Staff Book Reviews

Cline, Ernest
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

Great book , I love all the references to the 1980 and 1990.

Reviewer's Name: Mary
Genres:
Herbert, Frank
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

This is my all time favorite book. To quote the book. plots with in plots. Every time I read it (6 times) I find more and more subtly plot lines.

Reviewer's Name: Eric
Rowling, J. K.
2 stars = Meh
Review:

I wanted to like this book. Rowling is a good writer and there are some interesting plot lines. However, there were too many stories, with no central story or character to root the reader. I also found myself either not liking or being apathetic toward most of the characters. The common factor to all the characters and plot threads is the shared geographical location; it doesn't seem to be enough to pull it all together. It felt like a slice-of-life account rather than a novel. The Casual Vacancy would be a good read for a book group--perhaps discussion with more enlightened readers would help make sense of it.

Reviewer's Name: Karen
Genres:
Shaffer, Mary Ann
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

This epistolary novel is a quick read. At the beginning of 1946 a young newspaper columnist named Juliet receives a letter from a member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. She soon finds herself on the Channel Island of Guernsey meeting the members in person to learn about their island and find out the impact the recent German occupation has had on each of their lives.

Reviewer's Name: Kelley
Evanovich, Janet
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

Stephanie is at it again – blowing up cars, breaking and entering, being pursued by a lunatic, landing in a grave, and being rescued by Ranger among other things. She and Lula, once again, are searching for someone who has mysteriously disappeared, while at the same time are dealing with some of the nut-jobs from the Trenton area. Steph does have a tender heart toward them though. Grandma Mazur is once again instrumental in her successful sleuthing. Stephanie is slightly less conflicted this time about Ranger and Morelli. Hmm…

It’s a fun and easy read, and some parts made me laugh out loud

Reviewer's Name: Robin
Genres:
Horan, Nancy
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

LOVING FRANK is the dramatic story of architect Frank Lloyd Wright's affair with a married woman in the early 1900s. Based on real facts, the novel explores their love and motivations. The ending is jolting and unexpected...gripping, but true.

Reviewer's Name: Karen
MacArthur, John
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

The Truth War: Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception by John MacArthur is a must-read for Christians concerned with truth. In a politically correct world, “truth” tends to be described as relative to each person. Whether a person believes that gravity is “true” or not, the apple WILL fall from the tree. With the same certainty, MacArthur states that the Bible is God’s unambiguous truth - whether one believes that or not.

His introduction is titled “Why the Truth is Worth Fighting For.” The following eight chapters describe aspects of what is happening in our world today, especially with regards to Postmodernism, the Emergent Church Movement, and False Teachers.

I found John MacArthur’s book refreshingly honest, courageous, and like a drink of cool water. The book reminded me that Christianity is all about truth, not personal opinion. After reading this book, I am resolved that truth will always be important, and worthy to defend.

Reviewer's Name: Gwenda
Graves, Sarah
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

Maine towns are always a quaint setting for an adventurous tale and this book delivers. The remodeling situations that arise are hilarious and the book has useful "tool time" like hints sprinkled in at the beginning of most of the chapters. I found myself really looking forward to reading the next hint. There are quirky characters that you get to know, care about, and even want to emulate. The plot moves forward at a steady pace but sometimes for me mysteries throw in too many details and drag on just a little too long.

Reviewer's Name: Patti
Genres:
Karpyshyn, Drew
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

A very gripping Star Wars Novel that provides insight and historical background into the origins of the Sith. Written in a suspenseful manner, this is the first of a 3 book series that is one of my favorites in the Star Wars universe.

Reviewer's Name: Chris
Frazee, Marla
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

This is my daughter's new favorite! Two cute pups, a pesky squirrel, and a funny sweet reuinion. We've read it many times and still love it!

Reviewer's Name: J.F.
Fforde, Jasper
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

Incredibly entertaining book, with quintessentially British humor - convoluted, mocking and a bit dark. Though Jasper Fforde’s other books are enjoyable (the Thursday Next and Nursery Crime series, for example), I found this one more coherent and the concepts more intriguing.

