2012 Reading

Title: A Tale of Two Cities
Author: Charles Dickens
Pages: 448, pp
Published: 1859
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

A classic chosen for my Reading Group. I read this while in high school. So I knew the basics of the story and didn't feel driven to re-read it entirely. There is much to talk about what with the French Revolution as the backdrop. The atrocities of war, the atrocities of peace. I'm sure we'll also discuss the redemptive nature of the book, too, how the characters are changed by their circumstances.

I am really glad this is a re-read for me because I had a hard time sticking with it.








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Title: The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
Author: Avi
Pages: 256, pp
Published: April, 1997
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Recommended by several students, it is the exciting tale of Charlotte Doyle: a self-absorbed thirteen-year-old girl who finds herself aboard the Seahawk, in 1832, on a life changing voyage from Liverpool to Providence, RI. This book challenges conventional stereotypes and issues, such as gender, race, class and justice. Transformation is as much a character as it is a theme in the novel. I learned a lot about sailing and boats. I can see why my students raved about it--murder, mayhem, and mystery tightly woven together in the two-month journey.








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Title: 11/22/63
Author: Stephen King
Pages: 864, pp
Published: November, 2011
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

It's a Stephen King novel without creepy clowns or scary monsters! Here's an interview with King:



From the publisher:
It begins with Jake Epping, a thirty-five-year-old English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, who makes extra money teaching GED classes. He asks his students to write about an event that changed their lives, and one essay blows him away—a gruesome, harrowing story about the night more than fifty years ago when Harry Dunning’s father came home and killed his mother, his sister, and his brother with a sledgehammer. Reading the essay is a watershed moment for Jake, his life—like Harry’s, like America’s in 1963—turning on a dime. Not much later his friend Al, who owns the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to the past, a particular day in 1958. And Al enlists Jake to take over the mission that has become his obsession—to prevent the Kennedy assassination.

So begins Jake’s new life as George Amberson, in a different world of Ike and JFK and Elvis, of big American cars and sock hops and cigarette smoke everywhere. From the dank little city of Derry, Maine (where there’s Dunning business to conduct), to the warmhearted small town of Jodie, Texas, where Jake falls dangerously in love, every turn is leading eventually, of course, to a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and to Dallas, where the past becomes heart-stoppingly suspenseful, and where history might not be history anymore. Time-travel has never been so believable. Or so terrifying.
I really loved this novel. The storytelling is amazing. King is at his best, without a doubt. There is some violence and gore, but it is a Stephen King novel. And, truthfully, I don't think I would have read it if it wasn't in e-book form. It's dauntingly huge.









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Title: The Night Circus
Author: Erin Morgenstern
Pages: 400
Published: September, 2011
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I need one of my friends to read this book so I can talk it over. Because I can't decide if I liked it or loved it. I never quite lost myself in the world of Le Cirque des Rêves. This is quite an imaginative book, I've never quite read anything like it before. It is a story of love, magic, imagination and belief. What I did not like was that in a few places the pace dragged. What I did like, however, was the twists and turns that challenged me to wonder what was going to happen next--how the challenge would play out. It stimulated all my senses and I wished I could walk the grounds with the other Revers.









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Title: Started Early, Took My Dog
Author: Kate Atkinson
Pages: 400, pp
Published: October, 2011
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Another installment in the Jackson Brodie series and another literary novel with a mystery at it's heart. From the publisher:

A day like any other for security chief Tracy Waterhouse, until she makes a shocking impulse purchase. That one moment of madness is all it takes for Tracy’s humdrum world to be turned upside down, the tedium of everyday life replaced by fear and danger at every turn. Witnesses to Tracy’s outrageous exchange in the Merrion Centre in Leeds are Tilly, an elderly actress teetering on the brink of her own disaster, and Jackson Brodie who has returned to his home county in search of someone else’s roots. All three characters learn that the past is never history and that no good deed goes unpunished. (Book Depository)

It's not a typical page-turner but I found I couldn't put it down. It's about love, death, and the search for self. And there are literary references that really kept me on my toes.

I love Jackson Brodie and felt that there wasn't enough of him in this story. But the other characters are so human and compelling that the story is satisfying. What I didn't like was shift in time, it was a little confusing to begin a section in 1975 and find myself in the present in the next sentence. Although, that might be the transition to the e-book, losing some spacing.





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Title: Pompeii
Author: Robert Harris
Pages: 368, pp
Published: October, 2004
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Pompeii is a thriller set in the Roman city of Pompeii, at the time of its destruction by the volcanic eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. There is a lot of detail about daily life at this time and the research is evident. Hints of mystery and romance weave the characters together. Pliny the Elder makes an appearance, even.

