The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party: The New No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Novel (The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have really enjoyed this series - now up to number 12 I think with this installment. It is unique in many ways and teaches many lessons about life.
When I first heard about the series, it was on book 6. It worked out well, because I had so many books to read without having to wait. Now, I am all caught up, so the year between books seems like a very long time. It is like having to wait before getting to see an old friend again - well, the old friend in this case has come back for a visit!
Besides the more obvious things like the great characters in the series - after a while they seem like you actually know them as you would real people - what I really liked about the series is the detail about Botswana and life there. And so much of it is positive, unlike so much of what you hear about Africa these days. The books also teach many lessons useful to people everywhere, but from a Botswana/African perspective that can really shine a light where it needs to shine sometimes.
The first book was especially good in portraying the Botswana background and viewpoint - I assume accuracy here as the author lived there a long time. The author seemed to move away from this as the series progressed; a disappointment for me, even though the books were still interesting. The good news is that I think the author is headed back in the right direction here with the last few books.
As an aside, the TV series is great too; last time I looked into the matter, it does not look like the series with continue into a second season, but there is talk of a movie which is better than nothing. Most of the characters in the TV series were about as I had pictured them from the book - the main exception being Mma Makutsi. The actress that played her did a great job though; she just looked a little different from how I had pictured her from the book.
Now on to the new book itself. I am happy to see that this new book stays closer to the series roots in many respects showing us some more about the real Botswana. The overall plot seems very vigorous too. I won't go into that too much as readers usually like a surprise, but here's a look at main story lines in the new book without giving things away.
Remember the tiny white van that Mma Precious Ramotswe has been so attached to in the series? It is gone, but she is seeing visions of it. Hmm, that sounds like an interesting phenomenon. Where will this go? You'll have to read the book to find out.
At a cattle post, two cows have been killed, and Mma Ramotswe is asked to investigate. Lots of suspects as it turns out, making it a challenge for our favorite Botswanan lady detective. Does she solve the mystery? No spoilers here, you'll have to read the book to find out.

One of Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni's apprentices may have gotten a girl pregnant; he runs away when pressure builds to marry her. Will those young men ever finish their apprenticeships and stay out of trouble?
The "villianess", Violet Sephotho, is back. Remember her? She did horribly at the secretarial college when Mma Makutsi was there and shows up now and then to make poor Grace miserable. Anyway, Violet is running for the Botswana Parliament. They'd have to be desperate to elect her. What is up with this? Well, you'll have to open up the book to find out.
And a perfect pair of wedding shoes - series fans will be pretty sure that the "shoephile" Mma Makutsi must be involved with those. Will Phuti Radiphuti finally marry Grace? The title of the book seems to refer to a wedding happening, but will it be Grace's or for the run away apprentice? Again, I won't tell here - you'll have to read the book.
Lots of interesting things are in store for readers here. I hope that series fans will come back and read this latest book, meet favorite characters again, be entertained, and learn something about Botswana and life in general as well.


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The latest installment in the beloved, best-selling series is once again a beautiful blend of wit and wisdom, and a profoundly touching tale of the human heart. At a remote cattle post south of Gaborone two cows have been killed, and Precious Ramotswe, Botswana's No. 1 Lady Detective, is asked to investigate by a rather frightened and furtive gentleman. It is an intriguing problem with plenty of suspects—including, surprisingly, her own client. To complicate matters, Mma Ramotswe is haunted by a vision of her dear old white van, and Grace Makutsi witnesses it as well. Is it the ghost of her old friend, or has it risen from the junkyard? In the meantime, one of Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni's apprentices may have gotten a girl pregnant and, under pressure to marry her, has run away. Naturally, it is up to Precious to help sort things out. Add to the mix Violet Sephotho's newly launched run for the Botswana Parliament and a pair of perfect wedding shoes—will wedding bells finally ring for Phuti Radiphuti and Grace Makutsi?—and we have a charming and delightful tale in the inimitable style of Alexander McCall Smith.

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Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible Review

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(More customer reviews)One thing is clear as soon as you pick up Sun Stand Still - it's an extremely challenging book! Pastor Steven Furtick is the lead pastor and founder of the growing Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC. He's a very talented young man, a passionate and biblical preacher, and someone who demonstrates audacious faith. The tittle of the book comes from a passage in the Old Testament describing a highly unusual event. Joshua prayed and God caused the sun to stand still for a full extra day (!) The theme of the book can be summed up in two words: audacious faith. Furtick's clear goal is to encourage us to trust God to do powerful things through us, to awake a sense of vision "lying dormant inside you for years. In short, I'm out to activate your audacious faith. To inspire you to ask God for the impossible. And in the process, to reconnect you with your God-sized purpose and potential."
I found this book to be simultaneously very easy to read, and very hard to read. It was inspiring, but at times discouraging. It was easy to read because Furtick writes heart-to-heart, in plain terms. It was hard because it's so darn challenging! He succeeds at encouraging the reader to consider a faith and a life far beyond what we can do in our own strength, and for this he is to be commended. The difficult part for me is that much of what he talks about assumes the reader has a clear dream or vision from God, a definite purpose that perhaps seems too big to tackle. He says "Before you can pray a Sun Stand Still prayer, asking God to do the impossible you've got to set your sights on the specific impossible thing God wants you to trust him for in your life... When I use the word 'vision' I mean a "clear sense of purpose regarding what God wants to do through your life." Some people would refer to it as a calling or life mission." Therein lies the difficulty. How do you respond when the sense of calling or "life purpose" is but a small cloud?
In any case, there were a number of powerful insights I took away from the book.
- The key to being a disciple is being completely available to Jesus: unconditional obedience.
- Whatever you're good at, that's your calling. Wherever and wherever it may lead you, is holy ground.
- Every member of the body of Christ is a link in the life-change process of other people
- Furtick also hates the phrases "just a volunteer" and "full-time Christian ministry"
- The scope and impact of your vision will be determined by who you believe God is.
- "If you're going to pray for God to make the sun stand still, you'd better be ready to march all night!"
Sun Stand Still is an important and powerful call to trust God to do things completely beyond our own ability, while also giving it absolutely all we've got. If you've got a dream but are lacking the faith to see it come to pass, or if you just find yourself too stuck in comfort and safe prayers, this is definitely a book worth checking out.

