Book:	"Whose Death in the Tunnel? - The Tale of a Princess" by Aaron McCallum Becker ( )
Summary:	I?m an avid reader and wanted to mention my recent read that has absolutely captivated me. I cannot stop thinking about ?Whose Death in the Tunnel?? by Aaron McCallum Becker. The story is believable and provides much hope. It is an entangled, conspiracy page turner that suggests Princess Diana's death was faked. Although written as a novel, Becker intertwines many know facts into the story line. He amazingly fits these facts into the seeming fiction in a manner that makes the reader wonder if his story is what actually happened. The character development is exceptional, all having complex personalities instead of the one-dimensional, ?fit into a box,? generic characterizations that are so common today. ?Whose Death in the Tunnel? is the best read I have experienced in ages. I highly recommend it!
Reviewed by:	Vivian Bloomingdale
Book:	A Man in Full by Tom Wolfe ( )
Summary:	Even though I am a fan of Tom Wolfe, I was disappointed in this novel. The size of the book, over 700 pages, offered the promise of a great read, but it seemed to take hundreds of pages to reach the destination. Like cars in a chain pileup on a highway, a colorful collection of characters follows Atlanta real estate tycoon Charlie Croker on a foggy road as his financial fiascoes lead to an accident. The first 500 pages or so seem to be more a collection of short stories than a coherent novel. Each chapter is rewarding to read, but at times it seems that the reader is on a side road and has left the highway. When Charlie is finally back in the driver?s seat and headed for the inevitable crash, the anticipation of knowing the casualties and survivors keeps the reader driving. Despite these drawbacks, Wolfe is still a great writer and caustic as well as perceptive critic of American society. His ability to fix characters with a few key details and then to describe their unraveling in social interactions is unparalleled. He may be cynical, but Wolfe also introduces us to some admirable and heroic characters.
Reviewed by:	Jay Howard
Book:	A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson ( )
Summary:	This book was a very readable account of one man's effort to re-acquaint himself with his native country after living abroad for 20 years. The method he chooses for accomplishing this "mission" is hiking the 2000-mile Appalachian Trail. Most people, including his wife, think he's crazy, but he goes ahead with his plans anyway. This is no ordinary "walk in the woods". There are bears, moose, bobcats, rattlesnakes, poisonous plants, and fellow humans on the trail. It's far more than a stroll in the park! Bill Bryson's talent for description is equaled by his wit and sense of irony. His varied experiences--making coffee using toilet paper as filters, coping with the results after his hiking-mate threw half of their supplies and equipment over a cliff in an attempt to lighten his pack, his fears of meeting a bear on the trail and what happens when his fears are realized, are all told in a manner which will keep you laughing as you turn the pages. I will definitely read more of this author in the future!
Reviewed by:	beej
Book:	Almost Heaven by Judith McNaught ( )
Summary:	This historical romance tells the story of a romance that has passion and hope, tenderness and adventure, agony and fear. And as with any great romance, the realization and acceptance of that love can be your greatest set back as well as your greatest breakthrough...
Reviewed by:	Susan Ortega
Book:	Bachelor Brothers' Bed & Breakfast Pillow Book by Bill Richardson ( )
Summary:	This is a delightful book. Its wonderful humor comes from the gentle, quirky characters and the writer's skillful use of language (puns and literary allusions). This language flavors and enriches the story like the topping on an ice cream sundae. It is written in a quasi journal form with entires from not only both bachelor brothers--Hector and Virgil--but also from Altona (Hector's girlfriend), Caedmon (the handyman), and guests who have visited the brothers' bed and breadkfast. Added to this porridge are recipes and book reviews! There is a funny plot that focuses on efforts to pay tribute to Solomon Solomon, a local poet "of great skill and little fame," but the humor lies in each writer's musings about life, about himself and about others on this small island off British Columbia. At a scant 200 pages, it is a sweet, short read, but you will have to get your local library to request it from outside the Burlington County System (as I did in order to acquire it for a book group) and pay one dollar for its two-week use. If you do, it will be the best buy for a dollar that you'll get this summer.
