Author:
Elizabeth Kostova
Stars:
2
Review by: Pam
Renowed artist Robert Oliver, who has faced mental issues in his
past, tries to stab a painting at the National Gallery. He is taken to a
psychiatric hospital where Andrew Marlow becomes his psychiatrist.
Robert refuses to speak or aid Marlow in his recovery or treatment.
Marlow then has to uncover, on his own, the reasons for Robert's
actions.
The book is perfect for art lovers. There is a tremendous amount of
detailed information about art history, how to paint and painting
techniques. There is a secondary love story told through old letters
that runs throughout the story which you don't understand how it fits
in.
The book is 599 pages. Everything is solved, explained and wrapped up
in the last 20 pages - some of which has nothing to do with what you
read in the prior 579 pages.
Good story. Too long.
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail
Author:
Cheryl Strayed
Stars: 3
Review by: Mitchie L
I thought many parts of this book were moving and interesting. Strayed shared many parts of herself and her life that were brutally honest. She is brave for that and very brave for hiking the Pacific Coast Trail. However, there were times that I found this book a little monotonous and I could not wait until I finished it...But I am glad I did.
Stars: 3
Review by: Mitchie L
I thought many parts of this book were moving and interesting. Strayed shared many parts of herself and her life that were brutally honest. She is brave for that and very brave for hiking the Pacific Coast Trail. However, there were times that I found this book a little monotonous and I could not wait until I finished it...But I am glad I did.
The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win Word War II
Author:
Denis Kiernan
Stars: 4
Review by: Smudge
In 1942, as part of the Manhattan Project, the government created the city of Oak Ridge in Tennessee. This is the story of Oak Ridge and the stories of some of the women that worked there.
Stars: 4
Review by: Smudge
In 1942, as part of the Manhattan Project, the government created the city of Oak Ridge in Tennessee. This is the story of Oak Ridge and the stories of some of the women that worked there.
Touchstone
Author:
Laurie R. King
Stars: 4
Review by: Chris L.
Intriguing Post WWI novel follows an American FBI agent to England in pursuit of a terrorist bomber. Good read especially leading to the heart pounding conclusion.
Stars: 4
Review by: Chris L.
Intriguing Post WWI novel follows an American FBI agent to England in pursuit of a terrorist bomber. Good read especially leading to the heart pounding conclusion.
Fall of Giants
Author:
Ken Follet
Stars: 5
Review by: Barb
Epic first book in the Century Trilogy. This was a very good, long read, with great character development. Many characters, but I could keep track of them in my mind. The story takes place in the years leading up to and during World War I and follows several families and their connection to one another. A great read and I most certainly will follow up with the next two.
Stars: 5
Review by: Barb
Epic first book in the Century Trilogy. This was a very good, long read, with great character development. Many characters, but I could keep track of them in my mind. The story takes place in the years leading up to and during World War I and follows several families and their connection to one another. A great read and I most certainly will follow up with the next two.
Let Me Be Frank With You
Author:
Richard Ford
Stars: 4
Review by: Barb
I really enjoyed listening to this book that reflects on life after Superstorm Sandy from the eyes of protagonist Frank Bascombe.
Stars: 4
Review by: Barb
I really enjoyed listening to this book that reflects on life after Superstorm Sandy from the eyes of protagonist Frank Bascombe.
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Just Jennifer
The Story of the Land and Sea by Katy Simpson Smith
Much has been written about the Mid-Atlantic and New England
states during the time after the American Revolution and much has been written
about the American South during the period, Reconstruction, after the Civil
War, but less has been written about the American South during the years
following the American Revolution. In the
small coastal North Carolina town Beaufort, ten-year-old Tabitha already has the
sea and the responsibility of her family’s land in her blood. Her mother Helen
died when Tabitha was born and she was raised, as was her mother before her, by
her widowed father who stopped sailing after the death of his wife to raise his
daughter and to run the plantation Asa had raised his daughter Helen to
run. John, Tabitha’s father, of whom Asa
never approved, wants to do what is right by his daughter; when she is stricken
by a fever, his heart tells him the sea will cure her and make her well
again. When it doesn’t, he returns to
bury his daughter next to her mother and the story turns back in time to when
Helen meets John before he leaves to fight in the war, returning to her after
escaping from an enemy ship. A third
woman’s sorrows, those of Helen’s slave Moll, are echoed as she watches her
only son Davy head west to the frontier with John, taking from her the second
thing she loved. With gorgeous prose and
beautiful language, Smith, paints a portrait of a new America with all its hope
and despair, using this family where the daughters were brought up to be strong
and capable, but who were never given the chance, foreshadowing the greater
horror and devastation that will befall the South almost one hundred years
hence.
