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Susan N. (dancingdiver) - Reviews

1 to 6 of 6
The 6-Week Cure for the Middle-Aged Middle: The Simple Plan to Flatten Your Belly Fast!
Review Date: 2/19/2012


My husband lost 4 pounds and I lost 5 in the first two weeks! We're both well-within the "normal weight" range for our height, but a stubborn thick waist on me and belly "pouch" on my husband wouldn't budge any more on our usual low-fat, medium protein, high veggie/fiber, slimming diet.

The authors provide good, solid explanations for each facet of this "cure", so we could understand the "why" behind what we were being asked to do. Our weight loss so far is not just water, because my husband went from a 32" waist in his jeans to a 30", and I'm below a 30" waist for the second time since college. We're 56 and 62, and give this diet a "Thumbs up"!


Elvenblood (Halfblood Chronicles, Bk 2)
Elvenblood (Halfblood Chronicles, Bk 2)
Author: Mercedes Lackey, Andre Norton
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 144
Review Date: 6/22/2006
Helpful Score: 4


Elves kill their half-human children if they discover them, for they may be wizards. Dragons and a long-lost nomadic tribe complete the cast of an entertaining and engrossing fantasy


The Lake Ching Murders (Zhong Fong, Bk 2)
The Lake Ching Murders (Zhong Fong, Bk 2)
Author: David Rotenberg
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.3/5 Stars.
 3
Review Date: 6/22/2010


Great read; couldn't put it down. I also like Dona Leon's mysteries - same style of detail to the cultural setting that makes you want to travel and see it for yourself.


Path of Revenge (Broken Man, Bk 1)
Path of Revenge (Broken Man, Bk 1)
Author: Russell Kirkpatrick
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 7
Review Date: 10/26/2010


Continues the story of the first three books. I found this book a little slow compared to the first three.


Trick of the Eye
Trick of the Eye
Author: Jane Stanton Hitchcock
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.2/5 Stars.
 3
Review Date: 6/22/2006


"An elegant psychological thriller...Piercing in its depiction of the rich" -People


The Valley of Amazement
The Valley of Amazement
Author: Amy Tan
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 23
Review Date: 9/21/2015


Having enjoyed Amy Tan's previous novels, The Joy Luck Club and The Hundred Secret Senses, I was disappointed by the shallowness of the characters and the lack of depth in the relationship between mothers and daughters depicted in this one.

I was turned off from the start by the selfish and self-centered mother, the very unpleasant child Violet, and the "women are chattel" attitude portrayed in historical Chinese society. Every character seems to be selfish and interested only in his or her own needs and desires. I kept on reading, thinking the characters would evolve or become more likable, but was disappointed. And the title of this novel - was this supposed to be a veiled reference to a woman's vagina? I couldn't help but wonder as each female character seemed to use and depend on it as her only available power.

Ms. Tan writes for over 400 pages in the child's voice as she grows up in Shanghai and becomes a woman. The lurid and brutal details of her life could have been shortened by 200 pages without losing any character or plot development. She then spends about a hundred pages in the mother's voice, from her teenage years to her older age, where we at last receive some idea of her motivation. The last fifty pages of this novel contain a "Hollywood" ending that is sickeningly sweet, and just unbelievable.

I wish I had done as other reviewers said, and just put this book down, but I kept reading due to my previous experience and the reputation of the author.


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