Saturday, July 27, 2013

Laurens Library Adult Summer reading -- some fun facts and reviews to date



As of 7/27/13, we have signed up 166 adult summer readers at our main library in Laurens. From these we have received 132 reviews to date.
17 of the reviews are for DVDs viewed, 5 of which are non-fiction.

The rest of the book reviews can be broken down into 97 fiction and 18 non-fiction. The most popular author from this group is Nora Roberts, whose books have received 8 reviews. The next most-read authors tie with Beverly Lewis-3 reviews, Catherine Coulter-3 reviews, Tracie Peterson-3 reviews, and Lynn Austin-3 reviews. 

The ratings have been very favorable overall as follows:
Not rated = 11
1 shovel = 1
2 shovels = 12
3 shovels = 21
4 shovels = 33
5 shovels = 56

Our Clinton branch has lots of adult summer readers as well, busily reviewing their favorite books and movies.

If you'd like to see what our patrons have been saying, please read the reviews below.

Groundbreaking Reads
Patron Book/Audiobook/Movie Reviews



Title: Modern Marvels Technology: Monster Trucks
Format: DVD, Modern Marvels           
Review: Informative on history of monster trucks
Rating: 4 shovels

Title: And Live Rejoicing
Author: Huston Smith
Review: Wonderful book on living joyfully by the great philosopher, Huston Smith.
Rating: 5+ shovels

Title: Filipinos in America
Author: Sarah Frank
Review: A history of the Philippines and peoples who emigrated to the US and their contributions to the US.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Left Behind series
Author: Tim Lahaye
Review: Awesome. A must read. 2 books left in series.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Current Creek Valley
Author: Rose Ann Thayne
Review: Nice family story set in a small town.
Rating: 3 shovels

Title: Life After Life: A Novel
Author: Jill McCorkle
Review: A funny, poignant, dark, and ultimately hopeful story of 2nd chances and fresh starts.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Without Mercy
Author: Jack Higgins
Review: Another hit by Jack Higgins
Rating: 4 shovels

Title: TinTin
Format: DVD
Review: An animated action story of journalist TinTin and his dog Snowy as they search for pirate ships and buried treasure.
Rating: 3 shovels

Title: Against All Odds
Author: Kat Martin
Review: Full blown mystery/romance-OK.
Rating: 3 shovels

Title: Napoleon
Format: DVD, A&E (disc 1, 2 episodes)
Review: Napoleon’s marriage to Josephine and his battles in Italy, Egypt, Austria, and Russia bring him power. Lots of bloodshed.
Rating: 4 shovels

Title: Something Borrowed
Format: DVD
Review: Romantic comedy about 2 childhood friends.
Rating: 4 shovels

Title: Life After Life
Author: Kate Atkinson
Review: What would you learn if you were born into the same life over and over? Don’t let the odd format and premise throw you – this is a great story of a girl’s lives in England between the wars. I loved it!
Rating: 5 shovels
Title: Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Author: Sidney Sheldon
Review: A Sheldon page-turner of international intrigue.
Rating: 4 shovels

Title: I’ll Walk Alone
Author: Mary Higgins Clark
Review: Mystery, identify theft. Woman is accused of kidnapping her own son. Lives are on the line to find out who is behind this attempt to ruin her life, career, and finances.
Rating: 4 shovels

Title: The Big Cat Nap
Author: Rita Mae Brown or Sneaky Pie Brown
Review: These books are good. I am not a motorhead, but I have heard about using cheap replacement parts. I really enjoyed her books. Having the 2 cats and a dog really make them a fun read and that they worry and protect her is fun. Would recommend any of her books that she writes with Sneaky Pie.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Gotcha!
Author: Fern Michaels
Review: Another book in the vigilantes series – typical revenge and romance.
Rating: None given
Title: A Sunburned Country
Author: Bill Bryson
Review: A travel book about Australia.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Same Sweet Girls
Author: Cassandra King
Review: An account of six women who met in college and met yearly for 30 years.
Rating: 3 shovels

