Prize Winners for Week of July 14
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Eileen Browne - Italy Restaurant gift certificate Ann Caroprese - Shoprite gift card Kelly Perna - Shoprite gift card
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Maine : a novel
by J. Courtney Sullivan
Maine by Courtney O, Sullivan is a book recommended by my book forum group and I finally got around to reading it.Three generations of Kellehers go to a beach house in Maine every year for decades.As the aging matriarch of the family gets more ornery each year the family decides to divide up the summer months to spend with her. It has always been a refuge for them and a place to hold fond memories of growing up with cousins, brothers and sisters. This year they reluctantly go but each has a secret they are bringing with them and try to hide from each other. As they try to avoid talking about their worries, the peacefulness of the island helps them to deal and confront their problems and relationships with each other.Will the elder matriarch go through with her desire to sell the cottage to the church when she dies or will this beach house cottage continue to be a comfortable spot to get away in the future and with their future children? Submitted by Ann.
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The skin collector
by Jeffery Deaver
It's an okay read. If you have read Silence of the Lambs, then you will probably like this. This is part of a series. It's my first book in the series and it's okay. Submitted by Loren.
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The secret between us
by Barbara Delinsky
Great novel! It makes you think: what would you do for family? Submitted by Marion.
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Manhunting
by Jennifer Crusie
Jennifer Crusie has mastered the art of making typical women's issues seem funny. While laughing at her characters, we relax, laugh at ourselves, and are reassured that we're human. A fun story, explicit sex, predictable ending but the characters are worth getting to know an wishing for a sequel. Submitted by Deb.
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Anyone but you
by Jennifer Crusie
Anyone But You takes us into the painful world of dating in a very funny way. Crusie's characters are larger than life but completely lovable. I want to hang out and drink milkshakes with these people. Due to explicit sexual situations, not recommended for younger readers. Submitted by Deb.
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A bat in the belfry
by Sarah Graves
This would have been an enjoyable mystery if the author had stuck with two story lines. Instead, there were too many stories to follow, too many oddball details thrown in that were irrelevant, and not enough development of the main characters to make you care or feel for them. Then again, my mom loves this author via audiobook. Perhaps it makes a difference. Submitted by Deb.
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The voyage of the Narwhal : a novel
by Andrea Barrett
This book takes place during the mid 1800s. It describes the exploration of the Arctic. It has factual information about exploring the Arctic and the native people. The hardships on them and the people they left behind. It melds the scientific and love story together to make it hard to put down. Submitted by Marilyn.
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London bridges : a novel
by James Patterson
Very exciting and interesting book. Many twists and turns, with an ending different than expected. Submitted by Jelena.
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Invisible
by James Patterson
James Patterson outdid himself on this book. Could not put it down - great thriller. Submitted by Jelena.
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The invention of wings
by Sue Monk Kidd
Sue Monk Kidds' characters were so rich. Immediately I was transported to another era. It seemed I had known these people forever. The struggles of those wronged and the frustrations of the few who wanted change made my heart ache. This book encompasses the human spirit of freedom that we hall have but only some of us are willing to fight for. Submitted by Carol.
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Hotshot
by Julie Garwood
I have read Julie Garwood for years and she never fails to entertain me with her stories. She started writing historical romances and now writes romantic suspense. Her female characters are strong and there is always humor in her books. And of course, the heroes are very handsome! If you can find one of her first books, "The Bride", you will love it. It is funny and a great read! Submitted by Karen.
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Beach house memories
by Mary Alice Monroe
Beach House Memories by Mary Alice Monroe is the first book I have read by this author and I understand this is one of a trilogy. Her descriptive writing style is unmatched. The setting is Sullivan's Island in 1975 when women's roles were changing. She described vacation time as " Island time is a state of mind".Slipping into island time does not happen overnight.Once someone arrives on the island it can takes from three to five days while for some even longer." This passage reminded me of the kind of calm and peacefulness that overtakes you on day three or four of a vacation. This book spends a great deal of time describing the sea turtles and their possible extinction due to land expansion and the main character Dempsey is known as The Turtle Lady. It also spends a great deal of time on the changing mores of the time regarding women for the genteel southern women try to define their roles of mother, housekeeper and wife to a woman with interests and a career of her own. Domestic abuse is also treated in this novel. All in all this novel has the element of romance and the pursuit of life long dreams which make you want ot read more by this author. Submitted by Ann.
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Dark witch
by Nora Roberts
A great book that captures the reader from the first page. This book is about a family that has magical power used for good, not evil purposes. There is an evil one that is plotting against them. He must be stopped, or he will destroy them. Leaves the reader wanting more. Submitted by Sherry.
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First family : Abigail and John
by Joseph J. Ellis
Much research went into presenting this story of the first power couple of American history. This book convinces the reader that politics haven't changed over the centuries and powerful entities like Abigail and John had their weaker sides, too. Ellis lays bare the personalities of the author of our Constitution and his well read, if "uneducated" wife. This was an informative and entertaining book to the very end. Submitted by Carol.
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SEAL Team Six : memoirs of an elite Navy SEAL sniper
by Howard E. Wasdin
If you have ever wondered what it takes to be a Navy SEAL, wonder no more. This book catalogues the challenges of entering into the elite Navy SEAL 6 unit in an extremely readable and impassioned voice. Howard Wasdin had a difficult childhood and was perhaps better able to cope with the incredibly difficult hurdles to become a SEAL in it's most elite unit. This book is humbling to realize what these men endure for their country. It also chronicles the battle of Mogadishu and the hunt for warlord Mohammed Farrah Aidid, you may know some of the story from "Blackhawk Down". Submittted by Carol.
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Finding me : a decade of darkness, a life reclaimed : a memoir of the Cleveland kidnappings
by Michelle Knight
This is one of those books you pick up and can't put down until you finish reading it. What this young lady went through for 11 years and her early childhood years is a true lesson in survival. I cried when reading parts of this book and can't imagine the life she has had. That monster not only took away 11 years of her life but destroyed 2 others along with Michelle. I can understand her not wanting to meet up with members of her family especially her mother who to this day denies the abuse her daughter suffered at the hands of a family member when she was younger. A true story on child abuse and how she would not be broken. Not since reading "A Child Called It" has a life been changed with the will to live and carry on. This book should be on everyone's reading list. Submitted by Judy.
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These Are the Generations
by Eric Foley
North Korea seems like a society from a completely different time than ours. This non-fiction book tells about the "worship" of the Kim dynasty and the grinding poverty in that country. There is starvation that painfully kills a small child and an older women who are neighbors of the family the book is written about. One man in the family is taken to prison where he is require to sit on the floor without moving for 17 hours a day. When he is release after 13 months (never being charged with any crime), his legs do not work. The book is written to describe the family's faith in Christianity and it is a moving testament to the human spirit. It is a very quick read that makes you think. Submitted by Kelly.
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