Member Profile

Name : Ellen T.

My Reviews

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
 
Dramatic, Insightful, Beautiful
Highly recomend this book! An excellent read

Well drawn characters, you fall in love with all of them. Thought-provoking--What would you do in the same situation when the whole world goes insane with a maniac leading. What is the response when your power is limited by your age, your income, etc. AN EXCELLENT CHOICE FOR CLUBS

 
Difficult, Confusing, Epic
difficult to read. Not compelling. WOULD NOT RECOMEND

Hated it. Couldn't finish the book. Lots of gay love scenes, it you like that kind of thing. Don't read this book for book clubs.

Monique and the Mango Rains: Two Years with a Midwife in Mali by Kris Holloway; Consulting Editor John Bidwell
 
Insightful, Interesting, Informative
Excellent read, eye-opening

We loved it at our club. A very different type of memoir about a friendship across cultures. HIGHLY RECOMEND

 
Dark, Dramatic, Difficult
a thriller

Great book

Seduction of Water by Carol Goodman
 
Interesting, Dramatic, Adventurous
great book

It was a wonderful read. Good story

 
Inspiring, Informative, Dramatic
Stunning story of a child living through the "Killing Fields" of Cambodia

Well written, well told story. Much honesty from the author as she reveals her feelings as a child. A VERY GOOD CHOICE for clubs. THe material is heavy, but reminded me that we are SO VERY sheltered and blessed in America.

Cloud Atlas: A Novel by David Mitchell
 
Brilliant, Interesting, Insightful
Intriguing book

Ingeniously written. Different than anything I have ever read. 5 books encapsuled and woven though each other, but each so uniquely different. YOu must read it to understand what I am talking about. A talented author, for sure.

 
Boring, Inspiring, Slow
light, easy read

Really a "coming of age" story for this 35 year old author. I feel like she is writing about she finally grew up! Entertaining, some good fodder for discussion

 
Epic, Romantic, Adventurous
Excellent!! HIghly recommend!

Unique in that there really are not many books that talk about the Taj Mahal. An insightful novel about the middle east.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
 
Dramatic, Insightful, Beautiful
One of our top rated books

Excellent story, stays with you. Don't let the "teen" label fool you--it was not originally published in Australia for adolescents. Highly Recommend

The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis
 
Difficult, Boring, Confusing
Classic Lewis, excellent read, very funny satire

Not for the non-thinking reader. A good choice for clubs who really like discussions about deep, real things. A satire, very enjoyable reading. Really makes you think about your own spiritual life.

 
Adventurous, Inspiring, Dramatic
Riveting, compelling story

Excellent read, keeps you on your toes. Astonishing story.

World Without End by Ken Follett
 
Epic, Interesting, Insightful
great sequel, enjoyed it!

enjoyed this sequel to Pillars. Great Follett writing

 
Epic, Dramatic, Adventurous
Grand novel.

you will enjoy this Follett book

A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle
 
Fun, Adventurous, Interesting
A book club favorite for a long time!!

You will enjoy the crusty French characters in this book about a move to the south of France

Life of Pi by Yann Martel
 
Adventurous, Interesting, Brilliant
somewhat difficult to read

would generate a great discussion at club

A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute
 
Adventurous, Romantic, Dramatic
One of my favorite books

What a tale of courage!! A wonderful, touching story that crosses continent and wars.

Moloka'i: A Novel by Alan Brennert
 
Informative, Inspiring, Interesting
Extrodinary story.

We all loved this at our book club. I picked it up on recomendation from someone else, and it was everything you could hope for in a book. Highly recommend.

Shantaram: A Novel by Gregory David Roberts
 
Adventurous, Beautiful, Fun
too wordy. Takes too long to tell a story. Could have been a much better book

This book had a lot of potential, but it too WAY too long to tell the story...that you lost the main point of the story. Someone should re-edit this and republish it, because some of it is really good. Might make a good movie. Very descriptive of the "Indian" cultural character.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
 
Interesting, Informative, Insightful
Obviously anti-men

Re-written Biblical account with an obvious vendetta against men (and I am a woman saying this!)

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
 
Interesting, Informative, Beautiful
Interesting ideas

 
Boring, Inspiring, Slow
kind of silly

 
Inspiring, Insightful, Optimistic
Didn't like this book at all.

Found this book a little too emotional--"trying" too hard to be a great book. Sentimental, sappy.

 
Dramatic, Optimistic, Interesting
Enjoyable read!!

 
Informative, Fun, Insightful
insightful book for people of faith

Brings up a lot of things to discuss especially if you are a person who believes in the Bible. How literally do you take it? Why do we pick and choose which of its commands to follow? Funny, but thought provoking!!

Bride Island by Alexandra Enders
 
An Honest book

At times, difficult to read because you want to just shake Polly and say "snap out of it"! But in the end, a very satisfying book

 
Interesting, Informative, Beautiful
kind of stupid

Imaginative interpretation of Biblical times, but very unrealistic. Actually found some of it offensive

The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway
 
Pointless, Adventurous, Epic
Don't bother

I hated this book in school, and hated it again as an adult. I have no idea why this ever was considered great literature--maybe i am not sophisticated to understand it. Hemmingway's writing style is awful.

