GuideReviews Index
'The Angel's Game' by Carlos Ruiz Zafon - Book Review
'The Angel's Game' is Carlos Ruiz Zafon's exercise in spinning the reader through a Faustian labyrinth filled with gothic mystery and tragic romance. This is sumptuous and dark fairy tale writing, with some serious thoughts on good and evil and the search for the human soul.
Laura Rider's Masterpiece by Jane Hamilton - Book Review
Laura Rider's Masterpiece by Jane Hamilton is a short, comic novel about a woman who arranges for her husband to have an affair with her personal hero so that she can observe the relationship and write a romance novel.
'My Sister's Keeper' by Jodi Picoult - Book Review
My Sister's Keeper is the story of a girl who sues her parents for a right to make her own medical decisions. Anna was conceived after her older sister was diagnosed with leukemia. She is a perfect match for her sister, and spends her life in the hospital donating blood, marrow and whatever else her sister needs to live. As a teenager, she sues so that she will not have to give her sister a kidney. My Sister's Keeper covers the life of this family during the trial.
'A Fortunate Age' by Joanna Smith Rakoff - Book Review
Joanna Smith Rakoff’s debut novel, A Fortunate Age, tells the story of a group of friends from college who move to New York City together and find their life paths diverging and their friendships changing. The story of A Fortunate Age is closely tied to the time and place it portrays—trendy New York City neighborhoods in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
'Brooklyn' by Colm Tóibín - Book Review
Brooklyn, a novel written by Colm Tóibín, a critically acclaimed Irish novelist, tells the story of a young woman from a small town in Ireland who leaves the world she’s known and moves to Brooklyn in the 1950s. Brooklyn is a compelling and poignant story of identity, transformation and family ties.
'Cutting for Stone' by Abraham Verghese - Book Review
Don't judge this book by its cover. 'Cutting for Stone' is a masterful first work of fiction by Abraham Verghese. Not since Khaled Housseini debuted with 'The Kite Runner' has their been a novel that could and should capture the hearts of people around the world.
'Room of Marvels' by James Bryan Smith - Book Review
Room of Marvels by James Bryan Smith is a small novel that explores life after death. One man gets a glimpse of heaven in the midst of grieving three tragic deaths.
1942 by Robert Conroy - Book Review
1942 by Robert Conroy is an alternative history novel that considers the implications of a “third strike” on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
'One Second After' by William Forstchen - Book Review
One Second After is a riveting and chilling tale of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack on the United States. It is a thrilling page turner, but is also so much more. The danger it illustrates is so great and so real that leaders in our government are now reading this book. Let's hope they take it seriously.
Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown - Book Review
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown has swept the world. Is this bestseller worth your time? Find out here.
'The White Tiger' by Aravind Adiga - Book Review
The White Tiger, Aravind Adiga’s debut novel, won the 2008 Man Booker Prize and has received much critical acclaim. The White Tiger tells the story of a young entrepreneur in India whose childhood nickname was the white tiger. This novel is an original and compelling story about modern India.
'Drood' by Dan Simmons - Book Review
A daunting task creates a haunting tale. Only a writer with the expertise and perception of Dan Simmons could possibly attempt to rewrite the history and personality of not one, but two world-wide acclaimed authors, and nearly deconstruct their work into something new.
'The Man with the Iron Heart' by Harry Turtledove - Book Review
The Man with the Iron Heart is an alternative history novel in which Reinhard Heydrich leads a violent Nazi uprising in a chaotic post-war Germany. It is an enjoyable page-turner with intriguing parallels to our modern wars and politics. I came to the book skeptical of the idea of a major uprising in war weary and defeated Germany, but finished the book with many of my doubts allayed. The Man with the Iron Heart seems to be the start of a new Turtledove series. This reviewer can't wait.
'Handle with Care' by Jodi Picoult - Book Review
Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult raises controversial ethical issues through the story of parents who are suing for "wrongful birth," claiming that the doctor should have caught their daughter's medical condition before she was born so that they would have been able to terminate the pregnancy.
'The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society' by M.Shaffer and A. Barrows
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a charming book about reading, letters and life on a small island during and after World War II.
'The Reader' by Bernhard Schlink - Book Review
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink is the story of a 15-year-old boy who has an affair with a woman more than twice his age. Years later, he finds out a secret about her.
'The United States of Atlantis' by Harry Turtledove
The United States of Atlantis is the second in Harry Turtledove's developing Atlantis series. In the series the United States' east coast is a landmass between North America and Europe known as Atlantis. This book centers around the Atlantean settlements (parallel to American colonies) revolting against British rule. It is a fine addition to the series that manages to be both a page-turner and an insightful look at early Atlantean (American) character and institutions.
'Twilight' by Stephenie Meyer - Book Review
Twilight is the first in a series of four books by Stephenie Meyer. Although billed as "Young Adult," Twilight appeals to a much broader audience.
'Eclipse' by Stephenie Meyer - Book Review
Eclipse is the third book in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga.
'New Moon' by Stephenie Meyer - Book Review
'New Moon' is the second book in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series.
'Breaking Dawn' by Stephenie Meyer - Book Review
Breaking Dawn is the fourth and final installment in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga.
'A Mercy' by Toni Morrison - Book Review
A Mercy by Toni Morrison is a short novel, and can be appreciated best when read in one or a couple sittings. Indeed, the the simple story is told in several voices, but reading these voices in succession weaves a tapestry that tells a larger story about America's history of slavery and the extermination of Native Americans.
'The Shack' by William P. Young - Book Review
'The Shack' by William P. Young is a story about a man who spends a weekend with God in a shack where his life was tragically changed years earlier. 'The Shack' examines how a good God can allow suffering.
'The Shepherd, the Angel, and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog' by Dave Barry
Dave Barry's Christmas novella, The Shepherd, the Angel, and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog, is a slice of classic Americana. This story of a boy in a Christmas pageant in 1960 can be read in an hour, but it is packed full of nostalgic illustrations, funny stories and the sort of Christmas spirit that is more "A Christmas Story" than "It's a Wonderful Life."
'The Host' by Stephenie Meyer - Book Review
The Host is Stephenie Meyer's first adult novel. The human race has been taken over by parasitic but peace-loving aliens called souls. Melanie, the human host of a soul called Wanderer, is resistant and refuses to fade away, leading Wanderer on a journey unlike any she's experienced in her nine lives in other hosts' bodies around the universe.