Best Historical Fiction
An orphan leaves Dark Ages London, taking a dangerous journey and posing as a Jew to study medicine in Persia, in “an adventurous and inspiring tale” ( Library Journal ). When nine-year-old Rob Cole felt the life force slipping from his mother's hand he could not foresee that this terrifying awareness of impending death was a gift that would lead him from the familiar life of 11th-century London to small villages throughout England and finally to the medical school at Ispahan. Though apprenticed to an itinerant barber surgeon, it is the dazzling surgery of a Jewish physician trained by the legendary Persian physician Avicenna that inspires him to accept his gift and to commit his life to healing by studying at Avicenna's school.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Very good."
"I would have given this book 5 stars, because rarely do you find a book in this generation so exquisitely written as "The Physician"."
"A young Jew escapes poverty England in the 11th century and travels to the Far East where he studies to become a physician and surgeon in a mixed culture of Islamic and other religions."
"I enjoyed learning about how difficult travel was for people in the 11th century and about the different types of people Cole encountered on his way to Persia."
"I love the study of the human body,medicine and stories filled with a variety of human relationships As a Biblical Christian and having close friends are Jewish,I found all these elements in this historical novel."
"I found myself thinking, while turning pages and not wanting to put the book down, this would make a great movie!"
"Most books begin with a boring introduction, and by the time you read it, you might feel like putting it back on the shelf."
"Set in the 11th century, the young orphan, Rob J. Cole, finds adventure, romance, and fulfilment in his journey from England, to Persia, and back again to Scotland."
“Catherine Ryan Hyde delivers once again with this feel-good story guaranteed to be a hit…” — Redbook. When Pete Solomon, a neglected twelve-year-old boy, and Justin bring a wounded wolf-dog hybrid to Dr. Lucy, the outcasts soon find refuge in one another. Catherine Ryan Hyde is the author of thirty-three published books. Her bestselling 1999 novel, Pay It Forward , adapted into a major Warner Bros. motion picture, made the American Library Association’s Best Books for Young Adults list and was translated into more than two dozen languages for distribution in more than thirty countries. More than fifty of her short stories have been published in many journals, including the Antioch Review , Michigan Quarterly Review , the Virginia Quarterly Review , Ploughshares , Glimmer Train , and the Sun , and in the anthologies Santa Barbara Stories and California Shorts , as well as the bestselling anthology Dog Is My Co-Pilot . Her short fiction received honorable mention in the Raymond Carver Short Story Contest, a second-place win for the Tobias Wolff Award, and nominations for Best American Short Stories , the O. Henry Award, and the Pushcart Prize.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It's the kind of story that, while you're reading it and the dogs have to go out or you have to eat dinner, it's an annoyance to have to stop to attend to those everyday events that you normally look forward to. Ryan Hyde's books usually involve animals in their plots. This one is no different, but the involvement of the animals brings out the courage of the characters. With the exception of one brave act by one of the animals, the courage and bravery rests with the humans in this book - to face uncertainty, hatred, bigotry, abuse."
"So here's the bad news: Every Catherine Ryan Hyde book has to end and that moment just never stops sucking. What I love/hate most about this book is how timely the message is, even though it's set in the fifties and sixties. Unfortunately, the part that hit me the hardest was how deeply we hold onto these ideas that hurt other people."
"I know I can count on Catherine Ryan Hyde giving me hours of reading pleasure. Pete is young boy on his way to go fishing when he discovers an injured dog off the side of the road. Justin, who has just moved into the area, sees Pete and the dog and asks if he can walk along with them. He tells Pete to keep to his own kind (white people) and whips him so hard with the belt he draws blood. It gets so bad for him that he winds up living with Miss Lucy when his dad disowns him and tells him to never come back. If you like a story that is compelling and really grabs you right from the beginning and doesn't let go to the very end, read this book now."
In an epic saga that spans from Paris in the ’30s and Spain’s Civil War to Moscow, Warsaw, and the heart of Nazi Germany, The Girl from Krakow follows one woman’s battle for survival as entire nations are torn apart, never to be the same. Fans of historical fiction or readers looking for something new after finishing Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See (2014) will enjoy Rosenberg’s story of reinvention, self-discovery, the power of personal connections, and the kindness of strangers.” — Booklist. Rosenberg has done his homework on wartime Poland, Russia, and Germany, so that rather than using the period as window dressing, he vividly brings to life what it might have felt like, day to day, to navigate this distorted world. With vivid, fast-paced storytelling verve, Rosenberg sweeps us across Europe during a morally fraught decade in a novel that is as sure to make you think as to feel."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"In doing so, we also receive a history lesson about the plight of those unfortunate Eastern Europeans who were pawns, caught between Hitler's Nazis and Stalin's Communists."
"It is extremely well written, in that it flows through detail, and a lot of it, so that I didn’t find myself stumbling and questioning what was being said or missed. I, like Momma Chic, was a real Michener fan, but I have difficulty with her analysis. I was nine years old when Pearl Harbor was attacked, and my father went into France two weeks after D-day."
