Hello, I am happy to join this group!!! I was thinking about it last year, but never got around to it.
I just finished, The Bookseller of Kabul and I will add the books I have already read in January when I get a minute.

Glad to meet everyone. Donna

Welcome! I look forward to reading your thread.

Here is my list for the start of my
50 Book Challenge:

1) The Golden Tulip, Rosalind Laker
2) Peace Like a River, Leif Enger
3) The abstinence teacher, Tom Perrotta
4) Shield of Three Lions, Pamela Kaufman
5) The Bookseller of Kabul, Asne Seierstad

Message edited by its author, Jul 8, 2008, 12:48am.

Did you like The Abstinence Teacher? I keep seeing it at the bookstore and can't decide if I should buy it.

Message edited by its author, Feb 2, 2008, 8:42pm.

Hi...It was really just ok. I gave it 3 stars but that was being kind. Here is my review from LT

Not one of my favorites. I kept wanting more development of the story. It just didn't go anywhere. Disappointing. I have to read Little Children as my friends have recommended.

Someone did tell me that Little Children was much better....but I'm hesitant.

Just finished #6 for 2008

The Last Days of Dogtown, by Anita Diamant
not as good as Red Tent but I enjoyed it.

Anything that has to do with old New England folklore and ghost towns usually works for me. Of course being from NE helps. No I'm not a Patriot fan. Actually not an anyone fan.

#7 Early Reviewer
The Translator A Tribesman's Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari
Great book!!! see review on my page.

#8 Paul Revere's Ride by David Hackett Fischer,
Paul Revere never shouted,"The British are coming?" This came as a stunning revelation. I memorized these words from the Longfellow's famous poem. Doesn't everyone know he said those four words? As I read Fischer's superb history of Paul Revere's active role in history, I was spellbound. Revere did say something that infamous night, when he took his ride on horseback, but he did not utter the word "British".

Message edited by its author, Feb 15, 2008, 1:55pm.

#9 Shades of Gray, A Novel of the Civil War in Virginia, by Jessica James
This storyteller has me speechless. I cried so much I couldn't see the print. I belly laughed, chuckled and giggled out loud sometimes, that my 4 greyhounds thought I was nuts. I never utter laughter when I read, always internally felt. The dialogue between the two main characters is just so well written and so fun to read. Absolutely, a beautifully written novel. I want to go back and read it again.

#10 The Color of Water,by James McBride.
Moving, memoir.

Rita Mae Brown has a novel set in the Civil War in which a young woman cuts off her hair and follows her husband to war, finds him on the battlefield and joins his company. I won't spoil it from there. It's poignant and funny and good historical fiction. It's called High Hearts.

#11 The Soul of the Rhino A man dedicates his life to creating a National Park in Nepal for the protection of the one-horned endangered Rhino. The Rhino is a part of the cultural heritage, customs and spiritual beliefs of the people of Nepal. I liked the book, but found some passages were too tiring.
#12 The Birth of the Republic Fascinating read with much detail and dramatization of events after the French and Indian War thru to the ratification of The Constitution.

#13 The Outlander Diana Gabaldon

#14 American Reformers, by Ronald G. Walters
Awesome book about social reform in antebellum
America.

#15 Harriet and Isabella by Patricia O'Brien
~Historical Fiction~

Harriet Beecher Stowe and Isabella Beecher Hooker are two sisters in the prominent and successful Beecher family of Hartford, Connecticut. Harriet, was of course, the famous writer of Uncle Tom's Cabin, and Isabella, was a key member in the National Woman Suffrage Association. Once inseparable, they become estranged when Isabella shows disloyalty toward their famous preacher brother Henry. I did not think the characters were believable. For two strong women of the 19th century who stepped out of their comfort zone in the home, I expected more fire and passion. When family is involved, you know that the words can be bitter, edgy, regrettable and hurtful. I never felt that anger.
What O'Brien does do well is her portrayal of the role of women in the mid-late 19th century and their lack of freedom and equality.

I would like to read The Most Famous Man in America,by Debby Applegate, who just won the Pulitzer for Biography in 2007. (Biography of Henry Ward Beecher)

Message edited by its author, Mar 16, 2008, 12:10am.

#16 Half Free and Half Slave,byBruce Levine
#17 The Canterbury Papers,byJudith Healey

Message edited by its author, Apr 8, 2008, 7:33pm.

#18 Dream Lucky, by Roxanne Orgill
#19 Abraham Lincoln and the Second American Revolution by James M. McPherson

#20Franklin and Lucy byJoseph E. Persico
This was an early reviewer book. Awesome 5 Star
Review to follow on my library page.
#21Age of Reform by Richard Hofstadter

Message edited by its author, Jul 8, 2008, 12:50am.

