Subjects:  1. American Light Romantic Fiction    2. Dallas, Eve (Fictitious character)    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    5. Missing persons    6. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    7. New York    8. New York (State)    9. Police    10. Romance - Suspense    11. Fiction / Romance / Suspense   

Reviews (4)

First half great- then what happened?
I loved the beginning of this book - the characters are so richly developed.The main couple is very interesting.Then about half way through, when you have barely read any detail about their children, the book turns from them being children to them being in college.I hate it to blunt, but half way through the book, I hadn't developed any interest in the children so the fact that the whole second part of the book is about them and with little more about the parents (who were the main characters) left me very disappointed.Itseemed almost like the writer lost track of what was happening in the book and started a new story line without the main characters in it.Very disappointing.

Into the Wind
In After This, her sixth novel, Alice McDermott returns to her chosen milieu of postwar New York and Long Island and the Irish Americans, who are, as always, acquainted with grief and dealing with life's losses in a way that shows them at their noblest and best.The characters in this novel are ordinary, stunningly ordinary.Her two main characters are John and Mary, the seeming everyman and woman of the postwar era.The ways these ordinary characters cope with the huge changes in American society in the postwar decades forms one stream of conflict and tension in the novel. A deeper stream is how they cope with the tragic condition of human life itself.
Ordinary People
Alice McDermott is a good writer.She casts a wise and loving eye over her turf, the suburban New York City Irish Catholic scene during the baby boom years.In several books, especially Charming Billy, she successfully evokes the humor and pathos of her chosen people.She's particularly good on the bonds of family, the ways in which fealty to one's tribe can simultaneously prop up and chafe a soul.
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Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Domestic fiction    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - General    5. General    6. Literary    7. Mcdermott, Alice - Prose & Criticism    8. Social life and customs    9. United States    10. Fiction / General   

Reviews (25)

4 1/2 Stars
I thought this to be a fascinating and sometime graphic thriller. This is my first experience with Tess Gerritsen and will most likely read more from this author. As mentioned elsewhere, the characters backgrounds were shyed away from, and since I have not read any of her previous novels, I was sometimes a bit stymied. An entertaining read nonetheless.

Another Gem from Tess Gerritsen!
The Mephisto Club is a very fast paced novel, which is my favorite type of story.It brings back the recurrent main characters of Detective Jane Rizzoli and Dr. Maura Isles.This time Detective Rizzoli and Dr. Isles are dealing with an exceeding violent killer who murders his victims in a ritualistic fashion leaving clues that link him to the occult/supernatural.Is the killer a demon or is he merely a brillian sociopath who taunts his victims and the police alike?That is the question facing Detective Rizzoli and Dr. Isles as they try to track him.
Chilling!
I liked The Mephisto Club best of the books in this fine series.If you've liked any of the earlier books, you should definitely read this one.
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Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Espionage / Thriller    3. Fiction - Psychological Suspense    4. Medical    5. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    6. Mystery/Suspense    7. Psychological    8. Suspense    9. Fiction / Suspense   

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    3. Koontz, Dean R. (Dean Ray) - Prose & Criticism    4. Mystery & Detective - General    5. Mystery/Suspense    6. Psychological    7. Suspense    8. Thrillers    9. Fiction / General   

Reviews (7)

Hated to See This End
Sometimes it's difficult to come into a series on the last installment without feeling lost.Luckily, finding the subject matter and people to be so interesting with lovely characterizations and references to previous events, I quickly picked up with where the story was at that particular moment.
Yes, It is the end
I have to agree with the previous reviewers that this book wrapped things up too quickly and didn't tie up all of the loose ends.I would've liked to have seen the story of Daniel elaborated on more and also would've loved to have found out the truth about Isaac's kidnapping.Who did it?How did it happen?I hate that I was left with too many questions.
Is that the end??
After eagerly awaiting the next book in this series, I was anxious to find out if Ben really was Isaac, if Lou would come back to Sam, if Esther and Zeke could find peace.... There was soo-o-o much to cover that I was shocked to see that this was the last book in the series. How would they cover it all?Well, apparently, very quickly! Things happened too fast, people changed too quickly, things were resolved tidily and with great speed.Though we don't really know if Lou will come back to stay, or how Esther and Zeke will fare with the shunning, we do know that Annie and Ben/Isaac will live happily ever after.
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Subjects:  1. Amish    2. Children of clergy    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Religious    5. Religious - General    6. Women artists    7. Fiction / Religious   

