Framed's 2007 Book Reviews

**This book had me laughing almost immediately. Maybe Doyle didn't intend to be funny but reading the book 100 years after it was written, with Sherlock Holmes the prototype for 20th Century detectives, this passage just struck me as hilarious: "Interesting, though elementary," said he. 'There are certainly one or two indications upon the stick. It gives the basis for several deductions.'
'Has anything escaped me?' I asked with some self-importance. 'I trust that there is nothing of consequence which I have overlooked.'
'I am afraid, my dear Watson, that most of your conclusions were erroneus. When I said that you stimulated me I meant, to be frank, that in noting your fallacies I was occasionally guided towards the truth.'
**There were several instances in which Holmes, Watson and another character show off their deducting skills, with Holmes always being right. It reminded me of the poison drinking scene in "The Princess Bride" movie where the two are explaining how each clues leads to an undeniable conclusion. And Holmes is so winningly smug and Watson is just such a dear.
**The story involves the murder of an elderly baron who apparently is frightened to death by a huge, unearthly hound. The deceased's friend enlists Holmes to protect the heir to the estate from a similar fate. Of course, Holmes figures it out but needs proof which leads to a gripping, terrifying chase across the barren moors in the depths of a dark fog. Besides being a fun mystery, the book is a wonderful example of its time, the language, customs and culture. This is one classic I really enjoyed.
Rating: 4.25
posted by Framed at 8:26 PM

4 Comments:
booklogged said...
You are sure moving right along with the classics. You enjoyed two out of three, so far. That's not too bad. I'm almost through with Alice, which will only be my 2nd. I'm going to have to read like crazy to finish Gone With the Wind.

Reading 5 classics back to back is a bit strenuous, isn't it? It is good for me, though, because I'm sure I would not get five read otherwise. And it's GOOD for us, right?!

10:17 PM
Framed said...
"Gone with the Wind" is a fun read so it should go pretty fast.

My next book is a TBR and on my A to Z list, but not a classic. Then I have another A to Z and Chunkster. It's good to have a break from Classics, but I've got two more to do so it will be a short break.

10:45 AM
Orange Blossom Goddess (aka Heather) said...
hehe! I like the parallel you mentioned between this and The Princess Bride! I agree completely with you.

Heather
www.thelibraryladder.blogspot.com

8:34 PM
SherBears said...
This is on my TBR list, so I'm glad to read a review of it before I dig in!
~Sherry
http://tomeofmind.blogspot.com
http://joeandsherry.blogspot.com

Yippee!! Yahoo!! I finished it. (This is not a good sign, I regret coming to the end of a really good book.) Let me fill you in as best I can on the story of the Brothers K. The father, Fyodor Pavlovitch, is a crass, obnoxious, old reprobate who is in love with his money and very little else. Son No. 1, Dmitri Fyodorovitch Karamazov, aka Mitya, is from his first marriage and was raised by a maternal cousin. (Fyodor was not a good father) Son No. 2, Ivan Fyodorovitch Karamazov and Son No. 3 Alexy Fyodorovitch Karamzov, aka Alyosha, are products of the second marriage and were raised by a maternal grandmother. There is an alleged son No. 4, Smerdyakov, the product of a possible rape of the village idiot. There are two female characters: Katerina Ivanovna aka Katya and Agrafena Alexandrovna aka Grushenka. These names are used throughout the book and, for a while, I couldn't tell who was being talked about. But it was just part of the whole confusion. I truly believe if the names hadn't been so long (there were many more characters with similar names) the book might not have qualified as a chunkster. This book is considered to be Dostoevsky's masterpiece and Sigmund Freud called it one of the three best books ever written. I understand Freud's preoccupation with the book as most of the characters seem crazy or, at the least, unbalanced. I just don't understand this novel. There is so much talking in the book. The mood swings in each monologue made my head spin. This happens with several characters. After reading the afterword, I see that I missed the whole point. I'm still not sure what that point is. One good element: I liked the narrative device. The story is told by a townsperson, an observer that we never meet. As the story unfolds, past happenings come out to explain the current events. For some reason, this worked well in the evolving of the story at the beginning. After the murder, it became too hard to follow what was going on. I found this a very hard book to read and gave up understanding it quite early. With the exception of Alyosha, I found the characters were excitable, mean-spirited, then emotional, then overly affectionate, then ranting. Well, it goes on and on.
Rating: 2


posted by Framed at 7:43 PM

11 Comments:
booklogged said...
This one has never called out to me. From your review and rating of it, I am glad I've never felt like reading it. Wow, you've read 2 classics AND 2 chunksters already! Good job.

