Purpose Driven Life

Purpose Driven Life
By Rick Warren

Ok, it took me less than 40 days to read this book. But I want to start the One Year Bible again on January 1st, so tough luck. That's okay, since I didn't think this was a very good book anyway. Read it though, ripping it apart slightly in my journal! But ah well, as a friend said, now my life is "full of purpose" (yes, he was being as sarcastic as I am right now).
6/10

The Metamorphoses

The Metamorphoses: Selected Stories in Verse
By Ovid
0486427587

Did I ever say I didn't "get" poetry? I was wrong. Moving, funny, romantic, heartbreaking, it's all here.
9/10

Against the Odds

Against the Odds
By L.M. Montgomery
0553565923

Very good, of course. I especially liked A Substitute Journalist, The Strike at Putney (did she read Lysistrata?), and A Question of Acquaintance.
8/10

Broken Wings

Broken Wings
By V.C. Andrews
0671039970

Another not-quite-great V.C. Andrews book. This one was so sad though, because I was really rooting for all the girls, even though I knew what the end had to be. This is the first of two books, and I know where all three girls end up. So even as I'm saying "run, go, be better!", I know what the ultimate end for each of them is. Very sad.
8/10

The New Year's Quilt

The New Year's Quilt
By Jennifer Chiaverini
9781416547556

These books are too short! Cute, though. I like the blending of the old and contemporary. Something seems lacking when she only writes about one.
8/10

After Many Days

After Many Days
By L.M. Montgomery
055329184X

Cute, especially liked The Price and Robert Turner's Revenge. Didn't like For a Dream's Sake at all though!! Nice as it's written, I suppose, but then you think about the rest of the poor guy's life, very sad.
8/10

The Year of Living Biblically

The Year of Living Biblically
By A.J. Jacobs
9780743291477

Interesting. The beginning was hard, he comes across as quite arrogant. He's doing this to write a book and make money, that much was clear from his attitude in the beginning. But then something changed in him a little and he grew more interested in what he was doing, not just as a way to make money and gain some fame.
8/10

Rose Cottage

Rose Cottage
By Mary Stewart
0449000613

Cute. Not sure why the author is called on the cover "the mistress of suspense-romance." There wasn't much suspense, I had already figured it out pretty early in the book. And no romance, there doesn't seem to be any basis for Davey being anything more than friend/brother. If it hadn't been that there were no other guys around for Kathy to fall for, I would have expected her to discover that she and Davey were siblings!!
7/10

Among the Shadows

Among the Shadows
By L.M. Montgomery
0553289594

Loved the last story "White Magic" though it was clear how it would end. But I liked all the stories, very good all of them.
9/10

Don't Know Much About Geography

Don't Know Much About Geography
By Kenneth C. Davis
0688103324

Didn't really answer the questions that were at the beginning of each section, I for used to it but it was annoying. Interesting book.
7/10

Shooting Stars: Falling Stars

Shooting Stars: Falling Stars
By V.C. Andrews
0671039873

Gripping story, different than the others. Certain elements are always there, of course, in any V.C. Andrews books that aren't written by the original V.C. Andrews: rape, attempted rape, beautiful girls, innocent and otherwise, distant parents. This book did it better than some of the others I've read.
8/10

Along the Shore

Along the Shore
By L.M. Montgomery
0553285890

Good stories, not all happy endings this time for a change. I had read the last story before, maybe in one of the other collections?
8/10

The Mulberry Tree

The Mulberry Tree
By Jude Deveraux
0671014218

Very good! Gripping story, lots of twists, most I didn't see coming. Last chapter had too many newnames, which was slightly confusing. Good book anyway! I just discovered I like this author, isn't that exciting?
9/10

Shooting Stars

Shooting Stars
By VC Andrews

4 books- Cinnamon, Ice, Rose, Honey. All good, interesting stories. Short, but the sequel will bring them together so that's not a big concern. Good characters, like Evan and Barry, Chandler, both Uncles. Good start.
8/10

The Doctor's Sweetheart and Other Stories

The Doctor's Sweetheart and Other Stories
By L.M. Montgomery

"I know a secret." Yes, that really is the most intriguing phrase in the world! It's funny, some of the stories I had heard before, slightly altered. I guess in other books of L.M. Montgomery, probably Anne of Green Gables. Very good stories, of course!
8/10

Akin to Anne

Akin to Anne
By L.M. Montgomery
0553283871

Wonderful, as always. And about orphans, so of course I loved all these stories!
9/10

Veil of Roses

Veil of Roses
By Laura Fitzgerald
9780553383881

I was really afraid for the ending, thought it would end completely differently. Very good book, moving, detailed, beautiful.
8/10

Plain Truth

Plain Truth
By Jodi Picoult
0671776126

Really good until the last 2 pages. I mean, I saw it coming, that last revelation. But it was horrible and cheapened the whole book. And the people in it.
7/10

If Democrats Had Any Brains, They'd Be Republicans

If Democrats Had Any Brains, They'd Be Republicans
By Ann Coulter
9780307353450

Slightly disappointing, all it is is quotes. Most of the quotes are funny, but still I was hoping for something more.
8/10

