Reviews

I have read the book (previously reviewed/blogged 1/26/10) and listened to the cd audio version of The Help and recommend both versions. The audio version gives the reader an enhanced reading/ listening experience.

Cara Black's mysteries, set in Paris in the late 1990s, are appealing to mystery lovers and Francophiles alike, what with all the name-dropping of Parisian streets, monuments, subway lines, and cafes.

I recently read The Blood Ballad, the 11th book in the Torie O'Shea mystery series by Rett MacPherson. While this series is made up of cozy mysteries that are very easy, mild reads (the exact opposite of my favorite Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly), I've chosen to read them because they combine three of my special interests: mysteries and genealogy and Missouri. Torie O'Shea lives in a fictitious small town just south of St. Louis. She is the resident genealogist, historian, tour guide of historic buildings, snoop, plus a harried wife and mother.

In a ten-month time span in 1997 and 1998, Neil Peart lost his 19-year-old daughter to a single-car accident and his wife to cancer. He was devastated.

Peart is best-known as the drummer for the Canadian rock band Rush. He's also their lyricist. Yet Ghost Rider, his chronicle of healing from his terrible losses, reveals talents barely hinted at in his music career.

Conspirata by Robert Harris is a work of historical fiction set in ancient Rome. A sequel to Harris’ novel Imperium, Conspirata continues the story of the life of the great orator and politician Cicero.

“I like Oxford. You can trust everyone in this town-from Highway 6 to the Interstate. But one think about Oxford is that if you’re and outsider, you don’t wanna cause any trouble. You mess with Oxford, you’re gonna have problems.” –Bob Lindley P. 42.

Kalix MacRinnalch, youngest daughter of the reigning werewolf king and closet laudanum addict, is on the run. Which is unsurprising, since she attacked her father during an argument about her boyfriend and ran off. She's currently running from her family—who are split on the notion of whether she should be rescued or executed for treason—from rival clans, and from human hunters who see her and all her kind as abominations.

Anyone who likes art, animation, or cute things should pick up The Little Book of Hindu Deities. A small book housed in our Young Adult section, it offers some basic info on Hinduism for the curious or those who want to brush up on Vishnu’s incarnations, but its real value is in Patel’s illustrations.

I picked up the historical romance anthology The Heart of Christmas because of the name Mary Balogh on the cover and because I miss the old Regency Christmas anthologies.

Helen's long-time friend, Nicola has terminal cancer. The doctors have done all they can but Nicola is determined to try alternative therapies. She asks Helen if she can stay with her for 3 weeks while she undergoes treatment at the Theodore Institute. Helen agrees but quickly discovers that she may have taken on more than she can handle. She also suspects that the Theodore Institute is a fraud. Helen's friendship is severely tested by Nicola's belief that the Institute can cure her cancer and by the physical demands of caring for her.