I finished The Woman in White and loved it. I hope I get a review up tomorrow.

9:45 PM
Alyson said...
I tried to read this one once. I think I made it 150 pages and gave up. I remember liking Alexy (Alyosha) the best of all the characters, but I just couldn't make myself keep reading.

10:46 PM
Cassie said...
I actually liked this book quite a bit. More the first half than the second. You just plowed through it. I'm amazed at how fast you read that. I'm glad I read it and you too. One more to check off the list.

1:41 AM
Framed said...
Cassie, I remember that you had liked it so I thought I would too. Guess not.
Alyson, Alexy was the only sane character. I was hoping he and Lise would get together in the end, but no, she starts acting weird also.
Book, too many other good books to tackle this one. I'm looking forward to hearing about the Woman in White. Collins is such a good writer.

9:51 PM
Joy said...
UGH! Thank you for the heads-up! :) The good news is now you can move on to something else.

7:04 AM
Orange Blossom Goddess (aka Heather) said...
You really did plow through it! I remember liking it but now I feel like I should reread it...

1:12 PM
acquisitionist said...
Thankyou for the honest review! Congratulations on getting through it. I'm in the initial stages of reading it and like you I have trouble following the names. But, I loved Crime and Punishment so I hope it is as enjoyable.

7:41 PM
Bellezza said...
Being the lover of Russian literature that I am, I'm dying to get to this. I bought a copy a few years ago, and it was on my list even before then! The other reason I want to add this novel to my knowledge base is because Madeleine L'Engle once said it was her favorite book of all time. So, I'll come comment when I've read it. I'm surely glad you did!

6:55 AM
Bookfool said...
Oh, wow, I hope I don't feel the same way about it if I ever get to this book! Congrats on getting through two chunksters, already! I'm in awe! I can't even get through my first one. I just keep putting it down and thinking, "Later, later." I'm gonna flunk my own challenge.

BTW, sorry I don't come by more often. It took several attempts just to get this stupid comment window to open. I should be kissing the computer screen. LOL

3:54 PM
nessie said...
Bookfool I love you! You won't flunk promise!

Is this the first Dostoy you have ever read? Because I was warned NOT to ever start with this book - like Faulkner - D is the type of author you have to grow into...

9:38 PM
3M said...
I'm sorry you didn't like this book. I love Russian lit, so I really loved this one. However, I did skim a few parts that were overly detailed. I hope to read it again at some point