Title: Dalton’s Undoing
Author: RaeAnne Thayne
Review: A “player” becomes a family man.
Rating: 4 shovels

Title: Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls
Author: David Sedaris
Review: Hysterical, but naughty essays
Rating: 4 shovels

Title: Red Rain
Author: R.L. Stine
Review: Really cool. Goosebumps for adultsJ
Rating: 4 shovels

Title: The Silver Star
Author: Janette Walls
Review: A good story and fun read about two young girls and their dysfunctional Mom. Good description of life with mentally ill family members.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: The Zombie Survival Guide
Author: Max Brooks
Review: Too many inconsistencies kept me from truly enjoying.
Rating: 1 shovel

Title: Merry Christmas Alex Cross
Author: James Patterson
Review: I like to read James Patterson a lot. This book is a good read and keeps your interest. I would hate to be in Alex’s shoes at Christmas with first a hostage situation and then having to find a terrorist cell. I would recommend it. Hard to put down.
Rating: 4 shovels

Title: Gone Girl
Author: Gillian Flynn
Review: Am I the only one who thinks this was just so-so?
Rating: 3 shovels

Title: Red Velvet Cupcake Murder
Author: Joanne Fluke
Review: This is a very good read. Hannah seems to find murdered people. The recipes are great. You can’t find many books like this. She is a great author.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: A Lady of the West
Author: Linda Howard
Review: Land wars and romance in the old west.
Rating: 4 shovels

Title: Monty Walsh
Format: DVD
Review: A look at the demise of the “cowboy” of the old west.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: America’s Sweethearts
Format: DVD
Review: Silly comedy about movie stars and agents.
Rating: 3 shovels

Title: Critical Care
Author: Candace Colvert
Review: Romance.  Nurse battling feelings after death of her brother in ER where she was working. Now has to deal with working in ER.
Rating: 4 shovels

Title: Back Home Again
Author: Melody Carlson
Review: This book is very down home. It takes place in a Mayberry-like town. I like that the sisters come together after the father’s death.
Rating: 4 shovels

Title: Sandcastle Bay
Author: Sherryl Woods
Review: Very good Southern roots book. This book shows how the Castle family comes together in a crisis. It shows the importance of family, friends, and a second chance at love.
Rating: 4 shovels

Title: The Last Boyfriend
Author: Nora Roberts
Review: Book 2 of the Inn Boonsharo Trilogy. Enjoyable family saga of re-doing an old Inn with a resident ghost. Enjoyable read.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Wolf at the Door
Author: Jack Higgins
Review: A rare miss by Jack Higgins. Not his best.
Rating: 2 shovels

Title: Wild
Author: Cheryl Strayed
Review: C.S. walked the Pacific Coast Trail. Written honestly-good read.
Rating: 4 shovels

Title: The Bridesmaid
Author: Beverly Lewis
Review: Great book!! Looking forward to #3!
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Porch Lights
Author: Dorothea Benton Frank
Review: A very moving story. The description of island life made me feel like I was there. Annie and Deb’s friendship shows us what true friendship is.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: The Silent Sea
Author: Clive Cussler
Review: Suspenseful and action filled; good plot line
Rating: 3 shovels

Title: The Soloist
Format: DVD
Review: Based on the life of Nathaniel Ayers, a street mentally ill man, who attended Julliard and plays cello.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Carolina Moon
Author: Nora Roberts
Review: Murder, domestic violence, paranormal vision.
Rating: 4 shovels

Title: Killing Kennedy
Author: Bill O’Reilly
Review: Very good, but also sad.
Rating: None given.

