The Last Enchantments is a lyrically written novel of a young American spending a year at Oxford.
After graduating from Yale, William Baker goes to work in presidential politics. But when the campaign ends in disappointment he decides to leave for a year at Oxford.
This coming of age story is basically the inner monologue of the main character, Will, as he goes about his day interacting and thinking about his relationships both in Oxford and in the U.S.
I wanted to like the story as I have enjoyed reading Charles Finch's previous books. Oxford did come across as enchanting, the characters less so. Perhaps younger readers would enjoy it more.
One part I did find interesting was his description of working on a Presidential campaign and the draw of politics, even after the letdown of defeat.

This long awaited and much anticipated sequel in Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series does not disappoint. Chief Inspector Gamache of the Surete du Quebec embodies the Surete motto, "Service, Integrity, Justice", as well as possessing intelligence, kindness and compassion. Unfortunately, there is evil among the higher echelon of the Surete. In this stand alone story, Gamache is confronting that evil as well as trying the solve the murder of the last remaining Ouellet Quint. The Ouellt Quints are patterned after the original Canadian quints, and the story of what their life must have been like is interesting and thought provoking.

While How The Light Gets In is a standalone story, it relies heavily on previous books, particularly The Beautiful Mystery. Most of the stories have in some way a connection to the village of Three Pines. I know in my heart that it exists. I want to sit before the fire sipping hot chocolate in Olivier's Bistro, sink into crisp white sheets at Gabri's B&B, peruse Myrna's Bookstore, and even sit on the bench with Ruth and Rosa. Ruth quotes her poem "Who hurt you once/ so far beyond repair/ that you would greet each overture/ with curling lip?" to Gamache's former second in command, Jean-Guy Beauvoir. Their estrangement is heartbreaking and at the heart of this wonderful book. More please!

The story of Geniver, her husband and stillborn baby starts slowly and seemed at first trite and predictable. I almost quit, but the story of hearing their baby was born alive and spirited away was fiendishly intriguing. Reader beware, do not give up! The plot gallops to it's conclusion. This psychological thriller is as sinister and exciting as Gone Girl, but has a much better ending!! It's bound to be a big summer read.

Unfortunately I was disappointed in Peking to Paris. I expected an exciting road trip, but what I read was a lot of whining and bragging by the author!

This is not your glory depiction of the War Between the States. It is graphic, emotional, introduces unknown to me facts about Chinese fighting in the war and rings true. I have always felt my letters written home by family members at the end of the war and their release from Union prisoner of war camps were sad and poignant, but this book helped me realize what they really went through.

I just could not get interested in Sentinel. The first few pages were exciting, but afterwards the story dragged on until I finally gave up. Although the author seemed to know his facts, I just did not care about the characters so failed to form any emotional attachment to them. I gave it a 3 because I felt real dedicated espionage readers might find something to their liking that I did not.

Although the writing and story were somewhat simplistic, I still enjoyed reading this first novel. The characters are now introduced (the ending was a little trite) and are poised to begin what will likely be a series. I'm not sure of the historical integrity, perhaps the author should dig a little deeper into the historical aspect to give it more a feel of authenticity. Overall, it was a quick read and entertaining. I would definitely encourage the author to try a sequel.

I was ready to give up on this book almost from the beginning. But the wickedly funny black humor hooked me and I had to read on. Surprisingly through the humor I was better able to understand what it might be like to live with mental illness and the drugs to treat it. Unfortunately I was left with little hope that her life will improve. Maybe she will be able to endure the dark times and accept the joy that is in her life. I sincerely hope so.

From the very first I was engrossed in this story. It certainly helped refresh my memory of post revolution Russian history and set it on a more human level. The main character was well developed, and the interaction with the new young female detective will be worth reading in future books.

Yes, the mystery does seem like a minor part of the bigger political intrigue. But, I for one want to go back and read the first Captain Alexei Korolev book, and will eagerly await the next.

Unfortunately, this is not a very well written book. In fact it seemed amateurish, and I couldn't help wondering if it had been written for a teen audience. The idea for the plot had potential, but it just never delivered. Sometimes a silly, light, brand name dropping novel amuses. This one was just plodding!

The Language of Flowers is a perfect summer read! The foster home part of the story is told with a heartbreakingly authentic voice. Some of the later events in Victoria's life are a bit of a stretch to believe. However, I couldn't put it down, and I just had to know what happened in the past, and what the future will hold for this complex character.

Henning Mankell is a fabulous writer. I have been absorbed by all of his books. They appeal on the emotional as well as the intellectual level. My only complaint with this one is the ending. I can't believe it's the last of Kurt Wallender, and the story seemed rather abrupt. I'm in withdrawal!!

I have not read very much in the historical fiction genre, at least not in this time period. That said, I found that I was engrossed in the story right from the start. While not a fabulously written book, it is fun, fast paced and a really good read.

I have hesitated between a 4 and 5 star rating for this book. I leaned toward 5 stars because as the story progressed I found that I couldn't put it down and read the last half straight through! Yes, it is not great literature, has a somewhat slow beginning, at times confusing plot, and a bit too coincidental. However, any story that keeps you in its spell is worth reading and earning 5 stars. I thought Ms. Barry particularly captured the conflicting emotions of caring for a failing parent. A book group would have many points to spark discussion. Not least of which, should family secrets be told?

I don't usually choose to read historical fiction, but I know it is popular with many readers. As I'm interested in the historical subject matter, I thought it would be interesting to give it a try. While the story started slowly with a bit too much romance for me, I was particularly drawn to the difference between France and England in their attitude toward royalty. That was something I hadn't given much thought to and find that it explains so much. Certainly "The Queen's Lover" would appeal to readers of romance, history, and book groups as they would find many topics for discussion.

Savage Lands started slowly with overwrought descriptive passages. However, I was sufficiently interested in the subject to continue reading and was subsequently totally engrossed. Part One builds momentum to a dramatic ending. Even though I didn't quite understand the motivation behind Jean-Claude's betrayal, I never-the-less was satisfied with the conclusion.

Part Two was a much different read. It was difficult to understand the inferences as the story seemed to drift, and I found that I no longer cared about the characters.
As for the historical aspect, I would have liked to have the historical pages at the beginning, so as to be better informed along the way.