The Bride's Baby

The Bride's Baby
By Liz Fielding
9780373175062 187p

Cute. A bit rushed though, I think it could have and probably should have been a longer book. There was a lot to the story- both their families, for one thing. And there were quite a few characters I would have liked to have heard more about- Pat and Josie among them.
8/10

What's a Christian to do with Harry Potter?

What's a Christian to do with Harry Potter?
By Connie Neal
202p

Despite the fact that I knew where her "let's look at all sides and let you make your own decision" was going to lead by the end of the first chapter, it was still and interesting... discussion.
8/10

The Island of the Day Before

The Island of the Day Before
By Umberto Eco
0151001510 513p

Bizarre but beautifully written. I like knowing the ending and every detail, but for Eco's novels I make exceptions!
8/10

Darcy's Story

Darcy's Story
By Janet Aylmer
9780061148705 277p

Good, solid book. I liked it more once the author explained why she used a different tone of voice, not light like the Elizabeth Bennett view of Pride and Prejudice. Darcy was of course more formal. And yes, people don't change all that much, so I'm glad he was the same at the end, just more open about his good qualities.
8/10

Abby in Wonderland

Abby in Wonderland
The Baby-Sitters Club #121
By Ann M. Martin
0590500635 124p

Part of my quest to collect the entire series and my inablity to buy a book without reading it!
8/10

A 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul

A 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul
By Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
1558743316 314p

8/10

Master and Man: and Other Stories

Master and Man: and Other Stories
By Leo Tolstoy
0140443312 271p

Not as engaging as his longer stories, but still good of course.
8/10

Dance of the Gods

Dance of the Gods
By Nora Roberts
0515141666 316p

2nd in trilogy. So much beating people up, geez. They're constantly beaten to a pulp and put back together with magic! Cian is still my favorite, so I think the next book will be my favorite.

8/10

Morrigan's Cross

Morrigan's Cross
By Nora Roberts
051514658 321p

1st in trilogy. I guess everyone is into vampire stories these days! Ha!
8/10

Desire in Disguise

Desire in Disguise
By Rebecca Brandywine
335p

Who didn't see that 'twist' coming? Was it supposed to be a surprise? Cute book, good characters.
8/10

The World's Last Mysteries

The World's Last Mysteries
Reader's Digest
089577044X 318p

Found a few things to research, maybe go see some day. Nice overview of many different sites around the world.
8/10

Speed Dating

Speed Dating
By Nancy Warren
9780373217694 245p

Cute. They skipped the explicit parts for me, which was nice!!
8/10

Proof by Seduction

Proof by Seduction
By Courtney Milan
9781426845994 251p

Better than I thought it would be! Pleasantly surprised, I liked all the characters. Even the secondary characters such as Blakely's sister were well-done and interesting. Would have liked to hear more about Ned's intended and engagement, they were fun in the beginning of the book. But still, very well done.
8/10

Chicken Soup for the Woman's Soul

Chicken Soup for the Woman's Soul
By Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, et al.
1558744150 328p

My favorite, from page 141:
Marriage Advice from 1886
Let your love be stronger than your hate or anger.
Learn the wisdom of compromise, for it is better to bend a little than to break.
Believe the best rather than the worst.
People have a way of living up or down to your opinion of them.
Remember that true friendship is the basis for any lasting relationship. The person you choose to marry is deserving of the courtesies and kindnesses you bestow on your friends.
Please hand this down to your children and you children's children: The more things change the more they are the same.
-Jane Wells, 1886
8/10

Katharine Hepburn Once Said...

