Dianestm 2009 books

Hi everyone, count me in. I have no idea how many books I read each year but I am very interested in finding out.

Not sure what I will be reading but am open to recommendations by other LT's. The only books I normally steer clear of are science fiction so feel free to recommend ones that you have enjoyed.

Look forward to chatting about the good and the bad books we all read during the next year.

Welcome!

Book No. 1

Small Island by Andrea Levy

3 stars

Set in 1948 England with 4 main characters who tell their stories before, during and after the war. Queenie, whose husband does not initially return from the war, takes in lodgers from Jamaica to help make ends meet. Gilbert, who met Queenie when he was stationed in England during the war, asks Queenie for a room when he first arrives in England and no other doors open for him. When Bernard does eventually return he is not pleased to find coloured people living in his home. This book touches on the racism experienced by Jamaicans who enlisted during the war and the following years afterward as they try to make England their home. This book had enough twists and turns to keep everything interesting and flowing.

Welcome to the group!

Thanks for the great review of your first book, dianestm - writing succinct yet very informative and helpful summaries/reviews is a talent that I sorely lack! I think this one's going on the TBR pile!

Book No. 2

Peak by Roland Smith

3 1/2 stars

A 14 year old boy, Peak, in trouble in New York is taken by his famous climbing father, whom he hasn't seen in 7 years, to climb Everest. The adventure that follows is very entertaining and much more than the characters climb to the peak.

Book No. 3

Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith

4 stars

Set in the Soviet Union in 1953 where there is no such thing as crime. A disgraced officer who has been sent into exile with his wife, discovers that someone is murdering children. Leo risks everything to pursue the killer making many people along the way enemies of the State. The concussion ties everything together brilliantly.

i have Small Island in my tbr pile for this year---finally! it's been collecting dust for awhile...

I've been waiting for the paperback version of Child 44. Glad to hear it's a 4 star book. Your reviews are very helpful.

Child 44 sounds like a good one. On to Continent TBR it goes!

Thanks for the comments. The only problem I have found with LT so far is my TBR pile is getting huge.

#11 dianestm: Why do you think I call mine Continent TBR? It used to be only Mount TBR and now it is on its way to becoming Universe TBR!

Book No. 4

Collateral Damage by Fern Michaels.

4 Stars

Another book in the Sisterhood Series. An excellent series about the revenge taken by women wronged.

Book No. 5

Eating Peacocks by Barbara Else

2 1/2 stars

Delia wakes up in a hospital bed with no recollection of how she ended up there. As her memory slowly returns and the use of her body increases she has to deal with painful memories from her immediate past and her distant past with a final awakening when it all comes together.

Ooh, Small Island sounds really good. Going on my TBR pile!

Book No. 6

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

2 stars

The story of cloned children to be used as donors when they are old enough and needed. Kathy tells the story of how she meet both Ruth and Tommy, their lives at school, Hailsham, and how she meet both Ruth and Tommy again while working as a carer. The reader finds out "the secret" of Hailsham along with the main characters of the book, causing the final unveiling to be dramatic and devastating for both groups.

Hi Dianestm - just curious, but why only 2 stars for Never Let Me Go? I read it this summer and loved it, so I would enjoy hearing what you thought!

Book No. 7

A Crime in the Neighborhood by Suzanne Berne

4 stars

The Eberhardts are like the other families in the Maryland suburb of Spring Hill until Larry has an affair with wife Lois' favorite sister, disrupting not only his nuclear family but also all the other sisters' lives. Then a 12-year-old boy in the neighborhood is found molested and murdered behind the nearby mall, shattering the community's sense of security. The adult Marsha, narrating the story 25 years later, recounts how that summer she tracked their new neighbor--a balding, middle-aged bachelor who didn't fit in--and, almost despite herself, fabricated a story and made an accusation.

Hi Cait86, I found it really hard going and slow and I didn't think that the story flowed very well. I found the characters to be very naive. Even thought they had a very sheltered upbringing they were encourgaged to read at Hailsham, as part of their education, and there should have been at least one rebel in the mix that would question everything about their lives. The most wild was Tommy when he went crazy. I thought the characters were very naive people to think that there was such a thing a deferrals from being donors if they could prove they were in love. If such a thing existed it would be very hard to hide from the students. Once released from Hailsham into the cottages and then later in their lives, what was stopping them from not donating? The characters came across as very robotic, they were destined to be donors and that is what happened. Ruth had a dream of working in an office, why could she not attempt that, who was stopping her?

I will admit that I am not a huge fan of science fiction and this was probably a bit to far fetched for me to read. I am going to try to read another book by Kazuo Ishiguro so if there is another book that you would like to recommend by him please do.

Book No. 8

Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers

3 1/2 stars

A series of notes between a mother and daughter left on the refrigerator door. Very quick read with an emotional ending.

Book No. 9

Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess

4 stars

Meredith was supposed to get 9 years of security without her father, but she was given 3. When her father is released from prison after only 3 years Meredith's life is thrown into even more turmoil. With her mother choosing to deny any wrongdoing on her husbads part and allow him back into their lives, life is incredibly difficult and stressful for Meredith. During the first 3 days of his being back Meredith comes to the realisation that she must deal with him before he can destroy the lives of other children in the area. Even though Meredith is extremely scared she shows a lot of strength of character to accomplish this on her own.

Sounds like Such a Pretty Girl is very good. I will look for it. Thanks for the review!

Welcome, Diane! It's 10 January and you're on book 10 already! Nice going!

I didn't enjoy Never Let Me Go by Ishiguro much either, but loved The Remains of the Day by him - it was one of my top five reads last year. It's very beautifully written.

Book No. 10

Chloe Leiberman (Sometimes Wong by Carrie Rosten

3 stars

Written as her college application by a typical teenager. Entertaining lite reading.

Hi akeela,

Thanks for the recommendation. I have been looking at The Remains of the Day as a book to read by Ishiguro. It has been added to the TBR mountain for this year.

The reading will slow down now, I'm back to work tomorrow.

Book No. 11

Swimmers Rope by Stephanie Johnson

4 stars

Norman and Lyn, who grow up next door to each other, commit an act so terrible that it fractures their friendship for many years. A week after Lyn dies, Norman who is now 74, meets a young woman in a pub. Burdened with the memory he presses the young girl into being his confessor.

This is a story of incidental love, accidental love, the pity of love, the danger of love, the problems of denying love. A beautifully written book.

#26: Sounds like a terrific book. On to Continent TBR it goes!

Book No. 12

The Cat Ate my Gymsuit by Paula Danziger

3 stars

Marcy hates her father, hates her school and hates being fat. A new English teacher, Ms Finney, comes to her school and teaches the students that its okay to be different and how to feel good about themselves. When the principal suspends Ms Finney for refusing to pledge allegiance the community is divided on whether her teaching methods are correct and why they should or shouldn't pledge allegiance. Marcy and her friends decide to take a stand. The consequences are far reaching.

Paula Danziger writes with warmth and humor in a manner that is easy to relate to.

I liked all the Marcy books by Paula Danziger. The Pistachio Prescription was my favorite Danziger book.

Life on the Refrigerator Door and Such a Pretty Girl both sound good, going on my TBR pile!

I remember seeing Life on the Refrigerator Door at the bookstore and wondering about it. Happy to know it's worth a read!

Book No. 13

Vive La Paris by Esme Raji Codell

3 stars

Very average Young Adult book.

Thanks for the good reviews -- very helpful

Thanks to everyone for coming and leaving feedback. Have just started reading Rebecca and are back are work so it may be a few days before I finish this one. Let you know what I think when I'm done.

Book No. 14

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

5 stars

A chance meeting in Monte Carlo with Max leads to the herione accepting an offer of marrriage and moving to Manderley. There she struggles to find her own identity with the ghost of the 1st Mrs de Winter lingering.

De Maurier writes so well that the descriptions are very realistic and you can imagine how everything looks, feels and smells. The whole story is beautifully written.

I read this years ago when I was at school. Second time around I could appreciate it better. Loved this book. Will definitely be reading more from Daphne Du Maurier.

Nice review, Diane. I loved Rebecca when I first read it.

Book No. 15

Black Sheep by Yvonne Collins & Sandy Rideout

4 stars

15 year old Kendra applies to a reality television show, The Black Sheep, when her parents downsize her nanny. A few months later, when all has been forgotten Kendra discovers that she has been selected to fly to the other side of the country to switch places with another girl for a month. There she discovers that not all reality shows are based on truth as Judy, the shows producer, manipulates the footage to her own agenda. Kendra discovers a passion and manages to use the show to her own advantage.

This book highlights the harsh reality of reality television shows on the participants.

