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humbug@preferred.com
FAR FROM THE MADDENING CROWD
by Thomas Hardy
Although many of Hardy's novels end tragically, I have finally found one that ends somewhat in peace. Far From the Madding Crowd is the story of Bathsheba Everdene whos seemingly wonderful beauty and vanity seem to lead to her ruin. Bathsheba has three men that have hopelessly fallen in love with her. These include Gabriel Oak, Sergeant Troy, and Farmer Boldwood. All three of these men have a different kind of love for Bathsheba. Troy doesn't really love her as much as he does another woman. However, he is able to capture the love of Bathsheba, marry her, and then desert her. Farmer Boldwood loves Bathsheba dearly but his love makes Bathsheba quite fearful. Finally, Gabriel is the true passionate and common man whom Bathsheba turns away and rejects. In the end, she will realize that he is the man who loved her sincerely through all of her troubles and hardships. This story of vanity, desire, and love is a true masterpiece and I urge everyone to read it.
Rjsambuco@aol.com
HOSTAGE
by Robert Crais
Several stories intertwined into one fast moving thriller. It has everything from bumbling robbers to the East coast mob. The story keeps getting better and better. I would give it 4 stars.
RGNNNR@aol.com
THE COMPANY SHE KEEPS
by Georgia Durante, 4 stars
a beautiful model(you'll recognize her from tv when you see the pictures) who got caught up with the mafia through friends and marriage, lived a horrid life for decades, but somehow managed to eventually get free.
MORT
by Terry Pratchett, 5 stars
This work of fantasy is my favorite by the funniest writer around in any genre. Concerns the character of Death taking on an apprentice.
HOSTBKPGShark@aol.com
A HYMN BEFORE BATTLE
by John Ringo
Science Fiction/Military. Very good book. Mr. Ringo was very intimate with the logistics of war, even one on different planets.
JONIVERSON@aol.com
EVIDENCE OF BLOOD
by Thomas H. Cook, 5 stars
A fantatic and chilling mystery set in a small Southern town, a town with secrets.
THE 5 LOVE NEEDS OF MEN & WOMEN
by Dr. Gary and Barbara Rosberg, 5 stars
Explores what men and women needs in their relationships, including some surprises.
MONEY TALKS AND SO CAN WE
by Ron and Judy Blue, 4 stars
Helps couples to talk about money issues and strengthen their relationships with each other.
Bjglu@aol.com
THE ROAD FROM COORAIN
by Jill Ker Conway, 5 stars
Just finished rereading this, one of the best memoirs I've ever read. Born and raised in the Australian outback, grows up to be US college president. Should be required reading in middle schools, especially for girls.
Vikkivand@aol.com
FALLEN ANGELS
by Tracy Chevalier
This is the newly released book by the
author who wrote "Girl with a Pearl Earring." It is the story about two families, the Waterhouses and the Colemans during the early 1900's in London. The two daughters are best friends...but very different The Waterhouses are conventional, whereas the Colemans are much more modernistic. Mrs. Coleman becomes a suffragette and tragic events occur to both families because of her involvement for the cause. I liked the book as it went on. The first few chapters were somewhat dull and hard to get through, but it surely was an accurate account of the life of women during that time period. It seemed that both families spent a lot of time at their cemetary plots and their lives were ruled by the etiquette of mourning. I enjoyed reading about the suffragettes.ruled by the etiquette of mourning. I enjoyed reading about.
GDurisin@aol.com
GRAND AVENUE
by Joy Fielding, 4 ½ stars
Four women meet as their two-year old daughters play at the neighborhood playground, and begin lasting friendships that will be severely tested when one of the women is murdered and another, an attorney, defends the accused murderer. Fascinating exploration of womens friendships and family secrets.
PORTRAIT IN SEPIA
by Isabelle Allende, 3 stars
Allende seemed to have difficulty finding her narrators voice in this somewhat puzzling and disappointing story of a young girl being raised by her grandmother. Although it was described in reviews as something of a mystery, it was written in a fairly straightforward chronology that failed to convey any sense that Auroro/Mai Ling ever felt cut off from her past or that she engaged in any serious search to learn about her own history and that of her family. Interesting, but far from compelling, and doesnt begin to stand up to DAUGHTER OF FORTUNE.
