Gerald's Gamy by Stephen King

Rating: 4.5

Gerald's Game is a pretty terrifying book. Not necessarily in the way many of his books are though. It's a different kind of terror, more of a claustrophobia I guess.

It starts with a middle aged married couple, Jessie and Gerald, at their cabin in the woods. They are getting a little kinky, with Jessie handcuffed to the bed, when Gerald has his heart attack and drops dead on the floor. That's when the terror starts.

This book really made me cringe. Just reading the blurb, before I even started reading the book, I think I cringed. It's a horrifying scenario to imagine! The book flashes between Jessie trying to escape the cuffs and Jessie as a little girl, during the solar eclipse, when something happens to her that she has never gotten over. And if being handcuffed to a bed in the middle of nowhere isn't scary enough for you, King wrote in a little nighttime visitor that would give anybody goosebumps.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Rating: 5.0

The Scarlet Letter is a wonderfully written romantic thriller. I found it full of suspense and mystery.

This book really starts with a bang. Hester Prynne, along with her baby, Pearl, are put upon the scaffold as acknowledgment and punishment for her adulterous affair. She is forced to wear a large letter A on her chest so everybody can see her sin. She refuses to announce the man with whom she sinned. That's where the mystery and suspense starts. What do the Reverend Mr. Dimmsdale and the newcomer Doctor Roger Chillingworth have to do with everything? Lots.

This book really held my interest. I'd read it before, a long time ago, and had forgotten how good it really is. I had a hard time putting it down. The writing is beautiful and really conveys the Puritanism of the story. The synopsis from Barnes & Noble says it perfectly. "The landscape of this classic novel is uniquely American, but the themes it explores are universal—the nature of sin, guilt, and penitence, the clash between our private and public selves, and the spiritual and psychological cost of living outside society. Constructed with the elegance of a Greek tragedy, The Scarlet Letter brilliantly illuminates the truth that lies deep within the human heart."

Deep Six by Clive Cussler

Rating: 4.0

'A ghost ship drifts across the northern Pacific....
A Soviet luxury liner burns like a funeral pyre....
And the U.S. President's yacht is heading for disaster....'

Yet another fun Dirk Pitt adventure. This one is full of suspense and danger with plots to brainwash the President of the United States and take over the government. The only complaint I have is that there were so many characters that it felt a little confusing at times trying to keep all the names straight and who was who. This is quite an adventure though with a great ending featuring some awesome confederate soldiers from a Civil War reenactment. The end really made me smile. If you like action and adventure I highly recommend some Clive Cussler.

Beyond the Sky and the Earth: A Journey into Bhutan by Jamie Zeppa

Rating: 5.0

"Her tale is part love story, part history lesson and part Buddhism 101." -Mademoiselle

Beyond the Sky and the Earth is a beautifully written 'journey into Bhutan'. Armchair travel is a favorite genre of mine and Jamie Zeppa does a wonderful job at making the reader feel like part of her journey.

Jamie, a Canadian, takes a two year teaching post in far away Bhutan leaving her home and fiance behind. Culture shock hits her hard in this country where people only have what they need. She questions herself and wonders why in the world she took this post and how she can possibly make it here for two years. Then the balance starts to slowly shift and eventually she wonders how she can ever return to Canada and the world where people have more than they need and are the worse for it. She ends up extending her teaching post because she can't bear to leave this country. Along her journey she learns a lot about herself and a country she begins to call home. This is such a beautifully descriptive travelogue/memoir. I loved every sentence.

".....her squeamishness about the place turned to love, addiction and lust, for a landscape, a lifestyle, a people and a man...." - Mademoiselle

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Rating: 4.0

Great Expectations was a satisfying read. It had depth and a lot of humor that I wasn't expecting.

The story follows Pip through much of his life starting in childhood. I enjoyed the first part of the book the most....it was very funny. Pip helps an escaped convict which will have repercussions throughout the rest of his life. He is given a fortune from an anonymous benefactor and moves to London with 'great expectations' of becoming a gentleman and furthering himself in life. All does not go according to his expectations though and many lessons are learned.

The first part of Great Expectations was excellent. It was surprisingly funny and very thrilling and fast paced. Comparatively, the last half dragged a bit. That's not to say it was boring though. The characters kept it interesting. Great Expectations contains some wonderful characters...one's you don't want to miss! This is definitely a book to be read by anyone who enjoys literature and I'm certainly glad I did.

I'm with Stupid by Elaine Szewczyk

Rating: 3.0

I'm with Stupid is a mediocre tale of love, lust and friendship. There was not much depth to the story and very little plot.

Three friends go on a safari to South Africa where one of them, Kas, has a one night stand with a hot safari guide who seems to be so perfect it's scary. They exchange emails and that's that....or so Kas thinks. Soon after the three get back to New York, Kas gets an email from hot safari guide, William, and it looks like it was written by a five year old. Turns out William has the body but was shortchanged in the brains department. He's just informed Kas that he's moving to New York to write a book (EEK!) and he will be staying with her. Lots of craziness ensues with William being in New York with no brains.

The thing this book has going for it are it's wonderful wit and humor. It's really funny. I really wish it had some depth to it though. I'm with Stupid got off to a nice start but about halfway through my interest really started to dwindle. This is the first novel by this author, and I hope for her sake she is just getting warmed up.

Chocolat by Joanne Harris

Rating: 4.0

Chocolat is a tale of prejudice, bigotry....and chocolate? It's the tale of a beautifully pagan chocolotiere and a handsome red headed river gypsy who the town priest preaches against.

When the enchanting Vianne comes to set up a chocolate shop in a provincial French town, all hell breaks loose thanks to Pere Reynaud, the parish priest. Vianne refuses to go to church, she has a daughter out of wedlock, she tells all kinds of pagan stories and she wants to have a chocolate festival on Easter morning. She gets under Pere Reynaud's skin at every turn. All she really wants though is to make people happy. And she does. Chocolat has some beautiful characters and the pastoral setting was charming. The descriptions, especially of the chocolates, was mouth-watering and tantalizing. What I didn't like was the ending. Too much was left unsaid. There was not enough closure for my taste. Besides that, the book was a very enjoyable read. I think I enjoyed the movie a bit more though.

Word of warning: have lots of chocolate handy while reading this. ; )