|
Lgluhani@aol.com
PERSONAL HISTORY
by Katharine Graham 3 stars
I kept waiting for something to happen to make me want to finish this book. Big prize winner or not, it was overlong and not terribly interesting. Poor little rich girl marries well, falls into ownership of big-time newspaper, dishes with everyone famous in government and politics and publishes Watergate stuff.
A1bengal@aol.com
ARTEMISIA
by Alexandra Lapierre
Enjoyable view of the art worlds from an apprentices POV.
EPaton@aol.com
DREAMCATCHER
by Stephen King. 4 1/2 stars
This is classic King from the back and forth
storytelling (adulthood looking back to childhood and vice versa) to almost the end where the reason for the title finally becomes obvious. A true Stephen King fan will adore this book.
Djclements01@aol.com
THE SILENT CRY
by Anne Perry, 1 1/2 stars
This is the first Anne Perry book that I have ever read and to tell the truth I am glad that I got it from the library and did not buy it. It is somewhere in the middle of the Monk series and it is written as if everyone has read the books before with much referencing and innuendo. I am not a murder/mystery fan usually but I had heard good things about Perry so I thought I would give it a try. If you really like murder/mystery you may enjoy it but for someone that just wanted to see what it was like I did not.
jhbandcats@attbi.com
THE SHIPPING NEWS
by Annie Proulx
Right now I've just started it, in the vain hope of finishing it before the movie comes out. My best friend loved the story but was so annoyed by the rat-a-tat-tat style that she almost never finished reading it. The style doesn't bother me because I get caught up in the story-telling. I am having a hard time picturing Kevin Spacey as Quoyle - he isn't geeky and unattractive enough. Maybe someone like Brendan Gleeson (though he's from the UK).
BORDERLINERS
by Peter Hoeg
The Amazon.com website reader reviews rate it higher than Smilla's Sense of Snow, which I absolutely loved, and have read several times. I found Borderliners to be too philosophical. Between the denoument and the end of the book, Hoeg goes on and on about time - and it's at a point in the book where things would ordinarily be winding down quickly. I found the book far less appealing than Smilla. A disappointment, though the story itself was interesting. The Amazon.com review reveals far too many important plot points, so DON'T READ IT!
LorynK@aol.com
MOTHERLAND
by Fern Schumann Chapman, 4 1/2 stars
True story. The author accompanies her mother back to the German town her mother lived in until the age of 12. At that time, the parents sent Fern's mother and sister to the US to escape the Nazis. The mother is going back for the first time in 50 years. The visit takes place in the early 1990's. It's very good. A quick read as this is a little parperback. But very fulfilling.
Jakapn@aol.com
THE FOURTH HAND
by John Irving 4stars
TgrLdy96@aol.com
THE TARGET
by Catherine Coulter
VERY GOOD!!!
Goosiebird@aol.com
MALICE DOMESTIC anthology series
by various editors, 5 stars
The editor for volume 1 was Elizabeth Peters; volume 2, Mary Higgins Clark; voume 3, Nancy Pickard; volume 4, Carolyn G. Hart; volume 5, Phyllis Whitney; and volume 7, Sharyn McCrumb [I don't have volume 6 -- sniff]. So far, I have read volumes 5, 1, 2, and am currently reading volume 3. I like reading mystery anthologies because they give one a new overview of the writers who are currently writing in the mystery genre, as well as a look at their writing styles.
DebbieNance@houston.rr.com
A FINE BALANCE
by Robinton Mistry, 5 stars
I rarely give five stars, but this is perfect.
GATES OF THE ALAMO
by Stephen Harrigan, 3 stars
Disappointing. Expected more.
MOTHER TONGUE
by Bill Bryson, 4 stars
Engaging.
THE GREAT GOOD THING
by Roderick Townley, 3 1/2 stars
Kids' book. Fantasy.
RIVER TOWN: TWO YEARS ON THE YANGTZE
by Peter Hessler, 4 stars
True story of two years in the Peace Corps in China.
THE BEST WAY TO PLAY
by Bill Cosby, 2 1/2 stars
THE TREASURE HUNT
by Bill Cosby, 2 1/2 stars
THE MEANEST THING TO SAY
by Bill Cosby, 2 1/2 stars
Kids' books.
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
by Richard Yates, 4 stars
Masterpiece.
THE LOST CHILDREN OF WILDER
by Nina Bernstein, 4 stars
Three generations of foster care.
Editor's Note: This reader had an extensive list, and while it's not possible to reprint the entire list here, we applaud her energy!
Vikkivand@aol.com
RECENT HISTORY
by Anthony Giardina, 5 stars
Luca Carcera is a young boy growing up in Massachusetts during the early 60's, when his father leaves his mother to be with another man. The story describes how this event effected Luca into adulthood... where he questions his own sexuality and relationships with other people. This was a well-written story that I highly recommend. I loved the ending.
