Momx3gx1b@aol.com
I just completed What We Keep by Elizabeth Berg. A story told by Ginny, a woman traveling to see her mother she has not seen in 35 years. On the long ride she relives her twelfth summer in the late 50's. A great story about mother-daughter relationships. 5 stars.

The Jester by James Patterson. 4 stars.
I love the way he writes his heroes, villains and romance. Full of twists.

Envy by Sandra Brown. 5 stars.
A mystery and a story within a story. I finished this book in 2 days.

Losing Julia by Jonathan Hull. 5 stars.
I read about this book here in Word of Mouth. Three separate stories about one life. A wonderful book. I recommend this book to everyone.

marychambers@yahoo.com
Bloodroot by Susan Wittig Albert. 5 stars.

The Schwarzbein Principle Cookbook by Diana Schwarzbein. 4 stars.

Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veilin Saudi Arabia by Jean P. Sasson. 5 stars.

The Blockade Runners by Jules Verne. 5 stars.

The Oracle of the Dog by GK Chesterton. 4 stars.

Rickimc@aol.com
Harm None by M.R. Sellars. 5 stars.
A very solid and different mystery.

The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis. 2 stars.
It took a while to get into this book.

Helenme23@wmconnect.com
In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming. 4 1/2 stars.
I had looked forward to reading this book on a recommendation from a member of my Sisters in Crime group. I was not disappointed. Episcopal priest Clare Fergusson has to deal with a baby on the doorstep and dead bodies in the small New York town of Millers Kill. The story plays out well --- suspects popping up and the relationship with Fergusson and the married police chief are all interesting. The action in the final chapters kept me glued to the end. Nice job, and I can't wait to read the sequel, A Fountain Filled with Blood.

storm8810@yahoo.com
I have a few titles that I have read and tell everyone about. If you want a book that you can't put down this summer while on vacation, floating around your pool or relaxing in your favorite reading place, these are great reads. Enjoy. Oh, and all of them get 5 stars!!

The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Sullivan's Island by Dorothea Benton Frank

Spizzyone@aol.com
Coyote Cowgirl by Kim Antieau. 4 stars.
I read it because I liked the cover! It is about a girl named Jeanne who has a very proud family, 1/2 French and 1/2 Spanish. The family is proud to own a crystalline skull and a jewel embedded scepter that they proudly celebrate twice each year in festivals. Jeanne is the baby of the family, and at age 30 finds herself searching for the missing scepter and herself. She uncovers information about herself and her family in her search, which is aided by the crystalline skull, which she can hear. A little wacky, a little real, this book was an enjoyable diversion.

Tigersmama43213@aol.com
I am currently reading The Last Jihad by Joel C. Rosenberg. This is a tremendous book and very current. Although this story takes place in 2010, it could be today. It is about trying for peace in the Middle East. Saddam Hussein is again threatening to use nuclear weapons on Israel. The American President has had an assassination attempt on his life. What should America and Israel do?

tiffani_ba@hotmail.com
I just finished reading Honor Lost by Norma Khouri. It is a true story about Khouri's best friend, who was the victim of an 'honor killing' in Jordan. A Muslim woman, she had been secretly dating a Catholic man. Khouri writes to raise awareness and to remember her friend. This book raises a lot of powerful emotions, and is a strong demand for women's rights in the Arab world. I give it 4 out of 5 stars, and highly recommend it, especially, but not only, for women.

GandmaRI@aol.com
Whisper of Evil by Kay Hooper. 4 stars.
It started out a bit slower than the other two I've just finished reading by Ms. Hooper, but it's falling into place and picking up speed at a rapid rate. I'm hooked on Kay Hooper at the moment and still have at least three more by her to read.

KLOZIER40@aol.com
Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand. 5 stars.
Excellent historical facts and entertaining writing make for a wonderfully researched book about the horse, his owner, his trainer, and his jockey.