Reviewed by:	Barbara Dane
Book:	City of Light by Lauren Belfer ( )
Summary:	This is a ?chick? book, but I, a guy, liked it. The heroine, Louisa Barrett, headmistress of an exclusive girls? school, must cope with marriage proposals while worrying about the welfare of an imperiled child and, in the meantime, trying to solve a murder. However, Louisa is brave, resourceful, and intelligent besides being good-looking; the child in danger is innocent yet surrounded by an aura of immorality; the suitors are each attractive but with secret, sinister hints. And eventually there are two murders. Things are not obvious in this novel set in Buffalo, NY in 1900 when the new innovation of electricity, generated by private investors from Niagara Falls' water, was replacing gas lights and turning light into the dark corners of the city. The author?s careful attention to historical detail and her overlay of present day attitudes and issues on the actual events and people in the novel, such as the plight of immigrants, the lack of rights for African Americans, Grover Cleveland, and environmentalists worried about the use of the Niagara?s water, present some refreshing perspectives on both the past and present. The novel is well written and offers emotional release as well as the opportunities for analysis.
Reviewed by:	Jay Howard
Book:	Cold in the Earth by Ann Granger ( )
Summary:	I read this book because I have exhausted all the well-known English mystery authors. In "What mystery do I read next?", the geographic index led me to a host of new authors. Under England, you can locate mysteries taking place in over 90 towns. Then I check to make sure the ones I choose are not too much over 200 pages. "Cold in the earth" by Ann Granger is a contemporary story involving death and drugs in the tiny town of Bamford in the Cotswolds. The two protagonists are Meredith Mitchell and her boyfriend Chief Inspector Alan Markby. There are a lot of good characters. There is action and suspense. I liked this book and there are others by Ann Granger.
Reviewed by:	Jane E. Snow
Book:	Dark Fire by Elizabeth Lowell ( )
Summary:	In this book the romance as well as the setting can be steamy. This is a case of the 2 main characters not knowing all of the facts in their meeting of each other. They come from two different worlds, yet they fall in love with each other in the Andean Cloud Forest, Ecuador. And when the truths start to come out, they both could get terribly hurt.
Reviewed by:	Susan Ortega
Book:	Dear Exile by Hilary Lifton & Kate Montgomery ( )
Summary:	This book contains a year of correspondence between two friends---one living and teaching in Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer, and the other starting a career in corporate America. The cultural differences they experience are riveting. The letters from Africa strongly reminded me of how good we have it here in the USA!
Reviewed by:	BJ Kiser
Book:	Flint's Honor by Richard S. Wheeler ( )
Summary:	I love western books, but I usually read romance ones. When I saw this book, I thought that I would give it a try even though it wasn't a romance novel. I thoroughly enjoyed it! It is not your typical western where they use guns. In this book the hero uses words to fight his battles. The author did a wonderful job in his describtions. I could picture the territory and smell the newspaper ink as if I was there. I can't wait to read another one of the Flint books.
Reviewed by:	Susan Ortega
Book:	Gods and Generals by Jeff Shaara ( )
Summary:	This is a book with many goals to fulfill. For one, it has to meet the standards set by the author?s father, who wrote the prize-winning novel of the Battle of Gettysburg, Killer Angels. For another, it has to work as an historical novel; faithful to history but with a strong narrative. And finally, it has to bring together a large number of characters and coherently develop them over the span of about six years. The book meets all these goals. Jeff Shaara has lived up to his late father?s standards and written a great historical novel which serves as a prequel to Killer Angels. In telling the story of the years leading up to July 1863, he has to present a good number of characters, mainly the Confederate and Union officers, and follow them from the years before the war, about 1858, to the Confederate victory at Chancellorsville. These characters are not just soldiers slugging it out on the front line; they are also men subject to the whims of politics and the fortunes of fate. They are at times unsure of themselves and their purpose, but they never fail to engage the reader. Shaara admirably achieves his goals.
Reviewed by:	Jay Howard
Book:	Greentown by Timothy Dumas ( )
Summary:	I became interested in the Martha Moxley case after seeing it on American Justice on the A&E TV channel. The author was born and raised in Greenwich, Conn. He was fourteen when Martha's bludgeoned and stabbed body was found in his hometown, October 30, 1975. She was fifteen. The crime has never been solved. Martha lived in a gated community called Belle Haven, across the street from the large Skakel family. Mr. Skakel's sister Ethel had married Bobby Kennedy (the President's brother). Two of the Skakel teenage boys were the last to see Martha alive and the murder weapon, a golf club, was owned by the Skakels. The Skakels were wealthy and influential. The stories Thomas and Michael Skakel told over the years have changed, possibly due to the development of DNA forensic testing. Martha would have been 40 next year. Most of the people involved in this have led tortured lives. I hope the murderer is found.
