MJRoseAuthor@aol.com
I'm thrilled with the last few books I read. Both are five stars for different
reasons:

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. This is his breakout book and he deserves his place on the bestseller list. Could anything be better than a brilliant premise, a smart author and a page turner? I read the first chapter when I was browsing in the library, ran to the bookstore and bought it.

The Midwife's Tale by Gretchen Moran Laskas. This is a debut novel by a woman who is a natural born storyteller. I wept though the last chapter at 2AM and closed the book feeling as if I'd met a very special woman and been treated to a glimpse of a fascinating world.

glsmrs@comcast.net
I have just read Blessings by Anna Quindlen. When I read her, I can see the movie in my head, her characters are so clearly written. Blessings takes you through lots of emotions and did not end like I wanted it to; sometimes that is a sign of a good book. I will be leading the discussion of Blessings with my book club April 7th and I can't wait to hear what they think and if they agree with me. 5 stars!!!

LTWilson@southark.edu
Dead Sleep, The Quiet Game, Mortal Fear, and Black Cross --- all by Greg Iles. Mysteries that are hard to put down. The first three are contemporary; Black Cross is a thriller that Ken Follett fans will enjoy.

Maparker40@aol.com
Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith. 5 stars.
The second great book in the series.

Watermelon by Marian Keyes. 4 stars.
Light fun read.

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur S. Golden. 5 stars.
I should have read this before.

Main Corpse by Diane Mott Davidson. 4 stars.

smazzei@myactv.net
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier. 2 stars.
This book was so slow! I kept waiting for it to get better and it never did. Don't bother reading it. It's supposed to be coming out in a movie soon.

Bdalton412@aol.com
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. 5 stars.
I usually don't read a lot of nonfiction, but the subject matter in this terrific book intrigued me. I had very little knowledge about the Chicago World's Fair but, after finishing Mr. Larson's latest triumph, I feel like an expert. However, the most intriguing part of the book is the part about the serial killer who set up shop right outside the Fair grounds. Take my word for it: you won't be disappointed.

bencanada1@yahoo.com
The Ghost of Hannah Mendes by Naomi Ragen. 5 stars.
Excellent --- history interwoven with a contemporary family saga.

songoden@earthlink.net
Human Croquet by Kate Atkinson. Five glorious stars.
Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson. Five subtle stars.
Atkinson is not only a marvelous storyteller, she has a subtle touch for literary allusion that is bound to make devoted readers of not only books but culture at large smile.

djspoon@attbi.com
L.A. Requiem by Robert Crais. 5 stars.
Raising Cain by Gallatin Warfield. 5 stars.

charris@pcnuthut.com
Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult. 5 stars.
A good mystery about a murder in the Amish country. Picoult keeps you guessing until the last page.

Caravan by Dorothy Gilman. 4 stars.
This is a story about a remarkable woman who started out as a carnival worker and ended up rich. Her life about going across the desert in Arab country is very good.

Star Witness by D.W. Buffa. 5 stars.
He again has a good lawyer mystery. You are still not sure towards the end, but you think you know the end.

abromber@optonline.net
I finally got around to reading The Secret History by Donna Tartt. 4 stars. What a great read. I have her next book The Little Friend on my bedside table as my next read.

Quetzi@aol.com
The Body in the Bookcase by Katherine Hall Page. 5 stars.
It's a great book to read and I really enjoyed it. It's a nice cozy book to curl up on the couch to read.

Bloody Secrets, Bloody Waters and Bloody Shame by Carolina Garcia-Aguilera. 5 stars.
Carolina is a real PI and writes about what she knows. Her small framed, sexy, Cuban/American Elite PI, named Lupe Solano, is just as delightful as Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum. Whereas Stephanie Plum always has car problems, Lupe Solano drives a brand new blue Mercedes!! Lupe comes from a wealthy family and feels especially blessed by the Saints, because she has a sister who is a Nun. This is a cute and sassy series, and a must read for anyone.

The Hearse You Came In On by Tim Cockey. 5 stars.
Whoever thought a mortician could be so sexy??!! This is a must read also.

The Bachelor by Carly Phillips. 5 stars.
This is about 3 single brothers, whose mother conspires to marry them off because she wants grandchildren!! This is a quick and fun read for those of you who love romance books with a small touch of mystery in it.

Dead Aim by Iris Johansen. 5 stars.
When dams aren't bursting, or choppers aren't being shot out of the air, or houses aren't being bombed, bullets are flying left and right!! Of course, what's a good suspense novel without a touch of budding romance in the middle?? This is one of the best books that I've read by Iris Johansen. You'll really enjoy this book.

