All Book Reviews

Jacobs, A. J.
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

A.J. Jacobs sets out on a quest (of sorts) to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. His stated objective was to get more intelligent. Over the course of the year it took him to finish this task he revealed a bit of competition with his father, a very accomplished man. His father had started to read the EB in the 1970s and didn't get past the B volume. There may have been a little one-upsmanship in the quest. Jacobs' book gives you the Cliffs Notes Encyclopedia Britannica along with his observations, an introduction to his family, his job and his attempts to prove he is indeed getting more intelligent as he progresses through the hugh task he set for himself. He enters a crossword puzzle tournament, takes part in a debate with a college debate team, joins Mensa and appears on the television game show Who wants to be a Millionaire. The book is by turns funny, thoughful, touching and educational. There were times I laughed outloud. At the end he draws some life lessons from what he learned, but I really think it was about the journey, not the destination.

Reviewer's Name: Debbie
Young, William P.
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

This book had me in tears many times. It is such a clear, unclothed picture of the gospel. I loved it, and I think everyone should read it because it speaks of things that resonate with anybody. It's been called a modern-day "Pilgrim's Progress", and I think that sums it up pretty well.

Reviewer's Name: Jennifer
Fuller, Alexandra
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

This book is so amazing because it offers a unique view of Zimbabwe's history. Seeing it through the eyes of a British child lets you experience the trials of the country in a more sheltered way. This book was very honest and funny and interesting and sad. I loved it. Also available in Audio Format.

Reviewer's Name: Jennifer
Sherrill, Martha
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

I don't really know why I picked this book up. I'm not particularly interested in Japan or Akita dogs but there was just something that seemed so other worldly about the book. Published in 2008 the book details the life of Morie Sawataishi and his wife Kitako and to a lesser degree their children. To a large degree it explores Morie's relationship with the dogs we now know as Akitas. Morie grew up in the mountainous snow country but Kitako was a pampered daughter of a prosperous Toyko family. She fell for Morie, who had quite good prospects, and was completely taken aback by his decision to move back to the mountains. In the years after World War II life in Japan was hard, in the mountains it was doubly so. Kitako had to learn to cook and clean and get by on very little and with no modern conveniences. Morie was gone much of the time and when he was home he was consumed by his growing passion for snow country dogs. It was a passion that seemed to come out of nowhere, but one that has stayed with him to this day. Akitas were on the brink of extinction after World War II. They had been exterminated for their thick pelts for use in lining the winter gear of soldiers. Morie's quest takes the reader into an old Japan that is largely non-existant today. Old customs, old traditions and things done the way they had been done for centuries. No electricity, no roads, no cars, no trains. Morie helped change all that too with his work as an engineer constructing the first power plant in the area. It's a really fascinating read and a glimpse into a world I would never otherwise have known anything about.

Reviewer's Name: Debbie
Bohjalian, Chris
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

An epic journey, disparate travelers, World War II as the backdrop, a love story, death, birth, cruelty, kindness and a growing awareness of the atrocities that have actually been happening in Germany and it's conquered lands are all part of this compelling novel. The story of a motley group of refugees including a traditional German frau, her daughter and son, a Scottish POW and an escaped Jewish man masquerading as a German soldier make up the core characters in the book but along the way they encounter German soldiers, German citizens, Russian soldiers. They endure cold, hunger, and constant danger. There are many losses along the way and much despair but somehow this story is hopeful and life affirming. Also available in Audio Format (CD) and Large Print.

Reviewer's Name: Debbie
Puzo, Mario
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

Many people do not realize that the Godfather movies are actually based on Mario Puzo's book. Most people are familiar with the plot of The Godfather, it is a novel that follows the Corleone family as they live a Mafia life. What many people may not realize is that this book is about people like themselves, dealing with issues of family, love and business, just probably not the family, love and business situations they have experienced. You may think you know the story from watching the movies, but until you read the book, you have no idea how much more complete the story can be. If you are having withdrawal symptoms now that the Sopranos is off the air, I think The Godfather will more than satisfy you. Also available in Audio Format and on DVD.

Reviewer's Name: Emilie
Ritter, Josh
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

This is a great effort of singer/songwriter Josh Ritter's first novel. If you've ever listened to his music, the novel is reminiscent of his songwriting. It's quite beautiful, yet very down-to-earth. It is a strange journey of a man named Bright, his horse, and his newborn son who could very possibly be the next saviour of heaven. There are angels, war, love, and vengeance. He keeps you guessing the whole way through.

Reviewer's Name: Cassie
Cash, Wiley
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

It may be North Carolina, but it sure ain't Mayberry, in Wiley Cash's powerfully written debut. Instead, we get secrets, snake handlers and tragedy that ripples forward and back in all the character's lives. A great first effort from a writer to watch!

Reviewer's Name: Alan
Brooks, Geraldine
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

An extraordinary book written about a beautifully illustrated codex that survived over 500 years. A rare book conservator goes to Sarajevo to report on the book and make repairs to it. Within the pages, she finds an insect wing, missing clasps, a drop of salt, a wine stain, and a white hair. Sprinkled throughout the modern story of this woman trying to find out what happened to the book, a love story, and much political intrigue, you are also taken back through the books' history to find out where these clues came from. If you have enjoyed books such as "Girl in Hyacinth Blue" by Susan Vreeland, you will enjoy this book. Also available in Audio Format (CDs) and Large Print.

