I couldn't wait to find out what would happen in the end. |
| F. Tessa Bartels |
| Beware of Cat by Vincent Wyckoff |
| Rating: 2 Stars |
|
An okay memoir of a letter carrier's encounters over a long career in Minneapolis. Enjoyable, light, fast read. No real meat here. |
| F. Tessa Bartels |
| The View from Mount Joy by Lorna Landvik |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
3.5 stars - Joe's life takes some unexpected turns, but he has the best view from Mount Joy. This is not her best work, but I really love Landvik. |
| Marsha |
| Death du Jour by Kathy Reichs |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
Dr. Temperance Brennan, Forensic Anthropologist for the Province of Quebec, along with Homicide Detective Andrew Ryan, investigate mysterious deaths, fires and cults taking them to Carolina--even to a primate colony. Many facts are revealed and you will learn psychological, as well as, forensic terms. Quite educational. |
| Jean M. |
| The Last Child by John Hart |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This is one of the best books that I have read in quite a while. It has many turns and twists that will keep you guessing and turning those pages. |
| Alsek |
| City of Refuge by Tom Piazza |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Wonderful book about New Orleans, hurricane Katrina, and it's devastating aftermath. The book is a work of fiction following two families, one African- American and one white. Both families become displaced by Katrina. Highly recommended. |
| Rebecca Cox |
| The Household Guide to Dying by Debra Adelaide |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Debra Adelaide, an Australian, is a new author to me, but one that I will continue following. In this book, Delia is dying and trying to figure out how to do that, what is important, and facing old fears. But this book is not your cookie cutter dying book. It took me several weeks to read this book, not because it is a difficult read, but I needed time to digest each chapter, to think about what was going on before proceeding. Everyone dies, no one likes to talk about it, but Delia has given me new insights and the writing is funny, serious, and sarcastic and kept me wanting more. More information and I might just be giving you spoilers, so please just pick this one up and read. I highly recommend this book and have added it to my permanent collection. |
| Sharon Haas |
| The Dragons of Ordinary Farm by Tad Williams, Deborah Beale, and Greg Swearingen |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I love YA books and especially reading a really good one in June because it reminds me of my favorite 'school's out' activity - lying in bed in the early morning with a great book! D of OF is such fun - it has a mystery, great characters-some are even pretty creepy and scary, and DRAGONS! |
| Sharron |
| The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
The book was an easy read and kept your attention, despite or because of the flaws of the characters. The ending was not what I expected and was disturbing. |
| Julie |
| A Widow For One Year by John Irving |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This novel spans 37 years in the life of a widow, Ruth Cole. This novel is full of tragic turns and memorable moments. In the end, I think it is a novel that tells you that no matter what happens to you in life, you just have to keep going. I think it is one of Irving's best. |
| Rita Herbst |
| Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This is one of the best books I have come across in a long time. I found it while browsing in a Barnes & Noble. It is so well written that you just want to keep reading until the end. A story about a young girl who was caught up in the rounding up of Jews in July 1942 in Paris. The author ties a story from 2002 in with the original and brings them both to wonderful conclusions. |
| Suzanne |
| One Deadly Sin by Annie Solomon |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
Annie Solomon is known for her romantic suspense novels and ONE DEADLY SIN will not disappoint. Edie Swann is coming back to her hometown where her father committed suicide many years earlier. She's looking for revenge, but instead got hunky sheriff Holt D. and a murder rap that shouldn't be hers... |
| Michele |
| The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
If you love getting to know the characters in a book you will love this book. The major portion of this novel is written through letters which helped me detail the time frame but allowed the characters to express and reveal themselves (with all their quirks and foibles) through their letters. The book is witty yet heart rendering. I have recently read many books about WWII. Perhaps because it was a recounting, this book was light-hearted but didn't dismiss the atrocities that happened during that time. It took a different perspective on how an overlooked population suffered and endured through the terrible time. |
| Sandy |
| The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Nancy Pickard probes the truth behind miracles and the tragedies behind lies in this mesmerizing suspense novel set in Kansas. While rounding up newborn calves during a 1987 blizzard, Nathan Shellenberger, sheriff of Small Plains, and his teenage sons, Rex and Patrick, discover the naked frozen body of a beautiful teenage girl. Later, Nathan and Dr. Quentin "Doc" Reynolds bash the girl's face to an unrecognizable pulp, since they know who she is and fear that either Patrick or Rex's best friend, 17-year-old Mitch Newquist, is her killer. Witnessing this terrible scene is Mitch, hidden in Doc's home office supply closet where he's gone for a condom to use with Abby, Doc's 16-year-old daughter. Mitch's father, a judge, forces Mitch to leave town after the boy admits what he saw. In 2004, Abby and Rex-now the sheriff-find another blizzard victim, Mitch's mother, dead near the marker commemorating the still-unidentified "virgin." |
| Sandy |
| Somebody's Baby by Charlotte Vale-Allen |
| Rating: 2 Stars |
|
On her deathbed, Snow Devane's mother confesses to an unthinkable crime: She kidnapped an infant from a supermarket. Snow is somebody's baby, but not hers. I found this book rather tedious at times and didn't like the ending at all. |
| Debbie ([email protected]) |
| Peony in Love by Lisa See |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
I have mixed feelings about this book, very like LOVELY BONES, in that the story is told by a ghost/dead girl. I was very disappointed when Peony died, and wondered how the story could continue. The use of writings by Chinese women and the weaving of The Peony Pavilion into the story is interesting. After the story, Lisa See has provided a discussion and study guide, both are excellent tools to understand the novel. At many points, I felt that I was reading an allegory, such as a Pilgrim's Progress. The essence of the novel is the relationship among woman and the difficulties and hazards that Chinese women suffered and still suffer. |
| Doro |
| Women of the Silk by Gail Tsukiyama |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This book takes the reader to rural China in the 1920s. We learn about many of the old customs and how they affect the lives of the village women. |
| Doro |
| Women of the Silk by Gail Tsukiyama |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This book takes the reader to rural China in the 1920s. We learn about many of the old customs and how they affect the lives of the village women. |
| Judy O. ([email protected]) |
| The Last Child by John Hart |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A young girl has been missing for a year, and it has destroyed her family. Her father left home and her mother has turned to a poisonous relationship and drugs. That leaves her twin brother Johnny who is trying to hang on to his sanity in such a bad environment. He makes it his mission to find out what happened to his sister. This was an exciting book, but it strained the bounds of what is reasonable. There was not one villain but several. They were coming out of the woodwork. This author tells a good, solid story though, and I did enjoy it. |
| Beverly |
| Bayou by Jeremy Love |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This is a graphic novel with few words and lets the pictures speak for themselves. I liked this graphic novel because it was not overcrowded with graphics or with text all over the place. |
| Beverly |
| Sultry Storm by Celeste O. Norfleet |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This is a wonderful summer read. The hero has been waiting for his fantasy woman to come. But he cannot believe it is her - that he almost collides with on a flooded road in Key West as a hurricane is approaching. But there is more than one storm brewing which are unexpected. This book lived up to it's title. |
| Sandy Sizemore |
| The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This book kept me turning pages well into the night. It is a creative gothic tale mixing the present and the past. If you liked THE THIRTEENTH TALE, you'll love this one! |
| Sharon Long ([email protected]) |
| The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
Interesting non fiction book regarding a serial murderer in Florence, Italy. The murders are very gruesome especially since they really happened. |
| Sharon Long ([email protected]) |
| Atonement by Ian McEwan |
| Rating: 2 Stars |
|
Did not care for this book - too descriptive. I have heard the movie is much better. |
| Sharon |
| The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This book was different from what is out there. It was creepy but well written and a cross between standard fiction and fantasy. The beginning describes a burn patient in such accurate detail (and I have seen many burn patients) that it drew me in. |
| Carmen |
| Self-Defense by Jonathan Kellerman |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Lucy Lowell is a juror on the trial of a violent serial killer. After the killer is convicted, Lucy starts having dreams from when she was a small child. Dr. Alex Delaware takes her on as a patient to see if they are dreams or memories. |
| Bookfestival |
| The Girls From Ames by Jeffery Zaslow |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
THE GIRL FROM AMES is an amazing story of eleven girls from Ames, IA who are best friends and forty years later they are still best friends. They help each other go through death, marriage, birth and divorce together. |
| Jeane Campbell ([email protected]) |
| The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
In the school year of 1967-68, Holling Hoodhood is in trouble. His teacher hates him, he is sure, and he has to work with her every Wednesday while the rest of the class goes to religious instruction. How can he deal with rats, cream puffs, Shakespeare and his own family and still survive? I laughed, cried and remembered. The audio of this book, read by Joel Johnstone, was terrific. Perfect for middle schoolers...and the rest of us older types. |
| Teresa ([email protected]) |
| Live a Little by Kim Green |
| Rating: 2 Stars |
|
The premise of this book sounds right up any mom's alley. Mom finds out she's has cancer and everyone starts to pay attention to her, but then it turns out to be a clerical error. But the whole book is about her carrying on as if she has cancer, shaving her hair, acting like she's having chemo. She does make changes to her life pursuing her art, raising money for cancer. It's all just based on her lie. |
| Bonnie Markiewicz ([email protected]) |
| The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
There are no words for the way this book has affected me. I could hardly turn the pages fast enough and I could hardly breath. Deeply moving. |
| Beverly |
| Hold Love Strong by Matthew Aaron Goodman |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Imagine sitting with someone that you knew for a long time but one day sits down and tells you about their life as they were growing up. As the story unfolds in an even tone you are taken into their environment and feel their life as if you were there. Just when you think that you do not want to read another coming-of-age story - a book like like this comes along and you are awed. |
| Carmen |
| Season of the Machete by James Patterson |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A complex plot involving murder and mayhem on a beautiful, tropical island. Damien and Carrie Rose are the icy cold, psychotic murderers. Can handsome Peter Macdonald stop them? |
| Carmen |
| Red Knife by Willian Kent Krueger |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Sheriff Cork O'Connor, a man of mixed heritage, Ojibwa and Irish, must ease the racial tensions and unrest in beautiful Tamarack County. Murder, drugs, revenge, all elements in this case. |
| Renee |
| How We Lead Matters by Marilyn Carlson |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Not a book I'd pick for myself...but sometimes a change of pace is just the right thing! A small and easy read that has tidbits of leadership wisdom, by one of the earliest female CEO's. |
| Elizabeth V. |
| The Last Child by John Hart |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A 13-year-old boy, Johnny, and his friend, Jack, search for Johnny's twin sister, Alyssa, a year after she has gone missing, after everyone else, it seems, has given up. "It seems" because the case still haunts police Detective Hunt as well. Jack has described his last sighting of Alyssa: because her father forgot to pick her up, Alyssa was walking home at dusk when a car stopped and she walked up to the open car window, smiling. That's when she was grabbed and pulled into the car, and the car drove away. Johnny's mother blamed his father for Alyssa's abduction, and he has subsequently walked out on Johnny and his mother. So Johnny is now trying to put his family back together by finding known pedophiles in his county and spying on them, determined to find Alyssa alive. In the process, he uncovers another crime. John Hart is a great author. THE LAST CHILD, his latest, is a page turner. But I can't praise it as I did DOWN RIVER, Hart's 2006 book, because THE LAST CHILD has a flaw that comes up again and again throughout the book. That is, Johnny's mother, Katheryn, and Detective Hunt's infatuation with her. Katheryn is described as beautiful. Yet she is also described as addicted to all sorts of drugs, rarely combing or washing her hair, and always unaware of her dirty home and of Johnny's absence. That doesn't sound beautiful to me. But Detective Hunt is drawn to her even as she disgusts the reader. And at the same time, he is described as smart and capable, seemingly the best detective in his police force. The two descriptions, Hunt's infatuation with a disgusting woman and his high intelligence, just don't jive for me. Something else that irritated me but probably won't bother most other people: Hart's use of the word "that" when he should use "who." This, too, occurs throughout the book and I would think should have been caught by an editor. But don't skip this book because of that one flaw or because of what I see as an editorial error. I bought it at Borders and don't feel cheated, that coming from a person who feels cheated when she pays $2 for a bad book. I'm still anxious to read Hart's KING OF LIES, his first book. |
