It was an interesting read. It was clearly well thought out, and the symbolism and themes were clearly aimed towards the moving picture industry, with all its hypocrisies and nuances. But even though the characters, plot, and talent was all there, it felt as if I was in a slow moving scene: I knew that what I was reading was good and well thought out, but it was too forced, and the result was that I was thinking about what I was reading but at the same time everything was a bit blurry.

If you follow football at all, you probably heard about Victor Cruz. He was an undrafted rookie free agent who signed with the New York Giants' football team, only to sit out most of the 2010 season with a hamstring injury. But in 2011, he made headlines, apparently coming out of nowhere to become Eli Manning's go-to receiver on third down. Cruz's autobiography details exactly where he came from, starting in a rough neighborhood in Paterson, New Jersey to go to the University of Massachusetts, through all the hardship and determination to make it in the NFL.

As a huge Giants fan from a family of Giants fans and a UMass alum, I may be biased, but I think even non-football fans would enjoy this read. He has a sense of where he's come from and knows he's a role model. Cruz shows how many times he could have ended in failure by bad decisions or just pure bad luck, and how hard his mother and his coaches worked to make him the young man he is today. The style of writing is chatty and personable (in my head, I could often hear Cruz's voice from the highlights). An entertaining and inspiring read I'll be recommending to my family

Not for the faint of heart. Overall, not a good read. Let's face it, who reads this thing willingly?

This is a sequel to The Bar Code Tattoo. Kayla is running from the government because she refuses to get a tattoo. As she avoids captures, she and the people who help her along the way learn more and more about what the tattoo means for those who have it. She discovers her unusual past as well as the conspiracy that threatens the nation.

This is a short teen lit book about families and secrets. A young girl learns that her parents really aren't her parents, but who is? Sometimes families that look perfect are not. So what makes a perfect family in the town of Heaven?

This is a short teen lit book that deals with a young man who chooses to enlist rather than go to college. When the protagonist is injured in war, the writer's style gives insight into what is happening in his mind.

This story is a contrived and mass market type story, not on the same level as the Stephanie Plum series. The protagonist is trying to save her parents old home "The Nutshell" with hopes of turning it into a B & B. There's one catch - she has little money. She takes a job at a micro brewery whose owner is trying to find out who is sabotaging his operation. Sure, the owner will trust someone he doesn't know to get to the bottom of it all. This is definitely beach material.

A teen lit book, this story centers around a family trying to survive the after-effects of a volcanic eruption and the ensuing ecological consequences. A writing assignment which involves interviews with an elderly man in a nursing home plants memories in a young man's head - which may be the key to their survival.

This is a young adult book about a girl who is ostracized during her freshman year . Her crime? She called the cops which ended a summer party. Although this is a teen lit book, this is quite an insight into high school bullies for parents and teachers. The style is funny and poignant, and as a mother and teacher, my heart hurt for the protagonist.

Some pages were so horrifying that I wished it was not a true story. The relationships between North Korea, South Korea, and China fills me with frustration and disgust on how self-serving people can really be.

In the summer of 1928, Doug and Tom Spaulding experience all the full life that summertime brings, from making dandelion wine with their grandfather to new shoes to discovering that old people have amazing stories to tell.

I've never read another book that so perfectly captures the feeling of summer as a child, when school is out and there are no responsibilities, when you can have lazy days or full ones, and you make discoveries about yourself and others. Countless times I wanted to write down a passage, but didn't when I realized that, just like a summer's day, if you took the words out of the story, out of the context, and looked at a sentence or two alone, it just didn't have that same feeling or essence anymore. It was beautiful, but suddenly only a shadow and memory of itself. Green Town is a sleepy mid-western town based on the one in which Bradbury himself grew up, and we get to know many of its inhabitants. If I were to identify a main character, it would be twelve-year-old Douglas Spaulding, though the tone of the book is so nostalgic that I would not call it a children's or teen book. I will definitely be returning to Dandelion Wine when I need a dose of summer again.

An amazing account of an outsiders perspective on the intricacies of the social architecture of gangs, the communities of projects, and the humanity that lives in them. The upper middle class warns others not too come in contact with the poor black neighborhoods of Chicago, because of the the assumptions they have, which results in a caste system that forces people to do inhumane things to survive, and results in a duality of humanity on both sides. Sudhir peels back many layers and misconceptions over many years, and actually gets to know these people who we reduce to stereotypes and numbers.