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If you're not daring to believe god for the impossible, you may be sleeping through some of the best parts of your Christian Life."This book is not a Snuggie. The words on these pages will not go down like Ambien. I'm not writing to calm or coddle you.With God's help, I intend to incite a riot in your mind. Trip your breakers and turn out the lights in your favorite hiding places of insecurity and fear. Then flip the switch back on so that God's truth can illuminate the divine destiny that may have been lying dormant inside you for years. "In short, I'm out to activate your audacious faith. To inspire you to ask God for the impossible. And in the process, to reconnect you with your God-sized purpose and potential."—Steven Furtick, from Sun Stand Still"Steven Furtick challenges all of us—from the missionary in the third world to the family in the suburbs—to believe God for the impossible and begin living a life of faith beyond the ordinary." —ANDY STANLEY, senior pastor, North Point Community Church"I don't know anyone better positioned to challenge you to rise above mundane living and embrace faith-filled audacity than Steven Furtick."—Craig Groeschel, senior pastor, LifeChurch.tv"For too long Christians have embraced a miniscule vision of faith.… Steven Furtick reminds us that the God who accomplished the impossible through the great heroes of faith still desires to do the same through us today."—Jentezen Franklin, senior pastor, Free Chapel"This book will show you that your hopes and expectations are truly just the beginning of what God can do."—Ed Young, senior pastor, Fellowship Church

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Kiss of Midnight (The Midnight Breed, Book 1) Review

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(More customer reviews)After witnessing a murder and barely escaping with her life, Gabrielle Maxwell does what any good and sane citizen would do; she calls the police. Upon their arrival, they find nothing that indicates anything violent happened outside the nightclub. While Gabrielle insists that she's not lying, she can't help but think she might be insane like her birth mother. The only thing that gives her hope that she is perfectly sane is the pictures she took on her cell phone as she was running away from the group of men who so savagely murdered a man right in front of her. When "Detective" Lucan Thorne appears on her doorstep, she has no reason to doubt his authenticity.
Lucan Thorne is instantly attracted to Gabrielle and almost makes an irreversible mistake when he attempts to take her blood. Seeing the mark that shows Gabrielle is a Breedmate, Lucan knows that he can't take her blood, nor can he leave her to continue living the life she has. Only a handful of human women are marked as such and to take her blood would mean mating with her for life. The the leader of an elite group of warriors, the Breed only works to protect humans from vampires that have let Bloodlust overcome them and become Rogue. When it seems that the Rogues are somehow organizing their ranks and starting a war in the human world, Lucan is determined that Gabrielle won't end up in the middle of it.
I was skeptical when I first picked this book up. There are so many new paranormal/vampire authors popping up, but Lara Adrian somehow kept it fresh with her new "Midnight" series. Throwing in a whole new twist on where vampires come from and what they represent, KISS OF MIDNIGHT is a promising start to a new vampire series.
Kenyon and Ward fans should enjoy this series.


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He watches her from across the crowded dance club, a sensual black-haired stranger who stirs Gabrielle Maxwell's deepest fantasies. But nothing about this night—or this man—is what it seems. For when Gabrielle witnesses a murder outside the club, reality shifts into something dark and deadly. In that shattering instant she is thrust into a realm she never knew existed—a realm where vampires stalk the shadows and a blood war is set to ignite.Lucan Thorne despises the violence carried out by his lawless brethren. A vampire himself, Lucan is a Breed warrior, sworn to protect his kind—and the unwitting humans existing alongside them—from the mounting threat of the Rogues. Lucan cannot risk binding himself to a mortal woman, but when Gabrielle is targeted by his enemies, he has no choice but to bring her into the dark underworld he commands.Here, in the arms of the Breed's formidable leader, Gabrielle will confront an extraordinary destiny of danger, seduction, and the darkest pleasures of all. . . .