| Sandy Greathouse ([email protected]) |
| Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes by Daniel L. Everett |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Great read if you enjoy books about adventure and personal journey into other countries. I love learning about other customs, people and the world they live and survive in. |
| Sandy Greathouse ([email protected]) |
| Winter Study by Nevada Barr |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I love Nevada Barr's books, and her character, Anna Pigeon. They never fail to keep me interested. |
| Sandy Greathouse ([email protected]) |
| Songs For The Missing by Stewart O'Nan |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Great storyline and characters! I really liked this book. |
| Cathy Crane |
| The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Funny and heart wrenching - Enzo (a dog who yearns to be a man) tells the story of his life with race car driver Denny and his family. I love this book. |
| Christine Zibas ([email protected]) |
| With Violets by Elizabeth Robards |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Berthe Morisot was an important French painter of the Impressionism School, although it's far more likely that readers will be familiar with her counterparts' names (Degas, Monet, Renoir, Pissarro) than Morisot's. In that way, WITH VIOLETS is a fictionalized account of the real life love affair between Morisot and painter Edouard Manet. The story may bring new fans to her work, and more attention to a woman painter whose life and work have remained out of the spotlight for too long. |
| Katherine Petersen |
| The Faerie Door by B. E. Maxwell |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
THE FAERIE DOOR is an excellent title, billed as a children's book, but one to be enjoyed by all, read aloud or to oneself. Filled with fantasy and adventure, it's a book to treasure. It reminds me in some ways of THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA. Filled with vivid description and realistic dialogue, Maxwell has created a terrific world and dynamic characters within it. |
| Mary Lou |
| Angels and Demons by Dan Brown |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I am thoroughly enjoying this book. I wish that I had discovered it before I read DiVinci Code...which I didn't enjoy. I have been to Italy, Rome and visited the sites mentioned in the book. I hope that it is true to live as I am enjoying learning more about the Conclave and the characters in Vatican City. |
| Fran |
| When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Continues the travails of private detective Jackson Brodie begun in CASE HISTORIES and continued in ONE GOOD TURN. Jackson's voice is laugh out loud funny even as the "bad news" continues to pile up. Everything comes together once again just when you think all these people's stories can't possibly be connected. Loved it! |
| MsAnnie |
| Into the Woods by Tana French |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
I'd give this book a 4+ if possible. Writing style was very good, plot points compelling and best of all it grabs you early on and holds you throughout. And it refuses to tie everything up with a neat bow and "all live happily every after" garbage. I'm looking forward to starting her second book, bringing back Cassie Maddox (great character!). |
| Cathy Crane |
| Home by Marilynne Robinson |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
The sequel to Robinson's wonderful GILEAD did not disappoint me - in fact I enjoyed it more than the first book. The "prodigal son" of the first book returns home and slowly reveals the secrets of his past. Not to be missed. |
| Debi |
| Death of a Cozy Writer by G. M. Malliet |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
If you're in the mood for a true mystery, this is it! This is the first of the St. Justseries, and it kept me guessing to the very end! There are quite a few well-written red herrings, and, I must admit, I was fooled more than once! An extremely wealthy father sends a wedding invitation to his children. When they come rushing home, worried they will have competition for their father's millions, they end up as suspects in a murder! See if you can figure it out! |
| Randy Brower ([email protected]) |
| Fault Line by Barry Eisler |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Another chance I took having never read Barry before. He writes stories I am always drawn to and he is absolutely one of the best! I could not get over how much I loved this book! I picked it up at the Library last week, along with two others by him. When I take these three back I am dead certain I will grab another three from him and continue until I have read them all! |
| Jean |
| The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
As usual, Connelly delivers a well written novel with a fast moving plot. Great character development! |
| M. Blitz |
| Crazy for the Storm by Norman Ollestad |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
The book's concept is interesting, but it is tedious reading. Each chapter jumps between the airplane crash, current, and Norman's past before the crash. |
| Marion Miller ([email protected]) |
| The Commoner by John Burnham Schwartz |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A novel based on fact about the Royal family of Japan and the importance of providing sons to continue the lines of succession. It describes what happens when the sons are exposed to the outside world and want to marry commoners. |
| Marion Miller ([email protected]) |
| Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
An autobiography written by an unwanted and mistreated Chinese daughter who is an over achiever. A little repetitive and whiny but definitely a page turner. |
| T. Thomas |
| Smooth Talking Stranger by by Lisa Kleypas |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
More like 3 1/2 stars. Above average romance novel set in Houston, Texas. |
| Liz |
| Grave Goods by Ariana Franklin |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This is the third in the series about Adelia, the Mistress of Death, in the time of Henry II. She's the Temperance Brennan of her day although she has to pretend to be the assistant and interpreter for her own Arab assistant. This particular story involves the possible finding of the corpses of Arthur and Guinevere. Really fascinating story and characters. |
| Frankie |
| One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A very interesting read. Some sections are extremely graphic and intense. Well written and thought provoking. |
| Elizabeth V. |
| Havana Bay by Martin Cruz Smith |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Martin Cruz Smith is a new author for me, and I didn't realize that HAVANA BAY is part of a series of books about a Russian prosecutor's investigator, Renko Arkady. The series begins with the book GORKY PARK and, as I understand, all the books in the series are in Russia (or the Soviet Union) except HAVANA BAY. Arkady has come to Cuba because his friend has gone missing there. When Arkady arrives, he is shown an unrecognizable body that was found drifting in an inner tube in Havana Bay. The authorities in Cuba have determined that this is Arkady's missing friend. But Arkady is surprised that the Cuban authorities did no investigation to be sure of the body's identity or what he died of. And that night someone tries to kill him, so he decides to do some investigating himself. The story gets more and more involved from there in the week before Arkady can catch a plane back to Russia. This book didn't grab me (which I think a book should do) until around page 200 (which was about 2/3 of the way through). But it probably would have interested me more if I had read the preceding books in this series before I read HAVANA BAY. I would have already understood and sympathized with Arkady. Ordinarily, I give up on a book that doesn't grab me before I get to page 150, but HAVANA BAY (and I assume the other books in this series) has such great dialog and sarcasm that I kept going because I enjoyed that. Smith has some great cracks throughout the book about life in a communist society. I expect these are even better in his other books, when Arkady, as a Russian investigator, is living in Russia and critical of the system there. |
| Frankie |
| Mama Makes Up Her Mind by Bailey White |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
A light and quick read. Not what I expected. I think that I expected the entire books about "Mama." Also, it had been described to me as extremely funny. Some parts were funny, just not what I was thinking it would be. |
| Venessa |
| The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Loved this book! It's young adult but as a mom of three (one being a teen) I *really* enjoyed it. Not the typical self-centered teen angst novel. The characters are relatable and likable. It's been a few days since I finished and I find myself missing Macy and the cast that makes up Wish catering. Always a sign of a good book (for me at least) when I have to remind myself that the characters are not real. |
| Venessa |
| Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This year I am challenging myself to read more classics. As a subcategory, by the time this year is up I'd like to have read all of Austen's novels. Having said that, I finally got around to reading P&P. I must say I thoroughly enjoyed it. Maybe it's by default since it's my first Austen, but I foresee it being by far my favorite. |
| J. Cribb ([email protected]) |
| Still Life by Joy Fielding |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This is definitely a great read. It would be chilling to know you are in a coma, and can hear everything everyone is saying. The nightmare is finding out that a loved one is not a loved one at all but the one who actually plotted your death and now wants to finish the job. The determination to make herself come out of the coma and even save the lives of family members, including her own life, was edge-of-chair reading. I stayed up until the wee hours to finish this book. It is excellent! |
| gaby317 |
| Jesse's Girl by Gary Morgenstein |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
JESSE'S GIRL is a complex, fast paced, and highly engrossing novel that deals with issues of adoption, addiction, substance abuse, spousal abuse, and parenting in a realistic way. Teddy Mentor learns that his 16 year old adopted son has run away from his court mandated substance abuse center in Montana. Teddy leaves Brooklyn in the middle of the night to try to find his son. He is arrested, follows drug dealers, and is in danger. When he does find Jesse, he tries to bond and agrees to drive him to meet Theresa. It turns out that Theresa and Jesse have a complicated relationship and when Theresa's abusive husband returns, Jesse, Theresa and Teddy find themselves in trouble and on the run. It's an interesting read - quite intense, some foul language and very adult subjects. |
| gaby317 ([email protected]) |
| Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This is the first Asian fantasy story that I've come across. Set in Ancient China, our heroine Ai Ling is raised differently from most girls - educated, intelligent, and independent, she is still required to undergo the usual betrothal. Her betrothal doesn't go through and her father suddenly leaves for the Emperor's Palace for some secret reason. Ai Ling leaves to help her father and during her quest is attacked by a series of mythical and fantastic creatures. She has made friends during her quest and they face these challenges together. I found it an enjoyable read. The fantasy world that Cindy Pon creates is rich and very interesting. Ai Ling is a kickass heroine and I look forward to the sequel! |
| gaby317 |
| Tea Time for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
The 10th in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, this novel does not disappoint. Mma. Ramotswe is her usual sympathetic and astute self as she helps the proprietor of a local football team solve the mystery behind their current losing streak. Mma Ramotswe also has a personal crisis with the further deterioration of her beloved little white van. Meanwhile her assistant must confront her nemesis who has taken a job at her fiance's shop. This series is consistently entertaining. The writing is brilliant. The characters are interesting, kind without being cloyingly sweet. I highly recommend this book! |
| Lee |
| The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
In 1913 a 4 year old girl turns up alone on a wharf in Australia. It is all about her life, her search for her past and her granddaughter's quest. I had it figured out, then I didn't, then I did, but not really... A great book! |
| BK |
| Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
It is 1942. A small Colorado farming town is faced with having a Japanese internment camp erected in their midst. The story of how this affects the people is told through the eyes of a young girl whose parents hire workers from the camp. Crime and prejudices color the tale. I listened on tape and thoroughly enjoyed the story and the narrator. |
| Randy Brower ([email protected]) |
| First Family by David Baldacci |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This would get 10 stars if I could. Any fan of David's will be very pleased with this novel. Without a doubt, one of his best! That's saying a lot, as it's nearly impossible to choose what book of his is his best - they all are! |
| Yvonne Butler ([email protected]) |
| The Rescurer by Dee Henderson |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Last month Connie reviewed Danger in the Shadow and there are 7 more books in this series ending with the one I am reading. Seven orphans join together to be one family. All of them are successful and all come to be Christian as they try to understand the cancer that one of them has. This book is about him, a paramedic carpenter, and an all around good man. His life long friend Megan, a nurse, has a wreck that leaves her blind caused by a part of a team of jewel thieves, headed by a friend who runs the local jewelry shop. Nobody can predict how this will end. Megan only knows her love must be denied because Stephen is not a believer. This whole series is well worth reading. It's a joy to read a suspense book that is not full of drinking and cussing. I have not read a book Dee Henderson wrote that I did not like. |
| Jodie |