#22 The Proud Decades America in War and Peace, 1941-1960. John Patrick Diggins.

#23 Caesar's Column by Ignatius Donnelly.

#24 The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.

Message edited by its author, Jul 8, 2008, 12:52am.

#25 Home Girl, Judith Matloff,
I received this ARC from ER. See my review on my home page. A realistic look at life as it is when you choose to live in the big city. This memoir reads like a novel, crazy characters, a directors dream of a setting and stories that won't quit.

Message edited by its author, Jun 18, 2008, 6:53am.

#26 America's Hidden History, Kenneth C. Davis
I received this ARC for review from the publisher.
In a short story non-fiction format, Davis has presented historical events that he claims were either misrepresented, omitted or overlooked in our school's textbooks. One chapter titled Hannah's Escape told of the participation of Hanna Dustin, Mary Rowlandson and Anne Hutchinson. These strong women would each have a moral to tell the country from their individual stories of courage. Davis brings to light what has been kept in the dark regarding this talented trio of women.

What was Washington's Confession? Surprisingly, George Washington, was not always the strong, capable leader of an army. What was Washington's Confession? Davis tells us about the not so honest leader of our country during his early career.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. The individual true stories that make up the book allows you to focus on each event, not necessarily chronologically. I would like to see Davis write an entire book on forgotten women in history.

This book is a must read for all teachers, students of history and anyone who just wants to know the truth. {*****}

#27 Two Men: Legacies of Nineteenth-Century American Women Writers, by Elizabeth Stoddard

#28, The Forbidden Tales: Sword, Da Chen

Message edited by its author, Jul 8, 2008, 12:55am.

#29 Nightmare Academy #2, Monster Madness,, Dean Lorey

#30 The Given Day, Dennis Lehane,
#31 The Porcupine Year, Louise Erdrich
#32 Far Above Rubies, Cynthia Polansky

#33 My Father's Paradise, Ariel Sabar
Full review for Early Reviewers
also posted on http://www.bookwormsdinner.blogspot.com

Message edited by its author, Aug 4, 2008, 9:58pm.

#34 Woman of a Thousand Secrets, Barbara Wood
ARC, Full review for Early Reviewers
also posted on http://www.bookwormsdinner.blogspot.com

Message edited by its author, Aug 4, 2008, 9:59pm.

#35 Tracking Daddy Down, Marybeth Kelsey

This is a childrens' book suitable for ages 8-12 (292 pages in paperback). It is outrageously humorous. Once you pick up this book you will not want to do a thing. Tracking Daddy Down is scheduled for release September 16th, and I know kids will love it. The characters are realistic and genuine. The writer has made the children act like kids and they actually talk like kids. The conversations flow naturally, never forced or uncomfortable. I found the book a surprising treat.

Full review http://www.bookwormsdinner.blogspot.com

Message edited by its author, Aug 4, 2008, 10:00pm.

#36 Outside Child, by Alice Wilson-Fried

Could it be murder on a Mississippi steamboat in New Orleans? Anxious moments of anticipation make you say, "Just one more chapter." This is a debut novel by a storyteller with a natural gift of the southern dialect and conversational speech from both ends of New Orleans society. The words take on melody and can be deadly, so watch out. Don't miss reading this fine pre-Katrina New Orleans thriller.

Full Review on http://www.bookwormsdinner.blogspot.com

Message edited by its author, Aug 4, 2008, 9:56pm.

#37 Sweetsmoke, by David Fuller***historical fiction, Civil War
#38 The Glimmer Palace, by Beatrice Colin**historical fiction, early 20th century.

#39 Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
This is the 3rd and final book in the Southern Reading Challenge Yeah.
Review is in the works. Powerful book.

Message edited by its author, Aug 9, 2008, 12:03am.

#40 The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent

#41The Toss of a Lemonby Padma Viswanathan
#42You Are Here the surprising link between what we do and what that does to our planet by Thomas Kostigen
#43The Winds of Tara the saga lives on by Katherine Pinotti

Message edited by its author, Sep 1, 2008, 12:04am.

#44Living Dead Girl, by Elizabeth Scott
#45Red Sky in Morning, by Patrick Culhane

#44Living Dead Girl, by Elizabeth Scott
#45Red Sky in Morning, by Patrick Culhane

#46 A Lady of Secret Devotion, by Tracie Peterson

Message edited by its author, Sep 11, 2008, 9:26pm.

