Last Man in Tower by Aravind Adiga
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I recommend this book as a book club choice because it makes you want to talk about it with others who have read it. There is imagery you want to discuss; there are characters you want to discuss; and there are themes you want to discuss. The theme of greed and choices the characters make is most obvious.
If you find the first part of the book moves too slowly for you, please continue. It is a choice the author makes for the pacing and it is necessary to create the tension that does not let you put the last half down until you finish it.

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Lies, Damned Lies, and Science by Sherry Seethaler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was free when I downloaded it from BN.com.
In less than 200 pages, Seethaler teaches her readers to better understand what information might be missing from a news story about scientific results and also about the governmental policies affecting innovation. She hopes to have us better engaged in forming opinions, instead of ignoring information just because stakeholders may want to manipulate our opinions. While this is a book about science, its information is helpful in sorting through advertisements and political haranguing.
I recommend it to all readers.

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Dead Reckoning by Ronie Kendig
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a free ebook from BN.com when I downloaded it. This gives me the opportunity to try authors who are new to me.
I can recommend it to readers who enjoy the genre of inspirational, romantic suspense.

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The Scions of Shannara by Terry Brooks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A current project of mine is to read the Shannara books in their chronological order; and while this is Book One of The Heritage of Shannara, it is the fifteenth book I read. It had been unread, on our household bookshelves, since Don purchased it when it was published in 1991. Don likes to own all the books in a series before he reads them. With yet another two books due to be published in 2013, I think he better finish the ones he owns before additional books have to be double-layered on the Shannara shelf.
Terry Brooks created the Shannara world and he does an excellent job of filling it with stories of the Ohmsford descendants who have quests to fulfill. Shannara has become its own niche in the fantasy genre.
I recommend it to fans of the series.

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The Other Woman by Hank Phillippi Ryan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I eagerly anticipated the release of the next novel by Hank Phillippi Ryan because I enjoyed other mysteries by this author.
The Other Woman is the first in a new series. Reporter Jane Ryland and Detective Jake Brogan work similar investigations in Boston. Acting on the attraction between Ryland and Brogan is not a good idea because a physical relationship might be unprofessional and it could lead to both of them being fired from their jobs.
This book has four murders to solve plus political suspense, and I recommend it to any reader of mysteries.


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A Child Al Confino: The True Story of a Jewish Boy and His Mother in Mussolini's Italy by Eric Lamet
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I downloaded this book as a free ebook offering from Barnes and Noble, and I'm glad I read it. This is a story of WWII era history of which I was not aware, and the story is one I had not heard before.
I hope teachers who assign The Diary of Anne Frank to a class may recommend this to reluctant readers, especially boys, who may want an adventure story that can hold more interest for them.

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A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am a fan of Ms. Binchy's books because I enjoy the stories she tells about the people who populate the small world about which she writes, such as the people who come from this small village, return to it, or simply come for a holiday. As soon as I could, I requested this from my hometown library, and my request was already 45th in line.
I recommend it to fans of the author and for readers who enjoy anecdotal stories about people connected to a place.

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Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I put this book on my 2011 to-read list based on its promotional synopsis, and it seemed like the type of audiobook I wanted to borrow from my town's library to listen to while traveling. I was disappointed. The characters were not endearing; they were shallow and sarcastic. The book did not hold my attention, and I set it aside for nearly six weeks before I finished it.
I recommend it to readers of chick-lit who don't get enough sarcasm, trying to be humorous comments, from their Facebook friends.

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Shadow Touch by Erin Kellison
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

When I downloaded this book, it was a Free Friday selection. It is in the paranormal romance, urban fantasy genre which makes it unlikely for me to read it unless it is free. It is a four-chapter, sixty-some page novella which is enough of an introduction to the Shadowlands world and to the characters of Ellie, Shadow and Dr. Kam.
I recommend it only to fans of the genre or to fans of the series.


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