I really enjoyed the Voyage of the Morning Light. This was certainly a book that took me to a different time and place. The scenery, nature and life aboard the sailing ship was vividly described. I could see it all in my mind's eye. It was not a fast paced book, but that was part of the charm for me. There was a lot of food for thought. . And certainly the main moral dilemma involving Kay's "brother". I did like all the main characters. I kind of skipped over the Greek parts, although I admired Kay's diligence in tackling her studies.
I think this would be a good choice for a book group. There is plenty to discuss.

I had a difficult time loading the book, but after asking BookBrowse for help someone called me and got me on track. BookBrowse is wonderful- they are so helpful! Then, my computer conked out before I could get the book read and my review in. I'm glad I stuck with it because I thought this book was great!

Actually, I had a hard time getting into this book. For me, there were parts that moved along and there were parts that dragged. Still, there were some good insights sprinkled throughout. I like the idea of all the different characters who formed an unlikely family of friends. I am glad that I read it through til the end although it took me awhile.

I loved this book! The relationship between Dan and Ellie as it evolved, little Ed and feathery Phineas all played a role in this unusual tale of love. They touched my heart. When the story ended, I hated to say goodbye.

Although I thought I knew where the book was headed, the story sometimes took surprising twists. The countryside was vividly described, and I learned interesting things about harps.

I think Ellie and the Harpmaker would be a great book club read- there is plenty to discuss within it's pages.

This book has earned a permanent place on my bookshelf of all time favorites!

I have read many historical fiction books based on WWII. The Last Year of the War was excellent. It was told from a different perspective then other books that I've read, starting with two innocent families who were sent to an internment camp in Texas.The author was able to convey what that it was like for people to have freedom taken away and to be held against their will, through no fault of their own.The book was well researched and historically accurate. The story was captivating and really held my attention. The characters seemed so real. I really cared about both young girls, one from a German family and one from a Japanese family, and the friendship they forged beginning in the interment camp. Following the story through the years, it seemed more like a memoir than fiction.
The Last Year of the War was one of the best books I've read in a long time. I will highly recommend it to my friends.

I am fascinated and totally entertained by Anne Tyler's writing, and this book was no exception. Anne takes mostly everyday situations, mixes in diverse, often
eccentric characters, and writes quiet stories that draw me right in every time!
Willa's story is told in decades. She lived her life pleasing others. By the end of the book Willa was able to take stock of her life and decide what road she really wanted to be on, and who were the people that she wanted in her life.
Clock Dance was another winner in a very long list of Anne Tyler novels that I have read. She is right up there at the top of the list of "My Favorite Authors".

This book is a real keeper for me- it will remain in my memory- not just as a book that I have read, but as a story that will "stay with me". It will be a title that I will keep on my list of books to highly recommend to friend and family.
Love and Other Consolation Prizes is a well written, moving book with three main characters that I really cared about. I am amazed that Ernest was based on real person. His story is incredible.
I really enjoyed the bits and pieces of historical events throughout the book~ they grounded the story for me.
Be sure to read the Author's Notes at the end of the book. I found those pages to be very informative and interesting.
I enjoyed the Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. This book is another winner. Now I am really looking forward to reading Songs of Willow Frost. And I will certainly be on the lookout for other future titles by Jamie Ford!

After reading this quiet thoughtful book, I felt like I had a new understanding of Wyeth's famous painting and the woman who inspired it. Christina's World is a seamless blend of fact and fiction. I loved the description of rural Maine in this time period. The author's writing took me there. Christina came alive as a person for me. I felt her determination to deal with her many challenges.

I love art and art museums. So, I connected with this book from that standpoint. However, I can highly recommend A Piece of The World to anyone who enjoys well researched, engaging historical fiction. This would be a great selection for book discussion groups.

I am looking forward to reading other books that Ms. Kline has written.

This was an unusual book, unlike any that I have ever read. It is the story of a young man with catastrophic birth defects, who has spent his entire 17 year life in a Russian hospital. Although Ivan's medical situation was so devastating and the hospital setting was grim, Ivan's remarkable spirit gave his life hope.
Ivan's limited life at the hospital was greatly expanded by his love of reading. Then Polina arrived and Ivan found love.

I felt this book read like a memoir rather than fiction. I will never forget Ivan for being determined, adventurous, intelligent, witty and loving. Both the characters and the setting were very real to me.

I recommend with book with the disclaimer that there are some graphic sex scenes that might be offensive.

I thought this novel was beautifully written, with lyrical prose sprinkled throughout the book. This was a love story of two young people from entirely different backgrounds who lived separate lives for years, and met each other unexpectedly later in life. I liked the way it was written, from both viewpoints, and alternating the past and the present. The story both kept my interest and touched my heart.

This wasn't a page turner for me, but a slower paced read with parts that were so beautifully written that I often found myself rereading passages before continuing on with the story. The author's description of the setting of the book was almost poetic. Using flashbacks of Anil and Mac's life together gave a foundation for understanding the enormity of Anil's loss. Anil, as well as the doctor and the poet had all suffered losses and were dealing with them in different ways. As in real life, the events of that year and how things turned out could not have been foreseen. This is not a light read, but I would definitely recommend it to my friends who would appreciate a thoughtful, sensitive book.

