melajessi@aol.com
The House on Beartown Road: A Memoir of Learning and Forgetting by Elizabeth Cohen. 5 stars.
It is an incredible story of an incredible woman.

Clara19987@aol.com
I just finished reading Fortune's Rocks by Anita Shreve, and even though I think it's been around for a while, it definitely deserves readers' attention. It is one of the best books I've read in a while, and the present tense in which it is written is engaging and very interesting to follow. This is the first book that I've read by Anita Shreve, and it was simply irresistable. I couldn't put it down for two days and finished it in almost four. It's definitely 5 stars.

Britadon@aol.com
The Survivor's Club by Lisa Gardner. 5 stars.
Really excellent. I camped out at home on a Sunday to finish it. But a warning to women who live alone: you might have trouble sleeping after this one.

The Cereal Murders by Diane Mott Davidson. 2 stars.
Not a very believable storyline. After about the seventh referral to a specific bookstore in Denver, I began to think that this book was an advertisement rather than a mystery.

Bjglu@aol.com
Flatbellies by A. B. Hollingsworth. 4 stars.
Lovely coming-of-age novel about a boys' high school golf team in the 60s. Will appeal to anyone, golfer or not.

bradylee@myway.com
Nobody Knows the Truffles I've Seen by George Lang (Restaurateur Raconteur Extraordinaire). 5 stars.
This autobiography covers the Jewish author in his native land, Hungary, just before, during, and after WWII and how he stayed alive when all the other Jews were being killed --- this is grand reading. How he eventually came to the United States not knowing any English, and the multitude of jobs he secured to again stay alive is interesting. He finally becomes a supremely successful restauteur and his story keeps your interest throughout. This is how one person pulled himself up by his own bootstraps to heights way above average.

brrjj@pnx.com
Choke by Chuck Palahniuk. I just finished it and started it again. All I can say is wicked!!!

bencanada1@yahoo.com
The Fortune Teller's Daughter by Susan Wilson. 5 dtars.
Excellent book, a profound novel about life, relationships and facing the future.

TOJAVIL@aol.com
I just finished reading Mount Vernon Love Story by Mary Higgins Clark. I'd give it 5 stars. It was a quick, easy read that I didn't want to end. The love story of George and Martha Washington --- a side of the First President I've never read about.

rojosho@hotmail.com
Gramercy Park by Paula Cohen. 4 stars.
Excellent, interesting, deep and meaningful.

bab@tennis.com
Blood Diamonds by Jon Land. 4 stars.
Excellent, thrilling, great action and characterization.

realbencann@yahoo.com
The Ghost of Hannah Mendes by Naomi Ragen. 4 stars.
Excellent historical and character portrayal of a time and a family.

SalbyC@aol.com
I just finished A Gracious Plenty by Sheri Reynolds, which I give 4 stars. A very interesting premise, this book kept my interest. Nicely written with unusual detail.

Mlauerba@aol.com
I just finished two books:

The Sculptress by Minette Walters. 5 stars.
Great author, more than just a murder, detailed character development.

Murder at the Watergate by Margaret Truman. 4 stars.
She spins a good yarn.

harrises@bayou.com
I am enjoying The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn by Robin Maxwell. 4 stars. Great historical fiction.

VickiW8414@aol.com
Unless by Carol Shields. 5 stars.
Funny and poignant, I loved this book and started re-reading it immediately to enjoy the wonderful writing.

Blue Diary by Alice Hoffman. 4 stars.
I started reading this book on my own. I stopped after a few chapters and made it my book club pick. Good choice for a book club discussion.

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson. 3 stars.
Predictable.

Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver. 5 stars.
The sequel to The Bean Trees.

bwyatt@bright.net
This summer I am REreading The Hunt For Red October by Tom Clancy, up to the latest, because the characters have become family and this is a family reunion. 5 stars.

I am also rereading Diana Gabaldon, also in order, for the wonderful history and the immense amount of research that has gone into (and shows up in) her books. As a nurse, I particularly enjoy Claire's attemtps to practice 20th century medicine 200 years before the fact. I feel Ms. Gabaldon is greatly underappreciated as a scholar and researcher. 5 stars.

I just finished The Murder Book by Jonathan Kellerman, and I'm not sure how I feel about a rating. 5 stars for plot, I guess, and maybe 3 stars for other content. I'm not sure I wanted to know all about Milo and Alex's warts.

mkb1261@yahoo.com
The Dive from Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer.
Mike's accident from Clausen's Pier changed the lives of not only himself, but his family and his fiance, Carrie. I sympathized with Carrie and her "struggle" or "journey" to come to terms with Mike's accident. I liked the book because of the twists and turns --- I was wondering what Carrie would do next. She made many life-changing decisions, some I would not agree with, but they were hers. This book would make a good book club discussion book.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.
Growing up in the south in the 1960s was a challenge for anyone --- especially for 14 year old Lily Owen. Her mother's death and her's father's hostile attitude towards her leads Lily and her housekeeper/nanny, Rosaleen, to "escape" to a farm run by a beekeeper and her two sisters. This is a wonderful book about love and friendship.