Katharine Hepburn Once Said...
Compiled by Susan Crimp
0060581727 154p

Too short! Good picks though, for the quotes and the pictures. Some of my favorites:
Why slap them on the wrist with a feather when you can belt them over the head with a sledgehammer?
Life is hard. After all, it kills you!
In a world where carpenters get resurrected, anything is possible! -Keeper of the Flame, 1942
8/10

The Mensa Genius Quiz Book 2

The Mensa Genius Quiz Book 2
By Marvin Grosswirth and Dr. Abbie Salny
0201059584

Cute, fun quizes. I did semi-well on them, passing grades at least! Book is a bit old, so some things were dated. My favorite question was on page 75: "The New York Cosmos are to soccer as the Toronto Maple Leafs are to _____." Mainly because the Cosmos no longer exist but I'm a huge fan of the soccer team in the area now- Red Bulls.
8/10

A 3rd Serving of Chicken Soup for the Soul

A 3rd Serving of Chicken Soup for the Soul
By Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
1558743790 331p

Good, cute stories as always.
8/10

Pagan and Christian Rome

Pagan and Christian Rome
By Rodolfo Lanciani
via gutenberg.org ~360p

The author is pretty pompous. Granted, if he's discovered even a third of the stuff he says he has, he has a right to be pompous! But it's still annoying. Luckily, the descriptions of the history and settings make up for that!
8/10

Red Lily

Red Lily
By Nora Roberts
0515139408 351p

Spoiler: Doesn't a dead body in a standing body of water ruin the water? I guess it's a bigger pond than my mind thinks it is, weird to think of a huge phond on their estate. And why all the 'buried' dreams if she wasn't buried? Ok, on to other things- I wanted to see more of Jolene, but I guess she doesn't really go with these 2 characters. Also Cousin Jane, sort of a throwaway character, shame she wasn't at least on the outskirts of the family unit, you'd think she would have been invited over once in awhile. And we didn't see many of the nursery customers, too bad, they're always funny!
8/10

Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul

Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul
By Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
1558748008 357p

Didn't have as many stories to make you cry, which was nice. Much more uplifting stories.
8/10

Gods Behaving Badly

Gods Behaving Badly
By Marie Phillips
9781415947401 9 hours (book on CD)

Very funny! End felt rushed, unfortunately, I would have loved to have read more about this crazy family, and Alice and Neil of course. Well plotted, great characters. Loved the little jokes- Aphrodite, goddess of beauty= phone sex operator; Eros, god of love= born-again Christian, etc.
8/10

Back Rose

Black Rose
By Nora Roberts
0515138657 355p

2nd in the 'In the Garden' trilogy. Ghosts, gardening, neither of which are very interesting to me. But the geneology was interesting, I'm glad they're getting closer to solving the puzzle that we all know the answer to already- Amelia. Didn't like how the cousin was written. Obviously, she's obnoxious and condescending, but it was too heavy handed. I'm tired of what seems to be a new shorthand with writers- if you want a character to be disliked, have them make a mean comment to the gay character. And the dog. And of course, then it's okay for the kids to tell her off, which I definitely disapproved of. I'm excited for the next book, as I'm sure it's Harper and Hayley.
8/10

The Gift

The Gift
By Nora Roberts
0373285612 442p

Three stories: Home for Christmas, All I Want for Christmas and Gabriel's Angel. All good, but I liked the 2nd the best. The twins were great, rest of the family were good characters. A little hard to tell the twins apart in such a short story, I think this could have made a good full length novel.
8/10

River's End

River's End
By Nora Roberts
0515127833 443p

Pretty much saw that ending coming, had it narrowed down to 2 people. Good characters, as always. There might have been too many, I never really connected with any of them like I do in many of her other books. Still, compelling and gripping, good twists.
8/10

Three Fates

Three Fates
By Nora Roberts
0515135062 467p

Would have been 9/10 if she hadn't done the stereotypical showdown at the end. I wanted the cops to come in and take her down, humiliated. Instead, Anita got one more big scene, such a shame. Otherwise, good.
8/10

If You Take a Mouse to the Movies

If You Take a Mouse to the Movies
By Laura Numeroff

My boyfriend thought my 101st book of the year should be a childrens book, since 101 is the section we stand in for soccer games and we're all pretty childish. So here we go. Cute book, clever as all in this series are.
8/10