Not a book I would have ordinarily picked up but there is a lot for us to talk about at book group.









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Title: Catching Fire
Author: Suzanne Collins
Pages: 400, pp
Published: September, 2009
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The second of The Hunger Games trilogy, this book was riveting. Although the first half of the book sort of dragged, the second half got me all twisted in knots with a cliffhanging ending. Now I've got to pick up the third book and find out how it resolves. I don't want to give any spoilers so I'll just say that I liked the description of the Victory Tour that Katness, Peeta and their teams take because it gave me a better understanding of Panem.

From the publisher:
Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.







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Title: Mockingjay
Author: Suzanne Collins
Pages: 390, pp
Published: August, 2010
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The finale of the Hunger Games trilogy, it was action-packed and had me interested from page one! I'm afraid if I say much about what I liked and disliked I'll spoil it for those who haven't read it. So, I will say that I'm satisfied with the ending. The ending wasn't a surprise and I figured out how the love triangle would resolve. Most of the loose ends were tied up but I still have a few lingering questions, but they're more character-driven questions than plot-driven.

I'm glad I read the series. Maybe I'm softening a little in my dislike of dystopian fiction. I'm very curious about the movie(s).









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Title: Dutch Me Deadly
Author: Maddy Hunter
Pages: 279 pp
Published: February, 2012
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The seventh installment in the Passport To Peril series delivers! Joining the cast of characters is a contingent from Bangor, Maine, and the authenticity of them is fun. Knowing the names and the characters and some of the locations described made this especially fun. This time, Emily, Nana and the Iowa crew are traveling through Holland and Belgium. Having been to the locations described made this book relatable. I could imagine a group of senior citizens attached to their smart phones clicking away. What I didn't like was that there seemed to be almost too many red herrings and near the end I stopped trying to keep track of who done it.







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Title: Trail of the Spellmans
Author: Lisa Lutz
Pages: 384 pp
Published: February 2012
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This whole series is such a hoot! The dynamics between the family members is just so darn funny! The characters really take center stage and the plot serves to keep the characters on their toes.

From the publisher:
FOR THE FIRST TIME in Spellman history, Isabel Spellman, PI, might be the most normal member of her family. Mom has taken on an outrageous assortment of extracurricular activities—with no apparent motive. Dad has a secret. Izzy’s brother and sister are at war—for no apparent reason. And her niece keeps saying “banana” even though she hates bananas.

That’s not to say that Izzy isn’t without her own troubles. Her boyfriend, Henry Stone, keeps wanting “to talk,” a prospect Isabel evades by going out with her new drinking buddy, none other than Gertrude Stone, Henry’s mother.

Things aren’t any simpler on the business side of Spellman Investigations. First, Rae is hired to follow a girl, only to fake the surveillance reports. Then a math professor hires Izzy to watch his immaculate apartment while he unravels like a bad formula. And as the questions pile up, Izzy won’t stop hunting for the answers—even when they threaten to shatter both the business and the family.

I hope there are many more books in this series.





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Title: Friday Night Knitting Club
Author: Kate Jacobs
Pages: 352 pp
Published: January 2007
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

This was a recommended read by both my sister and a knitting group member so I thought I would give it a read. It's almost corny but there's something comfortable about the group. The main character, Georgia Walker, drives the story with her path of hardship, friendship, and forgiveness. The supporting cast are almost cliché--representing every socio-economic group out there. But the spirit of the book is strong. What I liked about it was the voice: each character is explored and authentic. What I didn't like about it was the predictability. Aside from that, I really liked the book and will probably pick up the second installment. And I really enjoyed the knitting talk.







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Title: 11 Birthdays
Author: Wendy Mass
Pages: 272 pp
Published: January 2010
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

From the publisher:
On their first birthday, they learned to walk. On their fifth, they planted seeds in homemade pots. On their tenth, they learned there are some words you can never take back.

Amanda’s eleventh birthday should have been a happy occasion. Instead she’s dressed in an itchy costume her mother picked out for her Hollywood-themed party (Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, even though the flying monkeys have always creeped her out). Meanwhile, across town, her ex-best friend Leo is celebrating their joint birthday with a huge bash including a hypnotist, a football star, a giant iguana, and a rock band. SO not fair!

Amanda can’t wait for the day AFTER her birthday so she can stop thinking about the fight that led her and Leo to have separate parties for the first time in their lives. There’s just one problem. The next day is her birthday all over again.

It's called the Groundhog Day for kids--and it is fun to see how kids handle repeating the day over and over. Amanda and Leo eventually team up and share the potential of the repeated day. It's a fun story. I've got to send it to my niece!







