The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Children of Húrin - I’m not sure what it is about this book, but I couldn’t read it. First the introduction bored me so I decided halfway through that (its 27 pages long) to skip it. The story itself I can tell you little about. Somebody got lost and spent time with the Dwarfs, I think, then under oath of secrecy was allowed to return to middle earth. There’s a battle I believe about where I stopped reading, although I’m not sure where I stopped because I can’t even find that spot. I just couldn’t get into the story or find the interest.

The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Children of Húrin - I’m not sure what it is about this book, but I couldn’t read it. First the introduction bored me so I decided halfway through that (its 27 pages long) to skip it. The story itself I can tell you little about. Somebody got lost and spent time with the Dwarfs, I think, then under oath of secrecy was allowed to return to middle earth. There’s a battle I believe about where I stopped reading, although I’m not sure where I stopped because I can’t even find that spot. I just couldn’t get into the story or find the interest.

Once a Thief & Always a Thief by Kay Hooper

Once a Thief & Always a Thief - Morgan West is the exhibit director for the Bannister collection. Max Bannister is the scion who is allowing the collection to be displayed as a trap. Wolfe Nickerson, Max’s half brother, is the security expert from Lloyd’s of London. Storm Tremaine is hired to install the new security system. And Quinn is a cat burglar, Interpol’s most wanted thief for the past 10 years. Jared Chavalier (introduced in the 2nd book) is an Interpol officer assisting with the trap.

Once a Thief is the 1st part of a two book series & Always a Thief is the second part. In the first book the trap is set; in the second the trap is sprung. Put together they are wonderfully fun.

Once a Thief & Always a Thief by Kay Hooper

Once a Thief & Always a Thief - Morgan West is the exhibit director for the Bannister collection. Max Bannister is the scion who is allowing the collection to be displayed as a trap. Wolfe Nickerson, Max’s half brother, is the security expert from Lloyd’s of London. Storm Tremaine is hired to install the new security system. And Quinn is a cat burglar, Interpol’s most wanted thief for the past 10 years. Jared Chavalier (introduced in the 2nd book) is an Interpol officer assisting with the trap.

Once a Thief is the 1st part of a two book series & Always a Thief is the second part. In the first book the trap is set; in the second the trap is sprung. Put together they are wonderfully fun.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

The Kite Runner - Amir and Hassan grew up together in Kabul, Afghanistan. Amir, 1 year older, was the son of a wealthy man, Hassan, the son of the servant. Although Amir spent most of his time with Hassan, he never really treated him as a full friend, leaving him out when other friends came to play. Amir was not an athlete. In fact he was a coward. When he was threatened by others, it was Hassan who fought for him. The two things Amir could do were write fiction and kite fighting. Hassan was probably the greatest kite runner. After a kite fighting tournament Amir and Hassan entered, Hassan got into trouble and needed Amir’s help. Amir failed him and this changed the rest of their lives.

With the background of the Afghanistan wars of the last 30 years, this story is a poignant and gripping. It will also make you think about how you treat your friends and relationships and what your actions now will have later.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

The Kite Runner - Amir and Hassan grew up together in Kabul, Afghanistan. Amir, 1 year older, was the son of a wealthy man, Hassan, the son of the servant. Although Amir spent most of his time with Hassan, he never really treated him as a full friend, leaving him out when other friends came to play. Amir was not an athlete. In fact he was a coward. When he was threatened by others, it was Hassan who fought for him. The two things Amir could do were write fiction and kite fighting. Hassan was probably the greatest kite runner. After a kite fighting tournament Amir and Hassan entered, Hassan got into trouble and needed Amir’s help. Amir failed him and this changed the rest of their lives.

With the background of the Afghanistan wars of the last 30 years, this story is a poignant and gripping. It will also make you think about how you treat your friends and relationships and what your actions now will have later.

A Christmas Secret by Anne Perry

A Christmas Secret: A Novel - Dominic Corde is asked to fill in for vacationing Reverend Wynter in the village of Cottisham. He and his wife, Clarice, are anxious to prove themselves as worthy of having a vicarage of their own and believe this is their chance. However, Reverend Wynter is a much loved person who knew many secrets. When they find out he really didn’t go on holiday, they feel the danger to themselves, and need to discover what he knew and who didn’t trust the vicar.

Anne Perry continues to spin tales that intrigue without vulgar language and violence.

A Christmas Secret by Anne Perry

A Christmas Secret: A Novel - Dominic Corde is asked to fill in for vacationing Reverend Wynter in the village of Cottisham. He and his wife, Clarice, are anxious to prove themselves as worthy of having a vicarage of their own and believe this is their chance. However, Reverend Wynter is a much loved person who knew many secrets. When they find out he really didn’t go on holiday, they feel the danger to themselves, and need to discover what he knew and who didn’t trust the vicar.

