Category: Book Reviews!
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Pillar of Light (The Work and the Glory, #1)
4/5 stars Pillar of Light (The Work and the Glory, #1) by Gerald N. Lund The United States of America is the country founded by seekers of freedom from oppressive governments. But did you know the Mormon Church, born on April 6th, 1830 in New York State, was forced with violence from New York, to […]
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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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Tritium Gambit
2/5 stars Tritium Gambit by Erik Hyrkas Dumb book. Mildly amusing. Not worth my time giving it a review.
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Underdogs (Wolfe Brothers, #1-3)
4/5 stars Underdogs (Wolfe Brothers, #1-3) by Markus Zusak Markus Zusak has earned a place at the top of my list of favorite authors. If you haven’t read The Book Thief, do. Read my review of it first though–I think you should know some things before you start. Read I am the Messenger too. Once […]
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Leven Thumps and the Ruins of Alder (Leven Thumps, #5)
3/5 stars Leven Thumps and the Ruins of Alder (Leven Thumps, #5) by Obert Skye Phew! Finally done with Foo! I started reading the series to preview them for my kids, and I’m happy to say the Leven Thumps series is full of good, clean fun. There’s just enough comedy, suspense, adventure, mystery, imagination, and […]
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Leven Thumps and the Wrath of Ezra (Leven Thumps, #4)
3/5 stars Leven Thumps and the Wrath of Ezra (Leven Thumps, #4) by Obert Skye I think I’ll write a detailed review once I’ve finished the final book. But for now I’ll just say the stories of Foo are simply good, clean fun.
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Leven Thumps and the Eyes of the Want (Leven Thumps, #3)
3/5 stars Leven Thumps and the Eyes of the Want (Leven Thumps, #3) by Obert Skye My favorite of the series so far! The fantasy of Foo is still pretty weird, but after three books it beginning to grow on me. I enjoyed the few paragraphs of descriptive commentary at the beginning of each chapter, […]
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Leven Thumps and the Whispered Secret (Leven Thumps, #2)
3/5 stars Leven Thumps and the Whispered Secret (Leven Thumps, #2) by Obert Skye This one was better than the first, but I’m still not ready to become a Foo Fan. On to book number three!
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Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo (Leven Thumps, #1)
3/5 stars Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo (Leven Thumps, #1) by Obert Skye There’s nothing particularly wonderful about this first Leven Thumps book. It’s perfectly clean and wholesome–just right for my 10 year old to read. The story is far fetched and the plot is too abstract for me to really get emotionally […]
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Mere Enchantment
3/5 stars Mere Enchantment by Alicia Rivoli My first rule of reading: NEVER start a new book series until ALL the books in the series have been published. You can thank Jo and Harry for that rule. Heroes of Olympus, Kane Chronicles, Beyonders — haven’t even touched them yet. I’ve only broken that rule twice. […]
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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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Game For Heroes, A
3/5 stars Game For Heroes, A by Jack Higgins A library audio book that kept me awake while traveling cross country. It almost didn’t do the job–the book was pretty slow to start and the guy who did the recording was hard to understand at first. But once the story got going I enjoyed the […]
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The Time Traders (Time Traders/ Ross Murdock, #1)
3/5 stars The Time Traders (Time Traders/ Ross Murdock, #1) by Andre Norton Another audio book to keep me entertained while driving across the country. Turns out, this was a great library find! Without paying much attention to the description, I began listening to The Time Traders and was soon sucked into a futuristic time […]
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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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Little Brother
4/5 stars Little Brother by Cory Doctorow This was another road trip audio book–and as it turns out it was a pretty lucky library find! I’d never heard of the book, but the author, Cory Doctorow, recieved a positive shout-out in my favorite book of 2011–Ready Player One. So I picked it up, and I’m […]
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Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game
3/5 stars Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis I listened to an audio version of Moneyball while my brother an I drove through the night on a cross-country trip to visit the Seattle Mariners at Spring Training. It was a fun trip, and listening to Moneyball was a fun way […]
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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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The Sixty-Eight Rooms
1/5 stars The Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone Holy Boring Batman! Our school district has this great (or could be great) idea: One District, One Book. The idea is the school district will give each family a copy of the same district-selected book and have all parents read the book to their kids. Could be […]
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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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Room
3/5 stars Room by Emma Donoghue If you could read about the confinement, escape, and rehabilitation of a women who was abducted at age 19, locked in an 11 x 11 shed for 7 years, and raised and protected her rape-conceived son who has never even looked out of a window, would you do it? […]
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Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children, #1)
4/5 stars Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children, #1) by Ransom Riggs Miss Peregrines turned out to be NOTHING like I thought it would be–and that’s just fine with me because the story was great! One of the coolest parts of the story are the photographs the author weaves […]
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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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Freddie Frog is Hungry
4/5 stars Freddie Frog is Hungry by Kari Brimhall My 2, 5, and even 8 year old thought is was a fun little story! Or maybe they just like playing with my Kindle Fire . . .
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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 Poky Little Puppy
4/5 stars The Poky Little Puppy by Janette Sebring Lowrey A classic–even if it’s a little long!
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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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Inheritance (Inheritance, #4)
Inheritance (Inheritance, #4) By: Christopher Paolini My Rating: Four stars out of five Best for: 10 and up I’ve read all the negatives about the Inheritance Cycle books, and every critique about the authors writing style and the plot similarities to other books or movies is legit. But come on people, lighten up! Just enjoy […]
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#ThePrincessBride: Is this a kissing book?