Book No. 16

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

3 stars

The character of Ignatius Reilly will haunt me. In this case, the character also weighs 300 pounds, and alternates between selling hotdogs, screaming at his mother, and lying around on stained, mildewy sheets as he writes his manifesto besmirching the modern world. Ignatius lives with his mother in a small home in New Orleans. The story names many characters, all with their own quirks, that seem unimportant at the beginning, but they end up having vital roles in the novel. A very unsuspecting ending occurs when all the stories collide at the end of the book.

#35: Rebecca is one of my favorite movies of all time and I've always intended to read the book. Now that you've reminded me, I've added it to my amazon To Buy list so maybe I'll finally read it.

I love Rebecca! If you're looking to read more du Maurier, my favorite is My Cousin Rachel, and Jamaica Inn is really great, too.

Thanks for the recommendation Marcia, I have put them both on my TBR mountain. De Maurier was a great writer.

Chiming in on du Maurier - I read The House on the Strand last year and enjoyed it. You might want to add it to your TBR mountain as well. It was rather off the beaten path for Du Maurier, at least in my experience.

>41 dianestm:, You're welcome. :) Her short stories are good, too, including "The Birds," which is the terrifying inspiration for the Hitchcock film.

>42 alcottacre:, See, Stasia, I remember starting The House on the Strand a long time ago (I did most of my avid du Maurier reading when I was in high school, so say 7 or 8 years ago) and not liking it. I don't think I even finished it. It's one of those that I would be interested in reading again to see if my opinion has changed.

I lived in New Orleans for 20 years, and characters like those in A Confederacy of Dunces were common. The city of New Orleans itself is such an important part of the novel. I'm afraid that after Katrina many of the people that made New Orleans the unique place it was are no longer there. I think this book gives a not-too-much-over-the-top feel for what it was like to live in New Orleans.

Book No. 17

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

4 stars

A man and a boy, father and son, “each the other's world entire,” walk a road in “the ashes of the late world.” In this book McCarthy envisions a postapocalyptic scenario. Cities have been destroyed, plants and animals have died, and few humans survive. The sun is hidden by ash, and it is winter. With every scrap of food looted, many of the living have turned to cannibalism. The man and the boy plod toward the sea. The man, dying, has a fierce paternal love and will to survive--yet he saves his last two bullets for himself and his son. Though the focus never leaves the two travelers, they carry our humanity, and we can't help but feel the world hangs in the balance of their hopeless quest. Complete with a surprising end.

Book No. 18

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

3 1/2 stars

Holden Caulfield is a 16-year-old prep school student who has been expelled from school two weeks before Christmas. Days before he's expected home for Christmas vacation, he leaves school planning to spend some time on his own in New York City. Though Holden is friendly with many people at school, and though he has several friends in New York, he is constantly lonesome and in need of someone who will sympathize with his feelings of alienation. The person Holden feels closest to is his ten year old sister Phoebe, but he can't call her for fear of letting his parents know he left school. He spends his time with a variety of people, but can't make meaningful contact with any of them.

Holden is a very confused and lonely young man lacking direction in his life.

Book No. 19

Belonging by Sameen Ali

3 1/2 stars

Belonging is the true story of Sameem's struggle to break free from her past and fight back against her upbringing.

If you're looking for more duMaurier to read, I would recommend The Scapegoat. I've read it many times and have always liked it a lot.

>48 Fourpawz2:. thanks for the recommendation. Yet another for the TBR mountain.

Book No. 20

Tess of the DÚrbervilles by Thomas Hardy

2 stars

I tried to read this year ago and gave up. This time around I perserved and finished the book. I found it very slow and I did not warm to any of the characters at all.

I just caught a bit of a BBC production of Hardy's Under the Greenwood tree. It looked like I could get into it. I already know I don't want to read Tess.

20 books deja? Wow. You go girl.

Book No. 21

The Life and Death of Laura Friday and of Pavarotti, Her Parrot by David Murphy

4 stars

In order to get over a Frankie, Johnny, writes a novel with the main character, Laura Friday, as a heartless assassian. Johnny is signed up for a 6 book contract that he can't escape. In order to write his final book he returns to his hometown, Bullock New Zealand, where he manages to soothe problems between the local cop, the local dope growers and reach a satisfactory conclusion to Laura Friday.

A very funny book with a cast of characters to match.

#53: Sounds interesting. I will give it a shot!

Book No. 22

Rape, a Love Story by Joyce Carol Oates

3 1/2 stars

Although the subject was not a pleasant one to read about, this book raises the subject of, and makes us consider, justice very well.

Book No. 23

Quiver by Peter Leonard

4 stars

Katie McCall is a still-grieving widow whose past comes back to hurt her in a bizarre manner. Shortly after her husband is killed by their son in a bow-hunting accident, an ex-boyfriend and a group of thugs show up and set in motion events that will lead to a life-or-death climax. The pacing is excellent, and the characters all have unique voice.

That sounds oddly familiar -- not exactly your common storyline so I wonder if I've read it... hmmm

#56: Quiver sounds like it might be an interesting read. I will put it on the Continent!

Book No. 24

Paper Towns by John Green

3 1/2 stars

After a fun filled night of revenge Margo runs away from home. Quentin, Q to his friends, follows what he thinks is a series of clues to try and locate Margo.

I found this book started off welll with a lot of comedy and wit and then just ambled along to a conclusion that was very average.

#59: Too bad about the ending of Paper Towns. I have come to expect more than that from John Green.

Book No. 25

Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz

4 1/2 stars

I picked this one up on the recommendation of others on LT and it did not disappoint.

Why did Ruth's mother, Mathilda, drown on that fateful night in 1919 and Ruth survive? That is the central question that this novel sets out to answer. Mathilda's sister, Amanda has returned to the family farm in rural Wisconsin. Mathilda and Ruth are there to help her return to a normal life. Yet a year later, Mathilda's husband returns from the war to find his wife drowned and his sister-in-law raising his daughter. We watch Ruth grow up and try to remember what happened that winter night. Along the way, Ruth befriends Imogene, who has a closer connection to the family than Ruth can imagine. What results is a gripping tale of sisterly rivalry, family loyalty, and secret histories.

Will look for others by Schwarz.

#60. Do you have any John Green that you can recommend? I like to give an author a least two goes before writing him/her off completely.

#62: Probably his best is Looking for Alaska although I really enjoyed his An Abundance of Katherines as well. Some people get bogged down in the 'math' parts of the latter book, though. They did not bother me and for me, at least, kind of enhanced the overall geekiness of the main character.

Thanks Stasia for the recommendations, I will go with Looking for Alaska.

Diane, I'll be adding Drowning Ruth and Such a Pretty Girl to my growing TBR list, thanks for the excellent reviews. Seems as if we read similar books, so I'm starring your thread.

#16,19 I agree with you that the story was hard to follow, and I had to work too much to figure out what the author was trying to say a lot of the time. I enjoy some sci-fi, so for me it was the way he wrote the story, but since the writing was great in places and I was enthralled with the characters' interactions, I will try that other book some of you mentioned, and see what I think of his other work.

#45 The Road I picked up this book not expecting much but in return I received a night's worth of spellbinding reading; the prose is sparse but the author manages to convey everything that is needed. An excellent thought provoking book.

I'm looking forward to reading your future reviews :)

Book No. 26

On Top of Everything by Sarah-Kate Lynch

3 1/2 stars

Rotten things happen in 3's to Florence. When her partnership in an antique shop ends and then her marriage is over all in one day, Florence is expecting one more bad thing to happen. Her son, Monty, returns home from a year travelling with an unexpected surprise. Florences life becomes more complicated when plans to open a tearoom in her house start to unravel and her doctor is trying to contact her urgently.

Very easy to read chick-lit.

Book No. 27

The Husband by Dean Koontz

4 stars

Mitchell is at work when he gets a phone call informing him that his wife, Holly, has been kidnapped. The ransom is a staggering $2million but as a landscape gardener, Mitchell does not have this money. The kidnappers are not concerned and give Mitchell instructions to follow. The story of an ordinary man whose commitment to his wife will take him on a harrowing journey of adventure and sacrifice.

Fast paced with lots of the twists you expect with Koontz.

I have not read any Koontz for many years and really enjoyed getting back to him.

Book No. 28

Killer Dreams by Iris Johansen

3 stars

Sophie is a sleep therapist, specialising in the night terrors that her 10 year old son, Michael, suffers from. Fresh out of college she invents a new drug called REM-4 to help insomniacs. Sophie's coworker, Sanborne, discovers a distinct usage of this medication. It is able to modify patient's behaviour in a way to generate an army of obedient and dutiful, zombie-like top notch killers. Sophie with the help of Matt Royd have to bring an end to Sanborne's plans.

I found this to be a predictable read. Good for sitting at the beach on a hot summers day.

Book No. 29

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

3 1/2 stars

I picked this book up because there has a been a bit of talk regarding this and it was everything I expected.

Best of all my 12 year old son also read this, and wants to read the others. Always a good thing to see the kids reading.