"This book details a Polish Jewish woman's survival during Nazi occupation in the 1930s and 40s."
"Readers see the was from the perspective of characters from many backgrounds, offering insight to the horror that people lived in that war and possibly others."
"This is a very unusual book of the holocaust in that it is about European Jews who survived WWII outside of the concentration camps, a view with which I'm unfamiliar. I believe this book would make an excellent movie."
"This story is told from the point of view of a Polish Jewess, and the author delves into the philosophies of what made the Holocaust possible as well as portrayed the human weaknesses and social prejudices alive in the Second World War occupation of Poland by Soviets and Nazis."
"I read this book as part of Kindle First. While those books have deep character development, engaging storylines, and the little bit of beauty a good work of fiction needs, this just doesn't."
"Good, but while in Marseille, he had not yet assumed his Catalan name -- so documents from there would uncover his real identity... Not to mention that he easily settled in Moscow in November 1941. At that time, NKVD was looking for spies everywhere, and a foreigner with face papers would not stand a chance to rent a room, forget about finding a job."
Best Literary Fiction
Animal Farm is Orwell's classic satire of the Russian Revolution -- an account of the bold struggle, initiated by the animals, that transforms Mr. Jones's Manor Farm into Animal Farm--a wholly democratic society built on the credo that All Animals Are Created Equal. 'I continue to find the Readers' Guides indispensable for teaching - they really give students a sense of criticsm having a history' - Professor Rachel Bowlby, University of York 'The series looks really excellent - attractively produced, user friendly; and outstanding value for money' - Ronald Knowles, Reader, University of Reading I continue to find the Readers' Guides indispensable for teaching - they really give students a sense of criticsm having a history' - Professor Rachel Bowlby, University of York. 'The series looks really excellent - attractively produced, user friendly; and outstanding value for money' - Ronald Knowles, Reader, University of Reading.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"One can definitely see the parallels in today's politics, a must read for everyone ."
"Orwell managed to make readers relate to the story, and connect actual figures (whether in business or politics), to the story characters (according to my friends, who also read the story, I am Benjamine!).."
"Beautiful book, is now my favorite book of all time."
"This should be a must read for everyone!"
"I don't read, but my smart son loved it."
"Good price...high school summer reading!"
"2 classics I've always wanted to read!"
"Classic must read."
Best Genre Fiction
Animal Farm is Orwell's classic satire of the Russian Revolution -- an account of the bold struggle, initiated by the animals, that transforms Mr. Jones's Manor Farm into Animal Farm--a wholly democratic society built on the credo that All Animals Are Created Equal. 'I continue to find the Readers' Guides indispensable for teaching - they really give students a sense of criticsm having a history' - Professor Rachel Bowlby, University of York 'The series looks really excellent - attractively produced, user friendly; and outstanding value for money' - Ronald Knowles, Reader, University of Reading I continue to find the Readers' Guides indispensable for teaching - they really give students a sense of criticsm having a history' - Professor Rachel Bowlby, University of York. 'The series looks really excellent - attractively produced, user friendly; and outstanding value for money' - Ronald Knowles, Reader, University of Reading.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The pigs rewrite history and convince the others that things happened differently to how they remember, and rewrite their '7 Commandments' subtly in their favour and so on. There is plenty of depth if you want to go into the details of the allegory if you are interested, but the main point is pretty obvious really."
"An excellent read which will eternally be applicable to every generation."
"I kept hoping and hoping that the animals would rise up in a second rebellion, or that Snowball would return with some kind of relief force, when I knew very well that this book is based on Russian history and no such thing happened."
"As with any book review, I do not want to spill the plot, but suffice it to say that the (potential future) world Orwell paints in vivid detail is not always a pretty one. At less than 10 bucks for the Kindle edition this set is a true Amazon bargain!"
"My son and I both enjoyed reading this classic George Orwell novel, there are a lot of discussion points to be had at the end of each chapter, and it's a relatively short read - much like this review."
"I loved this, it is one of my all time favorites, and this was a refresher read for next months discussion at the book club I belong to."
"Small print and smaller book than expected."
"Don't waist your time with this printing of such a classic, great the book."
Best Women's Fiction
I only wanted to protect you... Luke Garrison is a hometown hero, a member of the National Guard ready to deploy again. One night of sleeping in the same bed turns into something much, much more... and soon Luke can't keep his mind off Harper's wide gray eyes, or his hands off of her luscious curves. The novel No More Secrets , book one of Lucy Score's new series Blue Moon , is included free! Beautiful Love Story !!! There was laughter, tears, banter ...oh the banter, suspense, and sex ...lots and lots of sex!! A happy ending had by all and the ride to get there was awesome (pun intended). A true love story that I won't be forgetting anytime soon. Great story! Loved the strong characters, great story and character development and well written!!"
