Summer Reading Reviews, Part 4!

Thanks to all of our patrons who have submitted reviews for the books they have been enjoying this summer. Below are some more reviews from some of our Barnard Crossing Branch patrons who have been participating in our 2014 summer reading program!

I’ve Got You Under My Skin by Mary Higgins Clark

Reviewed by Susan W.

A pair of blue eyes and a 20 year old unsolved murder is at the center of this mystery.  A three year old boy sees his father murdered by a blue-eyed man who threatens him and his family with these words, “Tell your mother she’s next, then it’s your turn.” A well written thriller by one of the great mystery writers.

Rating: 9/10

The Beach Quilt by Holly Chamberlin

Reviewed by Susan W.

In a small town in Maine, a 16 year old finds out she is pregnant and in the course of the next year, the lives of many change dramatically. This story is told through the eyes of the five main female characters which helps describe how all of their lives change. It is filled with hope, love, friendship, and strength, along with the hardship of teen pregnancy.

Rating 9/10

The Portrait by Iain Pears

Reviewed by Wilson B.

A great psychological thriller that will keep you turning the pages.  A very quick read.

Rating: 10/10

Thanks again to all of our fantastic summer readers! We hope you are enjoying reading, reviewing, and winning prizes. There's not much time left in the 2014 reading program, but we hope you will continue reading all year long and that you will join us again next summer for more summer reading fun!

Review: Sorry by Zoran Drvenkar

Title: Sorry

Author: Zoran Drevnkar

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 2011 

Published: 299

Four 20-something friends, Kris, Tamara, Wolf, and Frauke, living in Germany, have not much to do and not much direction, and on a whim one night, decide to start up an agency. It will be called Sorry, and they will apologize for people for all sorts of things. Sounds strange, but soon, they are getting call after call, and are raking in the money. Their latest client, however, is a killer, and he has called them to apologize to his victim, and to dispose of the body. He taunts them endlessly, and as they try to discover his identity before he comes after them, the question remains: why did he do this? And, are they next?

This was book was GOOD. And crazy. It was also bizarre, and graphic, and addicting and I’m STILL trying to wrap my head around it. A short “story” here will give you a brief summary of my up and down thoughts: A librarian coworker saw me reading this when I had first started, and asked how it was. I was only about 20 pages in and my response was: “weird. Its narration for a killer is from the point of view ‘you.’” A couple days later, halfway into the book, she saw me reading and asked again how I liked it. My response this time was drastically different: “it’s really good. It started out strange, but stick with it.” This is what I would tell you, too. But first, a warning: this book is extremely graphic and very disturbing and dark, including such things as rape, pedophilia, and gory killings. If you can handle that, and you love thrillers, then this is an excellent book for you. But it is bizarre! It has shifting narration: from each of the four friend’s perspectives, “you,” AKA the killer, “I,” who is unknown until the very end, and from “the man who wasn’t there,” someone who is watching the friends, but also is not revealed until later on in the book. So many strange and disturbing things happen and while the odd narration can be unsettling, I grew to like it, after hating it at first. I liked the book so much because it never stops and never relents. The action and mystery just keep at it until the very end, and I liked how unique the story was, both in its plot and its take on narration. This book truly is not for everyone; you must not have a weak stomach, and you have to enjoy “bizarre.” If both of these things apply to you, and you’re up for something really different, and exciting, then I’d recommend you pick this book up ASAP… but you’ve been warned!

5/5 stars!

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Reviewed by Stephanie

As always, feel free to call us to check on an item's availability at 720-4106, or try our Barnard Crossing Branch at 663-3357. You can also check our online catalog 24/7 at http://greecepubliclibrary.org/. Click on the title above to link directly to the item in our catalog!

Review: Term Limits by Vince Flynn

Title: Term Limits

Author: Vince Flynn

Genre: Thriller, political

Pages: 403

Published: 1998

Working in the library, I obviously have checked out a ton of Vince Flynn's books to library patrons, but have never read one myself. I have admired his handsome author picture many times and last year was saddened to hear that he had passed away due to cancer. So I decided to go old school and check out his first book, Term Limits. If you are a fan of David Baldacci, you would definitely like this one. It's full of political intrigue and dirty secrets, but with a couple of good, honest political types fighting against the bad guys. I will definitely read more of his work and am sorry he will not be around to entertain us any more.
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Reviewed by Kim

As always, feel free to call us to check on an item's availability at 720-4106, or try our Barnard Crossing Branch at 663-3357. You can also check our online catalog 24/7 at http://greecepubliclibrary.org/. Click on the title above to link directly to the item in our catalog!