Having hated raccoons for many years now, I was eager to give them a chance when I found their champion in this book written in 1966. Hmmm . . . this guy made a living as an editor? Apparently I missed my era (and so did you.) The writing was tepid at best, and the book was more about people who "owned" raccoons than the "brightest people" themselves. Read the back cover and be done with it.

A riveting story, akin to Glass Castle--it's amazing that Mr. Crow managed to make anything of himself after that upbringing. Worthwhile, uplifting, while quite sad at times. A good read.

Yowza. The great Amy Tan strikes again. Expect to be hooked into this credible tale of a courtesan house in Shanghai in the early 1900s. There’s love, historical drama, kidnapping, and murder. A tale that spans two continents rivets the reader to this story of family lore, tradition, and generational misunderstandings. Amy Tan never disappoints, and this is no exception. 4 book hos!

Thought you knew everything about "gypsies" (or the Romani, as they prefer to be called), did you? This light read will educate you and make you rethink preconceived notions heavy on rumor and light on fact. Join the travellers as they wend their way through England in the mid-20th century. Worth a look--it is both entertaining and educational. It even has photos! 3 1/2 book hos

A great writer, a weird story. In the aftermath of WWII, people do strange things, and victims of the holocaust are no different. Herman finds himself with three wives. (This is on the back of the book , so I’m not giving anything away.) Personally, I ended up hating old Herman, and wishing he would get caught. You’ll have to read the book yourself to get the full picture. Or you can read something else. Rank: 2 book hos, all for the good writing but -1 book ho for plot. So 1 book ho if you do the math.

The “shot heard ‘round the world” has a prequel, and that is this book. You’ll learn why a seemingly “normal” family was hated by the populace. Who would guess that marrying for love would lead to war? Historical, interesting, tragic. And frankly a little long. Rank: 2 ½ book hos

If you like a weird tale, man oh man are you in for the book of your dreams. Part fantasy, part horror, part whaling lore, this is a well-written, quirky book that is downright strange. There are even odd illustrations of the ever-expanding (and disturbing) family tree. You might say unique, and you might say bizarre, but somehow the end result is great. It’s good—it works! 3 ½ hos for ingenuity!

Can you say “CRAZY”????? Because I sure can, especially after reading this disturbing book about hard-core Mormonism. If you’ve always found the origin of Mormonism to be a tad disturbing, this is the book for you! It has already been to three of our family members (counting me) and got a thumb’s up from all of them. Reads like a novel (which it is) but with historical attributes. I give it four book hos!

This is, as Molly would label it, a “pink” book. A quick read which is entirely fun and light. If you know a brainiac guy, possibly with Asperger’s Syndrome, then this will resonate with you. The author takes you through this romance, geek-style, with humor and insight. I give it 4 book hos!

Did you know the Civil War was punctuated with espionage? I sure didn’t! This is a fact-based novel, well researched, that will have you re-thinking how things were done back in the days of Dixie and Lincoln. Somehow I always thought things were less cagey and more in one’s face, like slavery for instance. So educational and enlightening! 3 ½ book hos!