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Merriwether
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Merriwether
Joined: Nov 2010
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#26 The Good Girl by Mary Kubica
orn to a prominent Chicago judge and his stifled socialite wife, Mia Dennett moves against the grain as a young inner-city art teacher. One night, Mia enters a bar to meet her on-again, off-again boyfriend. But when he doesn't show, she unwisely leaves with an enigmatic stranger. With his smooth moves and modest wit, at first Colin Thatcher seems like a safe one-night stand. But following Colin home will turn out to be the worst mistake of Mia's life.
The reviews on this book compared it to "Gone Girl". It was an interesting book but I would not put it in the same league as Gone Girl.
Joan
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Top Banana
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Top Banana
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76. Dave Barry's Only Travel Guide You'll Ever Need, by Dave Barry Dave Barry writes humorously about travel and includes "maps" of various major cities that are identical and feature happy and sad faces. Some of it is very funny. 77. Claw Your Way to the Top: How to Become the Head of a Major Corporation in Roughly a Week, by Dave Barry How to succeed in business without really trying, as written by a great humorist. It reads like a funny take on Lex Luthor's rise to the top. 78. Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys, by Dave Barry This was absolutely hilarious. Dave Barry writes about guys (not men, guys) behaving badly. 79. Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway, by Dave Barry A history of politics told in the most ridiculous way possible. It points out, quite accurately, that our tax dollars pay for top-of-the-line entertainment in the form of political shenanigans and scandals. This book was written around the time of the Bush/Gore presidential election debacle, which was indeed very entertaining (especially in retrospect). 80. The Huckleberry Murders, by Patrick F. McManus Three farm workers are found murdered in a huckleberry patch on an Idaho mountainside. Sheriff Bo Tully must solve the crime while preventing further murders, dealing with the FBI, and flirting with every woman around. 81. Dave Barry Slept Here: A Sort of History of the United States, by Dave Barry Dave Barry interprets American history in a humorous fashion. This book is definitely not for the "history is serious business" crowd. 82. Dave Barry's Guide to Marriage and/or Sex, by Dave Barry Just what it says on the cover. 83. Dave Barry's Homes and Other Black Holes, by Dave Barry The pitfalls of home ownership, as told by Dave Barry. The best part was on lawns. If you fail to fertilize, water, and care for your lawn, it will die. On the other hand, if you do fertilize, water, and care for your lawn, it will die. 84. Dave Barry's Money Secrets, by Dave Barry Why is there a giant eyeball on the dollar? Who knows? Dave Barry writes about finance in a way that makes roughly as much sense as anything leading economists say, except more comprehensible and funnier. 85. The Little Engine That Could, by Watty Piper A little train engine says "I think I can! I think I can!" as it pulls a long over a steep mountain after all the big engines decline to do so. Of course, it succeeds. (There's a fanfic sequel to this story called The Little Engine That Couldn't. Don't read it if you love the original.)
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
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Merriwether
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Merriwether
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#27 The Remaining by Travis Thrasher
Just after a young couple says their vows, the earth shakes, and some people die suddenly and are taken away. The rest of their wedding party and friends are left to wrestle with what happened and with their faith. Characters struggle with secret love, dreams, hopes, and beliefs as they continue to evaluate their faith.
I was a big fan of the "Left Behind" series so I wasn't sure what I'd think of this fictional version of The Rapture. It was interesting but I liked "Left Behind" much better.
Joan
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Merriwether
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Merriwether
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#28 The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain
Riley MacPherson has spent her entire life believing that her older sister Lisa committed suicide as a teenager. Now, over twenty years later, her father has passed away and she's in New Bern, North Carolina cleaning out his house when she finds evidence to the contrary. Lisa is alive. Alive and living under a new identity. But why exactly was she on the run all those years ago, and what secrets are being kept now? As Riley works to uncover the truth, her discoveries will put into question everything she thought she knew about her family.
Okay, I must confess that instead of doing what I was supposed to do today, I just couldn't put this book down and finished it in less than a day. Great story! Gotta read more by this writer.
Joan
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Top Banana
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Top Banana
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86. Babies and Other Hazards of Sex, by Dave Barry
A humorous look at child-bearing (and rearing) from conception through age 3.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
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Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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OP
Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 9,362 |
The Thief Who Spat In Luck's Good Eye (Amra Thetys #2) - Michael McClungI think I enjoyed this even more than book one. It's refreshing in this age of epic fantasy series to have each book a complete adventure. The author has really settled into his world and characters now and I love the relationship between our cocky thief and her mage partner. I've already dl and started on book three. The Thief Who Knocked On Sorrow's Gate - Amra Thetys #3Loved this. Amra carried most of the plot on her own - which only proved she's a strong enough character to do it - but the reunion with Holgren towards the end was more than satisfying. The author chose this one to start using cliffhangers, and given the hints of what's coming in book 4, I want to be first in the queue. LabRat 
Last edited by LabRat; 08/18/15 01:26 PM.
