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Reviews by Karen L. (Troy, IL)

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The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors: A Novel
by Michele Young-Stone
The Handbook for Lightening Strike Survivors (4/23/2010)
The author had me drawn in from page 1. The characters were easy to get to know, the story line kept moving and you wanted to know more. The title doesn't do the book justice...I know if I had not received this ARC I would not have bought this book just because of the title. Found the blurbs between chapters interesting and in some cases very informative. Great book... get past the title.
The Hand that First Held Mine: A Novel
by Maggie O'Farrell
THE HAND THAT FIRST HELD MINE (3/2/2010)
It was very hard for me to get into this book and it was difficult to stay focused on what I was reading. Some of the scenes were too descriptive for me. The characters were interesting and would bring lots of discussion for book clubs.
The Things That Keep Us Here: A Novel
by Carla Buckley
The Things That Keep Us Here (10/31/2009)
Great story line with true to life characters. Fast paced read. The events that pull this family together and the survival skills necessary to make it through keep you wanting to read on. It had me reflecting on how I would react in the same situations. Terrific first novel and I will be looking for more from Carla Buckley in the future.
The Possibility of Everything
by Hope Edelman
The Possibility of Everything (7/18/2009)
The author describes in a bit too much detail (for me) the geography of the area they visited on the trip to help their daughter. Have to admit by the middle of the book I was skipping over these sections of the book. If you love travel and detail this book may be just the read for you. Found the process that was used to "heal" Maya very interesting and that is what kept the book moving for me. Overall a good read. I will be looking for other titles by the author.
Night Navigation
by Ginnah Howard
Night Navigation (2/28/2009)
A difficult book to read because of the sentence structure but if you are able to get past that the story line will keep you reading. An enabling mother and drug addicted son lead a life that few in my circle can relate to (or will admit to). The book made me think about what I would do if my child was an addict and dependent on me and me on him (in a strange way) - would I go to the extremes that Del does? What do we owe our adult children when they are addicts and are keeping us locked in their world and unable to live our own lives?
Shoot the Lawyer Twice: A Rep and Melissa Pennyworth Mystery
by Michael Bowen
Shoot the Lawyer Twice (8/3/2008)
Good story line and characters but often hard to follow. Too much going on. In my opinion it would not be a good book club pick for my group.
Findings: Faye Longchamp Mysteries, No. 4
by Mary Anna Evans
Findings (5/13/2008)
This was the first and most likely the last book I will read by the author. I usually enjoy reading books from a series that has a woman as the main "detective" type character but Faye wasn't very believable to me. There wasn't much suspense for me. It was very easy to figure out the "who done it". The love interests in the book weren't very believable for me either.
Killer Heat
by Linda Fairstein
Killer Heat by Linda Fairstein (2/28/2008)
Linda Fairstein has done it again. A great read! I love the Alex Cooper character and hope she is in many books to come. Storyline moved right along which made it difficult to put the book down. I enjoy books with female detectives, lawyers and the like so Killer Heat was a must read for me. If you enjoy Faristein's works this book does not disappoint.
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