Stars: 4
Review by: Chris L.
Enjoyable historical fiction, well researched and chock full of interesting tidbits of life in England in 1355.
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
A Vision of Light
Author:
Judith Merkle Riley
Stars: 4
Review by: Chris L.
Enjoyable historical fiction, well researched and chock full of interesting tidbits of life in England in 1355.
Stars: 4
Review by: Chris L.
Enjoyable historical fiction, well researched and chock full of interesting tidbits of life in England in 1355.
Go Set a Watchman
Author:
Harper Lee
Stars: 3
Review by: Barb
Everyone's "must" read for this summer. I enjoyed it.
Stars: 3
Review by: Barb
Everyone's "must" read for this summer. I enjoyed it.
Ape House
Author:
Sara Gruen
Stars: 5+
Review by: Liza
Love this book! Makes me want to go back to school and become a primatologist.
Stars: 5+
Review by: Liza
Love this book! Makes me want to go back to school and become a primatologist.
Wonder
Author:
R.J. Palacio
Stars: 5
Review by: Shapoppa
What a pleasant read. I had a hard time believing that the students involved were 5th graders. They seemed to have the intelligence level of either 6th or 7th, but it didn't really matter. It's a delightful book.
Stars: 5
Review by: Shapoppa
What a pleasant read. I had a hard time believing that the students involved were 5th graders. They seemed to have the intelligence level of either 6th or 7th, but it didn't really matter. It's a delightful book.
The Liar
Author:
Nora Roberts
Stars: 3
Review by: libraryaimee
I listened to the audiobook of this...it took a while to warm up to the reader. She did great guy voices, but the little kid voice was annoying! The story is exactly what you expect in a Nora Roberts book: a little mystery, a little thriller, a lot of romance!
Stars: 3
Review by: libraryaimee
I listened to the audiobook of this...it took a while to warm up to the reader. She did great guy voices, but the little kid voice was annoying! The story is exactly what you expect in a Nora Roberts book: a little mystery, a little thriller, a lot of romance!
Disneyland: An Inside Story
Author:
Randy Bright
Stars: 3
Review by: MandyApgar
A fairly appealing, but not very meaty account of the construction of the park. I was hoping for something with more teeth to it but this was probably a sort of mass produced fluff intended for general tourists. Walt Disney wanted an amusement park for years, but thanks to his usually shaky finances and a lack of available land, he never seemed to be able to get the project running. But thanks to the Mickey Mouse Club, cashing in all his insurance policies, going heavily into hock, he was able to bankroll the original project. Revolutionary travel and transport studies decided to place the project in Anaheim and under Walt's extremely watchful eye the project went underway to its infamous opening, known in Disney speak as "Black Sunday." As time went on and new rides and attractions were added, others were removed, and the park soon became today's prime people mover. One thing I truly missed was more of an acknowledgement of how insanely adept Walt was at anything he took to during construction. Having learned to read blueprints from his carpenter father, he soon became in many situations more adept than his engineers at remembering important details and improvising solutions. For a more personal look try Thomas' superlative An American Original biography, and Surrell's various attraction specific books.
Stars: 3
Review by: MandyApgar
A fairly appealing, but not very meaty account of the construction of the park. I was hoping for something with more teeth to it but this was probably a sort of mass produced fluff intended for general tourists. Walt Disney wanted an amusement park for years, but thanks to his usually shaky finances and a lack of available land, he never seemed to be able to get the project running. But thanks to the Mickey Mouse Club, cashing in all his insurance policies, going heavily into hock, he was able to bankroll the original project. Revolutionary travel and transport studies decided to place the project in Anaheim and under Walt's extremely watchful eye the project went underway to its infamous opening, known in Disney speak as "Black Sunday." As time went on and new rides and attractions were added, others were removed, and the park soon became today's prime people mover. One thing I truly missed was more of an acknowledgement of how insanely adept Walt was at anything he took to during construction. Having learned to read blueprints from his carpenter father, he soon became in many situations more adept than his engineers at remembering important details and improvising solutions. For a more personal look try Thomas' superlative An American Original biography, and Surrell's various attraction specific books.
Cape May Haunts
Author:
D.P. Roseberry
Stars: 3
Review by: jamBob
What's a summer in New Jersey without visiting the shore or specifically Cape May? Tired of reading advertising brochures and "tourist booklets"? Try something different...whether you believe in ghosts or not I find these "ghost" books chock full of history and interesting hidden facts. Stories to pique our interest and whet our appetite to see the locale. This book devotes half of its 200 pages to Elaine's Haunted Mansion. The remaining 100 pages describes in lesser detail 2 dozen other places in the Cape of varying degrees of hauntings. Have fun and Hold that Ghost!
Stars: 3
Review by: jamBob
What's a summer in New Jersey without visiting the shore or specifically Cape May? Tired of reading advertising brochures and "tourist booklets"? Try something different...whether you believe in ghosts or not I find these "ghost" books chock full of history and interesting hidden facts. Stories to pique our interest and whet our appetite to see the locale. This book devotes half of its 200 pages to Elaine's Haunted Mansion. The remaining 100 pages describes in lesser detail 2 dozen other places in the Cape of varying degrees of hauntings. Have fun and Hold that Ghost!
Royal Follies: A Chronicle of Royal Misbehavior
Author:
David Randall
Stars: 1
Review by: MandyApgar
OK - let's get three things straight.
Stars: 1
Review by: MandyApgar
OK - let's get three things straight.
1. Anne Boleyn did not have an 11th finger.
2. She did not have a gigantic near disfiguring lump on her neck.
3. She did not, as far as legitimate history has recorded, have a third nipple.
That may seem like a
really odd way to review something but that is just one of many examples
of myths and half truths represented as fact in this book. Instead of
doing much fact checking the author seemed
more determined to print whatever he felt like irregardless of truth.
The one statement that I found most offensive was that Gandhi presented
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip with a loincloth on their wedding as a
sort of wink wink type gift. Although it is
true that Queen Mary at first thought the tea tray cover was such an
object, the rest of the story is complete fabrication and the item now
is one of the Queen's most revered treasures. For a much more accurate,
well written (this tries a bit too hard to be
funny, but instead just comes off as snarky), and actually interesting
account read Farquhar's Treasury of Royal Scandals.
Naked Greed
Author:
Stuart Woods
Stars: 2
Review by: SummerShandy
While still a decent summer read, it's time for the author to move on as the story line has become very, very stale.
Stars: 2
Review by: SummerShandy
While still a decent summer read, it's time for the author to move on as the story line has become very, very stale.
Silent Creed
Author:
Alex Kava
Stars: 3
Review by: SummerShandy
The primary story is okay: however, the author tries to make a 'non-fiction' point that at times causes the plot to become a little cluttered.
Stars: 3
Review by: SummerShandy
The primary story is okay: however, the author tries to make a 'non-fiction' point that at times causes the plot to become a little cluttered.
Saturday, August 8, 2015
Top Secret Twenty-One
Author:
Janet Evanovich
Stars: 5
Review by: fyszsa
Stars: 5
Review by: fyszsa
Once again, a laugh out loud escape from reality read!
Magician's Assistant
Author:
Anna Patchett
Stars: 2
Review by: Pam
Never judge a book by it's cover. Thought this was going to be a story about the life of a magician, world of magic etc. Oh, no!
Stars: 2
Review by: Pam
Never judge a book by it's cover. Thought this was going to be a story about the life of a magician, world of magic etc. Oh, no!