#69: Congratulations on getting your 12-year-old interested in the book. I know how tough that is!

I saw on Shelfari the other night that they are holding auditions for 10-13 year old boys to play the lead in the movie version of the books, so I guess a film will be coming out within the next year or so.

Stasia, will keep an eye out for the movie. Hopefully he his still young enough to want to see it when it comes out. He has just started college this year and for english he has to read 8 books from 8 different genres so it will be interesting to see how he goes.

Book No. 30

The Beach House by Jane Green

3 1/2 stars

Nan is an independent, free-spirited woman who couldn't care less what people think about her living alone in her beloved beach house. But when she discovers that the money she was relying on is running out and her house might be at stake, she knows that something has to change. Nan decides to rent out rooms in her house for the summer and soon people start moving in, filling it with noise, laughter and tears. Among them is Daniel, a recently separated father of two young girls, who's struggling to find out who he really is, and Daff, the single mother of a teenager who blames her mother unreservedly for the divorce. As the house comes to life again, Nan finds her family extending. Her son, Michael, comes home for the summer and then an unexpected visitor turns up, turning all their lives upside down.

#2: That one sounds like one I would like. Thanks for the review!

Book No. 31

Looking for Alaska by John Green

4 stars

After reading Paper Towns it was recommended that I try Looking for Alaska and I will say that John Green has definitely been redeemed in my mind.

The characters are insanely real, refreshingly honest portrayals of teenagers. The way they interacted with each other, the way their relationships with one another flowed together (and didn’t), it was all so true to life. There were a lot of other things I loved about this novel, but I think the book is best read with as few spoilers as possible - there were some pretty huge events that I wasn’t expecting, and I think it’s much better to not know about them in advance.

I would definitely recommend this book to others.

#74: Glad you liked it, dianestm!

Book No. 32

Picking up the Pieces by Heather Marshall

3 stars

Annabel's parents are killed in a car accident when she is 6 years old. She is adopted by her aunt and uncle at her aunts insistence. They already have a daughter the same age as Annabel, Goldie. Her uncle introduces Annabel to people as their "plus one" not as their daughter. 10 years on, Annabel desperately searches for the love and identity she used to have. This is a story of teenagers caught in a home without love and their struggle to survive.

Book No. 33

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn

4 1/2 stars

Another book recommended from others with LT and another fantastic read. Very funny and enjoyable.

Wow! You are just zipping along! Nice reviews.

Book No. 34

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

4 stars

As I haven't seen the movie I found this book a bit hard to get into as the language is strange but before I knew it I was enjoying the stoy. A coming of age story with Alex set in a futuristic world where violence is rife.

Funny, I was just thinking yesterday about how I'd never read this, and I was wondering whether it was worth my time... I guess I'll put it on the list...!

Book No. 35

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

3 stars

Found this to be very average, although I am very glad to have finally read it. I am not sure why people rave about this book.

#82: I think Wuthering Heights is on that list of books everyone feels like they should read. Some people absolutely love it. I am with you, though. I did not care for it.

Ah, it's so nice to find other people who don't care so much for Wuthering Heights. I just read it for the first time last year and thought, "meh," and then felt guilty for feeling that way. But no more! I'm "meh" about it and proud of it! LOL!

Book No. 36

The Man in the Blizzard by Bart Schneider

3 stars

Augie Boyer is a middle-aged, pot-smoking, downwardly mobile private eye in Minneapolis who memorizes poetry in order to relax. Boyer's latest case involves a cache of priceless violins looted by the Germans in World War II. The main suspects are antiabortion activists who have come to Minnesota for the Republican presidential convention with the goal of murdering abortion doctors. But first they plan on killing Boyer's daughter, radical rock singer Minnesota Rose. I found the suspense to be minimal and the continuous wandering off into poetry was unnecessary to the plot.

Book No. 37

Sister Wife by Shelley Hrdlitschka

4 stars

Celeste lives in Unity, a community centered around the strict religious ways of the Movement, and one of their chief tenets is polygamy. With Celeste's fifteenth birthday impending she will soon be assigned a husband, though secretly she harbors doubts.

The story shuttles between the first-person accounts of three girls, Celeste, her sister Nanette (a true believer) and Taviana a former homeless girl taken in by the Movement.

thanks for the review of Sister Wife sounds like my cup of tea, I'm very hooked into BIG LOVE on HBO, and would be interested in reading some books on this topic from a more serious side maybe. I'll add it to my pile. :)

#87. thanks for the comment, I don't watch big love, never could quite get it. I did see a movie a couple of years ago about a woman who left this sort of community with her kids. I recall that it was based on a true story and I found it quite intriguing that communities like this are allowed to exist.

Book No. 38

Sonata for Miriam by Linda Olsson

4 1/2 stars

#90: I am anxiously awaiting the review for Sonata for Miriam!

Sonata for Miriam

Adam spends the day at the War Memorial Hall looking at old photos. Here he comes across a photo that is significant to his history. Later that night, his world falls apart when he learns of his daughter's, Miriam, death. A year on, his grief has abated and he is able to investigate the photo and his own history. This investigation takes Adam to Sweden where he is able to connect and gain an understanding of his family, and comes to peace with Miriam's death.

Recommended to all.

#92: Definitely going on the Continent then. Thanks for the review!

Book No. 39

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

4 1/2 stars

Another classic that I probably should have read years ago. I am glad that I have finally read this one. A moving story of racism, cruelty, kindness, love, hatred and humour. A book that I would recommend everyone reads at least once in their lives.

#39: I just read To Kill a Mockingbird for the first time last year and I competely agree with you - everyone needs to read it at least once.

Book No. 40

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Roderick Rules by Jeff Kinney

3 stars

Sequel to Diary of a Wimpy kid, another year, another diary. Very entertaining.

Book No. 41

Naked by David Sedaris

3 stars

I had heard good things about this book and David. I found the humour to be very American and not always to my taste or style. Parts of the book were very funny and other parts a bit sad.

Book No. 42

Zoya's Story by Zoya, John Follain and Rita Cristofari

3 1/2 stars

Zoya recounts the atrocities inflicted on the woman and innocent people of Afghanistan people by both the Taliban and the Mujaheddin warlords. For such a young girl she has seen and suffered so much but is wise beyond her years.

Book No. 43

The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman

3 stars

Three stories loosely tied together by a Hotel in London. Found this to be very average.

Hey Dianestm, I posted my review of Mister Pip on my thread, and would love to hear your views on the book!

Book No. 44

Sickened: The True Story of a Lost Childhood by Julie Gregory

4 stars

Julie Gregory grew up in an abusive household with a mother that constantly told her she was sick and what her symptons were. Julie was starved, beaten, and taken out of school for doctor's visits and hospital stays. Her mother insisted that every possible test be done, in order to "get to the bottom of this". When one doctor could not find a problem Julie would be taken to another doctor. Julie was punished if she didn't go along with the symptoms her mother told the doctors she had. While attending College Julie learns of a disease - Munchausen by Proxy and an understanding of what she has been through all her childhood is realised. I was a bit disappointed with the ending.

Book No. 45

Divine by Michelle Holman

4 stars

What do you do when your husband leaves you for another woman - and she turns out to be him? Tara's husband, Richard, breaks the news that he is leaving her and their daughter to become a woman. Tara escapes Auckland to live in Divine, a small country town, in the Waikato.

This is definitely chick lit but very well written. A lot of laughs along the way with a predictable ending.

Book No. 46

The Hero's Walk by Anita Rau Badami

4 stars

Sripathi Rao is proud of his daughter, Maya, who has the opportunity to leave India and study in America. When Maya decides to break the marriage arrangement and marry a man she has fallen in love with Sripathi cuts Maya out of his life. This story begins with a tragic phone call to inform him that his daughter and her husband have both been killed in a car accident leaving their 7 year old daughter to be looked after by a family she has never met.

This was a beautifully written book. The way Badami described life took you to the middle of India with the heat, smells, noise and chaos. A very moving story of how a family grieves and recovers after the loss of a daughter and changes have to be made.

Just discovered your thread and, really, am I the only one that's still at no.18?? You guys are reading-machines!!! :)
I'm just jealous, of course.
Happy reading!

Hi Eliza, thanks for stopping by.

I love to read, as you can probably guess, and I will read a book over watching television any day. This is the first year I have made a record of what I read so it will be interesting to see how many I manage to get through. I don't view this as a race but as a way to record my reading.

We all read at different rates and have other things in our lives that affect our reading time (work, family, study) so whatever people can read is a great achievement for each of us.

Happy reading and stop by again.

Damn social life! I knew I should've ditched my boyfriend, family and friends, go live in Cornish, New Hampshire and devote my life to reading! Oh well...maybe next life. :)

Book No. 47

Light in August by William Faulkner

2 1/2 stars

Hard to read, incredibly slow and boring. I sometimes wonder why some books become Classics and this is definitely one I wonder about.

