The Confession by Charles Todd

This was the first Charles Todd book I’ve read and I did not know that it was a series so I was worried the book would not hold up well on its own. From the first passage I was pulled in to Rutledge’s realm of being solving crimes. A man walks into Rutledge’s office and confesses to a murder that he committed five years earlier. The problem is that Rutledge hasn’t even heard of that murder and the man who confessed is found dead a few days later.

5 Stars

Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan

In the novella Last Night at the Lobster, Stewart O'Nan delves into the closing night for the Red Lobster in New England. The weather has prevented customers from coming in and the next day the restaurant will close its doors forever. O’Nan creates the perfect ambience to listen in as employees gather together and discuss the difficulties of living in today’s economy on a tight budget with a small circle of friends. The manager relates the minute-by-minute events of the last evening, the snow falling, the troubled staff, and the customers who drift in. This was a very quick and somewhat depressing read for me.
4 Stars

Packing for Mars by Mary Roach

Packing for Mars is a hilarious account of the space program and sending people into space. It's filled with all types of facts from how to go to the bathroom and a fact that I find really disgusting in that you wear the same space suit for WEEKS… The book also has a great synopsis of how astronauts are selected and qualified and what they go through during an actual space flight.
4 Stars

Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell

In Assassination Vacation Sarah Vowell does a brilliant job of bringing humor to a of a shadier side of American history. She takes the grisly stories of presidential assassinations and makes them clear and comprehensible.

5 Stars

In the Woods by Tana French

In the Woods by Tana French is either a love or hate book and I hate to say this but I loathed it. There were some parts that moved so slowly that I struggled with putting the book down (I really really wanted to but my brain has a problem when I leave a book unfinished). You have to read closely to pick up on all of the pieces that takes way too many pages to come together and actually make sense.
1 Star

The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett

In The Patron Saint of Liars Ann Patchett seamlessly tells a story in three parts and from three perspectives, from the single mother Rose, from the daughter, and from the second husband. I wasn't as crazy about the lead character, Rose, in this novel as I've been in other books, but in further reflection, I'm not sure I'm supposed to love her. If Rose had done things the way I wanted her to do them all through the book instead of it playing out the way it did I would have been happier but in the end that is all a part of what makes this story excellent.

4 Stars

Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Founding Brothers, by Joseph Ellis is an entertaining and enlightening book. Ellis takes six moments in time, and then fills in the circumstances for that event that includes brilliant character studies. This is the past I love, the stories of individuals, as well as the societal influences, and how they interchange.

5 Stars

Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Founding Brothers, by Joseph Ellis is an entertaining and enlightening book. Ellis takes six moments in time, and then fills in the circumstances for that event that includes brilliant character studies. This is the past I love, the stories of individuals, as well as the societal influences, and how they interchange.

5 Stars

History of a Suicide: My Sister’s Unfinished Life by Jill Bialosky

History of a Suicide: My Sister’s Unfinished Life by Jill Bialosky explores the repercussion on the family dynamic after Bialosky's youngest sister Kim commits suicide. The novel is instantly affable and so open-minded that the reader is solidly invested into the Bialosky's family's anguish and loss. This account also includes Kim's personal letters in order to better explain her struggle. This book is also sure to educate readers about suicide.
3 Stars

Say Her Name: A Novel by Francisco Goldman

Say Her Name: A Novel by Francisco Goldman tell the story of how Goldman fell in love with a much younger Aura, a graduate student from Mexico who was studying literature at Columbia University. They ended up married and living an almost perfect life though it ends up being very short lived. While on vacation in Mexico Aura has a tragic surfing accident and dies. Goldman is distraught and his pain is made more excruciating by Aura’s family who blames him for her death, and vows that he will pay for what she thinks that was foul play, and not only does he have to deal with his loss, he has to deal with the anxiety about possibly being arrested for Aura's death. Goldman puts his grief out on each and every page and it is hard to read at times. Say Her Name takes the reader on an candid, passionate journey.
5 Stars

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

I usually don’t read or like historical novels but Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel is prudently researched and full of English folklore. I enjoyed reading the story though at times I encountered problems trusting I had the right character in the plot.
3 Stars

What Matters Most is How Well You Walk Through the Fire by Charles Bukowski

Bulowski is always on my list but I never seem to find the time. Well, What Matters Most is How Well You Walk Through The Fire was in my to be read box and since I made a pact with myself that I would read whatever book I pulled out so I really had no choice and I read it. The anthology contains poems from the Bukowski collection and is not his best work but if you like Bukowski you’ll like the book. The title alone should make you want to buy it. The poems were written between 1970 and 1990, and the subject matter ranges from Bukowski’s feelings about notoriety to his musing about youth to his thoughts on aging.
3 Stars

Skeleton Crew by Stephen King

Skeleton Crew by Stephen King is an anthology of horror. I have always loved King and as I was unpacking boxes of books for my newly renovated bedroom which is now also a library, I couldn’t help but sit a read for a spell. Several stories in Skeleton Crew gave me shudders. I found "The Monkey," "The Reaper's Image," "Uncle Otto's Truck" and "Gramma" spine-chilling, while "Survivor Type" was absolutely shocking. "Word Processor of the Gods" was my favorite, as I love the idea of a word processor that I can use to change things to the way I wish they would be (of course I would be altruistic). This was a great way to spend an hour with an old friend.
5 Stars

Habibi by Craig Thompson

Habibi by Craig Thompson is remarkable and stunning. The author / artist is not only a superb storyteller, he is also an incredible cartoonist. Every page is populated by thrilling elements and ingenuity while the graphic style is effortlessly a constant with the story.

5 Stars

Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes

Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes manages to deal with a serious subject and still be tremendously entertaining. The serious subject here is an addiction to drug and alcohol. Rachel Walsh's life disbands as she cultivates her addictions and after losing her employment, her boyfriend, and her best friend, Rachel finds herself back to her home land of Ireland in treatment. The story that follows are Rachel's comical misadventures as an addict in denial while in treatment, interspersed with flashbacks of how she became an addict. I love Marian Keyes and her writing style.
5 Stars

Under the Duvet by Marian Keyes

Under the Duvet by Marian Keyes is a fun collection of very short essays. I'm a big fan of Marian Keyes so when I saw this I couldn't resist it. This is a perfect book to share with people by reading out loud. I took this book to work and when things got to be a little too much I would share a story and we would burst out laughing. This one gets a definite five stars.
5 Stars

Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns

Cold Sassy Tree, by Olive Ann Burns is the story of a 14-year -old boy, is a cross between Huck Finn and Holden Caulfield, who lived in Sassy Tree, Georgia, in 1906. I was annoyed by the Southern pronunciation spelling but I found the story quite compelling especially when Will Tweedy was on a almost killed on a railroad trestle. This was a very interesting read but I found it to be long and drawn out.
3 Stars

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker immediately draws the reader into the eccentric town of Aberdeen and its residents. The reader's point of view is from Truly who due to her physical appearance suffers repetitive humiliations and yet she is still able to view the world with wonderment, affection, and a deep understanding. Truly and her sister Serena Jane are complete opposites of each other yet their lives intertwine in many ways. I was instantaneously drawn into Aberdeen and found myself fiercely defensive of Truly. Little Giant of Aberdeen County is a novel that will absorb the reader so that you will think of it for hours if not days afterward.
5 Stars

Blood and Gold by Anne Rice

I was very disappointed by Blood and Gold by Anne Rice. The story itself was bizarre with so much detail in places where we didn’t need it and so little in the places we did. Rice is very knowledgeable in the ancient Egyptian origins of the story, and the birth and duty of Marius, but she does not know a lot about the history in which Marius passed. Marius comes across as a self-serving ego-maniac the whole time. He envisions himself as a great teacher and cannot stand it when his pupils actually begin to learn. Not as good as Armand’s story.

3 Stars

The Vampire Tapestry by Suzy McKee Charnas

The Vampire Tapestry by Suzy McKee Charnas is a fascinating story recounting the life of the vampire Dr. Edward Lewis Weyland. The book reads more like a series of interconnected novellas than a novel but I liked it. The first three sections are told through the points of view of three people who come into contact with Weyland and know that he is a vampire. The last two sections are told from the Weyland’s point of view as he envisages his increasing cognizance of human nature. It's a persuasive story that abjures all the allure and sex so frequently accompanying with vampire novels. In Weyland, we see both monster and man and neither side is particularly compassionate.

5 Stars

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Recipient of the Native American Youth Services Literature Award, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is a charismatic book that teenage boys (including my teenager) everywhere will relate to. Alexie’s wit and jocularity are right on target and he is able to get right into the mind of a 14 year old boy. There are very significant themes in this story including bullying, alcoholism, and poverty. This was a very quick read and I definitely recommend that parents read it before handing it off to your teenager.
5 Stars

Five Patients by Michael Crichton

I work in the healthcare field and I thought that I was getting a fiction book my Michael Crichton. Imagine my surprise when I realized that I had a non fiction and interesting read. The funny part is that I had no clue that this author actually created the TV series ER. The story encompasses five patients, a construction worker in his fifties who is seriously injured in the collapse of a scaffold, a middle-aged railroad dispatcher who develops a high fever that makes him wildly delirious, a young worker that nearly severs his hand from his arm in an accident, a woman who while traveling alone develops persistent chest pain and is treated by a doctor on a TV screen and a mother of three who is diagnosed with a life-threatening disease. Five Patients has abundant detail, decent medical knowledge and insight into the health care business all told in layman’s terms.
4 Stars

Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich

Explosive Eighteen is one of the best Stephanie Plum books I have read. At the end of Smoking Seventeen Stephanie was off to Hawaii but we were unsure with whom, this one starts out with her trip home, she mentions she left both Morelli and Ranger in Hawaii and has a tan line on her bare ring finger that she is unwilling to explain. This was so hard to not jump ahead and find out what happened. It took all my effort to just read and let the story play out. I believe that Stephanie is starting to finally realize that she has to make a decision between her two loves though I am hoping for a big surprise and maybe Diesel will steal her right from under their noses. Laugh out loud funny !!

