This was a very interesting book in so many ways. Most readers know a bit about the Grimm brothers but it is safe to say that few may know the story behind those books of fairytales.

Dortchen Wild grew up in Cassel and though she knew the Grimms there was some restriction by her father in association. Both families were poor but the Grimms were already trying to put together a book of tales and Dortchen Wild provided many of them.

Napoleon's Army was laying siege to Europe and fighting was a constant. This might account for the desire by the Grimms to save the folk tales and for Dortchen it may have been part of her love for Wilhelm.

This is a book about that love but it is also a story about growing up in a small town like Cassel. Dortchen's father did not like her association with the Grimms and certainly not her attraction to Wilhelm but this is a very strong willed young woman and she was determined to have that love.

Readers will enjoy watching that love unfold and at the same time learning about how Napoleon changed Europe forever. The characterization in the book is wonderful and you get a real feel for the times.

Book clubs can discuss the war and what it did to the common folk and why these fairytales came to life as they did and how they still matter today. We see them as sweet and romantic tales but in truth they were anything but that.

So pick up the book and be prepared to lose yourself in this world and fall in love with Dortchen and Wilhelm.

Interesting psychological mystery. Attacked and left for dead by a close friend, Melody Pieterson no longer trusts anyone. She has locked herself away from the world.

Now her attacker is free and there is a new victim. Melody can no longer hide from the rest of the world. This new victim, Eve, will raise questions in Melody's mind about what really happened to her all those years ago and whether the wrong person went to prison.

Readers will get a narrative done by Melody and by Eve. The question of how much one can truly trust friends will strike a chord with many readers.

This is a great book for Book Clubs. There should be discussions about how women view friendships and just how much trust we put in our friends. Do we perhaps not think as much about safety and security with friends. Security criteria should be the same whether for friends or acquaintances.

This is a good read for ages 16 and up.

This is a beautifully written book about three women. The youngest is the center of a well known fairy tale. The second will be her tormentor and the narrator a French aristocrat imprisoned herself in a convent.

The truth behind the fairy tale is very different and this story will change forever the way you see the tale of Rapunzel. Readers will be caught up in the story of each of these women and perhaps there is some compassion to be shared for the evil witch.

The book will appeal to teens and adults. Once picked up you won't want to put it down until you know the whole story. It is a great read for any time. Book clubs can discuss the harshness of life in those times and how this story became the fairy tale we all know.

I am very glad that I asked for this book.

This is a rather long story that doesn't get to its main plotline for some chapters. For myself it was simply too slow. On the plus side characterization is very well defined and in that it is a bit like reading Dickens. I like a good mystery and this one has an interesting take on an old story but I felt it took too long to get there.

Readers of Anne Rice will enjoy this tale an book clubs may find it useful to throw out a discussion about the differences in these two authors.

I would recommend this book to older readers who enjoy such detailed writing and a slow work up to the actual story.

The Venetian Bargain is a beautifully written love story with great depth. The main character, Feyra, is so well written and attractive that readers will find her hard to forget even after the last page.

There is such quality to the details about Venice, Constantinople and the 14th Century with the Doges and of course the Sultans and their Harems.

I enjoyed the book immensely and I don't often read love stories these days. Readers ages 15 and up who want to immerse themselves in a great love story with history attached as a bonus will find this a great read.

It is also a great book for bookclubs. The 14th Century is tied to the plague in a way no other century has ever been. That topic alone is worth many hours of discussion. One could also discuss the cultural differences between Venice and Constantinople.

This was one of the most unsusual mysteries I've read this year. First off you have two murders seemingly committed by the same person in two different countries related to another murder committed hundreds of years ago. Then you have a cast of characters who aren't your ordinary sort of folk. One might say they are all rather odd ones but fascinating to study. Woven throughout all of this is the life and books of Edgar Allan Poe so you have a little bit of something for everyone. All in all it makes for a great read for ages 17 and up and for anyone who loves a true mystery. Book clubs should love it as it will generate discussions about characterization, bookmaking and the life and times of Edgar Allan Poe.