Snowbound

Snowbound
By Janice Kay Johnson
9781426830679

I liked the premise and almost everything about this book. The kids were great, story line has been used before but still had a good twist. Definitely liked that she didn't jump into bed with the guy while the kids were there, though she didn't wait too much longer after that. All around, good book, enjoyable.
8/10

A Midsummer Night's Faery Tale

A Midsummer Night's Faery Tale
By Wendy Froud & Terri Windling
0684855593 50p

I'm a sucker for anything with "Midsummer Night's" in the title, so I had to pick this one up. Beautiful puppets and dolls in the pictures, I can see why the designer's dolls are in such high demand! Cute story, nowhere near as good as the dolls though!
8/10

Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome

Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome
By E.M. Berens
via gutenberg.org

Nice overview of the subject. Two things I was struck with. The repeated phrase "Zeus... obtained her affections" for every mortal he bedded was so quaint and almost adorable. Another thing. Did any child ever actually die of being exposed on a mountain? It seemed like every time they tried it, the shepherds would find the child and raise them!
8/10

Midnight Sun

Midnight Sun
By Stephenie Meyer
264p

Too bad she's not going to finish this idea, the series from Edward's point of view. At the very least, I wanted to see his thoughts during their first kiss. Am glad we got to hear his thoughts when he touched her cheek the first time. Overall, pretty cool. Also, have to mention how much I adore Alice!
8/10

Ask Marilyn

Ask Marilyn
By Marilyn vos Savant
0312081367 311p

Two of my favorite answers:
When asked if the earth is slowing down, she says it is and that she hopes when it finally stops, it's on a Saturday.
'How many stars in the sky?' 'All of them.'
Pretty amusing, liked the last chapter as well, unanswerable questions. Where do people come up with these crazy questions?! Lol!
8/10

Ireland: A Photographic Portrait

Ireland: A Photographic Portrait
Intro by JP Donleavy
0312142099 155p

Beautiful pictures! And very informative, will be keeping this as a reference for whenever I finally get to go to Ireland.
8/10

Hide in Plain Sight

Hide in Plain Sight
By Marta Perry
9780373442553 247p

Wasn't completely sure who it was, that was definitely a good thing! Usually I can figure out who it is and it's not as interesting to me.
8/10

Cathedrals of the World

Cathedrals of the World
By Graziella Leyla Ciaga
9788854401785 211p

Surprisingly, I liked the modern buildings slightly more, with St. Mary's Cathedral in Toyko being my favorite. The book itself is good, but superficial. There is a lot of information crammed into each 4-6 page summary, maybe too much. And sometimes things were talking about (ie a belltower or window) and there was no picture of it, which was slightly annoying. But the pictures that were included were beautiful!
8/10

Brideshead Revisited

Brideshead Revisited
By Evelyn Waugn
315p

Really liked some parts, sort of liked others. Didn't like people just disappearing and only hearing about them after, not seeing them. Definitely interesting how their lives intertwined so much, how much things change over the years, the people who weren't important become the center of your world and then shoot off again.
8/10

A Little Fate

A Little Fate
By Nora Roberts
0515137812 292p

3 short stories, all interesting. Good characters, very quick reads.
8/10

Tribute

Tribute
By Nora Roberts
9780515146363 433p

Nothing too special, very well told and intricate story, as usual. Good characters, I like that most of the book was the HGTV aspect- redoing the house- and not the Lifetime movie mystery aspect.
8/10

Geek Logic

Geek Logic
By Garth Sundem
0761140212 115p

Funny, cute! I didn't do all the equations, since of course they didn't all apply to me. But I did read all the intros, funny guy! And I discovered it's okay to talk about my exes- I'm over them, that I'm too smart for my job, and also underpaid. All things I knew, but it was nice to have the math to back it up, ha!
8/10