THE DEEP END
by Joy Fielding, 2 stars
Deserted by her husband of twenty years and increasingly distanced from her best friend, Joanne is haunted by threatening phone calls that leave her fearing for her life. Red herrings and unexpected twists right to the end leave the too-pat conclusion still somehow unsatisfying.
CITY OF DREAMS: A Novel of Early Manhattan
by Beverly Swerling, 2 stars
This interesting fictionalized history of seventeenth and eighteenth century Nieuw Amsterdam/New York, with an emphasis on early developments in medical practice, provides an enlightening perspective on the conflicts and relationships among physicians, surgeons, and apothecaries. It would have been a more enjoyable book, though, had it not seemed to be tainted with an excessive preoccupation with the characters sexual lives and a thread of anti-Semitism that I found discomfiting.
TOTAL RECALL
by Sara Paretsky, 5 stars
Paretsky weaves mysteries within mysteries, and this is perhaps her best, blending issues of financial reparations to Holocaust survivors and African-Americans, recovered-memory therapies, and survivor guilt and the impact of tremendous loss, with old-fashioned greed and venality.
VIOLETS ARE BLUE
by James Patterson 3 stars
Perhaps Patterson has concluded that this series is losing momentum, because it seems likely that this is the last of the AlexCross detective novels . . . unless Crosss resignation from the Washington police force is only the first step toward his moving to the FBI . . . The Mastermind, identified to readers (but not to Cross) in Roses Are Red as Kyle Craig, is finally captured, after working with Cross on a gruesome series of vampire killings. Better than its predecessor, Roses are Red, but far from Patterson's best.
THIS ROCK
by Robert Morgan, 2 1/2 stars
Morgan writes well, but this story of conflict between two brothers didnt have quite enough to it to hold my attention. The older boy, Moody, is the family black sheep; no one expects much of him, and he lives up to that expectations. The more promising son, Muir, spends the whole book chasing his dream which changes repeatedly as he fails at one thing after another -- and blaming others for his failures.
FIRST LADY
by Michael Malone, 4 1/2 stars
Well-written mystery set in the South by a writer whos new to me, but impresses enough to make me want to find more of his books. Politics hampers the investigation of an apparent serial killer, and their failure to solve the case threatens to jobs of the local police chief and his head homicide detective.
THE SIGMA PROTOCOL
by Robert Ludlum, 5 stars
This outstanding thriller made me remember why I always enjoyed Ludlum in the past, and why I was so disappointed in his collaboration on The Hades Factor. The suspense starts in the first pages, and never lets up until the end in this story about a multi-national cabal established in the waning months of WWII with a goal of insuring world peace through rational governance -- all in the hands of a select few, of course.
JandTaz@aol.com
WISH YOU WELL
by David Baldacci
Good story. Characters reminiscent of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.
DStegmanCrawford@aol.com
ENVY
by Sandra Brown
Predictable, but entertaining.
BLIND ASSASSIN
by Margaret Atwood
Excellent, intriguing and subtle.
ANGLE OF REPOSE
by Wallace Stegner
another excellent, great historical perspective of life for a woman in the Gold Rush days.
BLUE DIARY
by Alice Hoffman
I really liked this one! Forgiveness? How much could you overlook and forgive in a very much loved husband? I'll bet not many ever have to deal with the situation that presents in this novel.
LSchmoopie@aol.com
THE FIERY CROSS
by Diana Gabaldon
All of us Gabaldon fans have been waiting on pins and needles for a few years for this next installment of The Outlander series. If you enjoy historical fiction with some added heat of passion and the unexpected element of time travel, you simply must read this series. Diana does not disappoint us in her newest novel with her rich language, clever dialogue, and accurate historical accounts. The main characters of Jaime & Claire Fraser will draw you in immediately. READ THIS BOOK!