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: and Other Clinical Tales
by Oliver Sacks
9781416542780

Not as interesting as I thought it would be. The title made me think it would be more like an episode of House! Instead, it was a lot of theory and such.
7/10

The Road to Yesterday

The Road to Yesterday
By L.M. Montgomery
0070777217

Some good stories in this collection. I especially liked Fool's Errand.
8/10

HRH

HRH
By Danielle Steel
0385338295

I remember now why I can't stand Danielle Steel books! Ugh, if I had to read the word "archaic" or "grace" one more time... I think this book could have been finished in half the time if things were repeated so much.
6/10

Jane of Lantern Hill

Jane of Lantern Hill
By L.M. Montgomery
0770423140

Last line makes the whole rest worth reading! It's a delightful book, but I really think the last line raised this book from an 8/10 to a:
9/10

Gulliver's Travels

Gulliver's Travels
By Jonathan Swift
0553211072

There was more than just Gulliver's Travels in this book, but I got bored. So I only read Gulliver's Travels. I'm sure it's brilliant and I just wasn't in the right mood to read it, although I've been trying on and off for about 6 months to read it. The narrator was a total jerk, arrogant and not likable at all. Maybe he wasn't supposed to be, I don't know! Ah well!
7/10

A Venetian Affair

A Venetian Affair
By Andrea Di Robilant
(book on CD)


So I've been reading some diverse books the past few months: first I wanted to learn to quilt, then make rugs, then read the entire Encycopedia. Now I want to fall in love. In Venice, obviously! This book was beautiful. It being a true story made it even better. The characters were wonderful, so real which is sometimes hard with historical characters! The descriptions of Venice, Paris, London, etc. were great, sometimes you really felt like you were there.
10/10

The Know-It-All

The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World
By A.J. Jacobs
0743250605

(The title will be longer than my review!) Now I want to read the Encyclopedia, right after the quilting and rug making!
9/10

Mistress Pat

Mistress Pat
By L.M. Montgomery
0553280481

I saw the ending coming, part of it, but it was delightful to get there! Great characters, loved all of them.
9/10

Fractured Fairy Tales

Fractured Fairy Tales
By A.J. Jacobs
0553099809

Adorable! Very funny. I liked the one that maybe inspired Shrek? Who knows? But it was Beauty and the Beast so of course I liked it!
8/10

The Gospel According to America

The Gospel According to America
By David Dark
0664227694

Ugh. I loved the parts with the Twighlight Zone and sci-fi books where he gives a tiny explanation and then talks about minute points like you've seen the episode, not even bothering to tell you thinks like "oh, I mentioned this actor? he plays this character," just assumes you know and uses the names interchangably. No coherence, no idea what his thesis is, what sections are points to support this thesis, which sections are just ramblings... what a bizarre book.
7/10

Into the Wild

Into the Wild
By Jon Krakauer
9780307387172

Don't admire him, the selfish child. In his 20's but acted like he was 5. Can't have been too bad of parents- their other two kids still speak to them! But he goes years without even calling to tell them he's alive. Irresponsible child, the author admires him for some reason. I have doubts about the sanity and maturity of this author.
7/10

Pat of Silver Bush

Pat of Silver Bush
By L.M. Montgomery
0553280473

Yep, I cried. I can't believe she actually killed someone. The mother was barely there though, that was odd.
9/10

The Jane Austen Book Club

The Jane Austen Book Club
By Karen Joy Fowler
(book on CD)

Since this was a book on CD, I kept thinking the main guy's name was Greg and couldn't figure out why that was a strange name. Had to look it up and yes, Grigg is a much stranger name than Greg! Worst part of this book is we never got to find out the ending to the white cat story! That is too bad, because it was probably an interesting story. I hope Ms. Fowler knows the end of it.
8/10

America Alone

America Alone: The End of the World as We Know it
By Mark Steyn
9780895260789

If this stuff is true, pretty earth-shaking. If it's not, it's still an interesting read. Could have been better organized, took me a bit to get into the book because it seemed so discombobulated. But good anyway.
8/10

The Blood of Flowers

The Blood of Flowers
By Anita Amirrezvani
9780316065764

So the Elm Creek books make me want to learn how to quilt, this book made me want to learn how to make a knotted rug like the main character does! I liked the main character, her family was believable and interesting. I wasn't as enamored of the city as she was, I just couldn't picture it. But the story was amazing and involved, definitely kept my interest! I can't believe this is the authors first books, it's wonderful!
9/10

The Quilter's Homecoming

The Quilter's Homecoming
By Jennifer Chiaverini
9781428142541 (book on CD)

Well-written. Didn't like the characters all the time, though. Henry was too hard-headed. And to not press charges, what was that about? But it was an amusing story, nice to find out what happened with Sylvia's favorite cousin Elizabeth (although really if you haven't seen someone since you were 4, isn't that holding onto things a bit? There were no other cousins that you had grown close to in those 80 years?). Odd though, since Sylvia doesn't know what happened to Elizabeth but the readers do.
9/10