^^^This is the third time I've read this book, but the first two times were 25 years ago. The philosophy of the book was pretty much how I remembered it., but I had forgotten much of the story. And the story is so fantastic. Ayn Rand created a dark, dismal world falling apart because of the weakness and small-mindedness of most of humanity. The only hope for the earth are the objectivists (her word), those who use their minds and talents to produce great things. The good guys withdraw their abilities and leave the others to completely ruin the world through their greediness and ineptitude. I loved the story and the way Rand draws her characters so well. I consider this book a must read for anyone. But I don't love the book as much as I did 25 years ago. I don't see things as black and white as Rand portrays them in this book. You have a few people who I called the Cowboys: noble, rugged, talented, brilliant, independent, loners and individualists vs. the Snideley Whiplashes: sneaky, conniving, mean-spirited, sniveling power-mongers. And everyone else is pretty much beneath notice. While I agree with much of Rand's philosophy, I think there is more to life than just your own individual worth. So many of us work hard and earn what we get but aren't blessed with blinding intellects. And some people need help even if they don't expect it or feel they should get what they don't deserve. I did read more of Rand's rhetoric this time than previously, but it was just too much. I'm sure John Galt's speech is a masterpiece of the rights of capitolism and the worship of human ability but I skipped most of it. It was 50 pages long!!! And how could those heroes leave poor Eddie Willers, albeit not a brilliant man, but not a looter either, and loyal and hard-working and as good an assistant to Dagny Taggart as anyone could have, out in the cold at the end. I had read somewhere that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were going to make a movie of the book and I couldn't picture Brad as John Galt. After reading it again, I now see that he would probably play Hank Rearden who really is the central male character for most of the story. We don't actually meet John Galt until two-thirds into the story. He's just behind all the strange disappearances of the men of ability. You just have to read it. Take what you want of the politics but the story and characters are wonderful.
Here are some quotes that I liked or that particularly illustrate what this book is all about:
"The only value I care to live for, is that which has never been loved by the world, has never won recognition or friends or defenders: human ability."Dagny Taggart
"If you saw Atlas, the giant who holds the world on his shoulders, if you saw that he stood, blood running down his chest, his knees buckling, his arms trembling but still trying to hold the world aloft with the last of his strength, and the greater his effort, the heavier the world bore down on his shoulders--what would tell him to do?"
"To shrug." Franscisco dAnconia
"Do you know the hallmark of the second-rater? It's the resentment of another man's achievement." Dr. Stadler
"I refuse to apologize for my ability--I refuse to apologize for my success--I refuse to apologize for my money. If this is evil, make the most of it. If this is what the public finds harmful to its interest, let the public destroy me. This is my code--and I will accept no other. I could say to you that I have done more good for my fellow men than you can ever hope to accomplish--but I will not say it, because I do not seek the good of others as a sanction for my right to exist, nor do I recognize the good of others as a justification for their seizure of my property or their destruction of my life. I will not say that the good of others was the purpose of my work--my own good was my purpose, and I despise the man who surrenders his. I could say to you that you do not serve the public good--that nobody's good can be achieved at the price of human sacrifices--that when you violate the rights of one man, you have violated the rights of all, and a public of rightless creatures is doomed." Hank Rearden
"I like cigarettes, Miss Taggert. I like to think of fire held in a man's hand. Fire, a dangerous force, tamed at his fingertips." Cigarette vendor. This is the quote I always remembered because I thought it portrayed man's ability to think and to conquor so well. It's just that I always thought John Galt said it.
^^^While this book is incredibly well-thought out, imaginative, creative, thought-provoking and riveting, I am only giving it a 4.5 rating because I din't like the way Rand slammed you with her political agenda over and over again. Also, I don't buy these two men who are strong, silent, geniuses just giving up Dagny Taggert, the woman they love with their whole lives, to John Galt and being thrilled about it.
Rating 4.5
posted by Framed at 7:32 PM

9 Comments:
Orange Blossom Goddess (aka Heather) said...
This is on my chunksters list I believe...perhaps I'll leave it to be an alternate. I'm not quite in the mood to have a political agenda shoveled at me! I enjoyed the quotes you chose though so I think I will eventually read it.

Heather
www.thelibraryladder.blogspot.com

10:53 AM
booklogged said...
I didn't realize you had read this 2 times before now. WOW! I really loved it the first time I read it, also about 25 years ago - I must have been 3! Don't think I've got the gusto to try it a 2nd time.

Good for you - one book down. I'm only on p.50 or so in my Chunkster/Classic, which is Woman in White. I better get a move on it. What will you be reading next?

4:06 PM
SuziQoregon said...
I first read this book in High School and loved it. I've read it twice more since then. I agree about the story without the political agenda is great, but the politics becomes overwhelming in places. There are some fabulous characters, though. Francisco and Ellis Wyatt were my favorites.

8:14 PM
nessie said...
I never read it but have heard so much about this author with mixed reviews. Some swear by her and others dismiss her. Why I would say she is an essential read if anything for that simple reason - the debate, the passion she ignites. It seems what one cannot be about her books (in general) is passive.

8:34 PM
Framed said...
Heather, I skipped most of the rhetoric because you get the message just through the story itself. And it's a faster read that way.

Booklogged, At one time, I considered this my favorite book of all time. And I re-read books a lot.

