| Carol Hoyer from VA (pageant4u@hotmail.com) |
| Machete Season: The Killers in Rwanda Speak by Jean Hatzfeld |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This book is unbelievable! It is a true account of the killers of Tutsis. I am amazed at the lack of guilt any of these men felt while attacking their victims to include children. There are chapters talking about how this murder started and the goal of the killers.
It made me more aware of people in Rwanda and their plight. Are we so jealous of others that we resort to this?
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| Irene G. (irenej7@netzero.com) |
| Soul Patch by Reed Farrel Coleman |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
The title SOUL PATCH is kind of a muystery itself. What is it supposed to mean? The cover of the book has a daunting picture of Coney Island in Brooklyn, which doesn't really catch someone's attention. But, the book is well written, has a story that is easy to follow and has movie potential.
Moe is a private investigator who gets involved in the apparent suicide of his friend, the NYPD Chief of Detectives. I can picture Tom Selleck as Moe Prager in the movie. The book keeps you interested and is easy to read. Look beyond the cover!
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| Linda |
| A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
Another good offering from the author of THE KITE RUNNER. After reading this book I am again and always thankful that I live in a country where I am free to go where I want and dress as I wish. This gave a very vivid description of life in Afghanistan.
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| Sandy |
| The Sleeping Doll by Jeffery Deaver |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
One of the best books I have read in a long time!!! It's full of surprises and will be a great movie! I hope I have forgotten some of it if they make a movie so I won't know what happens next.
|
| Emily |
| The Septembers of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This is Sofer's debut novel. It is beautifully written with very sensitive characterizations. It is a moving semi-autographical account of a family living in Iran two years after the religious revolution in 1981. It is a timely, riveting read.
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| Tony Banks (tbtb@hotmail.com) |
| The Envelope by Wilson Crawford |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
Interesting read that is Southern Regional fiction. I can't figure out what the message is behind this one or whether the author is just messing with our minds.
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| Calli |
| The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
Thoroughly delicious! Flinn goes off to The Cordon Bleu in Paris after being dismissed from a corporate job and fulfills a life-long dream of attending the cooking school (and falling in love). Each chapter ends with a recipe! Better than HEAT or TENDER AT THE BONE. Romantic and inspiring.
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| Stacy |
| Journey by Danielle Steel |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
it was one of the best books I've seen in a while. Maddy was a really successful lady, who was so sad and pressured by her ungrateful, augmented husband who constantly treated her like if she was nothing of this world.
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| Stormbringer |
| The Herioin Diaries by Nikki Sixx |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
One of the most honest books on addiction i have ever read.
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| Carol Hoyer from VA (pageant4u@hotmail.com) |
| She Went to War: The Rhonda Cornum Story by Rhonda Cornum |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
A very good read. This is the story of Rhonda Cornum, an Army officer sent on a search-and-rescue mission in the Persian Gulf. Her plane was shot down and she was placed in a prison with two broken arms, a smashed knee and a bullet wound.
It was her job to keep other soldier's spirits up --- it also discusses myths about women in the military.
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| Genie |
| Inkheart by Cornelia Funke |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
Twelve-year-old Meggie always wondered why her father, a bookbinder, refuses to read to her. She remembers how much she used to enjoy hearing her father, Mo, read out loud to her when she was much younger. She soon gets an answer to her question when a stranger arrives at their front door late one night. It seems that Mo can literally bring fictional characters to life when he reads out loud. This talent causes Mo and Meggie to find themselves in the fight of their lives with evil villains who were originally characters in a book called INKHEART. Captured by Capricorn and his gang of dangerous thugs, Meggie must find a way to free herself and her father. In the process, she discovers what happened to her mother, who disappeared nine years ago during Mo's reading of INKHEART.
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| Carol Hoyer from VA (pageant4u@hotmail.com) |
| Chain of Evidence by Gary Disher |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
This is a riveting story set in Australia where a ring of pedophiles have kidnapped a young girl. It took her mother 2 days to report her missing. The criminal investigation unit is a mess --- corruption, deceit and ignoring a group of teens who willfully harm and injure people just for the fun of it. You will like this book.
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| Rosalie Leon |
| Orbit by John J. Nance |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
An exciting and well-paced thriller that I couldn't put down. It leaves you thinking about what would you do in his situation.
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| Judith Oldner (jkayeoldner@yahoo.com) |
| World War Z by Max Brooks |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
I listened to the unabridged audio format of this book. What a wonderful cast of characters and it has to be the best zombie book ever!
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| Kellie (acountkel@bellsouth.net) |
| The Wooden Sea by Jonathan Carroll |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
This was a very odd book and not one I would normally pick up and read. I was captured by the humor and the idea of this very strange plot. Its unique qualities kept my interest. The story is about McCabe, who is a cop in the town where he grew up. He is on his second marriage to a woman he really loves and is step-father to Pauline. It was nice to see a good relationship between the step-parent and step-child for a change. One day a strange, crippled dog wanders into town and McCabe adopts him, only to see him die shortly after. This is the catalyst that triggers the start of a bunch of surrealistic events. I think I understood one of the lessons this book was trying to teach and that was, every part of your life is important and helps build you into the man or woman you will become. However, I think there was more to this book, a deeper meaning that I just didn’t get. And of course, the ending made me scratch my head and try and figure out all the loose ends. I can’t say I really loved this book but it was so odd, I know I will never forget it.
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| Bridget |
| The Sonnet Lover by Carol Goodman |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
A good book about Literature professors, academics and their students. The quest is on to find proof of Shakespeare's dark lady. For some, it means big bucks with a Hollywood deal looming; for others, it's an affirmation. Long lost lovers reunite, teenage angst arises. Overall, this was very well written.
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| Kathleen |
| A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
I found this book to be profoundly sad at times, but I could not put it down. When I finished, I had a better understanding of the Afghani people and why our soldiers are so dedicated. I think this should be required reading for high school seniors because it is set in current times. I think this will have more impact on them than the books about the horrors of past wars. If this doesn't make them appreciate their country, nothing will.
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| Terressa Reep |
| On Agate Hill by Lee Smith |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
I couldn't put this book down as I wanted to know what would happen next! Smith uses a unique format, a diary found in an attic that contains letters and journals. Chapters are told from different viewpoints. Excellent read.
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| Kathy |
| The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen |
| Rating: 1 Stars |
This book is not like her others. The story takes place between two different eras. Unfortunately, the plot is not anywhere near as good as those of her other books. I don't recommend this book to anyone who enjoys her books because I think they will be disappointed in it, as I have been. She should stick with what works, rather than trying something different. Finally, I saw no relationship between the book's title and the plot.
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| Lynn Clifford |
| The Hindi-Bindi Club by Monica Pradhan |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
A great book that explores the relationships between 3 daughters and their mothers trying to incorporate customs of their Indian homeland into their American lifestyles.
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| Karen |
| Tales of a Female Nomad by Rita Golden Gelman |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
Wonderful, wonderful account of a woman who, in her late 40s, embarks on an adventure of a lifetime. She really wants to be part of other cultures, to learn other languages and to live with and like those cultures. Her travels take her for extended periods of time to such places as Bali, Israel, New Zealand. This is different than EAT, PRAY, LOVE in that she already knows who she is and what she wants. This is not an internal journey or awakening. A good book for both sexes!!!
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| Bonnie |
| Gone, Baby, Gone by Dennis Lehane |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
A mystery that keeps you guessing all the way. The minute you think it's solved, something else happens. I'll be looking forward to seeing how they handle the twists and turns in the movie.
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| Anna R. |
| The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
A story about friendship between women. Also, a year's worth of books are listed, some of which I know nothing about. My book group loved it.
We have recently read some heavy and serious books so we were ready for something light. A great read.
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| Judy O. |
| Down River by John Hart |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This is a fascinating story about love, betrayal, and family secrets. The plot twists are numerous and the suspense is high. Don't miss this one by the author of THE KING OF LIES.
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| Fran |
| Cuba by Emily Barr |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
A woman descends into madness when she becomes obsessed with her neighbors and follows them to Cuba. Chick lit with a dark twist. Overall, an enjoyable read. I expected more about Cuba based on the title, but did not find much about it.
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| Trish Thomas |
| Dancing in the Streets: An Ode to Collective Joy by Barbara Ehrenreich |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
While I love all of her books I've read, I had more trouble finishing this one that the others. It's probably me and not her writing, as she is astute and entertaining, as well as having very well researched everything she writes about. This is about celebratory gatherings, starting in the Middle Ages in Western Europe. Her final thesis is that the rise of the incidence of depression in modern life may well be due to the discontinuance of Carnivale, maypole dances and other popular festivities. It's worth thinking about!
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| Connie |
| The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. It is about a bond between mother and daughter. Caretta Rutledge thought she left her southern roots and troubled family far behind. She then receives a request from her mother to come home to tie up some loose ends. Returning home, she is able to reconnect with her mother and she learns life's most precious lesson of all. A bonus in this book is that you get to learn quite a bit about loggerhead turtles.
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| Mary Schreiner |
| Italian Lessons by Peter Pezzelli |
| Rating: 1 Stars |
I thought this was a very slow and uninteresting story. The characters were not well developed. The writing was adolescent. I would not recommend this book.
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| Sharon Lumb |
| Marguerite Burning by Elizabeth Inness-Brown |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
A young man wakes up to find his Tante (aunt) dead. This is the beginning of a book that takes you through Tante's life and that of the young man whose actions culminate with Tante's death. Although a relatively short book, you cannot help but be grabbed by these characters and when the book is finished you know the young man and Tante better than a book three times as long.
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| Jennifer Hernandez |
| Everything Changes by Jonathan Tropper |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
It is an awesome book, full of laughter and profound insight. Though the last two chapters will make you teary, it is still a book that I will recommend very highly.
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| Priscilla |
| Widow of the South by Robert Hicks |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
I am only halfway through this book but so far, it has held my attention and I can't wait to read more. You will enjoy this story about Carrie (the Widow of the South) and others whose lives were touched by this troubled time.
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| Marjorie Clark (marjclark@comcast.net) |
| Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
By the time I read halfway through this book, I found it to be very good. I read somewhere that this was Stephen King's son and when I looked at the back jacket, I could see by the photo it was true. He's a great writer, and this was good for his first book.
