Laura's bookshelf: all en-US Tue, 01 Oct 2024 01:54:02 -0700 60 Laura's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[How to Be Compassionate: a Handbook for Creating Inner Peace and a Happier World]]> 10793510 Each one of us is responsible for all of humankind, and for the environment in which we live. . . . We must seek to lessen the suffering of others. Rather than working solely to acquire wealth, we need to do something meaningful, something seriously directed toward the welfare of humanity as a whole. To do this, you need to recognize that the whole world is part of you. —from How to Be Compassionate The surest path to true happiness lies in being intimately concerned with the welfare of others. Or, as His Holiness the Dalai Lama would say, in compassion. In How to Be Compassionate, His Holiness reveals basic mistakes of attitude that lead us to inner turmoil, and how we can correct them to achieve a better tomorrow. He demonstrates precisely how opening our hearts and minds to other people is the best way to overcome the misguided ideas that are at the root of all our problems. He shows us how compassion can be a continuous wellspring of happiness in our own lives and how our newfound happiness can extend outward from us in ever wider and wider circles. As we become more compassionate human beings, our friends, family, neighbors, loved ones—and even our enemies—will find themselves less frequently in the thrall of destructive emotions like anger, jealousy, and fear, prompting them to become more warmhearted, kind, and harmonious forces within their own circles. With simple language and startling clarity, His Holiness makes evident as never before that the path to global harmony begins in the hearts of individual women and men. Enlivened by personal anecdotes and intimate accounts of the Dalai Lama’s experiences as a student, thinker, political leader, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, How to Be Compassionate gives seekers of all faiths the keys to overcoming anger, hatred, and selfishness� the primary obstacles to happiness—and to becoming agents of positive transformation in our communities and the world at large.]]> 160 Dalai Lama XIV 1451623925 Laura 5
Merged review:

Recommended by Mom, thanks! The distilled message of this book to me is be kind. I would like to read this book v e r y slooowly over & over until I grasp the deeper nuances. Recommend to any curious being.]]> 4.15 2011 How to Be Compassionate: a Handbook for Creating Inner Peace and a Happier World
author: Dalai Lama XIV
name: Laura
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2011/09/24
date added: 2024/10/01
shelves:
review:
Recommended by Mom, thanks! The distilled message of this book to me is be kind. I would like to read this book v e r y slooowly over & over until I grasp the deeper nuances. Recommend to any curious being.

Merged review:

Recommended by Mom, thanks! The distilled message of this book to me is be kind. I would like to read this book v e r y slooowly over & over until I grasp the deeper nuances. Recommend to any curious being.
]]> Dope 8871547 Come Closer comes the most highly acclaimed-and unusual-thriller of the year. Josephine, a former addict, is offered a thousand dollars to find a suburban couple's missing daughter. But the search will take her into the dark underbelly of New York she thought she'd escaped-and a web of deceit that threatens to destroy her.]]> 256 Sara Gran 1440684766 Laura 3 See other dope for review 3.77 2006 Dope
author: Sara Gran
name: Laura
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/09/26
shelves:
review:
See other dope for review
]]> <![CDATA[Left For Dead (Ali Reynolds #7)]]> 13547295 417 J.A. Jance 1451628609 Laura 3 mystery 3.92 2012 Left For Dead (Ali Reynolds #7)
author: J.A. Jance
name: Laura
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2013/07/03
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves: mystery
review:
I'm starting to tire of the invincible Ali, but love all the great secondary characters so will probably keep reading. Strong women & how they use their strength of character is the underlying premise of this book. Poor Jose, the catalyst gets hardly any read time. I had the baddie figured early on & wished the extra deaths weren't necessary. It is classic J A Jance & ought to be read in order of the series.
]]> <![CDATA[Organizing Solutions for People With Attention Deficit Disorder: Tips and Tools to Help You Take Charge of Your Life and Get Organized]]> 278974 192 Susan C. Pinsky 159233234X Laura 0 to-read, not-so-much 3.81 2006 Organizing Solutions for People With Attention Deficit Disorder: Tips and Tools to Help You Take Charge of Your Life and Get Organized
author: Susan C. Pinsky
name: Laura
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/09
shelves: to-read, not-so-much
review:

]]> The Golden Season 6601260 400 Connie Brockway 0451412834 Laura 3 romance 3.44 2009 The Golden Season
author: Connie Brockway
name: Laura
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2012/03/15
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: romance
review:
Connie Brockway is a solid writer. Other books of hers tend to be lighter, which I enjoy, but this is a solid book. Good main concept of freedom to choose a path of self versus obligations to family, social circle & expectation.
]]> Homer Price 766917 The comic genius of Robert McCloskey and his wry look at small-town America has kept readers in stitches for generations!

]]> 149 Robert McCloskey 0140309276 Laura 5 kids 4.09 1943 Homer Price
author: Robert McCloskey
name: Laura
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1943
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/07/26
shelves: kids
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Christmas Mourning (Deborah Knott Mysteries, #16)]]> 9509058 411 Margaret Maron 1410430014 Laura 4 mystery 3.60 2010 Christmas Mourning (Deborah Knott Mysteries, #16)
author: Margaret Maron
name: Laura
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2012/12/18
date added: 2021/03/03
shelves: mystery
review:
Margaret Maron is such a joy to read. Her prose is tight and her characters strong. I've been reading her for years (started with the Sigrid series)and am hardly ever disappointed. For a Holiday themed book this is outstanding. She doesn't let the holiday over-run the main plot. This is a timely book as so many people are driving carelessly these days. And sadly, students are becoming more and more accustomed to death of their peers. The "villain in our midst" was fairly easy to pick out early on. I felt the ending (I may have been so tired I missed it) didn't connect all the dots for the reader who didn't catch on early. I continue to enjoy the "realism" of the main character Judge Knott (hee, hee) didn't get that for years and her extended family & friends.
]]> <![CDATA[The Social Climber of Davenport Heights]]> 7685687 Ah, the life of the upper-crust: decadent, flaky and not so good for the heart.

Jane Lofton has everything she ever dreamed of: a high-powered career, a fabulous home, a wealthy husband, David, and a beautiful daughter, Brynn. Of course, David also has a new girlfriend spending his old money. Brynn also has a therapist helping her articulate her contempt for her mother. And Jane also łó˛ą˛őâ€�

…an obligation to the Man Upstairs. A chance meeting between her BMW and an eighteen-wheeler prompts Jane to make a deal: let her live and she'll dedicate herself to Doing Good. Whatever that means. Jane's platinum-card kung fu has taught her how to spend, but not how to give—turns out it's actually pretty hard! But when her country-club life crumbles, Jane is faced with an even bigger challenge: replacing all her dreams and salvaging her soul.

Wise, witty and relentlessly real, The Social Climber of Davenport Heights (Originally published as Doing Good) is a story about discovering the difference between what something costs…and what it's worth.

]]> 384 Pamela Morsi 0778328422 Laura 0 3.54 2002 The Social Climber of Davenport Heights
author: Pamela Morsi
name: Laura
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2002
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/06/13
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Everything and the Moon (The Lyndon Sisters, #1)]]> 11978910 Original cover edition for this ISBN is here

Seven years ago she broke his heart...

When Robert Kemble stumbles across Victoria Lyndon in hedgerow maze, he can't believe his eyes. The girl who'd torn him in two, who let him plan on elopement and then left him standing by the side of the road, was suddenly within arm's reach, and even though his fury still knew no bounds, she was impossible to resist...

Seven years ago he left her all but ruined...

Victoria's father had told her an earl would never marry a vicar's daughter, and he was right. Robert had promised her marriage, then danced off to London while she suffered the shame of a foiled elopement. But even though Victoria doesn't particularly enjoy her new life as a governess, when Robert offers her a job of a different sort—his mistress—she refuses, unable to sacrifice her honor, even for him.

But Robert won't take no for an answer, and he vows to make her his, through any means possible. Can these star-crossed lovers learn to trust again? And is love really sweeter the second time around?]]> 372 Julia Quinn 0380789337 Laura 3 romance 3.74 2009 Everything and the Moon (The Lyndon Sisters, #1)
author: Julia Quinn
name: Laura
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2012/07/11
date added: 2018/12/04
shelves: romance
review:

]]> These Foolish Things 1214270 The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and this year’s The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel starring Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Celia Imrie, Dev Patel and Penelope Wilton

Enticed by advertisements for a luxury retirement home in India, a group of strangers leave England to begin a new life.

On arrival, however, they discover the palace is a shell of its former self, the staff are more than a little eccentric and the days of the Raj appear to be long gone.

