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Susan Curtis (bookmark60@sc.rr.com)
Sweet Home Carolina by T. Lynn Ocean
Rating: 3 Stars
This book is ok for a romance.
L. Gettle (lgettle@iserv.net)
The Book of True Desires by Betina Krahm
Rating: 3 Stars
A crusty tycoon sends his granddaughter and his butler on a treasure hunt.
Michele L.
The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
Rating: 5 Stars
This story was excellent! The imagery is fantastic. You feel the pain and loss this woman goes through. THE MERMAID CHAIR is an emotionally gripping story that probes the human heart. It's about a woman who is married and has a lover. She reevaluates everything in her life from her husband, her lover, her artwork, and their are secrets revealed that lay hidden for a long time. A very rewarding novel.
Debbie (delphimo@yahoo.com)
St. Dale by Sharyn McCrumb
Rating: 3 Stars
I learned very much about Nascar racing. I usually love McCrumb's novels, and this did not seem to go anywhere in dialogue or characterization --- just a racing trivia.
Michele L.
In Deep Voodoo by Stephanie Bond
Rating: 5 Stars
Stephanie is one of my favorite romance, mystery writers. The story is outrageously fun, spellbinding, and passionate. Fans will love this one!
Debbie (delphimo@yahoo.com)
Winter's Child by Margaret Maron
Rating: 4 Stars
A Deborah Knott mystery --- the plot is a little weak in this, Maron's setting is not as vivid as in past novels. Also, the characters were not as developed.
L. Gettle (lgettle@iserv.net)
Second Sight by Amanda Quick
Rating: 3 Stars
An old notebook places a photographer and a sorcerer in danger.
Priscilla E
Eye Contact by Cammie McGovern
Rating: 4 Stars
The book grabs your attention right away!
Jud Hanson
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Rating: 5 Stars
This is one of the best books I've ever read. It is the story of Jacob Jankowski, now 93, who spent time working with a circus after the loss of both parents in a car wreck. The story takes place during the Great Depression and clearly describes a circus experience now only read about in books. I highly recommend this book to everyone.
Diana Flanary-Bray (imluna47@yahoo.com)
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Rating: 4 Stars
Imagine, if you can, a world destroyed by a nuclear holocaust, with very few human survivors. Cows, birds, and most other animals (except an occasional dog) have all been killed by the black ash fallout from the bomb. Food is non-existent, except for things that had been canned before the bomb.
Our character and his small son have survived, but their lives are a living hell. They must wander from place to place, scavenging for canned food in every old house they can find. Sometimes, they find nothing, if someone else has beat them to it....
It's winter, and they are freezing. All they have to keep themselves and their feet protected are old blankets, and a waterproof tarp is their only home. Cannibals roam, and they will eat men, children and women....no place is safe.
This book really makes you think, especially now that North Korea is a real nuclear threat. Read it, and see how your world might be....down the road.
Juanita
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Rating: 4 Stars
We read this for this for our book club this month, and it made for a very good discussion. We were divided --- half liked this book and half did not, but lots of good conversation came from this discussion.
Sharron
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
Rating: 4 Stars
This was a very readable book with lots of issues. It was depressing at times, but it made you stop and think about how much more accepting of special needs children today and what it must have been like to either give up a child or think she was dead. The story was full of deceit, guilt, and a few twists. It was a great discussion book.
Donna (jaindough@aol.com)
False Testimony by Rose Connors
Rating: 5 Stars
This talented writer mixes mystery and courtroom drama in a very readable (and understandable) page-turning way...similar to Perri O'Shaughnessy. Connors's smart lady lawyer is Marty Nickerson of Massachusetts, and she has starred in three earlier novels that are also very good. Not only can I actually follow the legal exchanges, but I feel like I'm learning some law along the way...illuminating. I'm eagerly awaiting the next riveting installment!
Linda M. Johnson
For One More Day by Mitch Albom
Rating: 3 Stars
Mitch Albom will always have a special place in my reading life because of TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE. This is not Morrie. He has, however, taken a thought common to many and written a believable story. A quick read.
Linda M. Johnson
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Rating: 5 Stars
Wow! Thank you to the people who read this book before I did and gave it high marks. This story of circus life doesn't follow typical vistas. A delight from first page to last.
Ruth
The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop by Lewis Buzbee
Rating: 4 Stars
Very interesting memoir from a former bookseller that includes lots of history about books and bookshops. Anyone who has ever worked in a bookstore will be able to relate to this book.
Sharron
I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron
Rating: 4 Stars
A quick, funny read about women aging, something that can't be prevented no matter what you do! It made me feel better that everyone is in the same boat.
Ruth
Bee Season by Myla Goldberg
Rating: 3 Stars
This book is about a disfunctional family, in which each member is seeking enlightenment in their own way.
Rose-Hulman Mom
All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren
Rating: 5 Stars
My son has been on my case to read ALL THE KING'S MEN for almost seven years. (He read it in high school.) I kept putting it off, finding excuse after excuse. When I saw it was coming out as a movie, I called him up and told him I would read it, only if he would go see the movie with me when he came home for fall break! I regret that I waited seven years to read this book! It is an amazing journey! Through the mind of Jack Burden, the reader travels through winding, twisting, and treacherous turns of his life. We either love and/or loathe those who are on Jack's path. At first, I did not appreciate the lengthy and very descriptive language of Mr. Warren. (I did some research and discovered he had been the National Poet Laureate. Then the light came on!) As I continued reading, I understood his purpose. Through his "poetic" passages, Mr. Warren insists that the reader "ramble" along with Jack as he figures out where he belongs in the big picture of this thing called "life". Mr Warren takes Jack and the reader through many backroads, dark nights, ups and downs. In short, ALL THE KING'S MEN is a journey you can't afford to miss!Thankfully, my son did not give up on me.
Sharron
Judge and Jury by James Patterson and Andrew Gross
Rating: 2 Stars
While I usually enjoy James Patterson's books because they are quick reads and entertaining, I found this one to be too violent and graphic. The story revolves around Mafia types, trials, revenge, etc. I finished it because that's how I am, but I DID NOT enjoy it.
Caroline Ramirez (metalfiend11@yahoo.com)
Roadwork by Richard Bachman
Rating: 2 Stars
ROADWORK was a good, but not a great, book. This is one of his early works and I found it to be a slow read with not much excitement.
Justine Brewer
Carpe Demon by Julie Kenner
Rating: 3 Stars
If you like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," then you will like this book. Picture 30-something Buffy grown-up with a husband, and two kids as a suburban housewife with all the demon hunting behind her. Unfortunately her demon hunting days are not behind her and she has no choice but to go back to demon hunting/slaying to keep her family safe. Pretty good book!
Carol
Never Change by Elizabeth Berg
Rating: 4 Stars
An excellent novel about life and death and how we deal with it.
Arianna Hawkins (nanahwkns@yahoo.com)
Dragon's Bait by Vivian Vande Velde
Rating: 5 Stars
It is a short read that you can finish in a day. It's highly enjoyable and easy to read. A good book to read at school or on your lunch break.
Rose Mt. John
An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa M. Alcott
Rating: 3 Stars
I was surprised how similiar we still think as women, despite the years since this book was published. Alcott wrote the latter part later in life. You can see a difference in the main character's maturity. It's a little slow, but it still managed to bring me to a warm place.
Alan Cranis (acranis@cgi.edu)
American Skin by Ken Bruen
Rating: 5 Stars
Irishman Ken Bruen has one of the most unique and distinctive voices in all of modern crime noir today. This newest stand-alone novel shows both a refinement of those traits fans have come to expect, and also growth as Bruen flexes his narrative pecks using shifting time frames and perspectives. This, along with the setting in New York, Las Vegas, and finally, Tucscon, makes this story of an Irish robber on the run one of the very best in his already impressive body of work. I highly recommend this book for its character insight, angst, and searing action and emotion.
Alan Cranis (acranis@cgi.edu)
Sunset and Sawdust by Joe R. Lansdale
Rating: 5 Stars
Lansdale, who won an Edgar a few years back for his novel, THE BOTTOMS, returns to the setting of Depression-era East Texas in a riotious, rollicking tale of Sunset, a woman who shoots her abusive husband as he attempts to rape her. Shortly thereafter, she takes over her husband's role as Constable of her small lumber town and shocks everyone when she takes the job seriously and actually tries to solve a series of hidden murders. Lansdale presents this tale in a southern-fried narrative style that is as much fun to read as it is to follow. A stand-out work from a natural-born storyteller.
Betsy (bmwhokie@yahoo.com)
All Mortal Flesh by Julia Spencer Fleming
Rating: 5 Stars
Julia just keeps getting better and better. In this fifth novel about the female Episcopal priest in New England, Julia sends the reader on a major roller coaster ride with the relationship between the priest and the local town sheriff. Just when the conclusion seems obvious, the plot sails around another 90-degree curve. Being an Episcopal clergy spouse myself, I can tell all of you that Julia's Claire Ferguson series is a "spot-on" look at the human side of clergy in any church. The only "down" side to the book is that, eventually, the reader must get to the end and wait for the next installment!
Judy O.
Echo Park by Michael Connelly
Rating: 5 Stars
Don't miss this one from a bestselling author! Most popular authors get stale after a few books, but Connelly gets better and better. Harry Bosch is just as irascible as ever, but boy, can he ferret out the truth! The book is an exciting page turner from page one to the end. If you enjoy the suspense/mystery genre, you will love it.
Kathy Kasten (kkasten911@yahoo.com)
Meridon by Philippa Gregory
Rating: 5 Stars
This is the conclusion to the Wideacre series and it was very satisfying. I've loved all of her books and she does such a nice job.
Mary M
Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger
Rating: 5 Stars
This is a very well written story. It is the story of a freelance writer, Ridley Scott, who saves a little boy from getting hit by a car. Her photo appears in the NYC newspapers and this triggers notes from someone claiming to be her father. The rest of the story involves Ridley finding out the truth about her past. This story will grab you and you won't want to put it down to attend to life's requirements.
Elliot
Any Bitter Thing by Monica Wood
Rating: 5 Stars
A beautiful novel that tugs at the heartstrings, with realistic character portrayal and a well-written story.
Kellie
Killing The Shadows by Val McDermid
Rating: 3 Stars
Overall, this wasn't a bad book. It was just way too long and it dragged in parts. The story is about Fiona, a criminal psychologist who specializes in computer analysis and crime statistics. There is a serial killer knocking off famous crime writers, and her lover just happens to be a famous crime writer who is next on the list. There are a few mini-plots going on within the book that really could have been omitted. I read THE DISTANT ECHO earlier this year and loved it. This one wasn't as good.
Marianne Fitzgerald (marefitzy@yahoo.com)
The Guy Not Taken by Jennifer Weiner
Rating: 4 Stars
This is a really good, funny collection of short stories that connect. I always enjoy her books, and this is no exception.