Suzie, I agree with you about Francisco. I had forgotten him and was so excited when he first entered the story. There are just some characters that are so compelling. I always wanted him to end up with Dagny. As you could probably tell, I really liked Eddie Willers also.

Nessie, I heard a story recently of two teenagers leaving their faith after reading Rand's "The Fountainhead." It's a great book as well. Both certainly make for interesting discussions. If you ever read it, let me know. I'd love to hear your take on it.

1:02 PM
Framed said...
Booklogged, that 3 just registered with me. Whatever!!

3:02 PM
JCR said...
This is one of my favorites too... nice treatment. Great blog!

4:08 PM
Lotus Reads said...
I, too, read this book a lot time ago. It really appealed to the individual I was then, but I don't know how the book will appeal to me today. I would probably have the same reaction you are having, Framed. I had more or less forgotten the story, but reading your review has brought a lot of it back. Thanks, Framed.

6:32 AM
Bellezza said...
This is one of my favorite books of all time. Even though I'm caught into a point of view which isn't exactly Christian, such as "do what's right for you instead of thinking of everyone else", I do admire the character's search for excellence. I do admire not pandering to those who are unwilling to put forth their best. I alwasy wish I could have met John Galt. I've always wondered if someone like him really exits, which Ayn insists he does. She said she married him, lucky girl.