But, as they soon discover, life and love can begin again, even in the most unexpected circumstances.]]> 256 Deborah Moggach 0099461846 Laura 2 not-so-much I wanted to like this & expected it to be better than the movie based on it, "best exotic marigold hotel". The movie has a lighter simplistic tone, an "isn't this all lovely" attitude while the book is more pessimistic & has a tone of "this isn't going to work out well". The book has many characters that just are, merely as a type & some with lives intertwined almost unbelievably. To me it would have been more enjoyable as short stories set in the hotel. I had a hard time caring about people when the plots of the various characters were so jumbled.]]> 3.38 2004 These Foolish Things
author: Deborah Moggach
name: Laura
average rating: 3.38
book published: 2004
rating: 2
read at: 2012/08/29
date added: 2017/03/07
shelves: not-so-much
review:
Note: goodreads put my review under the best exotic marigold hotel but the book I read is titled "these foolish things".
I wanted to like this & expected it to be better than the movie based on it, "best exotic marigold hotel". The movie has a lighter simplistic tone, an "isn't this all lovely" attitude while the book is more pessimistic & has a tone of "this isn't going to work out well". The book has many characters that just are, merely as a type & some with lives intertwined almost unbelievably. To me it would have been more enjoyable as short stories set in the hotel. I had a hard time caring about people when the plots of the various characters were so jumbled.
]]> Marvin's Room (Plume Drama) 1375327 112 Scott McPherson 0452278198 Laura 2 bookclub, not-so-much 3.90 1992 Marvin's Room (Plume Drama)
author: Scott McPherson
name: Laura
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1992
rating: 2
read at: 2013/07/23
date added: 2016/09/06
shelves: bookclub, not-so-much
review:
So for July 2013 we watched the Movie. I'm using this book as a place marker. I haven't read the book. I watched the bare DVD, no commentary; which was good as I wanted my commentary from book club. I feel we may have done our hostess a disservice in not honoring her devotion to this film. I apologize for marginalizing her feelings if it came across that way but truly I didn't get the expected reaction or emotional connection. She was a gracious hostess & allowed the chat to vere off course. I thought the acting superb but this is not a film I'm interested in seeing again, even with insights gleaned from comments of book club attendees. I must be Lee.
]]> <![CDATA[Working with Sharks: Countering Sexual Harassment in Our Lives]]> 17293031
This book is more than the story of its characters. It is also the story of the many women in many organizations around the world who have not yet spoken out. In solidarity with that cause, the Prime Minister of Pakistan declared the 22nd of December, the date of the original complaint, as a National Day for Working Women.]]> 438 Fouzia Saeed 9695930417 Laura 0 to-read 3.79 2011 Working with Sharks: Countering Sexual Harassment in Our Lives
author: Fouzia Saeed
name: Laura
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/03/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Stonecutter (Patrik Hedström, #3)]]> 12813936
The remote resort of Fjällbacka has seen its share of tragedy, though perhaps none worse than that of the little girl found in a fisherman's net. But this was no accidental drowning ...

Local detective Patrik Hedström has just become a father. It is his grim task to discover who could be behind the murder of a child both he and his partner Erica knew well.

What he does not know is how the case will reach into the dark heart of Fjällbacka and tear aside its idyllic façade, perhaps forever.]]> 489 Camilla Läckberg 1605983306 Laura 3 3.86 2005 The Stonecutter (Patrik Hedström, #3)
author: Camilla Läckberg
name: Laura
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2015/05/30
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Courtesan's Guide to Getting Your Man]]> 9416202
When Boston museum curator Piper Chase-Pierpont unearths The Blackbird’s steamy memoirs, she’s aroused and challenged by what she finds. Could the courtesan’s diaries  be used as a modern girl’s guide to finding love and empowerment? One curious curator—and one very lucky man—are about to find out…]]> 368 Celeste Bradley 0312532563 Laura 2 not-so-much, romance 3.98 2012 A Courtesan's Guide to Getting Your Man
author: Celeste Bradley
name: Laura
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2012
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2015/03/29
shelves: not-so-much, romance
review:
Wish I could like it more, has a fabulous premise! Loved the idea didn't like the execution. Book became a ugly duck becomes swan to get man she always wanted, sigh. Really? The blackbird in the 1800s is about freedom and the modern girl decides to beautify? Steamy sex scenes through out with mild kink, not a book for aunt ann.
]]> Shantaram 33600
So begins this epic, mesmerizing first novel set in the underworld of contemporary Bombay. Shantaram is narrated by Lin, an escaped convict with a false passport who flees maximum security prison in Australia for the teeming streets of a city where he can disappear.

Accompanied by his guide and faithful friend, Prabaker, the two enter Bombay's hidden society of beggars and gangsters, prostitutes and holy men, soldiers and actors, and Indians and exiles from other countries, who seek in this remarkable place what they cannot find elsewhere.

As a hunted man without a home, family, or identity, Lin searches for love and meaning while running a clinic in one of the city's poorest slums, and serving his apprenticeship in the dark arts of the Bombay mafia. The search leads him to war, prison torture, murder, and a series of enigmatic and bloody betrayals. The keys to unlock the mysteries and intrigues that bind Lin are held by two people. The first is Khader Khan: mafia godfather, criminal-philosopher-saint, and mentor to Lin in the underworld of the Golden City. The second is Karla: elusive, dangerous, and beautiful, whose passions are driven by secrets that torment her and yet give her a terrible power.

Burning slums and five-star hotels, romantic love and prison agonies, criminal wars and Bollywood films, spiritual gurus and mujaheddin guerrillas—this huge novel has the world of human experience in its reach, and a passionate love for India at its heart. Based on the life of the author, it is by any measure the debut of an extraordinary voice in literature.]]> 936 Gregory David Roberts 192076920X Laura 0 to-read 4.27 2003 Shantaram
author: Gregory David Roberts
name: Laura
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2014/10/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[What Are You Looking At?: The Surprising, Shocking, and Sometimes Strange Story of 150 Years of Modern Art]]> 11737279
What is modern art? Who started it? Why do we either love it or loathe it? And why is it such big money? Join BBC Arts Editor Will Gompertz on a dazzling tour that will change the way you look at modern art forever. From Monet's water lilies to Van Gogh's sunflowers, from Warhol's soup cans to Hirst's pickled shark, hear the stories behind the masterpieces, meet the artists as they really were, and discover the real point of modern art.

You will not all conceptual art is bollocks; Picasso is king (but CĂ©zanne is better); Pollock is no drip; Dali painted with his moustache; a urinal changed the course of art; why your 5-year-old really couldn't do it. Refreshing, irreverent and always straightforward, What Are You Looking At? cuts through the pretentious art speak and asks all the basic questions that you were too afraid to ask. Your next trip to the art gallery is going to be a little less intimidating and a lot more interesting.

With his offbeat humor, down-to-earth storytelling, and flair for odd details that spark insights, Will Gompertz is the perfect tour guide for modern art. His book doesn’t tell us if a work of art is good; it gives us the knowledge to decide for ourselves.]]> 464 Will Gompertz 0525952675 Laura 0 to-read, non-fiction 4.03 2012 What Are You Looking At?: The Surprising, Shocking, and Sometimes Strange Story of 150 Years of Modern Art
author: Will Gompertz
name: Laura
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2014/02/12
shelves: to-read, non-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business]]> 12609433
Marketers at Procter & Gamble study videos of people making their beds. They are desperately trying to figure out how to sell a new product called Febreze, on track to be one of the biggest flops in company history. Suddenly, one of them detects a nearly imperceptible pattern—and with a slight shift in advertising, Febreze goes on to earn a billion dollars a year.

An untested CEO takes over one of the largest companies in America. His first order of business is attacking a single pattern among his employees—how they approach worker safety—and soon the firm, Alcoa, becomes the top performer in the Dow Jones.

What do all these people have in common? They achieved success by focusing on the patterns that shape every aspect of our lives.

They succeeded by transforming habits.

In The Power of Habit, award-winning New York Times business reporter Charles Duhigg takes us to the thrilling edge of scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed. With penetrating intelligence and an ability to distill vast amounts of information into engrossing narratives, Duhigg brings to life a whole new understanding of human nature and its potential for transformation.

Along the way we learn why some people and companies struggle to change, despite years of trying, while others seem to remake themselves overnight. We visit laboratories where neuroscientists explore how habits work and where, exactly, they reside in our brains. We discover how the right habits were crucial to the success of Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, and civil-rights hero Martin Luther King, Jr. We go inside Procter & Gamble, Target superstores, Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church, NFL locker rooms, and the nation’s largest hospitals and see how implementing so-called keystone habits can earn billions and mean the difference between failure and success, life and death.

At its core, The Power of Habit contains an exhilarating argument: The key to exercising regularly, losing weight, raising exceptional children, becoming more productive, building revolutionary companies and social movements, and achieving success is understanding how habits work.