The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe. 5 stars.
Not to be confused with Patterson's The Beach House. A dying mother asks her estranged daughter to spend a summer with her at their old beach house where many adventures ensue, including her mother's love of the loggerhead turtles that use their beach to lay their eggs.

swl44th@hotmail.com
I am currently reading The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon. So far I would rate it 4 stars. Thank you.

maestraw@msn.com
I am reading Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach. This is a very insightful and sometimes humorous accounting of the use of human cadavers in medical research. The book is written in such a way that one does not feel Roach is disrespectful of the deceased. In fact, she is in awe of their commitment to science. I would give it 5 stars. Roach is an excellent author.

GerryD8784@aol.com
Dead Ringer by Lisa Scottoline. 3 stars.
It's clear that Bennie Rosato's law firm and her life are both in jeopardy, but the enemy is less certain. The firm has been brought to the brink of bankruptcy when her latest client stiffs her by declaring bankruptcy himself, she's up against very big guns in a class action lawsuit, and her "evil twin" sister may be back in town with vengeance on her mind. Classic Scottoline, a quick and enjoyable read.

The Probable Future by Alice Hoffman. 4 stars.
Thirteen-year-old Stella, her mother Jenny, and her grandmother Elinor, descendants of generations of women each of whom possesses some unusual power or trait, are reunited at a time of family crisis. As they learn the secrets of their strange family history, they also come to accept themselves and each other, and put an end to the mother-daughter conflict and estrangement that had separated them. Very well written, with interesting and believable characters.

harrises@bayou.com
I have just finished The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter. After a week in the mountains of North Carolina, I became interested in the Cherokees and the trail of tears. This book will make you and laugh and cry. 4 stars.

ATESSL@aol.com
I just finished Dennis Lehane's Shutter Island, a quick-moving thriller about a Federal Marshal sent to investigate a missing woman in a prison mental hospital. Great twists, and it was so well-done that I had to start another book before I could go to sleep.

lindaharriet@msn.com
I just read Matchstick Men by Eric Garcia, a book about grifters. It's a clever con within a con. 3 stars.

Another book I just finished was The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger, a vitriolic look at the fashion magazine industry. What's more important: the magazine or the value you place on your happiness and that of others? Very funny, satiric, and compassionate, too. 5 stars.

Catslady5@aol.com
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling.
This one seems to be beginning a little slower than the others so I give it 4 1/2 stars at the moment but it may still end up being a 5.

EBpooh@aol.com
During our flight back from Vancouver the woman next to me spent the entire five+ hour trip reading The Smoke Jumper by Nicholas Evans. Naturally, being the "bookie" that I am, I got it from the library ASAP. This is a wonderfully written romance for those of us who still believe in our soulmates and that everyone has a destiny. I spent a very enjoyable afternoon reading this story. A must summer read. 4 stars!

I was lucky to pick up Anita Shreve's All He Ever Wanted yesterday at my library. Don't let this slim volume, approximately 300 pages, fool you. This is a romance written from the point of view of a man in the early 1900s. It is an interesting study of the human heart, as well as the morals of the time. An easy read but one that makes you stop and think. A nice change of pace from those beach novels. 3 stars.

BREEZYWRITER@aol.com
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. 4 1/2 stars.
I probably wouldn't have read this if it hadn't been selected by my book club, but I found it to be a very unusual and interesting book. It was beautifully written.

Bjglu@aol.com
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. 4 1/2 stars.
A fascinating true story juxtaposing the story of the Chicago World's Fair of the 1880s and a grizzly murderer who terrorized Chicago at the same time.

Dress Codes by Noelle Howey. 3 stars.
Mediocre.

MECUSTER@aol.com
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. 4 1/2 stars.
This was an unusual "coming of age" story about a 14-year-old girl set during the turbulent early 60s during the civil rights movement. Well written and a fast read.

Lgluhani@aol.com
A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes. 4 stars.
Similar in plot to Lord of the Flies but so much better. Selected as one of the top 100 books of the century by Modern Library.

