Category: 5 Star Reads!
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The Wise Man’s Fear (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #2)
5/5 stars The Wise Man’s Fear (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #2) by Patrick Rothfuss Now THIS is a story! For all who love epic fantasy…The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear must be the next books you pick up. I won’t go into details–I did that when I reviewed the first book. If […]
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#TheNameoftheWind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1): WRITE MAN, WRITE!
The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1) By: Patrick RothfussMy Rating: FIVE out of FIVE stars I’m not sure what to call The Name of the Wind. To say it’s simply a book is wrong. It’s more. A story? A tale? An adventure? A journey? Yes, yes, and yes. I got lost in […]
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Old Man’s War (Old Man’s War, #1)
4/5 stars Old Man’s War (Old Man’s War, #1) by John Scalzi Fun SyFy, but lots of language I expected the language…Scalzi seems to favor certain four-letter words. I know some people don’t mind, but I wish it wasn’t there–even if it is probably closer to reality. Luckily the story was great. I even feel […]
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Earthman Jack vs. the Ghost Planet (The Earthman Jack Space Saga, #1): Harry Potter, meet Earthman Jack
Earthman Jack vs. the Ghost Planet (The Earthman Jack Space Saga, #1) By: Matthew Kadish My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE stars Harry Potter, meet Earthman Jack… WOW Wow wow wow wow wow wow. Wow. Okay, so pretend that poor, destitute J.K. Rowling was sitting in that little coffee shop writing Harry Potter in 2014 […]
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Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive, #2)
5/5 stars Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive, #2) by Brandon Sanderson Look up “EPIC” in the dictionary… …and you’ll find a picture of Words of Radiance. As an author Brandon Sanderson can do no wrong. At least he hasn’t yet. Considering he’s only been on the scene for about 9 years, there’s still plenty […]
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The Golem and the Jinni
5/5 stars The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker Mrs. Wecker’s Opus… There is so much I wish I could say about The Golem and the Jinni. I’m afraid I haven’t the words–my ability to move my heart to my mind to the page is too puny to do justice to Helene Wecker’s magically […]
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Hollow City (Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, # 2)
5/5 stars Hollow City (Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, # 2) by Ransom Riggs An Awesome Story That Grabs You in a Most Peculiar Way… I enjoyed the first Peculiar story. My only complaint about it was that as cool as the pictures were, it felt like the author wrote the story to match […]
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Sand Omnibus (Sand, #1-5)
5/5 stars Sand Omnibus (Sand, #1-5) by Hugh Howey Some author’s you have to drop everything for… …and Hugh Howey is one of them. When a new Hugh Howey book is available, I’m forced to stop what I’m currently reading to find out what bit of awesomeness he has created for me this time. Sand […]
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Peace in Amber: The World of Kurt Vonnegut
Peace in Amber: The World of Kurt Vonnegut By: Hugh Howey My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE Stars Fascinating. So it goes. Again. I feel like I should be thanking Hugh Howey for writing Peace in Amber. We all have our 9/11 stories. We all were impacted somehow. It’s emotional for everyone. I’ve never experienced […]
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Mitosis (Reckoners, #1.5)
5/5 stars Mitosis (Reckoners, #1.5) by Brandon Sanderson Brandon Sanderson Writes Fast…But I Still Wish He Could Write Faster! I haven’t met a Brandon Sanderson story I didn’t like a whole lot. Steelheart was a great start to the Reckoners Series, and I broke my own rule and read it before the series was finished. […]
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Firstborn
5/5 stars Firstborn by Brandon Sanderson Another Sanderson Winner Like everything Sanderson, this short story was well written and engaging. That was a lot of story in under 50 pages!
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The Power of Everyday Missionaries
5/5 stars The Power of Everyday Missionaries by Clayton M. Christensen The Power of Everyday Missionaries is absolutely the best resource on the topic I have ever encountered. Ever. It’s written for an LDS audience, but anyone with a desire to spread the Good Word of God will find Clayton Christensen’s thoughts on sharing the […]
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A Prayer For Owen Meany
5/5 stars A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving I am doomed to remember a boy . . . Apparently John Irving has a thing for first sentences. He said he never writes the first sentence until he’s written the last sentence. Obviously he’s onto something . . . “I am doomed to remember […]
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Steelheart (Reckoners, #1)
Steelheart (Reckoners, #1) By: Brandon Sanderson My Review: FIVE out of FIVE Stars Must read! Stealheart is really, REALLY cool! The future has Superheros…but in this future, the Superheros are the bad guys. Get ready for a ride! 12 and up. Happy Reading!
