One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Seriously, this book is so poorly written I struggled writing a review deserving even 1 star. The author hasn't the slightest clue or insight into women’s thoughts or emotions yet he chose to tell this unbelievably improbable fiction from a woman's point of view. If this is on your "to read" list I suggest you read this excellent 2008 review (contains spoilers)by Elizabeth first. She says it better that I can:
Elizabeth: "I read this for book club and felt distracted by the quality of writing, and therefore unable to even entertain the implausible historical premise... I just have a difficult time buying into a "journal" which contains pages of dialogue and real time events, with a voice that constantly contradicts itself and clearly belongs in a different century... but I tried to ignore this. . . . had great difficulty getting into the mind of a woman, let alone a 19th century woman! (i.e. gang raped and "fine" within a month or so, pregnant, yet walking/horseback-riding great distances without mention or concern of said pregnancy, blushing and giggling after losing one's virginity doggy-style, the list goes on...) I found his stereotypes to be tiresome, and the whole story felt very contrived, particularly the relationships he "explores" throughout the novel (which in my opinion reach little to no depth). The caricatures he presents belong in a comedy, and while this novel has its humorous moments, it is ultimately a dramatic portrayal of the hardships of frontier life, and the clash between the spiritual but doomed Native Americans and the white man's Manifest Destiny.

It seems readers love most about the novel its heroine, May, for her brazen ways, fortitude in peril, and feminist ideals. Please. This character is being spoon fed to 21st century women readers. A much more likable, realistic, and complex version of this same character is Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody, who fits in perfectly in Peters' light-hearted, adventurous historical mysteries. And while Peabody would be the first to join the men for a whiskey and soda, contemplating the next "course of action," she would never, for her own amusement, make a mockery of a culture's ritualistic and spiritual traditions! Compared to the fully developed Peabody, May is a mere stick figure, propped up by the author in effort to sell his book."



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Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fast paced, family mystery storyline that hooked me from the first read/listen (audio book). The writing is skilled and is loaded with twists and turns, which Archer does better than most, but it does not approach fine literature. It is narrated first person by the 5 main characters with each of their unique viewpoints.
Kudos to Jeffry Archer for always creating an interesting tale, with sympathetic characters, that is difficult to put down…all this with no foul language or gratuitous descriptive sex. I have read several of his novels and will read the sequel to this.
Warning: the end of the novel is a cliff hanger and what happens next is told in at least two sequels.


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The Nest by Kenneth Oppel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Strange, creepy and dark in a haunting Neil Gaiman style. If I had a middle schooler I would not want her/him to read it. That being said, it is excellent writing, but I am the wrong reader for this genre.

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The Lake House by Kate Morton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is an engaging mystery with many twists and turns. The plot is very involved and moves back and forth between the years but this is done seamlessly. There is an old mysterious house, past and present secrets galore, wonderfully memorable characters and excellent writing. I couldn't put it down and finished it in record time.

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Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan


Loved it!!!! This book starts off with a sad event, but it gets better as Willow, the 12 year old genius misfit main character, is amazing and the way she brings all the quirky characters together to help resolve the sad event is delightful. It was fun to watch their personalities evolve. I especially enjoyed Mai and her Vietnamese nail-salon dictator mother. The characters are fully fleshed out, believable, and the dialogue is often clever.
I really enjoyed Holly Goldberg Sloan's writing style, simple but elegant, never sappy or over-the-top. She is very direct but empathetic and the story hits the reader right where it should – the heart. I listened to this book on audio and the narrator is excellent. It has a somewhat predictable and unrealistic ending, but it is o.k because arriving there is so enjoyable.
Sloan is also author of Angels in the Outfield.



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How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M. Christensen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In this book Clayton Christensen, professor at Harvard Business School, applies organization management theories to answer the question posed by its title. I found the actual business stories very interesting and liked his style of using the successes and failures of those businesses to test and define success in life. He describes how some of the best business minds have some of the worst personal lives, frequently because they take their personal lives for granted and neglect to apply their successful theories of management to relationships with the people who matter most in their lives (family and friends). It is a self reflective book written primarily to help readers see the similarities between the business decisions they make for their companies and their personal lives. It is a short book and a fairly quick read. Highly recommend to business management types.


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A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This beautiful engaging, quirky story made me laugh and cry, both. The combination of despair and humor makes quite a combination. Ove is a cantankerous curmudgeon who doesn't give a fig about what others think of him. He has lost the love of his life which exacerbates his usual grumpiness and his reason to live. However, through a long series of events and interactions with people around him, the man's talents and treasures emerge, and he becomes a caring human being who is loved by many. Translated from Swedish, the language used is lovely. It's gentle, charming and funny. Wonderful story telling!


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Best Boy by Eli Gottlieb


This story is told by Todd Aaron, a fictional man in his 50's who is autistic. This first person narrative is written so well that the reader feels his fear, his strength, his goodness, his sweetness, and the resilience he needs to successfully live his life. The author, Eli Gottleib, whose brother has autism, has the ability to show the reader the world as Todd sees and experiences it. We see what Todd's life is like from his perspective: the anxiety, nervousness and logical reactions to the uncomfortable situations that plague him. The publisher's comment describes it accurately as "a piercing, achingly funny, finally shattering novel no reader can ever forget." It does, however end satisfactorily. I couldn't put it down and highly recommend it.



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Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is NOT a sequel, but a very early 1957 DRAFT of Harper Lee's bestseller, To Kill a Mockingbird. It was edited and rewritten and thoroughly edited again before it was finally published 4 years later as TKAM and imho this early draft should never have been published. The main characters may be the same, but this is an entirely different story in both shape and tone from “TKAM.” I liked the young Scout much better than the mature Jean Louise and this older racist version of Atticus Finch is certainly not the heroic and inspiring character we’ve so admired these past 55 years. There is a faint glimmer of plot but it is not coherent. It is not robust. The prose is flat and meandering. So disappointing.

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Longing for Home by Sarah M. Eden
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

2.5 stars
Good plot & setting, interesting yet somewhat unbelievable characters. Audiobook narrator excellent. But story drags along with not enough happening and then just ends, with only an implied conclusion. The rest of the story is in book 2. I hate that.

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