1 comments about The Perfect Gift (Hannah of Fort Bridger Series #5).

1. This book will hold your attention throught the story. Two mothers live through a mother's worst nightmare. One, Emily McDermott, loses her only child to death. Hannah Cooper's smallest daughter Patty Ruth (PR for short) has disappeared!! It is the Christmas season - will miracles happen? This is another of Al & JoAnna Lacy's must read books.

5 comments about Dark of the Moon.

1. A wonderfully sensitive, closely detailed, and altogether excellent novel of an old-moonshine, new-marijuana family and the ATF agent who blows themn apart with love, set on the Florida-Georgia border in the early 1990s. Janice Daugharty is the latest great writer to wear the gorgeous Sounthern-gothic mantle, and she does it justice, as a worthy, witty heir to Flannery O'Connor. Her style sings with new Southernisms and timeless poetics, her characters come to full contradiuctory life in every crackling scene, and her imagination satisfies every last yearning a reader might have. This novel's a gem!



2. Janice Daugharty is a fantastic storyteller. She creates original storylines and unforgettable characters. "Dark of the Moon" is sensuous and romantic, but life affirming as well. The central character, Merdie is unhappily married to an abusive man. When a stranger enters their closed world, she must decide whether to remain the dutiful wife and stay with her family or lose everything and leave with the man she has fallen in love with. Merdie's dilemma is enlightening and inspiring; sometimes you must follow your heart. I loved this book so much. Janice Daugharty is a remarkable writer and I am desperate to read any new book that she has written.



3. Wonderfully written. Daugharty has a true "voice of the South". This story grabs you from the start and keeps you going.



4. I love this Southern author. She is awesome. I have read all her books now & I've loved them all. Her books have a little of everything: humor, romance, suspense. I can't wait for any new books that she has coming.



5. This is a novel about a revenuer who gets kidnapped by a still owner. It really sucked me in. I thought that this was real until I learned that noone cares about stills anymore and the revenuer was after drugs not booze.
   
   O well, we live and learn. It has a wonderful flavor of the south. As a lover and newcomer to the south, I love the full, robust, swampy feeling of it. Ms Daugharty is a great writer. I'll look for her some more.

No comments about Reader's Digest Select Editions: Mosaic/Diving Through Clouds/One Shot/Bait (Volume 4).

No comments about Young Bond Book #3: Double or Die.

3 comments about Missing White Girl.

1. First of all, I have to say that this book is not one that I'd pick up in a bookstore simply because of its genre; of course, I found myself wondering just what genre this book would fall under. Supernatural, yes, but not for the most part. We have drugs, immigration issues, and a title that (at first) misleads the reader. We have Lt. Buck Shelton, who seems too cocky and indifferent at times, and an array of characters, some who are introduced seemingly in every chapter.
   
   I thought this book had too much going on it, and too much unnecessary information. There were too many characters (and far too much unnecessary backstory on them), and there was little continuity to the story: each chapter was only a few pages long (with breaks in some of those), and the interludes were painful to find in a book. The chapters skipped from here to there and back and forth, and fast forward a few weeks, and rewind; there were entirely too many similes that had little relevance to the situations in the book...
   
   "Her forehead had rippled like corrugated cardboard."
   
   ...it was confusing and annoying, and it left me wondering why I was wasting my time reading something that seemed to be so poorly written (although well researched).
   
   The author's website regarding this book was what drew my attention to it; however, now I feel disappointed and irritated that I wasted my time reading it.
   
   This book may get rave reviews from other readers, but, apologetically, not from me.



2. I would like to first note that I am a fan of multiple genres, including fantasy, supernatural, mystery, detective and multiple others. This book bridges a few of these and does so more smoothly than I have seen with other authors.
   
   A few people may have trouble with the format of the book jumping from one character to another. In this day in age it is hard for some to focus on more than one or two things without getting easily confused. The author throws you right into the mess of things and though it can be a bit disorienting at first, it becomes suspenseful at times and an enigmatic read that can lead you in directions you never expected.
   
   The clincher for me in loving this book is the well researched material as well as the characters who are truly real. More human than writers tend to make their characters; the are good and bad and everything in between. They make mistakes and have lives and burdens just like everyone else. No sugar coating, no silver lining. Everything is what it is, even the supernatural.
   