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Legacy from the Past: A Portfolio of 88 Original Williamsburg Buildings
Author:
The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Stars: 3
Review by: MandyApgar
Nice, but with little meat. I am guessing that this is an older version of their current tour book. Beginning with a brief history of the town's rehabilitation under Rockefeller and its general history, it soon gets into the architecture of Williamsburg itself, a town that I adore insanely. Many of the usual engravings are shown here, with a few lesser known prints as well, as complements to current photos of standing structures dating from the period of the town's founding. A functional history of the building is given alongside that as well.
Stars: 3
Review by: MandyApgar
Nice, but with little meat. I am guessing that this is an older version of their current tour book. Beginning with a brief history of the town's rehabilitation under Rockefeller and its general history, it soon gets into the architecture of Williamsburg itself, a town that I adore insanely. Many of the usual engravings are shown here, with a few lesser known prints as well, as complements to current photos of standing structures dating from the period of the town's founding. A functional history of the building is given alongside that as well.
Dave Barry's Only Travel Guide You'll Ever Need
Author:
Dave Barry
Stars: 1
Review by: MandyApgar
What ever made me read this I have no idea. The book consists of various sections, all consisting of rehashed political and ethnic stereotypes that get very, very tiring. Calling the French cowards stopped being original decades ago, and it wasn't funny then either. Also including a section on the US, with entries on the different states, it covers both international and domestic worries. More of the same there as well. A much older book of the author's and for certain not his best - I still like "gift guide to end all gift guides" the most.
Stars: 1
Review by: MandyApgar
What ever made me read this I have no idea. The book consists of various sections, all consisting of rehashed political and ethnic stereotypes that get very, very tiring. Calling the French cowards stopped being original decades ago, and it wasn't funny then either. Also including a section on the US, with entries on the different states, it covers both international and domestic worries. More of the same there as well. A much older book of the author's and for certain not his best - I still like "gift guide to end all gift guides" the most.
Wuthering Heights
Author:
Emily Bronte
Stars: 4
Review by: Julia W.
Before reading the book, I had high expectations, most of which were fulfilled. The book started off quite oddly, but once the backstory of Wuthering Heights's inhabitants, the beginning clicked into place and the book's pace picked up. I enjoyed the journey the book took you on, flashing between real time and the past. I especially enjoyed the closure provided the end of the book with a flash forward six months later. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone interested in reading an American classic. The only thing that I didn't like about Wuthering Heights was that it was difficult at times to keep straight all the relationships between characters, as in who was whose child vs. nephew vs. great niece, because of all the inbreeding between the three families (Earnshaws, Lintons and Heathcliffs).
Stars: 4
Review by: Julia W.
Before reading the book, I had high expectations, most of which were fulfilled. The book started off quite oddly, but once the backstory of Wuthering Heights's inhabitants, the beginning clicked into place and the book's pace picked up. I enjoyed the journey the book took you on, flashing between real time and the past. I especially enjoyed the closure provided the end of the book with a flash forward six months later. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone interested in reading an American classic. The only thing that I didn't like about Wuthering Heights was that it was difficult at times to keep straight all the relationships between characters, as in who was whose child vs. nephew vs. great niece, because of all the inbreeding between the three families (Earnshaws, Lintons and Heathcliffs).
The Promise of Palm Grove
Author:
Shelley Shepard Gray
Stars: 4
Review by: summerfun
This light-hearted book is a delightful read. A heartwarming story and uplifting book.
Stars: 4
Review by: summerfun
This light-hearted book is a delightful read. A heartwarming story and uplifting book.
FaceOff
Author:
David Baldacci (editor)
Stars: 5
Review by: farmette
who knew.???..the International Thriller Writers, or ITW... a group of writers in the thriller genre that was formed in 2004..now over 2,500 members holding an annual thriller fest in July...rather than charge dues, they put out books with all the proceeds going to the ITW.. this is the 8th in the series. You can bet I am going after the other 7...be still my heart. In this book we have 22 authors and therefore 22 characters.. double WOW.. in 11 stories we have each of their characters 'facing off' with another character. We have Reacher, Davenport, Bosch, D.D. Warren and Alexandra Cooper among 17 others..!! A wonderful read.. might quibble with the title...the characters are working together to solve a crime, or catch a bad guy, or in one case exact well justified revenge.. 'strange bedfellows' would be a better title...a must read for thriller types.
