tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62451188049569655742024-02-08T15:44:33.140-05:00The Book EnthusiastThe Book Enthusiasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17627258278447212141noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245118804956965574.post-81256611724183268912012-01-26T09:48:00.008-05:002012-02-22T16:42:53.398-05:00The Language of Flowers written by Vanessa Diffenbach I read The Language of Flowers for my book club and it is a great example of why I love being in a book club. Once again, I probably would not have picked up this one to read on my own but I really enjoyed this unusual story about a baby girl (Victoria) who is abondoned by her birth mother when she is 3 weeks old The plot centers on Victoria's sad life growing up in the child welfare system. The Book Enthusiasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17627258278447212141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245118804956965574.post-59090249605671284622012-01-25T16:15:00.004-05:002012-01-26T09:47:51.768-05:00Still Alice written by Lisa Genova<!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>The Book Enthusiasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17627258278447212141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245118804956965574.post-59985650021489779292011-01-25T15:27:00.003-05:002011-01-25T16:03:35.375-05:00Hello Readers & Happy New Year!Because I read so many more books than I have time to write about, I've decided that in addition to more detailed reviews I would periodically offer you a quick thumbs up or down for several books at once. Based on my regular reviews you can get a feeling for why I rate books as I do and if you like how I judge book, these quickie lists will give you some more The Book Enthusiasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17627258278447212141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245118804956965574.post-75949804564287982752010-11-24T17:38:00.009-05:002011-01-17T17:34:46.908-05:00"A Reliable Wife" written by Robert GoolrickIf you like Gothic novels, you will love this book! There is no mistaking this dark story for what it is, right from the opening page. The bleak, frozen landscape of winter in a small Wisconsin town, where inexplicable madness is rampant among the townspeople, sets the tone for a classic Gothic novel. Living in his castle-like estate, Ralph Truitt our tragic protagonist, places an ad in a ChicagoThe Book Enthusiasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17627258278447212141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245118804956965574.post-45974365619158446302010-10-14T16:56:00.006-04:002010-11-03T14:50:21.492-04:00"Peace Like A River" written by Leif EngerI must confess that I've had a copy of this book for several years now where it's been sitting on the shelf of my "to read" books. Several times over the last four years I have picked it up, looked at it and put it down but I finally read it this week. I know that a book can't be judged by its cover, but this one (although it came highly recommended to me) just wasn't looking very appealing. The Book Enthusiasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17627258278447212141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245118804956965574.post-6967568193086098612010-10-01T18:17:00.007-04:002010-10-04T16:11:47.804-04:00"Mudbound" written by Hillary JordanLife in the Mississippi delta circa the late 1940s was not an easy one - especially for the McAllan and Jackson families. The Jacksons are sharecroppers on farm property recently purchased by the McAllans. There is a symbiotic relationship between the families - they need each other to survive. Farming in the delta is a harsh life for Laura McAllan who is college educated and used to more genteelThe Book Enthusiasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17627258278447212141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245118804956965574.post-90789452672501922772010-08-30T14:34:00.008-04:002010-10-01T18:11:22.908-04:00"The Wednesday Sisters" written by Meg Waite ClaytonThe Wednesday Sisters is the story of four young women/mothers who meet at the playground and form a lifelong friendship. Set in Palo Alto, circa 1968, Frankie, Brett, Kath and Linda navigate together the fast moving and often turbulent changes in the world around them. The women form a unique friendship when they begin to meet on Wednesdays and grow into a sort of writer's support group. How The Book Enthusiasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17627258278447212141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245118804956965574.post-8967700087034934642010-08-30T13:44:00.008-04:002010-10-01T18:14:43.017-04:00"Let The Great World Spin" written by Colum McCannOne moment in time - New York City, 1974 - New Yorkers stop to look up at a man walking across a tightrope strung between the twin towers. A poignant foreshadowing of another moment in time that will come decades later on September 11th. A time when all New Yorkers (and all the world) will look up at the towers and have their innocence shattered. We are all connected in this life and our actions The Book Enthusiasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17627258278447212141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245118804956965574.post-55487356669519869872010-07-22T12:50:00.003-04:002010-10-01T18:17:08.393-04:00"Sarah's Key" written by Tatiana DeRosnayWhen a friend suggested I read Sarah’s Key by Tatiana DeRosnay, my initial response was (simply because I have read so many books about this topic) oh no, not another book about WWII and the holocaust. But, despite my initial reaction I read it and am very glad I did. What truly impresses me is that with every book of this genre that I read, I can honestly say that I learn something new about The Book Enthusiasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17627258278447212141noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245118804956965574.post-1023104647117553392010-07-21T15:32:00.002-04:002010-10-01T18:15:35.251-04:00"The Sister" written by Poppy AdamsThe Sister is a tale of two sisters, vivacious Vivien and the very logical, lepidopterist, Virginia. Their complex relationship undergoes a dramatic metamorphosis, much like the moths that Virginia and her father study so intently. As told to us by Virginia the young sisters are inseparable, loving and carefree. Vivien is three years younger than Virginia, but she takes on the role of protectingThe Book Enthusiasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17627258278447212141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245118804956965574.post-63488811192877815592010-07-21T15:16:00.003-04:002010-10-01T18:16:18.340-04:00"The Well & The Mine" written by Gin PhillipsThe Well and the Mine is a beautifully written novel. From the lyrical prose and finely drawn characters to it's evocative setting, this debut novel from Gin Phillips is masterfully composed. Set in 1931 in a coal-mining town of rural Alabama, the plot unfolds as young Tess watches an unknown woman throw a baby into her family’s well. From the opening scene I was completely immersed in the The Book Enthusiasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17627258278447212141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245118804956965574.post-88896057415037083982010-07-20T14:29:00.009-04:002012-01-26T09:09:20.420-05:00The beginning...It all started with a love of reading, a passion for well-written stories, interesting characters & plot lines that leave you begging for more and it resulted in....The Book Enthusiast your source for what's worth reading!My addiction to books began a long time ago when I was 5, and my father took me to get my very own library card. By the time I worked my way up to the "Nancy Drew" mysteriesThe Book Enthusiasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17627258278447212141noreply@blogger.com0