Terry Plummer
A Death in Belmont by Sebastian Junger
Rating: 4 Stars
Excellent researching, fascinating story.
Cat
Messiah by Boris Starling
Rating: 5 Stars
This book gave me the creeps, but I loved it. You get caught up in trying to figure out what is going to happen next and who the serial killer is...and why.
Terry Plummer
A Long Shadow by Charles Todd
Rating: 4 Stars
This new title in the Ian Rutledge series is one of Todd's best!
Thomas (tomjac0850@charter.net)
The Closers by Michael Connelly
Rating: 5 Stars
Detective Harry Bosch is back on the job again, this time working LAPD's Open/Unsolved Unit. He and partner Kiz Rider are tasked with looking into murders committed years ago, but were never solved. Their first case involves the shooting of a 16-year-old girl who was abducted from her home, carried up a hill, and shot in an apparent suicide. However, the sloppy job points to a definite murder. Now Harry and Kiz have to dig up new clues and reopen wounds from 17 years ago in an attempt to finally put a killer behind bars.
Mary Kilgarriff
The Mephisto Club by Tess Gerritsen
Rating: 5 Stars
It's suspenseful, descriptive and a fantasitc read. Like her previous books, once you begin reading, it's extremely difficult to put it down.
Bonnie
Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner
Rating: 3 Stars
An amusing trifle. It's full of stock characters and situations, but entertaining enough.
Judy Stein
Gone Baby Gone by Dennis Lehane
Rating: 5 Stars
When I read that this was considered by many to be Lehane's best book, I wanted to see for myself. It's a grim story, but so well done! It has memorable characters, and a twisty plot. This one will stay with me for a long time.
Cat
Resurrection by Tucker Malarkey
Rating: 5 Stars
Like THE DA VINCI CODE, I am sure this book will cause controversy over religioius beliefs. It is a wonder thriller and will certainly give you lots to think about. If you liked THE DA VINCI CODE and want to think more on that subject, then this book will certainly put some thoughts out there for you.
Cat
For One More Day by Mith Albom
Rating: 4 Stars
As always, Mitch Albom's newest book is great. It's about the changes people could make in their lives, if only they would talk and listen. FOR ONE MORE DAY is right there at the top with his other two books I love, THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN and TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE.
Cat
The Night Listener by Armistead Maupin
Rating: 4 Stars
A Really good read. It keeps you guessing right up til the end, and maybe even later. I am waiting for the movie with Robin Williams.
Kay Keller
The Righteous Men by Sam Bourne
Rating: 4 Stars
A suspense thriller like THE DA VINCI CODE, with believable characters, a great plot, good research. I really enjoyed this book!!
Cynthia Knisely (cynderma@aol.com)
Taming the Highlander by Terri Brisbin
Rating: 5 Stars
This was well written, with a good plot, sexual tension and passion.
L. Hann
Dirty Works by Stuart Woods
Rating: 5 Stars
Stone Barrington is at it again. This is a really good book. It makes you wonder what is behind Stone representing the very person who is trying to murder his love, Carpenter. This one will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Marsha
Sleeping Beauty by Phillip Margolin
Rating: 3 Stars
Convoluted and full of twists, this mystery is a fun, but rather predictable read.
Cynthia Knisely (cynderma@aol.com)
The Knight Before Christmas by Jackie Ivie
Rating: 5 Stars
A real page turner. The book is well written, moves quickly, and is full of passion and mystery.
Janice Kind (KINDLEELF@AOL.COM)
The Greener Shore by Morgan Llwelyn
Rating: 5 Stars
This is the follow-up to Llywelyn's previous book, DRUIDS. If you are interested in the history of these complicated peoples, you will like it.
Nancy
Pretty Birds by Scott Simon
Rating: 4 Stars
A book about a family in Sarajevo, Bosnia at the start of the war. It really gives you a different perspective on the war --- how terribly the people suffered. The daughter is a basketball star in school. The family has to flee their home and live in their grandmother's apartment without electricity or running water. It is certainly a worthwhile read. It's a little slow at times but I liked it almost as much as THE KITE RUNNER.
Sherri Ginsberg
I Feel Earthquakes More Often Than They Happen by Amy Wilentz
Rating: 4 Stars
This is a great nonfiction book about living in Los Angeles for the last 3 years, after leaving New York, post 9/11.
Carol H.
When Madeline Was Young by Jane Hamilton
Rating: 5 Stars
A beautifully written novel about a bicycle accident that forever changes a family.
Audrey Burke
The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
Rating: 5 Stars
I loved this book. She really captured the struggle the woman was going through. Great work.
Sandy (Yodasmommy@woh.rr.com)
Judge & Jury by James Patterson and Andrew Gross
Rating: 5 Stars
I love most of James Patterson's books because they are easy to read. I don't like the love story ones, though. This one has just a smidge of love in it and mostly about the mob and the trial of a truly horrible man. I read it in 2 days.
Sharon Lumb
1776 by David McCullough
Rating: 5 Stars
The author focuses on the actions of George Washington in 1776 rather than the activities in Philadelphia. As a result, I learned a great deal that I never new about the revolution. George still comes out as a hero --- but not a perfect hero.
Janice Kind (KINDLEELF@AOL.COM)
Hill Towns by Ann Rivers Siddons
Rating: 5 Stars
An agoraphobic makes up her mind to get over her phobia and travels to Italy with her husbund to attend a wedding. A juicy read.
Janice Kind (KINDLEELF@AOL.COM)
The President's Nemesis by Michael Beres
Rating: 5 Stars
A convoluted tale of an ex-prostitute heroine junkie just trying to hang on.
P. Corwin
Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear
Rating: 5 Stars
The third installment of the series finds Maisie Dobbs, investigator and psychologist, on one of her most interesting cases. Masie's understanding of human nature leads her to clues most would not recognize. It is also interesting to learn about the post World War I time period. Each installment of this series gets better and better.
Janice Kind (KINDLEELF@AOL.COM)
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Rating: 5 Stars
Jacob Jankowski, a ninty-something year old living in a nursing home, reminises about his life as an animal doctor in the circus. An exceptional read.
Ellen Whitney (mystrytx@aol.com)
The Hot Flash Club by Nancy Thayer
Rating: 5 Stars
Funny, poignant story of 4 woman at that certain place in their lives when friends are the best prize of all. I can't imagine any women between 40 and 100 who won't find parts of this story laugh-out-loud funny, and other parts emphasizing the choices and changes of life after 45. This excellent book is followed by two more I haven't read yet. Read, love and laugh!!!
Jodi
Summer at Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs
Rating: 5 Stars
I loved this book! It makes me want to go to summer camp again. As a family prepares the closed summer camp to its original form for a 50th anniversary of the owners, memories and secrets start to unveil.
Rosalie Sambuco (tigersmama43213@aol.com)
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Rating: 5 Stars
This is a YA book -- - I thoroughly enjoyed it. My grandson is reading it for school and wanted to talk with me about it. It is futuristic and families can have only 2 children. What becomes of the 3rd child if one is born? They are usually kept hidden. This is the story of one 3rd child who finds other 3rd children.
Carol
Black Rose by Nora Roberts
Rating: 5 Stars
This is the second book in the IN THE GARDEN TRILOGY. I also read BLUE DAHLIA and will read RED LILY. I always enjoy reading a good story that includes a ghost!
Bonnie Cooper
Ricochet by Sandra Brown
Rating: 4 Stars
RICOCHET is a riveting story with well-developed characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down until I finished it.
The ending is its primary weakness. It's almost as though a different person wrote it. But, the book is well worth the read and is very enjoyable.
Coral Harrison
Blacklist by Sara Paretsky
Rating: 5 Stars
This installment in to W. I. Warshawski mystery is well written, and is about a black man who is found dead in a pond in a very high-class restricted area. V. I., who is investigating this, goes delving into records that go back to the McCarthy Black List era.
Sandra Greathouse (Muzzley56@aol.com)
A Quilt of Dreams by Patricia Schonstein
Rating: 4 Stars
It took me a while to get into this book, but it kept my interest up enough that by the end, I enjoyed and understood more about what the author meant to convey.
Ruby Firecracker (rubyfirecracker@hotmail.com)
The Cutting Room by Louise Welsh
Rating: 5 Stars
This is a compelling and seductive mystery set amongst a backdrop of the seedy underbelly of Scotland's sex industry.
Reading this book, I had to keep reminding myself that the author was female. Louise Welsh gets inside the head of her male protagonist so easily and really makes the reader feel as though they are in the character's shoes.
The various supporting characters of misfits, criminals and perverts are a dark and pleasurable joy to spend your time with, and you will truly immerse yourself in the world that Welsh creates. The mystery that unfolds will keep you on tenterhooks, and at times, the story is disturbing as it deals with issues of sex, death and human nature. There is nothing cosy and warm about this story, which makes it all the more worthwhile. And what makes it even better is that I found it for 50pence in a charity shop...what an unexpected treasure to find!
Rita B.
Breakfast with Tiffany by Edwin John Wintle
Rating: 4 Stars
I enjoyed this book. It has humor and sentiment. Wintle characterizes the teenaged Tiffany perfectly as well as Uncle Eddy feelings about instant parenting and his awe at his niece. A good, fast read.
BK
Q is for Quarry by Sue Grafton
Rating: 4 Stars
This is my favorite Sue Grafton mystery to date. A Jane Doe was found in a quarry and becomes a cold case. After 18 years pass, PI Kinsey Millhone gets involved. I especially like this story because Grafton based it on a real cold case that has never been solved, and she paid to have the body exhumed and a sculpture reconstruction made of the skull, with the hope that the real Jane Doe might be identified today. Photos of the reconstruction and Grafton's very respectful efforts are told in the author's notes at the back of the book.
It was a good mystery that kept me guessing who the killer was until the very last pages.
BK
Belle Ruin by Martha Grimes
Rating: 4 Stars
This follow-up to HOTEL PARADISE and COLD FLAT JUNCTION is a departure from her Richard Jury mysteries.
A precocious, sassy, 12-yr-old girl helps her mother in a rundown hotel in the 1960s South. She (like Nancy Drew) is always falling into and solving mysteries. I love this little girl! She reminds me of the characters in THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES and TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.
bk
Charlie Wilson's War by George Crile
Rating: 4 Stars
An extraordinary story told by a "60 Minutes" producer. The book jacket describes it best: "...the untold story of a whiskey-swilling, skirt-chasing, scandal-prone congressman from Texas and how he conspired with a rogue CIA operative to launch the biggest and most successful covert operation in US history." It tells the tale of how the US armed, trained, and supplied the same Afghan warriors we are currently fighting. I looked for the book after I heard Julia Roberts say that she is scheduled to be in the film of this book. Anyone with any interest in the current war on terrorism will find this book amazing. It reads better than any Clancy novel.
