8-25-12 The Wolf Hunt by Gillian Bradshaw - Fiction

4 - Oops, forgot one!  This is a period book set in France in the days of lords and lieges.  It is a good combo of intrigue, romance, politics, and the supernatural, surprisingly so.  Marie Penthievre is the heir to her fathers estate and is kidnapped by the Bretons from her Norman priory.  Ironically, one of her kidnappers is a blood relation.  She is kept at court but is treated as one of the family.  At the beginning of her stay, there is some drama with one of the lord's knights rushing off to steal away with his lover before her wedding to another.  The story is full of twists and turns with one mystery leading into the next and the battle, legal and personal, for Marie's lands once her father has been killed in the crusades.  This was a much more interesting book than I initially expected and well written historically.

8-20-12 The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi - Fiction

3 - A much more "intellectual" book than I normally read, this is a look at an Indian teen living in 1960's England and trying to find his way in the world.  His father has an affair and leaves his wife for another woman.  His mother, an Englishwoman, fades into the background but slowly becomes independent.  His stepbrother becomes a rock star, travelling and then living in America in all the rock star, drug addled glory of the time.  He struggles with finding his place in the world and with trying to balance the traditional Indian values of family and obligation with the excesses and uprising occurring during the 60's.  It was ok.  There is a lot of sex of all kinds in the book and some odd characters.  Overall, it kept me interested enough to finish but I definitely won't be reading another of Kureishi's books.

2-26-12 Still Life With Husband by Lauren Fox - Fiction

3 - This was a funny look at a woman in her 30's who has a midlife crisis and has an affair. I know, it doesn't sound like it should be funny. But it is because of the way Fox writes it. Emily is married to her college sweetheart and he's a stable, sensitive kind of guy. As her pushes for kids and the white picket fence, Emily starts to really question where she wants to go in her life right now. Then she meets David. This is a light read even though it touches on heavier subjects and would probably be a pretty good beach read.

2-12-12 Wilderness Run by Maria Hummel - Fiction

3 - This was an interesting story about the Civil War from the perspective of Vermonters who saw things a little differently. I learned quite a few things from this book. The underground railroad traveled through Vermont up into Canada and that a lot of people in Vermont were against slavery for themselves but also felt apart from the immediate issues of the country for a while. This story focuses on two cousins, Bel and Lawrence, who are growing up during the start of the abolitionist movement. Lawrence enlists into the army to fight for the Union and Bel convinces her Canadian French tutor to enlist for the Union as well. The story is told with alternating chapters between Lawrence in the army and the hardships endured and Bel, still in Vermont, worrying about both her cousin and her tutor. It's actually pretty well written and a different look at the Civil War from a new perspective for me.

1-23-12 Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper by Robert Bloch - Fiction

4 - This is a collection of short stories, screenplays, and novellas that Robert Bloch wrote featuring Jack the Ripper. And, wow, some are just a bit twisted. Jack does not always come out on top and Bloch played off the various theories about who Jack really was and why he disappeared. The only story I didn't read was was the Star Trek screenplay because it was published as a screenplay and I find those a little tough to actually read. He also has a spectacular short essay at the end discussing why someone who killed very few people is so well known when the student who was responsible for World War II is virtually unknown. (See, I read this and I've forgotten his name already!) And if you are trying to figure out where you've heard the name Robert Bloch before, he wrote a little story called Psycho.

7-17-11 Con Ed by Matthew Klein - Fiction

5 - A superb con man story with twists that will end up surprising you in the end. With detailed explanations of various cons, Klein draws you in so you feel like a part of the crew. Kip Largo, an ex confidence man who is trying to live legit, is approached by the wife of one of the richest men in America. She wants to leave him and needs to take some of his money with her. But she signed a prenup. Can Kip help her? He turns down the job but then his son shows up on his doorstep asking for money because he owes a gambling debt to the Russian mob. So begins a story full of interesting characters and information that will keep you guessing until the last page.

