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I read this book mostly because my friend at Byrd’s Books (one of my favorite independent bookstores) was having an author event about it. Not only is the author local, but this novel is set locally as well. It is a story of a friendship between two guys in Brewster High School, in the late … Read more
I enjoyed this new retelling of Pride and Prejudice from the servants point of view, with their own drama front and center, and the familiar Bennet’s storyline in the periphery. I’m surprised it took so long for one to be written, given the success of shows like Upstairs, Downstairs as well as Downton Abbey. This … Read more
I enjoyed this long, detailed new novel by the author of the famous bestselling memoir, Eat, Pray, Love. Two-thirds to a quarter of the way through reading it, I thought I was going to give this book four stars since it was lagging a bit, but after finishing it, I felt it had pulled through … Read more
I didn’t like this book much and am posting this mostly to let you know not to waste your time on it.
I really enjoyed this novel and give it five stars. Chewing it over while I slept, my subconscious awoke me too early this morning wondering how it was
This book enjoyed acclaim back in 2006 when it came out, and won the Booker Prize, at which point I put it on my reading list. Reviews of this book are all over the lot,
I loved this book and give it five stars. It was a delight to read – pure fun: inventive, imaginative, contemporary and totally refreshing.
You can see why this author has won the Pulitzer Prize; he writes well. That said, I still didn’t much like this book, and since it was highly acclaimed and gushingly reviewed in 2011, I’m writing this post to tell you to save your time and read something else. This novel is intelligently written with … Read more
This book was a pleasant surprise. I found it on the library’s new book shelf, and didn’t expect to like it as well as I did. It is the second in a series and you may wish to begin with the first, titled Paris to Die For, which turns out to be well liked too. … Read more
I’m a Herman Wouk fan from as far back as the 70’s. I loved this recent light work written in his nineties in the form of correspondence – email, fax, skype, texting, etc. Oh, to be able to be so “with it” at such an age! The title refers to the story of Moses, which … Read more
My 12 year old daughter had read this book last spring and loved it so much that she bought the CD with her own money so she could hear it frequently. She and I listened to it while driving during our trip to Maine. Five stars seems like a paltry offering for this remarkably wonderful … Read more
This novel raises controversial issues about sex education and about the separation of church and state in suburban America. It raises questions about whether we should inflict our opinions on others, and if we do, whether or not it helps them. This book contrasts not only conservatives and liberals, atheists and fundamentalists, promiscuity and abstinence, … Read more
Something about summer requires some good chic lit. (Normally I’d call it a “beach read,” but the beaches I’ve been on recently were too gorgeous for reading anything…) Anyway, the kind of book I mean is something far from great literature or demanding concepts. I like it for it’s fashion, it’s indulgences, the food and … Read more
I liked this book by Kathryn Stockett and give it 5 stars. This recently released novel is about black help in white homes in the early 1960’s. Through the voices of three women, one white woman in her early twenties, and two black maids, it clarifies the complexities of these relationships complicated by the climate … Read more
This classic by D.H. Lawrence has been on my to-be-read list for probably twenty years. The best thing I can say about it is that it is off my list, finished, and I can move on to reading something I will enjoy more! I got so bogged down in the middle, I almost abandoned the … Read more
This is the first book I’ve ever read of Anthony Trollope. I liked it well enough to add it’s sequel, Barchester Towers to my reading list. I give it four stars. It took a while to get into it, and the warm-up and detailed description at points seemed quite drawn out, but the character development … Read more
My 12 year old daughter has read this book by Trenton Lee Stewart so many times, I finally succumbed to seeing what it was all about, and we listened to it in the car together. Recently, we made more progress on it than usual when we were caught in a colossal traffic jam as we … Read more