Sandra Greathouse (Muzzley56@aol.com)
The Brethren by Beverly Lewis
Rating: 5 Stars
This was an excellent book and the last one in the Annie's People series. It's a wonderful story and you don't want to stop reading when the end comes.
Julie Towson
A Thousand Days in Tuscany by Melanie De Blasi
Rating: 4 Stars
This is a continutation of A THOUSAND DAYS IN VENICE. The true-life adventure of a woman who marries a Venetian, then after living in Venice with him for three years, moves to an ancient home in a small village in Tuscany. It is filled with recipes, humor, and a great love for life.
Sandra Greathouse (Muzzley56@aol.com)
Blue Monday by Rick Coleman
Rating: 4 Stars
BLUE MONDAY: FATS DOMINO AND THE LOST DAWN OF ROCK 'N' ROLL is a good read, and one of the better biographies I've read. If you remember old-time rock and roll, and liked it, you will enjoy reading this book.
David Siegel (dlsiegel@uwalumni.com)
Ghost Sea by Ferenc Máté
Rating: 5 Stars
A mystical sailing adventure into the isolated shores and cultures of Canada's ocean coast. The author uses all the sailing jargon without explanation, but one should be able to skim by that without much loss of meaning.
Bonnie
Lost Horizon by James Hilton
Rating: 4 Stars
An oldie (first paperback ever published) but well worth a second, or first, read. It's deceptively easy reading but is amazing in depth. It'll get you thinking, which is always a good thing!
JaneAnn Railey (jane023@centurytel.net)
Chill Factor by Sandra Brown
Rating: 4 Stars
This is first Sandra Brown novel I have picked up in years and it caught me from the first page. I'm about a third through it and it's good. I will spend my weekend in to finish it.
Sandy
Durable Goods by Elizabeth Berg
Rating: 4 Stars
Berg writes this coming-of-age story of a 12-year-old girl beautifully and with great description. An enjoyable, easy read.
Judy
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
Rating: 5 Stars
This is a story of two boys from opposite sides of a fence who become friends. The fence is at Auschwitz. I couldn't put this book down.
Joyce Alcouloumre (joyce@wino.com)
A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore
Rating: 5 Stars
I am so glad that this book won a Quill Award. I LOVE Christopher Moore!
Molly W Pace (mollyp1958@yahoo.com)
Operation Homecoming by Edited by Andrew Carroll
Rating: 4 Stars
This book is a collection of writings from Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Home Front, contibuted by US Troops and their families. You can read what the real stories are from the people who lived them. It's a good way to get a real view of the war.
CK
I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron
Rating: 4 Stars
Ephron has written a delightful book of autobiographical essays that beg to be read aloud with your women friends. I laughed at her "neck" tale, the hysterical description of "maintenance" including hair, nails and exercise, and her White House intern saga. Little tidbits of philosophy and advice are also squeezed into this small gem.
BK
Looking for Peyton Place by Babara Delinsky
Rating: 1 Stars
A shameless ripoff of the famous PEYTON PLACE. The author steals from Grace Metalious by writing a book that has the main character say that PEYTON PLACE was really about her grandmother and her town, then proceeds to retell the original story, but from a new generation and new family names. I read only long enough to see that Delinsky was stealing from the daring writer, Grace Metalious. Shame! Maybe it isn't plagiarism, but it's the next thing to it.
Sandi
The Vanishing Point by Mary Sharratt
Rating: 5 Stars
A fabulous read, especially if you like historical fiction and murder mysteries. Set in Maryland in the late 1600's, one sister arrives from England to marry a distant cousin. A year later, the younger sister arrives after their father dies. This is a very absorbing read --- I definitely was not in the twentieth century for a few days.
Diane in Boxford
The Mephisto Club by Tess Gerritsen
Rating: 5 Stars
Excellent reading you just don't want to put down. It was also appropriate for the Halloween season with the Boston and European locations and supernatural overtones.
Darlene Wright (wrig9945@charter.net)
Brimstone by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Rating: 5 Stars
This book is highly readable and engaging. You won't be able to put it down! It involves murders that seem supernatural, but are they, really? That's what you're trying to find out all through the book. It's a little scary, but not too scary.
Sandra Greathouse (Muzzley56@aol.com)
Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
Rating: 5 Stars
This is an older book, but one I will never forget and could re-read over and over. What an amazingly gifted writer, who is sadly no longer with us.
Irene - Saratoga Springs NY
A Quilt of Dreams by Patricia Schonstein
Rating: 5 Stars
A provocative view into the waning days of apartheid in South Africa as experienced by a white trader and a young daughter of a black activist. The book vividly captures the inhumanity of man against man in South Africa's past.
Ronna Lord
No Good Deeds by Laura Lippman
Rating: 5 Stars
The book NO GOOD DEEDS by Laura Lippman is a must read for anyone living in mid -Atlantic America. This author is from Baltimore, and writes about the area with the knowledge of the former newspaper reporter that she has been for years. She has her locations, local population, and story line reading very much like a local Balitimorian. She is taking off on the recent true mystery of a local Maryland State's Prosecutor, who was found dead along the side of the road off of I-95 towards New Jersey. Many people in this book are not who they may seem to be at first glance. Alertness is next to godliness if you wish to survive alive till tomorrow!! Lippman then expertly fictionalizes this story to a conclusion --- something that rarely happens to the "average Joe" in the death files of Baltimore.
Local detective Tess and her boyfriend, Crow, have inadvertently taken on a local teen, Lloyd. Lloyd is living on the streets, and has tried to make a day's earning by "slashing, and then being handy to change the unfortunate rich person's tire" scheme with Crow's car. Lippman gets Lloyd's background, motivations, desperations, fears, and lovability written into her story perfectly. Throughout the book, Tess, Crow AND the reader want to lock Lloyd in a room, shelter him from the cruel world, hug him and feed him, protect him from murderers, shoot him for including you with him in his flawed world, and just generally take him under your wing while understanding that you can only influence him so much. Lloyd is very much, "I'll survive and I'll do it my way....don't know how just now, but I'll keep at it till I make it or die." I defy any reader to finish the book without falling in love with "Lloyd." It is a race to solve the mystery, help Lloyd decide that life is worth striving for, and remaining sane and true to yourself also. But your "good deeds" may get you both killed!!! What a rush of a read!!!!
Pearl M (pearlsforkids@netscape.net)
A Traitor To Memory by Elizabeth George
Rating: 4 Stars
I had a hard time getting into the story at the beginning, but as time went by, George showed her usual brilliance.
Marcia
When Light Breaks by Patti Callahan Henry
Rating: 3 Stars
An enjoyable, light-hearted love story with interesting characters. I found myself reading late into the night to find out the decisions these characters made. The Southern setting of novel was sweet and the occasional southern accent thrown in the writing took you there.
Sally
Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen
Rating: 5 Stars
This is a beautifully told tale. As a health professional, I was especially moved by the way the author captures the feelings of Jacob at 90....or 93. Don't miss this book. It will surprise you.
Laura in Ohio
Mary, Mary by James Patterson
Rating: 5 Stars
Another exciting book in the Alex Cross saga. It doesn't get any better than this.
Wendy Catalano
The Ruins by Scott Smith
Rating: 4 Stars
A scary read!!
Jerry Kapner
The World is Flat by Thomas Freidman
Rating: 5 Stars
I finally found some time to leisurely concentrate on what is the ultimate look into modern, morphing into future, business and cultural mores.
Not only is this book incisive, but it is also well organized and well written. A must read that well deserves a place in everyone's library.
Pam
Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn by William J. Mann
Rating: 5 Stars
Throw out everything you've thought about Katherine Hepburn. This book will have your head spinning. You know this is a different kind of "Kate" book when Mr. Mann introduces Kate as "Jimmy," her
other childhood self.
Not everyone will like this book, but for me, it changed my views --- but not my opinion --- of the late great Katherine.
D. Wright
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Rating: 5 Stars
An unusual story about circus life in the 1920s. I loved the characters and the great writing.
Dani
The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette by Carolly Erickson
Rating: 5 Stars
Great read! I'm even more excited now that there's a new movie out about Marie Antoinette.
Stephanie Ray
Revolt Of The Angels by Anatole France
Rating: 5 Stars
This reads like an outline of the origins of religious-motivated terrorism, and religion's conflict of interest with knowledge and science in the spiritual realm.
Dani
Lifeguard by James Patterson and Andrew Gross
Rating: 4 Stars
Suspenseful and surprising --- a true Patterson read.
Carol, Aldan, PA
Grey's Anatomy: Overheard at the Emerald City Bar by Stacy McKee, Chris Van Dusen
Rating: 5 Stars
These two books in one cover first two seasons of the TV show, with additional comments by Joe the Bartender and Debbie the Nurse. If you like the show, you would enjoy the book, which is sort of a brief summary of the major events and is amusing.
Ronna Lord
The Pale Blue Eye by Louis Bayard
Rating: 5 Stars
The spirit of Edgar Allen Poe must be haunting Louis Bayard in his THE PALE BLUE EYE, or Bayard is some kind of a genius of the literary fiction. If that is not enough, this story pulls, leads, and spirits the reader through a nail-biting mystery in 1830s West Point Academy with Cadet Edgar Allen Poe. The writing style oozes Poe. The atmosphere haunts the reader exactly at perfect pitch with the time and place always. The mystery twists at the end like the final turn of the knife blade in a well planned murder. The beat, beat, beat of the "Tell Tale Heart" and the love of "Annabelle Lee" should be written "nevermore," but Louis Bayard breaks the rules, and the reader is the winner with Bayard's brilliant writing and storytelling. THE PALE BLUE EYE is eerily memorizing and should not to be missed by readers and book groups alike.
Ronna Lord (ronnalord@msn.com)
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Rating: 5 Stars
Some books get a 'wow,' some books get a 'spectacular,' and some books just defy any term to describe the powerful emotions one feels after finishing the last word of the last page of a book. THE THIRTEENTH TALE by Diane Setterfield is just one of those 'once every so often' powerhouse reads!!!
Combine the atmosphere and timeless style of a classic Bronte's JANE EYRE or any Charles Dickens's novel with the new creativity of the more recent bestsellers, Carlos Ruiz Zafon's THE SHADOW OF THE WIND, Gregory Maguire's WICKED, and Audrey Niffenegger's THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE. Then, add the wonderment of a tale of Cinderella's child, or any other tale that has yet to be told, and you may just rise to the level of Setterfield's THE THIRTEENTH TALE!!
This is a magical tale unlike any other, about a young girl, Margaret Lea, who is living and working in an antiquarian books store with her loving father and emotionally absent mother. She is called upon to fulfill the request of writing the "true" biography of the singularly fanciful, morbidly mysterious, and ever illusive popular writer, Vita Winter. Both women seemed to have tragically lost a twin, and maintain a flair for the dramatic in their thoughts and actions. As Margaret visits Miss Winter to listen to her life story, a most exciting and unique tale emerges.
