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TeddyBear1770@aol.com
DEAR STRANGER, DEAREST FRIEND
by Laney Katz Becker, 4 stars
Excellent book. It was funny, heartbreaking, and educational. I really enjoyed this book, I could not put it down.
Barsha@aol.com
AN INSTANCE OF THE FINGERPOST
by Iain Pears, no rating given
A book I'll be thinking about for a long time. Set in England during the Restoration right after Cromwell, it tells the story of a murder and the events surrounding it from four different viewpoints. The last person tells the true details, which pull everything together. Mixing real and fictitious characters, the book makes the period come to life. It's almost 700 pages, but the interest and suspense never flags for a moment.
RAVEN 0555@aol.com
OBSERVATORY MANSIONS
by Edward Carey, 4 stars
My initial impression was that this is what we could expect if Edward Gorey had left an unpublished novel. Filled with life's misfits, it is ultimately a very human story.
MACN4MONEY@worldnet.att.net
THE SPARROW
by Mary Doria Russell, 5 Stars
A science fiction novel about a Jesuit mission to another planet. Wonderfully written story about the nature of God, faith. I was profoundly moved and am unable to forget the story or the characters. I have been giving much thought to my faith. Russell raises interesting questions about creation and our place in it. I highly recommend it and suggest that it be shared in a group because there is so much to discuss.
BROKE HEART BLUES
by Joyce Carol Oates,
I am half-way through BROKE HEART BLUES which I read in one sitting while I was home sick yesterday. I have not been disappointed by anything of Oates that I have read and BROKE HEART BLUES has not broken her record with me. She is a phenomenal writer and I hope to win the first edition.
cardlady5@juno.com
CHANGE ME INTO ZEUS' DAUGHTER
by Barbara Robinette Moss, 5 stars
An ultimately uplifting memoir of a survivor of a horrible childhood
saved by poetry, music & determination.
Lucky4750@aol.com
LA CUCCINA
by Lily Prior, 5 stars
An unusual read, Rosa Fiore can't catch a break in life. Set in Italy and about everything Italian, it tells of Rosa Fiore's life. Poor Rosa, nothing goes right for her . Lovemaking while cooking great Italian meals seems to make the final dish "tastier". Rosa solves everything by cooking. It's a story about Rosa, food, the mob, art etc. A delightful mix of unusual happenings in a town where everyone knows everyone else's business. I thoroughly enjoyed this unusual tale of a librarian with more than books on her mind.
THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFIANCE, OHIO
by Terry Ryan, 5 stars
One of the most enjoyable reads I have had this year. The life of the author's mother Evelyn, and her obsession and success in winning contests to support her family during the 50's and 60's. The mother of 10 children and wife to an alcoholic, you will learn how nothing ever got her down. I cried, laughed and longed for days gone by while reading this one. I couldn't put it down and read this 346 page book in one night. Do yourself a favor and read it, you'll be glad you did and greatful for the chance to meet Evelyn Ryan.
SILVER WEDDING
by Maeve Binchy, 2 stars
I usually enjoy Binchy's work, but this is one book I couldn't get into. It dragged and after I put it down and waited another day, it was still as gloomy and boring as it was when I first tried reading it. Sorry Maeve, not one of your better reads. Pass on this one.
Mystry tx@aol.com
SUNSET LIMITED
by James Lee Burke, 5+ stars
The man just gets better and better with each book he writes! A 'cop' story where the past joins the present in an explosive and almost inevitable conclusion.
Kaykay4837@aol.com
SIGN OF THE BEAVER
by , 4 stars
It is a great book for outdoor type people who need to settle in for a bit. Or just a great book for anyone. I enjoyed it very much.
Donna3dl@aol.com
THE BAKER BOYS
by J.V. Jones, no rating given
A fantasy novel. Well crafted and with characters you can sympathize with, villains you have no problem hating, and a style that stirs the imagination. It is one book you know from the beginning that you're going to spend more money on. After all, this novel is the first of the series.
toriphile20@yahoo.com
THE SHINING
by Stephen King, 4 stars
I'm reading this because I thought it would be better than the movie, and it definitely is. I can't read it at night alone.
