About Me

My photo
I'm a reader who enjoys posting comments and recommendations about the books I read. You will not find a synopsis with my recommendations because you can just click on the book title for a link to www.goodreads.com for a synopsis and reviews by other readers. I prefer the 3 Reason format: the reason I chose to read it; the reason I liked (or disliked) the book; and the reason I recommend it.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Crystal ClearCrystal Clear by Cathy Corn

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Crystal Clear entertains with a story that balances the suspense of a mystery with the suspense of romance. Its tag as a paranormal mystery helps prepare a reader for Suzanne Westin's familiarity with crystals and scrying efforts. There is enough character development for Suzanne that that she is interesting for even a more skeptical reader who is curious about the outcome.





View all my reviews

Monday, July 25, 2011

PossessionPossession by A.S. Byatt

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I finally watched the movie so if I never finished the book, Iwould be alright with that for it has set on my shelf much too long.

This is an award-winning book that is beautifully written, and I did not enjoy it enough to give it more than two stars. I was often reminded of Fowles' The French Lieutenant's Woman with the back and forth from current day to Victorian era. When the author slowed the pace of the narrative, I had difficulty reading more than four pages a day.







View all my reviews

Sunday, July 24, 2011

On the Brink of Tomorrow: Frontiers of Science (Special Publications)On the Brink of Tomorrow: Frontiers of Science by Derek DeSolla Price

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This was published 29 years before I read it so I expected some things to be commonplace. Many of the predicted benefits in the chapter about medical science have been used successfully to diagnose and treat heart and cardiovascular diseases for my parents. There are still other areas that need more exploration.

The contributing authors are Derek deSolla Price, Donald D. Clayton, Bradford A. Smith, J. Tuzo Wilson, Richard F. Thompson, Anthony Cerami, and Solomon H. Snyder. Some of the writing was uneven enough my reading attention strayed.



View all my reviews

Friday, July 15, 2011

A Visit from the Goon SquadA Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Now I understand why Goodreads.com encouraged so many of us to read this book in June-July 2011. Yes, I want to encourage my friends to read it and tell me they found it creative and innovative in the variety of ways Egan gave distinct voices to such a wide variety of characters. I have never read a chapter where a back story was revealed with such immediacy by having Sasha discuss events with her psychiatrist, Cuz. I have never had the chapter's narrator tell me the story of her family in graphic slides. I have never had so much conversation in T. This book surprised me, and I was glad I read it.



View all my reviews
America's Seashore WonderlandsAmerica's Seashore Wonderlands by Tom Melham

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The contributing phtographers are Matt Bradley, Stephen Frink, Stephen J. Krasemann, and Tim Thompson. The contributing authors are Tom Melham, H. Robert Morrison, Wheeler J. North, Cynthia Russ Ramsay, and Suzanne Venino.



View all my reviews

Thursday, July 07, 2011

Writer MamaWriter Mama by Christina Katz

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I bookmarked twelve items to return to for more study. If you are in her target market, young mothers who want to explore freelance markets which pay, you may find even more items of interest. I was especially interested in the difference between a book concept and a book proposal.



View all my reviews
America's Spectacular NorthwestAmerica's Spectacular Northwest by Rowe Findley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Five stars to the photography by Robert W. Madden. The contributing authors of Rowe Findley, Robert W. Madden, Mark Miller, Cynthia Russ Ramsay, and Bill Richards get 5 stars too.
The back section includes suggestions for additional readings, and this may be a good place to begin further research even though this was written in 1981. There are eight maps and more than 140 photographs. More than forty of those photographs extend past a page to give the feeling of the expanse of the scenery.


View all my reviews
Lost in a Good Book (Thursday Next, #2)Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I thoroughly enjoy the pace, the imaginative thinking, and the wit I find in this speculative fiction world. A favorite invention of Mycroft's is the Lego filter for vacuum cleaners that can sort by size and color when sweeping. I'm more aware just how handy such an invention would be now those are favorite toys of my grandson.

This is the second book in the Thursday Next series.



View all my reviews

Friday, July 01, 2011

The Last LectureThe Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book is thought-provoking and a great reminder to get our life in order. If you don't take the time to read the book, take the time to watch his Last Lecture video on YouTube.



For those reviewers who criticized his suggestion to always carry $200 in cash, I think this lesson is one of his "head fake" lessons, and it is about always feeling an abundance and a symbol of confidence in your resources. These resources don't have to be financial only; the money is a symbol of a resource. I remember wearing first dimes, then quarters in my "penny" loafers so that I would always have enough money to use the pay phone. (Good luck finding a pay phone these days.) Anyway, he is not the first writer to suggest something similar. I have read other writers who suggest keeping the equivalent of your take-home pay as your checking account balance so that you have visual proof that you are not living paycheck-to-paycheck. I guess I don't understand why this lesson attracts more criticsm than his lesson about winning large stuffed animals at carnivals.



View all my reviews