A mysterious man shows up at Sempere & Sons book store looking for Fermin, setting Daniel on a quest to find out about his friend's past.

This is the third in the connected stories in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books cycle. While it's not necessary to have read The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel's Game beforehand, I think I would have been a little lost and not as emotionally connected to events if I had not. Of the three, I think this book stands alone the least, though it still could, as the author intends, be the introduction to the cycle set in 1950s Barcelona. In fact (and I never thought I'd say this), it made me want to go back and reread The Angel's Game because I have the feeling I completely misunderstood it the first time around. While it still doesn't hold a candle to The Shadow of the Wind, I loved getting Fermin's back story and am truly looking forward to seeing where the next book takes these characters.

Drizzt is born a Dark Elf, or drow, living in a world of caves and evil, where status is everything and you can trample - and murder - anyone to get in your way, as long as you're not caught. Will revelations about his world break or twist him? How can he survive in the dog-eat-dog world of the drow?

While I was reading, I kept wondering to myself why I didn't like it more. Another fantasy fan recommended the book to me as one of his favorite, and perhaps it gave me high expectations. Perhaps I was just in the wrong mood. But while I liked Drizzt and cared enough to keep reading the book, I wasn't bowled over. I kept nitpicking every time the narrator rather bluntly gave me information about a character or event, instead of working it into the story more subtly, and noticing every clunky bit of dialog. I might try some of Salvatore's newer books to see if his writing is improved, because I liked the premise and world-building, but while it sometimes interested me, it never had me enthralled.

I had heard alot about this book and so I guess I came to it with high expectations. It was good, it made me think - but once you get beyond the idea of thinking differently there is not that much to it. Others have done the think differently - better! At most 3 stars out of 5.

A poignant analysis of Saudi Arabian culture. Carmen is an incredibly brave women, who demonstrates not only the importance of freedom, but also how in the absence of freedom, identity and humanity can be lost.

This is a moving story of two misfits who marry. When the wife dies tragically, she appears to her husband to help him through the loss. The husband works in his family's publishing business where their popular titles start "The Beginner's..." During his wife's visits, he begins to sort things out. This book was so intriguing that I started rereading it immediately after finishing the last page. The novel will touch the heart of anyone who has suffered a close personal loss.

This is the second of the Lizzy & Diesel series, written by the author of the Stephanie Plum series. As usual, this author spins a laugh-out-loud mystery. During the quest for a magical stone, the reader encounters some unusual characters with powers, a monkey with a mind of his own, and a trail of clues & trouble sprinkled throughout Boston, Salem, Harvard, and Dartmouth Colleges.

Another carefully woven story of families in Ireland. One family with an only child has the easy life, while another family with lots of children struggles. One determined poor daughter strives to better herself by earning scholarships in order to make a better life through education. Lives intertwine for the residents of this small village.

Fourteenth century English pilgrims going from London to Canterbury, agree to tell each other stories to while away the time. The Knight starts off with a tale of mystery, gory death, and terrifying vampire creatures called Stigoi. Was he just telling a story or relating his own true experiences? Try this light and pleasant summer read to find out for yourself.

Anyone who’s watched Ken Burn’s “The Civil War” and other PBS programs, is probably familiar with the soft voice and insightful comments of Shelby Foote, respected Civil War historian and author of a landmark three volume history, The Civil War: A Narrative. In Shiloh, he uses his historical research and compelling story telling skills to bring to life six men, three northerners and three southerners, who fought at the Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee on April 6-7, 1862. The smoke, confusion, terror, and gore of battle, the texture of lives and relationships in the mid-nineteenth century for combatants and the people they left behind, and the flesh and blood characters and personalities of some of the actual historical individuals who took part draw the reader in from the very first page and make this a page turner right through to the end.

The title and subtitle of this charming little book say it all. With attractive photos as illustrations, the author takes us through the year and shows how we can use whatever plant material from wild to cultivated and containers that we have on hand to make charming, unfussy, and easy floral arrangements. Recommended for any gardener.

Well-known color consultant Eve Ashcraft shares her techniques and palette of twenty-eight colors that work to illustrate how color can effectively be brought into every room of the house. While there is good information here and the book is probably worth consulting when planning a color transformation, the illustrations do not have the “WOW” factor that is so enjoyable when leafing through a decorating book.

Why do attractive women wear over-sized frumpy clothes or overly revealing outfits at work or the same clothes as their teen age daughters? The author, a psychologist, looks at the personal beliefs behind these and other unattractive clothing choices and leads her clients on personal growth journeys which result in better choices. I found much of the material repetitive and tedious and the complete absence of illustrations made for a rather dull read. Not recommended.