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Title: Friday Night Knitting Club
Author: Kate Jacobs
Pages: 336 pp
Published: November 2008
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

This is the second installment of the Friday Night Knitting Club series. Picking up five years after the first book ends finds the characters dealing with their lives while still committed to the knitting group. Not to be too punny, but the knitting group is the thread that connects these women. I didn't like how some of the characters are still cliche but I did enjoy the twists the story took. I enjoyed it but probably wouldn't recommend it, unless you're a knitter.









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Title: Revolutionary Road
Author: Richard Yates
Pages: 480 pp
Published: December 2008
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

This is not a happy book. That knowledge is the reason I put off reading it as long as I did. It is the April selection for my book group and I'm curious to see what everyone else has to say about it. Once I realized it was written in 1961 it "clicked" for me and I appreciated it a bit more.

None of the characters are sympathetic. None of them were people I could relate to. I didn't think Frank was anything special--he seemed indulgent. April seemed vacuous. The minor characters were too broadly drawn to be believable.

I think it's a book about battle: war within the self, against society's expectations, and within relationships.

I didn't hate it. I didn't love it. I appreciated it.






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Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Pages: 496, pp
Published: May, 2011
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

From the publisher:
Beatrice "Tris" Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth's dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place in mortal danger. Veronica Roth's young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances.
Make no mistake, this book is not for the feint of heart. It's a gripping, thrilling tale. I didn't have any expectations of this book, other than a student's recommendation. It's hard to not make comparisons between this book and The Hunger Games. There are similarities. But not really. My only complaint is that it's rather violent. I'm not jumping up and down raving but I really did like this book.






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Title: Divas Don't Knit
Author: Gil McNeil
Pages: unsure
Published: July, 2011
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars


This was kind of a re-read but it's another version of a novel I read last year. I enjoyed it the second time around. Here's the original review.















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Title: The Lacuna
Author: Barbara Kingsolver
Pages: 507
Published: July, 2010
My Rating: did not finish


Could not finish this. Could. Not. Finish.









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Title: A Dog's Purpose
Author: W. Bruce Cameron
Pages: 336, pp
Published: May, 2011
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Told from a dog's perspective, it's the eternal quest to figure out "why am I here?" I enjoyed this book--at times funny, at times sad, but not cutesy. I kept thinking of my childhood dog, my best friend for fourteen years, and hoping her life was satisfying and that she knew she was loved. It was a quick read and I want more.











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Title: Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children
Author: Ransom Riggs
Pages: 352, pp
Published: June, 2011
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars


This was the book group selection for June. I can't wait to talk about it with my friends. There were so many creative and neat things and people going on in the book, there will be lots to talk about. I would like to know a bit more about the time travel aspect. I liked that this book centers around "found photos" and that they inspired characters and plot twists. Even on my Nook I could see the pictures, but I also did an image search for them to share with some students. I also gave this book to my niece for her birthday last summer; it's been fun to share the book with her, too.

I want more. More! And it looks like there's going to be a sequel!







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Title: Needles & Pearls
Author: Gil McNeil
Pages: 432, pp
Published: May, 2010
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars



Picking up right where The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club left off, Jo Mackenzie has managed to successfully modernize her grandmother’s yarn shop and is now running it. She still has unresolved issues with the death of her husband a year before, but she has managed to put aside most of her difficult feelings. She focuses on her two sons, expecting her life to calm down after the tumult she’s been though, but Jo doesn’t realize that the chaotic lifestyle isn’t quite done with her yet!

What I liked about this book is the sense of friendship and family. There is much humor and wisdom in Jo's journey. There wasn't as much knitting in this story and I missed it.









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Title: Stories I Only Tell My Friends
Author: Rob Lowe
Pages: 320, pp (audiobook)
Published: January, 2012
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars





I think it's been more than a decade since I tried listening to an audiobook. Since I started knitting, I thought I would try listening and thought I would try this book. I was hoping that since Rob Lowe reads it, it would be like us having a sit down visit. And it didn't disappoint! I really enjoyed listening to this book. His stories unfold along the timeline of my life.

I liked his relationships with politicos and actors. And hearing more about how the Brat Pack got its name.

My only criticism is that "the sex tape scandal" was not explored in any real detail. And I guess I didn't want explicit detail, I just wanted it in context a bit more.

More than anything, though, I think I will try another audiobook. Autobiography seems to be the way to go, I enjoyed it.







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Title: Maine
Author: J. Courtney Sullivan
Pages: 400, pp
Published: June, 2011
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars



Three generations of Kelleher women find themselves at crossroads in their lives, sharing the family's summer cottage in Maine. The cottage is as much a character as the women and their stories.

