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Marianne S. (sfc95) - , - Reviews

1 to 20 of 687 - Page:
The 100 Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
Review Date: 9/20/2015
Helpful Score: 1


The premise for this was good, but I fear that the translation made this the slowest and more boring book I have attempted to read for some time. It had no pick up, it was written as if I was a 100 year old trying to make the story last forever. And forever it did, I made it 100 pages and could take no more.


The 13th Hour:
The 13th Hour:
Author: Richard Doetsch
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 32
Review Date: 3/15/2010
Helpful Score: 1


By far the best book I have read this year. I was written in a manner that was so different from anything I have ever read. It took my breath away reading it, I felt like I was part of the story. The characters were well developed, the story was thrilling and suspense filled. I cannot say enough about this book, find a way to get hold of a copy and read it! You will not be disappointed.


14 (Taylor Jackson, Bk 2)
14 (Taylor Jackson, Bk 2)
Author: J. T. Ellison
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 88
Review Date: 7/29/2012
Helpful Score: 1


I thought this was good. Had a bit of a twist at the end that made this book not as predictable as I imagined. Will look forward to reading the rest of the series.


The 19th Wife
The 19th Wife
Author: David Ebershoff
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 308
Review Date: 11/6/2010


I enjoyed this book a great deal. I love historical fiction and religious fiction, this was both. The way in which the book was written fluctuating between present day and mid 1800's was interesting but did make the book a bit harder to read and certainly slowed the reading pace in order to gain full understanding of everything that was going on. The characters were not likeable in any way and truly I cannot think of a one that I could say I liked, but they worked in the context of the story. This is one of those books that is worth all of the hype. A good mystery, factual experiences mixed with fictional ones and a strong sense to put it all together.


24/7
24/7
Author: Jim Brown
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 21
Review Date: 7/27/2009


This was close to the best thriller I have read this year, up until the last 10 pages that wrapped this story up in an impossible bow to the point where it was just sickening. I rated a 4.5 because up until the end I was so hooked that I read this in two evenings and couldn't read fast enough. If it had ended more believably then it would be a five star and by far the best book this year, but I think that the author could not forsee a way out and just jotted down whatever he thought would work and then that was it. In any case, it is an excellent thriller it just falls flat at the end.


Abandoned Prayers: The Shocking True Story of Obsession, Murder, and 'Little Boy Blue'
Abandoned Prayers: The Shocking True Story of Obsession, Murder, and 'Little Boy Blue'
Author: Gregg Olsen
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 72
Review Date: 1/8/2011


I do not read alot of true crime, but I am very glad I picked this one up by one of my favorite authors. I read this in one day because I could not put it down. It is superbly written and reads with such a fast pace that you are completely engrossed. I did not know the story of the child therefore for me it was interesting to learn the outcome, if you are already familiar with the story it may not be as page turning.


Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Author: Seth Grahame-Smith
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 157
Review Date: 7/4/2012


So totally out of my genre, I picked it up because of the hype and I must say I enjoyed it greatly. I loved the writing style, it felt so real with the journal entries. It was a quick read that kept you entertained.


The Absence of Mercy
The Absence of Mercy
Author: John Burley
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 22
Review Date: 10/10/2016


I really enjoyed this "not so familiar" thriller. It had an edge and mystery about it that was not predictable and trite. It picked up the pace half way through and you just couldn't put it down. Highly recommend.


The Absence of Nectar
The Absence of Nectar
Author: Kathy Hepinstall
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 81
Review Date: 12/19/2008
Helpful Score: 2


This book is a slow start, but a little before half way through it is impossible to put down. It is well written starting almost at the end, going back through the past and then coming back to present time to tell the "real" story. I am not normally a fan of the end starting a book, but it is not exactly the end. I know that sounds confusing, I say pick up this book and read it for your self and you will completely understand and enjoy a good read!


Afraid (Afraid, Bk 1)
Afraid (Afraid, Bk 1)
Author: Jack Kilborn
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 116
Review Date: 5/20/2009
Helpful Score: 3


although not my normal genre, I love the author and his style so I thought I would take a chance, it was a good book that moved very fast, some unrealistic things of course, but that is how horror is. If you like the Jack Daniels series (Jack Kilborn is JA Konrath) then take a look at this book, it moves as fast and leaves out all the flowery detail that is not needed in a thriller.


After the Storm (Kate Burkholder, Bk 7)
After the Storm (Kate Burkholder, Bk 7)
Author: Linda Castillo
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 4.2/5 Stars.
 23
Review Date: 6/1/2017


excellent thriller devoured this installment!


