Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

CJ K. - Reviews

1 to 4 of 4
The Amber Room
The Amber Room
Author: Steve Berry
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 82
Review Date: 1/29/2009
Helpful Score: 1


A friend, knowing of my love for mysteries, recommended Steve Berry to me. What I most enjoyed about this book were the historical tidbits I picked up. While the prose is a bit simple and the sex scenes something out of Penthouse Forum, it was still a satisfying read.


The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, Book 3)
The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, Book 3)
Author: Philip Pullman
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 357
Review Date: 1/29/2009
Helpful Score: 2


Overall, I'm ambivalent about Philip Pullman's books. I read them on the recommendation of a couple of friends who absolutely loved them. They're well written and I did fall in love with the characters (even the bad ones), but I found the books tedious.


Forever Changed: Remembering Oklahoma City, April 19, 1995
Forever Changed: Remembering Oklahoma City, April 19, 1995
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4.5/5 Stars.
 3
Review Date: 1/29/2009
Helpful Score: 1


In April 1995, my daughter wasn't quite a month old and I remember sitting in front of the TV holding her and weeping at the footage. I couldn't believe then (and still can't) that a fellow American could do something so horrific.

The mother of one of the victims compiled essays from survivors and families of victims - their view of the bombing and the aftermath. This book was published before the end of Timothy McVeigh's trial and I expected to read a lot of essays about how much people hated him, yet only one essay even mentions his name. It was difficult to read and at the same time, the essays where people have picked themselves up and continued to live were so uplifting. I hope that I never find myself in such a situation, but it's comforting to know that people do make it through.

As an aside, I had to go to Oklahoma City in September 2007 for a work training session. A group of us went over to the Memorial after the session was over on a Thursday night. The site is amazingly peaceful. It was dusk and the sun was streaming through the trees and the bases of the chairs - so beautiful. I was marveling at the ability of Oklahoma City to create something so amazing out of the devastation when I saw a birthday balloon attached to one of the children's chairs. My heart broke.


He Shall Thunder in the Sky (Amelia Peabody, Bk 12)
He Shall Thunder in the Sky (Amelia Peabody, Bk 12)
Author: Elizabeth Peters
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 61
Review Date: 1/29/2009
Helpful Score: 2


My first PaperBackSwap book! It's time to take a small break from Amelia Peabody. I really liked this book, but I found myself racing through it to get to the end so I could find out what happened. I don't feel like I enjoyed it enough.

Peters tied up all the loose ends from previous books in this one. That was very nice - it helped me remember a lot of things from past adventures.

I already have the next couple of books in the series (also PaperBackSwaps), but there are so many other things to read. Amelia will just have to wait.


1 to 4 of 4