5 comments about Storm Catchers.

1. Stormcathers
   
   
   
   My book is about a girl who is about 12 and is home alone while her brother is right next door at his friend's house for a few minuets. While Ella is home alone with her little brother Sammy, she hear something and it's a guy in her house and he started to walk toward her and she started running to get to her little brother to make him hide somewhere. He found her and took her outside and down by the water. Fin came back from his friend's house and saw a note on the counter it said don't tell anyone. Their parents got home and saw the note they were mad at Fin for leaving the house. They didn't know how to get Ella back. The guy that took Ella put her in a cave he called the house the next day and said if he wants his daughter back he had to pay money by a certain day. He paid the guy the money and they were all together again. I recommend this book because it was a really good book and if you like surprising books.



2. I really liked the book Storm Catchers. I liked how it was so suspensful and kept me interested. The ending had a really great twist!
   My favorite part was when Ella was home watching Sam while Fin went to Billy's at the begining, and my other favorite part was when we found out who Sam's secret friend was. I liked those parts because they were very very very interesting!! They made me want to keep reading!
   I would recommend this to anyone that likes an adventure or mystery type book. I couldn't put this book down!! It's sooo good and I think everyone should read it.
   --Erynn Renee



3. Unfortunately, the 'kid reviewers' above don't give their ages. My daughter was assigned this book as required reading, but the teacher pulled it after parent complaints. It is very heavy going for 12 year olds, on many levels.
   
   First, it is very scary, with an opening that will keep many tweens from being willing to babysit!
   
   Second, the issues are very complex. It's fairly clear, even before it comes out in the story, that the seemingly perfect dad has had an affair, that resulted in the birth of a child (while his wife was pregnant with their 2nd child). But the sins of the father- first the affair, then his 'hit and run' approach to the death of the child- are then visited on the children.
   
   Third, the book does not have a single moment of humor, kindness, grace or redemption. The ending is grim for everybody.
   
   Although it is not clear what a reader would take from this book, it is a real page-turner, hence the 2 stars. For a reluctant reader who is hardened to scary thrillers and doesn't care too much about what happens to the characters, it would be just fine.



4. Tim Bowler wrote one of my favorite books ever, Starseeker. I felt obliged to check-out his other work and soon made my way through Apocalypse, which felt like a two unfinished books melted into one. One of his earlier works, Storm Catchers seemed like a more accessible and down-to-earth premise, so I thought I'd give that a go. Trouble is, it's just kind of ordinary and doesn't go to either extreme.
   
   A wealthy family in Cornwall lose their teenage daughter to an intruder in the middle of the night and older brother vows to get the maniac, blaming himself for not being there to protect her. It could have been a solid story of searching for clues and detucting who the culprit is, but Bowler hurries through it quite quickly and blandly. Characterisation is piss-poor, there are no stand-out scenes of mystery or intrique and no defining thrilling moments. The end, in which two apparently seperate plot threads are tied together, makes up for it. But it lingers on after that with melodrama instead of going out on a high.
   
   If Bowler expanded the story (it lasts an anorexic 200 pages) and gave enough time to build character and suspense then it could have been a great book. I have no doubt he has it in his power to write a good book, but sacrificing much of Storm Catchers potential for the sake of a quick time-waster was a mistake.



5. I read this book awhile ago and it was good. It was interesting enough to keep you suspended until the end. I would recommand reading it. It was not that that great but it was good all the same. Happy Reading!

5 comments about Light at Dusk: A Novel.

1. This book felt off-center all the way through, perhaps because the author let his theme ("moral drift in an increasingly chaotic world") become more important than his characters. Pedro's relationship with his alleged longlost boyfriend Will is described in the sparest of terms, while other details like the weather, the architecture, and the politics of Paris are described at length. Because the characters go separate ways, many chapters contain only one of them and add to the feeling that the book is about two strangers who's lives barely intersect. Once the kidnapping occurs, the plot becomes a page-turner, providing drama in the form of the search and negotiations to get the boy back. Read this book for its characters' reserved and erudite descriptions of Parisian culture and the Foreign Service. Do not expect its characters to be compelling or complex.



2. This brooding thriller is set in Paris played out by three Americans named Will, Pedro, and Jorie. Will abandons his Foreign Service post and returns to Paris to take up with an old lover named Pedro, who welcomes Will back after an absence of 7 years. The two then become involved with a diplomat's daughter, Jorie, who is mothering a Lebanese boy named Nico. When Nico is snatched away by a French Nationalist gang, the suspense begins. Finding the missing little boy becomes the main thrust of this story and from there on the story moves right along to its conclusion.