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| Wendy Catalano |
| Brimstone by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
Non-stop action and suspense with evil thrown in for good measure. I couldn't put this book down and plan to read the rest of their novels.
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| Alison |
| The Woods by Harlan Coben |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
I have read every one of Harlan Coben's novels. Not only do they have you on the edge of your seat, but you cannot put the books down even if you tried. THE WOODS is by far the best one. Coben knows how to add twists and turns, and by the end of the book my jaw was to the ground!
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| Connie |
| Compromising Positions by Vicki Lewis Thompson |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
Bodyguard Mick Farrell has a problem with Stacy Radcliffe --- she's spoiled rotten and very sexy. She comes from a very well-to-do family and he resents that. However, Stacy convinces him he needs her to start up his bodyguard businesss and Mick ends up hiring Stacy as his assistant when he finds out his first clinet turns out to be a former lover needing Micks services. He wants Stacy to guard his body against the former lover. This was a very good book that shows not everything is as it appears on the outside.
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| Connie |
| Full Bloom by Jayne Ann Krentz |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
Emily Ravenscroft wants to take her life back from her domineering family and Jacob Stone. Jacob is the person who the Ravenscroft family employs to get Emily out of hot water all the time. However, Emily doesn't need Jacob to rescue her, but she needs him to love her. This is a quick, entertaining read.
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| Wendy Catalano |
| The Book Of Lost Things by John Connolly |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
I read this book twice, which is not something I normally do. It's an amazing story of a young boy's journey in another world. A spellbinging adult fairytale!
|
| Gale |
| No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
Fourteen-year-old Cynthia Bigge wakes up one morning to find her mother, father and brother are gone. Did they choose to leave her behind because of her misbehavior the previous night? Are they dead? If so, why is she alive? Twenty-five years later, Cynthia is still searching for answers. Barclay's psychological thriller beautifully tracks her painful and disturbing progress.
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| Bonnie |
| Case Histories by Kate Atkinson |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
A Novel/mystery with lots of interesting characters, but not a book that will linger on after you've read it.
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| Sarah T |
| Sweetgrass by Mary Alice Monroe |
| Rating: 2 Stars |
This is the second time I've tried to read this novel. I felt bogged down the first time. June and Preston are wonderfully portrayed, but not gripping enough to come back right away for the next installment. I'd like to read another novel by Ms. Monroe for comparison.
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| Dorothy Olson |
| Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
A wonderful, thought-provoking book about a family in Nigeria and how they cope with "abuse". We think it only happens here in the USA.
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| Carol Hoyer from VA (pageant4u@hotmail.com) |
| The Missing by Sarah Langan |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
Although this was an interesting read, I found it hard to stay with what was going on.
The story originates in Corpus Christi, Maine. There has been an environmental crisis that causes people to disappear, and transforms victims into something violent, hungry and inhuman. The whole town is affected --- people lock themselves in-doors.
If you like scary, unimaginable stories, this is one for you.
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| Margaret Olek Esler |
| Untold Stories by Alan Bennett |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
Bennett is one of those under-the-radar great writers; he is most recently perhaps best known for his work, The History Boys, which is a runaway theatrical success, but Bennett has been writing wonderful works for many of his 70-plus years (including the recently published THE UNCOMMON READER. His collection, UNTOLD STORIES is a fascinating work that is mainly autobiographical but in a way that goes so far beyond Bennett's own experiences to those of the people and the world around him that each section could stand alone as a gripping short story. Most moving is Bennett's reflection on the shared life of his parents, including his mother's bouts with depression, his father's stubbornness, and his aunt's tragic death --- all told through the eyes of the boy who lived these experiences firsthand, with unflagging honesty and compassion and always Bennett's subtle but pointed humor. Many of the essays also describe the inspirations for Bennett's body of work, and although new fans may not always follow the line from what the author lived to what he wrote, those who know and love this writer's works will be thankful for the connections. Bennett's look back on his experiences and his sensitive yet straightforward analysis thereof is a joy to read, particularly when written in the author's always wonderful prose. "Untold Stories" makes the reader hope there are more stories untold left for Bennett to yet reveal.
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| D.L. Gillespie |
| You've Been Warned by James Patterson |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
James Patterson has done it again with his newest psychological suspense novel! Kristin Burns is the nanny to an extremely wealthy family, the Turnbulls. She is struggling to become a famous photographer in the "Big Apple". However, forbidden passion is getting in the way. Kristin is not using her best judgment or even good common sense. This will keep you turning the pages to see what's next.
|
| Nicole |
| Naked by David Sedaris |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
This book is extremely funny. It is composed of several short stories involving the author and his family. Sedaris touches on many different subjects, so odds are that at least one of them will strike a chord with the reader. I laughed out loud many times. This is great for some good laughter sessions.
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| L A Ramsen |
| Benjamin January Mysteries by Barbara Hambly |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
I was introduced to this exceptional series through a forum. I've finished 6 of the 8 installments (the first is A FREE MAN OF COLOR). Why hasn't Oprah latched onto this series? I picture Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (the late Mr. Eko of TV's "Lost") as Ben. An outstanding series with great characters, incredible atmosphere, intriguing mysteries --- especially for anyone interested in New Orleans history.
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| Mary in HB (mljacobsinhb@msn.com) |
| Men May Come and Men May Go... by Gigi Anders |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
MEN MAY COME AND GO...BUT I'VE STILL GOT MY LITTLE PINK RAINCOAT is a very fun and cute memoir as told through clothes.
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| Karen Barash (kkbarash@aol.com) |
| The Birthdays by Heidi Pitlor |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
The novel revolves around a family reunion of siblings and their spouses to celebrate their father's seventh-fifth birthday. The author deftly depicts the interactions among family members.
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| Mary in HB (mljacobsinhb@msn.com) |
| Knocked Up: Confessions of a Hip Mother-To-Be by Rebecca Eckler |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
Bridget Jones for the pregnant set. I hate comparing everything to BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY, but so many of the memoirs/books I have been reading have based the outline of their story on it. This book follows the diary format and is really enjoyable. I quickly read it and enjoyed it.
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| Mary in HB (mljacobsinhb@msn.com) |
| Kiki Strike by Kirsten Miller |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This is a young adult book geared towards girls aged 9 to 12. I think older girls (even REALLY older girls) would enjoy this as well. There is enough mystery and suspense to keep the pages turning and fun. This is a very adventurous read.
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| M. Blitz |
| Blood of the Fold by Terry Goodking |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
A slow installment of the series, but a definite must read. I suggest that you don't wait too long between reading books in the series.
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| Sandi L. |
| Fatal Grace by Louise Penny |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
I only have a few pages left but I have enjoyed reading this book. A woman not well liked is electrocuted during a curling contest in Three Pines, Canada. This is the follow-up Penny's first book, STILL LIFE. All the characters are back in this outing. I haven't figured out yet "whodunnit, which is unusual.
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| CJ Jones (ajones1021@comcast.net) |
| Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This book, published in 1997, will get some renewed interest because it has been made into a movie by Sean Penn. The author has always been one of my favorites because of his journalistic style. His topics range from mountain climbing to a strange series of murders, to this fascinating story of a young man who, in 1992, left the comforts of an affluent home in VA to see the US and all its native glory, w/ Alaska as his final destination.
The is one very grainy picture in the book of Chris McCandless, but when you finish this 207 pg book, you will feel you know him, have questions about his actions and feel profound sorrow for his family. You will be able to follow Chris in his travels, the people he befriends along the way, and a speculation about why he made the decision to follow his dream to "live off that land" in the Denali area of Alaska that led to his demise.
Woven throughout the book are excellent maps of his travels and quotes from the authors Chris McCandless idolized and emulated, plus some tales of legendary Ascetics such as John Muir & Ruess.
Krakauer first wrote about Chris McCandless in a feature for Outdoor magazine, which created a public outcry --- both positive and negative. So, with the co-operation of the McCandless family, a book was born. An interesting fact is that the movie rights were delayed by that same family.
I found my opinions and thoughts changing throughout the book. The death of Chris McCandless will always be a mystery, but this fabulous book will take you into his world --- Jon Krakauer is a master at doing this in a compelling manner.
This book is truly compelling and very hard to put down. It's one I re-read about every three years. Check it out at your library --- I guarantee you will be glad you did.
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| Jeanne Sheats (catslady5@aol.com) |
| The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
He had a fascinating upbringing and it was a memoir well told. His philosophy on life was well thought out.
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| Kathy Chiocca |
| The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
Wonderful, thought-provoking book recommended by a young Marine serving in Iraq. The book will probably have a different story to tell each person who reads it. Great book group discussion book.
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| jeanne sheats (catslady5@aol.com) |
| Running with Sissors by Augusten Burroughs |
| Rating: 2 Stars |
It was hard to believe this was a memoir. I thought it was a little on the strange side.
|
| nmc |
| Girls of a Tender Age by Mary-Ann Tirone Smith |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
A memoir of growing up in Connectict in the 50s, woven with a topical murder that occurred at the time. A wonderful read! Love the details.
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| Kellie (acountkel@bellsouth.net) |
| A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell |
| Rating: 2 Stars |
This book made me work way to hard to get through it. In a nutshell the book is about Jews escaping the Holocaust. Some are in Italy, and some are traveling there. I enjoyed some parts and found the history very interesting. I have always been intrigued by World War II and was interested in the part Italy played in this time in history. However, the novel is too choppy to follow, and the constant change of locations made it difficult to form any real attachment to the characters. Just when I was getting engrossed in the story line, Russell jumps to someplace else and we are on to another plot. Too many main plots all going on at once without enough pertinent information to connect them.
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| Ms Mimi Klein |
| How Starbucks Saved My Life by Michael Gates Gill |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
What a phenomenal read!! I originally thought this was fiction, that's how remarkable a story it is. Michael Gates Gill is a man to be admired.
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| Joan Woods (buckeye14@tampabay.rr.com) |
| Always A Thief by Kay Hooper |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This is the follow-up to ONCE A THIEF, full of mystery, romance and humor. I hated to put it down before getting to the end. It takes to the end of the book to know who the truly bad guy is.