Seabiscuit: The True Story of Three Men, a Great Racehorse, and the Will to Win by Laura Hillenbrand.
Seabiscuit was a major celebrity in the 1930s. Millions followed his progress through newspapers and newsreels. How did he become so famous? Laura Hillenbrand follows the stories of the horse, the trainer, the jockeys, and the owners in this fascinating story of horse racing.

KLOZIER40@aol.com
All He Ever Wanted by Anita Shreve. 4 stars.
Quite a slow moving story about a wife who just wants some private place to escape to occasionally and a husband who doesn't understand that at all.

Skywater by Melissa Popham. 5 stars.
Interaction between humans and coyotes make for an interesting and touching story out in the Yuma, AZ. desert.

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. 5 stars.
By far the best mystery I've read in a long time. The premise gives one's mind a real religious tweak!

ALEMESH@aol.com
I am currently reading Dreaming in Color by Charlotte Vale Allen. I have never read anything by her before, tending to consider her a romance novelist, but this was suggested by the book club I belong to. I am barely into it, so it's too soon to say how many stars I will give it, but three other members of the club loved it. The main subject of the book deals with spousal abuse.

qbanh@shaw.ca
I just finished reading the book The Cure for Death by Lightning by Gail Anderson-Dargatz. I found it by accident while browsing the racks at a local book store. It is a stunning novel about a young girl from rural British Columbia who is coming of age in the 1940's. All through the novel there are references to First Nations spirituality and folklore. It captures small town rural life during this period, and the author describes people and places with such detail that I had no problem creating vivid images in my mind. I highly recommend this book as a summer read!

The book I am currently reading now is called In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens by Alice Walker. I've only read about 1/5 of the book so far and am really enjoying it. This is Alice Walker's first collection of nonfiction. In the book she speaks openly about being a black woman/writer/mother and feminist. Walker talks about interactions between cultures and the world at large. She discusses her mentors as well as her own writings. She explores the civil rights movement and, near the end, talks about an incident from childhood that left her scarred. This is a book that will not take me long to finish because it is so interesting on so many levels. This book makes you stop and think.

DoctorAnn@aol.com
I just read Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvick
A great read about five women seen through decades of book club selections (60's -90's). Also, Brilliant by Marne Davis Kellogg. Fun but not exceptional.

DEJA2002@aol.com
Between Sisters by Kristin Hannah. 5 stars.
I couldn't put it down.
Q is for Quarry by Sue Grafton. 3 stars.
Not one of her better books.
The King of Torts by John Grisham. 4 stars.
Slow start, but better from there.

MaryD3456@aol.com
I just finished The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. It was the kind of book I couldn't wait to get back to ... very thought-provoking. I highly recommend it!

Sandn2shoes@aol.com
Summer is here and the time is right....for reading! I am halfway through Anne Lamott's Blue Shoe. This seems to be a book about a woman coping with different losses and with life. It is more reader friendly for me than Traveling Mercies. I have also started Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, which I understand is a classic of sorts in some circles. I reserve judgement until I finish it. And, of course, I am reading my monthly copies of Real Simple and Oprah.

Carosp@aol.com
The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. 4 stars.
I read this book because of a good review I read in Word of Mouth, and I loved it --- read it in 2 days! I, too, was sorry to see it end, and also sorry for the poor little boy who the nanny had to take care of because his parents didn't care to get to know him.

The Teammates by David Halberstam. 4 stars.
I'm halfway through this book about four Red Sox teammates from the 40's, two of whom drive down to Florida in 2001 to visit a third, Ted Williams, when he is deathly ill. The book talks about what happened when they were young and playing ball, as well as about their current lives. Very good so far.

DThomas201@aol.com
Rose Madder by Stephen King. 4 stars.
I'm reading this for a book club and forgot how good it is.

Fallen Idols by J.F. Freedman. So far 4 stars.
Pretty good.

True Witness by Jo Bannister.
I just started, not sure how to rate it yet.

The Second Time Around by Mary Higgins Clark. 4 stars.
Good read.

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane. 5 stars.
Complete "gotcha" at the end --- did not see it coming.

LucksBlessings@aol.com
Cerulean Sins by Laurell K. Hamilton. 5 stars
This is an excellent book. The pace is very fast while you watch Anita Blake juggle her multiple males, over an assertive vampire and a sadistic werewolf.

