Loving Frank

Loving Frank: A Novel by Nancy Horan


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was an interesting historical fiction on a time of Frank Lloyd Wright's life that I never really knew about. In fact, I never even thought about the fact that he was anything other than a great architect until I read this book! I loved reading what appears to be the inspiration for a lot of his work but I did get a bit tired of his "mistress" and her justifications for doing what she was doing.

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Emma by Jane Austen

I don't remember the last Jane Austen book I read but this was one of her last. I had trouble following her line of writing about who was thinking or talking, but the story has the English undertones of humor found in a lot of English writers today.

No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

Books 5 through 9 were written just as delightfully as the first 4 books. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Precious, her family and Botswana. The author is very insightful and is very good at keeping each character in character throughout all 9 books. The other day I was at a clinic where they said to ring the bell or say "hello" and I almost said "Ka, Ka" instead!

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane (Hardcover) by Katherine Howe

Katherine Howe did a great job intertwining historical facts and places to the Salem witch trials. This was the first novel I read on my Kindle and I read the book within two days. I have no idea how many pages it was because the Kindle didn't tell me. The story was not too heavy but had a lot of substance to it, as well as some romance and mystery.

Serena: A Novel

Serena: A Novel by Ron Rash

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
A great historically-woven novel about the timbering business and the beginning of our National Parks during the depression. Our book club decided we liked the book, the writing is wonderful, but we don't like the main character one bit - Serena.


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Morality for Beautiful Girls (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Book 3)

Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Interesting to find out how the beautiful girls get picked for the beauty contest! Just as cleverly written as the first 2 books.


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Tears of the Giraffe (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Book 2)

Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
The giraffe (who is very near and dear to my heart) is hardly mentioned in this wonderful 2nd novel in the detective series. It is wonderful to learn more about this country of Botswana, the history and its people.


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The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Book 1)

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Absolutey delightful reading. I am going to read all the rest of this series about a woman in Botswana who opens her own detective agency. Very cleverly written and insightful.


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The Witch of Portobello

The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another insightful, interesting novel by Coelho. It is so well-written, it is almost believable as non-fiction.


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The Rest of Her Life

The Rest of Her Life by Laura Moriarty

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Part of our everyday nightmare, hitting someone with our car when we think we are distracted, is the basis of this book. At first I was annoyed by the mother, then I started to relate to her in the most scary way! Part of her character development was her personal opinion of the people that were in her life the most, yet she did not vocalize her opinion. Then when these people confronted her about her aloofness, she started to open up and speak her mind! Does it take a great tragedy to finally find yourself?


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Peony in Love

Peony in Love by Lisa See

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Clearly along the lines of Amy Tan (which I hope Lisa See does not mind this constant reference to her) but this book was not anything like what I expected after reading the first few chapters. The twists and turns of what happens to Peony in the book, which if I mention anything past the first few chapters it will spoil the book for anyone who has not read it. The book is set at one point in Chinese history but referencing another. The historical setting makes it the type of book that is much more geared to the types of books I like to read.


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Breaking Dawn

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

My review

Clearly not a book that your 10-year-old should read. This book covers the marriage of Bella & Edward, and what vampires like to do all night long when we are sleeping. But once again, the book keeps you reading as you cannot 'guess' where each chapter is headed. The addition of Jacob's special ability in the 2nd book definitely added that extra element to make the last 3 books much more interesting than the first.


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Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
One of the best of the 6 I have read. The book is quite thick but moves quickly. It would be almost impossible to keep up with what is going on if you had not read all the previous books. Not much else to say, as you can watch the movie when it comes out this summer.


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The Shack

The Shack by William P. Young

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
Interesting perspective on one man's meeting with God in his 3 forms - the Father, the Son & the Holy Spirit. Something that is a bust for organized religion, people who call themselves 'Christian', and judgment of our fellow man. The question can be asked - when there are so many people suffering from the loss of a child, why would God reveal himself to this person in particular?



The book needs to be used in a discussion group because there is so much to read and so much you can take away.


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'The Alechmist'

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book has to become a classic, must-read, for generations to come. It has a timeless appeal and is written so that you are trying to make the connection to what or who each character really represents. The forward by the author, as well as the biography at the end of the newer editions, adds a depth to the book that helps to make it one of the most inspirational books I have read in a long time.


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'The Book Thief'

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars



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'The Host' by Stephenie Meyer

The Host: A Novel by Stephenie Meyer

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book seemed more appropriate for my 10-year-old to read than the Twilight books! The simplicity of the title can lead you to think that either the book is about aliens, or someone that hosts dinner parties, but this book is no dinner party! I agree with Christine Taylor, who gave me the book, that I could not put it down once I started and read it in one weekend.


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