5 Stars

The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets by Eva Rice

The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets by Eva Rice is a book I found in the bargain bin at Book Warehouse. The story is set in London, post-WWII and tells the story of eighteen year old Penelope, her brother, Indigo, and her mother whom live in a huge house which they can not afford to maintain. Their father / husband died during the war and left them virtually destitute. While looking for a job, Penelope accepts an offer of a cab ride with the vivacious Charlotte Ferris, and they become great friends. Penelope follows Charlotte to parties and even plays a part in a farce by pretending to be Charlotte’s cousin's fiancé to make a girl jealous. The story is about coming of age in a changing world along with friendship and little romance.

4 Stars

The Next Always by Nora Roberts

The Next Always by Nora Roberts contains the story of Clare Brewster, a widow with three young boys who grew up in the small town of Boonsboro, which is also the backdrop of the narrative. She moved from and then returned to the close knot community when her husband died in Iraq. Six years after her return, she has growing boys, a growing business and she catches and returns the attention of Beckett Montgomery. On the other hand Beckett, along with his two brothers and his mother, are renovating the town's historic inn. During a short tour of the ongoing project with Clare, sparks begin to fly. This is a story of second chances and how when life hands you lemons you do your best to make lemonade.

4 Stars

The Mill River Recluse by Darcie Chan

The Mill River Recluse by Darcie Chan was a spur of the moment cheap purchase and I will admit that I didn’t expect the great story and wonderful characters. It just goes to show you that a good book does not have to cost a lot of money. This story is of the life of a woman that is dealing with severe social anxiety disorder. The opulence and profundity of all of the characters was brilliant. You were drawn into all their lives and I felt that I knew each and every one of the townspeople as the book went on.

4 Stars

BoneMan's Daughters by Ted Dekker

BoneMan's Daughters by Ted Dekker does not disappoint. If you want a book that will somewhat disturb you and make you think that this is it. It is very unsual for a Christian author to write a book with such ghastly violent behavior in such detail. Dekker definitely stepped out of his box with this one. Whatever you do don’t miss his afterward, "Are You the Boneman's Daughter?"

5 Stars

Crescent Dawn by Clive Cussler

Crescent Dawn by Clive Cussler is typical Cussler with a lot of running and shooting, well as I see it its an action movie in book form. Crescent Dawn is fast paced and has that great Cussler formula.

5 Stars

The Rum Diary : A Novel by Hunter S. Thompson

The Rum Diary : A Novel by Hunter S. Thompson is my favorite of all of his writings. It tells the uncomplicated story of Paul Kemp, an average guy who is making his way through his ordinary life and his interactions interacts with other people in 1950s San Juan, Puerto Rico. This book is poles apart from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Thompson has conjured a pleasant character who struggles his way through a humdrum career at a San Juan newspaper. I love the uncomplicated easy story of its effortless clear-cut characters.

5 Stars

The Rum Diary : A Novel by Hunter S. Thompson

The Rum Diary : A Novel by Hunter S. Thompson is my favorite of all of his writings. It tells the uncomplicated story of Paul Kemp, an average guy who is making his way through his ordinary life and his interactions interacts with other people in 1950s San Juan, Puerto Rico. This book is poles apart from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Thompson has conjured a pleasant character who struggles his way through a humdrum career at a San Juan newspaper. I love the uncomplicated easy story of its effortless clear-cut characters.

5 Stars

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

Steve Jobs was an extraordinary person and truly a great man but perhaps also the hardest individual to work with in the entire industry. The book is truthful to the point of ruthlessness when censuring his person and uses superlatives generously while recounting his work. Steve Jobs has altered our lives in a primary way. The book not only encompasses Steve Jobs life but also the story of Silicon Valley and provides sound insights into running a corporation no matter the size. I feel like the book is a little soon after his death but I feel as a start of what is sure to be a plethora of books on Steve Jobs Isaacson did a good job.

3 Stars

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami was a disappointment. In all honesty, it's just a bit boring. I had no idea that this was book one of a series and I do not want to even pick up the other two. 1Q84 is a novel full of standard characters doing mind-numbing things. 1Q84 isn't horrible but it took great effort for me to finish the book. This might well be the last time I get one of his novels.

1 Star

The Submission: A Novel by Amy Waldman

The Submission: A Novel by Amy Waldman is a clever and stimulating debut novel. Makes you question what the limits of tolerance and democracy are. The characters start a tad dreary and archetypal but as the book progresses no one stays the same. All characters disclose something about themselves that the reader and they themselves may not like. I found the point that was made at the end unbelievably poignant.

5 Stars

The Collaborator by Mirza Waheed

In The Collaborator by Mirza Waheed the unnamed narrator flashbacks to his tranquil and lighthearted childhood with his friends and family, before the selection of the anti-Muslim leader of Kashmir and the electoral deception that served as a trigger to the rebellion that led to conflict throughout the region. The villagers suffer great hardship and the narrator is torn between loyalty to his father, who wants his son to stay in the village, and his desire for revenge and justice for his friends and neighbors. Excellent Read !!

5 ++++ Stars

Down the Rabbit Hole by Juan Pablo Villalobos

Down the Rabbit Hole by Juan Pablo Villalobos is narrated by Tochtli, an 8 year old boy whose father Yolcaut is a cold-blooded Mexican drug lord who resides in a closely fortified mountain lair. The boy is also secluded to the point that he has only met a few people who work for or with his father. His closest companion is his teacher and the books that keep him engaged. Down the Rabbit Hole was an attention-grabbing read which held my interest for its 70 pages but I really think that that the length is perfect as if it had been longer I would have been bored.

3 Stars

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer is a spectacular success. A history of cancer, cancer treatment, the public policy response to cancer, it is truly comprehensive in range. Mukherjee is an oncologist, and he combines both his knowledge with his poignant familiarity in treating patients. It is this combination that makes the book so satisfying, both spiritually and psychologically. I now know more about both the disease of cancer as well as the experience of the disease than I ever is thought possible. The book is not for the squeamish, the section on mastectomy surgery was especially difficult, but other than that I would urge anyone to read this.

5 Stars

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer is a spectacular success. A history of cancer, cancer treatment, the public policy response to cancer, it is truly comprehensive in range. Mukherjee is an oncologist, and he combines both his knowledge with his poignant familiarity in treating patients. It is this combination that makes the book so satisfying, both spiritually and psychologically. I now know more about both the disease of cancer as well as the experience of the disease than I ever is thought possible. The book is not for the squeamish, the section on mastectomy surgery was especially difficult, but other than that I would urge anyone to read this.

5 Stars

Tales of the Madman Underground by John Barnes

Tales of the Madman Underground is an incredible book. All Karl wants is to be ordinary. He thinks that if he can get through the first week of school without any issues, his problems will be solved. Karl works at least 5 separate jobs, has a dead father and a mother with so many issues its inconceivable. The therapy group he's a part of, called the Madman Underground, is so brilliantly strange, tear-jerking and candid and even though they each have problems you want to hate them but you end up rooting for them.

5 Stars

Living, Loving and Lying Awake at Night by Sindiwe Magona

Living, Loving and Lying Awake at Night is a collection of short stories divided into two parts. The first part is a circle of related, gossipy black South African women working as domestic servants for whites. The pieces emphasize the diverse personalities of each woman, and are written in first person in a conversation with one of the other women. The second part encompasses several common short stories set in the 60s through the late 80s, during the Apartheid system in South Africa. The stories are depressing, often heartbreaking, and powerful.

4 Stars

Do Me, Do My Roots by Eileen Rendahl

Do Me, Do My Roots is about Emily who is a young widow, and mother to a seven year daughter, who is clinging to her daughter, her parents, her husband's best friend who's suddenly romantically interested in her, and her sisters. There is a definite play on words in the title. The “Root” mean not only her relatives but also the primary female characters meet to touch up their roots each month, the sisters perform standard beauty shop fair as they agonize over their love lives or lack there of. They deal with family issues, health close-calls, and finding love in unexpected places. I loved this book and it made me wish for sisters (as I have none). The humor is hilarious and the sentiments are moving.

5 Stars

Maskerade by Terry Pratchett

This is the first Diskworld book that I have ever read, and I surprisingly actually enjoyed it. (This is not really my genre). Maskerade is a witty take on the Phantom of the Opera story that has great characters, and tons of humor. The opera part of this story is the best, quirkiest and most hilarious part of the story.

5 Stars

Maskerade by Terry Pratchett

This is the first Diskworld book that I have ever read, and I surprisingly actually enjoyed it. (This is not really my genre). Maskerade is a witty take on the Phantom of the Opera story that has great characters, and tons of humor. The opera part of this story is the best, quirkiest and most hilarious part of the story.

5 Stars

The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks

I have read other book by Nicholas Sparks and honestly The Best of Me was definitely not up there with his other books. The relationship between Amanda and Dawson was classic Sparks, which is of course a love that will last through a lifetime. However, the extensively comprehensive depictions of violent behavior were not what I was looking for in a Sparks book. There was also this bizarre paranormal inclination for the characters, Dawson and Tuck, commune with ghosts. What makes a Sparks book stand out is his practicality and imagery of love and heartache, so the violent behavior and paranormal was unexpected and not very well liked.

2 Stars

Tears in the Darkness: The Story of the Bataan Death March and Its Aftermath by Michael Norman

Tears in the Darkness by Michael Norman is a potent tale of dehumanization and dignity which graphically and appallingly portrays the the Bataan Death March and subsequent atrocities by Japanese captors in the Philippines during WW2. This book is not a military history but a instead a human story told principally through the experience of a Native American unfortunate enough to be caught up in the chaos. This is definitely not an easy read but it gives us a true account of systemic dehumanization.

5 Stars

Death: A Life by George Pendle

Death: A Life by George Pendle was so witty and pleasurable; I read it from start to finish in one sitting. I have lost many people this year including two six year olds (Neuroblastoma) so you may think it unusual that I picked a humor book about death after such a loss but after all the grief I needed to laugh through it. An account of Death's life, it made references that had me laugh out loud to the point that I had tears peeping out of my eyes. There is an educational opportunity in this book about world history, faith, and other fiction. Even though the book was funny it gave me a sense of peace.

