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.
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 of Narnia, but he was a Telmarine and didn’t believe in the Lion or the talking animals. Caspian’s nursemaid had told him the old stories and he believed them and loved them. Then, Miraz had a son so Caspian was going to be killed but escaped with the help of Doctor Cornelius, who can’t accompany him yet. He goes through the woods on his horse and gets knocked out, found by a Badger (Trufflehunter), a Black Dwarf (Nikabrik), and a Red Dwarf (Trumpkin).
Dr. Cornelius had given Caspian Susan’s horn and told him to use it in dire straits. After battle not going well, he used it, and that’s what called Peter, etc. back to Narnia. Trumpkin takes them back from Cair Paravel to where Caspian is, quite an adventure in itself, and Peter battles Miraz one-on-one, defeats him, and 2 traitors finish him off, then make war on the Narnians. They seem to be doing okay (Narnians) but the Telmarines got scared of the trees so took off to their town were Aslan gives them a choice: either stay in Narnia or go back to where they originally came from. Some with pure hearts choose Narnia. Others choose to go back where they came from. They didn’t know, but they were pirates on earth and get to go back to the island they captured long ago. Peter and Susan and Edmund and Lucy lead the way because they didn’t trust Aslan. They end up back in the train station though. Peter and Susan will never get to go back to Narnia – too old, Aslan told them.
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 and Avaris get taken to palaces, separately, and learn of plans that help them. They go through the desert, get chased by a lion, stay with the Hermit, then the Battle between Rabadash and Archenland. Rabadash was a Prince in Tashbaan who wanted Queen Susan of Narnia to marry him. She escaped from Tashbaan and that is what caused Rabadash to attack Archenland. Shasta got to Archenland first and warned them. Shasta ended up being the long lost twin, Cor, and the future King of Archenland. What a wonderful tale! I loved all the descriptions of the City of Tashbaan: the palaces, gardens. I loved all the times Aslan showed up, making things happen the way they ought to. Wonderful story!!!!
by Eric Weiner, 2008
The beginning of each chapter was really funny. But I’m not sure he ever had much of a point to make. He rambles a lot. “One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World.”
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 killed so they can’t become the rulers of Narnia, according to Prophecy. But then Edmund learns her true nature and Aslan comes back and saves him, sacrifices himself for Edmund, but returns to life and goes to the witch’s house and brings all the stone statues back to life. Then he goes to the battle between the witch and Peter and Edmund and the good animals. Edmund destroys her wand so she can’t turn any more into stone. Then Aslan destroys her. Peter, Susan, Edmund, Lucy become the kings and queens of Narnia and rule it in peace for many years. Then Tumnus, the Faun that Lucy met at first by the lamppost, lets them know the White Stag has returned and if caught, grants wishes. So they all go hunting for him and he leads them to the lamppost and they all have remembrance and decide to keep looking and end up through the wardrobe into the room on the very same day and same hour they had left. They explained to the professor why 4 coats were missing. And the professor believed them! But told them they wouldn’t be able to get back to Narnia by the wardrobe ever again. They would go back someday but, “It’ll happen when you’re not looking for it.” (You never get to Narnia the same way twice!)
(The professor is Digory, the little boy in The Magician’s Nephew, who went to Narnia first and saw Aslan create it. He got to take home an apple for his Mom, to cure her. He planted the core and buried the rings around it. A great storm blew the tree down. He used the timber to make the wardrobe.)
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 Charn – dead world – accidentally – now she is in Narnia and has eaten from the Tree of Life. The Uncle Andrew is the Magician. He is given a box of dust by his godmother. He made the rings out of dust. The yellow rings brought Polly and Digory to the Wood between the Worlds. The green rings bring them home.
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 a mountaineering magazine attracted Jean Hoerni to his cause, wealthy inventor of semi-conductor technology. He gave him $12,000 for first school. Greg got all the supplies to Korphe and they asked him for a bridge. So Jean gave him money for the bridge. Ten to 15 years later, he had built many schools and was starting to build in Afghanistan. The Saudi’s would build madrassas and train up the boys to be jihadists. Greg’s schools don’t teach hate.
www.penniesforpeace.org is one way to help – school children can help that way.
Later on, Greg Mortenson was investigated and ordered to repay one million dollars to the Central Asia Institute, the non-profit that Jean Hoerni created to fund the building of the schools. It was found that much of the book, Three Cups of Tea, was fabricated, and that Greg Mortenson was using a lot of the money donated to Central Asia Institute for his personal expenses. As I write this in June 2020, the penniesforpeace website still exists and Central Asia Institute is still a charity organization dedicated to educating children in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan.
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 to do with smuggling and French “Royalists” trying to overthrow Napoleon. It was very good – loved her descriptions of the coast and the town, but it was really complex trying to figure out the mystery.
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 – Deanna Wolfe and Eddie Bondo. She’s a 47 year-old forest ranger in the mountains of Tennessee. Loves all wildlife, especially coyotes. Eddie Bondo, traveling from Wyoming, sheep rancher, hates coyotes. They fall in love. He leaves her, pregnant.
Old Chestnuts – Garnett Walker and Nannie Rawley. He’s a stubborn 80 year- old trying to breed a blight-resistant chestnut. She’s an organic apply farmer, 75 years old. They live next door to each other. He is all for using chemicals to kill bugs and weeds. He’s so mad at her all the time. Finally, he and she become friends. He gives her the shingles in his barn and thanks her for the blackberry pie, his favorite. He starts to see the beauty in nature.
