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Beverly B. (SmoothCollieLover) - Reviews

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All about the Collie
All about the Collie
Author: Ada L. Bishop
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 9/25/2006


I accidentally bought a second copy of this book! It is a classic, by a lady who along with her father set the standard for the breed today. Her information is practical. You can tell what's outdated quite easily. Great pictures, and if you are thinking of breeding, reading this book by a breeder of champions is a must.


Angels & Demons (Robert Langdon, Bk 1)
Angels & Demons (Robert Langdon, Bk 1)
Author: Dan Brown
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 287
Review Date: 9/17/2006


Another Dan Brown thriller, predates the Da Vinci code.


At Knit's End : Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much
At Knit's End : Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much
Author: Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 95
Review Date: 9/17/2006


No knitter should be without this book!


Baltimore Blues (Tess Monaghan, Bk 1)
Baltimore Blues (Tess Monaghan, Bk 1)
Author: Laura Lippman
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.4/5 Stars.
 193
Review Date: 4/27/2009
Helpful Score: 3


No spoilers. Being from Baltimore, the works of Ms. Lippman appeal to me (I recall reading her father's articles in the Baltimore Sun years back). The mystery here is average, but the local color puzzled me. Ms. Lippman is supposed to show how much she loves Baltimore in her Tess Monaghan books; the impression I get is not love, but a neutral (at best) feeling.


The Beader's Companion (Companion)
The Beader's Companion (Companion)
Author: Judith Durant, Jean Campbell
Book Type: Spiral-bound
  • Currently 3.4/5 Stars.
 6
Review Date: 11/24/2006


Great handy spiral-bound reference book, meant to carry with your projects. Has info on loom weaving and much more.


The Bear and the Dragon (Jack Ryan, Bk 10)
The Bear and the Dragon (Jack Ryan, Bk 10)
Author: Tom Clancy
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 171
Review Date: 9/17/2006


Jack Ryan does it again.


By A Spider's Thread (Tess Monaghan, Bk 8)
By A Spider's Thread (Tess Monaghan, Bk 8)
Author: Laura Lippman
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 143
Review Date: 4/27/2009


Maybe because I'm an Orthodox Jew from Baltimore I found this book to be particularly unrealistic in its details. A true-life Mark Rubin would never have married without a lot more information about his future wife and her background (I got the distinct impression she was not even Jewish); his house would have been filled day and night with well-wishers following the disappearance of wife and children (everyone from rabbi to neighbors would have been there offering food and prayers).
But then what do you expect from an author who maintains that even koshes Jews from Baltimore eat crab (that's a near-quote from "Butchers Hill")? It's an insult even to suggest it.


Caper
Caper
Author: Lawrence Sanders
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.3/5 Stars.
 9
Review Date: 4/22/2007


The twists and turns will keep you glued to the pages.


The Cardinal of the Kremlin (Jack Ryan, Bk 4)
The Cardinal of the Kremlin (Jack Ryan, Bk 4)
Author: Tom Clancy
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 262
Review Date: 9/26/2006
Helpful Score: 1


Great Jack Ryan read.


Chocolat
Chocolat
Author: Joanne Harris
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 241
Review Date: 10/25/2006


Enjoyed it very much.


Damage Control (Joanna Brady, Bk 13)
Damage Control (Joanna Brady, Bk 13)
Author: J. A. Jance
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4.2/5 Stars.
 97
Review Date: 8/24/2008


Now I love Joanna Brady. I love the series so much I drove hours from Tucson TWICE to visit Bisbee (trust me,it's worth seeing). I can't wait to visit AZ again this November and will certainly be back in Cochise County (Wonderland of Rocks here I come). But this book was a frustrating read. I kept waiting for the main story line to begin, only instead of a main story line, it was a series of fragmented stories. No mention of the beauty of the desert in Cochise County, no mention that Butch is apparently set for life after selling his restaurant in Glendale, no mention that Marianne Maculyea reconciled with her mother when Ruth's twin died years earlier. And how did Jenny get Kiddo to the Parks' old KOA RV park? Off the highways, it's all mountain and steep gorges 'round those parts.

