40 entries

1. Timeline, Michael Crichton;(****)

A fun read with interesting concepts of time travel. A must if you enjoy The Middle Ages.

2. Ghost Stories, Edith Wharton;(****)

Light yet eeire. No gore, good clean fun. Lock the doors and check the closets. This book will give you ghostly shivers. Perfect vacation book, especially around the campfire.

3. The Old Curiosity Shop, Charles Dickens;(****)

Little Nell is a sweetheart of a girl who can do no wrong. She is loyal and kind and polite, etc, etc, etc. Dickens' pours on the sympathy for his goody-goody characters and the bad guys are as bad as they come.

4. First Snow on Fugi, Yasunari Kawabata;(**)

Short story collection. Didn't really impress me, but then I have never been a huge Kawabata fan.

5. How Reading Changed My Life, Anna Quindlen; (**)

An essay about how wonderful books are; like we didn't know that already...

6. Sink the Bismark, C.S. Forseter; (***)

Gritty, real, well-written, and suspenseful.

7. The First Man in Rome, Colleen McCullough; (***)

This book is about 300 pages too long, plus it has a 200-page glossary and an index of characters. If you can read between the fluff and complicated names and keep the characters straight, there is a good story line.

8. Hunting Badger, Tony Hillerman; (***)

Hillerman always starts out well. He has good plots and Lt. Chee is a believable character, but his endings just disappoint me. I still read them all...go figure...

9. Certain Prey, John Sandford; (****)

Davenport is my hero. Sandford can't write fast enough for me...but this ending was too a'la Silence of the Lambs.

10. The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton; (**)

Interesting, but not enjoyable. It is the story of Lily Bart's downfall. I grew weary of her snobbish attitude and petty criticisms.

11. Cards on the Table, Agatha Christie; (****)

Christie is "on" in this one. Tight plot, and every suspect has something to hide. Someone at the bridge table is lying about a murder, and all of them have shady pasts...can Poriot figure it out? Of course he can.

12. In a German Pension, Katherine Mansfield; (**)

Cute little "slice of life" stories. Enjoyable, but not necessarily memorable. The first ones are better than the ones at the end of the book.

13. A Thin, Dark Line, Tami Hoag; (****)

If you like your murder-mysteries with depth and intrigue, then this is a book for you. It has a tightly woven plot with a large cast of suspects. Everytime I thought I had it figured out, I was wrong. Definitely a beach book because you'll want to read it during the day. I will read more of this author, but only when the sun is out. Thanks to Chrissy suggesting it.

14. The Studs Lonigan Trilogy, James T. Farrell; (****)

This book has been sitting on my shelves for several years now. Overall, I enjoyed the glimpse of life this book provided. If you have a weak stomach for racial name-calling, be prepared. Best read as a trilogy instead of three separate volumes at three separate times. The beginning was far better than the end. When Studs was young and full of himself, I could see his growing pains. Studs is a dreamer, and he always acted like a teenage punk. And the parts about the depression, were, well, depressing.

15. The Forest, Edward Rutherfurd; (****)

The New Forest is located in South Central England. Rutherfurd takes us on an historical, yet fictional trip from the days of William the Conqueror right back to the present. It's really a book of connected short stories, with strong characters and interconnected sub-plots. Although my favorite is Sarum, Rutherfurd weaves another good tale in The Forest.

16. The Little House, Philippa Gregory; (*)

I hated every character in this book. The only reason it is not on the "Snoozers and Losers" list is because at the very end, finally, one person got a bit of backbone. I have heard that this author is well-known for her historical fiction, which is perhaps better. Unless you really like pycho-babble conversations and wishy-washy characters, skip this one.

17. Paris Trout, Pete Dexter; (*)

Maybe I am just having a run of lousy books, but this novel was the pits. A white man shoots a black girl...and he doesn't think he did anything wrong. How could Pete Dexter wake up in the morning and look forward to WRITING this drivel?

18. Time and Trouble, Gillian Roberts; (***)

Pretty good. There were almost too many different subplots and I actually got tired of bouncing back and forth. Instead of closing the book and feeling that the bad guys got what was coming to them (which they did), I felt relieved that the book was over. Maybe I am just hard to please? Nah, it can't be that...

19. Favorite Father Brown Stories, G.K. Chesterton; (**)

Father Brown is a short, little, unassuming man with amazing eyesight and a memory beyond compare. These are very like extremely short Sherlock Holmes stories, but without any real sluthing. He just watches and solves.

20. The Agony and the Ecstasy, Irving Stone; (*****)

A fantastic, fictional account of the life of Michaelangelo. Read it with an art book close by because you'll want to see his works as you read about their creation. I kept checking to see if the book followed Michaelangelo's life for real (it does), or if it was all make-believe. Stone researched this book well, even translating the artist's letters into English for the first time in history. Well done. Very well done.