Title: The Apple Orchard
Author: Susan Wiggs
Review: An intriguing story of Danish immigrants who flee the Nazis in WWII and the last treasures that reunite them in old age.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Unfinished Business in China
Author: Mary Ellen Hawk Sanders
Review: An account by a missionary kid of growing up in China before and during the Revolution.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: The Fiddler
Author: Beverly Lewis
Review: Good book! It’s not the best B. Lewis I’ve read, but I’m planning to read the sequel.
Rating: 4 shovels

Title: The Chance
Author: Karen Kingsbury
Review: A very good story about families and how one mistake can totally change lives. It also shows God’s forgiveness and second chances.
Rating: 4 shovels

Title: Cracking the Code of Life
Format: DVD, NOVA/PBS
Review: Great info on the Genome sequencing effort of the med. Field and protein (Protozene) sequencing.
Rating: None given

Title: Marilyn
Format: DVD
Review: A memoir based on a week away with Marilyn Monroe. Am not a fan of Marilyn Monroe and the episode in her life did not change my opinion.
Rating: 3 shovels

Title: The Autistic Brain
Author: Temple Grandin and Richard Panek
Review: Awesome! Definite read for anyone wanting to learn more about autism.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Napoleon
Format: DVD, disc 2
Review: More bloody battles, Waterloo defeat, exile, death.
Rating: 3 shovels

Title: Alex Cross, Run
Author: James Patterson
Review: I really like the Cross books. This one really kept my attention. It reminds me of when Kyle Craig was hunting him in “Cross Fire”. The characters in this story were pure evil. The story with drugs and homosexuality is so like today, it is scary. If you did not watch it, it could make you ill and give you bad dreams. I would more than likely read it again.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Here and Then
Author: Linda Lael Miller
Review: A time travel romance of the west.
Rating: 4 shovels

Title: Home Front
Author: Kristen Hannah
Review: An insightful account of PTSD following deployment to Iraq of a female National Guard Black Hawk helicopter pilot. Leaving a husband and two daughters, 12 and 5, this Mom is deployed to Iraq. “A must read”.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: After the Storm
Format: DVD
Review: Life of Winston Churchill during D-day. Good depiction-some difficulty understanding.
Rating: 4 shovels

Title: And Then I Found You
Author: Patti Callahan Henry
Review: Very good.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Plain Pursuit, Plain Promise, Plain Paradise
Author: Beth Wiseman
Review: Very good. I love to read about the Amish
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Whiskey Beach
Author: Nora Roberts
Review: An old pirate legend, family history and deaths. A good read.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Angels on the Night Shift
Author: Robert Leslie, MD
Review: Excellent true stories of life in the ER at night.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Conqueror
Author: Conn Iggulden
Review: An awesome piece of historical fiction.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Safe Haven
Format: DVD
Review: Based on Nicholas Sparks’ book. The usual sappy Sparks. Read a good book!
Rating: 2 shovels

Title: Montana
Author: Debbie Macomber
Review: Good tale of ranch life and a family defeating adversity.
Rating: 3 shovels

Title: Joyland
Author: Stephen King
Review: Very enjoyable read!
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Taking Eve
Author: Iris Johansen
Review: This book is part of a series, but the author gives enough detail that tells you how we got where we are now. I saw “we” because you get so wrapped up in the storyline, you feel as if you them. This is Book 1 of a 3-part story in this series. And, when I turned the last page, I could not believe she left us hanging – (I know it’s a mystery – but!!). I want my next “Eve Fix” now!
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Out of Order
Author: Sandra Day O’Connor
Review: Insightful of the workings of the Supreme Court.
Rating: None given

Title: Rimfire Bride
Author: Sara Luck
Review: Romantic tale of the west.
Rating: 3 shovels

Title: A Perfect Square
Author: Vannetta Chapman
Review: Amish mystery. A young Amish girl has been murdered. The Amish man accused of her death is not talking. How can his friends free this innocent man?
Rating: 4 shovels

Title: The Harbinger
Author: Jonathan Cohn
Review: Interesting, compelling.
Rating: None given

Title: The Hearse You Came In On
Author: Tim Cockey
Review: Quirky, a good read.
Rating: None Given

