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Kathy B. (KathyDB) - Reviews

1 to 15 of 15
The Alchemist's Daughter
The Alchemist's Daughter
Author: Katharine McMahon
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.4/5 Stars.
 54
Review Date: 5/8/2007
Helpful Score: 4


The girl followed the Alchemist from the time she was a child, her only wish was to please him and make him proud. She studied, she learned, she could speak and read several languages. She knew the Latin names of all the plants, trees and animals on the estate. She knew the properties of water and fire. She was Emilie Selden, the Alchemists daughter. He wrote of her each night in the Emilie Notebooks. She was his most interesting experiment, his crowning achievement and he loved her dearly. Her mother was a mystery to her. Her only inheritance from her mother, a bit of ribbon and the stark, isolated room in one of the unused portions of the manor. The region of England they lived in was very isolated and she was so naïve. Falling in love too easily, giving herself too freely, she found herself with child by a man she loved. His power over her was sensual and easily bought. Her father turned her away, banishing Emilie, her husband and her future child from Selden. She traveled to London where she strived to be the great lady her husband wished her to be. She loved him, trusted him, and was betrayed. The story is of her journey from childhood to woman she was to become. This is not the sort of book I usually read. To be honest, I saw it more as a high level romance novel. Though I enjoyed it, it didnt grab me and hold my attention like I thought it would. The blurb on the back cover talked of how she and her father were attempting to breathe live into dead matter. That was the story line that caught my attention. It was a great disappointment to me that so little of the book was actually about the experiment unless you see it in the symbolic sense.


The Black Tattoo
The Black Tattoo
Author: Sam Enthoven
Book Type: Audio CD
  • Currently 5/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 6/1/2007


One of the best books I've listened to in awhile. Definitely worth a listen to or a read.


Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Author: Steven Spielberg
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 40
Review Date: 1/25/2007


Great movie tie-in and a good read


East
East
Author: Edith Pattou
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4.4/5 Stars.
 31
Review Date: 1/25/2007


Teen fantasy. It is a very good read.


Fun Home : A Family Tragicomic
Fun Home : A Family Tragicomic
Author: Alison Bechdel
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 51
Review Date: 5/16/2007


Gave it the ole Nancy Pearl test - first 50 pages - it flunked. I didn't bother reading any farther.


A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle, Bk 1)
A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle, Bk 1)
Author: Libba Bray
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 580
Review Date: 6/10/2007
Helpful Score: 6


The story begins in 1895 in India, where Gemma has lived since she was a small child. On her 16th birthday, Gemma has a vision. A terrible vision that she finds is true, her mother has died by her own hand. As the days progress, Gemma begins to have more visions. Visions that haunt her. Visions that make her seek a truth for what she see. She returns with her family to England where she enters an all girls finishing school. She is warned by a handsome gypsy boy to fight her visions. To fight the pull to seek out the answers to her questions. She is slowly drawn into a mysterious world of light and beauty. She takes with her three girls she has befriended. The more they visit this beautiful word and the more they try to use it's power, the further they get drawn into it's web. Soon they must escape before it's power consumes them, but it will not come without great sacrifice. This is one of the very best books I have read in a long time. It is an awesome story that makes you feel the power of the magic's great and terrible beauty. The author has written two more books in this series and I cannot wait to read them both.


Legends: Tales from the Eternal Archives #1
Legends: Tales from the Eternal Archives #1
Author: Margaret Weis
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 3/18/2007


Interesting anthology by some of the best fantasy writers around. A good read.


The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia)
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia)
Author: C. S. Lewis
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.3/5 Stars.
 423
Review Date: 4/25/2011


This is my favorite book of the series, but it was not Book 1, The Magicians Nephew is book 1


The Manny Files
The Manny Files
Author: Christian Burch
Book Type: Audio CD
  • Currently 3/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 8/24/2007


Loved this all the way through till the end. Could not stand the fact that Manny turned out to be gay. Can't a man be a good babysitter and not be gay?????


The Princess Diaries, Volume VIII: Princess on the Brink (The Princess Diaries)
Review Date: 5/16/2007


Should I go all the way, should I not.... Even though this book is written about a senior in high school, I think a much, much younger audience is who is reading it. I have read all the "Princess Diaries" series and this is the first one I've really not cared for at all. I think the topic is inappropriate for the age group that reads the series.


The Rover
The Rover
Author: Mel Odom
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 17
Review Date: 1/25/2007


Great start to the series. I love books about librarians.


Specials (Uglies, Bk 3) (Unabridged Audio CD)
Specials (Uglies, Bk 3) (Unabridged Audio CD)
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Book Type: Audio CD
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 5
Review Date: 5/16/2007


Really liked the series (Uglies, Pretties, Specials), but the part about self-mutilation that began in Pretties and continued in this book bothered me a lot, especially since the audience is suppose to be teens. It showed it in a non-acceptable light, but it just bothered me.


Strange Highways (The Strange Highways Collection, No 1) (Audio Cassette) (Unabridged)
Review Date: 4/29/2007


Awesome! James Spader narrates this book and that in itself makes it worth the listen.


Sweet and Deadly
Sweet and Deadly
Author: Charlaine Harris
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 248
Review Date: 5/27/2007


Catherine Linton returns to her hometown determined to discover who tampered with her parent's car causing their fatal accident. Shortly after she arrives, she finds a dead body in a shed on her property. Soon after, she discovers another dead body this time, the tenant renting a house she owns. The murderer has to be someone she knows and knows well. Someone she grew up knowing and trusting because this is a very small town. The ending is a surprise. I found this to be a very different kind of book by paranormal and mystery writer Charlaine Harris. I think it was probably her first novel. It is well worth the read if you enjoy any of her other books.


The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop: A Memoir, a History
The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop: A Memoir, a History
Author: Lewis Buzbee
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 19
Review Date: 5/23/2007
Helpful Score: 3


One of the best I've read in a long time. Everybook lover should read this one. It is magical.


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