I was really excited about this book and it was pretty riveting for the first half or so. However, I started losing my connection with the main charac...moreI was really excited about this book and it was pretty riveting for the first half or so. However, I started losing my connection with the main character after her actions became confusing and unexpected. The author did little to explain the heroine's underlying emotional state and, while perhaps she was trying to be enigmatic, she lost me. The ending was also a bit vague and anticlimactic. Anyway, definitely some potential...great writing, vivid imagery and interesting plot. But not what I was hoping for.(less)
This is not the sort of book I usually read, but it came highly recommended and I can honestly say that I really enjoyed it. It contains some true sto...moreThis is not the sort of book I usually read, but it came highly recommended and I can honestly say that I really enjoyed it. It contains some true stories of a little boy growing up on a ranch in Colorado and, I never thought I'd say this, it sactually made me want to live on a farm! Ralph's stories are entertaining and heartwarming but by far the best parts of the book are the short little moral lessons that his dad gives him. For example, Ralph got a spanking at school for owning up to something he did wrong and his father remarked, "sometimes a fellow has to take a licking for doing the right thing...but failing to do the right thing will often make a mark on a man that will last forever". The whole book is full of fabulous examples of great parenting and honorable character. (less)
Ever picked up a book you've been meaning to read only to discover halfway through that you've already read it? That was me with this book :) Actually...moreEver picked up a book you've been meaning to read only to discover halfway through that you've already read it? That was me with this book :) Actually, I had gotten about halfway through a couple times and couldn't finish for some reason. This time around I wondered why since it really is a great compelling mystery. The writing is absolutely fantastic; equal parts deliciously descriptive and coy. This writer is one of those with a talent for telling it without actually saying it, know what I mean? Anyway, great story, great writing...DUMB ending. It was great until about the last page. I hate those books that end seemingly because the author just got bored of writing one day. And one character survives at the end that never should have. TOTAL stretch of the imagination. Still a good read...apart from some language by the characters from the wrong side of the tracks :)(less)
This is great book for avid readers, wanna-be readers and used-to-be readers. It's a very interesting, non-dry how-to book that aims at helping people...moreThis is great book for avid readers, wanna-be readers and used-to-be readers. It's a very interesting, non-dry how-to book that aims at helping people find more time to read and enjoy it more. While there are lots of tips for getting more (and retaining more) out of the non-ficton you read, he also talks a lot about how important it is to choose fiction that you really LOVE. He made me realize that there are whole lifetimes worth of AMAZING books for me out there and i shouldn't spend one minute reading something that doesn't grip me because life is just too short! A quick read that will help you enjoy your lazy book days, as well as your studious intelligent days, even more!(less)
Let me just preface this with the statement that I am not a Louis L'Amour kind of girl. My husband, on the other hand, loves all of his books (with co...moreLet me just preface this with the statement that I am not a Louis L'Amour kind of girl. My husband, on the other hand, loves all of his books (with copies of just about every last one cluttering my bookshelves, i might add). But when my homeschooling buddies all declared this one to be a favorite classic, i decided to read it. I took a significant break from it over the holidays as it just wasn't that engaging for me. But a fairly good novel nontheless. A story about survival with an interesting main character, but L'Amour's writing style is just too cheesy for me. And you can only read so many pages of a kid being lost in the desert, finding rare water, sewing new moccasins, over and over again. Ya know? Anyway, glad i read it, not necessarily a repeat. (less)
I have a hard time picking out good books just by browsing at the library but this time I hit a home run. I'm not ashamed to say that it was just the...moreI have a hard time picking out good books just by browsing at the library but this time I hit a home run. I'm not ashamed to say that it was just the cute cover design that drew me to it, but by the first couple of pages I was hooked. The novel follows two parallel stories, both of which take place in Poland. The first is the love story of a beautiful village sweetheart and her unlikely suitor: big-nosed and awkward but willing to go to the ends of the earth and beyond for her. The second story is that of their future granddaughter in modern-day Poland, trying to figure out who she is and where her life is taking her. It was an amazing clash of fairy tale meets reality and the culmination of the two stories at the end was heart-breaking and hopeful all at the same time. There's lots of Polish slang thrown in here and there and so I had great fun picking out Russian cognates and sounding the words out. It'll help you to know some basic Polish pronunciation to pick up on the English cognates. This is what I can remember from my brief 4 day stint in Poland a couple years ago: W makes a V sound; C = tz; the l with a line through it is a w sound (as far as I can tell). Anyway, it was an amazing story!!