Title: Journey to Ixtlan
Author: Carlos Castaneda
Review: Great book of Native American Shaman Don Juan. Dislikes: No actual info on the psychoactive plant peyote.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: The Paris Wife
Author: Paula McLain
Review: An eye-opening look at Paris in the 20s and the wild lives of ex-Pats living in Paris. An accounting of the first marriage of Ernest Hemingway and his first wife, Hadley. Written as a novel but like a first person account of their turbulent years together.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Without Fail
Author: Lee Child
Review: I love all his books! I did not like the ending
Rating: None given

Title: Warrior’s Song
Author: Catherine Coulter
Review: Great books! Can’t wait to read the others in the series.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Miss Julia Stirs Up Trouble
Author: Ann B. Ross
Review: This book is a very good read. It has lots of humor and it is very family-oriented. It continues but gives an overview from what happened in the other twelve novels.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Rosehaven
Author: Catherine Coulter
Review: Excellent summer read. Romance, medieval times. Keeps you coming back to read more and more. Love, intriguing murder. The people and the animals come to life. One of the best reads!!!
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Deadly Stakes
Author: J.A. Jance
Review: This book is one of a series about Ali Reynolds. Her life has been somewhat turned upside down in her past but looking up. The characters are great, and I have read the series. They are good. I would recommend them to someone. All of J.A. Jance’s series are great. I especially, and my husband too, like the Joanna Beady and Ali Reynolds series.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: The Kingdom
Author: Amanda Stevens
Review: It’s set in SC and was a good mystery.
Rating: 4 shovels

Title: The Wind Through the Keyhole
Author: Stephen King
Review: Awesome! Beautiful story within a story.
Rating: None given

Title: A Thorn in My Pocket
Author: Eustacia Cutler
Review: Less than hoped for but still interesting.
Rating: 3 shovels

Title: Arguing with Idiots
Author: Glenn Beck
Review: Funny and thought provoking,
Rating: None given
Title: Neither Here Nor There
Author: Bill Bryson
Review: A typical Bryson travel book through Europe.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Journey of the Wind
Author: Tomihiro Hashino
Review: A book of poems, flower paintings and essays done by the quadriplegic painter/writer. Quite remarkable.
Rating: None given

Title: Ashfall
Author: Mike Mullin (YA Fiction)
Review: Great survival story for teens and adults.
Rating: 4 shovels

Title: Starting Over
Format: DVD
Review: An early (1979) Burt Reynolds film. OK.
Rating: 3 shovels

Title: Killing Kennedy
Author: Bill O’Reilly
Review: Old hat!
Rating: 2 shovels

Title: Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure
Author: Matthew Algeo
Review: Thanks to the author’s descriptive writing. He gives a glimpse of a bygone era!
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Wanted Man – A Stone Creek Novel
Author: Linda Lael Miller
Review: A western romance about the power of forgiveness.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: A Dangerous Method
Format: DVD
Review: Dr. Jung uses Dr. Freud’s method to cure hysteria in Sabina Spralein – a Russian woman. Jung and Freud differ on some theories and break their relationship.
Rating: 3 shovels

Title: The Death of Bees
Author: Lisa O’Donnell
Review: I really enjoyed reading this book by Lisa O’Donnell. It is a simple story of two young sisters who bury their parents in the back yard and don’t tell anybody. At times this book is funny, sometimes a little sad but delightfully written. I think most readers will enjoy it. Good summer reading!
Rating: 4 shovels

Title: The Secret
Author: Kat Martin
Review: A near death experience sets the stage for a divorced mother and son to move west and solve the secret mystery.
Rating: 4 shovels

Title: Galileo’s Daughter
Author: Dava Sobel
Review: This is an interesting and fascinating book. It was clear to me that Sobel did thorough and extensive research in writing this magnificent exploration of the life of Galileo. Every part of Galileo’s life – his loves, his beliefs, his triumphs, his struggles, political views – is all intimately conveyed to the reader. The presentation of personal letters unveiled in the book, leads the reader on a journey inside the heart and mind of one of the most important people in world history. For anyone wanting to know more about Galileo and his works, “Galileo’s Daughter” by Dava Sobel is a great place to start!
Rating: 4 shovels