I have never read any Faulkner, and was planning on giving him a go this year - I guess just not this particular book! Have you read any others you would recommend?

This was the first one from Faulkner that I read. From the reviews some people liked it and some didn't. Will be looking into any reviews before picking another one, thats for sure.

Book No. 48

Bonkers by Michelle Holman

4 stars

After a collision between a glamorous sports car and a serviceable but very plain little car, a kind hearted angel does a swap in Heavens waiting room. What results is a fun filled book. Very easy to read.

#110: That one looks fun!

Book No. 49

The Associate by John Grisham

3 1/2 stars

Kyle is an up and coming law student, about to graduate, when his past comes back to haunt him. He is blackmailed into taking a job with a law firm in New York where he is supposed to steal documents concerning a upcoming lawsuit.

I have been a fan of John Grisham for many years since his first book. I found this one to be average. Good to see him go back to his law roots after Playing for Pizza but felt this one was lacking in something.

Book No. 50

The Submerged Catherdal by Charlotte Wood

4 stars

Jocelyn and Martin meet and fall in love, and are living together when Jocelyn’s elder sister unexpectedly turns up having left her husband in England. Ellen has a young daughter and is pregnant. Jocelyn agrees to Ellen’s demands to be cared for, and is forced increasingly further apart from Martin. When tradegy strikes Martin leaves in grief and joins a monastery. While Martin and Jocelyn are separated Jocelyn learns about gardens from Duncan, an employer that she unexpectedly marries.

Marriage is portrayed very negatively in the book and the sense of spiritual calling that Martin has is never fully examined. Overall, a beautifully written book and one I would recommend.

Book No. 51

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

4 stars

Daisy is sent from New York to England to spend the summer with her Aunt Penn and her cousins. While in England there is an invasion with devastating consequences for the family. Daisy and her cousins do what they have to in order to survive.

A wonderful story of love, survival and how people cope in the face of adversity.

#114: There have been several very good reviews of How I Live Now and I received a copy the other day. I must move it up on the Continent!

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Thanks!

Book No. 52

Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine

4 stars

This book tells the story of Hana Brady, a girl killed at Auschwitz, and how her suitcase came to be a part of the Tokyo Holocaust Education Resource Center. This story ends on a positive note by ultimately uniting Japanese schoolchildren fascinated by Hana's story with her brother George Brady, the only member of their immediate family to survive the war. The book alternates between past and present, one chapter telling the story of Hana's childhood in the Czechoslovakian resort town of Nove Mesto, and the next relating the experiences of Fumiko Ishioka, a teacher dedicated to educating the children of Japan about the horrors of the Holocaust. Black-and-white photographs of Hana and her family and Ms. Ishioka and her students accompany each chapter. As Hana's narrative draws her to Auschwitz and to the end of her life, Fumiko's story brings her closer to the solution of a puzzle that began with only a suitcase and a name. The narrative moves quickly and is a very quick easy read.

#118: I just got a copy of that one in today. I will read it tonight!

Book No. 53

Martin Misunderstood by Karin Slaughter

3 1/2 stars

Martin is the butt of everyone's jokes, including co-workers and his mother. When he is arrested and charged with a co-workers murder he lets things take there course and ends up on death row.

Martin is a character you want to reach in and slap some sense into. He knows who the real killer is but does nothing about it and then to make matters worse he continues to confess to crimes that he has nothing to do with.

Very quick and easy to read if you have an hour to kill.

#120: I am a big fan of Slaughter's Grant County series, but I think I will give that one a pass.

Book No. 54

Ghost Music by Graham Masterton

4 1/2 stars

Gideon Lake is a successful composer who purchases a new apartment in New York. The day he moves in he notices a woman, Kate, who he very quickly falls in love with. Strange things start to happen to Gideon when he takes a trip with Kate to meet friends in Stockholm, London and then Vienna. When Gideon questions Kate on the occurrences, Kate is unable to help him understand what is happening and tells him that he must discover this for himself, all she can give him is clues.

It was a fast moving book that gripped me from the first page.

I like your descripton of Ghost Music by Graham Masterton. I'm adding it to my tbr pile and hope to red it soon.

I agree with Whisper, your description is terrific. I will look for that one, too!

Book No. 55

Trigger City by Sean Chercover

3 1/2 stars

When Isaac Richmond, a retired army colonel, asks Chicago PI Ray Dudgeon to look into his daughter's murder, he reluctantly agrees to take the $50,000 case. Joan Richmond's death looks straightforward: a deranged co-worker, Steven Zhang, shot her in her home and then committed suicide. Never one to accept the simplest answer, Dudgeon starts digging and discovers that Joan's former employer was a military contract company that is currently under congressional investigation.

Quite a predictable story line and outcome. I didn't realise that this was a second book but found it could easily be read as a stand alone story. Chercover did not refer back to the first book much and when he did it was done very well so the reader was not overly confused. Managed to read most of this while sitting at the hospital with my son (ankle injury through cricket), quite an easy book to pick up and put down numerous times and still retain the threads.

I hope your son is doing OK!

Yes, I hope your son's ankle heals quickly. Both my daughters were heavily involved in basketball and soft ball. They both had knee surgery because of sports related injuries. Both still suffer periodically.

Just dropping by to add my wishes for a speedy recovery!

Thanks for the well wishes. David is hobbling around and should be fine in a couple of weeks. Cricket season is over for him now until the end of the year so he has plenty of time to recover.

Book No. 56

The Story of a Marriage by Andrew Sean Greer

3 1/2 stars

Settled in the San Francisco Sunset District with her African American husband, Holland, Pearlie is wholly unprepared for the news imparted by a stranger who appears one Saturday morning at her door. He is Charles "Buzz" Drumer, a handsome white man who shared a room with Holland in a military hospital during World War II. Buzz's astonishing admission and the request that follows rattle Pearlie's peaceful world. She must make a heartbreaking decision, not only for herself, but for her polio-stricken son. A haunting, thought-provoking novel about the liabilities of love.

Book No. 57

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney

3 stars

Third book in the series. Very funny childrens books. Really appealed to my 13 year old son. Good to see him read something.

>130 dianestm: you seem to have loved the book, why only 3 and a half stars? What took away from it?

Enjoying your thread and hope your son is 100% soon!

#132, I enjoyed the book but didn't love it. I thought that the characters were portrayed as quite weak people. Pearlie was strong enough to make a decision when faced with the choice to protect her son, but didn't have enough courage to talk with the man she loved and married. Holland must have been aware of the fractions between Pearlie and Buzz but did not have the courage to talk to his wife, a woman that put everything aside for him.

I realise that this was set in the 50's when women were different but still found it hard to accept that a woman could not talk with her husband about something so big.

Thanks for the explanation - it makes more sense now! I also have trouble with a lot of attitudes and ideas found in older books, to the extent that I can end up hating a book because of it. I usually have this problem with the "classics" - sometimes the ideas, thoughts and actions of the characters in them seem to me so "backwards" or just plain ridiculous that they're hard to overlook. Unless the writing and story are really good, that is. I read a Jane Austen book in March and while some opinions she expressed really really annoyed me, the writing was good enough for me to give it a high rating.

Anyway. Sorry for going ooon about it. Hope your next read is even better!

Not a problem gug. At the moment I am reading I am the Messenger, an Australian book I took from Judylou's library. So far so good.

Thanks for the great reviews; I've been absent for a while, so you've helped me add three or four to my pile! :)

Book No. 58

I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak

4 1/2 stars

Ed Kennedy is a 19-year-old loser only marginally connected to the world, who lives in a flat with his smelly dog, The Doorman, drives a cab for a living, drinks coffee and plays cards with friends. His life begins to change after he acts heroically during a bank robbery. Ed starts receiving playing cards in the mail. Ed instinctively understands that the scrawled words on the cards are clues to be followed, which lead him to people he will help, including some he'll have to hurt first. But as much as he changes those who come into his life, he changes himself more.

Many thanks to Judylou's library for this one. An absolute gem that I would not hesitate to recommend to others.

#139: I loved that one by Zusak as well! Actually, I preferred it to The Book Thief (gasp!). I am glad that you enjoyed it.

Book No. 59

Sabbath Creek by Judson Mitcham

4 1/2 stars

While attempting to run away from his abusive father, Lewis and his frightened mother drive aimlessly for days through southern Georgia with no set plans. Their car breaks down in the sleepy backwater of Sabbath Creek, and they end up stranded at a ramshackle hotel owned by a 93-year-old black man named Truman Stroud. Stroud is cranky, sarcastic, and full of genuine human warmth. A great deal happens during the weeks of their stay, leading to a deeply affecting friendship among Stroud, Lewis, and his mother.

Mitcham vividly brings to life the rural community of Sabbath Creek, and he handles the emotional and psychological complexities of this story with remarkable subtlety. He also has important things to say about the redemptive power of human kindness and friendship. Definitely recommended.

