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The Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt
Article posted March 31, 2011 at 04:06 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 1005
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I really enjoyed reading this book after I read Walter Dean Myers book, Sunrise Over Fallujah. It reflects the frustration a family goes through after their son returns home from a war overseas. Seventeen year old, Levi is distressed over his older brother’s actions when he stays in his room for days and hardly speaks to anyone. He tries desperately to communicate with him. When his brother announces to the family that he is going to walk the Appalachian Trail, Levi knows his brother is lying and locates him on his way to Washington, DC. Then the mysteries begin to be answered. This is a beautiful reflection on the dynamics of the brothers’ relationship and the unseen wounds occurring to our servicemen and women and their families.
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Article posted March 31, 2011 at 04:06 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 1005
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Bruiser by Neal Shusterman
Article posted March 31, 2011 at 04:01 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 264
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How would you like it if every time you liked a person, you physically took on their pains? That’s what happens to Brewster (Bruiser). He has no control over this condition and tries to stay away from other kids at school until he meets Bronte. She and her twin brother make friends with Brew and notice strange things happening to him. This is a great book about sacrifices, family and friendship.
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Article posted March 31, 2011 at 04:01 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 264
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Marked by P.C. Cast
Article posted March 31, 2011 at 03:59 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 254
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Another vampire book only this one reads like a Harry Potter book for high school students. The world is full of vampyres and you become one when you are “marked”. If you don’t report to Vampyre School within days, you will die. Once there, you take courses on how to be an effective vampyre. (And no I’m not misspelling the word vampire). This book is filled with the usual high school drama with cliques and nerds and the most popular groups. It is quite an adventure for Zoey who appears to have exceptional powers. You know, jealousies and power struggles, etc. This is the first in a series of 8.
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Article posted March 31, 2011 at 03:59 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 254
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Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers
Article posted March 31, 2011 at 03:58 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 285
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This book is one of my favorites this year. This is a real insight into the realities of war in the Mideast. The characters are so well developed. A young man joins the army and gets sent to Iraq His group is supposed to interact with the Iraqi people but things change very quickly when they find themselves in constant danger.
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Article posted March 31, 2011 at 03:58 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 285
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Feathered by Laura Kasischke
Article posted March 31, 2011 at 03:50 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 298
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Every high school girl should read this if she is going away from home on spring break. Three girls from the mid-west go to Cancun for fun and parties but things don’t go as planned when two of the girls plan an excursion with a stranger. This is a lesson in trusting strangers that involves date-rape drugs and abduction. You can’t be too careful.
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Article posted March 31, 2011 at 03:50 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 298
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The Murderer’s Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers
Article posted March 31, 2011 at 03:48 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 273
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This is an awesome book about a horrific crime and how two young sisters try to deal with it to survive. Imagine feeling responsible for your mother’s death because you let your father in the house only to lose his temper and stab her to death and stab your younger sister. He goes to jail and relatives don’t and/or can’t take care of the girls. They end up in a group home and each deal with this tragedy in different ways. How does the girl who was stabbed by her father visit him in jail regularly? The other sister won’t even acknowledge his existence. This book will tug at your emotions until the end.
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Article posted March 31, 2011 at 03:48 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 273
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Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers
Article posted March 31, 2011 at 03:46 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 261
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Reese comes from the streets of NYC. At 14, he gets in with the wrong crowd and ends up in a juvenile facility with the kids who are even more trouble than he is. Somehow he has good morals despite his mother’s drug problems and his father’s history of beating him. He is chosen to work in a retirement home and meets an interesting man who teaches him some valuable life lessons. He still has a terrible temper and wants to help a young kid who is being picked on. If he acts up one more time, he will go to a harder facility and may never recover. Can he survive?
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Article posted March 31, 2011 at 03:46 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 261
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Half a Life by Darin Strauss
Article posted March 31, 2011 at 03:44 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 307
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Twenty years ago, Darin hit a girl on a bike with his car and killed her. Darin writes his memoir of the incident when he was about to graduate from high school until his thirties. He wrestles with the guilt, the “what if’s” and all the questions surrounding the tragedy. How his classmates reacted, his friends and the parents of the girl. Why would they sue him for a million dollars if he was found not at fault in the police report? Strauss delves deep into the meaning and consequences of that fateful day. I enjoyed this insight into both sides of an accident.