What a truly beautiful story and actually you get two stories for the price of one in two different eras. It would seem hard to develop a real story using letters as the main course but it works very well here and I believe this will appeal to ages 14 and up in females. Overall though I believe that most who read this book will enjoy the characters very much. I liked Elspeth and Margaret but felt closest to Elspeth. It does indeed celebrate the written word and that is something that is losing its power today. This is a topic for Book Clubs certainly. Letters are not as important as they were and in this book one can see what is being lost. Take this book to the beach this summer and enjoy the love.

I look forward to each new book of Linda Castillo's Amish series. The tension is so tight it is almost unbearable. The opening scene with the accident brings you into the story and from that point you are hooked and can't put the book down. I find the Amish fascinating and what better way to learn and get a top notch thriller at the same time. This book will appeal to ages 16 and up and book clubs should enjoy discussing the Amish and the difficulties of doing police work in such a community. As always there is a wealth of information and not just about the Amish. There is psychological issues about friendship, love and what we blind ourselves to in our relationships. I don't think anyone will be disappointed in this mystery. Ms. Castillo's time has indeed come at last.

On the surface here you have a simple story of a young Irish woman trying to make good in America. A good read but this isn't just any young woman, this is the woman we all know now as Typhoid Mary. The book fictionalizes her personal life using the facts of her medical history. That is what makes it the most interesting and what will generate discussion with book clubs and schools hopefully. There are a whole list of questions that could be generated by the actions taken against Mary. I enjoyed that part of the book more really and though it took Mary most of her life it seems to realize how wrong she had been I wonder how most readers will feel about what was done to her. This book would definitely be a valuable tool in schools discussing medical ethics and the rights of patients and the public.

I loved this book. Will Cochrane is Jason Bourne and James Bond in one body and even then still tougher than both. This is a real spy thriller and the tension goes up and up and up until the end. The action is nonstop.

It reminded me most of Ludlum's work but this book is smaller than most of Ludlum's. I would suggest that this book will interest male adult readers mostly but there are women out there like myself who enjoy this genre and I have to say it is the best I've read in a long time.

It has the intelligence of the British spy thriller writers like Le Carre but the action of the American writers. It has it all including a plausible plot, travel, romance and strong characterization. There are so many twists and turns it will make you dizzy.

Perfect summer book but beware you may not be able to put it down once started. If you are like me you will head for the bookstore to find Mr. Dunn's first book and then you'll be waiting for book number three to come out.

This book opens new territory about slavery. Forget what you think you know about American slavery. Travel with Mary Bowser as she goes from slave to free negro. By itself it is a wonderful story but given the historical facts it is also a chance to have your mind challenged by what you think you know about slavery and about the Civil War. Great book for book clubs and young teens. There will be so many questions and so many answers that will generate more questions. I am so glad that I asked to have this book for review and I believe that anyone interested in this country's history will enjoy it as well.

Told from the view of a young woman ordered to be the "tongue" for the Empress, this story gives us a peek into the world of the Russian royalty and in particular Catherine the Great when she was just Sophie. There is so much information here and so much intrigue. It is a fiction work but it grabs your attention from the first page. Catherine is one of the great figures in Russian history and simply fascinating to watch. A book club would find so much here to talk about and pose questions. I think many readers will find Catherine's early life in Russia very different from how they have viewed her and new readers will just soak it all up. Fiction or not this is a great way to be introduced to Catherine. Russian royalty had a very different take on being royal. You have all this and then there is Varvara, and her life serving so many masters. This is a grand romance book in many ways but also a thriller in some. Younger people might not care for it so much but women in general I think will truly enjoy this adventure. I have read books about Peter the Great and this book, even as fiction, takes a lot of factual information and uses it as well as many non fiction books. Even if you have little interest in Russian history you can still enjoy this book just for the characters.

For me this was not exactly a fast read. I found the story very touching and an illustration of the power of love to protect and sometimes overprotect and live in denial. There is a lot of talk about faith in this book but there is a fairly good balance too with both sides shown, if still in extreme. You have the believers and the non believers so it isn't really preachy.

The author pretty much put her own life and experience into this book in the character of Colm. Children are incredibly strong when they have such illnesses. I found Cathleen overbearing at times especially in her refusal to accept Colm's feelings. I thought that Dr. Basu balanced it out as the outsider though.

