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Melissa E. (Melissa1959) - , - Reviews

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All Stuck Up (Step-into-Reading, Step 2)
Review Date: 11/21/2006


Cute first reader.


The All-Time Awesome Bible Search
The All-Time Awesome Bible Search
Author: Sandy Silverthorne
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 0.5/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 11/21/2006
Helpful Score: 1


Kind of like Where's Waldo, except it is Bible based and you look for a variety of different items in the big, busy picture.
For example, part of a paragraph in the section on Gideon goes like this:
"Quiet as two mice (picture of mice to search for), Gideon and his servant (picture of servant) counted out the Midianite camp. They overheard a man (picture of man) talking about his strange dream. 'I dreamed that a cake of barley bread (picture of bread) fell into a Midian tent (picture of tent) and destroyed it."


Angels & Demons (Robert Langdon, Bk 1)
Angels & Demons (Robert Langdon, Bk 1)
Author: Dan Brown
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 3685
Review Date: 6/22/2006


The Da Vinci Code was made into a movie that received a lot of hype because of the controvery it stirred. But Angels & Demons was Browns real jewel. The Brown's first book with college professor Robert Langdon. It's a fast read with plenty of twists and turns and surprises that kept me turning the pages.


The Calligraphy Work Book
The Calligraphy Work Book
Author: George L. Thomson
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 3
Review Date: 6/22/2006
Helpful Score: 3


Teaches four calligraphy scripts: unical; round hand; black letter and italic. The book also teaches you how to make your own calligraphy pens from bamboo, reed or pencil size tree branches just like people did in the days of old.


Choke
Choke
Author: Stuart Woods
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 116
Review Date: 6/14/2006
Helpful Score: 1


I found this to be an interesting book about a hardboiled NYC homicide cop who moves to Florida thinking he's going to have a cushy cop job in a low-crime area. There are hints that take you down backroads only to find out that you must turn out and go down another path. Woods keeps you guessing from start to finish.


The Da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon, Bk 2)
The Da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon, Bk 2)
Author: Dan Brown
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 2083
Review Date: 6/25/2006
Helpful Score: 1


A very interesting fictional theory about the location of the Grail. I watched the movie first, then read the book. The book gives a lot more detail than the movie. It clarifies things in the movie that left me confused. Personally, I preferred "Angels and Demons" over The Da Vinci Code, but all in all it's a pretty good yarn.


Death by Darjeeling (Tea Shop, Bk 1)
Death by Darjeeling (Tea Shop, Bk 1)
Author: Laura Childs
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 308
Review Date: 1/9/2007
Helpful Score: 10


Not a bad book, but not a great book either. I didn't find the main characters (or any characters for that matter) very interesting. But this is the first in the series. Maybe they'll grow on me in future books. Yes, I do plan to read more. I just wish the characters had more depth. On the bright side: The plot was OK. There are plenty of red herrings thrown in. The tea shop setting is great. The added Charleston description is interesting. Earl Grey (Theodosia's dog) is a nice addition.


Disney's First Words in Spanish: A Pull-The-Tab Word Book (Pull-The-Tab Word Book)
Review Date: 11/21/2006
Helpful Score: 1


Adorable book with pastel drawings of Disney's favorite characters including Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Pluto and more. One page is a cartoon drawing (suitable for framing if you're a Disney fan) and the opposing page has individual pictures and words that match the drawing.
For example, there is a picture of Donald and Daisy shopping in a store where Goofy is the store owner. On the opposite page, there are 20 pictures with the words that change from Spanish to English when you move the tab. On this page words include "cash register," "clock," "money," "eggs," "bread," "candy," "milk" and more.


Dying In Style (Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper, Bk 1)
Dying In Style (Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper, Bk 1)
Author: Elaine Viets
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 190
Review Date: 9/28/2006
Helpful Score: 8


I loved this book, the first in Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper series by Elaine Viets. Josie Marcus may not be living up to her full potential, but she's doing what she wants to do right now -- she's a mystery shopper who is able to spend quality time with her daughter and even her mother, who lives upstairs. Marcus' character is intelligent, feisty and darn funny. Surprisingly, the book also had a good plot that kept me guessing to the end. I think Viets has a good chance of making Viets into a best-loved cozy character.


Firebird
Firebird
Author: James Carroll
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.4/5 Stars.
 8
Review Date: 6/14/2006


I was surprised at how I got caught up in this spy thriller about a young man in the FBI during Hoover's time overseeing the department. The man was raised in a small town where his locksmith father taught him everything he knows about safe cracking. It is fun to step back in time in this historical fiction that has a non-typical romantic thread.