Title: Queen of the Night
Author: J.A. Jance
Review: I normally like J.A. Jance, especially her Joanne Beady series or her Ali Reynolds. I also love books about Native Americans, their languages and cultures. I have read all of Tony Hillerman. There were just too many characters in this book. I found on pgs 321, 322, 323, and 325 she repeats what she has written: Is this done deliberately or is it a misprint? This just did not hold my attention as much of her books do.
Rating: 3 shovels

Title: The God Code
Author: Greg Braden
Review: Great book on numerology, the supreme alphabet and more.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: In Plain Sight
Author: C.J. Box
Review: Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett- a great series.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Whiskey Beach (CD)
Author: Nora Roberts
Review: Good book with interesting plot. Has mystery of two murders, romance for two characters, a buried treasure and history of home. I don’t remember another book of Nora Roberts having this much strong profanity. If you’re reading the book, you could possibly skip over them a little easier but I was listening on CD (13) and it was disturbing to hear these words repeated over and over. Otherwise, very interesting and will keep your attention.
Rating: 4 shovels
Title: Hard Bitten
Author: Chloe Neill
Review: It was awesome, very suspenseful.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Dark Currents
Author: Jacqueline Carey
Review: It was good. I had no idea who the bad guy was. Very surprising.
Rating: 4 shovels

Title: Drink Deep
Author: Chloe Neill
Review: It was awesome. The best yet!
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Inferno
Author: Dan Brown
Review: An intriguing novel of science and art history. The best of Dan Brown. Addressing world overpopulation.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: When We Reach Home
Author: Lynn Austin
Review: Great book about 3 girls immigrating to the USA and their trials.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: The Guardian
Author: Beverly Lewis
Review: Another good book by Beverly Lewis! Waiting for the sequel to come out in September.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: All Things New
Author: Lynn Austin
Review: II could hardly put this book down! She conveyed the realities of that time period very well and the characters were so interesting!
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: A Light to My Path
Author: Lynn Austin
Review: I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot from the perspective of a slave. Great book!
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: A Plain Death
Author: Amanda Flower
Review: Amish mystery (Book 1). A computer specialist befriends an Amish girl leaving the faith. The bishop is killed when the Amish girl takes her car one day. Who was supposed to be killed because the car’s brake line was cut?
Rating: 2 shovels

Title: A Plain Scandal
Author: Amanda Flower
Review: Amish mystery (Book 2). Amish girls have their hair cut and Amish men have their bears cut by attackers. A man is also murdered. What’s going on?
Rating: 2 shovels

Title: A Hidden Truth
Author: Judith Miller
Review: Historical – set in Amana, Iowa. Romance. A girl moves to Amana to find out more about her mother who died recently. She has to work to uncover why her mother’s family left. Will it put an end to her budding romance?
Rating: 2 shovels

Title: Summer of the Midnight Sun
Author: Tracie Peterson
Review: (Book 1) Historical Alaskan mystery, romance. Leah’s first love returns to Alaska. He plans to go on an arctic expedition to take her brother along. A female member of the expedition is not telling the truth.
Rating: 3 shovels
Title: Under the Northern Lights
Author: Tracie Peterson
Review: (Book 2) Alaskan historic mystery romance. Helaina is seeking the person who was responsible for hurting her brother, stealing, murdering. Can she survive Alaska? What about her heart? Leah’s brother and husband go on a trip but end up stranded.
Rating: 3 shovels

Title: Whisper of Winter
Author: Tracie Peterson
Review: (Book 3) Historical Alaskan romance. Death is no stranger to Alaska. Will Leah’s brother, husband, and child join the ranks of those taken? How will they survive the loss they must face?
Rating: 3 shovels