Habits aren’t destiny. As Charles Duhigg shows, by harnessing this new science, we can transform our businesses, our communities, and our lives.]]> 375 Charles Duhigg 1400069289 Laura 0 to-read 4.13 2012 The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
author: Charles Duhigg
name: Laura
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2014/01/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Grumbles from the Forest: Fairy-Tale Voices with a Twist]]> 16192204
This book contains a bewitching brew of voices--bragging, warning, wondering...

Prepare to be surprised.
Prepare to be dazzled.
Prepare for magic.]]> 40 Jane Yolen 1590788672 Laura 3 3.78 2013 Grumbles from the Forest: Fairy-Tale Voices with a Twist
author: Jane Yolen
name: Laura
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2014/01/05
date added: 2014/01/05
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Star Wars: The Courtship of Princess Leia]]> 161540
Features a bonus section following the novel that includes a primer on the Star Wars expanded universe, and over half a dozen excerpts from some of the most popular Star Wars books of the last thirty years!]]> 374 Dave Wolverton Laura 4 3.62 1994 Star Wars: The Courtship of Princess Leia
author: Dave Wolverton
name: Laura
average rating: 3.62
book published: 1994
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2014/01/05
shelves:
review:

]]> Twelfth Night Secrets 13547194
Lady Harriet Devere travels to Oxfordshire with her two younger siblings for their annual family holiday gathering. Now orphaned, the trio has recently lost their eldest brother Nicholas, who died serving his country in battle. Before his death, Nicholas had entrusted Harriet with a secret: he was working as a British spy, recruited to follow in their father’s footsteps. Nicholas uses Harriet as an accomplice, expecting her to relay simple messages to his contacts while he was abroad. After his death, Harriet is suddenly asked to fulfill a request much more in-depth than those of the past.
Harriet must keep an eye on Julius Forsythe, Earl of Marbury, who, while also a spy for the British, is believed to be a double agent also working for the French. Harriet is expected to follow his every move to determine his status as a traitor. But before long, she begins to admire the Earl, and her romantic feelings are reciprocated. As the adventure unfolds, Harriet must do her best to honor the wish of her dearly loved brother, while attempting to keep the man she loves from harm.]]> 257 Jane Feather 143914527X Laura 2 romance, not-so-much 3.16 2012 Twelfth Night Secrets
author: Jane Feather
name: Laura
average rating: 3.16
book published: 2012
rating: 2
read at: 2013/01/12
date added: 2013/12/15
shelves: romance, not-so-much
review:
Maybe I'm finally burning out on mass market romances, can you believe it? After 30 years, this may be the section of the library I skip. Sacreliege! This was competently written but many questions went unanswered. She fell for him because that's the formula, he resisted because his character must. The children were adorable because an historical country house christmas romance must have children. ALL "I's" DOTTED & ALL "T's" CROSSED.
]]> <![CDATA[Kaboom: Embracing the Suck in a Savage Little War]]> 7686827 Kaboom is “at turns hilarious, maddening, and terrifying,� providing “raw and insightful snapshots of a conflict many Americans have lost interest in� (Washington Post). Like Anthony Swofford’s Jarhead, Gallagher’s Kaboom resonates with stoic detachment and timeless insight into a war that we are still trying to understand.]]> 336 Matt Gallagher 0306818809 Laura 0 to-read 3.87 2010 Kaboom: Embracing the Suck in a Savage Little War
author: Matt Gallagher
name: Laura
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/12/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Lawrence Block on Writing, Three Volumes in One: Writing the Novel, The Liar's Bible, and The Liar's Companion]]> 18938478 724 Lawrence Block 1480465674 Laura 0 to-read 3.75 2013 Lawrence Block on Writing, Three Volumes in One: Writing the Novel, The Liar's Bible, and The Liar's Companion
author: Lawrence Block
name: Laura
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/12/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Let's Get Lost: A Matthew Scudder Story]]> 13610798 16 Lawrence Block Laura 0 to-read 3.78 2011 Let's Get Lost: A Matthew Scudder Story
author: Lawrence Block
name: Laura
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/12/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Looking for David (A Matthew Scudder Story)]]> 16479478
The story grew out of a couple of threads—my recollection of the role the statue of David played in my hometown of Buffalo, and a woman’s observation on the metamorphosis of her husband from Greek god to Roman emperor. Ah, well. These things happen�

Looking for David is included in The Night and the Music, my collection of all 11 Matthew Scudder short stories, available for Kindle or in handsome trade paperback form.]]> Lawrence Block Laura 0 to-read 3.66 2012 Looking for David (A Matthew Scudder Story)
author: Lawrence Block
name: Laura
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/12/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Candle for the Bag Lady (A Matt Scudder Story)]]> 17694379
Out the Window and A Candle for the Bag Lady kept Scudder alive for me after Dell failed to sell the first three books effectively. There seemed little point in trying to interest another publisher in a series that had already proved unsuccessful, but I couldn't abandon Scudder, and wrote the two novelettes for magazine publication. Then I wrote the fourth novel, A Stab in the Dark, and Don Fine published it at Arbor House, and Scudder was back in business.

If you catch me in a weak moment, you might persuade me to sing the title song...

A Candle for the Bag Lady was briefly retitled Like a Lamb to Slaughter in order to serve as the title story of a collection; it's original was subsequently restored. It is included in The Night and the Music, my collection of all 11 Matthew Scudder short stories, available for Kindle or as a handsome trade paperback.]]> 34 Lawrence Block Laura 0 to-read 3.95 2012 A Candle for the Bag Lady (A Matt Scudder Story)
author: Lawrence Block
name: Laura
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/12/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[All the Flowers Are Dying (Matthew Scudder, #16)]]> 162914
Meanwhile, Matthew Scudder has just agreed to investigate the ostensibly suspicious online lover of an acquaintance. It seems simple enough. At first. But when people start dying and the victims are increasingly closer to home, it becomes clear that a vicious killer is at work. And the final targets may be Matt and Elaine Scudder.]]> 354 Lawrence Block 0061030961 Laura 0 to-read 3.87 2005 All the Flowers Are Dying (Matthew Scudder, #16)
author: Lawrence Block
name: Laura
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/12/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Even the Wicked (Matthew Scudder #13)]]> 162925 340 Lawrence Block 0752834509 Laura 0 to-read 3.96 1996 Even the Wicked (Matthew Scudder #13)
author: Lawrence Block
name: Laura
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1996
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/12/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Hope to Die (Matthew Scudder, #15)]]> 76760
There's something drawing Matthew Scudder to this case that the cops have quickly and eagerly closed: a nagging suspicion that a third man is involved, a cold, diabolical puppet master who manipulates his two accomplices, then cuts their strings when he's done with them. No one but Scudder even suspects he exists. And his worst fear is that the guy is just getting started ...]]> 364 Lawrence Block 006103097X Laura 0 to-read 3.85 2001 Hope to Die (Matthew Scudder, #15)
author: Lawrence Block
name: Laura
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2001
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/12/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[In the Midst of Death (Matthew Scudder, #3)]]> 76761 244 Lawrence Block 0380763621 Laura 0 to-read 3.77 1976 In the Midst of Death (Matthew Scudder, #3)
author: Lawrence Block
name: Laura
average rating: 3.77
book published: 1976
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/12/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Devil Knows You're Dead (Matthew Scudder, #11)]]> 162920
Glenn Holtzman sits on top of the world, watching the sun set from his penthouse� half and hour later he’s just another statistic, gunned down in a phone booth on Eleventh Avenue. When the cartridge casings of the fatal shots turn up on a well-known local Vietnam Vet the whole of the Big Apple knows it’s an open and shut case. But not Scudder � this Yuppie lawyer has skeletons in his closet and Matt can hear them rattling.]]> 337 Lawrence Block 0752827472 Laura 0 to-read 4.01 1993 The Devil Knows You're Dead (Matthew Scudder, #11)
author: Lawrence Block
name: Laura
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1993
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/12/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Out on the Cutting Edge (Matthew Scudder, #7)]]> 39508 244 Lawrence Block 0752837494 Laura 0 to-read 4.06 1989 Out on the Cutting Edge (Matthew Scudder, #7)
author: Lawrence Block
name: Laura
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1989
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/12/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Everybody Dies (Matthew Scudder, #14)]]> 76759 369 Lawrence Block 0380725355 Laura 0 to-read 4.09 1998 Everybody Dies (Matthew Scudder, #14)
author: Lawrence Block
name: Laura
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1998
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/12/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Walk Among the Tombstones (Matthew Scudder, #10)]]> 162938 339 Lawrence Block 0752837486 Laura 0 to-read 3.95 1992 A Walk Among the Tombstones (Matthew Scudder, #10)
author: Lawrence Block
name: Laura
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1992
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/12/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Ticket to the Boneyard (Matthew Scudder, #8)]]> 162923 292 Lawrence Block 0752837478 Laura 0 to-read 4.14 1990 A Ticket to the Boneyard (Matthew Scudder, #8)
author: Lawrence Block
name: Laura
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1990
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/12/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Drop of the Hard Stuff (Matthew Scudder, #17)]]> 9547675
In a novel widely celebrated by critics and readers, Lawrence Block circle back to how it all began, reestablishing the Matthew Scudder series as one of the pinnacles of American detective fiction.]]> 319 Lawrence Block 0316127337 Laura 0 to-read 3.79 2011 A Drop of the Hard Stuff (Matthew Scudder, #17)
author: Lawrence Block
name: Laura
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/12/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Stab in the Dark (Matthew Scudder, #4)]]> 76765 304 Lawrence Block 0380715740 Laura 0 to-read 3.99 1981 A Stab in the Dark (Matthew Scudder, #4)
author: Lawrence Block
name: Laura
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1981
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/12/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Dance At The Slaughterhouse (Matthew Scudder, #9)]]> 31476 294 Lawrence Block 0380813734 Laura 0 to-read 4.17 1991 A Dance At The Slaughterhouse (Matthew Scudder, #9)
author: Lawrence Block
name: Laura
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1991
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/12/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[When the Sacred Ginmill Closes (Matthew Scudder, #6)]]> 132111 272 Lawrence Block 0752836994 Laura 0 to-read 4.18 1986 When the Sacred Ginmill Closes (Matthew Scudder, #6)
author: Lawrence Block
name: Laura
average rating: 4.18
book published: 1986
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/12/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Eight Million Ways to Die (Matthew Scudder, #5)]]> 76758 352 Lawrence Block 0380715732 Laura 0 to-read 4.15 1982 Eight Million Ways to Die (Matthew Scudder, #5)
author: Lawrence Block
name: Laura
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1982
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/12/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Long Line of Dead Men (Matthew Scudder, #12)]]> 162921
For private eye Matt Scudder, the case is one of the most baffling he's faced. Can the deaths really be a bizarre series of suicides and violent accidents? Or is there is a pattern behind the random play of tragedy? Is there a murderer at work and can he be stopped before the victims run out?]]> 338 Lawrence Block 0752827480 Laura 0 to-read 4.02 1994 A Long Line of Dead Men (Matthew Scudder, #12)
author: Lawrence Block
name: Laura
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1994
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/12/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Wickedly Charming (Fates #7) 9633279
Mellie is sick and tired of stepmothers being misunderstood. Vampires have redeemed their reputations, why shouldn't stepmothers do the same? Then she runs into the handsomest, most charming man she's ever met and discovers she's going about her mission all wrong...