Urban gardening is a lively outgrowth of the local food/grow your own food movement and Gayla Trail, a Toronto resident, has chronicled her experiences from novice to acclaimed urban gardener on her website www.yougrowgirl.com. Now she shares the skills and techniques she learned in this comprehensive and beautifully illustrated book which will be useful to novices and veteran gardeners alike whether urban, suburban, or rural. A good source, but not essential if you have any of the many other and well-done books on urban gardening and grow-your-own food.

Sometime in the near future (around 2025 according to the author), the world, the civilization, and the way of life that we know, based as it is on cheap oil, gas, and coal, will change drastically as the end of cheap easily available fuels, climate change, financial collapse, over population, epidemic disease, and political gridlock come together. He discusses the poor decisions we have made in the last 150 years since cheap oil was first discovered – such sprawling suburbia, destruction of prime farm land, factory farming, and environmental degradation, water shortages, and financial irresponsibility, that have squandered the abundant energy resources we had and argues that there is no alternative energy source available that will allow us to maintain the profligate life we now enjoy. One particularly interesting chapter is the author’s summary of how each region in the country will fare during the long emergency. This is thought-provoking reading and a good addition to the ample literature on what I call “the impending catastrophe”.

Tennis star Andre Agassi bares all in his account of his life, from young phenom whose father pushed him to "Hit harder" and asked (or coerced) players to hit with his son, to troubled teen at the Bollettieri Academy to revered veteran of the game.

My father read this soon after it came out, and recommended it to me. Whenever it came up, he'd talk to me about Agassi's father, or what Agassi said about other players - he was not a fan of Connors, for example. The one phrase that kept coming to mind while reading his memoir was "brutal honesty." This is a candid account for sure, as Agassi literally opens up about his struggles and how he comes to terms with who he is. His present-tense narrative with no quotation marks for speech could have been distracting, but instead it made the past events all the more immediate. It's hard to say I enjoyed it, but I found it compelling and would definitely recommend it to sports fans and biography fans alike.

A collection of cartoons about the library profession that was published in 1992. Kind of like Unshelved, it's much more funny if you're actually in the profession; this one references some out-of-date technology (DIALOG, anyone?) that may or may not ring a bell to librarians that are my age.

Not all of the cartoons have to do with kids who will become librarians, though the first part of the collection is about that. There's also a section on parents who are librarians, patrons, library school, and more. The ones that really gave me a laugh were the ones I related to, like the one that says "You know your parents are librarians when they make you take pictures in front of boring buildings," with a picture of an annoyed kid, hand to his face, with his excited parents taking a picture outside of the library. Seeing as I've had a picture taken outside a library, I actually laughed aloud at that one. The line drawings are simple but humorous. Overall, I prefer Unshelved, though I spent a pleasant few hours paging through this one.

Rosina (Rose) Harrison was born in 1899, in a time and class where she was expected to go into service. She determined early on to be a ladies' maid in order to travel, eventually working for Nancy, Lady Astor, for over 30 years.

This is my second memoir of life in service, and it made an interesting contrast to Below Stairs, which I read about a month ago. This title was suggested as "Further Reading" in The World of Downton Abbey. Rose, unlike Margaret Powell, calls herself a "career woman," and unlike many of her time, decides that she wants her profession over marriage. Though Lady Astor is headstrong and difficult, Rose is a match for her and loves her, too. Rose takes great pride in her work, and seems happy and content; she doesn't overlook disparity, but doesn't seem to think that she's owed anything either. Her anecdotes are often eye-opening or funny. I learned a lot and enjoyed myself along the way.

During the 50's a struggling family tries to make a go of it in Florida by running a store for tourists. The young daughter, Daisy Fay, learns about life & its hardships and love & its limitations. This is an enjoyable well-told tale of a young girl's journey through her teen years, written in the form of a journal.

A very good parody - rarely are authoers able to pull the humor off for an entire book, but this one did. If you enjoyed the 'Girl with the . . .' series , you probably enjoy this . The language can be a bit course at times and take some getting used to , but no worse than the series it is based on. This book seems to make fun of everything N. European.

Henrietta Lacks died of cervical cancer in the 1950s. Before she died, a doctor took cancerous cells and used them to create the first cell culture of human cells, which has gone on to advance medical science tremendously. But most people only knew these as HeLa, and not the woman behind the cells - her family didn't even know her cells were still alive.