A Tangled Web

A Tangled Web
By L.M. Montgomery
0553280503

As always, great characters! I liked how different this one was, not just following one character. Many stories going on at the same time, although all intertwined because of that crazy jug!
8/10

In the Absence of Angels

In the Absence of Angels By Elizabeth Glaser and Laura Palmer

I'm glad that she had so many people surrounding the family who were willing to stand with them and support them. Good book, of a pretty remarkable woman. So sad, though, that I looked her up online and she died quite a few years ago. Glad her foundation lives on, although it's a shame her foundation is still needed.
8/10

Circle of Quilters

Circle of Quilters
By Jennifer Chiaverini
1419387200 (book on CD)

I liked this set-up, a job interview that follows each interviewee for years before, to show how they ended up where they are. I didn't like some of them, but that's okay. Karen and Russ in particular annoyed me. But I loved the other characters, and even in the stories of the two I didn't like there were interesting things. Very nice, a shame I'm almost done with this series.
8/10

Magic for Marigold

Magic for Marigold
By L. M. Montgomery
0553280465

Adorable! As always, these characters are so much fun. Everything turns out as it should, of course. Just a sweet book to make anyone smile.
9/10

The Blue Castle

The Blue Castle
By L.M. Montgomery
0553280511

Awesome story! I think this was my favorite so far, although statements like that can never include Anne, she's just on her own level. But I loved Doss- oops, Valancy! She was well-written and an absolute wonderful person to spend some time with. Maybe because she's closer to my age than the other books I've read of Ms. Montgomery, I like her more. I saw the ending coming from almost the beginning, but that didn't make the journey less enjoyable! Didn't see one twist about Barney coming, but I did guess the other.
10/10

"Unsinkable": The Full Story

"Unsinkable": The Full Story
By Daniel Allen Butler
081171814X

Opening line of the introduction: "It has been said that 'Titanic' is the third most widely recognized word in the world, following 'God' and 'Coca-Cola.'" Love that line! Book is full of details and interesting stories yet not bogged down by details. I had never heard so much about the "mystery" ship, it was good to get an in-depth look on that. Definitely interesting book, even if you're only midly interested in Titanic. (Insert the obvious ruining the ending/boat sinks line here, I have no desire to make that joke right now!)
10/10

Chronicles of Avonlea

Chronicles of Avonlea By L. M. Montgomery

Very good! It's always a bit strange to see Anne Shirley's name in there but a good strange. Well written of course but also sweet. I found myself tearing up a few times, such great characters and situations!
9/10

Moll Flanders

Moll Flanders
By Daniel Defoe
1402557558 (book on CD)

What an interesting life! She was a very amusing character, as were most of the people she came into contact with. I was very amused when she would talk about her husbands, since she couldn't just say "husband" or even qualify them with "live" and "dead" since she had so many living! So she had to say "Lancashire husband" or "brother husband" and the other one, she barely talked about him so I can't remember what she called him. I half expected to discover that Defoe had written an account of the governess or the Lancashire husbands life. Those might have been interesting, but they don't exist of course!
9/10

For Your Eyes Only

For Your Eyes Only: Behind the Scenes of the James Bond Films
By David Giammarco
1550224999

Great overview of the whole Bond phenomenon, from Ian Flemming to Die Another Day. The author had great access, a good sense of humor and respect for the films. My one complaint: No Moneypenny! She's my favorite character, but the actresses who've played her weren't interviewed and she wasn't mentioned except one line where they mention her office. Disappointing!
Edit 2/14/08: I have heard from Mr. Giammarco, who tells me that Moneypenny is mentioned in his book! I will have to reread the book, I will post an updated review once I do. I can't believe I missed that, I adore her!
9/10

Emily's Quest

Emily's Quest
By L.M. Montgomery

Cute. The ending was a foregone conclusion, but the journey there was funny and interesting. Nothing earthshattering, but a pleasant read.
8/10

Emily Climbs

Emily Climbs
By L.M. Montgomery
0553233718

Cute book. I kept waiting for the Diamond Ring thing, was glad when that finally appeared (I know, it's the small things!). Not as good as the first one in the series and nowhere near as good as Anne of Green Gables (few things are, I think!), but still. Good characters, funny situations. I love that an urban legend has sprung from this book (Not My Dog on Snopes.com).
8/10

My Sister's Keeper

My Sister's Keeper
By Jodi Picoult
0743453529

Had to skip a bit at the beginning, anything medical with kids freaks me out and makes me nauseous (oh yeah, it's fun to watch House, MD when it's about a kid, takes me 3 days!!). But after that, it was amazing. I had heard it had a shocking ending, though, so I was actually expecting what happened, probably 50 pages before it did. I loved Campbell's flip answers to people asking him about things that were none of their business, that was my favorite part.
9/10

Emily of New Moon

Emily of New Moon
By L.M. Montgomery

Cute. I'm not as excited about this main character as others of Ms. Montgomery's, but I have two more books to read so she may grow on me!
8/10