It's only natural that sparks fly and magic ensues when these two fairy tale refugees put their heads - and vulnerable hearts - together...]]> 380 Kristine Grayson 1402248482 Laura 3 3.52 2011 Wickedly Charming (Fates #7)
author: Kristine Grayson
name: Laura
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2013/12/14
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Malled to Death (A Mall Cop Mystery, #3)]]> 15808712
With a famous action star for a father, mall cop EJ Ferris is used to the Hollywood hullabaloo. But when her mall becomes his movie set, the cameramen aren’t the only ones who start shooting�

Protecting the shoppers at the Fernglen Galleria may not be EJ’s dream job, but neither is working for her father’s film production company. That’s why EJ is less than thrilled when her dad arranges to shoot his upcoming film, Mafia Mistress,  in her mall. With the arrival of the movie entourage, EJ suddenly has more than shoplifting teens to worry about.

Bombarded by overeager assistants and fan mail, EJ’s famous father makes for an easy target—especially after a scare involving a gun loaded with blanks. Zoe, the prop master, blames herself for the mistake. But when a real bullet is fired and Zoe is killed, Fernglen Galleria is shaken by more than just Hollywood drama. Cut the cameras—there’s a real gunman on the loose�  ]]> 293 Laura DiSilverio 0425251918 Laura 3 mystery 3.78 2013 Malled to Death (A Mall Cop Mystery, #3)
author: Laura DiSilverio
name: Laura
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2013/12/14
shelves: mystery
review:

]]> <![CDATA[At the Crossroads: One Woman's Solo World Tour]]> 12862706 160 Rosemary Dukelow 0615540716 Laura 4 4.00 2011 At the Crossroads: One Woman's Solo World Tour
author: Rosemary Dukelow
name: Laura
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2013/11/17
date added: 2013/11/17
shelves: bookclub, non-fiction, murray-lib-doesn-t-have, main-slc-library-doesnt-have
review:
Rosemary Dukelow, world traveler and presenter came to our book club to to show her slideshow that accompanies the book. It was Fabu! The book is a quick read and great armchair travel book. I enjoyed the voice the book is written in, it is very conversational. This is a book that started as a blog and that makes it fun as the author put in comments from readers of the blog. I also like the photos included in the book. I highly recommend this book as a resource for any one who wants to travel on a budget. If you get a chance to see the author in person, you are in for a real treat. Thumbs Up!
]]> <![CDATA[4 Bodies and a Funeral (Body Movers, #4)]]> 5961090 Ever had one of those days? A surprise visit from her father--who's on the run from the law--has given Carlotta Wren a lot to think about. Should she join her former fianc�, Peter, in proving her father is innocent? If she does, are her body-moving days over?

And then...

A close friend's behavior begins to spin out of control...

The cops turn up the heat on her father's case...

Carlotta discovers that her brother Wesley's gambling debts are child's play compared to his new vice...

And the Charmed Killer, a serial murderer, unleashes his wrath on Atlanta.

Now the bodies are piling up--and Carlotta's father is the number one suspect!]]> 341 Stephanie Bond 0778326683 Laura 3 4.02 2009 4 Bodies and a Funeral (Body Movers, #4)
author: Stephanie Bond
name: Laura
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2013/11/17
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The International Bank of Bob: Connecting Our Worlds One $25 Kiva Loan at a Time]]> 15793509 416 Bob Harris 0802777511 Laura 0 4.05 2013 The International Bank of Bob: Connecting Our Worlds One $25 Kiva Loan at a Time
author: Bob Harris
name: Laura
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/11/17
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Big Yoga: A Simple Guide for Bigger Bodies]]> 8069768
Part One of Big Yoga begins with a clear explanation of what yoga is, what benefits it offers, and how it can fit into anyone’s life. Included is an important discussion of selfimage. The book goes on to provide practical information regarding clothing, mats, and suitable environments, and to emphasize the need to begin with care.

Part Two offers over forty different exercises specifically designed to work with bigger bodies. In each case, the author explains the technique, details its advantages, and offers step-by-step instructions along with easy-to-follow photographs. If you have thought that yoga is not for you, pick up Big Yoga and let Meera Patricia Kerr help you become more confident and relaxed than you may have ever thought possible.]]> 240 Meera Patricia Kerr 0757002153 Laura 3 non-fiction
This is more of a in depth look at yoga, spiritual practices & heath benefits. This is a yoga practitioner from the 1970s on & so even though the info was interesting it wasn't what I needed. The author has some photos but they aren't helpful to a beginner imo.]]> 3.65 2009 Big Yoga: A Simple Guide for Bigger Bodies
author: Meera Patricia Kerr
name: Laura
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2013/11/17
shelves: non-fiction
review:
G also got this book from the Murray library (if you live in SL County you can get a Murray card) for me as I was struggling with practice but going every week. Of course as soon as I bought a 3 month membership I injured my knee. I still went for a couple weeks before going to the Dr.

This is more of a in depth look at yoga, spiritual practices & heath benefits. This is a yoga practitioner from the 1970s on & so even though the info was interesting it wasn't what I needed. The author has some photos but they aren't helpful to a beginner imo.
]]> <![CDATA[Anywhere, Anytime, Any Body Yoga]]> 6633490 168 Emily Slonina 0897935195 Laura 4 non-fiction 3.82 2009 Anywhere, Anytime, Any Body Yoga
author: Emily Slonina
name: Laura
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2013/11/17
shelves: non-fiction
review:
G checked it out of Murray library for me. Love all the pictures of real people (usually new to yoga) with ideas on how to get the benefit of yoga while still accommodating a body that doesn't wish to become a pretzel or has balance issues. Will check out again when I can start yoga again & take to practice for the leader to look at too.
]]> Lovestruck 288819 They never knew what hit them . . .

IRRESISTIBLE?
Starving artist Ellie Sutherland is taking drastic measures to correct her nonexistent love life -- including offering herself as a guinea pig in a sex study! And something's definitely working . . . because suddenly, Ellie has men falling all over her, including lawyer Mark Blackwell. But once the study is over, will he still find her irresistible?

KIDS IS A 4-LETTER WORD
Jo Montgomery is an interior decorator, not a baby-sitter. Still, when she discovers her new client's baby-sitter tied to the stake, what can she do but untie the poor woman and watch her run for the hills? And after ten minutes with the little darlings, she's ready to do the same -- until she meets the kids' gorgeous father . . .