CShank1246@aol.com
CHOCOLAT
by Joann Harris, 4 stars
Re-read for book group. Loved it.
BEGINNINGS, AUTOBIOGRAPHY PART II
by Horton Foote, 4 stars
FAREWELL
by Horton Foote, 4 stars
He is the playwright who wrote many wonderful plays and the screenplay for "To Kill A Mockingbird" and the original of "Tender Mercies".
BEACH MUSIC
by Pat Conroy, 5 stars
For book club, (author of Prince of Tides!!!!!!!!!)Wonderful!!!
MILWAUKEE SUMMERS CAN BE DANGEROUS
by Kathleen Barrett, 3 stars
Cute mystery.
JUSTINE
by Lawrence Durrell
About the 6th time I have read it.!!!!!!!!
Probably the best work i have ever read, Justine is the first of the Alexandria Quartet.
THE DEPTFORD TRILOGY
by Robertson Davies, 5 stars
The book that actually changed my life, for the better, btw.
ONE FOR THE MONEY
by Janet Evanovich, 4 stars
First of Stephanie Plum mysteries, very fun!!!!!!!!!!!!
THE CORRECTIONS
by Jonathan Franzen, 1 star
Didn't read all of it, post modern and I just lost interest.
SICK PUPPY
by Carl Hiaasen, 3 stars
Fun.
THE DAY THE VOICES STOPPED
by Ken Steele, 4 stars
Very Good. Memoir of a victim of Schizophrenia.
BREEZYWRITER@aol.com
WEIGHT OF WATER
by Anita Shreve, 4 stars
I was surprised to find some of the same characters that were in THE LAST TIME WE MET - also 4 stars. Shreve is a good writer who comes up with some unexpected twists.
LDragonreader@aol.com
THE LORD OF THE RINGS
by J.R.R. Tolkien, 5 stars
This is actually a trilogy. Tolkien created this world as a venue for the languages that he created. He hated it when people compared these books to the events of the forties, when the bulk of these books were written. A perfectionist, he spent so much time editing that these wonderful books almost weren't published! He was also an artist, and created many ink and colored drawings of his world. He was a contemporary of C.S.Lewis and they shared their works at a pub near Oxford. He was also a devout Catholic. A fascinating personality and so much more then his stories.
The trilogy is all encompassing and covers the good and evil to the extent that the reader feels the fear, anger and frustration of the characters. Gimbal, the dwarf and Legalos, the wood elf-races that are normally enemies-form a lasting friendship. Frodo and the other Hobbits are engaging, courageous and fully as real as anyone in the "real" world. Aragorn (Strider) is the romantic figure, as well as the Hero. These characters are all strong and believable. If you have not read these books because they are fantasy, don't let that stop you, they are worth every minute it takes to read them.
Lucky4750@aol.com
HE SEES YOU WHEN YOU'RE SLEEPING
by Carol and Mary Higgins Clark, 5 stars
A wonderfully refreshing story, especially with the Holiday season upon us. Sterling has been waiting decades to get into Heaven but must return and help someone . He is told by trhe saints at the council he must learn to stop and help people, be more sensitive to their needs. He was too self absorbed in life. His task is to help little Marissa cope, a seven year old whose heart is broken because her father (an up and coming rock star) and her grandmother called NorNor are in the Witness protection program and Marissa doesn't know this, she just thinks they have left her. A delightful story. I loved it. Sterling is taken with Marissa and will surely earn his wings on this one.
NEVER CHANGE
by Elizabeth Berg, 5 stars
A story about friends and how their lives have turned out. Fifty one year old Myra, a spinster by choice is a traveling nurse. When she is assigned a new patient named Chip Reardon, a former high school hunk that she secretly had a crush on in her teens, she realizes her life is going to change and thinking her life was fine as it was is not the case anymore. Chip has cancer and has refused the usual treatment and has decided to come home and die. A good read.
theaerie@skybest.com
MAX PERKINS, EDITOR OF GENIUS
by A. Scott Berg, 5 stars
Wonderful book. I'm only half way through. My reading group chose Lindberg by A. Scott Berg. I enjoyed it so much I ordered this biography on Max Perkins. It was a previous winner of the National Book Award. He was the editor behind the scenes for such writers as Fitzgerald, Hemingway and Wolfe, etc. In turn you get interesting looks at these authors.
THE SPARROW
by Mary Doria Russell, 5 stars
I absolutely could not put this book down and had never read anything remotely like it. It was a startling portrait of an alien culture, as well as the nature of God. It was fascinating to see this combination put together. The happenings of the group sent to discover a new planet and civilization will in turn make one examine their own feelings about God and why "bad things happen to good people".
