# Books Recommended by our Members -- March 2009



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Post your book recommendations here! For the February 2009 recommendations, click here:

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,3077.0.html


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## ScottBooks (Oct 28, 2008)

Hey, No Fair! It's still February where you are!

(I really just wanted to be sure I'm on this thread. You understand  )


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

What can I say? I'm an East Coast girl at heart... 

And, to keep this on topic, I want to say I'm using my vacation time here in sunny warm (77 degrees today) San Diego finishing _In Her Name_ by member Mike Hicks (Kreelanwarrior) and it is fantastic!! Had to keep reading ahead of the book klub!

Betsy


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## Kind (Jan 28, 2009)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> And, to keep this on topic, I want to say I'm using my vacation time here in sunny warm (77 degrees today) San Diego finishing *In Her Name by member Mike Hicks (Kreelanwarrior)* and it is fantastic!! Had to keep reading ahead of the book klub!
> 
> Betsy


Thanks, I think he currently has a giveaway going on as well!! Check it out.

**Edit**
Oops, that's a different author.


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## CS (Nov 3, 2008)

Kind said:


> Thanks, I think he currently has a giveaway going on as well!! Check it out.
> 
> **Edit**
> Oops, that's a different author.


David has posted about it a thousand times already, and you *still* got confused?!  No offense meant to the author, just saying...


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

CS said:


> David has posted about it a thousand times already, and you *still* got confused?!  No offense meant to the author, just saying...


Indie authors have to do their own marketing. I'm sure David is all over the Internet promoting his book. He wore me down, and I bought the book, so I can just skip over his posts, now. 

Good job, David. You'll get us all, yet.  Now to find the time to read it.


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## sherylb (Oct 27, 2008)

Thanks Betsy! You (and all the mods) do such a great job for us.


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## Kind (Jan 28, 2009)

CS said:


> David has posted about it a thousand times already, and you *still* got confused?!  No offense meant to the author, just saying...


Someone is trying to get brownie points,


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## dsalerni (Dec 18, 2008)

I recently read a book that I really enjoyed:* Boxcar Down: The Albanian Incident* by Charles Lunsford. It was a historical fiction adventure set during the Cold War. The author is a former Airborne Radio Operator who instilled a lot of his knowledge in this field into the book (without killing the reader's interest!) He was, in fact, one of the last batch of radio operators trained in Morse code translation.

After reading the book, I contacted the author and convinced him to put his book on Kindle! One hold-up, though. Due to a computer error, he has to reconstruct his manuscript. So, in the meantime, he uploaded this book:



*Departure Message* is a non-fiction memoir about his experiences as a radio operator working very close to the Iron Curtain when the Cold War was not so cold. Based on my experience reading his other book, I safely feel I can recommend this one!


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## modkindle (Feb 17, 2009)

I just finished and enjoyed The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff. Some typical first novel issues but beautifully written. I think the author is one to watch.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

That does look good. . .thanks. . .just sampled. . .

<I'll never get to all these books! sigh!>

Ann


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## BrassMan (Dec 8, 2008)

Here's a trilogy that I have read and enjoyed. I recommend it! It's historical fiction about German immigrants to the Texas hill country, beginning after the Goliad Massacre and continuing on through the Civil War. The reviews can be found under their DT listings. (The cover photos were taken in my front yard. Really.)


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## Linda Cannon-Mott (Oct 28, 2008)

Al your front yard is breath taking beautiful!! Where do you live? I sampled the first book.


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## BrassMan (Dec 8, 2008)

(Gosh, I've been having problems with the KB server today! Lost a couple posts, posted one twice, have long waits...bummer, man.)

Linda, I live in a nowhere part of the state near a nowhere town with not much scenery at all. But I am a decent photographer, and I watch the weather. 

I should have said in my above post that I know the author and I know her historical research is dead accurate, right down to such and such a house on such and such a street in Kerrville. You can learn some history from her series as well as be entertained.

Now I'll see if this'll post. (second try)


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## stargazer0725 (Feb 10, 2009)

I just finished reading this and enjoyed it immensely - enough to move on to the next book in the series tonight:










I'd classify it as a Victorian murder mystery (although the two main characters share a certain chemistry).