JRG0143@aol.com
Willem's Field by Melinda Haynes. 5 stars.
Like all her books, you cannot put them down when you start them!

susanrjensen@yahoo.com
Circle of Three by Patricia Gaffney. 4 1/2 stars.
Another great book from Gaffney. Told from the perspectives of three different women from one family, the story centers around how they each react to the death of a loved one, and how life continues despite grief and hardship.

Flight Lessons by Patricia Gaffney. 4 stars.
The classic girl-goes-back-home-again story, although it's a little more original than that. Although Anna has long held a grudge against her Aunt Rose, she can't stop herself from accepting the job of managing Rose's restaurant. Although she convinces herself it's only temporary, Anna soon finds herself embroiled in the lives of family and friends. A good read.

Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland. 5 stars
A quick, but wonderful read. The book traces a painting through several decades and owners.

The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan. 5 stars
Wonderful, vintage Amy Tan. The story of a Chinese-American woman trying to make sense of her mother's past and future, as her mother's memories fade due to Ahlzheimer's.

Madamerkf@aol.com
Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn.
The first in a new trilogy by this wonderful author. A combination of fantasy, fiction, and Asian influences, it is a great book to lose yourself in during a hot summer's night or while enjoying the beach. Both a book of the month club selection and a New York Times Notable Book, it is an engaging read...and makes you look forward to the other two books in the trilogy as well. A five star rating!!

Targapuppy@aol.com
I just finished reading Buck Up, Suck Up...And Come Back When You Foul Up by James Carville and Paul Begala. I give it 5 stars!
It's a fun, politically incorrect book about making it in the world --- political, business or personal.

idontgiveahoot2001@yahoo.com
I'm reading a free book online in serialized form, which has floored me! Unbelievable ... It's entitled The Sun Also Sets...America: A Novel of Amazing Thailand Versus the United States by F. Scott Sinclair. It's a gripping novel that I can't get enough of ... I give it 5+ stars. The other book I'm reading is The Visitor by Lee Child. Another magnificent read in my opinion. A serial killer novel that will be a delight to read all night long. I give it 5+ stars also.

amanda_turnock@charter.net
Wow, where to start?

I am reading and loving Michael Connelly's Lost Light, the latest in the Harry Bosch police detective-turned-informal PI series. I have just finished the previous mega-hit book by Mr. Connelly, my first of his works, City Of Bones. I give both 5+ stars to anyone who reads either true crime or mysteries, since he treads the line between traditional mystery and detailed investigative technique (think CSI here, in some ways).

If you enjoy mystery without the occasional clinical detail, I highly recommend Carolyn Hart's Engaged To Die, an Annie Darling mystery. Although part of the continuing series, it stands alone as a very interesting mystery and is just perfect for all of the June brides to take on their honeymoons. . ( The cover features a beautiful wedding cake on the front cover, but on the back, the groom part of the decorative couple is tumbling to the floor.) I think all of Carolyn's books are at least 4s. There are MANY references to classic mystery books in the Annie Darling series, as Annie is the owner of a mystery-only bookstore. Very tongue in cheek for Ms. Hart and fun to find the clues.

On a lighter note, I have just finished Carly Phillip's The Playboy, which is a very good summer poolside/beach read. I give it 4 stars.

I've just begun reading a slightly different book that really isn't in any specific genre. I Am Diva!, which is a compilation described as "Every Woman's Guide to Outrageous Living" and has weekly sections of hints and hilarious tips for following a cosmic charm course. The authors are Elena Bates, Maureen O'Crean, Molly Thompson, and Carilyn Vaile. Since I have been told I was born a diva, I am thoroughly enjoying and agreeing with the suggestions in the book. It's also a very good beach/poolside/cabana boy read. It ranks 5 stars for originality and sheer fun. :)

I have to include one new nonfiction book here. I just purchased and devoured Ruth Sova's long awaited Aquatics. It is a large reference book of aquatic exercises and their functions. Ms. Sova is a pioneer in the field of water aerobics and exercise, properly called aquatics. I have learned many new strenghtening and cardio moves and am already seeing new muscle definition in both lower and upper body from daily workouts in my new backyard swimming pool. The book retails for around $50, but I would pay that for a smokin' body any day, wouldn't you? Over 5 stars, invaluable information, photographs, and combinations for routines in both shallow water and deep water.

billiegirl20@hotmail.com
I've just finished Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik.
I'll give it about 4 stars. The story is about a reading group (The Angry
Housewives) and how they grow and change over the course of 30+ years. While a really good read, and a good book, I felt like I was reading a re-hashing of Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and all the author did was add a book club and reading references to the mix.

mohendies@earthlink.net
The Face by Dean Koontz. 5 stars.
It had me jumping at noises, and the end was very good. This is a keeper.