WONDER BOYS
by Michael Chabon, 5 stars
This is a truly awesome book. He has a great sense of humor, very dry.
Also the way he writes, his details, they're so good. I wonder where he
comes up with them.
savinggrace@essex1.com
CHOCOLAT
by Harris, 4 1/2 stars
I haven't seen the movie and am unsure as to whether that is an advantage or not. This is a small, quirky book that is easy to read and interesting enough to keep one's interest in a small way. Don't attempt to read unless you have chocolate in the house.
RESERVATION ROAD
by John Burnham Scwartz, 4 stars
This is another small book that lives up to its promise of being an interesting read. A horrible accident leaves one father bereaved and another guilt-ridden. The detailing of individual reactions to grief is well-done and the motivations of the characters stay true throughout the story.
MaidenFate@aol.com
ANIMAL HUSBANDRY
by Laura Zigman, 3 1/2 stars
My Thoughts: "The ultimate in mind candy. It's a super fast read featuring an entertaining and reachable heroine. I highly recommend this book to anyone who's ever had their heart broken."
candeamsler@aol.com
WIFEY
by Judy Blume, no rating given
AFTER THE FIRE by
Belva Plain, no rating given
THE WOMEN by Judy
Blume, no rating given
OUT TO CANAAN by
Jane Karow, no rating given
Colekartom@aol.com
STORIES
by Anton Chekhov, 5 stars
If you didn't before, you will now appreciate being a modern day American. Tragedy and Hope are never so real as when comrade Chekhov gives you a glimpse at the Russian life.
Scorpianbelly@aol.com
THE HOBBIT
by J. R. R. Tolkien, 5 stars
This book is a high sci-fi adventure book that will take you to the adventure. You don't know what to expect next. This is a prelude to a trilogy called "The Lord of the Rings" and I believe it is the best he has ever done.
Chica91010@aol.com
THE SWORD
by Deborah Chester, 5 stars
THE CHALICE
by Deborah Chester, 5 stars
THE RING
by Deborah Chester, 5 stars
These 3 books were excellent. But people who aren't into the magical people and evil sorcery stuff shouldn't read them.
NEPR@aol.com
KEEPING FAITH
by Jodi Picoult, 5 stars
The plot centers around a 7-year-old girl in a non-religious family who is having visions, talking to God, and quoting passages from the Bible, which she has never read. The child's family is plagued by the media, the medical field, and organized religion as they try to focus on what is best for the child. It is a fascinating story told well.
Silverwolverene@aol.com
FROM THE CORNER OF HIS EYE
by Dean Koontz, 5 stars
The book was spectular. I have read all of his books.
Ccyygg@aol.com
POINT OF ORIGIN
by Patricia Cornwell, 4 Stars
For the past couple of years I have been a Patricia Cornwell fan. For those who are Patricia Cornwell fans you will love this book. The storyline is captivating, the suspense is thrilling. We say goodbye to a dear familiar character which brought a tear to my eye. As all her books are, it is good reading and will capture the reader from beginning to end. I can hardly wait to read her next book.
RICHELANN@aol.com
DAISY FAYE AND THE MIRACLE MAN
by Fanny Flag, 5 stars
Be careful when and where you read this book. It is laugh-out-loud funny and you may get some strange looks! It's refreshing, and every one I've recommended it to loved it, including about a dozen of my students!
EmandBriandJR@aol.com
VITTIRIO
by Anne Rice, 5 stars
Nikybaby2@aol.com
SUMMER SISTERS
by Judy Blume, 5 stars
Excellent love story about people on Martha's Vineyard.
Fannon007@aol.com
MANNER OF DEATH
by Stephen White, 3 stars
It is a good story, but he bogs the reader down with an old romance, a new wife with MS who you feel sorry for, and his dog that he ignores. He is a psychologist but totally clueless.
Jgirl92070@aol.com
DREAMCATCHER
by Stephen King, no rating given
I thought that the DREAMCATCHER was a long awaited return to his style of novels. Although the ending was a bit of a let down compared to IT and THE STAND, DREAMCATCHER can stand on its own as one of his great novels. An avid reader of Stephen King will have trouble putting the book down.
