Songs Without Words52 reviews Ann Packer Knopf, 2007 I was not bored I enjoyed this book and was never bored. I came to care about the characters and wanted to know how their stories turn out. In a time when non-fiction memoirs seem ridiculous, it's nice to read an honest portrayal of life in a work of fiction.             The Year of Magical Thinking502 reviews Joan Didion Vintage, 2007 "I needed to be alone so that he could come back." + You Had To Be There + A KEEPER! Joan Didion is a writer of great talent, and this memoir setting forth her process of grief after the death of her husband, John Gregory Dunne, is powerful. And while it is not sentimental, it envokes strong emotion in the reader. Didion's pain is sharp, her sense of isolation very real, yet she ...             The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel583 reviews Diane Setterfield Atria, 2006 Beautiful book + A Modern Gothic Romance + "When one is nothing, one invents. It fills a void" + A little heavy on the dysfunctional, but still a great read + A book for book lovers             The Inheritance of Loss154 reviews Kiran Desai Grove Press, 2006 Great book This book deserves a fresh endorsement, which I wholeheartedly give. The one disgruntled reader below ("Ashok") is symptomatic of newly-disgruntled Indian rightwingers--precisely the target of books like this one and Roy's "The God of Small Things." In fact, it's no coincidence that many ...             The Lovely Bones2543 reviews Alice Sebold Back Bay Books, 2004 The Lovely Bones + The Lovely Bones: A Highly Emotional Journey + An Interesting Tale This novel is poignant...an excellent read. Very moving. I can't stress enough how great it was to read. If you've ever lost someone, or if you've ever wondered about heaven, this book will move you.             Beloved87 reviews Toni Morrison Vintage, 2004 Raw & Powerful + Oh My God! Are You Kidding Me? Toni's Morrison's Beloved is a hard, frustrating, and emotionally draining piece of literary art. Saying this, her prose is written like something I've never read. She throws you in the middle of the narrative and does not tell you why her characters are saying or acting like they are. It is a ...             The Secret Life of Bees1437 reviews Sue Monk Kidd Penguin (Non-Classics), 2003 great read, very moving and realistic for the time period + Good Read + Emotional read + Excellent Read + Nostalgically Current             In the Woods232 reviews Tana French Viking Adult, 2007 Haunting + Strong First Showing From French I read this book about a year and a half ago and I keeping having little flashbacks to it--like sometimes fragments of a dream pop into your mind--that make me wish I was still in the middle of reading this book. I'm surprised by the reviews that describe the book as too wordy or tedious, as I have ...             Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time1446 reviews Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin Penguin (Non-Classics), 2007 No wonder it unanimously gets 5 stars + a timely read in this global community + Amazing book! Truly one of the most inspirational books I have read in awhile. The beginning of this book is a little slow, focusing on Greg Mortenson's climbing expeditions that eventually leads him to find the people of Korphe, and promising them a school. After coming back to the states and scrounging up ...             Love in the Time of Cholera456 reviews Gabriel Garcia Marquez Vintage, 2003 It was inevitable: the scent of bitter almonds always reminded him of the fate of unrequited love. + Metaphorical Romp Garcia Marquez can write. No doubt about it. The man is a marvel. I'd be puddling along, reading of Fermina Daza, and her adolescent passion (and his for her) of Florentino Ariza, or of her married life with Juvenal Urbino when I'd be swept away by a phrase or image, or the smell of bitter almonds. ...             Garden Spells166 reviews Sarah Addison Allen Bantam, 2007 I think I was hit by an apple! + Garden Spells + Fun! + Wonderful read, but unrealistic kid!             The Pillars of the Earth1300 reviews Ken Follett NAL Trade, 2002 Great choice by Oprah + A must read + Simply Brilliant + A page-turner about cathedral construction? YES!             Luncheon of the Boating Party40 reviews Susan Vreeland Viking Adult, 2007 Best Book Ever! + Pretty Good Book - - Though Slow + Pleasant Diversion This was one of the best books I've ever read. With all that France has had to endure, the French people are celebrated here through art, food and the love of the outdoors. Ms. Vreeland did an excellent job researching her subject. If you are not an avid art lover or Impressionist fan, you will be ...             Midwives (Oprah's Book Club)542 reviews Chris Bohjalian Vintage, 1998 EXQUISITELY WRITTEN...A NOVEL TO REMEMBER... + gripping + Entrancing! + Classic             Naked414 reviews David Sedaris Back Bay Books, 1998 Absolutely fantastic + Painful to read, mostly plotless, but entertaining + FRANCINE!!! This has become a very famous book and it deserves to be. It is certainly the type that has you lending it to all your friends and telling them about which pieces are your favorites. I love reading about his family and am a big fan of sister Amy so whenever there's a mention of her I get ...             Divisadero74 reviews Michael Ondaatje Knopf, 2007 Superb poetic storytelling + Murky Parallels, Marvellous Prose + Misty but elegant + Enraptured by Ondaatje's style             Suite Francaise374 reviews Irene Nemirovsky Vintage, 2007 One of the best, by far. + Unfinished masterpiece + Wanted more and more!! .such a tragedy she is gone... + Subtle, Powerful, Unfinished - An Astonishing Survival             On Beauty199 reviews Zadie Smith Penguin Books, 2006 Satirical and sensitive + A pleasant surprise + Great writing, great characters This is the story of two families, each family headed up by a strong-willed academic man. These two patriarchs are opposites and enemies (or rivals, if you want to be optimistic). The emotional center of the book revolves around Howard's struggling marriage to Kiki. This novel is satirical and ...             Dear John221 reviews Nicholas Sparks Grand Central Publishing, 2007 Dear John Review - TL + A heart wrenching story. You will fall in love with this book + Spark's Even Outdoes Himself + Poor John + <3             Life of Pi1841 reviews Yann Martel Harvest Books, 2003 no words can describe how good this is! + engaging, imaginative, thought-provoking it breaks down all barriers of imagination and offers a breathtaking understanding of life through a story of simple transition from innocence to maturity...something each adult reader can relate to. be prepared for the more graphic details in the second and third section of the book which are a ...