The Great Dinosaur Mystery and the Bible
The Great Dinosaur Mystery and the Bible
Author: Paul S. Taylor
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4.4/5 Stars.
 7
Review Date: 11/21/2006


A great book from a Biblical perspective that explains how dinosaurs fit in with Creation. It even explains what a leviathan (a creature of the Bible) looked like.


In Search of Righteous Radicals (Guess Who's Who in the Bible)
Review Date: 11/21/2006
Helpful Score: 2


It's kind of like a Where's Waldo book, except that you search the big, busy picture for a variety of items from the Bible.
For example, a paragraph in the Chariots of Fire section goes like this:
"The king of Aram was really angry now. When his spies (picture of a spy to look for) discovered that I lived in Dothan, he sent an army with horses (picture of horse) and chariots (picture of chariot) to seize me in the night.


Look Closely
Look Closely
Author: Laura Caldwell
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 74
Review Date: 10/8/2006
Helpful Score: 1


I liked this book a lot, even though I had a good idea how the "who done it" part would turn out. There were enough other surprises to keep my interest. Interesting main character, good plot and a very nice writing style. I'll keep an eye out for other Caldwell books in the future.


Night Sins (Deer Lake, Bk 1)
Night Sins (Deer Lake, Bk 1)
Author: Tami Hoag
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 399
Review Date: 6/23/2006


A chilling book about the murder of a young boy. From the prologue:
"They found the body today. Not nearly as soon as we expected. Obviously we gave them too much credit. The police are not as smart as we are. No one is. We stood on the sidewalk and watched...We stood on the sidewalk as the ambulance came with it's light flashing, and more police cars came, and the cars of people from around town. We stood in the crowd but no one saw us, no one looked at us. They thought we were beneath their notice, unimportant..."


Pacific Beat
Pacific Beat
Author: T. Jefferson Parker
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 32
Review Date: 10/9/2006


Great yarn with an unexpected twist. Likeable characters. The story takes place in Newport Beach California.


The Pact: A Love Story
The Pact: A Love Story
Author: Jodi Picoult
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 1194
Review Date: 9/26/2006
Helpful Score: 3


This was my first time reading a Jodi Picoult book, but it won't be my last. The book was written "movie style" with a lot of flash backs. In some books, flash backs slow the plot, but it really worked for this novel. The story was heartfelt and even disturbing on some levels. I wasn't surprised by the book's ending, but I wasn't sure what would happen either. The more I read, the more I wanted to read. On the down side, there were several editing mistakes that jerked me out of the story back to reality -- which wasn't much fun.


Partner in Crime (Joanna Brady, Bk 10)
Partner in Crime (Joanna Brady, Bk 10)
Author: J. A. Jance
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 201
Review Date: 6/23/2006


They both are on the side of law and order, but Joanna Brady the small town's sheriff doesn't want any help from the out-of-town detective named Beaumont. To make matters worse, Beaumont doesn't want to be there either. But the two learn they've got to work together if they want to solve the murder of a local artist.


The Poet (Jack McEvoy, Bk 1)
The Poet (Jack McEvoy, Bk 1)
Author: Michael Connelly
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 464
Review Date: 8/22/2006


This was my first-ever Michael Connelly read. And boy is it a good one. No, it's not one of his fabulous Harry Bosch series, but it's a great story just the same. It is disturbing. It is heart-wrenching. It is an exciting read. If you love mysteries & thrillers, especially of the police proceedural type, then this is a must read for you!


The Prince of Egypt (Collector's Edition Storybook)
Review Date: 11/21/2006


Very nice book with storyline and pictures from Dreamworks "Prince of Egypt" cartoon movie.


Riggs Park (Harlequin Next, No 3)
Riggs Park (Harlequin Next, No 3)
Author: Ellyn Bache
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.1/5 Stars.
 39
Review Date: 7/7/2006


Penny was always extra sensitive. Even at a young age, her childhood friends, Marilyn and Barbara, felt the need to protect her. Then, the terrible thing happend and Penny was never the same. That was many years ago. Decades later, Marilyn (who has cancer) and Barbara (who divorced and has been reunited with her childhood love) learn a lot more about Penny, their childhood and themselves with the help of an elderly woman who lived in their old neighborhood.


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