The Golden Road

The Golden Road By L.M. Montgomery

I love these books, so wonderfully written. But I cried so much reading this one, isn't that sad? I know, it's a kids book. I don't remember crying so much when I read this one years ago, though! It's so sad to say good-bye to these characters, since I don't think she wrote any more about them! So we never find out what happens, although I suppose there are hints enough. I hope they got together again, if only in Ms. Montgomery's mind. And not for a funeral either. *sniff, sniff*
10/10

Museum

Museum: Behind the Scenes at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
By Danny Danziger
9780670038619

Good. Liked some of the stories, interesting to hear about the people who make the Met what it is, from the florist to the security people to the trustees.
8/10

A Thousand Splendid Suns

A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini
9781594489501

Fast-paced, sucks you in. I couldn't stop reading this once I started. The women's stories were heart-breaking and yet showed in the end how powerful the women could be. Not sure if I liked the ending, was glad for it but I'm still not sure it totally fit.
9/10

The Age of the Cloister

The Age of the Cloister
By Christopher Brooke
1587680181

Good. Well-written and interesting. Some passages got a little bogged down, mostly from too many names of towns in too short a space.
8/10

The Story Girl

The Story Girl
By L.M. Montgomery

I love her imagery, her writing is just beautiful. It's not all beauty and light and fluff though, there was a line I loved that was thought-provoking: "Ah, do we ever feel quite the same towards people who destroy our illusions?" But it ends well, and it's a delightful story.
9/10

The Christmas Quilt

The Christmas Quilt
By Jennifer Chiaverini
074328657X

Another delightful story! Found myself crying at one point (well it was also 1am and I should have been sleeping, but still it counts!) I really want to find out if Sylvia found Elizabeth, though. I can't remember from the other books if she does, if she even gets to look. But there are 2 more books in this series, so hopefully I'll find out soon!
9/10

The Republic of Pirates

The Republic of Pirates
By Colin Woodard
9780151013029

As you should know by now, I adore books about pirates. But this one wasn't that good. It ignores the first 20 years, along with all the pirates from that era, dismissing them as privateers. Yes, there was a difference between pirate and privateer but many of the men who had license to be privateers... well, they bent the rules and became pirates along the way, attacking ships they weren't supposed to. The author picks and chooses, deciding himself who was a pirate and who wasn't. Henry Morgan isn't (who knew? Seemed like a pirate is Empire of Blue Water!) because he became a well-respected man at the end, yet so did some of the 'pirates' in this book? Too many names, not enough substance. And what was the story behind that ship that went and saw the Whydah after it sank, it's never explained and it's really bugging me! (Yes I tried google, no luck there)
7/10

Kilmeny of the Orchard

Kilmeny of the Orchard
By L.M. Montgomery
0553213776

Beautiful writing but I expect nothing less of this author. I loved the Anne of Green Gables series when I was younger and read it quite a few times. I keep saying I'm going to read it again one of these days. Until then, I'll read everything else she wrote and I've never read. Kilmeny is a beautiful story even though the ending is a foregone conclusion (I sometimes wished it hadn't ended that way, but seeing when it was written, of course it ended the way it did.) The last 2 pages are perfect, however.
9/10

Body Piercing Saved My Life

Body Piercing Saved My Life: Inside the Phenomenon of Christian Rock
By Andrew Beaujon
0306814579

Good concept and idea, but didn't really go anywhere. Dates seem irrelevant, he jumps around without warning or reason. And I'm very surprised that a book about Christian Rock music talks about the 3,000 kids at Cornerstone and the other small numbers at other festivals but doesn't even mention the 100,000+ at Creationfest. Didn't make sense to me, although I did get the impression he was slightly downplaying the entire genre. Maybe he wasn't doing it consciously, and maybe I'm oversensitive and he wasn't doing it at all, but that was the impression I came away with, the attitude of "isn't that so cute what they're doing".
7/10

Love Walked In

Love Walked In
By Marisa De Los Santos
1419369601 (book on CD)

There were some great, laugh out loud lines in this book (my favorite, when one brother finds out his sister is in love with his other sister's ex-husband, he whines: "Not fair! I called him next!") But there were many others too that I just likes ("Jimmy Stewart is always and indisputably the best man in the world. Unless Cary Grant should happen to show up."). The back cover of this book mentions The Philadelphia Story, definitely in my top 5 of favorite movies, so I knew I had to read it. And I liked it, the storyline was definitely interesting and different. The ending wasn't as good as it could have been, Viviana should have been brought up more often for it to work, but it still seemed true and reasonable.
9/10

The Diana Chronicles

The Diana Chronicles
By Tina Brown
9780385517089

I didn't really like it. It veered back and forth from slightly tabloid-like to friendly gossip. There wasn't much here that hasn't been said before, it was just all jumbled up this time, jumping back and forth in time with no apparent reason. Sometimes, you'd find yourself 100 years in the past, not sure why you were there. To fill room? Because it was important in some way I didn't understand? I have no idea.
7/10