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#TheLegendofEliMonpress: Five Books of Fun
The Spirit Thief (The Legend of Eli Monpress, #1) The Spirit Rebellion (The Legend of Eli Monpress, #2) The Spirit Eater (The Legend of Eli Monpress, #3) The Spirit War (The Legend of Eli Monpress, #4) Spirit’s End (The Legend of Eli Monpress, #5) By: Rachel Aaron My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE Stars Now […]
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The House of the Scorpion
5/5 stars The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer Definetly a 5 star read for me. The story was moving, the characters were deep, and the ending was happy. Full of ethical quandries and thought provocing questions, there is plenty to talk about. While there is no actual drug use, the story is about […]
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Dust (Silo, #3)
5/5 stars Dust (Silo, #3) by Hugh Howey I was afraid that Dust wasn’t going to live up to the hype. I shouldn’t have worried . . . Dust is a moving and all around fantastic ending to a story that will eventually be known as one of the greats. When the entire planet has […]
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Monsters of Men (Chaos Walking, #3)
5/5 stars Monsters of Men (Chaos Walking, #3) by Patrick Ness Patrick Ness must hate Suzanne Collins. Why? Raise your hand if you’ve ever heard of The Hunger Games Trilogy. Now raise your hand if you’ve ever heard of Chaos Walking Trilogy? That’s why. But I can’t figure out why. Both are series about dystopian […]
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The Ask and the Answer (Chaos Walking, #2)
5/5 stars The Ask and the Answer (Chaos Walking, #2) by Patrick Ness Patrick Ness must hate Suzanne Collins. Why? Raise your hand if you’ve ever heard of The Hunger Games Trilogy. Now raise your hand if you’ve ever heard of Chaos Walking Trilogy? That’s why. But I can’t figure out why. Both are series […]
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The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking, #1)
5/5 stars The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking, #1) by Patrick Ness Patrick Ness must hate Suzanne Collins. Why? Raise your hand if you’ve ever heard of The Hunger Games Trilogy. Now raise your hand if you’ve ever heard of Chaos Walking Trilogy? That’s why. But I can’t figure out why. Both are […]
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The Emperor’s Soul
5/5 stars The Emperor’s Soul by Brandon Sanderson Not surprised….The Emperor’s Soul is yet another original and fantastic story by Branden Sanderson. The only negative about this book is that it’s too short–I would gladly have read a thousand more pages!
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Legion
5/5 stars Legion by Brandon Sanderson Seriously? Why hasn’t this story been turned into the coolest mystery solving TV series yet? It would be so cool . . . Steve is the smartest person alive. He is fabulously wealthy because his brilliance is in high demand–he can solve crimes and mysteries better than anyone. Steve […]
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Chasing the Prophecy
5/5 stars Chasing the Prophecy by Brandon Mull Wow, I haven’t plowed through a book that fast in a long time! That should tell you what I think of entire Beyonders series–this is easy, fun, popcorn reading at it’s best. I loved the story and I loved the characters. Everyone got their deserved ending. I’m […]
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Seeds of Rebellion (Beyonders, #2)
5/5 stars Seeds of Rebellion (Beyonders, #2) by Brandon Mull More fun than the first, and that’s saying a lot…mostly because if the word infested zombies! Final book comes out Tuesday. Full review once I’ve read it. ******** A few days later . . . Now that I’ve finished the third book . . . […]
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A World Without Heroes (Beyonders, #1)
5/5 stars A World Without Heroes (Beyonders, #1) by Brandon Mull I had high hopes, but this book was much more fun than expected! I’ll review the series once I’ve read it all. So far so good! ******** A few days later . . . Now that I’ve finished the third book . . . […]
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The Snow Child
5/5 stars The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey I’m a sap, I know. But I really liked The Snow Child, and there is only one sappy word that pops into my head when I try to describe why: beautiful. The story, the players, the message, the relationships, the emotion, the setting, the sweet ending. All […]
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Third Shift: Pact (Shift, #3)
5/5 stars Third Shift: Pact (Shift, #3) by Hugh Howey As expected. Just like the rest. Completely awesome. My only complaint is it went too fast. The Wool Omnibus and The Shift Omnibus and Hugh Howey. You must read them. The end. Now to wait for Dust and the finish.
