The Reivers

The Reivers
By William Faulkner
0679741925
I really really liked this book! Despite the back cover calling this a “comic masterpiece,” it actually was funny. (My view is: back covers of books lie.) So that was a pleasant surprise. The main character was so funny, alternating between tough-guy and “I want my mommy” and the rest of the characters were likable and amusing as well. There were a few things I would have liked spelled out more for me, such as- did Ned give that other horse something? He gave Lightning sardines, I think, but did he do something to the other horse? At one point it seemed that he did, but then the book never specifically said that he did, so I guess that was just my impression. The women in the story were amusing. My favorite parts were when they asked the main character if he had promised his mother not to do certain things, such as gambling. And he would tell them no, he didn’t need to promise his mother that. She just knew he wouldn’t do them. Very good look into his sheltered life and his mother’s trust in the bad things in life not touching her son.
9/10

Middlemarch

Middlemarch
By George Eliot
0192817604

Interesting book. I liked it, then I didn’t, then I did. I almost stopped reading a bunch of times, but then decided to stick with it until the end. I ended up liking it on the whole, but with no desire to ever read it again. It was a little odd jumping from character to character the first time. I had just gotten to know a group and suddenly, Eliot jumped to a totally new cast! I don’t think I ever really got used to it, but I accepted it and it wasn’t as jarring after awhile. Most of the characters were likeable, and they were all flawed. I can see why this book is considered a classic and it’s author one of “the” authors of the world.
8/10

Daughter of Lazarus

Daughter of Lazarus
By Albert A. Bell, Jr.
0870292153 (21)

Wow, this girl has more lives than a cat! Every time you think she’s in a no-win, no chances situation, she gets out of it! Seriously, good book. Well written and interesting look at life during this time. I expected it to stress Christianity a little more, maybe because it was Christmas while I was reading this, but it barely touched on it. That’s ok, it was a good book as it was and didn’t need any more… surprisingly. The main character was flawed, which was nice. The schemes, like the baby-switch, were interesting and nicely done. The danger seemed real enough to make me nervous during this and other schemes, which kept my attention.
8/10

Composition on the Net 2001

Composition on the Net 2001
By H. Eric Branscomb
0205330738 (16)

I’m sure this book was relevant when it came out. At this point, I knew basically everything in the book (what I didn’t know, doesn’t matter to my life). Doing searches, building websites, checking sources, it’s all here in easy to follow format. Since I’m feeling generous and this book did come out so long ago, I’ll be nice:
5/10

Mysterious

Mysterious
By Nora Roberts
0373218125

Another fluff book, that seems to be the theme so far this month. This was actually 3 books in one collection. This Magic Moment was cute, about an illusionist. Search for Love took place in France, very nice! And The Right Path was set in Greece. So all around, fun people and places to read about! As always, Nora Roberts’ characters are fun, there are a few lines that might even make you laugh out loud. Cute books.
8/10

Babysitters Club Super Mystery #2: Babysitters Beware

Babysitters Club Super Mystery #2: Babysitters Beware

Yes, I read this. I have been trying for years to collect the whole series, I have about half! So anytime I see one at a garage sale or whatever, I grab it. And it’s a compulsion: if I buy a book, I have to read it! I really hope my future daughter likes Babysitter Club books or I’ve been wasting a lot of time finding them all!
7/10

The Gazebo

The Gazebo
By Emily Grayson
0688167535

Love story, designed to be a tear-jerker, I think. I didn’t cry, but then I’ve never been in love so maybe that has something to do with it. Well-written, moving, interesting. It’s strange to think about how life might throw something so strange at you that you’ll spend the rest of your life wondering “what if?” I can’t believe that there was no way for them to be together, though. And just a few days before they’re going to get married, the telegram arrives? Why not the morning of the wedding, a bit more dramatic? I’d love to dismiss the book as a cliché, but I can’t. It was powerful in it’s own quiet way, moving. I can’t believe that in that day and age, they wouldn’t have gotten married earlier however. That part confused me, although it made sense in the middle when she was called back to the US. Guess if they had been married, he would have had a greater hold on her? Maybe he shouldn’t have kept putting her off when she asked, he ended up losing her over his desire to find a place to settle down before getting married. I think they were both a bit selfish in the beginning, and it came back to bite them. But I still feel bad for them, much as I shake my head at them in confusion.
8/10