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Article posted March 31, 2011 at 03:44 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 307
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Hog Wild by Cathy Pickens
Article posted March 31, 2011 at 03:42 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 270
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I enjoyed this short southern murder mystery about a lawyer who returns to her hometown and discovers the many changes that have occurred in her absence. Along time friend of her mother’s visits her as she is unpacking and tells her about her husband’s will which accuses her of murdering him. There is real estate trouble and another dead body that is discovered. This is a good hometown whodunit.
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Article posted March 31, 2011 at 03:42 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 270
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Nory Ryan’s Song by Patricia Reilly Giff
Article posted March 31, 2011 at 03:40 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 270
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If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to go hungry, this book would do it for you. It is the story of a brave young girl in Ireland during the great potato famine in 1845. Her family is going through difficult times and becomes separated; the neighbors are being starved out by an unscrupulous landlord who wants to take over all their land and young Nory has to take on impossible responsibilities. Good historical fiction reading.
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Article posted March 31, 2011 at 03:40 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 270
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Beyond Belief by Josh Hamilton
Article posted March 31, 2011 at 03:38 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 295
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This is a great inspirational autobiography! Anyone who enjoys playing or watching baseball will enjoy this book. It is the story of baseball star Josh Hamilton who is an amazing talent from his high school accolades until now where he plays for the Texas Rangers and continues to break records as we speak. He had trouble when he was first signed to the pros out of high school and became addicted to alcohol and drugs. He talks about how he made it out of trouble to become the successful man he is today.
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Article posted March 31, 2011 at 03:38 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 295
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Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Article posted March 31, 2011 at 03:01 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 236
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Last year, Lucius Wolfe blew off his hands in a science experiment gone bad. He now has hooks in place of his hands. Last year, Aurora Belle's mother died. Now both Lucius and Aurora are about to start sophomore year in a new school. On the very first day they meet, they form an instant connection. But high-school politics run against the notion of the girl “everyone wants to be around” with the boy “no one wants to be around”. The usual high school drama ensues when a popular boy likes Aurora. Aurora doesn't return his affection as he would like and bad things start to happen.
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Article posted March 31, 2011 at 03:01 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 236
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Down River by John Hart
Article posted March 31, 2011 at 02:58 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 223
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I picked up this book because it takes place in Salisbury, NC and enjoy relating to the area. This is a great mystery about Adam Chase, run out of town after being narrowly acquitted of the murder of a local football hero. He returns to North Carolina five years later at the request of his best friend Danny, but he finds that while some attitudes have softened, there are those--including family members--who still believe he is guilty, and when Danny turns up dead, tempers ignite with violent consequences.
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Article posted March 31, 2011 at 02:58 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 223
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Death Du Jour by Kathy Reichs
Article posted March 31, 2011 at 02:55 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 211
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Real life Forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs writes about Dr. Temperance Brennan, Quebec's director of forensic anthropology, who specializes into the secrets of the dead. In the bitter cold of a Montreal winter, Tempe Brennan is digging for a corpse buried more than a century ago. She then connects it to other contemporary deaths and disappearances that has demands her attention. Tempe probes a mystery from a deadly Quebec fire to startling discoveries in the Carolinas, and ends up back in Montreal with a terrifying showdown.
If you are a fan of the show “Bones”, you will enjoy comparing the characters to the book.
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Article posted March 31, 2011 at 02:55 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 211
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Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult
Article posted March 31, 2011 at 02:53 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 215
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Shay Bourne, an odd 33-year-old carpenter, has been sentenced to death in New Hampshire for the murders of a police officer and his stepdaughter. Their surviving wife and mother was pregnant at the time, and now her 11-year-old daughter needs a heart transplant. Guess who wants to help, and guess who seems to be performing miracles in prison? The young Father Michael, who served on the jury that condemned Shay to death, decides he wants to help Shay. Other characters include Maggie, a rabbi's daughter and ACLU attorney; and artistic Lucius, who is serving one life sentence for murder and another and another due to AIDS. Laced with intriguing musings on the Gnostic Gospels, Picoult's bold story of loss, justice, redemption, and faith reminds us how tragically truth can be concealed and denied.
