90. By George

By Wesley Stace
Rated: 4 1/2 Stars


"In the illustrious history of the theatrical Fishers, there are two boys named George: one is an eleven-year-old schoolboy, the other a ventriloquist's dummy. With no voice of his own but plenty to say, the dummy tells his life story: his humble beginnings in 1930 as a block of wood and some papier-mache, his fateful rise to vaudeville fame, and the horrible secret he's been made to keep. But the dummy has long since been laid to rest, forgotten and abandoned in the Fishers' dusty attic." "In 1973, his self-possessed bur vulnerable namesake finds himself packed off to boarding school for the first time, far from the bosom of his family - his mother, Frankie, a dynamic actress; his grandma Queenie, children's party entertainer extraordinaire; and his bedridden great-grandmother, still in charge, though an echo of her glorious past. When fate brings the two Georges together, the dummy has been silent too long." "From the author of the international bestseller Misfortune comes an utterly original novel of a flawed but formidable family - its dominant women, its disgruntled men, its decades-old secrets - and of two boys who find that truth is not always best out in the open. Wesley Stace writes of lies and mistakes, of heroism and failure, of knowing when to keep quiet and knowing when to speak, and of our innate and wholly human struggle to find a voice of our very own."--BOOK JACKET.

90. To The Last Salute

The Memoirs of an Austrian U-Boat Captain
Rated 4 Stars

Regardless of whether or not von Trapp tried to make himself look good, I found this book very interesting. I have always been fascinated by submarines this look at early U-Boats was certainly enlightening. I also proves to me that men are just a little bit crazy. I cannot imagine a sane person setting out to sea to conduct warfare in the boats that are described in this book.

I also never imagined that railway cars could have bed bugs in the upholstery. The things you learn when you read!


"Captain von Trapp's narrative of his wartime U-boat exploits has lurked in German and French for generations and now finds an adequate translator into English in one of his granddaughters. He almost certainly always tried to put his best foot forward, and he emerges from his account as a man of great skill, considerable compassion (even for his victims), and sufficient tact and tolerance to handle the kind of polyglot crews that sailed for the Dual Monarchy. In two submarines, the antique U-5 and the French prize, U-14, he became the highest scoring Austro-Hungarian submariner, despite equipment that was sometimes more dangerous to him and his men than to the enemy. He fought on to the end, knowing that the Dual Monarchy he served so well was crumbling. In the end, he gave the last salute of the title when the imperial flag was hauled down for the last time." BOOK JACKET

89. The Choice

By Nicholas Sparks
Rated 2 Stars

This is probably the worse book Sparks has written. The dialogue comes across as forced in spots and the whole concept of the book is a variation of a story he has done to death. How many ways can he kill off his heroines? Below is the blurb from amazon.

Travis Parker has everything a man could want: a good job, loyal friends, even a waterfront home in small-town North Carolina. In full pursuit of the good life--boating, swimming, and regular barbecues with his good-natured buddies--he holds the vague conviction that a serious relationship with a woman would only cramp his style. That is, until Gabby Holland moves in next door. Despite his attempts to be neighborly, the appealing redhead seems to have a chip on her shoulder about him ... and the presence of her longtime boyfriend doesn't help. Despite himself, Travis can't stop trying to ingratiate himself with his new neighbor, and his persistent efforts lead them both to the doorstep of a journey that neither could have foreseen. Spanning the eventful years of young love, marriage and family, The Choice ultimately confronts us with the most heart wrenching question of all: how far would you go to keep the hope of love alive?