WIFE IS A 4-LETTER WORD
Alan Parish thinks things can't get any worse, when he finds himself dumped on his wedding day. But when Pamela Kaminski decides to join him on his honeymoon, Alan's really in a fix. Because Pam is beautiful, desirable . . . and his former fiancée's maid of honor. And the more time Alan spends with her, the less honorable his intentions become . . .]]> 672 Stephanie Bond 0373185189 Laura 0 romance 3.82 2003 Lovestruck
author: Stephanie Bond
name: Laura
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/11/17
shelves: romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[5 Bodies to Die For (Body Movers, #5)]]> 6072105 And then�

She's forced to take refuge in her former fiancé's house�much to the chagrin of other interested parties�

Her brother Wesley begins to behave as if he has his own death wish�

And someone close to her is implicated in the mass murders.

Meanwhile, Carlotta can't shake the feeling that danger is dogging her seemingly cursed family�and that the serial killer's exploits are starting to get personal�.

]]> 320 Stephanie Bond 0778327051 Laura 0 4.06 2009 5 Bodies to Die For (Body Movers, #5)
author: Stephanie Bond
name: Laura
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/11/17
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[3 Men and a Body (Body Movers, #3)]]> 3025266 Carlotta Wren has always dreamed of taking a vacation from her life as daughter to fugitive parents and mother to her younger brother, Wesley. So when she is temporarily suspended from her job at Neiman Marcus, the invitation from hunky body mover Cooper Craft to ride to Florida for some fun in the sun and a VIP body pickup seems like a good idea.�
And then Wesley tags along to elude an irate loan shark and to play chaperone.�
And then they're greeted on arrival by three different men, each one laying claim to the celebutante's body they've been hired to move.�
And it isn't long before they realize someone is determined that the stressed-out trio won't make it back to Atlanta with their famous cargo intact!]]> 315 Stephanie Bond 0778326071 Laura 0 3.97 2008 3 Men and a Body (Body Movers, #3)
author: Stephanie Bond
name: Laura
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at: 2013/11/17
date added: 2013/11/17
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[2 Bodies for the Price of 1 (Body Movers, #2)]]> 288845
Her best friend jumps on the body-moving bandwagon.

Her fugitive parents phone home.

Her identity is stolen by a look-alike.

Her look-alike is found, well...dead.

Under suspicion for murder, Carlotta discovers that her devious double might've been bumped off accidentally—and that she could be the real target! Throw in dealing with her motley crew of family, friends and wannabe lovers, and Carlotta begins to think that jail isn't such a bad alternative after all....

Look for all six books in Stephanie Bond’s Body Movers series, available now from Harlequin MIRA!]]> 345 Stephanie Bond 0778324842 Laura 0 3.97 2007 2 Bodies for the Price of 1 (Body Movers, #2)
author: Stephanie Bond
name: Laura
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/11/17
shelves:
review:

]]> Our Husband 288868 They're three women with one thing in common...Our Husband.

When they found out about his cheating heart, they wanted to get even. But how even?

Fate has just thrown a curveball at the women in Raymond Carmichael's life-- all three of them. When they meet at his hospital bed, they discover they're all married to the same man. And when Raymond suddenly dies, the police suspect that one of these spunky ladies has commited murder...

The Socialite-- Blonde, post-menopausal, and mad as hell, Beatrix always suspected Raymond married her for her daddy's money...twenty-one years ago.

The Doctor-- a smart, small-town family physician, thirty-five-year-old Nathalie had ironically insisted on only one thing from her husband of seven years...absolute honesty.

The Stripper-- Twenty-one and an exotic dancer, Ruby would have chalked up her brief marriage to a learning experience...if she hadn't been pregnant.

Now they're three women left with a man's betrayal-- and worse, each other. But one thing they each insist-- they didn't kill Raymond. What can they do? Something outrageous and probably impossible: stick together to catch a murderer...

A Selection of the Doubleday Book Club
]]> 384 Stephanie Bond 0312975651 Laura 5 read-along-time-ago, romance 3.50 2000 Our Husband
author: Stephanie Bond
name: Laura
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2013/11/17
shelves: read-along-time-ago, romance
review:

]]> We'll Meet Again 43334
America's "Queen of Suspense" returns with the dramatic story of two women, best friends, one of whom is charged - and convicted - of a murder the other may have committed. When Julia is released from prison at the age of 36, the first item on her agenda is to settle the score with her former friend.]]> 234 Mary Higgins Clark 0743484312 Laura 3 bookclub, mystery 3.88 1999 We'll Meet Again
author: Mary Higgins Clark
name: Laura
average rating: 3.88
book published: 1999
rating: 3
read at: 2013/11/17
date added: 2013/11/17
shelves: bookclub, mystery
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Time to Murder and Create (Matthew Scudder, #2)]]> 2619643 190 Lawrence Block 091316562X Laura 0 mystery 3.61 1976 Time to Murder and Create (Matthew Scudder, #2)
author: Lawrence Block
name: Laura
average rating: 3.61
book published: 1976
rating: 0
read at: 2013/11/17
date added: 2013/11/17
shelves: mystery
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Ocean at the End of the Lane]]> 15783514
Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie—magical, comforting, wise beyond her years—promised to protect him, no matter what.

A groundbreaking work from a master, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is told with a rare understanding of all that makes us human, and shows the power of stories to reveal and shelter us from the darkness inside and out. It is a stirring, terrifying, and elegiac fable as delicate as a butterfly's wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark.]]> 181 Neil Gaiman 0062255657 Laura 0 to-read 4.00 2013 The Ocean at the End of the Lane
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Laura
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/11/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks]]> 9571617 New York Times bestseller tells a riveting story of the collision between ethics, race, and medicine; of scientific discovery and faith healing; and of a daughter consumed with questions about the mother she never knew.]]> 382 Rebecca Skloot 1400052181 Laura 5 bookclub 4.22 2010 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
author: Rebecca Skloot
name: Laura
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2012/02/05
date added: 2013/11/10
shelves: bookclub
review:
This is how I like non fiction; well written & engaging. The story is heart wrenching and cautionary. The science explainations are understandable to a non science person. Bookclub discussion was delightful & insightful.
]]> <![CDATA[Surprising Lord Jack (Duchess of Love, #2)]]> 15704746
Unladylike Behavior

Frances Hadley has managed her family’s estate for years. So why can’t she request her own dowry? She’ll have to go to London herself and knock some sense into the men interfering in her life. With the nonsense she’s dealt with lately, though, there’s no way she’s going as a woman. A pair of breeches and a quick chop of her red curls, and she’ll have much less to worry about�

Jack Valentine, third son of the famous Duchess of Love, is through being pursued by pushy young ladies. One particularly determined miss has run him out of his own house party. Luckily the inn has one bed left—Jack just has to share with a rather entertaining red-headed youth. Perhaps the two of them should ride to London together. It will make a pleasant escape from his mother’s matchmaking melodrama!]]> 328 Sally MacKenzie 142012322X Laura 0 to-read 3.64 2013 Surprising Lord Jack (Duchess of Love, #2)
author: Sally MacKenzie
name: Laura
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/09/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Only a Duke Will Do (School for Heiresses, #2)]]> 106550 “Jeffries fans will devour this treat!� � Romantic Times

]]> 367 Sabrina Jeffries 1416516093 Laura 2 romance, own-it 3.88 2006 Only a Duke Will Do (School for Heiresses, #2)
author: Sabrina Jeffries
name: Laura
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2006
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2013/09/19
shelves: romance, own-it
review:
Like the prison reform aspects, we need Louisa to fight the private prison system today but the romance was eh. This is not a stand alone book. You need the family tree in the front of book, & will be consulting with regularity.
]]> <![CDATA[In the Prince's Bed (Royal Brotherhood, #1)]]> 977934 From bestselling author Sabrina Jeffries comes the first dazzling novel in a sexy new series featuring three half brothers. Bound together by the royal father who denied them, they've formed a pact to help each other achieve their every desire... including the women of their dreams.

Miss Katherine Merivale is desperate to make a respectable match - if only her childhood sweetheart would propose! Until he does, she can't touch the fortune she's inherited. So the last thing she needs is notorious rogue Alec Black putting her proposed marriage at risk with his distracting, smoldering gaze and moonlit kisses.