Chicken Soup for the Country Soul

Chicken Soup for the Country Soul
By Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
236p

Now, these I was expecting that I would cry for, being Country and all!
8/10

The Alchemist

The Alchemist
By Paulo Coelho
0062502182 174p

Intriguing story, I like the full circle effect. Favorite line, from page 158 in my version: "No matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central rold in the history of the world. And normally he doesn't know it."
8/10

Falling Angels

Falling Angels
By Tracy Chevalier
0525945814 321p

When I got to the end, I thought I had read this before, it seemed so familiar. I looked through this blog and didn't see it listed, so I guess I'm wrong. Very very odd. Book itself- disturbing but amazingly written. Jumping around person to person and year to year was a bit off, like I was reading a condensed book. And you never got to care too much about any character. But it was amazing anyway, you know it's well written when you actually dislike characters and your stomach is in knots over fictional events.
8/10

Public Secrets

Public Secrets
By Nora Roberts
0553285785 481p

Dang, I figured out who one of the 2 guys were about halfway through the book. I really wanted to be wrong too!
8/10

The Lives They Left Behind

The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic
By Darby Penney and Peter Stastny
Photographs by Lisa Rinzler

A bunch of suitcases were found in the attic of a former mental hospital in upstate New York. The authors picked 10 of these suitcases and found out the stories of the men and women they belonged to. I was expecting more photographs, from what I had read about the book. Interesting, quick read, but I was a bit put off my how much anger the authors have towards the employees of the asylum. They admit that there was much they didn't know at the time about mental illness, yet still attack the workers for not knowing things.
8/10
9781934137079 189p

5th Portion of Chicken Soup for the Soul

5th Portion of Chicken Soup for the Soul
By Jack Canfield and mark Victor Hansen
1558745432 367p

These all seemed designed to make people cry, didn't like that. Sure, make me cry on some stories, fine, but balance it out with the same number that make me smile or laugh.
8/10

A Very Special Delivery

A Very Special Delivery
By Linda Goodnight
9781426830648 250p

I liked it, seemed true to life, good characters and believable situations.
8/10

Memoir of Jane Austen

Memoir of Jane Austen
By James Edward Austen-Leigh
via www.gutenberg.org ~200p

Short, not many details. Which is understandable since she didn't leave much behind in way of letters. But I expected more recollections from the family, since this was written by her nephew. Miss Austen seems like she would have been a wonderful person to know.
8/10

Bonk

Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex
By Mary Roach
306p

Definitely an interesting subject, duh. I liked her approach, scientific yes but also bun. She goes into it with the assumption that sex is a whole lot of things, not just mechanics, not just emotion. Good sense of humor, funny situations that she talked herself into!

Madame de Treymes

Madame de Treymes
By Edith Wharton

So many questions! How does it end? What did the husband do? What is Madame de Tremes doing? Very good!
8/10

The Beckham Experiment

The Beckham Experiment
By Grant Wahl
978030747870 290p

Interesting and insightgul. Fitting to read this after seeing his return in NY 4 days ago and hearing about him baiting a fan at he home game over the weekend! Great access and sources, well-written, very nice.
8/10

Jesus as CEO

Jesus as CEO
By Laurie Beth Jones
0786881267 318p

I liked the personal stories the best. Well done.
8/10

His Lady Mistress

His Lady Mistress
By Elizabeth Rolls
0373293720 299p

Kept my interest, fun characters and situations and some good lines. The events seemed to take over a few months instead of weeks, so that was a little disconcerting. Ending was quite ridiculous.
8/10

Baby Bonanza

Baby Bonanza
By Maureen Child
0373768931 175p

I like cruises and I like couples who have a history! Good characters, actually wish it had been longer, good book.
8/10

Slow Hands

Slow Hands
By Leslie Kelly
0373794061 210p

Better than I thought it would be! Amusing premise, someone isn't who you think they are, been used tons of times and yet she made it new and fun.
8/10