I've decided to post my TBR list as it stand on January 1 of each year. Hopefully I will make some progress, but I think it will be interesting to look at over the years. So on this day, there are 225 books on the list. Ouch! But it has been bigger at times last year. I've read some and deleted some.
Pamela Aidan - Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman ~Adrienne 4.5
Susan Witting Albert – A Dilly of a Death*
Susan Wittig Albert - The Tale of Holly How* ~Deseret Books 5
Susan Witting Albert – Indigo Dying*
Mitch Albom - For One More Day* ~Mom
Louisa May Alcott - The Inheritance ~Amazon 4
Bess Street Aldrich - A White Bird Flying ~Tristi Pinkston 5
Madelyn Alt – The Trouble with Magic* 4
Roger Angell - Let Me Finish ~Book of the Month Club 5
Shauna Singh Baldwin - What the Body Remembers ~Lotus 4
John Banville - The Sea* ~Borders 4
Coleman Barks - The Essential Rumi ~Lotus 4.5
Julian Barnes - Arthur and George ~Dawn 4
Edward Beauclerk – The Last Gentleman Adventurer ~People 5
John Berendt - The City of Falling Angels ~Ben 3.5
Maeve Binchy – Tara Road 4
Peter Blauner - Slipping into Darkness ~Crafters Choice 4.5
Ray Bradbury – Dandelion Wine ~People 4
Ray Bradbury – Farewell Summer ~People 5
Ray Bradbury – Fahrenheit 451 ~Julie 4
Christianna Brand – Nanny McPhee*
Charlotte Bronte - Jane Eyre*
Geraldine Brooks – March* ~Booklogged 4
Tim Brooks - A Hell of a Place to Lose a Cow ~Dawn 3.5
Bill Bryson - The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid ~B &N 4.5
Pearl S Buck - The Good Earth ~Lotus 4
Linda Buckley-Archer - Gideon the Cutpurse ~Miss Erin 4.5
Peter Carey - Illywhacker ~Amazon 4
Justin Cartwright - The Promise of Happiness ~People 4
Willa Cather - My Antonia ~Oprah
Nancy Cato - All the Rivers Runs ~Jenclair 5
Harry Cauley - Millersburg ~People
Clifford Chase - Winkie ~Oprah 4
Tracy Chevalier - Fallen Angels ~Jennclair 4
Agatha Christie – And Then There Were None 4.5
Jung Chung – Wild Swan and 3 Daughters of China ~Cardine's Sister 4.5
Mary Higgins Clark - Before I Say Goodbye 4
Susanna Clark - Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (Adult Harry Potter type) ~Amazon 4
Wilkie Collins - Woman in White ~Booklogged 5
John Connolly - The Book of Lost Things ~Borders 5
Anderson Cooper - Dispatches from the Edge ~People 4.5
Stephen Crane - The Red Badge of Courage*
Sharon Creech - Walk Two Moons* ~Amazon 4.5
Elizabeth Crook - The Night Journal ~People 4.5
Donna Cross - Pope Joan ~Amazon 4.5
Kiana Davenport - House of Many Gods ~SL Tribune 4.5
Diane Mott Davidson - Dark Tort Crafters Choice 4
Robertson Davies - Tempest-Tost 4
Martin Davis - The Conjurer's Bird ~Dawn 4.5
Debra Dean-The Madonnas of Leningrad ~Booklogged 4.5
Kate DiCamillo – The Tale of Desperaux ~Myke
Ivan Doig - The Whistling Season ~Amazon 5
Iaqn Doig - English Creek* ~Great Salt Lake Book Festival
Keith Donohue - The Stolen Child ~Amazon 4.5
Fyodor Dosstoevsky - the Brothers Karamazov*
Arthur Conan Doyle - The Hounds of the Baskervilles*
Sarah Dunant - The Birth of Venus ~Myke 4
Sarah Dunant - In the Company of the Courtesan ~Lotus 4
Ralph Ellison - Invisible Man ~Oprah 4.5
Leif Engel - Peace Like a River* ~Book of the Month 4
Nora Ephron - I Feel Bad About My Neck ~Oprah 4
Maria Anparo Escardon - Esperanza's Box of Saints ~Amazon 4
Richard Paul Evans - Last Promise* ~B&N 4
David Farland – “Ravenspell Series” Of Mice and Magic* 5
F Scott Featherstone - Hallelujah ~Booklogged 4.5
Jim Fergus - One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd ~Amazon 4
Craig Ferguson - Between the Bridge and the River ~Crafters Choice 4.5
Jack Finney - Time and Again ~Amazon 4
Cornelia Funke - The Thief Lord ~Katie 4
Diane Gabaldon - Outlander Series* ~Booklogged
Neil Gaiman - Neverwhere ~Carl 4.5
Jean Craighead George - My Side of the Mountain ~Amazon 4
