Thursday, July 3, 2008

Bones to Ashes

Author: Kathy Reiches
Bugs: 3.5
Review by: Renee Falzarano

Book started out to be a little confusing if one did not have prior knowledge of characters-this author did not go back on the details like her American counterpart Patricia Cornwall. Same genre different countries basically. The book overall kept the reader interested once the characters were sorted out. Trivial fact is that this author also writes for the TV series Bones.

Tourist Season

Author: Carl Hiaasen
Bugs: 4
Review by: Betty R.

Gory murders will keep you amused throughout the book. This is not the Florida of orange juice fame. Or is it?

People of the Book

Author: Geraldine Brooks
Bugs: 4
Review by: Betty R.

Novel about how a valuable illuminated book from the 1400's might have survived to the present. The book is real and can be seen today in Sarajevo. The people who rescued the book through the ages are wonderful inventions of the author's creative mind.

The Whole Truth

Author: David Baldacci
Bugs: 4
Review by: Big Da

World-wide threat of war conceived by a megalomaniac, whom Shaw and Katie James are asked to defeat.

Interred with Their Bones

Author: Jennifer Lee Carrell
Bugs: 3
Review by: Heather A.

Good story - more Shakespeare history than I was interested in.

A Child's Garden

Author: Molly Dannenmaier
Bugs: 5
Review by: Heather A.

Wonderful ideas beyond the swingset & sunflowers.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

The Actress

Author: Elizabeth Sims
Bugs: 4
Review by: book diva

What an unusual way to use an actress and with a terrific ending!

Neverwhere

Author: Neil Gaiman
Bugs: 5
Review by: A. Natalo

A fun, sometimes scary, adventure story with magical creatures and people, Neverwhere is for both adults and kids. I thoroughly enjoyed Neverwhere with its mix of London Above and London Below.

Son of a Witch

Author: Gregory Maguire
Bugs: 4
Review by: Renee Falzarano

This apparently has been around for a while and is a sequel to the original Wicked penned by the same author. My daughter became interested in the play so when I saw the book figured we had to read it - when we found out that there was a sequel, well it made the difference in the closure of the characters. We both cried at the end.

Firefly Lane

Author: Kristin Hannah
Bugs: 5
Review by: BoxerMom

This is a wonderful novel about friendship through the years. There are so many issues that challenge the friendship as the girls grow and mature into women with two very different career/life choices. I enjoyed this book for many reasons. Its references to the seventies and eighties brought back many memories long forgotten. Women's friendships can be very complicated and fragile which this novel depicts so well. It gets a little wordy toward the end, but I really enjoyed this book.

The Secret Life of Bees

Author: Sue Monk Kidd
Bugs: 5
Review by: bookaweek

Compelling, couldn't put it down. Would love to meet these women.

Dream Makers

Author: Nora Roberts
Bugs: 2
Review by: KAD

VERY CORNY.

The Miracle at Speedy Motors

Author: Alexander McCall Smith
Bugs: 5
Review by: Liza D.

Within two or three paragraphs of any of the books in this series, I am in Botswana. This author is amazing in his ability to bring you right into the actual scenes of his stories. I just adore Mma Ramotswe - if I could pick my own auntie, it'd be her. She is such a kind yet determined person. And, of course, I am particularly fond of the fact that she is, proudly, traditionally built! In my opinion, this book has everything good in it that the series has to offer - an interplay between traditional and modern Botswana, the humor of the characters, and the depth of emotion and sense of belonging to the land that runs through the books. The "No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Series" is one of my all-time favorite series. I am always so excited when a new one comes out. I understand that a movie is in the works. I wonder who will play Mma Ramotswe?

Stranger in Paradise

Author: Robert B. Parker
Bugs: 3
Review by: Big Da

Short sentences, short paragraphs, short chapters, pithy dialogue, classic Robert Parker.

Black Rainbow

Author: Barbara Michaels
Bugs: 3
Review by: rebecca-m

A very spooky Gothic Romance filled with evil characters.

A Deadly Yarn

Author: Maggie Sefton
Bugs: 2
Review by: rebecca-m

I did not love this knitting mystery. The setting was nice, but I thought the pacing was plodding. Maybe I was just in a bad mood. My sister said she liked it a lot.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Skinny Dip

Author: Carl Hiaasen
Bugs: 4
Review by: rebecca-m

A very amusing and very well-written book about a man who pushes his wife off of a cruise ship for reasons the reader doesn't know at first. Full of insights and surprises.

Kitchen Confidential

Author: Anthony Bourdain
Bugs: 5
Review by: travelreader

If you like Bourdain's show on Travel Channel, No Reservations, you will love this book. Sarcastic, honest, and funny, Bourdain reveals the inner workings of restaurant kitchens and the food industry.

Bound

Author: Sally Gunning
Bugs: 5
Review by: A. Natalo

A well written story about a run away indentured servant, the book recreates life in a Cape Cod village and some of the events just prior to the American Revolution.

Sail

Author: James Patterson & Howard Roughan
Bugs: 3
Review by: Big Da

Quote from pg.253: The plot "...couldn't get crazier and more random..." Implausible story, but a page-turner, nonetheless.