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Billy the Kid and the Vampyres of Vegas (Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #5.5)
5/5 stars Billy the Kid and the Vampyres of Vegas (Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #5.5) by Michael Scott Now this one, (compared with the short story about the Death of Joan of Arc) was really good! It added to the characters and told a really fun story.
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The Warlock (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, #5)
5/5 stars The Warlock (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, #5) by Michael Scott Awesome! I can’t wait to finish and review the series. One book left! ****** All done! Here’s the series review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/434781684
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The Necromancer (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, #4)
5/5 stars The Necromancer (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, #4) by Michael Scott Awesome! Two more left! ****** All done! Here’s the series review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/434781684
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The Sorceress (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, #3)
5/5 stars The Sorceress (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, #3) by Michael Scott They are getting better and better! Series review to come once I’ve read them all . . . ****** All done! Here’s the series review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/434781684
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The Magician (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, #2)
5/5 stars The Magician (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, #2) by Michael Scott The story is heating up . . . I’ll review the series when I finish the last book. ****** All done! Here’s the series review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/434781684
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The Orphan Master’s Son
5/5 stars The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson PROPERTY OF THE DEMOCRATIC PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF KOREA The Orphan Master’s Son is a heavy book . . . and I don’t mean it weighs a lot on a scale. I mean it weighs a lot on my mind. I’ve long been fascinated with The Democratic […]
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Second Shift: Order (Shift, #2)
5/5 stars Second Shift: Order (Shift, #2) by Hugh Howey If you’re reading this book, you very likely already know exactly what to expect from Hugh Howdy. You will not be disappointed here. Completely fantastic. My only regret I’d that I wish I’d waited to read 2nd shift until 3rd shift was finished. I hate […]
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Warbreaker
5/5 stars Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson DANG! I was just about finished with a great and long review of Warbreaker when my kindle slipped and I accidently closed with out saving. Now I’m out of energy and time, so Warbreaker is going to have to settle for the condensed version of my thoughts. The book […]
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Elantris (Elantris, #1)
5/5 stars Elantris (Elantris, #1) by Brandon Sanderson Elantris was beautiful once….. Elantris and I really got along. I mean, I really expect a lot from my books. I need to enjoy the story, be intrigued by the plot, feel uplifted by the themes, bond with the characters, feel smarter at the end than I […]
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#Mistborn: A star is born
The Final Empire (Mistborn, Book #1)The Well of Ascension (Mistborn, Book #2)The Hero of Ages (Mistborn, Book #3)By: Brandon SandersonMy Rating: FIVE out of FIVE stars I finished Mistborn. Whoa. I’ll tell you what kind of book this is . . . it’s Incredible. Powerful. Meaningful. One in a Million. Destined to Become a Classic. […]
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The Arcade Catastrophe (The Candy Shop War, #2)
5/5 stars The Arcade Catastrophe (The Candy Shop War, #2) by Brandon Mull Brandon Mull is getting better and better! The Arcade Catastrophe is packed full of good, clean excitment and suspense. The story was engaging, the message was positive, and the characters are strong, honorable, and brave. If you haven’t read The Candy Shop […]
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The Candy Shop War
5/5 stars The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull What a fun story! Magic candy that gives you super powers? Good guys vs. bad guys….with enough misdirection to keep you guessing if you’re actually cheering for the right side? Treasure hunting? Learning to handle bullies? Learing to appreciate your parents? Having best friends? Making hard […]
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Molly Fyde and the Fight for Peace (The Bern Saga, #4)