 
Dark, Interesting, Confusing
interesting idea, but the book was horrible

Go see the musical, it is much better. The premise was really fun, but the author took it WAY too far with beastiality, etc, that was just gross. I kept waiting for the book to get better and it never did.

Republic: A Novel of America's Future by Charles Sheehan-Miles
 
Ok, not super. Sometimes difficult to read

This seemed to be poorly edited--like some typesetting mistakes, etc. Story was pretty good, a little laborous in the telling of it. Great idea/plot and probably would generate some good discussion at a club.

Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson, Gabrielle Charbonnet
 
Romantic, Fun, Addictive
"fluff" book--feel good, but not much substance

I read this in one night--it was very predictable, but not boring. A nice love story, but not a really deep book.

 
Informative, Interesting, Dramatic
excellent book

I loved this book. Riveting tale. Obviously well researched.

 
sumptious story

Even if you don't like coffee, you will love how this story is woven through many aspects. Cappella is a sensual writer--tastes, smells, sounds, and textures are described so well!!

 
Insightful, Interesting, Dramatic
excellent read

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
 
Dramatic, Insightful, Interesting
nothing redeeming about this book

The idea is, I guess, OK, but there is nothing to grab you about this book. You know the ending at the beginning of the book, the bad guy never gets caught, the girl never grows up, etc. What is the point?

 
Adventurous, Slow, Confusing
brilliant dark mystery

What an mesmerizing murder mystery!

 
Dramatic, Interesting, Insightful
Fairly good story, keeps you interested

I liked this book, but did not love it. I think the main flaw in the plot was that Cee Cee is portrayed as such a "good" person, yet she has this horrible secret which she seems to be incongruous with her character. Seems like the story would be more believable if she was horrible and this baby came in to her life and it caused her to turn around. The Cee Cee in the book would have come clean right away. Also, too much like "The Memory Keeper's Daughter". Lots of similarities--a daughter snatched at birth, money showing up from a someone at irregular intervals, etc.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
 
Insightful, Dramatic, Inspiring
descriptive writing.

an interesting way to see how civil rights movement affected people.

 
Dramatic, Interesting, Informative
Wonderfully written

An interesting book. Enjoyable read

The Condition: A Novel by Jennifer Haigh
 
Insightful, Interesting, Slow
excellent book

nice character development. Liked the insight into how a medical "condition" affects someone personally and how other family members respond to it, and how the person herself responded to it.

Other Boleyn Girl, The by Philippa Gregory
 
Interesting, Dramatic, Informative
Good historical novel

 
Optimistic, Fun
A very Fun book

 
Beautiful, Epic, Brilliant
This movie really did justice for the book. Excellent choice for clubs

The Host by Stephenie Meyer
 
Adventurous, Romantic, Insightful
Not much to say about this. Teen-y type book

New Moon (Twilight, Book 2) by Stephenie Meyer
 
Adventurous, Dramatic, Romantic
contiunuing story, not as good as the first (which wasn't that good)

Not as good as the first, definitely not book club material. Good for mindless reading, especially if you want to pretend you are a teen-ager again.

 
juvenile fiction

enjoyable for a quick read, but not book club material. OUr club chose these and I was disappointed.

Little Bee: A Novel by Chris Cleave
 
Book Club Recommended
Dramatic, Insightful, Interesting
an excellent choice for clubs

Written well, keeps your interest. About a situation, political and otherwise which I am sure not many western readers know too much about. Also, about international women's issues. can be difficult to read as the subject matter is very serious.

Matters of Faith by Kristy Kiernan
 
Book Club Recommended
Dramatic, Beautiful, Interesting
Not so much about religion or spirituality

Similar to a Picoult book. Skillfully weaves the stories of many different people involved in the same difficult situation.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
 
Book Club Recommended
Adventurous, Dramatic, Interesting
disquieting book about future government

A great commentary on political systems, reality TV, violence, etc, etc. Sounds uninteresting when put that way, but this book was really good. Well written, intriguing, likable characters. Would generate a great discussion at club.

 
Book Club Recommended
Fun, Inspiring, Optimistic
fun book about goals and why you set them

I really enjoyed this book. a light read, probably better for summer, nothing that will knock your socks off, but enjoyable.

The Wedding Officer: A Novel by Anthony Capella
 
Book Club Recommended
Romantic, Unconvincing, Adventurous
Wow! a sumptuous novel in food and romance

descriptions of food are fabulous. the love story is great, too.

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
 
Romantic, Inspiring, Beautiful
Ok book. An attempt at telling a Biblical story. A little "fake"

I don't know why this author chose the 1890's to set this story in since the way the characters acted and talked sounded more like 1990. It actually would have been more beliveable if it was set in modern times (the characters used very modern idioms and jargon, and approach to religion was very "1990" rather than "1890"). I liked that she tried to portray a difficult to understand book of the Bible, and I think she did a fairly good job of it. However, she is obviously a romance writer, and did not seem to do her research into the setting very well.

 
Book Club Recommended
Inspiring, Dramatic, Informative
excellent book. a must read

I loved this. Much anticipated after "seabiscuit" Definitely a keeper.

 
Gloomy, Dark, Interesting
Do NOT waste your time

this book was touted as an "epic"read--and it was horrible. Why spend hours reading about horrible people? Not one of the characters had an ounce of sense, except maybe Rhoda, and she was an idiot not to leave. What is the sequel--her suicide?

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