false 1474628 14 On the very morning Willie Upton slinks home to Templeton, New York (after a calamitous affair with her archeology professor), the 50-foot-long body of a monster floats from the depths of the town's lake. This unsettling coincidence sets the stage for one of the most original debut novels since <i>The Time Traveler's Wife</i>. With a clue to the mysterious identity of her father in hand, Willie turns her research skills to unearthing the secrets of the town in letters and pictures (which, "reproduced" in the book along with increasingly complete family trees, lend an air of historical authenticity). Lauren Groff's endearingly feisty characters imbue the story with enough intrigue to keep readers up long past bedtime, and reading groups will find much to discuss in its themes of "monsters," both in our towns and our families. "Lauren Groff's debut novel, <i>The Monsters of Templeton</i>, is everything a reader might have expected from this gifted writer, and more... There are monsters, murders, bastards, and ne'er-do-wells almost without number. I was sorry to see this rich and wonderful novel come to an end." - Stephen King 2881737 book 6 3 2008 The Monsters of Templeton total:3160|5:504|4:1296|3:921|2:329|1:110| 3160 11235 5266 945 0 30 false false Mon Feb 18 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Feb 14 10:23:18 -0800 2008 Mon Feb 18 16:21:04 -0800 2008 more...]]> 1 12 false false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Mar 08 14:24:28 -0800 2008 Fri Mar 28 09:29:49 -0700 2008
Anyway, I breezed through this book in a couple of days; it is a very quick, smooth read, heavy on plotting, which keeps the pages turning. However, I think its self-serio...more...]]> 5 8 false false Thu Dec 06 11:53:25 -0800 2007 Fri Dec 21 08:23:13 -0800 2007 more...]]> 4 7 true false Wed Jun 11 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue May 27 11:41:00 -0700 2008 Thu Jun 12 17:07:22 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 8 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Mar 28 12:40:22 -0700 2008 Fri Mar 28 16:23:14 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 6 false false Mon Mar 03 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Feb 01 07:51:37 -0800 2008 Mon Mar 03 12:04:55 -0800 2008 more...]]> 1 7 false false Wed Apr 02 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Mar 25 07:22:28 -0700 2008 Thu Apr 03 11:45:17 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 3 false false Sat Apr 26 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Apr 26 20:29:26 -0700 2008 Thu May 01 14:08:04 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 5 false false Wed Mar 19 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Mar 15 09:11:17 -0700 2008 Wed Mar 19 09:31:49 -0700 2008 Maybe it helps to read mediocre books so you truly appreciate a good book when it crosses your path. 1 star=unreadable, 2 stars=sorry to have wasted the time but did actually finish it, 3 stars is a notch above that and hey, that's not bad for a first-time author.

My complaints incl...more...]]> 3 3 false false Wed Mar 12 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Feb 06 16:57:12 -0800 2008 Wed Mar 12 04:54:00 -0700 2008
The story begins as Willie (Wilhemi...more...]]> 1 3 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Dec 01 16:07:24 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 05 10:45:02 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 3 false false Thu Jul 10 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Jul 03 11:16:42 -0700 2008 Fri Jul 18 15:49:55 -0700 2008 more...]]> 1 3 false false Wed Jul 23 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 01 07:30:22 -0700 2008 Wed Jul 23 09:43:29 -0700 2008
The second time was right after I finished reading The Wondrous Life of ...more...]]> 4 2 false false Wed Mar 26 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Mar 26 09:39:09 -0700 2008 Wed Mar 26 14:43:22 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 2 false false Mon Mar 31 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Mar 25 07:44:06 -0700 2008 Sun Apr 06 21:25:31 -0700 2008 written? Quickly enough, however, even the narrative seemed relatively ho-hum. It's clea...more...]]> 3 2 false false Fri Feb 15 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Feb 08 17:20:35 -0800 2008 Fri Feb 15 14:31:02 -0800 2008 more...]]> 2 2 false false Mon Jan 12 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 12 19:48:35 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 15 13:46:23 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Wed Jun 03 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun May 31 08:23:14 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 03 20:24:24 -0700 2009
There is also a real, traditional "sea" monster in the lake, though the role this creature plays in the ...more...]]> 1 6 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Mar 02 16:47:13 -0800 2009 Tue Mar 10 18:43:47 -0700 2009
Update: I finished it. Learn a lesson from me. Do not make seeing how much more a book can possibly irritate you be your motivation for finishing it. It is not healthy.

See any of the other wonderful...more...]]> 2 2 false false Sat Feb 23 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 24 04:58:59 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 24 05:02:10 -0800 2008 more...]]>