5 Stars

Death: A Life by George Pendle

Death: A Life by George Pendle was so witty and pleasurable; I read it from start to finish in one sitting. I have lost many people this year including two six year olds (Neuroblastoma) so you may think it unusual that I picked a humor book about death after such a loss but after all the grief I needed to laugh through it. An account of Death's life, it made references that had me laugh out loud to the point that I had tears peeping out of my eyes. There is an educational opportunity in this book about world history, faith, and other fiction. Even though the book was funny it gave me a sense of peace.

5 Stars

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon is an exceptional story of a fifteen year old boy, who has the medical condition of Aspergers Syndrome, who is resolute in solving the murder of his neighbor’s dog. The story changes to within the family home and Christopher finds out devastating secrets, that his father tries frantically to keep from him. Having experience of people with Aspergers I know that was very hard but add on the families had other issues and you have a heart rending story.

5 Stars

The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson

I have been a fan of psychopath’s and serial killers for a long time because there is something about digging about in their brains that fascinates me. The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson is a brilliant read that plunges the reader into the disturbing world of psychopaths. I cannot stress enough how open-minded and fascinating this book is. For a subject so disturbing, it has an amusing tenor. It is a real page turner and the subject is intriguing, and heartrending.

4 Stars

What It Is Like to Go to War by Karl Marlantes

What It Is Like to Go to War by Karl Marlantes touched me profoundly. Some of his writing is about hypothesis that are fascinating to interpret and contemplate they are also highly personal. While I found the supposition fascinating, the personal side really left a mark. I found myself crying and it has been a long time since that has happened while I was reading a book. This book is significant reading for everyone who has served or is serving, and or anyone considering enlisting. Even if you oppose a war it’s a must read.

5 Stars

Sex on the Moon by Ben Mezrich

Sex on the Moon by Ben Mezrich is a captivating story that reads more like a novel than non-fiction. The tempo was great and the story felt enthralling, even though the reader knew how it was going to end. The story of how three college interns manage to pull off a theft of an incredible enormity. The three boys/men managed to not only earn the trust of some of the brightest minds in the country but also steal moon rocks from the Johnson Space Center and NASA. The account reads much like a movie which makes sense since the author also wrote The Accidental Billionaires which made it to the big screen under the name The Social Network. Thad Roberts has a brilliant mind who takes a true story and creates a work of genius.

5 Stars

We the Animals by Justin Torres

We the Animals by Justin Torres is a perceptive tale of three boys, told from the viewpoint of the youngest, growing up in near poverty with their Caucasian mother and Puerto Rican father. The household is a whirlwind of emotion, the boys are continuously fighting, running, eating; their parents habitually display their attraction to each other but the family is also charged with the desolation of their situation and they blame and hate each other just as fiercely as they love. Torres uses vibrant words to put the reader right alongside the storyteller as he discovers his place in the dysfunctional family.

5 Stars

The Fates Will Find Their Way: A Novel by Hannah Pittard

The Fates Will Find Their Way by Hannah Pittard is mostly about the after effects that happen to a small community after a sixteen year old girl, Nora, vanishes. The most remarkable thing about this short novel is how dissimilar it is then any other that you are likely to pick up. More than half the novel is comprised of invented circumstances about what could have happened to Nora made up by her male classmates. Even though certain basics of these made up accounts come to realization, most of it is narrative conjecture. The reader is never given a definitive answer about what happened to this girl. As it stands, the readers will either enjoy sleuthing through the possibilities or become frustrated with the lack of a classic ending.

3 Stars

Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead by Sara Gran

This could have been a good story however; it jumped all over the place. The language was terrible. The lifestyle of the detective, Claire, seemed outrageous and situations she was put in or put herself in were unbelievable in the fact that in real life she would have never survived. I felt that the story painted a portrait of New Orleans as the scum of the earth and believe me when I say that I love outside one of the top 25 worst cities and even I found the story unbelievable.

1 Star

West of Here by Jonathan Evison

West of Here is an extensive, enthralling, inspiring tale of the human spirit. It tells the stories of many diverse characters, and how their lives are inherently connected to the town of Port Bonita. I grew to care about all the characters as they came alive for me in the very pleasurable setting of Washington State (which I have visited and would probably love to live there). The scenery, the wilds and the town, are all effervescent characters in the book and they are what held this whole book together and made it great.

5 Stars

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Howl’s Moving Castle to me is a version of Beauty and the Beast. In this case Howl is a self absorbed sorcerer who is very good looking and Sophie Hatter is turned into a haggard old woman by an evil witch. The book involves time travel and a magical castle with doors that open into different areas of the country. I must say that the book isn’t at all what I expected but I really enjoyed it all the same. This book is rated YA and I believe that intermediates could read it as well.

4 Stars

The Blasphemer by Nigel Farndale

The Blasphemer by Nigel Farndale is a very fascinating work of fiction. Simply, this is a novel about a scientist named Daniel. The other important characters are his wife Nancy, his father who is a retired soldier, his great-grandfather and his daughter's Muslim teacher. Daniel and Nancy are in a plane crash and even though they physically survive they have to deal with the repercussion of guilt and censure. This affects them as individuals and creates ripples of everyone their lives touch. It is a well-written story with thoughts of culpability, nerve, connections between people, resentment, and discrimination.

4 Stars

The Affair by Lee Child

In the 16th book of the Reacher series Lee Child takes us back to the beginning of the end of Reacher's military career. Reacher is sent to Carter Crossing, Mississippi when a local woman is found with her throat slit. Everything points to a Ranger on the elite training base just outside of town, but the deeper Reacher digs, the more dirt he turns up.
Reacher personifies the standard hero he has own set of morals, but yet a firm moral compass and tough as nails as well as sexy (well in my eyes).

5 Stars

I don’t usually recommend books in another review but I have been reading may new authors and if you are a fan of the Reacher series you should try The Fire Inside by Raymond Rose!!

http://bookwormbaby.blogspot.com/2010/12/fire-inside-sidekicks-novel-by-raymond.html

Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman

Pigeon Engish is a heart breaking story at Harri, who along with his sister and mother, move from Ghana to an indigent inner city project. Harri makes a convincing eleven year old narrator, feisty and first, in disparity to the misfortune that surround him in the form of dearth, prostitution and gangs. As Harri tries to navigate his new life he finds himself evenly deterred but yet enthralled by the crime that surrounds him. I was extremely touched by and dismayed by many elements of this story, knowing the reality as I grew up in the same element.

5 Stars

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

The Sense of an Ending is a tale of young relationships, teenage torment and middle-aged recollections, dreams and laments. This is a diminutive manuscript coming in at 150 pages but every word packs punch. Only on looking back do you begin to realize the intricacy of the story as you begin to wonder whether your memory of earlier events or his is correct. This is one of those books that definitely needs to be read a second time.

5 Stars

Snowdrops: A Novel by A.D. Miller

Snowdrops is the story of Nick Platt, is a British Lawyer, who when traveling home one night on the train fights off a mugger. The mugger’s intended target, Masha, and her younger sister Katya became a central part of Nick’s life. As Masha and Nick begin to become involved he is introduced to their aunt Tatiana Vladimirovna and finds himself obliged to help out in the sale of her apartment. In general Snowdrops is a substandard book. There is a continual guarantee of action but then it never conveys it.

2 Stars

Moral Disorder and Other Stories by Margaret Atwood

Moral Disorder and Other Stories by Margaret Atwood is a manageable assemblage of interconnected short stories, centered on one woman at different stages throughout her life. The stories are told mainly from Nell's point of view, with important depictions of her sister Lizzie, her mother, her partner Tig, and even ranch animals. I loved the book. While the book is tranquil and enjoyable to read, the emotive and political content is stunning.
5 Stars

The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall

The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall is a stimulating force of imagination. In other words this book is just plain NUTS !! It begins with Eric Sanderson who awakes one morning with amnesia and then goes on with the story which is actually about preservation instinct and a person’s mission to regain a missing identity. Really really weird.

4 Stars

Wilderness Tips: Stories by Margaret Atwood

Wilderness Tips by Margaret Atwood is an anthology of ten short stories that are touching but yet extremely unsettling. Each story exemplifies a split second in a person’s life that changes them forever. They grow from immature and naive to mature and harsh in just a few pages and all of the stories ended up being dark with themes of loss, missed chances, blunders, and sad comprehension. While the themes are all dark all ten of the stories had the same truth that rings true in every reader’s life. Time flies by quickly, changes occur, choices are made but in the end it is you that has to live with the consequences.

5 Stars

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is an marvelous and breathtaking book. It exhibits paranormal realism and entwine it through the lives of the Buendia family and the town of Macondo. This book is so full of meaning and philosophical with such powerful language then you end up loving and obsessing over this book. I've read other reviews of this book and it seems that people either love it or hate it as you can tell I'm in the love camp. The writing is striking. My English copy included a family tree in the front that I referenced frequently due to the amount of characters.

5 Stars

The Englishman's Boy by Guy Vanderhaeghe

The Englishman's Boy is set in the Old West and Hollywood, was awarded the Governor General's Award in Canada in 1997. It tells the story of Shorty McAdoo, a Canadian cowboy caught up in an 1873 Indian slaughter, who goes on to become a movie star in the 1920s. Portrayed as an example of the American frontier by studio publicists, McAdoo has to hide the sinister elements of his early life on the range. The storytelling was exceptional and I really enjoyed the Hollywood scenes.

5 Stars

Sucks to Be Me by Kimberly Pauley

Sucks to Be Me was an amusing and easy read with a definite twist on vampires and coming of age that is original. Mina grew up as just the typical teenager, with the exception of her parents being vampires. Mina always knew she had to keep it a secret, but she never realized that she herself was kept a secret. Her parents never told the Vampire Council about her and know they've been found out. Now Mina has to go to vampire classes and decide whether she wants to be a vampire and if she doesn't, then she will have to have her memory erased. With the addition of love interests and a small heartbreak you can see this book not as a vampire story but more of a coming of age novel.

4 Stars

Trash by Dorothy Allison

Trash by Dorothy Allison is written in the Southern custom with a twist, she's an out and proud. Coming from an underprivileged family that places significance on how many babies you can produce and how well you marry this collection of short memoir narratives is written as if Allison is sitting right in front of you exposing all of her secrets. The stories can be agonizing but also sensual and charming.