The Last Runaway
Author:
Tracy Chevalier
Stars: 2
Review by: Pam
Story of an English Quaker girl who comes to America in 1780s. I love Tracy Chevalier books, but not this one.
Stars: 2
Review by: Pam
Story of an English Quaker girl who comes to America in 1780s. I love Tracy Chevalier books, but not this one.
Naked Greed
Author:
Stuart Woods
Stars: 2
Review by: BigDa
In between descriptions of the perks of the ultra-rich, there is a story line.
Stars: 2
Review by: BigDa
In between descriptions of the perks of the ultra-rich, there is a story line.
The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pederson & the Churchill Club
Author:
Phillip Hoose
Stars: 5
Review by: BookWorm2
Do not let the fact that this is a YA non-fiction book fool you. This is a fascinating true account of a group of teenage boys who created and lead the beginning of the Danish resistance in WWII. Their courage and conviction inspired their fellow countrymen to fight back against the German occupation and change the way that the Danes viewed their part in the war. A fascinating read.
Stars: 5
Review by: BookWorm2
Do not let the fact that this is a YA non-fiction book fool you. This is a fascinating true account of a group of teenage boys who created and lead the beginning of the Danish resistance in WWII. Their courage and conviction inspired their fellow countrymen to fight back against the German occupation and change the way that the Danes viewed their part in the war. A fascinating read.
The Longest Yard Sale
Author:
Sherry Harris
Stars: 3.5
Review by: BNbook
I enjoyed it. It was very interesting.
Stars: 3.5
Review by: BNbook
I enjoyed it. It was very interesting.
Just Jennifer
Just Jennifer
The night before June’s daughter’s wedding, the unimaginable
happens: June is out late walking when an explosion rips through her house, her
life and the lives of others. Killed in
the explosion are June’s daughter Lolly, Lolly’s fiancé, June’s ex-husband and
June’s boyfriend Luke, a man at least twenty-years June’s junior, a man many in
their small town of Wells, Connecticut view with suspicion, Luke returning to
Wells after ten years in prison on drug charges. After the funerals, June gets into her car,
still packed to take the newlyweds to the airport after the wedding and drives
west until she reaches the opposite coast where she stays at a motel, nearly
catatonic, but perhaps healing in her own way.
Told in short vignettes from many points of view, the story
of June, Luke and Lolly slowly unfolds with an easy but generous
narrative. Be certain that every detail,
no matter how irrelevant or insignificant it may seem, has been placed just so
for a purpose. Memoirist Clegg’s lyrical
prose pulls no punches; he doesn’t shy away from the harsh details of life as
he strips away the humanness from humanity, leaving the characters naked with
raw emotion. There are many families in
our lives: the ones into which we are born, the ones we create and the ones
that suck us in unwittingly and unknowingly.
Clegg makes a gorgeous case for families in all shapes in his startling
debut novel.
Just Jennifer
The Killing Lessons by Saul Black (St. Martin’s Press)
When two men enter Rowena Cooper’s house in Colorado she
fears not only for herself but for her two children also in the house. As she lays dying, she entreats her daughter
Nell to run away as fast and as far as she can though Rowena knows the odds are
against Nell as the nearest house is a mile away and one of the men has seen
her. Hundreds of miles of away, San
Francisco homicide detective Valerie Hart is still struggling with demons from
a case three years ago and the detritus that is now her life. Val is also following a trail of killers who
rape, torture and kill women leaving random objects somewhere inside of the
women, all disparate objects that seem to have no rhyme or reason to them,
though in her gut, Val feels they are the key to the murders. Working almost obsessively, Val examines each
piece of evidence over and over until she recognizes something and a pattern
emerges, one that still doesn’t make sense to Val, but puts her closer to a
killer. Val also must deal with and sort
out her feelings for Special Agent Nick Blaskowitch, her lover three years ago
when she allowed her life to fall apart.
Also new to the team is another special agent, Carla, who seems to have
it out for Val from the start, though Val can’t figure out why. Val carefully works her way through the
tangles that are her case and her life, ohping she can solve one and straighten
out the other, all the while a little girl fights to be rescued.
This multi-layered thriller grabs hold of you from the first
page and though it seems to ease up at times, the urgent tension is always in
the background waiting to leap off the pages.
Black’s characters are all damaged and some fighting for what each feels
is normalcy, while others are content to let life happen to them. The plot is twisty and creepy enough that as
quickly as the aha moments come, they slip out of grasp until the entire
picture is revealed. A slightly rushed
ending leaves the reader a little let down, but the final scene between Val and
Nick offers hope that Black will return to these characters.
Just Jennifer
The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs by Matthew Dick (St.
Martin’s)
Caroline Jacobs is beyond shy: she is a wimp. Ever since high school she is been “nice” and
has never stood up for herself---until one day when she tells the president of
the PTA, with her perfect cashmere twin set, off. This sets a chain of events in motion what
culminates with Caroline and her fifteen-year-old daughter Polly taking an
unplanned road trip to Caroline’s hometown where she plans to confront her
former best friend Emily who completely alienated Caroline from all their
friends in high school. Arriving in
Blackstone, Caroline realizes they aren’t in high school any longer and that
there were other events than Emily’s dismissal in the cafeteria that might have
held her back all these years. But Polly
decides to take matters into her own hands setting off a series of events that will
do either do her mother in or help her reclaim her life and stand up tall and
proud.
Though Caroline may be a bit exaggerated as a
character---and Polly also---she will strike a familiar chord with readers who
may not completely identify with her, but feel some empathy as they remember
their high school years. A quick read
that you will both embrace and race through or something you may set aside, but
not before you think back to a time in high school when you felt something
similar to Caroline.
Just Jennifer
In Bitter Chill by Sarah Ward (Minotaur)
In Derbyshire 1978, Rachel Jones and Sophie Jenkins were
kidnapped on their way to middle school.
Before the day was over, Rachel was found walking around, no memory of
the kidnapping, except that her abductor was a woman, and she doesn’t know
where Sophie is. Sophie was never
found. Now, some thirty-five years
later, Sophie’s mother commits suicide and detective inspector Francis Sadler
and detective constable Connie Childs wonder why, after all these years and
wonder if there is any connection to the kidnapping and decide to take a look
at the kidnapping again, which means starting with Rachel.
Rachel’s mother has died, but her grandmother is still alive
and kicking, though has little she is willing to offer by way of memories. Rachel, a genealogist by profession focuses
on material lineage, especially with respect to her own family, her own father
dying before she was born. Rachel is
happy leading a quiet, almost reclusive life, but Yvonne Jenkins’s suicide
sends reporters to her door and ever more after the death of a teacher who was
a the school when Rachel and Sophie were kidnapped, feeling that the answers
are just outside of the grasp of her memory.
Rachel uses her research skills to investigate her family and finds a
secret so horrific it can’t be true, but if it is, will point the way to a
kidnapper and modern day murderer.
This debut novel is a reliable addition to the English
police procedural genre. Sadler and
Childs are a little vague as characters, Rachel the more developed. Rachel’s perspective is unique and offers
some awareness into the investigation that detectives wouldn’t have thought to
pursue on their own, helping them get a complete picture and offer some closure
to Rachel.