I enjoyed this book very much. I've never read anything about early on-set Alzheimers disease. Through Anna's first person story I really felt what it must be like to know that you are going to be steadily losing your memory and almost all that you are as a person. Anna amazed me. She made choices while she still could, and faced her future with courage. But, the story remained real. Anna's feelings, thoughts, reactions were so human and honest. I felt all the characters were very believable.
I think book clubs would have a lot to discuss. This is a very readable, thought provoking book.
I think that an important thing to remember, and it came through in this book, is that love does remain. Memories may fail, but a person can always feel love.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I am not into tarot cards or mystical stories and I don't care for carnivals (or circuses). So, I can't say that it was a novel that I connected with The parts of the book dealing with tarot cards and the mystical or magical elements of the story just didn't hold my interest. Regardless, I did find descriptions of the early traveling carnival life interesting (a different time and place).

I did like the author's style and I thought the book was very well written. Personally, it just wasn't "my thing".

Loving Rose....
The adoptive father~ He loved Rose and his last request as he was dying reflects that love.
The adoptive mother~ "impulsively" made a major journey to honor his request~ for the love of Rose.
The biological father~ upon finding his daughter~ made his selfless decision out of love for Rose.

Were there countless unbelievable coincidences in this book? Yes. But isn't that true of life? And, are they really "coincidences"? In ones lifetime, don't things happen as a result of something else....which can be traced back to something that happened before that? Like a pebble tossed into a pond, that causes ripple after ripple.
And impulsiveness...haven't we all been impulsive when love is the driving force?
There were so many characters in this book~seeking love, protecting loved ones, looking for the right path for their lives. Flawed people, real people.
I felt this was a true to life story that was memorable and unforgettable.

Without the list of "who's who" at the beginning of the book, I would have been totally lost. It was slow going at first, but the book picked up after being initially confusing. I'm glad that I kept reading, because it turned out to be a fascinating look into the lives and minds of this artistic and literary group of people who became known as the Bloomsbury Group. Throughout the book loomed the relationship of the two sisters, Vanessa and Virginia. Their love/hate, conflicted relationship was a story of it's own.

I cannot really classify this book as a mystery, a love story, or a story of a marriage. It is that and more. Like life, it takes quick twists and turns and is unpredictable. I have never been "inside" of an elite school like this, and that was interesting as well...the routines, the politics etc.
I would definitely recommend this book as a well written, fast paced novel.
I am looking forward to checking out Thomas Greene's previous novels.

I thought this was a good book, however for me it was so melodramatic in parts that it was distracting. I think the melodrama and some unbelievable parts in the book took away from the story.
Still, I really cared for William, Charlotte and the other children. I felt for Willow, and I thought a lot about the choices that she made for her son. How could she? Then, on the other hand ,what could she do?
This would me a good book for a group discussion.

The sisters showed pure determination in dealing with all the situations they endured as volunteer nurses during World War I. As I plodded through the pages of this book, I felt like it was pure determination on my part to keep on going so that I could write a review. The writing style was very difficult to read. I often had to go back to get the meaning of a passage, or to be sure of which character the author was talking about. I am a reader who reads every word of a book, and "whoa", did I have my work cut out for me. If I had it to do over again I would have taken notes from the beginning to keep track of locations, characters, battles, etc. Maps and perhaps charts of the battles and locations, etc. would have been helpful, especially to readers who are unfamiliar with WWI.
I did give the book a rating of 4, because in the midst of the verbosity of the book, I do think this was an above average book. I came away with a awareness of this war that I didn't have before. There were many interesting issues raised that would be worthy of discussion. I feel that the book could have been improved by a style that would have been easier to read.

I am glad that I read The Daughters of Mars, but I am relieved to have reached the end of the book. And I would be happier if I knew how it really did end!

I was totally taken by this book- from the opening pages, until the very end.
Mary was so strong and courageous. I admired her as a person, yet I had serious questions about some of her choices.
The descriptions of the early 1900's in New York City were fascinating. Learning the whole story of Typhoid Mary was eye opening.
I would definitely recommend this book to fans of historical fiction. Fever would also be a great book for book groups- there are so many issues to discuss and debate.
I have been an avid reader since I was a child. Fever is a book- and Mary is a woman- that I would classify as "unforgettable".

I am glad that I read this book. For me, it was slow getting started, but I soon became hooked by the story of these two unlikely friends.

The relationships and memories of Miss Isabelle brought this painful period to life in a very heartfelt way.

I would definitely recommend Calling Me Home to book discussion groups.

This book really touched me. I know that I will never forget it. Although Harold didn't start out with a plan, his determination to reach his destination despite all the odds against him, the heart wrenching memories that he recalled as he walked, day after day, and the challenges that plagued him caused me to really care. I felt like I was walking with him. I couldn't stop turning the pages. I had to know what was going to become of Harold.
It was also a story of Harold's wife, Maureen, who was waiting at home- not knowing if Harold was ever going to return. I didn't like Maureen at first, but as she recalled her past, I ended up caring about her too. I felt these were real people who were reaching a turning point in their lives- and I had to know how it was going to turn out.

Harold was a man who was totally unlikely to make such a bold journey- his courage both in walking and in remembering was awesome.

There were amusing parts in the book as well. Some of the characters Harold met, and the situations they got into were comical. Of course, when the media found it's way into the pilgrimage, it was bedlam.

I'm glad I read this book. I am anxious for my friends to discover Harold Fry.