The Fall of Giants

by Ken Follett

**** [4/5]

This long (900+ pages) book is the first in a new series. The book follows characters in Russia, Britain, Germany, and other locations as their lives and countries enter the first world war. Each character is placed in a way that allows the author to narrate the key political decisions of the time. This is a fun book that provides good historical perspective on a difficult time. Well told.

The Shoemaker's Wife

by Adriana Trigiani

*** [3/5]

This book narrates the lives of two Italian immigrants to the US in the early 1900s. It is a love story that follows the individual lives from a childhood meeting in Italy through many encounters in New York and finally tells of the marriage and livelihood of the family. A pleasant story filled with family connections and the sadness of the WWI.

Anna Karenina

by Leo Tolstoy

** [2/5]

I read this book my freshman year in college. At the time I found it very upsetting, which may have been Tolstoy's intent. I recently watched the 2012 movie adaptation and I wish I liked the story more. The videography was wonderfully done and I liked the way the director used the "stage" to tie the scenes together. But as visually stunning as the movie is I still dislike the horror of this story. When I read the book I felt the inevitable conclusion was obvious with 2/3 of the book remaining. Then it became a waiting game filled with the madness of Anna. Painful read for me, but I never liked dark themes.

Game of Thrones

by George. R. R. Martin

*** [3/5]

I read this book because I had heard so much about this series. I admit I was pleasantly surprised by the pace and complexity of the characters. The books follow the members of one family during a change in power in a fictional fantasy kingdom much like medieval Britain, plus magic. I liked the story and the complexity of the plot line.

When I watched one episode of the HBO show I was shocked by how smutty the video version was compared to the relatively light treatment in the books. I stopped watching the show and the books are still fun.

Trapeze

by Simon Mawer

**** [4/5]

This book is set in the early years of WWII. The protagonist is a young British woman who grew up in France and speaks the language fluently. She is recruited as a spy and the book follows her as she is trained and posted behind enemy lines. Each decision and effort to hide herself is explicit to the reader, and you find yourself checking behind each corner on her behalf. The narrative has great twists, unexpected shocks, and well crafted characters. Recommended.

Elizabeth Street

by Laurie Fabiano

*** [3/5]

This book tells the story of Italian immigrants in the US. Several generations of the same family are tied to the story line, and great tragedy and plight of immigrants during the time are explored. No surprising plot twists but a nice read.

She Wore Only White

by Dorthe Binkert

*** [3/5]

This story is about a woman who boards a ship to america wearing an expensive evening gown to escape her past. She becomes a mysterious figure on the ship for the duration of the voyage, and the author lets her ponder her life choices in depth. Ok book, interesting premise.

A Discovery of Witches

by Deborah Harkness

*** [3/5]

This is a fantasy series about a young woman who comes from a family of witches, but ignores her own magical abilities. She finds a strange book in a library that leads her to a relationship with a vampire, traditional enemies of the witches. The story is fast paced, fun, and easy to read. Nice way to spend a saturday, but beware the last book in the trilogy is still un-published.

The Girl on the Cliff

by Lucinda Riley

*** [3/5]

This story follows a family that lives on a cliff near the sea. The author links several generations of a family as they explore loss and tragedy. Mysterious events and a fast narrative style make this a fun read but not particularly surprising.

The Rainbow Trail

by Zane Grey

**** [4/5]

This is a great western story in the true Grey tradition. A man with questions about religion starts a journey in the west prompted only by a story told to him by a friend about a mysterious girl in the desert. He makes wonderful friends who aide him on his journey as he confronts villains of all kinds.

Wonderful western, fun read.

Shiver (Wolves of Mercy Falls)

by Maggie Stiefvater

**** [4/5]

This series (three books) is about a pack of werewolves in a northern US town. The books follow one boy and one girl as they struggle to understand the nature of the werewolf "disease" that afflicts many young men in the town. The story focus is on several teen love stories told in a the context of the challenges of transformation to wolves, etc.

The books move fast, are clean for young adults, and have a fun story line. Recommended if you like wolves.

Canada

by Richard Ford

* [1/5]

This book was not good. The author's follows the upheaval in the life of a young boy after his parent's commit a crime. The book jacket tells this much about the story, but the author drags out the preliminary section for a third of the book. I was hoping it would become more interesting at this point, when the boy travels to Canada and starts a new life. The authors introduces new characters, develops them a bit and then they never re-enter the story. He seems to toss in some disturbing elements and then leaves them un-linked the the overall story.

Don't read it, trash.