Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

8/10 - Beautiful story that flowed really well. I absolutely loved the character Swede, but aside from Swede and Reuben, I didn't feel like I got to know the characters as well as I really wanted to. They were all such great characters. The ending was good, but I felt like he could have done so much more with it. There was such potential to make it really meaningful and moral, but the author ended up taking it into a somewhat bizarre direction. Don't get me wrong, it was a good ending, I just thought it could have been more. Overall I liked the book, but many people had compared it to Plainsong, which I absolutely loved and I didn't think it quite measured up to that book and it's sequel.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

10/10 - Holy cow, I loved it!! It had everything; mystery, great characters, and an ending wrapped up in a neat little bow just like a Christmas present. Yet so out of the ordinary, all of it. I don't want to go into more description for fear of spoiling all the little surprises. If I could put a little caricature of me finishing this book on here, it would show me with both arms up in the air, my hair flying behind me, giant grin on my face, screaming "Wheeeeeeee!!!!" Loved it, loved it, loved it!

Practical Demonkeeping by Christopher Moore

7/10 - I was a little bummed by this book. I really loved The Stupidest Angel, but this didn't have the same great wit and humor. It's definitely bizarre like Angel, but lacked the humor. This was Moore's debut, so I'm giving it some leeway, and I know I'll come back for more Moore.

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

8/10 - I'm so happy I finally finished this book. I started it last summer and got 300 pages in and had to set it down. This is an epic centered around the building of a cathedral in 12th century England. I enjoyed most of the story line, but found the parts about the actual cathedral construction and the monks tedious. I was deep into a monk chapter when I put down last summer. It also annoyed me when the author felt the need to recap what had happened earlier in the book. I read it, and if I feel I need to refresh my memory, I'll go back a look it up. However, I really enjoyed the love story in it, and it was very interesting to read about life in the 12th century. It was a good book, but I'd be hesistant to recommend it. You'd have to be really committed to reading it.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

8/10 - This is one of those books that make you realize how much times have changed. From women's roles in society to psychiatric treatment, this story covers a lot. I had a hard time feeling sympathetic towards the main character because she led such a pampered life (what did she have to be depressed about?). However, I don't think she really expects or wants the reader to be sympathetic, she's written so matter-of-fact. I thought Esther was very progressive for her time. I can't say this was an enjoyable read, but it was definitely thought provoking. You can't help but wonder how much of it was autobiographical.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

8/10 - Well written, interesting story about circus life in the 1930's. I liked it well enough. The story flowed nicely, and there wasn't any particularly slow parts, but I didn't feel very invested in the characters. It's not one of those books that will really stick with me. It was much more story driven, than character driven, and I usually prefer the latter. Good book just the same.

The Rock Orchard by Paula Wall

10/10 - What a riot! I loved these characters!! This book was just pure fun, and probably the sexiest book I've ever read. I usually try to avoid romance type novels, and I this is certainly not in the same category as Harlequin, but it has a romantic/sexual flare. The perfect book if you're in a rut.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

10/10 - Wow! What a truly interesting book, totally different from anything I've ever read. I love Niffenegger's perspective on the idea of time travel. It's so much more interesting than someone getting into a time machine and pushing some buttons with dates on them. Very original! What an extremely romantic story as well. Although it broke my heart. My only complaint about the book was the use of profanity. I don't have a problem with profanity in literature as long as it's befitting of the character using it. But it kills the mood when the heroine refers to her husbands genitalia as a "cock", or her own private parts as a "cunt". I've never in all my years (as an L&D nurse even) heard a woman refer to her vagina as a cunt. Ugh!! It hurts me to even type it!!

Sorry for the soapbox there! I truly did love the book, and I'm totally willing to overlook the language to recommend it to others. I just want to know why it's there. Anyway, read it!

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

7/10 - Well, I think I'm finally convinced. I'm just not a mystery/thriller reader. I've tried, but it's just not my thing. I really liked Dexter's character, but the plot left me cold (no pun intended), and the ending was pretty flimsy. Are the police in Miami really that bad? I'm sure it will make a lovely little mini-series.

A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel

8/10 - Fun, light read. I was expecting to relate to Zippy more, since we both grew up in very small, Midwest towns. But we had very different personalities, and upbringings. She certainly was a character growing up though! I thought the book was entertaining, and I was never bored. I just didn't identify like I thought I would.

The Memory of Running by Ron McLarty

10/10 - This is the kind of book that inspires me to read. A perfect story about imperfect characters, real people. I loved Smithy! The story reminded me a lot of She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb, which is another one of my favorites. When I read the reviews, it seemed a lot of people had a hard time with the chronology. But I felt the book flowed really wonderfully. It was so warm too, you really got to know Smithy's family and care about them. This is another one I can't wait to loan out!