A Creed for the Third Millennium

A Creed for the Third Millennium
By Colleen McCullough
0380701340

This review will have spoilers, so there's your fair warning. I was expecting something very different when I saw the cover of this book. And seeing who the author was, I got past that first reaction and decided to read it anyway. Wow, it was a tough book. I think it would have been better if the main characters had even had a flirtation, the ending would have been much more shocking. I honestly didn't see things coming, though some might say it was predictable. I was honestly shocked about the 'Judas' thing and I'm a Christian! I noticed his name in the beginning, but forgot about the similarities after a few chapters. So I was shocked that I didn't notice 'Judas' in the beginning too! The back of the book says "the woman he loves sets out to destroy him" which I found grossly inaccurate. I don't think she set out to destroy him as much as use him. He ends up destroyed, but even she didn't see the extent it would go to. She was just as shocked as everyone else, though she realized how he had played the part she had written for him- to perfection, more so than she had thought possible. The Chicago Tribune, quoted on the back of the book, calls it "passionate," which I disagree with. Again, I keep coming back in my mind to the thought that there should have been more between them than a tiny kiss and his declaration that she was more in need of love than anyone else. I do like the end, when Judith doesn’t do what the reader expects her to do! Finally, I thought, a moment of realism. All around, because I am itching to write my own scenes to insert, it only gets:
7/10

Summer Pleasures

Summer Pleasures
By Nora Roberts
0373218397

This was actually two stories in one book. It's funny, on the cover it talks about ONE summer changing two lives. In actuality, the book covers two separate summers. I think it's one year apart, although that's never made totally clear that I could tell. One character ages two years, but maybe there was a birthday in there? Either way, it's not told in one summer. Doesn't really matter, good stories anyway. I just taught about Robert Frank, a photographer who traveled across the country to create his book The Americans, which was originally published in France before finally finding an American publisher. Why do I mention that? Because it appears that Ms. Roberts is up on her art history again, because the second story covers this kind of cross-country project. Franks used 800 rolls of film in his quest to show the true face of America, although he was highly criticized for the picture that appeared- depression, hardship, bleakness. One Summer is a happier story and is a pleasant read. I'm wondering if the character of Shade may be based on what Robert Frank may have been like? Cynical but humorous. Interesting to contemplate. The first story shouldn't be overlooked, as it covers camping, one of my favorite summer past-times! As always, well-written characters and believable situations all around.
8/10

Daisy Miller

Daisy Miller
By Henry James

Wow. That was... odd. I really wanted to smack the girl most of the time, she was just so stupid. How could you not know what was being said about you?? Honestly! But then the ending! Wow, did not see that coming at all! This was my first Henry James book, and it was a very short 94 pages. Good book though, I liked the aunt most of all!
7/10

Frank Lloyd Wright's Houses

Frank Lloyd Wright's Houses
By Thomas A. Heinz
0517219689 (15)

Gorgeous pictures. Lovely views of this great artists works. The captions are informative and interesting. But the prose in the rest of the book, ugh! The information sounds like it was written for fifth graders, which maybe it was. There is no indication that the book is for a young audience, however, so I'm going to have to go with- Bad writing. Luckily, that ends about half-way through and you're left to savor the pictures for the rest of your time with the book.
6/10

Once a Princess

Once a Princess
By Johanna Lindsey
0380756250

I'm a sucker for stories about European royalty, I'll say that up front. That's why I read this book, fluffy though it was. A long-lost princess, found in America and brought back home to rule. (I loved *loved* Princess Diaries, in case anyone wants to know.) The characters were fun, especially the friends of the prince/king. I was a bit saddened by how much emphasis there was on the princess' virginity. There was so much back and forth on it, so much emphasis. That annoys me with fluffy books like this. There is so much emphasis always on the *woman* being a virgin. The man, of course, should have a vast and varied sexual history and maybe even (as here) a mistress. Gah, it's just such a stupid double standard and I'm tired of it. Nevertheless, this was a decent book and it gets a
7/10

The Egyptologist

The Egyptologist
By Arthur Philips
(Book on CD)

If you look up the word arrogant in the dictionary, the face of one of these characters is in there. And there is another character under self-serving, manipulative, conniving, and self-delusion. (Lots of characters!!) What a messed up batch of people the author has brought together! You're never sure who to trust and little by little, those ones you wanted to trust turn out to be just as bad as the rest! I saw the ending coming around disc 6 (out of 14), but then convinced myself I was wrong (not sure why), so the ending was a shock to me. The accent of the Aussie narrating is a real treat. The woman is at turns evil and innocent, shy and outgoing, a master of manipulation and a pawn. Just with her voice, which impresses me! There were a few loose ends that I wish had been tied up. Who was Macey, what did he think of all this? Did he have access to everything the reader did? The letter Margaret wrote but never mailed, was it true? Was she doing more manipulating and chicken out in the end or was she just scared to reveal the truth? And what about Hector and Regina?? Enjoyable read anyway, so it gets a
8/10.