   The story is interesting enough and keeps you turning the pages to the end, but I wish the relationship between Will and Pedro had been developed more fully, and with more detail. I would recommend this book, because Gadol's writing is very smooth and the words just seem to flow off the pages. The ending was unexpected and a real surprise. All in all a good read.




3. Light at Dusk is not an epic tale of love or politics and it doesn't pretend to be. Rather, it's a pretty conventional but well-told and fast-paced exploration of a reunion between two former lovers which is overshadowed and ultimately marred by the darkening political circumstances of a France which has succumbed to the xenophobic, ultranationalistic and racist elements which have been nibbling at its mainstream over the last twenty years. Just after being reunited, Pedro and Will are once more separated when Will goes off to find the son of a former classmate, apparently kidnapped by the gangs who roam the streets of Paris, instilling fear. Not only does Gadol make the foreign service seem very appealing but his is a very rare take on gay relationships. He concentrates more on the relationship itself rather than the antecedents of the culture in which it is grounded, perhaps not the model form of gay writing but one which is refreshing and different. Light at Dusk- with its sad but redemptive ending- is an accomplished novel of the kinds of compromises, political, cultural, and most importantly, romantic, which are made in difficult circumstances. The novel is an swift read made easier by Gadol's engaging style. A quick, satisfying read.



4. This book was very much counter to my expectations; I picked it up as a "gay novel" but found it was about people -- some of whom happened to be gay -- caught in a story that was absorbing and very evocative of time and place. Unlike some readers who found the characters less than compelling, I felt the relationship between Will and Pedro was well delineated, and if we don't "know" Will, well, neither does Pedro. We make the discovery together. The book is much like a film noir, innocent people drawn into events they can't control by a chance encounter that changes their lives. It even evokes the black and white of film, describing a grey, wet, threatening city that is a far cry from the Paris of travel posters. A beautifully written little book.



5. Gadol masterfully writes a very emotionally charged story of contemporary people in an extraordinary and wholly original conflict. This work almost defies classification, it's so unique and interesting.
   
   You will become swept up in the different love stories...lost love, rekindled love, familial love, self love... All expertly interwoven into the eeire and unfamiliar landscape of a Paris we hardly, if at all, even know.
   
   A compelling and thought provoking novel you will want to read in a single sitting.

2 comments about Baby, It's Cold (Robin Miller Mystery, Number 5).

1. There is never a dull moment in any of Jaye Maiman's books, including this one. Fast-paced, accurate, blunt...too many adjectives to list here. I can't wait for the next adventure that Robin Miller has.



2. I waited for what seemed like forever for this book to come out. I was, as usual, very pleased with the plot and the writing skills of Jaye Maiman. With each page, I found myself saying.... "just one more page". The characters in her series continue to develop and grow together and sometimes apart. I have to say that I sometimes am displeased at Robin Miller's reluctance to make a committment to anyone, but, hey... that's her character. In book 4 of the series, I was shocked that she and K.T. actually broke up.... I was extremely pleased to see that K.T. was back (though not completely) in book 5. I can't wait to read book 6 and see what happens next!

5 comments about Kaya's Escape!: A Survival Story (American Girls Collection).

1. This story brings many emotions, especially love, and not taking the ones you love for granted.
   
   When Kaya and her blind sister are kidnapped by enemy raiders, and taken to one of their camps, Kaya has no choice but to leave her visually disabled sister behind, and try to find her way back home so that they can return for her. But many things stand in Kaya's way, and part of her is wondering if she'll ever see Toe-ta and Eetsa (Her mother and father) again.
   
   This book definately makes up for the excitement the first book lacked. I enjoyed reading it, as I have all the other Kaya books. My only problem with the series is that they believe in spirits, and some things that happen in the books couldn't happen in real life. But if you look past that, this series is great!



2. This book is definitely more exciting then the first book, and two new characters are introduced, Two Hawks and Swan Circling. Two Hawks is a Salish boy who becomes Kaya's friend, despite his bossy attitude. Swan Circling is a brave woman who is a main character in the third book. This book is the book where Kaya realizes her lack of responsibility, after making a huge mistake that could keep her from seeing her family, and her beautiful horse, Steps High, ever again. My only problem with this book is the "spirit" that Kaya comes across near the end of the book. I don't believe in "spirits" or "ghosts", and I found that part to be very unrealistic. But other than that, I would say this is a good book about struggle, and finding your way home.
   
   I would recommend it to people who read the first Kaya book. If you haven't read the first book, then I suggest that you read it before this one, because it will make this one a little bit more enjoyable.



3. I like this book alot bcause it has good drawings and cool characters the book also gets better when you get to the next capter. What I don't like is when the characters get hurt or get sick. What iI think they should of addedd was how her mom and dad felt when she came home with out her sister.She also should of said why kaya felt bad for the little boy who was there too.



