64. - 71. Eight Quick Reviews

64.  A Sense of the World by Jason Roberts.  A well-researched biography of a blind man who travels the world in the early 1800's.  James Holman was a remarkable man whose life makes for great reading.  I especially enjoyed learning about how the blind were treated in that era.  Rating:  4.25

65.  Dead Man's Bones by Susan Wittig Albert.  Two old women donate a large building and a good sum of money to the local theater group and proceed to make their life miserable as the first play is produced.  By the end of the book, two people are dead and China Bayles works hard to figure it out.  Rating:  3.75

66.  Johnny and the Bomb by Terry Pratchett.  Johnny Maxwell and his weird collection of friends find adventure as they travel in time with the help of a bag lady's junk-laden grocery cart.  As always, I enjoyed Pratchett's humor and storytelling abilities.  Rating:  4

67.  Dead on Arrival by Jeff Savage.  Shandra Covington is a SLC reporter who becomes involved with a series of explosions involing people who died fifty years ago.  This is a fun mystery with a heroine who is imperfect and easy to identify with.  Rating:  3.75

68.  The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  A greal novel dealing with the complex relationship between Southern women and their black servants.  It is a pretty accurate indictment of bias and prejudice in the 60's as well as a compelling story of the individual characters.  I can't wait to see the movie.  Rating:  4.75

69.  Royal Target by Traci Hunter Abramson.  A fluffy LDS romance with a very implausible storyline.  I'm not sure why I enjoy these but I do.  It's pretty escapist to travel to a fictional country that sounds a lot like Monaco.  But Prince "Garrett"??  Odd name choice.  Rating:  3

70.  When Christmas Comes by Debbie Macomber.  A Christmas tale involving a mother, her daughter, and a best friend.  Emily travels to Boston to surprise her daughter for Christmas.  The daughter has planned a trip to Florida with her icky boyfriend, and the friend travels to Mt. Vernon, WA to surprise Emily.  All ends well with romance abounding.  Pretty sappy love story with a dollop of Christmas cheer.  Rating:  2.75

71.  The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck.  A tragic Christmas story about a twelve-year-old boy who gets a sweater for Christmas instead of the bike he really wanted.  His mother dies and the next year follows his fight against God and those who love him.  There is a surprise ending and an interesting insight into Glenn Beck's spiritual conversion.  Rating:  3.5