The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh - a young girl ages out of the foster care system and must support herself. Her only skill is that she knows what different flowers mean and she is fortunate to get work at a florists. She very gradually learns to trust people again.
4 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Widow's Tears by Susan Wittig Albert - another China Bayles mystery. But this one focuses on her friend, Ruby, who is psychic. So a little too woo-woo for me. But by the time I realized that, I was wrapped up in the story of Rachel, who lost her entire family in the Galveston hurricane of 1900. I found that interesting and want to read more. Would have been 2 stars if not for that.
3 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy - several people gather at a hotel in a remote spot in Ireland. Every chapter is about a different person and they are all intertwined in the story. I liked how connected everyone turned out to be.
3 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving - I didn't expect to like this book but I read the first 348 pages all at once. Obviously I was sucked in right away. Didn't always agree with the author's POV but still found it very interesting. It did lag in a few places.
4 stars
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Sunday, May 26, 2013
May 19-25, 2013
The Soul Of It All by Michael Bolton - Maybe I wasn't in the mood to read an autobiography but this didn't hit the spot. I was interested to read about the many songs he's written, I hadn't realized that. And he certainly has been persistent. Also, this has the largest acknowledgement section I've ever seen. Just wasn't linear enough for me.
2 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bad Blood by Dana Stabenow - a Kate Shugak mystery. This time two towns on opposite sides of a river have a Hatfield-McCoy feud going on and of course Jim Chopin and Kate get involved. Ends in a cliffhanger.
3 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Still Points North: Surviving the World's Greatest Alaskan Childhood by Leigh Newman - I really liked the way this author wrote. Her story wasn't so much about her Alaskan childhood as it was about the way her life was affected by the divorce of her parents.
4 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ten Years Later:Six People Who Face Adversity and Transformed Their Lives by Hoda Kotb - an abused single mother, a cancer survivor, a woman who has radical surgery for epilepsy, a meth addict, a 9/11 survivor and an unusual business woman talk about the decisions and how their lives are different 10 years later.
3 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy and Hard Times by Jennifer Worth - this is the book Call the Midwife is based on. There are two more books by the author that I hope to read. A fascinating book.
4 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Dark Horse by Craig Johnson - the 5th in the series and almost my favorite so far. Longmire goes undercover in a very small down with a lot of bad characters.
"The AR had been The BAR at some point in its past, but poor carpentry and the ever-prevalant wind had changed its name; that, or the B had decided to move on to a better hive."
4 stars
2 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bad Blood by Dana Stabenow - a Kate Shugak mystery. This time two towns on opposite sides of a river have a Hatfield-McCoy feud going on and of course Jim Chopin and Kate get involved. Ends in a cliffhanger.
3 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Still Points North: Surviving the World's Greatest Alaskan Childhood by Leigh Newman - I really liked the way this author wrote. Her story wasn't so much about her Alaskan childhood as it was about the way her life was affected by the divorce of her parents.
4 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ten Years Later:Six People Who Face Adversity and Transformed Their Lives by Hoda Kotb - an abused single mother, a cancer survivor, a woman who has radical surgery for epilepsy, a meth addict, a 9/11 survivor and an unusual business woman talk about the decisions and how their lives are different 10 years later.
3 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy and Hard Times by Jennifer Worth - this is the book Call the Midwife is based on. There are two more books by the author that I hope to read. A fascinating book.
4 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Dark Horse by Craig Johnson - the 5th in the series and almost my favorite so far. Longmire goes undercover in a very small down with a lot of bad characters.
"The AR had been The BAR at some point in its past, but poor carpentry and the ever-prevalant wind had changed its name; that, or the B had decided to move on to a better hive."
4 stars
Sunday, May 19, 2013
May 12-18, 2013
Guilt by Jonathan Kellerman - Psychologist Alex and his police friend Milo look into two mysteries 60 years apart. This is a long running series and seemed to be running out of steam but this was a pretty good one. Warning: deals with dead babies.
4 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Moves by Randy Wayne White - more adventures of Doc Ford, a marine biologist with a secret background. This has an interesting true story of missing airmen woven into it. But it doesn't have a traditional mystery plot.
3 stars
4 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Moves by Randy Wayne White - more adventures of Doc Ford, a marine biologist with a secret background. This has an interesting true story of missing airmen woven into it. But it doesn't have a traditional mystery plot.
3 stars
Monday, May 13, 2013
May 5-11, 2013
The One I Left Behind by Jennifer McMahon - a woman's mother was presumed killed by a serial killer 20 years ago and is found to be alive. The book alternates between past and present. I didn't figure out who it was until about the same time as the heroine.