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The Millionaire Fastlane: Crack the Code to Wealth and Live Rich for a Lifetime. Review

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(More customer reviews)My cynical nature is rarely disappointed. And I was prepared for this book to be more self-published non-sense. I was wrong. This book is quite good - and I was pleasantly surprised. Think of it as similar to the 'Rich-Dad' series in tone, but with all the very best stuff there in spades - and with all the filler gone. The author is both an excellent writer (again, rare) and has a knack not only for telling it like it is, but for expressing himself with analytic accuracy and striking clarity. Essentially the book helps you re-think all you thought you knew about wealth creation. It's neither a how-to-guide (i.e., buy real estate) or the 'you can do it' feel-good treatise (a la Tony Robbins). Rather, it's critical thinking at its best. He works to debunk a number of wealth fantasies sold to the masses. In many ways, it's not althogether new, but it has rarely been delivered all in one package with such clarity and panache! I'm sure I could take a few critical stabs at it, but one fact remains: it's far superior to most out there in it's genre.

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Is the financial plan of mediocrity -- a dream-stealing, soul-sucking dogma known as "The Slowlane" your plan for creating wealth? You know how it goes; it sounds a lil something like this:

"Go to school, get a good job, save 10% of your paycheck, buy a used car, cancel the movie channels, quit drinking expensive Starbucks mocha lattes, save and penny-pinch your life away, trust your life-savings to the stock market, and one day, when you are oh, say, 65 years old, you can retire rich."

The mainstream financial gurus have sold you blindly down the river to a great financial gamble: You've been hoodwinked to believe that wealth can be created by recklessly trusting in the uncontrollable and unpredictable markets: the housing market, the stock market, and the job market. This impotent financial gamble dubiously promises wealth in a wheelchair -- sacrifice your adult life for a financial plan that reaps dividends in the twilight of life. Accept the Slowlane as your blueprint for wealth and your financial future will blow carelessly asunder on a sailboat of HOPE: HOPE you can find a job and keep it, HOPE the stock market doesn't tank, HOPE the economy rebounds, HOPE, HOPE, and HOPE. Do you really want HOPE to be the centerpiece for your family's financial plan?

Drive the Slowlane road and you will find your life deteriorate into a miserable exhibition about what you cannot do, versus what you can. For those who don't want a lifetime subscription to "settle-for-less" and a slight chance of elderly riches, there is an alternative; an expressway to extraordinary wealth that can burn a trail to financial independence faster than any road out there.
Why jobs, 401(k)s, mutual funds, and 40-years of mindless frugality will never make you rich young.
Why most entrepreneurs fail and how to immediately put the odds in your favor.
The real law of wealth: Leverage this and wealth has no choice but to be magnetized to you.
The leading cause of poorness: Change this and you change everything.
How the rich really get rich - and no, it has nothing to do with a paycheck or a 401K match.
Why the guru's grand deity - compound interest - is an impotent wealth accelerator.
Why the guru myth of "do what you love" will most likely keep you poor, not rich.
And 250+ more poverty busting distinctions...

Demand the Fastlane, an alternative road-to-wealth; one that actually ignites dreams and creates millionaires young, not old. Change lanes and find your explosive wealth accelerator. Hit the Fastlane, crack the code to wealth, and find out how to live rich for a lifetime.

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Chain Reaction (Perfect Chemistry Novels) Review

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(More customer reviews)For the record, I fully blame Simone Elkeles for my obsession with the young adult genre. Before I got my hands on a copy of Perfect Chemistry, I thought YA novels were strictly PG rated and the most passionate displays of affection was a line saying, "We made out last night." Nothing was ever discussed in detail, let alone the smoldering way Elkeles writes a love scene. As if that wasn't enough, she doesn't flinch when tackling tough subjects like gang violence and teen sexuality.
I fell in love with this series three years ago, and this final installment was just as hot and sultry as the previous two books. Luis, being the youngest, was so much fun. He didn't have the jaded cynicism his older brothers had going into this book. He was a reckless, fun guy who liked to make people laugh. This is what made the revelation about his past all the more saddening (sorry, that's all I'll say - read the book to find out what happens).
I wasn't all that crazy about Nikki. I understood she got hurt in a major way by a major creep, but I felt some times she took her mistrust in Luis too far. Towards the end I warmed up to her, but for a little while I thought she needed a good slap. I did, however, adore her friends Derek and Kendall. For some reason I looked forward to any scene they were in.
I felt parts of this book, especially the end, moved too fast. I would have liked a little more filling in the Latino Blood storyline and Luis's reactions to what he discovered. I felt that came and went too fast. Then again, it might just be me with a serious case of the Oliver Twists, making grabby hands and begging for some more because I knew this series was coming to a close.
It could be argued that Elkeles's books in this series are formulaic. After reading the first, the other two play out the same way, but I went in expecting that. There are no real surprised, but I recently saw on the news that people are almost 40% happier when they read a book or see a movie already knowing how it will end. This book is a classic example of that: I love knowing that in the Simone Elkeles's world love truly can conquer all.


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Luis Fuentes is a good boy who doesn't live with the angst that his big brothers, Alex and Carlos, have always lived with. Luis is smart, funny, and has big dreams of becoming an astronaut. But when he falls for the wrong girl, Luis enters a dark world he's never known, and just when he thinks he's got life all figured out, learns some disturbing news about his family that destroys his positive outlook on life. Will that Fuentes bad boy streak come out with a vengeance and lure Luis to live on the edge like his new girlfriend and his own father?

