The Game - June 30 to August 15
Be creative and read whatever you wish this summer. Fill out an entry for each book you read -- you may be the lucky winner picked for a prize each Friday! (First drawing is July 3.)
There will also be drawings for 2 gift baskets at the end of the summer.
The more you read, the better your chances!
How to play
Please enter each book only one time either on a paper entry form or by email, whichever is more convenient.
At the Library: Pick up paper entries. Fill them out and deposit them in the game box at the Circulation Desk. Your reviews will be posted, without your personal information, in the Library.
From home: Send an email with your reviews to winpublibart@gmail.com Your reviews will be posted, without your personal information, on this web page.
When submitting a review by email, be sure to include:
- Your name
- Your contact phone number or email address
- The name of the book and the author.
- Your review (optional) -- up to approximately 100 words.
- Whether the book is "Recommended" or "Not Recommended"
- Your Minuteman Library Network library card number. (We can only accept reviews from people in our area).
Reviews (most recent on top)
"Outlander" is the first in series of six books that are absolute page turners. After reading all six books, I wish there were more!
Claire Randall is a nurse in 1945, having just returned from front line nursing in France at the end of WWII. She and her husband are on vacation in Scotland after having been separated for several years. She steps between two standing stones in a stone circle in the Scottish Highlands and is suddenly transported back two hundred years to 1743 shortly before Charles Stuart makes his bid to become King of Scotland. (Remember "bonny prince Charlie?"). Claire's adventures in the 1700's fill all six books and once you have read the first, you will find yourself compelled to read all the rest. The amount of historical research done by the author makes this time travel book amazing and believable. The author is a fine writer and the story is compelling. I recommend this book highly. I believe it is being made into a miniseries for TV.
Scrambled Eggs at Midnight by Brad Barkley and Heahter Hepler.
A fair novel with little plot. It tells from the point of views of a girl and her ever-wandering mother and their journey that leads them to living in a tent at a renaissance fair, and of a misunderstood boy trying not to give in. There is much description and the book gets you thinking, but the plot line is wavering and the books moves very slow. I would recommend it for those who enjoy a more laid-back realistic setting to a book.
Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo
A richly written novel chronicling life in a small, upstate NY town. It is a setting Russo knows well, and describes beautifully. The characters are interesting, complex and struggling. Life isn't easy, but it is a joy to read about. Recommended.
Mary Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley by Alison Weir
A compelling and detailed look at one of history's most perplexing murder mysteries. The author tells and interesting story about the marriage of Mary Queen of Scots to Lord Darnley and puts together an interesting perspective on what really happened from the historical evidence. She really makes you feel like you are present in this complex and volatile period of British history. If you don't mind long books, and enjoy murder mysteries and biographies, then this one's for you! Recommended.
Candide by Voltaire
Terrible natural disasters? Human cruelty? Folly? Hypocrisy? This book has it all -- and more! It has great humor and wisdom. Voltaire’s satiric novel is a quick, easy read. And it is as on point as it was when Voltaire wrote it in 1759. It’s the perfect book to fit into a carry-on for a plane ride. Recommended.In the 1920s, the heroine, Lillian Leyb, physically (but not emotionally) escapes a terrible pogrom in Russia and immigrates to America. She learns that her young daughter, who she thought had died, may still be alive. With hope of finding her daughter, Lillian begins an odyssey across the country. At each stop she gets to know a variety of people from many walks of life. Lillian and they confront very difficult decisions about when to take from others – and when to give of themselves. The novel has adventure, eroticism, and sharp wit. I found it a page-turner, but only half of the 80 Amazon reviewers thought as highly of the book as I did. Recommended.
