Don't Bite the Apple

Author: Vanessa Waznis
Stars: 2
Review by: Marian
A strange story with a very unexpected ending. A bit disjointed.

Water for Elephants

Author: Sara Gruen
Stars: 4
Review by: Marian
A very touching story centered around the history of a circus during the 1930's.

Looking for Me

Author: Beth Hoffman
Stars: 4
Review by: libraryaimee
Not as good as her first book, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, but still very, very good!

The Brass Verdict

Author: Michael Connelly
Stars: 5
Review by: mysteryfan
I am a true fan of mystery writer Michael Connelly and this book was the best I've read by him.  He presents the problems inherent in the court system, the pros and cons of being on the side of the defense lawyer.  The plot was excellent and kept me turning page after page!

Worth the Risk

Author: Jayne Ann Krentz
Stars: 2
Review by: Saraswati
This book contains two earlier Krentz books: The Challoner Bride and Wizard.  These were written under the name Stephanie James.  Both books reminded of reading a Diana Palmer book except the "saving the day" male is roughly the same age as the spunky, but naive lady.   They were fast reads that were OK,  but very predictable. 

Best Kept Secrets

Author: Jeffrey Archer
Stars: 3
Review by: Judy
This is the third book of the Clifton Chronicles and the way it ended I think there will be a fourth. I rated the first one a 5,  the second a 4, and the last one a 3.
 

Safe House

Author: Chris Ewan
Stars: 4
Review by: syd 
Never read a book by this author, but it held my attention right from the first page. Many twists.

Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust

Author: Immaculee Ilibagiza
Stars: 5
Review by: Kathyb
This is an uplifting story during an incredibly horrible event in history. I am embarrassed at how little I knew of this awful, unspeakable genocide. It is the story of forgiveness that I will never forget.

Scent To Kill

Author: Chrystle Fieldler
Stars: 1
Review by: L.Z.
Ugh! Worst fluff murder mystery I have picked up in a while, and I didn't have the heart to abandon a book part way through it so early into the summer reading program.
Awkwardly written, characters and their relationships to each other were unbelievable, and the "natural" and "organic" components seemed so artificially inserted that they detracted from the book way more than adding to it. This is a series that I think I'll steer clear of!
 

Aunt Diminty Goes West

Author: Nancy Atherton
Stars: 4
Review by: Saraswati
The next book in this series of many, leaves our main character in shock after the events of the last book.  It is decided that she is to return to the States and vacation in CO.  A fun twist is seeing her English village transferred to the small CO town.  I can really feel for the character when she is making the comparison and no one else sees or cares about it.    This is just a nice cozy series to read.  Enjoy!

Aunt Diminty and the Deep Blue Sea

Author: Nancy Atherton
Stars: 4
Review by: Saraswati
I really like this cozy series.  I started it last summer and wanted to hold out for this summer, but I couldn't and I read a bunch more during the year.   This series is about the adventures of an American couple, and now their children, living in a small town in England.  As with any cozy, there is $, fun, murder and sleuthing.   This series has a paranormal twist that makes it interesting.   The series doesn't always end super happy, but you still feel good reading them.   Nice, enjoyable and plenty in the series if you get started now. 

Assaulted Pretzel: An Amish Mystery

Author: Laura Bradford
Stars: 4
Review by: Saraswati
This is book 2 in the series and I am eagerly awaiting book 1. This is a fun cozy that relates the "English" to the "Amish."  This one takes a twist (no pun intended - pretzel?) on a secondary character and what does it mean to be Amish.  You have your usual touch and go love, a murder mystery, and some fun.   I think this will be a good summer series to read.
 

Mark of the Witch

Author: Maggie Shayne
Stars: 2.5
Review by: Saraswati
Nothing like reading a series out of order.  First book 3 then 1 maybe I'll get to 2 this summer.   After reading 3 first, you know what will happen.  The mystery behind an ex-priest that really wasn't was kind of intriguing. Not bad, but I would read in order.
 

Beautiful Ruins

Author: Jess Walter
Stars: 5
Review by: Jambob
One of those books you cannot stop reading and at the same time do not want to end. Italy, Hollywood, Liz Taylor , Richard Burton, love, betrayal.... a tossed salad that once it settles, all the pieces fall into place. Enjoy!

What We Carry

Author: Elizabeth Berg
Stars: 4
Review by: Barb
I liked listening to this audio book, and that it was read by someone other than Elizabeth Berg. Going through a nostalgic period in my life, it was nice to know that I wasn't alone with conflicting feelings. 

Heat Rises

Author: Richard Castle
Stars: 4
Review by: Barb
This audio book was a good listen in the car and enjoyed by both myself and my hubby. Of course, we are also Castle fans.

Gone Girl

Author: Gillian Flynn
Stars: 5
Review by: kellyham
Read it in less than a week. It kept my attention.  I sat for hours till I finished it. Highly recommended.
 