Each chapter is told from the perspective of Alice--the matriarch, Kathleen--Alice's eldest daughter, Maggie--Kathleen's daughter, or Ann Marie--Alice's daughter in law. The author does a nice job capturing the voice of each of these women and their story. The ins and outs of the relationships are a bit cliche for my liking, but the back story ties everything together.

This was a good summer read. Kind of a family saga (soap opera). My only complaint is that it was cliche.







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Title: Caleb's Crossing
Author: Geraldine Brooks
Pages: 336, pp
Published: April, 2012
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars


From the editors:
Bethia Mayfield is a restless and curious young woman growing up in Martha's vineyard in the 1660s amid a small band of pioneering English Puritans. At age twelve, she meets Caleb, the young son of a chieftain, and the two forge a secret bond that draws each into the alien world of the other. Bethia's father is a Calvinist minister who seeks to convert the native Wampanoag, and Caleb becomes a prize in the contest between old ways and new, eventually becoming the first Native American graduate of Harvard College. Inspired by a true story and narrated by the irresistible Bethia, Caleb’s Crossing brilliantly captures the triumphs and turmoil of two brave, openhearted spirits who risk everything in a search for knowledge at a time of superstition and ignorance.

I was drawn into this story and every time I thought I knew how the story would turn, I was wrong.







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Title: Gone Girl
Author: Gillian Flynn
Pages: 432, pp
Published: June, 2012
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars



I literally just put this book down and had to write about it before my head blows off. Through the whole book I was alternating between "What the...?" and "No way!" Gillian Flynn is amazing.

So, here's the scoop: It's a thriller. But not an ordinary thriller. There's not a lot of gory detail. Not a procedural. I didn't have to suspend disbelief to read it. There are no gadgets or weapons or far-out locations.

The story is told from the perspective of Nick or Amy Dunne, alternating chapters and voice. Each has its own rhythm which creates authenticity of the characters. Not once did I question or doubt the voice. But I did question and doubt what the characters were saying.

And not only did I alternate between the characters, I alternated between liking and loathing them. Which is interesting because typically the author builds some sympathy or empathy with the characters. Not so here. So not so here. I alternated between rooting for them and recoiling from them.

It's hard not to talk about the situation because I don't want to give away any of the twists or spoil any of the story. I haven't read a book that has left me so on edge and wound up in a very long time. I want all my friends to read this so we can discuss it!

All I can say is HOLY MOLY!






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Title: Sister
Author: Rosamund Lupton
Pages: 352, pp
Published: December, 2011
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

From the publisher:
When her mom calls to tell her that Tess, her younger sister, is missing, Bee returns home to London on the first flight. She expects to find Tess and give her the usual lecture, the bossy big sister scolding her flighty baby sister for taking off without letting anyone know her plans. Tess has always been a free spirit, an artist who takes risks, while conservative Bee couldn’t be more different. Bee is used to watching out for her wayward sibling and is fiercely protective of Tess (and has always been a little stern about her antics). But then Tess is found dead, apparently by her own hand.

Bee is certain that Tess didn’t commit suicide. Their family and the police accept the sad reality, but Bee feels sure that Tess has been murdered. Single-minded in her search for a killer, Bee moves into Tess's apartment and throws herself headlong into her sister's life--and all its secrets.

Though her family and the police see a grieving sister in denial, unwilling to accept the facts, Bee uncovers the affair Tess was having with a married man and the pregnancy that resulted, and her difficultly with a stalker who may have crossed the line when Tess refused his advances. Tess was also participating in an experimental medical trial that might have gone very wrong. As a determined Bee gives her statement to the lead investigator, her story reveals a predator who got away with murder--and an obsession that may cost Bee her own life.

I liked the way this story was told. Quite different for a mystery novel. The story is told in a double thread of narration: Bee is talking to Tess or Bee is talking to Mr. Wright, an investigator.

It's a quick read and I was quite involved in it. The sister dance is well defined, although my experience has a bit more bickering than what we see between Bee and Tess. I liked knowing there was a tidy ending until I got to the ending. Not quite so tidy after all. I certainly didn't see it coming.





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Title: A Weekend with Mr. Darcy
Author: Victoria Connelly
Pages: 352, pp
Published: July, 2011
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

After the two mystery/thrillers I've just devoured, I was ready for a light-hearted romantic comedy. And this was just the ticket.

The setting is a Jane Austen weekend conference at Purley Hall, Hampstead, in England. Our two heroines come from different walks of life but become fast friends as they share and explore their love of all things Austen. Naturally, these are two women in rocky relationships and the stage is set for "cute meets" with the romantic leading men.

What saves this from being a run-of-the-mill romantic fare is the Austen references. From characters to settings to stories references are sprinkled throughout. I felt like I was attending the Conference, which was fun.