Autobiography of a Geisha

Autobiography of a Geisha
By Sayo Masuda
0231129505 182p

Moving, shockingly straightforwards. Definitely felt for her and kept hoping for a happier ending than the one she got. Hopefully, after the book was published, she gained some happiness.
8/10

Jane Austen, Her Life and Letters: A Family Record

Jane Austen, Her Life and Letters: A Family Record
By William Austen-Leigh and Richard Arthur Austen-Leigh
gutenberg.org 400p

Interesting, but yeah not much odd or strange to tell about her life, it was pretty straightforward. Book didn't speculate at all, like about who her love was or how she died, which is keeping with that it was written by her family. Obviously, she was loved by those who knew her best, which is perhaps the most important thing we can know about her.

My favorite lines:
"Mrs. Hall, of Sherborne, was brought to bed yesterday of a dead child, some weeks before she expected, owing to a fright. I suppose she happened unawares to look at her husband."
"You express so little anxiety about my being murdered under Ashe Park Copse by Mrs. Hulbert's servant, that I have a great mind not to tell you whether I was or not."
8/10

The Cradle Will Fall

The Cradle Will Fall
By Mary Higgins Clark
0671741195 314p

Good. Fast paced, intricate, definitely well-plotted, as always. Lots of characters but not too much trouble keeping them straight. Got squeamish at some of the blood parts- the medical, of course, not the murders! Ha!
8/10

The Royal Diaries: Anastasia, The Last Grand Duchess

The Royal Diaries: Anastasia, The Last Grand Duchess
By Carolyn Meyer
0439129087 216p

I liked it, interesting glimpse at what her life might have been like and how quickly it changed so completely.
8/10

The Royal Diaries: Cleopatra VII

The Royal Diaries: Cleopatra VII
By Kristiana Gregory
0590819755 218p

Cute. Young adults book, read it to be sure it's appropriate for my 9 year old cousin.
8/10

Nineteen Minutes

Nineteen Minutes
By Jodi Picoult
19 hours (book on CD)

Interesting story, interesting way to tell the story. Definitely kept my attention. Not sure why the 'battered woman' thing wasn't used at the second trial though.
8/10

Born in Ice

Born in Ice
By Nora Roberts
0515116750 352p

Good characters, I like how the overall trilogy plots are moving along- like the relationships with their mother and the half-sister thing. I would have liked to hear more about the other guests of the inn, the few glimpses we had were amusing.
8/10

Grimm's Fairy Tales

Grimm's Fairy Tales
1593683297 508p

Most of the old favorites are here! Nice collection.
8/10

Born in Fire

Born in Fire
By Nora Roberts
0515114693 385p

Glad it's the first of a trilogy, because there are definitely characters that I want to hear more about!
8/10

The Faith

The Faith: What Christians Believe, Why They Believe It, and Why It Matters
By Charles Colson and Harold Fickett
0310276039 225p

He has some good points, about for example Christianity relying on logic and about it not being a forced religion. I think we're living in an on-the-fence time, when the world is changing but we can make a difference in how it ends up.
8/10

The Private World of Katharine Hepburn

The Private World of Katharine Hepburn
By John Bryson
0316113328 175p

Gorgeous photos, very informative!
8/10

Among the Thugs

Among the Thugs
By Bill Buford
0393033813 313p

I'm a member of a soccer supporters club in the US. And sometimes those in our group talk about being more like (insert country here)- be it in South America, Europe, whereever. After reading this, I'm even more sure of my view- NO WAY! I desperately hope the MLS supporters clubs are never like this. Disturbing, scary, eye-opening book that humanizes the people perpetuating this violence, which is good and interesting.
8/10
5/28/09 12:55 AM

Existentialism and Human Emotions

Existentialism and Human Emotions
By Jean-Paul Sartre
0806509023 96p

Favorite line, from page 44: "Man is always the same. The situation confronting him changes."
8/10

