by Greg Iles, 2005 Penn Cage solves the murder of Kate Townsend, 17 year-old high school girl having an affair with Dr. Andrew (Drew) Elliott, Penn’s best friend. Grew up together in Natchez, MS. Full of bad stuff: drugs, sex, crime, UGH. No more books by him.
Author: bookhound
Turning Angel
Prince Caspian
by C.S. Lewis, 1951 Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie find themselves pulled back to Narnia, but it is thousands of ears later. Cair Paravel is almost completely grown over. They save a dwarf and he takes them to the place where Prince Caspian is battling his evil Uncle Miraz. He was the latest King […]
The Horse and His Boy
by C.S. Lewis, 1954 Shasta is rescued by Bree, a talking horse, and they are making their way to Narnia. They meet Avaris and Hwin, another talking horse, and they decide to go together. Avaris is a Tarkheena and running away from a forced marriage. They go to the city of Tashbaan and both Shasta […]
The Geography of Bliss
by Eric Weiner, 2008 The Netherlands – Happiness is a Number Switzerland – Happiness is Boredom Bhutan – Happiness is a Policy Qatar – Happiness is a Winning Lottery Ticket Iceland – Happiness is Failure Moldova – Happiness is Somewhere Else Thailand – Happiness is Not Thinking Great Britain – Happiness is a Work in […]
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia Book 2)
by C. S. Lewis, 1950 Lucy enters the wardrobe first to Narnia, then Edmund does but he meets the witch. She gives him Turkish Delight and promises him more if he’ll bring back his 3 siblings, Peter, Susan, and Lucy. Edmund believes the witch, not Aslan, but she really just wants the 4 of them […]
The Magician’s Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia Book 1)
by C.S. Lewis, 1955 Read to Wayne in car on the way home from New Mexico road trip. Digory and Polly discover Narnia at its creation by Aslan. He sang it into existence. Beautiful! Digory overcomes temptation and brings apple home to his Mom, cures her. Evil Witch, Queen Jadis – they brought her from […]
Three Cups of Tea
by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, 2006 Greg was rescued by villagers in remote mountainous area of Pakistan (Korphe) after he tried to climb K2. He promised them he’d build them a school. Was a nurse, lived in storage unit in California. Wrote 580 letters. Only Tom Brokaw gave him $100. An article in […]
Jane and the Man of the Cloth
by Stephanie Barron, 1997 Jane and her family go to Lyme – on the sea. First, a commoner is hung. Then later, Captain Fielding is shot, with Geoffrey Sidmouth’s horseshoes stamped in the dirt. Jane solves the crime. It’s not Geoffrey, but Mr. Crawford, the guy who digs for fossils. Lots of the book had […]
Prodigal Summer
by Barbara Kingsolver, 2000 Moth Love – Lusa & Cole Widener – Cole is a farmer, falls in love and marries Lusa, a bug scientist, loves moths. Cole dies in trucking accident. Lusa stays on farm, raises goats, comes to love and accept Cole’s family and Cole’s family comes to love and accept her. Predators […]
Eat, Pray, Love
by Elizabeth Gilbert, 2006 She goes through a divorce – “I don’t want to be married anymore.” And then a broken heart with David. So she decides to spend a year in Italy, India, and Indonesia (Bali). Italy = pursuit of pleasure – food and the language but mostly all about her. India – Ashram […]
The Red Tent
by Anita Diamant, 2007 Story of Dinah, only totally different from the Bible, only the names are the same. Dinah is not raped. Her brothers murder her beloved. She flees to Egypt, mostly about women having periods, babies. Most men are despicable. A few are wonderful. The God of Jacob is only Jacob’s God. Mush […]
Jackdaws
by Ken Follett, 2002 Page-turner, heart-pounding, couldn’t put down. WWII – 6 women recruited to blow up telephone operation in St. Cecile, France. German interrogator, Dieter Franck, almost catches them but Flick (main female) outsmarted him. What a fantastic book! A little too x-rated in parts – not necessary – but, Oh My, what an […]
The Street of a Thousand Blossoms
by Gail Tsukiyama, 2008 Japan – 1930s to 1960s Two brothers, Hiroshi and Kenji, cared for by grandparents because parents drowned. Through WWII, Hiroshi became a Sumo wrestler, grand champion. Kenji became a mask-maker for the Noh Theatre. Both married, both lost wives. Hiroshi lost Aki – suicide – never overcame the guilt of her […]
Jane and the Unpleasantness of Scargrave Manor
by Stephanie Barron, 1996 (I was confused at first because of “Editor’s Foreword” – Did Jane Austen write it or Stephanie Barron?) LOVED THIS BOOK!!! Jane goes to the Scargrave Manor for her friend Isobel, newly married to the Earl. He gets murdered by Barbadoe’s nuts, then Marguerite, Isobel’s maid, gets murdered. Everyone has possibilities. […]
In A Far Country
by John Taliaferro, 2006 “The True Story of a Mission, a Marriage, a Murder, and the Remarkable Reindeer Rescue of 1898.” Full of history of the Lopps, Tom & Ellen, who start a mission in Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, in 1890. Lots of info on whaling, reindeer, natives in Alaska.Very, very interesting. What incredible […]
Starship Troopers
by Robert Heinlein, 1959 Very interesting – fight bugs – but first joins up – goes through boot camp – does “drops” – He’s M.I. – Mobile Infantry. Then does O.C.S. Most interesting part was the boot camp, especially about juvenile delinquents in 20th century. Because we don’t publicly shame them as youth – rub […]
The Bonesetter’s Daughter
by Amy Tan, 2003 WONDERFUL!!! Ruth-modern day San Francisco and her mother, LuLing and her mother, “Precious Auntie.” LuLing’s mother, “Precious Auntie,” who lost her fiance and father on the same day because of the evil Chang family. When LuLing is to marry a Chang, Precious Auntie killed herself which saved LuLing from making a […]
The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax
by Dorothy Gilman, 1970 Laurie recommended. Great, fun book. Wonderful characters and action-packed spy story set in Turkey. Emily Pollifax, elderly lady, works for CIA. Goes to Turkey to rescue an old CIA agent, Magda, and ends up exposing a traitor, Dr. Belleaux, and boosting the courage and confidence of a young Englishman, Colin (whose […]
The Shell Seekers
by Rosamunde Pilcher, 1987 Story of Penelope and her three children, Olivia, Nancy, Noel, and their lives. Penelope’s Dad, Lawrence Stern, was a painter and The Shell Seekers was one of his paintings – three children on the beach. Penelope joined WREN and met Ambrose got pregnant – married – went home to Cornwall – […]
A Passage to India
by E.M. Forster, 1924 Hard to follow, hard to understand, but it was about India under British rule (yet another book in that time period!) Main characters: Dr. Aziz, Fielding, Heaslop, Mrs. Moore, Adela Quested, and many of Dr. Aziz’s Indian friends. Everything okay until Aziz takes Mrs. Moore and Miss Quested to Marabar Caves, […]