Luved2much@aol.com
THE SWEETPOTATO QUEEN'S BOOK OF LOVE
by Jill Conner Browne, 5 stars
Absolutely hysterical novel about the Southern woman's life, and we ain't talking Civil War Southern Belles either. Spirited, sassy and as succulent as pecan pie and homemade ice cream. Includes the five magic words to make any man do your bidding, being a Southerner I already knew and have used those words and believe me, they do work... everytime. This is one of the few books I laughed out loud while reading it.
MichelleM819@aol.com
SERVANT OF THE BONES
by Anne Rice, 2 stars
Engaging at first. Ultimately too lengthy, not enough substance.
rowhan13@yahoo.com
NAKED IN DEATH
by J.D. Robb, no rating given
The start of a mystery series set in 2058 by Nora Roberts writing under
another name. The book introduces Police Lt. Eve Dallas and her soon-to-be lover Roarke. The mystery is good, the romance hot and the dialogue clever and witty. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series (11 more books).
Sblokzyl@aol.com
PAINTED HOUSE
by John Grisham, 4 stars
Very different story for Grisham, the story was told by a seven-year-old boy.
entertaining@msn.com
CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC
by Sophie Kinsella, 4 stars
(Fiction)
I haven't laughed this hard while reading a book in a long time. The reader gets to follow a London girl named Rebecca Bloomwood on an adventure of compulsive shopping, humiliating interactions with a potential love interest, and the avoidance of bank personnel who will not leave her alone despite the various tall tales she spins while quickly going into debt.
THE ISLAND OF LOST MAPS (A True Story of Cartographic Crime)
by Miles Harvey, 3.5 stars
(True Crime/History)
The author outlines the crimes of Gilbert Bland Jr. who stole valuable centuries-old maps from some of the most prominent research libraries in the US and Canada until he was caught in December 1995. Though this is a true crime novel --- you will need to also appreciate the history of maps: Where they came from and why they are so valuable in order to truly enjoy this book.
THE MIND GAME
by Hector MacDonald, 4 stars
(Fiction) Not bad for a first time author. The author takes us on an adventure into Kenya where an Oxford student named Ben Ashurst agrees to participate in an experiment involving emotions. Sounds innocent? I was impressed by the twists and turns of this book and the complexity of what can happen when you actively solicit a response in order to get a desired emotion/outcome. Each chapter starts with a journal entry with the following categories: situation, sensory context, cognitive context, emotional content, somatic response, facial response, global viewpoint and action impulse.
Gertyrae@aol.com
THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
by JRR Tolkien, 4 stars
Sort of a tough read especially as an adult, but fascinating at the same time.
ROSES ARE RED
by James Patterson, 5 stars
Couldn't put this one down as usual, this man writes the most riveting novels.
LUCKEE J@aol.com
BUBBLES UNBOUND
by Sarah Strohmeyer, 5 stars
If you are looking for a laugh-out-loud mystery written in the same style as Janet Evanovich's series about Stephanie Plum this is it. Bubbles is a divorced mother who wants to be a journalist but works in a beauty shop. It seems as if trouble and police happen regular when she takes on a story to write. It has some of the best one liners that I have read in a while. You will cheer for Bubbles while she is hoping to write the story of her life and, hey, she teams up with a photographer named Stilleto, yes like the knife. There is going to be a followup book coming in May, also with Bubbles, and I can't wait.
MGarber866@aol.com
DEATH OF A DUSTMAN
by M.C.Beaton, no rating given
Beaton shows us the life in a small village in Scotland. The job of a "dustman" is still in use. When it becomes clear that the duties include collecting garbage from the town's citizens, it also becomes clear that dastardly deeds are being committed.
indianbillyice@prodigy.net
LAYOVER
by Lisa Zeidner, 4 stars
Found the voice of the unhappy Claire to be engaging and believable. The author's use of language both wry [Tantric sales] and streamlined. For those who have been depressed enough to consider not going home on a given day, taking this trip with Claire is reaffirming.
