This book was interesting, and definitely gives a bit of flavor of life in Kabul, especially for those that aren’t in the forefront of society (women, children, the poor, etc.). I found it depressing because nothing was ever resolved and the downtrodden stayed down, but I still liked it. Pretty good. Yep.

Ahh…so this is chick-lit. Seriously though, a pretty fun and mindless read. Can’t say I didn’t enjoy it just a bit too!

The Other Boelyn Girl is fascinating. This is my first truly enjoyable foray into historical fiction. Total page-turner, resulting in many late nights reading when I should have been sleeping. My only miniature complaint is that the subject material of the book probably isn’t interesting to a wide range of readers, making me less likely to get into a good conversation about this book.

Its a bit like the Giver, in a bit more grown-up way. It took me some time to get into it but once I did it was fascinating. I like the writing style especially. Would definitely recommend this.

Having read each of her other novels previously, I decided it was time to read her first and most autobiographical work. It was compelling and fascinating, but really left me feeling hollow and sad at the end. I found the blunt acceptance of the simple fact that life isn’t fair to be very hard to rationalize. We The Living was an excellent look into a different way of looking at the world than I’m used to. Overall, I would highly recommend it, but don’t expect any warm fuzzies!

Its over!!! This book was slow going. I was hoping for an eye-opening view of Venice, but I didn’t think this book came anywhere near the intriguing descriptive language of Berendt’s first book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Just a disclaimer: I read that one when I was about 14, so perhaps my tastes have just changed. I found many parts of this book boring including the story line (was there an ending?), the character development (how many characters? 56?), and the bland portrait of Venice. Can’t say I’d recommend this over anything else I’ve read recently, but perhaps I’ll feel less strongly about that after some time…

If you want a book that absolutely convinces you that you could do more to help out your fellow human beings, this is it! A very good read about the amazing life and works of Paul Farmer.

A really fun read with lots of unexpected twists and turns, focusing on the life of two cousins in Manhattan at the time of WWII. I would recommend this to anyone.

A surprise hit. I’ll admit it took me quite some time to get into it, but I’ll blame the teensy type on the copy I purchased. A truly thought-provoking read. As millions have said before me – just read it.

This book took me quite some time to get into, but once I did I was very glad I’d stuck it out (thank you book club). The family interactions are what keeps the storyline interesting but I often found myself completely infuriated by the actions of the main characters. I’d give it a 5 out of 10.