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sthurner

sthurner

“Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” Francis Bacon

I am a retired English teacher, now an artist, and always a reading omnivore.

I belong to a neighborhood book discussion group, and participate in a couple online book discussion groups. Shelfari is where I keep my... more »
  • Janesville, WI, USA
  • member since October 11 2006

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Displaying 1-10 of 715 reviews
  • The Elegance of the Hedgehog
    • Rated 4 stars

    “I wasn't keen to read this novel, chosen by my local book group, but I'm glad I did. I enjoyed the two protagonists, both of these bright outsiders, use their intellect as a sort of defensive shell, and each learns something from one another. The young girl reminds me a little of Holden Caulfield in Catcher in the Rye. Some of my group were put off by the discussions of philosophy, but others (including myself) found this to be a satisfying novel.”

    sthurner wrote this review 7 days ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Graveyard Book
    • Rated 5 stars

    “"There was a hand in the darkness and it held a knife."

    I heard good things about Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book," and for once the hype was justified. This YA novel appealed to this not-so-young reader very much indeed. The plot combines a murder mystery with a charming story of a boy raised by (nope not wolves) ghosts. A sort of Jungle Book of the graveyard. It begins with an English family of four, and three are killed. The baby, later called Nobody (Bod) Owens, is raised, taught and guarded from harm by the spirits of the departed. There is humor, action, and suspense. Great fun.”

    sthurner wrote this review 7 days ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • Something Rotten
    • Rated 4 stars

    “Fforde's tongue-in-cheek novels are a guilty pleasure for this reader, an entertaining blend of sci-fi and mystery for bibliomaniacs. I enjoyed Thursday's romp through fiction and the "real" world in her mad dash to get back her husband, save Hamlet, win the Superhoops, and keep the evil giant corporation Goliath from destroying earth.”

    sthurner wrote this review 12 days ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • Night Sisters: A Novel
    • Rated 3 stars

    “"May I come to you?"

    According to Spring Green author Sara Rath, this is the question that a medium should ask of her subject before delivering a spirit message. Rath, whose first book Star Lake Saloon and Housekeeping Cottages is also set in Wisconsin, has penned a novel that cannot decide if it is spooky, romantic or slapstick. By trying to be all three, it fails to be any of them.

    Elenora Grendon, a divorced writer whose children and grandchildren live in far-flung locations, decides to write a magazine article about the Wocanaga Spiritualist Camp. Wisconsin has a long history of involvement in spiritualism, and the fictional camp is based on a real one in the Baraboo area. At any rate, skeptical "Nell" discovers that she has a talent for channeling, and a pesky spirit of an old-time radio actress causes havoc in her life. There is a back story from Elenora's girlhood involving a couple unsavory incidents, a subplot about a possible murder of a childhood friend, and some very silly romance with a jazz pianist. Overall I found the story to be unconvincing and the characters nobody I wanted to spend time with. The only thing that kept me reading was the author's descriptions of the UW Madison campus, State Historical Society, and western Wisconsin's beautiful scenery.

    ”

    sthurner wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • Affinity
    • Rated 5 stars

    “"Pa used to say that any piece of history might be made into a tale; it was only deciding where the tale began, and where it ended."

    Since it's October, the month of Halloween, I decided to read a book that promised to be creepy. This novel by Sarah Waters fit the bill nicely. The setting is Victorian London. There are two female leads, Margaret Prior, a nervous, pale, and unhappy girl who decides to visit lady prisoners at Millbank Prison after the death of her father. The other principal character is one of those prisoners, Selina Dawes, a spiritualist convicted of causing the death of her patron. This is in many ways a classic gothic novel, complete with creepy settings, mourning for lost loves, ghosts (maybe), and an undercurrent of passion. The story unfolds in chapters that alternate between Margaret's diary and Selina's. Waters never fails to pen page turners, and this one had me up late, anxious to see how the tangled web of the plot unraveled itself. The plot has more twists than London streets, a real pleasure.”

    sthurner wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Lambs of London: A Novel
    • Rated 4 stars

    “After I read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society I became interested in the lives of Charles and Mary Lamb. As a child I had read their prose versions of Shakespeare stories. This is a short work of fiction that incorporates the brother and sister into a mystery of sorts. A poem, a play and other papers are discovered in London. Are they the work of the immortal bard? I enjoyed the story with all its descriptions of London's bookshops and literary scene, though I guessed the truth too soon for my happiness.”

    sthurner wrote this review Sunday, October 4 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Hey, Cowgirl, Need a Ride?
    • Rated 3 stars

    “Baxter Black's story of the sort-of married girl who runs off with $5 million in order to stop a hunt of endangered animals is silly, silly silly. If you love outrageous plots and overblown similies, this is for you.”

    sthurner wrote this review Saturday, October 3 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • My Jim: A Novel

    My Jim: A Novel

    by Nancy Rawles
    • Rated 4 stars

    “"Chas Freeman ask me to marry him." That's the opening line of My Jim.

    This slender novel is written in the voice of Sadie Watson, ex-slave, telling the story of her life to her granddaughter, Marianne Libre. It's a small book, only 161 pages, but filled with sorrow and love. Sadie is the wife of Jim, the runaway slave from Huckleberry Finn, and while he is the love of her life, much of that life is spent away from him. While I was captivated by Sadie's story, was interested in her ways of surviving crushing loss, I hesitate to recommend to all readers because of the dialect in which it is written. I suspect this would be wonderful in audio format.”

    sthurner wrote this review Saturday, September 26 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • A Tale of Two Cities
    • Rated 5 stars

    “I find it difficult to believe that I did not read A Tale of Two Cities as a student, but I didn't. Maybe it's better that I waited until Dickins' wonderful story, at turns horrifying and inspiring, could be really appreciated. I knew, in general what would happen - I must have seen the old film - but I was not prepared for how vividly the characters are drawn or how beautifully the language is crafted. I was not prepared for the savagery of the action, or for my emotional reaction at the end. Dickins writes a cautionary tale of the terrible fruits of oppression, for in this novel aristocratic cruelty begets Republican cruelty, and the innocent suffer along with the guilty. Liberty comes at a terrible price in Revolutionary France. But despite the paradoxes of the time, we are reminded that for every Madame DeFarge or cruel aristocrat, there is a person who embodies love and honor. ”

    sthurner wrote this review Monday, September 21 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: A Hercule Poirot Mystery
    • Rated 4 stars

    “I enjoyed this "locked room" Hercule Poirot mystery, and didn't guess the trick until a half a page before the reveal. This one is a classic cozy.”

    sthurner wrote this review Sunday, September 20 2009. ( reply | permalink )
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