Sunday, May 24, 2009

Overdosing on Books! (and liking it)

I have been on a reading binge lately. Two to three books a week. Most of them three stars on my personal grading system (best being five stars). Here are a few of the stand-outs....

A five star-er!
The Making of a Marchioness by Frances Hodges Burnett
Written by the author of the famous "Secret Garden", this book was out of print but can be ordered on Amazon. The humble heroine is absolutely likable, believable and endearing. It is a rather short book, but delightful in a Cinderella type manner.

A four plus star-er
Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy
I've always been a fan of her work, and if you like her style you will love this book. She brings the stories of several characters together and weaves the connections between them like a beautiful tapestry. I did find it a bit cloying that she used so many characters from previous novels, but I still love her story-telling skills. Another good book written by Binchy is "Whitehorn Woods" about a religious well that people believe can help them.

A four-star book:
Mother of the Believers by Kamran Pasha- an interesting historical fiction look at the beginnings of Islam through the eyes of Aisha, one of Muhammad's wives.

A three-plus star book:
A Most Uncommon degree of Popularity by Kathleen Seidel
Highly recommended, and therefore I probably expected to much. An entertaining read of a mother's feelings when her daughter is excluded from her "popular" group of friends.

1 comment:

Hokie said...

Thanks for the reviews...I will come back to this in a couple of weeks when school is out and I can do whatever I like with my days.