5/5 stars Molly Fyde and the Fight for Peace (The Bern Saga, #4) by Hugh Howey Yea for Molly Fyde! Yea for Hugh Howey! This concludes my Hugh Howey reading marathon. Since I discovered the endlessly amazing Wool (YOU MUST READ IT!!! NOW!!!) I’ve read nothing except Hugh Howey books. 6 Silo stories (Now on […]
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Molly Fyde and the Blood of Billions (The Bern Saga #3)
5/5 stars Molly Fyde and the Blood of Billions (The Bern Saga #3) by Hugh Howey Molly Fyde and the Blood of Billions is just as good as the first two! It’s a bit more confusing and science-fictiony, and the ending seemed to forshadow an end to the series that makes me cringe. But it […]
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Molly Fyde and the Land of Light (The Bern Saga #2)
5/5 stars Molly Fyde and the Land of Light (The Bern Saga #2) by Hugh Howey Absolutely fantastic. You got mystery, adventure, bravery, sacrifice, love, betrayal, a great cliffhanger ending…. but none of that is the best part. The best part is the imagination that went in to telling this story! It’s so unique–nothing I […]
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Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue (The Bern Saga #1)
5/5 stars Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue (The Bern Saga #1) by Hugh Howey Hugh Howey has struck again! As I usually like to do when reviewing books that are part of a series, I’ll withhold detailed comments until I’m done with the last book. But will briefly say that I loved this first […]
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First Shift: Legacy (Shift, #1)
5/5 stars First Shift: Legacy (Shift, #1) by Hugh Howey How come I’ve never heard of Hugh Howey? He’s quickly becoming a favorite author. Three cheers for self-publishing-indie authors! Three cheers for Amazon and the Kindle that make these books available to me! Here’s a disclaimer . . . if I could write code to […]
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#Wool: You’re not prepared for this
Wool (Silo, #1)By: Hugh HoweyMy Rating: FIVE out of FIVE STARS!Best for: 14 and up ***In preparation for Dust, the final piece of the silo saga, I have just finished my re-read of Wool…one year and one month after first discovering this amazing story. There were 1600 ratings on Amazon at that time–now there are […]
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The Romanov Conspiracy
5/5 stars The Romanov Conspiracy by Glenn Meade From the author’s note: “Much of what you are about to read is true. The rest, but as small part, is fiction, part of the mosaic of storytelling that a writer must employ to bring life to his tale. But as to which part is truth and […]
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The Stand
5/5 stars The Stand by Stephen King Stephen King is so good. I’ve read many authors that are good at writing stories. They can write about events and put them in an order and the result is a story. The more successful authors are able to take that story, and by combining just the right […]
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Macbeth
1/5 stars Macbeth by A.J. Hartley I only got 1/4 of the way through the book before I returned it to Amazon. I thought it’d be a nice change of pace . . . Turns out it was a change of pace, but not such a nice one! Shakespears Macbeth is pretty depressing. Imagine how […]
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The Lord of the Rings (The Lord of the Rings, #1-3)
5/5 stars The Lord of the Rings (The Lord of the Rings, #1-3) by J.R.R. Tolkien There’s no way I’d even attempt to give a critical review of The Lord of the Rings. For now I’ll just say I loved reading it. It is the most amazing adventure–truly the “grand daddy” of them all. Intentional […]
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The Hobbit
5/5 stars The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien Ahh, The Hobbit! This was actually my second time reading it–the first time I was a young teenager. I usally remember pretty well the details of the books I read, but for some reason with The Hobbit I didn’t remember much at all. Most of my memories of […]
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#IAmtheMessenger: Oh, the words!
I Am the Messenger By: Markus Zusak My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE Stars If you read what I thought of The Book Thief, you know I am a pretty big fan. Markus Zusak wrote a book unlike any I had ever read before. I wondered if his other books could be just as good, […]
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Shadow of the Giant (Shadow, #4)
4/5 stars Shadow of the Giant (Shadow, #4) by Orson Scott Card It’s hard to write a review for a book like Shadow of the Giant, because it’s really just the last chapter of a much larger story. I give 5 stars on this review not only because Giant was a great book by itself, […]
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Shadow Puppets (Shadow Series, #3)
4/5 stars Shadow Puppets (Shadow Series, #3) by Orson Scott Card Great book! I’ve about exhausted by Enderverse commentary in reviews of the previous books, so not much left to say about Shadow Puppets except that it fits well with the rest of the series.