5 Stars

Keeping You a Secret by Julie Anne Peters

Keeping You a Secret was the first gay YA book I have ever read and I have to say the book is utterly incredible! When I was first introduced to Holland I was unimpressed due to the nature of her relationship with her stepsister, Faith. However, I was transfixed by Cece from the very beginning with her boldness. I just could not get enough of her. Anyway this story jumped off the pages and I loved every minute of the two hours it took me to read it.

5 Stars

Rare Birds by Edward Riche

A luminescent, simple read Rare Birds is an amusing story about a restaurant owner and his off the wall neighbor. Jointly they develop a plan to increase the restaurant's popularity and reputation. This is a great story of one man’s fall and his rise back up through deception. The book definitely has a laugh out loud quality and the crazy neighbor was by far the best part of the book.

4 Stars

Touch by Alexi Zentner

Stephen Boucher, the recently hired pastor of a church in Sawgamet, has come home to be with his mother as she lives her last days. During his last night with her he flashbacks to the events that have ruined his life and the lives of those who live and work in the town. Late into the night Stephen begins the story of three generations of the Boucher family. His grandfather came here to find his wealth in gold but found love instead. His father, who neglected as a baby, strives to be everything to his children and loses everything in the process. This book is emotionally charged and at times hard to read but yet it is still a stunning book that you can not put down until the last page is finished.

5 Stars

Mean Boy by Lynn Coady

Mean Boy is a brilliant spoof on creative writing schools and the remarkable life of a poet. I thought the author's characters were dead on, and she doesn't include an easy plot resolution. Her books are appealing, and yet impulsive. I did think that there was a sort of bogus resolution where she could have ended the book. The real ending felt anticlimactic, and like an attempt to finish on a note of seriousness, rather than wittiness. But the humor in the novel is so distorted by the sympathy and anxiety I felt for the main character and because of that I would have chosen the bogus ending to the real one.

3 Stars

The Free World: A Novel by David Bezmozgis

The Free World was very different from any book I've read before. In the beginning, Bezmozgis' writing method seemed mostly dialogue, but soon it was entirely ordinary. The numerous flashbacks filled in the back story brilliantly. If you are at all interested in the Soviet emigrant experience or really any emigrants experience this is a good book for you.

4 Stars

Light in August by William Faulkner

While I believe that the Sound and the Fury is still Faulkner's paramount novel, Light in August is a close second and it is definitely an easier read. The tale of Joe Christmas, a half black and white man, who is outside of any society, accepted by no one, and treated as an pariah, is compared and contrasted with the tale of Lena Grove, a pregnant woman who is acknowledged and assisted by everyone and lastly the first two are compiled with the story of Reverend Hightower whose tale presents a kind of powerless southern morals, unable in the face of racism and lack of knowledge to change anything. The ebb and flow of the intertwining stories is classic Faulkner.

4 Stars

A Stolen Life: A Memoir by Jaycee Dugard

Jaycee Lee Dugard was kidnapped from her bus stop at 11 years old and held captive for 18 years during which time she was physically abused, raped, and controlled by the pedophile Phillip Garrido and his wife Nancy. Here in her memoir, Jaycee describes how she lives to tell the tale and who she has become after her epic struggle. Most of the chapters are set up starting with telling of a horrendous incident from the perspective of her captivity when she was younger and then ends the chapter with a section where she talks about what happened from an adult, no longer captive perspective. This perspective removed the focal point from the horrors and placed it on her survivor's mindset. This book really is not a book about the abuse but instead how she grew into a strong, selfless woman despite her captivity. I congratulate Ms Dugard’s courageousness and dedication to not letting hatred and animosity take over her life.

5 Stars

One Day by David Nicholls

One Day documents the tale of two friends, Emma and Dexter, on July 15th of each year that they have known each other. This itself was an innovative way of story telling. Emily and Dexter take us along the path of adulthood as two friends they toil through sorrow, love, dependence, excellent jobs, dreadful jobs, travels, and break ups. At first, I was doubtful about this book. I found it odd at first to only read about their lives on July 15 of each year but the more I read the more I realized that David Nicholls does such a good job at depicting a portrait of the lives of these two people that all you need is that one day a year. At times I had no concept where the book was going and I grew drained with all the drama that surrounded Dexter but I stuck with it. All in all a good book.

3 Stars

I’ll Mature When I’m Dead by Dave Barry

Dave Barry materializes like a ghost out of retirement with a new anthology of works about such diverse topics as parenthood, and colonoscopies, with parodies of 24 and Twilight (one of my favorites) thrown in for good measure.
Even though I love Dave Barry, and he's hilarious to the highest degree there were times during the book that he's too clichéd for me. This book is a ideal balance of what Barry does best. Barry is retired from newspaper column writing, so he has freedom to make these essays without editorial constraints. He's older, wiser, and in a introspective mood but he’s also amusing, silly and downright juvenile at times. But then he balances the goofiness with an essay about his brother's cancer and the need to get a colonoscopy. Or he gets emotional about his son's wedding. This book is a perfect blend.

5 Stars

Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland

Girl in Hyacinth Blue paints portraits in the psyche capturing a sequence of reverse sequential relationships with a captivating work of art. Each owner's life is skillfully detailed and radiantly captured. I really enjoyed this book and the way it ignited many thoughts about the role of art in individual lives. It was easy for me to connect with each of the characters even though they made diminutive appearances in each narrative. Vreeland made the art come to life by showing the impact that the painting had on so many diverse people.

5 Stars

Here is another great review for Another Bad Dog by Joni B Cole

http://thejoyofbooking.com/

Another Bad-Dog Book: Tales of Life, Love, and Neurotic Human Behavior by Joni B Cole

In Joni B Cole's new book "For Every Bad Dog, There's A Very Good Story" the Pushcart Prize Nominee adopts a dog in her quest for youth. Her stories aren't just about her dog, E Pie Pie, but also the author's acceptance of her age. Through quirky humor and keen observations she learns that age is simply a number and life's experiences and expectancies are different for everyone. Her stories of botched home spray on tans and doubtful thoughts concethnic her marriage to her husband will be sure to hit a nerve for every woman that reads this collection.

5 stars!!!!

Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor

Amber St. Clare uses womanly trickery, intelligence and allure to climb her way out of the slums of 17th century London to the superior place as King Charles II preferred mistress. Amber’s individual drama takes place in the middle of the political stratagem of Restoration England. Detail is not spared in this 976 page novel. Kathleen Winsor’s panicked depiction of the Great Fire of London creates such a realistic representation the reader can swear they smell smoke. In contrast, the fashion and customs of 17th century London are dramatic and prolific. Character development is not lost in all the period detail. Winsor’s main character, Amber St. Clare, has been described as a latter-day Scarlett O’Hara from Gone with the Wind and Amber’s desire and drive to improve their station in life is definitely similar.

Forever Amber was written in 1944 and its publication caused much controversy. Fourteen states and the Catholic Church actually banned the book. Nonetheless, it sold over 100,000 copies in its first week of release and became the best selling U.S. novel of the 1940’s. By today’s standards, Forever Amber could be described as romantically sensual but certainly not sexually explicit.

5 Stars.

Three Cups of Deceit: How Greg Mortenson, Humanitarian Hero, Lost His Way by Jon Krakauer

I had read Three Cups of Tea and then in the midst of a conversation with a friend I was told about Three Cups of Deceipt. Now, You could say that I spend much of my time in LaLa Land as my head is always in a book and I rarely watch TV so I totally missed the boat on this controversy. I believed that the all these schools were being built, that they were being staffed, that students lives were being changed but now I agree with Krakauer's conclusion from his painstaking research. Krakauer did his homework and wrote a well-written analysis of the entire Central Asia Institute with Mortenson at its head.

As other reviewers here have said, the story is still playing out in real time, but the evidence looks damning. I agree with Krakauer's conclusion from his painstaking research and do not see how Greg Mortenson can stay at the helm of the Central Asia Institute. Mortenson has been reaping a multitude of financial benefits from the CAI and assuming that CAI is even able to survive this crisis I have lost faith and so will many others after they read this book.

5 Stars

The Braid by Helen Frost

The Braid is a story about two Scottish sisters, living on the western island of Barra in the 1850s. They alternate points of view through connected narrative poems and recount their experiences after their family is effectively evicted and separated with one sister accompanying their parents and younger siblings to Cape Breton, Canada, and the other staying behind with relatives on the small island of Mingulay. Each sister carries a length of the other's hair braided with her own. The braid connects them to each other when they are worlds away from each other and reminds them of who they used to be before the family was cast out and separated.

4 Stars

Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton

Blood, Bones & Butter is a blend of a memoir and a food book, the author who is also the chef/owner of Prune in New York City, illustrates assorted phases of her life with stories about particular meals, starting with the annual lamb roast her parents had when she was a child. She is taught by her French mother an admiration for fresh, local ingredients and contempt for misuse. From her father she gets the pleasure of sharing food with friends and family. Her parent’s busy life and subsequent desertion leads to her first job working with food. As the story unfolds her autonomous diligent personality becomes more apparent. Gabrielle Hamilton is a study in incongruity. She's a lesbian married to a man who in her thirties hates her mother with the immaturity of a teenager, a female chef who has no tolerance for women who bellyache about being female in a man's world, and a woman who breastfeeds her two boys for a year each while working grueling hours at her restaurant.

I loved the author's flippant approach, her openness, and sincerity about herself, the cooking business, and Italy. At times it seemed shallow but it merely reflected the author's cautious, strong nature.

5 Stars

We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier

We All Fall Down is a frequently challenged book about a group of teenagers who break into a house, vandalize it, and physically attack the young teenage girl walks in on the criminal activity. The violence is horrible, vicious and very real. The book courageously depicts the violent behavior and then moves beyond it to tackle the consequences of this brutality for everyone concerned. The author deals with dark subjects in a multifaceted and adult way without going to far into the adult realm. So many books for young adults idealize violence in one way or another but We All Fall Down shows it in all its malicious, powerful glory. The scenes are distressing but they also make you think. This book is upsetting enough to give you nightmares, but persuasive and straightforward at the same time. Given the amount of violence our young adults experience in their daily lives whether it be in person or on the news more books need to help them explain it for themselves.