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 – yoga – finding God. Beginning of book – “And while I do love that great teacher of Peace who was called Jesus … I can’t swallow that one fixed rule of Christianity insisting that Christ is the only path to God.” That’s my problem with this woman – she gets to travel, getting paid for it (to write this book), thinking she’s all messed up because she doesn’t want to be married, so divorces, loves David but it’s a rotten love affair, gets to take a year off to recover. It’s all about her and her misguided search for life’s answers because she can’t accept Jesus. She thinks she found God but I’m afraid she found the Devil instead – all of her chanting and meditations, the four brothers, etc. But she’ll keep insisting she has finally found peace and love and God. Yucch! I thought it would be more about travel in those places but it’s mostly all about her and her psychological state at the time. Over and over and over again. Finally, in Bali, the pace picks up and we get more of a glimpse of Bali – what a beautiful island! There she fall in love with Felipe, a Brazilian ex-pat, 52 years old (she’s only 35 when writing this book). Really, he loves her, adores her, and wins her over.
This book has been on the bestseller’s list for months. I don’t understand, we don’t want to encourage her. She’s just a narcissistic, spoiled brat.
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 about other gods and idols. I prefer the Bible. Not at all respectful of God or His people.
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 exciting tale! LOVED IT!!!
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 mother’s death in firestorm during WWII. Kenji lost Mika in a train wreck. Hiroshi also lost a son 4 months old – dies in his sleep. Aki’s sister, Haru, was always there for them. She cared for Hiroshi’s daughter, Takara, born after his son. Aki was afraid she would also die so wouldn’t care for her. Haru tried to help her out of her depression and almost had when a boiler exploded and brought back all the fear and guilt of her mother’s death.
Very interesting, sad, beautiful book. Akira-sensei, the mask maker who trained Kenji – was also a big part of the book. He should have stayed and tried to love Emiko and her daughter, Kiyo, in the village in the mountains, Aio. But for some reason, he couldn’t, and he left them but always, always missed them.
Grandmother – Obachan. Grandfather – Ojichan. Beautiful, poignant journey into Japan.
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. You really think it is Lord Harold Trowbridge, but he ends up the good guy. It was Madame Delahoursaye.
Googled Stephanie Barron. She wrote the books using all her research and Jane Austen’s letters to set the stage.
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 hardships – Ellen had 6 children in Alaska all without a doctor’s help – by herself mainly. Hardy, strong folk! Good people!
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 their noses in it – and we didn’t spank them in schools or at home, “pre-scientific pseudo-psychological nonsense” – that caused our parks and streets to be places of danger. We raised up juvenile delinquents and they became adult criminals just because we refused to punish them – spank them – when they first misbehaved – in Chapter 8.
Also, only those with military service could vote.
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 big mistake-marrying a Chang. But the Chang family ends up owning the ink company and marrying GaoLing-LuLing’s “sister.” Gao Ling eventually escapes him – the Chang – and comes to the orphanage where LuLing lives and has married the love of her life, KaiJing. He is executed by the Japanese. LuLing and GaoLing eventually come to America, marry brothers. Luling’s husband gets hit by a car and dies. LuLing raises Ruth on her own. Writes down the story of her life in Chinese when she feels her memory going. Ruth finally has it translated by Mr. Tang and knows and understands her mom. Wonderful ending! Ruth and Art marry, LuLing and Mr. Tang in love. “Buddhaful.” LuLing could not remember her mother’s real name until Mr. Tang shows them an oracle bone in the museum. Then she remembers: “Gu” LiuXin Gu.
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 sister she sat next to on the plane to Istanbul).
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 – Porthkerris. Ambrose went to war. He was a jerk. Sophia and Lawrence and Penelope, along with Doris and her 2 boys, live together during the war. Then, Sophia died. (Sophia was Penelope’s mom, much younger than Lawrence Stern. She went to London and was killed in the bombings.) Penelope ad Doris became very close. Penelope has a little girl, Nancy. Then meets Richard Lomax, a young marine, her true love. He dies at D-Day. Penelope eventually goes back to London and lives with Ambrose. Not a good guy. They have 2 more children, Olivia, and then Noel. Ambrose cheats and gambles, eventually leaves Penelope. She’s glad. Olivia is her favorite. Olivia takes a year off to stay in Ibiza with Cosmo. Penelope comes and visits her for a month, along with Cosmo’s daughter, Antonia. Olivia goes back to London after a year. Penelope has a heart attack. Cosmo dies. Antonia comes to live with Penelope and falls in love with Danus, the gardener. Noel and Nancy, all they want is for their mother to sell all her Lawrence Stern paintings so they can have the money. Penelope goes to Cornwall for a week with Danus and Antonia because her children didn’t want to. After they get back, she dies of a heart attack.
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, near Chandrapore, and Miss Quested gets separated and someone attacks her in one of the caves. She blames it on Aziz. He goes to prison. Finally, at trial, Miss Quested admits she has no idea who followed her into the cave and Aziz gets out of prison. Fielding was his English supporter and friend through all but it was never the same. Very poetic, hard to follow writing.