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Second Grave on the Left (Charley Davidson, Book 2) Review

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(More customer reviews)What's better than a series debut that includes a funny, unique take on the grim reaper? An even better follow up in book 2. As much as I enjoyed Charley Davidson's introduction in FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT, the newest edition to Charley's adventures took it up a level and it's exactly what you want to have happen in a series, have each new story better the one prior and this one does not disappoint. I was laughing from page one, loudly in most cases throughout the story and the end had me really feeling for Charley and Reyes and crazy to get my hands on book 3.
One week after the events in First Grave on the Right, Charley is rudely woken up by Cookie who needs her help finding a missing friend. It's just the start of many things Charley has to deal with in the coming days. First up is finding Cookie's friend Mimi and figuring out why her high school classmates are being picked off, one by one. I loved seeing Cookie in action with Charley, she's an active participant in the search and she really stepped it up in the supporting character role. She holds her own with Charley, and it's sweet seeing Cookie get a little ruffled around men, especially Uncle Bob and Garrett.
**********
"...Two men from the FBI are here," Cookie said. Quickly.
Crap. "Men in black are at the office?"
"Well, yes, but they're actually in more of a navy."
Crapola. I so didn't have time for men. In any color. "Okay, two questions. Do they look mad, and are they hot?"
After a long, long pause, Cookie said, "One, not really. Two, no comment at this time. And three, you're on speakerphone."
After another long, long pause, I said, "Okie dokie then. Be there in a jiff."
**********
While the missing Mimi storyline moves throughout the entire book, Charley's attention is split in a few other directions. Her dad is acting really strange, hiding something from her that comes out after an attack aimed at Charley and a confession from her dad caught on tape. It ended up being a really emotional moment for Charley and it hit a little harder for me simply because we're used to seeing Charley being her sarcastic, take it as it comes self - but this hit close to home for her and brought up a lot of issues she's had in the past with her family. Her step-mother is still annoying as ever, but there was nice development with Charley's sister that will hopefully give Charley a little relief knowing that someone else is slowly moving into her corner.
The most intriguing storyline for me was Reyes - of course it was Reyes! The last time we saw him, he was waking up from a coma in prison and walking right out of the building. He materializes outside of his human body throughout the story to pop in on Charley and warn her away from finding his body. He wants to let his human body die and tries to explain why to Charley, but since nothing is certain about anything involving Reyes, she doesn't want his corporeal body to die, thinking if that happens, she may never see him again. We learn what Reyes being in human form means to the demons in hell, and how he and Charley are connected. And yes, I'm leaving out plenty of details on this so nothing is given away. Needless to say, we get some answers and plenty more questions. Reyes continues to come in and out of Charley's life, never really being a full out presence in the story, but we do get more of him in this book than we did in First Grave, and the chemistry between he and Charley is hot as ever.
I would have loved to have a little more happen between Reyes and Charley, but their relationship is doing another slow build up, and the ending shows us that they still have a long way to go.
As always, Charley's humor and sarcasm is what made me read this book in one sitting. The random things she says, either to herself or others, her hilarious inappropriate reactions during what should be serious situations keeps the storylines light and fun, even when death and big bads are around every corner. Taft and his little ghost sister, Strawberry Shortcake show up, and SS steals every scene she's in. Charley does her grim reaper job a few times, but the ghosts that need to pass aren't as front and center this time around and don't need to be. The supporting characters are all interesting and funny and balance out Charley's craziness throughout her investigations.
SECOND GRAVE ON THE LEFT had me laughing throughout and a bit choked up at the end. Charley's a grim reaper who's only beginning to learn about all the power she has. She's crazy about a guy who's watched over and protected her all her life, became human for her, and she makes a decision at the end that changes everything between them. I can't wait to see where the author takes us next and how her relationship with Reyes will develop in light of new details that come out. This is a fun, exciting adventure that builds on the first book and leaves me excited for THIRD GRAVE DEAD AHEAD.
4.5/5 Stars

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Charley Davidson, Grim Reaper Extraordinaire, is back in this sexy, suspenseful novel of supernatural shenanigans When Charley is rudely awakened in the middle of the night by her best friend who tells her to get dressed quickly and tosses clothes out of the closet at her, she can't help but wonder what Cookie's up to. Leather scrunch boots with a floral miniskirt? Together? Seriously? Cookie explains that a friend of hers named Mimi disappeared five days earlier and that she just got a text from her setting up a meet at a coffee shop downtown. They show up at the coffee shop, but no Mimi. But Charley finds a message on the bathroom wall. Mimi left a clue, a woman's name. Mimi's husband explains that his wife had been acting strange since she found out an old friend of hers from high school had been found murdered a couple weeks prior. The same woman Mimi had named in her message. Meanwhile, Reyes Alexander Farrow (otherwise known as the Son of Satan. Yes. Literally) has left his corporeal body and is haunting Charley. He's left his body because he's being tortured by demons who want to lure Charley closer. But Reyes can't let that happen. Because if the demons get to Charley, they'll have a portal to heaven. And if they have a portal to heaven…well, let's just say it wouldn't be pretty. Can Charley handle hot nights with Reyes and even hotter days tracking down a missing woman? Will Cookie ever get a true fashion sense? And is there enough coffee and chocolate in the world to fuel them as they do? Here is your signpost for the most hilarious read of the summer: Second Grave On The Left.