My criticism is that some of the descriptions were a little too easy: the dresses the characters wore and the Hall the conference was at were too pat. And there were roses everywhere--from the wine to the dresses to the gardens. Even the blushes in their cheeks. It was repetitive.

I didn't realize this was part of a series. I'm curious to find out if the sequels follow this group of characters or if they follow another year at the Austen Conference.





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Title: Bossypants
Author: Tina Fey
Pages: 304, pp (audiobook)
Published: January, 2012
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars






To be honest, I don't really know Tina Fey's work. I don't watch 30 Rock and I didn't see much of her on Saturday Night Live. I know her to be witty, intelligent, and driven. That's really why I wanted to "read" her book. And that's what I got: the story of a woman breaking through the glass ceiling on her own terms and sharing her experiences along the way.

I especially enjoyed listening to her read this, it was much more conversational than print. She's very, very funny.






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Title: Wild
Author: Cheryl Strayed
Pages: 336, pp
Published: March, 2012
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

So, we allllll know I'm no hiker. I avoid the outdoors. I avoid exercise. I'm just being honest here. What am I doing reading a memoir about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail? Well, it was recommended to me by quite a few people. Since I've recommended Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn to them, I figured I could at least return the favor by reading their recommendations.

I couldn't put it down. Seriously. Me and a hiking book. But it wasn't a vicarious hiking trip. It was compelling to read about Cheryl's journey through grief, loss, and discovery. Discovery of who she is as a motherless daughter, wife, sister, friend, ex-wife, and woman. It read like fiction but it was too real to be fiction.

It's not going to make me a hiker. Or a citizen of the great outdoors. But I was cold with her, I was blazing hot with her, I was smelly with her, hungry with her, exhausted with her. It was compelling and well-written.






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Title: Ali in Wonderland
Author: Ali Wentworth
Pages: 227, pp (audiobook)
Published: February, 2012
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

This is not a typical memoir. It's vignettes of Ali Wentworth's life, from her privileged upbringing to her path as an Oprah correspondent. I'm glad I listened to her telling me this stories because if I was reading it, I might have been frustrated because the stories are not linear. But it's like listening to a friend telling stories of events both big and small. It wasn't thigh-slapping funny but it was amusing and entertaining--a great knitting listen.

This sums it up:








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Title: Intangible
Author: J Meyers
Pages: 348, pp
Published: January, 2012
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Let me start out by saying that the author generously contacted me and gave me a copy of this book to read and review.

I admit I was having problems with this book when I first started it. The narration shifts voice and I felt like it was too much foreshadowing and not enough meat of the story. But when the action comes together, it's with a fast-paced bang!

I thought the characters were believable--twins Luke, the seer, and Sera, the healer, were typical teenagers with a gift. Their friend Fey was almost too-good-to-be-true, until the action unfolded and she had a pivotal piece of it. There is a touch of paranormal, a touch of romance, and a touch of violence. But all is handled in a careful way that is appropriate for teens.

I'm glad I stayed with it because I enjoyed it.







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Title: Beautiful Creatures
Author: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Pages: 563, pp
Published: September, 2010
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars



What a great book! It's a paranormal YA romance but it's not predictable and cliche. I will definitely read more of this series.

From the publisher:
Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.









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Title: The Dog Who Knew Too Much
Author: Spencer Quinn
Pages: 336, pp
Published: June, 2012
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

I love Chet. This is another adventure for the Little Detective Agency, where Bernie Little and his sidekick, Chet, are hired to find a boy who's missing from his summer camp. In this outing, Bernie and Chet are separated and Bernie's girlfriend, Suzie Sanchez, a reporter for the Valley Tribune steps into the story. There are a few twists and turns, but it's more about the story telling than the mystery itself. Chet is an intrepid narrator, even when he gets distracted by bacon.

The fourth of the series, a very fun installment.








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Title: The Elephant Keeper
Author: Christopher Nicholson
Pages: 298, pp
Published: June, 2010
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Set in England in 1766, Tom Page as a young stable hand becomes the caretaker of two young elephants. Not much was known about elephants or the care thereof, so Tom is tapped to write a history of elephants.

I liked the atmospheric writing. A sense of 18th Century England. And I liked the relationship Tom builds as the elephant keeper with his charges.

There were some weaknesses in the storytelling--I didn't like that there weren't many secondary characters. Or that they were stereotypical characters. And I really didn't like the ending. As I started reading Part 4, I wondered if my e-book was messed up somehow because it jumped perspective from the 1700s to present-day and a different narrator speculates about the fate of Jenny and Tom. It left me scratching my head.

It's the August book club selection, so I'm interested to hear what everyone else thought of it.