| Columbine by Dave Cullen |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
What do you remember about April 20, 1999? When you hear Columbine, what comes to mind? What do you know about what happened at that high school that day? Chances are at least some of it is wrong. Dave Cullen does a remarkable job with his gripping, powerful narrative to sort the myth from the truth, to paint as complete and accurate a picture of the events and the people as possible working from 10 years of evidence, writings and interviews. Part psychological profile, part retelling of the events, this book never sensationalizes any aspect of the tragedy, rather it truly attempts to illuminate what happened and to answer the question everyone keeps asking....why? |
| BK |
| The Draining Lake by Arnaldur Indridason |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This is the 4th in a series of detective stories based in Iceland. If you enjoy Inspector Morris, then you'll probably enjoy Inspector Erlendur too. The first in the series, Jar City, was Iceland's 2008 Academy Award entry for Best Foreign Film. In Draining Lake, a weighted skeleton is discovered when water naturally disappears from a lake. The skeleton is possibly that of someone from the 1970 era.maybe even a spy. The author has won the Gold Dagger Award and Glass Key Award for crime novels. |
| BK |
| My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
After reading that the UK is celebrating the 100th year of her birth, I went back to read one of her classics. MY COUSIN RACHEL is a great book for a lazy day. Good character development and the plot carries the reader along. Unlike many of today's books, it has no vulgarity or gore. Just a good story. The movie version was nominated for 4 Oscars in 1952. Olivia DeHaviland played 35-year old Rachel. Richard Burton played the 'younger man' Philip who is carefully lured by Rachel into her web. Philip was the young nephew/ward of a wealthy bachelor uncle who went abroad for his health and sent news back to England that he had married. Thus young Philip inherited MY COUSIN RACHEL. Ms. DuMaurier said that she wanted to write books that haunted the reader beyond their end. She succeeded! |
| Kim S. |
| Murder in the Latin Quarter by Cara Black |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
Number 9 in the Aimee Leduc series Aimee Leduc is not your typical detective. Young, hip, and ever so chic in her flea-market designer clothes, Tintin watch and black patent leather heels, Aimee rushes head long into trouble when an illegal Haitian immigrant, named Mireille, shows up on her doorstep claiming to be her sister. With little concern for her computer security business, or her partner Renee Friant's plans to land a huge computer security contract, Aimee becomes deeply enmeshed in a deadly mystery when Mireille disappears as suddenly as she has arrived. Determined to find out if Mireille is really her sister, or just another con artist, Aimee is capitulated into a tangled web involving a dead body, Haitian politics, an international financial scandal, an academic research rivalry, and a tainted water supply, with just a little bit of voodoo thrown in for good measure. The character of Aimee Leduc has no concept of self-preservation and her detecting skills are naive: accuse the suspect and see how they react. This headlong rush into situations would be a little more believable in a younger character and though the story is action packed it is a little overwhelming with all the plots and subplots. The book is saved by the detailed atmosphere Cara Black evokes with the descriptions of the bohemian Latin Quarter. A perfectly good read but you might want to start with an earlier book in this series. |
| bk |
| The Good German by Joseph Kanon |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This is the best book I have read in several years. In the same way only Gable could have played Rhett, only George Clooney could have played this WWII reporter in the film version of the book. The reporter returns to Berlin in the first few days after the end of the war to look for the married woman who captured his heart before the bombings. It turns into a tale of intrigue, murder, and plots that are hatched when war distracts a whole population and money is flowing. It's a captivating read! |
| bk |
| A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
The author of THE KITE RUNNER has produced another fascinating book about life in Afghanistan. This time the focus is on women. And what a tale it is. As Oprah often says, 'if you're a woman born in the United States, then you're the luckiest woman on earth.' The book bears that out. I was deeply touched by the unbelievable circumstances that the women of that country have had to endure since the Soviet invasion and unto this day. At the same time, it is a tale of love and survival. It would do well for our troops serving in Afghanistan to read this book to understand what the women they see there have been through. |
| Lexi |
| My Soul To Take by Yrsa Sigurdardottir |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
Surprisingly violent Icelandic murder mystery. Lovely scenery, though. |
| BK |
| The Night Villa by Carol Goodman |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A current day researcher of Ancient Rome travels to Italy on a university summer program in search of a lost scroll of Pythagoras. Before she leaves her U.S. university she becomes entangled in a murder mystery that follows her to Italy and even into her exploration of ancient times. For travelers who love Roman ruins, this is a great peek inside the first century. |
| Rosalie Sambuco ([email protected]) |
| Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
A coming of age story set in Tehran in 1973. A fabulous story of young adults in Tehran and the conflicts they encounter concerning their feelings toward the Shah. Both entertaining and enlightening items about their lives in Tehran. I highly recommend this book. |
| BK |
| The Prodigal Spy by Joseph Kanon |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
What a great read! After discovering THE GOOD GERMAN, I knew I had to read other books by Kanon. THE PRODIGAL SPY was every bit as enthralling at TGG. The story is told through the eyes of a little boy growing up in diplomatic D.C. during the McCarthy era. Something happens to shatter his world. The tale continues with the boy as a man whose search for the truth takes him behind the Iron Curtain during the Vietnam War. I was captivated through the whole book, and couldn't read the last few pages fast enough as I found surprise after surprise at the end. This is only the second book I've ever ranked as a 5. I highly recommend it. |
| Dorothy |
| A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I started reading this book about two years ago and gave up because I couldn't pronounce the names. I picked it up again last week and was very glad I did. I got past the names this time and found it to be just as good as THE KITE RUNNER. It is the story of how life is in Afghanistan. Two woman from different backgrounds unwillingly find themselves married to the same miserable man. It is sad as was THE KITE RUNNER. It makes you thankful that you are an American. A must read. |
| Kaye |
| Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
Rachel and Darcy, best friends since elementary school, are always there for each other even though they seem like opposites in many way. Rachel is focused and goal oriented while Darcy likes to have a good time and luckily things just seem to fall in place for her. Rachel felt that Darcy was always the "pretty one, the lucky one, the charmed one". You just know at some point maybe a hint of resentment will come into the picture. Fast forward to Rachel's 30th birthday party given by Darcy. Rachel is now an associate in a Manhattan law firm which, by the way, she hates. Darcy has a glamorous, fun job in public relations and is engaged to an absolutely gorgeous guy named Dex she met through Rachel. A few too many drinks at the festivities finds Darcy not feeling well and heading for home without Dex. Rachel and Dex stay after the party to have one final drink together and they end up in Rachel's apartment for the night. Dex cannot believe he cheated on Darcy and the two of them come up with elaborate excuses where they were. Now the unexpected happens. Rachel finds herself really in love with Dex and miraculously he returns the feelings but what will he do about it? Now only two months before the wedding, will he leave Darcy to be with Rachel or will he go through with the nuptials leaving Rachel with a broken heart? Actually I was afraid this book would be too predictable but I was wrong, I kept wondering what was going to happen because the wedding was getting closer and closer and Dex hadn't made any moves yet. Rachel visits her old friend Ethan in London to discuss the situation. Will Ethan be a wild card in this triangle? Well, I guess you'll have to read the book and see! Giffin does a great job building up the characters of Rachel and Darcy. There are some other supporting characters that really add to the story also. Although chick lit is not my first genre of choice, I did enjoy this one a lot. Recommended for fans of the chick lit and romance. |
| BK |
| The Camel Bookmobile by Masha Hamilton |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A great little read about a young U.S. woman who is restless and longing for adventure. She went to Kenya to operate a bookmobile that traveled to remote villages by camel. Fi soon became more than a casual librarian to some of the people in one of the villages. The story examines the differences between people in a primitive natural world and the modern world we inhabit. On the last page the reader will see how to contact the real Camel Bookmobile to donate books or money to buy camels and tents to support the wandering librarians of Kenya. I would suggest the book for young teen readers and perhaps the Camel Bookmobile donations as a project for schools or service clubs. |
| BK |
| High Water by Lynn Hightower |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A dysfunctional southern family is headed by a stern ex-Marine. Murder, suspense, family secrets all combine to make a great read. Every chapter had another surprise for the reader. The story is told by the adult eldest daughter. I listened on tape; the narrator was excellent. |
| BK |
| What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Two young sisters disappear from a mall. 30 years later a woman involved in a traffic accident near that same town says she's one of the girls. Is she? Or is it a scam? What happened to the other sister? How did it change the lives of everyone involved? The story unfolds in layers as it jumps back and forth between the past and the current day. And the total revelation, when it comes, is not what you expect! I listened on CD and enjoyed the narrator. |
| Genie |
| Reckless Abandon by Stuart Woods |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Holly Barker, chief of the Orchid Beach, Florida P.D. joins forces with attorney/PI Stone Barrington when she arrives in New York on the trail of Trini Rodriguez, a thug with mafia connections. Holly has done her best to stab Trini to death in an earlier adventure only to have someone step in at the last minute and save his life. Holly has a warrant for his arrest for blowing up a dozen people with a bomb during a funeral. Unfortunately, finding Trini won't be easy since he's been placed in the FBI Witness Protection Program and is working with the Feds on several of their cases. Among Trini's connections are members of a Middle Eastern terrorist group who are trying to employ the Mafia in a money-laundering scheme. When Holly becomes Stone's house guest, the two of them are automatically in the sights of several dangerous groups. The question is who will kill them first; the Mafia or the Arab terrorists. Then of course there are threats by the FBI for interfering with federal government business. There is a lot of interaction among characters from previous books in this tale, but this book easily stands alone as a detective story filled with plenty of crime related sub-plots, romance and humor. |
| Genie |
| A Fool and His Honey by Charlaine Harris |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
This is a tale that explores the lengths to which people will go to obtain what they desire; in this case the central figure is a baby. Roe and husband, Martin, are surprised when Martin's niece Regina arrives unannounced with a new baby. Returning home after a dinner party, Roe and Martin find Regina's husband, Craig, has been murdered in their yard, Regina is gone and the baby, Hayden, has been hidden under a bed. Roe is burdened with Hayden's care as she and Martin attempt to find Regina who has stashed a wad of money in the diaper bag. Another unexpected guest turns up. Rory Brown is a friend of Craig and Regina's, seems overly concerned about Hayden and insists on accompanying them on their search. When Martin, Roe and Hayden arrive at Martin's little-used country house, several other characters, including neighbors Margaret and Luke Granberry, enter the tale. As the ending draws near, we discover family secrets intermingled with greed, deceit and unstable thinking which results in murder. I have to say I'm disappointed that Harris didn't find a way to continue the relationship of Roe and Martin. Personally, I would have enjoyed having the couple continue on as an investigation team similar to the couple featured in The Thin Man series. |
| Jill |
| The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Don't let the title dissuade you-I confess I hesitated before deciding to read it myself. Am I glad I did. Its an excellent story, written mostly via letters of the island of Guernsey's occupation by the Nazi's and their courage to survive it. Read it!! |
| Genie |
| Dead Over Heels by Charlaine Harris |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Aurora Teagarden is shocked when the body of Detective Jack Burns falls from a circling plane and lands in her backyard. While Detective Burns is not a friend, he isn't someone Aurora or her bodyguard, Angel, would wish to come to harm. This, however, is only the first of a number of strange events that will follow. The next victim is one of Aurora's co-workers with whom she's been seen arguing with in the library. Then Angel's husband is hit over the head so hard he has to be hospitalized. When the police put Aurora at the top of their list of suspects, she is forced into investigation mode in self-defense. |
| Brandy |
| Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Loved, loved, loved this book! Very insightful and inspirational :) |
| Genie |
| It Takes a Village by Hillary Rodham Clinton |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