Similar to many fairy tales, yet eerie in its emerging truths, Setterfield creates a story of her own that will keep readers and book clubs breathless for more and more!! This book is such an all encompassing read because it engages the senses, the intellect, and the emotions. Reading the last word on the last page is both joyful and heartbreaking. A wonderfully complete story has emerged, but there is a real taste for needing more and more for the reader. The mysterious lives and incidents in these two women's stories ebbed, and grew, and flowered in my mind with an all-consuming passion until I felt that I knew them as completely as I know myself.
As Diane Setterfield says through Vita Winters, "Everyone has a story." And as promised, Setterfield tell a stupendous one in her book, THE THIRTEENTH TALE. How can this possibly be a first-time story by this author? Readers will finish this book and be impatiently awaiting a new one from her immediately!!!
Ronna Lord
The Slow Moon by Elizabeth Cox
Rating: 5 Stars
In THE SLOW MOON by Elizabeth Cox, Sophie and her Mom move to a small Southern town to start a new life after the death of their beloved father and husband in Montana. Sophie seems to blend right in, meeting the popular girls and hanging out with a group of boys who are practicing to become the new greatest boy band. Her Mom, Rita finds a job made for her, and townspeople who make her interested in living again. Then one beautiful night, after leaving a party, Sophie and her boyfriend, Crow, decide to explore their relationship in the beauty of the surrounding woods. When Crow discovers that he has forgotten a necessity and returns to his car to make amends, the unthinkable happens. Sophie is raped and Crow panics and runs away.
Then the journey through the lives and feelings of their small town begins. We learn about the boys and their families, coaches and teachers who have befriended the children, and the legal system that is trying to figure out who did this terrible thing. Sophie can't remember, and Crow seems guilty because of the DNA evidence and his frightened run. We enter into the minds and emotions of everyone in a beautiful flow with the author's descriptive writing talents.
It is often said that the journey is more important than the ending, but in this marvelously written story --- as enticing as the Genius epic of mankind's beginnings --- both the journey and the suspense become one brilliant read. It flows and ebbs as with the tides of the moon, and it's pull on mankind and earth alike. No one is perfect and the hurts and flaws of everyone begin to surface. Even so, the characters are so very believable, and feel like people that we might know in our own lives. No solution is the perfect answer, but the journey continues and promises of new moon times come again.
This is one of the most tied together books, the most beautifully written passages, and the most engaging character studies that I have read in a long time. I feel that I can relate to all of the characters and my opinions fluctuate with each new exploration of the characters. This book will make for wonderful discussions within book groups. There is a fine line between what happens and why, but truth and right wins in the end. One wonders what will happen in the next chapter of these peoples' lives. Elizabeth Cox will be an author that book groups will keep track of if this is any indication of her abilities to engage the reader!!!
Laurie McAllister
The Last Witness by KJ Erickson
Rating: 5 Stars
I have enjoyed Erickson's other books, but somehow missed this one when it first came out. During a dry spell when I had exhausted the new reading at the library, I turned to this book. I couldn't put it down, it was the best suspense thriller I had read in months. Mars is a great character, the book starts off with a gasp, and the suspense is unrelenting. The ending was unexpected, but (especially with some of today's headlines) very believable. If I had any quibble, it was that I wanted to read more about the characters at the end. A very good read for mystery / thriller buffs.
Lela Fox, Missouri
The Crossroads Cafe by Deborah Smith
Rating: 5 Stars
I absolutely loved this book! Deborah Smith is definitely a southern lady with a downhome type of writing that makes you feel so comfortable that you get lost in the story. It is about a movie star who gets burned badly after a bad car wreck and how she handles her life from being beautiful to being scarred for life. She meets a man who finds her inner beauty inside. The book is so very good.
Another must read by Deborah is A PLACE TO CALL HOME. It follows the lives of young people to adulthood. It's very southern and charming.
Coral Harrison
The Book of Joe by Jonathan Tropper
Rating: 5 Stars
Joe writes a book about his life through high school and college in Bush Falls, and claims it's fiction, but is very close to the truth. Now, the town hates him, but he's forced to return after a 17-year absence when his father becomes ill and dies. A Good story.
Barbara Duncan (barbaralynduncan@yahoo.com)
Malicious Intent by Kathryn Fox
Rating: 4 Stars
This book introduces Dr. Anya Crichton as an investigator, pathologist and forensic physician. It is suspensful and new. I love it and would definitely recommend it to others!
Barbara Duncan (barbaralynduncan@yahoo.com)
Family and Other Accidents by Shari Goldhagen
Rating: 5 Stars
It is the story of family, love, anger and all of the other emotions that go along with it, from the point of view of two brothers, their lovers, wives and others. It's very insightful and witty.
David Siegel (dlsiegel@uwalumni.com)
Act of Treason by Vince Flynn
Rating: 5 Stars
Having just picked up this new book, I raced halfway through it. Although I haven't quite finished it, it's a wonderful, exciting, and surprising read. Flynn's best so far.
Priscilla (pmflynn@webtv.com)
Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke
Rating: 5 Stars
This is a relaxing read. Hannah Swensen, the red-haired, cookie-baking heroine has a penchant for solving crime. It has humor and suspense, and the recipes are delicious.
Judy O.
Internal Combustion by Joyce Maynard
Rating: 5 Stars
This is a true-crime story of murder in Michigan. Fourth-grade teacher Nancy Seaman kills her husband, Bob, with a hatchet, wraps his body in duct tape, and puts it in back of her Ford Explorer. The body is found before she can dispose of it, and she is subsequently charged with murder. This book provides an intimate look into the victim and his dysfunctional family. The author's months-long research into all aspects of the crime make for a fascinating read.
Carrie Hosozawa
Been There, Done That by Carol Snow
Rating: 5 Stars
A warmhearted debut from Carol Snow. This is the laugh-out-loud funny story of a woman who goes undercover as a college student to get a story. I'm looking forward to more from this author!
Linda M.
Forgiven by Karen Kingsbury
Rating: 4 Stars
This is the second book in her Firstborn Series. This is the story of a man who has become a famous actor after being given up for adoption. The book tells of his struggles to keep the woman he loves and his birth family away from the press. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.
Jane S.
Thr Deep Blue Alibi by Paul Levine
Rating: 5 Stars
This is the 2nd installment of the Solomon vs. Lord series, by Paul Levine, and I am loving these books. His writing is witty and fun, and the interaction between Solomon and Lord keeps me smiling !
Karen Johnson
Baby Brother's Blues by Pearl Cleage
Rating: 5 Stars
Wesley "Baby Brother" Jamerson always ends up in unfortunate situations. His false bravado and lack of skills have led him to join the marines. When he returns to Washington, D.C., on a five-day pass to bury his mother, he sets in motion a chain of events that ultimately destroys him. He goes AWOL, refusing to return to fight in Iraq, and meets Zora. Baby Brother follows her to Atlanta only to learn that she cannot help him professionally because he went AWOL. Yet, she feels obligated and contacts the owner of the building she lives in, Blue Hamilton. Before Blue will help Baby Brother, he must agree to follow Blue's rules. Kwame Hargrove is the son of local politician, Precious Hargrove. He is a talented architect with a secret that makes it easy for Baby Brother to blackmail him. When Baby Brother's double-dealings come back to haunt him, everybody has to pay penance, and the reader is engrossed to the end.
The book is full of riveting and exciting characterw. Pearl Cleage kow how to make you feel like you are a part of the story.
Eileen Quinn Knight
Back When we Were Grownups by Anne Tyler
Rating: 5 Stars
Tyler is an awesome writer. The stories are so real. You can identify with the characters so easily! The question of identity at middle age is something we all ponder. This is the struggle in the book and the way it is laid out for us is marvelous!
Linda M. Johnson
Apocalypse WOW! by James Finn Garner
Rating: 2 Stars
While cleaning my bookshelves, I found this book. I have read and roared over Mr. Garner's other works, like POLITICALLY CORRECT. This book was written in preparation for the millenium change, so it is slightly dated, but the humor still pervades.
E. Quinn Knight (eqkmath@gmail.com)
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
Rating: 5 Stars
If you really want to get lost in a book, this is it! Edwards allows us to see into the lives of two disparate groups of people. How they interact and let their story be known is absolutely magical. You keep wondering, what would I have done in this instance?
It is a compelling and thoughtfully orchestrated book about the struggles and joys of life and what happens when we make certain choices. I read it in one night...couldn't put it down.
Linda M. Johnson
Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell
Rating: 4 Stars
Profound book that makes us stop and think and dissects events that have been in the news such as New Coke and the shooting of Amadou Diallo in 1999. I listened to this book and wished I could have read it rather than taking the time to listen.
Linda M. Johnson
Lamb by Christopher Moore
Rating: 3 Stars
LAMB: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO BIFF, CHRIST'S CHILDHOOD FRIEND is a hilarious, possibly irreverant version of Christ's life. How can you not like a book that starts with an Angel cleaning out a closet, "halos to the left, wings to the right"?
Suzanne Knapp
The Moor by Laurie R. King
Rating: 3 Stars
I am reading (in order) Laurie King's Mary Russell series, and up until now, have really loved them. THE MOOR is maybe like Dartmoor itself --- Hard to get into and makes one wonder if it's worth it.
Mario (John1rosie@aol.com)
The Known World by Edward P. Jones
Rating: 5 Stars
Wow! Mr. Edward P. Jones is a superior writing talent, a major talent. Some may rightly say that that THE KNOWN WORLD is about race and history. I don't disagree, but I say that it is more about the human soul and its struggle for life in an unfriendly land. Mr. Jones is a gift, be proud to have read him, be ashamed to have not read him. On his present literary course, Mr. Jones will win the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Mario
Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
Rating: 1 Stars
There may be many reasons to buy and/or read this book but if you believe that one of those reasons must be that the writer demonstrates talent in writing then you will want to expend your reading time elsewhere.
Leslie (lmadreader@aol.com)
The Killing Floor by Lee Child
Rating: 5 Stars
I have just discovered Lee Child and am reading ALL of his books in the Jack Reacher series. They are all extremely good!
Dusty Johnson (bjohnson-att@comcast.net)
To The Nines by Janet Evanovich
Rating: 4 Stars
TO THE NINES is my first Stephanie Plum novel. It's a very entertaining read, and I look forward to more.
Dusty Johnson (bjohnson-att@comcast.net)
Desert Heat by J. A. Jance
Rating: 4 Stars
A great read! This one started the Joanna Brady series.
Pat Miller
Just One Look by Harlan Coben
Rating: 3 Stars
I love anything written by Harlan Coben, but this book was not one of his best. You needed paper and a pencil on hand to keep track of all the characters. It took me quite a while to get through this book.