Stars: 5
Review by: farmette
who knew.???..the International Thriller Writers, or ITW... a group of writers in the thriller genre that was formed in 2004..now over 2,500 members holding an annual thriller fest in July...rather than charge dues, they put out books with all the proceeds going to the ITW.. this is the 8th in the series. You can bet I am going after the other 7...be still my heart. In this book we have 22 authors and therefore 22 characters.. double WOW.. in 11 stories we have each of their characters 'facing off' with another character. We have Reacher, Davenport, Bosch, D.D. Warren and Alexandra Cooper among 17 others..!! A wonderful read.. might quibble with the title...the characters are working together to solve a crime, or catch a bad guy, or in one case exact well justified revenge.. 'strange bedfellows' would be a better title...a must read for thriller types.
A Curious History of Food and Drink
Author:
Ian Crofton
Stars: 5
Review by: MandyApgar
Was very well surprised by this. The title lent me to think that it was some sort of culinary history, but technically it was not. A Ripley's catalog of the odd and unusual of edibles and epicures arranged by time order, it was quite well balanced (in terms of food type and area) with a mix of old and new tales. Some of which were rather funny in their own way, especially the Greco-Roman period. Usual stories, like the invention of the ice cream cone, are given, in addition to the obscure.
Stars: 5
Review by: MandyApgar
Was very well surprised by this. The title lent me to think that it was some sort of culinary history, but technically it was not. A Ripley's catalog of the odd and unusual of edibles and epicures arranged by time order, it was quite well balanced (in terms of food type and area) with a mix of old and new tales. Some of which were rather funny in their own way, especially the Greco-Roman period. Usual stories, like the invention of the ice cream cone, are given, in addition to the obscure.
Bunnicula: a Rabbit Tale of Mystery
Author:
Deborah & James Howe
Stars: 5
Review by: MandyApgar
Another old favorite of mine. The first of a semi-ongoing series for juniors, it sets up our basic premise - that cute, cuddly Bunnicula is really a vampire. At least that is what Chester the cat swears by. After he and his canine buddy Harold's family come home from a trip to an area spooky oldie double feature having found a shivering rabbit in a show box with "take care of my baby" written in an obscure Transylvanian dialect, mysterious things begin happening. Vegetables drained of their color. The rabbit vanishing from his cage without a trace. Chester, an avid reader of horror novels, concludes a vampire stalks them. Harold, from whose viewpoint our story is told, does not quite believe him - at first. As Chester gets to be more erratic, he eventually gains Harold's grudging approval and the two team to see if the seemingly sweet bunny is friend or enemy.
Stars: 5
Review by: MandyApgar
Another old favorite of mine. The first of a semi-ongoing series for juniors, it sets up our basic premise - that cute, cuddly Bunnicula is really a vampire. At least that is what Chester the cat swears by. After he and his canine buddy Harold's family come home from a trip to an area spooky oldie double feature having found a shivering rabbit in a show box with "take care of my baby" written in an obscure Transylvanian dialect, mysterious things begin happening. Vegetables drained of their color. The rabbit vanishing from his cage without a trace. Chester, an avid reader of horror novels, concludes a vampire stalks them. Harold, from whose viewpoint our story is told, does not quite believe him - at first. As Chester gets to be more erratic, he eventually gains Harold's grudging approval and the two team to see if the seemingly sweet bunny is friend or enemy.
Mythological Creatures: A Pictorial Dictionary
Author:
Paulita Sedgewick
Stars: 5
Review by: MandyApgar
Cute, compact and utterly charming. One of my favorites 30 years ago and it still is. A rather old title, it is a dictionary of folkloric creatures culled from various faiths and backgrounds. Sort of like a medieval bestiary. Acephali to zombie pretty much with all sorts of others in between - but with a nice balance, not too much say Greco Roman in favor of another background. Illustrations are not always the best, but are a good, basic pen and ink and fit the text quite well. Kudos to the public library of Wichita, from where this was discarded many years ago before I acquired it.
Stars: 5
Review by: MandyApgar
Cute, compact and utterly charming. One of my favorites 30 years ago and it still is. A rather old title, it is a dictionary of folkloric creatures culled from various faiths and backgrounds. Sort of like a medieval bestiary. Acephali to zombie pretty much with all sorts of others in between - but with a nice balance, not too much say Greco Roman in favor of another background. Illustrations are not always the best, but are a good, basic pen and ink and fit the text quite well. Kudos to the public library of Wichita, from where this was discarded many years ago before I acquired it.