The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure By (Abridged by): William Goldman My Rating: Four out of Five stars Best for: 12 and up (see content note below) Who doesn’t love The Princess Bride? I now firmly believe two things: 1) Authors of books should always be the script […]
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Brisingr (Inheritance, #3)
Brisingr (Inheritance, #3) By: Christopher Paolini My Rating: Four stars out of five Best for: 10 and up Yes! Brisingr was the best of the series for me! Happily recommend!
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Eldest (Inheritance, #2)
Eldest (Inheritance, #2) By: Christopher Paolini My Rating: Three stars out of five Best for: 10 and up Like Eragon, it’s a fun read. Great story and great characters. On to Brisingr!
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Eragon (Inheritance, #1): Tolkien for 12-year-olds
Eragon (Inheritance, #1) By: Christopher Paolini My Rating: Four stars out of five Best for: 10 and up I don’t want to give my 5 start ratings to loosly . . . but Eragon is close. 4 stars for now. Paolini is Tolkien for 12 year olds–and I mean that as a compliment. I’ve got […]
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The Night Circus
4/5 stars The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern Hmm, what did I think? This is a tough one to express. I enjoyed reading The Night Circus, although I know people who wouldn’t have enjoyed it. I was never bored, although I have friends who would have been. I felt the story pulled me along, but […]
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Different Seasons
2/5 stars Different Seasons by Stephen King I wanted to read this book because I love the story with-in-a-story, “The Revenge of Lard-A** Hogan,” which is part of “The Body.” It’s a really fun story that I heard first as read by the King himself at “An evening with Harry, Carrie, and Garp.” (Wasn’t there, […]
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The Magician’s Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia, #6) by C.S. Lewis
4 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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Prince Caspian (Chronicles of Narnia, #2) by C.S. Lewis
4 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 Horse and His Boy (Chronicles of Narnia, #5) by C.S. Lewis
4 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 Last Battle (Chronicles of Narnia, #7) 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 Silver Chair (Chronicles of Narnia, #4) by C.S. Lewis
4 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 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 Sword of Darrow
4/5 stars The Sword of Darrow by Hal Malchow This book was a fun find. Written by a dad and his son, it was a project to help the some overcome his learning disabilities. Recommend it for any young (or old) fantasy lover! Note if you’re reading the digital version, the book is only half […]
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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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The Hangman’s Daughter (The Hangman’s Daughter, #1)
4/5 stars The Hangman’s Daughter (The Hangman’s Daughter, #1) by Oliver Pötzsch Want to know what it was like to live in the middle ages? This book did a great job transporting me to a different time and place. The mystery was exciting too. Only negative–the story didn’t have much to do with the hangman’s […]
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The Dirty Parts of the Bible
4/5 stars The Dirty Parts of the Bible by Sam Torode I really enjoyed this little book. It’s the definition of a “coming of age” story, and it’s was a lot of fun reading how the main character went from where he was to where he ended up on the last page.
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The Lighting Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1)
4 out of 5 Stars. All audiences Don’t even TRY to compare that awful movie to this awesome book.
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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 Doll People (Doll People, #1)
3/5 stars The Doll People (Doll People, #1) by Ann M. Martin Read this one aloud to my kids. Everyone had a good time and they were anxious to see how it ended. I wouldn’t have enjoyed it on my own, though!
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Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2) by Suzanne Collins
4 out of 5 stars Great book, deserves the hype. Unfortunately it found its way to Middle Schools everywhere. Unless you want your kids reading about kids forced by grown ups to commit grown up violence against other kids, I suggest you keep The Hunger Games and it’s sequals on the shelf until they are […]
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The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1) by Suzanne Collins
4 out of 5 stars Great book, deserves the hype. Unfortunately it found its way to Middle Schools everywhere. Unless you want your kids reading about kids forced by grown ups to commit grown up violence against other kids, I suggest you keep The Hunger Games on the shelf until they are 14. Of interest […]
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Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3)
3/5 stars Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3) by Suzanne Collins Ooooh how I wish the series ended differently! I don’t care how “real” the ending was. I want to be uplifted and inspired when I read, not depressed because of reality! I can get that on the news every day!
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The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, #1)
2/5 stars The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, #1) by Philip Pullman Dumbest ending in history of books!
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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!
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Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Break Dawn by Stephenie Meyer: Series Review
Sparkling vampires. Moody girls. Obsessive love. The YA that defined YA. Did I love it? Not really. Will you love it? Maybe. Should you read it? Probably. Can your kids read it? If their 14 and mature enough to tell the difference between an unrealistic romantic relationship vs a fantasy, then go for it. Under […]
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The Green Mile by Stephen King
4 out of 5 stars He’s the King. You just have to watch out for adult content in many of his books. The Green Mile is pretty safe. And really good.
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The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
4 out of 5 stars My first classic. If I read it again today I bet I’d find reason to give it 5 stars. Read it.
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The Talisman by Stephen King
5 out of 5 stars This was my first Stephen King book. I remember it being weird. I also remember it being good. That pretty much sums up most of what Stephen King has written.
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The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
5 out of 5 stars I’m not sure if this one would fly today, but I have good memories of it. If my kids brought it home from the library I’d love for them to read it.
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Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith
5 out of 5 stars This was the first book I ever re-read. Not sure how it will hold up today, it might be time for me to read it again.
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Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
5 out of 5 stars The first time I realized books could make me feel. Have tissues handy.
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The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks
5 out of 5 stars Maybe a bit non-PC today, but I still remember this from 4th grade. My 4th graders have enjoyed it too.
One Man Book Club 