| Linda V. |
Innocent in Death by J.D. Robb |
Rating: 4 Stars |
One of those books you can't put down. It really keeps you interested. I love the love story between Eve and Rourke.
|
| Nick Richards (nick.richards@gm.com) |
Pizza Pie and Politics by Troy Place |
Rating: 5 Stars |
For anyone who has experienced the black hole that is life between college and the "real-world," this book is a must read. Place does an amazing job of developing characters that resemble the friends we all knew and loved in college. Whether your looking for insight into the future as a soon-to-be college grad or looking for a trip down memory lane to the "good old days," this book is a must read.
|
| Julie Peterson (jpeterson1108@comcast.net) |
The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery |
Rating: 3 Stars |
A light, enjoyable, feel-good read. Animal lovers will truly appreciate the relationship the author has with animals.
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| Julie Peterson (jpeterson1108@comcast.net) |
Ask Again Later by Jill A. Davis |
Rating: 4 Stars |
I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read -- I was able to read it in a couple of hours. I found myself chuckling to myself. Jill Davis has an terrific sense of humor that comes across in her writing.
|
| Julie C. |
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides |
Rating: 3 Stars |
This is the 4th time I've tried this book. The first three times, I got so bored in the first quarter of the book that I just quit and finally got rid of it. This time, I bought it on audio (for $1) and listened in the car. If I'd been reading it, I still would've quit. The book's 2nd half is much better than the first, which is about the older generations of Greek immigrants and their incestuous marriages. The second half is about the "main" character, Cal/Callie, a hermaphrodite who grows up as a girl and becomes a man. Her story and personality are far more interesting and should've been more of the novel. But apparently, I'm the only person who feels this way, because it's won awards....and even Oprah loves it.
|
| Bonnie |
The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan |
Rating: 4 Stars |
Worthy recipient of the National Book Award, this is the non-fiction version of THE GRAPES OF WRATH. It's an amazing story of a little-known period in our nation's history. In these times of conservation and ecological awareness, it's a most timely book.
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| Bonnie (bgluhani@aol.com) |
At Risk by Patricia Cornwell |
Rating: 3 Stars |
A serviceable mystery, but I felt the author was just going through the motions. Nothing compelling or new here, but easy escapism.
|
| Judy (AZ) |
The Machiavelli Covenant by Allan Folsom |
Rating: 2 Stars |
I anxiously began reading this book, but was put off by the often very short chapters that jump from here to there, the unbelievable and overly abundant characters, and a premise that wasn't very solid. Maybe I've read too many "conspiracy" books, but I found this one difficult to plod through over 500 pages.
|
| Sandy |
Body Surfing by Anita Shreve |
Rating: 4 Stars |
This is the story of Sydney. who --- by the age of 29 --- has been divorced and widowed. She is now a tutor for the Edwards' teenage daughter and is living with them at their summer home on the New Hampshire coast. Part of what happened in this story was pretty predictable, but overall, I really enjoyed this book.
|
| Kelly Davis |
Pizza Pie and Politics by Troy Place |
Rating: 5 Stars |
This is an amazing book about that limbo time after graduation and getting a job in the real world. I loved all the characters with their strong friendships and history that they shared. I highly recommend this book.
|
| Linda Scott (scott2@einetwork.net) |
Edenville Owls by Robert B. Parker |
Rating: 5 Stars |
The first of Robert Parker's books for young adults. It's a very good one about how 5 14-year-olds band together to become champion basketball players and help their beloved teacher escape from an abusive ex-husband. A quick read and a good one for summer.
|
| Sherri R |
The Cold Moon by Jeffery Deaver |
Rating: 5 Stars |
This book has many twists and keeps you reading regardless of what you SHOULD be doing. I love the Lincoln Rhyme series and this comes through as good as THE BONE COLLECTOR. A fast-paced great read!
|
| Jane Squires |
Lessons I Learned in the Dark by Beth Moore |
Rating: 5 Stars |
I was surprised how hard this book is to put down. These are lessons from a blind lady. A must read.
|
| Sherri R |
Rage Therapy by Daniel Kalla |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Although I had not read any of this author's books before. this I will be going to find more of his work. It brings home the fact that what you think you know about a person is really only what they allow you to know. A fast-paced read.
|
| Kellie (acountkel@bellsouth.net) |
The Book of Fred by Abby Bardi |
Rating: 5 Stars |
I know I am enjoying the book when I am frantically skimming sentences to find out what is going to happen next. I thought the story, told by four different characters, was ingenious. Bardi did a very good job changing her style from each character's point of view. You actually felt like you went from inside one head to the other. I thought the religious sect angle was interesting and unique. It was comforting to finally read a book in which the foster child actually has a good experience with the foster family AND the foster family falls in love with the child. I would love to read another book by this author!
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| Patricia A Beaver (pabtrek@excite.com) |
Otherland Volume Two: River of Blue Fire by Tad Williams |
Rating: 5 Stars |
As the title suggests, this is volume two of four of the Otherland series. Tad Williams continues to amaze me with his stories, which are so very different from other authors and each other. It's a thick book, but one that is as enthralling as the first volume.
|
| Kathy Boucher (kboucher@cableone.net) |
Mercy Falls by William Kent Krueger |
Rating: 4 Stars |
A wonderful read full of suspense, realistic characters and an intense plot. Sheriff Cork O'Connor is caught in the center of danger and intrigue, and finds himself going from the backwoods of Northern Minnesota to the high society of Chicago in a fast-moving, gripping tale.
|
| Judy O. |
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak |
Rating: 5 Stars |
This has to be one of my all-time favorite books. It is the story of Liesel Meminger of Poland, who is placed with foster parents in a small village in that country. The Nazis invade Poland, and the little village undergoes great hardship. Through it all, we are treated to the strong spirit of Liesel and all the other people of the village, about whom we have learned to care so much. The writing is absolutely stunning in its poetic beauty. The narrator of the story is Death. It is just a wonderful book.
|
| Judy O. |
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini |
Rating: 5 Stars |
This is a compelling book, which gives a deep look into the grim lives of the women of Afghanistan. It is also the story of a deep friendship between two women who happen to share the same husband. He is a violent, abusive man, and their deep bond with each other helps them cope with their otherwise dreary existence. It also chronicles the upheaval in Afghanistan and shows how the people of that country cope. A great story.
|
| Lori S. |
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides |
Rating: 3 Stars |
I read this book a few months BEFORE it became an Oprah Book. I wasn't surprised when Oprah said it was "the book to read" for the summer, since I find most of her recommendations depressing. In the very beginning of the book, you learn that In about 1974, a female student at a girls school finds herself strangely attracted to another female student. That and the fact that she was not physically developing as the other girls were made her feel she was different. In fact, she wasn't a female, she was a hermaphrodite --- part male and part female. The book goes back to a small village in Greece, to her grandparents in 1922 and on through the Detroil race riots, tracing her genetic abnormality through 8 generations.
It was facinating, at times, but - like I said slow at imes - and - depressing,
|
| Harriet Stay (hstay@hughes.net) |
Bloodlines by Jan Burke |
Rating: 5 Stars |
As I headed out for some camping, I picked up a paperback by an author I've been meaning to try. Wow! What a story. It kept me glued to the pages, and there are plenty --- over 600.
Irene Kelly is a reporter for a newspaper in California and appears to have been featured in five previous books in this series.This begins with a back story, a series of murders where some of the victims were never found ... until 20 years later.
Can't imagine why I waited so long to read Jan Burke's books! Now to hunt for the rest.
|
| Nicole (mike810nicole@aol.com) |
The Art of Mending by Elizabeth Berg |
Rating: 5 Stars |
What a wonderful story! Berg delves into the world of family dynamics and our different perceptions of them as we grow up, not to mention how we deal with them. I truly loved this story and can't wait to read more of her novels.
|
| karen terry (mi3sons@mchsi.com) |
Deep Storm by Lincoln Child |
Rating: 5 Stars |
It is a nonstop edge-of-your-seat book that will have you think about the world we live in. Dr Crane thinks the island of Atlantis has been found, but it is more than he imagined. The danger that awaits will blow him away. One of Lincoln Child's best.
|
| Nicole |
Found by Karen Kingsbury |
Rating: 5 Stars |
I really enjoyed this book! This is book 3 in the Firstborn series.
|
| Eileen Quinn Knight |
After Dark by Haruki Murakami |
Rating: 5 Stars |
This is a fantastic book! The novel takes place between midnight and dawn and focuses on two sisters, Eri and Mari, and a few other characters. The novel intertwines time, space and memory of perspective. It investigates self expression and empathy. It is an extremely moving book. I also read KAFKA ON THE SHORE by the same author. He has incredible range!
|
| Helene |
True Evil by Greg Iles |
Rating: 5 Stars |
One of his best books yet. The story is interesting and suspenseful. I'd recommend this highly to all readers.
|
| Lisa Garrett (lag110@mchsi.com) |
Strange Brew by Kathy Hogan Trochek |
Rating: 4 Stars |
STRANGE BREW is #6 in the Julia Callahan Garrity detective series. You will love Callahan. She owns and runs a cleaning business with the help of Edna, her mother. Callahan is a detective on the side and is always running into trouble, mostly murders. The author also writes as Mary Kay Andrews and has a wonderful sense of humor.
|
| Debbie |
Better Than Chocolate by Bruce Golden |
Rating: 4 Stars |
A futuristic mystery where a Marilyn Monroe "celebudroid" (android) teams up with a policeman to uncover a conspiracy against mankind. It's engaging, funny, sexy, and very entertaining.
|
| Tony Romano (ARomano895@aol.com) |
At The Center of The Storm by George Tenet |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Well written and, in parts, shocking --- this is a highly informative tale of life in the CIA, written in terms that the uninformed person can understand. If you want to know why at times the Country is going to hell, read this book.
|
| Rita Powell |
The Book of Kills by Ralph McInerny |
Rating: 2 Stars |
This did not get interesting until the last quarter of the book. I kept thinking it would get better because I had heard good things about the author. Maybe his other books are better. Take a pass on this one about a university and its problems and a murder.
|
| Debbie Le (deble_2000@yahoo.com) |
Dream When Your're Feeling BLue by Elizabeth Berg |
Rating: 5 Stars |
This is a great book that takes place during World War II in Chicago. I fell in love with the main characters --- three sisters who all have boyfriends that go off to war. They attend dances for the soldiers and write letters to many. There was a twist I never saw coming!
|
| Linda |
Sunrise by Karen Kingsbury |
Rating: 4 Stars |
This is the first book in her latest series, which is a continuation of the Redemption and the Firstborn series.
|
| Jeanie |
If I am Missing or Dead by Janine Latus |
Rating: 2 Stars |
This book was a disappointment. It is more of a family memoir of sisters with a lecherous father and misguided relationships.
|
| Marsha |
The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian |
Rating: 4 Stars |
This novel travels between Gatsby's Long Island and rural New England with a focus on homelessness and mental illness. It is a very different experience.
|
| Nicky |
The Eyre Affaire by Jasper FForde |
Rating: 5 Stars |
This is the first book a series featuring the heroine, Thursday Next, who is a literary detective. The author's sharp wit and devastatingly clever wordplay make this book and those that follow a rollicking good time!!