The Shack

The Shack
By Willaim P. Young
0964729237 248 p

I was expecting this to be a lot better, it had been highly recommended and anticipated by me. I was actually surprised the Jesus was a prominent character, since most writings like this feature a hodge-podge of religious ideas. Glad to discover the story wasn't real, though.
8/10

Northern Light

Northern Light
By Nora Roberts
0515139742 637p

Good. Nothing spectacular, but good characters and a solid story. I liked the relationship between Meg and her mother, I don't remember too many of those in Nora Robert's stories and it was refreshing. I like being able to count on a few authors to give me a good, interesting, and funny story. Oh! And love the name of the town- Lunacy, Alaska!
8/10

Chicken Soup for the Teachers Soul

Chicken Soup for the Teachers Soul
1558749780 361p

Good, as usual.
8/10

Heartburn

Heartburn
By Nora Ephrom
1860490247

Not as good as I thought it would be. Funny, yes, but not nearly as fleshed out enough. I couldn't seem to care too much about the characters and the problems they were facing.
8/10

The India Fan

The India Fan
By victoria Holt
0449216977 396p

Quite Euro-centric in the views on India and Indians. I've read this before, don't know if I noticed it before. Good characters, even the secondary and tertiary characters are interesting, with storylines that are well thought out and arresting- like Miriam. Very good.
8/10

Duchess in Love

Duchess in Love
By Eloise James
0060508108

Better than I expected! Laughed at many parts, very good characters. But there were so many of them! It was hard to keep track at times of the subplots, being that all the women had similar stories. Also wish more had been said about their childhood, would have liked some fleshing out of that part of the story. And the journal, would have liked more done with that revelation.
8/10

The Da Vinci Code: A Quest for Answers

The Da Vinci Code: A Quest for Answers
By Josh McDowell
1932587802 99p

Good. Nothing too new, but I like that it went through the book in order, breaking it down chapter by chapter basically.
8/10

Speeches that Changed the World

Speeches that Changed the World
0753712520 189p

Favorite passage:
"What constitutes an American? Not color nor race nor religion. Not the pedigree of his family nor the place of his birth. Not the coincidence of his citizenship. Not his social status nor his bank account. Not his trade nor his profession. An American is one who loves justice and believes in the dignity of man. An American is one who will fight for his freedom and that of his neighbor. An American is one who will sacrifice property, ease and security in order that he and his children may retain the rights of free men. An American is one in whose heart is engraved the immortal second sentence of the Declaration of Independence.

Americans have always known how to fight for their rights and their way of life. Americans are not afraid to fight. They fight joyously in a just cause.

We Americans know that freedom, like peace, is indivisible. We cannot retain our liberty if three-fourths of the world is enslaved. Brutality, injustice and slavery, if practiced as dictators would have them, universally and systematically, in the long run would destroy us as surely as a fire raging in our nearby neighbor's house would burn ours if we didn't help to put out his."
-Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes, 1941
8/10

Art Lover: A Biography of Peggy Guggenheim

Art Lover: A Biography of Peggy Guggenheim
By Anton Gill
006095681X 437p

Good book at tracking where she was and what she bought, doesn't touch overly much on why she did what she did. Her relationship with her children is troubling, but it seems like there must have been some good there for them to still want to be with her. All we read is bad, I think there must be more to it. Definitely interesting on an art historical side, to hear about Ernst and Pollock and Klee and others as secondary characters to someone else for a change!
8/10

Key of Knowledge

Key of Knowledge
By Nora Roberts
327p

Moe wasn't as annoying this time. I hope more of the library stuff is in the 3rd book, but I doubt it. Too bad, I would have liked to see Sandi and Joan get their commupance!
8/10

Tea and Green Ribbons

Tea and Green Ribbons
By Evelyn Doyle
240p

A bit different than the movie 'Evelyn'. Shows how much she really did enjoy/was content with her life in the convent. I think this book could have been much longer and still would have been interesting.
8/10

