Art of the Middle Ages

Art of the Middle Ages
By Michael Batterberry

Didn't have much to do with my thesis until the last 5 pages, but a pleasant book anyway. Very nice and rare to have color pictures, so I was happy about that!
8/10

Girl, Interrupted

Girl, Interrupted
By Susanna Kayson
0679746048

The fragmentation of her memories is so perfect. ven saying that pretentious thing, I know it just happened that way. She didn't plan it. I just can't decide which I like better- the book or the movie.
8/10

Chesapeake Blue

Chesapeake Blue
By Nora Roberts
0515136263

4th in the series, picks up a few years later, with Seth all grown up. Good to see these characters years down the road. Nora Robers is brilliant in her snappy dialogue, I definitely laughed out loud quite a few times during this series.
8/10

Bel Canto

Bel Canto
By Ann Patchett
0060934417

Wow. Amazing, beautiful and literally breathtaking. I honestly forgot to breath a few times! "There was such an incredible logic to kissing, such a metal-to-magnet pull between two people that it was a wonder that they found the strength to prevent themselves from succumbing every second."- there's a sample for you. The characters were amazing and the story was interesting and different. But it was the descriptions that really made it into a masterpiece. A dinner is interrupted by a group of kidnappers. They take everyone hostage and this is what happens next. Loved it, can't say enough good things about this book.
10/10

Inner Harbor

Inner Harbor
By Nora Roberts
0515124214

One of her best ones. The characters, wonderful. And we got enough of the characters from books 1 and 2 to really be invested in what happened. Cam was my favorite, but it's now a tie- Phillip is wonderful too! Great tying of the story and I definitely didn't see the twist coming (odd, since just a few hours ago I was talking to a friend about how predictable romance novels are!)
9/10

The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story

The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story
By Diane Ackerman

Well, I would have smacked the son for being so chauvenistic, but what, he was a product of his time? Animals, adorable, but I really wanted to hear more about the people. How they were hidden, how long, their daily existence. A map of the city and of the zoo would have helped. Overall, interesting book about extraordinary people. Wish we knew more about what Jan did, but then the book isn't called "The Zookeeper", now is it?
8/10

Rising Tides

Rising Tides
By Nora Roberts
05152317X

2nd in the story. Doesn't advance Seth's story much, seems like most 2nd parts of a trilogy- a placeholder. Good characters, just not explosive.
7/10

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Visual Companion

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Visual Companion
By Jude Fisher
0618390979

9 Kings w/ the rings= 9 Nazgul/Ringwraiths... seems so obvious, how did I not know that??
"There may come a day when the courage of men fails... an hour of wolves before the Age of Men comes crashing down- but it will not be this day! This day we fight!"
Glad there is no real picture of Shelob, just her legs. Ugh, spiders!
Odd way to end the book. Good though, wonderful pictures. I loved the 2 pages on Sam the Hero, since he definitely is!
8/10

How Green was my Valley

How Green was my Valley
By Richard Llewellyn

So descriptive about everything from the coal mines to a kiss to a prize fight. The kiss description did surprise me, being that this book was written in 1940. Very erotic, I would think even now. I do wonder, though, about the rest of Huw's life. We only get hints. Although maybe that's better.
9/10

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Visual Companion

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Visual Companion
By Jude Fisher
0618258027

Foreword by Viggo Mortensen, yeah! My favorite! This book told me some things I didn't know, like who Aragorn's horse once belonged to! Not in the movie, as far as I remember, but still little interesting tidbits. The last image, of Helm's Deep, is just beautiful!
8/10

The Other Boleyn Girl

The Other Boleyn Girl
By Philippa Gregory
9781419329975 (book on cd)

Very powerful. Wonderfully written. The characters are just amazing. And even though you know how it all ends, how it must end being after all part of history, you still hope. At least I did. And yes, I know that Mary Boleyn was probably nothing like this, that history says her life was very different. But that's okay, this was a great "what if?" anyway.
9/10