This story about a woman dealing with the intense love of her children who have now left home, along with going through menopause will bring out all of your emotions. It is a funny yet serious look at love of family and the need to be oneself. Will especially be enjoyed by those also dealing with aging parents.

This is a most touching story of a grandfather and his relationship with his son and grandson as he devolves into Alzheimer’s. We experience his thoughts as he begins to live inside the past as the present slips away. It is beautiful and sad and told from the grandfather’s point of view. Everyone should read this.

Absolutely devastating. Great world building, as always with Suzanne Collins. But wow, I didn't think these could get any more heartbreaking.

Not sure what I was expecting from this book and I guess for its time, 1513, it was insightful, but reading it today with statements that say you cannot avoid war and should only postpone it to your own advantage was disturbing. The book is Machiavelli’s perspective on how rulers must conduct themselves in order to be successful. And while I imagine that there are some who would agree even today, reading statements that say people must fear you and some brutality is needed, is disturbing to be reading now.

This is the second time I read this book, and I enjoyed it just as much the second time, picking up parts of the story more intensely this time. This is a perfect story of 2 generations who are in need of each other and who come together in the best way possible. While each of the 3 central living characters (and I have to include living as one character who feature prominently is deceased) has their challenges, they come together to help one another perfectly, even if for some the motivation may be selfish. This is a story that will touch your heart.

This story follows the life of a man from young adulthood to death. It examines his work, which is for much of his life, a logger. We get to watch how he changes and views the world as he falls in love and has a family, only to lose those he loves, and with them a large part of himself. It’s about continuing on and staying put at the same time. A very enjoyable read.

In this story about women who go missing and then have their dead images appear in paintings, Isles does an excellent job in developing the characters and their connections to one another. And this is important because the subject matter here is often harsh and without this development of characters, it would simply be a brutal story. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and liked the ending.

So here is a perfect example of why I prefer not to know too much about a book before I read it, because this is a western. It’s not a genre I would normally select, but this one was very enjoyable. On the surface, it’s a simple story about a man looking for gold, but it’s also the story of fear, loneliness, and hope. It’s about making tough choices and doing the right think. I look forward to reading something else by this author.

This might very well be the best book I read all summer. It combines two of the genres that I love, fantasy and horror. I am a Stephen King fan, and as I read this, I could hear him commenting “Well done”. A 9-year-old boy who is socially isolated becomes a central part of a series of horrific events, during which he is befriended by an 11-year-old girl who lives near him. But she and her family seem to understand what is happening and provide him with protection. And on top of all this wonderful action, the writer provides the perfect narrative with just the right amount of emotion and description. If you like these two genres, you’ve got to try this!

The trouble I had with this book is that I did it as an audiobook. There were just too many characters, and sometimes the characters were referred to differently depending upon who was speaking about them. Add to that the challenges of the language of 1826 and I was not able to enjoy the book or really follow what was going on.