April Books

Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse -- A YA fiction about a young Dutch woman during World War II when her country was occupied by Germany. Hanneke works with new acquaintances to help people in Amsterdam.

The Quilter's Kitchen by Jennifer Chiaverini -- another Elm Creek Quilts novel; the new chef Anna joins Sylvia as they clean out the old cabinets before the kitchen is expanded and remodeled. This book was mostly recipes of which I did not read word for word so this book was a quick read!

Mending Fences by Suzanne Woods Fisher -- first in the Deacon's Family series, this book dealt with Luke and Izzy, two young people, living as Amish at Amos and Fern's house and working on the couple's farm.  Luke grew up Amish, but developed a drinking problem. After his third time in rehab, he's trying to get his life sorted out. A pretty good book

Pretend She's Here by Luanne Rice -- a YA book about a 15 year old, Emily, who was abducted by her best friend's family after her best friend dies. Rather weird.

The Lost Quilter by Jennifer Chiaverini -- another Elm Creek Quilts novel; a great book - the story of Joanna, the enslaved lady whom readers met in earlier Elm Creek books. This tells her story more thoroughly. I really enjoyed this one.

The Widows by Jess Montgomery -- Inspired by the story of the first female sheriff in Ohio, Lily Ross is appointed sheriff after her husband is murdered. Along with her husband's friend Marvena, Lily tries to solve the mystery of who was behind Daniel's death. A lot of unionizing coal mines talk in this book as well.

The Forgiving Jar by Wanda E. Brunstetter  -- book 2 in The Prayer Jars series; The real Sara Murray travels to her grandparents' house to spend time with them, only to find The Imposter has been invited to stay with them as well.  Will the girls ever get along?

The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis -- a good story, and an interesting way to learn more about artists in the 1920s in New York. This story takes place at Grand Central Terminal - part of it in the 1920s when Clara Darden teaches at the art school, and part of it in the 1970s when the Terminal was in jeopardy of being torn down or built over with a skyscraper.  I enjoyed this one!

The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff -- I really enjoy her books and this one was no exception.  The story starts with Grace making her way through Grand Central (which was a main feature in the book I read before this one) and finding an abandoned suitcase. Overcome by curiosity, she looks inside and finds some photographs. This story also follows Eleanor, who advocated for women being sent into France to transmit radio reports and courier and commit sabotage if necessary. Marie is one of those women. Good story!

A Light on the Hill by Connilyn Cossette -- book 1 in Cities of Refuge series; Moriyah is a famed cook in her neighborhood and on an herb-gathering mission with her little friend Eitan, some oleander blooms are added to the mix.  Blooms which can make people very sick. When something horrible happens, Moriyah is forced to flee to a city of refuge in order to share her side of the story. 

A Quilter's Holiday by Jennifer Chiaverini -- another Elm Creek Quilts novel; as is tradition, the Elm Creek Quilters meet the day after Thanksgiving in order to quilt Christmas projects and gifts. Readers learn even more about these women's lives. Pretty good story.

Forget Me Not by Isabel Wolff -- a book from my Amazon Wishlist; the story of a Londoner, Anna Temple, who balances single motherhood with running her own garden design business. I often enjoy this author's books because I learn facts about things: in this case, plants and flowers.  (Other books told about dogs and vintage clothing, for example.)  A rather cute story.

The Tinderbox by Beverly Lewis -- When his daughter Sylvie unlocks her father's tinderbox, she discovers mementos from his life before he became Amish. One of which is very troubling.

Shelter of the Most High by Connilyn Cossette -- book 2 in Cities of Refuge series; Eleven years have past, Eitan is now a grown man and wants to join Darek's army to protect his people. Meanwhile, two strange young women, Sofea and Prezi, are found on a beach. One is seriously injured, and the other is fierce in her defense of her friend. No one can talk to these ladies initially due to their language barrier.

We're Just Like You, Only Prettier by Celia Rivenbark -- I got this book years ago from a book exchange and kept it in my car in case I was ever stranded somewhere and needed something to read. Well, we moved on to another main car, and I only found this book when I was cleaning out stuff from the older car. It's a funny group of essays by a newspaper columnist based in Wilmington. As the title states it: "Confessions of a Tarnished Southern Belle."

Roses Have Thorns by Sandra Byrd -- The local libraries had the first two books in this series, and I wanted to read this novel of Elizabeth I. It's told through the eyes of Elin von Snakenborg (Helena) of Sweden, and her time serving the queen at court.

The Aloha Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini -- another Elm Creek Quilts novel; As Bonnie waits for her divorce to become final, she travels to Hawaii to help a college friend get her own quilt camp set up. 

The Other Mr. Darcy by Monica Fairview -- Caroline Bingley escaped to the library to cry when "her" beloved Mr. Darcy marries. Unfortunately, someone was already there and sees her display. He's none other than the newly-married man's cousin, Mr. Robert Darcy, recently of Boston, USA. This follows a short time in their story together. 

The Trials of Tiffany Trott by Isabel Wolff -- I really enjoyed her books that the library has, but if I had first read this book of hers, I would probably never have picked up another. It was just not good. If you like hearing about ladies looking for dates by placing ads, and going to clubs, then you'd probably enjoy this book. But it was a far, far cry from the books I've enjoyed from this author. 

The Address by Fiona Davis -- A thirty-year old lady from London is invited by architect Theodore Camden to travel to the US to help run the staff of the Dakota, a new apartment building for the wealthy.  A pretty interesting story about Sara Smythe's first year or two in the United States.

The Wedding Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini -- another Elm Creek Quilts novel; This one goes ahead 25 years to when Matthew and Sarah twin daughter, Caroline, is getting married! Thankfully the book does fill in some details that readers missed in those 25 years - the twins' birth, some new staff, some departed staff (by retirement and death). This series is winding to a close.

The Christmas Sisters by Sarah Morgan -- Suzanne is delighted when her three daughters agree to join the family in the Scottish Highlands for Christmas. While Beth and Posy can be counted on each year, it's been tougher getting Hannah to join the clan. This time of year is particularly hard on the family as the girls remember their parents who died in a climbing accident, and as Suzanne relives that time when her best friend and her husband died.  An OK story.

Say Goodbye by Lisa Gardner -- I'd not read any of her books lately, and I am nearly through those the library has, but I happened to see this one when I was there the other day. I've finished all the D.D. Warren books, and this one shifts to Atlanta and north Georgia and features FBI agent Kimberly Quincy whom I've "met" as D. D. Warren contacts her on occasion. But in this dark book - I guess they all are to some extent - prostitutes go missing and it involves a horrible horrible person who kidnaps young boys and has a pet spider collection.  I'm not even that grossed out by spiders generally, but this book, yes, was creepy and dark and made me sad to live in such an evil world. 

The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin -- Four siblings in Bexley, Connecticut, survive childhood and The Pause, as their mother takes to her bed for a few years after their father drops dead in his dental office. This book was ok; I liked her other book better.