Key of Light

Key of Light
By Nora Roberts
051513628X 334p

#1 in a new trilogy. Moe is annoying, but then I'm not a fan of dogs, especially misbehaving ones. Simon is cool, I'm looking forward to Zoe's book to learn more about that relationship. She doesn't have kids in her books often enough for me! Actually, I can't remember a book with a little girl, how funny. And Tod, I think he's the first gay character she's had in her books. Might be wrong, but he's the first I remember. All around good story. She seems to be sticking to the magic theme, but this one had art too, which I always love!
8/10

Katharine Hepburn: A Stylish Life

Katharine Hepburn: A Stylish Life
By Joal Ryan
0312246498 207p

Weird, it reads like it's covering her whole life, even up to the last page. But it was published before she died! Good book, the author is clearly a fan. It's an overview, rehashes some old stories that might or might not be true (ie "Don't worry, he'll cut you down to size.") Awesome pictures.
8/10

Before Green Gables

Before Green Gables
By Budge Wilsom
389p

This doesn't seem like the Anne I remember- didn't she frequently mess up things while she was cooking? At 9, this Anne was making dinner for a family of 11. Some pieces don't seem to mesh, I'll have to reread the series one of these days. Good book otherwise, beautiful. Anne still makes her long crazy speeches, though here they seem longer than in LM Montgomery's series.
8/10

X Marks the Spot: On Location with the X-Files

X Marks the Spot: On Location with the X-Files
By Louisa Gradnitzer and Todd Pittson
184p

Interesting look behind the scenes. If I knew more abut Canada/Vancuver, I would have gotten much more out of this!
8/10

The Girl With No Shadow

The Girl With No Shadow
By Joanne Harris
9780061431623

Sequel to Chocolat, which I loved though not as much as I loved the movie. Was sorry to see only one old character, other than the two main characters, though I was very glad it was that person! weird to have talk of cell phone and identity theft and suck, since 'Chocolat' seemed to be set years and years ago. Illusion, of course, of it being set in a small town. But sad to break the illusion. I wonder how many people googled 'cri de chat' after reading this book.
8/10

Shattered Faith

Shattered Faith
By Sheila Rauch Kennedy
0679439951221 p

Finished the book and had to jump online to find out what happened next- the story ends basically as a cliffhanger! But the book- clearly outlines the disturbing practice of annulments being handed out left and right and the psychological damage it does to the children of the marriage/nonmarriage. Emotional. I wonder what Joe's second wife thought of the whole thing.
8/10

The Royals

The Royals: Their Lives, Loves and Secrets
by People magazine
143 p

Heavy on the royals in England, naturally since we have such a fascination with them and they've been on People magazine so much. Gorgeous photos, would expect nothing less from People. Good overview.
8/10

Then + Now

Then + Now
by Stefania and Dominic Perring
0785811168 143 p

I like these books, just a brief overview. Someone should do a series of more indepth ones, like 20+ pabes on each site with numerous painted reconstructions.
8/10

How You Do... What You Do

How You Do... What You Do
By Bob Livingston
9780071606127 287p

This book outlines the Service Excellence initiative, how to put it into practice at a company. Much of it focuses on a company called Crossmark, where Mr. Livingston spent 4 years implementing the initiative. Full disclosure: I work for Crossmark, was involved (on the lowest rungs) in the meetings, and was even awarded a service excellence award (the last one given before Crossmark changed their system). So I knew most of what this book was telling to reader, I lived it. But it was still interesting to read, as was the non-Crossmark stuff!
8/10

The Silver Chair

The Silver Chair
By CS Lewis
0064409457 243 p

(book 6 of the series) The links to Jesus and Christianity weren't as clear to me until the Lady underground with the enchantment that failed. Yet the school in our world should have tipped me off! This book is the closest to our world of the series because of that school, ugh.
8/10