   There are more than the typical amount of main characters and that may be off putting to some but for me it allowed a more balanced view of events. There is quite a bit of history packed in these pages, as well as wonderful information about the southwest. The book gives you a real look at an area rarely written about in novels and does so with no apologies and with well researched information. The book makes me smile, at times, because it reminds me of the southwest (a part of the country I grew up in) not only in its descriptiveness but also its language unique to the environment.
   
   The book ends for me with a lot of questions that I believe they are the ones the author wanted you to ask. I only wish I could see more of some of the characters such as: Lt. Buck Shelton and Lulu Lavender. They intrigue me and make me want to know more about them and the world they inhabit.
   
   In all I would give it a 4 1/2 stars because I can see where some of it may be confusing to some, but with a little thinking on the readers part it can be a wonderful read. If you love the southwest or even if you have never been there, this book will transport you there and make you wish you could smell the fresh air after a monsoon.



3. I purchased MWG because of my recent read of Jeff's book in the Supernatural series Supernatural: Witch's Canyon (Supernatural) which I was really impressed with.
   
   MWG didn't disappoint either. Although a much heavier read than WC, it was enjoyable and put an intesting spin on issues like border patrol, violence and the results of ones decisions.
   
   Much like the Exorcist, the ending of MWG will lead you one way or the other depending on you faith and beliefs.
   
   - Dan.

2 comments about Vegas Stakes.

1. Reading has never been a most cherished hobby of mine except on rare occasion. However, Kaelyn Christian has most certainly created an EXCEPTIONAL piece of literature, Vegas Stakes. From page one you begin to relate to these characters through all of the pain, the love, and the lust. Kudos Ms. Christian. I recommend this book to any reader seeking an absolutely astonishing novel that simply cannot be put down.



2. Ms. Christian's first novel is a great success! A great vampire fantasy. Among the novel's strengths are the author's talent for imagery and an absolutely spellbinding finish. I couldn't put it down!

No comments about Kidnapped (Scholastic Classics).

5 comments about Murder Among Strangers.

1. I've enjoyed this series, in part because I like Kate so much. This book is the best so far. It starts off with a bang when Kate is kidnapped, and my heart was pounding for pretty much the rest of the book. It is not a melodramatic, chase kind of book, however. Rather it explores what happens when an ordinary person inadvertenly falls into a bad situation. There are a number of threads (including chapters told from Kate's significant other's point of view), and they all tie up smoothly in the end.



2. This is the third book in the Kate Austin series by Jonnie Jacobs that I have read (after 'Murder Among Neighbors' and 'Murder Among Us'.) I think that Jacobs has created a very real and likable lead charachter for her mysteries. I often find myself agreeing out loud with Kate's observations about friendship, family and relationships. This makes Jacob's clever who-done-its even more enjoyable.



3. This is the first mystery book I read and I really didn't feel anything extraordinary.. the plot is so predictable and it unfolds in an ingenious way.. no surprises .. no excitement ..
   
   Jacobs' writing style is probably what made me continue reading it.. I liked the way she draws her characters .. simple and skillful.



4. "Murder Among Strangers" is the 4th book in the Kate Austen Mystery Series by Jonnie Jacobs. The interweaving plots/subplots in this latest book are just great. I, and apparently other reviewers, feel that it is the best Kate Austen book thus far. Jonnie Jacobs seems to get better with each novel...

   "Murder Among Strangers" focuses on the series of neverending events that take place when Kate stops to help a woman who has been stranded in the rain when her car fails. Kate is kidnapped by the woman and her boyfriend and in many ways a friendship of sorts develops between Kate and the woman. It is a friendship born out of wanting to survive, fear, and gratitude.

   Kate Austen is about as realistic as a character gets. In many ways, she is far too easy going and passive for my tastes, but that is what makes her so real. At times, it seems as though everyone from her child to her friends to the dog are "bossing" her around - but that is more realistic than some "super woman" heroine who lives an idyllic life.

   Kate's relationship with Detective Michael Stone is not always perfect as this book reveals. He is slightly tempted when a young co-ed at the police department shows great interest in him. The situation snowballs and he is faced with many uncomfortable decisions.