Just Jennifer
The Gates of Evangeline by Hester Young (Putnam)
Lawrenceville, New Jersey’s Hester Young’s debut novel is an
old-fashioned Southern gothic epic complete with a secretive family, a mansion
draped in moss and a heroine who is a stranger more than she realizes. Charlotte “Charlie” Cates is still reeling from
the death of her toddler son. As she
slowly reemerges into the world she realizes her glamourous job at Sophisticate magazine may no longer be
the right fit for her and agrees to take a freelance job with her former true
crime magazine. As Charlie prepares for
her trip to Louisiana where she will write the story of the Deveau family and
their home Evangeline, she begins having dreams of children---mostly missing
children---and can’t decide is this a gift of a curse, especially as she can
tell what happened to the children before it is known publicly. Most vividly and recurring is the dream of a
young boy in a boat, the boy who may just be the Deveau boy who disappeared as
a toddler thirty years ago. The further
Charlie delves into the Deveau family history, the more questions she
uncovers. Full of secretive jealous
adult children, an odd caretaker and a dying matriarch, Evangeline also
possesses a sort of magic, the kind that if she will allow it, will help heal
Charlie and set her on a new path in life.
Full of Southern atmosphere and mystery, the humidity fairly
drips off each page. As each mystery is
uncovered, a new twist develops until, in an almost exhaustive manner, all is
revealed. Not everything will be a
surprise and some of the pieces may not seem to fit at first, but once the
kaleidoscope stops, everything will fall into place, not only for Charlie, but
for the reader as well.
The Story of Us
Author:
Dani Atkins
Stars: 5
Review by: Miss Lucy
On the surface, this book is about a love triangle, friendship, family, and Alzheimer's. But it's written SO very well. I HIGHLY recommend it.
Stars: 5
Review by: Miss Lucy
On the surface, this book is about a love triangle, friendship, family, and Alzheimer's. But it's written SO very well. I HIGHLY recommend it.
Vanishing Acts
Author:
Jodi Picoult
Stars: 4
Review by: Miss Lucy
You might think you have the perfect life and perfect family, until... well, until you realize you don't. I won't give anything away, but this was a great book with lots of twists and turns, dealing with family, friends, relationships, alcoholism, and gray areas of morality. It would make for a good book group discussion. The only caveat is that it gives a very disturbing and grim portrayal of life in prison, and I found that hard to take.
Stars: 4
Review by: Miss Lucy
You might think you have the perfect life and perfect family, until... well, until you realize you don't. I won't give anything away, but this was a great book with lots of twists and turns, dealing with family, friends, relationships, alcoholism, and gray areas of morality. It would make for a good book group discussion. The only caveat is that it gives a very disturbing and grim portrayal of life in prison, and I found that hard to take.
Kitchens of the Great Midwest
Author:
J. Ryan Stradal
Stars: 4
Review by: Marianne S.
Wonderfully quirky picaresque novel revolving around a "once in a generation" palate.
Stars: 4
Review by: Marianne S.
Wonderfully quirky picaresque novel revolving around a "once in a generation" palate.
Water for Elephants
Author:
Sara Gruen
Stars: 4
Review by: Bob E
Entertaining somewhat racy novel about circus life and survival in the early 20th century. Many surprising aspects are revealed, keeping the reader glued to the page.
Stars: 4
Review by: Bob E
Entertaining somewhat racy novel about circus life and survival in the early 20th century. Many surprising aspects are revealed, keeping the reader glued to the page.
Gone for Good
Author:
Harlan Coben
Stars: 3
Review by: queenbee
Harlan Coben grew up in North Jersey and his books make references to New Jersey towns, highways and attractions. This is why I was drawn to him as an author. His stories are easy to follow, have some interesting twists and are enjoyable. Good mystery and easy to follow.
Stars: 3
Review by: queenbee
Harlan Coben grew up in North Jersey and his books make references to New Jersey towns, highways and attractions. This is why I was drawn to him as an author. His stories are easy to follow, have some interesting twists and are enjoyable. Good mystery and easy to follow.
1491: The Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
Author:
Charles G. Mann
Stars: 2
Review by: MandyApgar
This could have been a lot better. Perhaps I was turned off in the beginning with the author's assertion that American history only begins at Columbus yet spending the next several hundred pages saying things that demonstrate otherwise. In theory it was meant to show the rich history of our continent before that bugger showed up, and when Mann is simply discussing history he is OK and mostly on the spot (I did find a few mistakes here and there, but not many). He just seemed at a loss when it came to anything involving actual descriptions of the peoples themselves - which he mostly calls "Indians" after a rambling claim that that is what most tribes accept. I know two Cherokees and an Aztec that would pitch a fit if he did that to them. He does seem to be almost insensitive in that area, and granted that there were many times in the book where he could've got me back only to go off topic again with his Indian monologue and tick me off once more.
Stars: 2
Review by: MandyApgar
This could have been a lot better. Perhaps I was turned off in the beginning with the author's assertion that American history only begins at Columbus yet spending the next several hundred pages saying things that demonstrate otherwise. In theory it was meant to show the rich history of our continent before that bugger showed up, and when Mann is simply discussing history he is OK and mostly on the spot (I did find a few mistakes here and there, but not many). He just seemed at a loss when it came to anything involving actual descriptions of the peoples themselves - which he mostly calls "Indians" after a rambling claim that that is what most tribes accept. I know two Cherokees and an Aztec that would pitch a fit if he did that to them. He does seem to be almost insensitive in that area, and granted that there were many times in the book where he could've got me back only to go off topic again with his Indian monologue and tick me off once more.
Pine Barrens Legends, Lore, and Lies
Author:
William McMahon
Stars: 3
Review by: MandyApgar
A typical folksy sort of book, on the folkloric history of the Pineys. Keep in mind that that term is not supposed to be derogatory, as here the area is celebrated for its rich heritage - yes, the atypical Devil is covered, but also a local man who was renowned for competing in the real Devil in a fiddling contest, area heroes and villains, the supposed origins of place names and slang, things like that. Yes, the author has in a lot of stories "I got this from so and so at the bar," but that is really how one is supposed to do this sort of work. On the whole it was very good, but seemed far too short especially granted being that it was barely over 100 pages and had large print.
Stars: 3
Review by: MandyApgar
A typical folksy sort of book, on the folkloric history of the Pineys. Keep in mind that that term is not supposed to be derogatory, as here the area is celebrated for its rich heritage - yes, the atypical Devil is covered, but also a local man who was renowned for competing in the real Devil in a fiddling contest, area heroes and villains, the supposed origins of place names and slang, things like that. Yes, the author has in a lot of stories "I got this from so and so at the bar," but that is really how one is supposed to do this sort of work. On the whole it was very good, but seemed far too short especially granted being that it was barely over 100 pages and had large print.
The Royal Tombs of Egypt
Author:
Zahi Hawass
Stars: 3
Review by: MandyApgar
This was disappointing in a very odd way. Two, actually. One - the book is meant to be (obviously from the title) a record of Theban royal tombs yet not always are royal tombs the subject, and not a lot of detail is gone into for certain key pharaohs. The problem with the Valley of the Kings is that, due to a combination of butthead tourists and the area's placement at the crosshairs of two tectonic faults, not all the tombs are visible today and the off limits list includes many of the greatest rulers. So I would've thought that Hawass, as director of antiquities nonetheless, would have included more of say Sethi, Ramesses II, heck, even Tut - and his tomb is teeny as anything. But not so, as such personages are not given as much print. The second problem is that several reliefs and scenes are presented in gatefold format and it got irritating when several times a chapter I'd have to unfold several large pages when simply printing it smaller across two would have sufficed.