Judith Fridovitz
The Bone Box by Itamar Bernstein
Rating: 5 Stars
I loved this page turner, which couples the nonfiction of a well-researched and logically developed exposure of an obscured, real archeological find of truly momentous significance to Christainity, with the fiction of a tongue-in-cheek international treausure hunt. I also found the underlying theme of grief and recovery through love profoundly moving.
Liza
The Memory of Running by Ron McLarty
Rating: 3 Stars
A bit disappointing, a bit predictable. A self-admitted overweight slob loses his parents in a car crash. While cleaning out the family house, he comes across his old bicycle and decides to ride it across the county (!) from the east coast to California. He meets interesting people and has somewhat unbelievable escapades along the way.
Shirley
The Confession by Jame McGreevey
Rating: 5 Stars
Mr. McGreevey was former govenor of New Jersey and in 2004 announced that he was gay. This book shares his life from childhood to the govenorship and beyond. Very interesting biography and tells his life with trying to live as a straight person yet being gay. This was a different kind of reading for me, but enjoyed it very much
Dusty Johnson (bjohnson-att@comcast.net)
Hunting Season by Nevada Barr
Rating: 4 Stars
Another great Anna Pigeon book!
Teresa Warner
Dark Celebration by Christine Feehan
Rating: 5 Stars
This is a must read for all Feehan readers of the Dark series. Each new chapter explores past characters on what they are up to now. They are all gathering for a Christmas celebration.
Pat Miller
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
Rating: 3 Stars
This was a very slow book. I know a lot of people liked this, but I just couldn't get into it. The concept was good, though.
Janice Kind (KINDLEELF@AOL.COM)
Can't Wait to Get to Heaven by Fannie Flagg
Rating: 4 Stars
Because I'm familiar with all the charactors from previous novels, this was an entertaining, refreshing, and light read.
Janice Kind (KINDLEELF@AOL.COM)
The Messenger by Danial Silva
Rating: 5 Stars
An atempt on the Holy Father's life and serious damage to the Vatican opens the seach for these dastardly terrorists.
Janice Kind (KINDLEELF@AOL.COM)
Divine by Karen Kingsbury
Rating: 4 Stars
This is a horrific tale of abduction and sexual cruelty. One wonders how a child stays sane in the circumstances foisted upon her.
Janice Kind (KINDLEELF@AOL.COM)
The Last Cato by Matilde Asensi
Rating: 5 Stars
This novel translated from Spanish is the first by of this author to be offered in English. An excellent read.
Nancy Billington
Abundance by Sena Jeter Naslund
Rating: 5 Stars
What a fabulous book that tells the story of Marie Antoinette and dispels many of the myths that we have all learned of her years as the queen of France. Naslund captures the color and history of the time with breathtaking prose and outstanding narrative. I did not want it to end and certainly did not want her to die, but unfortunately the author could not change the course of history.
Midge
Journey Without Maps by Graham Greene
Rating: 4 Stars
This is Graham Greene's account of his trip (in 1934, I think) across Liberia, the African country established for freed American slaves. That makes Liberia the only African country that was not a colony of a European nation (never a colony at all). It wasn't clear why Greene had chosen this undertaking. Not only were there not clear maps of the Liberian interior at the time, but he didn't include an experienced guide in his group. He did include his 22-year-old female cousin! Now doesn't that seem odd? (He doesn't speak of her much in the book -- odder yet!)
At times, the writing reminded me of Hemingway in terms of his description of everyday activities. This book is called an excellent example of travel writing and, to me, it is probably the best I've read. (Though after Paul Theroux, any travel writing looks good.)
Theroux wrote the introduction and speaks about why Greene undertook this journey. Theroux suggests it may have been a frivilous idea that was acted upon without much forethought.
Barbara Greene (the cousin) also wrote a book of the jouney, TOO LATE TO TURN BACK. That's one I want to read!
Skip Johnson
Walden by Michael T. Dolan
Rating: 5 Stars
WALDEN is a dark and entertaining coming-of-age story of freedom, individualism, and revolution. It is THE CATCHER IN THE RYE of the 21st century.
Joan
Days of Summer by Jill Barnett
Rating: 4 Stars
This book is about a tragedy that happened in the late 50s, and --- through secrets and lies --- how it affected 2 families and the generations that followed. A few twists and surprises with strong characters made it a very enjoyable read. Thank you, Sister!
Maryann Aidikoff
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
Rating: 5 Stars
Having a daughter with down syndrome, I loved and hated every moment of this book. The character development was wonderful.
Laura in Ohio
Dark Harbor by Stuart Woods
Rating: 4 Stars
You have to love Stone Barrington in spite of his faults. I've read this entire series and every book has been a quick read, full of excitement. I always wonder what he's going to get himself into next!
Mary Schreiner
Alabama Moon by Watt Key
Rating: 5 Stars
This was a very unique and interesting story. Moon is a wonderful character who takes you along on a wild adventure. Excellent young adult read.
Midge
Ballad of the Whiskey Robber by Julian Rubinstein
Rating: 4 Stars
They were off-mark marketing this book so humorously. I think they wanted to make it the Dog Day Afternoon of Hungary.
Most Hungarian hockey players are not paid, so they hold second (paying) jobs.
Ambrus was energetic, hard-working and felt deserving of the "good life."
He drove the Zamboni, smuggled pelts from Romania and, eventually,
began robbing banks quite successfully. The good life was his downfall.
He'd score big and then drink and gamble it away, then end up robbing again.
This is quite an interesting book and I'd recommend it.
Michelle K
Sleeping With Schubert by Bonnie Marson
Rating: 5 Stars
An astonishing novel about a modern woman who suddenly becomes a genius when Franz Schubert invades her mind and body. I couldn't put this book down --- it was very funny, very smart, and totally compelling.
Cheryl
Darkwitch Rising by Sara Douglass
Rating: 5 Stars
This is the 3rd book in The Troy Games series and is full of surprises! Having read the first 2 Troy Game books and seeing the surprises in this one, I can't wait to read the 4th book.
Ginger Louden
Intensity by Dean Koontz
Rating: 5 Stars
I dug out my 2 Dean Koontz books --- INTENSITY and VELOCITY. I forget what a gripping author he is! I can finish a book in two nights because of the suspense! I have already given them to others to read. What an author!
Ginger Loud
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
Rating: 5 Stars
A great book. I wondered where the climax would come in because it was so interesting all the way through. It didn't end as I thought it would, but what an exciting and thoughtful read.
Christy Hawkes (oltlfreak@aol.com)
The Book of Fate by Brad Meltzer
Rating: 5 Stars
I loved this book. It's the first I've read from Brad Meltzer, but it drew me in and kept me enthralled.
If anyone else read this, email me. There's one part of the book I don't get.
Pam
Vanishing Point by Marcia Muller
Rating: 3 Stars
While I have enjoyed plenty of books by Marcia Muller, this was not one of them. Ms. Muller was off her game with a seemingly good storyline about finding woman who has been missing for twenty-two years. There was no excitment... it just flowed along like a lazy river. However, if you're tired of the same old blood and guts, then this is the book for you.
Sandra F.
The Summer Country by James A. Hetley
Rating: 5 Stars
This is very adult fantasy. The writing is crisp and the plot is very engaging. Most fantasy books based on Celtic legend are all the same, but this is a wonderful exception.
Crown of 3
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
Rating: 5 Stars
A good read from beginning to end. It seems preposterous that parents can totally disregard their children's well being and basic needs and the kids manage to live through that. It broke my heart to read of their poverty and lack of basic care.
Bonnie
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Rating: 5 Stars
I just listened to the unabridged edition on a drive from Michigan to Florida. I read it many years ago. It made the trip fly by and now I'm anxious to see the film and see who was cast in the various roles. Austen really knows people --- their quirks, prejudices, emotions, honor, etc. The language is timeless, as are the scenarios and the entire story itself. Give it to your daughters and sons to read...or hear.
Karen Terry (mi3sons@mchsi.com)
Eureka by William Diehl
Rating: 5 Stars
This book is well written and has a story to tell. It starts off slowly but gets better as you go. It is about a young man who lost both parents and is raised by his best friend's father. He falls for his best friend 's girl. He later leaves the town of Eureka and joins the military and becomes a war hero. He goes back to the town and cleans it up, but with tragic results. A woman is found dead in her home. The homicide detective thinks it is a suicide, but as he investigates, he finds out that there is more to the story. The detective and the war hero meet and this is where the book gets interesting. The end will be a shock.
Christy Hawkes (hawkes@citlink.net)
Seduced By Magic by Cheyenne McCray
Rating: 5 Stars
This spellbinding sequel to FORBIDDEN MAGIC continues the fight between good and evil with romance, magic, suspense, and fantasy. Silver and Hawk are back, but this book with Copper and Tiernan is a stand-alone novel. I couldn't put it down and I'm anxiously waiting for the next book in the series. Ms. McCray is one of my favorite authors and she doesn't let you down with this book. It just keeps getting better and better.
Roxie
Deal Breaker by Harlan Coben
Rating: 4 Stars
This book was a real page turner, one of the best in this series. I recommend you read the previous titles in order, though.
Mary Kay Ball
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
Rating: 3 Stars
This book provided lots of discussion and thought. What would I do if I were David? I believe he made a major decision he regretted the rest of his life. This decision affected everyone --- his wife, son, and the adopted mother and her family.
Roxie
The Wife by Meg Wolitzer
Rating: 2 Stars
This book was set in the 1960s and 70s. As a child of to 80s, I just couldn't relate to the main character. It's so hard to believe women put their worth below their husband's and families their entire lives.
Roxie
The King of Lies by John Hart
Rating: 3 Stars
I picked up this book after seeing rave reviews all over. The plot was okay, but I hated the main charcater. It's hard to believe that someone with so much education and wealth would allow himself to be pushed around the way he did. I just found him spineless and couldn't relate to him. The story itself was okay...
Roxie
The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan
Rating: 4 Stars
I loved this book. It revolves around two half sisters, one of whom is from China and comes to America when she is 18. It explains their relationship and the differences in cultures. There are many parts of this book that made me laugh out loud. Great read, you won't want to put it down.
Melissa
Shadow Man by Cody McFadyen
Rating: 5 Stars
A great thriller --- I was up all night reading this one! I can't believe this is a debut novel for McFadyen!
Beth Schweikert
Dying Light by Stuart Macbride
Rating: 5 Stars
This is the second book about DS MacRae although you do not have to read the first book, COLD GRANITE, in order to enjoy it. An arsonist is on the loose in Aberdeen, Scotland, and a prostitute has been murdered. Due to an previous failed sting operation, DS MacRae has been transferred to the lowest step in the police department --- a group of "screwups" whose past actions led to this assignment, the last step before expulsion. Although he really wants to invesigate the fires, DS MacRae is under pressure to solve the squad's assigned case, the dead hooker. I liked the way the author shows the office politics of law enforcement, the steady pace of the novel, and this look at life in Aberdeen, a city that has not been represented in mystery novels until last year.
