Les Miserables (Victor Hugo) ***

400 pages. Oh so good! I read the unabridged version many years ago and wanted to read it again. This was the abridged, abridged version, and I understand there is one in between that I wish I had read instead. But it got most of the storyline, which I won't review since I'm sure everyone's familiar with it. One of my definite favorites!

Aubrey-Maturin Series (Patrick O'Brian)***

I just finished book 9 in this series and continue to enjoy them (I plan on reading all 21). The series revolves around two main characters - Captain Jack Aubrey, an officer in the British Navy, and Stephen Maturin, a naturalist, a surgeon, and an international spy. The richness of the series is the development of these two characters and their comraderie as they work to bring about the downfall of Bonaparte.

They are probably best read in order, although O'Brian writes them so that you could read some as stand alone novels. I think that Treason's Harbor is my favorite of the ones I've read up to this point.

All Things Wise and Wonderful (James Herriott)**

I've enjoyed reading the stories from Herriott. Sometimes the stories are funny, sometimes poignant, and usually enjoyable. This particular book is a short and easy read. Since the stories don't build on each other, it is a book that you can put down and pick up again without any problems.

Jeeves in the Morning (P.G. Wodehouse)***

I picked this book up by complete chance and quite enjoyed it. It is a clever comedy about a good-hearted but not so bright member of British high society. In many ways, the story line is like a good comedy from Shakespeare or Oscar Wilde: the first half of the story describes a series of chance incidents that tangles the characters in a web with the second half of the story focusing on how things are resolved. This book involves the main character stuck in trying to help two pairs of lovers get things worked out while dealing with a difficult uncle and a young boy scout whose desire to live the scout slogan causes more harm than good.

It is light-hearted, enjoyable and an easy read. I'm planning on reading other books by the author.

Nothing Like It in the World: The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad, 1863-69 (by Stephen E. Ambrose)*

The title is a pretty accurate description of the book. It focuses just on the construction of the transcontinental railroad - that's right 432 pages about the details, rich details, of the transcontinental railroad. No discussion about the implications or effects of the railroad, simply a discription, a 432 page description, of building the railroad...

I enjoyed the first few chapters and the chapters about the Church and it's members. However, it is a dense book that in the middle was hard to finish because of the rich detail that it covered. I think I only finished it to say that I did. If you have some reason to care passionately about the railroad this will be interesting - otherwise I think it will be a tough read to finish because of all the detail.

From Beirut to Jerusalem (Thomas L. Friedman) **

570 pages. Hooray! I finished it! This took me a few months to read. It's written by a Jewish journalist who lived and reported from Beirut, Lebanon for a few years, then from Jerusalem. It contains some of his experiences, thoughts, and opinions about the middle east, primarily during the 80s and early 90s. It was interesting and I learned a lot, but I was ready for it to be done long before it actually was.

State of Fear (Michael Crichton) ***

An excellent book with much social commentary on topics including environmentalists, politics, and universities. Crichton wraps some story on what is basically a critique of the envrionmentalist movement -- specifically about global warming and the greenhouse effect. He did a lot of research for this book, and it shows. I even spent time reading the authors notes and annotated bibliography at the end. Highly recommended if for nothing more than to give you food for thought. For sensitive readers, probably rated R for language and adult situations.