Working IX to V

Working IX to V
By Vicki Leon
0802715567

This is the woman who wrote all the 'Uppity Women' books. She's very funny, although I don't think this collection was quite up to her usual. I think because she had the same size sections, little articles about things, but this time the sections were about a career instead of a specific person (although there were examples of specific people who had those jobs in some sections.) But this meant it didn't seem like she said enough about each job, she couldn't put as many jokes in because there was a certain amount of actual information that needed to go in there.
7/10

Empire of Blue Water

Empire of Blue Water
By Stephan Talty
9780307236609

Breathtaking! If you love pirates, like pirates, or know what a pirate is, you should read this book. I loved the use of "Roderick" (a made-up character who represented a normal pirate and how he would have seen the world, his fellow pirates, and Morgan). This is the story of Henry Morgan, but it's so much more. This is about a way of life, for Morgan and his victims, his followers and his enemies. He's a brilliant man and his story is incredibly interesting, but I think the real story is about a way of life. And that story was wonderfully told as well as Morgan's.
10/10

Three Sisters Island Trilogy

Three Sisters Island Trilogy
By Nora Roberts

Series of 3 books, all about the same group of women. 1-Dance Upon the Air. 2- Heaven and Earth. 3- Face the Fire
And all get the same rating and review! Fluff. Can we say "Fluff"? Really fluffy, Nora Roberts is. And sometimes that's exactly what you need! This series was interesting, being about witchcraft. Oh, she's quick to point out that it's white magic, so it's okay. We'll ignore the fact that I don't believe that and focus on the story. Nora Roberts is a wonderful story-teller. I'll read anything she writes, and actually have read about half of her books at this point. Even if it's about witches, yes. Her characters are always strong women, I think always beautiful too of course! But not perfect, which is good. They all have issues, including the three women in this series. The descriptions of spells cast are intriguing and interesting to imagine, so that's something. I especially love the banter in Nora Roberts' books, the teasing between her characters is wonderful. Two of the main women in this series, especially, are hysterical together.
8/10

The Master Quilter

The Master Quilter
By Jennifer Chiaverini
(book on CD)

Yes, another Elm Creek Manor book, this was the 6th in the series. This was an interesting way to write a story- the same weeks of events told from many people's points of view. Each time the story got to the big event (the crime), there would be a little more information added but then it would go back to a few weeks earlier and move to a different person's perspective. I kept expecting to get annoyed with it but it worked out very well. I liked it. I think the only thing that annoyed me about this book was the women saying "Elm Creek Manor" every time they talk about the place. They've been in business now for quite a few years, you'd think they would have shortened it by now and just call the place "the Manor"!
9/10

Chocolat

Chocolat
By Joanne Harris
014100018X

This was so very different from the movie, which I adore. But this was good too, even though it was a very different story with different characters, stumbling blocks and even ending! I love the characters here, including the chocolate (which is of course a character also!). I can't decide if I like the movie or the book better, which is strange since I'm used to liking one more than the other (i.e. Emma- movie, Breakfast at Tiffanys-book). The daughter and the old woman are still my favorites, even though they've changed a bit!
9/10

Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice
By Jane Austen
(book on CD)

I adore Jane Austen. She's wonderful and her characters always seem true to life. Pride and Prejudice may be my favorite Austen book, although Emma is great too. Every girl wants to be Elizabeth, and every girl wants to find her Mr. Darcy, right?
10/10

Aesop's Fables

Aesop's Fables

Quick read. Simple to follow yet very clever little stories.
8/10

Remarkable Changes

Remarkable Changes By Jane Seymour
0060087471

Great stories but just an ordinay feel-good/self-help type of book.
8/10

Infamous Murderers

Infamous Murderers
By Rodney Castleden
0316030406

Intriguing! Most of these stories were ones I had never heard before and were very interesting. The one I liked the most was the one about the young lady found in a suitcase that had been left in Lost and Found. But most of the stories were thought-provoking. Just don't get any ideas on commiting the perfect crime!
8/10

Our Mutual Friend

Our Mutual Friend
By Charles Dickens
0140434976

I wasn't too interested in the beginning of this book, but it slowly reeled me in until I noticed I was hooked and couldn't wait to find out what happened to the characters! The plot was intricate, sometimes hard to follow, and wonderful. I liked most of the characters and was very pleased with the ending as well as the fun some of the characters had to get to the ending they wanted.
9/10

Revolution in World Missions

Revolution in World Missions
By K.P. Yohannan
1565999916

Good personal stories raised my opinion of this book. But the author really seems to dislike... no, hate Americans. He has very little good to say about them. He talks about conventional missionaries not yielding any converts, yet had talked about his own experience as a national missionary, not having any conversions take root. So he's now sure that all these conversions are true? Or any of them? I just didn't like the authors tone in this book. The whole thing seemed to be "give money but stay out of our countries", "don't give any/as much money to other countries, Asia needs it more." I couldn't believe his story of the elderly woman turning off her phone to send them more money- dangerous! Living alone, she should have a phone for emergencies but he brushes that aside. I guess because elderly women in his country don't have phones, so why should she? Ridiculous. Yes, Americans can be self-centered. But we also donate more time and money that any other country and I'm offended by his constant charges of 'racism' when that's his attitude towards Americans.
7/10