Alec, the Earl of Iversley - and one of three bastard sons of the Prince of Wales - is secretly searching for an heiress bride to pay his debts. Fiery Katherine seems the answer to his prayers, and her passionate response to his practiced seduction soon assures him that she is his. But Alec knows Katherine is looking for a love-match, and he wonders... what will happen when she discovers his deception?]]> 384 Sabrina Jeffries 0743477707 Laura 0 to-read 3.88 2004 In the Prince's Bed (Royal Brotherhood, #1)
author: Sabrina Jeffries
name: Laura
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/09/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Less: Accomplishing More by Doing Less]]> 6283679 172 Marc Lesser 1577316177 Laura 0 to-read 3.41 2009 Less: Accomplishing More by Doing Less
author: Marc Lesser
name: Laura
average rating: 3.41
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/09/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Gypsy: Memoirs of America's Most Celebrated Stripper]]> 143890
“No matter how long you live, you’ll never see a more exciting production.� �Terry Teachout, The Wall Street Journal

“Watch out, New York! This GYPSY is a wallop-packing show of raw power.� �Ben Brantley, The New York Times

“Not your ordinary theater experience. This is the best production of the best damn musical ever.� —Liz Smith, Syndicated Columnist

The memoir, which Gypsy began as a series of pieces for The New Yorker, contains photographs and newspaper clippings from her personal scrapbooks and an afterword by her son, Erik Lee Preminger. At turns touching and hilarious, Gypsy describes her childhood trouping across 1920s America through her rise to stardom as The Queen of Burlesque in 1930s New York—where gin came in bathtubs, gangsters were celebrities, and Walter Winchell was king.

Gypsy’s story features outrageous characters—among them Broadway’s funny girl, Fanny Brice, who schooled Gypsy in how to be a star; gangster Waxy Gordon, who fixed her teeth; and her indomitable mother, Rose, who lived by her own version of the Golden Rule: “Do unto others � before they do you.”]]> 408 Gypsy Rose Lee 1883319951 Laura 0 to-read, non-fiction 4.06 1957 Gypsy: Memoirs of America's Most Celebrated Stripper
author: Gypsy Rose Lee
name: Laura
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1957
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/09/02
shelves: to-read, non-fiction
review:

]]> Inferno (Robert Langdon, #4) 17212231 â€Seek and ye shall find.â€�

With these words echoing in his head, eminent Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon awakes in a hospital bed with no recollection of where he is or how he got there. Nor can he explain the origin of the macabre object that is found hidden in his belongings.

A threat to his life will propel him and a young doctor, Sienna Brooks, into a breakneck chase across the city of Florence. Only Langdon’s knowledge of hidden passageways and ancient secrets that lie behind its historic facade can save them from the clutches of their unknown pursuers.

With only a few lines from Dante’s dark and epic masterpiece, The Inferno, to guide them, they must decipher a sequence of codes buried deep within some of the most celebrated artefacts of the Renaissance � sculptures, paintings, buildings � to find the answers to a puzzle which may, or may not, help them save the world from a terrifying threat�

Set against an extraordinary landscape inspired by one of history’s most ominous literary classics, Inferno is Dan Brown’s most compelling and thought-provoking novel yet, a breathless race-against-time thriller that will grab you from page one and not let you go until you close the book.]]> 463 Dan Brown 0385537859 Laura 1 bookclub, not-so-much 3.87 2013 Inferno (Robert Langdon, #4)
author: Dan Brown
name: Laura
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2013
rating: 1
read at: 2013/07/31
date added: 2013/09/01
shelves: bookclub, not-so-much
review:
Will update after book club. 1 Sep 2013: knock me down with a feather, everyone who came to book club is a Dan Brown fan & enjoyed this book tremendously... except me. Dan Brown grates my nerves. That being said -lovely club meeting with photos of places mentioned in the book, delicious caprese salad & pizzelles made by our gracious hostess & good discussion of major idea of the book (can't say what-it'd be a spoiler). Something I like about book club is it makes me read things I never would otherwise. And give serious consideration to why people like certain authors that I don't.
]]> <![CDATA[Hack: How I Stopped Worrying About What to Do with My Life and Started Driving a Yellow Cab]]> 1611311
In her late twenties and after a series of unsatisfying office jobs, Melissa Plaut decided she was going to stop worrying about what to do with the rest of her life and focus on what she was going to do next. Her first becoming a taxi driver. Undeterred by the fact that 99 percent of cabbies in the city were men, she went to taxi school, got her hack license, and hit the streets of Manhattan and the outlying boroughs.

Hack traces Plaut’s first two years behind the wheel of a yellow cab traveling the 6,400 miles of New York City streets. She shares the highs, the lows, the shortcuts, and professional trade secrets. Between figuring out where and when to take a bathroom break and trying to avoid run-ins with the NYPD, Plaut became an honorary member of a diverse brotherhood that included Harvey, the cross-dressing cabbie; the dispatcher affectionately called “Paul the crazy Romanian�; and Lenny, the garage owner rumored to be the real-life prototype for TV’s Louie De Palma of Taxi.

With wicked wit and arresting insight, Melissa Plaut reveals the crazy parade of humanity that passed through her cab–including struggling actors, federal judges, bartenders, strippers, and drug dealers–while showing how this grueling work provided her with empowerment and a greater sense of self. Hack introduces an irresistible new voice that is much like New York itself–vivid, profane, lyrical, and ineffably hip]]> 256 Melissa Plaut 1400066042 Laura 1 3.45 2007 Hack: How I Stopped Worrying About What to Do with My Life and Started Driving a Yellow Cab
author: Melissa Plaut
name: Laura
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2007
rating: 1
read at: 2013/08/31
date added: 2013/09/01
shelves: not-so-much, non-fiction, own-it
review:
The premise is more exiting than the book. This memoir is lame. The author wants an adventure so she drives cab in NYC. She is from NYC suburbia so she has a basic knowledge of the city that most her fellow cab drivers have to learn on the job. She thinks she's a tough girl but she isn't all that because she has fallback positions, perhaps not pleasant but options that most of her fellow cabbies don't. Entitled & whiney is the tone of this book. I recommend it only for basic knowledge of how the cab system works in NYC, but that you could probably look up on the Taxis & Limousines Commission website. I bought it for ten cents & figure I got my money's worth.
]]> <![CDATA[The Highly Effective Detective]]> 491548 From the critically acclaimed author of Confessions of a Tax Collector and The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp comes The Highly Effective Detective--a hilarious and thrilling series debut featuring a lovable but bumbling private investigator.
 Meet Teddy Ruzak, the oversized, over-his-head P.I. whose first case begins with the hit-and-run killing of a gaggle of goslings. After his ailing mother dies, Teddy quits his job as a night watchman to fulfill his childhood dream of being a detective. With little planning and even less foresight, he hangs up his shingle and hires his favorite waitress from the local diner to be his Girl Friday. And his first case? Bringing to justice the thoughtless driver who mows down six baby geese. Not the most exciting assignment--until Teddy's "wild-goose chase" quickly evolves into an investigation of a vicious murder.]]> 294 Richard Yancey 0312347529 Laura 3 mystery review to come 22 Aug 13 3.27 2006 The Highly Effective Detective
author: Richard Yancey
name: Laura
average rating: 3.27
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 2013/07/08
date added: 2013/08/22
shelves: mystery
review:
review to come 22 Aug 13
]]> <![CDATA[The Blind Contessa's New Machine]]> 7718644
In the early 1800s, a young Italian contessa, Carolina Fantoni, realizes she is going blind shortly before she marries the town's most sought-after bachelor. Her parents don't believe her, nor does her fiancé. The only one who understands is the eccentric local inventor and her longtime companion, Turri. When her eyesight dims forever, Carolina can no longer see her beloved lake or the rich hues of her own dresses. But as darkness erases her world, she discovers one place she can still see-in her dreams. Carolina creates a vivid dreaming life, in which she can not only see, but also fly, exploring lands she had never known.

Desperate to communicate with Carolina, Turri invents a peculiar machine for the world's first typewriter. His gift ignites a passionate love affair that will change both of their lives forever.

Based on the true story of a nineteenth-century inventor and his innovative contraption, The Blind Contessa's New Machine is an enchanting confection of love and the triumph of the imagination.]]> 207 Carey Wallace 067002189X Laura 3 romance review to come 22 Aug 13 3.48 2010 The Blind Contessa's New Machine
author: Carey Wallace
name: Laura
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2013/07/04
date added: 2013/08/22
shelves: romance
review:
review to come 22 Aug 13
]]> Insane City 15815342 A dark comic masterpiece—the first solo adult novel in more than a decade from the Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times–bestselling author.

Seth Weinstein knew Tina was way out of his league in pretty much any way you could imagine, which is why it continued to astonish him that he was on the plane now for their destination wedding in Florida. The Groom Posse had already sprung an airport prank on him, and he’d survived it, and if that was the worst of it, everything should be okay. Smooth sailing from now on.

Seth has absolutely no idea what he’s about to get into. In the next several hours, he and his friends will become embroiled with rioters, Russian gangsters, angry strippers, a pimp as big as the Death Star, a very desperate Haitian refugee on the run with her two children from some very bad men, and an eleven-foot albino Burmese python named Blossom. And there’re still two days to go before the wedding.

