Lisa's comments
(member since May 24, 2009)
Lisa's comments from the 50 Books A Year group.
(showing 1-20 of 141)
MY YEAR AT A GLANCE PART 2 
MY YEAR AT A GLANCE PART I :
117. The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen118.
Eat, Pray, Love One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert119.
Arabella by Georgette Heyer120.
Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs121.
Just Who Will You Be? by Maria Shriver122.
The Bright Forever A Novel by Lee Martin123.
Zipporah, Wife of Moses A Novel by Marek Halter124.
Santa Cruise A Holiday Mystery at Sea by Mary Higgins Clark & Carol Higgins Clark125.
Out Stealing Horses A Novel by Per Petterson126.
Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo127.
The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister128.
Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler129.
Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan
You'll make it!
108. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen109.
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Sparks110.
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury111.
The Storyteller's Daughter by Cameron Dokey112.
A Night Without Armor Poems by Jewel113.
The Angel's Gameby Carlos Ruiz Zafon114.
Aunt Dimity Beats the Devill by Nancy Atherton115.
The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill116.
Embers by Sandor Marai
101. We Need to Talk About Kevin A Novel by Lionel Shriver102.
Book Crush For Kids and Teens-Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment and Interest by Nancy Pearl103.
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier104.
Empire Falls by Richard Russo105.
A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan106.
Song Yet Sung by James McBride107.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
100. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth SteinI want to thank all my Goodreads friends who highly recommended this book. I'll never look at my dogs in the same way. The story was funny, sad and heartwarming, and should be read with a box of tissues nearby.
99. 
Dead to the World by Charlaine HarrisThe paranormal activity in Bon Temps is heating up and so is Sookie's bedroom. I am most definitely enjoying this series!
98. 
Coraline by Neil GaimanI read this for the Ultimate Teen Book Guide Challenge group. This was a quick read, geared more for the younger reader. In fact, my library had it shelved in the youth section and not the teen lounge. I think I was expecting it to be written on a more mature level.
The story was creepy and imaginative and I suspect if I was about 10 or 12, I would thoroughly enjoy it. However, it didn't really grab my attention as an adult. I don't know anything about the movie, but I think it would work well, if not better in film. I don't usually say that.
That being said, I'll probably go to bed and hear noises tonight and feel a hand tiptoeing across my bed, a fingernail caressing my cheek.........
97. Another Thing to Fall by Laura LippmanThis was the second Tess Monaghan book I've read. I really like the sarcastic Baltimore private eye. The current plot put her on the production lot of a t.v. series being filmed in Baltimore. The pop references to movies and literature, and the local color of Baltimore, which is in my backyard, are fun to read about.
Interestingly, Lippman is married to a producer of the HBO series, The Wire, which was filmed in Baltimore. I can't wait to go back and start the beginning of this series.
94. Shutter Island by Dennis LehaneLoved the psychological suspense. The story had a great twist at the end!
95.
Cursed by Carol Higgins ClarkEh! Only OK, just a watered down version of her mom.
96.
Fallen by David MaineA retelling of the story of the first family, which goes to show that dysfunctional is not new to this generation.
91. Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene A wonderful coming of age story, which teaches us the enemy is not always who it appears to be.
92.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua AchebeI liked this story of African culture, even though the main character wasn't very likeable.
93.
The Falls A Novel by Joyce Carol OatesThe powerful forces of Niagara Falls can be felt throughout the entire storyline, its foggy mist envelops the characters, and its mystery pervades the life of the Burnaby family.
90. Franklin and Winston An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship by Jon MeachamI only picked this up as part of a book challenge, but am glad I did. I enjoyed reading about the developing friendship of FDR and Churchill. The dynamics of their friendship and the resulting relationship helped shape the U.S.'s relations with England and other foreign countries. I saw their leadership skill and vision as the beginning of a new world view and globalization of foreign affairs. The creation of the United Nations was one of many FDR contributions to world history.
Churchill was a complex and intriguing character. This book whetted my appetite to further read about him. I was struck by his sentiment, patriotism, and devotion to his causes or his friendships. The book made these two historical giants human. My only complaint was it was sometimes too wordy or detailed, which caused my mind to wander a bit
89. Two Little Girls in Blue A Novel by Mary Higgins ClarkThe story had an interesting premise that identical twins could telepathically communicate with each other to help solve the mystery of their abduction, however parts of the story just didn't ring true. I find that while I enjoyed this light read, Higgins Clark seems to being losing the zing she use to have with her earlier works.
88. 
Home Safe A Novel by Elizabeth BergAnother enjoyable read by Berg. She writes so many things that get to the heart of a woman. She is becoming my go-to author for reliable, thoughtful stories.
87. 
Catching Fire by Suzanne CollinsI wondered if Collins could continue The Hunger Games, while still keeping the story as exciting and absorbing as her first book. Well, the title of the second book in her series is apropos, because she was on fire! The story quickly ignited and I blazed through the pages! It was explosive! I was sad to come to the end and am now hungering for the next book in the series.
86. 
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John BoyneWhile I thought some of the writing was a little too juvenile for my tastes, I became caught up in the poignancy of the meetings between Bruno and Shmuel. The innocence of Bruno to what was happening in the world around him was touching and unnerving. Sometimes we all need to view things from the eyes of a child. It's a very enlightening perception. Although I saw the end coming, it was nonetheless startling.
85. The Fourth Bear by Jasper FfordeI thought this was a clever, tongue-in-cheek nursery rhyme mystery centered around "Persons of Dubious Reality." The Gingerbread man as a homicidal maniac was hilarious. I loved how the author turned Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Dorian Gray, and Punch and Judy into LOL characters. Detective Jack Spratt, a PDR in denial, was a comical spoof on many classic tv and fiction detectives. The book dragged for me in some parts, but was overall a fun, unique reading experience.
Congrats on reaching the half century mark!
84. 
Everything Matters! A Novel by Ron Currie Jr.Junior is born with a prophecy, which details the end of the Universe. The story revolves around the effect this knowledge has on Junior, his family and the rest of the world. How would you act if you knew the exact time, day and means to the end of the world and would your actions matter. Junior discovers everything matters. I thought the book was slow and off-putting in the beginning, but became engaging once I reached Part II.