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| Laurie Blum (laurieblum@hotmail.com) |
| Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
If you've been fortunate enough to visit Venice, Italy and float below on a gondola under the Bridge of Sighs, don't miss Richard Russo's novel by the same name. The books action revolves around relationships among three families --- the Lynches, the Marconis and Bergs. Sexual betrayal, domestic violence, racial prejudice and emotional cruelty.... "discussble" issues galore for your book review club.
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| Susan C |
| Bones and Ashes by Kathy Reichs |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
Another typical Kathy Reich story of forensic science. Sometimes too many scientific details make the story drag, but the plot is interesting.
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| Susan C |
| The Street of a Thousand Blossoms by Gail Tsukiyami |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This story of World War II Japan was fascinating. It was interesting to read of the other perspective. Also interwoven with the lives of the people living through a tragic time is the history of sumo wrestling. I never realized how much ritual was tied into this sport.
|
| Nancy |
| Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
This book was a little hard to get into in the beginning, but once the story got going, I was hooked. The narrator of the story, Bibi, has just died. She tells the story of a trip she arranged to China and Myanmar (Burma). Her friends take the trip without her and encounter various adventures and difficulties.
Amy Tan has some wonderful descriptions, interesting characters, and a setting that I didn't know much about. I found myself reading about Myanmar once I finished the book. There is suspense --- at the beginning of the book you are told that the travelers have disappeared, but you don't know how.
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| sprdhn (suv_pradhan@yahoo.com) |
| The Mountain Is Young by Han Suyin |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This book is full of the drama of love in an ancient Asian city where mountains are still young. It's great.
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| Kathleen WW |
| Hitler's Niece by Ron Hansen |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
A disturbing, fictionalized account of Htler's niece, Geli, and her relationship with her much older uncle. By the same author whose book is the basis for the new Jesse James/ Brad Pitt movie, this is a sensual exploration into the world of Germany in the 20s and 30s. Those who "belong" to the Nazi party hardly understood their membership. Hitler is portrayed as a sadistic and evil man, selfish to the end. A sad and depressing read. I have no idea of how much of this story is true, but the speculation alone is heartbreaking.
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| Coral Harrison |
| Obession by Karen Robards |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
A very good mystery about some bad guys in the CIA who cause our heroine to nearly get killed several times. I knew it had to turn out OK in the end, but was surprised how it did.
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| Jeanne Sheats (catslady5@aol.com) |
| The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This was a very original premise. It sounds like it's a religious type book, but it isn't. It most definitely makes you think and it stays with you.
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| Martha E |
| Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
I'm sure I will rate this 5 stars by the time I finish. I have read all of the Temperance Brennan novels --- thrillers presented from the view of a feisty forensic anthropologist working in North Carolina and Montreal. The science involved in crime investigation is always fascinating to me. In this series it is combined with human (flawed) characters and the up and down of professional and personal relationships, not to mention the suspense of solving past and present murders. This book clearly gives enough character background to be read out of series. However, I would recommend that a reader try to start at the beginning of this series and work forward. It is well worth it, as each book has its own mystery, but I think the interaction of the characters is better understood over time.
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| Bridget |
| The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
An interesting tale told from the point of view f Mary, Anne's sister, the other Boleyn girl. What strikes me most was how unscrupulous the Howard family was. They would do ANYTHING to further their own interests, even sacrificing their children to gain the king's favor and whatever power would come with it.
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| Bonnie B. |
| One Mississippi by Mark Childress |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
An excellent read! You see Mississippi life through the eyes of this seventeen-year-old boy from the deep south in the late 1960s-1970. The book is rich and charming. I loved it! It also brought back memories of the era to me. It was rich characterizations as well.
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| Martha |
| Headwind by John J. Nance |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
This was my second John J. Nance read. It opened a little slowly for me, but once I got into it, I really liked this very interesting story. There are two good suspense storylines to keep it in fast-paced action. The political and international legal battle is to prevent a former US President from being served with an arrest warrant for extradition to Peru on allegations of violating a world treaty against torture. Meanwhile, the Boeing 737 pilot does his best to protect the ex-president while trying to find a safe place to land. The responses and reasonings of the characters add to my interest. My husband doesn't read, but he enjoyed the audio versions of this and THE LAST HOSTAGE by Nance.
|
| Pamela |
| Lottery by Patricia Wood |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
What a terrific book! You will fall in love with the central character! A wonderful young man, brought up by his grandmother, finds good friends and wins the lottery. His family takes advantage of his kind heart and slowness and manipulates him shamelessly. He loves life in spite of his experiences and has a wonderful attitude as well. This book will make you smile and cry and yell hooray. A must read!
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| Denise the Bookseller |
| The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This story, although dark, was fantastic and extremely well-written. It is about how a man made a spontaneous decision that thereafter affected the lives of many. I could barely put this book down and highly recommend it.
|
| Denise the Bookseller |
| Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
I adored this book! I thought it would be typical lightweight chick lit, but it was so much more. It was very well written with charming interesting characters. It touched my heart so that I actually cried during several parts, and the book lingered with me for a little while after I finished it. It is about a young very funny woman who finds love when and where she least expects it. I highly recommend it.
|
| Denise the Bookseller |
| A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This book, as well as THE KITE RUNNER, was probably the best book I have had the pleasure to read this year. I highly recommend both of them to men and women alike. A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS is a book you will not be able to put down. Hosseini's writing style is so very readable. It gives the reader a pure and honest view of the harsh lives of two average Afghani women. I highly recommend it.
|
| Denise the Bookseller |
| But Inside I'm Screaming by Elizabeth Flock |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
I enjoyed this book...not as much as her surprising EMMA AND ME but definitely more than EVERYTHING MUST GO. Ms. Flock utilizes a lot of psychology in her writing, and I find her characters to be interesting people. This particular novel is about a journalist whose life had grown so out of control that she had a major breakdown on air and ended up in a mental hospital. It is a fast and interesting read.
|
| Denise the Bookseller |
| The Center of Everything by Laura Moriarty |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
I loved this book! The story is told in first person by a girl being raised by her controversial single mother. Her insight and viewpoint are so refreshing and honest! I loved this book so much that I went on to read Moriarty's newest arrival, FOR THE REST OF HER LIFE.
|
| Denise the Bookseller |
| The Ha Ha by Dave King |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
I loved this book. I am only sorry that I delayed in reading it for so long. It is about a man who sustained a severe brain injury which rendered him unable to speak, and his relationship with his former girlfriend's young son, as well as numerous other interesting characters. This book is full of humor, reality, compassion and love. I highly recommend it.
|
| Lynn |
| The Worst Hard Time by Tim Egan |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This is a non-fiction account of the Dust Bowl in the 1930s Midwest from oral interviews of those who lived through it, diaries, and other sources, Egan really makes the people and times come alive for us in this story. Although I thought I already knew a lot about the Dust Bowl story, I found that I learned a huge amount from this book. Today we can't imagine a living through a horror like this environmental disaster.
|
| Carolyn Burnsides |
| Broken For You by Stephanie Kallos |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
Wonderful story about how so many people from all different walks of life came together to become an extended family. They each found love and a meaningful cause.
|
| Carolyn Burnsides |
| Glass Castle by Jennette Wall |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
Unbelievable story. Our whole book club loved this great book. We wondered how much she didn't tell about her relationship with her father. It's amazing this family stay together.
|
| Carol Hoyer from VA (pageant4u@hotmail.com) |
| No Room at the Table by Donald H. Dunson |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
I was absolutely shocked when I read this book. Mr. Dunson tells stories of children from New Orleans to Sudan who are affected by sexual exploitation, hunger and poverty.
I was truly amazed by the numbers here in the US alone. How many times have you walked past a hungry person or a homeless person and ignored them?
|
| Pat S. |
| Lord John & The Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon |
| Rating: 2 Stars |
I am trying to finish this book but keep setting it aside. Gabaldon seems fixated on Lord John's homosexual desires and it (to me) distracts from the story. Actually, I am about halfway through the book and still haven't decided what the story is suposed to be about..
I am sorry I wasted my money buying this book!
|
| Debi |
| Woman in Red by Eileen Goudge |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
What a wonderful book!! It was so hard to put down! Ms. Goudge weaves a story about two families, their tragedies, and their loves. It is fast paced and well written. I wonder what happened to Yoshi?
|
| Denise the Bookseller |
| For the Rest of Her Life by Laura Moriarty |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This was a very well-written book; I loved it as much as THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING. The story is about a teenager who accidentally struck and killed another teen with her parents' car. The story is compelling as it makes the reader understand how a tragedy of this nature affects so many people in so many ways. It also delves into familial and parental relationships. I highly recommend it.
|
| Carol Hoyer from VA (pageant4u@hotmail.com) |
| Don't PeeonMy Leg and Tell Me It's Raining by Judge Judy Sheindlin |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This is a wonderful, funny and shocking account of Judge Judy's life on the bench. You can't imagine the excuses people come up with when they go to court. You learn about a teenage girl who was murdered on her way home from school by other girls for a pair of earrings. You have to read this!
|
| Ozarks Anne |
| Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
A real fun read. An apple tree is one of the main characters, actually throwing apples for various reasons. I thought the characters were great. The ending was fairly predictable but it doesn't detract from enjoying this quick read.
|
| Fran |
| Save Karyn: One Woman's Journey to Debt and ba by Karyn Bosnak |
| Rating: 2 Stars |
A memoir of Karyn Bosnak, who shops her way into a $20,000 debt. To solve her problem, she starts the SaveKaryn.com website, where she solicits donations to help pay down her debt. I must admit it was cute. The beginning was reminiscent of the Shopaholic series. I enjoyed the writer's honesty and humor. This was a fun, lighthearted book, which was what I was looking to read right now.
|
| Joan |
| Wheel of Darkness by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
I wasn't sure I would like this book, but after the first few pages I was hooked! It is about a secret artifact stolen from a monastery in Tibet, and the FBI agent and his ward who go from Tibet to the ship Britannia in search of the killer/thief. Most of the action takes place on the maiden voyage of the ship, which adds to the excitement. I would highly recommend this book!
|
| shmeyers |
| Down River by John Hart |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This was as great as his first book, KING OF LIES! It was full of suspense and family relations! Great author! Highly recommended!
|
| Pat S. |
| Gallows View by Peter Robinson |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
I only just discovered this author and am really enjoying this first book in his series about Inspector Alan Banks, which takes place in Yorkshire. I will definitely be reading all the books in this series.
|
| Linda |
| Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt |
| Rating: 2 Stars |
This one took me forever to read. I could not get 'into' it. I have read memoirs before about having drunk fathers and dirt-poor childhoods. But this one just didn't capture my interest. I did finish it.
|
| Linda |
| The Judge by Steve Martini |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
I love Martini's books. As always, this kept me in suspense 'til the end.
|
| Carol Hoyer from VA (pageant4u@hotmail.com) |
| Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
At 10 years old, Enrique sets off for the United States to reunite with his mother, whom he hasn't seen in years. He rides train tops, is hungry, has no clothes or money. He attempted 7 times to get to the US fron Honduras. Finally, on the 8th time, he makes it.