I've also listened to the audio version and that adds a whole different perspective. Since I'm American, I read in American English, but the audio is read in British English, and so it really brings Thursday and the other characters to life. Enjoy!!
|
| Christy (oltlfreak@aol.com) |
Eye Contact by Cammie McGovern |
Rating: 5 Stars |
An engaging mystery that pulled me in. I read it in one day, stopping only to eat. It gives a good view of the autism world also.
|
| Kay Keller |
Simple Genius by David Baldacci |
Rating: 4 Stars |
Ex-Secret Service Agents Sean King and Michelle Maxwell are once again partners investigating a possible suicide/murder, and end up involved in national/international security issues. Michelle also has more to deal with in this novel because she is recovering from a nervous breakdown! This author knows how to develop characters and write really good suspense.
|
| Terressa Reep |
The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer |
Rating: 4 Stars |
A touching memoir of a young man's coming of age. Believable and easily read.
|
| Sally B., San Antonio TX |
The Book That Changed My Life by Roxanne Coady & Joy Johannessen |
Rating: 4 Stars |
"71 Remarkable Writers Celebrate the Books That Matter Most to Them"
This was a very good book with multiple recommendations that I wrote down. Proceeds from the sale of this book goes to the "Read to Grow" program in Connecticut.
|
| Christy Hawkes (hawkes@citlink.net) |
Blind Alley by Iris Johansen |
Rating: 3 Stars |
BLIND ALLEY is the fifth novel in the continuing story of forensic sculptor Eve Duncan and her husband, Atlanta police detective Joe Quinn. This wasn't my favorite book in this series, but it was still a fast read with plenty of suspense and intrigue.
|
| SueB |
The Piano Tuner: A Novel by Daniel Mason |
Rating: 4 Stars |
It was macho in the way of ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT by Remarque, quirky like Amelie Nothomb's THE BOOK OF PROPER NAMES, and lyrical like Irene Nemirovsky's SUITE FRANCAISE. THE PIANO TUNER by Daniel Mason was short and sweet and said so much.
The most interesting aspect of this novel to me is that Daniel Mason wrote this after spending two years in the jungles of Myanmar (Burma) studying malaria and before beginning medical school in San Francisco. The impetus was hearing a piano playing somewhere on the shores of the Salween River as he made his way by boat.
�The Piano Tuner� is set in Burma at the end of the 1800�s when Britain was in its colonization phase and prior to having control of the whole country, especially the southern Shan states. A Major-Surgeon by the name of Anthony Carroll (reminiscent of Antonio Correlli perhaps?) has set up a clinic in the only British fort in the area and appears to be brokering peace in a non-military fashion that the rest of the army either loves (soldiers) or hates (officers). One of his tools for peace is music (oh dear, this sounds like about four other war novels I�ve read lately) and specifically, piano music. He�s finagled an Erard grand piano into his jungle outpost and now has demanded that the Army supply him with a piano tuner. The finest Erard piano tuner in London is Edgar Drake.
Mr. Drake is commissioned by the army to travel by steamer and train, train and steamer to the jungles of Burma to repair and tune this magnificent instrument and his wife encourages him to go because she sees that this flight out of his own life will add the passion he so desires. The journey is long, arduous and at times perilous and Edgar has never felt more alive. The actual tuning takes relatively little time, but is followed by a bout of malaria, intense scenes of negotiating with the princes in the area for peace, Edgar�s love of a Burmese woman who is already attached to Carroll and then Edgar�s ultimate lack of desire to return home. He is forced to make the return trip when news of an imminent attack on the fort arrives. Unfortunately, Edgar�s wife will never truly know what happens to him since none of the letters he wrote and mailed ever made it out of the country.
�The Piano Tuner� is thoughtful, engaging and thoroughly prone to flights of fancy. The over-arching theme of the story is the fugue, both as a piece of music which Edgar is wont to play and think about; as well as the French origin of the word � flight which Edgar has certainly done by taking flight from his ordinary life. Readers will be enchanted by this exotic fiction based on historical figures and events.
|
| SueB |
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson |
Rating: 3 Stars |
I always wondered what it would be like to consume a panoply of pharmacopoeia while washing it down with booze. Not exactly a "scared straight" adventure, but definitely a head scratcher. How he had enough brain cells left to write the Rolling Stone articles that became this book is far beyond my comprehension. Thompson and his attorney go to Vegas in 1971, ostensibly to write one article about a motorcycle race in the desert and another about a convention of District Attorneys discussing the serious problems of the drug culture. Whether those articles got written, I don't know, but at least he wrote about the experience. This book contained illustrations drawn by Ralph Steadman and if the reader isn't already having nightmares from Thompson's prose, the artwork will finish them off.
|
| SueB |
Faking It by Jennifer Crusie |
Rating: 4 Stars |
Matilda Goodnight comes from a long line (400+ years) of art forgers and fakers, and even now, her claim to fame is that she creates wall murals in homes and businesses of masterworks like Van Gogh's Sunflowers. Unfortunately, a collector has taken an interest in work she did as a child under an assumed name and bought a piece she'd been hiding from the public in her family's art gallery basement. When she attempts to "retrieve" the painting from Clea, the buyer, she encounters Davy, a con man who was bilked out of his money (or mostly his) by Clea's next-to-last boyfriend.
Davy and Matilda join forces to help each other and he wonders what kind of circus he's joined as a colorful cast of characters hustle and bustle through the art gallery and the apartments above the store. Hilarity ensues in the midst of trying to figure who is conning whom, and love does indeed bloom like the sunflowers Tilda paints. The only character that kept confusing me was Steve the dog. I kept thinking that he was one of the many young men flitting in and out until and then remembering he was the dog Tilda adopted from her last mural commission.
Crusie kept me laughing out loud throughout and I read it straight through in a day. What a hoot!
|
| christy (oltlfreak@aol.com) |
Play Dead by David Rosenfelt |
Rating: 5 Stars |
I've always enjoyed David's books before, but loved this one since Reggie the golden retriever was the star!
|
| Dorothy Francis |
Mad Mouse by Chris Grabenstein |
Rating: 5 Stars |
MAD MOUSE has strong characters and a strong plot. It also shows that what goes around, comes around, and that thoughtless unkind acts can boomerang. MAD MOUSE is an 'I can't put it down' book, so take the phone off the hook and read.
|
| Debbie (delphimo@yahoo.com) |
Dinner With Dad by Cameron Stracher |
Rating: 3 Stars |
A self-help book of sorts that describes how a workaholic father re-entered his family via dinner with his wife and children. DINNER WITH DAD takes a "stop and smell the daisies" approach to life, plus acts as a moral commentary on today's lack of family togetherness, and the dire consequences of this.
|
| Sandy |
The Blue Zone by Amdrew Gross |
Rating: 5 Stars |
This book is by the co-author of LIFEGUARD and JUDGE AND JURY. This book has many twists and turns and keeps you guessing.
Of course, the ending is something I never expected. I hope Andrew Gross writes many more books on his own.
|
| Vicky Conradson |
Genghis: Birth of a Nation by Conn Iggulden |
Rating: 4 Stars |
I did not think I would like this book when I first got it, it was a prize for Bookreporter. I found the writing to bring history to life, another culture into focus, and the harshness of the times into existence.
|
| Jen Deja |
The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian |
Rating: 5 Stars |
I was very impressed with the writing style of this mystery. Bohjalian's use of THE GREAT GATSBY and his development of the characters he created kept the ending a total surprise for me. This is one of those books you just can't put down.
|
| Sandy |
Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral by Kris Radish |
Rating: 5 Stars |
The gift given by Annie Freeman to her closest friends occurs when they follow out her plan for a 'traveling funeral'.
This story is at once poignant, funny, heartwarming, and inspiring.
|
| Dodalodle from Beautiful British Columbia (dglg@telus.net) |
The Hour Before Dawn by Sara MacDonald |
Rating: 4 Stars |
THE HOUR BEFORE DAWN is a wonderful story set in Singapore and New Zealand. The mysterious disappearance of a little girl sets up a series of events that will haunt future generations of the family. Fleur is the young daughter of an army colonel stationed in the far East, who falls in love with an army officer. They marry and have twin daughters, Nikki and Saffie. Fleur becomes devastated when her husband is killed, and then soon after, Saffie goes missing. Nikki has always blamed her mother for her sister's disappearance.
Twenty-eight years go by and now Nikki is all grown up and having a baby herself. She still has dreams and is tormented by her sister's disappearance. Fleur has been living in England and now flies to New Zealand to be with Nikki for the arrival of her new grandchild. She hopes to heal the rift between herself and Nikki. En route to New Zealand, Fleur goes missing and Nikki must journey to Singapore to find out what happened to her mother. Back in Singapore, the ghosts of the past surface, and mother and daughter are shocked by what they discover.
This is the moving story of how a family survives the disappearance of a child.
|
| Kellie (acountkel@bellsouth.net) |
Pale Kings & Princes by Robert B. Parker |
Rating: 4 Stars |
PALE KINGS & PRINCES is the 14th installment in the Spenser series, which I love because of its characters. Spenser is my favorite.
In this book, an editor from a newspaper hires Spenser to find out who killed their young reporter in Wheaton, Mass. It is rumored that Wheaton is heavy into cocaine trafficking. Spenser, as always, comes in like a bear and doesn't make friends. But in this case, the local police seem to be on the take as well. There weren't any ground breaking surprises in the personal story of Spenser. He is still with Susan and they are tighter than ever. She even helps him on the case. Hawk, as always, comes to the rescue and seems to appear and disappear like the wind.
I am totally hooked on this series. These are quick and fun mysteries that always keep me coming back for more.
|
| Sher |
The 6th Horseman by James Patterson |
Rating: 5 Stars |
I am recommending all of James Patterson's books; he has a series with the same characters that is really awesome. His paragraphs are short, and it helps you read the book faster because you just can't put it down. He is a terrific writer.
|
| Marsha |
The Overlook by Michael Connelly |
Rating: 4 Stars |
This mystery focuses on missing radioactive substances that could pose a danger to Los Angeles. Conflict between the FBI and the LAPD bring a frantic pace to the investigation.
I would have liked to see a little more personal insight into the life of Harry Bosch. He is a most interesting character to those of us who have followed him from the beginning.
|
| Donna |
The Grail Conspiracy by Lynn Sholes & Joe Moore |
Rating: 4 Stars |
If you love books by Steve Berry and Dan Brown, you will love this one too. The search for the Holy Grail is an exciting adventure and definitely worth reading.
|
| Donna |
The 6th Target by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro |
Rating: 5 Stars |
If you love the Women's Murder Club series, you have to read this one. There are two cases going on at the same time and lots of excitement. This is another great addition to the series.
|
| Mary Jacobs (mljacobsinhb@msn.com) |
Hot Flashes and Cold Cream by Diann Hunt |
Rating: 4 Stars |
Aging Chick Lit -- how the over-40 and approaching-menopause set learns to deal with life and changes. This book has some very funny moments.
|
| Mary Jacobs (mljacobsinhb@msn.com) |
Engaging Men by Lynda Curnyn |
Rating: 4 Stars |
A very fun book. It's chick lit that deals with the issues of choice and what is best for you.
|
| Carole from Nevada (leonebear@aol.com) |
Every Visible Thing by Lisa Carey |
Rating: 3 Stars |
Once again, Carey delves into the complexity of family. The book is dark,brooding and complex.
|
| Jeanie (kary1716@aol.com) |
Love in the Present Tense by Catherine Ryan Hyde |
Rating: 5 Stars |
I was totally mesmerized by this book and Hyde's writing style. It's the story of Pearl who had "forever love" for her son, Leonard. Pearl had to leave him with a neighbor, Mitchell, to raise him, but her love stayed near him always.