Julsmeemee@aol.com
THE BLUE NOWHERE
by Jeffrey Deaver
It takes us into the dark side of computers. While a lot of the technical stuff was over my head, the idea of using computers to find murder victims and finally to catch the perpretrator had me up all night. Deaner is really scary in a whole different way them King or Koontz.
VALAITISH@aol.com
"O" IS FOR OUTLAW
by Sue Grafton
I just started this one. So far so good.
tassy419@aol.com
WE BAND OF ANGELS
the story of nurses who served their countries in the
Philippines during WW II. It is an interesting, fascinating novel which
covers the personal as well as the historic perspective which is unique to these women and that period of time.. It made me proud to have served in our Armed Forces..I highly recommend it.
shifel02@aol.com
GOOD HARBOR
by Anita Diamant
Just finished reading GOOD HARBOR - it was interesting, but nowhere as goOD as the RED TENT.
smilbourn@kscable.com
AN UNEXPECTED LIGHT
by Jason Elliot, 5 stars
READINGS
by Michael Dirda, 5 stars
TUCK EVERLASTING
by Natalie Babbitt, 5 stars
Yodasmommy@aol.com
BAD GIRL CREEK
by Jo-Ann Mapson
It is one of theee best books ever. I am trying to read it slow so it won't end so fast. It's about several women who end up living together and how they overcome their problems and find a wonderful life. There is a creek in the story and it is named "Bad Girl Creek" and there is a short little story about the naming of the creek. I have been recommending this book to all my friends.
Barkl@aol.com
DEATH COMES FOR THE ARCHBISHOP
by Willa Cather, 5 stars
I finally got around to reading this classic and wished I had read it years ago. Cather makes you feel as if you know these characters personally. She paints such a vivid picture of New Mexico that it makes you want to go plan a trip there.
joswood@adiis.net
LAST MAN STANDING
by David Baldacci, 4 stars
An exciting plot with the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team at the forefront. A little too long, but engrossing.
AFTERMATH
by Peter Robinson, 5 stars
An absorbing plot with great character
study. Surprise ending.
MarOnei@aol.com
"P" IS FOR PERIL
by Sue Grafton
rivrpath@ntelos.net
AN AMERICAN REQUIEM
by James Carroll
monysmom@mediaone.net
THE FIERY CROSS
by Diana Gabaldon
I got it on the day it was released and can't put it down - it still cannot live up to the first book in the series, Outlander, but it feels like re-connecting with family!
MERCY
by Julie Garwood, 5 stars
Good story about a lawyer working for the Justice Dept , a very pretty young surgeon, and three wealthy men who have formed a club where getting money has nothing to do with obeying the law. It's a very good tale of suspense, drama and action when they all become involved in each others lives unwillingly.
Lgluhani@aol.com
THE KEEPERS OF TRUTH
by Michael Collins, 4 stars
(shortlisted for Booker Prize) A wry, literate mystery, but more about people and their complexities rather than the mystery itself.
DDa5308290@aol.com
THE BEST LITTLE EVERGREEN EVER
by D.W. Damron
Written in rhymed meter, it is a heart warming story about a misshaped Douglas fir tree named Dexter who wishes nothing but to become the best little evergreen ever. Ridiculed and mocked, he perseveres. It's also a story about the meekness and honesty of the human spirit can overcome the cruelties of prejudgements. The book is an ideal story to be read at Christmas comparable to "Twas the Night Before Christmas".
matate10@swbell.net
THE CAMERA MY MOTHER GAVE ME
by Kaysen, 4 stars
Interesting set of experiences with the health care system and her vagina. Very readable.
DREAMCATCHER
by Steven King, 5 stars
Very long, but an incredible story. King had such an imagination!
BLOOD LURE
by Nevada Barr, 5 stars
As usual Anna Pigeon is hot on the trail of a murderer. The plot is complicated and very clever!
Jajimeg@aol.com
GRAND AMBITION
by Lisa Michaels, 4 1/2 stars
A novelized account of an actual event - the attempt by newlyweds Glen and Bessie Hyde to run the rapids of the Grand Canyon on their honeymoon in November, 1928. They never finished the run and mysteriously disppeared - their boat was found intact with no signs of being overturned, a journal being kept by Bessie still in the boat. The novel recounts what may have happened during their run of the river and Glen Hyde's father's attempts to find them. A well-written and spellbinding account. Featured on NPR about 2 months ago.