Naked by David Sedaris. 5 stars.
Essays that'll make you laugh out loud AND think --- a heady combination!

pampallen@yahoo.com
Gifted Trust by John Paul Allen.
This novel will blow you away with the awesome features of reincarnation and what really brings people together. A section of this book was written in first person and I have to say I have never felt the power of writing this way. If you like horror, you will LOVE this book! Hint: Not for the faint of heart!

fitzcarraldonut@hotmail.com
Absolute Black by Soren Narnia. 3 stars.
What do you say about a book that is extremely well-written and unbelievably creepy but that I don't think I'll read again for a LONG time? This book proves it's possible for something to be TOO dark. It's a collection of psychological horror stories that veers into straight horror very effectively. It's when things get very thematic --- there's a lot of strangely deep ideas in the book about identity, the nature of death, and what ghosts truly might be --- that it all goes beyond scary and gets kind of sad and troubling. There are lots of moments of sheer campfire freakout and footsteps-around-the-corner terror, and I wouldn't mind experiencing these again if I could only forget the other stuff!

Witherheart by Soren Narnia. 3 stars.
Since Absolute Black intrigued me, I thought I'd give this one a try since the author's website described it as a thriller. And it is, for about three-quarters of the book, during which it's as suspenseful as anything you're likely to read. It's the story of a thirty-year fight between four very distinct and interesting characters to hold on to the secret of living forever. There are two incredibly intense action sequences in the book, and the second one is a real doozy --- a large part of Baltimore literally blows up in a grand finale after a military unit gets wiped out during a mission to find the book's main villain. But by the end, you feel so detached from the people in this book, so pitying of them and their tragic struggles, that you can only hang your head in mourning for everything that's happened.

It reminded me of Full Metal Jacket in a way, because this is also a technically brilliant work about the essential emptiness inside the hearts of men, and so much of it is completely fascinating. It all leads nowhere, though, and even though it's clear that's just what the author intended to create --- a big labyrinth that runs into a sad brick wall --- after 250 pages that doesn't make it very satisfying. This is great but frustrating stuff.

KINDLEELF@aol.com
Last Man Standing by David Baldacci. 5 stars.
An insight into the FBI's crack hostage rescue team

The Third Twin by Ken Follett. 4 stars.
Delves into the ethics involved with cloning.

Night Over Water by Ken Follett. 4 stars.
Unusual plot and setting.

Eleventh Hour by Catherine Coulter. 3 stars.
Predictable mystery

I'll Let You Go by Bruce Wagner. 4 stars.
Entertaining read.

Charleston by John Jakes. 5 stars.
Not as historically detailed as the Kent Family Chronicles, but still a worthwhile read.

The Newsboys' Lodging House by Jon Boorstin. 5 stars.

Whispers by Dean Koontz. 4 stars.

Forever by Allen Harris. 5 stars.
Extremely well written and covered so much ground in fewer pages than one would expect.

Small Town by Sloan Wilson. 5 stars.
Though printed in 1978, it is still a true depiction of Small Town America.

DIANWILLY@aol.com
More Than Courage by Harold Coyle
Another modern day war novel, it describes the interaction of Washington military operations control with front line men-in-the-field --- in realtime. Big Brother is here.

yodasmommy@woh.rr.com
I just finished Bare Bones by Kathy Reichs. I give it 3 stars. I have enjoyed some of her earlier books more than this one. Guess I just wasn't in the mood for a forensic read. I have just started Bare Necessity by Carole Matthews and am enjoying it. It is a light fun read with short chapters.

Mammakim@aol.com
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. 5 stars. Excellent book.
Flirting with Pete by Barbara Delinsky. 4 stars. Very good.
Johnny Angel by Danielle Steel. 5 starts. Excellent.

Britadon@aol.com
Beginner's Luck by Laura Pedersen. 3 stars.
In the first chapter, I thought that I had happened upon a young adult's book, but this was not true. The story is somewhat engaging but it is a little difficult to believe that a 16-year-old girl would be gambling to this extent. Still, the relationships in the story are interesting and do speak to the question of preconceptions we may hold of other people.

The Fourth Angel by Suzanne Chazin. 5 stars.
This is a very good suspense about firefighters in New York City. It does remind you of 9-11, but not in a copycat manner. It also informed me about a kind of fire, HTA, that I had never heard about.

The Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks.
If you would like to read an excellent story with a depth of understanding of how people handle hardship, this is a book for you. It concerns an English village during the Plague of 1665 and is based upon some real historical happenings, though the author has definitely written fiction. Character development is excellent and the ending is not predictable.

melajessi@aol.com
The House on Beartown Road: A Memoir of Learning and Forgetting by Elizabeth Cohen. 5 stars.
For anyone that has recently joined the "sandwich generation" you will want to read this book. Meet Elizabeth, Ava and Daddy. Elizabeth has just moved from NYC to a farmhouse in rural NY with her husband and new baby. This is the American Dream --- until the phone call from her sister, "take daddy" she pleads. And so Elizabeth agrees. Daddy has Alzheimer's and Elizabeth's husband promptly leaves, as Elizabeth struggles to adjust to life in the country with two charges --- one who is learning and one who is forgetting. She finds herself reflecting on the importance of memories and how they define us. As Ava the baby learns, Elizabeth's father forgets. It is the juxtaposition of minds. It is beautifully written without self pity, where some could be due.

pamiam@houston.rr.com
Gifted Trust by John Paul Allen. 5 stars.
It has many different perspectives that give the reader all points of view and it has some real life too. It is a great book that is hard to put down.

Glosie1@aol.com
I'm currently reading two wonderful books:

The Silence of Snow by Lynn Rosenberg. 5 stars.
This is an incredibly beautifully written book about the effect of the death of a child on the author's life. It is heart wrenching but exquisite.

Beyond Belief by Elaine Pagels. 5 stars.
This is an examination of the meaning of religion as it relates to life and a very readable explanation of the Gospels of Thomas --- what they were and why they were suppressed.

Alars11@aol.com
The Gift of Jazzy by Cindy Adams. 3 stars.
The story of a little, tiny dog who took over Cindy Adams's life after her husband, Joey Adams, passed away and left her devastated and bereft.

Spizzyone@aol.com
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. 5 stars.
Excellent, thought-provoking, and a real page-turner. A search for the Holy Grail by those who want the truth about Christ to be known, and a search for the Holy Grail by those who will do anything to keep the truth buried. My friends told me I would love this book, and I did!

FATDADMKT@aol.com
I just finished Jim Brown's 24/7. This is a 5-star book. I wasn't interested in it at first because it's about reality TV. Then I read an interview with Jim Brown in which he says he hates reality TV, so I became curious and read the book. It's really good and makes you wonder if this is what reality TV could become. After Jim Brown's 24/7 I decided to give his new book, Black Valley, a go. I also give Black Valley 5 stars. It's a really good book, different from what I usually read but I couldn't wait to see how in the world the book would end!

sax2good@yahoo.com
Saxual Feelings by Luke Thomas is an excellent book. I rate it 5 stars. Just make sure you have a friend on speed dial when you start reading this. It's hot.

billiegirl20@hotmail.com
I'm about halfway through Yann Martel's Life of Pi, and it is wonderful. There are so many great lines that make me laugh out loud. I had heard so many great things about it, I'm glad I've finally gotten some time to read it. It's a wonderful story so far!

rdiaz@synergymicro.com
Amanda Brown Does It Again with Family Trust

Pros: Easy to read and follow, never gets "heavy"
Cons: Somewhat predictable, rich people aren't you
Recommended: Yes
Bottom Line: Overall, the book was a good and quick read (325 pages), and was enjoyable, mostly because Amanda Brown keeps it from getting too heavy, and the story is fun.

Right away, you know what kind of story this is. The book starts out with a detailed description of Becca, a high-powered financial something-or-another, who doesn't have time to stop to eat, let alone date. So much so that she has to have back up bagels around just in case she forgets to nourish herself. Then, it goes into a detailed description of Edward, who is obviously too rich to plan his own dates (he needs a "social secretary" whose sole job is to decide which functions he'll attend and with whom), and doesn't seem to do anything besides attend benefits.

Their lives seem to be perfect, but is it really? What's missing is the precocious little girl. They get their opportunity to become complete when Emily is bequeathed upon them when her parents make her an orphan. Although I can't recall if it was explained, it doesn't matter --- it furthers the plot.

