artie Male. CT, USA

If you don't mind reading online, here is a free copy from http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/6133.

This is a French series constantly mentioned to be compared to Sherlock Holmes. On the contrary to Holmes, Lupin is on the other side of laws, which is tinted with some mystery regarding the identity and character of Arsene Lupin.

Of course, Arsene Lupin is no regular burglar, but a Gentleman-burglar. He had his own principles (usually quite noble) of dealing with injustice matters. The ways he rectified those inequity were to issue a preannouncement that the target owner should surrender the object without any protest, or he would remove it at certain time and place. Eventually he became a hero from acting on those social injustices.

One exciting moment is when Arsene Lupin met Sherlock Holmes. Of course, trying not to infringe the sacredness of Sherlock Holmes, there was no winner per se of their encounter, if it counted as one.

12th Century Mongolia on sea of grass, Temujin (aka Genghis Khan) was the first person to bring Mongolian together and out of Mongolia. Through their great skill of battle, they quickly conquered the territory that no one had done before.

There are a lot of fighting and battle that are quite entertaining, but I would like to see more on the sentimental side of the people to their heritage, ponies and belief.

Jodi Picoult used the first-person narrative style similar to Yukio Mishima's "The Temple of the Golden Pavilion." Each party has their own says, which collectively weave the story together. Every time, when the character is switched, a totally different landscape and perspective is shifted that creates strange sympathetic
sensation and, sometimes, confusion.

Like a lot of Crichton's fan had said, this book might be the best (not the most famous) book he has ever written. Though I still think Crichton's talent is more on entertaining readers with sci-fi thrillers, you can almost feel his enthusiasm to the historical legends.

The story is kind of lending itself to be a fascinating myth of “Great Train Robbery.” Crichton has used the leisure from a fiction, while he has added a lot of facts in the background, to cover up his speculations without getting reprimands of inaccuracy. Same technique is borrowed by other books, like State of Fear and other historical fictions.

Similar style of his recent sci-fi thriller, Prey. His sci-fi works were most of anti-science. Though he has done some research of the topic (computer), the story Crichton has provided somewhat extreme and in many ways that are against common senses. Through stirring the fear of the abuse of new scientific advancement, there aren't much persuasive facts but the crazy people that misuse the technology. Though it was written in 1972, it is still entertaining in a way that makes people have second thought about mind-control computer chip implant.

This is a (too) serious book about Benjamin Franklin. The author has used a very conservative perspective (though very comprehensive) to write about Franklin's life. There are so many speculations about Franklin's love affairs, which were discredited by the author with lacking of evidence.

I thought it was quite a boring book comparing to the Franklin's exciting and interesting life.

The author has gracefully portrayed the characters in these spellbound stories. Without the emotion overflow from her previous novel "the Memory Keeper's Daughter", these short stories have the right touch of sensations.

With different time, place and culture settings, the stories interwove a mixed feeling towards these melancholy characters with a tinge of exotics.

It's like a soap opera full of peculiar drama. Black frenzy characters plus flashy motorcycles generate a unique group of species. The book is very entertaining while not much credible plot has to offer. Almost everyone has connected to everyone in some way, and they did not converge as I have expected.

A sad story that depicts the post-war Germany's sentimental feelings towards to the people who danced along with the Nazi.

Hanna had an unsettled soul was tormented by her limited channel to acquire the background knowledge of her horrible past. A comment in the court, "What would you do?" has spelled out the dilemma for what she had been through.

Obama has sketched out his belief for his political career in this book. It has talked about things people were afraid to touch, and he has tried to face them with more positive thinking. He has said that he did not provide solutions for a lot of problems, but he has given people hope and positive directions to live for.

I believe this book has helped him a lot during his campaign for the presidency. And I am amazed that he did not sway from what he has said in the book to his campaign. I have certainly hoped that he can lead America back to the right direction. It's about time for our generation to have a great man to guide us to the future.