Author:
Barbara Kingsolver
Stars:
5
Review by:Smudge
Full of information that will help us eat healthier foods while leaving a smaller footprint. I'm a convert!
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Defending Jacob
Author:
William Landay
Stars: 5
Review by: PattiK
Very intense! The book ends and you still have no idea what happened and who did it! Very suspenseful and an excellent read.
Stars: 5
Review by: PattiK
Very intense! The book ends and you still have no idea what happened and who did it! Very suspenseful and an excellent read.
Austenland
Author:
Shannon Hale
Stars: 5
Review by: BookWorm2
A short, delightful read about a woman whose past relationships have all been doomed by her obsession to find her own "Mr. Darcy". This book will be released as a major motion picture in August starring Kerri Russell. I highly recommend this!
Stars: 5
Review by: BookWorm2
A short, delightful read about a woman whose past relationships have all been doomed by her obsession to find her own "Mr. Darcy". This book will be released as a major motion picture in August starring Kerri Russell. I highly recommend this!
The Lies We Told
Author:
Diane Chamberlain
Stars: 4
Review by: ADAR
Oldie, but goodie. I am going to look for more by this author.
Stars: 4
Review by: ADAR
Oldie, but goodie. I am going to look for more by this author.
Here I Go Again
Author:
Jen Lancaster
Stars: 5
Review by: line82
Laugh out loud funny. Great snarky summer read.
Stars: 5
Review by: line82
Laugh out loud funny. Great snarky summer read.
Charlotte au Chocolat: Memories of a Restaurant Girlhood
Author:
Charlotte Silver
Stars: 2
Review by: KM
A biography. Distinctive, but there is a sadness or even melancholic nuance underpinning the writing. I was disappointed--expected something lighter, more fun. A great thing about being in the summer reading club is I felt I should finish it, (something to do with being school-age again and having a book report due!) So, I hung in there and at least discovered that the last few chapters are brighter and more interesting. I felt better for having completed it. Reading to the end made the experience of this book better for me, but still, I give it a 2.
Stars: 2
Review by: KM
A biography. Distinctive, but there is a sadness or even melancholic nuance underpinning the writing. I was disappointed--expected something lighter, more fun. A great thing about being in the summer reading club is I felt I should finish it, (something to do with being school-age again and having a book report due!) So, I hung in there and at least discovered that the last few chapters are brighter and more interesting. I felt better for having completed it. Reading to the end made the experience of this book better for me, but still, I give it a 2.
Bared to You
Author:
Sylvia Day
Stars: 5
Review by: PattiK
This book was very similar to Fifty Shades of Grey so anyone that enjoyed that trilogy will thoroughly enjoy the Crossfire books.
Stars: 5
Review by: PattiK
This book was very similar to Fifty Shades of Grey so anyone that enjoyed that trilogy will thoroughly enjoy the Crossfire books.
The Omnivore's Dilemma: The secrets Behind What You Eat
Author:
Michael Pollan
Stars: 4
Review by: L.Z.
A good, but sobering, look at how your food really goes from farm to table. A good read that will get you thinking.
Stars: 4
Review by: L.Z.
A good, but sobering, look at how your food really goes from farm to table. A good read that will get you thinking.
Holiday Buzz
Author:
Cleo Coyle
Stars: 4
Review by: L.Z.
A fun installment of the Coffeehouse Mystery series, with a second murder thrown into this one. A little refreshing to think about ice, snow, and winter during these hot summer months.
Stars: 4
Review by: L.Z.
A fun installment of the Coffeehouse Mystery series, with a second murder thrown into this one. A little refreshing to think about ice, snow, and winter during these hot summer months.
Night Terrors
Author:
Dennis Palumbo
Stars: 4
Review by: BigDa
The story line didn't grab me, but the style of writing did; so I finished it and was glad I did.
Stars: 4
Review by: BigDa
The story line didn't grab me, but the style of writing did; so I finished it and was glad I did.
Wife 22
Author:
Melanie Gideon
Stars: 4
Review by: Ann M
Alice Buckley felt her life was in a rut, her husband lost his job, she thought her daughter had an eating disorder, and she thought her son was gay. She gets an invite for an on-line survey about "Marriage in the 21st Century" and her interaction with Researcher 101 took a personal turn.
Stars: 4
Review by: Ann M
Alice Buckley felt her life was in a rut, her husband lost his job, she thought her daughter had an eating disorder, and she thought her son was gay. She gets an invite for an on-line survey about "Marriage in the 21st Century" and her interaction with Researcher 101 took a personal turn.
Literally, the Best Language Book Ever: Annoying Words and Abused Phrases You Should Never Use Again
Author:
Paul Yeager
Stars: 1
Review by: Miss Lucy
This book was "annoying!" Being an avid grammar geek, I had high hopes and expectations when I picked up this book. I even felt great satisfaction when the author's gripes matched my own pet peeves, such as using "google" as a verb, and saying "PIN number." I also cringe at most workplace lingo, such as "I have a two o'clock" and "crunch the numbers." I totally agree (a phrase he would hate, by the way) with his diatribe on height humor - "It's hard to imagine that the person wants to hear what you have to say about something he or she has been well aware of ever since first grade when the mocking started."