Athos: If you'd told us what you were doing, we might have been able to plan this properly.
Aramis: Yes, sorry.
Athos: No, no, by all means, let's keep things suicidal.
The Musketeers
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Top Banana
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Top Banana
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87. Sizzling Sixteen, by Janet Evanovich
Vinnie has gotten himself into debt with his bookie, who has kidnapped him and is threatening to kill him if the money isn't paid. It's up to Stephanie, Lula, and Connie to come up with the cash. Hilarity in the form of a guard alligator, a stink bomb in a funeral home, and a yard sale of not-quite legal items (including some really good brownies) ensues.
This is one of the funnier books in the series, and a good thing to read at lunch at work while unwinding from the beginning of the school year.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
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Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 9,362 |
Blood Tempered - The Sword Monk Saga - Michael McClungAnother fantastic fantasy series from McClung. Great characters, intriguing plot, twists and turns ...think I've found that rare reading pleasure - a new favourite author! LabRat
Athos: If you'd told us what you were doing, we might have been able to plan this properly.
Aramis: Yes, sorry.
Athos: No, no, by all means, let's keep things suicidal.
The Musketeers
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Joined: Apr 2003
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Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 9,362 |
On the Accidental Wings of Dragons: Dragons of Eternity #1 - Julie WetzelI really enjoyed this fantasy romance. Basically, any author can reel me in with dragons and these were of a particularly interesting variety. Carisa and Michael were a cute, amusing couple. Although it's marketed as a series, each book seems to be standalone, focusing on a new couple each time. I might well return to Wetzel's dragon world sometime soon. LabRat
Athos: If you'd told us what you were doing, we might have been able to plan this properly.
Aramis: Yes, sorry.
Athos: No, no, by all means, let's keep things suicidal.
The Musketeers
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Merriwether
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Merriwether
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#29 Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum
Anna Benz, an American in her late thirties, lives with her Swiss husband Bruno and their three young children in a postcard-perfect suburb of Zürich. Though she leads a comfortable, well-appointed life, Anna is falling apart inside. Adrift and increasingly unable to connect with the emotionally unavailable Bruno or even with her own thoughts and feelings, Anna tries to rouse herself with new experiences: German language classes, Jungian analysis, and a series of sexual affairs she enters into with an ease that surprises even her. Tensions escalate, and her lies start to spin out of control.
I was expecting to have a lot of sympathy for the main character. Moving to an area where you know no one and raising small children is tough. I've done it. Yet Anna kept making bad choice after bad choice and ultimately she didn't really try to make a life for herself.
Joan
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Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Blood and Roses: Comes The Conquerer #1 - Michael McClungAnother great fantasy adventure. My only issue with it is that it's not a novel but a serial, being realeased in episodes. No sign of when #2 will be released, which is irksome. I felt I was just being drawn into the story when it ended. Might wait till a few more episodes/chapters have been released before I read more. This format is too frustrating. LabRat
Athos: If you'd told us what you were doing, we might have been able to plan this properly.
Aramis: Yes, sorry.
Athos: No, no, by all means, let's keep things suicidal.
The Musketeers
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Merriwether
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Merriwether
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#30 Inhumans by Kat Falls
In a world ravaged by mutation, a teenage girl must travel into the forbidden Savage Zone to recover lost artifacts or her father’s life is forfeit.
A virus slowly turns people into animals - an intriguing concept. I liked the characters and I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.
Joan
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Top Banana
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Top Banana
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88. Bad Habits: A 100% Fact-Free Book, by Dave Barry
This is one of Dave Barry's earlier books, containing columns he wrote when he lived in Pennsylvania, but the humor is just as funny as after he moved to Miami.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 9,362
Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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OP
Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 9,362 |
Manroot - Anne SteinbergIn the spring of 1939, Katherine Sheahan and her father, the taciturn Irishman Jesse, are looking for work in the isolated tourist town of Castlewood, Missouri, which offers bathing, gambling and adultery. Jesse gets a job as handyman and Katherine as maid at a small hotel. Jesse drinks and neglects his work and eventually disappears, abandoning his daughter. Katherine discovers the ginseng, the manroot, and other secrets of the foothills; she discovers herself as a natural healer who has inherited this gift from her Navajo Indian mother. She also has a special but unwelcome gift. She can communicate with spirits.