The Poyson Garden by Karen Harper. 5 stars.
This is set in the time of Queen Mary, who banished her half sister, Princess Elizabeth, daughter of Anne Boleyn, to Hatfield House in the English country side. I enjoyed this book so much that I went out and bought the rest of the series, even before I had finished the book. If you like history and a cozy mystery, this is the perfect series to read.

Well, enjoy your reading everyone :) Take care.

Hrselover326@aol.com
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. 4 stars.
The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint by Brady Udall. 3 stars.
The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy. 4 stars.


GandmaRI@aol.com
100 Voices: Words That Shaped Our Souls Wisdom to Guide Our Future compiled by Anne Christian Buchannan and Debra K. Klingsporn. 4 stars.
This is the text that we have been using in our adult Sunday school class. It's a quite readable (and fast) book of the twentieth century presented by decades. There are many quotes and excerpts that give much food for thought. It's an interesting view of the events that have shaped society and made our grandparents, parents and ourselves what we are today. One interesting analogy: the 20's and the changes in many facets of society. Compare all of these happenings to the many changes in the 60's and how society viewed these changes.

Horseshoes, Cowsocks, & Duckfeet by Baxter Black. 5 stars.
These are great short commentaries by NPR's cowboy poet and a former veterinarian. Yesterday's lunch hour found me in our local park, book in one hand and sandwich in the other, laughing hysterically. I'm sure I exited the park just before the little men in the white coats arrived! A lighthearted read. Enjoy!

TonyBrandin@peoplepc.com
The Other Side: A Novel of the Civil War by Kevin McColley. 3 stars.
War is hell, regardless of the side you fight on. The Other Side describes the vicious guerrilla warfare on "The Border" between Kansas and Missouri, as seen through the eyes of Jacob, a teenager and truly lost soul who falls in with bushwhackers (Missourians) after killing McGown, an irregular Union militiaman seeking runaway slaves hidden on Jacob's farm back in Ohio. Jacob is haunted by McGown's ghost as he kills and kills again in grim raids and skirmishes with jayhawkers (Kansans). Dutifully but without bloodlust Jacob participates in the raid on Lawrence, Kansas in which more than 150 people, mostly men and boys, are slaughtered mercilessly. He forges a protective bond of sorts with Haywood, a slow boy donated to the bushwhackers by his mother after his father is killed and his farm is burned to the ground in a jayhawk raid. Haywood symbolizes Jacob's soul, twisted and deformed (Haywood's ears were cut off by the jayhawkers) but still yearning for peaceful domestic life. McGown's ghost tugs at Jacob, too, always leading him into further depravations.

McColley's book is not for the faint of heart. But he realistically and effectively details the true brutality of guerrilla warfare. Jacob is a classic antihero; readers feel pity and revulsion but also some small sympathy for his tortured soul. Unlike most of his compatriots, Jacob survives the Civil War, only to see his grandchildren killed in World War I. The Other Side is certainly cautionary reading in this whitewashed time of war.

Rickimc@aol.com
The Island of Lost Maps by Miles Harvey. 4 stars.
I am usually not a fan of nonfiction works, but this book presents the information concerning the history of maps and the notorious map thief Gilbert Bland in a very easy-to-follow format that reads almost like a novel.

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier. 5 stars.
Juliet Marillier does an excellent job creating a captivating tale out of the story of "The Seven Swans" by the Brothers Grimm. A delightful fantasy with a touch of romance, this is a book that draws women into the previously male-dominated group of fantasy readers. This is the first book in The Sevenwaters Trilogy, and I cannot wait to read the rest.

GeoBarb636@aol.com
Right now I'm reading The Jester by James Patterson. 5 stars. I read all of his books. I love the way he writes and his short chapters. As soon as I finish it, I'm going to read Sweet Hush by Deborah Smith; this will be my first by her. And then The King of Torts by John Grisham. I've read all of his books too.

Vikkivand@aol.com
The Hazards of Good Breeding by Jessica Shattuck. 4 stars.
This story is about the Dunlap family who live in the affluent town of Concord, Massachusetts. The Dunlaps live by a certain code of rules defined by Boston society. However, when Caroline, the daughter, returns home after graduation from college, she finds that things have changed with her divorced parents and their family! Things are not quite the way they are supposed to be, nor what anyone expects. The Columbian babysitter, Rosarita, is pregnant by Caroline's father, her mother begins dating a Frenchman and her 8-year-old brother develops a plan to find Rosarita's son who is missing in Columbia. Besides the family, there are friends, neighbors and acquaintances that have their own quirky things going on throughout the book, which makes this quite an entertaining story.

