The Best of Gourmet 2002

The Best of Gourmet 2002: Featuring the Flavors of Paris by Gourmet
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Tasty recipes presented in a pleasing format.

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College Fund for the Czubek Kids

Frozen in Time (Blood of the Gods Book 1)

Frozen In Time by Marie Symeou
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Philip is very much in love with his wife, when she dies in childbirth he is heartbroken and joins the army. There he falls under the spell of a woman who appears to look a great deal like his deceased wife. It turns out to be the blood drinker Scylla, after she turns him Philip is determined to destroy her.

Meanwhile his wife is reborn as the Swan Lady, Sirona, in the enchanted paradise of Demar, he goes there to get branches from a tree that only grows there and falls in love with her. He begs her to wait for him to return from turning Scylla to stone. But while he is away she marries Finn and returns to the mortal world where she begins to age.

By the time Philip finds her again she is an old woman on her deathbed. He promises her "Death is not the end"


Book 2 Bound by Death

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The Unquiet

The Unquiet by J.D. Robb
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A nice collection of love stories.

Chaos in Death - J.D. Robb
Her Greatest Treasure - Mary Blayney
Dear One - Paricia Gaffney
The Unforgiven - Ruth Ryan Langan
His Brother's Keeper - Mary Kay McComas



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77 Shadow Street

77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had difficulty getting into the book until the end. It constantly switches from different characters POV making it confusing and difficult to follow and there are plots within plots.

There is the mass murder Mickey Dime who makes his home at the Pendleton, and who is trying to dispose of the body of his brother undetected.

Then there is the building taking it's residents on trips through time. First the past and then a disturbing future where pogroms have been used to wipe out humanity. Slowly the residents come to realize that the creator of the AI (The One) that has destroyed their world is amongst them leaving them with a choice when they return safely to the present. Do they allow him to live or do they exterminate him before he can exterminate humanity.

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Innocence

Innocence by Dean Koontz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I haven't decided if I like this book yet, although it is a sweet love story. Apparently merely looking at Addison's eyes and the eyes of those like him incites people to violence. The midwife tried to kill Addison when he was born. His Mother made several attempts on his life, that she regretted and didn't go through with but when he was 8 she sent him away and killed herself. In the city he found one like him who he called "Father" and they lived in the tunnels beneath the city only coming out at night when everyone else was asleep or during extremely stormy weather when most people would be indoors (My question is why didn't the buy some sunglasses/tinted glasses).

After his "Fathers" death he was alone until he meet the Goth Girl (who had the brains to invest in tinted contact lenses), who is being hunted by her Father's murderer. Addison attempts to help her and is thrilled when she offers him first friendship and then love. To his amazement he discovers that she is "like" him.

What starts out as a simple expose the murderer plot soon evolves into a mystical ending of the world with only Addison and those like him surviving.

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Charon's Claw

Charon's Claw by R.A. Salvatore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Drizzt, Dahlia and Artemis Entreri succeed in in wresting Charon's Claw from Herzgo Alegni but in the battle Guen is captured and is being held by Draygo Quick in the Shadowfell. Quick used "The Shifter" to offer a trade to Drizzt he would release Guen if Drizzt would return Charon's Claw to him. But Drizzt's moral code will not allow him to return Artemis Entreri to the slavery the sword imposes on him.

Drizzt, Dahlia and Entreri set out for Gauntlgrym so they can destroy the sword, by throwing it in the fire. The sentient sword tries to implant thoughts of jealousy and hatred of Entreri in Drezzt's mind in hopes he will kill Entreri and choose not to destroy the sword. Followed by Herzgo Alegni and his allies they are fighting a desperate battle when the drow appear. Artemis' quick thinking of proclaiming them emissaries of Bregan D'aerthe earn them the drow's temporary help, and gives Drizzt hope that Jarlaxle is still alive as the drow seem to believe he is.

The trio find a way to the forge and destroy the sword, to their surprise the destruction of the sword doesn't lead to Entreri's death. They also receive help from Amber Gristle O' Maul (Ambergris) who has been sabotaging the Shadovar in order to help them from loyalty to Bruenor, once she realized who Drizzt is. Drizzt also discovers that Effron is Dhalia's son by Alegni.

It seems as if Drizzt will soon be reunited with another old friend Pwent is awakened and is now a vampire.

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