Read it to discover why spoons are a highly prized personal possession; why “chasing the green” is discouraged; whether the “Something That Happened” is ever explained; and why Eddie, the protagonist, is sent to do a chair census in a town on the edges of civilization.

Reviewer's Name: Mary
Genres:
Sloan, Robin
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

At the crossroads of book lovers, code-cracking, and the digital future of data (and the power of the Google empire), you'll find Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. Set in San Francisco, this story follows a book store clerk and his Googler love-interest as they try to solve a secret society's ancient mystery with all the tools at hand, both antique and innovative. If you consider yourself both a book nerd AND a tech nerd, you will love this book.

Reviewer's Name: Esti
Genres:
Wilhide, Elizabeth
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

I did enjoy this story of a house and the people who lived in it and loved it. The book opens in present day when the current owners are trying to decide what to do with it after inheriting it from their aunt. We then go back in time to 1775 and the building of the house, and then each subsequent chapter deals with another point in the history of the house, tying together nicely at the end. The house itself is the main character in the story, and you are actually rooting for it to survive and flourish.

Of course, some of the chapters were much more interesting than others, and I had to do a bit of flipping back to remember who characters were as they occasionally would pop up several chapters apart.

All in all, I give this book a solid 4 stars. Fans of similar books such as The Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland should enjoy this.

Reviewer's Name: Krista
Lawson, Jenny
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

This book was hilarious. It's the book I wish I was clever enough to write. At one point I was laughing so hard I was crying. It might very well be the funniest book I've ever read. I highly highly highly recommend this book! Oh, and it's sweet and sad, too. But mostly funny. Did I mention it was funny?

Reviewer's Name: vfranklyn
Pfeffer, Susan Beth
3 stars = Pretty Good
Review:

As the third book in the Last Survivors series, I was looking forward to how to characters from the first two books would come together following their own experiences of the disaster. I found myself disappointed in this respect. While the book was engaging, it was missing the "can't put it down" quality of the other two and, after finally having the first book's main character meet the second book's main character, I was left feeling that I could have skipped the second book without really missing anything. That's not to say that the second book isn't good, it just isn't necessary to read it before reading this book.
Where this book did a good job was in tying up the loose ends from the first book. I definitely felt that the story was complete and, as such, am a little confused by the fact that there appears to be a fourth book in this series now.

Reviewer's Name: Erin
Genres:
Grahame-Smith, Seth
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

I read this book before I saw the movie. It is much better then the movie, books usually always are, LOL. It has much more in it and is way more cooler.

Reviewer's Name: Erin
Semple, Maria
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

Where'd you go, Bernadette is part comedy, part mystery, but definitely all enjoyable. Bernadette lives in Seattle with her daughter and husband (who works at Microsoft.) She is somewhat agoraphobic and when faced with a trip to Antarctica with her family, starts to behave erratically and disappears.
The book uses many email messages to tell the story and in this case, it works very well.

Reviewer's Name: Amy
Genres:
Hunt, Samantha
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

This book tells the story [historical fiction] of final years of Nickola Tesla's life. I was swept up in the journey and couldn't wait to see what happened next.

Reviewer's Name: Nina
Bray, Libba
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

The Diviners is the amazing first part of a new series by Libba Bray (Going Bovine, Gemma Doyle trilogy, etc.) about Evie, a young flapper who is sent to NYC to live with her uncle after getting in trouble back home in Ohio. It turns out that Evie has special powers...and she's not the only one. A serial killer has been terrorizing the citizens of New York, committing ritualized murders, and Evie, along with her uncle and a couple of pals, must catch the killer before he can commit the final murder that will bring about the end of the world. Recommended for older teens...this book is scary! (And scary
good!)

Reviewer's Name: Jenna
Tolkien, J. R. R.
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

I quite enjoyed this book. I listened to it on audio, BBC version. The music was very cheesy, but I ended up laughing at it instead of being annoyed. The acting was very good, except Gandalf didn't sound nearly as good in this portrayal as he does in the movies. Still, thumbs up!

Reviewer's Name: vfranklyn
Genres: