WPL PATRON BOOK REVIEWS
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 | Nelson DeMille: The Gate House
Do you want suspense? Do you want a
real "page turner"? Then, this book is
for you. But beware, once you begin
reading it, it's almost impossible to
put down! It's got a little bit of
everything - love, sex, revenge,
betrayal, violence, family
relationships and even the Mafia. One
word of advice. I didn't realize that
this is a sequel until I was almost
finished reading it. I recommend you
start with the first book, The Gold
Coast. 
Reviewer: Elizabeth Leave a comment | View comments (0) |
 | Donna Andrews: We'll Always Have Parrots
This is the fifth book in a fun mystery
series starring Meg Langslow, a young,
bright, inquisitive blacksmith. I
don't like my murder mysteries to be
too violent or graphic and this
one "fits the bill". Much of the
action centers on Meg's delightfully
dysfunctional family. 
Reviewer: Elizabeth Leave a comment | View comments (0) |
 | Nancy Ellis-Bell: The Parrot Who Thought She Was a Dog
Okay, you have to like parrots to like
this book. Let me rephrase that. You
have to LOVE parrots to like this
book. Half way through the book, I was
hoping the parrot would just fly away
and never come back. It's a true story
of a woman who adopts a rescued Macaw
parrot and attempts to keep it in her
trailor with three dogs, two cats, two
parrots and one very understanding
husband! Kind of a Marley and Me for
parrot lovers. 
Reviewer: Elizabeth Leave a comment | View comments (0) |
 | Barbara Kingsolver: The Poisonwood Bible
A large family moved to Africa to
pursue the father's missionary
efforts. This is one of the most
elegant and insightful books about
Africa I have ever read. As it turns
out, the newcomers learn more from the
natives than the natives learn from
them! Each sibling of five relates to
the African experience in their own
way. A really great read! 
Reviewer: Diane Leave a comment | View comments (0) |
 | Alvin M. Josephy Jr. (ed.): Lewis and Clark Through Indian Eyes
An excellent series of essays by
prominent North American Indians that
tells the story of Lewis and Clark's
expedition from the opposite point of
view. Deloria, in particular, notes
that many Spanish and French traders
and trappers were familiar with the
areas traversed by L&C and the tribes
they met were accustomed (for good or
ill) with Europeans. Thus, L&C were
the first white men to record their
journey to the Pacific, but not the
first to explore it. 
Reviewer: Diane Leave a comment | View comments (0) |
 | Simon Winchester: The Man Who Loved China
A fascinating saga of a Cambridge
professor who spent a lifetime
collecting information and artifacts of
early Chinese inventions. His
acceptance or denouncement parallels
the changing views on China in the late
20th century. What comes across,
however, is a love and respect for a
formidable cultural history. 
Reviewer: Diane Leave a comment | View comments (0) |
 | Elizabeth Berg: Home Safe
This story captures the unique
relationships mothers and daughters
have and how they interact with one
another. I've read all Berg's
books ... this one was good, but not
one of her best. I felt that she could
have gone into more character
development ... and I didn't like the
ending. 
Reviewer: Bonnie Leave a comment | View comments (0) |
 | Elizabeth Berg: Dream When You're Feeling Blue
I loved this book! This family was so
close and supportive of each other. It
really gave me a flavor of what life
was like growing up during the war
years and the sacrifices everyone made
for the war effort. A magnificent time
of innocence and simplicity! 
Reviewer: Bonnie Leave a comment | View comments (0) |
 | Dai Sijie: Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
I first read this novel my freshmen year
of high school, believing it to be
another book where I would read it for
class, and then hate it with a burning
passion. I was surprised when it was an
interesting tale about two boys sent to
work in a mountain village, who discover
some translated Western classics to
read. They also meet a girl, who they
change through the power of reading. 
Reviewer: Christina Leave a comment | View comments (0) |