Customer Comments

This is an amazing and tantalizing book that delves into memory and what it is, why we have it, how we lose it, how we can improve it, and the little known group who work on trying to win the U.S. Memory Championship (who knew there even WAS one!) It is a fun read full of interesting and helpful information, and I can easily and highly recommend it for you to take some time to peruse.

Synesthesia is a condition that was new to me ~ and this book explains it beautifully. And, at the end of the book, there are websites offered for someone to learn more about it. This story centers around Mia and her amazing ability to see colors in names and words and numbers and life ~ and it is frightening to her and to her family and to those around her, so...she hides it from everyone, even her best friend, Jenna. These abilities she has are simply too difficult to describe to anyone else. What she does with this special talent, how she loses it, and how she learns to use and revel in it is what this story is about, and it is touching...and enlightening. I appreciated learning something new about this “new-to-me” condition, and I think it would be helpful for kids to hear about it, too. A DOUBLE Thumbs up.

What a truly amazing book! It is perfect for grades 5-9, since the main characters are in those grades. It is a story about a boy named August who is born with a deformed face. He is home schooled until his parents suggest he should go to Beecher Prep for 5th grade. August doesn’t really want to do this since he has had people stare at him all of his life, and he doesn’t want to take that on in a larger setting: his first year of Middle School. What happens with him and his newfound friends, and enemies, is a story so real and so rewarding that I think every person in the world should read it to understand what people endure and how much one can grow by accepting others...and oneself. This book is not only a great book to read alone, but it would be an outstanding read aloud book ~ although, there will be times that it is difficult for the reader to read and maintain composure. The story is sweet and sad and rewarding. A DOUBLE thumbs up book!

I read this for my book group, and even though it may not have been a totally loved book by all, it was certainly an interesting one, and the ideas presented were new and different...and offered a wide range of discussion points for us. It's one of those books that "change" the reader so you see things differently and with a new perspective. It was disturbing, but it made for a lively exchange of ideas. This book was certainly an indictment about our world ~ where people would much prefer using iPhones than talking, person to person…even when in the same room! ~ where our physical beauty is so much more revered than our mental capabilities ~ where what we believe in is decided for us, and where those with power and money direct what people do...even when it is very wrong. "like it" would be FAR from the truth! At the same time, I do think it provides heaps of fascinating discussion ~ because the topic is so timely, because of the satirical style, and because it is SO strange, different, off-putting, vile, unusual, weird, and full. I would suggest that you NOT listen to this as an audio book when others are in the room ~ it's got strong language that is not good for the prudish at heart! Now, I have new terms I've gotten exposed to: "fuckability rating", apparati, UnitedContinentalDeltaAmercan Airlines, TIMATOV (Think I'm About to Openly Vomit), totally heart, Bi-Partisans killing Low Net Worth Individuals, The Rupture, Global Teens, Onion Jeans, SnapAways, Islamafascisn, FoxLibertyUltra, credit ratings for dating and for determination of your "worth" ~ simply...a whole new lingo and a whole new world. It's a world I would rather not live to experience! It is a book that will make the reader cringe ~ for many reasons, at many levels, and many, many times.

**Applegate, Katherine. The One and Only Ivan. 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY: HarperCollins Children's Books, 2012. Print. 304 pages. “When Ivan, a gorilla, who has lived for years in a down-and -out circus -themed mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant that has been added to the mall, he decides that he must find her a better life.” This is the summary by the author/publisher ~ but the story is so much more...more compassion, more sorrow, more angst, more wonder and worry about how people treat animals for their own gain, and how “principle” can triumph over using animals personal greed. The reader also gains an understanding of just how smart animals are. I’m not sure a person can read or listen to this book without tears and anguish ~ and without feeling a sense of hope. It is a call to action, and the reader/listener will understand that and respond. Thumbs up. (by the way, this is marketed as a children's book, but it is for absolutely for ALL ages to read and enjoy ~ and be changed after reading it.)

I just finished a book ~ a story where I wondered what the characters were doing when I wasn't reading about them. They became real to me, and I was fascinated by the people I met and the wonderful and horrible interactions they had with each other. It was a book about friendship, and sister/family relationships, and spousal interactions, and power, and the many changes we go thru over time in our lives. There were some pretty danged funny parts, and some tearfully poignant parts; there were some parts that I have encountered in my own life, and some scenes that were absolutely new ~ and all were beautifully explored and explained and embraced. I would suggest it for you to read ~ I read almost the entire book today…I was so drawn to it that when there were other things I was "supposed to be doing", I simply put the "to do" list away...and I read. I'm glad I did. If you read it ~ I hope you are glad you did, too.

Good morning! I just read a book I am going to recommend for you to read ~ WITH a caveat or two! It is so well and beautifully written, and the premise is interesting: it is a series of short stories that are all connected by having the character of Olive Kitteridge included in each of the stories. She is either mentioned or she is actively involved in each of the scenarios. The writing is clever and well crafted, and I can highly recommend it for the clear and lovely words chosen, her sensitivity, and her creative writing talents. Here comes the "but" for this recommendation before you pick up and read this winner of the Pulitzer Prize by Elizabeth Strout: the book is a series of extremely complex people and shattering life stories, and it's tough to read since the people involved are disappointed with life or have sorrows they must overcome; their choices and the stories about them and their lives are often difficult to read. Very rarely are you presented with a story that makes you smile or feel "good" when you get to the end of the chapter. Now, I don't mean to say that one must be always be happy with reading a book, but...this book presents a difficult bunch of sorrows to encounter. Luckily, it is presented with a short story format that allows you to read one, move away from the book and contemplate what you've read, and then pick it up again for a completely new story...with Olive woven into the snippet. There are some overlapping themes, but generally ~ you can read and then "rest" before taking on the next story. I know ~ this sounds like a luke warm recommendation, but...quite the contrary. I would highly suggest that you read this book, but I want you to be aware of the difficulty you might have with the content of the stories, too. It reminds me of the feeling I had with reading White Oleander ~ an incredible story that is like watching a car wreck in slow motion...but a wreck that is written with such beautiful and thoughtful words that you are drawn to read further, and you are "changed" by reading it. You will be changed by reading Olive Kitteridge; I would love to talk with you about it after you read this fine book. Happy Reading!