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. 5 stars and then some!!!
Don't make plans for anything because you won't be able to put this book down once you start it. Suzie Salmon, a fourteen-year-old girl, is murdered by her strange neighbor (a serial killer) in a cornfield near her home. Suzie watches her family and friends from heaven and how their lives are affected by her death. There are stories that you can read that affect you deeply and this story touches every emotion. It is no surprise that this book has been on the New York Times Bestsellers List for what seems like forever. I promise you will LOVE this story.

Mrs. Kimble by Jennifer Haigh. 4 stars.
Birdie, Joan and Dinah had each been wives of Ken Kimble. All were misled and believed in him, but realize that their husband was never what he appeared to be. The story details the lives of his wives and children and how they come to see the real Ken Kimble.

BettyB6768@aol.com
Back When We Were Grownups by Anne Tyler. 5 stars.
It takes a while to get into this book since there are so many characters, but once we do, it just glides along and we get caught up in the lives of this family and care about the outcome. Easy reading.

jbrooks@mybizz.net
I have recently read and truly enjoyed the following:
Body of Lies by Iris Johansen. 5 stars.
The Patient by Michael Palmer. 4 stars.
The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen. 5 stars.
The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen. 5 stars.
A Darkness More Than Night by Michael Connelly. 5 stars.
Bloodwork by Michael Connelly. 5 stars plus.

ery2227@hotmail.com
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen. 3 stars.
Geared to younger readers. Fast paced, entertaining.

bradylee@myway.com
I Got the Show Right Here: The Amazing, True Story of How an Obscure Brooklyn Horn Player Became the Last Great Broadway Showman by Cy Feuer, with Ken Gross. 5 stars.
A wonderful, wonderful fast read story of the life of Cy Feuer, who was a major force in the theater and is now about 92 years old. If you want to know the importance of work ethic, read this book. If you work your heart out, luck will come to you. This is an outstanding autobiography!

GerryD8784@aol.com
Thursdays at Eight by Debbie Macomber. 3 1/2 stars.
A light, enjoyable reading told in alternating voices by four members of a women's breakfast group that developed out of a journal-writing course. The four women, ranging in age from twenties through fifties, and all at very different places in their personal lives, support each other through highs and lows as each faces decisions about the direction her life is taking. It made me want to be a member of such a group!

Mind Catcher by John Darnton. 4 1/2 stars.
When a twelve-year-old boy, the only child of a widowed father, suffers a severe head injury in a rock-climbing fall, the only hope to save him is a highly experimental operation in which his own brain stem cells are harvested, cultured and grown, and then re-implanted. But when the operation goes awry, the father must fight the surgeon and the hospital board to release his son to a peaceful death, rather than continue with the procedure that seems to have more to do with power and potential fame than with saving a life. A fascinating premise and well-developed characters make Darnton's third novel another winner.

Ties That Bind by Phillip Margolin. 4 1/2 stars.
Having agreed, reluctantly, to defend a pimp and drug dealer against a charge that he murdered one of his call girls, attorney Amanda Jaffe comes up against a powerful and very secret club of criminal manipulators who are determined to elect one of their own to the U.S. Presidency.

sharoncerasoli@hotmail.com
I loved Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. This is an incredible book that takes place during the Cultural Revolution in China. Two boys from prominent families are sent far off in China to be re-educated. This is a beautifully written book that is moving and funny at the same time! 5 stars definitely.

LindaC955@aol.com
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. 5 stars.
One of the best books I have ever read. Don't miss this one!

The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason. 5 stars.
This is the first novel by Mason. It is set in Burma in the 19th century. Engrossing.

Atonement by Ian McEwan. 5 stars.
Extremely well written.

Fialakt@aol.com
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. 4 stars.
This is the first of her books I've read, but I enjoyed it enough to look into the rest of her works. It is a story about a woman who fights many battles. First, a fight to save her family business, then a fight to save the world, and finally, a fight to save herself and other courageous people like her from the world. When I finished I was left wanting to be a better, more courageous person. I rushed through it, but plan on reading it again and again.

Britadon@aol.com
Enemy Women by Pauline Jiles. 4 stars.
I really had no awareness of Missouri during the Civil War and this book definitely makes you realize that the war did happen there. It also shows the cruelty of war in the treatment of the conquered as well as how friends become enemies. It is a little slower read because of the subject matter.

White Shell Woman by James Doss. 3 stars.
A very enjoyable mystery set in the southwest. No, I did not guess the culprit.