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## MzDeb (Mar 10, 2009)

I recommend the free cookbook from amazon called The Cook's Illustrated How-to-Cook. I made 1/2 a brisket from the How to Barbecue & Roast on the Grill chapter and it was excellent. More than just a receipe when I started I knew how far to open on grill vents (on the bottom of the kettle grill and the lid) what type and how many pieces of charcoal to use, how many hickory chunks to use, etc., and the times given (marinating, on the grill, and then in the oven) were right on target. I didn't have to readjust or correct anything; it was perfect.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

If you like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, you may like this:



It's back on Amazon Kindle after being unavailable for some months after I complained about formatting mistakes. Highly recommended.

Panshin also wrote a book-length critique of Robert Heinlein's work which I'd recommend to fans of RAH's work, and he also wrote _Rite of Passage_, a classic coming-of-age SF novel (a Nebula winner and Hugo nominee), which I highly recommend (available for Kindle).

Mike

BTW, Amazon hit 250,000 books for the Kindle today.


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## Thumper (Feb 26, 2009)

I really liked 







by Markus Zusak. Couldn't get the link maker to work for it, though... _--added image link. Betsy_


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## RangerXenos (Mar 18, 2009)

I just finished 'The Yankee Years' by Joe Torre. If you're a Yankees fan it's a must read, but even if you're simply a baseball fan it's a great book. It's a really interesting look at baseball from the inside. I expected it to be told entirely from Joe Torre's view, but they actually interviewed a number of different players in the book.

Sorry, not sure how to create a link here yet, I'm new!








_--added image link. Betsy_


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## WalterK (Mar 2, 2009)

Mike,

I had no idea that Alexei Panshin had any works in Kindle format.  Thank you very much for pointing this out.  (I've been doing a number of SF/Fantasy author searches in Amazon's Kindle Books to see what is available to "feed the habit" but had not searched for Panshin.)  Anyway, thanks again!

- Walter...


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

There ya go.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Thanks, drenee, for the links to the paper versions. I added links to the Kindle versions to their posts.

For most books, you can create a link using Link-Maker http://www.kboards.com/link/. You can get to Link-Maker by clicking on one of the links at the top of each Kindleboard page. You enter the search text and then pick the book you want from the search list and Link-Maker will create the link for you, which you then copy and paste into your post.

Because of the way Amazon lists their books, a 3rd party tool like Link-Maker can't always find a book. In that case, you can use LinkMaker 1.0 (a link on the Link-Maker 2.0 page will take you there.) For that, you have to find the item in Amazon FIRST, then copy the image and the ASIN (it can be found lower down on each item page--this is the one for the Book Thief: B000XUBFE2) and enter them in the appropriate places on the Link-Maker 1.0 page. Some have found the Link-Maker 1.0 more difficult to use which is why Harvey created Link-Maker 2.0. It's somewhat easier to use if using the Firefox browser as it is easier to snag the image in Firefox. There are tutorials on Link-Maker 1.0.

Or you can let one of the mods do it for you if Link-Maker 2.0 can't find it. 

Betsy


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## Steph H (Oct 28, 2008)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Or you can let one of the mods do it for you if Link-Maker 2.0 can't find it.


That's why y'all get paid the big bucks....


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## koland (Nov 24, 2008)

jmiked said:


> If you like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, you may like this:
> 
> 
> 
> It's back on Amazon Kindle after being unavailable for some months after I complained about formatting mistakes. Highly recommended.


So, this one is three novels in one volume, right?


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

koland said:


> So, this one is three novels in one volume, right?


Yep.

_ * Star Well
* The Thurb Revolution
* Masque World_

_ The Universal Pantograph,_ which was to be the fourth book, was never published. I've been hoping since 1970 that it would show up one day.

Mike


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## SusieQ (Feb 18, 2009)

I highly recommend



It's the first in a series of 5 (so far) but definitely fun reading and this book is a freebie right now!
ETA- and thank you, Betsy, for the link-maker explanation! I wondered how everyone got the book cover as a link!
Susie


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## RangerXenos (Mar 18, 2009)

'Shards of Honor' is the first novel in Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan universe. There are about a dozen books featuring Miles, and they are absolutely wonderful. If you like well written, character driven SF, you'll love these books. I wish she'd go back to writing more books in this universe. I've actually read her four fantasy/romance books (The series is 'The Sharing Knife') as well, they are good, too. The woman can WRITE!

BAEN's free library has a short story, 'Mountains of Mourning', that's a free download. It's set in this universe, and if you like it I highly recommend the entire series.



