A BOOK CLUB LIST & RATINGS - Chagal

If Oprah can do it, why can't I? This is a book club with one member - ME!
The following is a list of books I have recently read. I have posted my own rating system. It is as follows:

***** "Exceptional" This kind of book doesn't come along very often, but when it does you feel your soul has been touched at some level. Add it to your library!

**** Great! A pleasure to behold. Read this book, then share it with a friend.

*** Good Enjoyable. Worthy of your time. Money well spent.

** OK Pleasant, but somewhat lacking in some area (undeveloped characters, weak plot, etc.) Save your money for a better choice.

* F Fails on all levels. Don't waste your time or money!

1. *** AFTER THE FIRE
This is a pleasant, easy read w/just enough
twists in the plot to keep you turning
pages. One family's story of love,
blackmail, and deceit. There is no such
thing as a boring Belva Plain book.

2. ** HANDYMAN
Fun, light-hearted book. No surprises here, but a pleasant read even though predictable.
A tale about people who overcome all of their
problems to live happily everafter. Can't go
too far wrong with this.

3. ** WHEN I FALL IN LOVE
Enjoyable, even though it fails to enter the
realm of reality. Characters & situations
are not believable - a TV screenwriter w/a
deeply problematic son, a boss(could be
lover) with Cerebral Palsy, a gay sister,
etc. etc. Still managed to keep my
interest.

4. ***** THE DIVINE SECRETS OF THE YA-YA
SISTERHOOD
You will love all the characters in this
"coming of age" book. They jump right from
the pages and smack you with their southern
charm. I laughed out loud and even shed a
few tears as I inhaled this rich story.

5. **** FAMILY SECRETS
A stirring tale of a family of Jewish
immagrants as they struggle to make a new
life for themselves in New York. Rona Jaffe
paints a detailed picture w/her words as the
family blooms & take roots on the pages of
this emotion-filled novel. A readers
delight!

6. * VINEGAR HILL
An odd, dysfunctional family take you with
them as they play out their boring life on
(where else, but...)Vinegar Hill. This is
a bitter read from the get-go.

7. **** THE PILOTS WIFE
The title may sound a bit dull, but the
book is not. Anita Shreve tells an
intriguing story of things that are not
as they seem. What happened to Katherine's
husband? What about the investigation?
You'll not want to put this book down till
you find all the answers. Read this, then
share it with a friend!

8. * THE POISONWOOD BIBLE
A troubling story about life in the Congo as
seen through the eyes of a co-dependent wife
and her daughters. This is one sick family
that wouldn't have made it in Mayberry USA,
let alone the Congo.