Things Fall Apart

Author: Chinua Achebe
Stars: 4
Review by: Mary NK
Acclaimed author Achebe reveals how life in an isolated village in Africa is governed by traditions, until European missionaries and governments change the rules, with tragic results.
 

Animal Dreams

Author: Barbara Kingsolver
Stars: 4
Review by: Mary NK
Besides a sensitive & insightful look at Native Americans and environmental issues (recurring themes in all Kingsolver's novels) this offers the most honest, straightforward view into the mind of someone in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's disease.

Fleeced

Author: Carol Higgins Clark
Stars: 5
Review by: Bernie Remaly
Couldn't put it down!

The Dovekeepers

Author: Alice Hoffman
Stars: 5
Review by: Bernie Remaly
I thought the book was excellent and I enjoyed the characters and how they interacted with one another.  There were a few surprises at the end of the book regarding the relationships to one another.  Fabulous book!

The Scarlet Feather

Author: Maeve Binchy
Stars: 4
Review by: Smudge
Likeable characters, no big dramas.  A story of Tom & Kathy, their friends and family, and one year in their start-up catering company. 

The Time of My Life

Author: Celia Ahem
Stars: 3
Review by: Smudge 
Stuck in a rut, Lucy's family arranges for her to meet her life - a rumpled, unattractive man.  He's soon following her everywhere, determined to get her to face change.  This is the story of how Lucy finally learns what is important.  A fun read.

The World's Strongest Librarian

Author: Josh Hanagarne
Stars: 4
Review by: Sign babies 
Gets a little bogged down in the middle, but the end is worth pursuing.
 

Is This Tomorrow

Author:  Caroline Leavitt
Stars: 3
Review by: ADAR 
Keeps you guessing to the end.  

Just Jennifer

Night Film by Marisha Passl (Random House, September 2013)

Seven years after Passl’s novel Special Topics in Calamity Physics was named a New York Times best book of 2006, she is back with an epic novel that begins with the suicide of Amanda Cordova the twenty-four-year-old daughter of a reclusive movie producer whose movies have become underground cult classics and doesn’t let up until a disgraced journalist questions not only his sanity, but his grasp on reality.  Scott McGrath threw the gauntlet down in an interview about Stanislas Cordova, a Stanley Kubrick-esque movie maker.  Shortly after that, he finds his career in the toilet and becomes obsessed with finding Cordova and revealing all his secrets.  When Amanda is found dead at the bottom of an elevator shaft in an abandoned building, her death is ruled a suicide, but Scott is doubtful and becomes entwined with her last few years, trying to prove that it was her upbringing that drove the child piano prodigy to her death.  Joining forces with two unlikely young people, the coat check girl at the Four Seasons who may have been the last person to see Amanda alive and a young man who knows more than he is letting on, Scott reluctantly brings his charges with him to an upstate mental facility Amanda escaped from and to the secret websites where Cordova fans post theories about the movie maker and Amanda’s death along with the underground venues where these movies are currently being screened.  The deeper Scott digs into this hypnotic, eerie world, the stranger the world he knows becomes as people disappear and recant their stories, disavowing any knowledge of or contact with Amanda or her father.  Jeopardizing his visitation with his daughter and whatever relationship he has been able to maintain with his ex-wife, Scott finds himself straddling reality, dangerously close to obsession, an obsession he realizes that began when he unknowingly saw the young woman in her now famous red coat in the Park.   Over six hundred pages may initially be off putting, but readers are quickly drawn into the narrative as they follow along with Scott in his quest to uncover the truth about Cordova.  It almost seems as if there are two separate endings, offering a “choose your own adventure” feeling,  but they come together at the very end when it looks as if Scott will get all his answers…or not.

Just Jennifer

Race Across the Sky by Derek Sherman (Plume, August 2013)