Editorial Review

Like the one-time bestseller Read more

Reviews (895)

This is no Little Prince
I feel like I am pushing against the tide, but perhaps I can warn others, like me, who agreed to read this book because of comparisons to St. Exupery's classic, The Little Prince.It is too late to warn off my book club.Others expecting anything remotely as charming, disarming, witty, and downright delightful as Le Petit Prince should look elsewhere.I have read St. Exupery, Mr. Coelho, and you are no St. Exupery.
Very Confusing Text!!!
I'm in an eighth grade honors class, and had to read this book for an assignment.Unfortunately, I found the book vey boring and extremely hard to understand.The text was very confusing, with all the different lessons, all being learned at the same time.I do not recommend this book to anyone under 16.

Beware of Foreign Editions
WARNING: The Alchemist is one of my favorite books. In fact, it was my inspiration when I set off on the journey to make my own dream come true--to realize my own "Personal Legend". The original was written in Portugese so what we see is a translation.
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Subjects:  1. Fables    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - General    4. Literary    5. Visionary & Metaphysical    6. Fantasy    7. Fiction / Literary    8. Science fiction    9. Reading Group Guide   

Reviews (49)

sleepless nights...
In "The Black Book" the reader embarks on a quest on the streets of contemporary Istanbul, together with the main protagonist, Galip.
Turkish Existentialism
Set in the soot covered trash strewn workaday streets of 1980s Istanbul, a man adrift without any depth of his own personality is abandoned by his wife, which rouses him to a realization about himself and a personal search that ends with him adopting someone else's identity.
A Search for Ruya or Turkey?
In Istanbul, the lawyer Galip returns home to find that his wife Ruya has disappeared. So has Ruya's brother, the newspaper columnist Jelal Salik. What can have happened to them and are their absences connected? Galip goes in search of them: during his search he discovers more about Istanbul, about how Jelal's writings were influenced by Turkish and Islamic history and about how those writings affected people.
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Subjects:  1. False personation    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - General    4. Literary    5. Missing persons    6. Mystery & Detective - General    7. Mystery fiction    8. Turkish Novel And Short Story    9. Fiction / Literary   

Reviews (11)

Exceptional
I have read many books on the French Revolution and Marie Antoinette and this is one of the first fictions I have decided to read about the subject. I like the way the reader is drawn into Marie's mind and follows her thoughts, almost as if we are her rather than the reader. Although not many critical aspects leading up to the revolution are portrayed in the novel, we are in Marie's world, and viewing the coming troubles through her sheltered life in Versailles.

Abounds in gracefulness
I'm finding this an historical novel that I sample in small delicious bites. I take away history and a true sense of everyone's human strengths and flaws no matter their "station in life."I'm loving this book!Can't wait to see the Sophia Coppola film and also get to hear the author read from ABUNDANCE.It's far more beautiful and soulful than I'd hoped it would be. Brava to Sean Jeter Naslund.