A BEAUTIFUL MIND
by Sylvia Nasar, 4 stars
A biography of John Forbes Nash Jr., winner of the 1994 Nobel Prize in Economics. Nash struggled with and recovered from approx. 30 years of mental illness (schizophrenia) to win a Noble Prize. A fascinating individual. Read the book before you see Russell Crowe as Nash in Ron Howard's recently released movie.
GIRL IN HYACINTH BLUE
by Susan Vreeland, 5 stars
What a beautifully written book!!! Difficult to describe other than to say - "Read it. You'll love it" This is a book that will stay with me for a long time.
VTPiano@aol.com
CAROUSEL
by Paul Evans
Excellent read.
polarbear90@mediaone.net
PLAINSONG
by Kent Haruf, 2 stars
Overrated. "Spare" prose came off as lazy. A fast read, but there's
better stuff out there.
TenajSpyce@aol.com
THE INVISIBLE SCARLETT O'NEIL
by Russel Stamm
Based on the comic strip from the 1930s/40s, this suspense filled mystery book tells of Scarlett O'Neil who has a gift of becoming transparent which helps her solve many a crime and save the day once more. Intended for teenage girls way back when, but the book is delightful even for adults. Well worth it!
PYGMALLION
by George Bernard Shaw
This excellent play (in which "My Fair Lady" was based on) tells the classic story of Ms. Eliza Doolittle and how the rich Dr. Henry Higgins bets he can transform her into a lady. His wager proves successful until he realizes that he is in love with his creation. Extremely symbolic of the history of women's suppression to fit the ideale of the man. Very well written.
Lucky4750@aol.com
by James Patterson and Peter de Jonge, 5 stars
A delightful read about a 50 year old man named Travis McKinley. His marriage is in trouble, he's feels disconnected from his kids and hates his job. But read about a golf game on Christmas day when he starts playing like a pro and ends up missing Christmas dinner with family. There are so many problems in his marriage and family as it is that this really does it. But as plays in the pros with his golf heroes. Jack Nicklaus and Raymond Floyd , his family is watching on tv when a miracle happens that changes his life forever.
SKIPPING CHRISTMAS
by John Grisham, 5 stars
An excellent story. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to see the funny side of the Christmas rush. Find out what happens when one family decides to forget the Christmas hassle after their daughter leaves for work in the Peace Corps. They decide to just "not" celebrate Christmas at all and go on a cruise instead. I found myself sympathizing with their reasons for omitting Christmas and also laughing out loud numerous times. It gets even better when everything changes at the very last minute. It's a riot. We all can relate. It's a great read.
A CHILD CALLED "IT"
by Dave Pelzer, 5 stars
A very emotional story of the third worst case of child abuse in California. How this man surived the emotional and physical abuse is a miracle in itself. I cried reading this and don't know how I finished it.
THE DONOVAN LEGACY
by Nora Roberts, 5 stars
There are three stories in this book, Captivated, Entranced and Charmed. I love these stories about good witches and fairies by Roberts and all begin in Ireland. Great read. Magical and spell binding.
DesertGma@aol.com
THE DARK MATERIALS TRILOGY
by Philip Pullman, 5 stars
a wonderful trio of science fiction, fantasy, philosophy, and fun. The two principal characters, both children, live in parallel universes and encounter stranger than strange creatures. Their adventures are exciting and profound. The names of the books are The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and the Amber Spyglass. I found myself staying up to the wee hours of the morning reading these and read them straight through from the beginning of book I to the end of book III.
SteLevey@aol.com
NERVOUS CONDITIONS
by Tsitsi Dangarembga, 4 stars
THINGS FALL APART
by Chinua Achebe, 3 stars
THE FAMISHED ROAD
by Ben Okri, 3 stars
VALAITISH@aol.com
HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE
by J.K. Rowling, 5 stars
If you haven't read this book, READ IT! It's wonderful. I admit I was absolutely amazed when it first came out and I heard that adults loved it as much as kids. It's not the idea (a child wizard going to wizard school) that makes it so exceptional, it's Joanne Rowling's execution of the idea. Harry Potter is very clever and very well done. I can't think of a single way in which to improve upon this book. It's perfect!