From her own research and experiences, Hillary Clinton has come up with many wonderful ideas concerning child welfare, better ways to teach children to appreciate and understand their own talents and abilities. The book includes examples of how parents and teaches have developed programs to help children reach their goals and succeed. |
| Jan Mays |
| The Faith Club by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This is a book I would recommend to my friends even though it is not a particularly entertaining book. It was a rather difficult read as it forced me to read a while, then think about what I had read. It encouraged me to confront my religion in an inquiring way rather than the blind acceptance I had practiced since childhood. It gave me a better understanding of the Muslim and Jewish religions and how they parallel my own protestant faith. The writers are all obviously intelligent, well-educated women who had the courage and dedication to commit the time and emotion to this religious inquiry. I thought it was very well done. |
| Crystal |
| Dreaming of the Bones by Deborah Crombie |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
The fifth book in the series featuring Sergeant Gemma James and Superintendent Duncan Kincaid of Scotland Yard. A wonderful and complicated mystery set in London and Cambridge. |
| Susan |
| The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
A great story about two women set apart by the caste system, but develop a strong bond because of shared experiences. Didn't want it to end! |
| Sue Saratoga |
| The Family Man by Elinor Lipman |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
Light, entertaining read about a gay divorced man who reunites with his long-lost stepdaughter who is a fledgling actress and moves in with him. |
| Jaye |
| Surveillance by Jonathan Raban |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Reminiscent of THE ROAD, set in Seattle (near my home), this kept me reading until the late hours. Unsettling, but thought provoking. |
| Genie |
| Pontoon by Garrison Keillor |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
The story begins with Evelyn, an insomniac, who has died in her sleep. An ironic end to an interesting life, Keillor begins to tell Evelyn's story. Evelyn led a secret life filled with romance and unusual adventures that even her family and friends had no knowledge of. Evelyn's daughter, Barbara, known in town as a hard drinker, finds her mother dead in bed. She begins going through her mother's things as she is trying to decide what to do first. Barbara comes across a letter her mother has written. Evelyn not only gives specific instructions concerning her burial but also fills in the gaps of family secrets she never revealed to anyone before. Next we are introduced, via a sub plot, to former resident, Debbie Detmer. Debbie left Lake Wobegon to make her fortune as an animal therapist for the rich and famous in Hollywood. She has come home to plan a grand commitment ceremony/wedding to her private jet time/share salesman boyfriend. Debbie's ceremony is to take place on a pontoon boat in Lake Wobegon on the same day as Evelyn's memorial. Barbara plans to carry out her mother's last wishes. The cremation ceremony involves a bowling ball filled with Evelyn's ashes which is to be dropped into Lake Wobegon. One more complication to an already complicated day at the lake is the group of Danish Lutheran ministers who have stopped by Lake Wobegon on their tour of the U.S. They, too, are planning an outing in a pontoon boat that afternoon. I listened to the audiobook as I was driving. There were times when I found myself laughing out loud by some of the antics described in this book. |
| Marsha |
| First Family by David Baldacci |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This is a top rated thriller. It is frightening to realize that the inhabitants of the White House have unlimited power over the lives of many. This novel will keep you engaged and on the edge of your seat. Enjoy! |
| Jean |
| Whispers of the Bayou by Mindy Starns Clark |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
I enjoyed this Gothic mystery that takes place in the south. |
| Terri Loeffler ([email protected]) |
| The Wish Maker by Ali Sethi |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This is the story of a young Pakistani boy, Zaki Shirazi, being raised by his widowed mother who publishes a women's magazine. They live with his paternal grandmother who is also raising her niece, Samar Api. The story begins with Zaki's arrival in Pakistan for Samar Api's wedding, then reverts to his mother's youth and works its way back to the wedding at the end. This story kept me engaged, and I enjoyed it very much. However, until the middle of the 4th chapter (almost 100 pages in), I was thoroughly confused. The 2nd & 3rd chapters jumped around too much, and there were a lot of conversations in Pakistani (is that what the language is?) that were neither translated, nor discernible by context. But Sethi hit his stride in Chapter 4 with stories of three generations coming of age in Pakistan. To my shame, I had little knowledge of Pakistan's history before I read this. I still had little knowledge after, because historical incidents were alluded to in family conversations and actions, but not explained outright. The book did send me off for a history lesson, though, and that may have been the point. All in all, an enjoyable and definitely recommended book! |
| Susan |
| Mary by Janis Cooke Newman |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A story of Mary Todd Lincoln, with many historical facts included, although this is a work of fiction. She was a very interesting character! |
| Stavros |
| The Woods by Harlan Coben |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
THE WOODS is the fifth Coben suspense novel I have read in the last two months and I plan on reading the rest of his novels this summer. I enjoyed the various twists and turns as the novel progressed to an exciting and interesting climax. |
| Susan |
| The Shack by William P. Young |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
This was an interesting book, not only because of the subject matter, but because I wasn't sure how I felt about it when it was over. I spent much time thinking about it and it still has left me with a feeling of uncertainty. Worth the read just to ponder your feelings about God... |
| Susan |
| The Book Thief by Markus Zusak |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
If I could give this 10 stars, I would! What a wonderful book that stays with you long after it's over. A story of love, compassion and tolerance. I read this over 4 months ago and still miss it! |
| Susan |
| My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Wanted to read this book before I see the movie and I am go glad I did! What an interesting read, but keep a box of tissues handy! Definitely a premise worth discussing. |
| Julie H. |
| The Geek Girl's Guide to Cheerleading by Charity Tahmaseb and Darcy Vance |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Bethany and her friend Moni usually navigate the halls and gauntlet of popular kids and cheerleaders holding their breath. When Moni's "geek" friend Brian makes it so apparent that anything in a cheerleading uniform is worth watching, the two girls decide to try out for the squad. Bethany never dreams they will actually make it, but of course, they do. From Coach Shelia's surprise help and learning how the other half lives, this story deftly shows both sides of the high school battle lines. Will the handsome star basketball player really fall for Bethany? |
| N. Hemm |
| The Leisure Seekers by Michael Zadoorian |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This is a wonderful story of an aging couple and how they chose to live during challenging times. I found myself laughing and crying...I would recommend it as a great read. |
| Lee |
| The Red Tent by Anita Diamant |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This historical novel of the ancient Near East re-imagines the life of Dinah from the book of Genesis, giving her a voice and the dignity of initiative and integrity. |
| Jud Hanson |
| False Impression by Jeffrey Archer |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
An interesting plot that begins with the murder of a wealth heiress in England and hits high gear after the terrorist attack of 9/11. A banker who makes money by keeping clients in debt wants to recover a rare Van Gogh painting. An employee discovers the scheme and sets out to get to the painting first so that it can be sold to settle the debts of the heiress' estate. Thus begins a chase around the world and across continents. A great book by Archer. |
| Jud Hanson |
| Nightfall by Isaac Asimove & Robert Silverberg |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Picture this: an Earth-like world with six suns, rising in various combination on a given day. There is no darkness. Then a archeologist discovers the site of an ancient city with the remains of multiple cities below it, wiped out by fire every 2000 years. A scientist discovers that a long accepted scientific theory concerning the orbit of the planet may be wrong. A religious cult proclaims that a day of darkness is fast approaching and has been repeated throughout history every 2049 years. Will the darkness come and what will happen to the human race when it does? This was an excellent book by two of the genre's masters. I highly recommend it to all scifi fans. |
| Barbara Higdon |
| Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Riveting novel interwoven with wonderful characters and the vast medical knowledge held by the doctor/author. |
| Kay |
| The Book of Love by Kathleen McGowan |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This is the second book in the Magdalene Line series. This story continues where THE EXPECTED ONE left off as Maureen Paschal looks for the lost gospel written in the hand of Jesus, THE BOOK OF LOVE. It's good and interesting and thought-provoking but seems a little slow. |
| Debbie ([email protected]) |
| The Miracle at Speedy Motors by Alexander McCall Smith |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
Much happens to Grace and Precious in this story. Grace's Phuti buys her a bed, but the bed will not go through the door, so Grace leaves the bed outside and rain destroys the bed. The girl that Precious and JLB have adopted is taken to a doctor to see if she can be helped to overcome her handicap. Precious must locate the family of a client, only to discover the truth after finding a brother for the woman. Again, Smith shows the power of kindness and truth, and love of one's country in this book. Smith is a treasure to read due to this elementary outlook at life. |
| Debi |
| The Diary by Eileen Goudge |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
What would you do if you found your recently deceased mother's diary?...I would read it, that's what! That's what happened when two sisters are cleaning out their mother's attic. I couldn't stop reading this one! Of course, Goudge's writing style makes the simple act of reading as smooth as chocolate! I loved the ending, too! |
| Debi |
| The Last Queen by C.W. Gortner |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
If you like historical fiction, you must try this book! Set in Spain during the Golden Age, it brings alive the life of Juana of Castille, also, known as "Juana la loca" or "Joana the crazy one." I always had suspected that perhaps this title was a legend, and that there were other reasons for her imprisonment. Although historical data doesn't really say, Gortner has put together an excellent novel by filling in the blanks with "logical creativity!" |
| Brady ([email protected]) |
| Tears of the Desert by Halima Bashir and Damien Lewis |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
The race problem America has is nothing compared to the Arabs and African Americans in the Sudan and Darfur particularly. You find out about what hatred does to you as encompassed in this book. Death to ALL American American people is the goal in Darfur by the Arabs who are ruling. You get the details in this story well told by an educated author who happens to be a doctor. You learn how life is in another part of the world that was new to me. There are good times in the first half of the book and the short chapters keep the pages turning to find out what is going to happen next. |
| Debi |
| The Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
I received this as a complimentary copy, otherwise it is not a book I would ordinarily read. Surprisingly, I found it comfortable and interesting. Berg's writing style was fluid, but without warmth. Her characters were developed enough to keep me interested, as was the plot...an easy escape. |
| Lorna |
| A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick |
| Rating: 2 Stars |
|
I would give this book 2-1/2 stars to be truthful. I decided to read this book after reviews I saw on "word of mouth" because the reviews were great. After I started reading it i couldn't understand the 5 star ratings. The story line is good but the author just jumps around too much, characters change and some things that happen are just absurd. Then I saw some reviews that weren't so good so I didn't feel bad that I thought this was a lousy book. I stuck with it just hoping some big surprise twist at the end would happen but never did... I would not recommend this to anyone. ' |
| Kathy Vallee |
| Last Scene Alive by Charlaine Harris |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This is the Aurora Teagarden series, in this one Roe finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery after a movie crew comes to town to do a movie about her life and the murders she helped to solve. All from a book her ex boyfriend wrote. |
| Julie H. |
| A Safe Place for Dying by Jack Fredrickson |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
Down on his luck Dek Elstrom is being given a chance to redeem himself by doing a little PI work for the folks who run the exclusive Crystal Waters gated community, of which he was recently a resident. After an extortion letter and explosion, it doesn't seem that Crystal Waters is that safe after all. And even though his ex-wife, Amanda, is safely off in France, her (their former) home is sitting there unoccupied, with many works of fine art that she has always said she would save before calling 911. This is the first in a series and I would certainly check in with Dek again. There is a fun side-story about Dek's present home. After being thrown out of Crystal Waters, he decides to try to rehab his grandfather's (a former bootlegger) residence. The city is difficult, many old taxes are due and they want to label it historic. A stand-off ensues as Dek continues to rehab and lives in the limestone turret. |
| Brady ([email protected]) |
| Happens Every Day by Isabel Gillies |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