Skloot tells the story of Henrietta and her family as well as delving into science and ethics in the medical profession. This is a thought-provoking book that will make for an excellent book discussion choice.

Wow. Just Wow.

'A Clockwork Orange' should be read twice. The first time it will confuse you endlessly, but you will slowly pick up the slang. The second time through you will understand and appreciate Burgess's work. This novel is disturbing because it poses many moral societal questions: criminal versus government? Do we have the right to make someone bad 'good'? This book makes us think: does anyone, no matter what their intentions, have the right to play G-d?

What gardener doesn’t want a unique, personally satisfying garden? Using salvaged goods, yard sale finds, and other easy to get materials and following the excellent instructions and photos in this book, anyone can make distinctive, decorative, and useful items for the garden. The terracotta hose guides and the canning jar lanterns/luminaria look especially appealing for my own yard.

Most tree guides are based on leaves which makes them useless for the six months of the year when deciduous trees in the Northeast are bare. This ground-breaking guide uses bark, which is visible year round, as the basis for identification and through a carefully described and illustrated key leads amateur and professional botanists to accurate, year-round tree identification. Recommended for any adult who enjoys plant identification.

Filled with great tips for simple to involved projects for inside and outside the home for people with all skill levels, this is a really useful book. I learned a new and better way to wind up and hang a long extension cord and to use a piece of carpeting to protect the vinyl floor when moving a refrigerator.

Pharoah Queen Hatusu (also know as Hatshepsut) has a secret and she fears that the Sebaus, a secret sect that has been robbing the tombs of her ancestors and terrorizing her court with a series of grisly murders, has found the document that will reveal it. Lord Amerotke, the Pharoah's Chief Judge risks his life to unmask the Sebaus. An excellent story, great historical color, and a surprise ending make this a pleasant summer read.

Before I go any further I should probably say that this book is another author's continuation of Daphne Du Maurier's novel 'Rebecca'. While Beauman's plot is good, and her characters are perfectly fleshed out, as well as having an interesting mystery/puzzle that picks up where Daphne Du Maurier left off, throughout the whole book it is clear that her writing style is not as graceful, elegant, fluid, etc. not in the least en par with Daphne Du Maurier's writing style.

A professional dog walker & part time sleuth travels to the Hamptons to attend her friend's sister's wedding. There's one problem with someone in the wedding party - guess who has to solve the mystery? One twist is that the dog walker can talk to dogs and vise versa. This is definitely a "beach" book.

Patroclus is the son of a king, but early on he knew he disappointed his father. He could never match up to Achilles, the son ofo a goddess and the one destined to be the greatest Greek fighter ever. When Patroclus accidentally kills a boy, he is exiled to Achilles' father's kingdom. As these boys become friends and companions, Patroclus narrates their story leading up to events that will be familiar to anyone who knows their Greek mythology (even one, like me, who only knows it through Percy Jackson and the like!).

This was an intriguing text; it made me uncomfortable and fascinated at the same time. Anyone who is interested in the development of language, reading and the internet will truly enjoy this provocative text!

I have always loved Alice Hoffman and her novels, and her latest book is no exception! This historical novel was very well written and engaging. The story of the four women in Masada was beautiful; each woman was a character to remember. I completely reccomend it!

I totally believe in juice fasting. But this book... well, is extreme. I am not sure how anyone could follow what she expects from day to day. I read thru to see if any of the day's changed and got to a point where you could still live and exsist in the "real world" and I know I could not. So I feel this book and the instructions contained within are too extreme for any "regular" person to be able to follow and still have a life. Any diet or cleanse should be attainable for it to "work". I do not recommend this book or method.

Great Book!! Lot's of truth about how to eat to: Fill and Fuel your body while you loose weight and increase health.
This "REALLY WORKS"!!!

The latest installment in the Maisie Dobbs series shows how society in England is changing after WWI. Maisie is maturing in her chosen profession and becoming more confident about the life choices she has made. This book provides a sensitive look at the growing conflict leading up to WWII.

Just amazing. One of the highest compliments I can give this book is that it is so NOT human. Morrie is obviously a human, but the way he thinks and acts, is something more. He isn't selfish, or self-absorbed, or in a rush like so many people, he is just a compassionate, wise, man.

Exceptional read - if you are interested in how creativity works you'll find this book facinating.

Why brainstorming in business doesn't work?
How Pixar built a successful business model which encourages creativity?
Why chemists do not solve chemistry problems, but biologist might?