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Title: Insurgent
Author: Veronica Roth
Pages: 544, pp
Published: May, 2012
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This is the second of the Divergent Trilogy.
From the publisher:
One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

Insurgent picks up exactly where Divergent ends. I liked that. It explores loyalty and love. There is plenty of action and violence but I was expecting that. There is also teen love angst. Too much of that. It took away from the story and I wanted to skip those scenes. Some of the plot devices are a bit broad: the Erudite are almost comedically evil. But I got a better sense of what it means to be in a faction. Tris explores what it means to be loyal to a faction, to a belief, to an ideal.

I'm excited for the third book. I can't wait to see what happens next.





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Title: Fifty Shades Of Grey
Author: EL James
Pages: 514, pp
Published: April, 2012
My Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

I caved in and read it. It was poorly written. It's sex. Freaky sex. I do not get the fuss. Or the hype.

But, if it gets people reading, I'm all for it!








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Title: Will Grayson, Will Grayson
Author: John Green and David Levithan
Pages: 336, pp (audiobook)
Published: April, 2011
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This book was an experience. It's written by two authors in alternating chapters from the point of view of two teenagers with the same name. It's easy to tell who is talking, because their perspectives are so different. Will Grayson #1 is a typical teenager with an outrageously flamboyant gay friend named Tiny Cooper. Will Grayson #2 coincidentally meets #1 and begins a relationship with Tiny Cooper.

There are typical teenage situations told through two such different points of view which made me laugh out loud a couple of times.

And I have to add that I listened to the audio version of this book which was read by MacLoed Andrews and Nick Podehl. They managed to make each of the Wills real. And they sang. It was great!






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Title: The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln
Author: Stephen L. Carter
Pages: 528
Published: July, 2012
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Suppose Abraham Lincoln survived the assassination attempt. That's the premise of this book. The Civil War is over but the country is still in chaos. And Lincoln is facing a political war to rival the Civil War. Weaving history and imagination, Carter creates a legal thriller featuring African American law clerk, Abigail, a graduate of Oberlin College. Through Abigail, Carter is able to show the difficulties blacks faced in a post-war society. It is not often that middle-class African Americans are portrayed as well as in this book, or even portrayed at all. Abigail is on Lincoln's defense team even though the book does not spend a lot of time dissecting whether or not Lincoln's impeachment is warranted, the courtroom scenes are fascinating.

I can't wait for my friends to read this book. It's easily one of my favorites of the year. It's a thrilling, twisty, political, mysterious tale. The history geek in me couldn't put it down.






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Title: Dark Places
Author: Gillian Flynn
Pages: 349, pp
Published: May, 2010
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

This is the second novel I've read by this author. Both endings left me stunned. Both books had characters I didn't like--these are not likable people. And both I couldn't put down. It's more than a mystery, more than a thriller--it's a compelling character study. But it's also a roller coaster ride of a book and Flynn isn't afraid of shaking up her plot.

From the Publisher:
I have a meanness inside me, real as an organ.

Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in “The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.” As her family lay dying, little Libby fled their tiny farmhouse into the freezing January snow. She lost some fingers and toes, but she survived–and famously testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, Ben sits in prison, and troubled Libby lives off the dregs of a trust created by well-wishers who’ve long forgotten her.

The Kill Club is a macabre secret society obsessed with notorious crimes. When they locate Libby and pump her for details–proof they hope may free Ben–Libby hatches a plan to profit off her tragic history. For a fee, she’ll reconnect with the players from that night and report her findings to the club . . . and maybe she’ll admit her testimony wasn’t so solid after all.

As Libby’s search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the narrative flashes back to January 2, 1985. The events of that day are relayed through the eyes of Libby’s doomed family members–including Ben, a loner whose rage over his shiftless father and their failing farm have driven him into a disturbing friendship with the new girl in town. Piece by piece, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started–on the run from a killer.



Here's the author talking about her work (no spoilers):








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Title: Between Shades of Gray
Author: Ruta Sepetys
Pages: 352, pp
Published: March, 2011
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Let me state very clearly that this book has nothing to do with the E.L. James novels.

This historical fiction focuses on a rarely told story--that of Lenin's reign in Russia and the twenty-million victims of that reign of terror.