Among the hotel s regular clientele is Judge William Reardon, a local hero who metes out justice by day, then drinks the foul taste away at night. Escaping his sterile marriage, he becomes captivated by Katherine. He is like a man reborn. Theirs is a union of like-minded souls, but a dangerous dark magic is released. Can their love survive?
A powerful, haunting novel that explores the powerful themes of identity and destiny, love everlasting and its brutal twin, violence. To be honest, the description doesn't really do this one justice. Rich prose, fully rounded characters and a slow pace that suited the era it was set in. I really enjoyed it. LabRat
Athos: If you'd told us what you were doing, we might have been able to plan this properly.
Aramis: Yes, sorry.
Athos: No, no, by all means, let's keep things suicidal.
The Musketeers
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Top Banana
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Top Banana
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89. Dreamcatcher, by Stephen King
I've been working on reading this one for most of the summer. Other books kept getting my attention.
Alien life forms land in (of course) Maine, and start taking over people and animals. (It reads like Jason Trask's worst nightmare.) It's the Grays (or is it?) There's also a red, moss-like thing that grows on people called a byrus (or the Ripley). It can also grow inside the intestines, but I won't repeat the name for that permutation here.
It's a decent book, more of a psychodrama than things that go bump in the night.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
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Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
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Posts: 3,784 Likes: 28 |
90. Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
We all know the plot. Read this in High School. Its been a few decades, glad I decided to give it another shot.
Morgana
A writer's job is to think of new plots and create characters who stay with you long after the final page has been read. If that mission is accomplished than we have done what we set out to do, which is to entertain and hopefully educate.
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Merriwether
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Merriwether
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#31 The One and Only by Emily Giffin
Thirty-three-year-old Shea Rigsby has spent her entire life in Walker, Texas—a small college town that lives and dies by football, a passion she unabashedly shares. Raised alongside her best friend, Lucy, the daughter of Walker’s legendary head coach, Clive Carr, Shea was too devoted to her hometown team to leave. Instead she stayed in Walker for college, even taking a job in the university athletic department after graduation, where she has remained for more than a decade.
But when an unexpected tragedy strikes the tight-knit Walker community, Shea’s comfortable world is upended, and she begins to wonder if the life she’s chosen is really enough for her.
I picked up this book because I wanted something light. I'm not into football and this book had way too many references to football. The love interest felt wrong - really wrong for a variety of reaasons. Not one of her better books.
Joan
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Top Banana
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Top Banana
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90. The Little Book of Farmyard Tales, by Stephen Cartwright and Heather Amery
Short, cute farm stories for little kids. I read this to my 4-year-old niece yesterday, and when I'd read all the stories, she insisted she had to hear them again. Once was cute, twice was boring.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
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Top Banana
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Top Banana
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91. The Scarlet Pimpernel, by Baroness Emmuska Orczy
The classic tale of a hero with a secret identity. Sir Percy Blakeney pretends to be a foolish socialite who cares only for fine clothing and having a good time. Secretly, he is rescuing French nobles from the Reign of Terror in France. When his wife unwittingly outs him to his greatest enemy, he must use all his wits to survive.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
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Merriwether
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Merriwether
Joined: Nov 2010
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#32 The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
This book was a NY Times best seller. It's set in Paris and follows the lives of a 52 year old concierge and a 12 year old girl who both live in the same building. Both are highly intellegent and feel isolated. The plot involves events which bring them together and changes their lives.
This wasn't an enjoyable read. The characters were not likeable. The author tried to impress us with tons of prentenious references to classic books and arts and subjected us to tons of 'deep' thoughts from the characters. Towards the end, you could see the author made some interesting points but it wasn't a pleasant journey getting there.
#33 The Weight of Silence by Heather Gundenkauf
It happens quietly one August morning. As dawn's shimmering light drenches the humid Iowa air, two families awaken to find their little girls have gone missing in the night.
Seven-year-old Calli Clark is sweet, gentle, a dreamer who suffers from selective mutism brought on by tragedy that pulled her deep into silence as a toddler.
Calli's mother, Antonia, tried to be the best mother she could within the confines of marriage to a mostly absent, often angry husband. Now, though she denies that her husband could be involved in the possible abductions, she fears her decision to stay in her marriage has cost her more than her daughter's voice.
The writer does a nice job creating characters and their voices are distinct. Her books always flow well. There wasn't much suspense in this book, it felt more like a character study.
Joan
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