This is where it becomes somewhat predictable, as they try to adjust to life with her, fall in love with each other and her, and find that the lives they had been living were shallow and empty without a child. As a parent, I can almost understand that message. Not to say that the book was fun to read, almost a guilty pleasure like watching Jerry Springer. It makes you feel good knowing that privileged folks have to deal with things that us everyday folks deal with everyday.

Since this is by the author of Legally Blonde, you can bet there's going to be a movie. I see Christina Applegate playing Becca and Hugh Grant as Edward. (You heard it here first!)

nhamilton@a2mich.com
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. 4 stars.
All those literal-minded engineers I used to work with at General Motors need to read this book, which would open them up to the value of fiction. In an ideal world, they would; in the real world people with closed minds who need to know why fiction is important and good have such closed minds, they probably couldn't be impressed.

Lily Dale by Christine Wicker. 4 stars.
Good writing style. Also, praise for the author's open mind and that she keeps her critical faculties.

Also, I'm reading a lot of stuff by David Lodge. I reread The British Museum is Falling Down after I had read Small World. I really can identify with his subjects, who are usually middle-aged, middle-class British folks of an academic or slightly intellectual bent, even though I'm not British.

Please don't send me Ann Coulter's book. I think the woman is vile and that what she writes and does is evil.

j.toerek@csuohio.edu
I've just finished Savannah Blues by Mary Kay Andrews. I loved it! Now I have to add Little Bitty Lies to my Amazon wish list! I expected "just" a summer read but was pleasantly surprised by the humor in the whodunit.

Prior to that I read Standing in the Rainbow by Fannie Flagg. That was my first reading experience by this author also. It was kind of a "feel good" book that was enjoyable (and I wouldn't have cared if my children read over my shoulder while on vacation).

I'm currently reading A Breath of Fresh Air by Amulya Malladi. It's very different from most books I choose. It's about a survivor of the Bhopal India gas leak and how it affects her marriage; it also provides insight to marriage relationships in the India culture. I'm fascinated.

bradylee@myway.com
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. 5 stars.
I read so many favorable reviews of this book in Word of Mouth I had to read it. Now it is my turn to rave about Dan Brown's latest. There are a lot of problems that the book's characters have and all are resolved, finally, at the end. There is a puzzle presented and the solution is ingenious, and you don't know the answer to that 'til the end either. The chapters are short [1 to 4 pages] and there is a hook where you must keep reading to find out what happens next. A thoroughly satisfying read that you could classify as a thriller!

yodasmommy@woh.rr.com
I just finished The Grave Maurice by Martha Grimes. It is another Richard Jury mystery. When Ms. Grimes left Jury in The Blue Last, he had been shot, and his fate was left hanging. In The Grave Maurice, he recovers to pursue a mystery even more difficult than the preceding one. 5 stars for sure.

JWIsley@aol.com
I just finished reading the wonderful story of Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand. It gets 5 stars.

Also, Janet Evanovich's To The Nines is another 5-star book. You just can't put down these stories about Stephanie Plum. Boy does she meet up with some interesting characters. This author just keeps getting better and better.

bob_soro@yahoo.com
Geneva Nights by Clint Borgen. 5 stars.
It combines travel, sex, and politics into an incredible autobiography. Both educational and entertaining, the book deserves its own genre.

bencanada1@yahoo.com
A Summer in the Country by Marcia Willett. 4 stars.
Excellent! A saga about women, mothers, daughters and the friction, problems and resolutions that occur throughout the novel. Wonderful portrayal of profound characters.

rojosho@hotmail.com
The Third Chimpanzee by Jared Diamond. 4 stars.
This fantastic book about the evolution of the human is done with such depth, knowledge and sensitivity. A wonderful read.

bab@tennis.com
Isle of Palms by Dorothea Benton Frank. 4 stars.
Excellent. A lively, humorous and extremely well-written book about these quirky relationships and individuals that we encounter throughout our lives and friendships. Well-written and a beautifully described setting.

