Wally Lamb scores again
581110
I've loved all of Wally Lambs previous books and this one is no different. His insightful way of capturing crisis as it affects all of the members of a family (and their friends) makes it difficult to take sides in this family drama.
4709856
If you enjoyed the Where is Wally books, this is a must. It is much more that trying to find the pairs of animals and the 16 snails. It also has interesting information about the animals. It is great fun and well worth the hassle of obtaining the book, which is currently out of print. I unreservedly recommend this book.
4227583
I love Wally Lamb's books.  After finishing this book, I picked up another by a different prominent writer, and there was no comparison in terms of building the story and the development of characters.  Lamb's books stay with me long after I've read them.  They come back to me out of the blue.  In my opinion, Wally Lamb is one of the best American writers writing today.  I highly recommend this book.
1880259
Faster paced than the previous books in the series, this book shows our heroes in serious, life-threatening situations.  The good guys vs. the bad guys become more evident and active than in the previous editions.  New  mysteries are revealed that will virtually turn the pages for you,  screaming for answers such as the real story behind Bruce's death and what  will be found on the bottom of the Tigris River.  But the most memorable  and humorous line in the entire series so far can be found in this book -  One of the characters says, "If this is the 'Wrath of the Lamb', then  I think I better make friends with that lamb!"
3524507
One of the best books I've ever read, you just can't put it down, a great story that makes you feel as if you've known the twins forever. A beautifully written book that I did not want to end. Can't wait for the next Wally Lamb!
4138825
Wonderful, as are all Dotsey Lamb mysteries. Just enough humor to lighten a murder mystery. The murderer is hidden until the last moment keeping the reader guessing, but once revealed, the clues are all  there. I wondered how I missed them. Great read.
2485455
Love, love, love. Stunning, engrossing.  The development of the characters is in depth.  The storyline is so interesting and the book is almost impossible to put down.  I wish I hadn't already read it so I could read it again.  Thank you, Mr. Lamb, for another of your excellent stories.
1323503
Lamb has a keen talent for creating characters who you want to be friends with. She has done it again with Stevie. I loved watching Stevie find her passion for life, her strength and her LOVE.  I do find that Lamb enjoys many of the same themes in her books- strong grandparent figures, dark secrets and Oregon. As well as she writes though, I don't mind!
1638832
Not much to say. Christopher Moore is, and for many years has been my favorite author. Lamb is one of his best books.
3547322
Whoa. Wally Lamb has done it again. He undid me with his first book, "She's Come Undone." I could not believe that a man could write so persuasively from the vantage point of a woman, an obese, sexually abused one at that.
In this book, he narrates from the vantage point of a man, but one with an almost unimaginable life. Our narrator has an identical schizophrenic twin, a mother who died of breast cancer, an abusive step-father, a father he never know (the twins were born out of wedlock), a four-week old daughter who died of SIDS, a best friend who serially cheats on his wife, a girlfriend who shoplifts, and an ex-wife whom he  stills love but who lives with another man. You learn all of this in the first few chapters-and there's still another 850 pages of trauma to go!
Lamb's story begins with a harrowing incident: Thomas, the twin brother of the narrator, cuts his hand off in a library as a protest to the Gulf War. The book tells of the incarceration of Thomas and his twin's efforts to come to terms with his illness, his life, and their shared family during this period.
The book is long, too long at times (I like long books but I felt some of this could have been pared)-but it still draws you in. A 900 page book can't be a page turner...actually, yes it can, with Lamb as the author.
I would recommend this book to those individuals who like gritty, gutsy contemporary fiction.  I would caution individuals who need some lighter shades in their reading palette that this is not always a comfortable read. Lamb writes raw. His characters live troubled, tumultuous lives. Brutality and evil appear throughout the book. If you like tough topics, you'll like this book. If you don't, perhaps you should look elsewhere.
873278
Right of the bat I am going to admit that I am not into sports novels or sports stories.  However, Grisham has once again sucked me into a book that I would normally not read or even pick up off the shelf.  Football is the overlying theme with good, no.... great food.  It must have been the great Italian food and wine that kept me reading... right?

