This is an astounding book that once picked up is difficult to put down. Cleave uses wonderful prose to tell a compelling story of a sixteen-year old ...moreThis is an astounding book that once picked up is difficult to put down. Cleave uses wonderful prose to tell a compelling story of a sixteen-year old Nigerian illegal immigrant in London after escaping Nigerian and oil company henchmen intent on killing her. What unfolds is a tale that touches on the disruption caused by the exploitation of oil and the cruelty of government immigration policies.(less)
Coben probes rock and roll including some band and tune name-dropping. Okay . . . how long is this reading skein going to go on. Blame it on the nee...moreCoben probes rock and roll including some band and tune name-dropping. Okay . . . how long is this reading skein going to go on. Blame it on the need for summer escapism.(less)
Coben's endings are convoluted. When the twists and turns set you spinning he comes back with counter-punches that makes you wonder how he gets from ...moreCoben's endings are convoluted. When the twists and turns set you spinning he comes back with counter-punches that makes you wonder how he gets from A to Z in his stories.(less)
This is my fourth or fifth Coben book and formulas are beginning to emerge. Nonetheless, they all have been page-turners and wonderful summer mind ca...moreThis is my fourth or fifth Coben book and formulas are beginning to emerge. Nonetheless, they all have been page-turners and wonderful summer mind candy.(less)
This was my first of Coben's Myron Bolitar series. The fact that it deals with sports, NBA basketball, appealed to me. As with other Coben book it i...moreThis was my first of Coben's Myron Bolitar series. The fact that it deals with sports, NBA basketball, appealed to me. As with other Coben book it is a page turner, but not up to the likes of Tell No One and Gone for Good(less)
"Gone for Good" was a page-turner, a book that defied being put down. Coben weaves tales of mayhem and surprise. He likes to keep multiple...more"Gone for Good" was a page-turner, a book that defied being put down. Coben weaves tales of mayhem and surprise. He likes to keep multiple story lines going, which keeps the reader hanging on and trying to decipher the disparate parts. At times he strains credulity, makes his protagonist too hip. Not solid literature but delicious mind candy.(less)
We read this book in an Advanced Reading class that I taught for the Spring session. This was the second or third time that I have used this book in ...moreWe read this book in an Advanced Reading class that I taught for the Spring session. This was the second or third time that I have used this book in a reading class, and with each read it reveals more to me and increases my appreciation of Ernest Gaines' writing.
Gaines' device of using different narrators for each chapter gives this book a layered perspective of the events that happen over one day on a Louisiana sugar cane plantation in the nineteen seventies. Gaines knows his subject, Southwestern Louisiana and its people, well.
After a couple of chapters the students became interested in the story and often commented that they wanted to read beyond the assignment in order to find out what happens next.(less)
Wow! What a ride this book is. Micol reported that this will be the Winter Book Selection for the VCU Focused Inquiry classes this year. It is a pag...moreWow! What a ride this book is. Micol reported that this will be the Winter Book Selection for the VCU Focused Inquiry classes this year. It is a page-turning quick read. Zits, aka Michael, travels through past lives in order to find who he is. Amazing. Oh, how I would love to use this book in a reading class, but fear that some students would find it offensive.(less)
A cycling friend recommended this book, saying it was one of the best books he has ever read. The author, Bill Hancock, chronicles his cross-country ...moreA cycling friend recommended this book, saying it was one of the best books he has ever read. The author, Bill Hancock, chronicles his cross-country bicycle ride from California to Georgia. The ride is an effort to grieve the untimely death of his son in an airplane crash and try to heal the wounds that this has left. His wife follows him with a tent trailer, which is their home in this odyssey.
Each chapter begins with a log of the details of the day's ride, e.g. start time and temp, finish time and temp, distance traveled, food and liquid intake. In two to four pages, Hancock describes the ride, the people he meets and interactions he has with them. He reflects on memories of his son and ends with a note to his son's young daughter, a bit of wisdom or advice or a hope for her.
Halfway through the book, I tired of the repetition, of the format and gave up.
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The election of Barack Obama and his admiration of Lincoln led me to this book. I am working through the book slowly and savoring the political happe...moreThe election of Barack Obama and his admiration of Lincoln led me to this book. I am working through the book slowly and savoring the political happenings that led to Lincoln's nomination as Republican candidate for President in 1860.(less)
Seeing the movie led me to this fine read. Like the movie it builds in suspense and keeps readers guessing. Now I am off to find other books by Harl...moreSeeing the movie led me to this fine read. Like the movie it builds in suspense and keeps readers guessing. Now I am off to find other books by Harlan Coben.(less)
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