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| Mary Jacobs (mljacobsinhb@msn.com) |
Girl's Guide To Witchcraft by Mindy Klasky |
Rating: 4 Stars |
Very cute paranormal Chick Lit with believable characters and excellent writing. I think it is being developed into a series, which would be great news.
|
| Debbie (delphimo@yahoo.com) |
I Heard That Song Before by Mary Higgins Clark |
Rating: 4 Stars |
I always enjoy Clark's stories of the wealthy and their secrets. This involves a murder and a suspected suicide over 20 years ago and what brings two unlikely people together. I really like the detective, who seems to turn up working for everyone. Nicholas Greco needs a little more development and might be features in a series.
|
| Sharon |
Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee |
Rating: 4 Stars |
A coming-of-age novel with a cultural twist.
This would have been a great beach read.
|
| Dena |
The Husband by Dean Koontz |
Rating: 4 Stars |
I couldn't put it down. It's one of Koontz's better novels. Not only is it a thriller, I think it's also a romance. Mitch's wife has been kidnapped. He owns a small landscaping service, not the typical kidnapping victim. They want 2 million dollars and Mitch will do anything he can to get her back. There are some shocking surprises along the way.
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| Nicole H. (mike810nicole@aol.com) |
Secret Lives of Second Wives by Catherine Todd |
Rating: 3 Stars |
This was an interesting enough light read about a woman who is trying to find her place in a ready made, established family. It isn't always easy being the newcomer to an established "group." It was nice to know that I wasn't alone in some of my feelings.
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| Mary Jacobs (mljacobsinhb@msn.com) |
The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Excellent debut about a PI family that is very well written and full of humor and drama. Fans of Janet Evanovich and Christopher Moore should love this book since the writing style seems to be a cross between the two. I really hope the author continues to write about this group of characters.
|
| Jackie Stott |
The Alibi Man by Tami Hoag |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Tami Hoag has outdone herself. Obviously, I am a big fan and if you love murder and querulous, quarrelsome characters with some money and sex thrown in, this is the book for you. Hoag tells a great story, but she also delves into her characters' feelings and their pasts, which make things more interesting for me.
|
| Rita Carter (gandmari@aol.com) |
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls |
Rating: 5 Stars |
A coming-of-age story and a book about a boy and his hunting dogs. An old, classic story of love and devotion. Great for all!
|
| Kellie (acountkel@bellsouth.net) |
Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney |
Rating: 4 Stars |
I found this book to be frustrating and sad. At first, I thought the unnamed main character was your typical yuppie who is caught up in Manhattan's fast-paced, drug- induced night life because that is what young and unattached adults do. But then, you find out his wife has just left him. That's bad enough. And then you find out his mother died within the past year. His lifestyle makes more sense after these events. It is his way of coping with his loses.
I thought the writing was clever, but maybe too clever. Some readers found humor in it, and there were some witty parts. Tad's mission in life is to have more fun than anyone else in New York City, and this involves a lot of moving around, since there is always the likelihood that where you aren't is more fun than where you are. I wouldn't classify this book as "funny" however. I think the writer found an interesting way of describing how a young guy, living in a fast-paced world of the 80s, is dealing with loss and loneliness.
|
| Noreen Brown |
Full of Grace by Dorothea Benton Frank |
Rating: 4 Stars |
This book is good. It has everything --- romance, comedy, sorrow, big Italian meals, religion, medical situations,travel, and an off-the-wall family.
|
| Julia |
Diary of a South Beach Party Girl by Gwen Cooper |
Rating: 5 Stars |
I first picked up this book expecting, from the title, some fun and fluffy chick lit. DIARY OF A SOUTH BEACH PARTY GIRL is definitely really fun, but it's also so much more than that. It's witty and moving and the writing is gorgeous. This is a great insider's look at South Beach nightlife and also a great coming-of-age story. There's also a great love story, maybe the best I've ever read. I couldn't put this book down and I recommend it highly.
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| Judy Goldsmith (judyjtg@sbcglobal.net) |
How to Be Alone by Jonathan Franzen |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Jonathan made me think!
|
| L. Hann |
Ten Big Ones by Janet Evanovich |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Stephanie and Lula end up in gang territory while looking for a skip. Big mistake. Stephanie is scared for her life and hides out in the Bat Cave. She is hoping Ranger won't find out since he is out of town. But we all know that Ranger has that sixth sense. Evanovich brings Sally back into this one. Find out what crazy things he is up to and who is planning Valarie's wedding.
|
| L. Hann |
To The Nines by Janet Evanovich |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Stephanie Plum is at it again. This time, she's looking for an illegal immigrant and a dog named Boo. Stephanie, Lula and Connie take the show on the road to Vegas!!! Connie may have gotten married while they were there, she isn't sure. Lula is on an all-meat diet. She wants to be a supermodel. And, life is crazy in the Plum house as usual. This one will have you in stitches.
|
| Julie |
Body Surfing by Anita Shreve |
Rating: 4 Stars |
Wonderfully written. This is a novel about a woman who answers an ad in the newspaper for a tutor for the summer in New Hampshire. She is newly widowed and is trying to start over. What she encounters there tears the fragile existence she has slowly built up for herself.
|
| Jean A |
The Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld |
Rating: 5 Stars |
This first work of fiction by the author is great. It's a mystery and has everything: romance, suspense, humor and one of the most hateful characters (but is he the killer?) in literature. Add to that a wonderful plot twist and you've got a real winner that is near impossible to put down.
|
| Ron G |
Bolt by Dick Francis |
Rating: 5 Stars |
I've read about five Dick Francis mysteries and all are worth 5 stars. What makes this one so hard to put down is the villain of the plot. He is one of the baddest characters I've ever come across in modern fiction. He has no redeeming characteristics and will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
Warning: you may not want to read this book if you are susceptible to high blood pressure. The bad guy sure got my blood boiling.
|
| Marianne |
The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz |
Rating: 4 Stars |
What a fun read. THE SPELLMAN FILES is about a family of P.I.'s in San Francisco and their rather odd quirks. It focuses on Isabel, her parents, her "perfect" brother, her little sister, Rae, and her old/new Uncle Ray. I couldn't put it down and it put a big smile on my face! Can't wait for the next installment.
|
| Jeremiah Bulger (jbulger@cox.net) |
The Overlook by Michael Connelley |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Riveting and timely, but I wish the book was longer. It's that good!
|
| Sandy |
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith |
Rating: 5 Stars |
I listened this one on tape and it was wonderful! I think it would be best to listen to an audio book to best understand how things are really pronounced in South Africa. I have just started the next in this series.
|
| Fran |
She Drives Me Crazy by Leslie Kelly |
Rating: 3 Stars |
This book was very cute and predictable. Fans of chick lit will enjoy it.
|
| Fifi O'Toole (FifiOToole@aol.com) |
The Lucas Davenport Mysteries by John Sandford |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Over the years, I've thoroughly enjoyed every single one of Sandford's Lucas Davenport books, so when I saw his latest one on display at the bookseller, I decided to re-read the entire series this summer, in order of publish date.
Sandford is a master of suspense, and rewards his readers by making them feel as though they actually know his characters.
|
| Lori Barnes (photoquest@bellsouth.net) |
Daddy by Danielle Steel |
Rating: 5 Stars |
I was honestly appalled at the mother in this story --- of the choices she made --- and felt deeply for the father. The love he had for his family was admirable. Some moments made me cry, and there was a lot of drama, so your attention never left the story. I know this was adapted to a movie, but the book is definitely much better!
|
| Marion Miller (lamamil@aol.com) |
Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld |
Rating: 4 Stars |
This is a coming-of age-at Prep-School story. I find it amazing that the author can become a teenager with such logic and insight.
|
| Myrna |
Sister of My Heart by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni |
Rating: 4 Stars |
I'm enjoying this book so far. It's the story, which takes place in India, of two cousins who are as close as sisters growing up. Their lives will go in different directions as adults, and a family secret will be revealed.
|
| Bridget |
Dark Angels by Karlene Koen |
Rating: 5 Stars |
I see this book being advertised every time I visit Bookreporter.com. I read it when it first came out last fall. It's probably one of the best historical fiction novels I've ever read. I really hope the author writes a sequel to it!
|
| Jen Mulsow |
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith |
Rating: 5 Stars |
I just reread this book after many years and forgot how much I loved it.
I will have to go back and read the whole series again. I just love that everything is very calm and there is a proper way to do things. Precious is a great character that you can't help but love.
|
| Denise |
Prayer by Phillip Yancy |
Rating: 3 Stars |
I am enjoying PRAYER, as it is helping me put certain things into perspective, which should alleviate some of the frustration that praying can sometimes bring about.
|
| Christy Hawkes (hawkes@citlink.net) |
Shoot the Moon by Billie Letts |
Rating: 5 Stars |
After reading Ms. Letts' previous two books, WHERE THE HEART IS and THE HONK AND HOLLER OPENING SOON I anticipated reading SHOOT THE MOON and I'm happy to say I was not disappointed. This book, like the other two, is set in Oklahoma and has a cast of characters just as quirky and intriguing. However, unlike the previous two books, this novel is a murder mystery and the cast is darker and more suspicious, with interesting ulterior motives. It is a fast-paced read with a plot that will pull you in and leave you stunned with some of the twists and turns. I highly recommend this exciting and thrilling book.
|
| Christy Hawkes (hawkes@citlink.net) |
Triple Witch by Sarah Graves |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Ms. Graves has done it again with another great story. The characters are charming and likable (though some are not so likable) and live in a community that makes you want to relocate to. I'm looking forward to reading the next Jacobia Tiptree mystery.
|
| Laurie Blum (laurieblum@hotmail.com) |
Lucky Strike by Nancy Zafris |
Rating: 3 Stars |
A good summer read --- it's light, full of good laughs, thought-provoking issues and characters!
|
| Reva Wamsley (prwamsley@roadrunner.com) |
Four to Score by Janet Evanovich |
Rating: 4 Stars |
I have recently discovered this series about Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter. They combine humor and mystery, two of my favorite things. I find them hard to put down.
|
| C.Simar |
Corpus Christi by Bret Anthony Johnston |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Fascinating characters.
|
| C. Simar |
Blood Meridian by Cormack McCarthy |
Rating: 4 Stars |
A great read.
|
| C. Simar |
The Beet Queen by Louise Erdrich |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Extremely well written.
|
| Cindy Dietz |
TWILIGHT and NEW MOON by Stephanie Meyer |
Rating: 5 Stars |
These are probably the best YA novels I've ever read. I was unable to let go of the characters after I'd finished the books! Everyone I've recommended them to has had exactly the same reaction, girls and guys alike. I can't keep this book on the shelves in my high school library (I have 5 copies of each). My students have even started a reading club --- the first one ever at our school --- because of these books! If I could give them more than 5 stars, I would. We are impatiently waiting for the 3rd book in the series, EXLIPSE, to be released in July.
|
| Vicki Kennedy |
The Lost Constitution by William Martin |
Rating: 4 Stars |
The story is intriguing, with lots of action as it goes back and forth from the past to the present. It�s well written and entertaining and I enjoyed it.
|
| Shana D. |
A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon |
Rating: 5 Stars |
It's always enjoyable to read a Diana Gabaldon book. This is 6th in the series about 18th-century Highlander Jamie Fraser and his time-traveling doctor wife, Claire, now living at the beginning of the American Revolution. Details of everyday life and the start of the war are masterfully woven into historical events. Various storylines and mysteries wrap up by the end of the book, but unanswered questions in the family saga leave me eager to read the next installment.