Enrique, like other children trying to get to their mothers in the US, is beaten, robbed and deported. Over 1000 children a year attempt to cross into the US.
This was a great book that was easy to read. It made you laugh, cry and had you finally realize why people try to come into the US.
|
| Kevin |
| American Skin by Ken Bruen |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
Bruen moves his noir to the States but doesn't miss a beat. At times brutal, at times funny, always insightful.
|
| Rita Carter (gandmari@aol.com) |
| The Sleeping Doll by Jeffery Deaver |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
A highly exciting book about the escape of a serial killer from prison, his followers, and the police who try to capture him.
|
| Carol |
| Mary: Mrs. A. Lincoln by Janis Cooke Newman |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
A wonderful fictionalized account of Mary Todd Lincoln's life beginning with her commitment to an insane asylum, but also flashbacking over her entire life. This was vry entertaining as well as informative. A great read.
|
| Kathy B (kboucher@cableone.net) |
| Broken For You by Stephanie Kallos |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
This book is about how an elderly woman and a young girl pick up the pieces of their broken lives, and the "mending" of their pasts. A warm, wonderful read!
|
| Robin |
| Unwanted Company by Barbara Seranella |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
Munch Mancini is one of the all-time most interesting characters in crime fiction. She's tough with a heart of gold.
|
| Robin |
| Run: A Novel by Douglas E. Winter |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
I just finished this book. Wow...what a wild ride! I started the book and couldn't put it down until I'd finished it (at 4 A.M). If you like gritty crime novels this book is NOT to be missed.
|
| Judy O. |
| Playing for Pizza by John Grisham |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
This was a good, light-hearted story, but it lacked character depth. I got very hungry reading about the various foods available in Italy, and we also were "treated" to descriptions of many of the old buildings in that area. It was a quick read, but was just okay.
|
| Pat (pdplish@gmail.com) |
| Songs Without Words by Ann Packer |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
Another great book to read and recommend to your friends, especially those with teenagers. The dynamic between Sarabeth and Liz and the parallel events with Sarabeth and Lauren are really thought provoking. This is not only about a friendship between childhood friends, but also suicide --- a dark, yet popular theme lately.
Great book club book.
|
| Michelle Watson |
| The Other Woman by Eric Jerome Dickey |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
This was an excellent book that deals with the betrayal of marriage vows. A woman has to learn how to cope with hearing of her husband's infidelity. She also has to deal with real-world problems such as work, balancing friendship and the need for revenge. Overall, it's a good read, but I must say that I was a bit turned off by the numerous sex scenes. It was a bit unnecessary. But then again, this is one of the things that Eric Jerome Dickey is known for.
|
| Lori Saporta |
| The Final Quest by Rick Joyner |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
Not a New release,but a book I just came across. It was a good Christian read that keeps me motivated to change.
|
| Sylvie Edwards (rsedwards@sympatico.ca) |
| Loving Frank by Nancy Horan |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This was quite the summer for my reading. I stumbled upon this book and could not put it down for 2 days.
Everyone has heard or seen images of Frank Lloyd Wright houses, architecture projects, etc... But I am certain not a lot of people knew of his complex love affair with this woman for whom he built a house.
This woman would have been doing things that were shocking to anyone for her time and her choices were not the best, but her story is mesmerizing.
Please pick up this book and fall in love with a doomed love story.
|
| Pat |
| Away by Amy Bloom |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
Truly a great book. All the hype is right and it does belong on the bestsellers' lists. This is an unusual way of telling the story of a Russian Jewish woman on a continent-wide journey to find her daughter. Many of the characters' loose ends are wrapped up immediately when they are at end of each act. I totally loved the book and have already given it to two of my friends, who also loved it.
|
| Darcy |
| Dark of the Moon by John Sandford |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
Sandford's writing never fails to please, whether he's presenting his story through Lucas Davenport or, as in this case, Virgil Flowers --- a detective working under Davenport's supervision. He once again delivers a mystery that keeps you guessing until the end.
|
| Ivy |
| Late, At The Bar by Rebecca Barry |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This is an absolutely charming story! While the background is sad. the characters are so real. It is one of the most sentimental books I have read in a while.
|
| Jeff |
| Playing for Pizza by John Grisham |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
A fun read. A third-string NFL quarterback blows the championship game and ends up playing football in Parma, Italy. The book is full of wonderful descriptions of Italian life, food, and personalities.
|
| Janis |
| A Thousand Splendid Suns by Kahled Hosseini |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
THE KITE RUNNER was one of my favorites, so I was prepared to be less impressed by Hosseini's new book. How wrong I was! Hosseini does an incredible job of telling the story of Afghanistan's last 30 years through the poignant perspectives of two female characters. I won't underestimate this author again!
|
| Faith |
| Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This is one of the best written books I have read in a long time. You get to really know the characters in the novel, and the writing style is such that you can see the scenes he describes --- an excellent novel!
|
| Eileen (eqkmath@gmail.com) |
| Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
A delightful family saga that shows the complexity, as well as the humor, of life. The characters are well developed and thoughtful people. he trip to Italy is one of the highlights of the book and the ongoing interactions that take place. A wonderfully Russian book!
|
| Sylvie Edwards (rsedwards@sympatico.ca) |
| A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This was the best book I've read this summer, and trust me, I read a lot of books.
You follow the lives of several women in Afghanistan through the ins and outs of the Taliban. The characters are so vivid on the page that it's as if you were living next door to them. This book made me cry countless times, but it also gave me hope for the human race --- hope that not all people are bad and that sometimes in adversity we find our biggest strengths.
This book is destined to become one of my biggest recommendations.
|
| Audri Carr (audricarr@aol.com) |
| The Secret Servant by Daniel Silva |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
Silva's spy thrillers are masterpieces of excitement and craftsmanship. Gabriel Allon his on-going character leads a public life as a renowned art restorer and a private life as an agent in the Israeli Special Forces. Silva is an adept author who maintains a high level of excitement and up-to-the-minute politics in all his books. Couldn't put it down.
|
| DHall |
| The Secrets of a Fire King by Kim Edwards |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
THE SECRETS OF A FIRE KING is a collection of short stories from a Kentucky writer who made it to the #1 spot on the New York Times bestseller list with THE MEMORY KEEPER'S DAUGHTER. Edwards's short snippets weighed heavily on my mind, soul, or heart. Several of them weighted my mind, challenging my sense of order. Many of them touched my soul, causing me to question "why things are the way they are." Others tugged at my heart, with tales of passion and change. My favorite was "A Gleaming in the Darkness", a tale of Marie Curie and the lady who "cleaned" her laboratory; need I say more?
|
| D Hall |
| An Ordinary Man by Paul Rusesabagina |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
This book describes the extraordinary courage, wit and wisdom of the so-called "ordinary man," living/surviving a horrific period of our world's history --- the 1994 genocide of Rwanda. Even though Rusesabagina's story is not one for the weak of heart, it is one for us who take the lives we live for granted. This is a most inspirational, tragic, and fascinating story.
|
| Jeff |
| Italian Lessons by Peter Pezzelli |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
A recent college grad takes Italian lessons to take a trip to Italy to find a girl he met briefly and is sure is the one for him. This will make you want to take lessons and chart your own trip.
|
| Donna Tanner |
| River, Cross My Heart by Breena Clarke |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
So far this isn't knocking my socks off, but I have a little more than half way to go. It was an Oprah recommendation some time back and I just picked up a copy. I'll come back and let you know if the rating jumped to a 5 for me! :)
|
| Christy |
| The Almost Moon by Alice Seabold |
| Rating: 1 Stars |
I was so disappointed in her novel. I loved THE LOVELY BONES and it was so unique. This book was worth then going to the dentist. I stuck through it and thought it would get better. It did not. Don't waste your time or money.
|
| Dorothy Floos |
| The Choice by Nicholas Sparks |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This was wonderful. A real love story that brought tears to my eyes. As are all of his books, it was a quick read because you don't want to put them down. Don't miss it.
|
| Carole |
| Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
I loved this book right up until it's ending. However, too many questions were left unanswered, and, while I don't require a happy ending, I do want a conclusion. This story had none! Maybe there will be a sequel!
|
| Lindy |
| Key of Light by Nora Roberts |
| Rating: 1 Stars |
Three women are experiencing the same life challenges. Mallory Price is about to be let go from her job as a Gallery Manager after the owner's wife wanted her job. Librarian Dana Steele's hours have been severely cut back and hairdresser Zoe McCourt wants her own shop.