4. 
   
   Say you were back in the 1764 in an Indian Tribe and you got stolen by a raider. How would you get away? Well, this is a story about a girl named Kaya and her friend in an Indian Tribe called Nimiipuu. They got stolen by raiders.
   
   When I started reading this book, I thought it would be boring, but when I got to the part when Kaya and Speaking Rain got stolen I just wanted to keep reading.
   
   Kaya and Speaking Rain had to be a slave, at the raiders tribe there was a boy who was a slave too, his name is Two Hawks. Kaya had to escape without Speaking Rain because she is blind. Two Hawks is going to escape with Kaya. At first Kaya didn¡¦t like Two Hawks,and they fight because Two Hawks wanted to be the leader.
   
   This gives me a connection because I have trouble with my friend sometimes at school. Then when they were going up to the mountain and then trouble came, Two Hawks broke his ankle.
   
   I felt sad before I read the ending. I ask to my self, what will happen? Will they stay alive? If you like exploring, then you should read this book. This is a great book for second or third graders.
   
   
   ºVivienneº



5. Say you were back in the 1764 in an Indian Tribe and you got stolen by a raider. How would you get away? Well, this is a story about a girl named Kaya and her friend in an Indian Tribe called Nimiipuu. They got stolen by raiders.
   
   When I started reading this book, I thought it would be boring, but when I got to the part when Kaya and Speaking Rain got stolen I just wanted to keep reading.
   
   Kaya and Speaking Rain had to be a slave, at the raiders tribe there was a boy who was a slave too, his name is Two Hawks. Kaya had to escape without Speaking Rain because she is blind. Two Hawks is going to escape with Kaya. At first Kaya didn¡¦t like Two Hawks and fights because Two Hawks wanted to be a leader.
   
   This gives me a connection because I have trouble with my friend sometimes. Then when they were going up to the mountain and then trouble came, Two Hawks broke his ankle.
   
   I felt sad before I read the ending. I ask to my self, what will happen? Will they stay alive? If you like exploring, then you should read this book. This is a great book for second or third graders.
   
   
   ºVivienneº

5 comments about Prince of the Blood (Riftwar Saga).

1. Exciting books. I have not reread this one yet, but I remember it from about 5 years ago. RF is a great writer. If you like a good story that keeps you turning the page,choose him.



2. With this Midkemia novel, Feist brings us 20 years after "A Darkness At Sethanon". Arutha conDoin's twin sons, Borric and Erland are thrust into the limelight. Arutha is the Kingdom of the Isle's Prince of Krondor, second in line to his older brother Lyam who holds the throne in Rillanon. At the realization that Lyam has no sons and his aging wife will bear no more children, Arutha's sons will one day assume the throne...Borric, the first born will be king, Erland will be heir to the throne.
   
   No sooner has this been determined, than someone attempts to assassinate one of the boys, shortly after Arutha has promised they would attend the neighbouring Empire of Kesh's birthday celebration for its Empress. On the journey to Kesh, the Princes, along with James (once Jimmy The Hand) and Locklear), make a short stop at Stardock where we get to see Pug, the powerful mage of the Riftwar saga, again. James falls in love with Pug's adopted daughter, Gamina, and marries her (rather far-fetched in my eyes, but that's the only thing I'll criticize Feist for on this novel), and they set off for Kesh once more, now with Gamina also. Just after crossing the border, the party is attacked by raiders, and Borric is kidnapped.
   
   So we find Borric dragged to the slavers city of Durbin, a notorious hole for pirates, while Erland continues on to Kesh, weighed down with the presumption that his older brother is dead, and that he stands now in line for the thrown. The stakes are high as those around Erland suspect that a greater plot is afoot, and someone may attempt to take Erland's life too, thus causing war between the Kingdom and Kesh. From different places, and vastly different views of this foreign land, the brothers try to work out who wants them dead, who wants to cause a war...and how to stop it.
   
   With each novel, Feist introduces us to new places, and this time Kesh comes under the microscope. He does well at creating a vastly different place from the Kingdom, giving the reader a vivid picture of the incredible size of Kesh, the varied people that live there, and the vastly different culture and society. If the Tsurani of Kelwan felt asian to the reader, the Keshian empire and its people are middle eastern.
   
   Feist does well on the characters - his usual forte - and deftly immerses the reader in a gripping rendition of what diplomacy, murder and intrigue would have been like in a medeival atmosphere.
   
   Finally, if you read this book for no other reason, this book introduces us to Nakor the Blue Rider - arguably the funniest, oddest, and most intriguing of Feist's characters - a powerful magician of great modesty, who I have long suspected of being the avatar of a deity in Feist's worlds.
   
