Readers unfamiliar with Beryl Markham and her excellent autobiography, "West With the Night", will be fascinated by McClain's novel focusing on this accomplished and determined woman living in early 20th century Africa. Markham was a trailblazer and, having read Markham's autobiography, feel that McClain successfully captures her personality and spirit. Fans of "The Paris Wife" are in for a treat. Be sure to have a few hours time set aside before picking this one up. You won't want to put it down. You may find yourself picking up Markham's book(s) too.

The setting of Oxford outshines both the characters and plot of this novel. Liked Finch's writing style and may be interested in picking up his next effort. But, must say that this fell short of both my expectations and those books currently in my "To-Be-Read" pile.

First impressions are important: A few chapters in to "A Dual Inheritance", and mine was "Ooh, this is good!" Definitely agree that fans of "Rules of Civility" and "The Marriage Plot" will enjoy this novel as well. A plot device that reconnects the main characters seems contrived and improbable at first, but quickly fades away the further you get into the story. Highly recommended.

Felt that the opening chapter of Sara Foster's debut mystery could have been much more successful in drawing the reader into the story of the disappearance of Grace's husband. Felt she could've done so if she had included some scenes of them together before jumping 1 year into the future in the second chapter. Otherwise, I very much enjoyed her novel. Loved that the ending came as a complete surprise. I would definitely recommend this to others.

After a somewhat slow beginning, the reader is drawn into the main character's obsession/investigation of a possible miscarriage of justice resulting in the hanging of a woman in 1953 Yorkshire. Robinson's use of trial reports and journal entries effectively transport the reader back to World War II and the 1950s. Recommended for book clubs and anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

Perrotta's novel is an entertaining exercise of how people cope after being left behind after millions of people vanish during a "Rapture-like" phenomenon. Perrotta successfully captures how society feels compelled to try to make sense of senseless acts of terror/tragedy by both elevating and tearing down these same "victims." However, didn't buy into the fracturing of the family who comprised his 4 main characters. Dad: committed to carrying on; Mom: abandoning family to join a "cult'; Son: dropping out of college to follow a "prophet" who eases those in pain; Daughter: dropping out of high school and experimenting with alcohol, drugs and sex. Wouldn't those families who were spared try to find comfort in each other? Felt this fracturing was a bit forced. The novel raised many questions and I know I will be thinking about the book for quite a while. Just couldn't help but feel a little disappointed after finishing.

Have enjoyed much of the Austen fan fiction published over the last decade but could not find much to recommend "My Jane Austen Summer." The plot twist at the end was interesting and unexpected. Maybe the book will improve greatly during the editing process. It would need much improvement to get my endorsement. I suggest picking up a copy of "Dancing with Mr. Darcy", an anthology of short stories published this month and selected by the Austen committee instead.

Found Laura Lippman's latest mystery engrossing and finished it in one rainy fall afternoon! Ms. Lippman succeeds in her approach to provide a modern twist on "Rear Window" placing Tess Monaghan, private investigator, in the Jimmy Stewart role; obsessed with solving a "crime" they've witnessed while being confined to their home. The mystery at the center of the novel unfolds at a nice pace and the reader is treated to a number of pleasant scenarios of those assisting Tess in her investigation. I'm an avid reader of mysteries and this one kept me guessing until the very end. I am going out now to purchase her first Tess Monaghan novel, "Baltimore Blues". Enjoy!

Carolyn Parkhurst has once again succeeded in surprising her readers. In the "Nobodies Album", Octavia Frost, an enigmatic author whose latest work focuses on rewriting the endings of her previous novels, manages to rewrite her relationship with her estranged son while helping him cope with both a current and past tragedy. Once begun, the reader feels compelled to continue; what happened to Octavia's husband and daughter, what caused Octavia's and Milo's estrangement, who murdered Bettina? The "excerpt" chapters from Octavia's new manuscript help to increase the reader's curiosity and provide for the novel's excellent pacing. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and will wholeheartedly recommend it. Now that I've finished "The Nobodies Album" I'd love to be able to move onto every one of Octavia Frost's novels! Alas, they don't exist; just like the songs on Milo's Nobodies Album.