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Article posted March 31, 2011 at 02:53 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 215
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Hold Still by Nina LaCour
Article posted March 31, 2011 at 02:50 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 245
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After teen, Ingrid commits suicide, Caitlin, 16, is overcome with grief and guilt. Her best friend is dead, and she felt she could have saved her. Why didn't she see it coming? Then she finds Ingrid's diary, and the journal entries (including a secret of sexual trauma) are woven into the story along with Caitlin's memories as she goes through stages of sorrow, depression, anger, and recovery, with the support of her loving parents.
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Article posted March 31, 2011 at 02:50 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 245
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Love You Miss You Hate You by Elizabeth Scott
Article posted March 31, 2011 at 02:47 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 221
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This is an interesting book into the insight of two teenage girls who were best friends until one of them dies in a car accident. Amy blames herself to the extent that she has to enter a rehab center. When she returns to school, everyone seems to look at her differently and she finds that writing letters to her dead friend helps her get through her pain.
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Article posted March 31, 2011 at 02:47 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 221
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Maggie Come Lately by Michelle Buckman
Article posted March 31, 2011 at 02:45 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 229
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This is one of my favorite books about teenage faith. Maggie had a tough childhood because of her mother’s suicide when she was 3. She has had to become a mother to her younger brothers all her life. After her sixteenth birthday, things start to change around her house. Her father brings home a girlfriend, her youngest brother is acting frightened, a dog is found mutilated in the woods and she finds her classmate raped, beaten and left for dead. She wants desperately to fit in with the popular crowd until she becomes popular and decides it’s not what she thought it would be. Can she hold fast to her values?
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Article posted March 31, 2011 at 02:45 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 229
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Once was Lost by Sara Zarr
Article posted March 29, 2011 at 08:12 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 225
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A pastor’s daughter struggles with her faith when her mother goes off to rehab for her drinking problem and her father is busy with his duties when a young girl in their small town disappears. She feels out of place with her friends because of her father and tries desperately to contact and understand her mother’s problems. This is a great book for discussions about faith and how pastoral duties affect family life.
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Article posted March 29, 2011 at 08:12 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 225
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The Border of Truth by Victoria Redel
Article posted March 29, 2011 at 08:10 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 218
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As a single college professor is preparing to adopt a foreign baby, she is asked to provide her family background to the support group. She begins researching her father’s history because he is reluctant to share his story of coming to America from escaping the Nazi’s during the war. She discovers that he is leading a very different life than she thought. This book travels back and forth from his letters to his daughter’s own research and gives an interesting insight into the plight of the Jewish settlers on America.
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Article posted March 29, 2011 at 08:10 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 218
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On Agate Hill by Lee Smith
Article posted March 29, 2011 at 08:08 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 234
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This is a great historical fiction book about a student writer who found diaries and correspondence of a young Civil War orphan. Her story takes you from the aftermath of the war to her travels to a girl’s school, through graduation and becoming a teacher at a country school in the North Carolina mountains. She ends up marrying a very unique man from the mountains and has a tumultuous marriage with many children who didn’t live very long. Her husband dies in a mysterious fire and she is arrested for his murder.
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Article posted March 29, 2011 at 08:08 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 234
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The Midnight Twins by Jacquelyn Mitchard
Article posted March 29, 2011 at 08:05 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 245
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Identical teenage twins, Meredith and Mallory have a unique ability to communicate between each other by thought wherever they are. After their thirteenth birthday, one begins to “see” the past and the other, the future. This becomes very disturbing as they discover a friend who appears to be doing evil things in the community. Once they confront him, they are in grave danger for their lives when he comes after one of them.