Nora, Nora by Anne Rivers Siddons. 3 stars.
This is an enjoyable, fun read about the effect of a liberal and outrageous grown-up cousin on a young girl in a small southern town.

txmlhl@msn.com
The Arraignment by Steve Martini. 4 stars.
Paul Madriani rejected a client that his lawyer friend had sent to him because he thought the client might be involved with the drug trade. Representing people in the drug business went against his professional ethics.

When the friend and the rejected client are gunned down in front of the courthouse, Paul starts feeling partially responsible for the friend's death (why him and not me, that could have been me if I'd taken the case, etc.)

Paul sets out to find out who killed his friend and the reason behind the murder. He is sure it was the client's business that was responsible for their deaths. The ending has an unexpected twist.

There are some improbable situations in the book, but you have to remember that this is a work of fiction.

I enjoyed this book and recommend it.

DIANWILLY@aol.com
Final Justice by W.E.B. Griffin.
Good suspense, follows the series from previous novels. Some hidden humor. Practical.

Liberty by Stephen Coonts.
Terrorists in our own backyard. You wonder about people who do anything for a buck --- even in America.

IgneousSmurf@aol.com
Summer of Night by Dan Simmons. 5 stars.
A story about 5 preteen friends and the summer they united to battle an evil force (unbeknownst to their parents and the rest of the townfolk). I read this book once every year. It's suspenseful, exciting, funny, and tragic. It has memorable characters, children and adults alike. How I wish they would turn this into a movie.

EZREADER1265@aol.com
Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich. 4 stars.
I love the characters.

The Jester by James Patterson. 4 stars.
Excellent story, fast paced, a bit bloody.

A Tail of the Tip Off by Rita Mae Brown. 2 1/2 Stars.
This is the first time I read one of her books. I don't like the pace and didn't enjoy the characters....may give one of her other books a try, it may just be this book

I'm getting ready to start reading The Vanished Man by Jeffery Deaver can't wait to get started

dmilburn@alltel.net
I've just finished The Master Butchers Singing Club by Louise Erdrich. This is definitely 5-star reading. This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. You get so involved and attached to all the characters that you actually feel like you're living the story. Beginning with a young German butcher immigrating to the U.S. right after WWI with only a suitcase of sausages and his precious knives, we follow his life clear through 1954. If you like a really good read, don't miss this one.

Catslady5@aol.com
The Plains of Passage by Jean Auel. 5 stars.
This is the fourth book in the Earth's Children series and I am three-fourths through it. I have enjoyed every one of these books and am looking forward to book 5.

BettyB6768@aol.com
Back When We Were Grownups by Anne Tyler. 5 stars.
It takes a while to get into this book since there are so many characters, but once we do, it just glides along and we get caught up in the lives of this family and care about the outcome. Easy reading.

Donnaleggate@aol.com
American Gods by Neil Gaiman. 5 stars.
So far this book has been very exciting. It evokes a wide range of emotions and it's full of magic, suspense, happiness, sadness, and thrilling adventures with a lot of colorful characters. I can't wait to finish it.

ma@championpress.com
The Pearls of a Stone Man by Edward Mooney, Jr. 5 stars.
I loved reading this book, having different generations working together to achieve the same goal. This book was great because it touched all my emotions. I laughed and cried throughout the book. It is an awesome read.

DancingGram7@aol.com
The Beach House by James Patterson and Peter De Jonge.
I just completed the tape for The Beach House. I was totally misled on what this book was going to be about. I never thought about a murder, along with pornographic sex and a phony law trail. I was interested until I got to about 3/4 of the book. Then it turned into the bizarre and unbelievable. That ruined the book for me.

Sons of Fortune by Jeffrey Archer. 5 stars.
An interesting read about twins who get separated at birth and, in adulthood, both run for governor of Connecticut. I'm almost finished so don't know the outcome. I believe Mr. Archer writes a good book. I recommend it.

John1rosie@aol.com
Her Infinite Variety by Louis Auchincloss. 4 stars.
Mr. Auchincloss shows us the lives of people we cannot be and a world we cannot inhabit and no one does it better. This novel is set during the years between WWII and the beginning of the Kennedy presidency. It is the story of the rise to power of one singular woman. We are left only to wish that Mr. Auchincloss could successfully tackle the project of showing us the continuing world of that woman and her daughter. Next up: Jarhead: A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles by Anthony Swofford. 4 stars are anticipated.