Reviewed by:	Jane E. Snow
Book:	I Thee Wed by Amanda Quick ( )
Summary:	This historical romance has some murder mystery added to it. It is good light reading and has some twists to it that make it interesting.
Reviewed by:	Susan Ortega
Book:	Notes from a small island by Bill Bryson ( )
Summary:	This is a lovely book with a big laugh every two pages. It is an account of Bill Bryson's "last" trip around the U.K. He and his family had lived in the Yorkshire Dales for 7 years and they were about to return to America. He took trains, buses, a car, a boat and walked. There is a map and a glossary. He ponders "..how you can stand on Snow's Hill at Windsor and see in a single sweep, Windsor Castle, the playing fields at Eton, the churchyard where Gray wrote his 'Elegy,' the site where 'The Merry Wives of Windsor was first performed...when at length I returned to my hotel and switched on the television , it was Cagney and Lacey again?" In Ludlow, he saw "a couple of places that styled themselves 'family butchers' (I always want to go in and say, 'How much to do mine?'" I'm sure this man will go back again. I want to read one of his other books, "The mother tongue."
Reviewed by:	Jane E. Snow
Book:	Old brown suitcase by Lillian Boraks-Nemetz ( )
Summary:	Slava, a fourteen-year old immigrant girl, comes to Canada from Poland after WWII. While she struggles with English, she is haunted by terrifying memories - her experiences as a Jewish child persecuted by the Nazis. The story is told in two different time frames, switching back and forth for each chapter. It is very touching, with her old suitcase tying her past and present together.
Reviewed by:	Jane E. Snow
Book:	One White Rose by Julie Garwood ( )
Summary:	The story of the Clayborne brothers continues. If you have read "For the Roses", then this is must reading for you. It tells of Douglas Clayborne, his future bride, and the circumstances that bring them together. As with all of Julie Garwood's books, it is good reading!
Reviewed by:	Susan Ortega
Book:	Perfect murder, perfect town by Lawrence Schiller ( )
Summary:	Subtitle: Jonbenet and the city of Boulder. This tragedy has been on our minds for two and a half years. You learn lots of things reading this book, all 621 pages (read it all, especially near the end). Don't miss the 5 page character list and map of the house. It's a story without an ending. I checked CNN online and found an article from June 17, 1999, saying that the grand jury convened last September (1998) hearing the facts, has only met a few times in the past months and "sources say they could end up issuing no indictments." One thing that struck me is why did Patsy Ramsey say to her friend Pam Griffin (Jonbenet's seamstress for the pageants) on Dec. 27, 1996, "We didn't mean for this to happen."
Reviewed by:	Jane E. Snow
Book:	River's End by Nora Roberts ( )
Summary:	A spooky tale of a daughter coming to grips with the murder of her mother... a crime she witnessed as a young child. As always, Roberts' imagery of the Olympia Forest and its flora and fauna is vivid enough to seem like you're on vacation. A great story for suspense and romance.
Reviewed by:	Paula Manzella
Book:	Small Town Girl by LaVyrle Spencer ( )
Summary:	I love LaVyrle Spencer's books! She has a way of touching your heart and making you want to know what happens to the characters even after the book ends. In this story Ms. Spencer brings a country music star back to her home town. You can feel the turmoil and changes that she goes through the longer she is "home". Love can do such wonderful things to your soul...
Reviewed by:	Susan Ortega
Book:	Something Wonderful by Judith McNaught ( )
Summary:	I had read another Judith McNaught book that had these same characters in it, but in that book the characters were already wed. This book tells of their romantic but stormy beginning. And of course, how it turns out to be "Something Wonderful".
Reviewed by:	Susan Ortega
Book:	Tell Me Your Dreams by Sidney Sheldon ( )
Summary:	Once again, Sidney Sheldon has done a wonderful job! This book gives you the unexpected in murder mystery...from beginning to end. A friend highly recommended it to me. She read it in two days. I read it in one...GREAT READING!!!
Reviewed by:	Susan Ortega
Book:	The Outlandish Companion by Diana Gabaldon ( )
Summary:	This guide to the "Outlander" series takes the reader on an exploration of the world of Jamie and Claire. Travel through 18th century Western European and American history. Fight at Culloden... Attend a witch trial... Experience the court of Charles Stuart... Read one of the greatest love stories written. For fans of the "Outlander" series, this is not only the bible, but is the ultimate "how-she-done-it-so-good." For those who have not read the books, consider it the Cliff Notes version!