(and thanks for the tip on how to link a book Betsy!)


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## paisley (Nov 24, 2008)

I really enjoyed Little Giant of Aberdeen County. It's both charming and perplexing...and worth the read. I don't want to say much more than that, since this book is best approached with just a vague concept of what it's about: a larger-than-average-sized girl, hence "little giant."


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Steph H said:


> That's why y'all get paid the big bucks....





RangerXenos said:


> (and thanks for the tip on how to link a book Betsy!)





SusieQ said:


> ETA- and thank you, Betsy, for the link-maker explanation! I wondered how everyone got the book cover as a link!
> Susie


As Steph said, that's why we get paid the big bucks, LOL! Keep 'em coming, folks! Love these threads.

Betsy


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## KMA (Mar 11, 2009)

RangerXenos said:


> 'Shards of Honor' is the first novel in Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan universe. There are about a dozen books featuring Miles, and they are absolutely wonderful. If you like well written, character driven SF, you'll love these books. I wish she'd go back to writing more books in this universe. I've actually read her four fantasy/romance books (The series is 'The Sharing Knife') as well, they are good, too. The woman can WRITE!
> 
> BAEN's free library has a short story, 'Mountains of Mourning', that's a free download. It's set in this universe, and if you like it I highly recommend the entire series.
> 
> ...


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

I haven't read this myself, but Patrizia said it was excellent, over on one of the Oberon threads. For those who read but don't always frequent the accessories board, here's a link:


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

My daughter was telling me about this book yesterday. She is reading it for a class. I was wondering if anyone here has read it. 
deb


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## Linda Cannon-Mott (Oct 28, 2008)

Leslie said:


> I haven't read this myself, but Patrizia said it was excellent, over on one of the Oberon threads. For those who read but don't always frequent the accessories board, here's a link:


I bought it last night, love true stories. The reviews were good and it sounds like a page turner.


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## CCE613 (Mar 22, 2009)

Hi, I have 4 novels available on Kindle and a new one coming out in May.

One novel, Bartlett's Rule http://astore.amazon.com/css01-20/detail/B001H0G6KU explores the after-effects of sexual assault on both the rape survivor and those who love her.

It is romance genre, but much more. "_Bartlett's Rule shares the story of Lon and Paige's love affair; a romance filled with hardship, emotion, danger and triumph. Falling in love was never the challenge; being there for each other, knowing just what to say and making it work is the real test. Paige and Lon are real ; they are human, they cry and they laugh. Paige has to learn to trust. Lon has to learn to be patient.

Paige Andrews, the heroine of the fictional tale Bartlett's Rule, is a rape survivor. Paige and her hero, Lon Bartlett, have to learn to love and trust each other despite her past and his womanizing reputation_."

For anyone who wants to use this story for a book club discussion topic, please go to http://tinyurl.com/cpl6sa to see some discussion starters.

At the end of the book are statistics and resources about sexual abuse; here is a sampling http://tinyurl.com/cy2yyl

If anyone wants to contact me, the author, please write to me at [email protected]

Thanks!
~*Chelle*
http://chellecordero.blogspot.com/


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## jgbex (Mar 6, 2009)

I just Finished Dewey. What a wonderful story! But of course I am a cat lover.


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## ConnieK (Jan 7, 2009)

I'm a dog lover and loved Dewey also!


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

jgbex said:


> I just Finished Dewey. What a wonderful story! But of course I am a cat lover.


I would read this book but I am afraid it would make me cry.


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## NessaBug (Jan 5, 2009)

stargazer0725 said:


> I just finished reading this and enjoyed it immensely - enough to move on to the next book in the series tonight:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I loved this one as well. I read the second one and adored it as well. Too bad I have to wait for the third in the series to drop from 9.99.


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## Seamonkey (Dec 2, 2008)

This book WAS free and I'm sure many of us snagged it (up to $7.99 now).



Anyway, I enjoyed it very much and have purchased the author's memori to read.

And I'd say it is worth the $7.99, but imagine others already have the freebie.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Seamonkey said:


> This book WAS free and I'm sure many of us snagged it (up to $7.99 now).
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I missed that one as a freebie. Too bad, it sounds good!

L


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## ljloula (Dec 16, 2008)

Anne said:


> I would read this book but I am afraid it would make me cry.


It probably will ~ but still worth it! I read the DTB.


