Stephen King: Just After Sunset: Stories
SK has definitely written better stories than these. Warning: If you have a weak stomach, best to skip the last one. The author said it even made him sick. (**)
Vicki Myron: Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World
A heartwarming story of a small-town library in Iowa and its very own library cat. Be ready with a box of Kleenex for the last two chapters. (***)
Frank McCourt: Angela and the Baby Jesus: (Children's Edition)
Sweet story, beautiful art. (***)
Charlaine Harris: Living Dead in Dallas (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 2)
And this is even sillier than the Twilight books. No more Sookie Stackhouse for me, thanks. (*)
Stephenie Meyer: Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4)
Last one in the series! Phew! I'm glad that's over. I don't know why I didn't give up after the first book, but I'm stubborn, and I kept thinking they'd get better. They didn't. (**)
Fannie Flagg: A Redbird Christmas: A Novel
This little book is a perfect holiday read. Classic FF characters combine with her wonderfully humorous prose and a bit of magic for a heart-touching story of an unusual south Alabama Christmas. (***)
Stephenie Meyer: Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, Book 3)
Bella tries to decide between a cold block of stone and a big hairy beast as her life's partner. (**)
Sarah Addison Allen: The Sugar Queen
Three young women have lived their lives in the same small southern town without knowing they are sisters. And there are even more secrets. This book is magical, fun, and at times heartbreaking. (***)
Stephenie Meyer: New Moon (The Twilight Saga, Book 2)
Edward leaves Forks. Bella begins a relationship with Jacob, who is now a werewolf. Bella and Alice run off to Italy with Alice to save Edward from some Tuscan vampires. Bella and the Cullens return to Forks. Charlies is pissed off. (***)
Dean Koontz: The Darkest Evening of the Year
Marley & Me Meets Cruella DeVille! A very good and scary book. Hero doggies (this time, Golden Retrievers) and wonderful characters--except everybody has several aliases, so it's sometimes hard to keep up. (****)
Stephenie Meyer: Twilight (The Twilight Saga)
Teenage girl falls in love with vampire who looks young for his age. Then all hell breaks loose. Slow start, but this book gets better with pages turned. I'll probably read the rest of the series. (***)
Kathleen Kent: The Heretic's Daughter: A Novel
Fiction. Told by young daughter of one of the women executed for witchcraft in Massachusetts in the 17th century. If you need a reminder of the necessity of separation of church and state, you should read this book. Or it's a good book, even if you don't need the reminder. (***)
Kirsten Bakis: Lives of the Monster Dogs
Another wonderful book about dogs. This one's a fantasy whose moral seems to be that dogs weren't meant to be like humans. They're just right the way they are. (****)
Blake Morrison: The Yellow House
There's magic at the old yellow house for a little girl with a curious mind and creative heart. (Children's Book) (***)
Jodi Picoult: Nineteen Minutes: A novel
Well written story concerning a high-school shooting with Picoult's trademark surprise ending. (****)
Anita Shreve: The Pilot's Wife
Good book. I wish I hadn't seen the movie first. It sort of spoiled the book for me. But it was still good. (****)
Barbara Michaels: Witch
Pretty good ghost story. Or was is? (***)
Dennis Lehane: Mystic River
Excellent read! One of the best mystery/crime novels ever. (*****)
David Wroblewski: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel
The one book to read this year if you read no other. (*****)
- William Shakespeare: Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
Charles and Mary Lamb interpretation. (***)
Ian Mcewan: Atonement
One of the most sensual love (sex) scenes and some of the most horrible war scenes I've ever read. This is an excellent book from an excellent writer. The ending took me by surprise. (****)
Joyce Carol Oates: The Collector of Hearts
Some of the stories are very good, but the ambiguous endings drive me nuts. Maybe I just don't have an artistic enough sensibility, but each and every story left me wondering, "What?" (***)
Anne Rice: Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana (Christ the Lord)
Fictional account of Jesus's young adult life before the crucifixion. (***)
William Trevor: The Story of Lucy Gault
A series of unfortunate events and coincidences makes for a pretty depressing story altogether. No happy ending here. (***)
Liz Curtis Higgs: Bad Girls of the Bible: And What We Can Learn From Them
Stories of ten biblical women of varying degrees of badness and what we can learn from them. Higgs starts each section with an updated story based on that particular ancient woman. Interesting read. (***)
John Burnham Schwartz: Reservation Road (Vintage Contemporaries) (Vintage Contemporaries)
