Fans of historical fiction will be much more likely to enjoy Bellman and Black than a reader looking for a good ghost story. The story moves slowly through a man's life and his experiences of handling great tragedies in his life while still managing to be a highly successful businessman. There is the occasional facts about rooks thrown in and some dealings with a "Mr. Black" which attempt suspense, but, in my opinion, fail.

I have heard the label "Typhoid Mary" before, but had never actually thought much about the fact that there was an actual person that carried this nickname. I felt that Mary Beth Keane did an excellent job weaving fact and fiction to profile this infamous woman. I found it just as interesting to read about life in New York City in the early 1900's. My great-grandparents were also immigrants in New York City during this same time period and I have a greater appreciation of what their life might have been like. I would highly recommend this book for book clubs because I think it could open up a lot of discussion about various of ethical issues; some of which we face today i.e. AIDS and Hepatitis.

I am in my mid 40’s and I really wanted to read this book and think that the best was yet to come. I looked for ideas such as dealing with disappointments (things didn't out as planned), losing those you love, long term marriage skills, and difficulties in late teen/early adult children – to name a few of the issues that I am starting to face. I don’t feel I got much of anything from the book – besides maybe envy of life the author has lead. She has had her struggles working as a female in a male dominated field, which is something that I can relate to and possibly this alone would have made for a more interesting memoir. As far as a memoir on a more personal level, I had a hard time relating to a woman that has two homes, obviously no shortage of money, and seemingly the perfect husband and three perfect kids. I think a very select few book clubs would find this book would spark great discussions.

I really enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to any reader who enjoys reading adventurous books. The two main characters in the book are misfits in mainstream society who develop a love for Africa despite all the mosquitoes, wild animals, and other things many would not find agreeable! There are many topics that would definitely appeal to most book clubs.

The book, The Things We Cherished, is a combination of a modern day romance and historical fiction. It is the story of a man, Roger Dykmans, who is being accused of war crimes during World War II, and is refusing to assist his attorneys in providing a defense. The three attorneys involved in the case have an interesting love triangle between a woman and two brothers. This story is interwoven with various tales of historical fiction involving the clock and the various families that owned it - primarily throughout World War II. Each of the individual stories were quite engaging separately; however, the blending of the clock into people’s lives, leading into modern day, was very forced and not very plausible.

Adam and Eve is the story of a man, Adam, and a woman, Lucy (Eve), both with deep emotional scars, meeting in a present day Garden of Eden. Lucy carries with her proof from her late husband, that alien life forms do exist, and an ancient codex concerning the human authorship of the book of Genesis. This part of the story line is very well written and a fascinating look into their past, emotional scars, and differing religious views. The last quarter of the book, however, diverges into ancient cave art and unusual relationship twists which made the end of the book confusing and odd.

I loved this book! I was one of the recipients of the e-mail and was awe struck by the ability of an eagle and a human to form a bond. Jeff Guidry has a very down to earth writing style that portrays a great zeal and respect for life – all life. He writes of his personal battle with cancer with no more or less passion than any mistreated “wild one”. His wildlife rescue stories are inspiring and eye opening – leaving the reader with a different perspective of the wildlife that share our earth.

Pearl of China is an excellent portrayal of life in China primarily during the Mao regime. Anchee Min really brings this time period to life with her descriptions of the landscape, adaptability of the people, and day to day life. The main character, Willow, has a beautiful and touching life-long friendship with Pearl S. Buck; however, I never felt like I got to know Pearl that well. I would have liked Anchee Min to give Pearl more presence and depth.

In the book Serena, the lines of good and evil are blurred. The logging camps destroy the earth, but provide employment to the local people; however, as the National Park fights to preserve the land, they ruthlessly take people's homes from them in the process. Good people are pushed into performing/contemplating immoral acts while cruel/corrupt characters perform a few surprising acts of kindness. Serena is one of those books that you can't put down and when you're not reading it, you're thinking about it!

I loved this book for everything but the romance! Will North’s descriptions of Boscastle and the Cornwall hedges were so vivid, I felt transported to this region. The true-life account of the storm at the end of the book was incredible, and having the weather report woven through the book leading up to the storm was very creative. I did not, however, find the romance between Andrew and Nicola exciting at all. As I read, I couldn’t help but wonder just how many tragic events from their lives could two people reveal to each other in one week!

Lima Nights starts out as a very passionate love story and ends in complete turmoil. Readers looking for a "happily ever after" will not find it here. I continuously wished I could understand the characters more fully. Arana would repeatedly brush the questions I had about what was motivating the main characters; however, she would only partially answer them - always leaving the reader to draw his/her own conclusions.

The author, Kira Salak, appears to use the main character, Marika Vecera, to incorporate her personal experiences in the Papua New Guinea jungle, and tries to weave in a spiritual journey along the way. I found myself captivated by Marika’s struggles in the Papua New Guinea jungle, and her descriptions of the various cultures; however, the story line and the other characters did not seem credible to me. I found the book a page turner despite of the story line and other characters instead of because of them.

The Palace of Illusions is a mythological story that takes place in ancient India (roughly 6000 to 5000 BCE). As in Greek mythology, the lives of humans and gods intersect and magic occurs daily. The author does such an excellent job of pulling you so deep into the story line that the impossible no longer seems so. It was a time when everything was magic – the sunrise, moon, stars, weather – everything! I would highly recommend The Palace of Illusions because, not only was it entertaining, but has many deeper messages interwoven. Having recently lost my father, the author’s passages dealing with death brought me great comfort. The book also made me reflect on my personal relationships and our roles in each other’s “life story”. Some of the ideas presented in this book will stay with me a long time.