Homeport

Homeport
By Nora Roberts
0515124893

I love Nora Roberts. And I love any fiction book that brings art into it. So this one was just my speed! Nora Roberts has been writing about art artifacts for a little while now (maybe she's gotten away from them, I never check dates on anything I read). And she always does such meticulous research into whatever section of art she's covering (Renaissance bronzes, downed cargo ships) that it's a treat to read her books.
8/10

Claw Your Way to the Top

Claw Your Way to the Top
By Dave Barry
0878576525 (28)

Well, that was odd. But so is Dave Barry, so that makes sense. I'm not going into the business world, so a lot of the jokes were just amusing. I'm sure if I was going into the business world, I would have found some of the jokes hysterical. Short book, just 86 pages, and cute.
6/10

Illusions

Illusions
By Janet Dailey
(Book on Cassette)

I'll admit it- I actually only listened to this because Allison Janney is the narrator. Very fluffy, even more so than my normal fluff. I liked it though, I loved how the ending turned out, it was a nice change from other fluffy novels. There were a few clichés, but not so many that it distracted from the story. And, only one scene I felt the need to fast forward through, so that was nice! I would have liked to have seen more of the main characters business associate because he was the most fun character there, but that's okay. All in all, a
7/10

Sarah

Sarah
By Marek Halter

Well, nothing like changing a little history, huh? Here's a tip: if you're going to write a story based on the Bible, don't contradict things in the Bible! That's just silly and makes you look like you didn't do your homework. Let's see, Abram and Sarai were half-siblings, not strangers who met in a stream one night. Pharoah ended up with a skin disease when he wanted to sleep with Sarai, thinking she was Abram's sister instead of wife. He didn't, as this book so... graphically describes it, sleep with her. Well-written and an interesting concept, but it didn't quite work for me.
5/10

The Narrative of A. Gordon Pym of Nantucket

The Narrative of A. Gordon Pym of Nantucket
By Edgar Allan Poe
(Book on CD then in a collection)

Listened to the first CD of this book, then the second simply didn’t work- there was nothing on it! Blank CD from the library, fun. So I found it in a book instead. It was an interesting read. The story was a little out there. It was a bit rushed, but that comes from being a condensed version, I think. I’m pretty sure I ended up reading a shortened version of the story, since it seemed too short. I wouldn’t want to read the entire version, it wasn’t really my type of story.
7/10

Saraband for Two Sisters

Saraband for Two Sisters
By Philippa Carr (Victoria Holt)
0499232077

I love Victoria Holt. Her books are always well-researched and take the reader to far flung places. This book is not one of those, unfortunately. That's probably why it's under a different name, but the writing also wasn't as good. It was more stilted and pretentious. Maybe that was on purpose, since the reader was supposed to be peeking at 2 girls diaries, but the girls should have gotten more mature voices as the years passed. Instead, the narrative dragged a bit. And the end... well, I won't spoil it but it was ridiculous.
5/10

The Great Train Robbery

The Great Train Robbery
By Michael Crichton
(Book on CD)

Two amazing books in one month! Actually, I was reading them at the same time, so this was very nice! This reminded me a lot of the movie Ocean’s Eleven- intricate plotline, likeable crooks, hair-raising adventure and close-calls. I would recommend this book to absolutely anyone, it was just so wonderful! I loved the improvisational tactics that had to be used for them to avoid detection, it was so much fun to listen to them get out of those tight spots!
10/10

Desert Queen

Desert Queen
By Janet Wallach
0385495757

What an amazing woman. And an equally amazing storyteller. I absolutely loved this book. This tells the story of a young woman in the early 1900’s who doesn’t simply get married and have a family. She travels to the Middle East and becomes an extremely important person in the relationship between England and the countries of the Middle East. Her story is one of courage but also of loneliness. The author never pretends that she had a perfect life, bucking tradition and following her own mind. She suffered greatly in some ways, but it was for a good cause and she never regretted it. I’m not even interested in the Middle East and I’m giving this book: 10/10