|
| Bridget |
Black and White by Dani Shapiro |
Rating: 2 Stars |
This book was all about a woman's estrangement from her family. I found the character in this novel to be flawed. She has good reasons for never wanting to see her mother again, but the climax and resolution of this book were just too hard to swallow.
|
| Joan G. |
Gloss by Jennifer Oko |
Rating: 3 Stars |
GLOSS is the story of a young woman, Annabelle Kapner, who is a producer for a morning news show. She produces a story that she never thought would land her in jail. Her arrest is a cover for a dark operation involving the CIA and the vice president. From jail, she is out to prove her innocence and help the teenage girls who are used as cosmetic guinea pigs. This book had a slow start, but it improves somewhat as the plot develops.
|
| Emorie |
Bittersweet Diary by Saundra Seward |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Highly recommended for women of all ages, especially teens! There is no excuse for anyone to settle in self pity after reading this book! This is truly movie material!!!!!!!
|
| Sue L. |
Trace Evidence by Elizabeth Becka |
Rating: 3 Stars |
This book takes a bit of time to get into, but isn't half bad. It's not what I am used to reading, but when I could find nothing else, it fit the bill.
|
| Peggy |
The Lost Constitution by William Martin |
Rating: 4 Stars |
Besides reading a great suspense novel about a hunt for an American Historical document, you get the characters from Mr. Martin's previous novels, BACK BAY and HARVARD YARD. Another plus is you get an American History lesson as well and one that is anything but boring. Great book to read at the beach this summer.
|
| M. Blitz |
Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind |
Rating: 5 Stars |
STONE OF TEARS is the second book in the Sword of Truth Series. What a book! Love, betrayal, wars, magic, and mystery are all in this book. Go for it and you won't be disappointed.
|
| Roxie |
Whitegirl by Kate Manning |
Rating: 3 Stars |
Actually 3.5 *, would have been 4* but the ending left me frustrated. It's a book about a bi-racial couple and the stresses their races have on each other.
|
| Roxie |
The Water and the Blood by Nancy E. Turner |
Rating: 4 Stars |
This book is set during World War II and it shows the effects of women going into the workforce. It also involves the racial tension of the times. A very good read!
|
| Roxie |
Sleep Toward Heaven by Amanda Eyre Ward |
Rating: 4 Stars |
A very good story told from 3 different viewpoints, a woman on death row, the wife of the man she killed, and the doctor who takes care of her in prison.
|
| Dr Carol (pageant4u@hotmail.com) |
Deadly American Beauty by John Glatt |
Rating: 5 Stars |
This is a great true crime book! It is about a smart, beautifu, and very manipulative woman who ends up getting a job in an ME's office and marries a bio-tech executive after meeting him for 1 night. Kristin also has extramarital affairs with her boss and eventually begins poisoning her husband so she can be with her lover. She is also very addicted to drugs, which she steals from the ME's lab. This was a great read that I couldn't put down.
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| Dr Carol (pageant4u@hotmail.com) |
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini |
Rating: 5 Stars |
From the author of THE KITE RUNNER, this book will make you cry, get angry and it will also give you information about lifestyles of women in Afghanistan. This is the story of Laila and Miriam, two women who were born out of wedlock and disowned by their families. The book talks about the war, the treatment of women as second-class citizens and obeying the rule of males.
The Afghan refugee crisis is real and getting worse every day --- people were innocently killed, maimed and raped, all in the name of justice.
This was a great book! I couldn't put it down and was sorry when I finished reading it.
|
| Brady (bradylee@myway.com) |
Child of the Jungle by Sabine Kuegler |
Rating: 5 Stars |
The author and her brother and sister lived with their parents on a remote island in West Papua New Guinea. Her entire childhood was played out in the jungle among a tribe of savages with most unusual social mores. This is her story of how wonderful her life was as a child and the fun she had "outside" of civilization. You will learn about the jungle and how life is lived by the natives.
|
| Dawnymae |
Sisters by Danielle Steel |
Rating: 4 Stars |
An anniversary brings this quad of sisters together. A tragedy takes place and what happens after is truly heartbreaking.
|
| Ricki (rickimc@aol.com) |
Volunteers by Helen Little |
Rating: 4 Stars |
A very informative (and short) book useful for anyone who works with volunteers.
|
| Michele from Arizona |
A Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier |
Rating: 4 Stars |
Brockmeier is one of the most original voices to come along in some time. His 3rd novel is a fast read -- intriguing and thought-provoking. A fast-moving plague has spread across the planet. The dead continue exist in an afterlife called "the city." They continue on until the last person on Earth to remember them dies. As the disease spreads across the Earth, the number of "city" dwellers dwindles.
In a parallel storyline, wildlife researcher Laura is stranded at her crippled Antarctica research station. Cut off from the rest of the world and unaware of the plague, she sets out across the frozen wilderness to seek rescue. Her memories sustain a group of city inhabitants, and reminds the reader of the connections we make with others every day and their significance.
|
| Susan Dawson |
The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant |
Rating: 5 Stars |
An excellent novel. The narration by the main character, Alessandra Cecchi. beginning when she is only 15 years old, propelled me into Florence of the Renaissance --- a time of great cultural and religious change.
|
| Marjorie Clark (marjclark@comcast.net) |
The Camel Club by David Baldacci |
Rating: 4 Stars |
Great book, even though I read THE COLLECTORS first, which led me to want to know more about the four guys who make up the Camel Club.
I recommend this to anyone who likes thrillers/mysteries that revolve around our government in the Capitol.
|
| Anna Marie |
Love and Louis XIV by Antonia Fraser |
Rating: 4 Stars |
This book transports you to the delights and excesses of the French Court at a time when Versailles was becoming the show place of the age, and explores all the women who shaped it and Louis's reign.
|
| Christy Hawkes (hawkes@citlink.net) |
The Sweet Potato Queens' 1st Big-Ass Novel by Jill Conner Browne with Karin Gillespie |
Rating: 5 Stars |
This was the first book by Ms. Browne that I've read and I would have to say it was a delight. A genuine page turner that will hook you from the first page. It is filled with plenty of humor and charm to keep you smiling throughout. This is a great story of childhood misfits that band together and form a lifelong friendship as they comfort and support one another through good times and bad. I highly recommend this easy and fun read, and I look forward to reading more of the Sweet Potato Queen books, as well as trying some of the delicious (and deadly) - sounding recipes.
|
| Linda M. Johnson |
Where Have All the Leaders Gone? by Lee Iacocca |
Rating: 4 Stars |
Of course, Iacocca shares my political views, so I was halfway in his camp before I opened the cover. I appreciate his straight talk. Now if some in Washington will just listen to the man!
|
| Eileen Quinn Knight |
The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard |
Rating: 4 Stars |
This is a great suspense novel. The three main characters in the book have to come to grips with an event that took place over seventeen years ago. The intrigue is great. The novel deals with innocence and love. It is a book you won't forget.
|
| Helen |
The Birth House by Ami McKay |
Rating: 4 Stars |
I haven't finished it yet so couldn't give it a 5, but so far, it is a great read. It is a powerful book of birth, love, sex and pain. Ami has a delightful sense of humor that had me laughing out loud more than once.
|
| Tracey Byram |
The Sweet Potato Queen's First Big Assed Novel by Jill Conner Browne |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Truly a funny book. I laughed out loud numerous times while reading it. I saw myself, I saw my friends, I saw my own daughters in the characters and situations in the book. I could totally relate, as a Southerner myself. But you don't have to be Southern to love this book.
|
| Valerie Wiesner |
One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson |
Rating: 5 Stars |
This book is another wonderful story by this talented author. (She also wrote CASE HISTORIES) It is not only a mystery; it is an in-depth personality study of several different people, and the way Ms. Atkinson weaves elements of the plot seamlessly through the book makes for a very interesting and intriguing book.
|
| Dawnymae |
Step On A Crack by James Patterson |
Rating: 4 Stars |
Very intense! A group, led by Jack, kills the President's wife. At her state funeral with lots of celebrities, they take them all hostage, and the nightmare truly begins. A real page-turner.
|
| Joyce |
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult |
Rating: 5 Stars |
I could not put NINETEEN MINUTES down! It was one of the most gripping books I have read in a long time. The characters seemed very real and I also felt like I personally knew them. Read this book, you will be glad you did.
|
| Bonnie Cooper |
Storm Runners by T. Jefferson Parker |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Both my husband and I love T. Jefferson Parker. We're so glad we discovered him via Bookreporter.com!
|
| MK |
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley |
Rating: 4 Stars |
In Mary Shelley's intricately designed novel FRANKENSTEIN, she thoroughly exemplifies man's brutal nature and the equally horrifying consequences of "playing God."
Frankenstein, commonly but mistakenly depicted as the monster, is the overly-devoted scientist intent on granting life to that which has no life; in the end, though, he realizes the devastating nature of creating a being that has no soul.
Mary Shelley brings to life an ongoing conflict with symbolism and themes masterfully entwined. Although the plot moves slowly at times, it is a good read that will have the reader thinking throughout.
|
| Dave |
The Age of Napoleon by Alistair Horne |
Rating: 5 Stars |
A brief, wonderfully written history of Napoleon's two-decade rule of France, and his contributions that continue today.
|
| Patricia C. |
In the Dark of the Night by John Saul |
Rating: 4 Stars |
I love John Saul, he always keeps me on the edge of my seat. This story is scary and dramatic. It makes you wonder about renting a summer home.
|
| Dawnie83 |
The Doctor's Wife by Elizabeth Brundage |
Rating: 4 Stars |
It took several chapters for me to get into it, but once I did, once the depths of the story started to unfold, I couldn't put it down. And when I had to, I found myself thinking about it, mulling it over, and over, and over, until I could get back to it. An awesome read... a real "thinker."
|
| Dave |
The Lost Constitution by William Martin |
Rating: 5 Stars |
If you like historical fiction and enjoy a good thriller with a New England flavor, this just might be an enjoyable book for you. I enjoy this author very much.
|
| Christy Hawkes (hawkes@citlink.net) |
Gideon by Jacquelyn Frank |
Rating: 5 Stars |
With her second published book so far, Ms. Frank is at the top of my pre-order list. GIDEON, the next book in The Nightwalker series, was as wonderful as JACOB. I just love the characters she has created. Gideon and Legna's story is very emotional and I was thrilled to see Jacob and Isabella prominently still featured along with Noah, Elijah, etc. and a whole new cast of characters too. You will find yourself pulled into this alternate world and wanting more. I'm looking forward to reading Elijah and Siena's story, and am counting the days until this next book is released.
|
| K Peters |
Running From Safety by Richard Bach |
Rating: 4 Stars |
A very good read with a solid plot. It's one I've read again and again.
|
| Sharon |
Water Like a Stone by Deborah Crombie |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Mystery and suspense that never stops. Great characters and vivid descriptions of the locales.
|
| Linda Bass (lindarb49@hotmail.com) |
Ghost of a Chance by J. Morgan |
Rating: 5 Stars |
I've never laughed so hard in my life as when Jessica took on the devil as a ghost.
|
| Sandra F. |
The Cat Who Saw Stars by Lilian Jackson Braun |
Rating: 3 Stars |
This long-running series of books featuring KoKo and YumYum never fails to amuse. A pleasant read.
|
| SRuth |
Desire in the Sun by Karen Robards |
Rating: 4 Stars |
Ms. Robards has been writing gritty suspense novels with a touch of romance for the last decade or more, but she started out writing historical romances. This is one of them. I read it to see if the older books measured up to the present ones, and this one certainly does. The story takes place in 1792 when a young shipping owner from England comes to give his unknown grandfather a letter from his deceased mother. This opens a whole can of worms since it appears that the grandfather sent away his mistress after she had a daughter. His wife's great-niece has just fallen in love with the handsome and winsome ship's captain when the grandfather dies of shock. He never expected to see any member of his mistress's family again. She had not only been his mistress but also his slave and his grandson suddenly finds himself branded a slave and in chains. He is put up for sale at the slave auction and the young woman buys him. They have to go through many adventures before they can finally be together openly in England: the daughter of a Caribbean planter and the grandson of an octoroon slave who never in his wildest dreams suspected that 1/32 of him was black, which made him the lowliest of the low: a field slave, a thing to be bought and sold.