Stella Gibbons - Cold Comfort Farm* ~Oprah 4.5
Julia Gilardi - Born to Rule ~People 4
Gloria Goldreich - Dinner with Anna Karenina ~Mom 4
Sue Grafton – S if for Silence 3.5
Katherine Graham - Personal History ~Library Ladder 4
BetsyBrannon Green - Christmas in Haggerty*^ ~Deseret Books
Katherine and Richard Green - Inside the Dream* ~B & N 4.5
Phillippa Gregory - The Other Boleyn Girl ~Bookfool
Kate Grenville - The Secret River ~Jenclair 5
John Grogan - Marley and Me ~Book of the Month 4.5
Lorie Ann Grover – Loose Threads* ~Borders 5
Sara Gruen - Water for Elephants* ~Lotus 4.5
Beth Gutcheon - More than You Know * ~B & N 4
Shannon Hale - Princess Academy* ~Great Salt Lake Book Festival 5
Shannon Hale - Enna Burning* ~Katie 5
Shannon Hale - River Secrets* ~Great Salt Lake Book Festival 5
Kristin Hannah - Magic Hour ~Crafters Choice 4.5
Joanne Harris - Gentlemen and Players ~Book Garden 4.5
Robert Harris - Imperium: A Novel of Ancient Rome ~Crafters Choice 4
Heigi - Flotain in My Mother's Palm ~Amazon 5
Herodutus – The Histories ~Julie 4.5
John Hershey - A Bell for Adano* ~B&N 4.5
James Hilton - Random Harvest * ~Betty 5
Steve Hockensmith - Holmes on the Range ~SL Tribune 5
Patricia Holland - A Quiet Heart*^ Julie Thacker
Jennifer Holm – Boston Jane ~Booklogged 4.5
Khaled Husseini - The Kite Runner ~Booklogged 4.5
Zora Neale Hurston – Their Eyes Were Watching God 4.5
Joshilyn Jackson - Between, Georgia ~Blogging My Books 4.5
Joshilyn Jackson - Gods in Alabama ~Lisa 4.5
Madhur Jaffrey - Climbing the Mango Trees ~Lotus
John Jakes - The Gods of Newport* ~Crafters Choice
P D James - The Lighthouse ~Book Garden 4
Gary Jennings - The Journeyer* ~People 4.5
Heidi Julavits - The Uses of Enchantment ~People 4
Richard Kallan - Armed Gunmen, True Facts and Other Ridiculous Nonsense:A Compiled Compendium of Repetitive Redundancies ~Cindy 4.5
Jack Kerley - The Hundredth Man (Ryder/Nautilus Series #1) ~Amazon 4
Jack Kerley - The Death Collectors (Series #2) ~Blogging My Books 4.5
Brad Kessler - Birds in Fall ~Lesley 5
Marion Keyes - Watermelon ~SuzieQ 4.5
Barbara Kingsolver - The Bean Trees* ~Betty 4
Barbara Kingsolver - Animal Dreams* ~Betty 4
E L Konigsburg - From the Mixed-Up Files of Mr. Basil E. Frankweiler ~Booklogged 4.5
E. L. Konigsburg - The View From Saturday ~Booklogged 4
E. L. Konigsburg - Father's Arcane Daughter ~Book of the Month Club 5
Dean Koontz – Forever Odd ~Myke 4
Dean Koontz - Odd Thomas ~Alyson 4
Jay Kopelman & Melinda Roth - From Baghdad with Love ~People 5
Laila Lalami - Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits ~Lotus 4.5
Lori Lansens - The Girls ~Amazon 4.5
Jeannie Laskas - Growing Girls: The Mother of All Adventures ~Amazon 3.5
Jeannie Laskas - Fifty Acres and a Poodle ~Lesley 4.5
Jeannie Laskas - The Exact Same Moon ~Lesley 4.5
Madeleine L'Engle - A Wrinkle in Time ~Amazon 4.5
Mike Leonard - The Ride of Our Lives ~Book of the Month 5
John Lescroart - The Second Chair ~Jenclair 4.5
Billie Letts - Where the Heart Is* ~Betty 4.5
Gail Carson Levine - Ella Enchanted ~Amazon 5
Beverly Lewis - The Preacher's Daughter ~Crafters Choice 4.5
C S Lewis – The Great Divorce ~Cassie
C S Lewis - Miracles ~Amazon 4.5
Hilda Lewis - The Ship that Flew ~Booklogged 5
Sam Llewellyn - Bad, Bad Darlings ~Amazon 5
David Maine - The Preservationist* ~Amazon 4.5
Kamela Markandaya-Nectar in a Sieve ~Mom
Karal Ann Marling – Norman Rockwell* ~Borders
Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Love in the Time of Cholera 4.5
Yann Martel - The Life of Pi* ~Cassie 4
Somerset Maughan - Of Human Bondage ~Lotus 4.5
Edward Beauclerk Maurice– The Last Gentleman Adventurer* ~People 5
Anna Maxted - Getting Over It 4
Geraldine McCaughren ~Crafters Choice 4
David McCullough - 1776* ~Book of the Month 4.5
