419 by Will Ferguson

419 by Will Ferguson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a story about a man who was duped by a Nigerian scam artist. I was immersed in this story from the beginning. So vivid was it that I could smell and taste Nigerian as I was reading.

I think we all have received these types of letters and emails, usually from someone calling himself "Mr." The story is realistic to the point that you wonder if this has truly happened.

For anyone who uses the internet, this is a must read.



View all my reviews

Seconds Away by Harlan Coben

Seconds Away by Harlan Coben
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the second in the Mickey Bolitar series. An enjoyable sequel to Shelter. A motley crew of characters has been introduced and their discovery of an "organization" that was formed to rescue children from harm.

I am lookingforward to the third installment.

View all my reviews

The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield

The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

A disappointing book. The story had great potential in the beginning but developed in a very scattered way. It went back and forth between angelic and demonic.

In the beginning, and sporadically throughout, it was very simple family life. I am not a fan of domestic violence, child abuse and animal abuse, and found the themes one dimensional and over simplified for the gravity of the situations.

A disappointing read.



View all my reviews

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I understand that this is an important "document" regarding the life and times during the years around 1900-1910, but, I found the book to be excessively detailed about day-to-day life in Brooklyn. Taking a page and a half to describe in detail the buying of a pickle is just more than my patience can handle.

A good story, but not my type of book.

View all my reviews

The Dry Grass of August by Anna Jean Mayhew

The Dry Grass of August by Anna Jean Mayhew
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A well written, realistic story. Starts off slowly and sleepily throwing you off the track. It builds gradually at first until you begin to realize the enormity of the story regarding the way of life in the south and the injustices.





View all my reviews

What Matters Most by Bette Lee Crosby

What Matters Most by Bette Lee Crosby
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Louise and Clay are middle aged and Clay is tired of working at the bank. He receives a letter in the mail notifying him that his uncle has died and left him his house in Florida and his bank account. Almost right away Clay decides to retire and move them to the house in Florida. The one little problem for him is that his wife is very happy where she is, with friends and family and a nice house and a routine that suits her and she is not happy about moving.

An excellent read, loaded with the types of problems that we all face.

View all my reviews

The Pull of the Moon by Elizabeth Berg

The Pull of the Moon by Elizabeth Berg
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is an epistolary, which is one of my favourite styles of writing. A woman is turning a certain age and is waking up to the fact of her life. Many things have dawned on her about herself, not the least of which is that she has always done what her husband has wanted and never actually been her own person.

She sets out on a road trip, on her own, to try to think about her life and discover the missing element. Some people say that Nan is a spoiled woman who has everything and is still not satisfied. I disagree with the description of her. She has done her "duty" and now wonders what happened and why she feels so let down.

Along the way she meets people and takes time to get to know and understand them. Nan uses a journal to track her thoughts and movements and writes letters to her husband, Martin, to try and let him understand what has happened to her. My own fear is that he will just say "oh, its women's problems" and disregard most of what she is telling him.

I found this story very typical of women born during the 40's and 50's, especially in North America. I was disappointed when the story ended because I wanted to know what would happen when she returned home.

View all my reviews