5 Stars

Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers

Fallen Angels takes an in depth look at the life a teenager named Perry and his hopes of living out the American Dream. With a cheerful attitude and the intelligence of someone aged and experienced Perry decides at a young age that he would like to go to college. However due to the political and social climate of the United States Perry decides to enlist in the military instead to reach his dreams. What he finds in the Army is racial and social prejudice during the Vietnam War. This book takes us on Perry’s journey to overcoming his obstacles and finding his own dreams.

3 Stars

Dope Sick by Walter Dean Myers

A swift, pleasant read; Dope Sick is the story of how one boy in the gets a second chance to take a close up look at his life and find a way out the “hood”. After a drug deal gone wrong, Lil J is on the run and ends up hiding out in an abandoned building with a male squatter known only as Kelly. Kelly may not have much, but he does have one thing, a magical television which has the capability to help Lil J run back through his memories and his life so that he can really make out just where his life had gone wrong. Lil J is on a cliff, teetering between the life he leads now, a good life, or immediate death. And he must respond to the one question every person has thought about at one point or another "If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be?" This is a great “what if” tale.

5 Stars

A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck

A Day No Pigs Would Die is about an adolescent Shaker boy, Robert Peck, growing up in the Shaker culture. Early in the novel Rob receives a piglet as a reward for saving the life of a neighbor's cow. Robert names the pig Pinky and she becomes his cherished pet. Pinky is infertile however which means that the only existing alternative for the monetarily struggling Peck family is to butcher the pig. These incidents, combined with the passing away of his father deeply change Rob and force him to grow up and become a man. The book is filled with facts about the way Shaker's live their lives and approach the world around them and being an Anthropologist at heart I found this part of the book fascinating.

4 Stars

Heather Has Two Mommies by Lesléa Newman

Heather Has Two Mommies has an excellent message about diversity in families. The book has an optimistic feel that is also passed into the illustrations. The illustrations, as noted, are cheerful and positive. It's a great addition to a child’s library with an affirmative message and I will be reading this to my granddaughter as part of my collection to show her differences without prejudices.

5 Stars

My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier

Tim Meeker is just 12 years old in 1775 when his 16-year-old brother Sam leaves Yale to enlist in the Rebel army. When the war comes to Tim’s quiet town of Redding, Connecticut Tim cannot decide which side is right the Rebels, also called Patriots, who Sam is willing to die with, or the Tories, who believe the King is the lawful leader of the American colonies. As both the Patriots and the Tories take his loved ones and friends away from him, Tim mourns the pain that comes with growing up.

My Brother Sam is Dead is written in fascinating, animated modern English that drew me into the story and conversations. As each event occurred, I felt I was a part of the action and I enthusiastically awaited the resolution.

5 Stars

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

The Chocolate War is the story of a student that refuses to participate in a fundraiser at a Catholic Boys' high school in the 70s. Although this may seem like an innocent event, it is enough to send the school into uproar. It begins as an obligation given by a secret school society that practically runs the students as well as the teachers. Jerry Renault is assigned to decline involvement in the chocolate sale. This causes uncertainty and insecurity among everyone as Jerry won’t give a reason for his refusal to participate. The refusal takes a completely different course when Jerry's assignment is up and he still refuses to sell the chocolates. Jerry finds himself violently bullied and shunned and it all comes out in a dramatic fight in front of the whole school against the most sadistic student. The ending was amazing!!

5 Stars

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

This first in Maya Angelou's series of autobiographies has achieved an iconic status. This nook has been sitting on my shelf for a while and in my preparation for banned book week and in light of my anger at books being banned I picked it up to read. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a book about growing up with poverty, racism, child abuse, and disadvantage in pre-civil rights America. But it is also about striving for splendor and happiness even in when faced with overwhelming tribulations. The book proves that oppression isn't the sum of a person’s existence, but something that affects each and every experience.

5 Stars and so glad to have read it again.

Daddy's Roommate by Michael Willhoite

I'm not sure that the books position that being gay is a unusual kind of love might be too basic than necessary and while I welcome the humor in the use of the word roommate to mean spouse/significant other the use here could be confusing to the reader when it comes to people living as genuine roommates without being spouse/significant others. I absolutely adore the books depiction of the couple in this story as they have on the same daily routines as other committed families. It shows that this is just as normal a way to live and be as any other family dynamic. I think Daddy's Roommate has a wonderful family friendly message and I will definitely read it to my granddaughter (she is only four months right now so I am sticking to basic shapes, colors, counting, ect board books).

5 Stars

A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Since I found out that A Study in Scarlet has been banned for being derogatory towards Mormon’s I decided to read and review the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle classic. It is my belief that books should not be banned due to the fact that they could be considered derogatory; actually, it is my belief that books should never be banned. I understand a need for age appropriate reading material but it is my belief that it is a parent’s choice to what their child can read and understand and it is a person’s right to make an informed decision concerning a belief or opinion religious or otherwise. With that said on to the review.

A Study in Scarlet introduces Holmes and Watson in a classis who done it but I was very surprised at the author's ability to make me side with the criminal. The first half of the story is all about Holmes's tracking down of the man who committed a murder. It unexpectedly ends with his capturing the unsuspected man. The next part of the story then starts in a description about the Latter-day Saints arriving in Utah, saving the life of a man and young girl on the verge of death. The man joins the Saints in order to endure the severity of the desert, but refuses to become polygamous which causes problems.

While it is true that the Mormon leadership is made out to be a secretive society bent on incorporating as many young girls as possible into their polygamous harems you have to remember that this is a work of fiction. If you look at it that way the story does an excellent job of describing the difficulties of having nonconformist opinions in a culture where being a true believer is highly valued. This ended up being the most interesting part of the novel for me due to the reason the book was banned. Instead of writing the straightforward mystery novel that I anticipated, he made me understand the motivations of the criminal even though I wanted to see justice done.

The book was greatly pleasing and I highly recommend it. The Mormon section seem to paint Mormons in a negative light but the section contains some of the best narrative description.

Definitely does not belong on the banned book list.

5 Stars

Jane by April Lindner

This is an updated retelling of the classic, Jane Eyre and Lindner did a wonderful reworking. I loved it. I picked it up and couldn’t put it down until I finished Jane's story even though I knew the basic plot and how it was going to end.

Jane Moore, impoverished and alienated from her siblings, has to drop out of college a few months after her parents die in a horrific car accident. She joins a nanny agency and accepts a position as nanny to rockstar, Nico Rathburn's daughter. Jane remembers the stories she's read in the tabloids about the wild womanizer, and wonders what living with him will be like. She takes the position and soon she discovers that the man in the magazines is nothing like the man she comes to love.

I thought it was very smart how Lindner tailored Bronte's original story to work in a current time frame. Jane wasn't an orphan growing up, but she did feel very distant from her family. Her brother was cruel instead of her cousin. Nico's wild past was as a rock star. And though Jane doesn't forget her past when she meets the River family, her desire to keep it secret made sense. All in all a great book.

5 Stars

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

I can't believe this book has an average rating of four stars. While I feel bad for the author on the loss of her husband and the illness of her daughter, I found the book and the author ostentatious. Some of the book dealt with her anguish, but most of it was just a rundown of a way of life few have the opportunity to experience. I have lost loved ones and had traumatic events in my life and I don’t want to believe that anyone could be this conceited and self centered. I even had a problem finishing it which is very unlike me.

1 Star

The Frog Prince by Jane Porter

I loved this book much more than I expected to. I'd never heard of the book but wanted a chick lit paperback that I could easily read on the beach so I picked it up for 1.99 at an Independent Bookstore. It took me a few chapters to get into it. At first, it seemed like it could be another book where everyone in the big city, especially at work, is nasty and uncaring but I actually teared up toward the end. I was so moved by Holly's difficulties in maintaining a comfortable relationship with her mom and the cattiness of the women that she works with because I could relate.

4 Stars

Two Caravans by Marina Lewycka

This is an optimistic and slightly entertaining book which examines the mistreatment of illegal workers in the UK. Two Caravans was an easy read however, I have to say that I found the middle of the book about how atrocious conditions are in factories to contrast badly with the funny and jovial depiction of the other issues in the book.

2 Stars

Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English: A Novel by Natasha Solomons

I expected this book to be an enjoyable story of a couple under pressure to fit in to a foreign culture, and thought there would be lots of little faux pas that would be humorous and cute to read. Instead the book is all about Jack Rosenblum trying to achieve the final entry on his bucket list, which is to be a member of a golf club. When he is turned down for membership of every club he applied to he decides to build his own course in Dorset.
I was very disappointed in this book and feel that the description is very misleading and not what I was hoping and expecting it to be unfortunately.

2 Stars

I Wore the Ocean in the Shape of a Girl: A Memoir by Kelle Groom

I love memoirs and this memoir was written by a poet. I Wore the Ocean in the Shape of a Girl was not a simple read. The tale surges from different time frames with reliability. The book tells the story of an alcoholic, through her treatment and relapse. However, most the narrative involves the son she gave up for adoption who son dies very young from leukemia and how this affects her alcoholism. Although I found the subject matter hard to read, the words themselves were stunning. It's easy to see the poet coming through and it is definitely worth reading.

5 Stars

Wanderlust: A Love Affair with Five Continents by Elisabeth Eaves

To be honest, it is my opinion that travel memoirs by women are usually not very good. Female travel writers tend to be reserved but I would rather experience the bizarre in all kinds of ways when you travel for adventure. It's nice to see someone writing candidly about their life and their experiences without feeling the need to make an apology for them. Some people find this kind of honesty unsettling, but I find it energizing. A nice memoir.

3 Stars

Kamtsjatka by Marcelo Figueras

Kamchatka is a pragmatic imagining of a child’s understanding of a country in political turmoil. The potential dangers come from eavesdropping on vague conversations. The narrator spends most of his time describing his amusing adventures with his younger brother, his efforts to imitate Harry Houdini and his obsession with Superman. The overall effect is that of a happy childhood occasionally marred by darker overtones. The narrator’s voice is enchantingly youthful and buoyant. The novel thrives to prove the toughness of children and the power of family.