Cools stuff - very enjoyable

Quick , fast read, if you are a teacher you will appreciate the sentiments of the author.

When I got to the last page, I thought "this can't be right...there's got to be more..." It was such a good memoir, but so heartbreaking, that I was almost glad there was no more, because then than would mean Mrs. Jeannette Walls suffered more, and I don't think that could be possible. Her stories of her family, life, and childhood, made me reexamine mine, and realize: I have nothing to complain about.

This was a Nook freebie Friday book. Light reading, this was a story suitable for summer reading. With all of the hoopla surrounding the upcoming political race, this title caught my eye as escapist reading. A lady cop goes undercover as a college coed to solve a string of murders of politicians. Try to figure out who and why.

In the vein of Hunger Games, this story revolves around a futuristic society that wants everyone to conform and get an arm bar code tattoo that holds all of your information. The story begins with a family who is adversely affected by the tattoos. Then when the protagonist chooses not to get the tattoo, the excitement begins. This novel grabs you - and has a sequel.

In 2044, most people are plugged into OASIS, a fully-immersive MMOG. Wade Watts, our narrator, tells the story as he describes the massive hunt for the three keys and puzzles that multi-billionaire James Halliday left behind in the game as an "egg", with the ultimate prize: winning Halliday's money. This is thoroughly entertaining science fiction filled with 1980s (and other) trivia sure to satisfy anyone's inner geek.

A page turning novel narrated by an Indian peasant women, who is anything but simple, and how she endures what life comes her way. Poignantly displays the difference between loving endurance and hateful survival. Ruku (the narrator) does not just speak for herself, but for an entire class of Indians and how their morals conflict with modern day changes.

Originally written in the 1960s, Margaret Powell's first memoir as a kitchen maid and then cook in the 1920s and 30s is newly reprinted with a subtitle touting it as the inspiration for "Upstairs, Downstairs" and "Downton Abbey." Whether that's actually the case, I leave for you to decide, but if you're interested in the perspective of a kitchen-maid-turned-cook in service in the 1920s and 30s, Powell's memoir pulls no punches, yet has a touch of humor, too.

A remarkably human pieced of work. Out of many books written about WWII this one is the most humane. It evokes history, love, sadness, and emotions that I didn't even know could be felt. It is bittersweet. But it focuses not on love, and not on hate, but the hard in between places that are what most people have to endure.

This is an exciting read for an Anne Rice fan! I felt like I was reading an intensely detailed historical sketch of Abraham Lincoln. I'm still asking myself if what I read was true or just a creation of Grahame-Smith's twisted mind. Abraham Lincoln as a vampire hunter. Could this be true? Maybe!

A well written book that is disturbing but gripping at the same time

An amazing book. It's interesting because the history of the Belgian Congo, past and present, is blended in with the character's personal experiences in the Congo. The raw humanity present in the Congo, is blended with the understanding and clarification of the reality of the imperfections of religion and family that the four daughters of the preacher are forced to collide with.

Super Bowl XXV was held at the end of the 1990 season, a fantastic game between the Buffalo Bills - the new team on the block with a dynamic offense - and the New York Giants - the old guard, big on defense and a running game. Headed up by Jim Kelly and backup quarterback Jeff Hostetler, these teams competed in an exciting, closely contested game devoid of turnovers.

The subtitle "From the Persian Gulf to the Shores of West Florida: The New York Giants, the Buffalo Bulls, and Super Bowl XXV" is a little misleading. The Persian Gulf War is more of a backdrop, going on behind the scenes, and affecting the game in such ways as increasing security, and the discussion over whether or not the game should go on during a war. Really, it's all about the football. Lazarus begins by showing Hostetler and Kelly rising through the ranks in college to play in the NFL, overviews the season and playoffs, before diving in to the heart of the narrative: Super Bowl XXV. The play-by-play of this game is at the heart of the book and where Lazarus' writing really shines. He throws in other things, too, such as flashbacks to previous Super Bowls and a chapter on the assistant coaches working with the Giants who would go on to have fantastic careers of their own (Belichick and Coughlin, anyone?), but I found this gave the narrative a staccato rhythm, instead of building up momentum to the final play of the game. Also, he goes on a bit too long in the final chapters of "after" the big game, and I started to lose interest. Lazarus has clearly done his research and extensive interviews in 2010, so the inclusion of players' and coaches' reminiscences add a lot. If you're a Giants or a Bills fan - or even if you're just a football fan - it's worth a look.