ImNpieces@aol.com
I have just finished The Ebony Swan by Phyllis Whitney. It was quite good with several unexpected twists and turns that kept me in suspense until the end. Very light reading. Good escape from taxes and war.

Kkmm17@aol.com
Three Fates by Nora Roberts. 4 stars.
It's a little long and drawn out but it's a well written book with good humor.

LWilcox@trilogic.com
My book club just completed Atonement by Ian McEwan. While most of us found this book a little slow going at the beginning, we ended up liking the book. As you got passed the initial story, leading up to and including the crime, things started to make some sense. You finally got to see the real people involved, who they were and how there lives were affected by the choices that they made as young people. Towards the end, I got to a point where I didn't want to put it down, although I had some concerns at the beginning, of finishing. But I am the type that will read anything once I have started. My perseverance paid off and I got over the hump! I am glad I did.

Ginger.Louden@sendit.nodak.edu
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn is a book I just finished reading (4 stars).
This is a very different book to read. It is so unusual --- the title is what caught my attention. People are not allowed to use letters of the alphabet as they fall and are destroyed. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog is the sentence that needs to be replaced since it is the one that uses all the letters of the alphabet. Interesting, strange, and imaginative writing.

sveld@animalshelter.com
I just finished the book Dear World: A Suicide Letter written by Paul Jones and I have to say it was one of the most eye-opening books I've ever read on bipolar disorder and what it must be like to live with depression. It was easy to read --- and it sure made me think of the things in my own life and how precious they are!

tmzemke@comcast.net
I just finished reading The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. It's science fiction and revolves around a group of Jesuit Priests and space exploration. It sounds far-fetched, but it is a page turner. I don't usually read SF, but I'm glad that I picked this one up. 4 stars.

On the other hand, I tried to read Jane Austen in Boca by Paula Cohen. I read 3 chapters and had to give it up...too many other good books to read! It's a story of matchmaking for Senior Citizens in Boca Raton, Fla. I think the title is the best that this book has to offer! 1 1/2 stars.

lowthera@swbell.net
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. 5 stars.
A beautifully written book --- especially the last 50 pages. I grew up in the 70's and Ms. Sebold has captured that era very well.

The Little Friend by Donna Tartt. 4 stars.
Beautifully written. Ms. Tartt is an excellent writer; I wanted to read this because of her wonderful first book The Secret History, which I give 5 stars, but The Little Friend was for me not as good as The Secret History, because although they're both written by such a talented writer, I found The Secret History to be a more enjoyable read. I can't say anymore or I'll give the endings away. I recommend reading them both.

MSShealy@aol.com
The Summons by John Grisham. 4 stars.
Another good read from this prolific author. A little predictable, but not quite the ending I expected! I'm sure there will be more to follow about these characters.

scifi_boy2002@yahoo.com
The Galactic Seven by M.H. Wilson. 5 stars.
This is an exciting, action-filled novel taking the reader on an adventure of a lifetime. The book starts out with a dazzling encounter with the villain of the story, Lotrell. Then it moves to Todd Wills, a young college grad looking for a job. He eventually is contacted by a "secret space organization" about a position. At first he thinks it's a joke, but later goes to an interview. He is surprised to learn that this secret organization is the Galactic Seven. He joins up with them and soon is on his way fighting a galactic war between the Rigellians and the Saiphians.

The leader of the Saiphains is Lotrell. He is the worst of antagonists. In
M.H. Wilson's world, the heroes are the best of the best and the bad guys are the evilest of evil. Lotrell is a very bad guy. He is shown as an uncaring, murderous dictator and, from the very beginning, you hate him. Although Lotrell is missing in most of the novel, his evil presence is always felt.

The Galactic Seven must stop Lotrell and head toward him. But on the way, they meet many interesting characters. Dhana, a female Shamiyah warrior, is one of the most captivating. She is always at odds with the Galactic Seven and must make her way in a male dominated world. I thought this was odd being in a futuristic storyline. But it works. Another compelling character is Sor. Sor is from a planet called Chios. Chios is an archaic world full of lush forests and wooden huts. But they have learned to harness the power of plant life. They also have awesome weapons --- long staffs that shoot green beams.

Eventually, the finale battle commences --- and it is the battle of all battles. M.H. Wilson writes detailed battle scenes. You just don't read it, you live it. You are in the spaceships as they're hit. You feel the ship shake. You feel the heat of the lasers. That is M.H. Wilson's high point. He puts you into the story. You are a part of his universe. The Galactic Seven is a novel I highly recommend. You will live the story.

ufouria@bellsouth.net
The Jester by James Patterson. 5 stars.
A different subject for Patterson. A great read that's hard to put down.