The three receive an invitation to a party where they are offered the chance to find three keys for a deposit of 25,000 with a million if they are able to find all three.
|
| Linfy |
| You've Been Warned by James Patterson and Howard Roughan |
| Rating: 1 Stars |
The story starts with nanny and photographer Kristin Burns. Not your everyday nanny, she is in love with the boss's husband. She starts having frightening nightmares centering on a vision of four body bags being loaded onto gurneys in front of a prominent Manhattan hotel. They go on to include her father, and the pediatrician who abused her as a child. Is it a nightmare or is it real?
|
| Debbie Le (deble_2000@yahoo.com) |
| A Simple Gift by Karyn Witmer |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
I loved this book. Avery and Mike's only daughter leaves home to follow her boyfriend's dream of making it big in rock and roll. Fiona returns to her home town with baby in tow, and doesn't bother to tell her parents...they see her working in the checkout at their local grocery store. This book is about family, love, forgiveness and the power of moving on.
|
| Sandra F. |
| The Lizard's Bite by David Hewson |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
Not your ordinary mystery. Set in Venice, this novel explores the depths of characters both evil and good.
|
| Jeremiah F Bulger |
| The Secret Cardinal by Tom Grace |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
I bought this book at Amazon based on the praise I read in your e-mail. It is an exciting thriller and I highly recommend it to all, not just those who may be Catholic.
|
| Bonnie |
| Any Place I Hang My Hat by Susan Isaacs |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
A novel about a young woman journalist who attempts to find the mother who walked out on her when she was an infant. Isaacs is a funny, gifted writer, but after loving several of her past works, this one left me lukewarm.
|
| Kathy |
| Secrets in the Attic by V. C. Andrews |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
The characters and plot are well developed. The story line concerns two young girls, best of friends, in a small town. As can be expected, events turn their friendship in different directions. The characters move into situations involving families and their histories and taboos, sexual abuse, murder, and death. The events at the end of the story had an unexpected twist, as the author set the stage for the follow-on novel.
|
| Kathy |
| The Quickie by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This is a great book, definitely one of his best. The suspense and constantly changing plot kept me at the edge of my seat. You will never again act without wondering about the repercussions of what you do.
|
| Fran |
| The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
This novel has it all --- a little bit of romance, murder, mystery, a family saga and a loveable heroine. I had lots of fun reading this book and enjoyed every page. The only disappointment was that it had to end. I would highly recommend this book to all.
|
| Ma Titwonky (matitwonky@gmail.com) |
| Bitter Is The New Black by Jen Lancaster |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
Jen Lancaster had a great job pulling in a very good salary and had just received a promotion. Two days after she was promoted, she was told she was being laid off. So begins the story about how a smart, educated, good-at-her-job woman could not get another job to save her life or her car or her possessions. When he husband is also laid off, things go from bad to worse, and this could have been a maudlin story full of self-pity. Instead, it's a close up look at what it's like to keep dumbing down your expectations and your standards when your fate is decided by matters completely outside your control. This book made me angry, but more importantly, it made me laugh. Lancaster has a quick wit and very healthy sense of humor. Even when things looked their worst, she managed to hold it all together and keep going until things did begin to turn around for her. This is a book everyone should read because you just never know when Lancaster's scenario could become your life too.
|
| Miriam |
| Death Hits the Fan by Jaqueline Girdner |
| Rating: 2 Stars |
Lately I seem to be on a run of not-so-intriguing books. This is a mystery and follows a series by this author where a vegetarian unmarried but comfy couple become accidentally involved in murder solving by repeatedly being just "too close by" the dead bodies. The murder itself and the whodunnit was not mysterious enough. There was no "want to keep reading to find out what happens" feel. The characters were not well developed at all so there is no connection to any of them. I did not get that feel that you want to know what's happened to them or what will. It was just very bland and not an exciting read at all.
|
| Lindy |
| Mayflower by Nataniel Philbrick |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
Philbrick tells the story of the founding of Ma and the Plymouth Colony and the people who founded it. He covers their hardships,and wars with the Indians. He maanages
it well, bringing them vividly to life.
|
| donn (robkay16@bellsouth.net) |
| The Tell-Tale Horse by Rita Mae Brown |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
This mystery novel is the latest in the Virginia Fox Hunting series. Jane Arnold, seventy-three year master of the Jefferson Fox Hunt, attempts to deal with the personality clashes of her hunters, the problems of soon-to-be college graduates, and the mystery of the Lady Godiva murders. The beauty of the region, the personality of the animals, and the aspects of fox hunting (no fox is ever killed), and the preservation of the creatures and the land make this a very entertaining and informative mystery.
|
| Lindy |
| Iron Orchid by Stuart Woods |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
Holly Barder has left her post as Orchard Beach, FL police Chief for a new career in the CIA. After training at the farm, she is off to capture Teddy Fay, who has starred in at least one previous book. Fay has retired from the CIA to start a new career in crime.
|
| Ma Titwonky (matitwonky@gmail.com) |
| Stiff by Mary Roach |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
Most people believe that there is nothing the least bit humorous about death. In fact, this is a subject that makes many people uncomfortable. Not Mary Roach. She has approached the subject of cadavers with a sense of humor and a whole lot of information most of us didn't know about what happens to our bodies after they've outlived their usefulness to us. This isn't a subject in which I thought I was even interested, but given Roach's entertaining way with her subject, and given all the information packed into this book that I didn't know, I'd recommend it. It is, after all, a fact of life.
|
| Diane Dubay |
| Under the Big Top by Bruce Feiler |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
After Bruce Feiler came back from Japan (the subject of his book LEARNING TO BOW) and Cambridge (again, his book LOOKING FOR CLASS) he spent a season with the circus, traveling, acting as a clown and researching this book. He gives great insight into this microcosm of society and is definitely a modern-day (but serious) Bill Bryson! I recommend any of his books.
|
| Ma Titwonky (matitwonky@gmail.com) |
| The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
Humpty Dumpty is dead, and it's up to Jack Spratt and Mary Mary to find out if his death was accidental or murder. The plot to this book is full of nursery rhyme characters as well as plenty of wit and humor. I enjoyed it very much and look forward to reading more of Jasper Fforde's work. I do love mysteries and this one is as good as any other mainstream mystery; it's just that the characters are more whimsical.
|
| Ma Titwonky (matitwonky@gmail.com) |
| Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
A school shooting in which numerous students are killed or wounded is a very complex story to tell in a fictional account. Jodi Picoult has done a very good job in telling the story of the shooter as well as one of the students who survived his murder spree. Picoult has also included the parents of the shooter, as well as those of the victims. It doesn't seem possible to make a shooter a sympathetic character, yet Picoult takes the time to develop this person into a 3-dimensional person who does at least deserve to be heard as to why he did this terrible thing.
I have one reservation about this book and that is that the outline for it could easily be confused with a book Picoult wrote some years ago. Just switch the names of the characters, and the formula is exactly the same. However, that doesn't mean that NINETEEN MINUTES is not a powerful work of fiction that has large doses of reality written into its pages. This one is right off the current headlines, and it's a difficult story told very well.
|
| Trish Thomas |
| What to Eat by Marion Nestle |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This 598-page book will answer every question you have about current dietary recommendations, and which ones you should follow. She covers why you can avoid all the fad diets (hint: eat less, exercise more, the classic advice still applies), pretty much anything you can think of on food safety, how to navigate the supermarket (shop the edges), and what items are worth the higher prices (organic is really better for you, especially if you are a child or baby, or pregnant.) Her wry sense of humor and cynicism about the marketplace make the topic more fun than you might expect. She also wrote FOOD POLITICS and SAFE FOOD.
|
| Debbie (delphimo@yahoo.com) |
| Emotional Geology by Linda Gillard |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
An interesting book about mountain climbing, poetry, the sea, teaching, Scotland, textile art, and love and forgiveness. The cycle of ashes to ashes tie into the geology theme.
|
| Trish Thomas |
| Whose Freedom? by George Lakoff |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This book takes a look at conservative vs. liberal/progressive values, explained in terms of frames --- a structure that your brain sets up to hold ideas. If you hear something talked about in the same terms and you accept those terms, a structure or frame is created in your brain, and you see everything through it. Lakoff is a very well -respected linguistics professor at UC Berkeley, and also a very good writer. If you are wondering why the dialogue of politics has been hijacked by the conservative evangelicals, this will explain, and give you some direction in responding to them.
|
| Ma Titwonky (matitwonky@gmail.com) |
| Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This book was recommended to me by someone whose opinion I respect, and from now on I'll read anything she suggests. ELLA MINNOW PEA is a cautionary tale about what happens in a dictatorial state when morons run it, but it is also one of the cleverest and funniest books I've ever read.
The Island of Nollop lies off the coast of South Carolina, and it was named after Nevin Nollop, who was responsible for the phrase, "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." There is a memorial statue of Nevin Nollop on the island, and as letters from the quote on the statue fall off, the town council takes this as a sign to ban those letters from daily use. The letters keep falling off, and the council continues to ban them as they also impose strict punishment for anyone who does not observe the letter banishment. Ella becomes involved in trying to help and save her friends while also trying to reinstate full use of the alphabet. It is a daunting task, but it makes for a wonderful story.
|
| Lindy |
| Invisible Eden by Maria Flook |
| Rating: 2 Stars |
The story of Christa Wothington, the 46-year-old fashion writer who was found dead in her home in Truro, MA. When she was found, her toddler daughter Ava was by her side. The book did not quite do what it intended.
|
| Rachel |
| Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
A great book...I would love to have gone on this journey with Elizabeth. The book tells how she left behind all the success she had to find something wonderful in its place.
|
| Kathy Bailey |
| The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
I know I am the last to read this book, but I hate reading what everyone else is reading. But I put it off too long; it is beautiful, sad, memorable book that also has moments of joy. It kept me turning the pages once I started and I had to finish it the same day. Unfortunately, it had be so pensive I couldn't sleep afterwards. I can't wait to read his next book --- it is by my bedside now.
|
| Marion (reception@curtisbb.com) |
| The World To Come by Dara Horn |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
Books like this are why I started a book club. It's elegant, intelligent and meant to be shared. It's a contemporary historical fiction novel beginning with the orphanage in Russia where Marc Chagall taught art after the pogroms against the Jews. It flashes forward and back with the theft of a Chagall study as the story line. There are so very many elements to this book it's hard to know where to start. It involves family relationships, love of art and how it affects us, the results of war, and more. The conclusion is unique and makes sense to the story. You will love it!
|
| Rachel |
| Family Acts by Louise Shaffer |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This title is fun, light and draws you into all the characters...the names of the main characters all have Shakespearean names.