HISTORICAL FICTION AT ITS FINEST

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Subjects:  1. 1755-1793    2. American Historical Fiction    3. Biographical fiction    4. Fiction    5. Fiction - Historical    6. Historical - General    7. Marie Antoinette,    8. Queen, consort of Louis XVI, King of France,    9. Fiction / Historical   

Reviews (15)

Outstanding paranormal mystery
Harper Connelly and her step brother Tolliver have been invited by Dr. Clyde Nunley to demonstrate her power for his anthropology class.She can find the dead and determine how they died and their names.He has an old graveyard at Bingham College which hasn't been used for 50 years and recently the records of the old church have been found giving the cause of death for those buried there. The records have been sealed so he is sure that like others he has invited for demonstrations he can show that she is a fake or at least not reliable.Good characters, good plot nicely done and some humor as she spooks the class and Dr. Nunley by being right all the time and by finding Tabahia's body double parked in a grave. (She had been hired to try to find her when she disappeared a year ago from her home in Nashville, Bingham is in Memphis.) And more humor when she weirds out the corner. I still like her southern vampire series better but this is very good and a little better than her first book in the series.

Harris never disappoints!
Harris never disappoints and Grave Surprise is no exception. Harris's prose is both quirky and smooth as butter, and these characters really grabbed hold of me. Made me laugh, made me tear up, made me turn the pages faster and faster, and sigh when I reached the last. It's wonderful to read a writer who knows her craft as well as this. I can hardly wait for her next!

Lightening Can Strike Twice
In this, the second in Charlaine Harris' Harper Connelly series, we learn oh so much more about Harper, her paranormal ability to sense the dead and how they passed, Harper's childhood, and most tantalizingly, her relationship with her stepbrother Tolliver. It's an excellent weekend read. Read more

Subjects:  1. Brothers and sisters    2. Children    3. Clairvoyants    4. Crimes against    5. Fantasy - General    6. Fiction    7. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    8. Mystery & Detective - General    9. Mystery And Suspense Fiction    10. Mystery/Suspense    11. Occult    12. Science Fiction And Fantasy    13. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General   

Editorial Review

This true story about the love between a spiritual mentor and his pupil has soared to the bestseller list for many reasons. For starters: it reminds us of the affection and gratitude that many of us still feel for the significant mentors of our past. It also plays out a fantasy many of us have entertained: what would it be like to look those people up again, tell them how much they meant to us, maybe even resume the mentorship? Plus, we meet Morrie Schwartz--a one of a kind professor, whom the author describes as looking like a cross between a biblical prophet and Christmas elf. And finally we are privy to intimate moments of Morrie's final days as he lies dying from a terminal illness. Even on his deathbed, this twinkling-eyed mensch manages to teach us all about living robustly and fully. Kudos to author and acclaimed sports columnist Mitch Albom for telling this universally touching story with such grace and humility. Read more

Reviews (1946)

Brought back feelings....
This book was definitely one of those works where you can identify with what they are going through, yet you still have something to learn. I am a cargiver for a lady who has a disease almost identical to that of ALS (Lou Gehrigs) and the symptoms he describes in this book are ones that I am facing everyday I work with her.
Tuesdays At Morrie's, Fridays At The Bank
This book is not inspiring, it is unfortunate.Morrie sounded like a great man who knew how to live his life.However, it is unfortunate that media vultures like Oprah Winfrey, Ted Koppel, and the author (another Oprah-manufactured "celebrity" like Dr. Phil) took everything that was probably special about this man and trivialized his words, commercialized his life, and exploited him and his values purely for financial gain.Albom mentions that the advance money for the book paid for Morrie's medical bills...what about all the money after he died?Hmm...he kind of left that part out.Seems that Mitch didn't really learn that much about greed from his old professor after all, which makes him sort of a hypocrite.What could have been a very special book in the hands of a competent author, instead gets a 200-page shlock treatment, from a sixth-grade caliber sports-writer (who apparently can't write many words longer than two syllables) that is watered down so that the masses can swallow it without too much critical thought.If I'd have known this was one of "Oprah's Picks" I wouldn't have even bothered with it, but I have also heard so much praise for this book that I figured it was at least worth a read.It wasn't.It was not inspiring, it was trite, contrived, shallow, preachy, poorly written...which seems to be a trademark of all of Albom's books.Morrie, you deserved better and I hope you are resting peacefully.I suppose it is good that this book is at least inspiring people, but at the same time you have to wonder about the types of people who would be inspired by this simple-minded shlock.Anyone raised in any decent, civilized background probably knew all this stuff already.I think the only people on this earth who have a true sense of what Morrie was about are his surviving friends, family, cohorts and students.I felt no connection to Morrie with this tacky treatment of a powerful subject, which is very unfortunate.I agree with another review that said that if you want some really great, inspiring words, read the Bible, Koran, Torah, etc. and keep away from this tacky book.Heck, read Siddhartha, thats probably a much better choice.Mitch, your grade on this thesis is an "F -"