Nokmeax@aol.com
THE MAJIC BUS: An American Odyssey
by Douglas Brinkley, 5 stars
UKHRH@aol.com
THE STAND
by Stephen King, 5 stars
A true modern classic for the ages. It's King at his best, skimming on the horror and concentrating on deep characters.
TIME AND CHANCE
by Sharon Kay Penman, 5 stars
(not yet published) Deeply evocative, richly dramatic, foaming with tension, this story of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry II and Thomas Becket brings life and drama to bigger than big historical persons, medieval politics, thoughts and everyday life. Penman has reached a new level in the historical fiction genre with TIME AND CHANCE.
a.l.emerson@worldnet.att.net
THE DOG LISTENER
by Jan Fennell, 5 stars
This is one of those books which makes you cry yet also gives you an insight into your beloved pet. I was not sure how I would feel about this book before I began, as I was leery of it being one more of those "read your pets actions" genre of books. To my surpass and delight, it is so much more. Not only will it help you to understand your pet a little more but the story behind the book is one which is not only compelling but also inspiring. I highly recommend this to all who think of their dogs as more than furry friends but cherished members of the family. You will not be disappointed!
Omiabucket@aol.com
THE VINEYARD
by Barbara Delinsky, 4 stars
Very sweet happy romantic feeling book..easy and fast to read and yet really get into the characters. The first Delinsky book I have read but not the last! I have started another already...a love story without being focused on the S word every other page.
SRTTB@aol.com
THE SHIPPING NEWS
by E. Annie Proulx
I'm reading this now in preparation for the movie coming out with Kevin Spacey. It is beautifully written. Her phrasing is poetic. It is also a good story with characters you'd couldn't meet anywhere but this story. I've never thought about Newfoundland much but now it seems a place of beauty, mystery and magic.
HARRY POTTER books
by J.K. Rowling
What more can anyone say about these works of genius. Does anyone else think that J.K. Rowling and George Lucas would make the perfect couple? Think about it: both single parents, both very wealthy, both capable of creating entire worlds.
AN INSTANCE OF THE FINGERPOST
by Ian Pears
The only book I know that is written in three dimensions. It's great history, great mystery, great character study, and great adventure. If you liked The Name of the Rose, this one is for you.
songoden@earthlink.net
WILD RIDE
by Bia Lowe
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
by Charles Dickens
ELLA MINNOW PEA
by Mark Dunn
pcleary@mangobay.com
THE LEFT BEHIND SERIES
by Tim LaHaye and Harry Jenkins, 4 stars
An easy read and real page turners, even for those who aren't religious. What a great adventure story and the most sinister villian you have met in awhile. Don't be put off by the Christian literature label.
MeemaaLyn@cs.com
A CUP OF TEA
by Amy Ephron, 5 stars
This tiny book carried me to the World War I era with it's first chapters (all chapters are no more than 4 pages). Yet, the dilemma of the characters is timeless. It is a quick, absorbing read that leaves the reader with sweet, sad memories and ideas to ponder about life, love and duty. I look forward to reading more by this Ms. Ephron. Her writing is spare and lovely.
A STEAK IN MURDER
by Claudia Bishop, 5 stars
The seventh book in Claudia Bishop's Hemlock Falls "cozy" mystery series. It delightfully continues the tumultuous lives of the Quillam sisters in a tiny New England village with a very high body count. I love these characters and look forward to enjoying many more adventures with them.
SORTOFAWRITER@aol.com
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
by Charles Dickens, 4 stars
DaveRudy@aol.com
SHAMAN'S DAUGHTER
by N. F. Salerno and R. M. Vanderburgh
It is a novel about the life of a Canadian Indian woman from 1897 to 1967, who is a healer (learned from her father who was a shaman and healer). Her life, and her spiritual life, was very interesting reading.
JMakansi@pearlstreetinc.com
ANNA KARENINA
by Leo Tolstoy, 5 stars
It took me six months but I finally completed it. The most curious aspect of this huge, almost overbearing, novel is the title. Certainly Anna Kerenin is a central character but what happens to her, a result of her own possible mental illness/madness and of the mores of Russian aristocracy in the late 1800s, unifies the book far more than Anna herself as a character. Levin is portrayed as an equal character and may have even more "stage time" than Anna. But the immediate ability of, I suspect, any reader to transplant this forest of humanity to any other time and place makes Anna Karenina a rich and brilliant experience. In many ways, the relationships, particularly marital and societal ones, portrayed were a reflection of my own and I found myself using the dialogue as personal and pyschological guideposts. What better evidence that this novel is as relevant today as ever?