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2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America Review

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(More customer reviews)Wow! I was intrigued by the description of the book, "2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America" by Albert Brooks, but it was even better than I imagined it was going to be. This was one of those books that I stayed up reading til the early morning hours and then got up a few hours later to continue. It was engaging from the first pages right through to the end. It's a book that's described as science fiction but it's not one of those "woo-woo" types of stories with a flying saucer in every garage, but rather a world that is easy to imagine 19 years from now, based on the way things are today.
I'm not going to include any spoilers beyond the description by the publisher because it's just too good of a book and you have to let it unfold page by page. A big part of it is about today's baby boomers which are now a major part of the population and growing rapidly after the cure for cancer and many other life enhancing discoveries. That leaves the younger generation responsible for a country deeply in debt and seemingly no way of having the quality of life that previous generations had. A huge 9.1 earthquake in L.A. threatens to destroy the economy. A little over a month ago, an earthquake that large might have seemed like way-out-there fiction but it's certainly believable now.
The characters which include the president and other politicians, young adults, people in their eighties and nineties who are still leading productive lives and millionaires and billionaires, are all colorful characters. Brooks tells the story from all of their points of view, switching from one to the other throughout the book. It's about a lot more than just the aging population and will undoubtedly get you thinking. There are a lot of pages, but there is so much going on, the pages just fly by. I was sad to see this story end. I hope Albert Brooks intends to write a sequel, maybe "2035" because I'm so intrigued by these characters now and would love to know where they and the country are a few years later. Two thumbs up for this mind-blowing book!


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The Dry Grass of August Review

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(More customer reviews)
I try to read as many first novels as possible. I believe debut writers have a story in their heart-and they need to put on paper. I was not disappointed. I am stingy with my "five star" reviews, I gladly give "The Dry Leaves of August" five stars. Anna Jean Mayhew tells this story of family life in the '50 with just the right pace. This is NOT just another story about race relations in the south. It is a beautiful story about a middle class southern family and the intelligent lovely woman who cooked,cleaned and took care of their four children. The personalities of the children, parents and extended family become real. It's as though you crawl into their brains. Some of the characters you like and others you don't like. The story unwinds slowly but the end comes fast--- maybe a little too fast? I haven't decided yet! I hope there is a second novel in the near future.

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The New Digital Shoreline: How Web 2.0 and Millennials Are Revolutionizing Higher Education Review

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(More customer reviews)The New Digital Shoreline: How Web 2.0 and Millennials Are Revolutionizing Higher Education offers a fine survey of the complex effects of Web 2.0 on higher education, documenting forces that educators need to know about to modify interactions with students and peers. From understanding how the population of the new Web is different with different expectations to understanding the new mind-set of Web 2.0, this is packed with details supporting a reinvention of higher education to meet these new perspectives - a support which goes beyond just adding new technology to the learning mix. Higher education collections must have this new approach!

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Two seismic forces beyond our control - the advent of Web 2.0 and the inexorable influx of tech-savvy Millennials on campus - are shaping what Roger McHaney calls 'The New Digital Shoreline" of higher education. Failure to chart its contours, and adapt, poses a major threat to higher education as we know it.These forces demand that we as educators reconsider the learning theories, pedagogies, and practices on which we have depended, and modify our interactions with students and peers-all without sacrificing good teaching, or lowering standards, to improve student outcomes. Achieving these goals requires understanding how the indigenous population of this new shoreline is different. These students aren't necessarily smarter or technologically superior, but they do have different expectations. Their approaches to learning are shaped by social networking and other forms of convenient, computer-enabled and mobile communication devices; by instant access to an over-abundance of information; by technologies that have conferred the ability to personalize and customize their world to a degree never seen before; and by time-shifting and time-slicing.As well as understanding students' assumptions and expectations, we have no option but to familiarize ourselves with the characteristics and applications of Web 2.0-essentially a new mind set about how to use Internet technologies around the concepts of social computing, social media, content sharing, filtering, and user experience.Roger McHaney not only deftly analyzes how Web 2.0 is shaping the attitudes and motivations of today's students, but guides us through the topography of existing and emerging digital media, environments, applications, platforms and devices - not least the impact of e-readers and tablets on the future of the textbook - and the potential they have for disrupting teacher-student relationships; and, if appropriately used, for engaging students in their learning.This book argues for nothing less than a reinvention of higher education to meet these new realities. Just adding technology to our teaching practices will not suffice. McHaney calls for a complete rethinking of our practice of teaching to meet the needs of this emerging world and envisioning ourselves as connected, co-learners with our students.