Caleb and Shane Oberest gained their love of running from their father as children.  As young adults, they initially took similar paths as Caleb took a consulting career on the East Coast and Shane a sales job with a pharmaceutical on the West Coast.  Their paths diverge when Caleb becomes obsessed with ultramarathoning, running over one hundred miles at a time,  leaving his job and severing all ties with his family to live in a cult-like situation near Boulder.  Caleb subjects a strict regime each day, running for hours, eating only twice a day and not having a relationship with any member of the club, something he has no trouble doing until June and her infant daughter Lily arrive, June a marathoner herself, Lily a very sick child whom June is hoping will benefit from some of the holistic practices professed by the leader of the house, Mack.  When Caleb realizes that Lily will die unless she gets more help and faster than Mack is able to provide, he reaches out to his brother Shane who has begun his own change in lifestyles as he awaits the birth of his first child and leaves his sales job for a division director in the biotechnology company in which his wife works.  Shane’s initial reaction is to get Caleb out of the house at any cost, but when he realizes his brother will not leave without assurances that Lily will get the help she needs, he appeals to the doctors in the labs at his new company hoping for a miracle that will not only save Lily, but bring his brother home.  Caleb and his housemates are preparing for the penultimate marathon, one held in Yosemite on a course where men have died in the past, one that Mack says Caleb must participate in if he hopes to bring Lily to Shane to search for an alternate cure; neither can image at what cost each of these men will attempt to reach their goals and what will the impact be on their lives and families.  With no holds barred, Sherman details the effects of such physical strains on the body and mind, in addition to the cult mentality to which Caleb has succumbed.  Even as different as the brothers’ lives have become, there are certain parallels drawn as each searches for where they belong in the universe and in the smaller microcosm each inhabits.  Disturbing at times, Sherman’s narrative is propelled forward, making stops at aid stations along the way, each brother being paced by someone through the difficult times much the way Caleb’s housemates care for each other, trying to reach a summit that may not have been the original goal.

Someday, Someday, Maybe

Author: Lauren Graham
Stars: 4
Review by: libraryaimee
My favorite actress from Gilmore Girls and Parenthood wrote this novel about a young woman trying to break into acting in NYC. Light and fun.

The Lincoln Lawyer

Author: Michael Connelly
Stars: 4
Review by: mysteryfan
I enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot all the way to the last page. Excellent mystery writer. He keeps you guessing until the final page.

A Place Called Home

Author: Jo Goodman
Stars: 3
Review by: syd
First time I read a book by this author--better than I expected. Dealt with real life issues.

If You Were Here

Author: Jennifer Lancaster
Stars: 3
Review by: BookMom3
If you are looking for an easy, funny book this is it. Jennifer Lancaster has a writing style much like Janet Evanovich.

Only Time Will Tell

Author: Jeffery Archer
Stars: 5
Review by: Judy
This is volume 1 of The Clifton Chronicles and I was fortunate to get all three volumes at the same time. Archer is a great storyteller. Very enjoyable! 

Seven Patients

Author: Atul Kumar
Stars: 3
Review by: Sandi W
It was interesting to read about all of the hospital jargon and procedures - how much is true to life I am not sure, but it certainly sounded realistic. The seven patients themselves were somewhat interesting, but I did not really find myself liking any of the characters in this book - so more for curiosity value it gets a 3.

Beautiful Redemption

Author: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Stars: 3
Review by: Carol
My granddaughter shared this series with me and I did enjoy it.

Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend

Author: Matthew Dicks
Stars: 5
Review by: Lrizza
I absolutely loved this book! It was written in the point of view of a little autistic boy's imaginary friend. When something bad happens to the little boy, Budo, the imaginary friend tries to save him, which, in turn, could be the end of Budo's existence.

Another Piece of my Heart

Author: Jane Green
Stars: 3
Review by: ADAR
I had read this before. Not a new book. Family conflict. It kept my interest even the second time around.

The World's Strongest Librarian

Author:Josh Hanagarne
Stars: 3
Review by: ADAR
Biography. I listened to it. Very interesting man. A lot about Tourette syndrome.

The Stranger

Author: Camille Lackberg
Stars: 5
Review by: Pageturner
Latest in her series of mysteries (all of which I intend to read.)  Lackberg is a master at intrigue.

Someday, Someday, Maybe

Author: Lauren Graham
Stars: 3+
Review by: Marian
This is the first book of this author who is also an actor. The story centers around a young actor who is trying to get started in the business. It started a bit slow, but developed into a very good story with interesting characters and you cared about the ending. I enjoyed it.

Fatal Invention

Author: Dorothy Roberts
Stars: 4
Review by: kayaker
Dorothy Roberts, a law and sociology professor at UPenn is compelling in her evidence that our world is still highly racialized. Her cornerstone is the science of genomics and points to evidence that scientific rationale enables us to accept this racialized world even after the findings of the Human Genome Project. The validation of a biological division of races is countered by Roberts' argument that race is political, and, in fact, there is only one human race without division by skin tone. She brings the reader through the history of race in an abbreviated method followed by medical stereotyping, genetic surveillance, and the continued and enforced concept of biological race through the scientific and pharma worlds. Her advice to the geneticists? Explore the commonalities of the human race, not the differences as there are very few.

A Dog Walks into a Nursing Home

Author: Sue Halpern
Stars: 5
Review by: BookWorm2
A wonderful read about the values and virtues of therapy dog teams and a good look at the reality of aging and elder care.

The Body in the PIazza

Author: Katherine Hall Page
Stars: 4
Review by: Jambob
I had to give this book a 4 instead of a 3 due to its description of the food with its included recipes...I am not sure if I read this cozy mystery or ate it up with my eyes. Beautiful descriptions of Rome and Florence while solving one murder mystery and trying to prevent another. But the dinner segments made my mouth water. A fun summer read and Buon Appetito.