4 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lifesaving Lessons: Notes From an Accidental Mother by Linda Greenlaw - a true story of a single woman who finds herself the guardian of a 15 yo girl. Linda Greenlaw is a fishing captain who survived the Perfect Storm and has written a couple of other books. The first part of the book was too much about fishing but once it got past that was okay. I couldn't tell if the book was linear - she mentioned things a couple of different times and I couldn't tell when they actually happened.
3 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian - fiction, but it covers actual events. The book takes place in the present and in 1915 during the genocide of Armenians by Turkey. Told from several different viewpoints.
4 stars
4 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lifesaving Lessons: Notes From an Accidental Mother by Linda Greenlaw - a true story of a single woman who finds herself the guardian of a 15 yo girl. Linda Greenlaw is a fishing captain who survived the Perfect Storm and has written a couple of other books. The first part of the book was too much about fishing but once it got past that was okay. I couldn't tell if the book was linear - she mentioned things a couple of different times and I couldn't tell when they actually happened.
3 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian - fiction, but it covers actual events. The book takes place in the present and in 1915 during the genocide of Armenians by Turkey. Told from several different viewpoints.
4 stars
Sunday, May 5, 2013
April 28-May 4, 2013
I have a 5 star book in this group that probably wouldn't get 5 stars from most. So a little reminder of what 5 stars means from me.
5 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unintended Consequences by Stuart Wood - I think I'm OCD when it comes to a series, I keep reading them even when they irritate me. Once again, Stone Barrington is hanging around the richest people and everything comes easily to them. And he's ready to hop into bed with any woman at any time.
2 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Blackhouse by Peter May - takes place on a very small, cold island off Scotland. Goes back and forth between the present and past, with the past mystery more interesting than the present. There are two more books in this series but so far they aren't available at my library. I might have to break down and buy a book!
4 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another Man's Moccasins Craig Johnson - another in the Sheriff Longmire series. In this one he has flashbacks to his time in Viet Nam because of a present day murder.
3 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Surrogate Thief by Archer Mayor - another series I'm trying to complete. The bad guy was telegraphed pretty early on in the book which I find irritating because if I know I figure everyone else should know too. I think I'll take a break from this series for awhile.
2 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Good House by Ann Leary - a successful real estate agent deals with life in her town after a stay at a rehab center for alcoholism. Much better than it sounds. I really enjoyed this one.
4 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You Changed My Life by Abdel Sellou - I watched The Intouchables, which I highly recommend, and wanted to know more about the people in it. This is written by the real-life caregiver from the movie. It was interesting to read the real story. A man without much of an upbringing is hired to help a tetraplegic who is quite wealthy. I hope to read the book by Phillipe Pozzo di Borgo next but my library doesn't have it.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Death in Venice and Other Tales by Thomas Mann - oh.my.goodness. I am definitely not an intellectual. I read this because it was mentioned in The End Of Your Life Book Club. All the stories were depressing and lots of them didn't make sense. I only finished it so I could say I had.
1 star
- It has to interest me from the first page.
- If it's a mystery, I can't guess the bad guy.
- I don't read the end to see if I should keep reading.
- I have to enjoy the way the book is written.
- Nothing irritates me. And believe me, after 56 years of reading I'm easily irritated.
5 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unintended Consequences by Stuart Wood - I think I'm OCD when it comes to a series, I keep reading them even when they irritate me. Once again, Stone Barrington is hanging around the richest people and everything comes easily to them. And he's ready to hop into bed with any woman at any time.
2 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Blackhouse by Peter May - takes place on a very small, cold island off Scotland. Goes back and forth between the present and past, with the past mystery more interesting than the present. There are two more books in this series but so far they aren't available at my library. I might have to break down and buy a book!
4 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another Man's Moccasins Craig Johnson - another in the Sheriff Longmire series. In this one he has flashbacks to his time in Viet Nam because of a present day murder.
3 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Surrogate Thief by Archer Mayor - another series I'm trying to complete. The bad guy was telegraphed pretty early on in the book which I find irritating because if I know I figure everyone else should know too. I think I'll take a break from this series for awhile.
2 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Good House by Ann Leary - a successful real estate agent deals with life in her town after a stay at a rehab center for alcoholism. Much better than it sounds. I really enjoyed this one.
