Living Lies
by Natalie Walters -- an OK book about Lane Kent and her battle with
depression. She meets former military-now-police-officer Charlie Lynch
just before Lane discovers a body in the woods. Not my favorite, but I
do like that the author tries to portray the needs of those with PTSD
and depression.
The Heart of a King
by Jill Eileen Smith -- "the loves of Solomon" ; This book reminded me
yet again how much I despise polygyny and don't admire Solomon or his
father David very much.
The Calling
by Suzanne Woods Fisher -- book 2 in The Inn at Eagle Hill series; this
continues the story, but focuses more on Bethany and Naomi instead of
Rose. Bethany really wants to meet her mom who abandoned the family when
Bethany was little. Also, her brother comes back to town, and the Inn
takes in a youth pastor, Geena, who is between jobs.
Tea Time for the Traditionally Built
by Alexander McCall Smith -- these books are just sweet and make me
chuckle. In this book we finally learn the name of the younger
apprentice to Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni and the fate of the tiny white van
that has molded to Mma Ramotswe's traditional build...she loves it so!
The Words Between Us
by Erin Bartels -- Robin Windsor is forced to live with her grandmother
in Michigan after her powerful father, a US Senator, is arrested and
convicted of treason. She invents a new identity for herself as she gets
to know kids in her new high school. This book went from "then" to
"now" as it told some of Robin's story with her friend Peter, and her
bookshop. It was decent; nothing special.
Lady Killer
by Lisa Scottoline -- I'm nearly finished the original Rosato &
Associates series; this one dealt with Mary revisiting some Mean Girls
from her high school past as one of them Trish comes to Mary begging for
help from her mobster boyfriend.
Family Tree
by Barbara Delinsky -- I got this book in a little free library and
picked it up the other day when I was out of library books. It was a
very fast read; some books are just like that for me. Anyway, Dana and
Hugh are excited about their first child's arrival, but are stunned when
her skin color is much darker than their own. Hugh's family can trace
their heritage to the Mayflower so Hugh wants Dana to investigate her
biological father's side of the family to see where this
African-American blood comes from. Because, ya know everyone is asking
if the baby were adopted or if Dana had an affair - oh man!
Cilka's Journey by
Heather Morris -- another story by this author based on a girl whom
Lale (see her previous book) told her about. A story of a Jew from
Czechoslavakia who ends up in a Soviet gulag near the Arctic Circle not
long after the Russians liberate the concentration camp where she was
held for three years. This is her story of life in the camp prison - and
it's not as brutal as the Germans made their camps, but it's appalling
nevertheless! Oh, I just looked online to see if I could find a picture
of the real Cilka, and found this story about some controversy with her husband's son.
A Perfect Silhouette by
Judith Miller -- my mom read this book and said it was OK, nothing
special, but I decided to go ahead and read it since one of the very
minor characters is named Mr. Fuqua! Ha! I've never seen our last name
in a book like that so that was pretty cute. Mr. Fuqua was an overseer
of a division at Stark Mills somewhere in New Hampshire where Mellie
Blanchard worked after her family (herself, sister, niece, and nephew)
fell upon hard times. She meets a mechanic in the mill while doing her
part-time evening work -
Scherenschnitte or paper cutting. A decent, if not predictable book.
The Revealing
by Suzanne Woods Fisher - the final book in the Inn at Eagle Hill
trilogy; this one focuses a bit more on Naomi, the sister of Galen King,
and Tobe as he returns home after an ordeal
Things You Save in a Fire
by Katherine Center -- some things about this writing style - or maybe
the character telling the story - annoyed me, but overall it was a cute
story and an easy read. I enjoyed learning more about the life of a
firefighter/paramedic especially from a woman firefighter's point of
view. Good reminder about forgiveness here as well.
Think Twice
by Lisa Scottoline -- I've finally finished all the Rosato &
DiNunzio books that my library has! This one had Bennie and her evil
twin, Alice, in it. Also, Mary was wondering about making partner at the
law firm. A fast-paced book!
The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted
by Robert Hillman -- pretty much a story of how losing your family and
enduring the horror and aftermath of World War II drove this Jewish
woman, Hannah, to the brink of madness. Hannah travels to Australia
where she eventually meets and marries a farmer/mechanic Tom Hope whom
she hired to fix up her bookshop. An OK book; a bit weird.
The Double Comfort Safari Club
by Alexander McCall Smith-- another great story which made me chuckle
in places; Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi travel to the Delta region as
part of their investigation in finding a safari guide.
