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2008 Book Reviews - #4

Time to catch up! Since my last review I've read 17 books. You can follow the links for more details about each book if interested.

Since my last review I've read 3 non-fiction books -

Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist's Wife by Irene Spencer

Interesting book - worth the read. I read this right before the raid in Texas so it made all of that even more interesting. I still don't understand it all and will never agree with it, but feel a little more educated about the religion behind the belief.

You'll Never Nanny in This Town Again by Suzanne Hansen

Written by a girl from Oregon who kind of stumbles into being a nanny and then ends up in Hollywood working for the mover and shakers. A view into the life that is sometimes encouraging, but often not. Another enjoyable book.

Clapton by Eric Clapton

I am not a huge Eric Clapton fan but had read several reviews on this book that highly recommended it. My sweet friends gave it to me for my birthday and I did enjoy reading it. He has led an interesting life spanning many different stages to end up at a good place. Found out some surprising and some not so surprising things about Clapton. Another good read.

Of the remaining books I've grouped them into books I rate about average and those just so-so. First the "above" ones -

The Myth of You and Me by Leah Stewart

A touching story about relationships. Well written.

The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

Another story about relationships. A little predictable at times. I did feel like I knew the characters and wanted to follow their story.

Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey by Allison Weir

Another historical novel from the Henry VIII time period. My first one to red by Allison Weir and I enjoyed it. I like Phillipa Gregory a little more, but will read more by Ms Weir.

The Kindness of Strangers by Katrina Kittle

This turned into one of those "wow" books for me. I was drawn into the story and highly recommend this book.

Chasing Fireflies by Charles Martin

I like Charles Martin books. This one did not disappoint, even though I did find it a little predictable at times. It's not my favorite of his, but still ranks up there as a good book to read.

The Pleasure of My Company by Steve Martin

Along the lines of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. Quirky main character, good story. My first Steve Martin book. I'm looking forward to reading more.

The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian

As I've said before, I like Chris Bohjalian books. He always has a lot of layers and has a way of making me personalize things. Another good one.

The Devil in the Junior League by Linda Francis Lee

Good summer book - no heavy thinking, no heavy plot, just a fun book. Anyone from the South will know these people!

Embrace Me by Lisa Samson

Very well written and interesting book. It examines a lot of things about the church and Christians set against about as strange a backdrop as you can imagine.

Now for the "so-so" books. I'm just going to make a blanket statement about them all - None of them were so bad that I didn't finish them - they just didn't grab or entertain me as I had hoped they would.

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Maybe I expected too much from this book, and I know it is deeper than what appears on the surface, but at times I felt as if I were trudging through.

Something Rising (Light and Swift) by Haven Kimmel

After reading her autobiography, I expected a highly entertaining book. I was disappointed - never really connected to the story.

Flies on the Butter by Denise Hildreth

This is a borderline average book - maybe a little higher. Written by the author of the Savannah books. It was a good enough book, once again just not quite as good as I expected.

The Cat Who Went Into the Closet by Lilian Jackson Braun

Entertaining enough - what I would call a fluffy novel. I enjoy lighter reading too and while this one wasn't awful, it just wasn't my style.

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