Rated of 5
by Kristine L. (The Woodlands, TX) Falling Together
I had a difficult time competing this book once I hit the mid-point of the book. I felt as though the author was keeping a secret that did not need to be kept so tightly. I rarely read this genre but the author's bio intrigued me. It was a good reflection on college friends and bonding but lost me a little in the end.
Rated of 5
by Marjorie H. (Bedford, TX) The Sandbox
"Listen to you, thought Pen, you are straight out of the clucking sandbox." Actually, this whole book is out of a sandbox - unappealing child-adults that are as unrealistic as they get. The only sympathetic character is Cat - who manages to extract herself from this childish triangle. And when she tries to STAY away - she's hunted down by the idiot trio consisting of her husband (is he in 8th grade?) and two friends that I'd run away from. Adults who use words like "suck" and "freaky" give me the impression that these characters weren't well thought out - torn between adolescence and well...... adolescence. Lola Lita summed it up when she says, "You must understand that this trip was very important to Cat. She wanted to be --- undisturbed." We all should have been undisturbed by this book.
Rated of 5
by Beth C. (Sioux Falls, SD) Falling Together
Like Marisa DeLos Santos's 2008 novel, "Belong to Me," this is a very enjoyable novel about people that are inherently likeable. Three friends from college drifted apart and six years later are trying to get back together. I found the premise a little lacking, in that while the backstory was referred to a great deal, it was missing details that might have given the main plot more substance. That and a somewhat predictable turn of affairs made me give this book a 4 rather than a 5. It is a good story and I would recommend it, but I didn't feel it was as gripping as her first book.
Rated of 5
by Kim L. (cary, IL) Disappointment
I really wanted to like this story, but the characters were so one dimensional. I just could not get into this story. The story did not draw me in, I just had to push myself to finish reading it. It was not a plausible story line in my opinion.
Rated of 5
by Mary J. (Scottsdale, AZ) Full of Suprises
The beginning of the book starts slow but after about 50 pages, it really picks up. It's full of twists and turns and will keep you on edge. I found if very enjoyable with a sweet ending. Highly recommend.
Rated of 5
by Sheila S. (Supply, NC) Falling Together
What a great read! In the book Pen comments on Will's book, "It's gorgeous and moving and funny. I love it." That is how I feel about Marisa de los Santos' Falling Together. The characters are wonderful, even the hapless Jason has some good moments. The dialogue between Pen and Will is brilliant - clever and so in tune with each other. I did feel that the part of the book taking place in the Philippines wasn't as strong and got a little close to becoming a travelogue, but I still couldn't put it down. I loved the author;s first two books also so this makes it three for three.
Fearless, gripping, at once darkly funny and tender, spanning three continents and numerous lives, Americanah is a richly told story set in today's globalized world.
The story of an American family, middle class in middle America, ordinary in every way but one. But that exception is the beating heart of this extraordinary novel.
The most mature work yet from an incomparable storyteller, TransAtlantic is a profound meditation on identity and history in a wide world that grows somehow smaller and more wondrous with...
From the first page, I was drawn in by the lyrical writing of the author and mesmerized as the narrator, eight year old Raami, remembered the years...
read more
Trite but true, all good things must come to an end. I so wanted to keep reading the wonderful prose, the settings that let one think they are part...
read more
A magical book, an enchanted house, a cast of characters who previously lived there but remain on the walls in photographs to be talked to whenever...
read more
Kenn Nesbitt is new Children's Poet Laureate(Jun 12 2013) Kenn Nesbitt has been named the new Children's Poet Laureate: Consultant in Children's Poetry to the Poetry Foundation, which noted that the two-year position...
Full Story
of 5
by Kristine L. (The Woodlands, TX) 
of 5
by Marjorie H. (Bedford, TX) 
of 5
by Beth C. (Sioux Falls, SD) 
of 5
by Sheila S. (Supply, NC) 