Ms Robards depicts the frustration and disbelief of a successful white man who is suddenly declared a slave and the white woman, daughter of a slaveholder who becomes an outcast because of her love for him. Even in this day, it is a powerful indictment of slavery.
|
| Sandra F. |
The Last Kashmiri Rose by Barbara Cleverly |
Rating: 4 Stars |
An excellent mystery set in British India in 1922. It is a story about a series of murders of the wives of British officers stationed in India.
|
| Sandra F. |
The Pesthouse by Jim Crace |
Rating: 3 Stars |
This is a story of America in a future where toxins have made the country uninhabitable. The few remaining survivors travel to the sea to take ship for Europe. I like Jim Crace's books, but this one was just too dark for me.
|
| Sandra F. |
Map of Bones by James Rollins |
Rating: 4 Stars |
Want a good thriller that keeps you reading far into the night? Pick a James Rollins book. This is the story of stolen relics of the Magi, and it's filled with murder, religion, etc.
|
| Becky Cruz (ABamaBecky@aol.com) |
Shattered Vows by Jasmine Cresswell |
Rating: 4 Stars |
A good read for the romance fan. Set in London, the DeWildes stores have helped brides realize the fantasy of their special day. When, after 32 years of marriage, Grace and Jeffrey DeWilde divorce, their children step in and grab the reins.
|
| Becky Cruz (ABamaBecky@aol.com) |
Humorous Happenings in Holy Places by Barbara Eubanks |
Rating: 5 Stars |
This is a great collection of anecdotes and devotionals by a minister's wife. Mrs. Eubanks is from my home state of Alabama and shares a wonderful collection of true stories from her years in the church. Some will make you cry and some will make you laugh out loud.
|
| Rachael |
Fear No Evil by Allison Brennan |
Rating: 5 Stars |
This is the most exciting, thrilling, suspenseful book that I've read in a long time. Excellent!
|
| Sandra F. |
Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde |
Rating: 5 Stars |
This series of books featuring Thursday Next is the greatest. This is the second in the series following THE EYRE AFFAIR. This is for anyone who loves books about books.
|
| Kellie (acountkel@bellsouth.net) |
The Edge by Dick Francis |
Rating: 4 Stars |
I forget how good Dick Francis mysteries are. This book had a great plot. Tor Kelsey works for the British Jockey Club and is asked to take a Transcontinental Canadian Train from Toronto to Vancouver with a bunch of horses, their owners, their grooms and a mystery tour. Disguised as a waiter, Kelsey is watching a villain the Club has been trying to catch for years. Julious Appollo Filmer is suspected of murder, but it was never proven. So, Kelsey is trying to catch him in an act of law breaking so he can be banished from racing forever. What he doesn’t know is that he will actually enjoy the ride himself, even if he is a lowly waiter. I was given a Dick Francis book by my Aunt because she knew I liked horses. And yes, Francis’s books are loaded with information on them. But, the mystery in these books are some of the best. It’s been a while since I have engaged in a Dick Francis mystery. After reading this, it has me anxious to get lost in another.
|
| roncrymom |
The Wilde Women by Paula Wall |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Paula Wall gets you hooked in the first three sentences of this story about two sisters, their lives, loves, their beautiful reclusive mother, and the small town where they live. I think this could be one of the best books I have read this year. Many times I found myself laughing out loud, or at least grinning.
|
| Dorothy Francis |
Cold-Case Killer by Dorothy Brenner Francis |
Rating: 5 Stars |
I had fun writing this book and I hope everyone enjoys reading it. The setting is Key West --- my home away from home and a place that I really enjoy.
|
| Carol |
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson |
Rating: 5 Stars |
A truly amazing historical figure!
|
| Carol |
The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Different men, different problems. Who will Irina end up with?
|
| Julie Peterson (jpeterson1108@comcast.net) |
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini |
Rating: 5 Stars |
I loved THE KITE RUNNER and I couldn't wait to read Hosseini's next book. I didn't think it could be as good of a read his previous novel, but I was so wrong! I absolutely loved the book and didn't want it to end. It was an extremely moving story of two Afghan women. I felt so much pain for them. The book was beautifully written too. I am so very grateful to have the life I have as an American woman.
|
| Karen Decker |
Hallelujah by J. S. Featherstone |
Rating: 5 Stars |
I quickly learned to pay attention to every sentence as this novel unfolded. The smallest details would be made significant later on. I admire and enjoy the author's ability to create images, sounds and smells by mere words. The author invited me into the lives of dear people, his characters. I cared about their happiness and rejoiced in their blessings. Their hearts touched mine. I am a better person for the experience.
|
| Vicki Lynn Hale |
Ace of Spades by David Matthews |
Rating: 5 Stars |
A very moving memoir about growing up biracial in 1980s Baltimore, choosing --- at times --- to pass for white, and later learning to embrace his rich heritage as a black man.
|
| Genie |
Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Desiderata Hollow is a good godmother. When Death calls on her, she has to quickly pick a successor. Suspecting something is amiss, Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg decide to go to visit Desiderata's cottage. Meanwhile, Magrat receives a package delivered to her door. She has inherited Desiderata's magic wand, and with it, a note instructing her to take the wand, go to Genua and prevent Emberella from getting married to the prince. She is further instructed not to allow, under any circumstances, Granny Weatherwax or Nanny Ogg access to the wand.
When Nanny Ogg and Granny Weatherwax recover from the shock of Magrat's new title, they learn about her important assignment and decide that they must accompany her. Genua is a city far away and part of a much different culture (very similar to New Orleans, as it turns out). And so, these four travelers (Nanny brings her cat, Greebo, along) set off for a foreign land, encountering terrifying numerous innkeepers, and innocent and not so innocent bystanders along the way.
They ride their broomsticks into Genua and set about the assigned task to rescue Emberella. They arrive in Genua during the Fat Lunchtime Festival and see that it is a wonderful city similar to New Orleans. The food is great, everyone seems to be part of stories that always come true and usually with a required happy ending. Thanks to Nanny, they immediately team up with a Voodoo witch who sees to it that they cross paths with the other godmother (also claiming to be "the good one") who lives there.
WITCHES ABROAD makes fun of everything, from the travelers themselves to fairy tales. Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Margrat are true stars in this tale. Its one of the best of the Discworld series.
|
| Christy Hawkes (hawkes@citlink.net) |
Sexy Beast II by Kate Douglas, Kathleen Dante and Noelle Mack |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Kate Douglas delivers another "howlingly" good read with "Chanku Fallen", the next book in the Chanku series. I love her Wolfie Tales and I've already pre-ordered WOLF TALES IV.
"Fantasie" by Noelle Mack is an interesting read set in a mysterious, voyeuristic castle in France.
Kathleen Dante's "Call of the Wild" is a sexy read with a wolf-shifting Sheriff and his mate, Deanna Lycan.
All three of the "Beastie" stories in this anthology are fun, far-out, romantic reads.
|
| Christy Hawkes (hawkes@citlink.net) |
Where The Heart Is by Billie Letts |
Rating: 5 Stars |
I don't know how I ever missed reading this book before now! This story about love, friendship, and strength created more emotions for me than I've ever
experienced in a novel. One minute I was crying and then the next minute I was laughing. Ms. Letts has created one-of-a-kind characters that will be with me for a long time, and a story that has touched my heart. I highly recommend this book!
|
| Mary Schreiner |
Peony In Love by Lisa See |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Excellent book. This story is unforgettable. I have read other books by Lisa See (SNOWFLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN and ON GOLD MOUNTAIN) and this is, by far, her best novel yet.
|
| Sharron |
Dream When You're Feeling Blue by Elizabeth Berg |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Berg always managed to capture her characters and in this case, the time. Set during World War II, a family that includes 3 young women go through the trials of being left behind by young men fighting the war. The family does its part and Berg really lets you experience the sacrifices and dedication the "home front" experienced to support the troops. We might learn a valuable lesson!
|
| Tim Barnes (btv01@bellsouth.net) |
Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks |
Rating: 5 Stars |
This story takes place in a small coastal town of Rodanthe, North Carolina. This story flows perfectly from beginning to end. It will tug at your emotions and cause you to think about life. I had never read anything by Nicholas sparks but I know I picked a good book to start with, and this one will lead to another read. You will not be disappointed by the story.
|
| Brady (bradylee@myway.com) |
Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez |
Rating: 5 Stars |
If you want to know how wonderful the U.S. is, you should read this book. If you want to utter extreme prejudices, read this book. If you wish to know about daily life in Afghanistan and the very strange social demands of citizens, you will learn it all in a most entertaining way by reading this book.
A female is a non-entity in this society and if a wife is killed by her husband, it is a non-issue with the government. This story is amazing.
|
| Judith Oldner (jkayeoldner@yahoo.com) |
The Chrysalis by Heather Terrell |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Midway through, I couldn't put the book down until the last page was read. This was a fantastic story!
|
| Linda Scott (scott2@einetwork.net) |
Glass Devil by Helene Tursten |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Translated from Swedish, this is about Detective Inspector Huss, and it's really an excellent story. It grabs your interest and made me want to go and find its predecessor.
|
| Corinna |
Go Ask Alice by Annonymous |
Rating: 4 Stars |
So far, so good. I have heard so many things about this book and wanted to read it. It is a diary written by a young teenage girl who goes through typical things but also has to deal with drugs. It has been very interesting to see how her mind works in different situations...
|
| Linda Scott (scott2@einetwork.net) |
The Overlook by Michael Connelly |
Rating: 5 Stars |
THE OVERLOOK is the latest in Connelly's series about Hieronymus Bosch, a detective in Homicide in the L.A.P.D. This was an excellent story! The FBI and Bosch's old girlfriend, Rachel, get involved. Antique thieves become murderous. Excellent plot.
|
| SamanthaJ3 |
City of Shadows by Ariana Franklin |
Rating: 5 Stars |
If you enjoy a good mystery, and if you like historical fiction, this book combines both elements into a stunning historical mystery novel. Set in Berlin in the period between the two world wars, readers find themselves immersed in a world that reflects the scarred beauty of Europe as it hangs poised between one major conflict and its next confrontation with the world.
The characters are three dimensional and easy to love, even when their actions are somewhat mysterious or even just somewhat wrong.
Don't turn ahead to the last pages, or you'll ruin the best part of the mystery.
