THURSTON HOUSE (Danielle Steele) - November 26/15

I read this on Lisa's recommendation and I was skeptical of course. But this is a seriously impressive and quick read (though it's insanely long). It tells the epic story of three generations of the Thurston family and I have to admit I was enthralled through most of it, even if Steele layers on one depressing disaster after another for her protagonists. ***1/2 out of ****

ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS YOU (Elizabeth Berg) - November 19/15

I really enjoyed this one. It's basically a fractured family thing from the perspective of the mother, the father, and the daughter. Berg does a fantastic job of transforming each of the three characters into compelling figures, and I have to admit I was surprised by how gripping the kidnapping subplot was. I also appreciated that the book didn't end with the mother and father getting back together. ***1/2 out of ****

DEAD MAN WALKING (Sister Helen Prejean) - November 16/15

I probably enjoyed about half of this book, that being the half dealing with the personal stories of the men on death row and the families of their victims. That was compelling stuff. Not so compelling was Prejean's continuing emphasis on statistics, of which there are many. **1/2 out of ****

JACK & JILL (James Patterson) - November 9/15

This third Alex Cross book is probably my favorite so far, although like its predecessors it's just too darn long. *** out of ****