3 Stars

Domina: Society's Ilk By Edmund Sims

I received this book as a Librarything Early Review Copy.

From the beginning I didn’t get the story and it really wasn’t what I expected so please keep that in mind. From the beginning I was confused. The first page, a news alert, was fine but then there four random comments before the first chapter. Then there was a page that said “for those who get it”. Well, that wasn’t me but I continued reading anyway. The chapter started out with a five page fight sequence which I had a lot of trouble following. Perhaps it was because I don’t know a lot about fighting styles so I didn’t understand a lot of the moves and positions. The next few pages discusses her super suit which is apparently painted on. The funniest thing about the costume knee-high heeled boots of speed, after reading the description all I thought of was a bad porn character costume. The story itself is pretty good but I think that there are definitely too many details to sort through to get to the story. All in all an OK book and I don’t think that I would buy another one in the series but that because it is not my style of writing.

3 Stars

I, Lucifer: Finally, the Other Side of the Story by Glen Duncan

God offers Lucifer a second chance if he can live one month as a human. Lucifer accepts the offer so God takes Declan Gunn who is depressed London novelist contemplating suicide puts his soul on hold for a month and let’s Lucifer take power. This is a side-splittingly entertaining novel as Lucifer throws himself into the sex. The imagery of Lucifer's reactions to the different smells as he walks through London is dramatic. I will say that Duncan’s writing is very intense and I had really think on the events that happen in the story.

4 Stars

The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough

Many books have been written about Americans in Paris in the 20th century, but David McCullough turns his analytical eye on previous generations of Americans who traveled to and lived in Paris in the 19th Century. Starting in the 1830's and ending in 1901, The Greater Journey covers diverse compilation of Americans who called Paris home. The first group includes Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., James Fennimore Cooper, Charles Sumner, Samuel Morse and Elizabeth Blackwell and the later group contained Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthrone, John Singer Sargent, the sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, and as well as US Ambassador Elihu Washburne.

The reader also gets a history of 19th century France from King Louis-Philippe to Napoleon III and from the impressive designs of Baron Haussmann to the construction of the Eiffel Tower. Through time Americans in Paris seem remarkably like they are today as they continue to fall under the city's spell.

5 Stars

The Stranger's Child by Alan Hollinghurst

This skillfully written novel is a family history that starts in 1913 with 16 year old Daphne Sawle lying in a hammock eagerly waiting for her brother George and his friend Cecil to come home for the weekend. Home is "Two Acres" near London, where Daphne lives with her widowed mother Freda, her older brother Hubert, and George. The book spans a century and we get to follow the family members and their relationships to one another in great detail. There is also a bit of how family myths get started and how being gay in England has changed. I will definitely be reading more by Alan Hollinghurst.

5 Stars

The Swimming-Pool Library by Alan Hollinghurst

The Swimming-Pool Library is a wonderful novel about a self-indulgent, gay young member of the aristocracy in London whose life is altered forever when he saves the life of Lord Nantwich. His new friend asks him to write his memoirs he cannot find a good enough excuse to say no and from the moment Will starts reading the journals of Lord Nantwich, new facts and viewpoints are opened up to him. The people he thought he knew he now sees in a different light as histories are revealed.

The intertwining of Will's London and Charles's experiences as a young man, at university, as a soldier abroad, and into middle age, works beautifully and doesn't confuse the reader and at the same time the novel covers the issues around class, sexuality and race over the decades. I loved it and I picked up another book by the author.

5 Stars

A Dance with Dragons by George R R Martin

Finally I received the fifth volume in Martin's epic Song of Ice and Fire series and I've never read a book in a series before and come away as disappointed as I am right now. There were deaths in A Dance with Dragons, resurrections, criminals punished and traitors yet the outcome will not be known for quite some time. So, rather than getting answers after several years of wait, we're just left with more questions.

3 Stars

A Feast for Crows by George R R Martin

This is my second time reading this book seeing as I had to wait so long for A Dance with Dragons I needed to refresh. Well I have to say it was just as good the second time around.

A Feast for Crows is very diverse story and it seems as the epic becomes more extensive I found myself questioning whether telling the tidings of the ironborn in detail was necessary for the main storyline. On the other hand, the parts happening in the Vale and Braavos brought exciting new twists, and the fates of many long-standing characters were found out. The book is not a waste of time by any standard, but its role in the series feels like simply building up for the next installment, which has been a long time in the waiting. In a few days I will know if it is worth it.

4 Stars

I Knew You'd Be Lovely: Stories by Alethea Black

I Knew You'd Be Lovely is a collection of thirteen uplifting and poignant stories that one can easily identify with. Again this was a great book to keep in the car for those short trips when you are a passenger. The stories in the collections are real, touching on subjects that will make you grin, stir up past memories or tug at your heart. Because of this I was actually able to put the book down and relish each one as an individual work. This collection has made my favorites list and I bought a copy just to loan out.

5 Stars

Stiltsville: A Novel by Susanna Daniel

Stiltsville is a great book for a summer read. I love in Florida and I try to spend as much time there as I can (even though I live in PA Florida holds my heart).When reading this book I could feel the serenity and hushed sounds of the waves lapping soothingly against the pilings and feel the warmth of the sun comforting me. The story is set up not in chapters but instead in sequences of time, representing important events in the main characters, Frances, life. If you need a book where there is a lot of drama you may be disappointed, but if you love to be absorbed in a place, Stiltsville is charming.

5 Stars

The Summer of the Bear: A Novel by Bella Pollen

The Summer of the Bear by Bella Pollen is a fascinating story about a family dealing with the loss their patriarch. The novel takes place in Scotland, in the summer of 1979.This story is told in alternating chapters by the members of the family and by the character in the title that happens to be a circus bear. The circus bear escapes from his trainer while swimming in the ocean. This book is a tense, gripping, delightful story and a very pleasurable read.

3 Stars

Bright's Passage by Josh Ritter

I have become a fan of short stories. They are great for a car ride where I am the passenger and I can keep my mind and my obsession (reading) busy. This short story is of a returning veteran from WW1. Henry Bright has lived to tell the tale of the war with the help of a guardian angel. After the death of his wife Bright is guided by the very same angel who has followed him from the war. He needs all the help he can get with his infant son. While trying to come to terms with his life he us harassed by his father in law and his two masochistic sons.

My only problem with the book is it seemed to start in the middle of the story, but the following chapters would flashback to Bright's childhood and then also to his role in the war. Then the next chapter would return to the present day and his PTSD. All in all a good book.

4 Stars

A Good Hard Look: A Novel by Ann Napolitano

A Good Hard Look is set in Milledgeville, Georgia in the 1960’s. The story starts the night before the wedding of the town’s most beautiful Southern Bell, Cookie Himmel and her affluent fiancé Melvin Whiteson. Cookie has her whole life planned out and Melvin thinks he is ready to begin life in Cookies debutante world that is until Melvin meets Flannery O’Connor, whose frank and informative descriptions of the people around her, has always offended Cookie. At the time of the wedding, Flannery, who suffered from lupus, is recovering on her family farm, Andalusia. She is in the care of her mother, Regina, and surrounded by her favorite peacocks. That night before the wedding the peacock’s cries start a riot upsetting the town and the wedding guests. The peacocks cries are an important aspect of this tale, their voices are not only disturbing but they also set up the primary emotional current that leads to disaster.

The tragic lives of Ann Napolitano's characters touched me so much and with the tragedy there came comes moments of comedy that had me laughing and crying.

5 Stars

The Man in the Rockefeller Suit by Mark Seal

Clark Rockefeller who is also known as Christian Karl Gerhartsreier made the headlines when he kidnapped his own daughter and vanished. After years of trying the case was considered cold, they could not be found and all of the leads ended up as dead ends. When the complete account was finally put together it was discovered that Mr. Gerhartsreier had nearly pulled off the faultless crime, by impersonating numerous people during the commission of said crime. He was only caught when he left his DNA on a water glass. The book covers his marriage and divorce and shows that anyone can become anyone they want if they are sharp enough. Arrested for kidnapping of a minor and assault and battery with an armed weapon and found guilty, he will be released in 2013 It will be interesting to see how this criminally minded foreigner will fit into society as himself rather than living a lie. It is the Criminal Justice in me that makes me want to get in people’s heads.

4 Stars

Untold Story by Monica Ali

Monica Ali begins with a interesting foundation. Diana, The Princess of Wales, planned her own death and then disappeared. After undergoing plastic surgery in Brazil she then took the identity of a crib death victim, and continued to live a life of anonymity in the United States, supporting herself by working in an animal rescue facility. Of course a wrench gets thrown in the plan when an overzealous and obsessed photographer comes to town. For those still entranced by Diana and her sad story they will enjoy the what if of this book.

4 Stars

Conquistadora by Esmeralda Santiago

Conquistadora is a grueling journey that follows numerous generations through the adversities of running a sugar plantation in Puerto Rico. The chief character, Ana Cubillas, is cold and occasionally nasty, but the willpower she shows is extraordinary and commendable. I imagine the homestead, Hacienda los Gemelos, as being magnificent and brilliant but also disappointedly, built on slavery. Freedom is a notion that evades all the characters in this tale. Despite their sex, rank, history and wealth, each character is confined and bound by sense of duty, history and nation. Conquistadora is profound, and immersed in the conventional structure of story-telling commonly attached to historical fiction.

5 Stars

A Crack in the Edge of the World by Simon Winchester

Having visited San Francisco I picked this book up on a whim because I like to read stories about familiar places. Simon Winchester begins by musing about a small town in Ohio, the birthplace of astronaut Neil Armstrong and the change to geology that resulted from his walk on the moon and the progress of the hypothesis of plate tectonics. He then goes on to give a lively version of the history of geology and California, all the while changing directions and going off into captivating and entertaining side stories about people and places, as he winds his way towards April 18, 1906 and the destructive earthquake that devastated San Francisco.

5 Stars

Cannery Row by John Steinbeck

I am a Steinbeck fan and I always have been. In Cannery Row as always, Steinbeck's use of speech and expressions are just stunning.

John Steinbeck follows the diverse characters of the small town of Cannery Row. The characters are well thought out and varied. Hazel is one of my favorites in how she asks questions just to hear a person speak. This has always been one of my favorite read agains and probably always will be.

