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Fiction:
"Dublin 4" "Evening Class" "Tara Road" "Summer Sisters" "River, Cross My Heart" "Moonlight Becomes You" "Pretend You Don't See Her" "For My Daughters" "Legend" "The Red Tent" "The Mistress of Spices" "White Oleander" "My Summer With George" "The Saving Graces" "Memoirs of a Geisha" "Tall, Dark, and Deadly" "The Partner" "A Map of the World" "Stones from the River" "A Widow for One Year" "The Ritual Bath" "I Know This Much Is True" "She's Come Undone" "Where the Heart Is" "Jewel" "Feather Crowns" "While I Was Gone" "The Deep End of the Ocean" "The Last Don" "The Ghost of Hannah Mendes" "Jephte's Daughter" "The Sacrifice of Tamar" "Sotah" "The Rapture of Canaan" "Genuine Lies" "The Reader" "Acts of Faith" "Tell Me Your Dreams" "The Pilot's Wife" "Up Island"
Non-fiction:
"Taking Charge of ADHD" "Teach Yourself Paint Shop Pro 5 in 24 "Hours" "Daredevils and Daydreamers" "Your Hyperactive Child" "Setting Limits" "1-2-3 Magic" "The Baby Book" "Creating Paint Shop Pro Web Graphics" "What You Need to Know About Ritalin" "The Hyperactive Child, Adolescent and Adult" |
"For My Daughters"by Barbara DelinskyCaroline, Annette and Leah St. Clair are sisters with practically nothing in common. A lawyer, a mother and a socialite, they have little respect for each other and have never been close. Then, they are brought together by their mother, Virginia at an estate that she has purchased in Maine. In the time that they spend together, they learn about each other and come to terms with their mother and their childhood. Through discoveries about their mother, they grow closer to each other.The story was nice, but this book did not hold my attention well and it took me a while to get through it. It was a bit too predictable and a bit too "cliche". Not a bad book, but definitely not on my list of all time favorites. "Legend"by Jude DeverauxI have to admit that although I usually hate this type of romance novel, this book really grabbed my attention. Kady Long is about to be married. Just before her wedding, she finds an antique wedding gown and tries it on. Suddenly she finds herself in 19th century Colorado watching a handsome man about to be hung. She saves him, of course, and, as you have probably guessed, they fall in love. But Cole (the man she saves) has a secret. That secret will change Kady's life forever.I know that this sounds silly--and it probably is--but I would be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy this book. The story line takes a completely unexpected twist and I found myself constantly reading ahead to see what was going to happen. This book certainly won't make the list of great 20th century novels, but it does provide some entertaining reading. "The Red Tent"by Anita DiamantThose who know a bit about the Bible may remember Dinah, the daughter of Jacob from the book of Genesis, who was supposedly raped by the son of Hamor. This is Dinah's story, told from her own point of view. Dinah talks about her mothers and her father and brothers, discusses the events leading up to the "rape" and the murder (committed by her brothers) which followed it and talks about her life later on, something which the Bible gives us no clue about whatsoever. Unlike the Dinah of the book of Genesis, who is given no voice, this Dinah is outspoken and strong. This is a beautiful, captivating story and I enjoyed every minute of it. I have only two criticisms of this book. One is of the unfavorable light shed on Jacob and his parents, Rebecca and Issac, in parts of the story (though I'm sure that they were not perfect people, I still like to think of our matriarchs and patriarchs as a little bit better than the rest of us). My second criticism concerns the conclusion of the book, which reminded me just a little too much of a Hollywood movie (too perfect). These minor points, though, certainly did not ruin my reading experience and I would highly recommend this book. "The Mistress of the Spices"by Chitra Banerjee DivakarunTilo, the main character of this book, is an Indian immigrant living in California who runs a spice shop. She is also a "mistress of spices", who knows just what spice each person who enters her store needs to better his or her life. Tilo deals only with the Indian community, as that is what she has been "ordained" to do, until an American man comes into her shop and changes her life.This novel combines magic and fantasy with an honest look into immigrant life in America. Its prose is almost poetic and the story line is fascinating. I highly recommend this book. "White Oleander"by Janet FitchIngrid, a talented and brilliant poet, is convicted of murdering her ex-boyfriend and her daughter, Astrid, is left to the mercy of the foster care system of California. As the child who had previously lived in an artistic, "bohemian" environment moves from foster home to foster home, experiencing the unthinkable, she learns the hard, cold truth about life. Rather than letting the circumstances break her, though, Astrid makes a conscious decision to survive. Astrid's seeminly horrible journey allows her to discover herself and to grow into an independent, talented and wise person.I loved everything about this book. The writing was like poetry -- so much so that I had to read several passages out loud just to "hear" them. The storyline was often frightening and "surreal" (I certainly hope that the average foster care experience doesn't resemble the one described here), but the author effectively demonstrated how something good can be redeemed from just about any situation. Don't pass up a chance to read this novel. "My Summer With George"by Marilyn FrenchHermione Beldame, widowed and divorced several times over, now in her sixties, is the writer of romance novels. She is rich and sophisticated and independant and romantic love no longer has a place in her life. Then she meets George. They meet at a party and she falls head over heals for him. This novel tells the story of their brief "relationship" (though in reality, it could hardly be called that). Hermione's fantasies and desires are exposed and then shattered, when she comes to the realization that this "dream" is never to be. For a few brief weeks one summer, her world is turned over and she discovers a part of herself that she thought long gone.Though this book isn't particularly long (237 pages), it did take me quite a while to read it. The beginning, especially, did not hold my interest for very long. However, it was worth the effort. I found Hermione to be a fascinating, funny, warm character and I loved reading about the colorful people who surrounded her. A good book if you're not looking for a lot of "action". "The Saving Graces"by Patricia GaffneyI can never seem to pass up a "woman's novel" and this one was no exception. Emma, Rudy, Lee and Isabel are the "Saving Graces" -- four very different women who have been the best of friends for ten years. They hold each other up through times of difficulty and disappointment and share many beautiful hours together. None of them is prepared, though, for the crisis that they are about to face -- the crisis that will either bind them closer together or tear them apart.I couldn't put this book down and at one point, it literally brought me to tears. This is a beautiful, touching, unforgettable story. |
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