It is definitely a good read!
|
| Marlene C |
| A Wrongful Death by Kate Wilhelm |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
I could not put this book down and kept reading when chores should have been done. This was the best of the Barbara Holloway series and it was a great visit with old friends.
|
| Brian Dunn |
| End of Story by Peter Abrahams |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
Abrahams never disappoints. This one ends with the best last line in a long, long time.
|
| CJ Jones (ajones1021@comcast.net) |
| The Wedding Officer by Anthony Capella |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
The best book I have read in a long time, this is a narrative about the Allied occupation in Italy and the role of the "wedding officer " --- in this case an English officer, James Gould, who has no experience with Italians, Naples and also love. James does everything by the book until he meets Livia, a wonderful cook from the nearby hills who comes to be the "chef" for the Allied officers in his group. There is humor, delicious Italian food described in detail, the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, and a description on the brave fighting by Allies, and Italians after the eruption and on the way to Rome.
James Gould falls in love, becomes more human in "the Italian way" --- which he embraces --- and also becomes a brave man fighting in the trenches while trying to find his beloved Livia (who has been sent to the German front) from Cisterna to Rome.
THE WEDDING OFFICER is indeed a love story and also an excellent narrative of the occupation of Naples, according to Mr Capella. It's dedicated to the memory of his father, who served in World War II.
I highly recommend that you take the time to read this book - I had read reviews of it on Word of Mouth --- most mentioned the food, and believe me, this is a page turner about a time in history that we as Americans will never forget.
|
| Lisa Garrett |
| Crazy in Alabama by Mark Childress |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This book is wonderful! I feel as if I am with 12-year-old Peejoe on his childhood journey
|
| Linda H. (linda604b@yahoo.com) |
| Beyond Reach by KarinSlaughter |
| Rating: 2 Stars |
This was the first book by Karin Slaughter that I have read. The plot was confusing as it kept skipping between the past and the present. The ending was terrible. I don't recommend this book at all.
|
| Michelle |
| Prophecy by Elizabeth Haydon |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
I am rereading Elizabeth Haydon's first fantasy series. If you have never read any of her books start with RHAPSODY first. I was hooked the first time I started one of her books. Her writing pulls a person into the story and makes fantasy seem like reality. The characters and the plot all have a depth to them that you don't find in many fantasy books. Overall, she is one of the best writers I have ever read and will always be a favorite.
|
| Alice (amcdonnell@mth.org) |
| Blind Alley by Iris Johansen |
| Rating: 1 Stars |
Not much of a spellbinder as promised. This was my first and last book by this author. The book was a cat-and-mouse story drawn out way too long so that you don't really care.
|
| Jill |
| Whistling in the Dark by Leslie Kagen |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
I've really enjoyed the story and the prose in this book written by a local author. Best of all, we chose this book for our next book club selection and have invited Ms. Kagen to attend....and she is!!!!
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| John Stover (spartanjohnchicub@yahoo.com) |
| The Suspect by John Lescroart |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
Gina Roake, a partner to Lescroart's main protagonist Dismas Hardy, is the focal point of this mystery when she decides to resume active litigation with the law firm. Her client, a complex accomplished author, is accused of murdering his wealthy driven spouse. Lescroat's superb account of the unfolding events and characters will captivate the reader.
|
| Lauri Wilson |
| Queen of Swords by Sara Donati |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
The fifth installment of the series on the Bonner family saga, QUEEN OF SWORDS takes place in a new venue --- the Caribbean, Florida and New Orleans during the War of 1812. Although I've only read about 50 pages, I've looked forward to reading this for a while and it's already promising to be a great read like the others.
|
| janflora |
| The Reincarnationist by M. J. Rose |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
This was an exciting thriller to read. I really could not put it down, but then, I was not ready for it to end. I don't usually read thrillers/suspense novels, but I thought the story about reincarnation sounded interesting, and it was. I have seen some comparisons to HE DA VINCI CODE, which I can see, but I believe this one is much better written. The story is really the author's own, although there are some historical elements. She apparently likes to add erotic elements, which can be fun, but don't really add to the story that much. The best part for me was the topic of reincarnation, which obviously she can't prove or disprove, but offers different viewpoints and some reality-based info. It was fun, so if you need a smart, thrilling read, you'll probably enjoy this one too.
|
| Marjorie Clark (marjclark@comcast.net) |
| You've Been Warned by James Paterson & Howard Roughan |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
Once again, James Patterson & Howard Roughan have done it again. This book keep you guessing until the very end (which took me totally by surprise). I recommend this for anyone looking for a fast-paced read.
|
| Judy O. |
| If I Am Missing or Dead by Janine Latus |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
Janine Latus writes a moving memoir about her younger sister, Amy, who dies at the hands of a boyfriend. She leaves behind a note taped to a drawer in her desk that states in part, "If I am Missing or Dead, this obviously has not protected me." This is Janine's story too, as she tries to extricate herself from an abusive marriage. This was a very wonderful story about courage and love.
|
| Andrea |
| Gentlemen & Players by Joanne Harris |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
One of the most intriguing books I have read. It keeps you on your toes, right through the last chapter.
|
| CJ |
| The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
On the recommendation of a friend, I purchased this book in the airport during a long layover. I had planned to return it at the next airport for a half-price refund, but after reading it, I am going to keep it forever and have already shared it with others. The story is about growing up in Des Moines in the 50s and 60s, and to my own embarrassment, it had me laughing out loud in the middle of the waiting area! Although, the author does describe serious moments of that era as well. It evoked many happy memories of my younger days! Bryson is an excellent writer!
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| Natasha (nmparadise@gmail.com) |
| A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
This book was very thought provoking. The subject matter was intense and very interesting.
|
| Andrea |
| The Spy's Wife by Reginald Hill |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
A good story about a woman who has to make some serious decisions after learning how she was deceived by her husband.
|
| RitaB |
| Between the Tides by Patricia Callahan Henry |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
A very good book about memories, guilt, secrets, and relationships, by a Southern writer. Its quite reminiscent of BEACH MUSIC by Conroy. I especially like the way literary theory is brought into the novel and the theory of how to read a novel.
|
| RitaB |
| The Collectors by David Baldacci |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
Another great Baldacci suspense novel. He leaves a segue for future Camel Club titles at the end.
|
| Natasha (nmparadise@gmail.com) |
| The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards |
| Rating: 2 Stars |
The ubject matter could have been interesting but the characters didn't seem well developed to me. I found the book long, boring and sappy.
|
| Nikki (gramanik2001@comcast.net) |
| Pieces of My Sister's Life by Elizabeth Joy Arnold |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
I read this book after reading 2 reviews that compared it to Jodi Picoult's MY SISTER'S KEEPER. I don't agree with those reviews. Although this book is good and the story of the twin sisters is interesting, it definitely doesn't equal to the quality of a Picoult novel.
|
| Joan |
| You've Been Warned by James Patterson |
| Rating: 1 Stars |
This had to have been the worst of James Patterson's books to date. It started off ok, but then got so weird I had to read on to find out what was happening. I was still trying to piece it all together but realized it wasn't worth it.
|
| Amy Mahnke (mack4@bex.net) |
| Sisters by Danielle Steel |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
It was a great read about how four sisters can be so different, but in a time of need they can all come together, help their father and bring them all closer. It makes you think of your own family.
|
| Shelley |
| Marley & Me by John Grogan |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
What a beautiful love story! This book was so real (we have a Marley also) that I laughed and cried throughout the book.
|
| Shelley |
| Loving Frank by Nancy Horan |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
Well done! Having just been to the Frank Lloyd Wright house in Oak Park, I found Ms. Horan's story all the more memorable. The story just played out before my eyes and knowing it was based on a true story only made it better.
|
| Reva Wamsley (prwamsley@roadrunner.com) |
| The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
This is the first book I've read by this author and I can't wait to read the rest. It's a story about the modern-day Templar Knights and the search for their Great Device. Cotton Malone and his former supervisor meet up with the Templars while following clues that her deceased husband left behind after committing suicide.
|
| D. Garner |
| The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
A doctor delivering his own twins discovers that one of them has Down Syndrome. He turns his daughter over to a nurse, who adopts her and lies to his wife, telling her the baby had died. This lie unravels the doctor's marriage and relationship with his remaining son, while enriching the life of the nurse. This takes a sensitive look at the issue of "imperfect" children in today's throw-away society.
|
| Gina Metz |
| Season of the Witch by Natasha Mostert |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
"Swirling together elements of The Matrix, INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE and THE HISTORIAN." This quote is on the book jacket but I did not find that to be a good description of the novel. It is a mystery but also a love story with two beautiful sisters, a gothic house and a man searching for the truth about a missing young man. Although it does require some belief in the paranormal, it has many other elements that I found fascinating. Anyone who shares an interest or enjoys books with paranormal elements will enjoy this. Although it has a rather slow start, it is spellbinding if one continues to read.
|
| Dustin Whitney |
| 1776 by David McCullough |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
This is an early American Revolution piece that revolves around General George Washington. The majority of the book focuses on the resiliency of the Continental Army after multiple defeats. The amount of research McCullough performed is astounding. Using multiple journal records from many of the soldiers that experienced those times first hand, a very accurate, vivid picture of one of the most defining moments in American history was painted. A must read for any history lover.
|
| Karla C. |
| The Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
A good story about a town in the Pacific Northwest that quarantined itself during the flu epidemic of 1918.
|
| Anita Nowak |
| Echo Park by Michael Connelly |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
Once again we have a wonderful mystery by Mr. Connelly. I absolutely love his character, Harry Bosch. He is so real, and the suspense is unbelievable. A very hard book to put down.
|
| Kay Keller |
| It Never Rains In Tiger Stadium by John Ed Bradley |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This is a really well-written book by a former LSU football player about his days as an LSU Tiger under Coach Charles McClendon. It is a compulsive read -- very hard to put down. It also arrives at a time when the LSU Tigers are #1 in the polls and there is no better time to be an LSU Tiger fan. Read this book --- and Geaux Tigers!!
|
| Rachael |
| Sex & the Immortal Bad Boy by Stephanie Rowe |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
SEX AND THE IMMORTAL BAD BOY is the first book that I’ve read by Stephanie Rowe. It’s actually #4 in her Immortally Sexy Series but I was able to follow the storyline even though I haven’t read the previous three books. I absolutely adored this story. As a reader who is new to paranormal romance, I am now hooked. The characters were unique and so funny. The romance between Jed and Paige was passionate and sexy. The writing was suspenseful, had a great flow to it, and is exciting and hilarious.