   I highly recommend this book.



3. Party boys and politics.
   
   
   Arutha's sons are your typical rich brats, drinking, gambling, skirtchasing, etc. So, a bit peeved with them, they get packed off to a boring political function/celebration in Kesh.
   
   It ends up anything but boring, as it seems them being dead suits some of the locals, and they get caught up in a serious civil conflict, and have to get help and try and survive.



4. After reading a few of Raymond E Feist's novels, I ordered all of the books that he has written, nearly all of them being related to Pug and the world of Midkemia. I have not been able to stop reading, I also had my fiance read Magician and now he is catching up to me. We would both recommend all of Raymond E Feist's novels, but I would suggest they be read in order as they are all connected; start with Magician:Apprentice and work your way through. The publishing order for the series can be found at: http://www.crydee.com/raymond-feist/reading-order/written



5. At first I did not have high hopes for this volume, but now that I have completed it I must say that it was tremendous fun. Although I'm not sure that new Feist readers would appreciate it, if you enjoyed the Riftwar Saga you will enjoy this book. The exploration of Kesh is an exotic treat and the adventures of the princes are amusing. New characters compliment old ones nicely. Start with the Riftwar Saga, but definitely pick this up for an enjoyable read if you already have. It's not quite as serious as the Riftwar Saga, so it makes an excellent vacation book.

No comments about Kidnap.

1 comments about Showdown With The Sheriff (Harlequin Intrigue Series).

1. Rory Matson has come back to Reaper's Point because her father was dead.
   She had left six years ago and not looked back.
   
   Sheriff Logan Brewer was just a deputy when Rory was abducted and left for dead. 6 years ago, at 25, she and Logan had been lovers but he hadn't saved her. Then Logan dropped a suspicion that her father had been murdered.
   
   Her coming back from Los Angles had apparently reawakened the madman who set out to finish what he had started.
   
   Logan was bound and determined to save Aurora this time only to have some very weird things happen to them. He knew he had to keep her at his side at all times.
   
   The problem was this madman was trying hard to separate them. Using some very nasty means.
   
   This is one hot mystery - very hard not to look at the end to find out who the villian is. Resist temptation - it is great.
   Short on characters - long on suspense - great action - great plot.
   
   HIGHLY RECOMMENDED [m] This might be considered a keeper.

5 comments about Baby Farm.

1. This book has a great plot and some wonderful twists. Having the heroine be a midwife and the hero be a doctor was a wonderful idea.

   I would have rated it higher if there weren't so many plot coincidences. Also, a couple of scenes, though exciting, didn't ring true because they seemed a bit contrived.

   Also, I would like to know why the front cover blurb gives away a major secret!

   I gave this one a B- a All About Romance.




2. I have read almost all of Karen Harper's books. I think she is a great writer. She really pulls you into the story. Like all of her other stories, she has a gift for making you feel like you are the heroine/hero. You feel like you are actually living in Apalachia (sp?).

   I liked the character of Emma - the midwife/heroine of the book. Griff was interesting too. I wish Karen Harper would include more romance in her books. I always feel like she is holding back in the romance dept. There were so many opportunities in this book. I do highly recommend this book. Romance or not the story was suspenseful and the secondary characters were first rate!




3. The story in this book was interesting, but I found the style of telling it to be choppy and hard to follow. The description of a difficult childbirth was mesmerizing and really well-done, but the romance was too sparse. Mostly I objected to ends not being tied up....we never found out what happened to several of the secondary characters, people we had either come to like or wanted to be sure they got what they deserved!



4. I greatly enjoyed this book by Harper. I have read several books by Harper and this was right up there with the best. It had the right amount of suspense and realism concerning the black market for babies to make for a great read. It will definitely be a reread on my shelves.



5. Karen Harper agains gets your attention and keeps it until the last page.

No comments about MYSTERY OF THE DEADLY DOUBLE (The Three Investigators Mystery Series, No 28).

1 comments about So Innocent, Yet So Dead.

1. This was a hard book to read. In fact, I had to force myself to read it. And I read it only because I felt I owed it to that little girl to know, as much as can be known, what happened to her.
   At the time she disappeared, I was a newspaper editor just across the county line and her disappearance was big news. Then, the way the she was found....Shocking. That sort of thing just didn't happen where we lived. I interviewed the sheriff and a couple of Texas Rangers about it. But the full impact of what truly happened didn't hit me until I read this book. After what happened to Jon Benet, people have a different view about little girls being in beauty pageants. This little girl was with her parents at a flea market. A giant garage sale. A swap meet. I'm grateful to Bill Davis for taking the time and going through the waves of emotions to write this book. Someone needed to and he did.