Greg

Amazing, if I could I would give three more stars to this book because it has so much heart.

Suicidal paranormal investigator loses girl, finds ghost, loses ghost, finds love. Throw in a kid with an interesting disease that won't let him be in the sunlight, Abenaki indians protecting a burial ground and human engineering in Vermont (which Hitler used later as a basis for genetic cleansing)and you've got a pretty good story. My only beef is that it seemed to drag in places and I think the writing could have been tighter. Obviously though Ms. Picoult is a very successful author so there's a lot of people that have loved her book.

Until page 103 this book was a strong contender for 5 stars. On page 103 it felt like the author lost his way and brought in the good old “God of the Machine” and flew him across the page to make the book continue to work. So on Page 103 I dropped down to 2 stars and seriously considered stopping reading.

After that I couldn't forgive him even though the writing is good, the character has a very distinct voice and the concept was strong. It was because of the strong start and the strong finish that i give this book a high 3 stars.

The old Gods are dying...or are they?

Something is happening to the Old Gods. Hermes, Hera, Athena, and our hero Apollo are all dying. Poseidon has gone mad and the only one that can save the day is Cassandra. Cassandra the prophetess who in classic Greek mythology could foretell the future but no one believed her. The problem is she doesn't know who she is until she dies. Bummer.

Is all lost? You'll have to read this foundational book of the Goddess War to find out how and if a mortal can save the Gods or does she even want to.

the book was off putting to me from the very beginning as it used an example of painful shocks administered to dogs as experiments.. There were some good parts to the book but anyone that thinks animal cruelty is acceptable as s psychological experiment immediately loses my trust and respect.

Billy Collins is a treasure, and is a great introduction to poetry to people who think they don't like poetry.

There are some serious flaws in this book but the good bits make up for them. Long and takes commitment if not an associate's in bookkeeping to keep track of the drabs, talents, and royals of which he gives a full accounting of how he spends them.

Like all of Hurwitz's Orphan books this one is a winner. I was looking for a series so that I could see character development and also get a sense of the personality of the main character. Again, the Orphan books delivers brilliantly.

Love the cover. Love the book. Love the story.

At first I didn't think I was going to continue reading and then I got pulled in. I'm so glad I did! This is what great story-telling looks and sounds like.

Think Chicken Soup for the Undertaker's Soul.

The writing is weak and underdeveloped but the stories are primarily interesting.

In this installment Flavia gets more depth and is no longer a somewhat simplistic child. Excellent advancement of a remarkable character.

[bc:House of Echoes 22716451 House of Echoes Brendan Duffy https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1409602353s/22716451.jpg 42243704] [b:House of Echoes 22716451 House of Echoes Brendan Duffy https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1409602353s/22716451.jpg 42243704] by [a:Brendan Duffy 5142469 Brendan Duffy https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]

Depressive former-banker mother, passive-aggressive novelist father, Charlie the odd child who get's a “tightening” when something bad is about to happen and the baby, Bub, move to upstate New York to refurbish the run down family estate after Charlie is bullied at his former New York school. Fundamentalist religious sect welcomes them, integrates them, and then demands adherence to their religious laws. Hilarity does not ensue.

To me this is somewhat of a mashup between Harvest Home by Thomas Tryon and The Shining by Stephen King. Duffy moves the action along and throws in some intriguing plot twists. This one kept me up past my bedtime reading and then kept me awake. Super satisfying read.

Top Hats Reviews

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Top Hat Reviews

Wonderful tale of a woman, because of her time, who had power only when she took it. Bridgett Thompson definitely claims her power through her inherent intelligence and willingness to take on the system in the only way she knows how.

Well crafted, strong characters, and a very satisfying story.

Excellent book with just the right amount of wit and snark! Super easy read that compels you to stay up past your bedtime. I read this one out of order and am looking forward to going back to the beginning of the series.

I'll listen to the CD for awhile and then decide if my star needs to go up or down.

The chapter on doing a home inventory was of value. The author gave good insights on letting go of “stuff” including the things that have been passed down from family members which we find sentimental value in.

Time to get rid of Auntie's bread twist collection :-)

This book is noteworthy in that I took a lot of notes to use in my own writing. Easy to read and easy to apply.

Good view of Mr. Wagler's struggle who after leaving his parents religion is not only told he is wrong, but that he is sentenced to eternal damnation, and that his parents support his being shunned by the entire religious community unless he begins believing as they do again. My only hesitancy is that I would like to know about the inner workings of the religion.

Transformational!

Sweet. Bittersweet. Laudatory. Confusing.

Viagra, Sacred Virgins, Blow up - sex doll saints, dump dogs.

Stigmata - fake, travel agents/sex partners (supernatural?), transvestites, donkey blow jobs.

The Circus.

Everything that should make this Irving novel great and it was. Once you hit the crescendo with books like, “A Prayer for Owen Meany” or “The World According to Garp”. It's hard for every book to be that magical.

This one delivers...I think.

Not like Neil Gaiman. Better in a different way. I really enjoyed this book about going in as one thing and coming out as another.

I listened to this book read by A.J.Jacobs and it was excellent. His phrasing and ability to tell a truthful story is great. I would heartily recommend. If I had one con for this tape - it is the filler music between the vignettes. It was some sort of Dixieland jazz that pulled me out of Mr. Jacobs story every time.

I'm sorry this will probably be the last book I finish before the end of the year.

The OCDPART of my personality loved this book. Photographs of disorder or actual real life cleaned, sorted, and tidied. My favorite was with the Koi....actually made me gasp. delightful.

For Project Manager's and Sharepoint apps users...this is good stuff.