This is an excellent book for reader's clubs. There is so much here that can be discussed from faith and what it means to family and how much the past influences the present. I'd say this book is more for older readers and by that I mean at least 16 yrs and up.

This isn't a bad book but for me it wasn't above average. It was very slow moving in plot and not quite the mystery I had expected. Still I found the discussions of childhood by the main characters to be of some interest. I believe a book club would really be able to to get into this because we all have those memories and the changes adulthood brought. I think that young adults say from 20's up would find this book of interest simply because it does seem to generate thoughts of the past or at least it did in my case. You have friends you grew up with but lost touch with. The Rose of the title is the center point of it all.

I suppose I expected more of a mystery but in truth this is a story about growing up and how we change or in some cases don't change so much and the secrets we keep. I would have preferred a faster pace but I think this book was written to be the way it is in order to make readers look at their own past and school days.

This is just a wonderful read. Mystery, suspense, thrills and chills abound in this book. It is also a very solid plot line telling you so much about Africa keeping your attention riveted until the very end. I am looking forward to the next book and hoping this will be a series that will just continue to garner more and more raves.



If you are a fan of the Steig Larrson books you will certainly enjoy meeting Michael. She is a very unusual person. This book is great for anyone who loves suspense and travel. Book Clubs should find this a fascinating book to discuss in so many ways from the characters, the locale and why we are who we are as humans.

I loved this book and I don't even have kids. I think most young mothers would love this book as well but any female reader will like it. It is the perfect summer read. I found it the perfect mix of suburban life and having a job spying for the country. Made me wonder if our female spies do marry and have kids while still trying to do the job. There are serious parts but overall there is a lot of humor here and you will find yourself laughing out loud at Lucy and with Lucy. I thought she was a wonderful character.

By the time I had finished the first chapter I was saying to myself there has to be another book coming. Lucy is just too enjoyable to be in only one book. In some ways it reminded me of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum and we all know how successful that series has been.

It might seem strange for a book like this to be discussed in a book club but I think there are aspects here that one could talk about. Most women do work and raise kids at the same time these days but how about those working in jobs that are quite dangerous. Overall though I think it is simply fun to read and fantasize about being a female James Bond.

If you take one book on vacation this summer, take Original Sin. You won't regret it.

What a delightful book. Perhaps it is because the author is of my age and many things he talks about are easily understood and remembered. If you love animals you will love this book. It is full of stories about animals and at the same time you learn a great deal about the author's life. It doesn't have quite the scope of the James Herriot books but it definitely fits close to it. It is a book for young and old, for those who perhaps once wanted to be vets or even for those who are vets today. Keep a box of tissues close by because you are going to feel the tears at times but just sit back and enjoy.

I admit I love Jack Reacher. He is a loner and perhaps that might put some readers off but give him a try at least once. This book is one of the best yet from Lee Child. It has everything you want in a mystery. There is action so fast it makes your head spin and characters you won't forget any time soon. Once you get into the story you won't want to put the book down and when you finish I think you'll find that it stays with you for some time.

I would expect that most readers will be older, though certainly young men could enjoy these books as well. I enjoy a hard core thriller myself and perhaps there are other women out there who do as well. Jack Reacher is simply a fascinating character and though Lee Child has written over 14 books now featuring him, the man is never boring. This is a great read.

I wanted to read this book because it dealt with wildlife and humans interacting in a good way.

I thought it was a beautiful story and well worth the read. It is a small book but it is filled with so much love and affection on both sides. It truly touches the heart and I have to say that I've never heard of any eagle like Freedom. She is truly special and the author was incredibly lucky to meet her and become her friend.

It made me want to volunteer just as Jeff did, to make a difference and our wildlife needs all the help it can get. Excellent book for book clubs as it offers so many things to discuss and in general it is a good book for anyone over 12 yrs.

I have a deep attachment to the Tudors. I love history and it has been years since I read such a wonderful book dealing with them and few books really have been out there about the man who started the Tudor line. I had some familiarity with the characters but this book is so beautifully detailed it is an amazing read. Part factual and part fiction it may be but it is one of the most enjoyable books I've read this year. Readers who like a bit of history in their fiction will love this book. Thank you Ms. Bennett. I'd truly forgotten how fascinating this period of history could be.