Thank God for Evolution

From Gina Scaglione:

I stayed up late last night again to read Thank God for Evolution by Michael Dowd. I highly recommend this book to anyone contemplating religion in any way. From the doubters to the highly religious, this book has something for everyone. It actually helped me to realize where I belong, which I had pretty much given up on prior to reading the book. Thank God for Michael Dowd:)

The Hour I First Believed

From  Gina Scaglione:

I finished The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb the other night, and I am still reeling.  This is definitely a book that can get you thinking.  It makes you ponder the unfairness of life, but the fact that bad events can often turn out positively, even when you least expect it.  In this book, the main character experiences one miserable event after another, and just when you think he can not take much more, the silver lining appears.  This book could make the most skeptical believe too:)

Alice Sebold

From Gina Scaglione:

I finished The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold the other night, and I am anxiously awaiting reading Lucky. She has a wonderful way of writing in which she makes even the most unbelievable ideas quite believable. If she can do that, I can’t imagine what she can do with the story of her life. I will update you all when I am done:)

Reader alert

Since 1950, The National Book Awards have become the nation’s preeminent literary prizes, and The National Book Awards Ceremony and Dinner the most important event on our literary calendar. Today, the Awards are given to recognize achievements in four genres: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Young People’s Literature.

If you’re looking for something to read, try these:

Colum McCann won the fiction prize for “Let the Great World Spin,” a novel about daring, luck and mortality in the pre-digital world of 1970s New York.

T.J. Stiles’ biography of Cornelius Vanderbilt, “The First Tycoon,” was the nonfiction winner.

Keith Waldrop’s “Transcendental Studies: A Trilogy” won for poetry.

The young people’s literature award went to Phillip Hoose’s “Claudette Colvin,” based on the true story of an early civil rights heroine.

Time Traveler’s Wife

From Gina Scaglione:

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger was amazing:) I had been warned that it started slowly, and my friend was correct about that. However, I promise that if you persevere through the first few chapters it will be well worth it. As a matter-of-fact, it gets better and better. By the end, I was in tears and once again, dreaming about my friends from the latest book.

Full Catastrophe Living

From Gina Scaglione:

It’s been quite a while since my last review, and that’s because I just yesterday finally finished Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D.  I began reading this book somewhere back at the end of July/beginning of August.  It was supposed to be my way of teaching myself to meditate.  Well, I have come to the conclusion that this is definitely not the way to do that.  I did, however, solve my sleep issues during the long and arduous reading of this book.  Please, save yourself the frustration and do not bother reading this 450-page snoozer.

Castle Waiting

From Rosalia Milan:

Castle Waiting, by Linda Medley
 
This is one of my favorite graphic novels and one of the first ones I ever read. While reading through Castle Waiting the reader will find bits and pieces of many other fairy tales including Sleeping Beauty, Puss in Boots, and various mythologies. However Castle Waiting picks up where the stories end. We find that Sleeping Beauty’s Castle has become a sanctuary for people who need a place to go whether it’s to begin a new life, or end life in peace. The main focus of this book is Lady Jain, a woman looking for sanctuary from her husband to give birth to a new baby boy and Sister Peace a member of the order of the Solicitine nuns, a group of women with beards who try to give people what they need rather then what they think they want. The characters are engaging and the story is interesting and funny. The illustrations are beautiful line drawings that capture the tone of the story wonderfully.

Hold Tight

From Gina  Cortina:
Hold Tight, by Harlen Coben
This latest thiller/mystery by Harlen Coben is a real nail biter.  It takes place in a beautiful upscale suburban neighborhood.  The son of a doctor and lawyer gets himself into a ton of trouble.  Each chapter makes you clamor for more. Will they find his son?  Will it be too late?

Embroideries

From Rosalia Milan:

Embroideries, by Marjane Satrapi

By far one of the best graphic novels I have read this year. Marjane and the women of her family regularly gather to have tea and gossip. Through the gossip of her elders Marjane and the readers find out about the heartbreaks of both marriage for love and marriage for convenience. The stories are funny and heartfelt. Since the tales all revolve around love gone wrong, the reader can see the strength in all of the woman who survive these heartbreaks and are still able to raise families and become strong independent people.

Crime and Murder

From Lynne Demestichas:

Long Lost, by Harlen Coben
A mystery told in a light-heated manner,this was a fun read.The plot moves from New England to Paris and back a few times,with a crazy cast of characters.A missing husband never returns to his wife Terese. Her daughter is gone also. Looking for the both of them is Terese’s love from many years back. How and why was he summoned to search two countries for these people he doesn’t even know? Or does he,and does he find them without getting into his own perilous situation? Used to reading heavy duty, serious mystery,this was a nice change.I might even read some more by this author! I even laughed a little bit which is something one normally doesn’t do when reading tales of crime and murder.

Flesh and Bone, by Jefferson Bass
Dr. Bill Brockton,forensic anthropologist,recreates a grisly murder,and his life becomes even more bizarre trying to solve it.In trying to unearth every piece of evidence, he finds himself incriminated by some over zealous detectives and has much bigger problems than the murder itself. Along with his old flame, Dr.Jess Stone,and Mirana Lovelady, his assistant at the Body Farm, Brockton suffers loss and despair,as the investigation takes many distarous turns. His unethical lawyer tries to help plea his innocence but seems to be making matters worse,so see what happens in this murder/trial/lovestory. Like CSI in a book.