Zemek's Updates

Why Can't U Teach Me 2 Read? by Beth Fertig

Karen & gerard — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:45:28 GMT

Why Can't U Teach Me 2 Read? by Beth Fertig tells the story of three people who got out of the school system barely being able to read at all. They finally get help. Some of the book is dry reading but the part that deals with the three people trying to read and understand what they read makes for riveting reading. (30 stars)

--Gerard

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

Karen & gerard — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:20:12 GMT

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks is an interesting romance involving a single mom who took care of her elderly mother and helped her with the kennel, and a vet who felt the photograph he found of her in Iraq brought him luck so wanted to find her because he felt he owed her. He walked across the country with his dog to find her and had a little run-in with her ex who happened to be the Sheriff. He also had a dog who traveled with him which added to the interest of the story for me. This was a good read if you’re looking for a light family type story with some suspense tossed in. I liked it!

Game Six by Mark Frost

Karen & gerard — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:12:05 GMT

Game Six by Mark Frost is an awesome book! Being a diehard Red Sox fan, I just had to read this book. It’s about the greatest World Series game ever played: Boston vs. the Reds. The whole book focus is on this game. What makes this book for me is the background on the players who played in this game. The writing is superb! It feels like you are right there. I really enjoyed this book a lot and recommend it to any Red Sox fan.

--Gerard

Life's That Way by Jim Beaver

Karen & gerard — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:11:57 GMT

A POWERFUL BOOK! DON'T MISS IT! (800 stars)

Before I get started on my review, please pray for Jim Beaver and his daughter, Maddie. Life's That Way by Jim Beaver is probably the most emotional book that you will ever read. Do not expect to just breeze through it because it is too emotional and gut wrenching. It’s also a fantastic and tender love story. There are so many reasons to read this book. This book is a collection of emails that Jim sent to family and friends when his wife, Cecily, was diagnosed with lung cancer. It got turned into a book! You will feel so many emotions while you read this book. Anyone will be able to relate to what Jim went through and is still going through. You will remember this book long after you finish reading it. I highly recommend you read Life's That Way!

--Gerard

Our Boys by Joe Drape (50 stars)

Karen & gerard — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:59:27 GMT

I really enjoyed Our Boys: A Perfect Season On The Plains With The Smith Center Redmen by Joe Drape. It is about the Smith Center Redmen led by their coach, Roger Barta. It is located in a small town of Kansas, but this book is so much more. You see how the whole town gets behind "Our Boys" and you get to know the players and the assistant coaches as well. You will get caught up in this book right from the start and feel the excitement all the way to the end! It's a good read and I recommend it.

--Gerard

Old Dogs Are The Best Dogs by Gene Weingarten

Karen & gerard — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:50:07 GMT

I LOVED OLD DOGS ARE THE BEST DOGS by Gene Weingarten! If you have a dog, thinking of getting a dog, or unfortunately, just lost your dog, read this book! It’s wonderful! The pictures alone are enough for you to get this book. They are fantastic and in the stories about each dog, you can just feel the love the owners have for their dogs! I’m so glad I read this book and you will be too!

--Gerard ( I give it 138 stars, one for each page!)

Spooner by Pete Dexter

Karen & gerard — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 18:02:34 GMT

Spooner is a novel about a boy named Spooner. I especially enjoyed the early part of his life through his high school years. This book hops around a bit after that, but overall, it’s quite a remarkable fiction story! The other characters in the book are very interesting for the most part.

--Gerard (10 stars)

The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner

Karen & gerard — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:12:26 GMT

I would think The Neighbor is more of a woman's book, but I read it and enjoyed it. It's a fiction story about a woman who disappears one night, all signs point to foul play and to her husband. This book is a real page turner! The characters are very believable. I have to admit, the ending surprised me very much! I highly recommend you read this book.

--Gerard

Big Little Life by Dean Koontz

Karen & gerard — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:52:53 GMT

First off, this is a MUST READ for all dog lovers. "Big Little Life" is a true story of the author, Dean Koontz, who gets a C.C.I. dog by the name of Trixie. You will know what kind of special dog these are when you read the book. you will fall in love with Trixie and also learn things about Dean Koontz that you did not know. The book moves pretty fast and I found it very entertaining. Enjoy!

--Gerard

Raining Cats and Dogs by Laurien Berenson

Karen & gerard — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:00:08 GMT

Raining Cats and Dogs by Laurien Berenson is a murder mystery with some dog and cat stories tossed in which added some humor. The main character has five poodles and a neighbor who has a bunch of cats. Her private life relating to her neighbor was the humorous part of the book. She and her poodle went to a dog obedience class which invited her to join them on their visit to the nursing home. Although they weren't therapy dogs exactly, many of the residents enjoyed seeing the dogs. I was interested in this aspect of the book because it's something I would like to do with Abby some day. The murder was committed while they were at the nursing home and the Poodle owner is the one who just started her own informal investigation and discovered who did it. The highlight of the book for me was the cat lover lady who didn't like dogs but tolerated the poodle during the visits at the nursing home.

I liked it overall, but it was very slow moving.

The Siege by Stephen White

Karen & gerard — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:26:33 GMT

The Siege by Stephen White is about a terrorist plot on the Yale campus. The first few pages set the tone for the book and got my attention. Then I just kept turning pages. The Siege is a novel but reads like a newspaper story. I enjoyed it a lot. I connected with the characters and cared what happened to them.
--Gerard Zemek

Public Enemies: ...Birth of the FBI by Bryan Burrough

Karen & gerard — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 08:58:16 GMT

Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI 1933-34 by Bryan Burrough and Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan are so far tie for my number 1 books of the year. This book is about the gangster era of the early 30s featuring Pretty Boy Floyd, Baby Face Nelson, Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger and a few more. The stories about these people are so fascinating that it made me want to keep reading. A ton of research went into making this book come alive. I really, really enjoyed this book and plan to see the movie based on it one day. I think this book would appeal more to men than women though--a great read!

--Gerard Zemek

Angel Dogs by Allen & Linda Anderson

Karen & gerard — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 01:12:23 GMT

Angel Dogs by Allen and Linda Anderson is a fascinating non-fiction book of amazing stories about dogs from different people. One of the most uplifting and fun stories was from a family sharing about how they celebrate “Dog Day.” All day, they focus on their dogs and make it a very fun day for the whole family. I thought this was a wonderful idea! The stories range from how people’s dogs brought joy to their lives to amazing things they did to revisiting their owners after they died both in dreams and in signs and one even appeared to wake his owner up when he fell asleep on guard duty to save his career! It certainly is comforting for any dog owner in that it gives us hope of seeing our pets again who have crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. Who knows? Read it for yourself and you’ll see what I mean.

New Tricks by David Rosenfelt

Karen & gerard — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 16:19:25 GMT

New Tricks by David Rosenfelt is a murder mystery that is a good fun read. It goes fast, I got into it right away and it has an unbelievable ending. What more can you ask for? I recommend you read this book. I give it 7 stars.

--Gerard

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Karen & gerard — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 23:36:36 GMT

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult is a story of a family coping with a daughter who has Cancer and the sister who is destined to be the donor for her. It also has an interesting subplot of romance between the lawyer Anna hires and the lady appointed to make a recommendation to the court as to what she thinks is in Anna’s best interest. This would be a great book for a book club to discuss. It’s about feelings, ethics, motivations and relationships. It kept my interest all the way through and as usual in Picoult’s books, has a surprise ending.