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The Lantern: A Novel Review

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(More customer reviews)From the first words I was enchanted with wonderful descriptions along with moody creative suggestions but far too few light hints about the real story. Initially it was almost difficult to put the book down because the author does create gorgeous sequences the reader can almost touch or smell or feel but... too soon the intriguing moody references seemed to overtake the developing story. I found trying to make sense of the plot more and more foggy & tiresome. Once the story began to unfold the constant back & forth with various characters and time twists grew more and more confusing to keep straight.
I thoroughly enjoy a book that paints a picture and reveals the skeletons of its story with exquisite use of imagery, but when the reader's patience is tested repeatedly it reminds me of a special effects movie where the director gets wrapped into the computer generated side rather than the story itself.
The book cover jacket tried comparing this to "Rebecca," with a powerful and haunting story buired beneath the darkness and moodiness of the setting. That was my lure to want to read more. This author seemed in love with her ability to create intrigue in the French countryside but she lost sight of "hooking" the reader. As I lumbered to the conclusion it felt more like I'd endured rather than satisfied I finished it. What began as a disguised love story grew more and more predictable. In other words, I had the ending pretty much figured out with more than 100+ pages still to read.
This book didn't do it for me. I felt like I was plowing thru far too many mood sequences, bits & pieces of contributions to the end result which was disappointing and less than satisfying.
I applaud the author's wonderful use of a wanton vocabulary of description; still, it was as though I had to plod through 75% of adjectives and quirky time changes to get to the remaining 25% of plot. Ugh!

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Please Look After Mom Review

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(More customer reviews)Kyung-Sook Shin has written an exceptional novel and I can see why it is a bestseller in its native language, in Korea. It is a story about relationships, about families and those close to us. The story is about a mother who is separated from her husband when boarding a train in Seoul, South Korea,on the way to visit her eldest son and her family's search for her. It is told in four voices, a daughter, a son, a husband and a mother. The story unfolds in mostly second-person narration, from the point of view of each these characters. The translator, Chi-Young Kim did an excellent job with the translation and made it seem as though it were originally written in English.
Rather than being given a lot of intimate details about each of these people, the author brings us into the drama of the mother disappearing at the station, and although we come to know a little more about the mother, there are really more questions than answers about the other family members. I normally like stories with a lot of character development, but somehow, this really worked and I was quickly drawn in, perhaps in the way of an accident or other tragedy where you don't want to look, but somehow need to know how and why it happened and how the people involved are affected. In many cases Kyung-Sook Shin gives only a few details and it is up to the reader to fill in the blanks. It gives a glimpse into the culture of present day South Korea both in a large city and in a rural area and we can see how much things have changed in only a single generation. It only took a few pages to become very involved.
This story is about complex emotions and interactions between family members. It was striking how differently each member of the family handled the disappearance. There are emotions that most of us could identify with in some way: helplessness, guilt, impatience, sadness and also joy. It was powerful and fragile at the same time. There are lessons to be learned and questions about how we view our relationships. It's the kind of story I'll be thinking about for a long time.
Try not to read too many spoilers if you're planning to read this book. The story needs to be uncovered layer, by layer, just as it was written. Two thumbs up for this moving novel.


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At Home in the World: A Memoir Review

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(More customer reviews)Though not someone who has followed all of Joyce Maynard's career, I still found myself immersed almost from her opening paragraphs. There is a lot here, some disturbing, some thought-provoking, and always fascinating. I was surprised, as I was one who, almost on principle, felt J. D. Salinger's privacy, if it's so important to him, should above all not be violated. However, I realized as I went along, that this is really missing the point and is also implicitly saying that Salinger, as Great Writer, is more important than others in his life. But this IS Joyce Maynard's life, not J. D. Salinger's, though he does figure in her life for 10 months and she learned a great deal about herself from analyzing that relationship's hold upon her.
I do not see that she has exploited her relationship with him; I don't even see that she has particularly said horribly negative things about him, for that matter. I also feel that all the focus on this book as being about Maynard's sense of "victimization" by a "dysfunctional family" and an older man, J. D. Salinger, are simply way off the mark and totally missing the main points of her story. She does not portray herself as a victim and her self-analyses and self-criticism ring true as evidence of her having made some hardwon peace with her past and having reached a maturity that has often not seemed characteristic of her work in the past.
I also think there is a great deal more humor and a great deal more irony than people have generally been writing about in reviewing this book. The theme of authenticity vs. inauthenticity, for example, is an important one, whether one is critical of Maynard's narcissism or not. J. D. Salinger's own naricissism is fairly transparent in her story & obviously one of the reasons, coming from the family that she did, that he had such a hold over her. Ultimately, of course, his concern with authenticity and genuineness and purity are indeed compromised by the many things within himself that he doesn't wish to look at.
Actually, I thought she was quite kind about the relationship, as if she had taken responsibility for the part she played in getting involved with him in the first place.
A couple of interesting lines that keep coming back to me are "What purpose did I serve in your life" and her observation that she was . . . "one who had made the mistake of trying to live out fictions best left on the page," a common mistake of imaginative young people & we'd all be doing well to have accepted our past with the grace and wisdom she seems to have arrived at.