But after a while it seemed like almost everything people say annoys him. For example, he objects to "If it isn't broken, don't fix it," because it's only possible to fix something that is broken, therefore the phrase is illogical. Exactly - that's the point! He would rather we say, "If something is working in an acceptable manner, then we shouldn't waste our time trying to improve it." Or, how about his objection to "There's plenty of time left in the game," because it's usually used when the game is almost over. He suggests saying, "Despite the limited time left, the outcome of the game is not yet certain." Oh, please.
It was a struggle to get through this book, but, hey, I can count it toward my goal, so I persevered.
Stars: 1
Review by: Miss Lucy
This book was "annoying!" Being an avid grammar geek, I had high hopes and expectations when I picked up this book. I even felt great satisfaction when the author's gripes matched my own pet peeves, such as using "google" as a verb, and saying "PIN number." I also cringe at most workplace lingo, such as "I have a two o'clock" and "crunch the numbers." I totally agree (a phrase he would hate, by the way) with his diatribe on height humor - "It's hard to imagine that the person wants to hear what you have to say about something he or she has been well aware of ever since first grade when the mocking started."
But after a while it seemed like almost everything people say annoys him. For example, he objects to "If it isn't broken, don't fix it," because it's only possible to fix something that is broken, therefore the phrase is illogical. Exactly - that's the point! He would rather we say, "If something is working in an acceptable manner, then we shouldn't waste our time trying to improve it." Or, how about his objection to "There's plenty of time left in the game," because it's usually used when the game is almost over. He suggests saying, "Despite the limited time left, the outcome of the game is not yet certain." Oh, please.
It was a struggle to get through this book, but, hey, I can count it toward my goal, so I persevered.
Only Time Will Tell
Author:
Jeffrey Archer
Stars: 4.5
Review by: Carol
A compelling plot with many unanswered questions. Very much looking forward to the second in the series.
Stars: 4.5
Review by: Carol
A compelling plot with many unanswered questions. Very much looking forward to the second in the series.
The Last Romanov
Author:
Dora Levy Mossanen
Stars: 3
Review by: SCL
The Romanov story. We all know that, this "historical fiction" book should bring out a few details or offer some new imagining of what was happening within the family. Right? Wrong. Filled with extinct animals, magically growing plants, instant healing, seers, and more, it should have been in the fantasy category. However, that horrified fascination thing kicked in and I just had to keep reading. I did know the basic story, but I just had to know what "behind the scenes" magic this author could come up with. Be warned that I wouldn't count on it for any historical accuracy, but it is a good read if you can suspend reality a bit (or a lot).
Stars: 3
Review by: SCL
The Romanov story. We all know that, this "historical fiction" book should bring out a few details or offer some new imagining of what was happening within the family. Right? Wrong. Filled with extinct animals, magically growing plants, instant healing, seers, and more, it should have been in the fantasy category. However, that horrified fascination thing kicked in and I just had to keep reading. I did know the basic story, but I just had to know what "behind the scenes" magic this author could come up with. Be warned that I wouldn't count on it for any historical accuracy, but it is a good read if you can suspend reality a bit (or a lot).
The Body in the Ivy
Author:
Katherine Hall Page
Stars: 4
Review by: Jambob
This author has an entire series of mysteries whose titles begin with. The Body in the ....... This is the second one I read this summer and I intend to get more of her books. This mystery was constructed as an homage to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. A reunion of women who all went to college together on a remote island. The story was intriguing and I enjoyed all the clever references to the Christie mystery.
Stars: 4
Review by: Jambob
This author has an entire series of mysteries whose titles begin with. The Body in the ....... This is the second one I read this summer and I intend to get more of her books. This mystery was constructed as an homage to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. A reunion of women who all went to college together on a remote island. The story was intriguing and I enjoyed all the clever references to the Christie mystery.
The Gilly Salt Sisters
Author:
Tiffany Baker
Stars: 4
Review by: books&beads
I enjoyed the book very much. It has substance, but light enough for a summer read. Jo and Claire Gilly live on a salt farm. The townsfolk believe that the sisters are bewitched and so is their salt. Shifting alliances, secrets revealed, and tragedies, kept me reading to the end.
Stars: 4
Review by: books&beads
I enjoyed the book very much. It has substance, but light enough for a summer read. Jo and Claire Gilly live on a salt farm. The townsfolk believe that the sisters are bewitched and so is their salt. Shifting alliances, secrets revealed, and tragedies, kept me reading to the end.
The Lemon Orchard
Author:
Luanne Rice
Stars: 4
Review by: ADAR
Excellent prospective on the Mexican problem in the Southwest. Fiction, but it really rings true.
Stars: 4
Review by: ADAR
Excellent prospective on the Mexican problem in the Southwest. Fiction, but it really rings true.
The Boys in the Boat
Author:
Daniel James Brown
Stars: 5
Review by: BKF
An uplifting story of nine boys, with focus on one particular boy, who first rowed together for the University of Washington and went on to compete in the 1936 Olympics. A wonderful book that encompasses history, Germany in the 30s, the Depression, the Dust Bowl, the art of rowing and boat building, but most of all... the human spirit.
Stars: 5
Review by: BKF
An uplifting story of nine boys, with focus on one particular boy, who first rowed together for the University of Washington and went on to compete in the 1936 Olympics. A wonderful book that encompasses history, Germany in the 30s, the Depression, the Dust Bowl, the art of rowing and boat building, but most of all... the human spirit.