First Lady

First Lady
By Susan Elizabeth Phillips
0380808072

Just as I’m a sucker for princess stories, I’m a sucker for stories about the First Family. And this one was delightful! Okay, fluffy as anything but still, very cute. I liked the older sister and the couple they meet at the camp ground. I didn’t like how quickly the main character threw herself at the guy, not knowing anything about him. Yes, he seemed nice and all that and he was a good guy. But she didn’t know that, only the reader really knew that. I can understand (this might be backward but it’s my opinion so oh, well) her falling in love with him. But I can’t understand her sleeping with him so shortly after they meet. What if he hadn’t been a great guy? He could have made a bundle writing a tell-all!
7/10

Reunion

Reunion
By Nora Roberts

Ah, Nora Roberts is always fun. This was two stories of couples who were parted and then reunited. I think a few of the characters are in need of therapy and I didn’t like these as much as I have liked her stuff in the past.
7/10

Iced

Iced
By Carol Higgins Clark

Cute. I like Carol Higgins Clark, although I do have a complaint. The chapters are so short that I just keep telling myself “one more chapter before I go to sleep” and I end up reading the whole thing. Not good! Her plots are always good, a few twists along that way that I don’t see coming, not sure if others do. Forgettable characters for the most part. Not as good a writer as her mother, which I’m sure she hears way too often!

7/10

Deception Point

Deception Point
By Dan Brown

Wow. I didn’t see the twists coming in this one! After the slightly clichéd Da Vinci Code, this was a real treat! Oh, there were some things that weren’t a shock, just as in every book. But for the most part, I was as surprised as the characters were. I genuinely liked the main characters, neither annoyed me which is good! And I loved to hate the senator/father, he was a great character! Although he was a little too over-the-top, you knew you were supposed to dislike him. It’s like on an episode of The West Wing, a couple in a bar are complaining to a pregnant Andy that maybe she should have disclosed her condition before she was elected, since it may affect her ability to do her job. Just in case you may think they have a point, Charlie shows up and asks what’s the matter. (He is black or whatever the acceptable term is this week, and he dated the Presidents daughter, which annoyed stupid people who can’t see past skin color). The couple points at him and sneer “Oh, and there’s the one that dated the daughter.” You know, so the audience knows that these people are scum and anything they say is wrong. That’s how I felt with some of the ridiculous things coming out of the senator’s mouth in this book- too blatantly obvious that we were supposed to hate him, too heavy-handed. But since I otherwise adored the book.

8/10

Women Who Run With the Wolves

Women Who Run With the Wolves
By Clarissa Pinkola Estes, PhD

I have to start by saying this book was not aimed at people like me. I found it pretentious and redundant. About 100 pages in, I started to skip whole sections- not the best way to read a book I loved one line, from about page 111: “Ignorance is not knowing anything and being attracted to the good. Innocence is knowing everything, and still being attracted to the good.” It is supposedly an old proverb from Dr. Estes’ country, although I have no idea what country that is.

6/10

The Rescue

The Rescue
By Nicholas Sparks

Nicholas Sparks again, you say? Yep, I grabbed another one. And this one wasn’t quite as depressing, he must be mellowing! I was truly surprised by the ending. Well, not the literal ending, but the ending of the mystery of Taylor’s dad. I don’t have much to say about this book, so I’ll just give it a score:
7/10

12 Views of Manet's Bar

12 Views of Manet's Bar
By Bradford R. Collins

A picture of the Bar would have been nice. Instead, we get a couple hundred pages of people talking about an image that the reader doesn’t get to see in it’s entirety unless they (like me) go pull out an old textbook. Some of the ideas posed were good, but I’m not rating each individual section. The book overall, I give a
7/10

The Omega Code

The Omega Code
By Paul Crouch

Ugh. Why did I read another one? You'd think the Left Behind series would be enough for me, but no! I have to say that I like the Left Behind series, although the writing leaves a bit to be desired. This book was so short that there wasn’t much character development and the twists and turns came out of nowhere. There was no foreshadowing that you could later think “oh! I should have known!” Instead, things just happened and I would blink and say “huh?”
5/10

Least Likely Bride

Least Likely Bride
By Jane Feather

Ugh. I liked the character Olivia. And her friends were very funny! I liked her playing chess with her pirate, that was very funny also. But the ending sucked... *spoiler alert* You're really telling me that in that time period, her father lets her sail off, unmarried, when he knows she's sleeping with the pirate? I don't think so!! Stretches believability too far for me. Oh, she was strong-willed. Blah blah blah, she was a girl and as such she was under her fathers authority.
5/10