Where to begin? Oh yes- a 4 month old does not get bottles at night any longer!! Especially if the 4 month is started on solid food- once the baby gets solid food it should be sleeping from midnight or earlier to about 6 am. It is not a newborn!

The opening chapter sets such a tone of terror but its denouement (for this strand of the story) is so unsatisfactory, I wanted to throw the book in disgust. Jance can set up a story with the best of them but this was lame.

The exposee of the managing company of the residential homes left one feeling that the bad guys got away with a lot more than murder.

And how did Larry Wolfe manage to drive from Cochise County to Hudspeth County Texas in something like 2 hours? Just to drive from Gallup NM to Albuquerque takes something like 4 hrs, and that's only half across NM.

Joanna's stepfather just ups and quits on her right after Frank Montoya tells her he's in for Chief of Sierra Vista- and she's down a deputy due to the death of the rookie! What will she do, hire Dick Voland back to be Chief Deputy? I don't think so. The entire shtick with Eleanor made zero sense (when did Eleanor ever?), but to wrap it up with George quitting and Eleanor and George motoring off, towing a Mazda Miata to Minnesota (at $4.50 a gal for gas) made me wonder if Jance is losing her zest for Joanna and wants to write more Ali Reynold dreck.

Maybe that's what happens when authors leave too much time elapse between books in a series. The Joanna Brady series is one of my favorites. Let's hope for resolution in the next installment and hopefully, that will come soon.


The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree (Darling Dahlias, Bk 1)
Review Date: 2/28/2011


Adorable.
Not much of a mystery (guessed it pretty early one) but the tempo and period details kept me reading.


Double Homicide
Double Homicide
Author: Jonathan Kellerman, Faye Kellerman
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 156
Review Date: 9/17/2006


I think I couyld tell who wrote which story. See if you can.


Edge of Evil (Alison Reynolds, Bk 1)
Edge of Evil (Alison Reynolds, Bk 1)
Author: J. A. Jance
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 295
Review Date: 4/22/2007


Jance introduces a new character in this mystery/thriller, Alison Reynolds, former journalist who returns home to Sedona AZ in time to solve the mysterious death of her best friend.


Every Secret Thing
Every Secret Thing
Author: Laura Lippman
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 209
Review Date: 4/27/2009
Helpful Score: 1


No spoilers. I found this book well-written but depressing. I grew up in Baltimore; in fact my father had a business near where the action takes place. There is no character to sympathize or identify with, which made it uncomfortable to read, even though it's an engrossing tale. The ending is predictable. Read it if you're a die-hard Lippman fan, otherwise her Tess Monaghan series is better.


Executive Orders (Jack Ryan, Bk 7)
Executive Orders (Jack Ryan, Bk 7)
Author: Tom Clancy
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 178
Review Date: 9/26/2006


Could not put it down.


Flashback (Anna Pigeon, Bk 11) (Large Print)
Flashback (Anna Pigeon, Bk 11) (Large Print)
Author: Nevada Barr
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 6
Review Date: 9/17/2006


Anna Pigeon in the Dry Tortugas stumbles upon and solves both a Civil War-era and a modern mystery.


The Game (Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes, Bk 7)
The Game (Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes, Bk 7)
Author: Laurie R. King
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.4/5 Stars.
 11
Review Date: 9/17/2006


This is the 2nd Mary Russell- Sherlock Holmes book I read. Found it darker and more agitated than The Bee Keeper's Apprentice. But if you are a fan of this series, it is a must-read.


The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 3)
The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, Bk 3)
Author: Tom Clancy
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 194
Review Date: 10/5/2006


The book is wonderful; more detailed than the movie.


Jewel
Jewel
Author: Bret Lott
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 339
Review Date: 9/17/2006
Helpful Score: 2


Heart-touching story of the emerging South.


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