Prattitude

Prattitude: So You Wanna Be a Pirate? Here's How!
By John "Ol Chumbucket" Baur and Mark "Cap'n Slappy" Summers

Very amusing, not to be taken seriously for the most part. I like the little history lessons although of course have to be careful how many of these are true! These guys have a great sense of humor. I especially loved the left hand margins with the definitions of pirate terms. Very informative!
9/10

What Jesus Saw From the Cross

What Jesus Saw From the Cross
By A.G. Sertillanges
0918477379

Long winded. Takes many liberties of what Jesus thought. How would the author know? No one knows what He was thinking about, especially as He was dying. Some other minor things- Mary Magdalene part comes from church ideas, not Biblical (i.e. as always, that she was a prostitute, which isn't true). The definition of 'brethren' moves from 'brothers' to 'cousins' based on what the context is. Because Jesus didn't have biological brothers. Except maybe He does but that would cause a problem with the Catholic version of Mary. The author is a Dominican priest, though, so it's understandable that the Catholic version is the only one shown.
7/10

Ruth: A Portrait

Ruth: A Portrait
By Patricia Cornwell
0385488793

Fascinating look at a very interesting woman. She must have been a wonderful person to know. Glad the author was able to get so many behind-the-scenes types of stories. Makes sense being that she was connected with the family, so I guess I'm glad she included those stories for the rest of us to hear about!
9/10

Post Secret

Post Secret
By Frank Warren
0060899190

I love these books, they're so amazing! Should be clear by now, since I read every one I can get my hands on!
9/10

Tales from the 1001 Nights

Tales from the 1001 Nights
Translated by Sir Richard Burton
1587263327

So many stories that I already knew on one hand. And yet told differently than I remembered. One of the main things I saw was no respect for women. I can only remember one mother who is talked of well, otherwise the women are ridiculed and belittled. Their opinions are so unimportant that it is even shocking that they speak. And yes, I understand that it is the custom of the time/religion/whatever. I can still be annoyed at it!
7/10

The Quilter's Legacy

The Quilter's Legacy
By Jennifer Chiaverini
1402597029 (book on CD)

Yes, another Elm Creek Quilt book! This is the fifth in the series. And my favorite one yet, although Andrew gets on my nerves sometimes. And his slightly whiny daughter. But I love the stories about Eleanor, the flashback/alternate story/whatever you want to call it definitely captured my attention this time, moreso than any of the other ones. I hope the next book focuses on the Elm Creek quilters again, but this one was a wonderful story even with them only there on the fringe!
9/10

Burning Bright

Burning Bright
By Tracy Chevalier
0786292105

Interesting. Not as good as her other books, but okay. Most of the characters were interesting, but it seemed the book wasn't long enough for all the stories it wanted to tell. There was so much going on and everything seemed so rushed, there wasn't enough time to fit in everything. Such as Mr. Blake, who is barely there. I suppose he is supposed to be slightly mysterious, showing up at random times and sometimes saving the day, but the summary makes it seem like he will be there more than he is. Good book overall, not one I need to read again though!
7/10

The Black Opal

The Black Opal
By Victoria Holt
0449222713

Why is it always the same type that does the killing or the crime in these books? I managed to figure it out just because that is what always happens. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the book, though! I love the Australia part, I actually wished there would be more about the opal fields but that was not to be. The parts at sea made up for that, so descriptive and interesting those sections were.
8/10

Irish Rebel

Irish Rebel
By Nora Roberts
0373243286

Good sequel. This is about the daughter of the characters from the first book, which is nice because they're in this one a little bit. I didn't get as interested in these characters and their situation though. Maybe because the focus was entirely on the romance without as much on the horses or the racing. I like the romance novels that also take you into a new world, be it horse racing or deep sea treasure diving or Australia! But this was a good book, from a very good author, so I'm happy!
8/10

Irish Hearts

Irish Hearts
By Nora Roberts
0373484003

This is two books in one- Irish Thoroughbred and Irish Rose. There is a third book in the series, which I'll read next. So far, I'd say these books are similar to others but with some surprising twists. I'll explain that! Like most other heroines, the ones here are strong but need to be saved and innocent, always innocent! Can't have them having any experience, like their heros do. The second book is a bit surprising though, with the marriage. Erin marries a man she's not sure she loves and who she's pretty sure doesn't love her. But she sleeps with him, no problem there. Most stories it's the other way, there is sleeping together (I'd say the word, I'm not that much of a prude, but then this blog wouldn't get by the filters!) but no marriage. Good characters though, I was sad to see Travis' sister gone for the second book for I liked her and her sons. Too bad there weren't some new characters introduced in the second, other than Rosa.
8/10

Emergency Sex (And Other Desperate Measures)