Kellie
A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve
Rating: 4 Stars
I read this book last year, am reading it again for my book club. I think I like it better this time. It's a story about highschool friends who come together in their middle age for a wedding of one of their own. Harrison, Agnes, Nora, Bill, Bridget, Rob and Jerry have lived different lives since highschool. Harrison is married to a woman he met after highschool and he had two boys. He is in love with Nora. Nora is the ex-girlfriend of his best friend, Stephen, who drowned their senior year in highschool. Agnes works as a teacher at the school. She has never been married but is having a secret affair with one of their old English teachers. He is married with 2 boys and she hasn't seen him for over a year. She is writing a story about the Halifax explosion during World War I. It is intermingled through the book as its own narrative. When I read it the first time, I didn't like the idea of having this in there. This time, I thought it added value to the novel. Nora owns the Inn where the wedding takes place. She was married to a great poet who recently died. He cheated on her and treated her badly, especially towards the end. She still feels something for Harrison, but knows it will never happen. Bill is marrying Bridget. They dated in highschool, but broke up when he met someone else. They reconnected at a reunion, and he left his wife and family to marry her, which brings them here. Bridget has breast cancer and may not be alive in 2 years. She is struggling with trying to be happy with this cloud hanging over her head. She is divorced with a 13-year-old son. Rob is a gay musician who kept his secret after all of these years. He brings his partner, Josh, with him. Jerry is the Mr. Know-It-All who is unhappily married. He can't let go of the hurtful things of the past. The book does remind one of THE BIG CHILL, but it has its own plot. I have read other books by Shreve and this one is up there as one of her better ones.
Sandra F.
The Tidal Poole by Karen Harper
Rating: 2 Stars
Can you picture Elizabeth I as a detective? Not a very likely picture, and not a very good book.
Sandra F.
The Pale Horsemen by Bernard Cornwell
Rating: 5 Stars
Bernard Cornwell is the best writer of historical fiction writing today. The book is the second in the series of King Alfred's nineth-century England.
Suzanne G.
Dance of the Gods by Nora Roberts
Rating: 5 Stars
I love the tales she weaves! And I can't wait for the third. Thank you so much for releasing them so quickly!
Suzanne G.
Morrigan's Cross by Nora Roberts
Rating: 5 Stars
It's an excellent read. I love the way she mixes myth and history and imagination!
Suzanne G.
Motor Mouth by Janet Evanovich
Rating: 5 Stars
I enjoy all her books, and this one was no exception!
Marlie Warren (justme@xmission.com)
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
Rating: 4 Stars
I'm just getting into a novel called ANGLE OF REPOSE and I'm finding myself glued to the book! I have a friend who kept telling me I should read it and I kept wondering what the fuss was about. Now I know!!
Kimberly
Creepers by David Morrell
Rating: 1 Stars
This guy took an interesting idea and totally trashed it. Ridiculous dialogue, ridiculous plot twists. It was just awful. There are way too many books in this world to waste your time on this one.
Kam Aures (kerin0874@yahoo.com)
I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb
Rating: 4 Stars
Very engaging read!
Kimberly
The Ruins by Scott Smith
Rating: 4 Stars
A good story with interesting characters, a tight location, and drama. I read this during my lunch hours and, at times, it was a bit graphic and gory. THE RUINS was a very interesting book and I love it when stories don't end happily ever after.
Barbara
The Darling by Russell Banks
Rating: 4 Stars
A political activist revisits her past. THE DARLING is quite a thought-provoking book about clashes of races and cultures, including reminders of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s in this country. A must read.
Marion Miller (lamamil@aol.com)
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
Rating: 3 Stars
Not the best storyline, but the author's skill with an original plot and use of the English language is absolutely fascinating! He has based a whole book around the phrase: "The quick brown dog jumps over the lazy fox."
Jon
The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill
Rating: 5 Stars
A wonderful book set in Laos.
Gross
Storm Front by Jim Butcher
Rating: 4 Stars
The first in the Dresden Files series about a detective/wizard from Chicago. It mixes scifi/fantasy with mystery/crime --- two genres I like to read.
Ray Palen (razorramon@optonline.net)
The Book Of Fate by Brad Meltzer
Rating: 3 Stars
The book started off great, but I was disappointed at the lackluster, predictable ending. Meltzer tries to throw his hat into the ring with a tale reminscent of the conspiracy/historical mysteries that are flooding the book racks these days. The story is, at points, exciting and, at other points, equally implausible. I was particularly turned off at the introduction of a character (a retired Crossword Puzzle whiz) who is forgotten about and never revisited after his introduction (shame on you, Mr. Meltzer). This is a nice airplane read, but not the second coming of Michael Connelly or Dan Brown.
Reva Wamsley (prwamsley@adelphia.net)
Creepers by David Morrell
Rating: 4 Stars
I wanted to read this book after hearing about it on this website. It is not a book for the faint of heart, but it keeps you reading. I could hardly put it down. It's about a group of people that are exploring a deserted hotel and find out they are not alone.
Susie Sheffield (littlefrank_uva@hotmail.com)
Out of the Shadows by Kay Hooper
Rating: 5 Stars
This book, as well as her many others, keeps you so energized from start to finish. She has such a unique way of writing, so that you actually feel that you are there with these characters. She writes like she is in the room with you telling the story, rather than just reading it by yourself. I love the character Bishop! This is my type of reading and now that I have discovered Kay Hooper, I'm in Heaven. I couldn't wait for one of the trilogies to come out in paperback so I had to go get the hardcover. I hope she does lots more of the trilogy-type books in the future. Let's see.... I think my psychic abilities say she will do lots and lots more of these.
Anna
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
Rating: 5 Stars
I read this book in less than a week --- it shows the long term effect a serious decision can have on several people's lives. I highly recommend it.
L. Gettle (lgettle@iserv.net)
The Shadow Catchers by Thomas Lakeman
Rating: 4 Stars
FBI agent Mike Yeager stumbles onto a killer while dealing with some serious personal problems.
L. Gettle (lgettle@iserv.net)
Sweet Dreams at the Goodnight Motel by Curtiss Ann Matlock
Rating: 5 Stars
A woman builds a new life in a small town. This book will keep you turning the pages.
Dorothy
Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl
Rating: 5 Stars
An extraordinary read. The language was lyrical, the characters intriguing, and the plot twisted and convoluted. All of this added up to an A+ novel.
L. Gettle (lgettle@iserv.net)
Murphy's Law by Lori Foster
Rating: 5 Stars
This charming romance also contains a wry humor readers will enjoy.
Jen
Rise and Shine by Anna Quindlen
Rating: 3 Stars
It is a good read, but the story or characters did not grab me. Not her best.
Valerie Wiesner (ackleyvalerie@yahoo.com)
The Keep by Jennifer Egan
Rating: 5 Stars
This is an intriguing and interesting book. It kept me up all night until I finished it. The author is very good at seamlessly weaving two stories together so that they end in one place, and what a place! I cannot recommend this book highly enough. I absolutely loved it!
Valerie Wiesner (ackleyvalerie@yahoo.com)
The Ruins by Scott Smith
Rating: 5 Stars
This book will haunt me for a long time to come. It has a plot that keeps you guessing until the horrifying truth of what is happening hits you in the gut. It is a disturbing book, but a very well-written one.
Nermi
Ashes to Ashes by Tami Hoag
Rating: 3 Stars
This is the first book that I have read by Tami Hoag. I think I picked the wrong one. A friend of mine loves her books and suggested I should read one --- any one --- but I am not really enjoying it. I keep hoping something exciting will happen. If all her books are like this, I don't think I would read any more.
Linda M.
A Stolen Season by Steve Hamilton
Rating: 5 Stars
This latest installment of the Alex McKnight series may be the best yet from author Steve Hamilton. If you haven't read any of his books, start with the first in the series and don't stop until the end. You won't be disappointed.
Linda M.
Inside Out by John Ramsey Miller
Rating: 5 Stars
This is the first book in the Winter Massey series and it was fantastic. This novel really keeps you on the edge of your seat to the last page. Winter Massey is the great protagonist and I look forward to seeing how this character will develop in the rest of the series.
Marlie Warren (justme@xmission.com)
Lost in the Forest by Sue Miller
Rating: 5 Stars
This book kept me reading almost continuously until the book was finished! I hated for it to end and feel that I have discovered a new favorite author.
L. Gettle (lgettle@iserv.net)
Me and a Guy Named Elvis by Jerry Schilling and Chuck Crisafulli
Rating: 4 Stars
Very interesting.
Madeline
Lost and Found by Carolyn Parkhurst
Rating: 5 Stars
I enjoyed this book so much that I'm recommending it to everyone. It was modern and fun, yet layered and emotional. I liked the different characters and points of view. Well done!
L. Gettle (lgettle@iserv.net)
Shadow Man by Cody McFadyen
Rating: 5 Stars
Special Agent Smoky Barrett faces her greatest challange in this thriller.
L. Gettle (lgettle@iserv.net)
Home For the Holidays by Johanna Lindsey
Rating: 5 Stars
The Baron of Windsmoor falls in love with the daughter of the man he is trying to destroy. A delightful romantic tale.
L. Gettle (lgettle@iserv.net)
Make Me a Match by Diana Holquist
Rating: 5 Stars
Cecelia Burns is engaged to be married, but is he the right man? Her psychic sister says he is not, but that she knows who is.
Michelle
Forever Odd by Dean Koontz
Rating: 3 Stars
It had been a while since I had read ODD THOMAS, and maybe should have reread it before the sequel. It was dissappointing... I'd been reading too much chic lit to have to decipher Koontz play on words, but I did cry at the end.
T. Thomas
Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear
Rating: 5 Stars
Fourth in the Maisie Dobbs series and the best so far.
T. Thomas
The Cruelest Miles by Gay Salisbury and Laney Salisbury
Rating: 4 Stars
A history of Nome, Alaska and the race to get medication there in the 1920s during a
diptheria outbreak. Very exciting.
T. Thomas
The Last Kashmiri Rose by Barbara Cleverly
Rating: 4 Stars
A serial murder mystery set in India in the 1920s. This is the first in a series, and I am going to get the rest.
L. Gettle (lgettle@iserv.net)
The Snow Bride by Debbie Macomber
Rating: 4 Stars
This charming romance takes place in Alaska.
Judy (AZ)
Falls the Shadow by William Lashner
Rating: 4 Stars
Victor Carl is hired to seek a new trial for a not-so-upright man convicted of murdering his wife. Victor also has a toothache. Enter Dr. Bob, the dentist, who seems to be connected to a variety of people who also seem to be connected to the victim or her husband. Dr. Bob just wants "to help," so what is a lawyer to do with this good samaritan? Fast-paced and slightly off, an interesting book.