From the publisher:
It is June, 1941. Soviets have occupied Lithuania—intellectuals are being deported. One night, fifteen-year-old Lina's home is abruptly invaded by NKVD officers; she, her younger brother Jonas, and her mother are given twenty minutes to pack and leave. Lina's father, a university provost, has already been arrested. From this dramatic beginning, readers follow the Vilkas family on a grueling journey from one bleak labor camp to another, ending at the most hopeless, icy Trofimovsk on the Arctic coast. In her own words and flashbacks from prewar life, Lina (a talented artist) records their story and draws her pictures, always hoping to find their father and determined to survive. Sepetys has drawn each character in the captive group (and one Russian guard) superbly, letting readers understand their motives, flaws, and strengths as the story progresses. Some, like a young mother and her baby, perish; others like Andrius and his mother are forced into bitter compromise with the NKVD. Most of the group help each other in whatever ways they can—Lina's lovely mother sustains them all. Young readers will find it painful to read about the cruelty of the Soviets, constant humiliation of the prisoners, debilitating hunger and cold, Lina's separation from Andrius, whom she has grown to love. Still, this story, little known to Americans, is important to tell. Sepetys, herself a daughter of a Lithuanian refugee, has done extensive research, traveled, and interviewed survivors to write a heart-breaking novel based on absolute truth, revealing the horrors and brutality of war, but also the power of love, understanding, and devotion to family and country. Two maps show readers the magnitude of Lina's journey.

There is something beautiful about the resiliency in this novel. It truly is a story of hope.







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Title: This Pen For Hire
Author: Laura Levine
Pages: 240, pp
Published: June, 2003
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

This is the first installment of a mystery series featuring Jaine Austen, a free-lance writer who specializes in personal ads and really anything else that needs to be written.

There were a couple of times that I laughed out loud reading this. It's full of zany zingers and clever one-liners. And it wasn't until I was looking up the book for this post that I found out that the author, Laura Levine, was a writer for several classic television comedies.

When Jaine's most recent client is accused of murdering the object of his affection, Jaine can't help but snoop around to find out the truth of the matter. Which leads to an amusing cast of suspects. It wasn't the kind of mystery that left me guessing, I figured out who did it, but the writing was so amusing I didn't mind.

The perfect cozy mystery and perfect between two heavier reads.






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Title: Most Talkative
Author: Andy Cohen
Pages: 288, pp (audiobook)
Published: May, 2012
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I freely admit that my TV is usually tuned to Bravo. Reading Andy Cohen's book is an extension of my love of all things Bravo. Andy Cohen is the producer and mastermind behind Top Chef and the Housewives franchise. He also hosts a nightly talk show called Watch What Happens Live where he dishes with celebs about pop culture.

His memoir begins in his childhood, where he regales us with stories of his inquisitive nature. We are almost the same age so his references are my references, too. And listening to him read his book was like having a pajama party.

The book spans his college years, when he first interviewed Susan Lucci, his idol, and then moves into an internship position with CBS, then transitions to his working as a producer for the network's morning show, and finally his work with Bravo. He doesn't talk about the Housewives until the end of the book.

I want to be friends with Andy Cohen. And his zany cast of family and friends.







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Title: The Hobbit
Author: JRR Tolkien
Pages: 320, pp
Published: Sept, 1937 (?)
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars


I finished reading The Hobbit in time for my book group discussion. It was epic and classic and I appreciated it but I don't care for fantasy fiction.

A couple of my highlighted quotes: "Never laugh at live dragons." And: "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold [as the hobbits do], it would be a merrier world."








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Title: A Fistful of Collars
Author: Spencer Quinn
Pages: 309, pp
Published: Sept, 2012
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

From the publisher:
Hoping to bring some Tinseltown money to the Valley, the mayor lures a movie studio to town to shoot their next production, a big-budget Western in the classic tradition. The star is none other than ruggedly handsome—and notoriously badly behaved—Thad Perry. When the mayor decides that someone needs to keep an eye on Thad so that he doesn’t get into too much trouble, Bernie and Chet are handpicked for the job. The money is good but something smells fishy, and what should have been a simple matter of babysitting soon gets more complicated—especially when they discover that Thad has a mysterious connection to the Valley that nobody wants to talk about. What kind of secret could Thad have left behind when he went to Hollywood to seek fame and fortune? The only people who might know the answer have a bad habit of turning up dead before they can talk.

As Bernie’s relationship with his longtime girlfriend Suzie goes long-distance, and Chet’s late-night assignations appear to have resulted in an unexpected dividend, it’s all our two sleuths can do to keep Thad and his motley entourage of yes-men, handlers, and hangers-on in their sights. Worst of all, Thad is a self-proclaimed cat person, and his feline friend Brando has taken an instant dislike to Chet.


I enjoy this series. I think Chet's meandering thoughts are amusing and I can easily visualize the stories. I liked this book a lot--it's moving the series back to the mystery and less on the secondary story lines.






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Title: Knit One Pearl One
Author: Gil McNeil
Pages: 416, pp
Published: December, 2011
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The third installment of The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club series. Jo and her family and friends are in fine form, although this book was slower than the previous in the series. What I like about Jo is that for a young widow she's not desperate to find another husband, unlike some books in this genre. One thing I didn't like is that there isn't quite as much knitting in this book as in the others. This book, in particular, made me want to visit England and make my way through the quaint coastal towns.