How does it feel to be a father who has lost a little boy to a hit-and-run driver? How does it feel to be that hit-and-run driver who is also the father of a little boy? This is a heartbreaking story told from the perspective of these two fathers. (***)
Elmore Leonard: Get Shorty
Miami shylock Chili Palmer goes to Hollywood to collect a debt and gets involved in the movie industry. Funniest crime novel of all time. (****)
Marianne Wiggins: Evidence of Things Unseen: A Novel
Beautiful prose; lovely, sad story. I fell in love with Fos, Opal, Lightfood, and even Flash. I highly recommend this book. It's my book club's June selection. (****)
Emily Brontë: Wuthering Heights (Penguin Classics)
Want to know how demons carry on love affairs? Here it is. Either that, or as my sister maintains, there was something in the water those people were drinking. A wonderful story about a bunch of crazy people. (****)
Tom Rob Smith: Child 44
Not your mama's serial killer mystery! This is one of the scariest books I've ever read--not because of the serial killer aspect but because it's a story of people who have been stripped of their civil rights, every one of them. It takes place in Stalinist Russia during the 50s, the perfect society where crime doesn't exist (except it does) and where personal freedoms are unthinkable. (****)
Jodi Picoult: Vanishing Acts: A Novel
Picoult tackles the subjects of child abuse and abduction, alcoholism, repressed memories, friendship, love, and life behind bars in this very good book. I couldn't stop reading. (****)
Donald McCaig: Rhett Butler's People
If you're a fan of Gone With the Wind, you might find this book moderately interesting. I did. Not great writing, the book has problems. Way too much use of the "N" word and a few too many murders and arsons, but it was sort of fun to visit with Rhett and Scarlett again. (**)
Greg Iles: The Quiet Game
Exciting page-turner. Recently widowed lawyer-turned-novelist Penn Cage returns to his hometown of Natchez to solve a decades-old civil rights murder and gets involved in a government conspiracy. (***)
William P. Young: The Shack
Although fiction (fantasy), I believe this book is a very good description of the basic nature of God. I kept finding myself saying, "Yes, that's it!" all the way through the book. If you've ever asked "Why does God let bad things happen to good people?" you might find your answer in this book. Look for a more comprehensive review on April 3, 2008 blog entry. (****)
Van Ryn & Cerak Families: Mistaken Identity: Two Families, One Survivor, Unwavering Hope
Two young women are victims of not only a horrific traffic accident but also mistaken identity. One is buried under the wrong name; one is in a coma and being cared for by the wrong family. This is an absolutely amazing story--not just of the unbelievable mix-up, but also how faith sustains two families through heart-wrenching tragedy. (***)
Kate Jacobs: The Friday Night Knitting Club
A book about love, heartbreak, loyalty, betrayal, joy, and grief--and why today's women choose to take up handicrafts that became unnecessary decades ago. This is a beautiful story. It's a chick book, but a good one. (****)
Diane Setterfield: The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel
A book for book lovers. One of my favorites so far this year. Wonderful twisty plot that involves twins. It has mystery, murder, ghosts, an old house. Think Jane Eyre meets Shirley Jackson. This novel was a delight to read. (****)
Patricia Cornwell: The Body Farm (Kay Scarpetta)
Murder mystery dealing with a rare and baffling condition that causes this person to murder. This book deals hardly at all with the Body Farm, a very disturbing forensics lab in Tennessee. So the title doesn't fit. (**)
P.D. James: The Children of Men
This book, which starts with an excellent premise (every man in the world is sterile; the last child on earth was born 25 years previously) would have better if the plot had been fleshed out more. The characters aren't developed. And the book leaves more questions than it answers. (**)
Deborah Rodriguez: Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil
An account of the American author's adventures in opening a beauty school in post-Taliban Afghanistan. Insightful look at the plight of Afghan women. You'll admire the bravery and strength of most of them; and your heart will break for others. (***)
Deepak Chopra: The Third Jesus: The Christ We Cannot Ignore
Chopra's new age take on Jesus: the historial Jesus, the mystical Jesus, and Jesus of the Bible. Parts of this book would no doubt be deemed heretical by some fundamentalist Christians, but, while I didn't agree with everything Chopra writes, I did find it all interesting--especially the last chapter. (***)
Greg Iles: Blood Memory: A Novel
This book deals with the disturbing subject of child molestation and its effects on those children after they reach adulthood. It's also an engrossing murder mystery. (***)
Jeffrey Eugenides: Middlesex: A Novel (Oprah's Book Club)