As we learn about Rick Dockery's pathetic football carrier which continues through much of the first half of the book, you have to wonder if anyone who plays a sport so poorly and for the NFL could actually exist.  Throughout the novel, Rick grows in so many different directions.  Italy will certainly leave a permanent mark on this character.  He finds friends, a great girl, contentment, and even improves his game.  There is truly growth in his character leaving us to wonder where his next adventure will lead.

Throughout this novel, and through Rick, the reader learns a little about the NFL, but mostly about Italian football, life, food, wine and sites.  This short novel is quickly paced and I found I was eager to continue on with Rick and his adventures throughout Italy.

Unlike Grisham's normal crime, court and lawyer novels, "Playing for Pizza" proved to be a wonderful short read that inspires us to keep working hard, even if we are struggling and want to give up.
2739505
I was a bit hesitant to read this book because of some of the negative reviews other people have given it. But I'm glad I trusted my gut instinct and relied on my past experiences with Lamb's novels...I really enjoyed this book!  I found myself reading late into the night and early into the morning, not being able to put it down.  Although at some points the multiple story lines and flashbacks to different times and characters seemed to go a little overboard, Lamb did a wonderful job of brining it all together to give us the bigger picture.  PLEASE Mr. Lamb, don't keep us waiting so long next time!!
3127772
Pennant Race by Jim Brosnan is the second of his baseball diary memiors this
time gently drawing back the curtain of privacy on the 1961 Cincinnati Reds National League Championship team.

In what was the last of the 154 game schedule, eight team National League season, this was a  historic and gruelling pennant race for the participants who had no idea what lay in store for Major League Baseball in the seasons ahead. Although if the NLers had paid attention to what was going on in the American League in 1961 they would have had a pretty good clue.

That year in the AL, like most years then, the Yankees steamrolled their way to yet another AL Championship but this time with a historic home run race between Mantle and Maris as well as prodigious hitting by many of the other junior circuit clubs. But in 1961 the Al expanded to ten teams which meant
at least two pitching staffs that were just a little below big league skill
levels.  Which certainly must have helped all those sluggers hit those dingers.

Meanwhile, back in the old fashioned NL, the Reds defeated last years World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates for the NL pennant and a shot at the powerful Yankees in the World Series.  You can read all about it in Brosnan's 1961
diary except for the World Series which was not included in in Pennant Race possibly because Mr. Brosnan wanted to end the book on a triumphant note. BTW, the Yankees won four out of five games against the Reds in the 1961 World Series.

Pennant Race is perhaps the most entertaining sports book that I have ever read, there are several laugh out loud sections and it is extrememly interesting to hear Brosanan's on field contemporaries'  reactions to his first book, The Long Season. Pennant Race, despite the fact that the 1961 World Series is not covered, is without a doubt one of the finest, pioneering sports books of our time.
1033009
There is no prejudice in baseball. In this, another exciting baseball story by Matt Christopher, the author shares with readers how ethnic origin or slopping fielding and hitting don't really matter. All that counts is the love of the game of baseball and good sportsmanship. Yes! The game of baseball is played on a level playing field, I strongly recommend it, I give it five stars, and I'm Marvin P. Ferguson, author of Boys On The Gold Coast.
1923519
I don't know HOW he does it!  Wally Lamb has a gift for weaving an elaborate plot, entwined in sub plots, which are equally engaging and interesting and powerful, and are all encompassed in a depth that can only be understood by heart
4198110
Wally Lamb never disappoints.  His blending of a true, life changing event in our nation and turning it into a novel is seamless.  And even though it is a long read, I still didn't want the novel to end.
4000037
I love the way Wally Lamb ties everything together. Lots of social food-for-thought here. A view into the society in which we live.