Chocolat9 reviews Joanne Harris Black Swan, 2000 Magically Delicious! + Brimming with passion for life + Delightful, moody reading Years after seeing Chocolat the movie, I have finally read Chocolat the book. As usual, the book was way better than the movie. While Chocolat the movie implies that Vianne is a witch, the book makes it abundantly clear that Vianne has magical powers. She turns the small French town on its head ...             One Hundred Years of Solitude (P.S.)48 reviews Gabriel Garcia Marquez Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2006 Makes Life Worth Living + I saw a man with four hands on the street + Marquez at its best! + More than a love story, this is a work of art             Queen of Camelot52 reviews Nancy Mckenzie Del Rey, 2002 Fairy Tale Beautiful + absolutely wondrful!! I confess to having had some misgivings about reading yet another version of the Arthurian legend. After reading the very wonderful Mists of Avalon years ago, I wondered why I should bother reading another woman's view of the same tale. This one answered that question, as it is an excellent ...             Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1)5424 reviews J.K. Rowling Scholastic Press, 1998 First step in a long, exciting journey... + Impossible to not enjoy. + A Late Bloomer.... + Excellent!             Rose Daughter157 reviews Robin McKinley Ace, 1998 A Wonderful Retelling of Beauty and The Beast!!! + Not her best, but still good I purchased this book with some hesitation based on the mixed reviews I had read. This was an excellent story!! I enjoyed this book so much, it took me less than a day to read it, and I can't wait to read it again! (so I'm not:) What a wonderfull retelling of an old classic.             Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell: A Novel723 reviews Susanna Clarke Bloomsbury USA, 2005 The Indescribable Double Life of Lady Pole + Spreading the reach of British magic + A fun adventure. Picture an England during the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century, very much like the historical England, recognizable in many ways to readers familiar with the period, except that this England has a magical past, a distant connection to medieval English magic which has dissipated and ...             Ruby: A Novel14 reviews Francesca Lia Block HarperCollins, 2006 Classic Francesca + orlando bloom. + Nicely evolved novel. After a slew of unfortunate events wherein I read several disappointing books, I was inexplicably delighted to return to Francesca Lia Block's wonderful world, where pain and suffering can still be overcome by magic and love. More often than not, I'll read one book by an author and love it, only ...             Love in the Time of Cholera449 reviews Gabriel Garcia Marquez Vintage, 2003 A half-century story of unrequited love + Depressingly beautiful... + Worth the time An achingly beautiful story of Fermina and Florentino, adolescent sweethearts unable to consummate their love until old age. An exceptional half-century story of unrequited love. Highly recommended.             The Virgin Blue157 reviews Tracy Chevalier Plume, 2003 B+ + A great debut novel Chevalier shows budding writers the correct way parallelism should be used for dramatic and storytelling effect in The Virgin Blue, her debut novel. It is flawlessly carried out. I enjoyed the melodrama of the flawed romantic relationships, although some readers might find that off-putting. The ...             A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy)298 reviews Libba Bray Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2005 Amazing! + Loved it! + A terrible great read!!!! + Enchanting + Funny and Smart             Briar Rose175 reviews Jane Yolen Tor Teen, 2002 The truth entangled in a fairy tale + Stunning + Very Moving + Stunning novel, but with one glaring flaw + made me want to cry             Ruby: A Novel14 reviews Francesca Lia Block HarperCollins, 2006 Classic Francesca + orlando bloom. + Nicely evolved novel. After a slew of unfortunate events wherein I read several disappointing books, I was inexplicably delighted to return to Francesca Lia Block's wonderful world, where pain and suffering can still be overcome by magic and love. More often than not, I'll read one book by an author and love it, only ...             Rose Daughter157 reviews Robin McKinley Ace, 1998 A Wonderful Retelling of Beauty and The Beast!!! + Not her best, but still good I purchased this book with some hesitation based on the mixed reviews I had read. This was an excellent story!! I enjoyed this book so much, it took me less than a day to read it, and I can't wait to read it again! (so I'm not:) What a wonderfull retelling of an old classic.             Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1)5424 reviews J.K. Rowling Scholastic Press, 1998 First step in a long, exciting journey... + Impossible to not enjoy. + A Late Bloomer.... + Excellent!             One Hundred Years of Solitude (P.S.)48 reviews Gabriel Garcia Marquez Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2006 Makes Life Worth Living + I saw a man with four hands on the street + Marquez at its best! + More than a love story, this is a work of art             A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy)298 reviews Libba Bray Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2005 Amazing! + Loved it! + A terrible great read!!!! + Enchanting + Funny and Smart             Chocolat9 reviews Joanne Harris Black Swan, 2000 Magically Delicious! + Brimming with passion for life + Delightful, moody reading Years after seeing Chocolat the movie, I have finally read Chocolat the book. As usual, the book was way better than the movie. While Chocolat the movie implies that Vianne is a witch, the book makes it abundantly clear that Vianne has magical powers. She turns the small French town on its head ...             Queen of Camelot52 reviews Nancy Mckenzie Del Rey, 2002 Fairy Tale Beautiful + absolutely wondrful!! I confess to having had some misgivings about reading yet another version of the Arthurian legend. After reading the very wonderful Mists of Avalon years ago, I wondered why I should bother reading another woman's view of the same tale. This one answered that question, as it is an excellent ...             The Virgin Blue157 reviews Tracy Chevalier Plume, 2003 B+ + A great debut novel Chevalier shows budding writers the correct way parallelism should be used for dramatic and storytelling effect in The Virgin Blue, her debut novel. It is flawlessly carried out. I enjoyed the melodrama of the flawed romantic relationships, although some readers might find that off-putting. The ...             Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell: A Novel723 reviews Susanna Clarke Bloomsbury USA, 2005 The Indescribable Double Life of Lady Pole + Spreading the reach of British magic + A fun adventure. Picture an England during the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century, very much like the historical England, recognizable in many ways to readers familiar with the period, except that this England has a magical past, a distant connection to medieval English magic which has dissipated and ...