The King of Torts by John Grisham. 5 stars.
Another great book, reminiscent of Grisham's earlier works.

bradylee@myway.com
The Count and the Confession by John Taylor. 5 stars.
It is not difficult to ascertain who killed who early on, but to quote a sentence in the book, "It also said the courts were a crapshoot." If you want to know about a legal crapshoot of huge proportions, read this book. This true crime story is a good one. An individual who critiqued this story stated there was too much detail. I thought the detail was necessary as the story progressed; it was essential. Beverly Monroe, a Ph.D, is an accused murder and has a story of great interest. On the State's side you have the motivation to find the guilty person and the details of dastardly deeds, and on the Defense side you have the myriad of motions and just plain work to try to prove innocence. What a spider's web this story becomes. A fine read.

mohendies@earthlink.net
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. 5 stars.
I absolutely LOVED this book! I have recommended it to everyone. This book is full of mystery, murder, art history, puzzles, religion...something for everyone. I rushed to Dan Brown's website when I finished the book to check out the pictures of the places and the art work he discusses. Based on fact, this is one intellectual thriller not to be missed!

Second Glance by Jodi Picoult. 5 stars.
I'm still reading this book, but it is very good so far. No courtroom drama this time, but a ghost story. Well written

Bossu49@aol.com
The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks. 5 stars.
The Jugger by Richard Stark. 5 stars.

Sussiepooh4u2@aol.com
Gramercy Park by Paula Cohen. 4 stars.
A Victorian novel with many twist and turns. Some narrative teasing by the author.

Rush Home Road by Lori Lansens. 4 stars.
The words are so clear and crisp that you are there cheering the character onward and upward.

Remember Me by Laurie Hendrie. 4 stars.
Everything was going wrong, yet she was able to do alright. Another first time novelist who I happily give another.

A Week in Winter by Marcia Willett. 4 stars.
If you like Maeve Binchy or Rosamunde Pilcher, then check out this lady. She has written several, but sadly my library only carried one title.

Northern Borders by Howard Frank Mosher. 4 stars.
Another multiple title author. A small boy in Vermont living with his grandparents. Both serious and funny.

Carosp@aol.com
Two books by Darryl Brock:
If I Never Get Back. Published about 12 years ago. I read it then and
loved it and re-read it recently so I'd be prepared to read the sequel, which I just discovered came out about a year ago. This first book is about a man who goes back in time to 1865, when the first professional baseball team, the Cincinnati Redstockings, has just been organized and travels with them. It has romance, history, adventure --- a little bit of everything.

Two in the Field. The sequel to If I Never Get Back. It has the hero returning to the 19th century and finishing his story. It reads as though the author wrote them back-to-back, and is also a can't-put-it-down book.

4 stars to each of them, maybe 5 to If I Never Get Back.

Maxwellhaus66@aol.com
The Perfect Lover by Stephanie Laurens.
I love this author. She combines romance and history with suspense and makes you feel like you're part of the story. Five stars isn't enough for anything Stephanie Laurens writes.

yodasmommy@woh.rr.com
I just finished Four Blind Mice by James Patterson. I always enjoy James Patterson, but I wasn't really crazy about the end of this one, so I will only give it 3 stars.

jstuttgen@yahoo.com
I just read The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. What a fun ride! Riddles galore (some simple, some not) will keep you going until the very end! I'll go back and read Mr. Brown's other novels. 5 stars!

KATHLAU@aol.com
Murder at Ford's Theater by Margaret Truman. 4 stars.
Love the City-Love the Writer-Love Mac & Annabelle Smith, even though they have to share the spotlight in this one with the DC detectives. A young intern is found murdered behind the theater and the suspects range from the son of a senator alleged to be having an affair with the victim to his ex-wife up for a Congressional appointment. Throw in some Lincoln history for good measure.

lgettle@iserv.net
Armageddon by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. 5 stars.
Book number eleven in the Left Behind series is very exciting. I can hardly wait for book twelve.

KLOZIER40@aol.com
Blessings by Anna Quindlen. 4 stars.
Black Notice by Patricia Cornwell. 3 stars.

Catslady5@aol.com
Plains of Passage by Jean Auel. 5 stars.
I am almost finished with the 4th book in the Earth's Children series and it is my all-time favorite series.

Britadon@aol.com
Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry. 5 stars.
This man can really write! I loved his first book, A Fine Balance, and this is as good or better. The book concerns a family in Bombay with family difficulties, housing challenges, health challenges and employment challenges. It starts with great humor and continues into family loyalty, caring, selfishness, nostalgia and, finally, how people can change for the better or the worse. Talk about family values!