|
| Peggy (buschp@alumni.utexas.net) |
| Hill Country by Janice Woods Windle |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
This is an interesting novel about the life of the author's grandmother, who was close friends with Lyndon B.Johnson's mother, Rebecca Baines Johnson. The reader gets to look into Texas from the last days of the Indians through the present.
|
| Jon |
| Echo Burning by Lee Child |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
This book has the usual quick pacing from Lee Child. The plot is engaging but The characters are a bit difficult to believe. There are many clichés and contradictions, as well as circumstances that make this reader say "Hmmm?"
|
| Jason |
| Driving Change: The USP Approach To Business by Mike Brewster & Frederick Dalzell |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
A great mix of UPS's history and business philosophies that make this company move. For a company to be around for 100 years, they are doing something right. Crowning moments of this company are given that give you inspiration.
|
| Joan |
| Still Summer by Jacquelyn Mitchard |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
Three friends and a daughter are on a holiday cruise that goes terribly wrong. This is sad, but very thought-provoking. When times get tough, even the best of friends can turn on one another. An interesting read.
|
| Toni Savchuck (tonisandlin@aol.com) |
| The Dilemma by Penny Vincenzi |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
What happens when a young working woman marries an older rich tycoon and he asks her to lie for him? This very intriguing novel is the first release in the US by a best-selling author in Britain.
|
| Whitney |
| Lifeless by Mark Billingham |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
I've loved this series featuring Detective Thorne and his friend, pathologist Phil Hendricks, since the debut. However, this book seemed a little more sluggish to start and there was not much action to speed the story along. More focus was put on "detecting" than action, but it still ended fairly well. It's not one of Billingham's better novels, but it certainly won't keep me from reading BURIED (next in the series)!
|
| michelle |
| The Faraday Girls by Monica McInerney |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
This starts out very interesting, and then just kind of falls apart towards the end. McInerney writes dialogue well for the Australian characters, but has no idea how Americans talk when the setting moved to New York.
|
| Whitney |
| Jimi Hendrix Turns 80 by Tim Sandlin |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
Not my usual literary fare, but as a fan of Jimi Hendrix, this title caught my eye when I saw it featured on an NPR affiliate website. This book has NOTHING to do with the late guitar god, but the premise of the "summer of love" generation trying to recapture that moment in time while living in a nursing home in 2022 maintained my interest.
Guy Fontaine is involuntarily committed to a nursing home after blacking out and driving down a freeway. He finds this nursing home is rather a-typical, where residents revert to their hippie names, try to grow their hair as long as it was before they joined "the establishment", and segregate themselves by where they were during the summer of love. They cling to the old ideals of love, sex and rock and roll. One of the residents gets evicted, the aging radicals revolt, and conflict ensues.
|
| Lisa Henderson |
| The Broken Shore by Peter Temple |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
Mr. Temple writes top-notch Australian crime fiction. This book is part of a mystery series featuring barrister Jack Irish, who also dabbles in other "hobbies": handling investigations upon request, working as an assistant to a race horse owner/player, and apprenticing to an elder furniture maker. The book is at times funny, violent, and sad, but always insightful. The only downside to reading his books is the distinctive Australian speech --- the sentences are abbreviated, making it sometimes difficult to determine context, as well as the use of slang words that take a while to figure out too. However, these are small distractions for a decidedly big payoff.
|
| Rosalie Leon |
| The Girl With a Pearl Earring (audio book) by Tracy Chevalier |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
The reader was wonderful --- a young girl's voice that brought the tale to life.
|
| Coral Harrison |
| Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This is a wonderful non-fiction book about how small farmers are able to raise nearly all of the the food you eat. Kingsolver and her family moved to a small farm they owned in the Appalachian mountains. She writes the history of the food they plant, raise and eat. She also includes interesting information about what the family does. Her husband, Stephen L. Hopp, writes the technical things about what she is writing. Her 17-year-old daughter, Camille, writes about the work they do, the way they cook, and gives lots of recipes. Her younger daughher Lily, age 10, has started raising chickens and sells eggs.
I especially like this book as I have a farm background and we have raised much of our own food. The agricultural experience helped me enjoy this book, but one does not need to have experienced farm life to find this interesting. Many people have no idea how to farm and raise gardens.
|
| Sandi L. |
| Power Play by Joseph Finder |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
I was disappointed with this book. It felt like it was a script for a movie. I didn't really care for any of the characters. It takes place in a remote lodge, during a gathering of the A-list of a corporation.
|
| Julie Parrish |
| The Other Daughter by Lisa Gardner |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
I loved this book! It drew me in from the moment I started it and kept me guessing 'til the end. You wont want to put it down.
|
| R. L. Engebretson |
| The King's English by Betsy Burton |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
Great insight into owning a book store...the good, the bad, and the always-changing book industry.
Hopefully, this book will encourage book lovers to purchase from independant sellers. It is disconcerting that the big-box retailers will purchase only those books that will be huge sellers....what will happen to the unknowns if we do not continue to support our local independants?
|
| Pam Cassel |
| His Bright Light by Danielle Steel |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This is the true story of Ms Steel's son Nick. It took years for him to be diagnosed as manic depressive, but he finally took his own life at age 19. This is a story of love, strife, strength, and heartbreak. This book is a little hard to read at times, but you will walk away from reading it with a better understanding of how hard life can be with, and for, a "special needs" child. My heart goes out to Ms. Steel.
|
| Bridget |
| Dockside by Susan Wiggs |
| Rating: 2 Stars |
Light, predictable reading, but sometimes that's what you need.
|
| Debra Guyette (Debby236@comcast.net) |
| Lover Unbound by J. R. Ward |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
J. R. Ward continues her excellent Brotherhood series with LOVER UNBOUND, Vishoud's story. These books tell the tales of a unique group of vampires. WIth danger, passion and lots of action, you cannot go wrong with this book.
|
| Coral Harrison |
| An Act of Treason by Vince Flynn |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
A thriller about CIA incumbent Vice-President and unlawful deeds. It starts with a car bombing in a presidential motorcade and goes on from there. Very gripping, but I hope these things don't happen.
|
| Stacia Helpman |
| Dead Sexy by Amanda Ashley |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
Pretty decent book about a vampire hunter who falls for a vampire and gets turned into a werewolf.
|
| Karen H |
| Stars by Kathryn Harvey |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
Twins separated at birth, an unsolved murder of a Hollywood producer in the '30's. The house purchased by a mysterious multimillionaire stalked by a man bent on revenge, and the other sister has a crisis to deal with.
How are the sisters connected to Marion Star, the classic Hollywood star suspected of killing the producer in her home then running away into the night? I don't know either --- I'm eager to find out!
|
| Gale |
| Last Breath: A Sherry Moore Novel by George D. Shuman |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
As LAST BREATH begins, blind psychic Sherry Moore is depressed and losing her struggle to cope with the events of last year's stunning 18 SECONDS. An old acquaintance requests her expertise on a serial murder investigation, and she does her best to help, all the while battling her own demons. This is an excellent follow-up, albeit the ending is a bit abrupt.
|
| Linda M. Johnson |
| Heavens to Betsy! And Other Curious Sayings by Charles Earle Funk |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
This book gives derivations and definitions for phrases used in everyday language such as the title phrase, talking a blue streak, the real McCoy and others.
|
| Linda M. Johnson |
| Skin Tight by Carl Hiaasen |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
I read Hiaasen's book SKINNY DIP shortly after it came out, and I so thoroughly enjoyed it that I decided to read more of his books. I read/listened to them as I found them at the library at first. Most recently, I've been listening to the books in chronological order. It has been interesting to see Hiaasen's progress as a writer. For a hilarious shake--your-head-because-it's-just-too-bizarre-for-real-life read. try Hiaasen. He has stated in interviews that he finds small articles in the paper (he's a reporter for the Miami Herald) that seem more like fiction than truth, and then builds his plot around the news.
|
| Sandi L. |
| Sleeping With Fear by Kay Hooper |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
The first book I've read by her and I am enjoying it. It's about a woman who works for the FBI in the Special Crimes Unit on the paranormal.
She investigates apparently occult happenings. However, she wakes up covered in blood and missing her memory of the past 3 weeks.
|
| Cheryl Sheets (lousie_1962@yahoo.com) |
| Vanish by Sandra Brown |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
I have always liked reading Sandra Brown's books. She keeps you on the edge of your seat --- just when you think you know how the book is going to end, she takes a turn for the other way. I recommend this book very highly as well as any other of her books.
|
| Gloria |
| The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
An amazing book! I am not a big non-fiction reader, but this is better than any work of fiction that I have ever read. How those children endured and became such successful members of society is beyond me. If you have not read this, please pick up the book. If for nothing else, it may just inspire you!
|
| Michael Hice (michaelhice@earthlink.net) |
| The MoonQuest: A True Fantasy by Mark David Gerson |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
THE MOONQUEST took me completely by surprise. While expecting and finding an exciting adventure fantasy story, I did not expect the personal changes the novel inspired. The critical importance of the freedom to express truth—to freely relate all of our stories and not have them suppressed by dark forces—became acutely clear.
