by Senator Joe Lieberman, 2011 Rediscovering the Beauty of the Sabbath Shabbat Shalom! Shabbat land He is a devout Jew and he observes the Sabbath every week from Friday sundown until Saturday sundown and 3 stars visible. No TV, phone, computer. Every light they want on gets turned on before the Sabbath and stays on […]
Author: bookhound
In the Absence of Sun
by Helie (Hae-Ri) Lee, 2002 True Story about the defection of a family of 9 from North Korea with the aid of Hae-Ri andd her father, in order to reunite her Grandmother (Halmoni) with her eldest son – left in Korea in the 1950’s during the war. They used the help of the Guide, an […]
A Storm of Swords
by George R.R. Martin, 2000 Book 3 of A Song of Ice and Fire, 924 pages! -Jon becomes Lord Commander of the Wall -Robb and Catelyn are murdered at a wedding at Lord Frey’s -Arya is traipsing around the country trying to get to Riverrun but eventually ends up with the Hound Sandor Clegone who […]
The Orphan Master’s Son
by Adam Johnson, 2012 Brand new novel (2012) about the nightmare of North Korea. Real hero is Pak Jun Do, an orphan who grows up to be a tunnel fighter, where he learns to be in the dark; then a kidnapper – which he hated – they take row boats ashore in Japan and kidnap […]
A Clash of Kings
by George RR Martin, 1998 Book 2 of A Song of Fire and Ice 4 different kings are vying for the kingdom: Stannis, Lord Renly, Robb, Joffrey. Tyron the dwarf ends up saving King’s Landing but he’s badly wounded. Robb is winning battles against the Lannisters. Lady Catelyn is in the dungeon in Riverrun, about […]
The Glass Castle
by Jeannette Walls (author of Half Broke Horses), 2005 This is a memoir of Jeannette Walls’ childhood, born one of 4 children (3 girls, one boy) to Rex and Rose Mary Walls, married in 1956. Rosemary was an artist, Rex was a genius drunk. It starts out when Jeannette is 3 yrs. old, standing on […]
The Golden Impala
by Pamela Ropner, 1958 One of Wayne’s favorite books as a child. Set in Africa (South Africa). Peter lives on a game preserve with his father and mother. He loves Africa, everything about it. He sees a beautiful Golden Impala from his window one night – in the moonlight. Thousands of impala are coming onto […]
The Light of the Western Stars
by Zane Grey, 1914 Very romantic Western set in southern New Mexico in early 1900’s, about a beautiful, rich Eastern girl, Madeline (Majesty) Hammond, and Gene Stuart, the brave and handsome cowboy she loves, although it takes the whole book for her to realize it, and lots of strife. It was good, though. Adventurous and […]
A Game of Thrones
by George RR Martin, 1996 Couldn’t put it down! Like Ken Follett only his evil characters aren’t as evil – or he isn’t as graphic. Loved the children, especially Jon Snow, the bastard of Lord Eddard Stark, who loves his 1/2 brothers and sisters so much, but decides to swear himself to the Night Watch, […]
Murder on the Orient Express
by Agatha Christie, 1933 I LOVE Hercule Poirot!!! Who stabbed Ratchett 12 times on the train called the Orient Express? Turns out all 12 of the 13 passengers took a turn! Except for the one who had the biggest motive, the sister of Daisy Armstrong’s mother, who Ratchett (Cassetti) kidnapped and murdered but was “acquitted […]
The Bounty Trilogy: Mutiny on the Bounty (1932), Men Against the Sea (1934), Pitcairn’s Island (1934)
by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall Based on true events starting in 1787 when the Bounty sailed from England to Tahiti to pick up breadfruit trees to bring to the West Indies to provide cheap food for slaves. Mutiny on the Bounty: Captain Bligh was so mean, distrustful, cruel, accusatory, greedy, swindler. He accuses […]
The Remains of the Day
by Kazuo Ishiguro, 1988 Winner of the Booker Prize in 1989 About Mr. Stevens, an English butler for “Darlington Hall. His whole adult life was spent (wasted?) on becoming and being the perfect butler. He misses being with his father (who was also a perfect butler) as he dies (in a small attic room like […]
The Prince and the Pilgrim
by Mary Stewart, 1995 A wonderful book about Prince Alexander, the fatherless, and Alice the motherless in King Arthur’s days. Alexander takes off to avenge his father (Prince Baudouin’s) murder at the hands of his brother, King March. On the way he falls under spell of Morgan LaFey and he goes on a quest for […]
Leaf by Niggle
Short story by JRR Tolkien, 1938-39, first published 1945 Niggle was a painter always trying to finish a painting that started as a leaf and grew to be a huge landscape with tree, forest, mountains in the distance. He loved thinking about the painting and working on it – in his shed – but hated […]
Eragon
by Christopher Paolini, 2003 How does a book this bad get to be a best seller? “An authentic work of great talent.” – The New York Times Book Review. Don’t ever believe any review by them! (Or, read the entire review…) Authentic? Hardly – stolen from Lord of the Rings, but he never gives JRR […]
The Testament
by John Grisham, 1999 Recommended by the church newsletter library writer, Wayne Clegern. Very interesting characters – page-turner. A billionaire leaves his entire estate, 11 billion dollars, to an illegitimate daughter, Rachel Lane, who is a missionary in the Pantanal of Brazil. Nate O’Riley, an alcoholic lawyer, is sent to find her. No one knows […]
The Language of Flowers
by Vanessa Diffenbaugh, 2011, First novel What a fantastic book! I could not put it down! Had to keep reading to see what was going to happen to Victoria! She had a horrendous childhood – in and out of foster homes and then group homes, with only one good experience in her entire life, but […]
The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber
by Ernest Hemingway, 1936 Short story in Wayne’s college literature book – very, very good! An American couple, Francis Macomber, and his wife, Margot/Margaret, are on safari in Africa. Their white hunter, Wilson, a “red-faced” man, takes them out to shoot a lion, who has been roaring all night near the camp, Macomber chickens out […]
Blood Lure
by Nevada Barr, 2001 Anna Pigeon, District Ranger, is working in Glacier National Park with Joan Rand, a National Park Service bear expert, and Rory, a young man interested in bears. They are attacked at night in their camp by a bear, which they don’t see, but which destroys their tents. Rory runs away. Anna […]
Radical
by David Platt, 2010 The American Church has lost its way in the American Dream. “We were settling for a Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is actually about abandoning ourselves.” Christian news publication, 2 headlines side-by-side: “First Baptist Church Celebrates New $23 Million Building.” On the right […]