Judy (AZ)
Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovitch
Rating: 3 Stars
Stephanie Plum is back, working for her cousin Vinnie's bail bond establishment. There are many amusing tales, often the result of Plum's colleagues, Lula and Connie. Ranger's identity seems to have been stolen, as has his daughter, with whom he really hasn't much of a connection. Between finding "skips" and searching for the kidnapped daughter, there is an amazing amount of stuff happening. It just seems to be a bit much.
Kate Lyons
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Rating: 5 Stars
I know plenty of others have raved about this book, but it's so good that I have to add to the praise! Every page has a line to savor, a turn of phrase to appreciate. The story within a story is gripping, the settings evocative. There's not a false note anywhere. And the entire novel is saturated with the love of books and of reading ... I'm going to be foisting this off on any number of friends!
Gina Alderdice
The Book of Fate by Brad Meltzer
Rating: 4 Stars
This is one of Meltzer's most interesting works. It takes you deep into a world that most do not know a great deal about, or even who they are --- the Fremasons. Add to that, the detail that Meltzer is able to give to the life of a President's aide. It makes for an extremely interesting read.
Kelley Bailey
L A Requiem by Robert Crais
Rating: 4 Stars
This was the first Elvis Cole book I had the chance to read. Excellent. I will be looking for more.
Larena Wirum
Beyond the Highland Mist by Karen Marie Moning
Rating: 5 Stars
This is a great romance set in historical Scotland, with a little time travel thrown in.
Ginny (VCHL819@aol.com)
The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry
Rating: 3 Stars
Chasing around Europe, ŕ la Dan Brown, and in danger because of a link to the treasure left somewhere by early freemasons, the major characters in this book keep moving and are always at risk. I've almost quit it twice, but keep going back to it almost obsessively because the book is so popular, and I figure there must be something good coming. I hope I'm not disappointed.
Ginny (VCHL819@aol.com)
The Book of Fate by Brad Meltzer
Rating: 5 Stars
It's amazing how many books are alluding to the Templars and freemasons as a source for problems in today's world. Meltzer, in his new book, follows the path with this political novel that is just as tensionvfilled as his earlier works. I'm half-finished and can't wait to have all the threads drawn together.
Kathy (kahoho@aol.com)
The Owl and Moon Cafe by Jo-Ann Mapson
Rating: 4 Stars
I love anything by Jo-Ann Mapson. In this novel, she tells the story of four generations of women in the same family who work in and live upstairs of the cafe. I especially like how she weaves in characters from her Bad Girl Creek series of novels. I hope she does a sequel.
Sandi
The Virgin Of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard
Rating: 5 Stars
WOW! What a fantastic book! I couldn't put it down and read it in a day. The characters were well fleshed out and Ms. Pickard brought you into her world. I thought I had figured out the mystery of who killed the virgin, but I was wrong. That doesn't often happen to me.
Now to look up her other books...
Peggy (Cali_LB@msn.com)
Under Orders by Dick Francis
Rating: 4 Stars
Welcome back to a favorite author. Even if you don't care for horse racing, these books are great mysteries, and remember --- this is steeplechase running, and it isn't the same old thing as horses racing. I learned a lot over the years about English racing because of Mr. Francis and I am so glad to see him back in good form.
John Klos (jdklos@yahoo.com)
Beach Road by James Patterson and Peter de Jonge
Rating: 5 Stars
Patterson always comes through with suspense, and makes me keep turning the pages to see what's going to happen next. I recommend this to all suspense fans.
John Klos (jdklos@yahoo.com)
Predator by Patricia Cornwell
Rating: 5 Stars
It was hard to get it going, but once I did, it was great. I recommend it.
Gloria Buchanan
The Mephisto Club by Tess Gerritsen
Rating: 5 Stars
Tess Gerritsen has done it again.
Another great mystery with more insight into some of our favorite characters.
Jenne
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Rating: 5 Stars
My book club just read this last month and it received our highest rating. We loved how Francie was able to see all the good and bad in people and still be able to love them. The story is a great coming-of-age book that makes you wish that you could spend time with the adult Francie in a follow-up book.
Kevin Mannix
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Rating: 5 Stars
THE ROAD is a post-apocalyptic tale of horror and survival that takes a brutally honest look at man at his best and worst. This is also the single best book on the joy and fear and dedication of fatherhood. This book raises questions that you have to look inside yourself to answer. It's also filled with all the brutal, cut to the bone prose you'd expect.
Gwen Schatz
The Terrorist by John Updike
Rating: 4 Stars
Another good Updike novel. THE TERRORIST is a very realistic story of a young, brainwashed Muslim boy who ccepts a mission to be a suicide bomber during rush hour in the Holland Tunnel in New York.
R. Bueter
In Plain Sight by Tara Taylor Quinn
Rating: 3 Stars
The plot of this new novel involves white supremacists and, as advertised, it is creepy. I had everything figured out before I got to the middle of the book, though. It was pretty good for a novel of this genre.
Hannah Beck
A Good Dog by Jon Katz
Rating: 5 Stars
A wonderful and touching story about the author and his "lifetime dog." This would appeal to anyone with a heart, but especially to those of us who love animals. If you have ever had a special relationship with a pet, this is the book for you!
Peggy (Cali_LB@msn.com)
The Dream Thief by Shana Abe
Rating: 5 Stars
This is a sequel to THE SMOKE THIEF. Even if you think you don't care for Fantasy tales, you'll find Ms. Abe's books in another world all their own. It is romance, suspense and fantasy all wrapped up into one page-turning story. Added to that is the absolutely beautiful covers for the books.
Carole Parks (camprva@aol.com)
The King of Lies by John Hart
Rating: 5 Stars
This new author, with his first book, goes straight to the top of my favorites! It is, in fact, impossible to believe that this IS his first book --- it is as finely crafted as any I've ever read. It is a legal thriller, but has an amazing style. Pat Conroy says on the cover that this is a" book on fire"--- he is not wrong! I have only done this once before (with PRESUMED INNOCENT), but I read it straight through in 15 hours! IT WAS WORTH IT!
Robin Coker (hillcoker@yahoo.com)
Along Came A Spider by James Patterson
Rating: 4 Stars
I have recently discovered James Patterson and have finished the Women's Murder Club series, so I started his series with Alex Cross. At first, I was put off by the foul language but thought I would wade through that, and I'm so glad I did. There were amazing twists and turns right up to the very end! Its always fun to make new friends with new characters in a new series (new to me anyway). Now I'm on to the next in the series, KISS THE GIRLS!
Michele L.
Texas Bad Boys by Rosemary Laurey, Karen Kelley, & Dianne Castell
Rating: 5 Stars
An anthology of adventurous, passionate, bad boy stories where everything is bigger and better in Texas that will leave you wanting more.
Gwen Schatz
The Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld
Rating: 5 Stars
A great, well-written mystery. The reader is pulled into the story immeadiately. Sigmund Freud makes his only trip to the US to recieve an honor in Psychiatry at a Clark University. He is involved in solving the case through his guidance of the physician, an ardent desciple of Freud's, who is asked to help one of the surviving victims who survived, but cannot remember anything!!
Rita B.
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
Rating: 5 Stars
I really enjoyed this book. The reader follows the effects of a tragic decision on a family over a lifetime. The character development is really good. I'm looking forward to discussing this book with my book club.
Bonna Whitten-Stovall
Edges: O Israel, O Palestine by Leora Skolkin-Smith
Rating: 5 Stars
EDGES is an unusual novel. When her father commits suicide, fourteen-year old Liana leaves her protected (if torturous) N.Y. suburb with her mother... and sails right into our world. An edgy world of tense borders, barbed wire. A world where soldiers and children are endangered species. In the mother's old home in Jerusalem, the family lingers around the traditional Friday evening meal. Liana watches this marooned island of love and civility, each one damaged in their own way --- an uncle with a stump where there had been a leg, the mother giggling with memories of runnng bullets in her bras and and panties when she was fourteen.
Skolkin-Smith offers us something human and whole.
Karen Barash
When Madeline Was Young by Jane Hamilton
Rating: 5 Stars
Jane Hamilton has done it again. She has written a book as unique and superb as THE BOOK OF RUTH and A MAP OF THE WORLD.This is a beautifully written book that I was not able to put down.
Laurie
The Gilded Chamber by Rebecca Kohn
Rating: 5 Stars
This book brings to life the story of Esther, who is an inspiration for women. Though this is a work of fiction, it is historically accurate. We did this book in our book club and everyone loved it!!
Ricki (rickimc@aol.com)
Cathy's Book by Sean Stewart and Jordan Weisman
Rating: 4 Stars
Very unique and engaging! The ending was not expected.
Helen
An Unsuitable Job For A Woman by P.D. James
Rating: 5 Stars
I had read this book several years ago and my book discussion group is reading it now. It is P.D. James at her best, which means it is about as good as mystery fiction can get.
Cynthia Winick
The Company Man by Joseph Finder
Rating: 5 Stars
I just started reading this book and it's full of suspense. I'm enjoying it very much.
LouBabe (LouBabe@juno.com)
Bait by Karen Robards
Rating: 5 Stars
I have just recently discovered Karen Robards and have become a fan. I enjoy books that capture my attention from the first few pages, and this was one. By the time I got to the second chapter, I was reading it to my husband. I'm only half-way through, at this point, but pick it up every chance I get.
Kyphi (kyphi30@hotmail.com)
The Mephisto Club by Tess Gerritsen
Rating: 5 Stars
An absolute page turner filled with everything I enjoy in a book --- suspense, great plot, and superb characterization. The best Tess Gerritsen novel yet. This book cries for a sequel.
Alabama Jack (jquick5342@aol.com)
Deadly Errors by Allen Wyler
Rating: 5 Stars
A scary thriller that will cause you to have second thoughts about going to the hospital. A comatose man is given a fatal dose of insulin in the Emergency Room, even though he isn't diabetic. An ulcer patient dies of hemolytic shock after receiving a transfusion of the wrong blood type. A recovering heart patient receives a double dose of the same medication ---triggering a fatal cardiac arrest. When the doctors and nurses at Seattle's prestigious Maynard Medical Center start making preventable drug and treatment errors that kill their patients, neurosurgeon Dr. Tyler Mathews suspects that something is murderously wrong with the hospital's highly touted new "Med-InDx" electronic medical record. But when he airs his concerns to the hospital's upper management, he's met with stonewalling, skepticism --- and threats. Millions of dollars, and the future of Med-InDx, are at stake. Powerful corporate forces aren't about to let their potential profits evaporate. Tyler soon finds that his career, his marriage, and his very life are in jeopardy, along with the lives of countless innocent patients. Will the last surviving patient please turn out the light? An excellent read.