It's available in paperback. Don't miss it!
|
| Lori S. |
Haunted by Heather Graham |
Rating: 4 Stars |
A combination romance, mystery, and ghost story. Heather Graham's is no Stephen King in the eerie genre, but her books grab you and keep you interested until the end.
|
| Lori S. |
Bag of Bones by Stephen King |
Rating: 5 Stars |
One of King's most haunting novels, I just re-read it after many years. 4 years after his wife's death, Mike Noonan --- a writer unable to write and plagued by nightmares --- returns to his summerhouse, Sara Laughs, where he becomes involved in a millionare's obsession in trying to steal his granddaughter from her mother. As he becomes more involved, he is also drawn into the ghostly hauntings and terrors now occurring in Sara Laughs.
This is not simply an unnerving ghost story , but a moving tale of lost love.
|
| Christy Hawkes (hawkes@citlink.net) |
Burning Up by Nina Bangs, Cheryl Holt, Kimberly Raye and Patrici |
Rating: 5 Stars |
This novella collection was a treat! Not only were the story lines well written, but I was thrilled to discover four authors that I hadn't read before.
In Nina Bangs's "The Flame," Serenity So-Fine travels back in time from 2700 to 2003 in a quest for an erotic work of art by sculptor Justin Hill.
"Burn, Inc" by Kimberly Raye is a fun encounter of mistaken identity for erotic movie producer, Gerry Baxter and Dr. Love/Logan Mackenzie.
My favorite reads were Patricia Ryan's "Possessing Julia" set in 1867, New York City with Widow Julia Hughes and Clay Redmond. And, "The Wedding Night" by Cheryl Holt is set in Regency England with Ellen Foster and her husband, Lord Stephen Banbury.
All four stories had great characters and intriguing love scenes. This romantic anthology was a fun and fast read.
|
| Kathleen Bailey |
Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross |
Rating: 5 Stars |
A wonderful historical novel that makes you really think about the history of the papacy and women's role in Catholicism.
|
| Bridget |
Whitethorn Woods by Maeve Binchey |
Rating: 3 Stars |
I would not describe Maeve Binchey's latest book as a novel; it's more a collection of stories with more or less a common thread. Some characters cross over into other stories, which is kind of interesting. It's not her best, though.
|
| Rosalie Sambuco (tigersmama43213@aol.com) |
Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat |
Rating: 5 Stars |
A must read for every caring person. Set in the 1980s, it's the story of a 17-year-old girl from Iran who is arrested and sent to Evin Prison. The Cultural Revolution is taking place , causing the extreme changes for the Iranian people. It is both fascinating and troublesome reading.
|
| Harriet |
Holy Unexpected by Robin Chotzinoff |
Rating: 4 Stars |
It had a slow start, but this book eventually had me totally involved. It's about a woman connecting and struggling with her Judaism after being raised in a family that scoffed at the religion.
|
| ck |
New Mercies by Sandra Dallas |
Rating: 4 Stars |
Sandra Dallas writes such satisfactory stories! 1933, Natchez --- "lovely but peculiar Southern manners" that rub a Yankee the wrong way... Nora inherited property and a mystery. The reader is drawn to the characters that inhabit this decaying old city, which many of us know has been lovingly restored in recent years. We taste beaten biscuits, meet odd townsfolk and sympathize with Nora as she unravels the family history. I have read TALLGRASS and THE PERSIAN PICKLE CLUB and look forward to reading more of Dallas's literature.
|
| Reader from TX |
Angels Don't Die: My Father's Gift of Fait by Patti Davis |
Rating: 4 Stars |
This brief 1995 book is one to consider, given the approach of Father’s Day. It is well known that Patti Davis had a difficult relationship with the very public figure of her father, Ronald Reagan, and even more so with Nancy. Patti’s spiritual account relates how that difficulty was overcome. As a male, I found it moving; I suspect female readers would be even more moved by its insights. Patti made the discovery that she never really understood herself until she took the time and gained the maturity to understand her father. Patti realizes her journey took too long. Her book can help others in similar circumstances (and being in the public eye has little to do with it) lessen the time in their own lives when adult children become truly united with their parents.
|
| Mary Loves-A-Great-Book |
Ireland: A Novel by Frank Delaney |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Because I am planning to tour Ireland in September, I want to learn more Ireland's history.
|
| Mary Loves-A-Great-Book |
The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Fast-paced page turner that keeps me up way to late at night reading.
|
| Debbie (delphimo@yahoo.com) |
A Test of Wills by Charles Todd |
Rating: 4 Stars |
The first Ian Rutledge mystery --- an interesting look at English village life and its secrets, and how revenge can fester and wait for years, then finally erupt.
|
| Donna |
Don't Sweat The Small Stuff...and it's All by Richard Carlson |
Rating: 3 Stars |
It's a book filled with good advice and experiences of the author to back them up. It provides simple ways to keep the little things from taking over your life. It's worth the read.
|
| janet in nj |
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Do you know how, when you read a remarkable book by an author, you wonder if they ever will be able to repeat it a second time? Well, not only did Hosseini repeat it, he surpassed it. I read this book in 2 days and just couldn't put it down! it is a beautiful story that will pull at your heart and bring tears to your eyes. Run --- don't walk --- to the library or bookstore! Don't wait to read this one...read it now!
|
| Julie from the Read Hats |
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Our group unanimously loved the book and our discussion was very detailed. We even had paper fans with questions on them and fortune cookies to take home.
|
| Pam C |
A Child Called "It" by Dave Pelzer |
Rating: 5 Stars |
This book was "suggested" reading from my psychology professor, and it is truly amazing what people can be put through. Dave's mother was an alcoholic who chose him out of all her kids to torture and abuse mentally and physically. It's a miracle that boy grew up! My son wants to read it next. I've read it twice. Thanks, professor!
|
| Debbie (delphimo@yahoo.com) |
Looks To Die For by Janice Kaplan |
Rating: 3 Stars |
An interesting look at life in Hollywood --- its falseness and what people do for image.
|
| Judy (AZ) |
The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood |
Rating: 4 Stars |
More than 4 stars, really, but not quite 5. This poignant novel of healing is heart wrenching and oddly uplifting at the same time. Mary Baxter's young daughter dies unexpectedly and life stops for her. Her mother encourages her to learn to knit. She learns much more than knitting --- the deeper meanings of life and loss. There are many characters, each with a story of love and loss. How they all intertwined reminded me of how life is full of connections with others, both our grief and our healing, our anger, and hopefully --- one day --- our joys. The author knows the depths of loss as she lost a young daughter, too, and this is her novel based on her journey back to life. I don't know a purl from a pearl, but I was wonderfully enriched by reading this book.
|
| April Harvey |
Claimed By Shadow by Karen Chance |
Rating: 5 Stars |
There are some great paranormal books out on the shelves today but Karen Chance is a real rising star that is outshining a lot of the competition, if you ask me. Her series is only on this, the second book, but you can tell that this hot new series is only getting started.
CLAIMED BY SHADOW takes readers back into Cassandra Palmer's world --- one of danger, mystery and surprise. Cassandra is still able to see and speak with spirits as well as foresee past and future events, but her ability to travel in time has begun to develop too swiftly to control. It's a side effect of suddenly being pronounced the world's chief clairvoyant. Fate takes advantage to thrust poor Cassandra back in time to restore order even as she labors to keep up with the dangerously unfolding events of the present. Events that have her back on the run and still meeting up with old and new enemies. Too bad one unpredictable enemy is forced on her as a companion. But, are they trustworthy or looking for a opening to kill her? Only time will tell.
Personally, I had a hard time stopping at any chapter and was compelled to read on. It really is that great a page turner. If you don't believe me, I dare you to pick up the book and prove me wrong. But chances are you'll only end up running back out to your bookstore later to get the first of this series. Either way, happy reading!
|
| Fran |
Ricochet by Sandra Brown |
Rating: 4 Stars |
This book was a suspenseful page turner that kept me up through the night. I could not put it down. It was a great story, full of suspense, and plot twists and turns --- all the makings of an excellent mystery. This is my favorite book by this author to date.
|
| Jennifer Buhr |
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith |
Rating: 5 Stars |
What a wonderful piece of literature. If you like coming-of-age stories, you'll love this, which has been labeled a classic for good reason. It's the story of a family growing up in poor America during the beginning of the 20th century. Education, hard work, and determination are what lead them to a better life. I highly recommend this book.
|
| Julie from the Read Hats |
Leap of Faith by Queen Noor |
Rating: 4 Stars |
Our group had a very animated discussion on this book. We found the historical information fascinating.The only drawback expressed by some members was the lack of more personal biographical info.
|
| Trez (wbtrez@aol.com) |
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini |
Rating: 5 Stars |
I didn't think it was possible, but this book is better than THE KITE RUNNER. It captures history, emotions and a brilliant story. After reading this book, I feel I will never forget the characters or the plot.
|
| Vicki |
The Woods by Harlen Coben |
Rating: 4 Stars |
Awesome book. I read --- no, I devoured --- it in 3 days! It was so full of twists and turns that it was hard to say who did it until the very end.
|
| L. Hann |
Visions of Sugar Plums by Janet Evanovich |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Stephanie Plum strikes again. This is a very light and funny holiday book that can be read any time of the year. When you need a little pick-me-up, this is the perfect book.
|
| L. Hann |
A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton |
Rating: 4 Stars |
This is the first book I have read by Sue Grafton. It was really good. Find out who killed Laurence Fife. There are a lot of twists and turns in this story.
|
| Rita Carter (gandmari@aol.com) |
Murder at the Opera by Margaret Truman |
Rating: 4 Stars |
A good story that keeps you guessing who really did it! It was a bit flowery and over descriptive, but it was a good and fast read.
|
| Agi Silver |
The Linnet Bird by Linda Holeman |
Rating: 5 Stars |
A story about an abused young woman, Linny Gow, living in the slums of Liverpool and Calcutta. She endures more than her share of heartache and harrowing experiences throughout the book, and the reader becomes rivited by every page.This is the kind of book you keep thinking about long after it ends.
|
| Lourdes Fernandez |
Recalled to Life by Reginald Hill |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Detectives Andy Dalziel and Peter Pascoe unofficially investigate a 30-year-old crime, which even sends Dalziel to New York City. This book is a great spin on a "golden age" mystery. These two detectives are wonderfully written, and yet the plot doesn't take a back seat to the characterizations, as often happens in some books. Until the very end, the truth is hard to figure out; and then, after the reader thinks the mystery is solved, there's another neat twist. Hill is definitely one of the better mystery authors writing today.
|
| Mike Lowrie (michaellowrie80@yahoo.com) |
Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill |
Rating: 4 Stars |
Very scary read by Joe Hill, who leaves his own distinctive mark on ghost stories. The main character, Judas Coyne, is unforgettable and the supporting cast is great as well. My particular favorites are Coyne's two German Shepherds. Joe Hill got a lot of buzz for being Stephen King's son, but his work stands on its own legs and breathes fire.
|
| Mike Lowrie (michaellowrie80@yahoo.com) |
In The Dark by Richard Laymon |
Rating: 3 Stars |
This is the first Laymon book I have read and it will not be the last. I had a little trouble getting into at first, but it built up some steam and had some truly terrifying moments towards the end. The plot is a traditional cat-and-mouse game that escalates to the extreme. Laymon wastes little time getting to the meat and potatoes of his books and is recommended if you like your horror fiction with a little more punch. The characterizations could have been stronger, though.
|
| lynn raye (lynn5254@aol.com) |
Our Friend Jimmie by James D. Sweat |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Set during the tragic times of September 11, 2001 and the fall of the World Trade Center’s twin towers, OUR FRIEND JIMMIE is a surprisingly rich and atmospheric whodunit. Part mystery, part comedy, and part action-adventure, the novel rises above its somber setting and chronicles in sparkling style the lives of a diverse group who frequent Jimmie Collins’ bar, fall in and out of love, and come together to help their good friend.