Forever by Pete Hamill. 4 stars.
I am not crazy about this author's approach, but it is different and interesting. I think it may be part of magical realism. This story starts in Ireland and ends in New York three centuries later, yet has one main character or hero. It gives some very interesting historical facts that are actually very little known.

Chesapeake Blue by Nora Roberts. 5 stars.
A different approach to family matters than in Family Matters but certainly shouts family loyalty --- one for all and all for one! Additionally, it is romantic and sexy as Nora Roberts always is. The Quinn family is a family I would love to be a part of.

ginawjax@attbi.com
Small Town by Lawrence Block is a mystery thriller about a serial killer, his
motivation and his next victims. The flawed hero chases him and women.

I chose Small Town after reading a glowing review on bookreporter.com. I would give it one star out of the universe! This book is NOT a great read. I was really turned off by the nipple piercing, lesbian love scenes and lack of plot advances. This book was too kinky for it not to be noted in your review. I was turned off by this book and would not recommend it. Words like "disgusting" and "too long-winded " should be on the jacket cover.

greeniguana4@yahoo.com
It's Never Too Late to Get Rich by Jim Jorgensen. 5 stars.
This book was a great tool for me in my financial planning. I found this book to be informative, well written and not restricted to one audience. I am in the early stages of planning my future financial needs and this book was an awesome guide.

This book is a great investment and I think you should read it and give it your review!

BREEZYWRITER@aol.com
Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah. 4 stars.
I've had this book for months and put off reading it because I knew it was about an unwanted child and I thought it would be depressing. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down - - - although it's hard to understand how such a strong-willed person as Adeline could have been so controlled by the "wicked stepmother", it was another time and place, and she was just a child looking for love. Very interesting reading.

DStegmanCrawford@aol.com
The Pact by Jodi Picoult. Four stars.
A very well done book about the pain of a family trying to explain why a daughter would choose suicide and why a son would help her. The four parents had been friends and neighbors forever, their children grew up and grew into a relationship. Unfortunately, one was scarred for life and the other had to choose between love and let her go, or force her to live. He is put in jail and on trial for her murder.

TonyBrandin@peoplepc.com
A Frozen Hell by William R. Trotter. 3 stars.
A Frozen Hell describes the Winter War in 1939 and 1940 between "brave little Finland" and its much larger neighbor, the Soviet Union. Outgunned and outmanned, the Finns nonetheless held off the inexhaustible Red Army for sixteen weeks, and in doing so preserved their territorial integrity, unlike many other small nations during World War II. Thankfully, Trotter keeps technical military history jargon to a minimum, and he invests the principal players in the Winter War --- Mannerheim for the Finns, Molotov and Timoshenko for the Russians --- with distinct personalities. He also liberally salts his history with compelling first person narratives and anecdotes about the War. As a result, A Frozen Hell is a much better military history text than most. I learned a lot about a time and place I formerly knew little.

HarleyIsis@aol.com
I am currently reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling. It has been thoroughly enjoyable. 4 stars.

BettyB6768@aol.com
Long Time No See by Susan Isaacs. 3 1/2 stars.
A mystery about a near perfect crime that a N.Y. history professor tries to solve with the help of a man whom she has had an affair with.

SheilaD@aol.com
Atonement by Ian McEwan. 5 stars.
About love and war, guilt and forgiveness, crimes and consequences, even about writing, this book starts slowly, but builds to a magnificent ending. Beautifully written, it is simply one of the best books I've read in a long time.

The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family by Mary S. Lovell. 4 stars. What lives these women had! Their story spans the twentieth century and travels all over the political spectrum. We meet Nancy the author, Diana the fascist, Pamela the homebody/farmer, Unity the Nazi, Decca the Communist and Debo, the duchess, and all their friends and relatives (Hitler, Churchill, Catherine Graham). A terrific read.

wordcrafterme@attbi.com
Protocol-17: A Conspiracy Thriller by R. Douglas Weber. 5 stars.
Fans of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons will love this tightly plotted potboiler.

Like Brown, Weber laces his novel with just enough real esoteric history on secret societies and the occult to add a rich backdrop to this fast-paced thriller. But unlike Brown, Weber's characters come alive and leap off the page. No cardboard here.

And the terror is nothing short of gibbering. His blend of euro-thriller, gritty cop-shop, and Gothic noir make this an entertaining yet highly enlightening suspense novel. Together a detective and a beautiful Mossad agent battle evil in the form of a secret cabal. A twelve-year-old boy, his aunt Susie Q, and a reluctant Rabbi hold the key to good's battle against the powers of darkness.