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I have read a few other books recently about fake relationships that develop into more, but I was pleasantly surprised that this seemed to be just the jumping off point for their story. One of my favorite parts of the book was all the secondary characters that made up the town of Benevolence."
"Luke was the male character i can exactly write paragraphs and paragraphs about him how i loved hating him and all because seriously he really really was a pain in the ass and totally jackass and yes in the end he did took him kinda a little bit more to realize his feelings towards Harper but in the end does we all take a little bit of time to admit the truth for our feelings making mistakes in progress too?"
"This is the story of Harper and Luke."
"I only have a few cons: there were a handful of grammatical errors, and the language Lucy used at some points in the story was a bit off putting."
"Ms Score does and amazing job of writing this book."
"The trouble Harper was having kinda sprung up outta nowhere and i kinda feel like it was added there just to extend the book some more."
"SPOILERS MAY LIE AHEAD: Plot Summary: So Harper gets stuck in this small town and after getting between a couple's brawl, she meets her love interest's sister and her love interest Luke. the sister hustles Luke into keeping Harper in his home and once he agrees to it gets him into an arrangement where they serve each other's purposes. He provides a room and board and she acts as his girlfriend to get his family off his back and to stop fixing him up with weird chicks."
"love story beween a woman who lives her life from one moment to another and a man too scared to live his life at all. two people together for the benefits coming from a certain arrangement they made."
Best Humor & Satire
A New York Times and USA Today Bestseller. “If you don’t give your heart away, you can’t get it broken.” When twenty-year-old Kendall Jordan transfers across the country to Garrison University, the last thing she’s looking for is a one-night stand. “ Someone to Love is...easy, frothy fun.” — Cosmopolitan Magazine.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Cruise is a great guy trying to mend his broken heart, and Kendall is deep down a hopeless romantic trying to deny who she is."
"* In addition, I've read a few negative reviews on this book, which really stunned me, where people were saying certain things about it not being believable and how the whole "proffesor/student" thing grosses them out. There's some back-story on the characters that is explained at different times throughout the book, and when read, it explains those areas some people have claimed to be unrealistic. Sometimes it finds you when you're least expecting it, and just grabs you by the balls (real or hypothetical) and takes off."
"Living together, learning lessons about dealing with the opposite sex, getting to know the real other person... it's the best way to truly fall in love. In the end, love does conquer all and they both realize that although they have pain in their past, it's put them both in the right place at the right time...physically and emotionally."
"I really loved this book."
"I would definitely read it again, as well as others by this author."
"Maybe that is my "but" in this book."
"I just didn't connect with either Kenny or Cruise...and when the reader can't relate to either the hero or the heroine....that doesn't bode well for the entertainment level of the book."
Best Action & Adventure
Then, on Harry's eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He is left only with a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead, curiously refined sensibilities, and a host of mysterious powers to remind him that he's quite, yes, altogether different from his aunt, uncle, and spoiled, piglike cousin Dudley. Of course, Uncle Vernon yells most unpleasantly, "I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" So far it has won the National Book Award, the Smarties Prize, the Children's Book Award, and is short-listed for the Carnegie Medal, the U.K. version of the Newbery Medal. After 11 years of disregard and neglect at the hands of his aunt, uncle and their swinish son Dudley, Harry suddenly receives a visit from a giant named Hagrid, who informs Harry that his mother and father were a witch and a wizard, and that he is to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry himself.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"SPECIAL NOTE: For U.S. customers purchasing the illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, you will notice the text has NOT been converted to the "Americanized" version of the original U.S. releases (with the exception of changing all "Philosopher's Stone" mentions to "Sorcerer's Stone"). Good or bad is naturally for each reader to decide--just know, if you plan to read the books while listening to Jim Dale's audiobooks, you'll notice a few superficial differences. The quality of this new illustrated edition is phenomenal. All chapter intros are illustrated."
"IMPORTANT: For U.S. customers purchasing the illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, you will notice the text has NOT been converted to the "Americanized" version of the original U.S. releases. This difference isn't as prominent or noticeable as it was with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone, but still something to keep in mind. Also, to answer a question that has come up quite a bit, this is the FULL BOOK and not an abridged or shortened version. Underneath the book jacket, the novel is bound in a sturdy orange hardback with green lettering on the spine."
"I was ravenous to get my hands on my copy as soon as it was delivered this morning, but was quickly disappointed. But when I took a close look at my dust jacket, I was extremely upset to find that the gold foil lettering for "Harry Potter" had been rubbed away and destroyed completely in some places leaving ugly, black matte in its place-- pock marking the otherwise handsome gold lettering. Needless to say I'm in awe how Bloomsbury has managed to put together such an incredible project, with JK Rowling's remarkable literature and Jim Kay's otherworldly illustrations-- and allowed it to be put together in a low quality binding! Not all alone in a box... Update (October 9th): I have finally received my new book and it was in much, much better condition. The cover and spine were tight, intact and falling apart from the binding like my original copy."