5 Stars

The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon

Oedipa Maas has just been notified that she has been chosen to be the executor of her ex-boyfriend’s will. She is shocked and lost about how to go about this task of sorting out the affairs of Pierce (her ex). What follows is a bit of a wild ride leaving you to believe that the whole thing as a intricate, well-planned hoax aimed at Oedipa. There were some very amusing moments in this warped and enthralling plot. I was completely enthralled.

4 Stars

Paint It Black: A Novel by Janet Fitch

Paint it Black is set in Los Angeles during the punk rock scene of the 80s, this tale features Josie Tyrell, a runaway who lives by working as a model and infrequent actress in student films. She begins dating and living with Michael, an artist who is the son of renowned concert pianist Meredith Loewy and writer Calvin Faraday. When Michael commits suicide, Josie and Meredith are drawn together in spite of their clear abhorrence of each other and their different views, each attempting to hold onto their version of Michael and to understand why he took his own life. I find Janet Fitch’s as very dark and dramatic and complicated from an emotional perspective.

4 Stars

White Oleander by Janet Fitch

White Oleander is a tear-jerking account of what happens to a teenage girl forced into foster-care system because her irresponsible mother kills her boyfriend. Astrid is sent from one foster home to another with disastrous consequences. Finch takes her readers into the sinister world of the foster-care system. It's skillfully written and hurtful to read. Finch nails the despondency and anguish of what happens to children who are uprooted from an established home atmosphere and thrust into being a ward if the state where some families see foster children as disposable income.

4 Stars

Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn

Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn is a great intermediate read. Ali has been invited to spend the summer with her 4 year cousin Emma and her Aunt Dulcie at the family cottage on the coast of Maine. Ali’s mother Claire, a depressed woman who is prone to migraines is unenthusiastic about her going. Ali’s more positive father decides finally that Ali, at thirteen, needs to get out and get some new experiences. What begins as a enjoyable journey for the three, swiftly alters when a young girl named Sissy appears and gains control over four year old, friendless, Emma. As amusing and thrilling as she is to be with, Sissy turns nasty and malicious. Ali tries her best to protect Emma, but no one will listen. As the story unfurls we learn that the strange Sissy is the key to a past tragedy at the Maine cottage.

4 Stars

Kim by Rudyard Kipling

Kim is the story of an Irish orphan who grows up in Colonial India as a shrewd imp (I think an Irish Aladdin). He is found by his dead father's army troop, and becomes a valuable spy. Even though it was written over a hundred years ago, provided you appreciate the necessity of weaving a spy story with a detailed study of the setting it is still easily reached for a high school student. Kipling loves India and he writes with a clear love for the land and culture. He writes from the historical point of view of a white man in Colonial India. It's a fantastic story, and any uneasiness as a result of author's beliefs and opinions should not dissuade a open-minded reader.

4 Stars

Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan

Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan encompasses the women of the Kelleher family as they learn about not only themselves and develop an understanding, or at least an acceptance, for each other’s lives as they spend several weeks sharing the family's Maine beachside cottage. Chick Lit but a little sturdier than normal.

3 Stars

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins is an remarkably cute and amusing book. Anna is sent to boarding school her senior year by her father. This would have been alright with her if he hadn't sent her to Paris and she doesn't even speak French. Here she makes new friends and discovers that sometimes being friends can lead to more. This book was a quick and funny read, and with the exception of being sent to Paris depicted teenage relationships both as friends and significant others that even teens can find relevant.

4 Stars

One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus

This historical work of fiction is based on a little know fact from history. In 1854 a Cheyenne chief suggested that the US government provide the tribe with 1000 white women who would become their brides, in trade for 1000 horses. It was the chief’s belief that this would solve the problem of the combination of the two cultures and prevent more war. Of course, the request was denied and nothing of the sort happened but this book answers the question what if it had? This book is the fictional journal of one of the women who might have been picked to become a Cheyenne wife. The reading is charming and fascinating, incorporating fragments of historical fact surrounding the lives of pioneers, settlers, troops and tribal people of the time period.

5 Stars

Anthropology of an American Girl by Hillary Thayer Hamann

Anthropology of an American Girl by Hillary Thayer Hamann is a brilliantly written novel accounting for several years in the life of a young woman named Eveline. Set in the early 1980s (which could be considered my formative years) it scrutinizes the subjects of prosperity, influence, sex, and drugs. Eveline surrounds herself with a vibrant cast of characters, who are mostly men, and infrequently loses her individuality in the process. In the end she seems to find herself and happiness.

I had a rough time with this book until around the middle. The beginning was so slow, but after awhile I was able to get into this book and what an amazing book it was. A book this size normally takes me no longer than 3 hours. This one took me three days. This could be a great book for those who are going through the switch from childhood to adulthood. However, being 40 years old and having grown up in the time period, it is great way to reminisce.

3 Stars

The Fuck Up by Arthur Nersesian

I really enjoyed reading about the New York I always imagined, sordid but wonderful. The central character was like an old friend, who was a bit aimless after going through a rough patch.

An immature lazybones in New York loses his girlfriend and his employment all in a twelve hour time period. Homeless and with nothing but the clothes he was wearing, he spends the next few nights couch surfing, trying to figure out what he needs to do to carry on. This novel narrates his descent through the darker side of New York and his ultimate flight back into normalcy. The ending was definitely unexpected and I honestly expected more from the characters.

3 Stars

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

If you are deciding if you want to donate your organs or become an anatomy class cadaver or maybe be a crash test dummy or why not get a post-mortem face lift, be sure to read this book first! Stiff is morose, but it's also side-splitting at the same time. It's everything you want to know about what can happen to dead bodies. Roach covers all aspects of "donation for science," including, surgery practice, gross anatomy lab, decomposition studies, and crash and ballistic testing. Also detailed are the standard burial topics, embalming, cremation, and coffin decomposition. The author's humor is cheeky, but she is never disrespectful toward her subjects.

5 Stars

Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham

I found Of Human Bondage to be a superb book that gives a friendly look at human nature, wonderfully written and appealing.

We follow Philip Clarey from his handicapped, emotionally grave boyhood, through his young adulthood. Clarey is blemished yet likeable in his humanity and he is not obstinately imperfect, but at core good-hearted. The best part of the book is that we get to watch the character grow and learn as he makes his way up through many different echelons of English society of the early 20th century. This book is approximately 100 years old and being so it still can hold up in society today.

4 Stars

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

I have always enjoyed C.S. Lewis and The Screwtape Letters is a very fascinating read and a somewhat distinctive idea. The set up is: what would a series of letters look like if they were written by one of the superior servants of the devil to a freshman or new demon who needs advice on how to trip up his human assignment and cause that human to deal with the devil.

The result is humorously sardonic, thoughtful, and witty. I'm sure the expectation of the author is that once you've realize what the devil’s traps are you can elude them in the future.

5 Stars

The Human Stain by Philip Roth

This novel was substandard and I expected a lot more from it. The story details the life of an African American college professor who has been passing as Caucasian since he was in his late teens. He hid this fact from everyone he knew, including his wife and children. His secret begins to unravel when he refers to two absent African American students with what is perceived as a racist name. Calling the students “spooks” is deemed racist, when he had actually intended the word to mean "ghosts." The writing is particularly boring and long-winded and the writing style is too intense for me. The commentary is blurred, shifting between a narrator and events. The subject matter, however, is maddening and stimulates debate. All in all a good non-fiction book.

3 Stars

Bag of Bones by Stephen King

Bag of Bones follows a novelist four years after his wife has died, as he tries to overcome his writer’s block by living in the vacation home that he shared with his wife. In the process he finds that his wife may have been killed by mystical forces and he becomes caught up with a widow and her child, who are being harassed by the widow's father-in-law, who wants her daughter.

This book, simply put, was classic Stephen King as it has many elements from his other works. It also had a character's death that I was sadly unprepared for. I completely appreciated this book.

5 Stars

Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence

Lady Chatterley's Lover is one of those legendary books which I had never actually read. Well the wait over and I have to say it is a good book.

Constance, trapped in a rushed marriage with a disabled man, finds lust and then love with Mellors, the gamekeeper; she basically grows out of the character that culture forces upon her and heads for what is virtually a happy ending.

It seems a bit bizarre from the perspective of 2011 to think that this book was once considered too obscene to publish and in fact was considered pornography in its heyday. If you read between the sex scenes you find a very patronizing cast of characters.

4 Stars

Dragon Bones: Two Years Beneath the Skin of a Himalayan Kingdom by Murray Gunn

I really took pleasure in reading this book. I think that it was a very sincere depiction of what it was like for the author to live in a culture poles apart than how he was raised. My only complaint with the book was the lack of connection between the chapters. By the end of the book, I felt contented that everything had eventually been covered. A great book for someone who is going to be traveling somewhere new.

4 Stars

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

This book sucks you in from the first page and, with its surreal superiority; it will not let you put the book down until the last page is turned.

A circus called Le Cirque des Reves, comes to town. One day the countryside sits bare, the then it is filled with many tents in a variety of size. A sign hangs at the opening, below an incredible clock; "Opens at Nightfall, Closes at Dawn." Once it opens you meander through pathways and tents all the way through the circus, finding performances and expositions that Barnum and Bailey wouldn’t dream of attempting. There are two magicians pitted one against the other to see who can outshine and outlast the other. The winner will well, win while the other will lose their life, and the lives of any inside the circus.

A brilliantly woven tale of supernatural practicality, The Night Circus has immediately become one of my preferred novels.

5 Stars

The Geographer's Library by Jon Fasman

Paul Tomm is an intelligent but directionless college graduate who accepts a job as a reporter at a weekly newspaper in the small town of Lincoln, Connecticut. When a professor from his college dies, he is assigned to write the obituary, but soon finds that the professor is not as quiet and calm as he seemed. Soon Paul is involved in an extraordinary account of murder. The story itself was a very pleasurable read, what really drew me in was my understanding of Paul because his observations and reactions are so real. I will definitely read more from this author in the future.