#47 Going Down South, by Bonnie Glover

#48 The Fire, by Katherine Neville

#49 Miles from Nowhere, by Nami Mun

#50 Murderers in Mausoleums: Riding the Back Roads of Empire Between Moscow and Beijing, by Jeffrey Tayler

Message edited by its author, Sep 27, 2008, 9:35pm.

Congratulations on reaching your goal!
--BJ

Thank you billiejean.

Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson
I loved this young adult book. I had received it as an ARC for review. I finished my review and that night, truly, it was announced that Chains had won the National Book Award. I was so excited for the author. I knew as I was reading this book, that praise would be forthcoming from everywhere. Here is an excerpt from my review on Bookworm's Dinner Children.

" Once you read Chains, it will be etched in your mind forever. Taking place during the beginning of the American Revolution in New York, Chains is one of those rare books of historical fiction to cherish, savor and hold on to. Laurie Halse Anderson has accomplished an intricate literary shaping of Isabel Gardner and Madame Lockton, realistically memorable, one dear the other hateful.(later)
Laurie Halse Anderson has a poetic gifted writing style with an amazing allure that I find myself rereading passages again and again. Throughout the book Isabel’s moods are depicted by a reference to bees.
Anderson writes,
“ Melancholy held me hostage, and the bees built a hive of sadness in my soul. Dark honey filled up inside me, drowning my thoughts and making it hard to move my eyes and hands.” (157)
Perhaps this is one of the reasons Chains was nominated for the National Book Award on October 15, 2008. I for one believe it is well deserving of this honor.

The entire review is available at this link.
http://bookwormsdinnerchildren.blogspot....

Message edited by its author, Nov 2, 2008, 7:14am.

Miles from Nowhere, Nami Mun
Brilliant writing from this debut author. You can join her on facebook on her group Miles from Nowhere. This book is due to be released in January. It will be flying off the shelves.
Here is an excerpt from my review:

"Memorable and moving with remarkable sensitivity, this writer has a distinct talent that has made her book one of my top ten for 2008. Spectacular imagery can be expected when you read Mun’s work. Your vision of setting and character requires little effort to conjure up what she vividly depicts in poetic prose.
I received Miles from Nowhere, about a week ago, and decided to glance over the first few pages as I do with all ARC’s I receive. I began thumbing through the book and reading a little. Within a few pages it became apparent that I wasn’t going to put this book down. I spent the rest of a dreary drizzly day buried in this amazing book."

Entire review can be read here. Bookworms Dinner:http://bookwormsdinner.blogspot.com/2008...

Message edited by its author, Nov 2, 2008, 7:23am.

#53

#53 Burn My Heart, Beverley Naidoo Young adult book about two friends who must choose between loyalty to each other or loyalty to their culture. Awesome
historical fiction. From my review..."Burn My Heart will have you biting your nails and butterflies bumping against the walls of your stomach. This is a truthful, deeply serious and valuable contribution missing from the historical fiction stacks in school libraries." Entire review at http://bookwormsdinnerchildren.blogspot....

#54 Tears of the Desert, by Halima Bashir I wept and raged with disgust and sadness as I read this book, realizing man is capable of such happy evil. Happy evil, because the Sudanese rebels enjoy their raids and strikes of horror and destruction. They laugh.
#55 The Last Undercover, by Bob Hamer

Sorry, but I got a little behind with holidays, school and life....LOL I just posted an update of books I read since my last post. I think I missed a couple, if I did I will post them another time.

#56 Saye, , by Jeremy Walker
#57 After the Train, by Gloria Whelan
#58 A Thousand Veils, by D.J. Murphy *****Phenomenal Story*****
#59 Drinkwater, by Eric Hopkins
#60 American Journey of Barack Obama
#61 The Seamstress of Hollywood Boulevard, by Erin McGraw
#62 Crown in Candlelight, by Rosemary Hawley Jarman
#63 Hangman Blind, by Cassandra Clark
#64 Sweeping Up Glass, by Carolyn D. Wall
#65 Salem Witch Judge:The Life and Repentance of Samuel Sewall, by Eve LaPlante Excellent book soon to be released!!!!!
#66 Leaving Whiskey Bend, by Dorothy Garlock
#67 Lima Nights, by Marie Arana Man's romantic obsession allows him his cake, but he can't have it all.

Message edited by its author, Dec 21, 2008, 4:09pm.

#68 The King's Daughter, A Novel of the First Tudor Queen, by Sandra Worth
#69 The Common Bond, by Donigan Merritt
#70 The Year the Swallows Came Early, by Kathryn Fitzmaurice