THE SIGNING SANTA
by Kathy Shearer, 4 stars
I decided to reread this book for Christmas. It's a sweet story (a novella) about a young investigative reporter trying to come to grips with her past and growing up in a family in which her brother was deaf. A childhood friend, a Santa, helps her on her inner journey. This would make a great Christmas stocking stuffer!
Krebsman@aol.com
THE SUN ALSO RISES
by Ernest Hemingway - 3 stars
Portrait of "lost generation" idling their drunken days away in France and Spain while life goes on.
MOTH SMOKE
by Mohsin Hamid - 2 stars
Downer novel of young professional's descent into drug addiction and crime set in Pakistan.
IMITATION OF LIFE
by Fannie Hurst - 3 stars
All-American suds with a racial twist. Fascinating on many levels.
THREE ROADS TO THE ALAMO
by William C. Davis - 4 stars
Ambitious triple biography of David Crockett, James Bowie and William B. Travis, impressive for its scholarship (massive notes section) and lively writing. I found it very moving at the end, too.
SCHUB229@aol.com
REFUGE
by Terry Tempest Williams
Just finished reading REFUGE on 10th anniversary of its publication. Living through breast cancer and death in a family is brought side by side with the Great Salt Lake's slow rise and the demise of much of nature that depends on it. Hope springs eternal in this slim paperback that the Lake will be saved, and that finally a reason for the "clan of the one breasted women" will be discovered. Heavy topics but written in easily read chapters. A must for everyone. She's the modern day Rachel Carson.
barbwoodward@webtv.net
CARAVANS
by James Michener
I loved this novel. It is about Afghanistan, written in the 60's and
taking place in the 40's. It talks about all the places we are hearing
so much about in the news, giving it all a historical perspective and a
good storyline about a young American woman who is missing following her marriage to an Afghan man. Michener travelled exensively in Afghanistan before writing this story.
jhbandcats@home.com
SCOURGE: The Once and Future Threat of Smallpox
by Jonathan Tucker
Excellent, well-written, informative without being dry, interesting, and, of course, scary. Highly recommended, though I wish it had pictures / photos / maps / diagrams.
THE QUIET GAME
by Greg Iles
Am on p. 17, and it doesn't grip me yet the way I wanted it to. I am really busy at work now, and am too distracted to finish SCOURGE. I wanted something that was a TV equivalent (as I don't have a TV), and ... well, it has gotten pretty good reviews for its genre, so I'll have to see where it takes me.
UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS
by James Grippando
I recently enjoyed this as a TV equivalent, though the second half that takes place out of the city isn't as well-written (or as plausible) as the first section.
LMorris804@aol.com
A WASP AMONG EAGLES
by Ann B. Carr
Young women today should read and learn from this group of WWII women pilots just what "women's lib" owes to this courageous group of women, 38 of whom died in the line of duty.
AMELIA EARHART'S DAUGHTERS
by Leslie Haynsworth and David Toomey
Overlaps the aforementioned book a bit, but goes on to tell
about women and their struggle to be accepted into the astronaut program. Another winner, in my opinion.
ANNE MORROW LINDBERG: Her Life
by Susan Hertog
What an eye opener this book was for me about Ms. Lindberg and
her famous husband. I'd rate all three of these books very highly.
JC69Casper@aol.com
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
by Jane Austen, 4 1/2 stars
I was recomended this book
by a friend and was a bit skeptical of reading it at first but once I started I couldn't put it down. To anybody that likes to read a romance story with tons of humor I suggest you read this book.