Stars: 3
Review by: MandyApgar
This was disappointing in a very odd way. Two, actually. One - the book is meant to be (obviously from the title) a record of Theban royal tombs yet not always are royal tombs the subject, and not a lot of detail is gone into for certain key pharaohs. The problem with the Valley of the Kings is that, due to a combination of butthead tourists and the area's placement at the crosshairs of two tectonic faults, not all the tombs are visible today and the off limits list includes many of the greatest rulers. So I would've thought that Hawass, as director of antiquities nonetheless, would have included more of say Sethi, Ramesses II, heck, even Tut - and his tomb is teeny as anything. But not so, as such personages are not given as much print. The second problem is that several reliefs and scenes are presented in gatefold format and it got irritating when several times a chapter I'd have to unfold several large pages when simply printing it smaller across two would have sufficed.
Egyptian Art in the Age of the Pyramids
Author:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (editor)
Stars: 3
Review by: MandyApgar
A catalog of various Egyptian pieces up to the sixth dynasty held in the world's museums. Not all are from the Met but quite a few recognizable artifacts are shown if you have been there a lot. I would have perhaps liked it a lot better except it seemed like not as much was forced into being a lot. Usually museum publications are of very high quality and this was no exception; but it had the irritating quirk of including sources and bibliography for each piece right after it. (And her we have such and such from this museum, blah blah, and here are our 25 sources....) If it was not for all that the book would have certainly been more readable, would have helped for such items to have been in a back section only as several times there was more bibliographical text than descriptive.
Stars: 3
Review by: MandyApgar
A catalog of various Egyptian pieces up to the sixth dynasty held in the world's museums. Not all are from the Met but quite a few recognizable artifacts are shown if you have been there a lot. I would have perhaps liked it a lot better except it seemed like not as much was forced into being a lot. Usually museum publications are of very high quality and this was no exception; but it had the irritating quirk of including sources and bibliography for each piece right after it. (And her we have such and such from this museum, blah blah, and here are our 25 sources....) If it was not for all that the book would have certainly been more readable, would have helped for such items to have been in a back section only as several times there was more bibliographical text than descriptive.
Betrayed
Author:
Lisa Scottoline
Stars: 3
Review by: Ada
Author returns to former characters, but you do not have to remember them to enjoy the book.
Stars: 3
Review by: Ada
Author returns to former characters, but you do not have to remember them to enjoy the book.
The Silenced
Author:
Heather Graham
Stars: 3
Review by: jamBob
Another paranormal Krewe of Hunters Crime mystery. Ms. Graham has hit upon a winning formula, take an interesting locale with fascinating history, add a few murders, have the special agents see ghosts, have two of them fall in love, solve the crime. This one races through Wash DC, Harpers Ferry, and Gettysburg.
Stars: 3
Review by: jamBob
Another paranormal Krewe of Hunters Crime mystery. Ms. Graham has hit upon a winning formula, take an interesting locale with fascinating history, add a few murders, have the special agents see ghosts, have two of them fall in love, solve the crime. This one races through Wash DC, Harpers Ferry, and Gettysburg.
The Undomestic Goddess
Author:
Sophie Kinsella
Stars: 4
Review by: Jeanette
Definitely a chick book. Funny, romance, cute story, thoroughly enjoyed reading it. If you never did housework, you might not appreciate the humor.
Stars: 4
Review by: Jeanette
Definitely a chick book. Funny, romance, cute story, thoroughly enjoyed reading it. If you never did housework, you might not appreciate the humor.
Friday, August 7, 2015
Bookerfly
from: Miss Lucy
 |
| Chateau Grand Traverse Winery on Old Mission Peninsula, Traverse City, Michigan |
Dead Wake: the Last Crossing of the Lusitania
Author:
Erik Larson
Stars: 2
Review by: MandyApgar
I actually feel bad giving a Larson book this low of a rating, but his usual zest was gone from this. Mostly focusing on true crime stories of historic significance, Larson usually does an excellent job, but here seems a bit haphazard at times. He does well in the initial portion of the book - detailing daily life aboard the Lusitania and the U boat that sank it - but after the sinking things seem to derail. He picks up a topic only to drop it abruptly (like the supposed conspiracy that the ship was allowed to sink to trigger US involvement in WWI), a problem which occurs frequently at the end. A much better, and more readable, account is found in the book by Greg King.
Stars: 2
Review by: MandyApgar
I actually feel bad giving a Larson book this low of a rating, but his usual zest was gone from this. Mostly focusing on true crime stories of historic significance, Larson usually does an excellent job, but here seems a bit haphazard at times. He does well in the initial portion of the book - detailing daily life aboard the Lusitania and the U boat that sank it - but after the sinking things seem to derail. He picks up a topic only to drop it abruptly (like the supposed conspiracy that the ship was allowed to sink to trigger US involvement in WWI), a problem which occurs frequently at the end. A much better, and more readable, account is found in the book by Greg King.
The General and Mrs. Washington: The Untold Story of a Marriage and a Revolution
Author:
Bruce Chadwick
Stars: 5
Review by: MandyApgar
By far and away the best biography I have read on Washington. Problem I have with most military biographies is that they focus too much on the battles / war itself, which is of course relevant to a degree, but when checking out something on Washington I do not need to know all of his movements at Trenton. A combination book with his wife Martha, focusing mainly on their marriage, it does an excellent job of showing Washington's at time stubborn, elegant, and above all conflicting personality. A man who did not like the institution of slavery but that thought it would be impractical to abolish it during his term, one who loathed excess yet liked to dress himself in the best, and a person of bright focus yet one who became so lost at times his wife would have to half slap him to attention, Washington was a complicated guy. Martha served as an excellent first lady not only in the presidential sense but also as a woman of great warmth and strength. Widowed in her first marriage, her new husband raised her surviving two children more or less as his own and became devoted to them and subsequent grandchildren. The book also goes a lot into the daily operations of their various estates and the basic schedule of their family. As long as you do not mind the lack of absolute battle detail, a wonderful way to examine our first commanding officer.
Stars: 5
Review by: MandyApgar
By far and away the best biography I have read on Washington. Problem I have with most military biographies is that they focus too much on the battles / war itself, which is of course relevant to a degree, but when checking out something on Washington I do not need to know all of his movements at Trenton. A combination book with his wife Martha, focusing mainly on their marriage, it does an excellent job of showing Washington's at time stubborn, elegant, and above all conflicting personality. A man who did not like the institution of slavery but that thought it would be impractical to abolish it during his term, one who loathed excess yet liked to dress himself in the best, and a person of bright focus yet one who became so lost at times his wife would have to half slap him to attention, Washington was a complicated guy. Martha served as an excellent first lady not only in the presidential sense but also as a woman of great warmth and strength. Widowed in her first marriage, her new husband raised her surviving two children more or less as his own and became devoted to them and subsequent grandchildren. The book also goes a lot into the daily operations of their various estates and the basic schedule of their family. As long as you do not mind the lack of absolute battle detail, a wonderful way to examine our first commanding officer.
The Renaissance at War
Author:
Thomas Arnold
Stars: 2
Review by: MandyApgar
I got this for the battle diagrams, and darn near fell asleep on the prose. Somewhat short at just over 200 pages, it did not carry enough of a spark. Explanations for battles were too childish and simplistic, with not enough attention given to strategy or military practice. Very amply illustrated with related paintings, etchings, the diagrams, and suchlike, but the dialog is too much like being lectured and not at all interesting in tone.
