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Review Date: 2/22/2009
This book kept my attention all the way through. I enjoyed the new detective Virgil Flowers. The conversations between Virgil and Jim Stryker were very amusing.
Review Date: 8/28/2008
Helpful Score: 6
The Descent is about the struggle between two races of beings, human and hadal. Much of the story takes place below the surface of the earth. It is a long book, 572 pages, and it took me a week to read it.
This book has many themes, good versus evil, war, science, some biblical references of Satan and hell, science fiction, and a romance between two of the main characters.
The main thread in the book is about a science/business probe into the caverns of the earth, to discover and map the underside of the Pacific Ocean from South America to Asia. The events and struggles of this company, the hardships of the terrain, the war between the hadals and the humans, and their struggle to survive and return to the surface of the earth with the information they were sent to obtain, is the main focus of the story.
I did think the book was too long. However, I did read the whole thing, it kept my attention, and kept drawing me back to finish it. I do not always read a whole book, if it does not have enough juice to keep my attention; I just get a different book to read. The Descent had enough juice to keep me reading. While I was reading the book, I felt like I was in a cave the whole time. Under the earth, there is a completely different world. Instead of a blue or gray sky, it is black; this surrounded by rock feeling colored my whole week.
I liked reading this book; it absorbed much of my thoughts while reading it. The material was thought provoking. The idea of a race of humans living under the earth that explains the myth of Hell and Satan was interesting. So on the main, much of the book was interesting.
This book has many themes, good versus evil, war, science, some biblical references of Satan and hell, science fiction, and a romance between two of the main characters.
The main thread in the book is about a science/business probe into the caverns of the earth, to discover and map the underside of the Pacific Ocean from South America to Asia. The events and struggles of this company, the hardships of the terrain, the war between the hadals and the humans, and their struggle to survive and return to the surface of the earth with the information they were sent to obtain, is the main focus of the story.
I did think the book was too long. However, I did read the whole thing, it kept my attention, and kept drawing me back to finish it. I do not always read a whole book, if it does not have enough juice to keep my attention; I just get a different book to read. The Descent had enough juice to keep me reading. While I was reading the book, I felt like I was in a cave the whole time. Under the earth, there is a completely different world. Instead of a blue or gray sky, it is black; this surrounded by rock feeling colored my whole week.
I liked reading this book; it absorbed much of my thoughts while reading it. The material was thought provoking. The idea of a race of humans living under the earth that explains the myth of Hell and Satan was interesting. So on the main, much of the book was interesting.
Review Date: 6/18/2009
Helpful Score: 1
Jonas lives in a world with no emotions, a world without feelings. Most choices are made for the citizens for the community. Citizens in this community are very polite; they are controlled by the elders. If you make 3 mistakes, you are released. If your body does meet the average requirements, you are released. When you reach old age, you are released. At the age of 12 Jonas is assigned a job to work as a Receiver, like the other 12-year-old kids that were assigned a job. But Jonas job is special. As Receiver, he becomes the holder of all the memories for the community. As his wisdom grows with more and more memories, Jonas is faced with a hard choice.
I really liked this book. The basic premise was very interesting. It moves pretty fast, and kept my interest. I think it is a good book for all ages.
I really liked this book. The basic premise was very interesting. It moves pretty fast, and kept my interest. I think it is a good book for all ages.
Review Date: 7/29/2008
Helpful Score: 1
I really enjoyed this book. The main characters were believable, and I felt connected to them. The bad guy was really, really bad. I enjoyed the whole book. It was a pretty quick read, I made it through in a couple of days, and I was interested the whole time.
Review Date: 4/4/2009
This is a book about a group of women that were peace activists and feminists in the 60s. The books bounces back and forth between the two time periods showing what the characters were like then, and what they are like in the 90s. The women are all friends, and the book also talks about their relationships with each other. They are still peace activists, showing up at protests thirty years later.
Review Date: 7/23/2009
Helpful Score: 8
Great Book! The time period of the book was the WWII occupation of Guernsey Island by the German troups. Many of the island people endured great suffering during this time.
However, the cleverness of the writing, and the humor that is sprinkled throughout lighten the tone of the book. The story of the islanders is told through correspondence with an author that becomes interested in the people of the island, and the Literary Society of some of the inhabitants. Also, the descriptions of the people, the island, and the ocean are told in word pictures. Did I mention this was a great book?
However, the cleverness of the writing, and the humor that is sprinkled throughout lighten the tone of the book. The story of the islanders is told through correspondence with an author that becomes interested in the people of the island, and the Literary Society of some of the inhabitants. Also, the descriptions of the people, the island, and the ocean are told in word pictures. Did I mention this was a great book?
Review Date: 6/24/2009
What a wonderful book! I love the way the writer uses word to evoke images. I have to read the book slowly, because sometimes it seems like poety to me. The story touches my heart. The basic plot is about twins born to a doctor and his wife. One of the twins has Downs Syndrome, and the doctor decides to send the baby to an institution. The nurse present at the birth decides to raise the baby herself. The rest of the story is about the parallel lives of the twins and their parents.
Review Date: 6/18/2008
An oil rig drilling off the coast of Delaware brings up some green goo that makes people sick. The victims get very sick, soon after contacting the green stuff. This book is a very easy read, and if you like viruses, you will like this one. Truthfully, you will not fall in love with the characters, but the images of the virus are good. Remember "The Blob"?