4 Stars

Paranormal State: My Journey into the Unknown by Ryan Buell

Ryan Buell is the lead investigator and founder of the Paranormal Research Society, a student organization of ghost hunters out of Penn State. Buell goes into detail on what went into creating the show as well as the challenge of not losing the paranormal integrity that the research society has worked hard to achieve

This book is written for supporters of the TV show Paranormal State. A reader with no familiarity with the show will get very little from the book but as a follower of the show, I did enjoy the book and would recommend it to others who also watch it.

4 Stars

Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada

After their son dies in the war, The Quangel’s begin their own acts of resistance. Over the years, they leave hundreds of unsigned postcards in public places all over Berlin. Unknown to them the cards end up with the Gestapo almost immediately, and one policeman is obsessed in discovering who is behind the cards.

This book is slow to get off the ground, the first half was hard, but the second half was outstanding and the ending was magnificent.

5 Stars

The Shapeshifter by Tony Hillerman

Newly retired Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn is bored stiff until he receives a message from an old friend that rears questions about one of Leaphorns early cold cases. An old Navajo weaving, infamous because of its rejection of much of the Navajo Way, that was thought to have been destroyed years ago in a fire that killed one of the FBI's most wanted has suddenly resurfaced. When Leaphorn's friend dissappears Leaphorn begins to probe in earnest, and the case leads him from robberies all the way back to the Vietnam War. The narration is clear and compelling, and the main characters figure out puzzles at the same rate as the reader. This is one of Hillerman’s better Leaphorn books.
4 Stars

The Skeleton Man by Tony Hillerman

Navajo County Deputy Sheriff Cowboy Dashee’s cousin is accused of pilfering and pawning a hefty diamond. Sargent Jim Chee, Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn (ret.) and Chee’s fiancée, Bernie Manuelito, work together on this case, and prove that the diamond is connected to a plane crash that took place in the Grand Canyon area fifty years ago. Leaphorn was the narrator of this story and he did not play a large role in the story line itself however, he visited his old friend, McGinnis, at the trading post which had been a center of activity for years, but has since become abandoned. Leaphorn lamented about the loss of old friends and how things had changed. I have read many other of the Hillerman books and I will be reviewing them a few at a time.
3 Stars

The Romance of Atlantis by Taylor Caldwell

The Romance of Atlantis is a work of Fantasy or Science Fiction and as the preface states, Ms. Caldwell wrote this novel when she was twelve years of age. Her family ran a publishing company but they wouldn’t publish this novel. Instead, they accused the twelve year old of plagiarism, unconvinced that a girl could write a complete book including realistic adult situations

After reading this story I was impressed that a twelve year old could have the knowledge in her time period to write so well. This is my first reading of anything by Caldwell and her Atlantis is well envisaged however, I really didn’t like the characters much. Since this book is written by a twelve year old who deserves credit where credit is due I give it 5 stars !!

Do Not Pass Go: From the Old Kent Road to Mayfair by Tim Moore

I saw this and I just had to have it. Do Not Pas Go is based on traveling around the places on the Monopoly board. I quite enjoyed it as it is a unique way to find somewhere to travel but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I knew London.

The book was a real innovative point of view on a typical segment of London's history. I like Moore's sense of humor. I really wonder what I can find to help me with some original traveling of my own.

4 Stars

The Hypnotist by M.J. Rose

This book is the third in a series written by M.J. Rose but I didn’t know that when I picked it up. So I have not read the first two books and since they were not in my home library I decided to start reading this one hoping it would work stand alone.

What struck me was the lyrical language. The descriptions are lyrically poetic. The story itself could not quite grip me but for some reason I did keep on reading because anyone who knows me knows that I must finish a book no matter what I think of it. I have to approve of the way past and present in the story interweave. Would I read it again? Probably not due to the story line.

3 Stars

Repossessed by A.M. Jenkins

Kirial is a high-spirited Fallen Angel who gets tired of his ceaseless penance of managing souls down in Hell, so he takes over the body of teenager Shaun, who is just about to get hit by a car. After blissing out with the five senses for a while he gets down to the business of trying to improve the attitude and viewpoints of numerous people. In some ways, his outlook makes him much more open-minded than the normal teenager, but his understanding is also severely incomplete in others. Light, enjoyable, and even moving.

Looking for Alaska by John Green

The unusual arrangement of this book instantly drew me in as I wondered what event was coming. The adventures of the teenagers in Looking for Alaska were authentic, permitting some readers to relate to them, while others will simply wish they had the courageousness of Alaska and her school comrades. Teen-age anguish, friendship and coming of age are all party of this great story !!
4 Stars

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

In the town of Bascom, North Carolina every family has its very own forte. The Waverly's role was one that even the residents believed was strange. Claire Waverly has taken over for their using her talents with the plants of her garden to encourage people to behave in a specific manner.
This story brings us two alienated sisters who have taken very diverse ways through life. I thought that the story was well written; it didn't grind but also didn't make me feel I had to hurry to finish it. It has an goodness about it which attracted me. I definitely saw a lot of the movie Practical Magic in the book. That is not to say that she based the book off the movie but there are certain similarities.
4 Stars

The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and a Forty-Year Friendship by Jeffrey Zaslow

I really liked this book. BUT the book confused me and I didn't really understand it. Is Zaslow trying to tell a story about 11 girls and the 10 women they became, or is he trying to establish the importance of relationships in women's lives. The book reads like a sociological study about what holds women's relationships together and why they matter so much. At times, I felt like I was reading one of my college anthropology text books however they are still some of my favorite reads so this book was up my alley.
3 Stars

Pretty in Plaid by Jen Lancaster

In Pretty in Plaid, Jen Lancaster reveals some flashes, from growing up in Cow Town, Indiana, to her time as a sorority girl during her eleven years of college, to her first profession post-college. Like her previous books, Pretty in Plaid is written as a series of essays, all of which are connected by the theme of clothing. From her Girl Scout uniform, covered in (I wish I thought of this when I was a girl scout) illegally earned patches, to her first job interview ensemble, Jen explains how clothes shape the way she interprets the world.

I was exceptionally amused by this book. Jen Lancaster definitely has a distinctive voice that’s very clever. No matter what situation Jen finds herself in, she is always optimistic. It’s a nice, light read that’s perfect for a Sunday Summer day of relaxing in the cool grass under a tree.
4 Stars

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

This book was chic, humorous, thrilling, and well thought out. This is exactly how I like my summer reads to be. Alice forgets the last 10 years of her life after a head injury in her spinning class and she becomes faced with the fact that she's divorcing her husband, but does not know the reason. It is an exceptionally well written novel about getting second chances and a fresh outlook on life.

The finale was enjoyable, I actually stopped to think about how I take care of and treat my family, and the impact that will have on my life 10 years from now.

5 Stars

A Small Hotel: A Novel by Robert Olen Butler

A Small Hotel is the story of how of Michael and Kelly Hays fell in love, got married, lived their lives and then fell apart.

Michael is a lawyer who has been raised to believe that simply by "being there" he has expressed his emotions therefore creating a very isolated adult. He is a product of an emotionally distant father who taught him that words are just words with no meaning behind them.

Kelly is a woman who has an emotional intensity that needs to hear the words from her husband but she never pushes him to say those three little words. This is also a product of an emotionally distant father and mental problems that she experienced during her early days.

Through flashbacks we learn much about the couple only to have it end up in a small hotel is where Kelly and Michael spent their first night together and over the course of their relationship they returned numerous times. Michael and Kelly consider room 303 to be their room, and it is here she has decided she will end her life without Michael.
Michael on the other hand is in torment from his own personal problems as he reflects on his life. The paradox is that both Michael and Kelly are more equal than they may know.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I will definitely purchase it in July 2011.

5 Stars

The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman

The Red Garden is the story of the town of Blackwell, Massachusetts, populated by charming and memorable characters. A series of short stories (which is becoming a favorite arrangement of mine)the book has the feel of a novel because of the even current of the stories through history. It starts with the story of the town’s founder, Hallie Brady and continues through several of Hallie’s descendents or the descendents of the other original townspeople, and the way their lives crisscross throughout the years.

The writing is characteristically Alice Hoffman with an allusion of the unexplained and the supernatural slipped in. There are spirits, lucky trees, and a garden in which only red plants grow. Blackwell is obviously a extraordinary place and the people who visit and those who reside there never really leave, even though they may journey elsewhere.

Once I started the book it was impossible to put down

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

After reading The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet I really wanted to read more by David Mitchell. I picked Cloud Atlas because it was just sitting there looking all lonely on my bookshelf.

The book is a collection of six interconnected stories; each story is cut in half and interrupted by the next story. They are all set in diverse time periods, two of which are in the future. They all deal with the same sort of characters, with strong hints that they are reincarnations of each other (I envision Quantum Leap, the TV show starring Scott Bakula). I liked the stories and the way they tied together.

5 Stars

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell

The Thousand Autumns is the story of Jacob de Zoet, a Dutch clerk, in 1799 Nagasaki Japan . David Mitchell has written a complex story that deals with the political, trade and societal practices at that time in Japan. The characters are remarkable. Jacob must deal with his sincerity and truthfulness which is not appreciated for the most part by his betters and the Japanese officials. There is also Jacob's love for a Japanese girl and her uncontrolled obligation to a Convent that exists for the creation of "gifts". A terrific book.

4 Stars

The Italian Secretary by Caleb Carr

I don’t like Sherlock Holmes stories and honestly I have only ever read them when forced too (such as in school but this one is a great. I was expecting a demonstration of Holmes's power of deduction but the way he's always restrained on things when he knows the answers is constant. There were a few parts of the stories that lagged and I sometimes wondered how the scenes connected but in the end, every incident would lead to an answer.



3 Stars

The Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr

In this sequel to The Alienists Caleb Carr has created an exceptional, fantastic book that has the same focus on plot and character. It’s brilliantly done, and it made this book a pleasure to read. I am glad it took them so long to being the criminal to justice. I never wanted the story to end. This was an incredible book.

4 Stars

Killing Time by Caleb Carr

Read The Alienist. Read the Angel of Darkness. Read The Italian Secretary. Read any one of Caleb Carr's historical novels with confidence, because he is an amazing historian and novelist. Do not read Killing Time, unless you are a huge fan and feel that your life would not be complete without reading a terrible book.. This is an obsolete science fiction novel that will frustrate you.

1 Star