GeoBarb636@aol.com
The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks. 5 stars.
As always Sparks has a winner, I just love his writing.

TLWood61@aol.com
Derailed by James Siegel. 5 stars.
By far the best book I have read all summer. I started and finished in one afternoon...I just couldn't put it down.

Suspicious Origin by Patricia MacDonald. 4 stars.
Related very well to the characters...suspenseful...keeps you guessing to the end.

The Anniversary by Amy Gutman. 3 stars.
Fairly typical mystery with a not-so-surprise ending.

Babyville by Jane Green. 5 stars.
My first experience with this author, and I can't wait to read more!

AUGER77777@aol.com
I just finished reading Holes by Louis Sachar. Being a book written primarily for juveniles, it was a quick read, but an enjoyable one. I am looking forward to seeing the movie. It was interesting to see how events written about earlier in the book (which took place in the previous century) all come together in the final pages. 5 stars.

RMD07@aol.com
Adventures Unlimited: The Guide for Short-Term Jobs in Exotic Places by Ed C. Dawicki. 5 stars.
Excellent book.

Dana_Cherrier@commerce.state.il.us
First Degree by David Rosenfelt. 5 stars.
A follow up to Open and Shut, Rosenfelt is definitely on my list of favorite authors now.

To the Nines by Janet Evanovich. 5 stars.
I think this one is back in the league of the early ones. I mean I like them all very much, but I haven't loved the last couple quite as much as the early ones.

Jessieface@aol.com
What I am reading now:

Sleep No More by Greg Iles. 5 stars.
This book is so good I can barely put it down, yet I have to because it is sooooo suspenseful I can barely stand to know what happens next.

Autobiography of a Fat Bride: True Tales of a Pretend Adulthood by Laurie Notaro.
This is another great book. Sometimes it so fun just to read about someone else's crazy life instead of living your own. This is one of those books where here and there you can identify with some of the things the author has been through and then laugh at your own life. It is hysterical. I am loving it. I can't wait to read her first book.

tmzemke@comcast.net
I just finished Hell at the Breech by Tom Franklin. It's based on actual events that took place in Alabama around 1897. Dirt poor sharecroppers take the law into their own hands and force others to become blood brothers in their vigilantism against the townspeople. It was a quick read as I couldn't put it down. It has gotten great reviews, and for once the reviewers were right on.

I'm also just starting to read The Trouser People by Andrew Marshall. It combines travel with history as it tells the story of the Burmese people. The trouser people was the term that the Burmese called the British, as the locals didn't wear pants but wore sarongs. Burma (now called Myanmar) is a small country that was the British Empire's easternmost land border with China. Great for those who love history and
learning about other cultures!

Newcrain@aol.com
I just finished To the Nines by Janet Evanovich. 5 stars for lovers of this genre. The amazing Stephanie Plum does it all again. This time in Las Vegas! Typical Evanovich escapism!

baxtergr@msn.com
For an account of one woman's struggle back from a horrific crime, read I Am the Central Park Jogger by Trish Meili. While she tells us little of the attack itself, which she does not recall, she does share with us her fight back to health and those who assisted her. A book of inspiration. 5 stars.

Another 5-star book is Small Wonder by Barbara Kingsolver. This book of essays is thoughtful and provocative, giving us Ms. Kingsolver's thoughts on ecology, our nation's relationships with other world nations, and life in general. This is a book that made me think; not a bad thing.

TractorWidow@aol.com
I just finished reading Seabiscuit. I was hesitant since I have no interest in either horses or racing, but I have to say it was such an inspiring book! I was up until midnight to finish it. I now have such an admiration for all of those involved in thoroughbred racing. The book follows the career of Seabiscuit and how he got to be one of the greatest race horses of all time. It is the story of people and animals going from nothing to greatness. The book is still on my mind, and I am looking forward to the movie. I give it a five-star rating --- and I have not read a book that good in quite a while.