Book No. 60.

Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata

4 stars

Set in the 1950s and '60s and narrated by a first-generation Japanese-American girl who moves with her family from Iowa to Georgia when their "Oriental foods grocery store" goes out of business. There, Katie and her family face hardships, including discrimination and the harsh conditions at the poultry plant where her mother works. Katie's father often sleeps at the hatchery between shifts and Katie feels that they do nothing as a family. But it's her doting older sister Lynn's struggle with lymphoma that really tests her family. Katie's narrative begins almost as stream-of-consciousness, reflecting a younger child's way of seeing the world. But as she matures through the challenges her family faces, so does the prose. Lynn and Katie secretly save their treat money for years so they can help their parents buy a house, and when ailing Lynn gets to pick the house, she chooses a sky blue one, because Katie as a "little girl,... had told her she wanted our first to be sky blue." The family's devotion to one another, and Lynn's ability to teach Katie to appreciate the "kira-kira," or glittering, in everyday life makes this novel shine.

Kira Kira seems to be going around at the moment. I've read it this year, Whisper has read it, you've read it, and I think there are a couple more people who are on the bandwagon as well :)

Book No. 61

Born to Run by James Grippando

3 1/2 stars

When the vice president who is out hunting crocodiles in the Maimi Everglades, ends up dead. Jack's father, Harry, is asked to take over as the vice president. Jack suspects the late vice president might have been murdered and that his father might be next. When Jack receives an e-mail offering to sell information about President Keyes-information that could make Jack's dad the next president-he starts to dig deeper, gathering information from everyone from the late vice-president's widow to the sister of a slain tabloid reporter. And as if Jack didn't have enough trouble, he also must deal with the fact that he's turning 40. Easy to read thriller.

Book No. 62

Fool's Puzzle by Earlene Fowler

4 stars

The first book in the Benni Harper series. Very easy to read, light, fun and entertaining. Will certainly be looking forward to reading some more in this series. Thanks to Susan and Stasia for recommending these.

Book No. 63

Trapped by Freda Lightfoot

4 stars

4 weeks into her marriage, Carly, finds herself struggling to understand the darker side she has discovered to her new husband. As Carly struggles to find an escape, Oliver continues to absue her, undermine her with her family and friends and take her independence. When Oliver hurts their daughter Carly accepts that she has no option but to escape. With the help of family and friends Carly is able to take steps to get her life back but Oliver is not quite finished with her.

Very well written and very easy to read but a situation that no woman should find herself in.

Book No. 64

A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb

4 1/2 stars

Helen died 130 years ago as a young woman. Unable to enter heaven because of a sense of guilt she carried at death, she has been silent and invisible but conscious and sociable across the generations. Her spirit has been sustained by its attachment to one living human host after another, including a poet and, most recently, a high-school English teacher. While she sits through his class one day, she becomes aware of James and he–unlike the mortals all around them–is aware of her as well. James, who also died years earlier, inhabits the body of a contemporary teen, Billy. James and Helen fall in love, he shows her how to inhabit the body of a person whose spirit has died but who still lives and breathes, and the two begin to unfold the mysteries of their own pasts and those of their adolescent hosts. Jenny, whose body Helen now uses, is the only child of strict religious parents who controlled her beyond what her spirit could endure. Billy's spirit left his body after a string of tragedies resulting from drug abuse and domestic violence. James and Helen court in both modern and old-fashioned ways. In the subgenre of dead-narrator tales, this book shows the engaging possibilities of immortality–complete with a twist at the end that wholly satisfies.

Book No. 65

The Doorkeepers by Graham Masterton

4 stars

While in London to identify the remains of his murdered expatriate sister, Julia, Josh notices peculiarities in her case, for instance no one had seen her for nearly a year before her corpse was found floating in the Thames. A fortuitous meeting with a mystic acquaintance of Julia's gives Josh and his girlfriend, Nancy, the magic formula they need to travel into an alternate London where Julia was lured. This "other London" accessible through hidden interdimensional doorways is a pale reflection of our own, where religious zealots lie in wait for heretical "Purgatorials" like Josh, who wander in uninvited. Worse, it's home to Julia's murderous ex-employer, who is determined to snuff out Josh and Nancy before they can blow the whistle on him. A page turner complete with the predictable ending for Josh and Nancy.

#148: Sounds like another good read, Diane. Thanks for the recommendation!

Book No. 66

What to do When Someone Dies by Nicci French

3 1/2 stars

Ellie is preparing dinner when a knock at the door interrupts her. When she is informed that her husband has been killed in a car accident and that he was with another woman she is shocked. After coping with an inquest and the funeral Ellie decides that she trusts her husband and goes about investigating his death in a very amateur manner. Ellie goes to extremes to learn about Milena, the other woman.

I almost decided to pass on this one at page 75 but persisted to the end. This was a quick book to read but only average.

Book No. 67

Green Angel by Alice Hoffman

4 1/2 stars

Beautifully written prose fills this first-person narrative of a teen whose world is turned around in an instant. This is both a survival story and an homage to the need to cherish life's every moment. Moody, introspective Green, 15, stays at home while her parents and younger sister travel to the city to sell their produce. Her disappointment at being left behind causes her to be cold and not say good-bye. Then the city is engulfed in flames, and ashes hover in the atmosphere for a long time. Green is left with her guilt for her sullen behavior and the solitude of her ruined garden. Readers suffer along with Green and share her fears as she tries to pick up the pieces of her life. The contrast between her original faith in the promise of the future and her later acknowledgment of the tentative nature of reality is vividly and eloquently portrayed. This is not an easy read although it is an absorbing story.

#151: Linda (Whisper) has also given Green Angel high marks. I have got to find that one!

Stasia, I definitely recommend Green Angel, its a must read.

Book No. 68

A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews

4 stars

Nomi Nickel is a Mennonite girl growing up in a small god-fearing Canadian community called East Village. She grapples with a dysfunctional family, sex, drugs, and school, all against the backdrop of the unforgiving religious community she cannot escape. The narrative reads like Nomi's diary. Set deep inside Nomi's brain, the story flows through her mind's distractions, buoyed by the sweet self-absorption of adolescent life. Nomi's inner monologue manages to capture a loyalty to her upbringing, as well as the curiosity that promotes thinking out of the box. Nomi embodies the balance each of us grapples to achieve, understanding the faults of our upbringings on an intellectual level, and finding comfort in them on an emotional level. Families are sometimes so strong that they turn against themselves, breaking apart instead of holding together.

Diane
You and I share similar reading interests, including Green Angel, Kira-Kira and A Certain Slant of Light. I enjoy all your well written, insightful reviews.

I've added The DoorKeepers to my tbr pile.

Your thread is an interesting one and it is now starred!

Book No. 69

The Giver by Lois Lowry

3 1/2 stars

In the ideal world where Jonas was born, everybody has sensibly agreed that well-matched married couples will raise exactly two offspring, one boy and one girl. These children's adolescent sexual impulses will be stifled with specially prescribed drugs and at age 12 they will receive an appropriate career assignment, sensibly chosen by the community's Elders. This is a world in which the old live in group homes and are released after a great celebration, and the few infants who do not develop according to schedule are also released.

Until the time that Jonah begins training for his job assignment, the rigorous and prestigious position of Receiver of Memory, he is a complacent model citizen. But as his near-mystical training progresses, and he is weighed down and enriched with society's collective memories of a world as stimulating as it was flawed. As Jonas grows increasingly aware of the hypocrisy that rules his world he decides that he must make a journey into the Elsewhere.

Linda,

Thanks for stopping by and starring my thread. Hopefully you pick up some books that interest you from here.

Book No. 70

At Risk by Alice Hoffman

4 1/2 stars

Polly and Ivan Farrell are a nice, small-town Massachusetts family, with two kids, Amanda, eleven, an aspiring gymnast, and Charlie, eight, a bright boy interested in science. Their lives change dramatically when Amanda is suddenly diagnosed with AIDS, the result of a blood transfusion five years earlier when Amanda had her appendix removed. The family's attempts to come to terms with Amanda's condition create a ripple effect through Polly's parents, Amanda's gym coach and his daughter Jessie (Amanda's best friend), Charlie's best fried, Polly's business partner, a middle-aged woman with possible psychic ability, the school principal, an HIV hotline worker, and the Farrell's family doctor and his wife. The narrative switches so frequently among the characters that the novel is far more concerned with the coping and mutual support of a community than that of any individual. Although the subject matter is unhappy, the tone is not just a tearjerking downer. Amidst the grief and fear, Hoffman manages to highlight positive relationships and convictions that strengthen the characters during Amanda's illness.

Diane
Thanks for the great review of At Risk. Alice Hoffman is a masterful writer who taps into human emotions in a deep and spiritual way!