Emergency Sex (And Other Desperate Measures): True Stories From a War Zone
By Kenneth Cain, Heidi Postlewait and Andrew Thomson

Horrifying book at times. They were there, they saw what happened, where the UN failed. The Last Coda is the most unbelievable. After all the horrors that the UN allowed to happen, again and again, they were nominated for a Nobel? Heidi seemed too obsessed with her boyfriends, I would rather have heard more about what life was like for her as a woman in those countries, what her job entailed, the everyday problems and people she had to face. Eye-opening book though. There are no easy answers, but at least with this straight-forward book, maybe there is hope that one day the right person will be in charge. And the politics will stop or slow and real work can be done on a big scale... instead of restricted to what just a few dedicated people can do.
9/10

A Ghost for Maggie

A Ghost for Maggie
By Emily Carmichael
1402538200 (book on CD)

There were many things I liked about this book- the characters, especially Robbie. The romance/non-romance between Katherine and Tom (how adorable were they?). The animals- cat and birds. The house. What I didn't like, however, was the sexism of the book. Maggie is a complete idiot when it comes to men, thank goodness she has a big, strong man to rescue her. She is wrong on who to trust, when I so much wanted her to be right. She knew her former boyfriend for 3 years, friends for 2, with him for 1, still keeps in touch with letters apparently. Yet she ends up being completely wrong about the mans character. I'd make a rude noise, but frankly that phrase became too overused. Then Colby doesn't believe in her ghost, okay fine but does he have to go on about it? He expects her to believe some pretty crazy things- like that he's trustworthy- yet he can't even consider the possibility that she's telling him the truth? Maybe because he seems to have such a problem with the truth. The first half of this book, I would give a 9/10. But the total character assassination of Maggie, (and women in general) who apparently is not too smart so who knows how her future with Colby will turn out! That drove me nuts.
7/10

The Runaway Quilt

The Runaway Quilt
By Jennifer Chiaverini
0743222261

4th in the series, they only seem to get better as the characters become more and more real to me. These books are quick reads without too many twists, just comfortable interesting characters who all seem like women I would want to be friends with. I could figure out most of what would happen as soon as Sylvia started reading the memoir and grew concerned, but there still was a twist I wasn't expecting! I can't wait to read the next book in the series!
9/10

Fire and Ice: A Life on the Edge

Fire and Ice: A Life on the Edge
By Patty Wagstaff
1556523106

Since I desperately want to learn how to fly (and have since I was about 14), I wandered around online checking for books I should read. This was one of them. Patty Wagstaff had an amazing life so far, at least when this was published 10 years ago. She is amusing as a writer and I love her attitude towards everything- flying, her own life and relationships, things that happen to her and her loved ones.
9/10

Medieval Culture and Society

Medieval Culture and Society
Edited By David Herlihy
0881337471

Will be some help to my thesis, but was overall a well-written and interesting book. Most of it was fragments of books from the middle ages, with introductions to place the pieces in their proper context. Nice round-up of important documents from the time period.
8/10

The Burning

The Burning
By Thomas Legendre
031615380X

To be honest, some of the gambling stuff lost me. I'm not a big gambler, understood quite a bit of it but not all of it. Followed some of the economic stuff, but not all of that either. Didn't understand the relationship between Dallas and Logan. Part of the time I was rooting for them, but for the most part: why were they married in the first place? You'd think all those weekends together, all their talking, would have shown them they were incompatible? The supporting characters were my favorite, which is always sad: Sophie, Ozzy, Erin, Silverson, and of course Puffy. Couldn't work up much sympathy for Logan, even less for Dallas.
7/10

This is Our War

This is Our War: Servicemen's Photographs of Life in Iraq
by Devin Friedman
157965309X

Beautiful, haunting book. The introduction says something about these photographs not being professional photographs, the photographers not professional photographers. No, as the author says, they're much better than that. This is the real war, the day-to-day stuff. There is death but there is life. Laughter, fear, sadness, smiles. A young Iraq boy smiling broadly, with a gun aimed at him. If he makes a wrong move, there will be problems. A huge truck, military issued everything, surrounding a man sleeping on the hood. An opulent palace reduced to dust, with the lingering wonderings of what happened at that beautiful place under it's former leader. In short, breathtaking in it's simplicity and it's depth.

10/10

Looking Back

Looking Back
By Belva Plain
1402520689 (book on CD)

This was supposed to be a book about a group of three girls who graduate college together and go off into the world, their friendship as the years pass and their lives inevitably change. Instead, it is a book about one of the girls, the others are just supporting characters. We never know enough about anyone other than Amanda for the last few chapters to 1) make sense or 2) be cared about. Once the main character is gone, the rest just seems empty. Not that the story was wonderful when Amanda was there. Her motivations made no sense and her incessant internal ramblings were, quite frankly, boring. I'll spoil the story, although most people will see the plot coming around page 50. I never understood how her affair could consume all her thoughts. Didn't she have a life? Yes, love is all-encompassing and all that, but it seemed that she did nothing but obsess over her feelings. Were we supposed to feel sorry for her? I wasn't ever sure, because I didn't. I'll try another book by this author, since she's highly respected, but this one fell very short of the mark.