The Lake House by James Patterson. 2 stars.
Definitely not as good as When the Wind Blows. Just a repeat story of the flying children and an evil doctor. The end was just plain silly.

Losing Julia by Jonathan Hull. 5 stars.
One of the best books I've read recently.

FalseMillennium@aol.com
The Light of Day by Graham Swift. 4 stars.
Former detective George Webb (now a middle-aged private investigator) has watched his marriage dissolve, has been released from police work due to a shadowy arrest act, and has a distant relationship with his gay daughter. Written in George's narrative voice over the course of one day in November, he now faces an investigation of self-reflection where he must ponder whether or not his own life has been an ethical and moral one.

Webb is hired by the wife of an adulterous husband with only the stipulation that he follow the couple to the airport, ensure the woman leaves, and provide her with his observations on what occurred between the pair. The story leaps backward and forward in time as Webb relives the hours of that fateful day. What starts as a simple case turns into so much more when PI Webb develops a fascination with his client. This isn't the first time this has happened in George's life: there have been flings of his own, but Webb wishes to protect this woman from heartbreak, much as he did as a child when he tried to protect his mother from the heartbreak of her husband's infidelities.

The investigator delves into his past in remembering his parents' own troubled marriage --- the adultery of his father with a neighbor woman uncovered by George as a pubescent. He remembers his own fatherhood when he engaged in similar behavior, and he reflects on his expulsion from the police force. The frequency of these reflections into Webb's history can be disorienting, but in the end they unify in creating the portrayal of a realistic man, one who made accountability his living but ignored its role within his own life. All of his life, George has been a keen observer in the behavior of others: his neighbors, his parents, criminals, and now himself.

Many critics have found this novel to be "choppy and jarring." Most of its sentences are no more than the fragments of a man's reflective thought processes, but Swift weaves this technique effectively into the shrouded, end of the season weather of November. Graham Swift is such a masterful author, that it is well worth the effort for the reader to give back into the artistic experience, by staying with Webb's mental and physical Autumnal journey in helping us understand those moments that build the structure of our lives, leading us to our own fate.

Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded, August 27, 1883 by Simon Winchester. 5 Stars.
A comprehensive account of the world's most disastrous volcanic explosion. Oxford-educated geologist Winchester teaches you much, including geology, geography, foreign trade, botany, the three major spices of the East, the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, cartography, media development, ecology, evolution, anthropology (cultural and physical), and I could go on.

Did you know that destroyed volcanoes can rebuild? How do these tabula rasa's evolve? Does life-recover-from-ruin, or does life-begin-from-scratch? Do you know what the Wallace Line is? Did you know that after the volcanic eruption of Tambora, the unseasonable melancholic weather produced from this explosion affected art and writing, or that Mary Shelley created Frankenstein during this period? For armchair thrills you will find tsunamis, amok elephants destroying hotel rooms where they reside, and ballooning spiders. Anyone that can keep you up at night excited about plate tectonics, subduction zones and pyroclastic flows gets an A+++ in my gradebook.

yodasmommy@woh.rr.com
I just finished The Lake House by James Patterson. 5 stars!!! You must read When the Wind Blows first and then you will enjoy The Lake House even more. What an ending!!

AUGER77777@aol.com
I just finished Shutter Island, the first book I have read by Dennis Lehane. This was certainly a story to keep the reader guessing until the very end. I look forward to reading Lehane's earlier works, starting with Mystic River. 5 stars.

JmkWild@aol.com
I just finished all four books in the series by Alexander McCall Smith about life in Botswana --- light reading but deceptively subtle stories in a part of the world previously unknown to me...great summer reading.

lgettle@iserv.net
Third Option by Vince Flynn. 5 stars.
An I-can't-put-it-down political thriller with passionate heroes and subtle villains.

Rickimc@aol.com
A Mystery of Errors by Simon Hawke. 4 stars.
Being a mystery fan and a theatre history buff, I really enjoyed this book that takes place in Elizabethan England. The one complaint I have is that it took more than half the book for someone to die --- quite unusual for a murder mystery.

The Dream Walker by Charlotte Armstrong. 2 stars.
The premise of a crime being committed through an elaborate network of staged psychic dreams is interesting, but the book (which was written in the 60s) was too dated for my tastes.

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin. 4 stars.
A fast-paced fantasy that starts the series of Earthsea books. Definitely geared more towards boys, however, with a school of only boys, evil female characters, and lots of highseas adventures.