Stars: 2
Review by: MandyApgar
I got this for the battle diagrams, and darn near fell asleep on the prose. Somewhat short at just over 200 pages, it did not carry enough of a spark. Explanations for battles were too childish and simplistic, with not enough attention given to strategy or military practice. Very amply illustrated with related paintings, etchings, the diagrams, and suchlike, but the dialog is too much like being lectured and not at all interesting in tone.
The Painted Ladies Revisited: San Francisco's Resplendent Victorians Inside & Out
Author:
Elizabeth Pomada & Michael Larsen
Stars: 4
Review by: MandyApgar
A sequel of sorts to the authors' earlier success "Painted Ladies," a term which I loathe but that of course is given to varicolored Victorian houses, in this case all in the Bay area. Photographs are provided by Douglas Keister, who shoots the houses wonderfully. There are inside photographs of some of the homes, but only those rooms that are period true, not more modern looks. A very nice book but some of the selections given did not seem like they quite fit - too drab almost. Other than that quite good.
Stars: 4
Review by: MandyApgar
A sequel of sorts to the authors' earlier success "Painted Ladies," a term which I loathe but that of course is given to varicolored Victorian houses, in this case all in the Bay area. Photographs are provided by Douglas Keister, who shoots the houses wonderfully. There are inside photographs of some of the homes, but only those rooms that are period true, not more modern looks. A very nice book but some of the selections given did not seem like they quite fit - too drab almost. Other than that quite good.
Remembered Death
Author:
Agatha Christie
Stars: 5
Review by: MandyApgar
When Iris Marle's sister Rosemary Barton dies at the latter's birthday party held at a posh dinner club, all signs initially point to the death being a suicide. However; mysterious notes left to Rosemary's widower say the opposite, and he tries to enlist Iris (as well as a friend, Christie regular Colonel Race) in an attempt to clear things up. When he too dies the police began to reconsider Rosemary's "suicide." Iris relies mostly on herself, but also on her mysterious fiancee Anthony, to clear herself and see that things are put right.
Stars: 5
Review by: MandyApgar
When Iris Marle's sister Rosemary Barton dies at the latter's birthday party held at a posh dinner club, all signs initially point to the death being a suicide. However; mysterious notes left to Rosemary's widower say the opposite, and he tries to enlist Iris (as well as a friend, Christie regular Colonel Race) in an attempt to clear things up. When he too dies the police began to reconsider Rosemary's "suicide." Iris relies mostly on herself, but also on her mysterious fiancee Anthony, to clear herself and see that things are put right.
Traitor in Williamsburg
Author:
Elizabeth McDavid Jones
Stars: 5
Review by: Shapoppa
Read this American Girl book with my daughter in preparation for our trip to Colonial Williamsburg. We really enjoyed it.
Stars: 5
Review by: Shapoppa
Read this American Girl book with my daughter in preparation for our trip to Colonial Williamsburg. We really enjoyed it.
Meet Me at Emotional Baggage Claim
Author:
Lisa Scottoline & Francesca Serritella
Stars: 3
Review by: Ann Mc
Lisa and Francesca are mother-daughter and best friends. The books shares some humorous stories about their perspective on a myriad of topics.
Stars: 3
Review by: Ann Mc
Lisa and Francesca are mother-daughter and best friends. The books shares some humorous stories about their perspective on a myriad of topics.
Girl at War
Author:
Sara Novic
Stars: 2
Review by: Ada
Takes place in Yugoslavia mainly around 2000. A bit confusing as it goes back and forth in time.
Stars: 2
Review by: Ada
Takes place in Yugoslavia mainly around 2000. A bit confusing as it goes back and forth in time.
Anne Boleyn Fatal Attractions
Author:
G.W. Bernard
Stars: 3
Review by: JL
Book presented a different take on common assumptions about Anne Boleyn. It was a bit difficult to get through.
Stars: 3
Review by: JL
Book presented a different take on common assumptions about Anne Boleyn. It was a bit difficult to get through.
Plain Killing: An Amish Mystery
Author:
Emma Miller
Stars: 4
Review by: LZ99
Who knew an Amish mystery could be so scandalous? A bit of a slow start, but definitely took some interesting twists and turns. Enjoyed it more than I expected to, and will look for some others in the series.
Stars: 4
Review by: LZ99
Who knew an Amish mystery could be so scandalous? A bit of a slow start, but definitely took some interesting twists and turns. Enjoyed it more than I expected to, and will look for some others in the series.
The Perfect Witness
Author:
Iris Johansen
Stars: 2
Review by: seaquin
Female character resembles Eve from her past series of books with Bonnie and Eve.
Stars: 2
Review by: seaquin
Female character resembles Eve from her past series of books with Bonnie and Eve.
Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic
Author:
Sam Quinones
Stars: 4
Review by: libraryaimee
This is the scariest book about America you will ever read. It chronicles the introduction of OxyContin in the 1990s and the way in which doctors were encouraged to prescribe it for any kind of pain as it was promoted as being "nonaddictive." Turns out it is highly addictive and its use and promotion led the way to an epic rise in heroin use. Frightening.
Stars: 4
Review by: libraryaimee
This is the scariest book about America you will ever read. It chronicles the introduction of OxyContin in the 1990s and the way in which doctors were encouraged to prescribe it for any kind of pain as it was promoted as being "nonaddictive." Turns out it is highly addictive and its use and promotion led the way to an epic rise in heroin use. Frightening.
Sanctuary
Author:
Ken Bruen
Stars: 3
Review by: BigDa
A story of mayhem told through an alcoholic haze.
Stars: 3
Review by: BigDa
A story of mayhem told through an alcoholic haze.
The Prime Minister's Secret Agent
Author:
Susan Elia MacNeal
Stars: 5
Review by: BookWorm2
A thoroughly enjoyable read that is labelled as a mystery, but is more straight fiction. I highly recommend this as a light summer read.
Stars: 5
Review by: BookWorm2
A thoroughly enjoyable read that is labelled as a mystery, but is more straight fiction. I highly recommend this as a light summer read.
People I Want to Punch in the Throat: Competitive Crafters, Drop-Off Despots, and other Suburban Scourges
Author:
Jen Mann
Stars: 3
Review by: queenbee
Stars: 3
Review by: queenbee
Pretty funny. Never heard of this author and was pleasantly surprised how funny the book was. Nice, easy, perfect summer read.
The Deep Blue Good-by
Author:
John D. MacDonald
Stars: 3
Review by: BigDa
Travis McGee and his good guy/bad guy routine.
Stars: 3
Review by: BigDa
Travis McGee and his good guy/bad guy routine.
Inferno: The World at War, 1939-1945
Author:
Max Hastings
Stars: 5
Review by: Doug Logg
Very good book about the world at war, with plenty of excerpts from letters home, and letters from home. Giving you a sense that you are there. Very enjoyable read from a different view point giving you a sense of what it was like during that time.
Stars: 5
Review by: Doug Logg
Very good book about the world at war, with plenty of excerpts from letters home, and letters from home. Giving you a sense that you are there. Very enjoyable read from a different view point giving you a sense of what it was like during that time.
The Forgotten Soldier
Author:
Guy Sajer
Stars: 5
Review by: Doug Logg
A soldier's story about a forgotten part of the war, the eastern front. The author is from Alsace, his mother is German and his father French. After the Germans invade France the author is conscripted into the German army at the age of sixteen. This is his story about three tours of duty to the eastern front. His first deployment is with the convoys providing supplies to front line troops. His second deployment is as an infantry man on the front line. His last deployment is mostly a retreat and escape from the Russian's. Making it to the west to surrender to the British. Good read, it puts you in the author's place in the brutal winters on the eastern front.
