Fast Paced and Very Well Written!
Oh my goodness......there are not too many books that have you gripping onto the book, feeling anxious and wondering what is going to happen next. The characters were well-developed and real. I loved this book and look forward to future books by this author.
Rated of 5
by Sharon W. (Two Rivers, WI)
The Things That Keep Us Here
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Even though it was a novel it really made you think. It is ironic that this book is coming out now when we have the H1N1 virus and this book had the H5N1 virus. I don't want to give too much away but it was sad what people had to go through and how some people became closer and others fell apart.
Rated of 5
by Beth T. (Savannah, GA)
Fascinating and Terrifying
It has been a long time since I considered calling in late to work so I could finish a book, but that ALMOST happened with this one. What a fantastic read! I was involved with the characters, fascinated and terrified as the events unfolded, and was completely engaged as they dealt with the unthinkable effects of a modern-day pandemic. I highly recommend this title and predict it will be a very popular book club selection. Kudos to Carla Buckley for a riveting debut!
Rated of 5
by Elizabeth B. (Sunnyvale, CA)
The Things That Keep Us Here
I loved this book. I am an avid reader, but have not lately come across a book I did not want to take breaks from. Some books take awhile for me to warm up to the characters, but by the second page, I found myself quite interested in caring for this family. I was impressed with the way the author just plunked us into their lives, and then kept thickening (enriching) their characters chapter after chapter, often in very subtle ways. And while the topic seems particularly pertinent in today's times, the ways in which the author propelled the reader forward with the plot makes me think it could stand alone with or without today's issues at hand. My sense is that this book would appeal to a wide variety of people due to several themes running through the story.
Rated of 5
by Judy B. (Marysville, OH)
Scary, excellent, compelling
I could not put this book down. This is a riveting story of how a broken family living in the Columbus, Ohio, area (where I live, too) try to survive an avian flu epidemic that more than decimates the population worldwide. Could this book be more timely with the current threat of H1N1 in all of our minds?
Ann and Peter and their two daughters are beautifully drawn as earnest but humanly flawed people who are faced with not only the threat of the deadly virus, but also with the failure of the systems that sustain them because of the deaths of so many people--no electricity, no phone, no transportation to get food on market shelves or into homes. And the family must face the breakdown of the community into a dangerous, fragmented, rule-less, everyone-for-him/herself environment. The family's decisions and coping actions are often heartbreaking. There is a thread that is tied up at the end of the book that seemed unnecessary, since the issue did not seem clear in the flow of the story. But that aside, I loved this book and can't wait for more from Carla Buckley.
Rated of 5
by Ruth O. (Downingtown, PA)
Good read but with questions............... The Things That Keep Us Here was a very enjoyable novel that kept me engrossed cover to cover. This is an apocalyptic book where life-as-we-know-it is turned upside down during a flu pandemic, and one family’s experiences are developed. The information in it is very timely and the science is accurate, unlike other books I’ve read of this genre. That said, there are several functional questions I had as I was reading that almost took me out of the context; for instance, why didn’t the water pipes freeze? Additionally, the epilogue seemed rushed without complete answers to all of the questions. However, I still enjoyed the book and recommend it!
Rated of 5
by Madeline M. (Sarasota, FL)
Well-written, page-turner
This well-written, page-turner is a terrifying reminder of how horror isn't always sudden and in-your-face, how it can also be slow and subtle, and how it can creep into our lives in many different ways, at any moment.
Stranger than fiction, blending tragedy and farce, How to Create the Perfect Wife is an engrossing tale of the radicalism, and deep contradictions, at the heart of the Enlightenment.
Z, the novel about the life of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald is at points charming and; like another reviewer, I kept thinking of the movie, "Midnight...
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Although heavy on the scientific details, which slowed down the story for me (OK, I admit, I was one of those liberal arts majors who skipped out on...
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Loved this book. Magical, quirky, enchanting I could go on. All books do not have to be literary fiction, sometimes it is just so comforting to read...
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U.S. ebook sales up in 2012, but rate of growth is slowing(May 16 2013) In 2012, trade book sales (i.e. non academic book sales) rose 6.9%, to $15.049 billion, and e-book sales continued to grow, although the rate of growth...
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by Theresa R. (Sierra Madre, CA)
of 5
by Ruth O. (Downingtown, PA)