The Celtic Riddle by Lyn Hamilton. 5 stars.
I have decided that Lyn Hamilton's archeological mysteries featuring Lara McClintoch are my favorite cozies. She does a great job bringing ancient myth into her modern day stories, and I learned much Celtic lore just reading this book.

John1rosie@aol.com
The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith. 3 stars.
Mr. Smith's writing style is what one would expect to find in a novel for children. Yet he makes it work for adults. The plot is straightforward and simple but not offensively so. Mr. Smith is a white man who is choosing to 'see and live' in a world through the eyes and skin of a main character who is a Black woman. Can he present anything of 'her experiences' except the most superficial? In conclusion it all works --- and works rather well. Mr. Smith's "writing for children" writing style matches his limits of insight and personal experience very, very well. The effect of the two is charming. Mr. Smith's characters are people who are good and worthy of our respect. The novel's conclusion demonstrates that good outcomes happen to good people. How pleasant it is to find such an outcome in today's world. Mr. Smith is a writer America needs.

Also, Morality for Beautiful Girls by the same author. 4 stars.
This novel predates The Kalahari Typing School for Men and is the better book in that it is the more complex and detailed of the two. For my taste the book was one chapter too long. I am looking for the earlier novels and I expect them to be quite enjoyable.

Also, A Garden of Earthly Delights by Joyce Carol Oates. 1 star, maybe 2.
I got about 65 pages in and I find myself saying "So what," or "Who cares," far too often. I keep asking myself if John Steinbeck hasn't done rural depression and poverty so very much better. But I do not intend to give up on Joyce Carol --- I intend to check her out as one of her other personalities, Rosamund Smith.

bradylee@myway.com
In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick. 4 stars.
This true story takes place in the early to middle 1800's and its location is on the island of Nantucket and in the middle of nowhere…asea. The task of looking for whales is a group effort, and when one is found, then catching it is something else. You learn of the unique population on Nantucket Island and how everything was geared to whaling. The wreck of the Essex was the inspiration for writing Moby Dick. You learn of the actual event in this book, plus a harrowing story of how the survivors eventually made it back to land. Remember, the middle of nowhere is far, far away.

KLOZIER40@aol.com
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall. 3 stars.
A disappointing, non-exciting novel about a woman who solves various crimes in Africa.

Endangered Species by Nevada Barr. 3 stars.
Not up to par with her other novels in description or intrigue.

bradylee@myway.com
Class Action: The Story of Lois Jenson and the Landmark Case That Changed Sexual Harassment Law by Clara Bingham and Laura Leedy Gansler. 5 stars.
CAUTION: if you are a fingernail biter, read this book with your gloves on as the contents may cause you "finger" problems. This story reveals employee conduct that is unbelievable, yet true. I read this aloud to my wife, and she enjoyed it as much as I did. The authors present a complex case with simplicity that should keep you reading through the night. There are more twists and turns here than any body of fiction. Read it.

wolfden24@cox.net
Sam's Ghost: A Nick Ellis Mystery by Tony Ardito is an exciting mystery. This is a must read, there is so much here to enjoy. Old World War II murder mystery, romance, science fiction and time travel, a needy ghost, and a super New Age hero, Nick, who is so touched by the Ghost's tale that he is impelled to help him. Quite a bit out-of-the-ordinary every day run-of-the-mill whodunit. The setting in the novel has a coincidental likeness to a real University in Glendale, Arizona. The real university used to be a World War II era airport with a unique history to Arizona. There are some really good present day characters in the story, as well as some 60-year ago characters with such spark and intensity that only Ben Affleck and Helen Hunt could do these characters justice in a movie version of this well-plotted, thought-provoking mystery/romance.

I highly recommend this book to read and for publishers to review and pass along the good word, encouraging others to take a ride along the history highway to suspense, romance, murder, time travel, and meet an admirable current day hero who you will never forget and liken to the famous Indiana Jones trilogy.

dmilburn@alltel.net
Thief of Hearts by Victoria Taylor Murray. 1 star.
If you can get through 99% of the trash and find the 1% of plot, you might enjoy this book. After reading rave reviews, I was really disappointed. Enough explicit sex to last a lifetime. If you want a good story.....read something else.

NGroves@aol.com
Crescent by Diana Abu-Jaber. 5 stars.
I just loved this book, a love story but certainly not a mushy romance. It's set in a section of Los Angeles heavily populated with Middle Eastern immigrants and also frequented by Arab students from a nearby university. Sirene, the Iraqi-American chef at a small restaurant, falls in love with a professor from the Middle Eastern Studies Department, the first true love she's experienced, despite a number of relationships over the years. However, her lover is torn between her and his extremely risky desire to return to Iraq to find out what happened to his family members and contact any survivors.