Reviewer's Name: Krista
Bowen, Rhys
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

If you are looking for a fun cozy mystery, this is a great book for you! You will meet a wonderfully spunky aristocrat named Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie who is 34th in line for the throne, but completely broke. She travels to London to find a job, but instead ends up finding a dead body in her bathtub (who is coincidentally trying to take her brothers' ancestral home in Scotland). A fast and hilarious read. Also available in Large Print.

Reviewer's Name: Krista
Chödrön, Pema.
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

This great, little book is packed with transformative insight. With the author's lighthearted, down to earth style, she encourages us to take a bold leap toward a new, positive way of living in a troubled world.

Reviewer's Name: Chris
Chbosky, Stephen
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

A fantastic read for teens and adults. It's written as letters to an anonymous reader, by a boy who is learning all about life. The boy, Charlie, is shy and emotional and just entering high school, when he meets two people that change his life. It's a great perspective and a very touching story. I recommend reading it before watching the movie!

Reviewer's Name: Cassie
Baer, Richard K.
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

A fascinating look into the mind of a woman with multiple personality disorder. The difference is that this book is written through the eyes of the psychiatrist, Dr. Richard Baer. He worked with Karen Overhill for many years to meld her seventeen distinct personalities back into one. He includes snippets of letters that each of the personalities wrote, as well as a drawing that one of them made with portraits of each personality. The story of how each of the personalities came into being is heartbreaking, and when Karen reveals the extent of the abuse that she suffered at the hands of her father and grandfather and their friends, the stories are chilling. If you are fascinated by psychology and the way that the mind works, this book is a must read.

Reviewer's Name: Krista
Simon, Scott
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

A starkly compelling book with a memorable teenage protaganist, Irena, a very modern non-traditional Muslim girl. She loves Madonna, western fashion and basketball. In fact, she's a star on her high school basketball team. Until the spring of 1992 when the Serbian army brutalizes Muslims in Sarajevo and Irena, her parents and her pet bird must flee across the river to relative safety. Life becomes quite tenuous and dangerous. Irena steals to survive until a chance meeting leads her to a job. Eventually she is recruited to be a sniper. This is not an easy book to read but the author is a journalist who covered the civil war and writes with some authority on the subject. Also available in Audio Format.

Reviewer's Name: Debbie
Horwitz, Tony
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

So you think you remember what you learned about the discovery of the new world and the people who got here first. From the Vikings in the far north to the Spanish in the Caribbean. You'll travel with the author as he retraces (to the best of his ability & the information from old journals and other records) the journey of these men in the new world. Along the way he not only discovers these early explorers and native Americans but some very interesting contemporary Americans. This is history at it's best. Entertaining and educational. Also available in Large Print and Audio Format (CD).

Reviewer's Name: Debbie
Seidel, Kathleen Gilles
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

This is a beautiful, funny and touching book about a woman going through the wedding preparations of her eldest son. Complicating matters include her future in-laws, her recent diagnosis of adult ADD, her floundering youngest son, and most of all, her ex-husband's new girlfriend, who decides that she will take over the mother of the groom role. I thought this book was very enjoyable. Also available in Large Print.

Reviewer's Name: Krista
Meyer, Stephenie
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

In this terribly suspenseful novel our heroine moves to Forks, Washington to live with her father. She is in a new high school, and finds herself the center of attention. She only has eyes for the beautiful and mysterious Edward, however. What is his secret? Can he return her love despite his family's history, and the torment of Bella's scent? Also available in Audio Format and as an eBook. Read it and find out!

Reviewer's Name: Kristen
Penney, Stef
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

The author of this debut novel set in 1860s northern Ontario Canada is from Scotland. She has never been to Canada but so credibly evokes the icy cold desolate landscape that many very familiar with the area could not believe she had not been there. The novel is a mystery, suspense, poignant love story, historical fiction character filled wonder. A murder sets the story in motion and sends several of the characters on long arduous treks through the wilderness in winter. They endure snow, wind, freezing temperatures, wolves, bogs and blistered feet. Numerous characters including native Indians, Hudson Bay Company men, settlers and trappers and all their story lines converge in the end without seeming forced or rushed. The book won the prestigious Costa Award for first novels.

Reviewer's Name: Debbie
Henkin, Joshua
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

Interesting characters! A novel with a beginning, middle, and satisfying ending. Matrimony starts when the characters begin their freshman year at a small college in Massachusetts, but this is not a party-hearty college kids story. The characters grow and Henkin keeps introducing new information about their past that contributes to the progress of the plot rather than making the reader feel like he/she is lost in a time warp. The irony of the plot is that the main character is a writer who is writing a novel...

Reviewer's Name: Linda F-J
Swann, Leonie
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

A very unusual crime mystery! Takes place in Ireland. A flock of sheep find their shepherd murdered and go about solving the crime. Very funny at times, poignant, and surprisingly suspenseful. Lots of red herrings. You have to think like a sheep to read this book. Also available in Large Print.

Reviewer's Name: Leslie

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