Review Date: 9/2/2009
Helpful Score: 2
This book is about a 23-old-man that is told if he does not stop using drugs and alcohol, he will be dead, that he will not live another year. He goes to live in a rehab center, and details his struggles with his body, thoughts and philosophy. At first, he vomits a lot, and the physical state of his body is not a pretty picture. But gradually, he changes, he forgives parents, falls in love with another person at the clinic, and takes responsibility for his actions. It is a graphic picture of the inner workings of a rehab center. According to the back of the book, it is a true story. I was suprised by the statistic that only 17% of addicts do not relapse, and begin to use again.
Review Date: 6/29/2008
I really enjoyed this book. The book is about a social worker/accupuncturist that is chosen for a surprise walkabout with an aboriginal tribe. She lives with the tribe for 4 months, and learns about their way of life and world view. In the first few pages the reader watches her loose all her clothes, wallet, jewelry, important papers, cell phone, and sense of security, and her shoes. She follows the tribe into the burning desert of Australia with nothing but an old rag on her body. But she learns so much!
Review Date: 8/26/2008
Helpful Score: 1
Rick Dockery the third-string quarterback for the Cleveland Browns gives what might be the single worst performance in the history of the NFL in an AFC Championship game. He is cut by the Browns and is shunned by all other football teams. Since Rick still wants to play, he gets a job as the starting quarterback for the Mighty Panthers of Parma, Italy. So off Rick goes to Italy, even though he does not speak a word of Italian, and neither does he know anything of the culture of Italy.
This book does not have a complicated plot, and many of the characters seem to be uncomplicated also. I read half the book the first night, but it did not really grab my attention, and I did not read anymore. I do not know that much about football, and there are many descriptions in the book of football games. There are some descriptions of delicious meals, and my mouth was watering for some of the Parma cuisine.
The book seems different from other John Grisham books. It might be a good book to read at the beach.
This book does not have a complicated plot, and many of the characters seem to be uncomplicated also. I read half the book the first night, but it did not really grab my attention, and I did not read anymore. I do not know that much about football, and there are many descriptions in the book of football games. There are some descriptions of delicious meals, and my mouth was watering for some of the Parma cuisine.
The book seems different from other John Grisham books. It might be a good book to read at the beach.
Review Date: 8/6/2009
This was a pretty good book. I liked the two main characters. However, I had trouble keeping up with all the other people because there were so many that I thought I should keep a list. Also, there were so many people committing crimes in this book that I did not figure who committed the actual murders. But by the end of the book, it did not seem to matter to me.
Review Date: 8/20/2008
Helpful Score: 5
Another great book from Preston and Childs. This book is about an island off the coast of Maine that is shrouded in mystery and fog. According to local legends, there is a vast treasure buried in the island. But all attempts to get the treasure have resulted in injury, death and financial ruin. But at last, with millions of dollars in backing, and technilogial power, a task force is formed to retrieve the treasure, and solve the mystery that has confounded all efforts to do so in the past. As the story moves forward, the crew of this task force also sicken, get injured and die. What is at the heart of this island, causing all this suffering? I enjoyed reading this book, and hopefully there will be many more from this wonderful team of authors.
Review Date: 1/12/2009
Helpful Score: 1
Jason Gum is a rookie firefighter in the Seattle Fire Department. One day when truck #29 is called out to a find the smell house call, and they find a corpse. Jason notices one of his co-workers illegally taking three garbage bags of bearer bonds out of the house. The rest of the book is about what happens to Jason, his co-workers, his fire station, and his family when tensions rise over the contents of the three stolen bags.
I enjoyed reading this book. It was surprising how stolen goods can change people and reveal deep shadows in their character. The book takes some interesting turns, and there are some exciting moments awaiting the reader.
I liked the detailed descriptions. Earl Emerson is very good and giving enough information helps the reader envision the event. There are also detailed descriptions of some of the landmarks around Seattle.
I enjoyed reading this book. It was surprising how stolen goods can change people and reveal deep shadows in their character. The book takes some interesting turns, and there are some exciting moments awaiting the reader.
I liked the detailed descriptions. Earl Emerson is very good and giving enough information helps the reader envision the event. There are also detailed descriptions of some of the landmarks around Seattle.
Review Date: 8/1/2008
This is a play about the meaning of life and how fast unexpectedly death can overtake us. The main character is diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer and begins chemotherapy with a harsh experimental drug. While her body weakens, she examines the path she walked in life and the choices she made. As a college professor of the poems of John Donne (death be not proud), she was one of the most feared teachers on her campus. This is a great story. I really enjoyed reading it. There is also a HBO special that closely follows this play.
Review Date: 9/28/2008
Helpful Score: 2
Wow, what a powerful book. It is an autobiographical story of a womans childhood, marriage, and motherhood from birth to middle age. She lives in Dublin, in a part of the city that seems to have little money or possessions. The first part of her childhood is pleasant, but once she hits high school, she falls into bad habits, and rough company. She marries a man she loves, but her marriage is marred by intense spousal abuse. As a result of her trauma, she falls into alcoholism. The whole book is powerful, raw, really emotional, not a calming book. I found it a quick read, even though it was disturbing. I loved it.
Review Date: 8/11/2008
Helpful Score: 5
I really enjoyed this book. The story is about a virus found near Golgotha in Jerusalem. DNA from bones found near this area unleash an ancient virus that causes a pandemic. The main character, Nathan Lee, crosses the world to reconnenct with his daughter just weeks ahead of massive death. The second half of the book finds Nathan Lee in a scientific community near Los Alamos NM, where scientists try to find a cure for the sickness. Human clones produced from the Golgotha DNA are used to help find a cure. There are strong religous themes here also, of crucifixion, and redemption. This theme becomes obvious when one of the clones begins to say he is the messiah.
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