Anne Perry continues to spin tales that intrigue without vulgar language and violence.

High Profile by Robert B. Parker

High Profile (Jesse Stone) - Walton Weeks, a high profile and controversial talk-show host is found hanging in Jesse Stone’s jurisdiction. His mistress is found later in a Paradise restaurant’s dumpster. No one connected with Weeks even knew why he was in Paradise.

High Profile by Robert B. Parker

High Profile (Jesse Stone) - Walton Weeks, a high profile and controversial talk-show host is found hanging in Jesse Stone’s jurisdiction. His mistress is found later in a Paradise restaurant’s dumpster. No one connected with Weeks even knew why he was in Paradise.

Sea Change by Robert B. Parker

Sea Change (Jesse Stone) - A woman’s body is washed ashore in Paradise. Once Jesse Stone learns who she was then his problems began. He believed that of the owners of the yachts in town for Race Week was responsible. But no was talking, not the playboy owners, the crew who recruited for parties, not the twin sisters of the victim, not the parents, who seemed strangely unaffected by the death. Those who said anything were lying.

Sea Change by Robert B. Parker

Sea Change (Jesse Stone) - A woman’s body is washed ashore in Paradise. Once Jesse Stone learns who she was then his problems began. He believed that of the owners of the yachts in town for Race Week was responsible. But no was talking, not the playboy owners, the crew who recruited for parties, not the twin sisters of the victim, not the parents, who seemed strangely unaffected by the death. Those who said anything were lying.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

A Thousand Splendid SunsMariam is the illegitimate daughter of one of Heart’s wealthiest men, Jahil. Growing up she adores her father even though her mother, Nana, tries to warn her of the low regard held for herself and Mariam. When Mariam is 15 she forces the issue and learns that she indeed, is not anything in her father’s eyes. She is married off to a man more than twice her age and lives over 600 miles away in Kabul.

Laila grows up in Kabul with Tariq as her best friend. Intelligent, beautiful, and adored by her father, Laila’s life is marred by the Afghani politics that eventually take Tariq and her family from her. She ends compromises her life by accepting Mariam’s husband’s marriage proposal.

Hosseini weaves the tale and emotions of two women so well that I thought he was a female writer until I finally looked after reading more than half the story. Being American and ashamedly unaware, I don’t know how accurate the politics of the story are, but from what little I know of what Afghan, and Islamic women have endured and still are enduring, this man has written a story that rings all to true and should not be buried.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

A Thousand Splendid SunsMariam is the illegitimate daughter of one of Heart’s wealthiest men, Jahil. Growing up she adores her father even though her mother, Nana, tries to warn her of the low regard held for herself and Mariam. When Mariam is 15 she forces the issue and learns that she indeed, is not anything in her father’s eyes. She is married off to a man more than twice her age and lives over 600 miles away in Kabul.

Laila grows up in Kabul with Tariq as her best friend. Intelligent, beautiful, and adored by her father, Laila’s life is marred by the Afghani politics that eventually take Tariq and her family from her. She ends compromises her life by accepting Mariam’s husband’s marriage proposal.

Hosseini weaves the tale and emotions of two women so well that I thought he was a female writer until I finally looked after reading more than half the story. Being American and ashamedly unaware, I don’t know how accurate the politics of the story are, but from what little I know of what Afghan, and Islamic women have endured and still are enduring, this man has written a story that rings all to true and should not be buried.

The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson

The Girl Who Stopped SwimmingLaurel Gray Hawthorne wakes up to a ghost standing by her bed. The ghost leads Laurel to its body in the pool of the backyard. The dead girl is Laurel’s daughter’s best friend Molly. The police rule it an accident, but Laurel knows that her daughter, Shelby, and her cousin Bet, who had been there for vacation, know something about Molly’s death. Laurel needs to get aggressive and wants her sister Thalia to come and help. Her husband, David, asks his mother-in-law, who wants to sweep everything under the rug over instead. Through this death and mystery, Laurel thrashes out issues in her life and learns some family secrets that have affected her.

This is a great book. I would have no problem giving it to my teenager (if he would deign to read what I would recommend) blacking out 3 words in one scene where Laurel was very drunk and very mad. It’s a great mystery, I had no idea who dunnit and I really liked the way Joshilyn resolved the family issues.

The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson

The Girl Who Stopped SwimmingLaurel Gray Hawthorne wakes up to a ghost standing by her bed. The ghost leads Laurel to its body in the pool of the backyard. The dead girl is Laurel’s daughter’s best friend Molly. The police rule it an accident, but Laurel knows that her daughter, Shelby, and her cousin Bet, who had been there for vacation, know something about Molly’s death. Laurel needs to get aggressive and wants her sister Thalia to come and help. Her husband, David, asks his mother-in-law, who wants to sweep everything under the rug over instead. Through this death and mystery, Laurel thrashes out issues in her life and learns some family secrets that have affected her.