I would say this is more a womens' book, though I enjoyed it all the way through. It is, pure and simple, the true story of a marriage breakup. The strange thing to me was how the author refused to accept the end of the marriage and suffered greatly because of it. Isabel is a good writer and gently eases into the mechanics of why the marriage failed. This also points out what happens to many when they "fool around..." |
| Julie |
| Obedience by Will Lavender |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I first read this book when it was released a couple of years ago. This one is a great read that keeps you guessing right up until the end. I had no idea what was going on and was just as confused as Mary right up until everything was revealed. This is a great book to read on those hot summer nights when there's a hint of a thunderstorm in the air. |
| Louise Pledge |
| Wild Orchids by Jude Deveraux |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Despite the fact that this was a NY Times bestseller, the fact that I love Jude Deveraux books and the fact that the story was told in kind of a unique way (main characters telling their version of it), I didn't feel that it was to Ms. Deveraux's usual fare. I wasn't dying to pick it up and read more, so it took awhile to finish. It's primarily about a small town in North Carolina with secrets that no one will divulge. Jackie Maxwell wants to learn what they are, but will her life be in danger if she does? |
| Debbie ([email protected]) |
| Friends, Lovers, Chocolate by Alexander McCall Smith |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
The 2nd in the Isabel Dalhousie series set in Scotland. In this story, Isabel decides to help a heart donor recipient to find the donor. Also, Isabel gravels with the fact that she loves Jaimie and he loves Kat. The essence in these stories is philosophy or our inner most thoughts. Sometimes, Isabel rambles along, much as people string-along in thought; but then sometimes she uncovers universal ideas. Should we tell what we think, or do we remain silent and the moment passes? Fun and thought provoking. |
| Debi |
| The Appeal by John Grisham |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
I was disappointed as I got bogged down in Mississippi politics (my home state!) In fact, I skimmed about 150 pages and still understood the ending! A multi-million dollar verdict is given in favor of a small town plaintiff in a case against a big company, and the company files an appeal. Grisham goes into detail about how greed and power controls the outcomes of these big cases. I think some of it was a bit far fetched....but possible! |
| Harriet Stay ([email protected]) |
| The Take by Graham Hurley |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
THE TAKE begins with Detective Inspector Joe Faraday of the CID attending the funeral of Vanessa Parry, who would never see her thirty-fourth birthday. Inspector Parry died in a car crash. Faraday is determined to find out if this was simply an unavoidable accident. A missing person, Peter Hennessey, and some blood found in his hotel room turns into more than just a rich man's disappearance. A lot more. Then, there is the Donald Duck rapist. As is so typical of smaller or less populated jurisdictions, the police CID handles whatever occurs, which can amount to working multiple cases at once. In this book, that's exactly the situation. Not typical is the location. Faraday lives at Langstone Harbour, near the mud flats. Looking at the UK map, it is just east of the Isle of Wight near Portsmouth. Hurley must be a bird enthusiast. Not only are the titles of the two books of his I've read bird related, but birds and their behavior are judiciously laced within the stories. My impression is that Hurley's secondary characters, at times, take center stage. I came away knowing and caring for Inspectors Cathy Lamb and Paul Winter. My notes say the same for his previous book, TURNSTONE. This is, in part, why I've enjoyed reading both of these. It isn't simply becoming engaged in solving the mysteries, but rather that the solving of them feels true to life...it is happening to real people. |
| Kristie |
| Matters of the Heart by Danielle Steel |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
Her latest. Not her best but different, and better than her usual fare. |
| Mo ([email protected]) |
| The Diary by Eileen Goudge |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
When sisters Sarah and Emily stumble upon their mother's diary while cleaning up their parents house, they learn that their father was not the love of their mother's life. A wonderful glimpse at young love in a less complicated time. |
| Debi |
| Rebel Angels by Libba Bray |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
This is the second in the YA series about a young girl sent off to boarding school in England. While she is there, she discovers a diary which unleashes powerful forces into a fantasy world. Beautiful Gemma Doyle tries to survive by breaking the Victorian codes of conduct and following her heart. This is a good read without a lot of mushy stuff. It has good action with a little mystery thrown in! |
| T. Thomas |
| Deadlock by Iris Johansen |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
Average thriller/romance. |
| CJ ([email protected]) |
| A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN centers on Francie Nolan's life in the slums of NY, early 1900's. (pre-"politically correct" dialect). The Nolan family skillfully carves out a day to day existence saving every penny. The women in Francie's family are not good at picking men, and have a history of being the backbones of their families. Yet her mother is happy to have Johnny, a handsome man who fails at several positions. Francie's mother takes second jobs to make up for Johnny's mess-ups and Johnny finally gets a job as a singer with the Waiter's Union. Unfortunately, the work is not steady, and life is always a struggle. At fifteen, without realizing the why or the how of it, she begins to notice things that adults don't want their children to know, to learn family secrets and the realities of life that make her run off alone to cry. Francie's view of her charismatic father comes into focus as she grows, and matures. She knows that her beloved father is a drunk, and her best aunt "Sissy" has faked a pregnancy in order to finally have a child of her own. Johnny is fired from his job. He is found huddled in a doorway, and dies of pneumonia. I am only halfway through the book. So far, it puts me in mind of Frank McQuirt's tales of a childhood of poverty. However, I have a feeling Francie will have more strength than everyone in her family. I am pulling for her to be a hero and for a great ending so I can change the four to five stars. |
| Mo ([email protected]) |
| Lavender Morning by Jude Deveraux |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
First in a trilogy of books about Edilean, VA, LAVENDER MORNING is a love story within a love story. Jocelyn, whose rich mother married "beneath" her, is left forlorn after her beloved mother dies and her father remarries. Fast forward to her chance meeting with elderly neighbor Edilean Harcourt, who "adopts" Joce and gives her a well-rounded education. Edi leaves Joce her home in Edilean, VA, and Joce travels there, becoming involved in a triangle which involves two cousins. With the help of Luke and his grandfather, Joce also learns about David, the love of Edi's life, and their past together. |
| Lexi |
| The Sign by Raymond Khoury |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Excellent, fast paced popcorn thriller. When a research ship carrying a documentary crew covering the collapse of the Antarctic ice sheet sees and broadcasts a mysterious spinning light, geologists and climatologists don't know what to think- but religious leaders worldwide feel that they do. As more of the lights pop up in crisis spots around the planet, and a tie is discovered to a holy man in a remote and isolated mountain hideaway, the international community becomes focused on the debate between science and faith. Add an ex-con with some great fighting skills, some corrupt politicians, and some particularly sneaky monks, and you have a book that I read in one (long and much too late!) read. |
| Lexi |
| The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This was just impossible to put down! Graduate student Connie Goodwin is looking for a great topic and primary sources for her PhD, and has to spend the summer clearing out her grandmother's house in Marblehead Massachusetts. While there, she finds things that lead her into researching events that took place during the Salem Witch Trials, and the book weaves back and forth through time, telling the story of Deliverance Dane and the Salem Witches. It wasn't 'literary fiction' or what have you- it was a fun, fast read that I finished in one late night. I had just read THE HERETIC'S DAUGHTER, by Katherine Kent- a much more serious look at the witch trials, so I'm not sure how much of my enthusiasm for this book might have been because of already having Salem on my mind, but I really liked having a female character in this kind of pop-fiction quest type thing. |
| Julie Towson |
| Sweet Mandarin by Helen Tse |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Wonderfully written memoir about the author's great grandmother and grandmother and the hardships they faced in 1930's China. It details the journey of the grandmother from Hong Kong to England after World War Two and the life that was built there so that the generations after her would have a decent life. |
| Fran |
| Love the One Your're With by Emily Giffin |
| Rating: 2 Stars |
|
A story of a young married woman, who meets up with her ex-boyfriend and starts to question everything in her life. The characters were not really like-able and the story line was predictable and slow in parts... Just an okay book. |
| Sandy |
| The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
A remarkable novel about a family named Whitney and the town of Salem. It is about women who can read lace. Towner has hallucinations and has had shock treatments for them. But where is the line between hallucinations and "seeing". |
| Juanita |
| The Same Sweet Girls by Cassandra King |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Just start the book- hope it picks up some. A little draggy so far. Has potential! |
| Benita Glickman |
| 1,001 Pearls of Yoga Wisdom by Liz Lark |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This is a little book with a lot of inspiration. It offers many ways, 1001, to be precise, to connect with yourself, your body and mind as well as with people and with the world. It explains yoga concepts, illustrates asanas and offers good, sound advise. One couldn't expect more from such a little book. |
| Jessica |
| Do Not Deny Me by Jean Thompson |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
This author has been heralded as "America's Alice Munro"--so as a Munro fan, my expectations were high, and they weren't quite met by this book. The characters were real in the most modern sense--but I just didn't find them sympathetic. Still, if you are looking for a contemporary short story collection, this is a well-written, authentic book certainly worth considering for your shelf. |
| Lisa Ahlstedt ([email protected]) |
| Dear American Airlines by Jonathan Miles |
| Rating: 1 Stars |
|
This book starts out with a great premise: a disgruntled, stranded airline passenger decides to write a letter to the airline that left him behind, demanding a refund. However, the book quickly becomes a review of the narrator's misspent life, interspersed with a dull, seemingly never ending translation of a Polish novel he's working on. The narrator has spent most of his adult life in an alcoholic stupor, and his memoirs are a reflection on what has been wasted -- a promising career as a poet, a failed marriage, and a lost relationship with his daughter. I kept waiting for something to happen in the story, but nothing ever did. Even the translation story (which never really held my interest anyway) just sort of fizzled out. A big disappointment all round! |
| Michele |
| Shanghai Girls by Lisa See |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
The author of SNOW FLOWER and THE SECRET FAN writes another fantastic book. Beginning in 1937 Shanghai and ending in the late '50s in California, the heart of the story follows the life of two sisters. The historical research is very interesting. I loved it! |
| Debbie ([email protected]) |
| The Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
In this serial of the #1 Ladies Detective, both Grace and Charlie quit their jobs to undertake new and exciting careers. But as so often happens, the old job is the one to keep. Reminded me of THE WIZARD OF OZ, when Dorothy only wants to return home. The cases for Precious are interesting from a mysterious recurring death every Friday at the hospital to a business owner that has an stealing employee. There is always a lesson in each of these stories as well as a love of the country. And the antics of Grace are a constant source of amusement. A fun and short read. |
| Mindy ([email protected]) |
| Everythings Eventual 1408 by Stephen King |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Watched the movie and had to read the story. Good story, but liked the movie better. |
| Kathy Vallee |
| We'll Always Have Parrots by Donna Andrews |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This is a Meg Langslow mystery where her and her boyfriend, who is in a small role on a TV show while he is not teaching, are at a convention for the show and one of the mail characters gets murdered while using Meg's room as an escape. Now she is involved in solving it so they do not get arrested. |
| Fran |
| Second Glance by Jodi Picoult |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Jodi Picoult's books never let me down! Love her take on a ghost story that also portrays a largely unknown piece of American History. Very interesting and as always well researched! |
| Stacey Boretz |
| Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This story is riveting. It had been a long time since I read a book I couldn't put down. This is a book that will have you reading long into the night saying, "just one more chapter" again and again. It is two stories in one: a modern day story about an American woman living in Paris married to a French man assigned to do a story about the 60th anniversary of the V'el D'hiv roundup during the Holocaust and a story about Sarah, a Jewish girl rounded up during the Holocaust who locks her little brother in a closet to avoid the Nazis and then her quest to escape the concentration camp to unlock her brother. The two stories intertwine in a story that will keep you thinking about it long after you finish the book! |