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## ConnieK (Jan 7, 2009)

ljloula said:


> It probably will ~ but still worth it! I read the DTB.


I agree, but nothing like the cry at the end of Marley and Me - IMO.


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## Linda Cannon-Mott (Oct 28, 2008)

ConnieK said:


> I agree, but nothing like the cry at the end of Marley and Me - IMO.


I agree with you on that one! WHEW a tear jerker.


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## LDB (Oct 28, 2008)

This has gone from my mentioning list to my recommending list. I just started it yesterday and am enjoying it.


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## Linda Cannon-Mott (Oct 28, 2008)

LDB said:


> This has gone from my mentioning list to my recommending list. I just started it yesterday and am enjoying it.


Just bought it after reading your post on the other thread. The best reccommendations I've gotten come from fellow KB'ers. Thanks!


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## LDB (Oct 28, 2008)

See... I do more here than post correct but un-PC statements.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

jgbex said:


> I just Finished Dewey. What a wonderful story! But of course I am a cat lover.


I'm going to have to read that one one of these days - Dewey looks a whole lot like my Goldy...


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

LDB said:


> See... I do more here than post correct but un-PC statements.


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## Linda Cannon-Mott (Oct 28, 2008)

LDB said:


> See... I do more here than post correct but un-PC statements.


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## Figment (Oct 27, 2008)

I just finished reading , and can't recommend it highly enough.

It's not so much a book about a dog as a book about a person's discovery of herself brought about by the coincidental naming of the dog she adopts. It's about choices and aloneness (vs. loneliness) and change.

A short read (what used to be known as a "novella"), but a very satisfying one.


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## LDB (Oct 28, 2008)

Hold onto your eyeballs!

In the first chapter The Ark grabs you by the optic nerve and holds on until the last period. This is a fast paced piece that doesn't slow down for more than a blink or two at any given point in the text. Even when the good guys triumph and it's over it's not over. Just as you begin to take pleasure in that so and so villain being bested and let your guard down you're grabbed again for another E ticket ride to the true finish line. Be prepared for a sleepy day following a too late night of reading. This one has your number and is ready to show you.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

LDB said:


> Hold onto your eyeballs!
> 
> In the first chapter The Ark grabs you by the optic nerve and holds on until the last period. This is a fast paced piece that doesn't slow down for more than a blink or two at any given point in the text. Even when the good guys triumph and it's over it's not over. Just as you begin to take pleasure in that so and so villain being bested and let your guard down you're grabbed again for another E ticket ride to the true finish line. Be prepared for a sleepy day following a too late night of reading. This one has your number and is ready to show you.


Okay - you convinced me - just bought all 3 of his books - for a grand total of $4.17. Sounds like something my husband & daughter would enjoy as well, so I figure it's well-spent. Thanks for the review!


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## Lizzy (Nov 26, 2008)

LDB said:


> Hold onto your eyeballs!
> 
> In the first chapter The Ark grabs you by the optic nerve and holds on until the last period. This is a fast paced piece that doesn't slow down for more than a blink or two at any given point in the text. Even when the good guys triumph and it's over it's not over. Just as you begin to take pleasure in that so and so villain being bested and let your guard down you're grabbed again for another E ticket ride to the true finish line. Be prepared for a sleepy day following a too late night of reading. This one has your number and is ready to show you.


Do the three books have to be read in any order?


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

Lizzy said:


> Do the three books have to be read in any order?


From reading the book descriptions I think they're all stand-alones with different main characters from what I can see.


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## Steph H (Oct 28, 2008)

The author has said the same on one of the other threads here, that they can be read in any order, they're not related.


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## LDB (Oct 28, 2008)

This is a definitely recommended book that moves quickly and keeps your attention the entire way through. There are places where you just know what's going to happen but don't know how it will happen. Sure enough, exactly what you expect is what happens and then just as you think you had it figured out it dives onto a tangent and leaves you clawing to see your way through the unexpected.

The characters are lifelike. You like the good guys and root for them and you hate the bad guys. The non-fictional elements are spot on, at least as far as Houston is concerned, and based on their accuracy I'm sure throughout the book. It grabs hold on the first page, gets your attention, and doesn't let go until the last period.


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## Lizzy (Nov 26, 2008)

Thanks everybody. I got all 3 of them!


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## ladyknight33 (Feb 2, 2009)

I bought all three as well. Thanks for the recommendation. 
Biy my TBR list is getting longer and longer and longer.........