This book manages is to be humorous and sad all at once. I think it succeeds so well for two reasons: 1) Eugenides is an excellent writer and storyteller and 2) his heroine/hero manages to keep a sense of humor although his/her life is complicated and fraught with problems. There's never a dull moment in this book. Every page, every paragraph held my interest. (****)
Greg Iles: Dead Sleep
This thriller centers around a group of paintings called "The Sleeping Women." Trouble is, the paintings' subjects just might be doing more than sleeping. They might be dead. Page turner, very exciting, very readable. (***)
Stephen King: Duma Key: A Novel
One-armed artist must combine his artistic skills with his supernatural abilities to defeat King's newest monster, Perse, an ancient demoness who sales her ship of death off Florida's west coast. This is a good 'un, folks. (****)
Geraldine Brooks: March
After finding the first few chapters slow going, I really enjoyed this book. It's an account by Mr. March (the father in Little Women) of his experiences as a Union chaplain during the Civil War. Parts of it are heartbreaking, and parts are hard to read. Definitely not a book for children. (****)
Ken Follett: The Pillars of the Earth (Deluxe Edition) (Oprah's Book Club)
After reading this historical novel, whose plot centers around the priory of Kingsbridge, England during the 12th century, you'll wonder how Christianity ever survived. It's an engrossing story with strong characters, some who are good, some pretty good, and and many just downright horrible). The book is full of climaxes (both literary and carnal), and the ending (which centers on the assassination of Thomas Becket) is the most exciting one of all. (1,075 pages) (*****)
Greg Iles: True Evil: A Novel
Thriller about a murder-for-hire that kills victims by giving them cancer. A page-turner. Iles is a good storyteller. (***)
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WOOOOOOHOOOOOO! If all my combined leg problems would allow it, I'd be doing MULTIPLE happy dances right now! First - I CAN READ YOUR BLOG AGAIN!!!! I don't want to 'clog your blog' so I will simply let you know that I just spent a loooong time visiting all the back posts! Second, GOOD news about Vann! You KNOW everyone is pulling for you, Vann! We want you WELL!) And third, I got to see sweet Sophie who, of COURSE, deserves a smooshy place to cuddle up! Now I'm going to reply to the newer posts so beware - Kai is in the house! LOL!
Posted by: Kai | Saturday, July 04, 2009 at 03:27 PM
Wonderful news about Vann--tell him he can run over here and help Willis with the painting. Just kidding. Stay cool. Love to the Soph.
JR
Posted by: Joanne | Wednesday, July 01, 2009 at 01:05 PM
Whew. I have been thinking (praying) for Vann for days. This is wonderful news.
Your Sophie and my Ozzie are two of a kind. He loves to perch on the top of one of our family room chairs. He smooshed the last chair hopelessly, and I am hoping the new chair will stand up better.
Posted by: Nicole | Wednesday, July 01, 2009 at 09:48 AM
Sing the Lord's praises. Thank you God.
Posted by: Beverly | Wednesday, July 01, 2009 at 06:32 AM
That is wonderful, wonderful news! We'll keep those good thoughts going! Stay cool!
Posted by: Carol | Wednesday, July 01, 2009 at 05:01 AM
Wonderful news!!!Thank you Lord!!!
The best kind of blog entry!!!
Sweet Sophie she and Gracie look so much a like:)
I have a smashed pillows in my family room...her favorite hang out.
Blessing to your family:)
kayellen
Posted by: kayellen | Wednesday, July 01, 2009 at 12:37 AM
That is wonderful news for Vann. So happy to hear he was able to have his chemo and is feeling so good.
Take care and thinking of you both
Alison
Posted by: Alison Gibbs | Wednesday, July 01, 2009 at 12:01 AM
Glory be! So glad those meds in the white hats are whopping the daylights (my Granny's expression!)out of the bad cells in the black hats!
Where is your comfy place?! Keep your cool, sweetie, and that means stay in the A/C in the South!!
Tomorrow is cardiac appt. day for AMIL who has atrial fib and a two week old pacemaker and for FIL who has heart failure, too low blood pressure, and what may be failing innards. He's been a very difficult person for decades ,,,,
Thursday is GI (gastrointestinal) appt. day for the two of them. AMIL for the colitis she ended up with after living with FIL for 5 decades and FIL because he's lost his appetite and it's been gone for about 3 weeks.
Prayers appreciated. I'll take you up on your dare.
Hugs!
Posted by: Barbara Anne | Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at 09:08 PM
Yayyy! I'm glad Vann was feeling great to get his treatment! I knew he would! :O)
How are you doing? I see Sophie is comfy in her spot!
Hugs!!
Posted by: AwtemNymf | Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at 06:42 PM
Hooray!!! So glad to hear the good news about Vann. Yes God answers prayers.
I don't blame you and Sophie one bit about the heat. If it wouldn't strike Momma blind, I would stay nekkid and poised over the air conditioning vents.
Posted by: Kristine | Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at 06:01 PM