This Book is Overdue! How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All
Author:
Marilyn Johnson
Stars: 3
Review by: MandyApgar
I am giving this a 3 as, although I would like to rate it lower, it is noble in principle. A defense of our blessed librarians, (get it now? "overdue?" yes, that's the extent of humor here) especially a defense of their importance in today's digital age. The author is very sincere and has an excellent approach, but her point falls a bit wide. Many positions are fraught with internal conflict from outside technology, just not that of librarian. Lots of people are in danger of losing jobs to being considered irrelevant, and so some of her points fall a bit wide. I thought it quite odd too that a lot of her recommended blogs and websites were defunct even before the book was printed - kind of ironic granted her stance on having to change with the science. Showing that librarians are information professionals, computer scientists, is a novel way to approach things, but she just doesn't hit it right. Too many stereotypes harped on time and again, goes out of her way to find "renegade" members to bolster a certain claim, and just plain dull sometimes.
Stars: 3
Review by: MandyApgar
I am giving this a 3 as, although I would like to rate it lower, it is noble in principle. A defense of our blessed librarians, (get it now? "overdue?" yes, that's the extent of humor here) especially a defense of their importance in today's digital age. The author is very sincere and has an excellent approach, but her point falls a bit wide. Many positions are fraught with internal conflict from outside technology, just not that of librarian. Lots of people are in danger of losing jobs to being considered irrelevant, and so some of her points fall a bit wide. I thought it quite odd too that a lot of her recommended blogs and websites were defunct even before the book was printed - kind of ironic granted her stance on having to change with the science. Showing that librarians are information professionals, computer scientists, is a novel way to approach things, but she just doesn't hit it right. Too many stereotypes harped on time and again, goes out of her way to find "renegade" members to bolster a certain claim, and just plain dull sometimes.
Never Die Alone
Author:
Lisa Jackson
Stars: 3.5
Review by: farmette
I went back to an earlier author...have been reading favorite authors back to their first books for over a year now...one of these is Lisa Jackson...she has written several different series of characters. I have read 3 of them.. I think..one of them is Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya, 2 detectives in New Orleans. In Never Die Alone we have a new case that is populated by twins...the bad guy turns out to be a twin to one of the good guys.. a twin he did not knew existed. I did not enjoy this as much as earlier books...it was confusing with all the twins, or it might be I have been away from the characters for a time.. the series might be coming to some sort of turning point. Rick and Reuben are now married with kids...Rick is getting pressure from his wife to retire...she is concerned with his safety.. yet...a killer they thought they had killed has resurfaced. I can't imagine Rick retiring before that bad guy is caught.. again. This book is Lisa's 2015 book, so we shall see...
Stars: 3.5
Review by: farmette
I went back to an earlier author...have been reading favorite authors back to their first books for over a year now...one of these is Lisa Jackson...she has written several different series of characters. I have read 3 of them.. I think..one of them is Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya, 2 detectives in New Orleans. In Never Die Alone we have a new case that is populated by twins...the bad guy turns out to be a twin to one of the good guys.. a twin he did not knew existed. I did not enjoy this as much as earlier books...it was confusing with all the twins, or it might be I have been away from the characters for a time.. the series might be coming to some sort of turning point. Rick and Reuben are now married with kids...Rick is getting pressure from his wife to retire...she is concerned with his safety.. yet...a killer they thought they had killed has resurfaced. I can't imagine Rick retiring before that bad guy is caught.. again. This book is Lisa's 2015 book, so we shall see...
All the Light We Cannot See
Author:
Anthony Doerr
Stars: 4.5
Review by: BookDancer
A beautifully written and deeply moving account of a brief encounter between 2 unlikely people, set during World War II. It will stay with you long after you finish reading it; in fact, it begs to be re-read so you can fully savor the riches within.
Stars: 4.5
Review by: BookDancer
A beautifully written and deeply moving account of a brief encounter between 2 unlikely people, set during World War II. It will stay with you long after you finish reading it; in fact, it begs to be re-read so you can fully savor the riches within.
The Camouflaged Heart
Author:
Susie Guckin
Stars: 3
Review by: Bookworm mamma
Local author and music teacher at RFIS. Interesting read.
Stars: 3
Review by: Bookworm mamma
Local author and music teacher at RFIS. Interesting read.
Understanding Islam (audiobook)
Author: Huston Smith
Stars: 3
Review by: ILovemyDaisy
This is a great audio book for anyone interested in learning about the basic history of Islam in 70 minutes.
Stars: 3
Review by: ILovemyDaisy
This is a great audio book for anyone interested in learning about the basic history of Islam in 70 minutes.