As it turns out, it’s not smooth sailing, it’s more like a trip on the Titanic. And the water below him is getting deeper every minute. By the end, amid gunfire, high-speed chases, and mayhem of the most unimaginable sort, violent men will fall, heroes will rise, and many lives will change.

Seth’s, not least of all.]]> 341 Dave Barry 0399158685 Laura 4 mystery, romance 3.72 2013 Insane City
author: Dave Barry
name: Laura
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2013/08/02
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves: mystery, romance
review:
Dave Barry hilarity. Lots of kooky characters, simple plot & not much character development. Stock characters in funny gags. Miami as only Dave can convey. Great read while home sick or trapped in a mode of transit where you just need something funny.
]]> <![CDATA[Tall Tales and Wedding Veils (Playboys, #2)]]> 3212671
Quickly hitched and happily ditched, Tony can't wait to get back to his playboy ways. But when Heather's family is thrilled that their no-nonsense daughter is finally in love, he proposes a stay married for a month to repay his good luck charm, even though she sterilizes his toothbrush and forbids anything between the sheets. But Heather is more than he bargained for--a sharp-witted, passionate woman who just might turn his near miss into wedded bliss!]]> 378 Jane Graves 0446617873 Laura 3 3.79 2008 Tall Tales and Wedding Veils (Playboys, #2)
author: Jane Graves
name: Laura
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> Blow Me Down 50783
But fearless Earless Erika is really just Amy—a financial analyst with little time in her life for anything but work. And Corbin is none other than the man behind the game—the programmer and owner of the company. He’s intrigued by Amy, the only buccaneer to best him in this test of digital testosterone, while she just wants to take his arrogance down a peg. But soon the two find themselves comrades in arms against a merciless rival bent on Corbin’s destruction—both on the virtual high seas and in real life. Only by setting aside their differences can they locate the actual people behind the swaggering swashbucklers—and along the way find that love can tame even the most fearsome of pirates.]]> 359 Katie MacAlister 0451216393 Laura 2 3.82 2005 Blow Me Down
author: Katie MacAlister
name: Laura
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2005
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> Gone With the Nerd (Nerd, #4) 836407 400 Vicki Lewis Thompson 0312998589 Laura 3 3.80 2005 Gone With the Nerd (Nerd, #4)
author: Vicki Lewis Thompson
name: Laura
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> Unravel Me 4463917 The follow-up to How to Knit a Wild Bikini.

Who knew knitting could be so sexy?

Young widow Juliet Weston finds solace—and friendship—at beachside knitting shop Malibu & Ewe. But closer to home, a longtime family friend and former soldier is the one who will help her discover just how to knit two hearts together.]]> 304 Christie Ridgway 0425224856 Laura 3 3.76 2008 Unravel Me
author: Christie Ridgway
name: Laura
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> Hot 2540398
Sent to investigate a bank robbery in small town Wisconsin, Special Agent John MacKinnon discovers the robbers were two not-quite-so-bright thugs and one woman. Now, Turner is on the run. With SA MacKinnon on her trail, she's breaking into the bank president Calvin's house, kidnapping his Great Dane, and for the first time in her life, setting out to break a few rules. But when Calvin hires a hit-man, MacKinnon will have to decide between his career--and saving Turner.]]> 400 Elizabeth Hoyt 0446619175 Laura 5 3.63 2008 Hot
author: Elizabeth Hoyt
name: Laura
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> Skintight (Showgirls #1) 122730
Treena McCall is a showgirl just trying to hang onto her job. Jax Gallagher is a professional gambler with a private agenda. He’s not the man she thinks he is. She’s not the woman he expected. Can the deception that brought them together ever be replaced by trust?]]> 377 Susan Andersen 0778322009 Laura 3 3.75 2005 Skintight (Showgirls #1)
author: Susan Andersen
name: Laura
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[In Deep Voodoo (Voodoo in Mojo, #1)]]> 288821 384 Stephanie Bond 0060820578 Laura 3 3.82 2005 In Deep Voodoo (Voodoo in Mojo, #1)
author: Stephanie Bond
name: Laura
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Trouble in Mudbug (Ghost-in-Law, #1)]]> 5053547
Unfortunately, death doesn’t slow down Helena one bit.

DEA Agent Luc LeJeune is wondering what his undercover assignment investigating the sexy scientist has gotten him into � especially as it seems someone wants her dead. Keeping his secrets while protecting Maryse proves to be easier than fighting his attraction for the brainy beauty.]]> 300 Jana Deleon 0505527847 Laura 3 3.90 2009 Trouble in Mudbug (Ghost-in-Law, #1)
author: Jana Deleon
name: Laura
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Shop Till You Drop (Dead-End Job Mystery, #1)]]> 810473 288 Elaine Viets 0451208552 Laura 3 3.72 2003 Shop Till You Drop (Dead-End Job Mystery, #1)
author: Elaine Viets
name: Laura
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2003
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bubbles Unbound (Bubbles Yablonsky, #1)]]> 583948
Sarah Strohmeyer won the 2002 Agatha Award for best first mystery for Bubbles Unbound.]]> 352 Sarah Strohmeyer 0451205448 Laura 3 3.64 2001 Bubbles Unbound (Bubbles Yablonsky, #1)
author: Sarah Strohmeyer
name: Laura
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2001
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> Body Movers (Body Movers, #1) 1176884
She's coping. Until�
…her lovable brother is arrested, and the hunky cop decides to reopen her parents' case.
…her brother becomes a body mover for the morgue and his sexy boss gets Carlotta involved.
…her former fiancé's wife is murdered, fingering Carlotta.

With three men in her life, Carlotta has added motivation to help bag a murderer to keep her own well-dressed body from being next on the list!]]> 384 Stephanie Bond 0778324826 Laura 4 3.85 2006 Body Movers (Body Movers, #1)
author: Stephanie Bond
name: Laura
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Last Camel Died at Noon (Amelia Peabody, #6)]]> 66528 448 Elizabeth Peters 1841193879 Laura 5 4.20 1991 The Last Camel Died at Noon (Amelia Peabody, #6)
author: Elizabeth Peters
name: Laura
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1991
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax (Mrs. Pollifax, #1)]]> 140524 204 Dorothy Gilman 0449208281 Laura 5 4.13 1966 The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax (Mrs. Pollifax, #1)
author: Dorothy Gilman
name: Laura
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1966
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective (Encyclopedia Brown, #1)]]> 789344
Missing roller skates...

A trapeze artist's inheritance...

And an eyewitness who's legally blind!

Theses are just some of the ten brain-twisting mysteries that Encyclopedia Brown must solve by using his famous computerlike brain. Try to crack the cases along with him--the answer to all the mysteries are found in the back!]]> 128 Donald J. Sobol 0553157248 Laura 4 4.04 1963 Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective (Encyclopedia Brown, #1)
author: Donald J. Sobol
name: Laura
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1963
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Henry Huggins (Henry Huggins, #1)]]> 568476
Just as Henry Huggins is complaining that nothing exciting ever happens, a friendly dog sits down beside him and looks pleadingly at his ice-cream cone. From that moment on, the two are inseparable. But when Ribsy's original owner appears, trying to reclaim his dog, Henry's faced with the possibility of losing his new best friend. Has Klickitat Street seen the last of rambunctious Ribsy?]]> 155 Beverly Cleary Laura 4 4.01 1950 Henry Huggins (Henry Huggins, #1)
author: Beverly Cleary
name: Laura
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1950
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> Henry Reed, Inc. 181775 240 Keith Robertson 0140341447 Laura 4 4.05 1958 Henry Reed, Inc.
author: Keith Robertson
name: Laura
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1958
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Wanna Get Lucky? (Lucky O'Toole, #1)]]> 7558193
When a former flame is one of the snakes she uncovers, Lucky is certain the woman’s death was no Sin City suicide. To top it all off, Lucky’s best friend, Teddie—Las Vegas’s finest female impersonator—presses to take their relationship to the next level. Leave it to Lucky to attract a man who looks better in a dress than she does.

Lucky must manage the Babylon’s outrageous festivities, solve the crime, and struggle to keep her life and libido from spinning out of control.]]> 352 Deborah Coonts 0765325438 Laura 2 3.81 2010 Wanna Get Lucky? (Lucky O'Toole, #1)
author: Deborah Coonts
name: Laura
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2010
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Truly, Madly (Lucy Valentine, #1)]]> 6681523

Lucy Valentine is as smart as can be, as single as you can get, and so not qualified to run a matchmaking service. But when her parents temporarily step down from the family business, Valentine, Inc., it’s Lucy’s turn to step up and help out—in the name of love.

Plus, her rent is due.