When a killer is released from prison and granted a re-trial, Jody Linder is forced to reexamine the murder of her parents over twenty years ago. The characters who inhabit Rose, Kansas ring true; especially those most affected by the murder (the Linders and Crosbys). The reader is drawn in from page one, as Jody's story unfolds. Nancy Pickard skillfully employs the use of flashbacks to maintain suspense and the reader is rewarded with a great ending.

The author has created some wonderful characters; the most appealing is Annabelle Linder, Jody's grandmother. She exhibits grace while recovering from a horrible tragedy and is the glue holding the Linder family together.

This book is recommended for those who enjoy a good mystery. I enjoyed time spent with the Linder family; it was over all too soon.

Interesting, informative and entertaining essays which showcase the diversity and uniqueness of America. There is humor (Illinois), beauty (Hawaii), revelation (Kentucky), the paranormal (Louisiana), seediness (Florida), poverty (Arizona), connection (Alaska), dampness (Washington), cruelty (California), history (Idaho), farming (Minnesota). You are shown how one can ache for a place (Mississippi), fear the loss of a place (Connecticut), or lose yourself in a place (Washington). The best way to enjoy this book is to savor it by reading a few essays at a time. Treat yourself to this book. You may not enjoy all of the essays equally, but, as a collection, they will enrich your understanding of this great country and broaden your horizons.


How did I manage to remain ignorant of Constantine Rafinesque?

Deborah Johnson's book, "The Air Between Us", set several decades after "To Kill a Mockingbird", offers up some of the same compelling themes found in Harper Lee's classic; justice, conscience, racism and moral leadership. Dr. Reese Jackson, a hero to the entire black community and the first highly successful surgeon, and Dr. Cooper Connelly, Chief Surgeon at Doctor's Hospital and son of a white, bigoted state senator. These are two flawed heroes provide the reader access to these two very separate communities in Revere, Mississippi.

I especially enjoyed the parts of the book which offered Miss Melba's and Cooper Connelly's perspective on their small town's struggle with integration even though I found the book to be uneven. The first part moves along a little too slowly and some subplots tend to be dropped or tied up too quickly at the end. However, I would strongly recommend this book to book groups because of its compelling characters and interesting plot.

In "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", Stieg Larsson has written a blockbuster read with, after a slow start, breathtaking plot development and several of the oddest, most intriguing and likable characters in crime fiction. As a fan of the mystery genre, I couldn't help but compare Stieg's character Lisbeth Salander with Carol O'Connell's Kathy Mallory. Both protagonists are somewhat "damaged"; Kathy by living on the streets as a child and Lisbeth by being misdiagnosed as mentally incompetent and cruelly abused by a sadistic guardian. Both have a unique sense of justice and are brilliant computer experts working outside of the rules. Having such characters helps to keep the work fresh and unpredictable. Stieg's main character, Mikael Blomkvist, is equally fleshed out, but Lisbeth outshines him (see the title). Stieg cleverly blends several plot lines together to form a cohesive story line that will keep everybody guessing and reading! (The reader should be aware that there is quite a bit of graphic violence.) I highly recommend this book. You won't be disappointed!

What a delightful read! I received the ARC this afternoon via UPS and could not put it down! The novel, set in London just after the end of WWII, centers around the islanders of Guernsey and relays their experiences during Nazi occupation, The novel unfolds solely through letters sent between Juliet (London writer of some success) and members of the Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

What delightful characters! It makes one mourn the lost custom of corresponding via letters and wonder what source future historians will mine for their information. E-mail?

While I believe that the use of letters to unfold the story was used effectively by the authors, I felt that the first few letters could have been expanded in order to provide a little more background. However, by the end of Juliet's 1st letter (the post script to be more exact), I wanted to know more about Juliet and, by page nine, was hooked!

I would highly recommend this book to anyone. I could already picture the BBC or PBS adapting this book into a successful mini series. Readers would certainly welcome more time spent on the island of Guernsey.