Debra Garfinkle

I'm wary about reading books by celebrities or semi-celebrities. But Publishers Weekly gave this a great review, so I gave it a shot and am glad I did. The pacing is excellent, as are the detailed settings and the fun plot twists. I felt I learned something about being a prosecutor in L.A. and had a great time doing so.

I've listened to four of Lancaster's nonfiction books and they've all made me laugh. She's bitchy and snotty, which she compensates for with a good measure of self-deprecation. The important thing is that she's very funny.

This is really well plotted, with lots of surprising twists. The main character is endearing and the supporting characters are funny. I laughed a lot. I've read all of Kinsella's novels and think this one is the best. It's a ton of fun..

I have read all of Anne Tyler's books. She's one of my favorite authors. This book is terrific like her others. The protagonist is a stubborn young widower who walks with a cane and has trouble overcoming his grief. He is fully fleshed out, and surrounded by fun, quirky friends, coworkers, and relatives. If you like smart, character-driven novels with humor and poignancy, you can't do much better than an Anne Tyler novel such as this one.

Flynn is a fantastic writer. I loved Gone Girl. It's one of my favorite novels in recent years. Sharp Objects isn't quite as good, in my opinion, but it's still better than most novels.

While Gone Girl is creepy, I found Sharp Objects much creepier. It was hard to take at times. The main mystery in Sharp Objects is discovering who killed two little girls and pulled out all their teeth. The protagonist is hugely damaged psychologically and physically, and her mother and sister are both horrible. At times I wanted to stop listening because it was too creepy for me. But the suspense was fantastic and I just had to keep going.

The author uses research as well as her personal experience as a therapist and mother to shed light on how parenting styles, schooling, peer groups, and society impact children and teens.

Levine advocates putting less pressure on teens. She is somewhat of an anti-Tiger Mom. She sensibly suggests encouraging children to do their homework and study for tests, but not pressuring them to be number one in their class and to take classes and do activities for the sole purpose of looking good to college admissions officers.

I like her emphasis on helping children and teens become self-reliant and understand their unique selves, interests, passions, and talents, while ensuring that parents don't sacrifice all their own interests and passions for their children's. This is wise and caring advice.

One of the best novels I've listened to in a long time. It's beautifully written, suspenseful and very romantic, featuring star-crossed lovers in the 1960s and in the early 21st century.

A fun story of the romantic complications of a young British woman and her sweet, though a bit zany roommates. Fast-paced and funny, with characters I cared about. Great for fans of Sophie Kinsella.

The six people profiled here have diverse backgrounds and accomplishments, but all were hit hard in life and not only bounced back but surged ahead. I was particularly impressed by the woman who, after battling cancer in her early twenties, started up a foundation to help other cancer victims battle infertility, and the single mother with no money or connections who started a corporation eventually worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

I loved listening to Penny Marshall's kooky sense of humor and very distinctive New Yawk accent. She had and has many famous friends and exes-- Rob Reiner, Albert Brooks, Carrie Fischer, Art Garfunkel, etc. It was fun to hear about the exploits of these A-listers and interesting to hear about the movies Penny Marshall directed, such as Big, Awakenings, and A League of Their Own.

This is chick lit with a male protagonist. It's a lot of fun, with a likeable hero and great humor. The author reminds me of Nick Hornby, which is a very good thing in my opinion.