OUR FRIEND JIMMIE is sometimes hilarious, sometimes tragic as the hapless friends rally their forces to do what any good friends would: Save the day.
|
| Judy (AZ) |
Daddy's Girl by Lisa Scottoline |
Rating: 3 Stars |
Natalie Greco, an ineffective law professor, goes from the classroom to being in a prison riot, to murder suspect, to super crime fighter. Although the supporting characters were quite interesting for the most part, it was hard to believe this mild-mannered "daddy's girl" could so easily transform into the action heroine. There are several interesting historical entries, both in law cases and with the underground railroad. The ending was breathtaking, but a tad unbelievable. It's not a bad read if you have nothing else in your to-be-read pile.
|
| Lori S. (sunbug5505@yahoo.com) |
The Town That Forgot How to Breathe by Kenneth J. Harvey |
Rating: 4 Stars |
A haunting and strange novel that grabs your attention from the beginning. Reminiscent of Stephen King in his spooky mood or H.P.Lovecraft, it is the story of an urban legend, a tender love story and creepy horror story of mythical sea creatures, perfectly preserved dead bodies washing up on shore, and a mysterious rapidly spreading illness.
|
| Coral Harrison |
If I Live to Be a Hundred by Neenah Ellis |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Ellis had a program on National Public Radio. She contacted people she'd heard of who were at least 100, interviewed them, and used them on her program. She was so into this that she wrote a book about these people.
It is a very interesting and well written. Most of the people who live that long have outside interests and like people.
I want to live to be a hundred and only have 17 years to go.
|
| Judy Goldsmith (judyjtg@sbcglobal.net) |
Collected Poems: Not So Deep as a Well by Dorothy Parker |
Rating: 4 Stars |
This is an old book. She has some great poems.
|
| Steven Schwindt (schwindt68@hotmail.com) |
Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community and War by Nathaniel Philbrick |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Great history of the early arrival of white men to the United States. War and disease destroys the Native American tribes. This is a history that many us do not know about.
|
| Lucinda Clark |
Conversations at the Nursing Home by Deanna Shapiro |
Rating: 5 Stars |
In this book, the author pays tribute to her mother by writing about their final fourteen visits in a nursing home prior to her death to Alzheimers.
It is mostly shared in poems and snippets of conversations during each visit. The decline in her mother's condition takes place slowly at first, and then becomes painfully obvious as the visits near their end.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to see the disease's impact, without the clinical commentary.
|
| Valerie Wiesner |
The Innocent Man by John Grisham |
Rating: 5 Stars |
This is John Grisham's first nonfiction book, and it is a very good one. It is the story of two men wrongly convicted of murder, one of whom is sentenced to death. This book shows how badly the justice system can fail; what is really frightening is that this story is not a rarity in the society of today. The only redeeming fact about this particular case is that DNA proved that the two men to be innocent, just five days before one was to be given the lethal injection. However, he and his family received no apology from the prosecutor or the state of Oklahoma for the egregious miscarriage of justice. In my mind, this case should never have gone to trial; the two men should never have been arrested, for there was no evidence of any kind, even circumstantial, linking the two with the victim. This book should raise a red flag in the mind of every American who thinks that the justice system always works.
|
| Joan Woods |
When the Wind Blows by James Patterson |
Rating: 5 Stars |
As all James Patterson's books are great reads, this one is no exception. It is a thriller involving scientists who experiment on children. It makes you wonder if what they do in the book is not being done in now in the medical world.
|
| Christy Hawkes (hawkes@citlink.net) |
Fatal Tide by Iris Johansen |
Rating: 4 Stars |
Ms. Johansen has done it again with suspense and romance encompassed within a thrilling novel. You will find yourself pulled into the story line and riveted to the pages. The romance between the two main characters and the relationship that builds between Kelby and Melis are touching and well written.
|
| Kate (melydia@hotmail.com) |
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers |
Rating: 4 Stars |
The title is a tad misleading; it's not all that heartbreaking and the genius is not especially staggering. Still, I would be willing to classify this memoir as one of the foremost texts on the Generation X mentality. Eggers recounts his life from the sudden death of his parents through his first few years as guardian of his younger brother, living in San Francisco, and starting Might Magazine. The writing style is self-conscious, obsessive, neurotic, and prone to lengthy tangents. The naked honesty of it all draws you in, keeps you reading. I'm not sure the rambling style would work as well in fiction, but as a memoir, it's quite engrossing. Definitely recommended, especially to those who came of age in the 1990s.
|
| Dot L. |
The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier |
Rating: 3 Stars |
Gives some insight into what makes Sidney one of our long-standing favorite stars.
|
| Jane |
The Woods by Harlan Coben |
Rating: 5 Stars |
I am a huge fan of this author, but he has surpassed even my expectations for this new read! Keeps you guessing until the end...great for summer fun.
|
| J. Kaye Oldner (jkayeoldner@yahoo.com) |
Falling Out of Fashion by Karen Yampolsky |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Not what I expected --- I fell totally in love with this book!
|
| Julie Towson |
The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells |
Rating: 4 Stars |
A wonderful, sweet, and sad story of three eccentric generations of Southern debutantes. This is their story of trying to survive marriage, motherhood and life's disappointments all the while having a strong bond with each other. I loved it.
|
| Ginny |
The Saffron Kitchen by Yasmin Crowther |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Sara's mother is from Iran. Her father is British. In this wonderful debut novel, Sara learns how little she really knows about her mother after Maryam decides to leave her family and return to Iran. As it tears her and her apart, Sara learns about things her mother had never intended for her to know, and about the invisible connection between people, regardless of time and distance.
|
| Wally Johnson (wendybrooks1@hotmail.com) |
Bidding for Love by Katie Fforde |
Rating: 5 Stars |
This another winner for Ms Forde. You can always count on her for a good romance to leave you craving more. This time, it's the antiques world that captures her heroine. For a great read, try any of her books.
|
| Jeanie |
What The Dead Know by Laura Lippman |
Rating: 5 Stars |
A great mystery. Two sisters go to a mall and disappear mysteriously. Thirty years later, a car accident reveals that one of the girls is alive and well, but what happened? This is the girst book that I have read by this author, but it won't be my last!
|
| Sherri Reimold |
Midwives by Chris Bohjalian |
Rating: 2 Stars |
I nearly put this book down several times. There was too much to read about stuff that didn't make a bit of difference to the story. I really enjoyed THE DOUBLE BIND by the same author, but there wasn't enough content in this book. It was one that you say, just get to the point! Where's the beef to this story? There is not much, and it's stringy.
|
| Julia |
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova |
Rating: 4 Stars |
A good "Dracula" book, that's not just a horror story. It's also very much the story of the relationship between a father and daughter. But, looking for Dracula is the theme of the book. It gets bogged down in some places, but overall, it's a great read.
|
| ck |
The Camel Bookmobile by Masha Hamilton |
Rating: 4 Stars |
Often I find books to read from Word of Mouth. Thank you. I might have missed this one about Fiona, a Brooklyn librarian, a restless soul who supervised the distribution of books in small settlements in Kenya. Who was more changed by the experience? Fiona or her patrons? Perhaps me, for I keep remembering the book.
|
| Noreen Brown |
Step On A Crack by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Add another star if you're from NYC.
A new series begins with a very unusual cop --- he's got 10 kids. This crime is certainly not run of the mill. You'll want to keep reading to see what happens next.
|
| J. Kaye Oldner (jkayeoldner@yahoo.com) |
Cell by Stephen King |
Rating: 3 Stars |
It took time for me to warm up to the characters. Later, the plot won me over. (Loved the pulse, smart zombies, and all.) But, the book had no ending. I need an ending!
|
| Shirley Younger |
Silent Partner: A Memoir of My Marriage by Dina Matos McGreevy |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Excellent excellent book, Her husband, while governor of New Jersey, announced that he was gay. The book tells her thoughts, feelings and experiences. This was hard to put down.
|
| Pat from Mo |
Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas |
Rating: 4 Stars |
A good book from a great author.
|
| Judy O. |
The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad |
Rating: 4 Stars |
Seierstad has written a true story of the day-to-day life of a family in Kabul, Afghanistan. Sultan Khan, a bookseller, is the head of this large family; this author actually lived with Khan's family for several months. Thus, she was able to write about everyday life in a middle-class Afghan family. It is hard to read at times because of the total subjugation of women to all the men in their country. However, it is fascinating and informative. I have also just finished KABUL BEAUTY SCHOOL by Deborah Rodriquez, which is another book about this topic. I'm glad I live in America.
|
| Josh Allen |
Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill |
Rating: 4 Stars |
Creepy and funny, and when you least suspect it, touching. Not for the faint of heart, this book gives the reader a good scare (with good visuals) and a good ending.
|
| Suzanne from Texas |
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini |
Rating: 5 Stars |
I won an advance copy of this from Bookreporter to review. This book is a history lesson on world that is so foreign to me. Hosseini creates two strong women characters and shows a picture of Afghanistan that is not shown on the news. Even though the book is about a war-torn country, it is so beautifully written that I kept stopping to write down phrases and passages. A must read.
|
| Gail |
Bite Me If You Can by Lynsay Sands |
Rating: 4 Stars |
This was my first vampire book and I really enjoyed it. I think its a good book for someone just starting to read about the subject, because there were good vampires and bad ones. BITE ME IF YOU CAN is about a girl who is bitten by a bad vampire and is going through the turning, with some help from some good friends. Overall, it is a pretty good read.
|
| Sara |
Heaven Looks A Lot Like the Mall by Wendy Mass |
Rating: 5 Stars |
This book is really cute and written in an interesting format. Definitely a coming-of-age story. It reminds me a lot of THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN.
|
| Bonnie |
The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard |
Rating: 5 Stars |
This is a great example of "don't judge a book by its cover." I received an advance reader copy and the cover and blurbs led me to think this was chick lit in the style of THE GHOST WHISPERER. I wouldn't have picked it up in a store. Was I wrong! It's a novel with a great sense of place and character. The plot takes hold of you from page one and never lets go. A real page-turner.
|
| Bonnie |
No, I Don't Want to Join a Book Club by Virginia Ironside |
Rating: 4 Stars |
Funny, funny novel about a woman about to turn 60.
|
| Sheila M (smacfarlane@verizon.net) |
Wicked by Gregory Maguire |
Rating: 3 Stars |
This book was good, not great, in my opinon. I really enjoyed the first half of the book. Then, it seemed to lose steam for me.
|
| Rod Vaughn |
All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Fantastic book, but it takes a little getting used to his writing style. Once you accept the style, you are in for an exciting and riveting novel. Two young west Texas cowboys start on an adventure that will take them to the limits of humanity and back again. They decide to go to Mexico and find some work. They encounter problems on the way, nd it becomes a 'read until you drop' story.
|
| Nicole |
The Hot Flash Club Chills Out by Nancy Thayer |
Rating: 3 Stars |
While I enjoyed this book, it wasn't as good as the others in this series.
|
| Jane (janebeatty92083@hotmail.com) |
Body Surfing by Anita Shreve |
Rating: 5 Stars |
This is an excellent novel. The story keeps you spellbound from the beginning. Anita is a very good storyteller who should not be missed.
|
| Sheila M |
Heart in the Right Place by Carolyn Jourdan |
Rating: 5 Stars |
I enjoyed reading this book! HEART IN THE RIGHT PLACE is captivating, humorous, and heartwarming. I loved getting to know all of author's father's patients. She has a great family.
|
| Sheila M |
My Antonia by Willa Cather |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Wonderful story about a pioneer girl, as told by her friend. A great classic I enjoyed re-reading for my book club this month.
|
| Kelly |
The Devil in the White City by Larson, Erik |
Rating: 4 Stars |
This was a really great book! It was chock full of all kinds of interesting facts about the Chicago's World Fair and the influences it had on the world. While I really enjoyed reading it and learning all these new historical items, it could, at times, be a bit dry.