Aftertaste: A Novel in Five Courses
Aftertaste: A Novel in Five Courses
Author: Meredith Mileti
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.3/5 Stars.
 4
Review Date: 9/16/2011
Helpful Score: 3


This book opens with Mira, the main character retelling her assualt of her husbands lover. It is funny, but not over the top, just funny in a looking back sort of way. This gets the reader hooked in my opinion, however the book has some lull around pages 120 or so and it takes about 50 pages to get back into it. Mira is depressed at that time and it is almost as if the emotion transfers to the reader and the pages. Once you get over the depression the book picks up a great deal and I found myself rooting for Mira the whole way. To me this book was like living Mira's life, the reader truly feels the emotions portrayed in her life. For an author's first novel it is a homerun, not sure how she will be able to top it.


The Alibi
The Alibi
Author: Sandra Brown
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 311
Review Date: 9/9/2011


I know that this book got great reviews, and I admit that it was a suspenseful thriller and it could have been a quick read if it had not been over 500 pages long filled with what I felt was unnecessary words to make the book bigger. I am not against reading a long book, I have done it frequently, but when making a book over 500 pages it really needs to have material that is essential tot he plot in order to keep the page length. To me the ending was ok, not thrilling, but kept me reading, but for me this was a book I could put down and not think about when I wasn't reading, therefore it was not the best for me.


All The Pretty Girls (Taylor Jackson, Bk 1)
All The Pretty Girls (Taylor Jackson, Bk 1)
Author: J. T. Ellison
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 29
Review Date: 8/15/2010


This is a good introductory novel to the main character. I read this in one day on the beach. It moved quickly, jad some layers to it and overall was a quick thrilling read.


Almost Dead (San Francisco, Bk 2)
Almost Dead (San Francisco, Bk 2)
Author: Lisa Jackson
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 462
Review Date: 5/15/2009


This starts out very slow, introduces too many characters and tries to fake you into everyone being a potential killer. To me it is predictable, I don't want to give the end away but if you are an avid mystery reader you will see it a mile away, I haven't read too much by this author but if they are all written this way I am not too interested. Not a horrible read, but certainly not a page by page thriller.


Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace
Author: Danielle Steel
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 133
Review Date: 4/10/2014


About every 3-4 months I pick up a Danielle Steel book. Sometimes it brings me back to my college years (when that is all I read) and other times it reminds me why I only pick one up every 3-4 months. This one was the later. It was so promising. I am a fan of the individual people coming together and seeing how the relationships build and grow especially under duress which this was, however to me it didn't flow the way it should have and the ending was definitely not what I wanted or would have written. It disappointed me that it appeared to me that Ms. Steel took the easy way out.


American Wife
American Wife
Author: Curtis Sittenfeld
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 110
Review Date: 10/30/2008
Helpful Score: 3


I absolutely loved this book. I am not a fan of the Bush family, however after reading this book I have ordered the Laura Bush biography to find out what was fiction and what was real. This story is written wonderfully and it is very gripping. It is over 500 pages and it did take me fours days to read (which is somewhat unusual for me)but it really could have been longer because some very important p[arts were rushed (such as the elections and decisions to run). In any case I finally got my copy from the library after sitting on the waiting list for months. i am sorry I do not have a copy to share as I know that many others will be as touched as I was to read such a wonderful book. I will be checking on more from this author.


An Amish Gathering: Life in Lancaster County
An Amish Gathering: Life in Lancaster County
Author: Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, Barbara Cameron
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 34
Review Date: 1/16/2010


this was an extremely fast read (read it in one day) with three novellas slightly innertwined by three separate authors. I enjoyed them, not as much as I enjoy Beverly Lewis books, only because they were so short they wrapped things up quickly and did not create the characters that she can in a longer novel. Certainly worth reading if you are interested in Amish fiction.


Amity & Sorrow: A Novel
Amity & Sorrow: A Novel
Author: Peggy Riley
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 2.7/5 Stars.
 7
Review Date: 6/23/2014


So I went into this book thinking it would be fantastic, I believe I set it up to be better than it ever could be, but I am not a fan of lyrical prose, wordy for the sense of wordiness! I kept reading because I really kept reading because I thought something was going to happen...it never did. I was very disappointed. Now it didn't take long to read so I didn't waste a lot of time, but there was so much more than could have been done with the storyline. That alone was my hype, but alas I was left to read word upon word taking me nowhere and left me wanting so much more.


And After That, the Dark
And After That, the Dark
Author: Charlotte Hughes
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 27
Review Date: 2/15/2010
Helpful Score: 2


When I first started this book, I thought, keep writing comedy Charlotte Hughes, but half way through this book took off and it became suspenseful and thrilling, I could barely put it down. So that being said, I am off to find the other 2 thrillers that Charlotte Hughes wrote before switching to comedy writing.


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