Maxine
The Brethren by John Grisham
Rating: 5 Stars
I'm not finished with this book yet, but so far, it's a real page turner. There are three former judges in federal prison running a scam to get rich. At the same time, the CIA is manipulating the next presidential election. Of course, the two senarios are on a crash course soon to collide. It's great!!!
Sheila
The Man of My Dreams by Curtis Sittenfeld
Rating: 3 Stars
As in PREP, Sittenfeld writes from the perspective of the outsider, this time in her search for the right man.
Laurie Blum (laurieblum@hotmail.com)
Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan
Rating: 4 Stars
Although a bit too long, this is another interesting story set in Burma by Amy Tan. It's quite different from her novels with the mother-daughter themes.
Monica J
The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory
Rating: 5 Stars
This is Katherine of Aragon's story (not including the part where Anne Bolyn is involved). The book is written alternately between 1st and 3rd person, which gives an interesting perspective. I did not know much about Katherine's life, and found it fascinating --- especially the parts where it discussed common treatments and practices for pregnant women. Very informative and entertaining.
LouBabe (LouBabe@juno.com)
The Want-Ad Killer by Ann Rule
Rating: 5 Stars
My daughter introduced me to Ann Rule by loaning her book about Ted Bundy. Now I am trying to read everything she's written. It's amazing how interesting she can make the true crime stories come across to the reader. By the time you finish the book, you feel like you know the victim, the perpetrator and the families of both. In THE WANT-AD KILLER, the police knew from the get-go who was responsible for a string of brutal murders, but it took several years (and even more deaths) for them to get enough proof to put the killer away.
Marlene Rosen
Teacher Man by Frank McCourt
Rating: 3 Stars
I read his other two books, and I think this one was not as good as ANGELA'S ASHES. It was enjoyable, charming, and honest in his story of the many years of teaching and learning from his students.
Wendy
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Rating: 5 Stars
I absolutely could not put this book down. From beginning to end, it kept my attention and stirred all my emotions. A wonderful read!
L. Hann
The 5th Horseman by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
Rating: 5 Stars
Another great Women's Murder Club adventure. The introduction of the newest member ,Yuki Castellano, is great. I instantly liked her and think that she is a great addition to the club. This book keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time. Awesome work by Patterson.
Barbara Stamper
What God Whispers in the Night by Ron Mehl
Rating: 5 Stars
What an encouraging and uplifting book! This small book has a wealth of encouragement packed into it. A refreshing read!
Rosalie Altmark
Beach Road by James Patterson and Peter de Jonge
Rating: 3 Stars
Interesting book. It kind of makes you constantly ask yourself, "What's going on?" When I got to the end, I was flawed. The whole book and the characters really came together. Maybe I would up my review to 4 stars. It was really quite good and fascinating.
Coral Harrison
Proof Positive by Phillip Margolin
Rating: 5 Stars
A very good mystery in Oregon. it is a lawyer story about criminals both inside and outside the law, while also covering a lot about fornestic work. I don't want to say more or I would give it away.
Barbara Stamper
Like Dandelion Dust by Karen Kingsbury
Rating: 4 Stars
A heart-wrenching book showing the love of two mothers for a child. A good read, for sure!
E.Quinn Knight (knight@sxu.edu)
Emotional Genius by Karla McLaren
Rating: 5 Stars
The author gives some expert advice on identity, relationships, and how to deal with conflict. Her book is similar to some of Daniel Goleman's work on Emotional Intelligence, although it is done with more clarity and passion.
Peggy
Just Rewards by Basrbara Taylor Bradford
Rating: 3 Stars
I am about 100 pages into the book and it has been ok. I am hoping that further in, it will be better than ok.
Chris Lynch
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Rating: 5 Stars
A very atmospheric book! I did not want it to end.
Kate Young (youngkate@sbcglobal.net)
Small Acts of Sex and Electricity by Lise Haines
Rating: 3 Stars
The story is a bit hard to follow; going back and forth between past and present, and I personally don't care for the way the author presents dialogue. I also find it very hard to believe that a best friend would leave her family (daughters AND HUSBAND) with her best friend --- and then that best friend immdiately has sex with the husband! Neither is much of a "best" friend, in my opinion. But, I'm only more than half-way through the book. I'm determined to finish, but don't think I will read more by this author when there are so many other greats out there to read. I cannot find this very believable.
bookczuk
A Season for the Dead by David Hewson
Rating: 3 Stars
I first read this author's book called LUCIFER'S SHADOW, which I thought was marvelous. I then snapped up a little mystery of his, THE VILLA OF MYSTERIES, which was okay, but not great. So, I thought I'd see how this one stacked up: great like the first or just okay, like the second. I'd put this somewhere between the two, a good, but not fabulous mystery. I got a little impatient with it all, but kept reading to make sure my guesses were correct. The author pulled one twist I didn't expect, but the others were pretty par for the core. My hunch is, after reading two of his police thriller mysteries, that he likes his history too much to just write a straight thriller and does a lot of research to tie the historical stuff into the plot.
All in all, I prefer him in Venice to Rome though (Rome being where the two police thrillers were set.) This did get me online to look up Caravaggio and his art, though. All is not lost!
bookczuk
The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr
Rating: 4 Stars
One of those "reads like fiction" true stories about the search for and discovery of a "lost" painting by the Italian Master Caravaggio. The funny thing is that I'd just read a mystery (A SEASON FOR THE DEAD by David Hewson) that centers on Caravaggio's paintings, so I'd spent a lot of time online looking him up.
Carol from Cleveland
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Rating: 5 Stars
I know many people have reviewed this book for Word of Mouth, but I just want to add my praise for it. It's the story of a Cornell veterinary student who is suddenly orphaned, runs away, and, by accident, ends up joining a circus. It is told from the point of view of the boy who is experiencing everything, and also from the point of view of the same boy as an 80-something-year-old man in a nursing home, reminiscing. Excellent story.
Julie Towson
Ordinary Heroes by Scott Turow
Rating: 5 Stars
Stewart Dubinsky knew his father, David, had served in World War II, but had been told very little about his experiences. When he finds, after his father's death, a packet of wartime letters to a former financee and learns of David's court-martial, Stewart is driven to uncover the truth about this father he never really knew. Using military archives, old letters, and his father's own notes, he discovers that his father --- a JAG lawyer --- had pursued a U.S officer in Europe in order to arrest him, and fought in the war's deadliest conflicts. In reconstructing the terrible events and agonizing choices his father faced on the battlefield, Stewart gains a closer understanding of his father's secret past and of the brutal nature of war.
Bonnie Waliezer (Nabofrue@aol.com)
Proof Positive by Phillip Margolin
Rating: 4 Stars
Another great lawyer book set in the Portland, Or. area. Being familiar with the area, it really drew me in. Margolin is a top-notch writer and always has a twist.
Arthur Harriman
Still Life by Louise Penny
Rating: 4 Stars
Why did I find myself continually reminded of detectives in old British paperback mysteries, like those of John Dickson Carr (those with maps of the crime locale)? Possibly, it's because in an unhurried, quiet manner, Penny's detective --- even if a bit idiosyncratic --- also lets us follow him in his most satisfying and gradual resolution of a murder that occurred before the tale begins.
Sheila
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
Rating: 5 Stars
What a great book! It's often billed as the first and greatest English detective novel, and I found it captivating with top notch character development and an excellent plot. It was a pleasure to read this book.
Jane Lee (a1bengal@aol.com)
Dirty Little Lies by Julie Leto
Rating: 3 Stars
Titan International's newest employee, Marisela Morales, takes on Frankie Vega and a dance card of sleuthing. Great read!
Jeff
Washington: The Indispensable Man by James Thomas Flexner
Rating: 3 Stars
First, a comment about ratings: my 3 Stars is a very respectable rating. I don't automatically hit 5 for every book I crack, like some of the contributors to this site. If you want to get some real insight into our first president, this book does it far better than McCollough's 1776.
Sheila
Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich
Rating: 4 Stars
I love this series! It's very funny and is full of great characters. Escapism at its best :-)
Trish Rucker
Heart of Fire by Victoria Holmes
Rating: 4 Stars
HEART OF FIRE is a wonderful young adult novel about a girl and a horse --- a coming of age story set during World War I. An engrossing read!
CC
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Rating: 4 Stars
This was a very unusual book about a time-traveling man and the woman who loved him. I enjoyed the story.
S. Bowers
Jinn by Mathew B. J. Delaney
Rating: 5 Stars
It has been quite some time since I have enjoyed a really good 'thriller'. This book melds three genres together: crime, horror and sci-fi.
Out of history to the present comes a mystery for two detectives to solve and something inhuman to deal with along the way.
I hope this writer is on his next book, I am looking forward to reading more by him!
L. Hann
At Risk by Patricia Cornwell
Rating: 5 Stars
Excellent. While Kay is not in this book, it is still awesome. It gives amazing insight into what may be available for crime solving in the future. I bet it is closer than we think. I read the whole book in about 2 hours!!!
Tina Wallace
I Was a Teenage Dumpeal by Bradley Myers
Rating: 5 Stars
I have never read a book like this before in my life! I bought my copy a couple of weeks ago and couldn't put it down, it was a real page-turner and easy to read, too. I loved it. It was fullfilling, and I really enjoyed the last line of the book.
This books rocks! And I'm even buying one of the vampire fish magnets to show my support. I can't wait for the second volume to come out next summer, but until then, I'll just reread this one a few times over;)
Once again, awesome book!
Judy O.
The Imposter by Davis Bunn
Rating: 3 Stars
I have read other reviews of this book that praised it to the stars. But, I was not particularly fond of it. Matt Kelly watched his mother die right in front of him in a bomb blast at their home. He is trying to find the bomber. The plot just got so complex that I kind of checked out for a while. Then, of course, I didn't understand parts of it. I kept plugging along, but the ending had so many characters by now and so many plot twists that it pretty much left me in the dust. However, I did care about the characters, who were well-defined and interesting.
CC
Digging to America by Anne Tyler
Rating: 5 Stars
Another winner from Anne Tyler. This is the story of two families who meet at an airport while picking up their adopted Korean daughters. It follows their lives over the next few years and shows how they adjust to their new situations.
Nina (distefano@aol.com)
Lucia, Lucia by Adriana Trigiani
Rating: 5 Stars
I have loved all of her books and I am so happy to see she has another one coming out soon. Maybe its because I grew up in an Italian household, but I find her characters to be so real. Reading her books is like sitting down to dinner with the relatives.
Jennifer Lawrence
The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue
Rating: 5 Stars
Wow...what a powerful book. The summary on the inside cover just skims the surface of this heartwrenching tale.
Reeca
Judge and Jury by James Patterson
Rating: 4 Stars
Wonderful book!!! It keeps you on the edge of your seat, and as always, moves very very fast!!!
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