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Article posted March 29, 2011 at 08:05 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 245
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Last Shot by John Feinstein
Article posted March 29, 2011 at 06:34 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 232
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Two teenage reporters, Stevie and Susan Carol win a writing contest to report on the Final Four Basketball tournament. They meet lots of famous coaches and reporters and are having a great time until they end up overhearing a conversation with a player who is being blackmailed by a mysterious person to “throw” the game. They confront the player and try to solve his dilemma without getting him or themselves into trouble.
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Article posted March 29, 2011 at 06:34 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 232
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Cover-Up by John Feinstein
Article posted March 29, 2011 at 06:31 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 258
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This is a short book about two fourteen year old reporters who are asked to the Superbowl to report on the stories surrounding it. They end up discovering a cover-up regarding Human Growth Hormones (HGH) that several of the players from one of the teams were taking illegally. They befriend the quarterback who confirms their suspicion but do not want him to appear to be the “snitch” while they look for proof of this huge scandal before the Superbowl begins.
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Article posted March 29, 2011 at 06:31 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 258
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A Man Named Dave by Dave Pelzer
Article posted March 29, 2011 at 06:26 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 179
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This is the third and final book in Dave Pelzer’s series about his abusive childhood. Be prepared to read about his horrible treatment as a child. Although horrible is not a bad enough word for it. He escaped his mother’s abuse and was placed into a loving foster home yet he somehow continued to love her. He was forced into marriage and a baby and is determined not to continue what appears to be a habit of abuse in his family. He tries to overcome his low self-esteem and trust issues as he struggled to become a productive member of society.
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This is an interesting book about a teenage girl who has a large birthmark on her face. She always keeps it covered and is very sensitive about it. Her father is verbally abusive to her whole family. We learn how each family member deals with this abuse and how they eventually overcome this problem. She is very artistic and develops a relationship with a new Goth guy in town to the disappointment of her best friend.
http://www.titlewave.com/covers/0/61/06130X2/06130X2-7-1.jpg
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Article posted March 23, 2011 at 08:17 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 135
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Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Article posted March 23, 2011 at 07:34 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 75
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Written from the perspective of a man in his later stages of life, Jacob remembers his days living with a circus during the Depression when the circus comes to visit at his Retirement home. As he joins the circus as a veterinarian, he finds himself involved with the animal acts-specifically with the beautiful young Marlena, the horse rider, and her husband, August. Jacob falls for Marlena immediately, and the ensuing triangle is at the center of this novel. Jacob learns the ins and outs of circus life, in this case under the rule of the treacherous Uncle Al, who cheats the workers and deals roughly with patrons who complain about false advertising and rip-off exhibits. Jacob and Marlena are attracted to each other, but their relationship is fairly innocent until it becomes clear that August is not merely jealous but dangerously mentally deranged.
http://www.titlewave.com/coverimage?img=cover&size=thumb&FLR=22520U2
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Article posted March 23, 2011 at 07:34 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 75
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When It Happens by Suzanne Colasanti
Article posted March 8, 2010 at 06:08 PM GMT0 •
comment (1) • Reads 692
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This book is written from the perspectives of two high school students and describes their relationship with each other. They both like each other but are unsure of their commitment. Sara is dating a very popular guy and is not sure about Tobey. Tobey is not very motivated in school until he meets Sara and he begins to get serious about college to prove to Sara that he is smart. This book shows how they relate to each other and prepare for college
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Article posted March 8, 2010 at 06:08 PM GMT0 •
comment (1) • Reads 692
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Without Warning by Dennis Hamley
Article posted March 8, 2010 at 05:59 PM GMT0 •
comment (1) • Reads 298
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This is a very good historical fiction book written during World War 2. It involves the journey of a young girl from a small town in England who wants to be a nurse after her brother is injured in battle and comforted by a nurse. You follow her journey as she works very hard and overcomes many obstacles to become a strong and competent nurse in an army hospital.
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Article posted March 8, 2010 at 05:59 PM GMT0 •
comment (1) • Reads 298
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Kiss Me, Kill Me by Lauren Henderson
Article posted March 8, 2010 at 05:43 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 257
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This book is about a teenager attending an exclusive girl’s school in England. She has a huge crush on a guy who is part of the popular crowd. She gets invited to a party of theirs and ends up kissing him. He drops to the floor and dies in front of her. Everyone blames her for killing him although the police never determine the cause of his death. Due to the scandal she has to move away and then deals with the trauma about kissing anyone ever again.