CPerona@aol.com
Gone Too Far by Suzanne Brockmann
Like A Knife by Annie Solomon
The Other Twin by Hunter Morgan
Night Embrace by Sherrilyn Kenyon
The Sinner by Tess Gerritsen

Fee4366@aol.com
Lammas Night by Mecedes Lackey. 4 stars.
Although this was published in 1996, I just bought it used. It is a collection of stories by assorted sci-fi authors based on a song written my Mecedes Lackey called "Lammas Night." The authors wrote their own stories with different endings to the song, putting their own spin on it. I very much enjoyed it, and it has inspired me to try to write a story of my own!

Jakapn@aol.com
Yesterday, I read Prey by Michael Crichton. 2 stars. While I agree with your reviewer that Crichton once again takes on a technology tale of caution, I think as well that he has again plugged in the "scare du jour" to a well honed but now boring formula.

C'mon Mike, how about some creativity instead of churn 'em out pap.

Spizzyone@aol.com
Bloodline of the Holy Grail: The Hidden Lineage of Jesus Revealed by Laurence Gardner 5 stars.
This is nonfiction, and I am reading it after having read The Da Vinci Code. I found that I wanted more after The Da Vinci Code, and this book is certainly providing that. If you read The Da Vinci Code and pondered that area between fact and fiction, this might be the book for you. I am amazed and intrigued with every page. I usually read fiction, and find nonfiction to remind me too much of school, but that is not the case with this book.

DM155@aol.com
I am reading The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. I give it 4 stars. It is very educational and suspenseful. It is a good summer read.

MAP5402@aol.com
To The Nines by Janet Evanovich. 5 stars.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling. 5 stars.
Blood Is The Sky by Steve Hamilton. 5 stars.
The Lake House by James Patterson. 4 stars.
Die in Plain Sight by Elizabeth Lowell. 5 stars.

It looks like I had a good reading month.

PFLucas@aol.com
Night Music by Harrison Gradwell Slater. 5 stars.
Those who enjoy a good mystery, and also lovers of Mozart, will enjoy this book. A music scholar finds a mysterious document while stranded in Milan. He tries to find out if it could be the diary that the young Mozart kept while traveling through Europe with his father. As the scholar tries to unravel the mystery, he runs into threats and peril. The reader will gain insight into how one of the greatest musicians lived and traveled. The author, himself a concert pianist and a musicologist, makes a remarkable entry into the literary mystery genre.

RNPAULY@aol.com
I am currently engrossed with reading Bohemian Paris by Dan Franck. Paris in the early 1900s, featuring such amusing real life characters as Picasso, Jarrey, Mondigliani, Soutine and others. Filled with wonderful antidotes that give you a better understanding of the birth of Modern Art. 5 stars in my book.

svitale@grantsburgtelcom.net
I just finished reading The Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst. I loved this book. It has such poignancy. It's about a man whose wife dies in a fall from a tree in their backyard and what he goes through as he tries to sort through his grief and puzzle out the mystery behind his wife's death. In his grief, he turns to his dog --- the only witness to his wife's death. It turns out his dog does have much to tell him, though not in the way he initially would have liked. It's a beautiful book and one I'll recommend to all my library patrons.

GandmaRI@aol.com
This week I'm finishing Out of the Shadows by Kay Hooper. I'd rate it 5 stars. My next read will be Stealing Shadows, also by Ms. Hooper. Followed by Always a Thief and Finding Laura, also by Ms. Hooper. Jack Higgins's new one, Bad Company, is also going with me on vacation next week. Happy reading all.

lindaharriet@hotmail.com
I'm reading The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. When I picked it up, I really didn't know if I'd like it but I was immediately engrossed. Learning about Botswana was interesting, and I enjoyed the author's style of writing. Precious Ramotswe enjoys helping people, and the author has the talent to project that with heartfelt passages.

ValBananaBread@aol.com
I just finished reading The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier. At first I thought it was going to be just like The Hours, but lucky me, it was so much better. A young woman moves to France with her husband. He's an architect mostly, busy and not around. She decides to trace her family tree with the help of the local librarian.