The Perfect Husband by
Lisa Gardner -- several months ago I found this author at my library,
enjoyed the book I read, and kept reading more. Some were better than
others; some I liked a great deal while a few were just a bit too dark
or creepy, but still they were interesting. My library just recently
got two books by this author that they had not had despite this one
being first published in 1998. I thought it was great since I had heard
some of this person's (Tess) story referenced in later books, but never
found the book that told how she got there. Anyway, this book was
terrible! I didn't like the mercenary character, former Marine J.T. at
all. I know he tried to play the cruel - yet deep down heart of gold -
drunk hiding sadness in his past, but I was not very sympathetic to him
as told in this story. I just never warmed up to him, and even Tess
wasn't all that great (though she was fine in later books.) This book
just was a near-total dud in my view, and I'm thankful it wasn't the
first Lisa Gardner book I read or it likely would have been my last.
When We Meet Again
by Kristin Harmel -- Emily Emerson receives a painting of a young woman
who looks like her beloved grandmother who died not too long ago. While
researching her grandmother's past, she finds out more information
about German POWs who labored in Florida. A pretty good book.
The Choice
by Robert Whitlow -- I found this at the Damascus, Virginia, little
free library. It deals with the issue of abortion rights. The book
begins with Sandy, a 17 year old high schooler, who finds out she's
pregnant. She decides to put her baby up for adoption. Over thirty years
later, she is teaching at her former high school when a student
confides in her that she's pregnant. The school counselor strongly
favors abortion while Sandy hopes the student will follow her step.
Social liberals would probably not enjoy this book.
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
by Jamie Ford -- Henry and Keiko were the only Asian-American students
"scholarshipping" at a white school in Seattle circa 1942. One would
think they'd be natural allies against the racism, and they were, but
there was a problem. Henry was Chinese, and Keiko was from Japanese
heritage. And Henry's ultra-nationalist father despised Japan and the
Japanese in the United States because of what "they" did to his home
country. Henry and Keiko met while working in the lunch room and became
friends much to Henry's parents' disappointment and downright hate on
his father's part. Anyway...this book switched from the 1940s to about
40 years later when things from the Panama Hotel were brought out -
things which some Japanese families had left behind when they were
interred. A pretty good story.
The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party
by Alexander McCall Smith -- I have to keep reading these stories
which are so good to break up the toughness of other books. Does this
book finally have a wedding in it (the title hints at this anyway)? Who
could be getting married...hmmm?
The Last Train to London
by Meg Waite Clayton -- This wasn't the easiest book for me to follow,
but I enjoyed the story pretty well. It dealt with a real-life character
Truus Wijsmuller, a Dutch lady who traveled to Germany and Austria to
save Jewish children from Nazis. I admire her so much. I was
particularly struck by parallels to then-and-now refugees. While I don't
believe Central American refugees are facing concentration camps and
mass extermination at the same level that Jews, homosexuals, the
disabled, and others were under the evil that was Germany under Hitler, I
think many Germans were (or claimed to be) surprised and shocked that
such things were going on then. So maybe I am like those ignorant
Germans and more is going on in those countries than we are lead to
believe. I do hear of gang and drug/gun violence there which is tragic.
Anyway, a decent book with some good, thought-provoking stuff for me. I
wish I were so brave as Tante Truus.
There Was An Old Woman
by Hallie Ephron -- I enjoy this author. Evie gets a call about her
alcoholic mother. Her sister Ginger is tired of being the go-to daughter
so Evie agrees to check on her mom. The house is a wreck and her mom is
worse off this time than in the past. The next door neighbor, 91 year
old Mina, keeps an eye on Evie and on the neighborhood. Such a charming
character Mina is. Good story.
Never Let Go
by Elizabeth Goddard -- a little too much "I've got to protect her"
(ok, a LOT) for my taste, but I did finish this book about the
genealogist detective Willow who teamed up with her ex-boyfriend who is
now ex-FBI Austin McKade in order to track down a girl who was kidnapped
21 years ago. A few twists kept my attention and I might read the next
book in the series...eventually. Then again, maybe not.
The Turn of the Key
by Ruth Ware -- I enjoy these suspenseful books! This book starts with
Rowan writing her story for an advocate whom she hopes will represent
her as she's in prison for the death of a child in her care. She
was a nanny in the Highlands to a couple of architects with a house that
is half Victorian/half glass-and-steel, and completely bizarre since
it's a smart house without a normal light switches. Good story especially
to finish up on Halloween!