| Julie Machtemes |
| City of Glory by Beverly Swerling |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This is the sequel to her earlier novel CITY OF DREAMS. I loved CITY OF DREAMS and although I think this followup is not quite as good it's still definitely worth the read. |
| Linda H. ([email protected]) |
| Look Again by Lisa Scottoline |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Ellen Gleeson is a reporter who writes feature articles for the local newspaper. While on one assignment, she notices a baby in a hospital bed all hooked up to equipment. She finds out that he is abandoned and has had heart surgery. She feels a bond to this child and visits with him every day. One day, he turns and looks directly at her and Ellen knows that she must take him home. She starts the adoption process. Several years later, she sees a flyer for a missing child kidnapped from his home in Florida. The baby photo looks a lot like Ellen's adopted child Will and the age progressed picture could be his double. Is her adopted child the kidnapped child? If he is, would Ellen turn him over to his real parents? Should she pursue this or should she forget about it? Whatever she decides, she feels that she must know who her son Will really is. A very good book. |
| Heather Larson |
| Dog On It by Spencer Quinn |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A really fun read written from a dog's point of view. Bernie (the dog's owner) and Chet (the dog) have several adventures while solving a kidnapping. Chet is almost believable in that he gets distracted frequently by food and "she-barking." I highly recommend this book. |
| Crystal |
| Death of a Scriptwriter by M.C. Beaton |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Number 14 in the Hamish Macbeth Mystery series. |
| Debbie ([email protected]) |
| Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy |
| Rating: 2 Stars |
|
This is set in Ireland, and the premise is love. I usually enjoy Binchy, but this story had too many minor characters that did nothing to enhance the plot. The story centered on a new heart center and all the support staff and several of the patients. I do not recommend this book. |
| Rebecca |
| How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Hmmm I thought when I got this book off the shelf. Three ice cream cones appear on a white cover...chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. Then I read how the author was in the cereal aisle trying to decide on a cereal when he decided to write this book.Okay I was hooked! I found his neurological studies and examples really readable and interesting. |
| Linda H. ([email protected]) |
| Dying Breath by Wendy Corsi Staub |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Camden Hastings has the gift of premonition and sees children before they are kidnapped. This gift has caused her to shut out her feelings and has caused a separation with her husband. As Cam and her daughter Tess go to the beach for the summer, Cam begins to have the premonitions again. Yet this time, she goes to the police. There she meets Lucinda Sloan, a psychic who assists detective Randall Barakat with missing persons. Cam tells Lucinda about her visions. Yet Lucinda is shocked when she first looks at Cam as she sees Tess being kidnapped. The serial killer is the person you will least suspect. A very good book. |
| Mary ([email protected]) |
| The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Great book with interesting characters! I cannot wait until the next one in the series of three is translated! |
| Rebecca |
| Expecting Adam: A True Story of Birth,Rebirth, and by Martha Beck |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
My daughter told me about this book and I was curious. The setting is Harvard and the author is expecting a Downs child. I found this well written story riveting and told with honesty and humor. |
| Rebecca |
| Old City Hall by Robert Rotenberg |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
You begin by meeting Mr. Singh, a retiree who delivers the papers and really likes his job and the customers.Then he finds one of his customers who comes to the door and says "I killed her". I loved how the author kept the characters separate, but kept the plot moving quickly in a great city (Toronto). Also loved the random references to hockey. This is a first novel and I would read another. |
| Bonnie |
| Deal Breaker by Harlan Coben |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A tribute to Mr. Coben...I'd read this before and still couldn't figure out the ending of this mystery until the very end. Just as good the second time around. |
| Douglas R. Cobb ([email protected]) |
| Lamentation by Ken Scholes |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Lamentation, the debut fantasy novel by Ken Scholes, centers the plot around the destruction of a city of learning with a vast library, Windwir, which gets devastated by an android (Isaak) programmed with a magical spell known as the Seven Cacaphonic Deaths. Afterwords, Isaak experiences something akin to a human breakdown for awhile, speaking words only backwards. Windwir was an Androfrancine city, the Androfrancines being the main religious order of the era, much like the Catholics have been in the past in Europe and other places around the world. They are even ruled over by a Pope, and much of the story involves a war that develops between two contenders to be the Pope. There's a Pope that the Overseer Sethbert has set up - (Sethbert is the man who is responsible for having Isaak reprogrammed with the spell, which besides destroying the city and its library destroys most of the Androfrancines) and there's Petronus, the so-called "Hidden Pope" who willingly renounced the Pope title over thirty years ago and rigged things up to make it look as if he had been assassinated. The tale is told from several different characters' perspectives, and it's a very interesting debut novel from a man who used to be a Baptist preacher. There's a lot of intrigue, characters with multiple motivations, and very colorful characters like the Gypsy King Rudolfo of the Ninefold Forest Houses and the Marsh King, who turns out (in this carnation) to be a teenage girl who uses one of her subjects, a large, burly man, to portray the Marsh King to the outside world. Ken Scholes's novel is a very well written debut novel, the first in a projected five book series. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the series plays out. I'd recommend LAMENTATION to anyone who likes SF and Fantasy books. The science perhaps takes a back seat to the fantasy aspects, but as most people who like SF also like the Fantasy genre, if one is willing to suspend one's sense of belief - and, you pretty much have to to like books in these two genres anyway - you're sure to enjoy LAMENTATION. |
| Linda H. ([email protected]) |
| Run For Your Life by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Detective Michael Bennett runs against a foe known as The Teacher. The Teacher has killed randomly, from a clerk in an upscale men's store to a beautiful flight attendant. Since Bennett can find no relation between the killings, he thinks the killings are personal in nature and that somehow the victims have ticked the killer off. A good book. |
| Linda H. ([email protected]) |
| The Illumination by Jill Gregory and Karen Tintori |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Natalie Landau is a well-known museum curator and is intrigued by a necklace she has received from her sister, a journalist on assignment in Iraq. The necklace is adorned with a blue pendant, a symbol used to ward off the evil eye. When Natalie finds that her sister has been killed and now someone is trying to kill her, she can't help but believe it all has to do with the pendant. Why does everyone want it? Is it more than just an ancient artifact? She is befriended by another journalist, Jim D'Amato, at her sister's funeral. Together, they are on a quest to find out the truth behind the pendant. A great book. |
| Linda H. ([email protected]) |
| Silent Thunder by Iris Johansen & Roy Johansen |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
The name of a decommissioned Russian submarine, SILENT THUNDER appears dark and menacing as Hannah Bryson and her brother Connor see it for the first time. The submarine has been purchased by a museum and Hannah and Connor have been hired to inspect it prior to its being open for tourists. When Connor finds metal plates with strange markings behind one of the walls, he calls to Hannah. Since neither know what to make of this, she exits the submarine to make a call to her museum contact. She is warned to leave immediately but her brother is still on the submarine. What do the plates mean? Who is threatening Hannah and Connor? And is her museum contact really a CIA agent? A very good book. |
| Jean M. |
| Mortal Fear by Greg Iles |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Exciting page-turner. |
| Quenkne |
| My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
An amazing story of a sister who was conceived to help save the life of a sick sibling. A fictitious story that could easily mimic reality; very moving, with a shocking turn of events. |
| Beverly |
| Everlastin' Love by Gay G. Gunn |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
What would you do if your husband who was the love of your life/best friend is missing in Vietnam at the time he is due to be on his way back home to you? While this story follows the romance genre storyline - the road to the end is filled with a lot of unexpected curves. Be warned do not read this book in public unless you do not mind others seeing you cry. It is a tear-jerker. |
| Beverly |
| The Long Fall by Walter Mosley |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
I enjoyed this debut book in the new series with a cast of interesting characters that we will grow to love and hate. Not the nicest people but Mosley makes their lives seem as natural as breathing. |
| Beverly |
| Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Memories of a 15 year old boy during the summer when he comes of age and begins to see how the world really works. While the world is not all rosy - it is told in a manner that will bring back your own summer memories. This is a plotless story where the chapters are bound together by stories as we move towards Labor Day to the end of the summer where life gets back to "normal". |
| Beverly |
| A Price to Pay by Angela Winters |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
I read this book in one sitting. If you liked the Dallas/Dynasty series - you also will love reading about the Chase family. |
| Quenkne |
| Table For Five by Susan Wiggs |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Two strangers, who are complete opposites, are thrown together as guardians for three children whose parents were killed in an auto accident. As time goes by each make sacrifices to help the children through this terrible ordeal... and in the process end up falling in love. One of the BEST books I've ever read!!! Felt like I was right there with the characters; Susan Wiggs is my new favorite author! ISBN: 0-778-32167-3 |
| Sandy |
| The Life You Longed For by Maribeth Fischer |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
A fiery and modern-day version of the witch hunt. This is the story of how a mother can be accused of the worst offense by any doctor, friend, or neighbor. This book is beautifully written and filled with characters who are completely compelling. It is a novel brimming with joy, heartbreak, and the power of love. |
| Jean M |
| Road Dogs by Elmore Leonard |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Another good one from Leonard. |
| Annette Juba ([email protected]) |
| The Invisible Wall by Harry Bernstein |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This book, the first of three in the series, was written when Harry Bernstein was 93 about his childhood in an English mill town and his emigration to the US after World War I. He is quite a gifted and engaging storyteller! |
| Cindy V. |
| Afraid by Jack Kilborn |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This novel was a real page turner. A quiet little town is under attack, but by whom, or what? I was hooked from page one. It's a mystery, with pulse pounding action. A great read. |
| Annette Juba ([email protected]) |
| The Spy Game by Georgina Harding |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
This dark and atmospheric novel follows the lives of a brother and sister as they try to reconcile unanswered questions after their mother's sudden death. |
| Quenkne |
| Dress Rehearsal by Jennifer O'Connell |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
A great easy-read by the pool book. Has all the makings for a great "chick-lit" book - love, relationships, old boyfriends..... A "chick-lit" book at its' greatest. |
| Carol M. |
| Annie's Ghosts: A Journey Into a Family Secret by Steve Luxenberg |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Although I'm not very far into this book, I cannot wait to find out more about Annie and why the author's mother kept her sister a secret. |
| Quenkne |
| Tan Lines by J.J. Salem |
| Rating: 2 Stars |
|
A very disappointing book. This book was suppose to be up there with the great romance writers like Jackie Collins, etc.; it failed miserably. The plot had all the makings of a romance novel, three women in the Hamptons over the summer dealing with glamor, jealousy and love. The words were there..... the romance was not. |
| Peggy |
| City of Thieves by David Benioff |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Wonderful! |
| Rita B. |
| Bound South by Susan Rebecca White |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
What a delightful story! It's funny, charming and you will fall in love with the characters! It is told by the voices of three women and their stories about family and friendship intertwine, keeping you totally absorbed! And in the first chapter...well you'll have to read it for yourself! One of the best fun reads I have had in a while! |
| Cathy Manning |
| Angels & Demons by Dan Brown |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
If you loved THE DAVINCI CODE - then this will be right up your alley. If you like trying to figure out books, but not really knowing if you are right until the very end, Then you will love it. Exciting, interesting, and just a great all around mystery thriller. I loved both of these books and I am waiting patiently for the third one, THE LOST SYMBOL. I hope there are more adventures with Robert Langdon. |
| Mary Ann |
| Some Nerve by Jane Heller |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
