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. ; )

Blasphemy by Douglas Preston

Rating: 4.0

Science and religion collide in Blasphemy with results that will change humankind forever. This one is hard to review without saying too much and spoiling it for you but I'll try.

A group of scientists deep in an Arizona mountain have created the world's largest supercollider which will "probe what happened at the very moment of creation: the Big Bang itself". Opposing these scientists are the fundamentalist Christians who believe that these scientists are attacking their religion by attempting to disprove Genesis.

Blasphemy could be considered by many to be controversial with it's plot surrounding the clash of science and religion. The Washington Post says ".....the scenes of howling Christians eagerly killing fellow Americans who don't share their views are chilling, and history reminds us that the more feverish advocates of most religions have been spilling innocent blood for centuries. The novel is entirely readable, and its satire of religious extremism, if heavy-handed, often strikes home." The characters were well written for the most part and the pace moved along pretty well. Overall, I thought this was an entertaining read. There were some twists and turns that I didn't see coming and the one really big plot twist toward the end. The outcome wasn't exactly what I hoped it would be but I can live with that. This is definitely something different and worth a read.

The List of 7 by Mark Frost

Rating: 5.0

The List of 7 is positively one of the most fun adventures I've ever read! I've just finished reading it for the second time.

The plot is full of mystery and suspense as Arthur Conan Doyle and his few newly acquired friends try to stop the underground takeover of the world by a group of seven people. I know the plot sounds kind of typical but the characters are what bring so much fun to the story. The main characters are fantastic and supported by a cast of walking mummies, flying gargoyles and other nightmarish creatures to keep Dr. Doyle and friends on their toes. The ending doesn't bring a lot of closure and that's okay because this book has a sequel, The Six Messiahs. You don't want to miss this thrilling tale full of compelling characters.