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## Mollyb52 (Jan 4, 2009)

I read Jinky in DTB form, it has lots of great pictures but the text is so funny that as I read it in bed and tried to stifle my giggles the bed shook and the tears from laughter rolled down my face. Jinky is one of the funniest books I have ever read and it has a real message to it too. The Art of Racing in the Rain is just a great book. It made me think and it made me cry.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

This has moved from my "what I'm reading" to "recommended" list. It's very good and I was sad when it ended. It starts off a little slow but once the story gets the Stonewall riots and summer of 69, the pace picks up. The author is a funny writer, too, and it gets funnier as the book goes on.



The movie (directed by Ang Lee) is coming out this summer. I am looking forward to it.

L


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## Linda Cannon-Mott (Oct 28, 2008)

I highly recommend this book, it is a true story. I was hooked from page 1. Filled with raw emotion and very informative. I give it five stars. Started Monday and finished yesterday.


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## LDB (Oct 28, 2008)

Talk about a MUST READ! I've posted a review on Amazon as well as comments in the what are you reading thread. The Palmyra Impact is as good as it gets. I started it at bedtime, 0100, planning to read a couple of chapters just to get a sneak peak. At 0500 I finished the book and went to bed. You'll hear the clock ticking in the back of your mind and see it unfolding on the big screen of your imagination as you read along. Absolutely 5 stars.


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## libro (Dec 3, 2008)

Linda Cannon-Mott said:


> I highly recommend this book, it is a true story. I was hooked from page 1. Filled with raw emotion and very informative. I give it five stars. Started Monday and finished yesterday.


Hi Linda -- The sample chapter of this book had me hooked, but I'm curious. Is the book terribly depressing?


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## Linda Cannon-Mott (Oct 28, 2008)

libro said:


> Hi Linda -- The sample chapter of this book had me hooked, but I'm curious. Is the book terribly depressing?


It is very sad but is an amazing story of survival. It made me aware of changes that need to be made to protect people that sail. I learned about New Zealand and how wonderful the people are. It didn't leave me depressed but is a reality check for how fragile life is and how it can change in the blink of an eye. We should live each day to the fullest and that is what the Sleavin family did.


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## libro (Dec 3, 2008)

Linda Cannon-Mott said:


> It is very sad but is an amazing story of survival. It made me aware of changes that need to be made to protect people that sail. I learned about New Zealand and how wonderful the people are. It didn't leave me depressed but is a reality check for how fragile life is and how it can change in the blink of an eye. We should life each day to the fullest and that is what the Sleavin family did.


Thanks, Linda. It's now definitely on my "to read" list. I've clicked "Buy" so often the last several days that I'll have to keep this sample chapter for now!


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## Seamonkey (Dec 2, 2008)

Palmyra and Two Days way up on my TBR list!

I'm currently reading a book that just sounded good.. now I notice it is on their "New & Noteworthy "book list.. _The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University_ by Kevin Roose. He transferred from Brown to Liberty University (Jerry Falwell's "Bible Boot Camp".

So far, quite interesting.


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## Spad (Mar 30, 2009)

For Theroux fans this is a must read as it brings to a close a trip that began 33 years ago in _The Great Railway Bazaar_. Just as Thomas Wolfe taught us so long ago that "you can't go home again," Paul Theroux demonstrates anew that this cliché applies equally as well to those who consider home to embrace the globe itself. Here we see for the first time some of the pain that, until now, lay hidden between the pages of that first book that set the course for one of our greatest travel writers.


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## chynared21 (Oct 28, 2008)

LDB said:


> Hold onto your eyeballs!
> 
> In the first chapter The Ark grabs you by the optic nerve and holds on until the last period. This is a fast paced piece that doesn't slow down for more than a blink or two at any given point in the text. Even when the good guys triumph and it's over it's not over. Just as you begin to take pleasure in that so and so villain being bested and let your guard down you're grabbed again for another E ticket ride to the true finish line. Be prepared for a sleepy day following a too late night of reading. This one has your number and is ready to show you.


*Just finished this one today after starting it yesterday...could not put this baby to sleep!!! Extremely fast paced thriller that doesn't have any mundane parts nor does it get lost in any minute details that you just can't wait to get trough. I have not read such a book that has keep me wanting more since Dan Brown. I'm off to the next one )*


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