6/10

50 Jobs Worse than Yours

50 Jobs Worse than Yours
By Justin Racz
1582344922

Cute and funny. Very short though, actually might have been better to have more details on each job or something. Pictures were amusing and the categories were also.
7/10

Inside Bartlet's White House

Inside Bartlet's White House
By Keith Topping
0753508281

Yes, I am a huge West Wing fan. Yes, even though the show is off the air now. This is a good book, giving the overview of the episodes 1 through 74, a little over 3 seasons worth. Obviously, he is in love with Donna, which is very funny! Each write up for each episode has a little thing about Donna and what she did or said during that episode. I liked the categories, they were interesting and sometimes funny. The little "Did You Know?" sections frequently told me something that I hadn't known! Always nice to learn new things about your favorite show, I think.

9/10

50 Boyfriends Worse than Yours

50 Boyfriends Worse than Yours
By Justin Racz
1596910569

Cute. Very quick read, short book. Amusing descriptions of stereotypes, all kinds of crazy men who you probably shouldn't date!
7/10

The Kitchen God's Wife

The Kitchen God's Wife
By Amy Tan
080410753X

This is my favorite of Amy Tan's books that I have read so far. The main thing I liked was that most of it took place in the past. In a country and within boundaries of behavior that are both foreign to me and yet completely understandable. I was expecting another story of a US-born child struggling to get along with her old-world mother. And yet this was something much deeper than that.
9/10

Summer

Summer
By Edith Wharton
0553214225

Moving story of how a girl falls into something she swore she never would. Charity is better than the other girls, she thinks. She won't do the stupid things they do with boys, won't be trapped by those boys. Then she falls in love and her whole mind and life unravel. Touching story, wonderful characters, you were really rooting for almost everyone! Of course, any Edith Wharton book is amazing. I would have expected nothing less of this one.
9/10

The Cross Country Quilters

The Cross Country QuiltersBy Jennifer Chiaverini
0743202570

Very believable situations, yet again so different than what is the norm in books! The stories and the women are varied and interesting. Almost all seem like women it would be interesting and rewarding to know. This is the third book in the series, I already have the fourth ready to read! It's a shame, once that one is done I'll be halfway through the series.
8/10

Glory and the Lightning

Glory and the Lightning
By Taylor Caldwell

I remember reading this book years ago, but I misplaced or loaned my copy. So when I found it again in a bookstore, I decided I'd pick it up and reread it. Parts of it were as good as I remembered. The early lives of the main characters, before they meet, are very good. Their meeting is so-so. Their life together is so bogged down in politics and plots that the story starts to lose focus. Aspasia becomes a minor character in the last third of the book, even though this is supposed to be half her story. The secondary characters, some of them should have been expanded, I think. Good book, though I probably won't read it for a third time.
7/10

The History of Love

The History of Love
By Nicole Krauss
1410340727 (book on CD)

This book is one of those told from many different perspectives. The chapters switch between the characters as they each tell their stories. What I liked the most is that you aren't sure how the characters are going to intersect. Their lives are so different, they seem to be talking about completely different things sometimes. As the book progresses, the tiny links appear and grow bigger until they seem like they were always there. I wish there weren't so many unanswered questions at the end though. Like, Bruno? Mischa? The publishing house and the book? Alma and her mother?

9/10

The Secret Lives of Men and Women

The Secret Lives of Men and Women
By Frank Warren
0061198757

Another amazing postcard book, full of interesting, shocking, and frequently sad secrets. There's really nothing to say that wasn't already said about the first one I read. And honestly, these books should be seen instead of talked about.

10/10

Tilly

Tilly
By Frank Peretti
0891074961

Very different from his other books, which I've read and adored. And should reread, now that I'm thinking of them. Much shorter, for one thing. And not about spiritual warfare, as such, although it is a little. Just not in obvious ways. I didn't realize where the book was headed, but the revelation was dragged out a bit too much, the dialogue was a little stilted at times. And unfortunately, those who should read this book won't be the ones who do.

8/10

The Canterville Ghost and other stories

The Canterville Ghost and other stories
By Oscar Wilde
0486419258

Just to confess right off the bat, I love Oscar Wilde. So I went into this book with certain expectations. Which were met! I love The Canterville Ghost, made me laugh out loud. The other three stories are good also, the twists are just perfect. And the Poems in Prose are great, deep and moving and thoughtprovoking. For such a short book, this packs a huge punch!

9/10

Round Robin

Round Robin
By Jennifer Chiaverini
068486892X

Second book in the Elm Creek Quilters books. Great book! I love how the stories are set up. Every woman has her own story, but there are traces of that story in each other story. Even when they're dealing with their own problems, we see how the problems of their friends affect each woman. Each of the problems are real, no convoluted storylines here. Yet they are not all your normal problems. A zoning dispute over a skateboard park? Never read a story with that as one of the plotlines!

9/10