A great summer read. Anne is a Midwesterner who works as a tabloid journalist. She's fired because she doesn't have killer instinct and is afraid of flying. Opportunity knocks once she's back home in Missouri and Malcolm, the famous actor who doesn't give interviews, is a patient in the local hospital.. Now she 's a candy-striper and is set to get the story of her life and job back. But through it all she actually enjoys volunteering and helping people and (naturally) falls for the guy. Oops her story got sent on email after she had decided it wasn't worth it. Can they work it out? Fun read. |
| Ken Favell ([email protected]) |
| Sweeping Up Glass by Carolyn Wall |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
A beautifully written novel set in the backwoods of Kentucky, originally published by Poisoned Pen Press but soon to be released in August by Random. I was totally taken up with the voice of the narrator Olivia Harker Cross. A series of wolf shootings are occurring on her land...with the guilty parties only cutting off the right ear and leaving the carcass. Her grandson Will'm can't understand the senseless killings and takes in several surviving wolf cubs to nurse back to health. Carolyn Wall has written a novel that is filled with truths and fully realized characters. I loved it. |
| Peggy ([email protected]) |
| First Family by David Baldacci |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Baldacci consistently delivers a taut thriller that keeps you turning the pages into the night. This book brings us another tale involving Sean King and Michelle Maxwell plus an inside look at the First Family. Things aren't always what they seem and though you might figure out some of the plot, it will still keep you guessing right to the last chapter. This is a great summer read. |
| Peggy ([email protected]) |
| Cemetery Dance by Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This duo always delivers a great story. I don't even have to read the inside cover to know I will want to read the book. Once again we are entertained by Agent Pendergast and NYPD's Acosta. Are Zombies real? Well you just don't know and this story might have you looking over your shoulder if you read it late at night. Don't forget to keep a light on. |
| Beverly |
| The World in Half by Cristina Henriquez |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A story with many layers about loss, memory, obligations and searching for yourself. If you like character-driven stories, you will enjoy this book and learn about the Panama Canal in the process. |
| Anniem |
| The Moonflower Vine by Jetta Carleton |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
A book written in the 50's about a farm family and follows their simple life. The moonflower only opens at night for a short time. Our lives are also a short "window of opportunity". |
| Beverly |
| No One But You by Michelle Monkou |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
The first book in a series about 5 friends in a sorority. Delightful read that is perfect for your beach bag. |
| Ed Hahn ([email protected]) |
| Capital Crimes by Stuart Woods |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
I used to be a big Stuart Woods fan but it seems that he never deviates from his formula. This offering is no different. I picked it up because I needed a book that would fit in the back pocket of my jeans as I did a bunch of errands. In truth, the story did grab me somewhat and I finished it quickly. The plot is a simple one, a left wing leaning sniper is killing right wing leaning people using a number of different methods. He is obviously a skilled assassin since he leaves absolutely no clues. The FBI then focuses on ex-government law enforcement people as obvious candidates. The story unwinds from there. As usual in Woods' books, the characters in this story are made of cardboard. The President, William Henry Lee IV, and his wife Kate, Head of the CIA (yeah, right) are involved in the chase being directed by Robert Kinney of the FBI. There are others, of course, but all are predictably predictable. Also, as usual, the assassin makes a fatal mistake which is also an unbelievable one for someone so careful to make. Had to happen, though, for the good guys to win in the end. Deus ex-machina. I think this is the last Stuart Woods book in my inventory. It is most likely the last one I'll read for a while. That is until I have no other titles small enough to fit in my jeans' back pocket. (Grin) |
| Ed Hahn ([email protected]) |
| The Collectors by David Baldacci |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
In the blurb on the back cover of the paperback edition of this book, the second in the Camel Club series, David Baldacci is described as a storyteller. How right the author of that blurb is. Baldacci's plots are always ingenious and compelling. I am always wondering what is going to happen next. Quite frankly, it's the only reason I read his stories and stick with them to the end. His characters are, at best, cardboard stereotypes, his prose is predictable and uninspiring and often the writing seems to be just filling space until the next plot turn. In this case, Oliver Stone and his three Camel Club friends, Caleb Shaw, Milton Farb and Reuben Rhodes get involved in trying to solve the murder of Caleb's boss at the Library of Congress. There is a sub-plot involving Annabelle Conroy, a skilled con-artist, who eventually teams up with the Camel Club as the situation becomes more complicated. As you might guess, the Camel Club plus one triumph in the end and the scenario is set for Book Three in the series. I will undoubtedly read number three, Stone Cold, but it will be a while. I can only take so much of this type of writing. |
| Karen Terry ([email protected]) |
| True Detectives by Jonthan Kellerman |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
It about 2 brothers, Aaron and Moses, who are forced to work together to find a missing young woman name Catlin. It involves an actor who has an eating disorder and the death of a hooker and the disappearance of her kid. There are twists in the story that will make you think Catlin is dead. The story also involves the Dement family whose patriarch is a racist and wants to build a church for his followers. The Dement family has some problems of their own that may tie in with the disappearance of Catlin. It is a good read. It also involves the relationship between the brothers that is strained but comes to a conclusion at the end. |
| Beverly |
| I Do Not Come to You by Chance by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
If you ever wondered the answers to the emails requesting to help others gain access to monies - this is your book. A interesting story which shows the global use of technology as the new way to get ahead. The author is Nigerian and this helps to make the story more universal as it discusses the same issues that we are challenged with in the US. |
| Beverly |
| Atlas of Unknowns by Tania James |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Beautiful writing will draw you into this story but it is the characters that will keep you reading. Funny and compelling, you will find yourself talking to the characters as you would your family as the story surprises, taking you along the road. |
| Jean M. |
| Knit One, Kill Two by Maggie Sefton |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Kelly Flynn goes to Colorado to settle the estate of her aunt who was murdered. She questions the conclusions that the local police have made and decides to investigate for herself. She not only solves the case but learns to knit. |
| Annie |
| A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Couldn't put it down! A man advertises for a wife, and gets something more than he expected. Love, passion, deception, obsession. |
| Gil |
| Beyond Recall by Robert Goddard |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
It is a classic case of good versus evil. Two families are involved. The evil doers scheme to inherit what they are not entitled to. The rightful recipients are devastated. Lots of twists and turns. |
| Judy O. ([email protected]) |
| Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This is the 13th book in Child's Jack Reacher series, and it's one of the best. These books always have a strong sense of place, and this one takes place in New York City. Reacher is in a subway car going nowhere, when he witnesses a woman's suicide. He quickly becomes embroiled in her life and in the reasons for her suicide. He meets some very bad characters and fights for his life before it's all over. This was an exciting, compelling read. |
| Suzanne |
| Still Alice by Lisa Genova |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
A highly distinguished Harvard professor is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's. The story is told from her point of view as she deals with telling her family, her colleagues and eventually her decline into the world of lost memory. Well written and very well researched. An unusual insight into this terrifying disease. |
| Jeanie |
| Shanghai Girls by Lisa See |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This story tells of the life of two Chinese sisters, Pearl and May, and their journey to America. It also tells of the rivalry of sisters that is universal. |
| Jeanie |
| The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley |
| Rating: 1 Stars |
|
I read 75 pages of this and just didn't care to finish it. Much better books were awaiting for me to devour. The British "accent" to the book was not enjoyable to me. I am sure it is a fine book, but not to my liking. My favorite thing about the book was the title. |
| CK |
| Sweetsmoke by David Fuller |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
The year is 1862 and war rages through the South. On a Virginia tobacco plantation there is another battle. Cassius, a skilled carpenter whose master sometimes allows him to go into town, tries to learn the truth about the murder of Emoline, a freed black woman who secretly taught him to read. People who enjoy historical fiction will also like this one. |
| Estelle99 |
| Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This is not normally the type of book I would enjoy reading, but was I surprised! I won a paperback copy of the book and can completely identify with Rachel. Her best friend Darcy is a very manipulative type of individual who is engaged to be married to Dex. On the night of Rachel's 30th birthday, Darcy gives her a party and Rachel ends up going home with Dex. There is a very happy ending to the book and I thoroughly enjoyed the narrative! |
| Bill |
| The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Knowing Micheal Connelly's background, I thought the book might be semi-autobiographical: a top investigative reporter getting his layoff notice. The plight of big-time and respected newspapers plays an important role in this suspenseful and well written novel. It's a must read. |
| Quenkne |
| Good Little Wives by Abby Drake |
| Rating: 1 Stars |
|
I received this book as a pre-release to review for the publisher. Unfortunately, I had to finish reading it so that I could honestly give my opinion. Here are my comments: "First time novelist, Abby Drake, unfortunately needs to return to the proverbial drawing board. Her characters are as flat as the paper they're written on and the only thing the story leaves the reader anticipating is when will this story end." |
| Gil |
| Paths of Glory by Jeffrey Archer |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Jeffrey Archer captures George Mallory's passion for wanting to be the first person to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. I actually felt what Mallory went through in his preparation and how he was physically affected by the minus 40 degree weather and gale force winds on the mountain. A very inspiring book. |
| Elizabeth V |
| The Secret Speech by Tom Rob Smith |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Tom Rob Smith's THE SECRET SPEECH is the sequel to his CHILD 44, in which Leo Demidov is a state security officer with the MGB (later called the KGB) in Stalin's Soviet Union. Leo gets to the bottom of a series of crimes, serial murders of children, at a time when murders were not talked about and denied because of the claim that there was less crime under Communism. THE SECRET SPEECH is three years after the end of CHILD 44 with Leo, his wife, and their two adopted daughters. It is 1956, Stalin is gone, and Khrushchev has replaced him. Khrushchev is more liberal and criticizes Stalin's rule and tactics. And now the people who were persecuted, jailed, and tortured under Stalin are looking for revenge. I praise THE SECRET SPEECH just as I did CHILD 44. Like CHILD 44, this book is historical fiction at its finest, i.e. it's a not-put-downable novel that is so well researched you might find it difficult to distinguish fiction from fact. I advise that you read CHILD 44 before you read THE SECRET SPEECH. You'll appreciate more the feelings of Leo's wife and daughters, which are key to understanding the sequel. |
| Leslie |
| Ava's Man by Rick Bragg |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Author tells the story of his grandfather, one Charlie Bundrum, a man of the Deep South back in the days of moonshine and a hard day's work. At times hilarious, poignant, heartbreaking, and vividly told. I loved it! |
| Misty Tilson ([email protected]) |
| Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Excellent story telling. |
| Leslie |
| Shopgirl by Steve Martin |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Yes, that Steve Martin. I was amazed at how much I enjoyed this little book. A shopgirl at Neiman Marcus, lonely and unfulfilled as the photographer she wishes to be, meets a wealthy businessman who falls for her. Sounds simple, but it is better than I thought it would be. |
| Misty Tilson ([email protected]) |
| Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
A compelling memoir of Lucy Grealy who lost a portion of her jaw as a child due to cancer. It's an interesting perspective, made even more so once you delve into her life post book. |
| Misty Tilson ([email protected]) |
| Breathers: A Zombie's Lament by S. G. Browne |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
I enjoy Zombie stories and this one takes a new twist where some people automatically reanimate after death. It provides a interesting twist with "Zombie Rights". Towards the end it began to get a little preachy, but overall a good read. |
| Cynthia Plaza-Harney |
| A Gift of Grace by Amy Clipston |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Rebecca is Amish and lost her sister from a car accident. Rebecca is left custody of her sister's two teenage nieces and learns from the two girls so much. Love the writing, the added bible verses and the Amish recipes. |
| Sharon |
| The Secret of Lost Things by Sheridan Hay |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
This is a definite book for all Herman Melville fans. Rosemary leaves Tasmania after the death of her mother and ends up in the Arcade- a NYC book store. There she gets caught up with the mystery that there might be a lost Melville novel. |