Power to the People

Power to the People
by Laura Ingraham
9781596985162 321 p

Straightforward, though not very specific, on how to put governmental power back where it should be- in the hands of the people. Ordinary people have almost no control in politics, this book shows why that's a bad thing!
8/10

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
By CS Lewis
248 p

(book 5 of the series) I love Reepicheep, he's so funny! Gallant and all that, of course, but also amusing. Aslan, of course = amazing! There's so much more to be told, though. The Voyage of the Kings, the sea people, Ramandu's daughter's story, Eustace afterwards (does he end up back in Narnia? I think yes, 2 more books to find out!)
8/10

The Really Inconvenient Truth

The Really Inconvenient Truth
By Ian Murray
9781596980549

Interesting, very detailed and well-researched.
8/10

Flirting with Pride and Prejudice

Flirting with Pride and Prejudice
edited by Jennifer Crusie
1932100725

Good, not great. Interesting, some more than others. It's hard, because there are sections I would have given a 9 or 10, others deserving of a 5 or 6. Luckily, there were many interesting insights into a favorite author. Pride and Prejudice is also one of my 2 favorites of hers, so I'm a harsh critic of anything related to it (or Emma!). But this book is definitely worth the time for a fan.
8/10

Our Dumb World

Our Dumb World: Atlas of the Planet Earth
By The Onion
9780316018425

Hysterical, for the most part. How many times did they mention "Steve"? I wonder who he is, they seem to put every annoying trait onto him. Only problem was how many times they mentioned rape in a supposedly "sarcastic" or "funny" way. I get that they're basically all guys (one woman writer, 2 artists, 1 copy editor and some interns) but still, rape is just not funny. Once or twice to get a point across, but it got ridiculous how often it was mentioned.
8/10

The Darcy Connection

The Darcy Connection
By Elizabeth Aston
9781416547259

Cute. Again, too many marriages at the end, but at least they were a bit more spread out and those that weren't had a reason for being so close. Cute characters, none overly memorable.
8/10

The Second Mrs. Darcy

The Second Mrs. Darcy
By Elizabeth Aston
1780743297295 300p

I like reading familiar names of people and places. Good, Austen-like characters, as always with Elizabeth Aston's books. Little too tidy at the end, all the proposals within minutes of each other.
8/10

Angels Fall

Angels Fall
By Nora Roberts
444p

Definitely didn't see the end coming! Surprisingly, I had no idea who the villian was. Good characters, I always like the secondary characters so much- Joanie, Lo, Linda-gail, Serge.
8/10

Eclipse

Eclipse
By Stephenie Meyer
629p

Lots of twists and turns. She's gotten more comfortable writng the kissing scenes. I can't believe Jacob is asking Bella to be his Leah, though. Definitely annoyed at him for that!
8/10

Ten Minutes From Normal

Ten Minutes From Normal
By Karen Hughes
0670033057
335p

Interesting woman with such a different life. She's funny and well-spoken (well-written?). Definitely a good book to read, liked the behind-the-scenes feel of it. Of course, huge West Wing fan here!
8/10

New Moon

New Moon
By Stephenie Meyer
9780316160193 563p

Figured out the Jacob thing pretty quickly. Nice plot twist with the clliff, didn't see that becoming important. Melodramatic but a fun read. Loved the Paris analogy, that was my favorite chapter. Definitely looking forward to the 3rd!
8/10

The US Open

The US Open: Game, Set, Unmatched
By Roger M. Williams
0783552602 185p

Went to the US Open, almost finished this book on time! Some terms in here I didn't understand, obviously meant for people who know tennis. And old-1996. But good, gave me a good background on what I saw Saturday.
8/10

1,001 Things You Always Wanted To Know About The Bible, But Never Thought To Ask

1,001 Things You Always Wanted To Know About The Bible, But Never Thought To Ask
By J. Stephen Lang
0785267921

Interesting. Learned some new things! Wrote down some things to research further.
8/10