The plot is lightened by a funny, fantastic story told by Sirene's uncle, which starts off each chapter and by accounts of the goings-on at the restaurant. In these times of international tension, it's worth remembering (as one character points out) that all Arabs are neither terrorists nor characters from the Arabian Nights tales. The people in this book will make you look beyond the stereotypes.

All Over But the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg. 4 stars.
The memoir of a prize-winning journalist and author who rose from a self-described "white trash" background of poverty in small-town Alabama to heights undreamed of by most people in that environment. It's also a tribute to his mother, who sacrificed a lot for Bragg and his two brothers while getting next to no support from her frequently drunk and absent husband. An interesting slice of life about Bragg's childhood and his take on the very different lifestyle of a big-time reporter (a job he recently quit).

MELE244@aol.com
Three different but fascinating books --- Organizing from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern, Silent Dancing: A Partial Remembrance of a Puerto Rican Childhood by Judith Ortiz Cofer, and William Zinsser's 25th anniversary edition of On Writing Well are highly recommended. They're good reads and you'll learn something at the same time! 5 stars each.

Spizzyone@aol.com
Babyville by Jane Green is a humorous look at that time in a woman's life when she is thinking about having a baby, having a baby, afraid to have a baby, and of course, after she has had a baby. This book explores the relationships a woman has with herself, her baby, her partner, friends, co-workers and parents during that time in life when sanity is hard to grab and sleep is just a memory. I recommend this book and give it 5 stars.

Heringbess@aol.com
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane got 5 stars until the ending, which was so confusing that I reduced it to 4 stars!

Forever by Pete Hamill is great. 5 stars. A large span of palatable history of Ireland and then Manhattan makes this story and its wonderful central character a great read!

The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown is also 5 stars. Unique, educational and a page-turner --- who could ask for more? The Catholic Church takes a hit, but comes together in the end.

The Dive from Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer is an engaging and very human story about a girl who faces a moral dilemma when her fiance suddenly becomes a paraplegic. Like so many books today, it is tooo long!! 4 stars.

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett is unique as well as engaging. Combining terrorism with the magic of opera and a couple of love stories could not have been easy to contrive --- but it really works!

DCDLSD@aol.com
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane. 5 stars
Only Lehane can pull of this bait and switch.

Monkeewrench by P.J. Tracy. 4 stars.
Computer game and murder. I look forward to this series.

Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik. 3 stars.
Both some funny and sad moments but Landvik has done better. Ho-hum.

Up next: Dan Brown --- Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code.

wesb@bellsouth.net
Atonement by Ian McEwan. 5 stars.
This has to be one of the most perfectly constructed novels I've read. A beautiful story of family and redemption set in WWII era England.

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. 4 stars.
Larson does a good job here of bringing the story of the Chicago World's Fair to life, along with that of Dr. Henry Holmes, one of our country's most notorious criminals.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel. 5 stars.
On the surface, the story of a young Indian boy who survives a shipwreck and ends up in a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger. Underneath, there is so much more: the book explores the many aspects of faith and, in the end, even presents the reader with faith's central question: do you believe?

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. 4 stars.
This is an intensely dark (could it be otherwise?) novel of Vietnam told in interlocking stories. The chapter about the author receiving his draft notice is a stand-alone masterpiece.

Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand. 5 stars.
For over a year I tried unsuccessfully to get my bookgroup to choose this title; I think they were resistant to a "book about horses." Well, their loss. This is a magnificent book, a thrilling piece of writing (how can reading about a horserace be so exciting?), a loving but unflinching exploration of the world of jockeys and horse trainers and a beautiful depiction of Depression-era America. Do not even think about going to see the movie before you treat yourself to the book.

No Second Chance by Harlan Coben. 4 stars.
A great summer read, a well-constructed thriller. I still think Tell No One was the best Coben novel, but as all of his writing is so much better than the bulk of the thriller genre, you cannot go wrong choosing this author.

Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold. 5 stars.
Simply the best, most entertaining novel I've read since The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. This historic novel takes place in l920's- era San Francisco and features just about everything that was going on at that time. The author describes actual magic tricks of the period, and the book itself features glorious full color reproductions of vintage magicians' posters. An absolute pleasure in every way, a deeply satisfying novel. I urge everyone to read this book.

I have just begun The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.

BettyB6768@aol.com
Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. 5 stars.
I'm not particularly interested in forests, coyotes, bugs or farming, BUT this novel is about more than those topics. It is about humans and how they interact with each other over a long period of years and all finally get in touch with each other in many good ways.