Watermelon by Marian Keyes

9/10 - Very fun, light read. A bit on the predictable side, but then again I like a bit of that now and then. Desperately wanting things to turn out a certain way, and then it actually happening. A novel idea. I really liked the main character and thought she was very believable. Great humorous banter the whole way through.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

9/10 - I was so happy to get back to this genre. Back in the day, all I used to read was Anne Rice novels ;-) This book had the added bonus of making me feel like a world traveler, or desperately wanting to be one. I found myself looking up Hagia Sophia and other sights from the book on the internet. I really enjoyed the author's writing style and the letter format was very effective in telling the story. The suspense was just enought to keep you moving through all 700 pages. And the historical perspective was very interesting, and sometimes horrorifying (please no more mention of babes being impaled while still at their mother's breast!). I would recommend it, although it definitely takes a patient reader. It's not a fast read, but meant to be lingered over.

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio by Terry Ryan

10/10 - I read a lot. And because people see me reading all the time, I get lent a lot of books. I'm always grateful that people want to share there favorite books with me, but sometimes I look at the book thinking "Oh boy, here we go again." That's kind of what I thought when Claudia lent me this book. It didn't really look like my kind of thing, although I don't think I could be specific about what my kind of thing is. However, I ended up reading this book in 3 days. I didn't want to put it down. It is so entertaining! Not to mention inspiring. I just love characters that you would just die to meet. Evelyn Ryan is one of those characters. I was overcome that one person could be so clever and infinitely optimistic. Just the thought of having 10 children alone makes me cringe (to be honest), but to also have to deal with poverty and alcoholism. I don't know how I'd manage. I don't know that I could. I raise my Shirley Temple to you, Evelyn! You were one class act.

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

6/10 - I think I'm missing the point of this book. I felt like the narrators were trying to tell me something and it either went over my head or there really was no point. We didn't really get to know any of the characters, and although there were some great plot twists, I feel like it really left me hanging. No pun intended.

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

10/10 - I was blown away by this book. It was by no means an easy read, and sometimes not a pleasant one either. This book encompassed so many of the emotions and experiences of a soldier in the Vietnam war. What if feels like to be drafted. What it was like coming home. What it feels like to kill a man. The camaraderie, the horror, the death. Each story had a mood all it's own. A real tangible feeling to it. Can't wait to lend this out and see what other people think.

The Color of Water by James McBride

10/10 - This is one of those books that I think everyone should read. It's not preachy, it just lays down the facts and lets you draw you own conclusion. I loved the way the authors story and his mother's were interwoven so effortlessly. And it blows my mind that racists and bigots can co-exist in the same world as people like the McBride Jordan family.

The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman

7/10 - After perusing the first few pages of this book in B&N, I was anxious to read it. I enjoy books with a bit of supernatural flare. The beginning was great, the ending wonderful and heartfelt, but I could have easily done without the middle. The narrator (and main character) spends the majority of the book wallowing in self pity and flowery language. Her self destructive behavior is cliche and tedious, and her focus is always self centered. She has the personality of a 15 year old goth kid who thinks they're sooooooooo deep, but really have no clue about the real world. And believe me, I know, I was one. ;-)

Little Children by Tom Perrotta

9/10 - Being a 30 something parent, this book really spoke to me. I was blown away by how accurate Perrotta's portrayal of contemporary suburbia was. Although there were a few somewhat stereotypical characters in there, who cares!, we know there are always people who fit stereotypes to a tee. And no where is that more true than suburbia. I really identified with Sarah, and her constant struggle to fit in with the other mothers and neighbors. I only took off a point because the book sort of felt like it was written with the intention of being made into a movie. I thought this before I even found out it had been made into a movie. The chapters read a little too much like scenes, and the dialog like lines. Overall, a really enjoyable read. I would highly recommend it. Hope you like it Michou!

Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross

9/10 - Now here's a female character I like! Strong, intelligent, not afraid to fight for what she believes. She ascends to the throne of St. Peter and becomes Pope as a highly educated and talented physician (albeit disguised as a man) and she does it in 800 A.D.! I'm not usually a big historical fiction buff, but I was surprised how well the author kept the story moving by interjecting a romantic subplot and a good dose of action and dispicable villains. I can't elaborate on why I only gave it 9 stars, because that would ruin it for those who haven't read it yet. Now if we only knew if it was a fictional story based on a real person or a myth.