Stars: 5
Review by: Doug Logg
A soldier's story about a forgotten part of the war, the eastern front. The author is from Alsace, his mother is German and his father French. After the Germans invade France the author is conscripted into the German army at the age of sixteen. This is his story about three tours of duty to the eastern front. His first deployment is with the convoys providing supplies to front line troops. His second deployment is as an infantry man on the front line. His last deployment is mostly a retreat and escape from the Russian's. Making it to the west to surrender to the British. Good read, it puts you in the author's place in the brutal winters on the eastern front.
The New Sugar Busters!: Cut Sugar to Trim Fat
Author:
H.L. Steward et. al.
Stars: 5
Review by: Doug Logg
Pretty much what the title says, cut sugar, trim fat. The book explains how much more refined sugar we eat today, which is magnitudes more than our ancestors. The authors explain what happens to our body with all of that sugar. They explain that those insulin spikes store that extra sugar as fat. Highly recommended.
Stars: 5
Review by: Doug Logg
Pretty much what the title says, cut sugar, trim fat. The book explains how much more refined sugar we eat today, which is magnitudes more than our ancestors. The authors explain what happens to our body with all of that sugar. They explain that those insulin spikes store that extra sugar as fat. Highly recommended.
The Flight of the Century: Charles Lindbergh and the Rise of American Aviation
Author:
Thomas Kessner
Stars: 5
Review by: Doug Logg
Another story about Lindbergh and his pioneering solo flight from NYC to Paris. Much additional information on what his flight meant to American aviation, and Lindgergh's close ties to major industrialist and aviation investors.
Stars: 5
Review by: Doug Logg
Another story about Lindbergh and his pioneering solo flight from NYC to Paris. Much additional information on what his flight meant to American aviation, and Lindgergh's close ties to major industrialist and aviation investors.
I am Malala
Author:
Malala Yousafzai
Stars: 5
Review by: Doug Logg
What an amazing young lady, wise beyond her years. Also, the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner. This is her story and how one person can make a difference. She is an advocate for education to make the world a better place for all.
Stars: 5
Review by: Doug Logg
What an amazing young lady, wise beyond her years. Also, the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner. This is her story and how one person can make a difference. She is an advocate for education to make the world a better place for all.
Beyond the Call: The True Story of One WWII Pilot's Covert Mission to Rescue POWs
Author:
Lee Trimble
Stars: 5
Review by: Doug Logg
Very good book about POW rescues from the Eastern Front. The author's father was a WW2 bomber pilot. And after 35 combat missions over Germany was sent on a special mission to the Eastern Front. The Russian's thought he was there just to recover disabled American aircraft. What they didn't know was that was only his cover. His real assignment was to recover American & British POWs that had been freed from Nazi POW camps. Was good story about a part of the war I had never heard about.
Stars: 5
Review by: Doug Logg
Very good book about POW rescues from the Eastern Front. The author's father was a WW2 bomber pilot. And after 35 combat missions over Germany was sent on a special mission to the Eastern Front. The Russian's thought he was there just to recover disabled American aircraft. What they didn't know was that was only his cover. His real assignment was to recover American & British POWs that had been freed from Nazi POW camps. Was good story about a part of the war I had never heard about.
The Perfect Witness
Author:
Iris Johansen
Stars: 4
Review by: farmette
Another author I have read before.. Iris writes a lot about a main character named Eve.. have read a number of them.. this is the first book I have read with another main character...still somewhat paranormal. Teresa can read other people's minds.. her father was a mafia type, and used her to further his mob agenda...as quite often happens to mob types, he got whacked.. the take over mob guy took over Teresa's mother, and tried to take over Teresa. She fought back and tried to run away.. a Searcher saved her, and got inside her mind to show her how to control her thoughts. I know...a Searcher..??..anyway he saved her..they had fantastic sex, fell in love and she helped him catch a very, very bad guy, and kill the guy who whacked her father...this whole thing took almost 10 years.. unusual for this genre of writing... a good read..
Stars: 4
Review by: farmette
Another author I have read before.. Iris writes a lot about a main character named Eve.. have read a number of them.. this is the first book I have read with another main character...still somewhat paranormal. Teresa can read other people's minds.. her father was a mafia type, and used her to further his mob agenda...as quite often happens to mob types, he got whacked.. the take over mob guy took over Teresa's mother, and tried to take over Teresa. She fought back and tried to run away.. a Searcher saved her, and got inside her mind to show her how to control her thoughts. I know...a Searcher..??..anyway he saved her..they had fantastic sex, fell in love and she helped him catch a very, very bad guy, and kill the guy who whacked her father...this whole thing took almost 10 years.. unusual for this genre of writing... a good read..
All the Light You Cannot See
Author:
Anthony Doerr
Stars: 4
Review by: queenbee
I read a lot of books about Ireland, (and listen to them on tape because I enjoy the Irish accent) and partly because my mother was Irish. My father was German and though he was born in America and never visited Germany this book made me think about him and how I really don't know that much about his ancestors and how they came to live here. I don't travel, but fortunately, my love of reading lets me think, or dream about places I would like, or sometimes not like to visit. Living in Europe during the war must have been a very sad time. Books like this make me grateful for all the blessings in our country, enjoying freedom and living in a prosperous country, not going to bed hungry or in fear. I owned this book since December and I was saving it to read when I could devote my time to savoring it because of all the good reviews. I enjoyed the book and the writing, but sometimes a book comes with an expectation that it should be great. This was good, but not the best of the year as some have said. But do read it, it matters.
Stars: 4
Review by: queenbee
I read a lot of books about Ireland, (and listen to them on tape because I enjoy the Irish accent) and partly because my mother was Irish. My father was German and though he was born in America and never visited Germany this book made me think about him and how I really don't know that much about his ancestors and how they came to live here. I don't travel, but fortunately, my love of reading lets me think, or dream about places I would like, or sometimes not like to visit. Living in Europe during the war must have been a very sad time. Books like this make me grateful for all the blessings in our country, enjoying freedom and living in a prosperous country, not going to bed hungry or in fear. I owned this book since December and I was saving it to read when I could devote my time to savoring it because of all the good reviews. I enjoyed the book and the writing, but sometimes a book comes with an expectation that it should be great. This was good, but not the best of the year as some have said. But do read it, it matters.
Purgatory
Author:
Ken Bruen
Stars: 3
Review by: BigDa
Take out the vulgar words and the book would be half as long.
Stars: 3
Review by: BigDa
Take out the vulgar words and the book would be half as long.
What Would You Do?
Author:
John Quinones
Stars: 3
Review by: Barb
I watch the show, then saw John Quinones at the Clinton Book Shop, so I read the book. The book duplicates much of what John Quinones spoke about last week. It was interesting in telling about his life and some of the background to the show and its scenarios. A quick and easy read that I completed in one day on the beach.
Stars: 3
Review by: Barb
I watch the show, then saw John Quinones at the Clinton Book Shop, so I read the book. The book duplicates much of what John Quinones spoke about last week. It was interesting in telling about his life and some of the background to the show and its scenarios. A quick and easy read that I completed in one day on the beach.
Protector
Author:
Diana Palmer
Stars: 3
Review by: Saraswati
This is another book in the Palmer tradition, a strong man needs the love and care of a woman and they fall in love. Just a nice, easy summer read.
Stars: 3
Review by: Saraswati
This is another book in the Palmer tradition, a strong man needs the love and care of a woman and they fall in love. Just a nice, easy summer read.