After a few months at her new school, she gets an anonymous note that alludes to her innocence and she attempts to discover the killer and try to prove her innocence.
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Article posted March 8, 2010 at 05:43 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 257
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Icecore by Matt Whyman
Article posted March 8, 2010 at 04:07 PM GMT0 •
comment (1) • Reads 278
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This is a thriller about a brilliant young college student who is caught hacking into the Fort Knox system. What he doesn’t know is that someone actually broke in and stole millions in gold bars as he was doing this. He is picked up by the police and taken to a frozen tundra that has a compound of criminals. He is questioned repeatedly and discovers that there are a number of people there connected to his crime. There are many twists and turns as the compound is overrun by a mercenary and they attempt to escape not knowing who to trust.
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Article posted March 8, 2010 at 04:07 PM GMT0 •
comment (1) • Reads 278
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The Year My Sister Got Lucky by Aimee Friedman
Article posted February 23, 2010 at 04:37 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 352
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This is a good book about sister relationships in a family who moves from NYC to a small town in upstate NY. Two high school sisters who are very close yet very different try to adjust to a totally different lifestyle. They are both accomplished ballet dancers and have to learn how to relate to a small town mentality. One sister seems to have it all and adjusts beautifully while the other, younger sister has trouble giving up her NYC roots. It is interesting to see how they grow and change in just one short year.
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Article posted February 23, 2010 at 04:37 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 352
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People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
Article posted February 23, 2010 at 04:26 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 285
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This is a great book about a young book expert who is asked to preserve a rare old Hebrew manuscript. She is trying to determine its history from each tiny clue it contains. Through blood stains, a hair, salt water stains and other samples, she traces the book back to 1480 in Spain to the present day in Sarajevo. Each clue revealed takes you on a trip through history. From the Spanish Inquisition to escaping the Nazi’s during WWII, murder, slavery, gambling, etc. in graphic details. This great historical fiction!
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Article posted February 23, 2010 at 04:26 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 285
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Atonement Child by Francine Rivers
Article posted February 23, 2010 at 04:16 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 270
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Dynah Carey finds her life torn apart following a rape which leaves her pregnant and forced to make some challenging decisions concerning her pregnancy, upcoming marriage, and faith in God. This book contains engaging characters and is very thought provoking concerning the conflicts of this situation.
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Article posted February 23, 2010 at 04:16 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 270
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Bloom by Elizabeth Scott
Article posted February 23, 2010 at 02:58 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 282
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This book is a high school drama about the trials and tribulations of a teenage girl who struggles with her feelings and relationships with different groups of friends. She had the perfect boyfriend only to find out she was attracted to another guy. This guy turns out to be her father’s former girlfriend’s son who lived with them years ago after her mother had left. She plays in the school band and her dad doesn’t seem to notice her very much. Should she follow her heart or go the popular route?
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Article posted February 23, 2010 at 02:58 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 282
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Things Hoped For by andrew Clements
Article posted February 23, 2010 at 02:44 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 299
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This is a fun book about a talented teenage musician who goes to live with her grandfather to attend a music school. She receives a mysterious message from her grandfather and he disappears. She meets another musician and they discover an invisible person who seems to be following them. Why is this person following them and what is the mystery about invisibleness? I enjoyed reading this multi-layered story about art, friendship, love, and life. Actually, it is a follow up to the book, Things Not Seen but can be read first.
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Article posted February 23, 2010 at 02:44 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 299
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Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson & David Relin
Article posted February 22, 2010 at 04:29 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 282
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This is a true story of a young nurse who goes to Pakistan to climb K2, one of the highest mountains but doesn't make it to the top. When he gets lost on his way back down he ends up in a remote village where he is brought back to health by the village people. He becomes very close to them and is shocked by how little they have and how much they give him. He is so impressed with their kindness and hospitality that he promises to return and build them a badly needed school. He finally gets the money from America and returns to make a huge difference in the lives of all the people in Pakistan when he builds many more schools. He learns to understand these people and they trust him even though there is so much turmoil within the different factions in the area. This book shows how one person can make a huge difference in a small corner of the world. This is a thought provoking book.