By the way, did you see your "hot" review status on today's homepage. Your comments re. The Giver were wonderfully written.

#158: Another author whose books I have not yet read. On to the Continent it goes! Thanks for the recommendation.

Book No. 71

Asta in the Wings by Jan Elizabeth Watson

3 1/2 stars

Seven-year-old Asta and her nine-year-old brother, Orion, are kept locked in their house by their delusional mother, Loretta. Their mother fills their heads with tales of the plague-ravaged wasteland waiting outside their door. Equipped with little beyond what their mother provides, the children are wildly creative, surprisingly intelligent and share a deep bond with each other. But when their mother does not come home one night the two children venture outside to face the real world and real people for the first time.

The children find themselves at the mercy of kind yet sometimes misguided adults. Asta emerges as the stronger, more communicative child. Bright and sometimes wily, she remains steadfastly devoted to her gifted yet now mute brother. This she somehow manages while attempting to adjust to both home and school by herself, as the two children now live apart. The narrative is told from Asta's perspective, and initially the tone is eerie and unsettling. As the story unfolds, the situation feels less threatening and even incorporates elements of humor.

Book No. 72

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

4 stars

Respected chef and restaurateur Lillian has spent much of her 30-something years in the kitchen, looking for meaning and satisfaction in evocative, delicious combinations of ingredients. Endeavoring to instill that love and know-how in others, Lillian holds a season of Monday evening cooking classes in her restaurant. Each section of this tasty novel tells the story of a different student, navigating readers through the personal dramas, memories and musings stirred up as the characters handle, slice, chop, blend, smell and taste. Bauermeister has created a captivating world where the pleasures and particulars of sophisticated food come to mean much more than simple epicurean indulgence.

#162: This one has been on the Continent since I read about here on LT in the ER program. Looks very good!

#162 - Nice review - looks like a great book!

ditto what Cait86 said.

Book No. 73

The Memory of Running by Ron McLarty

4 stars

Smithy Ide's story -- both running away from and running to something -- is told in beautiful, simple prose that entices the reader further into the book from the very first page. And everything that develops from there makes the book better and better as you go in. Smithy is a wonderful creation: unsophisticated but wise; knowing but uncorrupt; imperfect but good.

#166: Sounds pretty good. I will look for it. Thanks for the recommendation!

I've added The Memory of Running to my tbr list.

Regarding message #118, I fnote that you read Hana's Suitcase. I finished this book yesterday and it haunts me still! I like your well-written description.

Book No. 74

The Girl in the Glass by Jeffrey Ford

4 1/2 stars

A band of con artists, cum spiritual mediums, focus their psychic and sleuthing powers on a murder mystery set in Depression-era Long Island, on the posh North Shore. Diego, a 17-year-old Mexican illegal immigrant, narrates the escapades, as he follows his mentor and surrogate father Thomas Schell. Disguised as a Hindu swami, Diego helps Schell conduct phony sances to bilk wealthy Long Islanders. But when Schell sees the apparition of a young girl during a sance and then hears of the disappearance of Charlotte Barnes, daughter of shipping magnate Harold Barnes, he is determined to solve the case. Schell and Diego, along with henchman Antony and phony psychic Morgan Shaw, find Charlotte's dead body covered by a cloth painted with a Ku Klux Klan symbol. They link her murder, along with those of several other dead children, both to the Klan and to a nefarious Dr. Greaves, aka Fenton Agarias, who headed up grotesque eugenics experiments.

Along with some very funny moments this was an easy book to read and a very hard one to put down.

#169: Looks like a good one! I will add it to the Continent.

ditto what Stasia said...easy book that is hard to put down sounds great!

ditto again! Have you read anything else by Jeffrey Ford? That I have read a couple and found them ok (The Portrait of Mrs.Charbuque & The Physiognomy) but Girl in the Glass sounds a bit more interesting...

#172, this is the first Jeffrey Ford that I have read. Have not been put off him and will be on the look out for anything else he may have written. I liked his humour in The Girl in the Glass and hope he has included humours bits in his other books.

Book No. 75

The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry

4 1/2 stars

The book starts when she receives a call from her brother telling her that her Great Aunt Eva is missing and she must return home. Towner recently underwent surgery and had been thinking of the gift that her Great Aunt Eva had sent to her. It was a lace-making pillow, used for making Ipswich lace. The lace making and the reading of lace had been a tradition of the Whitney women, and Towner was no exception. Although she wants no part of it anymore, she loves her aunt and feels she has to face her bad memories and go home. Salem and Yellow Dog Island are places filled with fearful bad memories.

Towner returns after being away for over 15 years and is immediately entrenched in all the troubles of the past. The story is kept fresh with trying to determine if what Towner is thinking is real, or the memories from childhood twisted over time.

Of course there is the love interest in Rafferty, the detective who is assigned to the case, as well as all the other quirky characters. Salem women who are Witches and selling their wares in the small shops on the square, and the women of Yellow Dog Island and their lace, making kept this book moving along nicely.

The Lace Reader is quite an interesting book. It pulled me in right away by including an excerpt from The Lace Readers Guide at the beginning of each chapter. The Salem history, entwined with the story of Towner and the strange group of characters kept me glued to this book to the end.

Diane
It is nice to see 4.5 stars for this book. So many that I've talked to about this book said they were disappointed.

Please tell me more about why you liked it. I may add it to the HUGE tbr pile.

opps...I hit the post button before adding my congratulations on reaching the 75 challenge goal!

Kudos to you!

Add my congratulations to Linda's! Great job.

I have posted my review of The Lace Reader, couldn't do it before I was supposed to be working.

Thanks for the congrats. I can't believe I have read that much already this year.

Glad the first Fowler book was good. :) Maybe someday I'll get to read it -- LOL

Book No. 76

The Heavenly Village by Cynthia Rylant

1 star

I realise that this is a childs book but I just could not read it. Discarded.

Book No. 77.

The Museum of Dr Moses by Joyce Carol Oates

2 stars

I am not keen on short stories and found these stories to be below average. Not what I was expecting.

Book No. 78

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

5 stars

Water for Elephants is set in the depression when people would do just about anything for a little cash. It is a story about a traveling train circus, how the workers and animals are treated, the friendships that are formed, the friends who are lost and the power of love.

The whole story is told by an old man in a nursing home who can't even remember how old he is. He says he is either 90 or 93. He has never told anyone about his experiences with the circus life he left behind, but he shares that part of his life through his memories with the reader.

Gruen does a fantastic job of creating real characters that are likable and dispisable. You end up rooting for certain characters and wishing others would get what they deserve. She also does a great job of giving human characteristics to the elephant.

Water for Elephants was on my list of memorable reads in 2008. Glad you enjoyed it!

Congratulations on passing the 75 book milestone! You've read some very interesting books so far this year and have added to my TBR pile several times!

Book No. 79

Still Life by Joy Fielding

4 stars

Casey Marshall seems to have the perfect life: she is beautiful, wealthy, has great supportive friends, a handsome adoring husband, and a successful design business. She is so happy with her life that she thinks it may even be time to start a family.

One day after having lunch with her friends in Philadelphia, she is walking to her car in the parking garage, when a car slams into her at almost fifty miles an hour. She lies in a coma with numerous broken bones, but then a strange thing happens. Casey realizes that although she cannot move or speak, she can hear everything that is being said around her. As visitors appear at her bedside, she begins to realize that maybe her injuries were not an accident at all, but that someone was trying to kill her. But who: a friend, her sister, her husband, her health care providers, and why?

I enjoyed this book even though it was somewhat predictable.

#183: Looks like one I will have to take a peek at. Thanks for the recommendation, Diane!

Great reviews!! I am looking forward to reading Water for Elephants and The Lace Reader.

Have a great day :)

Book No. 80

A Lost Wife's Tale by Marion McGilvary

3 stars

Edith Lutz is a woman with many secrets. Why has she changed her name to Edith Lutz, for one? Why is she looking for a job as live-in housekeeper to a wealthy publisher? And where or what has happened to her old life, including her husband? The answers to these and many more questions are gradually answered throughout the story.

In escaping the dreary monotony of her boring childhood, "Edith" has been forced under truly wretched circumstances to re-invent herself - but the past wants to catch up with her, as pasts often do, and just when the wealthy publisher is turning into someone she can imagine a whole new life with.

Edith herself sometimes comes across as slightly unlikeable and the ending was a disappointment.

#186: I think I will give that one a pass. I hope your next read is better!

My last read was like McGilvary -- characters were hard to warm up to and the ending was a disappointment. But I'm enjoying my current read, Angel in Marble. I've never read anything by Coffman before and so far I'm having a good time. Helps that it's set in Tx back when -- I grew up there and spent my days dreaming of 'back when' :)

Book No. 81

The Other Daughter by Lisa Gardner

4 stars

20 years after a 9 year old girl is found in a hospitals emergency room, someone is trying to make her remember her past.