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Title: The Light Between Oceans
Author: M L Stedman
Pages: 352, pp
Published: July, 2012
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I will absolutely rave about this book because it is probably the best book I've read this year. But it's not for everyone. The author takes her time telling the story, developing the characters, and the conflicts. But I savored all of it. At the heart of the story is a compelling human story--a moral dilemma. In some books it seems as though the author manipulates me into judging the characters in the dilemma but not in this novel. I sympathized, understood, didn't understand, and condemned--this story tugged at me and sucked me in. I thought I predicted what would happen, but no!

The lighthouse is as much as a character as the people in the story. I got a real sense of the isolation and solitude of being a lighthouse keeper. The descriptions of the sky, the ocean, and the mainland town--the people, the atmosphere, were all so rich.

It's such a beautiful book!







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Title: Dare Me
Author: Megan Abbott
Pages: 304, pp
Published: July, 2012
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Maybe it's because I teach high school that I could relate as much to this book. I don't know if it's a book for everyone. It certainly captures the rhythm of high school life well. The lingo, the atmosphere, the attitude were all spot on. I could not put this book down. I stayed up reading this. There were a couple of implausible parts--like I can't imagine that the teens would party with their coach without word leaking out and that situation wouldn't blow up. Especially with the use of technology these days.

From the publisher:
Addy Hanlon has always been Beth Cassidy's best friend and trusted lieutenant. Beth calls the shots and Addy carries them out, a long-established order of things that has brought them to the pinnacle of their high-school careers. Now they're seniors who rule the intensely competitive cheer squad, feared and followed by the other girls — until the young new coach arrives.

Cool and commanding, an emissary from the adult world just beyond their reach, Coach Colette French draws Addy and the other cheerleaders into her life. Only Beth, unsettled by the new regime, remains outside Coach's golden circle, waging a subtle but vicious campaign to regain her position as "top girl" — both with the team and with Addy herself.

Then a suicide focuses a police investigation on Coach and her squad. After the first wave of shock and grief, Addy tries to uncover the truth behind the death — and learns that the boundary between loyalty and love can be dangerous terrain.







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Title: The Search
Author: Nora Roberts
Pages: 480, pp
Published: April, 2011
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

From the Publisher:
To most people, Fiona Bristow seems to have an idyllic life — a quaint house on an island off Seattle’s coast, a thriving dog-training school, and a challenging volunteer job performing canine search and rescue. Not to mention her three intensely loyal Labs. But Fiona got to this point by surviving a nightmare.

Several years ago, she was the only survivor of a serial killer — a madman who stalked and abducted young women, strangled them, and left them buried with a red scarf on their bodies. As authorities were closing in on the Red Scarf Killer, he shot and killed Fiona’s cop fiancé and his K-9 partner.

On Orcas Island, Fiona has found the peace and solitude she needed to rebuild her life. Yet all that changes on the day Simon Doyle barrels up her drive, desperate for her help. He’s the reluctant owner of an out-of-control puppy, foisted upon him by his mother. Jaws has eaten through Simon’s house, and he’s at his wit’s end.
To Fiona, Jaws is nothing she can’t handle. Simon is another matter. A newcomer to Orcas, he’s a rugged and intensely private artist, known for creating exquisite furniture. Simon never wanted a puppy, and he most definitely doesn’t want a woman. Besides, the lanky redhead is not his type. But tell that to the laws of attraction.

As Fiona embarks on training Jaws and as Simon begins to appreciate both dog and trainer, the past tears back into Fiona’s life. A copycat killer has emerged out of the shadows, a man whose bloodlust has been channeled by a master with one motive: to reclaim the woman who slipped out of his hands. . . .

This is my first Nora Roberts book. What I liked about it was all the dog talk--the psychology of dog training, the search and rescue aspect. As a dog lover, I appreciated all the dog love. And I liked how the location became a secondary character. I had a real sense of the community through the descriptions of Fiona's work. What I didn't like is that it wasn't a tight read--it seemed a bit long in places and some editing would have been good. I liked the main characters, Fiona and Simon. I don't know if I will read more Roberts' books, as I suspect they follow a romance formula.






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Title: Then Again
Author: Diane Keaton
Pages: 304, pp (audiobook)
Published: November, 2011
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Not your average celebrity memoir, Diane Keaton weaves her mother's journals as she reflects on their lives. The audiobook was read by Keaton and it was like hanging out with her for an afternoon. Sometimes the conversation meanders, sometimes it's focused, sometimes you wonder what she's talking about. But you get a lovely insight into this quirky actress. I kind of wish there was more about her mother.