Reviews

  Wouldn't it have been great fun to see a pitcher so confident he could call in his outfielders and tell them all to take a seat – he’d guarantee to strike out the next batter? Leroy Satchel Paige could deliver the best sport and the best all round entertainment in baseball.  A natural showman, his lively persona a

Published in 1941, N or M? features detecting husband-and-wife team Tommy and Tuppence Beresford who are too old to participate in the war but long to contribute in some meaningful way. Tommy is approached by British Intelligence to go undercover to a seaside boardinghouse, which is suspected of harboring Fifth Columnists, English people who sympathized with Germany and committed traitorous acts on its behalf.

Charlaine Harris has become fairly well-known for her Sookie Stackhouse series. She has also written several other series, including the Harper Connelly series. The main character, Harper Connelly was struck by lightning when she was a teenager.

Stanley Kubrick's older films -- that is, those released in the 1950s -- generally have gotten less attention than later efforts such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange and Full Metal Jacket. That's somewhat understandable; Kubrick became a better filmmaker as he aged and worked on his craft.

Catching Fire is the second book in Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy. Like the first book which was a suggested read by a colleague, this book too is filled with plenty of action and adventure.

I suppose I should start by admitting that before I picked up this book I had no idea who Kathy Griffin is. And, having given a celebrity tell-all or two a try I am not usually drawn to them. In fact, I avoid them. Official Book Selection, however, is well worth making an exception for. I got hooked while reading the captions of the photos and belly-laughing in the relative quiet of the public library. I couldn’t put it down.

Imagine if you’ve spent your whole life seeing, but pretending not to see, an entire race of creatures no one else knows about. Well, that’s the predicament that faces a high school girl being raised by her grandmother. Aislinn, like her mother and grandmother possesses “the sight”.

This book of 12 short stories was written by Sallie Bingham. Many of the stories deal with interpersonal relationships between men and women. I found most of the stories did not hold my interest and all ended abruptly.

The Moonflower Vine by Jetta Carleton

I chose to read this book after seeing the KC Star review last fall. Jane Smiley includes it in her “Thirteen Ways of Looking at the Novel”. The setting in rural Missouri had appeal since I grew up in rural Missouri and the time setting would make the four daughters in the story living at the same time as my mother’s generation, including the author. I thought it would give me insight into her life experience and was just interested in how their lives would be portrayed.