6-19-11 The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai - Fiction

3 - Yes, it's been critically acclaimed and the author has been touted as great but I only kind of enjoyed it. The story bumps around four main characters and a few other side characters and gives the reasons for the final realization that family should be cherished and not put aside for hopes and dreams and attainment of position. Blah. It is set mostly in the Himalayas during a time of revolution and that part of the story is interesting but this just really isn't my kind of book. The story of Biju in America trying to stay a step ahead of INS as he tries to make a living in a better country was very interesting and really highlighted the lives of illegal immigrants, but his story wasn't long enough. If you like Oprah books, you'll probably really like this one.

6-1-11 Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton - Fiction

4 - I haven't read this book in years and I had forgotten just how good it really is. Full of great science and action mixed with the very real and scary possibility of what genetic engineering can let loose. If you've only ever seen the movie, I have to urge you to try the book. It has more fascinating information and more tension than the movie was able to portray. Since I figure everyone knows the basic plot of this story, I'm not going to describe any more to you.

5-5-11 One of Our Thursdays is Missing by Jasper Fforde - Fiction

3 - I know, giving a Thursday Next book a 3! But I just had to because of how slowly it started. This book is written from the perspective of the written Thursday and I can see why her original book The Great Samuel Pepys Fiasco was put out of print. She's a bit boring and blah, like oatmeal with no sugar or cinnamon. However, the story really picks up about 1/3 way through the book. And then it's a fabulous Thursday Next story like the others. Especially since the written Thursday is trying to find the real Thursday who has disappeared from the real world and the book world. If you've never read the Thursday Next books, I know that plot line makes absolutely no sense. But if you're a fan, like I am, I'm sure you're excited to read this new story.

4-8-11 Thursday Next First Among Sequals by Jasper Fforde - Fiction

4 - It's been a while since I've read a Thursday Next book but it wasn't hard to get right back into the series and all its quirkiness. Years have passed and Friday is now 16 and has two sisters, Tuesday and Jenny. Landon and Thursday are living happily while Landon tries to write another novel and Thursday sneaks behind his back and does Jurisfiction and Literary Special Ops work. Thursday is such a great character and that's what makes these books so fun, but picture a Thursday Next book with more than one Thursday. And multiple Mrs. Danvers. And a guest appearance by Temperance Brennan. And the Dodo Fancier's Association. Oh yeah, a wild ride as usual.

1-31-11 The Shimmer by David Morrell - Fiction

5 - Morrell has taken an unexplained phenomena and written a story around it that still leaves the reader wondering what was really going on. Based on actual sightings, The Shimmer tells the story of a couple who are drawn into the chaos surrounding mysterious lights that occur after dark on the edge of Rostov, Texas. The story builds and becomes the action/thriller that Morrell is known for, pulling in the military and local law enforcement as well as the media. This subject matter is a little different for Morrell but no less satisfying. He remains one of my favorite authors.

1-25-11 Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris - Fiction

3 - This is an amusing collection of very short stories that are modern day Aesop's fables. Sedaris uses his usual satiric and quirky sense of humor to create fables that confront modern day issues like the difference between ass licking and ass kissing. That's not quite as bad as it sounds since all the characters are animals. Plus the book has illustrations by Ian Falconer, best known for his children's books about Olivia the pig. A short diversion in the midst of my very different reading habits.

1-22-11 Grim Reaper: End of Days by Steve Alten - Fiction

5 - The first in a new trilogy by Alten, Grim Reaper is a great twist on the story of the grim reaper and mankind's potential for the apocalypse. Combining virology, Dante's Inferno, and military action this is a very quick read because you just won't be able to put it down. Alten's research is, as usual, intensive and very detailed and his characters are compelling. The end of the world is neigh so pick this book up before it's too late!

5-4-10 An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England by Brock Clarke - Fiction

2 - I thought from the jacket description that this would be an amusing mystery-type book. Nope. It was a real downer of a book that focuses on the cause and effect of truth and lies in our relationships. So it was not the kind of book I was looking to read which may have colored this review slightly. Add to that the fact that I found the main character, Sam, to be a bit .... desperate and pathetic are the best words I can come up with, and this became a slog through the marsh for me. Sam burned down the Emily Dickinson house with two people inside by accident as a teen but was tried and convicted as an arsonist and a murderer and served 10 years in prison. When released, he goes back to his parents' house who then ask him to please go to college because it's too hard for them to have him live there. So he goes to college, gets a degree, gets a wife, has two kids, and is living the average everyday life. Except he never told his wife about the fire but did tell her that his parents were dead. His world starts to crumble when the son of the people who died in the fire hunts him down. Basically, you can't get along in the world when your entire life is built from lies. I don't think I'll pick up anything else by Brock Clarke no matter how quirky it sounds.

