When I picked this book for book club, I was really excited about it--what a great way to talk about past and present! And it started off really good--all the juicy details of the power people at the turn of the last century. And then it just sorta fizzled. I think part of my issue is I just don't know that much about economics and buisness. Part of me wishes the Planet Money team could just explain the Equitable Life Insurance thing.
But it's still fascinating and well written. I just felt like some stuff went over my head. And the similiarities between today and then are pretty amazing.
Recommended, but only if you are already a fan of Wall Street scandals

This final installment just didn't have the same intensity and momentum that the others did. Katniss was boring--kep to the sidelines and injured way too often. Definitely doesn't live up to the promise of the Hunger Games.
And if you're in the midst of a revolution shouldn't you ocassionally talk about why you're rebelling? I don't think they ever went beyond "we hate the Capitol" Where are the ideals and reasons?

Glad I didn't buy this.

I love Karen Hesse and think she's one of the best writers of historical fiction working today.
Like all Hesse books, there's one big thing to pin a many layered story on--and in this, it's the creation of the teddy bear in 1903. But it's really about the neighborhood and immigrants and making your way in the United States.
Things that I loved:
Benny's love for the First Teddy Bear. And just seeing how quickly everyone fell in love with them.
The aunts. Especially The Queen.
Emily's library in a store window
The baseball game.

Highly recommended.

I couldn't put this book down--in fact, I kept flipping ahead trying to guess how it all ended.
A fascinating man comes to a small town, starts a church, and a group of women throw almost eveyrthing away to follow him.
Fascinating story, though the writing was sometimes a bit lacking. It's told through the eyes of one of the younger members of the group--who does eventually leave, but part of me wanted to know more about Joshua's motivations. Did he really believe he was a prophet? Or was he always scamming them?
Worth reading, and it would be a great choice for a book club.

Loved this book and finished it lickety-split! (which is quite an accommplishment these days).
Perfect melding of reality and fantasy. The use of the old song Scarborough Fair was fascinating. Might have to check out more of her work.

book club book
Not anything I would have chosen to read, but I enjoyed it and appreciated it being a quick read. Definitely not for the squeamish, and I don't even like animals all that much! Not anything I'll ever read again and I can't say I recommend it. I just won't tell you not to read it. Very meh.

A railroad could make or break a new town. And a bit of pettiness quickly explodes to threaten one new town on the Oklahoma frontier.
Lots of fun characters, all in Florence for different reasons. There attempts to stop the train are both humorous and terrifying, and at times, the whole thing seems just a bit far-fetched. Plenty of good stuff to talk about, but not quite a new classic.

Supposedly based a bit on Enid, OK's history, but a quick glance reveals that any connection is loose indeed. Does remind me a bit of the history of Jefferson, TX--large inland port, but Jay Gould refused to run the train line through, so the town shriveled but didn't quite die.

Umm, no.

No to the fact that I felt like I've read this book before.

No to the fake worlds created. Because of course Lorien is all good and Mogadore is all bad.

No to the romance. Sticky sweet and unnatural. Because the cutest girl in school will naturally fall in love with the awkward new kid who just happens to be an alien?

Extra no to the fact that the friends believed so quickly that John was an alien.

No to the horrible writing.

No to the heavy-handed attempt to put forth some sort of environmental, save the earth message.

No to the fact that the Magadorians seemed an awful lot like Dementors.

No to the rushed ending, despite the plodding nature of the rest of the book. An additional Lorien kid? Sure! New friendship with previous bully, with no explanation as to how that happened? Why not? Finally realizing that the dog is special, which the reader figured out hundreds of pages ago? Very convenient! Best friend able to fight aliends? But of course!

No to all the hints about the bigger, epic nature of the story. I know we're in book 1, but couldn't you have at least answered one or two things?

Most importantly, no to any future books in this series. I'm done.

This book just begs to be re-issued by Persephone. Beautiful, beautiful story of four sisters in England during World War II. Very quiet, and yet very, very funny. One of my favorite lines: "even the best people have at least one bat in the belfry."

Definitely recommended--and I'm keeping my eyes open for more Stevenson.

On my way home from sunny La Jolla, I realized I needed some good fiction (I had really good non-fiction with me, but just wasn't in the mood). And as I stood at the book stall in the San Diego airport, I realized I specifically needed fluffy chick lit. I haven't read any Kinsella before, but I enjoyed the movie version of Confessions of a Shop-a-holic a lot more than I thought I would. And anything with the 1920s is a point in a book's favor for me.
I devoured this book. Yes, it's a kooky premise: struggling girl is suddenly haunted by the ghost of her recently departed great-aunt. And she must find a necklace. Thrown in a truly odd family, some great 20s clothing, a cute boy, and it's like popcorn. Sadie is delightful--both an obnoxious and sweet ghost at the same time.
But then towards the end, there was a wonderful twist that I wasn't expecting and it became about so much more--about living a life with unanswered questions, getting to know people, art, love, and beauty. Seriously, I almost teared up at the end, and I never do that.
So though I'm shocked that I'm doing this: I highly recommend this. And for the costumes alone, it should become a movie.