A Lifetime with Morrie
As I sit down to write this review I find myself not looking into the book to see what I wrote in the margins, but trying to remember what I learned from the book.I once had a professor tell me "Shawn, you will never remember what the text tells you, but you will remember what the book taught you".This is one of those types of books and as you are reading it, you feel like you are a part of the story.Throughout the story Morrie tries to relay some of the lessons he has learned, and after reading the book I have realized that they are the most important kind of lessons: lessons on living life.I am not being vague about the content of this story in hopes of enticing you to read this, but I simply want you to sit down with this book without any expectations.Have a relationship with it and it will teach you amazing things. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Case studies    5. Death    6. Death, Grief, Bereavement    7. Educators    8. Inspirational - General    9. Patients    10. Psychological aspects    11. Religion    12. Specific Groups - Special Needs    13. Teacher-student relationships    14. United States    15. Religion / Inspirational   

Editorial Review

One of Chinua Achebe's many achievements in his acclaimed first novel, Read more

Reviews (468)

Enjoyable, quick read.
Not my favorite book of all time but definitely kept my attention and was a quick enough read that I'd recommend it to anyone. Strong characterization and interesting story.

Expand your cultural horizons with this easy to read gem
There is a profound need for Americans to read books about non-Western cultures. This is especially true for those in political leadership positions. Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, is one such book.
A Masterful Look at the Paradoxes of Life in Africa
This is the first African novel I ever read, and it really impressed me, in the same way that life in Africa impressed me: it is direct and without concessions, and yet it has an eternal, mythical quality.
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Subjects:  1. British    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - General    4. Igbo (African people)    5. Literary    6. Men    7. Nigeria    8. Africa    9. Fiction / Literary    10. Modern fiction    11. Reading Group Guide   

Subjects:  1. Christian fiction    2. Domestic fiction    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Religious    5. Religious - General   

Reviews (76)

Flagg does Southern Justice
Can't Wait to Get to Heaven is Fannie Flagg's best work. It is southern fiction at its finest, which is quite a compliment because when it's done right, it's amazing. We're back in Elmwood Springs with characters we know and love, and Flagg's characterization is pristine. This book is funny, touching and quirky. She's managed to create a town most people would love to live in with down-home charm and a dash of trouble.
Some books are just plain fun
Sometimes you want to read a novel that just makes you feel better. And if you are in that mood, you'd be hard pressed to find a better one than this. Here you don't expect to find terrorists blowing things up, you don't find all kinds of grief and sadness. Instead you find an interesting group of characters from a small southern town with concerns like 'will the world end before I get to collect Social Security.'
Not as good as past novels
I love Fannie Flagg's writing - and have enjoyed her past books.Sadly - this time around - this title does not measure up to her usual fine quality. Her past novels were glib, engaging, heartfelt... This installment is flat.Great characters - but they don't go anywhere.I have loved her past works - folksy, charming, real characters that you wish you knew.In the past - I could not put down her books and could not wait for this to come out.This one - I literally put down half way through.I was disappointed. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American Contemporary Fiction - Individual Authors +    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - General    4. General    5. Humorous    6. Near-death experiences    7. Older women    8. Fiction / General   