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Shadow of the Hegemon (Shadow, #2)
4/5 stars Shadow of the Hegemon (Shadow, #2) by Orson Scott Card So, a bit of an a round-about way of getting to a review of Shadow of the Hegemon . . . Ender’s Game and Enders Shawdow–two exciting books about the same exact same thing, but told from the perspectives of two different characters […]
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Ender’s Shadow (Shadow, #1)
Ender’s Shadow By: Orson Scott Card My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE stars A quick primer on Ender . . . In the future, Earth has been attacked once by the Buggers, an alien race of insect like creatures, and Earth’s unified military expects another attack. To prepare for the impending invasion, the best and […]
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The Book Thief
The Book ThiefBy: Marcus ZusakMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 14 and up I’m trying to decide if it’s too much to say The Book Thief is the greatest book I have ever read. I think I need a few days to say for sure. (See below for an update) I can say […]
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Keys to the Demon Prison (Fablehaven, #5)
5/5 stars Keys to the Demon Prison (Fablehaven, #5) by Brandon Mull What a great ending to a great story! Fablehaven started off so-so with book 1, picked up steam in book 2, and continued picking up speed until the end of book 5. Book 5 was my favorite of the series. Its great fantasy, […]
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Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary (Fablehaven, #4)
5/5 stars Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary (Fablehaven, #4) by Brandon Mull Awesome! THIS story was what I was hoping Fablehaven would be. The beginning made me nervous–it starts out with a big surprise right away. It ends with an unexpected twist I didn’t see coming. The last sentence is a cliff hanger that makes […]
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Grip of the Shadow Plague (Fablehaven, #3)
5/5 stars Grip of the Shadow Plague (Fablehaven, #3) by Brandon Mull Yes! After a dissapointing first book, the second book gave me hope for a great series. The third book hit a homerun! I’m now a Fablehaven fan. 5 stars, easy!
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Rise of the Evening Star (Fablehaven, #2)
4/5 stars Rise of the Evening Star (Fablehaven, #2) by Brandon Mull Phew, my faith in my friends recommending good books to me is restored! After being dissapointed with some aspects of the first Fablehaven book, it was a pleasant surprise to find this book well written and wonderfully imaginative. This time around, the characters […]
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11/22/1963
4/5 stars 11/22/1963 by Stephen King I have to say, Stephen King remains one of the great writers of our time. He can tell a story in a way that only a few can. 11/22/63 is the most meaningful Stephen King book I’ve read. That doesn’t say a whole lot; I haven’t read that many […]
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#SteveJobs: Jerk or Genius? Yes.
Steve Jobs By: Walter Isaacson My Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS Best for: 16 and up Steve Jobs THE BOOK was one of the most interesting, well written, entertaining, well researched, and educating biographies I’ve ever read! Walter Isaacson covers all the parts of Steve Jobs life, experiences, and personality I care to know. […]
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The Forgotten Garden
5/5 stars The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton I do not give 5 stars lightly. That should be your first sign that I really enjoyed this book! Think of one of your ancestors and what you know about them. Maybe you’ve seen a wedding picture, or you know the names of their children. Maybe you […]
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The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Chronicles of Narnia, #3) by C.S. Lewis
5 out of 5 stars It’s a classic for a reason, although once you get past The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe things get deep quickly…maybe too deep for all but the most advanced and thoughtful readers.
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The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1) by C.S. Lewis
5 out of 5 Stars It’s a classic for a reason.
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#CharlieandtheChocolateFactory: Timeless fun
Charlie Bucket is as awesome today as he was when I was a kid. Remember, the book is ALWAYS better than the movie! Or movies… Read it with your kids or have them read it alone. Either way, see that you don’t miss this one.
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The Count of Monte Cristo
The Count of Monte CristoBy: Alexandre DumasMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 14 and up Well, I just finished writing the book review to top all book reviews for The Count of Monte Cristo and hit save–but the review disappeared. So for now, here’s my abridged review of The Count . . . EPIC? […]
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To the Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson
5/5 stars To the Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson by Heidi S. Swinton What, no way to give more than 5 stars!!! What a great book of about a great man! I found the first 5 or 6 chapters a bit tedious, all he did growing up was fish and raise pigeons! But […]
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The Justice Game
5/5 stars The Justice Game by Randy Singer I found a new great author! Move over Grisham, Randy Singer has arrived! He’s my new go to guy when I want to read legal thrillers.
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Decision Points
5/5 stars Decision Points by George W. Bush This book was great. It was enlighteing to read about the world events from W.’s POV. 9/11, Iraq, both election campaigns–it’s all in there and it’s facinating!
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#WheretheWildThingsAre: The Best Re-Aloud Book Ever
If my kids let me pick the book I’m going to read to them, I pick Where the Wild Things Are. I love it. Make sure you teach your kids to rumpus.
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The Tales of Beedle the Bard
5/5 stars The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling To me, this book is proof of Jo’s genius. It’s a must have for the collection of every fan!
One Man Book Club 