This is a great book. I would have no problem giving it to my teenager (if he would deign to read what I would recommend) blacking out 3 words in one scene where Laurel was very drunk and very mad. It’s a great mystery, I had no idea who dunnit and I really liked the way Joshilyn resolved the family issues.

Duma Key by Stephen King

Duma Key: A NovelEdgar Freemantle has lost his right arm in a construction site accident that should have taken his life. He also has amnesia. Because his personality has changed, he is angry all the time, and he tried to kill her, his wife asks for a divorce. His doctor suggests a change of venue and a new hobby. This leads Edgar to painting and Duma Key off of Florida. Edgar meets Jerome Wireman an ex-lawyer, who takes care of Elizabeth Eastlake, Alzheimer patient. Wireman and Elizabeth have also suffered head injuries in their past. All three of these people have some sort of paranormal power. Duma Key amplifies this power. Edgar’s comes through his drawings. However, there is another power on the key that is using Edgar and will destroy anyone that stands in its way.

I don’t think this is one of King’s better works. I almost didn’t get to the half way mark because it was just a story for so much of the first half of the novel. And there is so much vulgar language, which is part of the character and illness, but all the same, at the beginning it was a big deterrent to going on. But it was Stephen King. So I kept reading and was rewarded with a lukewarm paranormal story of mindreading, ghosts, and telekinetic activity.

Duma Key by Stephen King

Duma Key: A NovelEdgar Freemantle has lost his right arm in a construction site accident that should have taken his life. He also has amnesia. Because his personality has changed, he is angry all the time, and he tried to kill her, his wife asks for a divorce. His doctor suggests a change of venue and a new hobby. This leads Edgar to painting and Duma Key off of Florida. Edgar meets Jerome Wireman an ex-lawyer, who takes care of Elizabeth Eastlake, Alzheimer patient. Wireman and Elizabeth have also suffered head injuries in their past. All three of these people have some sort of paranormal power. Duma Key amplifies this power. Edgar’s comes through his drawings. However, there is another power on the key that is using Edgar and will destroy anyone that stands in its way.

I don’t think this is one of King’s better works. I almost didn’t get to the half way mark because it was just a story for so much of the first half of the novel. And there is so much vulgar language, which is part of the character and illness, but all the same, at the beginning it was a big deterrent to going on. But it was Stephen King. So I kept reading and was rewarded with a lukewarm paranormal story of mindreading, ghosts, and telekinetic activity.

The Far Pavilions by M. M. Kaye

The Far PavilionsAshton Hilary Akbar Pelham-Martyn is an Englishman born is India. He was also orphaned in India so subsequently was raised for the 1st 12 years of his life as Ashok, son of Sita. This saga takes us through Ash’s life from his birth and his difficulties of having two identities, and being accepted by neither.

This took me a very long time to read, it is a big book. I relished most of the story until the Afghanistan war. Then I was reading to get it over with. I still wanted to know what happened, but I felt that in the end there was too much information.

The Far Pavilions by M. M. Kaye

The Far PavilionsAshton Hilary Akbar Pelham-Martyn is an Englishman born is India. He was also orphaned in India so subsequently was raised for the 1st 12 years of his life as Ashok, son of Sita. This saga takes us through Ash’s life from his birth and his difficulties of having two identities, and being accepted by neither.

This took me a very long time to read, it is a big book. I relished most of the story until the Afghanistan war. Then I was reading to get it over with. I still wanted to know what happened, but I felt that in the end there was too much information.

Return Engagement by Kay Hooper

Return Engagement -Tara Collins is a movie star. Devlin Bradley is a movie producer. They had met and had an affair, he asked her to marry him, she refused. Now whenever they work together their fights are legendary. Recently Tara has fallen ill from exhaustion and in order to guarantee he’ll hold off production of his next movie so she can have the choice role, they make a deal where Tara has to pose as his fiancé for six months.

This is a quick and enjoyable book to read when you want to escape from life.

Return Engagement by Kay Hooper

Return Engagement -Tara Collins is a movie star. Devlin Bradley is a movie producer. They had met and had an affair, he asked her to marry him, she refused. Now whenever they work together their fights are legendary. Recently Tara has fallen ill from exhaustion and in order to guarantee he’ll hold off production of his next movie so she can have the choice role, they make a deal where Tara has to pose as his fiancé for six months.

This is a quick and enjoyable book to read when you want to escape from life.