The settings range from the Vatican to the dark back alleyways of Chicago. This cross-genre thrill ride will make you laugh out loud in places, cry in others, and make you run from your easy chair at the slightest sound to bolt the door, grab your rosary and shotgun, and huddle in the darkness. Pulse-pounding terror!

The Fury and the Power by John Farris is the third in Farris's series that originated with his 70's bestseller The Fury, which he later wrote the screenplay for. The film adaptation was directed by Brian DePlama, who had just finished King's Carrie.

Farris recently received a long overdue lifetime achievement award from the HWA (Horror Writers Association). His blend of page-burning action, sadistic violence and erotic undertones have been much copied but never equaled. Stephen King and Dean Koontz to name a few were greatly influenced by Farris's plot premise of a rouge government agency kidnapping children with psychic abilities for their monstrous plans. Even The X-Files owes it's basic plot structure to Farris.

In this third installment Gillian returns as does her doppelganger twin. However, this time out Farris travels into the realm of Sci-Fi in his cross-genre novel by making the villain an Lovecraftian ET or ancient one. Dark and malevolent. Terror personified. If you've never read Farris, drop everything and read all three! 5 stars for the master.

By the Light of the Moon by Dean R. Koontz shows a novelist at the top of his game. Similar in plot line to Crichton's Prey in its use of nano-technology as a plot device, Koontz's work jumps leaps and bounds over Crichton. Koontz's rich fleshing out of his characters and dynamic visual prose make the prose of other writers of the thriller genre seem like cheap convenience-store-Rolex- knock-offs, compared to the timepieces handcrafted with love and care by a true artist.

Two brothers, one autistic and the other his guardian, are the protagonists who battle villains who possess the quirky idiosyncrasies readers have come to expect from Koontz. Unlike some writers of the horror/suspense genre, Koontz realizes that the reader first must truly care for the heroes, which adds to the gradual suspension of disbelief. Secondly, Koontz realizes that dwelling on the blood and mayhem of the school bus hit by the night train is a common mistake by novelists. True suspense and terror arises from the reader following the metallic beast as it rushes off through the night in search of its next victim. Who will it be? When will it strike?

As of late, many readers and reviewers have bemoaned Koontz's more literate style and deeply laced dark humor that now permeate his work. After some fifty novels under his belt, one would expect a serious novelist to grow. And as to the humor, Koontz realizes like other talented authors that it adds to the depth of the terror that lies in wait just around the corner. 5 stars.

bradylee@myway.com
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. 3 stars.
This is a novel about a 14 year old girl who is the narrator and she does a good job of talking about her life before and after her murder. Her descriptions of what was going on while in her heaven was supposed to be the most interesting part (it's the bulk of the story). Her "heaven" was not expanded enough to what it could have been. Ms. Sebold could have presented a much greater expansion of "heaven" along with the story of the family. Mr. Harvey was the bad guy and I believe his "end" was not really interesting. His part and his discovery should have been more complete. This is enjoyable where I read all pages, but not as good as I hoped.

levrantc@billings.k12.mt.us
Murder at Ford's Theatre by Margaret Truman. 3 stars.
Another entertaining read by the well-known author. A murder occurs at
Ford's Theatre. Whodunnit? Did a well-known senator murder his intern? A jealous ex-wife? Or perhaps...their son! Ms. Truman paints vivid pictures of one of my favorite cities and doesn't reveal the real culprit until nearly the end. She also explains, in detail, the English and British spellings of theater/theatre and why she chose the latter for her book.

mktab@hotmail.com
Life of Pi by Yann Martel.
It can be read on two levels: search for faith or as a fable/story).
Gracefully Insane by Alex Beam.

harrises@bayou.com
The Siege by Helen Dunmore. 4 stars.
World War II in Leningrad and what a time! It makes me wonder how any Russian citizens survived.

shughes@hctc.net
The current book I am reading is Laura by Larry Watson. I would definitely give it a 4-star rating as it is one of Watson's best yet! It is a story about love and one man's lifetime obsession with a much older woman.

yodasmommy@woh.rr.com
If you loved The Stone Monkey by Jeffery Deaver, then you will really love The Vanished Man!! I just finished reading it and I read until the wee hours of the morning and took extra breaks at work until it was finished and now I wish I was still reading it. There are so many surprises in this novel you will find yourself saying out loud "What!!??" or "Oh, no!!" This has got to be the best book he has written.