Title: The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society
Author: Beth Pattillo
Review: (Book 1) Romance. Knitting pattern included. What is in store for the librarian whose job is threatened? Enter a former love and a teenager who has been neglected. What impact will be made on the book club knitting members by the addition of the teenager. What secrets will come to light?
Rating: 3 shovels

Title: The Sweetgum Ladies Knit for Love
Author: Beth Pattillo
Review: (Book 2) Romance. What will happen when the book club ladies read classic romances? What will they discover about love?
Rating: 3 shovels

Title: Inescapable
Author: Nancy Mehl
Review: Mennonite mystery. Romance. Who is sending threatening letters to Lizzie? Will she be accepted back into her strict Mennonite hometown? Can she keep her daughter safe?
Rating: 2 shovels

Title: Life After Life
Author: Jill McCorkle
Review: Too graphic.
Rating: 2 shovels

Title: A Prayer for Owen Meany
Author: John Irving
Review: The best Irving ever – passion, humor, the ultimate friendship.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: The Great Gatsby
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Review: Poetic language, all major themes. #2 novel for world.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Gone Girl
Author: Gillian Flynn
Review: Page turning, mind bending…
Rating: 3 shovels

Title: Pompeii: The Living City
Author: Butterworth
Review: Made the city alive. Good detail about life.
Rating: 4 shovels

Title: The Dinosaur Hunter
Author: Hickam
Review: Plot contrived.
Rating: 2 shovels

Title: A Crack in the Edge of the World
Author: Winchester
Review: Well explained science. Well told story.
Rating: 4 shovels

Title: Partners
Author: Nora Roberts
Review: Two reporters take on an old murder relating to a new murder. The best character is the grandmother. Early Roberts novel.
Rating: 2 shovels

Title: Opposites Attract
Author: Nora Roberts
Review: Romance novel about major tennis players. Early Roberts.
Rating: 2 shovels

Title: Zero Dark Thirty
Format: DVD
Review: Re-creation of the hunt for Osama Bin Laden. Too dark, violent, hard language and scenes for me.
Rating: 3 shovels

Title: Reaching Out
Author: Henri Nouwen
Review: Nouwen’s thoughts on the 3 movements of spiritual life –solitude, hospitality and prayer.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Conagher
Format: DVD, based on Louis L’Amour novel
Review: A wonderful look at life in the days of western settlement.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Daring to Dream
Author: Nora Roberts
Review: Vol. 1 of a trilogy of 3 women of different backgrounds raised by a wealthy family. A good Roberts romance.
Rating: None given

Title: Mother Road (Route 66)
Author: Dorothy Garlock
Review: An interesting learning experience of immense proportions, language expressions and descriptions. A good story and plot of places and people. Sometimes a bit wordy!
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Lamb in His Bosom
Author: Caroline Miller
Review: A beautiful story. So very real, explicit places and people. Vivid descriptions.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Angels on Call
Author: Dr. Robert Leslie
Review: Inspiring stories of an ER doc in Rock Hill, SC.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: The Last Original Wife
Author: Dorothea Benton Frank
Review: Another winner from DBF. A fun read.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: The Astronaut Wives Club
Author: Lily Koppel
Review: Excellent behind the scenes lives of those famous men who flew into space. The brave wives deserve the credit.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Like Crazy
Format: DVD
Review: How a couple from different countries handle separation due to circumstances beyond control. Not my cup of tea!
Rating: 2 shovels

Title: Holding the Dream
Author: Nora Roberts
Review: Second book of the Dream trilogy about 3 sisters and their trials as they find romance.
Rating: 4 shovels

Title: Sweet Salt Air
Author: Barbara Delinsky
Review: A great summer read, very captivating story of friendship, heartaches, family, love and all the complications that go with those things. Certainly glad I had the opportunity to read it.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Fly Away
Author: Kristin Hannah
Review: Couldn’t put this book down – very enjoyable read.
Rating: 5 shovels

Title: Sea Glass Summer
Author: Dorothy Cannell
Review: Really enjoyed this book it was quite captivating.
Rating: 5 shovels

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