MISSOURIGIRL62@aol.com
Unless by Carol Shields. 3 stars.
The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks. 4 stars.
The Elegant Gathering of White Snows by Kris Radish. 5 stars.
Haunted Ground by Erin Hart. 5 stars.
Wild Orchids by Jude Deveraux. 5 stars.
The Dirty Girls Social Club by Alisa Rodriguez (I would give this 10 out of 5 stars!)

fsb65@kconline.com
The Wingless Bird by Catherine Cookson. 5 stars.
It is a real page-turner taking place in England in the 1920s. The heroine gets the man she loves and he loves her ... but it's not the one you think.

EDMARYMOM@aol.com
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
I just finished re-reading this one. Last time I read it, it was probably 1972, 8th grade. I was surprised by how much I remembered. This time around, I think my age made me appreciate the book much more. And it did not seem so much like Science Fiction either. I'm hoping my Book Club enjoyed it as much as I did --- it was my selection for this month.

djspoon@attbi.com
The Alternate by John Martel. 5 stars.
Concrete Blonde by Michael Connelly. 5 stars
Deadline by John Dunning. 5 stars.
The Only Good Lawyer by Jeremiah Healy. 5 stars.
When the Wind Blows by James Patterson. 4 stars.
Chain of Evidence by Ridley Pearson. 5 stars.
The English Assassin by Daniel Silva. 4 stars.
Wiley's Lament by Lono Waiwaiole. 5 stars.

booklover57@msn.com
My latest reads have been eclectic to say the least!

The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks. 5 stars.
I thought it was a good read and was a little different from his usual story. The main characters were certainly not "perfect" people and of course the heart tug at the end was purely Sparks.

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. 5+ stars!
I enjoyed the fast-paced thriller and loved trying to see if I could figure it all out before the end. I didn't! I still enjoyed it immensely and decided to go out and find his first book with the character of Robert Langdon, Angels and Demons, and really liked it as well.

Between Sisters by Kristin Hannah. 5 stars.
I had this book on reserve at the library and picked it up around 9:00 one morning and read until I finished it later that afternoon. It was very easy to believe the characters and their emotions. Also, the main character was not exactly the standard for romance heroines. I thought it showed family relationships very well. Whether or not there is a closeness, when it comes down to it, family we are.

All He Ever Wanted by Anita Shreve.
Another good read. This was certainly a book about obsessions. I truly felt that each character had an obsession that made it impossible to survive the type of relationship they entered into. It was refreshing to read this book as the main character was an older man and was looking back, telling the story.

Wild Orchids by Jude Deveraux.
Great reading. This was an unusual book because the heroine truly falls for the devil. The Devil. Very different reading. Both of the main characters were strong and able to come to terms with where their life was headed and what the past had created for them.

bradylee@myway.com
Higher Authority by Stephen White. 4 stars.
Time and place is the pace of this novel. Mormons, Utah (with a little New Mexico thrown in) and a killer is the main thrust of this story; a few women and a handful of men make up the body of what's happening. The high point is the description of the Church's politics, the topography, and the relationships of the main characters. Finding out who the killer was took a back seat for me. A good read.

AnnRumsey@aol.com
I am reading (and loving) Jonathan Nasaw's Fear Itself right now and it is very good. Nasaw is a favorite of mine with his vampire books (The World on Blood, Shadows) and his serial killer novels (The Girls He Adored). I can't stop thinking about Dennis Lehane's Shutter Island, which I finished a few weeks ago, and I am looking forward to reading T. Jefferson Parker's Cold Pursuit soon.

waynenf39@yahoo.com
I am currently reading the new Dean Koontz novel, The Face. I have always loved Dean Koontz, and am very thrilled to find that he has returned to the world of supernatural horror with this novel.

dastep@stargate.net
Harlan Coben's book No Second Chance is a real page-turner. In fact, every one of his books is a compelling read! I wait for a new book from Harlan Coben knowing he will never disappoint me! A book that keeps me awake despite the fact that I am beyond fatigue rates high on my list of favorite books.

Britadon@aol.com
Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris. 5 stars.
A very compelling story of a woman who tries to remake her life in a post- World War II French village that was the scene of her family's disgrace. Written by the author of Chocolat, this is wonderfully written and thoroughly enjoyable.

The Survivor's Club by Lisa Gardner. 5 stars.
A very chilling story. You may not want to read it if you are a woman who lives alone. But it is one of those books you cannot put down.

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. 4 stars.
I really enjoyed this suspenseful tale of a kidnapping at a South American embassy party. Interesting thoughts of the psychological phenomena of victims identifying with their captors. The last chapter seemed hastily written and tacked on, however.