Lucky Stiff: A Mattie Winston Mystery
Author:
Annelise Ryan
Stars: 2.5
Review by: Saraswati
This is the next to last book in this series. Mattie is just getting her life back, post divorce. She is now part of the Medical Examiner's team and working closely with the hunky Hurley. While she and Hurley are trying to solve some murder mysteries they are fighting their attraction to each other. Mattie makes a big decision on the next step of her life and...you need to read to find out.
Stars: 2.5
Review by: Saraswati
This is the next to last book in this series. Mattie is just getting her life back, post divorce. She is now part of the Medical Examiner's team and working closely with the hunky Hurley. While she and Hurley are trying to solve some murder mysteries they are fighting their attraction to each other. Mattie makes a big decision on the next step of her life and...you need to read to find out.
A Killing Notion: A Magical Dressmaking Mystery
Author: Melissa Bourbon
Stars: 3
Review by: Saraswati
This is the 5th book in this series about our Dressmaker with a little extra. The story revolves around a Texas style homecoming and the Mum traditions. This story reminded me of growing up when Homecoming had a parade with floats and Seniors got mum corsages. The mums of old have nothing on the mums of today. I look them up and was amazed. Anyway, while making mums there is a murder and another attempted murder that Harlow needs to help investigate in the typical cozy style. There are a few twists and turns to make it a little different. Enjoy this summer read.
Stars: 3
Review by: Saraswati
This is the 5th book in this series about our Dressmaker with a little extra. The story revolves around a Texas style homecoming and the Mum traditions. This story reminded me of growing up when Homecoming had a parade with floats and Seniors got mum corsages. The mums of old have nothing on the mums of today. I look them up and was amazed. Anyway, while making mums there is a murder and another attempted murder that Harlow needs to help investigate in the typical cozy style. There are a few twists and turns to make it a little different. Enjoy this summer read.
Lemon Pies & Little White Lies: A Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery
Author:
Ellery Adams
Stars: 2.5
Review by: Saraswati
This is the latest book in this series. However, I found out I missed the one just before this. In any case, this series is about a family related to the LeFayes from before King Arthur's time and the curse they carry. What sacrifices does a Pie Baker need to make to break the curse and triumph over evil? Read and find out. Also, there are nice pie recipes that come with this book.
Stars: 2.5
Review by: Saraswati
This is the latest book in this series. However, I found out I missed the one just before this. In any case, this series is about a family related to the LeFayes from before King Arthur's time and the curse they carry. What sacrifices does a Pie Baker need to make to break the curse and triumph over evil? Read and find out. Also, there are nice pie recipes that come with this book.
King's Oak
Author:
Anne River Siddons
Stars: 3
Review by: Barb
Not my favorite of the Anne River Siddons' books I've read. I found it a bit "outside the box".
Stars: 3
Review by: Barb
Not my favorite of the Anne River Siddons' books I've read. I found it a bit "outside the box".
Summer
Author:
Edith Wharton
Stars: 2
Review by: Barb
I listened to this book, which made it a bit confusing. I think it a better book to read than to listen to. It was originally published in 1917 and is a coming of age story of the eighteen year old protagonist.
Stars: 2
Review by: Barb
I listened to this book, which made it a bit confusing. I think it a better book to read than to listen to. It was originally published in 1917 and is a coming of age story of the eighteen year old protagonist.
Bastards
Author:
Mary Anna King
Stars: 4
Review by: line82
Great story of self-discovery, resilience & love.
Stars: 4
Review by: line82
Great story of self-discovery, resilience & love.
The English Spy
Author:
Daniel Silva
Stars: 3
Review by: SummerShandy
Think this might be one of Daniel Silva's best stories. Lots of mayhem!
Stars: 3
Review by: SummerShandy
Think this might be one of Daniel Silva's best stories. Lots of mayhem!
The Serpent Garden
Author:
Judith Merkle Riley
Stars: 4
Review by: Chris L.
Humorous and enjoyable historical fiction about a woman painter of miniatures during the reign of Henry VIII & Louis XII of France.
Stars: 4
Review by: Chris L.
Humorous and enjoyable historical fiction about a woman painter of miniatures during the reign of Henry VIII & Louis XII of France.
Breaking the Rules
Author:
Suzanne Brockmann
Stars: 4.5
Review by: farmette
More of SB...this is book 16..continues more on relationships.. nobody has been to a country that ends in 'stan in quite some time. This book is about Alyssa and Sam..Izzy and Eden...quite a bit on dysfunctional families, and Al-Anon's 12 steps. A bad guy that held young girls prisoners as sex slaves was in the picture..in case you wondered... they caught him..several of the good guys were captured and help prisoner. A lot of good guys get captured in SB books and they ALL are women. While she is ahead of the PC curve on gay heroes, safe sex, and NO casual sex, and she does present several tough and competent female leaders, she seems to feel females get captured more than males. This may or may not be the last book..in an author's note in book 15 she reports book 16 as the end of the TSI series.. there did not seem to be significant closure on many issues, and her website includes books 17 and 18..I will look at them next..
Stars: 4.5
Review by: farmette
More of SB...this is book 16..continues more on relationships.. nobody has been to a country that ends in 'stan in quite some time. This book is about Alyssa and Sam..Izzy and Eden...quite a bit on dysfunctional families, and Al-Anon's 12 steps. A bad guy that held young girls prisoners as sex slaves was in the picture..in case you wondered... they caught him..several of the good guys were captured and help prisoner. A lot of good guys get captured in SB books and they ALL are women. While she is ahead of the PC curve on gay heroes, safe sex, and NO casual sex, and she does present several tough and competent female leaders, she seems to feel females get captured more than males. This may or may not be the last book..in an author's note in book 15 she reports book 16 as the end of the TSI series.. there did not seem to be significant closure on many issues, and her website includes books 17 and 18..I will look at them next..
Thursday, August 6, 2015
November of the Heart
Author:
LaVyrle Spencer
Stars: 5
Review by: Sallys cats
This is a book at the turn of the century, where two young people meet - one very wealthy and one a dreamer! The descriptions of that time period were very nice!
Stars: 5
Review by: Sallys cats
This is a book at the turn of the century, where two young people meet - one very wealthy and one a dreamer! The descriptions of that time period were very nice!
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Morning Comes Softly
Author:
Debbie Macomber
Stars: 3
Review by: Patti K
An easy, summer read ~ didn't blow me away, but didn't disappoint either.
Stars: 3
Review by: Patti K
An easy, summer read ~ didn't blow me away, but didn't disappoint either.
Six Ways to Keep the Little in Your Girl
Author: Dannah Gresh
Stars: 5
Review by: LZ99
Great book for parents of girls. A fair amount of overlapping content with Six Ways to Keep the Good in Your Boy, from the same author...much of what we'd want to instill in our young ones' character is not gender specific. Still, a worthwhile read, even if you've read the boy one! Plenty of practical tips and great ideas for moms and daughters.
Stars: 5
Review by: LZ99
Great book for parents of girls. A fair amount of overlapping content with Six Ways to Keep the Good in Your Boy, from the same author...much of what we'd want to instill in our young ones' character is not gender specific. Still, a worthwhile read, even if you've read the boy one! Plenty of practical tips and great ideas for moms and daughters.
Six Ways to Keep the Good in Your Boy
Author:
Dannah Gresh
Stars: 5
Review by: LZ99
Powerful book for parents of boys--thoughts about what they'll encounter, what we want to instill in them, and some practical ways to make that happen.
