The House at Riverton by Kate Morton (Mystery, Horror, Crime, Business, Politics)
This was a very good story. It started out slow, but picked up at a good pace. There was a balance of past history with the present day. It seemed like the book didn't need the last 20-30 pages until I read them. By Gosh, what an ending! This was the best of the six books that I read. -- Added by TheWriteJim on 03/01/2013
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple (Romance, Women's Fiction, Relationships, Humor)
The author wrote for TV comedies before entering fiction. The writing in this book is not in a usual fiction format. There are not chapters. There is a mixture of narration, emails, letters, commentary, and dialogue. This book was OK. Ending was interesting, but middle to end was really lacking. -- Added by TheWriteJim on 02/10/2013
The Accidental Time Machine by Joe Haldeman (Science Fiction, Fantasy, Science, Health)
I had high expectations for this book. It took place at MIT where I used to work, so I was familiar with the settings such as the infinite corridor (cool place). The book started out great. The story moved quickly. Matt Fuller created a machine that disappeared and reappeared later. After experimenting, he figured it was a time machine that could travel to the future. About three quarters of the way through the book, the story began to slow and drag. It seemed the author rushed to finish the book and the ending was lacking. It is an OK book, especially if you don't have the high expectations that I had. -- Added by TheWriteJim on 02/01/2013
A Duty to the Dead LP by Charles Todd (Historical Fiction, Westerns, History)
This is a good book. It is a nurse's duty to fulfill a dying soldier's request to deliver a message to his brother. What was important to the soldier, did not seem important to the family. Why? The nurse realizes she doesn't know as much about the soldier as she thought. She discovers a murder had taken place many years earlier. The family is hiding information about the murder. Why? The story is a fast moving mystery set in the World War I time era. -- Added by TheWriteJim on 01/29/2013
The Pearl by John Steinbeck (Classics, Literary Fiction, Biography)
What a moving story! It takes you through all kinds of emotions. When I visited St. Kitts in the Caribbean, I saw foreigners come in and rip off the native people. Paying the people a dollar a day to make things and then selling their work for 3000% profit. In this story, Kino has a good and happy life. Then an opportunity comes his way. This starts the plotting by others. Is this an opportunity or a curse? -- Added by TheWriteJim on 01/22/2013
Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson (Adventure, Suspense, Travel, Sports)
Excellent book. I just had to keep reading it. The story is a mix of book and diary formats. I couldn't stop reading the diary pages. Each day gave a little more insight but added questions. Was the insight true? Was anything true? What is true and what is not? A very quick read even though it is about 360 pages. -- Added by TheWriteJim on 01/22/2013
If you like this book, you might enjoy "Turn of Mind" by Alice LaPlante, another semi-mystery (though not as suspenseful as "Before I Go to Sleep") that also features a protagonist with memory difficulties. The main character is a murder suspect, but because of her worsening dementia, even she isn't sure if she's innocent or guilty. Intriguing. -- ChristyAV on 01/25/2013
If you like this book, you might enjoy "Turn of Mind" by Alice LaPlante, another semi-mystery (though not as suspenseful as "Before I Go to Sleep") that also features a protagonist with memory difficulties. The main character is a murder suspect, but because of her worsening dementia, even she isn't sure if she's innocent or guilty. Intriguing. --