Here’s the problem: Lucy doesn’t have the knack for matchmaking. According to family legend, every Valentine has been blessed by Cupid with the ability to read “auras� and pair up perfect couples. But not Lucy. Her skills were zapped away years ago in an electrical surge, and now all she can do is find lost objects. What good is that in the matchmaking world? You’d be surprised. In a city like Boston, everyone’s looking for something. So when Lucy locates a missing wedding ring—on a dead body—she asks the sexy private eye who lives upstairs to help her solve the perfect crime. And who knows? Maybe she’ll find the perfect love while she’s at it�

]]> 305 Heather Webber 0312946139 Laura 4 3.91 2010 Truly, Madly (Lucy Valentine, #1)
author: Heather Webber
name: Laura
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bootlegger's Daughter (Deborah Knott Mysteries, #1)]]> 537275 275 Margaret Maron 0786223278 Laura 5 3.97 1992 Bootlegger's Daughter (Deborah Knott Mysteries, #1)
author: Margaret Maron
name: Laura
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1992
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Track of the Cat (Anna Pigeon, #1)]]> 76706 218 Nevada Barr 0380721643 Laura 2 3.83 1993 Track of the Cat (Anna Pigeon, #1)
author: Nevada Barr
name: Laura
average rating: 3.83
book published: 1993
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Murder With Puffins (Meg Langslow, #2)]]> 615410 Winner of the St. Martin's Malice Domestic Award in 1997 for her first work Murder With Peacocks, Donna Andrews brings back her zany characters and disastrous events.

In an attempt to get away from her family, Meg and her boyfriend go to a tiny island off the coast of Maine. What could have been a romantic getaway slowly turns into disaster.

Once there, they are marooned by a hurricane and that is only the beginning of their problems. Meg and her boyfriend arrive at the house only to discover that Meg's parents and siblings, along with their spouses are all there. When a murder takes place, Meg realizes that she and her boyfriend can no longer sit by a cozy fireplace, but must instead tramp around the muddy island to keep try and clear her father who is the chief suspect. ]]> 308 Donna Andrews 0312978863 Laura 3 3.81 2000 Murder With Puffins (Meg Langslow, #2)
author: Donna Andrews
name: Laura
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2000
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax (Mrs. Pollifax, #2)]]> 149355 176 Dorothy Gilman 0449209121 Laura 5 4.12 1970 The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax (Mrs. Pollifax, #2)
author: Dorothy Gilman
name: Laura
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1970
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> Reflex 8529 Run Time = 9h 10min

With “intricate plotting and well-drawn characters� (Publishers Weekly), this gripping mystery delivered by an AudioFile Golden Voice “enthralls� (The New York Times). Jockey Philip Nore starts to suspect that a racetrack photographer’s deadly accident was actually murder. But his investigation uncovers dark secrets of corruption and blackmail � and time may be running out� “Aburst with action� (Los Angeles Times)!

Publisher Description
A jockey unravels nasty secrets of corruption, blackmail, and murder in this mystery from grand master of crime fiction Dick Francis. Longtime jockey Philip Nore is no hero. But when he begins to suspect that a racetrack photographer’s fatal accident was really murder, he sets out to discover the truth and trap the killer. Slowly, he unravels some nasty secrets of corruption, blackmail and murder—and unwittingly sets himself up as the killer’s next target �

“Reflex enthralls.”�The New York Times]]> 304 Dick Francis 0425206955 Laura 5 4.06 1980 Reflex
author: Dick Francis
name: Laura
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1980
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Listening Woman (Leaphorn & Chee, #3)]]> 425099 316 Tony Hillerman 0061000299 Laura 3 4.11 1978 Listening Woman (Leaphorn & Chee, #3)
author: Tony Hillerman
name: Laura
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1978
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> Ill Wind (Anna Pigeon, #3) 86445 320 Nevada Barr 0425197255 Laura 3 3.87 1995 Ill Wind (Anna Pigeon, #3)
author: Nevada Barr
name: Laura
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1995
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Blessing Way (Leaphorn & Chee, #1)]]> 867387 Alternate cover edition can be found here.

Homicide is always an abomination, but there is something exceptionally disturbing about the victim discovered in a high lonely place, a corpse with a mouth full of sand, abandoned at a crime scene seemingly devoid of tracks or useful clues. Though it goes against his better judgment, Navajo Tribal Police Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn cannot help but suspect the hand of a supernatural killer. There is palpable evil in the air, and Leaphorn's pursuit of a Wolf-Witch is leading him where even the bravest men fear, on a chilling trail that winds perilously between mysticism and murder.]]> 306 Tony Hillerman 0061000019 Laura 4 3.99 1970 The Blessing Way (Leaphorn & Chee, #1)
author: Tony Hillerman
name: Laura
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1970
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Desert Heat (Joanna Brady, #1)]]> 530643
The police brass claim that Andy was dirty -- up to his neck in drugs and smuggling -- and that the shooting was a suicide attempt. Joanna knows a cover-up when she hears one...and murder when she sees it. But her determined efforts to track down an assassin and clear her husband's name are placing herself and her Jenny in serious jeopardy. Because, in the desert, the truth can be far more lethal than a rattler's bite.]]> 246 J.A. Jance 0380765454 Laura 4 3.97 1993 Desert Heat (Joanna Brady, #1)
author: J.A. Jance
name: Laura
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1993
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Great Brain (Great Brain, #1)]]> 119247 175 John D. Fitzgerald 0142400580 Laura 1 4.16 1967 The Great Brain (Great Brain, #1)
author: John D. Fitzgerald
name: Laura
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1967
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> The Yearling 159582 --back cover]]> 513 Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings 0689846231 Laura 2 4.02 1938 The Yearling
author: Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
name: Laura
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1938
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mystic and Rider (Twelve Houses, #1)]]> 97967
But as the unlikely allies venture farther into the south, they will face death in a land under the sway of a fanatical cult that would purge Gillengaria of all magic users. And they will come to realize that their only hope of survival lies in standing together…]]> 421 Sharon Shinn 0441013031 Laura 4 see comment for review 4.10 2005 Mystic and Rider (Twelve Houses, #1)
author: Sharon Shinn
name: Laura
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2013/06/24
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves: bookclub, romance, non-fiction, kids
review:
see comment for review
]]> To Kill a Mockingbird 2657
Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, "To Kill A Mockingbird" takes readers to the roots of human behavior - to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos. Now with over 18 million copies in print and translated into forty languages, this regional story by a young Alabama woman claims universal appeal. Harper Lee always considered her book to be a simple love story. Today it is regarded as a masterpiece of American literature.]]> 323 Harper Lee 0060935464 Laura 5 bookclub 4.25 1960 To Kill a Mockingbird
author: Harper Lee
name: Laura
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1960
rating: 5
read at: 1983/01/01
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves: bookclub
review:
3Aug2013: This was a book club selection that I didn't reread nor attend club that month. Since then I've finally saw the movie with yummy Gregory Peck & am fine with not reading again because it is SAD.
]]> <![CDATA[Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time]]> 49436 349 Greg Mortenson 0143038257 Laura 4 bookclub 3.66 2006 Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time
author: Greg Mortenson
name: Laura
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2010/01/01
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves: bookclub
review:
3Aug2013: I don't care if this was embellished or not the unvarnished truth, the premises of diplomacy in tribal areas & how to get things done resonant with me.
]]> <![CDATA[The Miracle at Speedy Motors (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #9)]]> 1605034 214 Alexander McCall Smith Laura 3 4.10 2008 The Miracle at Speedy Motors (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #9)
author: Alexander McCall Smith
name: Laura
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 2009/12/01
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou's Autobiography, #1)]]> 13214
Here is a book as joyous and painful, as mysterious and memorable, as childhood itself. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings captures the longing of lonely children, the brute insult of bigotry, and the wonder of words that can make the world right. Maya Angelou’s debut memoir is a modern American classic beloved worldwide.

Sent by their mother to live with their devout, self-sufficient grandmother in a small Southern town, Maya and her brother, Bailey, endure the ache of abandonment and the prejudice of the local “powhitetrash.� At eight years old and back at her mother’s side in St. Louis, Maya is attacked by a man many times her age—and has to live with the consequences for a lifetime. Years later, in San Francisco, Maya learns that love for herself, the kindness of others, her own strong spirit, and the ideas of great authors (“I met and fell in love with William Shakespeare�) will allow her to be free instead of imprisoned.

Poetic and powerful, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings will touch hearts and change minds for as long as people read.]]> 289 Maya Angelou 0553279378 Laura 2 read-along-time-ago, bookclub 4.30 1969 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou's Autobiography, #1)
author: Maya Angelou
name: Laura
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1969
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves: read-along-time-ago, bookclub
review:
Well it is Maya Angelou so you have to treat it seriously. But seriously, I read it in JrHigh & didn't want to read again so I cheated & got the cliff notes. I never used cliff notes while in school & can see why, I generally don't agree with the experts. Enjoyed book club discussion as usual. I'm thinking this was April2013 when my head was full of Greeks.
]]>