Subjects:  1. Chee, Jim (Fictitious character)    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    4. Hillerman, Tony - Prose & Criticism    5. Indian reservation police    6. Leaphorn, Joe, Lt. (Fictitious character)    7. Mystery & Detective - Police Procedural    8. Mystery/Suspense    9. Suspense    10. Fiction / Suspense   

Editorial Review

In an author's note at the end of Read more

Reviews (125)

Doesn't dazzle but has a great dialouge.
On Beauty takes place in a suburb of Massachusetts and follows two families:The Belseys and The Kipps.Howard Belsey is an Art History professor at the prestigious Wellington University.His archrival Monty Kipps comes to Wellington for a year with his family as a visiting professor.Howard and Monty represent opposite ends of the spectrum:liberal and conservative, non-religious and religious, pro-Affirmative action and anti-Affirmative action and on and on.Their views are brought to life as On Beauty covers the year they share at Wellington.
Dry and Boring
It was just that dry and boring I never really connected with any of the characters, Igave up reading about 3/4ths of the way through.

An inteligent, witty, and utterly readable masterpiece.
Mark Twain, one of America's greatest wisecrackers, once said that you should never let schooling get in the way of your eductaion. On Beauty is, among other things, the story of a school that can't educate. It's also the tragicomic tale of the fate of the Belsey family, a hilarious satire of self-serving pretension, and a biting attack on the essential hollowness of the struggle between liberal and conservative. Zadie Smith is a considerably talented writer, and she's managed to spin quite the yarn: It's a funny, inteligent, and moving tale blessed with memorable characters, a twisting and addictive plot, instantly memorable diologue, and a genuinly heartbreaking climax. Smith uses the story of a fading college town as a springboard for an original and brilliant social commentary that embraces political rivalry as well as race, personal belief, love, class, guilt, and redemption. On Beauty is one of the finest novels of the year, and sharp, witty slice of social criticism as well as a ripping good read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. College teachers    2. Domestic fiction    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - General    5. General    6. Literary    7. Massachusetts    8. Popular English Fiction    9. Sagas    10. Fiction / Family Saga   

Reviews (58)

I wish I had written this book...
I'll keep it short: I liked this book. A lot.
Don't read this review.
I probably shouldn't even review this book because, quite frankly, I didn't make it past page 49. The thought of slogging through another 450 pages gave me a headache. The only reason I got it in the first place was because of the title; I took physics in college and I'd never heard of Calamity Physics. I'm still not sure what it is.
Characters are interesting, but pacing is off
It took me some time to get through this book.Like others who reviewed this book, I got most of the way through the book before I decided to actually complete it.I don't want to spoil the beginning of the book (if such a thing is actually possible), but it starts out with a jolt, and you are reading to discover what lead to the jolt.Unfortunately, it takes too long to get to the jolt.
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Subjects:  1. American First Novelists    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Espionage / Thriller    4. Literary    5. Mystery fiction    6. Mystery/Suspense    7. Suspense    8. Young women    9. Fiction / Humorous   

Reviews (15)

Solid SW Book
First off, if I could, I would rate this a 4.5.
Absolutelly oustanding!
I finished it last night, and I'm fascinated with it. The story of Darth Bane and the dogma of 2 sith "one to embody the power, and another to crave it" is amazingly explained. You can also see that the Jedi Order was much different (arrogant) from the one we know (Yoda's Order).
Sweet Dark Side Read
Awesome.Des' trip from abused miner to one of the most powerful Sith Lords ever is full of betrayal, intrigue, and good-old-fashioned lightsaber fights.Bane truely lives up to that name.He rejects the watered down Sith teachings at Korriban's academy and learns from only the best: Darth Revan.
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Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Science Fiction    3. Interplanetary voyages    4. Movie-TV Tie-In - General    5. Science Fiction    6. Science Fiction - Adventure    7. Science Fiction - Space Opera    8. Science Fiction - Star Wars    9. Science Fiction And Fantasy    10. Star Wars fiction    11. Fiction / Science Fiction / Space Opera