Reviewed by:	Paula Manzella
Book:	The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester ( )
Summary:	Lexicographers, the writers of dictionaries, are said to be ?drudges,? but not in this fascinating history of scholarship and insanity. James Murray is the professor who supervised the compilation of the Oxford English Dictionary, a massive effort due to the extent of its entries. In this multi-volume dictionary, the historical usage of each word was traced by volunteers who submitted examples from literature. This is where the madman, William Minor, an American who committed murder in London and who was sentenced to an English insane asylum, played a significant role. He established a useful and thorough method to record the usage of words he read, and his work, which was sent to Murray, contributed greatly to the success and scope dictionary. This is not just a story of drudges, however. Each man is a fascinating individual and the details of their lives separately and together give this non-fiction book the intensity of a novel. Murray is known for his dedication and knowledge; Minor, a medical doctor, is marked by his demons from Asia and the American Civil War. The attempts to explain his madness, the meeting of the two men, and Minor?s life after the dictionary make for fascinating reading.
Reviewed by:	Jay Howard
Book:	The Reef by Nora Roberts ( )
Summary:	Sunken treasure, piracy on the high seas, revenge, romance and family values all set in the background of the West Indes... Follow Tate and Matthew as they track down treasure and a murderer... fight off a shark attack and struggle to rekindle an old love. Nora Roberts is a prolific writer and this is one of her finest works.
Reviewed by:	Paula Manzella
Book:	The Road into the Open by Arthur Schnitzler ( )
Summary:	In some ways this novel, set in Vienna in the end of the 19th century, is about very little, and then it is about everything. A young, talented man has to decide what to do with his life. Will he take a job? Will he marry? Will he settle into middle-class comfort? A few key events trigger decisions, but basically not much changes. The lack of dramatic development, in actuality, is probably what gives this novel its appeal. The young man?s concerns, set in a soothing world of artistic amusement, economic comfort, and liberal politics, are universal. Schnitzler, who was trained as a physician, is a perceptive and sensitive writer. The pace of the novel and the loaded conversational exchanges require careful reading, and the nuanced world of Viennese society may seem tedious, but the novel is rewarding. It captures the mood at the turn of the last century as we are preparing to turn over a new one and even a millennium. Reading this book also affords an opportunity to shake one?s head in disbelief since some of the issues which are so important, for example the aristocracy and anti-Semitism, offer a foreboding attraction to readers in the 1990s.
Reviewed by:	Jay Howard
Book:	The survivor by James D. Forman ( )
Summary:	This fiction book for teens depicts the terrible time for Jews in the Netherlands during WWII. It includes the German occupation and concentration camps. David Ullmann's family consists of his twin, Saul, his sisters Ruth and Rachel, his mother and father, grandfather and Uncle Daniel. The book moves chronologically from August 1939 to summer 1945. Sister Ruth and Uncle Daniel are in the underground. His mother dies in hiding. His grandfather commits suicide but leaves the family valuables hidden for any of the family to find after the war. His younger sister Rachel went into hiding separately and may have made it to Palestine. His father was sent to the gas chamber. David and Saul go to Auschwitz and fortunately have false identity papers saying they are not related. Saul dies on the death march in 1945 when the Russians were advancing. Being a survivor was a difficult life situation. So much had gone before and the future was hard to face.
Reviewed by:	Jane E. Snow
Book:	The weaver's tale by Kate Sedley ( )
Summary:	This is a short mystery taking place in middle ages in England. The main character is Roger Chapman. In the middle ages many people were known by their occupation: a chapman was a travelling peddler selling thread, needles, ribbons and lace as he travels from village to town. Roger is a former monk, who has good luck solving mysteries. This is the last in a series of three books. He solves the disappearance of Margaret Walker's father in Bristol and marries her daughter, Lillis. It has suspense and a good ending.
Reviewed by:	Jane E. Snow
Book:	Then Came Heaven by LaVyrle Spencer ( )
Summary:	Could you imagine my disapointment when I found out that this is Ms. Spencer's last book? She is one of my favorite authors, and I will miss her greatly. In this book, she once again spins a wonderful tale about ordinary people. She finds a way for you to feel all of their heartache, confusion, love, and finally elation. I had a hard time putting the book down.
Reviewed by:	Susan Ortega