The fantasy reminded me that everyone has an important story to tell, including my own, and that telling those stories is critical to all our freedoms. As a result, the story inspired me to write again.
|
| Cathey (dbinpgh@aol.com) |
| Pieces of My Sister's Life by Elizabeth Joy Arnold |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
This was a good twin-sister story. However, I am not sure all of it was believable. But, it kept my interest and I cried over certain parts.
|
| Dorothy Flood |
| Playing for Pizza by John Grisham |
| Rating: 1 Stars |
I was halfway through it when I gave it, still waiting for something to happen. This didn't sound like John Grisham. There are too many good books available to be wasting my time on this.
|
| Marsha |
| Suite Française by Irene Némirovsky |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
This blend of fact and fiction details the occupation of France by the Germans during the early days of World War II. We learn of the feelings of both the young soldiers and the people whose lives are upturned by their arrival. The appendices are fascinating.
|
| Sandi |
| Sweet Revenge by Diane Mott Davidson |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
I am just beginning the book. I always enjoy her books so I know this will be a good, relaxing read....I ordered it and it just arrived yesterday.
|
| Julie |
| Walt Disney:Triumph of The American Imagination by Neal Gabler |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
A very detailed wonderful bio of Walt Disney. The book starts with Walt at birth and describes his creation of the Disney Studios, as well as the creation of Mickey Mouse and all the other endearing characters.
|
| Debi |
| Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
I read this book because of the good reviews by other people. It was good, but it left me hanging. I read it feeling as though there would be more to the plot. But overall, it is well written, and I enjoyed the mystical effects of the flower spells!
|
| Debi |
| My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
This is a thought-provoking book about a young girl who sues her parents for her rights to her own body. She was conceived in order to provide blood cells for her older sister with leukemia. As usual, Jodi Picoult provides a twist at the end so you'll want to re-read it in order to find the clues you missed. It was very interesting, although it was a little slow in places. I enjoyed it, and you will, too!
|
| Marion Miller (lamamil@aol.com) |
| The Doctor's Daughter by Hilma Wolitzer |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
A mid-life crisis can be predictable, but in the hands of a veteran writer, it is suspenseful and fulfilling to the reader.
|
| Bruno |
| The Closers by Michael Connelly |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
I really think it's one of Connelly's best. It's a great story and the the dialogue comes off
just right. I've never been to L.A., but it feels likes I'm there. I highly recommend it.
|
| Mary in HB (mljacobsinhb@msn.com) |
| The Royal Mess (Alaskan Royal Family, Book 3) by MaryJanice Davidson |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
A very fun and quick read. It's supposedly the last in the Alaskan series, but I hope not.
|
| Karen Barash (kkbarash@aol.com) |
| Mount Joy by Lorna Landvik |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
There are some unforgettable characters in this book, as well as a wonderful grocery store at the center of the novel --- a store in which spontaneous contests are announced and prizes given that match the winner's needs.
|
| Debbie |
| The Storyteller's Daughter by Saira Shah |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
A fast-reading biography about a girl that grew up in England but with an Afghani background. She goes back to Afghanistan eventually and describes the people there.
|
| Mary in HB (mljacobsinhb@msn.com) |
| Jennifer Scales and the Ancient Furnace by MaryJanice Davidson and Anthony Alongi |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
An excellent book for kids and adults.
A very witty take on coming of age for teenagers.
|
| Mary in HB (mljacobsinhb@msn.com) |
| All the Numbers: A Novel by Judy Larsen |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
This spectacular debut is one of the best books I have read this year. Everything about this story was perfect for me with a very emotional flavor.
|
| Mary in HB (mljacobsinhb@msn.com) |
| Dedication by Emma McLaughlin Nicola Kraus |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
The authors are finally back in good form with this book. I liked this as much as THE NANNY DIARIES....good characters with enough fantasy and fun.
|
| Mary in HB (mljacobsinhb@msn.com) |
| Girls of Riyadh: A Novel by Rajaa Alsanea |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
I'm not sure if the stories in this book are true, but it seems to reflect the Middle Eastern culture I have read about. It's very much like Candace Bushnell's SEX AND THE CITY about four friends in Saudi Arabi and what their lives are like.
|
| laurie blum (laurieblum@hotmail.com) |
| The Spanish Bow by Andromeda Romano-Lax |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
As we are musicologists, art historians & historical fiction fans, THE SPANISH BOW by Romano-Lax will take you on a wonderful musical tour of 20th-century Spain, along with an exciting love affair with Aviva, violinist! Brava!
|
| Thomas |
| Down Came the Rain by Brooke Shields |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
Brooks Shields tells of her strong desire to have a baby with husband, Chris Henchy. When the day finally comes, she can't understand the dark, hopeless feelings that are constantly with her, nearly driving her to suicide. Brooke finally finds help in dealing with severe postpartum depression, managing to come back to the world she seemed to have left and discovering that she is capable of giving and receiving love from her daughter. Though not a "guy book," I think this should probably be a "must read" for any expectant mother.
|
| Joan |
| The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
I wasn't too sure about this book because it goes back and forth in time, but it was totally awesome --- one of her better books. I really enjoyed reading it and it even gave me a history lesson or two! Highly recommended!
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| Lori F. |
| Cusader Gold by David Gibbons |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
Gibbons dived for his first shipwreck when he was 15 and has been an underwater archaeologist all of his life, which brings a sense of realism to the story of archeologist Jack Howard and his team of adventurers. They are on a hunt for a lost menorah from the Crusades that takes us from the angry waters off Istanbul to the dusty cathedral library where an ancient map is found. These 2 events may solve the mystery and the unveiling of a conspiracy dating back to the Roman Empire and the Nazis' last days. A viking warship, the jungles of Central America, and a confrontation with a killer make this a hard book to put down and snap back to reality.
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| Darlene Arden |
| The Sleeping Doll by Jeffery Deaver |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
Another winner from Deaver. This riveting read is one of his best.
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| Sharron |
| Songs Without Words by Ann Packer |
| Rating: 1 Stars |
I really looked forward to reading this but after 100 confusing pages, I gave up. All I could think was, "What is this about?" and "This doesn't flow or make sense." To those of you who liked this book, I'm glad. That's what make the world go 'round. It's just not my cup of tea.
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| Sharron |
| A Dream of Wolves by Michael C White |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
A middle-aged doctor and part time medical examiner in rural North Carolina gets involved in a "pat" murder investigation. In order to protect the baby of the alleged murderer, he becomes her guardian. Meanwhile, he is having a relationship with the assistant DA, and his bipolar ex-wife who drifts in and out of his life is back in. Oh, and did I mention he had a son who died 16 years ago while his wife was "watching" him? There are many moral dilemmas in this, which makes it a good discussion book.
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| Bonnie |
| A Crack in the Edge of the World by Simon Winchester |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
I listened to the unabridged audio book read by the author on a long drive. It was fascinating nonfiction account of the great San Francisco earthquake and how it came to be. But more than that, it's about geology and the earth's crust, as well as a history of the city of San Francisco. It sounds dry, but Winchester makes it come alive. It made my 21-hour drive whiz by.
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| Bonnie |
| Lost and Found by Carolyn Parkhurst |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
An amiable novel of a group of people in an "Amazing Race" type of show, who were definitely type-cast. The book was very formulaic. It'll make a fun Lifetime movie-of-the-week.
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| Bonnie |
| A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
I listened to the abridged audiobook by the author. It's a terrific non-fiction account of everything you always wanted to know about physics, chemistry, geology, etc., and all the quirky personalities and events that they never told you about in school. It makes me want to go out and read biographies of several scientists --- something I'd NEVER have done prior to "reading" this book.
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| Debbie (delphimo@yahoo.com) |
| The King of Lies by John Hart |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
A mystery set in Salisbury, NC, centering on money, family, revenge, and love. The actual killer is not revealed until the end, so there are many twists and turns. Very interesting.
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| Judith Oldner (jkayeoldner@yahoo.com) |
| House by Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
First of all, the book was great. That said, I'm still not sure how I feel about the ending. It was definitely something different. The best part of the book was the characters, which were strong and well developed.
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| Kellie (acountkel@bellsouth.net) |
| What Came Before He Shot Her by Elizabeth George |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
I prepared myself before I started this book. I'd seen several unfavorable reviews and I have to say, I was not really excited about reading this, especially since none of the main characters of the series show up until the very end. But, I knew all of this going in. Quite frankly, I think the bad reviews are unjust.
To put it in perspective, George has just killed off Helen, of the main characters in her Havers/Lynley series, in the previous book WITH NO ONE AS WITNESS. It was quite a shock for those of us who have read and enjoyed all the books of the series for her to suddenly take out a likable and pertinent character. Maybe George felt she owed it to her loyal fans to follow up this shocking event with the story behind the boy who was accused of ending Helen’s life. Elizabeth George weaves her story with such intricate details. There are no holes. I say, “Bravo to Ms. George” for putting this story together and explaining to us why a 12-year-old boy would be involved in something so horrific. I wait in anticipation for the continuation of this series.
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| Linda Pinto |
| Mystic River by Dennis Lehane |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
This is a gripping mystery that is well written and kept my attention from beginning to end.
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| Ricki (rickimc@aol.com) |
| Missing Witness by Gordon Campbell |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
This books starts off way too slowly, but once it picks up, it is a gripping courtroom thriller. The twist is very unexpected.
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| Carol B |
| The Shining by Stephen King |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
Good read! I've seen the movie several times but the book is much scarier!
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| Michelle Miller (miller4plusmore@bellsouth.net) |
| Joan of Arc: Maid, Myth and History by Timothy Wilson-Smith |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
I purchased this book for personal reasons--- I have a keen interest in Joan of Arc, and I also ended up reading this for a book review I have to write for my Renaissance History class. It's a little slow and lumbering at times, but all in all, a pretty good source about this extraordinary woman.
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| Eileen Quinn Knight |
| The Maytrees by Annie Dillard |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
What a wonderful book about forgiveness. The three main characters are involved in a deep and abiding friendship that plays out in the later years of all. It has a delightful understanding of the complexities of life. Don't take anything for granted!
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| Lee |
| The Sanctuary by Raymond Khoury |
| Rating: 3 Stars |
Am I jaded? Or have I read too many of this type book? This one was for book club, and I was really disappointed. I totally knew where it was going, who all the characters would turn out to be, and how it would end. I was expecting so much more :(
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| Patricia Ezzell (patriciart@aol.com) |
| The Cloud of Unknowing by Thomas Cook |
| Rating: 4 Stars |
I was spellbound throughout this book. This mystery is an education into the strange world of family mental illness. I was left with an empty feeling when I finished reading.
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| Mrs. Gonzales |
| Feelings Only I Know by Susan McKenna |
| Rating: 5 Stars |
A fabulous book --- there's nothing like it out there. I ran across it and found it so unique that I bought one and donated it to my church and old elementary school, just because it was so heartwarming to read. McKenna is a really gifted writer with a warm heart and the ability to share it with children during a difficult time like divorce.
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