Favecoo@aol.com
HEARTS IN ATLANTIS
by Stephen King, 3 stars
I have come to respect Stephen Kings' writing abilities through my reading of this novel (that is the reason for the 3 stars). Having said that I must admit that after turning the last page of this 600 plus page book I realized I could have lived happily without it. To begin with I did'nt see it written anywhere that this novel was meant to be a series of separete stories linked together by certain characters. But upon completion of the book, I was left wondering what the moral or point of any of the stories were other than an explaination of the various characters and their current situations. If they were to make it clear that this was a collection of short stories rather than one complete novel you would'nt be looking so desperatly for a connection from chapter to chapter. The beginning of this book which was titled " Low Men in Yellow Coats" was the chapter I enjoyed the best. But as I said it ended bleakly and therefore leading you to expect a follow through.
k_aylward30@yahoo.com
THE PACT
by Jodi Picoult, 4 1/2 stars
What a read! This book starts off with the suicide of a teenaged girl on page one. The author then explains to us through a "Then" and "Now" writing format the reasons that led up to this tragedy. We get "Then" flashbacks that describe the relationship of 2 upper middle class families that have lived next door to each other for 18 years, the Golds and the Hartes. Emily Gold and Chris Harte were raised as childhood playmates, as close as a brother and sister. Their relationship grows and takes on a new, more adult level. Everyone is thrilled about this, most of all, Chris, who would do anything for Emily. These teens seem to have everything in the world going for them. The question that remains, then, is why would Emily want to die? Through the "Now" scenes in the book we are shown what happens to Chris as he is arrested and charged with Emily's murder, because he was there with her on the night she killed herself. When the author finally lets us in on the reasons for Emily's mental state and why she found suicide the only way out, it's a shocker. This is truly an entertaining and thought-provoking read. The only reason I won't give it 5 stars is because the outcome of the trial is not realistic, but the author did have a reason for ending it the way she did, according to a review I found.
mi3son@bellsouth.net
ECHO BURNING
by Lee Child, 5 stars
This is a very good book. It is about Jack Reacher who is pick up by Carmen Greer, a young mexican woman from Pecos, Texas married to Sloop Greer, it is the character`s real name, and asks Jack to kill her husband because he abused her. Later, Sloop is murdered and Carmen is charged with the murder. There are many twists to this book. The murder of Sloop is connected to the murders of mexicans who come over the border illegally looking for a better life and through no fault of their own were being killed susposely by rogue border patrol cops. The people committing these murders were never bought to justice and the investigation was sweep under the rug. Reacher begans his own investigation with the help of Alice a lawyer who Reacher hires to represent Carmen. It also involves the kidnapping of Ellie, Carmen`s daughter. This book deals with family prejudice, spousal abuse, prejudice against another race, and betrayal.
songoden@earthlink.net
THE PROFESSOR AND MADMAN
by Simon Winchester
"Any grand new dictionary ought itself to be a democratic product, a book that demonstrated the primacy of individual freedoms, of the notion that one could use words freely, as one liked, without hard and fast rules of lexical conduct."
Cintirose@aol.com
SARAH
by Orson Scott Card, 5 stars
A accurate account of the story of Sarah and Abraham from the book of Genesis told from Sarah's point of view. The author usually writes science fiction fantasy stories but does an excellent job in the historical genre.
THE COLOR OF WATER
by James McBride, 5 stars
A poinant true account of a black man being raised by his white mother. It also tells the story of his mother's Orthodox Jewish upbringing.
WizardsMagi@aol.com
HARRY POTTER SERIES
by J.K. Rowling, 5 stars
ON WRITING
by Stephen King
CRYSTAL CAVE
by Mary Stewart, 5 stars
THE PERN NOVELS
by Anne McCaffrey, 5 stars
All of them but must be read in order for best results. I could go on, but as you can see, I have listed but a few. I have read
these and many others over the past few months. I am an avid reader and I collect books.
rcreece@gj.net
DESECRATION
by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, 5 stars
This is #9 in the Left Behind series. This is a great Christian thriller and prophecy based fiction book. You put yourself in the same environment and situations that the characters are in and you can't help feeling the same emotions that they go through. I read the book in a couple of days and am anxiously waiting for the next book in the spring 2002.
Pegeth@aol.com
RESISTANCE
by Anita Shreve
WWII story of a young Belgium woman who assists an American pilot who had to crash land near her village. Love and loss --- a good read.
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