21. Pentecost Alley, Anne Perry; (****)

This book stars Inspector Pitt, whom I like much more than Perry's other series staring Inspector Monk. Another well wrapped plot set in Victorian London. I thought I had it figured out and was feeling cocky until about page 300 when I noticed I was WAY off base.

22. Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, Thomas De Quincey; (****)

I have to admit that I kind of enjoyed this book. It was at times funny, and at times serious. It's a very thin book so by the time you get really into it, it's over. Anyhow, I liked it. Can't really tell you why, I just liked it.

23. The Little Doctor, Georges Simenon; (****)

Thank you, Mike for introducing me to this wonderful author. This book has a different main character than most of Simenon's known books. A tightly written book of short detective cases solved by a country doctor who thinks he has a talent for solving crimes. Delightful. I recommend this book and will read more by this author. What fun!

24. Akenfield, Ronald Blythe; (****)

In 1980, when this book came out, Studs Terkel was quoted on the back cover saying, "You will never be the same after reading this exquisite book." He was right. It is the narrative story of an English country village told by the villagers themselves. No anglophile should miss this one.

25. Ashes to Ashes, Tami Hoag; (***)

Another well woven story. Once again, I was unable to figure it out. But Tami, if you read this take note, it was MUCH too graphic. Tone it down, please.

26. The Hungry Ocean, Linda Greenlaw; (***)

Linda Greenlaw is the captain of the Hannah Boden, a commercial swordfish boat and sister ship to the Andrea Gail. The Andrea Gail was the boat in The Perfect Storm. Linda has a degree in English and wrote about her experiences as a female captain in a mostly male field. If you have read The Perfect Storm, saw the movie, or are planning on doing either, this book will give you all the colorful background you need to understand the world of commercial fishing. A quick, insightful read.

27. Eaters of the Dead, Michael Crichton; (**)

A fictional, easy to read account of the epic poem Beowulf told through the eyes of an Arab trader.

28. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute; (****)

What a wonderful story. This was a new author for me and I am definitely going to read more of him. Patty said this was her favorite book, and I can understand why she enjoys it so much. A true romance with a lively, build-up. No wonder it's a classic. I didn't want it to end.

29. Black Elk Speaks, John G. Neihardt; (***)

Now, while I agree that this book contains much insight into a culture that is all but lost to us, I found it to be gruesome, and frightening at times. I suppose this is because I live in such a modern, sterile world far removed from the basic raw needs of survival. This book must be read by those who seek to understand Indian culture, and by those who have a romantic view of the lives of the Plains Indians. An eye-opener.

30. Daisy Miller, Henry James; (****)

Daisy is visiting Europe with her ridiculously inattentive mother and bratty younger brother. She is a determined flirt who has no idea of the damage to her reputation that can be inflicted through her actions. Very interesting, and very good.

31. Diary For a Dead Husband, Finn Carling; (***)

Her husband is dead, but he was so controlling in life that his widow writes to him in a diary. She keeps him up-to-date on worldly events, as well as familial problems. Gradually, she grows into her own person and recognizes her own strengths and desires.

32. On Writing, Stephen King; (*****)

By far, the BEST Stephen King book I have ever read. It is a non-fiction book about his experiences as a writer. I laughed so hard I lost my page, I learned more than I can write in this space. Thanks to Matt, my editor, for telling me about this great book. Kill your darlings, and remember the formula: 2nd draft = 1st draft - 10%.

33. Royals, Kitty Kelly; (****)

Complete historical trash. This book dishes up the dirt on the Merry Windsors. Everything you wanted to know, and stuff you never thought you'd hear. These "royals" need to get off their spoiled, petty arses, sell the jewels and get real jobs. What a soap opera...all at taxpayer expense.

34. Dust to Dust, Tami Hoag; (***)

Still pretty good, still a page-turner, but not as good as "A Thin, Dark Line". There's not much else to say.

35. Divine and Human, Count Leo Tolstoy; (***)

Well-written, easy-to-read, enjoyable characters make this a fun book. The heavy-handed religious morals make this book work to read.

36. Malice in London, Graham Thomas; (***)

A pretty good mystery, but the characters were only type-face deep. It was okay, by no means a page-turner.

37. Two Serious Ladies, Jane Bowles; (**)

Pretty darn dumb. Slow-going, pointless and dumb.

38. The Last Temptation of Christ, Nikos Kazantzakis; (***)

Beautifully written fictional account of the life of Jesus. Written with love and passion and devotion. It shows Jesus's more human side...and after all, he was human.

39. Night Sins, Tami Hoag; (***)

An earlier crime novel by this author. A page turner.

40. All Things Bright and Beautiful, James Herriot; (*****)

This English country vet is one of my favorites. If you love animals, then this series is a must-read. Look for it in the biography section of your local library or book store.