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Article posted February 22, 2010 at 04:29 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 282
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Project 17 by Laurie Stolarz
Article posted February 22, 2010 at 02:53 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 291
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The cover of this book grabbed by attention and I thought many students might like the ghostly subject of this book. It is about 6 very different high school students who break in to an abandoned mental hospital at night to film their experience. This place has been condemned and has a history of strange and ghostly happenings. They come across a diary of one of the patients and are exposed to nightmarish events throughout the night. Each student has a different reason for being there and due to their experiences they become changed forever.
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Article posted February 22, 2010 at 02:53 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 291
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Cheated by Patrick Jones
Article posted February 11, 2010 at 07:47 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 299
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This is a short but very well written book about a fateful day for Mick, a high school student who gets mixed up with the wrong crowd. He feels cheated because of his father’s indiscretion and blames his own cheating on him.
Mick and his friends develop a pattern of getting drunk every weekend and when a homeless man is killed, Mick and his two friends get blamed. They are all responsible, but to what degree?
When they are all arrested, Mick is left with a life changing choice. Should he be loyal to his friends and not say anything or will “the truth set him free”?
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Article posted February 11, 2010 at 07:47 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 299
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Ghosts of Kerfol by Deborah Noyes
Article posted February 9, 2010 at 03:53 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 343
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Over the centuries, the inhabitants of author Edith Wharton's fictional mansion, Kerfol, are haunted by the ghosts of dead dogs, fractured relationships, and the taste of bitter revenge. Killings and the disappearance of people in the 17th century carry over to the present. Strange unexplained apparitions and noises are described down through the generations. This is a really good book that will keep your attention until the end.
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Article posted February 9, 2010 at 03:53 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 343
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The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
Article posted February 9, 2010 at 03:23 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 328
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This book is one of my favorite modern day romance novels. It stars a young marine who finds a mysterious photograph of a woman in the desert sands on a mission. It appears to bring him good luck, so much that he is determined to find her. When he finally does, he hesitates telling her why he came because he doesn’t want to appear to be a stalker. Of course, they fall in love but her ex-husband tries to break them up because he is jealous and possessive of her.
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Article posted February 9, 2010 at 03:23 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 328
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The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian
Article posted September 11, 2009 at 08:14 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 596
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This is the best book I read all summer! It combines history, mental illness and homelessness, reference to the Great Gatsby story, some violence and lots of intrigue. Follow a young social worker when she finds historical photographs taken by a homeless man and tries to piece together his mysterious life. She believes he came from a rich and powerful family on Long Island and is trying to figure out how he became destitute and why he has a picture of her in his collection. The ending has a twist.
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Article posted September 11, 2009 at 08:14 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 596
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The Broker by John Grisham
Article posted September 11, 2009 at 08:13 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 383
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A thriller involving espionage and the theft of a high tech satellite system. In prison, Joel Backmon was pardoned early in an effort for the CIA to discover what happened to the missing system. A plan was formed to let his enemies know where he was and let one of them kill him. This is an adventure into Joel’s new identity and how he manages to elude his killers in a foreign country. Good book with lots of energy and intrigue.
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Article posted September 11, 2009 at 08:13 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 383
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BlackBox by Julie Schumacher
Article posted September 11, 2009 at 08:11 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 391
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This book is about a teenage girl who struggles with depression and the relationship between her and her family and friends. She befriends a young man who recognizes her problem and tries to help her. Good, short read with insight into this mental condition.
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Article posted September 11, 2009 at 08:11 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 391
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Covenant Child by Terri Blackstock
Article posted September 11, 2009 at 08:10 PM GMT0 •
comment (1) • Reads 427
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A story that reminded me of the biblical Prodigal son, this is about twin girls that lost both of their parents at age 2. Their stepmother lost custody of them because their blood grandparents wanted them but only for their inheritance. The stepmother tries desperately to get them back but they have been told terrible untrue stories about her. The girls are treated horribly by their grandparents and get into lots of trouble but the stepmother does not give up on them. It is about the trials and tribulations of growing up under these circumstances and the close relationship between twins.
