River Readers

Nan Sparrow was a "climber" for a heinous chimney sweep named Wilkie Crudd. She had no choice since her mentor and protector "The Sweep" had mysteriously disappeared. All he left her was a chunk of char she kept with her always. When Nan got stuck in a chimney the truth about what the Sweep left her became known.

This book was not quite what I expected but I liked it anyway. With my love of books, it would be amazing to have the ability to enter any story at any point and see and experience the story first hand. This story shows how important the smallest things and the basic story ideas are important to the finished product. It would be dangerous to think that one small change would make every copy of the story, no matter where or when, become different or maybe not exist at all. This would be a huge job and maybe not as glorious as it seems at the beginning.

This book is set in India just prior to the exit of British rule in 1947. Nisha is a twelve year old who's deceased mother was Muslim and her father is Hindu. With the exit of the British, the religious factions are quarreling over representation and who will settle well. It is decided that they will partition India with the Muslims in part and the Hindu's in the other part. Thus is born India and Pakistan. Nisha's family, who practice Hinduism, will need to leave and travel to the "new India" in order to be safe.

This story was a little different than the past Poirot stories written by Ms. Hannah. I enjoyed and worked it out in the end, but it seemed to have to many red herrings and side stories. The final conclusion seemed a bit extreme even for a mother.

This was a fun sequel and I really wish there would be more. I loved how Felicity was fearless and resourceful. I would love to know what happens to Felicity and her two best friends. Females of much more substance than normal and full of force, humor and understanding. Making a life of their own, these three chart a path most men couldn't follow.

I give this 3 stars. The twist at the end was good, but unless you read these books in order, it throws in unrelated items that tie in to the main characters and not the current story. Not as gripping as I thought it would be.

Illegal is a graphic novel the tells the story of Ebo, a migrant from Niger, and his experiences trying to get to Europe as a refugee.

This was an amazing book to listen to mainly because the guy reading had the most sexy British accent that it was easy to picture Monty the rogue. The story is very much how I imagine life in Europe during this very prim and proper time would look and sound like. I had to laugh when they encountered the "pirates" who were much nicer than most of the courtly people they had met. I am now ready to follow Felicity's adventures in the next book.

This final book in the trilogy may have been my favorite. Petunia is no shrinking violet and I liked the added Red Riding Hood twist. It would be nice to know a little more about the other 9 sisters, but at least we get a glimpse in this one.

This second book was a fun continuation of life after dancing. It had a prince, a princess and a fairy godmother - only she wasn't so nice. Love wins in the end, but the journey was fun to follow.

This was a quick read. I knew the general plan, having seen tons of movie previews, but enjoyed it the same. I want to see the movie since the beasts are always worth viewing. I'm looking forward to see how Rowling is going to continue this story and reconcile it with what we know from the Harry Potter series.

Cassidy Blake's parents are The Inspectres, a (somewhat inept) ghost-hunting team. But Cass herself can REALLY see ghosts. In fact, her best friend, Jacob, just happens to be one.

After months of boring work in a bakery and being turned down by every medical school she's applied to, Felicity strikes upon an opportunity that she can't resist. Her estranged former friend Johanna is set to marry Felicity's idol, Dr. Platt, who might be willing to take a woman on as an apprentice. Felicity concocts a scheme to get to Germany, which requires the assistance of a lady pirate with an entirely different set of motives. One should never meet one's idols though; Dr. Platt turns out to be far from the enlightened physician that Felicity has made him out to be.

"From the New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry, and Britt-Marie Was Here, comes a poignant, charming novel about a forgotten town fractured by scandal, and the amateur hockey team that might just change everything. Winning a junior ice hockey championship might not mean a lot to the average person, but it means everything to the residents of Beartown, a community slowly being eaten alive by unemployment and the surrounding wilderness.

High in his attic bedroom, twelve-year-old David mourns the death of his mother, with only the books on his shelf for company. But those books have begun to whisper to him in the darkness. Angry and alone, he takes refuge in his imagination and soon finds that reality and fantasy have begun to meld. While his family falls apart around him, David is violently propelled into a world that is a strange reflection of his own -- populated by heroes and monsters and ruled by a faded king who keeps his secrets in a mysterious book, The Book of Lost Things.