This is another one of those films which should have never been made. Sadly, what was a delightful book translated into an awful movie, despite the all-star cast.

This is story of the Kurdish Jews - a group so isolated for so many years that they still spoke Aramaic well into the 20th century. A history of the author's father well as of the exodus of an entire community, it's also a personal journey of discovery into the author's heritage and his relationship with his father. This is a brilliantly written book about a community that not many people know about.

I picked up this book and expected not to find it very engaging...and then I couldn't put it down! Cloud Atlas is actually a set of six different stories: the reader moves forward in time, starting with a South Pacific sea voyage in the mid-1800s, watching the first half of each story unfold before finally arriving in post-apocalyptic Hawaii to turn around and travel back through the conclusion of each tale. Mitchell is a masterful storyteller, subtly weaving together the details that link all of these stories to each other. I got to the end of the book and wanted to pick it right back up and re-read it.

If you like reading about real life murder cases, especially as seen by an FBI profiler, then this book is for you! Covers some of the most interesting unsolved cases in history, including Lizzie Borden and Jack the Ripper.

Ok, I am not even sure how to start this review. Probably with a big sigh. Among other things I just don't have the energy or the inclination to point out, the author is clearly biased and uses a slew of condescending - as well as simplistic - arguments. Anyone who refers to books (any books) as "evil" and, for all intents and purposes, advocates censorship [book burnings anyone?] loses my interest right there. But please don't take my word for it, read it yourself. You may even like it.

Starring Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie, this movie recounts the story of a Yale University graduate and his long career in the United States Central Intelligence Agency. If you enjoy spy movies, you may like this one. Also recommended, The Company and Syriana.

I was skeptical about this book at first, but in the end I actually liked it a lot. It is not only fictitious biblical history but also ancient Mesopotamian history, which the author thoroughly researched for this novel. I found it very enjoyable.

Starring Michael Douglas and Glenn Close, this movie retells the story of a one night stand gone terribly wrong.

The title sounded promising, and I generally like to read memoirs like this, but I found this one to be lacking.

This movie is about the interrogation and torture of innocent individuals by the United States Central Intelligence Agency under a previous Presidential administration. Because viewers may find some of the scenes in the movie disturbing or upsetting, it’s not recommended for everyone.

The story starts with Betsy describing the worst day of her life, the day she died... and she rises as a vampire.

As she describes her life and we learn more about our heroine, I realize I don’t like her. Betsy comes across as self absorbed, vain, not too bright, and arrogant. Now, I’m sure the author meant to portray her this way because she beats us over the head with Betsy’s materialism and daftness, but I felt like it was a bit much.

As the story continues, I grew more and more annoyed with Betsy, almost to the point that I didn't think I’ll even finish reading the book. She annoyed me with her need to always "talk back", her unnecessary use of profanity (I’m not a prude, but don’t cuss just for the sake of cussing) and how she refused to listen to logic (her decision making process is ridiculous).

Overall I didn't think the author brought any real nuance to the vampire world but I can recommend this book for someone who needs a quick vampire read fix.

Whoreson is the coming of age story of Whoreson Jones, the son of a prostitute (hence his name, Whoreson) who by the age of 16 becomes a pimp. The book takes you on a wild ride throughout the underworld of "pimping". Even though some passages are hard to read for their bluntness, it keeps you reading with its fast pace and the anticipation of what will happen next.

This book is not for the timid. Donald Goines writes in a straight-forward, gritty manner about controversial topics, such as violence (especially against women), prostitution, rape, and all things "pimping". After reading this book, I’m sure, just like me, you are amazed at people who glamorize "pimping". It’s an ugly, ugly violent world, best left only to the confines of books.

The book is a quick read, which can easily be finished over the weekend or an uninterrupted evening after work.

The hardest thing to overcome, initially, was the story read as a British detective story in the early chapters. I had to continually remind myself that this was set in New England, not Jolly Olde England. Once I got settled into the story, this wasn't a problem. Which was good, since there were plenty of other problems to deal with. Like, for instance, Lt. Delmonico made me salivate for grill medium steaks while his love interest (pegged from the first meeting, in my head) annoyed me with her Australian/American/English accent. Desdemona Dupre. What a terrible name. What a terrible character. The serial killer was too predictable and it became obvious when next s/he would strike. As twisted as this might sound, I would have preferred more development of the killer. As it was, the killer's reveal was something of a let-down, an after-thought, a lack-luster end to an otherwise forgettable book.

I turned each page of this book waiting to have some great tragedy revealed, but in the end, this was just a story about a sad and stifled young woman. Which, I suppose, is the ultimate tragedy, after all. The final pages, where the reader learns about the final showdown between May and Ruby, are disturbing. But, by that point, nobody should truly be surprised that what happens happens. Hamilton has crafted a sparse yet luscious novel that reveals the human spirit at its most base level.

I was disappointed to end this book--it was a natural read full of ordinary people. Much of Shreve's descriptions produced vivid images and enhanced the rawness of the characters.

I was particularly shattered by the twist at the end, though I will say that having things happen the way they did was, while sad, ultimately much better. In the beginning, the multiple stories seem to be completely unrelated--what does a deaf mill worker, a socialite, and a typewriter salesman have in common? Shreve deftly weaves the the lives of these characters into one fine fabric. This is, in my opinion, the best she's written.

Recommended to me by another librarian, I thought, I'd give it a try. I was so incredibly disappointed! There's absolutely no character development--Mona Lisa "discovers" her true identity? I'd like to know where in the story *that* happens... It's just a bunch of sex--sex for fun, sex for healing, sex until their inner lights start glowing (yes, they glow. It's apparently beautiful.).

I am not a fan of fantasy writing and this did nothing to convince me to feel otherwise.

Predictable story of a teenage party gone wrong. Very predictable and not really satisfying... The worst part is the high school boy (Tom). I don't like his character - his character seems overly self-destructive and self-centered. I was offended by this character, but I think if perhaps more time was spent developing his story, it might have been a more interesting read. The ending was hokey and made me almost regret reading this story, though my options at the time of reading this were to listen, instead, to the conversations of other jurors-in-waiting...

The best part of this book is by far the journal entries. The modern characters are shallow, the grand-daughter/grandmother relationship is overwrought and underwhelming, the love interest is obvious from the introduction of that character, and the ending is predictable from about page 50. I would have rather read a book based on Hannah's journals, or a book narrated by the grandmother moreso than the grand-daughter. I did like that Meg eventually learned of her family's history, but that didn't really improve my overall impression of Meg's character. The chick-lit aspect is a real turn-off for me and I could have done without the angst-y passages where Jim and Meg sleep in separate motel rooms and wait, wondering if the other will come knock on the door. The chick-lit doesn't fit with how I wanted the rest of the story to read.

The ending is not-quite-revealed in the beginning of this tale of brutal dysfunction. Spanning decades, this is a tale of finding one's self and overcoming one's history.

Though at times far-fetched or forced, Schwarz maintains a well-constructed story of loss and hope until the very end. The bleak setting and the sparse narrative lends to the isolation of the characters. An excellent debut novel.