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Article posted September 11, 2009 at 08:10 PM GMT0 •
comment (1) • Reads 427
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All We Know of Love by Nora Raleigh Baskin
Article posted May 26, 2009 at 08:36 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 487
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Short fiction book about a 16 year old girl whose mother just walked out on them 4 years earlier. She has always wondered why and when she discovers an address for her mother, she secretly gets on a bus to find her. On her bus travels she comes upon several characters who reminisce about their own love relationships and stories. Natalie discovers that her own relationship with an older boy is not a healthy one as she matures in her knowledge of love. She ends up finding her mother and strengthens her relationship with her and her family and friends.
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Article posted May 26, 2009 at 08:36 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 487
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Pretty Face by Mary Hogan
Article posted May 26, 2009 at 08:34 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 357
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This is a short fiction book about a high school girl who is overweight and reminded of it by her mother every day. She has always been told she has a pretty face and has never had a boy friend. She gets a crush on a boy in her class and when she finds out that he wants to take out her best friend, it sends her into another feeding frenzy. Exasperated with Hayley, her mom suggests she go to Italy for the summer to stay with her former college roommate and her family. The objective is to lose weight. Hayley goes and is introduced to a new lifestyle rich in history and family values. She finds love in an Italian boy who cares for her just as she is as she walks and bikes the pounds off. She also realizes how much her mother cares for her and is happy to return home at the end of the summer.
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Article posted May 26, 2009 at 08:34 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 357
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High Dive by Tammar Stein
Article posted April 30, 2009 at 06:53 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 334
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This is a short fiction book about a college girl traveling through Europe with a group of girls she just met and her adventures.
Arden has a plane ticket to Sardinia to say goodbye to her family’s beloved vacation home after her father’s sudden death and her mother’s deployment to Iraq as an army nurse. Lonely for her father and petrified for her mother’s safety, Arden dreads her trip to the house in Sardinia—the only place that has truly felt like home to her. So when she meets a group of fun, carefree, and careless friends on their summer break, she decides to put off her trip and join them to sample the sights and culinary delights of Europe. Arden tries to forget about the danger her mom faces every day, to pretend she’s just like the rest of the girls, flirting with cute European guys and worried only about where to party next.
But the house in Sardinia beckons and she has to make a choice. Is Arden ready to jump off the high dive?
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Article posted April 30, 2009 at 06:53 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 334
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Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
Article posted April 30, 2009 at 06:52 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 365
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This is a thriller in the manner of Stephen King.
Aging rocker Judas Coyne, a collector of the macabre, pays a thousand dollars for a suit said to be inhabited by the owner's ghost, and learns only after the angry spirit arrives that he has been set up by the family of his last young lover who committed suicide upon her return home. He and his girlfriend go on a bloody trip to try to rid themselves of this ghost who is determined to kill them both. This book has adult language and situations.
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Article posted April 30, 2009 at 06:52 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 365
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Aftershocks by William Lavender
Article posted April 30, 2009 at 06:51 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 345
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historical fiction
A follow up of “Just Jane” (see above) with grandchildren of hers settling out in San Francisco. This takes place in San Francisco from 1903 to 1908, teenager Jessie Wainwright determines to reach her goal of becoming a doctor while also trying to care for the illegitimate child of a liaison between her father and their Chinese maid. She proves to be a strong teenager untypical in this day and time while her parents want her to be a high society wife. A major earthquake erupts during this time and many changes take place in their household. Good read and insight into the times and habits of a typical teen of this time in history.