David McCullough - The Great Bridge ~Cyndi 4.5
David McCullough - The Path Between the Seas ~Kathryn 4.5
Ian McEwan - Atonement: A Novel ~Lesley 4
Cammie McGovern - Eye Contact 5
Clair Messud - The Emperor's Children ~Jenclair 4.5
Nancy Milford - Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay ~People 4
Eliza Minot - The Brambles ~People 4.5
Rohinton Mistry - A Fine Balance ~Lotus 4.5
Jacqueline Mitchard - Cage of Stars* ~Amazon 4
David Mitchell - Black Swan Green ~Jennclair 4.5
H B Moore - Out of Jerusalem*^ ~Gift from Mom 5
Jude Morgan - Indiscretion ~People 5
Christopher Morley - Parnassus on Wheels ~Jennclair 4.5
L M Montgomery - A Tangled Web* ~Me
William Mulder - Homeward to Zion: The Mormon Migration from Scandinavia*^~Betty
Brandon Mull - Fablehaven*
Meg Mullins - The Rug Merchant ~Lotus 4.5
Lensey Namioka - Ties that Bind, Ties that Break ~Bookfool 4.5
Sonia Nazario - Enrique's Journey ~Lotus 5
Audry Niffenegger - The Time Traveler's Wife* ~Judy 4
Barack Obama - Dreams from my Father ~Borders 4.5
Scott O’Dell – Island of the Blue Dolphins ~Booklogged 4.5
Malika Oufkir - Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail ~Lotus 4
Christopher Paolini – Eragon ~Cassie 4
James Patterson – Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas* 3.5
Tim O'Brien - The Things They Carried ~Amazon 4.5
Baroness Orczy - The Scarlett Pimpernel*
Carolyn Parkhurst - Lost and Found ~Crafters Choice 4.5
James Patterson- Sam’s Letters to Jennifer* 3.5
James Patterson - Mary, Mary (Alex Cross Series) ~Book of the Month 4
Katherine Patterson – Bridge to Terebitha ~Booklogged 4.5
Edith Pattou - East ~Amazon 4.5
Matthew Pearl - The Poe Shadow ~Book of the Month 4
Tristi Pinkston - Nothing to Regret*^ ~Deseret Books 4.5
Tristi Pinkston - Strength to Endure^ 5
Chaim Potok - The Gift of Asher Lev* ~Betty 4.5
Ron Powers - Mark Twain ~Book of the Month 4.5
Terry Pratchett - Mort ~Booklogged 4.5
Terry Pratchett - The Color of Magic ~Booklogged 4.5
Sharon Pywell – Everything After 5
Anna Quindlen - BLessings* ~Barnes and Noble
Ayn Rand - Atlas Shrugged*
Nora Roberts - Montana Sky* 4.5
Meg Rosof - How I Live Now ~Booklogged 4.5
Peter Rock - The Ambidextrist* Great Salt Lake Book Festival
Mary Doria Russell - A Thread of Grace Book Garden 4
Cornelia Read - A Field of Darkness ~Crafters Choice 4.5
Gwyn Hyman Rubio - The Woodsman's Daughter* ~B&N 4
J D Salinger – Franny and Zooey* ~Ben 4.5
Jean Sasson - Mayada, Daughter of Iraq* ~B&N 5
Lisa Scottoline – Courting Trouble* ~Booklogged
Lisa See – Snowflower and the Secret Fan* ~Booklogged 4.5
Vikram Seth - Two Lives 4.5
Vikram Seth - A Suitable Boy* 5
Dianne Setterfield - The Thirteenth Tale* ~Booklogged
Obert Skye - Leven Thumps and the Whispered Secret* ~Deseret Books
Dodie Smith - I Capture the Castle ~Cassie 4.5
Zilpha Kentley Snyder - The Changeling ~Amazon 5
Sting - Broken Music ~Library Ladder 4
Robert Stone – Damascus Gate*
Swift - The Roosevelts and the Royals* ~B&N 4.5
Tiziano Terzani - A Fortune-Teller Told Me ~Lotus 4
Gilliam Tindall - The House by the Thames ~Lotus
Lisa Tucker - Once Upon a Day ~Too Many Books 4.5
E R Turner – Beware the Nothing Much*
Lisa Tuttle - The Silver Bough ~Jenclair 4.5
Thrity Umrigar - The Space Between Us ~Book Garden 4.5
Urrea, Luis Alberto - The Hummingbird's Daughter* ~Booklogged 5
Ursu, Anne - Spilling Clarence ~Booklogged 4.5
Voltaire - Candide*
Penny Warner - Silence is Golden ~Amazon 5
Elie Wiesel - Night ~Crafters Choice 4.5
Michelle Wildgen – You’re Not You 5
Marcia Willett - The Children's Hour* ~Barnes and Noble 4.5
Charles Wilson – Embryo 4.5
Tim Winton - Cloudstreet* ~Amazon 4.5
Patricia C. Wrede - The Mislaid Magician ~Amazon 5
Lawrence Yep - Dragon's Gate* ~Great Salt Lake Book Festival
Marcus Zusak - The Book Thief* ~Too Many Books 5