Oops, I forgot to mention that there's a bit of questionable language in one of the stories. I should demote it to 4 stars because of that but, well, I just liked the story too much!(less)
I really enjoyed the mysteries and research unfolded in this book, possibly more than the other two books. That being said, the wrting style drove me...moreI really enjoyed the mysteries and research unfolded in this book, possibly more than the other two books. That being said, the wrting style drove me absolutely and completely NUTS this time around. Either the other stories were more engaging and so I didn't notice it in DaVinci and A&D or the author just started sucking it up this time around, I can't be sure. It's as if ol' Dan did so much research for this book that he had to draw the story out to 500+ pages just to cram everything in. I feel like telling him, Buddy, it's OK to not put in every little Masonic detail you uncovered. Also, every time the main characters began spewing forth this fountain of wisdom, they did so in the most condescending way possible. I felt like I was sitting in front of some dry old professor who, although full of interesting stuff, felt like he had to make me feel like an idiot to understand it all. Regardless of all of this, I still finished the thing because the information was so fascinating. Especially to members of the LDS church....the science and Masonic rituals described are simply awesome if you're familiar with Mormon doctrine. Dan Brown gets a lot of it spot on...except a couple bits at the end...but I won't ruin it for you. Worth a read just for the research, even if it makes you feel patronized :)(less)
This was a great pair of parallel stories set several hundred years apart in Venice. I'm a fan of mystery, music and Italy, all of which this book has...moreThis was a great pair of parallel stories set several hundred years apart in Venice. I'm a fan of mystery, music and Italy, all of which this book has plenty of. However, it also has plenty of gore. There are a few really nasty scenes and I had some trouble getting those images out of my mind...fair warning!(less)
Another Target Book Club pick...and it was great! Ya just can't get out of that store without buying something! An orthopedic doctor is forced to deli...moreAnother Target Book Club pick...and it was great! Ya just can't get out of that store without buying something! An orthopedic doctor is forced to deliver his own twins on a snowy night and is the first to discover that while his son is perfectly healthy, his daughter has Down Syndrome. He makes a rash, split-second decision that will haunt him the rest of his life. He hands the baby over to the nurse assisting and asks her to take the infant to an institution. The nurse instead decides to raise the baby as her own and the doctor decides to tell his wife that the baby died. This book is very deep, very melancholy with beautifully intricate descriptions of life, the world and human nature. Not exactly an emotional pick-me-up of a book but still a wonderful read with a redemptive ending.(less)
I kept hearing about this book and finally decided to read it. To be honest, I found it less than gripping. It had a good premise and may have turned...moreI kept hearing about this book and finally decided to read it. To be honest, I found it less than gripping. It had a good premise and may have turned out to be interesting if I had read further but I just gave up. Some writing styles I just find hard to get into and hers is one of them. Maybe I'll try again later. (less)
This book is absoluty FANTASTIC. Each chapter confronts a new arena in which our self-justification of mistakes gets our society into a heap of troubl...moreThis book is absoluty FANTASTIC. Each chapter confronts a new arena in which our self-justification of mistakes gets our society into a heap of trouble. In essence, the book could alternately be called "The History of Pride". From marriage to law enforcement to world wars, these intelligent and extremely well researched authors show us how our inability to fess up to mistakes causes heartache, colossal amounts of money and even human lives. I HIGHLY recommend this book to everyone, especially public servants!! If one of the presidential candidates were to publicly state that he commits to reading and abiding by this book's principles, i'd vote for him hands down!
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