Enjoyable thriller.

Book No. 82

Skylight Confessions by Alice Hoffman

4 1/2 stars

A young woman becomes the victim of the destiny she's created, leaving behind a splintered family. On the day of her father's funeral, 17-year-old Arlyn Singer decides the first man who walks down the street will be her one love. That night, Yale senior John Moody stops to ask directions, and Arlyn and John take the first passionate steps toward what will become a marriage of heartache and mutual betrayal. After John's architect father dies, the couple moves into his Connecticut home, a glass house called the Glass Slipper, and Arlyn has an affair with a local laborer. She dies while her second child is still young, and the story forks to follow the divergent paths taken by the Moody children. Sam, the self-destructive first-born, spray paints his angst all over lower Manhattan and has a son before disappearing. Blanca, Sam's sister and the only family member he loves, moves to London and opens a bookstore. John remarries, to Cynthia, and has another daughter, but carries a family secret with him to his grave.

Another excellent Alice Hoffman story.

#189 & 190: Diane, I am adding both of the books to the Continent. I have just discovered Alice Hoffman, so I am working my way slowly through her books.

So what do you think, Diane? She'll be done with them ... let's give her time... say, end of June? ;->

Thats roughly 5-6 books a week, so by the end of June looks about right to me.

Alice Hoffman is one of my favorite authors. She writes in a magical way.

Book No. 83

Rumour Has It by Jill Mansell

4 stars

When Tilly's boyfriend moves out of their shared flat she quickly realises that she can not afford the rent on her own. When an opportunity comes up to move to Roxborough, where her friend Erin lives, Tilly takes a chance. There Tilly meets Jack, who has a reputation with the ladies. Definite chick lit. Easy to read and with a predictable ending.

>195 Whisper1: Weird, I've never even heard of Alice Hoffman!
* *

Eliza

There aren't enough wonderful words to describe Alice Hoffman's books. I'm going out on a limb, but I really do think you will like her works. Here is a website.

http://www.alicehoffman.com/

I've never heard of Alice Hoffman either, but I'm definitely intrigued by the description of book Skylight Confessions!

Book No. 84

Blue Diary by Alice Hoffman

4 stars

The town of Monroe is small, and the people are gossipy. Ethan Ford's secret, which is the thing that splits the novel apart, is that he has reinvented himself, from a crime-doer to a good-doer, and yet that means nothing in the wake of the crime he committed when he was "someone else." Jorie, his previously envied wife, the stuck-up girl with the perfect blond hair and beautiful face, becomes the subject of derision and a personal breakdown that forever changes her life and that of her melancholy young son, aptly named Collie. These characters are joined by a woman overcoming cancer and finding true love with a long-suffering schoolmate, the brother of a dead girl who has never forgotten that pain, and a young girl who understands all too clearly the consequences of first love.

I have to say that the turns this novel takes truly surprised me --- I expected a better reception for Ethan, greater forgiveness from certain members of his inner circle; and it is surprising to read about a place where forgiveness does not come easily. It is just one of the stark and honest things that happen in fictional Monroe, which is a place that exists in a timeless world, unfettered by the properties of present-day popular culture. It is a cautionary fable, a fairy tale with a true-life Grimm ending, although it has shoots of possible redemption at the end.

Great review of one of my favorite Alice Hoffman books!

Which book by Alice Hoffman would you guys recommend to start with?

Of the 5 books I have so far read from Alice Hoffman I would recommend either Green Angel which is a YA quick read or At Risk which is also very good.

I will definitely be reading through the rest of her books. Very enjoyable.

Book No. 85

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

4 1/2 stars

Divided into the four marking periods of an academic year, the novel, narrated by Melinda Sordino, begins on her first day as a high school freshman. No one will sit with Melinda on the bus. At school, students call her names and harass her; her best friends from junior high scatter to different cliques and abandon her. Yet Anderson infuses the narrative with a wit that sustains the heroine through her pain and holds readers' empathy. A girl at a school pep rally offers an explanation of the heroine's pariah status when she confronts Melinda about calling the police at a summer party, resulting in several arrests. But readers do not learn why Melinda made the call until much later: a popular senior raped her that night and, because of her trauma, she barely speaks at all. As her freshman year comes to an end, Melinda finally comes to terms with what happened to her-she was raped at that party by an upperclassman who is still taunting her at school. Anderson expresses the emotions and the struggles of teenagers perfectly.

Diane

I finished reading Speak a few days ago and agree with you that it is a great book.

I must read something by Alice Hoffman, I have a few of her books but not started any yet. I liked Speak as well, I'm just about to read a controversial YA title Thirteen reasons why.

Book No. 86

Secret Son by Laila Lalami

3 1/2 stars

Secret Son tells the story of Youssef el-Mekki, a Moroccan boy on the brink of manhood. Raised in poverty by his mother, Youssef is intent on earning a college degree which will enable him to escape the Casablanca slum where he lives. Youssef’s plans change when he discovers that the father he thought was dead is not only alive, but that he’s a wealthy and prominent businessman. Youssef can’t resist meeting him, and his father is surprisingly receptive to establishing a relationship with the son he never knew existed. He lures Youssef away from the dirty slum and into his affluent world, and for a time Youssef seems destined for a bright future. Those hopes are dashed when Youssef is forced to return to the trash-filled streets of the slum. It’s while trying to come to terms with his change of fate that Youssef finds comfort in the company of an Islamic group that has set up offices near his home.

#206 I had a look at Thirteen reasons why and it looks intriguing. Will be interested to see what you think of it.

What a joy to read through your thread. You have read so many great books this year! I have enjoyed many of the same books, and am interested in reading many of the others. I'll look forward to seeing what is next.

Book No. 87

The Spare Room by Helen Garner

4 stars

This novel starts with a woman, Helen putting out fresh sheets for a friend who’s coming to stay, and thinking: what colour should they be? Helen’s friend, Nicola needs all the help she can get as she has cancer in her liver and her bones. Over the next three weeks, Helen will change Nicola’s sweated through sheets again and again, bring her food and drink, and drive her to the shabby little Theodore Institute to get the strange treatments that Nicola believes will make her cancer ‘disappear.’

Nicola comes from Old Money, but she’s always tried ‘alternatives’ – seeds and beads and vipassana. Now this is leading her into the world of small rooms where terminally ill people sit for a PowerPoint presentation on ‘High Dosage’ Vitamin C cures and the benefits of an Ozone Sauna.

The Spare Room is not just an attack on this kind of belief: one of the kindest people in the book is a boy who gives Nicola some electro-magnetic ‘healing’ patches. This novel helps you imagine how much you could want a dying person to believe they’re not dying – and hate how stupid they have to be to keep believing. Nicola thinks Professor Theodore can ‘scoop’ or ‘sweat’ cancer out of her body. Her bright smiling lies make Helen very angry and sad and tired, but Helen also knows – she does remember – that Nicola is the only one this cancer is going to kill. The dying should face the truth. Shouldn’t they? Should they?

The Spare Room does what the best fiction does: it makes you stop arguing, in that flat easy way, about what people should do. It reminds us we might not know what anyone should do, until we have to watch them doing it.

Book No. 88

Before I Die by Jenny Downham

4 stars

Tessa is 16 years old and dying of cancer. With the knowledge that she has only months to live, she creates a list of things she wants to experience before she dies: having sex, trying drugs and falling in love being just three of them. This is not your usual teen lit fare. It is a very moving book that feels like a realistic account of a teenager struggling to come to terms with the fact that her life will be over almost before it's begun. Sometimes Tessa is self-pitying, angry or apathetic - but she is also real and brave and you care about her.

This is a quick book to read. It's fairly predictable and aside from Tessa, the characters are pretty sketchy. Its simplicity also makes it feels more genuine, as if it really was penned by a 16 year old. It makes you think about and appreciate your own friends, your family - your very life.

It's the kind of book that touches your heart.

"It's the kind of book that touches your heart" ...Wow..what a powerful statement. This sounds like a great book.

Book No. 89

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

4 1/2 stars

At the beginning of Thirteen Reasons Why, Hannah Baker has recently committed suicide.The people around her, though saddened, don’t really understand what happened. One day when Clay Jensen comes home from school, he finds a shoe box of cassette tapes that list the thirteen reasons why Hannah killed herself. He starts to listen and is immediately drawn in to Hannah’s life.

I expected this to be an emotional tale because it is about a girl who has killed herself. However, I didn’t expect it to be a page-turner. I read this book in one afternoon. I simply couldn’t put it down. I kept hoping that Hannah would change her mind even though I knew that she didn’t.

This is book about the power of words, actions, and the secret heartbreaks we all carry around inside us. It’s also a reminder to really look at those around us and think about our interaction with them. I highly recommend this book.

Wow! You have been reading some great books lately and I am adding them all to the Continent.