SNagore@aol.com
SIDHAARTHA
by Herman Hesse, 5 stars
An introspective story that teaches the difference between knowledge and wisdom.
VALAITISH@aol.com
THE BOOK OF FRED
by Abby Bardi, 4 stars
A teen-age girl living in a cult is removed from her home and placed in foster care with a "normal" family. A fascinating look at how her foster family changes her and she changes them.
ANNIE'S SONG
by Catherine Anderson, 5 stars
This is the best romance novel I've read in a long time. I couldn't put it down.
jlharver@yahoo.com
THE PROMETHEUS DECEPTION
by Robert Ludlum
I found it as satisfying as all his others (I'm a big fan).
THE WORLD BELOW
by Sue Miller
It's a novel about a divorced middle-aged woman going home to Vermont, living in her grandmother's home, and reading her grandmother's diary. She learns of her history and is trying to figure her life out. The next book on my shelf is the new novel by Jonathan Kellerman, FLESH AND BLOOD. I'm also re-reading THE FOUR AGREEMENTS by Ruiz because it is so inspirational.
michelene7@yahoo.com
BEYOND STONE AND STEEL: A MEMORIAL TO THE SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2001 VICTIMS
by Brian Vaszily, 5 stars
I
found this book on a website called Hardshell.com. It got some press in my area and I checked it out. WOW! It is unlike anything you'll read about Sept. 11th. Someone (I forgot who) once wrote "In any horror, the hope for humanity must be found, or humanity itself is lost," and this little novel does that for the immense tragedy of Sept. 11. Book blurbs are usually a bunch of nonsense, but this book, like the cover states, really does help you to focus on what is important about being alive. One thing is I wish it were longer, but then again, this eloquent book achieves its purpose anyway!
johno3@annapolis.net
CHURCHILL
by Roy Jenkins, 4 1/2 stars
Great book here. No hagiography of the great old Winnie, just a good gallop of gossip and good history from a politician's point of view. Jenkins is a member of the Commons and managed to write a spellbinder about Gladstone a few years back, which was a feat in itself. He ranks Winston just a hair ahead of "The Thunderer."
BRIDESHEAD REVISITED
by Evelyn Waugh, 5 stars
No TV treatment can do justice to this grand old book about the fate of several effete or would-be effete Oxonians circa World War II. If you pass it up, you miss a treat.
JACKDAWS
by Ken Follett, 3 stars
Obviously inspired by Faulk's better
"Charlotte Grey," this is still a good book. Follett will keep you up late with this one about Brit women working with the French Resistance.
Bossu49@aol.com
THE PROMISE IN A KISS
by Stephanie Laurens, 5 stars
Good Holiday cheer!
MERCY
by Julie Garwood, 5 stars
Good mystery
Bibliobabe@aol.com
CINEMATHERAPY: The Girl's Guide to Movies for Every Mood
by Nancy Peske and Beverly West, 5 stars
Want to have a girl's movie night? Want to wallow in self depricating misery by yourself, curled up in bed, eating raw chocolate chip cookie dough from the package, and watch a movie whose character(s) obviously sympathize with your dysfunctional life? Then this is the book for you. There is a chapter for just about every situation: "PMS Movies," "Dysfunctional Romances," "Bad Hair Day Movies," and "Men Behaving Well Movies," just to name a few. Even if you can't get to the movie store read the book. It will have you feeling better and laughing out loud in no time, with lots of wit and famous quotes.
ALI AND NINO
by Kurban Said, 5 stars
First published in 1937 by this "unknown" author, ALI AND NINO was thought to be on it's way to becoming a classic love story, but the events of WWII overshadowed it's realease. The story is set in Baku, Azerbeidshan at the beginning of WWI. Ali is a young Muslim man who has just graduated into the adult world. Nino is a young lady who is not only Christian, but also Georgian, raised with very european values. Despite their differences the two have grown up together and fallen in love. Their tale though is far from a simple love story, yet not bogged down with cheap sentimentalism, but rich in the culture of the time. The story is made more fascinating by the fact that it's true author was not discovered until 2000. For more information on that refer to The New Yorker.
VALHALLA RISING
by Clive Cussler, 4 Stars
Remember that old Bonnie Tyler song "Holding Out For A Hero," form the movie Footloose. Her scratchy voice belting out "he's got to be strong, he's got to be tough, and he's got to be larger than life?" His name is not Kevin Bacon, it's Dirk Pitt, the main character in the latest installment of the Pitt series, VALHALLA RISING. This was the first Dirk Pitt and Clive Cussler novel that I have ever read and I felt like I was on a roller coaster the entire time. With deep sea adventures, heroics which we can only concieve of due to recent events, mile high aerodynamic chases, and of course bad guys galore. This is a great book to take a brain break with, especially if you need a good hero.
Back to top.
|