BLUE ANGEL
by Francine Prose, 5 stars
What a terrific romp! The author knows her small college communities [the comparing of class loads during the trial was choice, for example]. She held the reader in the palm of her skillful hands as you just knew this wasn't going to end badly for Swenson. Like lambs to the slaughter, right up until the last page, you wanted to believe that love and justice would triumph; some love, some kind of justice..for someone. The only tiny misstep, I felt, was the appearance of the doe as our hero [anti-hero] stumbled out of his hearing. What a wonderful, wonderful telling of a tale.
AHAB'S WIFE
by Sena Naslund, 3 stars
There was much that I liked about this story. Overall, though, I must confess the author as craftsman was much on my mind as I read the story [not a good sign]. Let me get out of the way a couple moments that were particularly jarring. When the author pops in to speak over the narration of Una - that wasn't right. Hearing Ahab speak in his own voice was more than I wanted. I sustained the meeting with Emerson and then the even less effective meeting with Frederick Douglass, but the grafting on of an encounter with Henry James near the end - with him speaking exactly as he writes was just wrong. The writing was uneven in voice, as if piecemealled together over time. But when the author was clicking on all cylinders, she created some beautiful moments. Having grown up bored to distraction in the Midwest, I applaud even the fiction of being whisked away by laid-back Unitarians to live in idyllic splendor in a lighthouse off the New England coast.
sirmartin@outdoormail.com
THE VILLA
by Nora Roberts 5 stars
I must confess that I am not a heavy romance reader. Yet calling Nora Roberts in regards to this book in particular a romance writer is like saying Mark McGwire is only a good first baseman. Her descriptions of emotions and reactions to events that pepper the lives of her characters are no less than staggering. She also uses a story-line that is as old as the hills and makes it as fresh as the dew on the vines in the early spring. I do not think that there is a character in this book that does not come of age in some way or another. When I think of character development and presence dare I say that Nora Roberts is on the same level as Charles Dickens? Well, kick me out of the stuffed shirt crowd, I will say it, and man, do I feel good about it. In conclusion, if you are a romance fan, run to the book store and buy this book. If you are not a romance fan, after you read The Villa, well, I'll just say I told you so.
GDurisin@aol.com
DREAMCATCHER
by Stephen King, 4 stars
What an incredible imagination Stephen King has! His story seems to be a cross between novel and film-treatment, so intense is the visualization and so far from standard language the concepts that lie beneath the story-line. Four boys, now men, are bound together throughout their lives by their friendship with a retarded boy who becomes their "dreamcatcher" and ultimately rescues those he can from the grip of an alien life force.
OFF CAMERA: Private Thoughts Made Public
by Ted Koppel, 1 star
This one started out interesting, but became monotonously repetitive as time went on. After a while, Koppel's commentary seemed to lose its luster, and I found myself responding Who cares?
ICE BOUND
by Jerri Nielson, 4.5 stars
Well-written and informative on the subject of breast cancer as well as Antarctica. The bonds that formed among this diverse group were incredible, as were the challenges faced by all from the environment and by Nelson in particular because of her illness.
THE VENDETTA DEFENSE
by Lisa Scottoline, 3 stars
A Philadelphia lawyer finds herself defending Anthony (Pigeon Tony) Lucia, a mobster accused of murdering his lifelong enemy. Interesting characters, not a bad story, but somehow not as appealing as her previous titles, all of which I've read.
CODE TO ZERO
by Ken Follett, 4 stars
Spanning the mid 40s through 1968, CODE TO ZERO focuses primarily on the Soviet-US space race after Sputnik, and is based on the premise of a Soviet spy having infiltrated the American space program. An exciting, fast-moving plot with realistic action made this a most enjoyable read.
THE NIGHT LISTENER
by Armistead Maupin, 4 stars
I read this in two days because it grabbed me so hard and wouldn't let go. Though it's quite different from my usual reading, I loved Maupin's (autobiographical?) story of a middle-aged gay man who connects with a dying, badly abused teenaged boy at the same time as he's dealing with his separation from his long-time lover and later with the death of his own father. A novel filled with many-layered ruminations on the nature of love.
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