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Momo by Michael Ende (5*) Orphan girl in poor village is the only unaffected person who can save the world from the dehumanizing take over by a sinister cabal of time bandits who are conning people out of their allotted time by preying on their greed and foolishness. It is a very original and creative story that is also a…
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So good to see you again! We're all still learning.
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The TV version diverged more and more from the book version as the series progressed. Keep in mind that the book series was never completed and now probably never will be because GRRM painted himself into a corner, having to make future books different from the TV series in order to stay consistent with the existing books.…
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Read it a few weeks ago and loved it, so realistic and well-written!
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Had to read that book for lit class when I was a kid--it traumatized me for life!
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Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (3*) This is essentially a re-write of The Velveteen Rabbit, in a future where kids are genetically altered to be brilliant and stuffed animals are replaced with droids called AFs, but unlike The Velveteen Rabbit, this one has a hard time getting to the point and has added sprinklings of…
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Million Dollar Demon (The Hollows #15) by Kim Harrison (5*) Rachel, Trent, and allies must rein in the abuses of a sadistic and egomaniacal new vampire leader assigned to Cincinnati or die trying. I'm not usually a paranormal fan, but I've been hooked on this series ever since I got the first book as a Kindle freebie many…
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I got out The River Between Us and On the Wings of Heroes at the same time but enjoyed "Wings" much more. It is a really sweet story about a young boy trying to do his best (but not always succeeding) to help on the homefront as his older brother goes off to fight in WWII. But I'm really a sucker for WWII books!
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The Secret Keeper of Jaipur (The Henna Artist #2) by Alka Joshi (5*) It's 1969 and the grown up canny street kid Malik apprentices with the Jaipur Public Works. When a deadly balcony collapse occurs in a grand new theater, Malik's boss and old family friend is scapegoated to take the blame. But Malik and his guardian…
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A year Down Yonder is the best IMHO since Peck's found his stride and has polished and perfected the characters, but the whole series is worth the time. Please don't overlook the third book A Season of Gifts which is set 20 years later, but old age has not diminished Grandma Dowdel's conniving, just honed it, and the new…
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--The Maidens by Alex Michaelides (3*) Group therapist travels to Cambridge University when a series of murders comes uncomfortably close to her niece. Although this is an engrossing whodunnit, there are a few things that really bothered me about it. The story was uncomfortably similar to Donna Tartt's A Secret History and…
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Eternal by Lisa Scottoline (5*) I was surprised to see Scottoline's name on a serious historical novel. It was a pleasant surprise since this book turned out to be really great! The characters are realistic and well-developed, the dialogue natural and believable, the story gripping, and the historical background…
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The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave (4*) I initially found this book very engrossing and was really hooked when the bad stuff started coming down. However, as it became more complex and implausible, I grew less intrigued. It is still a better than average suspense novel, but could have been better if some of the…
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Big fan of audiobooks here! I get them from Overdrive, YouTube, and Librivox and listen on the computer. My vision is waning in my old age and reading really irritates my eyes, so I can consume more books without discomfort if they are audiobooks. It also lets me make progress on my knitting, which doesn't bother my eyes…
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Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane (5*) Two cop families live next door, one plagued by mental illness and alcoholism. The son of one and the daughter of the other develop a deep and committed relationship opposed by both families. When something horrible happens, a chain of events starts that will have consequences that…
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--The Flame Bearer (The Last Kingdom #10) by Bernard Cornwell (5*) Our beloved Uhtred has a plan to take back his family's impenetrable fortress of Bebbenburg from his cousin, by stealth and cunning. But deadly attacks by the Scots from the North and Saxon enemies from the South keep distracting him from his goal. A…
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Gallows Thief by Bernard Cornwell (5*) British officer returns from Waterloo to find his family in debt and disgrace because of his father's scams and suicide. Now working as an investigator of clemency appeals for condemned prisoners, he is expected to just confirm the verdict, but he's sure an accused is innocent and…
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We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker (5*) Local cop in a small CA coastal resort town investigates the murder of an old friend after another old friend is convicted of that crime, but our protagonist is convinced of the man's innocence. This is one of the better psychological suspense/whodunnits that I've read in a while,…
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The Awakening (The Dragon Heart Legacy #1) by Nora Roberts (3*) Insecure young doormat from Philadelphia travels to Ireland and discovers she is descended from fairies and an evil god. She has undiscovered powers that the fay need to save the world and her evil grandfather wants in order to help him destroy it. Although…
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The Last Bookshop in London: A Novel of World War II by Madeline Martin (4*) This novel of Londoners during the Blitz is a most heart-warming and inspiring story. The writing is more akin to that of the romance genre, making it a fast and easy read, but did the job, and the characters are more stock types than complex…
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Book 1 was a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Book 2 isn't. This is a trilogy. One of the characters has cerebral palsy; it is pretty rare to have a character with a physical ailment like this in a fantasy novel. Great to see you, Catfish_Fan! My have you changed! Interesting comment. People with CP are rare in any book…
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Painting the Light by Sally Cabot Gunning (5*) Turn of the 20th century orphaned art student marries a charming prodigal and ends up on his family sheep farm on Martha's Vineyard neglected, belittled, her inheritance squandered, and most of the work. When he disappears, she finds her circumstances are more dire than she…
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I have 20 favorites on my Goodreads favorites list, and cannot choose one favorite literary child since each is special in its own way. How does one choose between Wendell Berry's so human Hannah Coulter or Kimberly Bradley Brubaker's magnificent YA The War that saved my Life or Connie Willis's oh so clever SiFi To Say…
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You're a stronger woman than I, ladyzherra, Jude left me so depressed I hardly had the energy to start another book!
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Greetings, gentle readers. I'm known as LadyCalico on Sparkpeople book groups and Goodreads, but MFP said that screenname was already used, so I had to change it a bit. With Sparkpeople closing there may be people from my old groups moving over here. I will be posting regularly and hope others join me. My mission is to…
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The Warsaw Orphan by Kelly Rimmer (5*): A better than average, but often grim, historical novel about the destruction of Warsaw in WWII. Author keeps historical background authentic in a story about teens on either side of the Jewish ghetto who have very different philosophies about surviving the horrors of the German,…
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Sparkpeople site is closing. You may be receiving a surge of new members from the active book groups from that site.