How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must)

How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must)
By Ann Colter

Funny! This caught my eye at the library with it's amusing title. Glad I picked it up, I was impressed. Ann Coulter has a different way of looking at the world, and doesn't take things at face value. This was a refreshing read for someone who spends most mornings muttering at the newspaper articles that seem to only tell half the story! Sometimes I finish reading the stories with more questions that apparently never occurred to the reporter to ask, things that I think are important and would change the way the incident is viewed. And then there are headlines that mislead the reader, as the story is completely the opposite of what the headline seems to say. A recent example, for those who think I'm lying: "Nazi's Riot at Demonstration". The headline would lead the reader to think there were Nazis at a demonstration and they rioted. However, the real story is that Nazi's were having a demonstration- peaceful, apparently- and a group of anti-Nazi's threw rocks and beer bottles at cops. Note, *not* at the Nazi's, at cops standing nearby. I'm not defending the Nazi's, I think their ideologies need to be wiped out. But they had every right to be there, as did the cops. There was no reason for anything to be thrown. I digress, the real point is that Ann Coulter asks those questions that I wish I had been able to ask. And she comes up with some disturbing answers. Very good read.
8/10

Nancy Drew: Mystery of the Moss-Covered Mansion

Nancy Drew: Mystery of the Moss-Covered Mansion
By Carolyn Keane

I don't think I should even bother reviewing it. It's Nancy Drew, all her books are the same and if you don't know who she is... well, get out from under your rock! Always good to read at the beach, though, so there you are. And that’s where I was!
7/10

Amelia Earhart

Amelia Earhart
By (Didn't write it down, oops!)

I want to learn how to fly. I mean it, one of these days when I have enough money, I'm going to start taking lessons. For now, I'll just watch The Aviator and read books like this one. This was a very good book about the famous flyer. Full of interesting facts, a great read for a fan of Amelia or flyers in general. For example, as an interesting fact, on one of Amelia's first flights, she spent the entire time with an oil leak in the cockpit of her plane. The oil dripped down her back for the entire flight, ick! But it must have been an exciting time to be a pilot, testing all the new technology as it literally rolled off the assembly line, tweaking the engines and such to fit your needs. It seems so romantic, yet I'm sure it was more hard work than anything else! I also really like a small story from her childhood. Seems she and her sister decided to build a roller-coaster in their backyard. But for some reason, they didn't build a down-hill for the last hill. Instead, they flew off from the top. They tweaked it for the second try, building that downward slope. And my sister and I used to give our aunt a heart attack hanging upside down from the monkey bars in the backyard, imagine if we had come up with the roller-coaster idea! Too late now.
8/10

Memoirs of Cleopatra

Memoirs of Cleopatra
By Margaret George

Brilliant! Over 1000 pages and worth every single word. I admit, I've been obsessed with Cleopatra for quite awhile, even wrote a few papers on her. But this book was beyond my wildest dreams. Wonderfully researched, first of all (and most important, to me). The characters were vibrant and alive. I understood Cleopatra in a way that I hadn't when writing an art historical paper on her. I'm not sure how much of it was accurate, so I'm taking it as the fun, engaging book that it is. For example, was Cleopatra really there when all the famous events took place? I'm sure she wasn't conveniently on the street outside when Caesar was killed, but I also not sure she was even in the same city! If I ever find out she really was there, I'll change my vote. But for now, because of this suspension of disbelief, this book gets a
9/10

The Man Who Would Be King

The Man Who Would Be King
By Rudyard Kipling
(book on CD)

My dad tells me this is one of his favorite movies. Haven't seen it, but based on the book I'm sure it's very interesting. I listened to this whole story one night while I was driving by myself and I didn't even notice where the time went. My one complaint, and it's a big one, was that there wasn't as much detail as I wanted there to be. The story went rather quickly and was suddenly over before I even realized it. I liked the downfall of the men, through an irate woman who didn't want to marry. Very clever, never saw it coming! The men were certainly clever, I'll give them that. Overall, it gets a
7/10