Stars: 5
Review by: LZ99
Powerful book for parents of boys--thoughts about what they'll encounter, what we want to instill in them, and some practical ways to make that happen.
The One Year Mother-Daughter Devo
Author:
Dannah Gresh & Janet Mylin
Stars: 4
Review by: LZ99
Really enjoying working through this 365 day devotional with my daughter. Enough scripture to be some real food for thought, enough fun and stories to keep little ones interested and engaged. Also offers some tips for moms about how to follow up and continue the conversation.
Stars: 4
Review by: LZ99
Really enjoying working through this 365 day devotional with my daughter. Enough scripture to be some real food for thought, enough fun and stories to keep little ones interested and engaged. Also offers some tips for moms about how to follow up and continue the conversation.
Dying For a Cupcake
Author:
Denise Swanson
Stars: 3
Review by: LZ99
Fun read. Part of a series, but nothing that you'd have to have read before to pick up what's going on in this installment.
Stars: 3
Review by: LZ99
Fun read. Part of a series, but nothing that you'd have to have read before to pick up what's going on in this installment.
The Reluctant Midwife
Author:
Patricia Harman
Stars: 5
Review by: Ada
WOW**** Best book I have read this summer. Takes place during the Great Depression. Could not put it down.
Stars: 5
Review by: Ada
WOW**** Best book I have read this summer. Takes place during the Great Depression. Could not put it down.
The Dorito Effect: The Surprising New Truth about Food and Flavor
Author:
Mark Schatzker
Stars: 5
Review by: libraryaimee
This is seriously the greatest book about food and nutrition I have ever read! If you are curious about the rising rates of obesity read this book! The author discusses how our food has been getting blander as agriculture produces more efficiently...and how we have overcompensated for the blandness...to our detriment. So fascinating! It is heavy on science and research, but is a page-turner. I couldn't put it down and I can't stop talking about it!
Stars: 5
Review by: libraryaimee
This is seriously the greatest book about food and nutrition I have ever read! If you are curious about the rising rates of obesity read this book! The author discusses how our food has been getting blander as agriculture produces more efficiently...and how we have overcompensated for the blandness...to our detriment. So fascinating! It is heavy on science and research, but is a page-turner. I couldn't put it down and I can't stop talking about it!
Hot Pursuit
Author:
Suzanne Brockmann
Stars: 4.5
Review by: farmette
Back to S. Brockmann...near the end of the troubleshooter series.. this is book 15...we are in NYC to provide protection and self defense training to a NY Assembly woman.. getting confused as to who is working as a Seal, who is FBI and who is working for TSI. The SEAL people moonlight for TSI..in NY we find the Dentist, a serial killer from several books ago now after Alyssa. Dan Gilman does find a new person to have the best sex ever with, and become a real couple..they do not get married yet, but they clearly will. Alyssa and Dan's GF are captured by the Dentist, but Sam rescues them by using C4 to blow up a wall in a hidden room.. take that.. another Seal guy is shot seriously, and is in a west coast hospital.. He recovers.. they always do...we also have another gay relationship developing with a new FBI guy.. another good read.. continues the increased focus on relationships.
Stars: 4.5
Review by: farmette
Back to S. Brockmann...near the end of the troubleshooter series.. this is book 15...we are in NYC to provide protection and self defense training to a NY Assembly woman.. getting confused as to who is working as a Seal, who is FBI and who is working for TSI. The SEAL people moonlight for TSI..in NY we find the Dentist, a serial killer from several books ago now after Alyssa. Dan Gilman does find a new person to have the best sex ever with, and become a real couple..they do not get married yet, but they clearly will. Alyssa and Dan's GF are captured by the Dentist, but Sam rescues them by using C4 to blow up a wall in a hidden room.. take that.. another Seal guy is shot seriously, and is in a west coast hospital.. He recovers.. they always do...we also have another gay relationship developing with a new FBI guy.. another good read.. continues the increased focus on relationships.
Vigilante
Author:
Stephen J. Cannell
Stars: 3
Review by: BigDa
Captivating writing, but implausible story line.
Stars: 3
Review by: BigDa
Captivating writing, but implausible story line.
All the Light We Cannot See
Author:
Anthony Doerr
Stars: 5
Review by: Miss Lucy
Absolutely beautiful book, despite the horrors of WW II it depicts. Doerr's characters become real and take up residence in your heart. Rich with metaphor, it is one of only a handful of books I would consider reading again. Really short chapters help too!
Stars: 5
Review by: Miss Lucy
Absolutely beautiful book, despite the horrors of WW II it depicts. Doerr's characters become real and take up residence in your heart. Rich with metaphor, it is one of only a handful of books I would consider reading again. Really short chapters help too!
Destination Murder
Author:
Jessica Fletcher & Donald Bain
Stars: 3
Review by: jamBob
Interesting background story of Canadian Passenger trains to scenic destinations and model train setups, but plot plodded on and dragged on action.
Stars: 3
Review by: jamBob
Interesting background story of Canadian Passenger trains to scenic destinations and model train setups, but plot plodded on and dragged on action.
The Proposal at Siesta Key
Author:
Shelley Shepard Gray
Stars: 5
Review by: summerfun
One of my favorites from Shelley Shepard Gray. An uplifting book and a great summer read!
Stars: 5
Review by: summerfun
One of my favorites from Shelley Shepard Gray. An uplifting book and a great summer read!
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Just Jennifer
Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter (William Morrow)
In this stand-alone thriller, Karin Slaughter takes all of
the usual tropes of psychological thrillers and ratchets them up to
unimaginable heights with the story of two sisters estranged by an event that
destroyed their family and reunited by unthinkable evil that changes
everything. Claire appears to live the
perfect life: her husband adores her, they are financial well-off and she
enjoys herself. Just below the façade,
however, there are cracks and fissures from her past from which she has not
broken entirely free. In a dark alley
one night, Claire’s life changes forever when her husband is murdered. Before Claire has a moment to grieve, a chain
of events is set in motion that lead Claire on a trip down the rabbit hole
where she finds a most unexpected ally but one who had been there all along if
she had just asked.
Lydia has had to fight and struggle with and for everything
most of her adult life. She is off drugs
but still carries a little extra weight; her daughter Dee is a typical teenager
and she is in a relationship with a man to whom she cannot quite commit, but
who is patient with and supportive of her.
When her past slams her in the face, she must make a decision, one that
could cost her everything or one that might have unexpected positive
results. An edge of your seat thriller,
Karin Slaughter pulls you into places you don’t want to do and never waned to
be but can’t help yourself. Though
graphic and disturbing, these characters will get under your skin and from whom
you will not be able to look away. Just
when you think you’ve got all the answers, there is one more unexpected twist. It doesn’t get much better than this.
Just Jennifer
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
(Riverhead, September 2015)
This book is like talking with your wisest friend: intimate
and conspiratorial, genuine and friendly, often self-deprecating, but never
arrogant. Gilbert offers advice on being open to living a more creative life,
be it in the arts, sciences or sports (she focuses mainly on writing) without
fears holding you back. Gilbert
discusses her own creative process and her belief that inspiration and ideas
are in the air for the taking, but that if we do not care for them and nurture
them they will leave us and find someone who will. Gilbert approaches her writing as something
that she needs to care for and to nurture and something she hopes, in return,
will care for her. Above all, Gilbert’s
tone makes you want to believe that you can do it, whatever it is: return to a
long overlooked, but dearly loved hobby from an earlier time, write your novel
or just be more open to new ideas. There
is something for everyone in these pages.