Mrs. Kimble by Jennifer Haigh. 3 stars
Despite an unusual theme, this book seemed very ordinary in its writing style and story events.

juliecbarnard@yahoo.com
I just finished Blues Lessons by Robert Hellenga. It's not as good as The Sixteen Pleasures (his first book) but I did enjoy it. I would give it 4 stars.
Now I am reading something entirely different: Stiff: The Short Curious Life of the Human Cadaver by Mary Roach. Interesting non-fiction. 3 stars.

PamE523@aol.com
Couldn't Keep it to Myself by Wally Lamb is an excellent read! The quality of writing is consistent with his last two books, She's Come Undone and I Know This Much is True. This time, Lamb shares the stories of the inmates at the York Correctional Institute in Connecticut, where he spent a great deal of time teaching a particular group of women how to write about their lives. This book includes very interesting stories that both tug at the heart and make you want to turn the page as quickly as possible. Please don't pass this one by!

KLOZIER40@aol.com
The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama. 4 stars.
A relationship between an older male caretaker and a young man with tuberculosis leads to understanding of family and friends.

Pennie0801@aol.com
T'ongil by Julian Winter is a beautiful if different kind of love story. I give it 5 stars.

While You Slept by Wendy Burge is one of the best historical romance novels I have read in a long time. I give it 5 stars.

donna@whitenet.com
I just finished The Survivors Club by Lisa Gardner. Fast paced, couldn't put it down. I went right out to buy her earlier books and am looking forward to her new one, The Killing Hour, coming out soon. 5 stars!

Buttercupmlm@aol.com
Soul Mountain by Gao Xingjian.
Reading it has made me examine my relationship with myself, while also teaching me a lot about China and its history.

DancingGram7@aol.com
Last Man Standing by David Baldacci. 5 stars.
Mr. Baldacci never disappoints his readers! He constantly writes a good book. This one is a psychological thriller about an FBI agent who was the only FBI agent who was not killed by sniper bullets. There were seven FBI agents on a hunt for drugs and were all killed except Web. Then more killings of prominent men make a job for the agents to start investigating the reasons for the killings and Web, the last man standing, delves into the reason all his co-workers were killed and not him. I have not finished this book but find it hard to put down. I recommend anything Mr. Baldacci writes.

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. 5 stars.
I have to admit that, when I started this book, I was not intrigued by the content. It was hard to get into and I thought this was not my type of book. But everyone had such praise for it, I kept on reading and I am now at the point where things are getting really interesting. There is much to learn from this book also. I never read a book that I don't learn something new. I never heard of the Opus Dei and all the other secret organizations in the Church. I recommend that the reader keep reading because it does get better.

Quetzi@aol.com
I would like to say that I really enjoyed the book titled Escape From China by Zhang Boli. I rate this book 5 stars. It is a heartwrenching true story of one man's quest for a better China, only to have to sacrifice everything he held dear, because of his actions.

I am reading now:
The Raphael Affair by Iain Pears. 5 stars.
Hearse of a Different Color by Tim Cockey. 5 stars
Burning Time by Leslie Glass. 5 stars.
Dating Can Be Murder by Jennifer Apodaca. 5 stars.

Chris.Carroll@CarrolltonCitySchools.Net
Sleep No More by Greg Iles. 4 stars.
This is the first book of Iles that I've read, and I loved it. The author never lets you know 100% until the end whether the supernatural aspects are at play or if someone is just out to get the protagonist. Very suspenseful and well-written.

Saucer by Stephen Coonts. 1 star.
My first book by Coonts and my last. I hear he's such a good writer, but this one, to me, was written with the sole intention of it hopefully being picked up for a movie. I couldn't finish it. Seemed amateurish.

Everything's Eventual by Stephen King. 4 stars.
I love his short story collections. This one has some interesting ones and not so interesting ones, but the ones intended to scare are worth it. I especially liked "1408", a haunted hotel room story.

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. 5 stars.
One of the funniest books I've ever read. I enjoyed it better than Naked, which I loved also. His stories about his family are bittersweet at times but always funny.

Rohde99@aol.com
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. 5 stars.
A great read and different type of mystery.

A Painted House by John Grisham. 4 stars.
I didn't want it to end....different than his other books....perhaps a sequel????

Fade Away by Harlan Coben. 5 stars.
I am really enjoying the Myron Bolitar series. An easy read, humorous, and just fun.

A Thousand Days in Venice by Marlena de Blasi. 4 stars.
An enjoyable read.

The Emperor of Ocean Park by Stephen L. Carter. 4 stars.
Just plain good.

fsb65@kconline.com
A Warmth in Winter by Lori Copeland and Angela Hunt. 5 stars.
It takes place on an island in Maine. An angel is assigned to each building on the island of Heavenly Daze. It's fiction but it seems so real you want to live there.

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