Fiction
Nonfiction
This was a really neat book. I really enjoyed the photos and the way they were woven together to make a fascinating story. I can imagine the author collecting odd photos and then constructing a story to link them all together. I wonder if there will be a sequel?
I finished 3 of the 5 books. Books 1 and 2 were AWESOME, 5 stars for sure, but Book 3 got a bit convoluted. But I love Hitchhikers, especially the bizarre jokes that manifest themselves throughout the book. Great bits include the bovine animal at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe that tries to tempt Dent and friends with various parts of its body for dinner; Slartibartfast and his award-winning fjords; The planet that tricked its mid-level personnel to leave it for Earth; The fact that Earth is actually a giant computer made by mice to determine the Question to the Answer of Life, the Universe, and Everything. Good stuff. Very, very funny.
This is one of the best books I've read recently! A ten-year old boy with facial abnormailities moves from being homeschooled to a private school starting 5th grade. The book is beautifully written, showing the growth in him, his family, his classmates, and the school staff, as they learn to appreciate the value of each person. The author has chosen to have different people narrate several chapters at a time, making the book a well-round, completely fascinating read!
Yay! I love Bridget. I can't help it. She has a special place in my heart. At times sad, at times frustrating, at times very funny, and completely full of heart, this book is the perfect homage to perhaps the most endearing heroine in chick lit.
Listen to the audio version of this book. Billy Crystal reads it and it's awesome. He's got such a great attitude about his life and his gratefulness permeates the pages. Thumbs up!
From the moment Wendy realizes she'll grow up, to the very end when Peter stole Mrs. Darlings thimbles, this book was brilliant, sad, and filled with adventure. I loved that Tinker Bell was a a 'common' fairy and that Hook was more three dimensional and not an all evil figure. The narrative was beautiful, clever, and even a bit melancholy. Peter is the tragic figure here. But of course, he's fine and happy. I loved how Wendy's daughter and granddaughter played into the mix. Perhaps you stay young forever through your offspring.
Michael Hague illustrates this volume brilliantly.
Doomed was the amazing sequel to Damned by Chuck Palahniuk. He, being one of my favorite authors, has yet to let me down, though I admittedly have always been skeptical of sequels. There was nothing disappointing about Doomed. It fulfilled all the same curiosities, gruesome details, excitement and dark humour that Damned had. The series is an account, written by a 13-year old girl as blog entries (Damned was written as letters to Satan).
Madison Spencer died and was sent to Hell to pay for her earthly crimes. It details her heroism and her mission to save the rest of the planet from going to Hell as she did. It's very imaginative, easy to read, and captivating.
Wow. This book was gripping! The resilience involved with surviving as a POW in Japan was amazing to me. Louie Zamperini is one-of-a-kind. There was a dogfight towards the beginning of the book which ended the life of "Super Man" that was so astonishingly realistic I literally could not put down the book. Awesome. I highly recommend this book as a portrait of the World War II psyche.
Wow, this book was at times disturbing, perplexing, and heart-wrenching. It was interesting to hear about Jaycee's abduction from her point of view. I can see how it lasted 18 years as she was afraid of what would happen if she defied her abductor and as she wanted to protect her daughters. I couldn't help but feel for her mother, who must have been beside herself with worry. Jaycee is a very strong, brave, and resilient woman and I wish her the best.
Written in short verses, Three Rivers Rising is a fictional account of the disastrous Johnstown Flood that occurred in 1889. Several different characters are introduced, each on a different rung of the complex social hierarchy of the time, and each affected by the flooding in various ways.
The verse format seems to be catching on more in young adult literature, and though I do like how fast the book reads a result, I always feel like certain details don't get fleshed out well enough.
This story spends so much time examining people and their lives before the flood, but doesn't spend enough time describing the aftermath and how the survivors dealt with the incredible loss of life and property.
This was a well-written portrait of an abused woman and her dependence on her boyfriend. I never understood how women could stay in abusive relationships, but this book showed how the situation can happen and how a woman can feel trapped, even deserving of such treatment. I didn't want to like the protagonist, after all she's assisting her boyfriend in an abduction that results in the stealing of the captive's newborn child. But she was a sympathetic character that grows with her friendship with Django. All in all, this is a good book that makes you think about abuse from the abused point of view.
This was a good book. I enjoyed the adventures of Mma. Ramotswe. It was very insightful and funny and it was interesting to learn about Botswana and Africa in general. I'm not really a 'mystery' person, so that's mainly why it only got 3 stars.
This novel was engaging and the characters were realistic. The story line moved quickly. The ending was satisfying, but I was left questioning some of the characters' motivation for the choices made and what I might have done in their shoes. It isn't my usual choice in reading, but I don't regret the time I gave it. There were unexpected parts in the plot that kept my attention to the end. I tend to be cautious when I hand out stars. :)
This is the strangest book I have ever read. I usually do a summary, but the summary for this would be long and confusing. I am still thinking it over. It took me awhile to figure out that I really liked it. Special Topics in Calamity Physics is one of those books that you either love or hate. Either you finished it or at some point put it down and gave up on it. If you like novels written in the Nabokovian style - characterized by a lush descriptive style and intricate wordplay - then Special Topics in Calamity Physics is the book for you! Also, you have to like open ended/ambiguous endings. This book will definitely challenge you and give you something to think about!
I only read half of this book. The writing style was too jumpy/jumbled for me. I felt that Laurence Gonzales was repeating the same things over and over. I did like the survival (or in some cases non-survival stories) and wished there had been more of those with the follow-up to the incident instead of so much description of the brain functions of survival. This was just an okay book for me.
This was a fast read. I enjoyed it, but I can't say that I enjoyed it. Meaning it was hard to read a novel that brought to life what a war can do to people and how they have to live. I liked all of the characters, but I liked Kenan and Dragen the best. They were just two men trying to survive and not be shot by snipers as they tried to get water and bread. I was engrossed when their stories were told. Overall a good book. Highly recommended.
I really liked this book. At times it was hard to put down. In the beginning I wasn't sure where the story was going and knew a big secret would be revealed. I totally guessed wrong as to what the secret was, but that was okay. This is a great book for a book group. There is lots to discuss! I highly recommend it!
I've never really been a Stephen King fan. I liked Night Shift, but read it a long time ago. However, I decided to give him a try again and go old school. WooHoo!! This was a superbly crafted work of fiction. The premise and plot development was textbook and the narrative was engaging. I flew through this book, feeling for Carrie the whole way. Perhaps the post prom narrative could have delved farther into Carrie's mind, but that's my only suggestion. Perfect horror novel. I'm reading The Shining next.
Unexpectedly charming and funny with just a dose of mind bending. The story leads up to the end of the world, starting with the birth of the Antichrist. An angel and a demon who have resided on Earth since the beginning of time aren't quite ready for everything to end. With many quirky characters, a plot that twists and turns and in the end, connects very well, it's definitely worth a read. The wisdom that comes from the 11 year old Adam Young (aka The Antichrist, the Adversary, Destroyer of Kings, Angel of the Bottomless Pit, Great Beast that is called Dragon, Prince of This World, Father of Lies, Spawn of Satan and Lord of Darkness) is my favorite part of the entire book.
Back in my younger days I may have given this book 4 or 5 stars. Now I'm older and know better. A lot of the wise and enlightened sayings were really just a bunch of hooey. But I did get two things out of it. The first was the story in the beginning about the creature in the river letting go of the bottom and rising up to be carried along by the current. The second was the comparison of death with jumping into a cold, deep lake. It is scary because you don't know what's down there along with the initial shock of the cold water. But once you're in it's okay, even refreshing.