I like the sound of that last one. On to the wishlist it goes.

I just finished Thirteen reasons Why and found it a page turner as well. Before I die is also a great book. I recommend Judith Clarke's One whole and perfect day as a fab followup happy-ending read to all this death and dying you've been reading about lately.

Thanks for the recommendation Kerry, I am in need of something a little lighter with a happy ending.

Book No. 90

Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult

4 1/2 stars

Charlotte and Sean O'Keefe are the parents of Willow, six, who has brittle-bone disease, suffering 68 broken bones in her short lifetime, including 7 before she was born. Charlotte gave up her job as a successful pastry chef to care for Willow full time, doing whatever she can to prevent the inevitable breaks and trying to lessen Willow's discomfort when they occur. After a lawyer broaches the possibility of a wrongful-birth lawsuit, which would find Charlotte's ob-gyn (also her best friend) guilty of failing to diagnose Willow's illness early enough for a possible abortion, the family unravels. Charlotte becomes increasingly aggressive in her new attack mode, Sean disagrees with the lawsuit and files for divorce, and older daughter Amelia, seeks attention by becoming bulimic and cutting herself.

This book makes you think about the hardships and trials that some parents go through on a daily basis looking after their children. Very easy read.

I agree with Stasia ...You are reading some great books!

Book No. 91

My Lost and Found Life by Melodie Bowsher

4 stars

This book chronicles the growth of Ashley. When the book begins, she’s eighteen and just about graduated from high school. Ashley is not the sort of girl you’d like in real life. She’s spoiled and feels like she’s entitled to whatever she wants because no one ever tells her no. She’s stuck-up, has an attitude, and is self-centered. And we learn this in the first few pages.

But she’s not completely unlikable. She’s just…immature. Let’s face it: she’s an adult in this book and should be ready to take care of herself. But she hasn’t been prepared to face the real world. This book is about her being forced to grow up because the one person she always depended on, her mother, isn’t there anymore.

Basically, I think this book was an easy read that had some substance to it. The characters didn’t have a lot of depth and were stereotypical to some degree, but they all seemed like they contributed something to the story and to Ashley’s maturing as a person.

Anyway, not an excellent book, but a good one.

Book No. 92

The Mystery of Grace by Charles de Lint

4 stars

This is a ghost story. Altagracia, or Grace as she is known by her friends, is a self described "gearhead", many tattooed mechanic of a woman. Dealing with the recent death of her grandfather, and her own unexpected violent death. Grace is befriended by Conchita, a one time street girl who is smarter than many people give her credit for, when Grace ends up in a between place, the Alverson Arms.

John is a kind hearted man, shy, artist who spends way too much time in his own head. John meets Grace on Hallowe'en night, and it is love at first sight. But when Grace disappears from his apartment the next morning she leaves more questions than answers.

This story is like a well played Beethoven, full of ups and downs, emotional, heart wrenching and switches gears at just the right moment where it builds towards the grand finale.

Diane

Have you read A Circle of Cats by Charles De Lint? If not, I highly recommend it. I'm adding The Mystery of Grace to my tbr pile.

#221: I already have that one on the Continent or I would add it again. Thanks for the recommendation!

Linda, this was the first book from Charles de Lint that I have read. I will certainly be putting A Circle of Cats onto the TBR mountain.

Thanks for stopping by.

I'm enjoying your comments. Just thought I'd let you know I've been here all along!

Thanks for popping by.

dianestm, after reading The Mystery of Grace, did you have the urge to go build yourself a hotrod? I almost did. It brought back memories of days gone by when I used to wrench on cars a bit.

#227 VG, my husband would love it if I wanted to rebuild a hotrod but I'm not particularly mechanically minded. I have trouble changing spark plugs which I got my hubbie to do for me yesterday.

dianestm, I have never read Charles De Lint, but I have been tempted many times. I think I will have to try one of his soon.

Book No. 93

Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea

4 stars

The story is about Nayeli, who is 19 years old and working in a taco shop in what would conventionally be referred to as a "sleepy Mexican village." Bandidos or drug dealers, have appeared and are threatening their way of life and there is a shortage of men left in town to defend the women, children and old people from them.

After watching The Magnificent Seven at the local cinema, Nayeli has the solution to the towns problems. She decides to go to the United States and find seven men to bring back home. A group of 4 begin their adventure. The escapades of these four and the people they meet, who help or hinder them, are alternately hilarious, poignant, scary and sad.

The most interesting twist in the tale is that none of the travelers have any desire to stay in the States. They are all longing to get back home and make their village better.

#230: I have Urrea's The Hummingbird's Daughter home from the library now to read. Looks like I will have to add this one to the Planet, too.

Thanks for the recommendation, Diane.

Book No. 94

The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas

4 stars

A set of eight sections told from the perspectives of eight different people who were present at a suburban Melbourne barbeque when a man slapped someone else’s out of control four year old son.

Each of the characters – from Harry, the man who is utterly convinced that he was right to slap the boy threatening his own older son, to Rosie, the mother of the child who so keenly feels a need for her son’s attacker to be punished – is voiced with stunning authenticity. I found myself being able to empathic toward characters whom I was sure I would dislike immensely in real life, and feeling critical of those who I most identified with.
Even more surprising is this novel’s power to spur self-reflection. Could I have chosen between family, my partner and my friends?

The Slap is a book that will stay with me for a long time. It is deeply moving, both because of the sadness of the compromised existences it charts and because of the strange sense of belonging it evokes.

Although I enjoyed this book I was a bit shocked with the constant cursing and sexual references. Don't get me wrong I am not a prude, but I did feel that these were a bit over the top and therefore, unnecessary to the storyline.

Book No. 95

The Boy in Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

4 1/2 stars

A wonderful account of the Holocaust through the innocent eyes of a 9 year old boy. I really enjoyed this book.

#233: I really want to read that one. I have had it on Planet TBR for a while now, but have not gotten my hands on a copy yet. Glad to know that it is a worthwhile read.

Your thread is dangerous for my tbr pile.

After reading (in the last few months) Hana's Suitcase, The Reader and The Book Thief, last night I began to read A Lucky Child A Memoir of Surviving Auschwitz as a Young Boy, I'm now adding The Boy in Striped Pajamas to the list.

Since Ann Frank was mentioned in Gordon Brown's eloquent D-Day speech at Normandy yesterday, I now am prompted to re-read The Diary of Ann Frank

The Slap sounds really interesting - thanks for the review!

Book No. 96

Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman

4 1/2 stars

John Hadley, a Cape Cod fisherman, loved his wife Coral so much that he built her a farm. He wanted her to have a strong and safe house, and promised her that after this one last voyage, that he would stay home and concentrate on farming turnips. He took with him his two sons, and a small blackbird that was his youngest son’s pet. This is the first tragedy of the book: the first of these to return is the blackbird, its feathers are now as white as death. Coral plants sweet peas, yards of them, waiting for her family to return, refusing to believe they won’t.

When a young woman looses her family and then her home, until a pair of women from the village convince her to go to the old Hadley farm, where a man who lost his leg to a halibut lives quietly, blacksmithing. The two fall in love, and to prove his love the man goes and gets her a pear tree that will bring forth scarlet fruit. And on it goes, the farm passing from one person to another, some finding hope, some finding love, among a place where sweet peas grow wild like weeds, were a tree grows scarlet fruit, and a blackbird, white as snow, haunts the place still.

The main thing that connects the stories is not just the farm, but love. Every story discusses love, a different aspect of it, a different kind. In one story, a women loves the wrong man, then realizes who her real love is. Love can destroy. Love is patient. The last story is not about love for another, but love and acceptance of yourself.

A small volume filled with lovely, interconnecting stories, it carries a high emotional impact.

#237: Sounds like a wonderful book. On to Planet TBR it goes!

Book No. 97

Gone by Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson

4 stars

Nobody's ever been there for Connor. He grew up with alcoholic parents whom he could never trust to put him before the booze. Now living with his Aunt Syl.

Suddenly, there's Ms Timms. Corinna. Once his teacher, now something much more. Even though he's seventeen and she thirty-one, this is love. He knows it. Has Connor finally found the one person who will always stay? Corinna is a conundrum but that really doesn't matter. What matters is what Connor feels about the relationship. He sees in it his salvation, his chance to be first in someone's, anyone's heart.

What he doesn't realize is that his aunt, his friends, and even his next-door neighbors are a kind of assembled family who all love him and watch out for him. But he insists on holding them at arm's length, scrupulously repaying his aunt for any money she spends on him and resisting his best friend's efforts to understand what's going on.

Don't go into this book expecting a salacious tale of clandestine molestation. Instead, prepare yourself for a story about a young man learning that love comes in many forms, and the one that seems obvious isn't the one that's going to stay.

#239 Another one for me to look for!

Was having trouble loading this page so I have started a new thread.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/66551

Hope to see you there.