As she picks up clues, the other story comes to life. Her ancestor has become pregnant and marries the man, but the family treats her like dirt, for religious reasons. The time period for the second story is when the Catholics were being slaughtered in France. The young woman in real time is trying to become pregnant. Each time, after they make love, she has visions of the color blue. As problems arise in the real time marriage, the dreadful life of the ancestor unfolds. I could not go to sleep until I finished the last hundred pages of that book.

manada@core.com
I've been reading a lot to make up for the fact that I won't be reading when school starts, at least not for fun!

The book that has really gotten to me lately is The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. Wow. I'd give this one 5 stars. It's about a teenage girl who is raped and murdered, and the book tells the story from her viewpoint up in heaven. I kept the tissues handy while I was reading, not so much for sadness (which it was) but because of the way heaven is presented. Having lost so many people I care about, this made me feel good; it made me feel like, "NOW I know they are alright."

Excellent book!

Comella2729@aol.com
The Mark of the Lion Series (A Voice in the Wind, An Echo in the Darkness, and As Sure as the Down) by Francine Rivers commands 5 stars. All three books are set during the last days of the Roman Empire. Rivers is a Christian author who has been writing for more than twenty years. The books are well-written, and the characters are beautifully drawn. As one reviewer said, "The psychological facets of the characters are expertly blended with the spiritual aspects." These books are a must-read.

MSShealy@aol.com
Honeymoon With Murder by Carolyn G. Hart. 3 stars.
A Little Class on Murder by Carolyn G. Hart. 3 stars.

These are light murder mysteries, part of a series featuring Annie Lawrence Darling and set on the coast of South Carolina.

osager@swbell.net
Standing in the Rainbow by Fannie Flagg. 4 stars.
I am 3/4 the way through this delightful book. I care for the characters and love the inventive story line. If you love books about small-town America this is the book for you!

Yodasmommy@woh.rr.com
I just finished Getting Mother's Body by Suzan-Lori Parks. I'm giving it 3 stars. At times I wasn't too crazy about this book, but I enjoyed the ending, so I'm glad I stuck with it. It was very easy to read and interesting. Billy Beede, the teenage daughter of the fast-running, no-account, and six-years-dead Willa Mae, comes home one day to find a fateful letter waiting for her: Willa Mae's burial spot is about to be plowed up to make way for a supermarket. As Willa Mae's only daughter, Billy is heiress to her mother's substantial but unconfirmed fortune --- a cache of jewels that Willa Mae's lover, Dill Smiles, is said to have buried with her. There is a cast of unusual characters in this story and each chapter is told by a different character, including Willa Mae.

Greenwolf@collegeclub.com
Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin. 4 3/4 stars.
You don't need to read the book before you see the movie, but it helps explain some things and a scene in the book is not in the movie.

I started reading two other books:
The Devouring by Douglas D. Hawk. 1 star.
The characters at the beginning all have an attitude that will keep the reader interested only for so long. I couldn't read more than two chapters of it.

Seed of Evil by Edmund Plante. 1 star.
Yet another "devil impregnating a mortal woman" story but the main character was too one-dimensional for me to care about her, so I didn't read more than the Prologue.

mcgillrmcgill@charter.net
I'm reading Dreaming the Eagle by Manda Scott. The book is interesting, but reads a bit slow. 3 stars.

bradylee@myway.com
Honor Lost: Love and Death in Modern Day Jordan by Norma Khouri. 5 stars.
According to this book the problem that is brought out exists in Jordan and Palestine and it dates back to pre-Christ days. That is where the males hold complete control over the females and particularly so with daughters and wives. This is an autobiography that will hold your interest, and you will give thanks for the freedoms of the West when finishing. I raved about this to my wife and she is now reading it and enjoying it. This is the story of a best friend and how they helped each other to the point of tragedy and after that how matters were handled the "Jordanian" way.

Merv: Making the Good Life Last by Merv Griffin, with David Bender. 4 stars.
This is a fine autobiography by a "down home" scion. He talks of his beginnings and how he thrived even against the advice of others. Even though he had an agent, he usually negotiated his business dealings himself and was always interested in having fun on and off the job. There are many interesting stories, but the period when Merv was having talks with Donald Trump to acquire properties he wanted is one of the highlights of the whole book. A fun book to read about a most successful life.

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