Review Date: 2/10/2010

I do most of my reading on the commuter bus, and I was always so eager to get in my seat and keep reading "The Associate." It is very suspenseful and I did share all the emotions of Kyle McAvoy, the protagonist. I felt the ending was a bit flat considering all the detailed narrative build-up, but I do recommend this book as a thrilling read.

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Review Date: 2/20/2010

I really enjoyed this book. The author's passion for SEC football shines through, and the story of his personal odyssey to each of the 12 SEC conference schools is filled with humor, description and details that made my armchair journey come alive. If you love college football, or just love a chronicle of a madcap road trip, check out Dixieland Delight.

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Review Date: 3/5/2010

Helpful Score: 1

A captivating biography stressing Washington's early years during the French and Indian wars, based on primary sources: diaries, letters, dispatches.

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Review Date: 7/18/2010

Character development of protagonist Doc Ford continues in the 2nd of the 17-books series. I really enjoyed the description of the waters and mangroves around Sanibel and Captiva Islands. The Florida ambience and life of the fishing guides really comes through. This story is more plausible than the far-flung adventures that take place in the first book, Sanibel Flats. There is more subtlety, but it's still a rollicking fun adventure. I read it mostly while on a commuter bus, and felt as though I was far away in Florida.

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Review Date: 6/6/2010

A very lively read, embroidering on the few know facts about the life of Virgine Gautreau, the subject of John Singer Sargent's famous portrait "Madame X." Spans life on a Louisiana plantation pre-Civil war through Parisian society of the 1860s through 1880s. Very engaging, with many insights into the artistic process. If you admire the art of Sargent, this book real treat. It transported me from my seat on the commuter bus to another time and place.

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Review Date: 6/6/2010

1941-1960, from Pearl Harbor through the Presidential election of 1960, a serious exploration of the political and cultural forces affecting American life in the mid- 20th century. Especially interesting for discussion of post-World War II and the Cold War. Includes several iconic photographs of the age. Well indexed and sources documented.

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Review Date: 9/26/2010

Helpful Score: 6

If you loved Daphne du Maurier's "Rebecca," and didn't want it to end, then this sequel, written nearly 100 years later, is a book for you It is a real page turner, as characters familiar as well as new come forward to reveal bits and pieces about Rebecca's life and death. It was a total page-turner for me; I couldn't wait to pick it up again. Whether or not you feel the ending is satisfactory or enigmatic will be an individual choice. I've moved on to another du Maurier novel, "Jamaica inn," and can say the author of "Rebecca's Tale," Sally Beauman is good, but she is no Daphne du Maurier.

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Review Date: 8/1/2010

Don Winslow's latest novel pits young California drug "entrepreneurs" against a powerful and ruthless Mexican drug cartel. The language is totally contemporary and the format has short fast-paced chapters that keep you reading. However, there was too much graphic violence for my taste. In fact, another review I read said, do not read on a full stomach. That being said, there have been many exemplary critical reviews of the book, and I understand oliver Stone plans to make the movie version.

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Review Date: 1/17/2011

This fun read for fans of all things "Audrey" is subtitled, "Timeless Lessons for Living with Grace and Style." There are lots of biographical details about the life of Audrey Hepburn and her rise to stardom with a parallel guide to applying Audrey's outlook and style to our own personal lives and dilemmas.

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