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| Kelly (kmanfredini2@yahoo.com) |
Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Great book, and it is only a draft! Amazing!
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| Mary Jacobs (mljacobsinhb@msn.com) |
Then We Came to the End: A Novel by Joshua Ferris |
Rating: 4 Stars |
A well-written and funny book about work situations and lay-offs. For any one who has ever worked for a company and has been laid off, this book will hit home.
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| Judy (AZ) |
Sliver of Truth by Lisa Unger |
Rating: 4 Stars |
A sequel to Unger's BEAUTIFUL LIES, this book finds our heroine discovering that much of life is a tangle of lies, everyone uses everyone else, and romance emerges despite it all. I'm not sure if reading this without first reading BEAUTIFUL LIES would be as satisfying. So much is dependent on understanding the characters that, as a stand-alone book, it might be rather confusing. As a sequel, it starts slowly but builds up to breakneck speed.
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| Judy (AZ) |
The Kommandant's Girl by Pam Jenoff |
Rating: 4 Stars |
A young Jewish girl escapes the ghetto in Krakow and goes to live with an elderly aunt of her resistance-fighter husband. Anna (born Emma) poses as a gentile right in the midst of the occupying Nazis and becomes the kommandant's secretary. From escapee to a major factor in the resistance, this is a heartbreaking story of love and sacrifice during a horrible period in history.
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| Kate (youngkate@sbcglobal.net) |
Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin |
Rating: 4 Stars |
Great chick-lit beach-reading book. It's easy to read, with likeable characters and a relatable story. I've read this author's other works and liked them as well.
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| Mary |
The Ghost of Hannah Mendes by Naomi Raegan |
Rating: 5 Stars |
A story of two young Jewish girls searching for their geneological roots and their struggle to reclaim their heritage. A wonderful book.
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| Kathie D |
Unshapely Things by Mark Del Franco |
Rating: 5 Stars |
A wonderful blending of mystery and fantasy (but not your cute little creature fantasy). The setting and characters are believable and the plot good --- not great, but good. Since this is the author's first book, I can see good things in his future.
Available at Amazon.com and Waldenbooks
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| Peggy (cali_lb@msn.com) |
Icefire by Chris D'Lacey |
Rating: 4 Stars |
Basically, this is a children's story but who isn't reading Harry Potter these days or won't be reading Phillip Pullman's series when The Golden Compass comes out on film?
Believe in dragons? This is the second in a series about a young man who rents a room and finds a world of fantasy opening up before him. An unbeliever, he resists the lure but the reader will also be ensnared by a young girl and her mother, guardians of a world long forgotten.
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| Nicole (mike810nicole@aol.com) |
The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger |
Rating: 4 Stars |
A nice light read that will make you appreciate your boss!
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| Andrew Emile |
Adios Muchachos by Daniel Chavarria |
Rating: 4 Stars |
I recently discovered this author through a review of his latest novel, TANGO FOR A TORTURER.
This is Cuban Noir --- suspenseful and fast moving. Highly recommended. Chavarria is the Latin American Elmore Leonard.
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| Linda M. Johnson |
The Faith Club: by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, Priscilla Warner |
Rating: 5 Stars |
I absolutely LOVE this book. I wish everyone would read it to better understand one another's beliefs. It is written by three women who worked through misunderstandings to develop a book, explaining to their children the bases of these religions. It turns out that we share a lot more than many would expect.
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| Julie Peterson (jpeterson1108@comcast.net) |
The Overlook by Michael Connelly |
Rating: 5 Stars |
I always love anything that Michael Connelly writes, and THE OVERLOOK was not a disappointment. While the book was a little shorter than most others in the Bosch series, it still was suspenseful with lots of twists and turns. I highly recommend this book as well as all the other Harry Bosch novels.
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| Mary Jacobs (mljacobsinhb@msn.com) |
The Gatecrasher by Madeleine Wickham |
Rating: 4 Stars |
Very well written, but don't expect Shopaholic here, though. I loved the dark characters with all their flaws and how the plot builds....excellent read. Yes, I know --- I am in a Chick Lit rut!
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| Bev |
Shiver by Lisa Jackson |
Rating: 5 Stars |
This was my first read by Lisa Jackson, and I couldn't put it down. It was a real thriller with a total surprise ending...I thought I knew who the serial killer was...NOT!
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| Mary Jacobs (mljacobsinhb@msn.com) |
Cocktails for Three by Madeleine Wickham |
Rating: 4 Stars |
A great read with a few twists to make a typical "friends" book more interesting. It's a little darker than what you would expect from the writer of the Shopaholic series (Sophie Kinsella).
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| Margaret Ball |
The Wraith of the Species by Billy Earley |
Rating: 3 Stars |
Billy Earley takes us on a trek through the dream world of Embattleton, a planet doomed because of its misuse of its natural environment. The Battletonians come to earth in order to preserve the species. They are an advanced civilization that learned to live together peaceably. Past generations of wars and misuse of their planet catch up with them and they are unable to reverse the damage that previous generations have thrust upon them. The Battletonians can't remember their past history as their memories were wiped clean and once they settled on earth, and could not get along. After leaving Embattleton, the author is thrust into Babylon, where he meets Daniel, and they are under the rule of an evil king, who claims to be God. Daniel and the author do not believe this, so as a result, their lives are put in jeopardy. Through this dream, the author witnesses the division of the races, and the Creator shows him how life on earth began and why. The author gives his theory on many topics --- the origin of the species, why different races settled in different areas, speculations on evolution and DNA, and the creation of the planets.
The book was written in a conversational tone and I felt as though I were visiting with a friend. I wish that the author had centered this story around the planet Embattleton, as this made for an interesting tale. Lovers of Science Fiction will enjoy reading this book, but you will need an open mind to grasp the author's points of view. The author states that there will be a second part, and I will be waiting to read it.
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| Mary Jacobs (mljacobsinhb@msn.com) |
Walking in Circles Before Lying Down: A Novel by Merrill Markoe |
Rating: 5 Stars |
Hilarious book about the relationship of a woman, her dog and family --- the dog turns out to be the most reliable one. If you are a dog person, you will love this book.
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| Lindy |
Absolute Fear by Lisa Jackson |
Rating: 4 Stars |
In Jackson's 20006 hit, a follow up to Shiver, we find photographer Abby
Chastain discovering that she may have a half-sister in Eve Renner. The story takes us back to Our Lady of Virtues Mental Hospital, where Eve's father was head psychiatrist. The "Reviver" goes after Eve, and the novel heats up.
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| Lindy |
The Christmas Train by David Baldacci |
Rating: 4 Stars |
A quick read about a cross-country train ride during the Christmas holiday. Tom Langdon's life hasn't been the same since his all-time love, Eleanor Carter, left him years ago while the two were hotshot
journalists, and since he's quit serious reporting for writing fluff.
Banned from flying for a year because of an air rage incident, he's decided to write about riding the rails over the Christmas holidays, planning to link up with his erstwhile girlfriend. Aboard the train are a group of characters, from a Hollywood star, rambunctious train personnel, lonely wanderers and a pair of elopers; he also runs into Eleanor, now a screenwriter for a legendary film director who's on board researching a possible film about trains.
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| Tommy |
A Is For Alibis by Sue Grafton |
Rating: 3 Stars |
Just started this one.
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| Lindy |
The Rosary Murders by Richard Montenari |
Rating: 4 Stars |
Watch out Roman Catholic Church in Philly, cause I am coming for you. Young Catholic school girls are his target, and he leaves each with a rosary in their praying hands.
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| Lindy |
At Risk by Patricia Cornwell |
Rating: 2 Stars |
Cornwell's latest thriller, which was originally serialized in the New York Times Magazine, is likely to disappoint even die-hard fans of her bestselling Kay Scarpetta novels . It was a very short book as well.
The book starts in Boston with Massachusetts state police investigator Garano is taking a class.
The district attorney, his boss, is planning to run for a political position so she's planning to use a new crime initiative called At Risk; its motto: " Any crime, any time." She has found the perfect case to examine, and it's right in Tennessee where Garano is.
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| Michelle Miller (miller4plusmore@bellsouth.net) |
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling |
Rating: 5 Stars |
This is probably the best Harry Potter yet. I still find it hard to believe that these are written for pre-teens. It is very readable for an adult without sounding childish at all. I can't wait for the movie this summer!
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| Lindy |
Off Season by Philip R. Craig |
Rating: 4 Stars |
Amateur sleuth J. W. Johnson and his fiancée expect a peaceful winter on Martha's Vineyard, until tempers flare between local hunters and animal-rights activists.
As fisherman/sleuth J. W. Jackson gets increasingly adept in the kitchen, this Martha's Vineyard series brings Martha Stewart to mind, but the fun remains as Jackson proves he can still finger a murderer as deftly as he opens oysters. At issue here is 50 acres of land, coveted by hunters and animal-rights activists. Meanwhile, the hunters' spokesman is attacked by a thug linked to organized crime. Jackson has his hands full: hunting down scallops, cooking up batches of kale soup and staying on an even keel with Zee, the girl of his dreams and soon-to-be wife, if their attacks of nerves don't skuttle the pending nuptials. He also has to find the killer, which he does quite handily. Although Jackson verges on smug, the beauty of Craig's (THE WOMAN WHO WALKED INTO THE SEA) New England settings seem to justify his hero's pride in his soup, his boat, his girlfriend and his own, considerable charm.
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| Mia (CA) |
A Round-heeled Woman by Jane Juska |
Rating: 4 Stars |
It is an interesting memoir of a woman in her 60s in search of a fulfilling sexual relationship. It is funny and poignant.
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| Rod Vaughn |
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy |
Rating: 4 Stars |
This is another exciting book written by McCarthy. However, the story is hard to follow at times, due to the the number of different characters and his style of writing. It's set in west Texas, and is about the repercussions of a drug deal gone bad.
This book is not for the faint of heart, but is an intriguing and violent story about the consequences of trying to keep something that belongs to the bad guys. Llewellyn Moss finds 4 million dollars, which was part of the drug deal, and decides to keep it. This starts an explosion of violence in the small west Texas county that is very problematic to the Sheriff, an old timer that has a hard time relating to what is happening.
I didn't like the ending that much, but it is still an excellent read.
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| Janice |
The Second Objective by Mark Frost |
Rating: 3 Stars |
Historical Fiction about Hitler's plot to kill General Eisenhower during World War II. If you like spy novels, you will love this book.
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| Dianne Dow |
On The Street Where You Live by Mary Higgins Clark |
Rating: 5 Stars |
I love all of Mary Higgins Clark's books, but this is one I read for the second time this week. It's full of suspense. A woman is haunted by two murders that are linked, but one murder was committed one hundred and ten years ago.
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| Mary Jacobs (mljacobsinhb@msn.com) |
Split Ends by Kristin Billerbeck |
Rating: 4 Stars |
An excellent and well-written story about following your dreams and doing what is right :) Christian Chick Lit is a new genre for me.
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