   Jonnie Jacobs' portrayal of Anna "It's in my room, Anna exclaims, as though she's just scored in Jeopardy" and Libby are brilliant. She truly has captured the dialogue and mannerisms so realistic of kids today.

   This is a series that just keeps getting better. Let's hope that a new Kate Austen book will be coming out soon!




5. Though I have read and thoroughly enjoyed all the other Kate Austen mysteries, this foray into the 'woman in jeopardy' genre left me cold.
   It has already been establisked that Kate has a weakness for the needy, fine. But we are also expected to beleive that her love for her daughter (naturally) is stornger than anything else. When she was trapped in the trunk of a car with a murdered man, she certainly cried tears for Anna.
   Why oh why then would she hinder an investigation attempting to locate her kidnapper and allow this said criminal to dine with her and her daughter a few weeks after the ordeal? Nothing was even said about the flu-laden kidnapper making her daughter sick, but she had a fever a day or two later.
   The media--and countless others in our popular culture--denigrate or laud the boundless 'heart' that women possess over men, but why oh why is that shown to make us stupid?
   Jonnie Jacobs should return to the fold of suburban mysteries, where characterrs and their motivations held a high degree of realism, not oft-putting stereotypes.

5 comments about Shattered : Reclaiming a Life Torn Apart by Violence.

1. I remember the very first time I read Shattered...I could not stop crying as I read. I cried for the loss of Nino, for Michael and Melissa, for Debbie and the rest of her family...I cried tears of genuine sadness, grief, and longing; I cried tears of hope and renewal. This book is very well-written, in very much the same style as if you sat down and talked to Debbie, or attended one of her many speaking engagements...
   
   I believe this is a must-read for all victims of sexual abuse and/or assault, however, it will trigger thoughts and feelings you believed you dealt with--it did for me. By no means let that stop you, though...
   
   I have read this book many, many times since then, and each time I thanked God for my dear friend Debbie Sharp and the courage He blessed her with.



2. Shattered is a gripping story about the day that Debra Puglisi's life changed forever. While out planting her new roe bushes, Donald Flagg sneaks into her house, shoots her husband and rapes Debra. He then kidnaps her and keeps her for 5 days while her children and family are questioned as to the stability of their home and the possibility that their mother killed their father. During those 5 days, Debra is beaten, raped and left to believe that she will die eventually. After 5 days she manages to get free of her ropes that bind her and call 911 for help. That is the beginning of a long road to recovery. This is an amazing tale of strength and courage against all odds of an everyday woman. A very inspiring story and one that I believe every person that has been the victim of violence should read.



3. This is the true story of Debra Puglisi Sharp. A survivor of a horrific and violent crime she tells in detail what it was like to go through her unthinkable ordeal.
   
   A very sad and moving account. I thought this book was well done and easy to read.



4. I have read mixed reviews for this book, so decided to read for myself to get an opinion. This was a well written book that seems to really get to the facts of what happened and portrays the very seriousness of this attack and the process of recovery. Debra Puglisi Sharp is an extremely strong woman who in writing this book will certainly help to aid in providing stength to others who have been through similar situations. Kudos to Debra for having the strength not only to survive this attack but to write her account of the attack and recovery to help others.



5. the fact that this is another black animal attacking white people. Do you not feel hatred for this beast? I read about crap like this happening every day and i am sick of it, arent you people? When are you going to wake up and quit allowing the media to make these oh so common attacks seen like no big deal when if the perpetrator was white the WHOLE WORLD WOULD KNOW about it.
   
   This country is sick and its because of all of the yellow bellied white people who are too cowardly to do anything about these animals.
   
   Excuse me i need to go vomit.

3 comments about The Riddle Of The Ruby Gazelle Nancy Drew 135.

1. you will really like this book as well as you like others its is very scary ofcourse I'm young If you have read the the case of the missing millionairs its simalar to that



2. dear readers I didn't think this would be good but it really is you see randy gets kiddnapped and there trying to figure out who did it the jungle carousel get broken and until all three get broken there is a suprise!



3. I actually liked this story and it was interesting, but Nancy, Bess, and George had flat personalities in this book. The entire story was about finding Randy and only that. That made the characters lose their richness. The author (guess what, Carolyn Keene never existed) was only telling, not showing. I still enjoyed the book's details and it is an okay book.