4 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You Changed My Life by Abdel Sellou - I watched The Intouchables, which I highly recommend, and wanted to know more about the people in it. This is written by the real-life caregiver from the movie. It was interesting to read the real story. A man without much of an upbringing is hired to help a tetraplegic who is quite wealthy. I hope to read the book by Phillipe Pozzo di Borgo next but my library doesn't have it.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Death in Venice and Other Tales by Thomas Mann - oh.my.goodness. I am definitely not an intellectual. I read this because it was mentioned in The End Of Your Life Book Club. All the stories were depressing and lots of them didn't make sense. I only finished it so I could say I had.
1 star
Sunday, April 28, 2013
April 21-27, 2013
Sand Sharks
Death's Half Acre
Christmas Mourning
Three Day Town all by Margaret Maron - and now I'm all caught up on this series. To me the mysteries take second place to seeing what's going on with Judge Knotts and her immediate and extended family.
3 stars for all
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala - the author's two sons, her husband and parents were killed by the tsunami of 2004 when it hit Sri Lanka. This is an almost stream of consciousness account of the wave and her reactions afterward. Quite sad.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deadly Stakes by J. A. Jance - this is one of her Ali Reynolds books. I used to really like this author's books but the last couple have been duds for me. I just can't get invested in them.
2 stars
Death's Half Acre
Christmas Mourning
Three Day Town all by Margaret Maron - and now I'm all caught up on this series. To me the mysteries take second place to seeing what's going on with Judge Knotts and her immediate and extended family.
3 stars for all
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala - the author's two sons, her husband and parents were killed by the tsunami of 2004 when it hit Sri Lanka. This is an almost stream of consciousness account of the wave and her reactions afterward. Quite sad.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deadly Stakes by J. A. Jance - this is one of her Ali Reynolds books. I used to really like this author's books but the last couple have been duds for me. I just can't get invested in them.
2 stars
Sunday, April 21, 2013
April 14-20, 2013
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline - a story told in the present and the past about one girl's experience. About a year after being in America, she is orphaned by a fire and put on a train to the midwest in the hopes of getting a new family.
4 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rituals of the Season
Winter's Child
Hard Row all by Margaret Maron - more of the Judge Deborah Knott series. The first leads up to her marriage and the second takes place about a month after. The third follows shortly after and talks a little about the plight of migrant workers.
3 stars for all
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kicking and Dreaming: A Story of Heart, Soul and Rock and Roll by Ann and Nancy Wilson and Charles R. Cross - the story of Heart. I'm fairly sure this was "written" by the two sisters reminiscing to Mr. Cross. They take turns telling their story and every once in awhile we hear from someone else about their memories from that time. I liked the book more than I thought I would. We went to a Heart concert last week and they were interviewed by Mr. Cross. That's what gave me an interest in reading the book.
3 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks - a fictionalized story of the Bosnian Haggadah. A book conservator is brought to Bosnia not long after the war is over to look at a Haggadah. The story then goes back in time until finally arriving at the origin of the book.
4 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gatekeeper by Archer Mayor - another Joe Gunther book. I didn't think this one really went anywhere.
2 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kindness Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson - the 3rd book in the Sheriff Walt Longmire series. This time he's in Philadelphia to visit his daughter when she is attacked and goes into a coma.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enchanting Lily by Anjali Banerjee - not really what I was expecting. A kind of Harlequin romance but with a sort of psychic cat. Thought it ended rather abruptly.
2 stars
4 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rituals of the Season
Winter's Child
Hard Row all by Margaret Maron - more of the Judge Deborah Knott series. The first leads up to her marriage and the second takes place about a month after. The third follows shortly after and talks a little about the plight of migrant workers.
3 stars for all
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kicking and Dreaming: A Story of Heart, Soul and Rock and Roll by Ann and Nancy Wilson and Charles R. Cross - the story of Heart. I'm fairly sure this was "written" by the two sisters reminiscing to Mr. Cross. They take turns telling their story and every once in awhile we hear from someone else about their memories from that time. I liked the book more than I thought I would. We went to a Heart concert last week and they were interviewed by Mr. Cross. That's what gave me an interest in reading the book.
3 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks - a fictionalized story of the Bosnian Haggadah. A book conservator is brought to Bosnia not long after the war is over to look at a Haggadah. The story then goes back in time until finally arriving at the origin of the book.
4 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gatekeeper by Archer Mayor - another Joe Gunther book. I didn't think this one really went anywhere.
2 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kindness Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson - the 3rd book in the Sheriff Walt Longmire series. This time he's in Philadelphia to visit his daughter when she is attacked and goes into a coma.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enchanting Lily by Anjali Banerjee - not really what I was expecting. A kind of Harlequin romance but with a sort of psychic cat. Thought it ended rather abruptly.
2 stars
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)