Marion the librarian Female, 52, Married. GA, USA

Author James Swanson is a Washington D.C. attorney who has held a life-long fascination with Lincoln's assassination. This is the young adult version. It is easy to read and quite interesting, featuring lots of details I had forgotten. I was in D.C. a couple of years ago when Ford's theater was being remodeled so I couldn't go inside (although I did visit the Petersen house across the street). I'm anticipating a trip in December so I can experience this bit of history in person. Swanson wrote a book for adults called Manhunt. Haven't read it yet---looking forward to it.

This is a grim story, necessarily so, due to the theme of survival during the American Civil War. However, it is also a love story between a man and woman on opposite sides of the conflict, between a woman and her horses, and the propensity of the human spirit to persevere when the world around is cruel and unflinching. The format was at first a little difficult, but soon augmented the tempo of Jiles' prose. I loved it. Also recommend Doctorow's The March.

Wow. This story had me literally holding my breath and swallowing back fear. Stark imagery of snow covered plains provide a backdrop for the characters who traverse the wilderness of 1867 Hudson Bay in search of a murderer. Stef Penney is an absolute genius as every possible theme is deftly played out: man v. man, v. nature, v. himself. Cannot recommend highly enough.

This is quite possibly my favorite read for entertainment of all time...it held me from the very beginning. I would've read it in one sitting had I had the time to spare, as it was, stayed up late finishing it on day 2. Chapters alternate between the past and the present...part love story, part ghost story. To my "friends" and "neighbors," don't miss this one!!!!

Well, to begin with, I love Alice Hoffman's style. It is just a pleasure to read her lyrical prose, her captivating stories. At the heart of this story is a young woman, Rebecca Sparrow, who is wrongly put to death in old Massachusetts for being a "witch." Thirteen generations later comes Stella Sparrow, who, like the other Sparrow women, receives a variation of extra sensory perception on her 13th birthday. There's romance gone wrong, a little murder thrown in, and redemption. High class chick lit.

I'm a chick who doesn't ordinarily read much chick lit, but I do enjoy a story for the sake of "escape" once in a while. This one, not so much. This is pure estrogen driven drama----the stuff of lifetime tv. If that's your thing, then look no more. Lots of claw bearing cat fighting with the added dimension of being lost at sea and fighting off pirates (who are stereotypically Hispanic, accompanied by the blond American accomplice who really isn't all that "bad.") Give me a break!

My original BS degree was history---history lover, especially WWII from way back, probably because my dad was military police who helped liberate concentration camps. Bohjalian demonstrates how the lines get crossed during wartime; for instance, the Jewish chameleon Uri masquerading as a German officer helping a German family in their run from the invading "Ivan" to the east. This grim read is therapeutic in a way---living through the currently sketchy economic times, this novel reminds me that my 401K hanging in the balance is pretty non eventful compared to what others before us have endured.

Whoa, this was dark. A 15 year old boy (who is somewhat of a social outcast) babysits an 8 yr old girl the night that she disappears from her bedroom. He immediately comes under suspicion by the police and his parents. I guess the point of the story is that we can be swayed by circumstantial evidence and the workings of our own suspicious minds. The boy's father tells the story and suffers doubts on many levels---do we really know anyone?