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Article posted April 30, 2009 at 06:51 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 345
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Sweetwater Creek by Anne Rivers Siddons
Article posted April 30, 2009 at 06:49 PM GMT0 •
comment (1) • Reads 366
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young adult fiction
Twelve-year-old Emily Parmenter, her young life marked by the disappearance of her mother and the death of a beloved brother, has withdrawn into a world of her own making on the family's faded plantation in South Carolina where her father and brothers raise the legendary Lowcountry Boykin hunting spaniels, but everything changes when troubled debutante Lulu Foxworth comes to stay, hoping to escape her struggles with alcohol and sex addiction. Their friendship grows despite their age difference and they both get a glimpse into each others very different worlds. Beautifully written with great descriptions of the low country.(there was one rather graphic disturbing part).
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Article posted April 30, 2009 at 06:49 PM GMT0 •
comment (1) • Reads 366
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The Foreshadowing by Marcus Sedgwick
Article posted April 30, 2009 at 06:47 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 340
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historical fiction
Having always been able to know when someone is going to die, Alexandra poses as a nurse to go to France during World War I to locate her brother and to try to save him from the fate she has foreseen for him. Kept my attention and interest.
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Article posted April 30, 2009 at 06:47 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 340
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Leaving Jetty Road by Rebecca Burton
Article posted April 30, 2009 at 06:46 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 368
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Nat, Lise, and Sofia are best friends. This year, their last year of high school, none of them foresees the changes that will occur in their lives. This is the year that Nat-- the go-between, the peacemaker-- gets a job and meets a drop-dead gorgeous chef named Josh. This is the year that Lise-- quiet, shy, and solitary Lise-- decides to take control of her life by taking control of her weight. This is the year that Sofia-- the ultimate guy magnet-- gets her nose pierced and falls seriously in love for the first time in her life. This is the year that will change each of them forever. New boyfriends, worries about final exams and the future, and a possible eating disorder transform best friends Nat, Lise, and Sofia during their last year at a private high school in South Australia.
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Article posted April 30, 2009 at 06:46 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 368
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The Priest by Francine Rivers
Article posted April 30, 2009 at 06:44 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 249
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Christian fiction
This novella is based on the story of Moses from his brother, Aaron’s point of view. Aaron supports Moses while he struggles with being satisfied with God's plan for his own life. Be inspired by the key role this seemingly secondary character plays in supporting Israel's leader and impacting the faith for eternity. The process of how God made Aaron the first High Priest and his many responsibilities. This provides a new insight of the trials and tribulations and struggles of the Hebrew people during this stressful time in the book of Exodus in the bible.
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Article posted April 30, 2009 at 06:44 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 249
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“Atonement child” by Francine Rivers
Article posted April 30, 2009 at 06:42 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 279
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Christian fiction
Dynah Carey finds her life torn apart following a rape which leaves her pregnant and forced to make some challenging decisions concerning her pregnancy, upcoming marriage, and faith in God. Engaging characters. Interesting book about the conflicts of this situation.
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Article posted April 30, 2009 at 06:42 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 279
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“The priest” a novella by Francine Rivers
Article posted April 30, 2009 at 06:40 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 259
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Christian fiction
Presents a fictionalized account of the life of Aaron, a biblical priest who devoted himself to serving God without thought of personal reward. Includes a Bible study.
This story follows the story of Moses and gives a different perspective on his life from his brother, Aaron. This gives the reader more information on the times that this bible story was written.
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Article posted April 30, 2009 at 06:40 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 259
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“When I was a soldier: a memoir” by Valerie Zenotti
Article posted April 30, 2009 at 06:39 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 304
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Biography
Presents the memoirs of Valerie Zenatti, who at eighteen, enlisted in the Israeli army, endured harsh conditions and surroundings, and participated in top secret missions for the Israeli Secret Service, and describes her French-Jewish heritage and personal struggles. Reads like a diary of how she related to her friends before and after her army training. Interesting account and transformation of this young lady.
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Article posted April 30, 2009 at 06:39 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 304
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Just Jane by William Lavendar
Article posted April 30, 2009 at 06:37 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 275
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Historical fiction
Fourteen-year-old Jane Prentice, orphaned daughter of an English earl, arrives in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1776 to find her family and her loyalties divided over the question of American independence. Fun reading if you are familiar with the Charleston area.
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Article posted April 30, 2009 at 06:37 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 275
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