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Dragon's Oath (House of Night) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have loyally followed this series and truly believe the House of Night books are getting better each episode. They are light weight YA books but they are fun and have been improving in their storyline and composition. When I heard this was coming out at first I thought it the next instalment. Wrong.
Based on the premise of giving the readers a view of how the professors became to be part of the House of Night these novella's were written. Novella's are typically around 50,000 words. What most people churn out during Nanowrimo for example. Having written a novella I was very disappointed with the way this book was presented. Where was the character development? The storyline? The 50,000 words!
Every chapter starts with a full page illustration, some of which are beautifully done, others not so much. Throughout the book, which is written in a large font, are more than just a decorative swirl, they are I would describe as a specifically designed illustrated paper waster. Pretty, but take up a lot of space on the page, decorative swirls. Once every chapter would be fine. Three in as many pages gets a bit ridiculous.
I loved how the story began. It immersed us into Dragons childhood, how he was marked, how he was guided onto a ship, and how he got the name "Dragon." Suddenly, as in two chapters suddenly (or so it seemed), we were with Anastasia, his love, and a little on how she became to be at the house of night. I think we learnt more about her family & background than we did his. Even if that part was very brief. This filled up more space as spells were cast and so forth. More pretty illustrations scribbled across the page. Nothing to do with Dragons years on his training, who was his mentor and the like. By now most of the book is over and you still know not a lot about the main character.
There is a slight reference to the Raven Mockers and Him under the Earth who is yet to be released. But honestly, this is a book about Dragon - I wanted to read about him. His life. It didn't even tell you about how he came to teach at the House of Night, how he felt about that, how he felt about Neferet, his students, his fighting, his warriors oaths and his beliefs. Just his oath to Anastasia.
It is a very skinny little novella that wishes to give you some insight as to how Dragon came to be a professor in the House of Night. This I thought would be a wonderful series, but it was like reading a chapter then going to bed. There was no substance. This could have been fleshed out to be a wonderful series in it's own right. I'd have loved that. I would rather have waited for that. Instead I spent $15.00 on a book that was as thin as my finger, not all that well written, was basically a love story, and I finished it in an afternoon.
If you're a fan of the series get this book. There are little references in it that you will appreciate. You will enjoy it, but know what you're getting and try not to be too let down.
To the authors. Please be serious about your writing or you will lose fans.

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Veeps: Profiles in Insignificance Review

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(More customer reviews)I ordered VEEPS after stumbling across its blog, [...] (which I found hilarious). It arrived in the mail yesterday, I cracked it open after dinner, and read it non stop through the end, long past my usual bedtime. The whole time my wife was looking at me like I was a lunatic as I laughed like a hyena, stopping to read her excerpts every few minutes until she told me to knock it off.
The book is absolutely beautiful (awesome hardcover - and that's not a dust cover), the illustrations are first-rate, and the content is as informative as it is hilarious.
I literally learned something on every page. Who knew that one of our Veeps had chopped off somebody's arm?
Anyhow, I highly recommend this book to history buffs, fans of great comedy writing, or just about anybody. It's my last-minute nominee for Book of the Year.


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It's a tired but true cliche that every American Vice President is just a heartbeat away from the most powerful job in the world - a job they've often never really interviewed for. Who are these people? Over more than 200 years, the American voters have sent a platoon of rogues, cowards, drunks, featherweights, doddering geriatrics, bigots, and atrocious spellers to Washington D.C. to sit one bullet, cerebral hemorrhage, or case of pneumonia away from the highest office in the land. Veeps tells the sordid, head-scratching, perversely-entertaining stories of these men we've chosen to ride shotgun in the biggest rig in democracy, without ever seriously considering the possibility that they might have to take the wheel.

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Sisterhood Everlasting: A Novel (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) Review

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(More customer reviews)Having read The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books as a teenager, I was excited to read about the girls' lives as adults. In actually reading the book, I found myself heartbroken- not because I was disappointed in the novel, but because what I found waiting for me in the four characters to whom I had formed such an attachment was by no means a "happily ever after." It is, though, a beautiful story very much like life: full of unexpected turns, suffering, triumph and love.
Some reviewers have leveled criticism about the continuity of the characters, claiming that the Lena, Bee, Carmen and Tibby from the first four novels are not the same four women we meet in Sisterhood Everlasting. My simple responses to that is I should hope not! Ten years changes people, and growing up changes people. At their cores, the girls are still the same: Carmen has big dreams and plenty of sass, Bee is a free spirit fighting with her emotions, Lena is quiet and doesn't fully recognize her own worth, and Tibby is insightful and challenging. It is their circumstances that have shifted, and it is in this that I think some readers are struggling. The lives we find the four girls leading don't necessarily match up with what we wanted for them after reading the first four books in the series. The problem, then, is foiled expectations rather than discontinuous characterization.
The novel itself is well written and moving, and Brashares manages to capture some of the most beautiful and some of the most painful moments of life in rather stunning completeness. Despite the sadness, there is also a tremendous sense of joy, and most of all, an overwhelming sense of love. Brilliant read, highly recommended!