4-25-10 Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith - Fiction

4 - I must admit that I have never read the original Pride and Prejudice but once I heard about this new version "now with ultraviolent zombie mayhem" I just had to pick it up. I confess, I think I would find the original duller than dirt. The zombie attacks and Miss Elizabeth Bennet's use of her Shaolin training made this book a joy. Picture the five Bennet girls forming the Pentagram of Death when a ball they are attending is overrun by unmentionables and imagine them cutting down all the zombies in the room. See, it seems much more fun and interesting that way doesn't it? For those Austin purists out there who have decided this is an intolerable abomination of her work I have only one request: please go out as soon as the stores are open and purchase a sense of humor. It will make getting along day-to-day much easier and more fun. For everyone else, there are reading group questions in the back. Make sure to read those for an additional giggle. For myself, I may have to see if there are more zombie classics for me to read.

3-31-10 The Toss of a Lemon by Padma Viswanathan - Fiction

5 - An excellent story that spans 76 years, including the turbulent period during which India declares independence, and four generations. Sivakami is married at 10 following Hindu tradition and goes to live with her husband at 13. She bears him two children before his death when she is 18. The Toss of a Lemon is Sivakami's story as she lives as a strict Brahmin widow with one exception: she moves back to her husband's house, now her son's, to raise her children and manage the lands. Her story is full of light and dark as the world changes around her and her children grow and leave for their own lives. At first, this seems like a long book but the reader becomes so involved in Viswanathan's vivid descriptions of village and city life, Hindu tradition, and the changing country that the length of the book is forgotten. A very emotional read that should appeal to those interested in different cultures and how time alters tradition.

3-21-10 Practical Demonkeeping by Christopher Moore - Fiction

4 - For a debut novel, this is pretty good. The first Pine Cove story, Practical Demonkeeping introduces the reader to a few of the mainstay characters that will be found in the subsequent Pine Cove books by having a demon come to town. Yeah, this town's not quite as sleepy as it appears. Full of his quirky humor, Moore's book will keep you laughing at the absurdity of the situations and the strangeness of the characters.

3-19-10 The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown - Fiction

5- This is the reason I love Dan Brown. Better than Angels & Demons, better than The DaVinci Code, Brown presents a great puzzler of an action novel full of facts about our country, our capital, and the sciences. The Freemasons are a vital component of the story with Brown filling the reader in on a lot of their beliefs. Robert Langdon is his clever if awkward self and has to solve the puzzle presented to save two of his friends. The entire book takes place over the course of one night so the story just picks up and moves. A wonderful addition to the Robert Langdon novels.

3-2-10 Dear American Airlines by Johnathan Miles - Fiction

3 - Interesting. Benjamin R. Ford is on his way to his estranged daughter's wedding in California when, in typical fashion, his flight is cancelled and he ends up stranded at O'Hare airport. So he begins a very angry letter to American Airlines which turns into a cathartic review of his life. In turns funny and morose, Dear American Airlines hits all the frustrations and anger of a waylaid traveler as well as the same emotions of a man realizing how screwed up his life has truly been. A little bit of regret and self abasement is also evident as Benjamin Ford intersperses his angry tirade with stories about his parents, his daughter's mother, and his life in general. an unusual and touching novel.

1-20-10 Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde – Fiction

4 – I do love the Thursday Next books. They are perfect for literary lovers like myself. Thursday has to deal with the Minotaur Norman Johnson, Kaine (a fictional character out in the real world who’s bent on world domination), the uneradication of her husband, getting Swindon to win the Superhoop, and a two-year-old Friday. And, just for fun, Fforde also threw in a resurrected saint and a very confused Hamlet. As usual, this book is a terribly fun romp through Fforde’s alternate reality where dodos can be genetically reborn in your kitchen and characters in books actually do come alive.