Sarah

I just re-listened to this book, and I liked it even more than the first time I read it. Perhaps because Bryson reads his own work and lends additional charm and wit with his tone, I didn't want this book to end! I think Bryson and Katz should tackle the CDT next.

Charming, light read. Good for a summer day in the garden.

I haven't seen the movie, but it was easy to imagine George Clooney as the narrator here. This was a quick and engaging read, and the characters were well constructed. Hemmings did an impressive job of developing character and a sense of Hawaii in a relatively short book. I had never read anything by him before, but I quite like him as an author.

Lots of great pictures for different styles, all of which feel modern and fresh.

I was disappointed by this novel. It got off to a good and interesting start and even made me laugh, and then it turned into a Maeve Binchy novel that was trying to be something literary.

A refreshing change of pace for design books - the spaces in this book look loved and lived in and real. I tend to skip a lot of the text and just get inspired from the pictures, and there are plenty of small and achievable inspirations in here.

Fantastic! I could hardly put this book down. More compelling than The Red Breast, the other Nesbo book I've read. For some reason, sexual deviance seems to be at the heart of every mystery I read these days, which is disturbing, but that's neither here nor there.

This book was addictive. There was a slower section towards the beginning, but once I passed that I was hooked. It's sort of a tragic fairytale - I definitely recommend!

This wasnn't quite the book I expected. Sankovitch deals mostly with the loss of her sister and Sankovitch's own redemption through reading. I think it's difficult to write a book about reading because books mean different things to each reader and so much depends on external factors, like what else is going on in the reader's life. Still worth a read.

I just re-listened to this book while working on endless home improvement projects. It's amazing, given my nonexistent knowledge of horse racing and complete disinterest in that subject, that Hillenbrand can weave a tale so compelling and moving as to utterly capture my attention.

I do love Tina Fey! This reminded me a little of Sarah Silverman's book - both autobiographies of hairy, awkward teenagers who end up in Hollywood. Fey's remembrances of her childhood are one of my favorite parts of the book. She kept me listening (since you know I listen to all my books these days!) through the showbiz and producing a network show sections with her humor. A fast read and easy listen.

I enjoyed this quiet, thoughtful book. O'Nan creates wonderful, real characters both flawed and sympathetic. Emily Alone follows a widow's life in Pittsburgh (sequel to Wish You Were Here, which I haven't read yet but put on my to-read list) and the pacing matches her existence. Instead of plodding along, this is a quiet but lovely read.

The characters and dialogue in this novel are excellent and true to life. I enjoyed the story and how the book deals with the complexities of race and class. The language, however, might make this book inappropriate for school reading.

This was fascinatingly different from any other mystery that I've read. It's both more real and almost mystical, which fits the setting of post-Katrina New Orleans. The characters are gritty, especially compared to the detectives in the “cozy” mysteries I typically plow through, but well constructed and nicely flawed. All in all, a good book by literary and mystery standards.

Fantastic. Seriously. Schmidt has a gift for dialogue and capturing young voices. A little six degrees of separation - it turns out that the author taught children's lit to my friend Laura!

After all the drama and controversy surrounding this book, I suppose I expected it to be something other than a simple memoir of raising children. Chua's book is funny and ironic and not a horrific instruction manual on raising children in the “Chinese way.” She is not blind to her own failings and reveals the universal parental truth - everyone wants what they believe is best for their kids.

Excellent. I listened to this (of course) and enjoyed the story. It wasn't the literary masterpiece that many have hyped it to be, but it's a great book.

This is probably the best dog training book I've read. Yin is sympathetic to the difficulties of positive training instead of lecturing. She understands both human and dog behavior and wants the best for both. She should be more well-known than Cesar Milan so spread the word!

Moving, to say the least. May make you want to become a doctor or psychiatrist.

I'm glad that Wood returns to Ashton Place for this, the third book chronicling the little wolf children :) Some secrets are revealed while others emerge as new conundrums. After listening to Katherine Kellgren make little yipping sounds and long howls, I can't imagine simply reading any of these books! Kellgren does a wonderful job of pulling the listener in to the story. I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment.

I had to stop reading because Gleick hardly gives libraries a mention! Hello?! How can you write over 500 pages and mention libraries 3 times? We are the archetype for information organization and retrieval. Blah.

I'm really not a fan of short stories (bad English major!) but I enjoyed this collection. I think it could have been strong as a novel as well, if reconstructed. A good peek at the different lives led in a military base. I did feel one character, the one suffering from PTSD, could have been strengthened and portrayed more empathetically.

I had a difficult time rating this book. On one hand, it was very readable and almost lyrical. On the other hand, nothing happens and there are many missed opportunities for character development and drama. It also ends quite abruptly and unsatisfactorily. All in all, this book has a lot of potential but could have used significant edits.

Worth reading - a well-written novel of nannies, racism, and classism. The ending struck me as rather rushed/forced, but still a good book.

Fun with interesting tidbits, but I wish Jacobs would have delved into each topic more thoroughly. There is just so much that feels unexplored - possibly to be expected given the subject, but still, I wanted more. It's much more humorous when someone else tries out diet and exercise regimes so that I don't have to :)