| Darby Lohrding |
| Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I love Jodi's work and her latest book is another page turner! Risky birth results in a very risky child, therefore the title. |
| Marion Miller ([email protected]) |
| The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This was an interesting picture of Hong Kong before and after WWII. The characters are well developed and each one presents a different picture of the times. |
| Anita Nowak |
| Careless In Red by Elizabeth George |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This was another wonderful book by Ms.George. I have read all but one of her books, and have to say without a doubt I have liked every one! This one was beautifully written, and as usual Ms. George really lets you get to know the characters in the book, anyone of whom could have murdered "Santo". I loved her portrayal of the individual people and their interaction with the other people in the town. I have read many reviews of this novel. A lot of people feel it is too wordy - most want to get to the murder suspect early in a novel. However, this is what makes Elizabeth George one of the best, including her in depth characterization of the suspects. I recommend it highly. Don't let over 700 pages scare you away! |
| Ricki |
| The Gnostic Mystery by Randy Davila |
| Rating: 1 Stars |
|
This could have been an interesting book if it there was more adventure and less didactic dialogue on Gnosticism. |
| Dave Siegel |
| Wicked Prey by John Sandford |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
The Prey series have included some of the best contemporary cop/crime novels. But, I fear that the franchise is running out of steam. WICKED PREY, although readable, has lost the edge, substituting silly politics for story and moving more slowly than its predecessors. Perhaps the characters themselves are just getting too old for this. |
| Glenn |
| The Shack by William P. Young |
| Rating: 1 Stars |
|
The story centers around Mack, who lost a six year old daughter to a serial killer and is invited to THE SHACK by a mysterious note left in his mailbox. There he meets up with "Papa", which is what Mack calls God, who tries to explain where he is when we experience painful happenings in our lives. Although there are some Bible based truths in this book, such as forgiveness and God always being with us even in times of tragedy, I found the depictions of the Holy Trinity to be odd and awkward. God (i.e. Papa) is a large black woman, Jesus is a Middle Eastern looking man and the Holy Spirit is an Asian woman. The writing style is juvenile and the book reminded me of a sweet and syrupy Nicholas Sparks novel. I couldn't get past the part where God cooks pancakes for the main character Mack - reminded me of Aunt Jemima. I don't recommend this book to anyone - distorts the Bible too much in trying to get a message across. Do yourself a favor and pick up the real thing - the Bible! |
| Pattie Berryhill ([email protected]) |
| Crazy for the Storm by Norman Ollestad |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Excellent read! Interesting, well written. about a boy / father relationship. True story. |
| Dale |
| Mudbound by Hillary Jordan |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
I have just finished reading Mudbound and really liked it. The author does a great job of getting to know the characters and their feelings. Set in a small southern town where prejudice is the norm and a tragedy takes place. You are given their story from the two families involved, one white and one black. This story is emotional, disturbing and very well written. |
| Renee |
| The Tricking of Freya by Christina Sunley |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
An amazing new voice in Icelandic literature. Engaging story, lively characters, beautiful prose. |
| Dororthy Boyum |
| The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
Keeps one interested through the many twists and turns! |
| Elizabeth V. |
| One Shot by Lee Child |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
If you aren't familiar with Lee Child's books, as I wasn't, you should know that his stories involve Jack Reacher, a former army officer who went to Westpoint, a big man who now, apparently, doesn't own a home, a car, a cell phone, or anything. Heck, he even buys clothes, wears them until they're dirty, then gets rid of them. He's a hard man to find, and he travels light. But Jack Reacher is our hero. In ONE SHOT, Reacher comes to Indiana when he learns that a former soldier he knew in the army is accused of the mass murder of five people who were leaving a DMV building. He finds out that all is not as simple as that, though, and he stays longer than he intended. (By the way, he wears the same $45 pants and shirt throughout the book.) I had always avoided Lee Child's books just because I assumed they were cheap fiction, the kind I see dozens of at used book sales. So ONE SHOT was my first because I was curious and because I got the book for free. Now I'll buy more. I enjoyed ONE SHOT. It's not literature, but it's a fine, well-written thriller. I'll be picking up his novels when I see them in the future. |
| Julie H. |
| A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
What a delightful story of Haven's life, "growing up small" in an even smaller town. Her recollections are hilarious and bittersweet, from the death of pets to how to name a rooster. Everyone you would think should be represented in a tale of a small town is there--the teachers, preacher, drugstore owner who makes phosphates. Hard to believe this is the mid 60's, it seems like it could be any decade earlier. |
| Kim S. |
| Bone by Bone by Carol O'Connell |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Carol O'Connell has written ten previous books, nine of which feature the enigma that is Sergeant Kathy Mallory. While fans of the complicated Mallory will be disappointed to find out this book features a new character, former Army CID warrant officer Oren Hobbs, they will not be let down by this tightly convoluted mystery. As with all of O'Connell's Mallory books, the plot is rich with seemingly unrelated details and circumstances that draw the reader in, startle you along the way, and leave you wanting to know more about the main character, Oren Hobbs, and the quirky characters that inhabit his life. We can only hope that we'll have the opportunity to meet Hobbs again. A great read! |
| Rick Green ([email protected]) |
| Across the High Lonesome by James McNay Brumfield |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
This is kind of a modern day western, but really a slice of life book. The action is set at a pack station in the Sierra Nevada Wilderness, that takes dudes into the wilderness on mules and horses. Molly Mendoza is a greenhorn who goes to work for the pack station not realizing what she is in for. This book has a little bit of every thing: humor, action, drama, a little sex and some wonderful descriptions of the high mountains. This book is written by the same person who wrote the excellent thriller TOURIST IN THE YCUATAN. This is a much different book, but well wroth checking out! |
| Ivy ([email protected]) |
| The Winner Stands Alone by Paulo Coelho |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
While the story takes place in Cannes amongst stars and wanna-be stars, there are several lessons Coelho manages to make as he introduces us to Igor and his ardent quest to win back his wife, Ewa at the cost of other lives. Another fascinating story about choices and morality. |
| Marianne Zipp ([email protected]) |
| Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Ok, I admit it. The only reasons I chose to read this, a high fantasy novel, is that it was offered free to Kindle users and summer reading should be for fun, no? ASSASSIN'S APPRENTICE, first of the Farseer Trilogy novels, quickly drew me into a world of magic, mystery and intrigue without turning into one of those action based tales of murder, mayhem and war that generally bore me to tears. Make no mistake, there is sufficient violence to satisfy those who require such, but I was struck most by the fact that I really cared about the characters here - so much so that I read all three novels and continued on to the next three (Tawney Man series) without taking a break. And now I dearly miss FitzChivalry, The Fool, Nighteyes, et al. What to do... |
| Becky ([email protected]) |
| Once a Runner: A Novel by John L. Parker |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
My son is a marathoner and I am trying to understand why anyone would run many miles a day in training and then 26.2 miles on race day. This book is helping me get into his head a bit more. Funny and anecdotal, it is worth the read. |
| Kelly |
| Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
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A wonderful story and a quick read. I didn't want to put it down! |
| Rebecca Cox |
| Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
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SOMETHING BORROWED is the ultimate Chick Lit, a great beach read. Both the writing and the characters were very easy for me to relate to and took me back to my 20s and 30s and the complications of relationships. Rachel lacks self-confidence and has spent her life missing opportunities because she doesn't think she deserves them so they can't be for her. Darcy believes she should have everything and always gets it. They have been best friends forever, until Dex..... |
| Elizabeth V. |
| Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith |
| Rating: 1 Stars |
|
Written in 1950, Patricia Highsmith's STRANGERS ON A TRAIN is said to be a classic among thrillers. Alfred Hitchcock even based a movie on this book. But I was disappointed. I don't like to say too much about a book's story because I resent book flaps that give it away and I don't want to do the same. It's enough to know, then, that STRANGERS ON A TRAIN begins with two men meeting on a train. One immediately becomes obsessed with the other and stalks him throughout most of the rest of the book, although, of course, a book written in 1950 wouldn't use the word "stalked." Most of the rest of STRANGERS ON A TRAIN also consists of the other man's thoughts and his feelings of guilt that seem to be on the brink of driving him crazy. He feels guilty about actions he took that he feels were forced on him. And his many thoughts that went on and on and on with endless repetition were so monotonous and difficult to read that I found myself skipping paragraphs. I'm also not a fan of this book because everyone but one detective is unintelligent. Granted, because the book was written in 1950, the dialog sounded exactly like a 1940s movie, in which I always thought characters (with the exception of Jimmy Stewart's characters) didn't talk the way people really talk. But that isn't to say they sound stupid. In this book, they do. The man being stalked, especially, makes one stupid decision after the other. And then, in spite of the stupidity of everyone in the book, the one exception I make, a detective, miraculously understands what happened with the two strangers on a train. Yet nowhere are we told how he figures it out other than his prior understanding of the stalker. Although I thought I saw all the Alfred Hitchcock movies, I don't remember seeing this one. So I'm going to borrow this DVD from the library and see what Hitchcock did with it. |
| Kim S. |
| The Fire Kimono by Laura Joh Rowland |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Rowland's 13th book in this long running series, set in Japan in the 1700's, encompasses Shinto shrines, shoguns, political intrigue, power struggles, assassination attempts, fire and of course an unidentified body.The samurai detective, Sano Ichiro, in a fierce rivalry with Lord Matsudaira, must protect his family from attack, avoid a war, and identify the skeleton that appears to be the Shogun's long lost cousin. San Ichiro delves into the past, examining the events of the fire that destroyed Edo 43 years ago and unearthing secrets that threaten his family and the stability of the court. This is a historical mystery with a complicated plot and a well-developed cast of supporting characters. An unexpected pleasure to read prompting readers to locate earlier books in the series. |
| Elizabeth V. |
| Down River by John Hart |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
|
John Hart's DOWN RIVER centers on a young man, Adam, who had been accused of murder five years before, was acquitted, moved out of town for five years, and is now back in his hometown. I won't say why because that's one of the mysteries that make the book enjoyable. Back in Adam's hometown are his father, a very, very rich farmer, who owns millions of dollars worth of farmland; his stepmother, who testified against him at his trial five years before; his stepbrother and stepsister, twins; his father's best friend and foreman of the farm and the "granddaughter" he is raising; some of the townspeople, including the police, who remember and hate Adam; and Adam's former lover. All these lives, we learn, are entwined. Half the town wants Adam's father to sell his farmland to a power company; some want it desperately because it means money for them. Adam's stepmother still resents him, probably hates him. The stepbrother and stepsister don't hate him, but they each have serious issues that have affected Adam in ways that the reader will come to see. And the reader will find mystery upon mystery upon mystery with all the characters. Down River is a mystery and thriller, but it's more than that. It's also literature. I loved this book. My words aren't adequate to describe how good this book is. Do yourself a favor and read it. |
| Sally |
| Compulsion by Jonathan Kellerman |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
|
I liked this 2008 installlment in the Alex Delaware mystery series better than his previous, OBSESSION. Although still quite improbable, the characters and plot line were more interesting, with two different plot lines playing out. |
| Pam |
| The Scent of Scandal by Carole Matthews |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
|
I could not put this book down. It kept me wanting more. I loved it. Good beach reading. |
| Kathy Vallee |
| Frozen Blood by Joel Sutherland |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
| Wow, for a first book this guy sure can write. This is about a woman and her sister who hate each other, but get stuck in house during a raging hail storm that is killing everyone who is outside even those in thier cars. The main character has schysophrenia and has all kinds of dead people who follow her. Very gory and unexpected book. When I finished, I was not sure if I liked it or not, but you have to give him his dues. |
