All Book Reviews

Any fan of adventure, aliens, sci-fi, Australia, daring innovations, zombie-like creatures, characters some could easily relate to, flying ships, and an interesting plot is sure to love this book. I randomly checked out this book for the summer and was surprised to enjoy it; unlike other books where it takes a few chapters to get to the point and books with boring dialogue, this book can take any reader to another world which, in a couple of decades and some imagination, a reader can understand happening for real.

I mostly read this book for the enjoyment of finding a new take on Robin Hood. It's an excellent story with developed characters and rich plot. A must read for Robin Hood fans, historical fiction readers, and anyone who is just looking for a unique story.

I mostly read this book for the enjoyment of finding a new take on Robin Hood. It's an excellent story with developed characters and rich plot. A must read for Robin Hood fans, historical fiction readers, and anyone who is just looking for a unique story.

This was my first Sara Gruen book and it was thoroughly enjoyable. I have not read many books from this time period set in Scotland, so it was interesting to see how they were living their lives. I liked the characters (well, except for Ellis, but I loved that I disliked him so much). A slight mystical element rounded out a truly good story.

Not my favorite of the series. SO many characters, I had a hard time remembering them all! I understand it must have been nice to have Flavia visiting his home country (the author is Canadian), but I preferred the books set in Bishop's Lacey, England.

Very interesting inside look at the world of show dogs. You follow the progress of Jack, the Australian Shepherd, but the author also gives you a brief history of dog shows in general, different breeds, and even the evolution of the dog from wild animal to domesticated pet. Well written and fun to read (I finished it in just a couple of days), this is a great book!

I love dual timeline novels, as long as they are well done. This one alternate betweens Jenni, who is a ghostwriter who prefers to dig into other people's lives rather than deal with her own past, and Klara, a Dutch woman who was interned in a camp on Java during WWII. Jenni is an interesting character, but I felt like she was more of a foil for Klara's amazing story of survival. Very powerful book, one that will linger in my mind for quite a while, I'm sure.

My daughter and I really enjoyed this book, which was written by a local author. We learned about Brazilian culture and the role football (soccer) plays in various world cultures. Well written and illustrated, we definitely recommend this book!

This is a heartwarming story of the relationship of Micah with his grandpa plus the magical aspect of the mysterious Circus Mirandus. Micah is a wonderful well-rounded character and you really feel his deep desire to help his grandpa at all costs. I loved this book and the writing style of its author, Cassie Beasley.

This book was outstanding and I could not put it down. I have never read Greg Iles' work before and his book is a very suspenseful and interesting historical fiction involving past civil rights atrocities and current day efforts to uncover those crimes. A very believable account and page-turner to boot!

A great Gothic grabber! Struggling writer Ben Tierney flees New York city with his troubled family - bipolar wife Caroline, strange eight-year-old son Charlie, and baby Bub - for a tiny upstate village where his ancestors fought through the Revolutionary War. Before long, things start going downhill. The family encounters strangely obsessed villagers, a creepy, crumbling mansion, and SOMETHING IN THE WOODS that leaves dismembered animals everywhere and watches Charlie's every move. Kind of like The Shining meets Village of the Damned. It's an old formula, but Duffy makes it work well. I would have given it five stars save for a lapse in logic at the end. Still well worth the read.

This is a very heartwarming book about the relationship of an autistic boy, Fraser and his rescued cat, Billy. Louise Booth, who is Fraser's mother as well as the author, describes the impact of Billy in terms of helping Fraser overcome many of his physical and emotional challenges.
Fraser comes out of his shell and Billy is a tremendous part of this positive change. Sometimes cats are portrayed as being standoffish, but Billy disproves this stereotype with his friendship with Fraser. A wonderful story!

I just loved this book. It was so funny - both the story and illustrations! It is about Miles Murphy who is a new student in Yawnee Valley (which is only known for lots and lots of cows and they are very proud of that). Miles' goal is to be the best prankster at his new school, but someone keeps coming up with better pranks than Miles - who could that be?

Okay, so if you are head-over-heels hooked on the whole dystopian futuristic genre, I would most definitely recommend Matched by Ally Condie. If you can get past the cliché "arranged marriage/future" plot, you will fall in love with Cassia, Ky, Xander, and every other character. The plot can be a bit predictable (but hey, I seriously didn't see the ending coming), but you can get over it. This romance is a page turner, and is for the girls who can't get enough of star crossed love. I must not leave out the action sci-fi that is subtly applied throughout the novel. The oppression of the characters is heart wrenching, so watch out. WARNING: at the sweet lovey dovey parts, your heart may just instantaneously turn into a unrecognizable mushy mass, or spontaneously combust. (Implosion is also a possibility) Enjoy!

My daughter and I just LOVE this book. Beekle is beautifully illustrated, it's the 2015 Caldecott Award winner, but even more so, the story is wonderful. You feel for Beekle as he searches for his person, and rejoice when he finds her. Little details in the book make it interesting for adults when read multiple times. Beekle is sweet and beautiful, bittersweet and inspiring. A must-read picture book.

This book is HILARIOUS!! My 5 year old loved it. Goofy, silly, and a laugh-fest all around. A definite must read to your child. Thumbs way up! As an aside, the author of this book is one of the creators of the televison show, The Office, so you know it's going to be good.

By far the absolute best and most resourceful homeschooling book I have read on our journey. Very Informative!

I grew up in the evangelical world. I witnessed first-hand the fanaticism of the believer. This book was interesting to me because it pulled back the curtain on the religious right, particularly in the 80s. Frank Zappa was right, there was indeed "50 million dollars in his heavenly bank account". I just wish there had been more pages devoted to this time in the author's life. Nonetheless, the author was honest and forthright about his upbringing and wrote with charisma.

I really enjoyed "The Snows of Kilimanjaro", "A Clean Well-Lighted Place", and "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber". Overall, the subject matter was a bit too macho for me, but the writing, of course, was excellent.

This is a cute story about a girl in her Senior Year of High School discovering the ups and downs of love. The beginning of the book isn't written as well as the middle of the book, and the ending is very cliche. But it was a pretty good read, likeable characters, and I would recommend it to any High Schooler looking for a fun read.