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Marta J. (booksnob) - Reviews

1 to 20 of 413 - Page:
36 Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction
36 Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction
Author: Rebecca Goldstein
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3/5 Stars.
 8
Review Date: 7/25/2011
Helpful Score: 2


I'm really mortified to admit that, while I fully expected to love this book, I just couldn't get into it, and don't feel inclined to try it again later. It needs a new home that will appreciate it.


5 Minute Good Night Stories
5 Minute Good Night Stories
Author: Publications International (Editors)
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4.9/5 Stars.
 4
Review Date: 12/31/2005


Very nice for young children.


Abide with Me
Abide with Me
Author: Elizabeth Strout
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 44
Review Date: 4/23/2007
Helpful Score: 2


Another wonderful novel by Elizabeth Strout. Gently details the unraveling of a grieving widower and his eventual healing. Very well-written.


Abode of Love: Growing Up in a Messianic Cult
Abode of Love: Growing Up in a Messianic Cult
Author: Kate Barlow
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 9/1/2012
Helpful Score: 1


Interesting story of a very unusual childhood. Her discoveries are quite tame by modern standards and I have to admit I was hoping that it would be a bit more salacious.


Above the Thunder
Above the Thunder
Author: Renee Manfredi
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 12
Review Date: 5/4/2008
Helpful Score: 1


I wasn't sure that I was going to like this novel when I started. I didn't feel an instant connection to any of the characters, however, I'm glad that I stayed with it as I became truly engaged. This is quite a dark book but one that also leaves the door open for hope.


The Absence of Nectar
The Absence of Nectar
Author: Kathy Hepinstall
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 34
Review Date: 11/27/2005


From the front inset: "Alice is a precocious eleven-year-old growing up in rural East Texas with one wish on her mind: Get rid of Simon Jester. Simon is the man who saved her mother from drowning. Simon is her mother's hero, her savior--her new husband. He's an enigmatic man whose own family, he says, mysteriously drowned. But soon it becomes that Simon's family did not drown."
This is a really great book. I greatly recommend it.


The Abstinence Teacher
The Abstinence Teacher
Author: Tom Perrotta
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.3/5 Stars.
 118
Review Date: 5/28/2008


Amusing tale of a divorced sex education teacher and a married Christian fundamentalist; opposites attract...


Accidental Happiness
Accidental Happiness
Author: Jean Reynolds Page
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 23
Review Date: 4/7/2008
Helpful Score: 3


This was an engrossing and beautifully-written novel, even better than her first novel "A Blessed Event". In the aftermath of an accident which kills the narrator's husband, she becomes unexpectedly connected with her husband's ex-wife and child. Interesting twists and turns; altogether satisfying.


Again and Again
Again and Again
Author: Susan Johnson
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.4/5 Stars.
 39
Review Date: 2/15/2007


Well-written smut.


The Age of Shiva
The Age of Shiva
Author: Manil Suri
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.4/5 Stars.
 5
Review Date: 3/21/2012


I loved "The Death of Vishnu", and this was an absoluely wonderful novel as well. Do read if you're a lover of Indian authors.


Alamo House
Alamo House
Author: Sarah Bird
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.1/5 Stars.
 15
Review Date: 1/4/2007
Helpful Score: 1


I love Sarah Bird. This is her first novel and it's a lot of fun.


All But My Life : A Memoir
All But My Life : A Memoir
Author: Gerda Weissmann Klein
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.2/5 Stars.
 91
Review Date: 5/24/2007


Shattering autobiography of a Holocaust survivor.


All Over But the Shoutin'
All Over But the Shoutin'
Author: Rick Bragg
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 246
Review Date: 12/24/2005
Helpful Score: 2


I hate to say this, but I found the author to be a little too impressed with himself to make me enjoy this memoir, well-written though it is.


All That Matters
All That Matters
Author: Jan Goldstein
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 26
Review Date: 10/24/2005
Helpful Score: 3


Way too predictable and soap-operaish for me. If you like Nicholas Sparks you'll like this book. It's not my thing!


Almost
Almost
Author: Elizabeth Benedict
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.2/5 Stars.
 50
Review Date: 3/20/2006


Wonderful book--worthy of its accolades.


The Almost Moon
The Almost Moon
Author: Alice Sebold
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 2.6/5 Stars.
 468
Review Date: 3/5/2009
Helpful Score: 1


Like her other books, this starts off with a "kick-your-teeth-in" incident.The narrator then proceeds to careen out of control until the unsatisfying ending. This wasn't really a bad book--I did, after all, finish it--but it didn't live up to "The Lovely Bones". She can do better.


The Amateur Marriage
The Amateur Marriage
Author: Anne Tyler
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 152
Review Date: 11/23/2005
Helpful Score: 2


A terrific book that honestly explores the complexities of families and relationships.


The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
Author: Michael Chabon
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 431
Review Date: 4/24/2011
Helpful Score: 1


I worship the ground that Michael Chabon walks upon!! What a wonderful, fulfilling, juicy novel this is!


American Knees
American Knees
Author: Shawn Wong
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.3/5 Stars.
 2
Review Date: 2/21/2006
Helpful Score: 1


Started out really well but I must admit that I got antsy with it midway through. Some nice erotic dialogue.


American Pastoral
American Pastoral
Author: Philip Roth
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 151
Review Date: 11/26/2006
Helpful Score: 6


I'll preface this by saying that this is a challenging novel, but if you allow yourself to get pulled in, you will be blown away by its depth. I sympathized with the protagonist as much as I ever have for a fictional character. My only criticism is the ending, which I don't think did this book justice.


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