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Spider's Bite (Elemental Assassin, Book 1) Review

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(More customer reviews)If Urban Fantasy were a poker game, and UF authors were the players, Jennifer Estep would be the one who sat down at a high stakes game full of steely-eyed gamblers, pushed a huge pile of chips into the middle of table and said, "All in." In a genre full of gritty locales and bada** heroines, Estep found a way to up the ante.
Gin Blanco, the heroine of Spider's Bite, is an assassin. She's not a former assassin. She's not an assassin in the service of some higher cause, she has no special dispensation from angels or demons or any other supernatural group that hands out licenses to kill. She's an assassin for hire and she takes real pride in a job well done. Gin does prefer to kill people who deserve it - she does a fair amount of "pro bono" work, as she calls it - but this is one book that doesn't gloss over the fact that even her charitable activities leave bodies on the floor, wives without husbands, children without fathers.
The plot is fast-paced, a real page-turner. As the book opens, Gin is just finishing one job and, once the deed is done, she's immediately sent on another. She prefers a little more prep time, but the contract is worth $5 million and the job doesn't sound too hard: all she has to do is kill a middle aged accountant within a certain time frame. For an assassin of Gin's caliber, nothing could be easier. But just as she's about to pull the trigger, Gin discovers she's been double-crossed: the client who took out the contract on the accountant took out another on Gin herself. The plan was for Gin's death to tie up any loose ends related to the accountant's murder and keep suspicion away from the client. But things don't go as planned. Gin kills the assassin hired to kill her rather than the other way around, and then she goes looking for revenge.
Gin isn't squeamish about killing, but she does have a softer side and she's utterly dedicated to the few people in the world who she really cares about. Saying she'd protect them with her life is putting it mildly. I found Gin surprisingly likable. She's so confident, so at ease with herself, and she throws herself into whatever she does 110%. I was really convinced by her personality, by the mix of deep feeling and heartless violence, and I rooted for her even as the bodies piled up.
The fantasy aspect here has a lot of supernatural species running amok in the world - dwarves, vampires, and giants - but especially elementals. Elementals have magic related to one of the four elements: fire, stone, air, and ice. In some cases, two. Gin is a Stone elemental, and the villain of Spider's Bite is an Air elemental. The magic is pretty thoroughly integrated into the story, but all of the characters behaved like humans. There didn't seem to be any kind species-centric personality traits - no werewolves with pack instinct, no vampires who can't control their bloodlust, etc. This made the magic feel a lot more mundane...which might be a good or bad thing, depending on your perspective.
Spider's Bite didn't make me jump up and down with glee, but it's probably the best series-starter I've read in a couple of months, and I'm eager to read the sequel.

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Frost Moon (Skindancer, Book 1) Review

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(More customer reviews)"Frost Moon" grabs you by the neck and throws you head first into the rip-tide life of Dakota Frost, magical tattoo artist and skindancer. This dark urban fantasy by Anthony Francis challenges you from the start to keep up or drown, tangled in the hidden roots you can feel lurking just under the surface.
Dakota is part of the Edgeworld--an alternate-world subculture that is populated by weres, vampires, witches, magicians, and the occasional agent of a secret government law enforcement agency--set in Atlanta, Georgia. As a magical tattooist, Dakota inks powerful designs into her own skin and that of her clients. Whether for protection or control, these magical tattoos can take on a life of their own.
In "Frost Moon", Dakota is recruited by law enforcement to consult on evidence from a serial killer who is murdering Edgeworlders for the very same kind of tattoos that Dakota creates. And there are only days left until the next murder is expected to occur. The story launches from there. Much of the plot is invested in Dakota's process of tracking down people to consult on new magical tattoo designs and the dangers she encounters along the way. And oh, what trouble she gets into with the numerous supporting characters that are tossed into the mix, seemingly at random.
The biggest criticism I have for this book is that time is unbelievably condensed, with too much happening in too short of a time frame. At times, the plot feels excessively full with too much going on while still being delivered in a rather brusque tone. Francis struggles with the balance between too much information/action and not enough, a hazard of creating his own world for this series, though he manages to pull most of it together at the end.
Overall, a good read. I look forward to seeing what is in store for Dakota Frost in the next book of Francis's Skindancer series.
Note: This review is of the "Early Reviewers" edition of this book via LibraryThing. (*** 1/2 )

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In an alternate Atlanta where magic is practiced openly, where witches sip coffee at local cafes, shapeshifters party at urban clubs, vampires rule the southern night like gangsters, and mysterious creatures command dark caverns beneath the city, Dakota Frost's talents are coveted by all.She's the best magical tattooist in the southeast, a Skindancer, able to bring her amazing tats to life. When a serial killer begins stalking Atlanta's tattooed elite, the police and theFeds seek Dakota's help.Can she find the killer on the dark fringe of the city's Edgeworld?Among its powerful outcasts and tortured loners, what kind ofenemies and allies will she attract?Will they see her as an invader, as a seducer, as an unexpected champion ... or as delicious prey?FROST MOON is Book One of the SKINDANCER fantasy series by debut author Anthony Francis. Filled with unforgettable characters, spine-tingling action, kinky rebellion and edgy love, FROST MOON is classic storytelling at its best, and Dakota Frost is an irresistible new star of fantasy fiction.Anthony Francis is a computer scientist who works at the 'Search Engine That Starts With A G'. By day he studies human and other minds to design intelligent machines and emotional robots; by night he writes fiction and draws comic books. He received his Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence from Georgia Tech.He lives in San Jose with his wife and cats but his heart will always belong in Atlanta.

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