Weird US

Weird US
Mark Moran and Mark Sceurman

Have to say it- weird book! I love the wierdnj.com website, so I was pretty sure I would like this book. And it is a good book. There are sections I skip, because they seem too much like urban legends and I'll go to snopes.com if I want to read urban legends. But many of the stories are extremely interesting. I especially love the story about the town that is on fire underground. There's some mine system under the town and the mines have been burning for years and supposedly will be for years to come. I wonder if it's any warmer there in the winter? But my favorite story is the one about America's one and only emperor, who declared himself that in San Francisco and "reigned" for quite a few years. The book says he may have been crazy, but I think he may have been completely sane! He got free food, made the newspapers, was in parades, etc. He even tried to dissolve Congress (yeah, good luck with that one). I'm about seventy-five percent convinced that he was really smart and knew exactly what he was doing.
8/10

Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair
By William Makepeace Thackeray

Fun!! I read this because I adored the movie when I saw it a few weeks ago. Shockingly enough, the movie was better. I love Becky, she's such a fun character. Very naive when it comes to what her "benefactor" wants from her- who didn't see that coming a mile away?- but still sweet. She comes through as more of an optimist/land-on-her-feet sort of girl in the movie. Maybe I should start a page about the differences between the books and the movies based on them! For now, I'll stick with just reviewing the books. The imagery was great, of the costumes and the time period both. The behind the scenes scheming of Becky is subdued, calmly done.
9/10

Nights in Rodanthe

Nights in Rodanthe By Nicholas Sparks

If you've read Nicholas Sparks book, you'll know what this one is like. Kind of fluffy, but that's okay. Everyone needs some fluff now and then. The characters were marginally believable, I suppose. I can't imagine a weekend, 2 days, changing your life as much as it does for these two characters. But then, I don't believe in love at first sight like Nicholas Sparks seems to! Cute story, take it for face value. And the ending... well, as I said it's Nicholas Sparks so we all know what that means.
7/10

Freakonomics

Freakonomics
By Stephen D. Levitt

Very interesting. And thought-provoking, of course. That's what this book is meant to do, make people think. The links that the author makes are extremely interesting and those that you'd never think of, like sumo wrestlers and teachers (who knew they had so much alike!?). Much has been made of one chapter, about how legalizing abortion cut the crime rate. I like that the author presents his findings on this theory, relates the statistics, then turns and gives the other side. He talks about brilliant people who have come out of hard circumstances. He mentions the ridiculousness of killing a child on the chance it will become a criminal. And he realizes that some people (more than half the country, last poll I read) believe killing a child is worse than that child becoming a pick-pocket or a drug dealer. Yes, he says, the crime rate has gone down. But he acknowledges that some people don't like the cost of that downward turn.
9/10

Sister Carrie

Sister Carrie
By Theodore Dreiser

Haunting. Beautiful story of a woman's unfortunate and slow downfall. Even she doesn't realize it's happening until it's already happened. I love the tiny steps, the careful, meticulous outlining of Carrie's slippery slope. You feel sorry for her, of course, but sorry that she's such an innocent, not that she's a "fallen woman." You're sorry that she's so naive that she makes these messes for herself. I wish that we had learned what happened to her sister, though. I realize we probably already know, that she stayed in her hovel of a house forever and she and her husband were like any other couple of the time, perpetually down on their luck. But her sister really did love Carrie and it would have been nice to know what became of her.
7/10

A Room with a View

A Room with a View
By E.M. Forster
0394743180

Good. A bit bizarre, but I liked most of it. I really wanted to smack the main girl across the back of the head a few times though, she was so dense. I'll admit that I also didn't understand some of the things that happened, like why she was so scared of the native talking about her. Once she was away from the city, she was still obsessing over a cab driver! I thought the idea of the boy and the father giving up their room was sweet, with the added amusement that the girl couldn't take the room the boy had been in, for propriety's sake. Very quaint! The girl's "long suffering" companion amused me to no end. Poor dear, always forced to take the best of everything, just for the girl's sake. Very funny!

7/10

Phantom of the Opera

Phantom of the Opera
By Gaston Leroux
0880299053

Of course, one of the classics! It's been on my shelf to read for quite awhile, glad I finally got around to it. I feel strange critiquing this story, because it's such a classic. I loved the beginning, the entire set-up section. The story pulled you in very quickly. The shadowy mentor, disappearing when anyone besides his beautiful protégé is around, is intriguing. I love the idea of the voice coming out of nowhere, behind walls and from closets. I didn't like the end, however. It got too science fiction-esque for me. And I love science fiction! But after the historical set-up of the story and all that, it suddenly veered into a crazy and deadly fun-house.

8/10