Fly Away

Author: Kristin Hannah
Stars: 5
Review by: KeeRead
This is the sequel to Firefly Lane. You won't be disappointed.

Looking for Me

Author: Beth Hoffman
Stars: 5
Review by: KeeRead
This is her second book. I really liked her first one and this one is good too. It is about a woman who goes against her mother's wishes to go to college and she opens her own antique/furniture repair shop. She does well in her business, but her relationship is strained with her mom. She is looking for her place in the world without having to feel guilty when she disappoints others.

And the Mountains Echoed

Author: Khaled Hosseini
Stars: 1
Review by: KeeRead
I was looking forward to this book, since I liked both of his previous titles. The first 50 pages were good, but then it got boring and there were too many characters to keep track of.

Outrage

Author: Robert Tanenbaum
Stars: 3
Review by: Rosie S
Mystery series - up to par with others.

Six Years

Author: Harlan Coben
Stars: 5
Review by: Beachreader
A true page-turner suspense about a lost love filled with hidden secrets.

The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition

Author: Anne Frank
Stars: 4
Review by: Kathyb
At 49 I had never read Anne Frank's Diary. My 14 year old son was given the book by his Language Arts teacher. I decided to read it with him. I was so taken by Anne's journal entries and watching her mature that I ripped through it. Now I am waiting for my son (a reluctant reader) to finish. When he does we will reward him with a trip to DC to see the Holocaust museum!!!!

Relentless

Author: Cherry Adair
Stars: 3
Review by: Saraswati
Another intrigue book by C. Adair. This one has spies, murder, Egyptology, and unexpected love. The only issue I have with this book is the quick love & marriage at the end. I like the strong female and the man that needs a little help. Yet in the end, after all the denial, why in the last pages does everything become a very happy ending? It felt like it had to be thrown in there just to make it publishable. Still, not a bad summer read.

Cat Trick: A Magical Cats Mystery

Author: Sofie Kelly
Stars: 3.5
Review by: Saraswati
Book #3 in the series. This a fun cozy about magical cats that "own" a librarian. It's neat to read a dialogue between the main character and her cats. A fun, easy mystery to read.

Tapestry of Fortunes

Author: Elizabeth Berg
Stars: 4
Review by: Beachreader
I enjoyed this book very much. It's about four women who search their past to find their futures,fates and fortunes. But most important of all, they become best of friends in doing so.

A Walk in the Woods

Author: Bill Bryson
Stars: 4
Review by: BookDancer
Beautiful and humorous, this book spoke to my inner (and very neglected) hiker. Wonderful descriptions, colorful characters, and an unexpected pilgrimage theme inspired this couch potato to take some "steps" toward nature (re)discovery, starting with the Delaware Water Gap!

The Woman Who Heard Color

Author: Kelly Jones
Stars: 4
Review by: Lrizza
This book alternated between current times and the early 1900's through WWII. It all focused around certain art that may have been destroyed or sold under Hitler's reign and the woman who was involved. The story was gripping at times. It felt like you were there in Munich along with the main character.

Progress Thus Far

 

Click on image to enlarge.

Little Bee

Author: Chris Cleave
Stars: 4
Review by: SCL
This book was amazing and I was so excited to find a five star book. Until the very end, that is. I just did not like the ending at all. After processing for a while, I may decide that it was the logical end, but it sure wasn't the romantic one!

Congratulations to...

... LateNightReader, our Week #2 Prize Winner!!!

Cat's Cradle

Author: Kurt Vonnegut
Stars: 5
Review by: Marianne S.
How to accidentally destroy the world. Still enjoyed it, 20+ years after the first time I read it.

Nightmare

Author: Stephen Leather
Stars: 4
Review by: Marianne S.
Book 3 of the Nightingale series, featuring Jack Nightingale, who has learned 1) he was adopted at birth, 2) his biological father was a Satanist, and 3) he only has a few weeks left to live as Daddy bargained away his soul before he was born. Great writing; much better than it sounds!

Sand Castle Bay

Author: Sherryl Woods
Stars: 5
Review by: book lover
It was a great book! Hard to put down. There are two other books in this series: Wind Chime Point and Sea Glass Island.  All the books by Sherryl Woods are great.

The Highlander's Sword

Author: Amanda Forester
Stars: 4
Review by: Rebecca S.
A fun summer read.

In the Shadow of Blackbirds

Author: Cat Winters
Stars: 5
Review by: libraryaimee
This is a young adult book that takes place during the end of WWI in San Diego during the Spanish flu epidemic. Spiritualism in the city was huge at this time and people flocked to photographers in hopes of having dead loved ones appear. The book veers into supernatural with an actual ghost, but the mystery surrounding the death of person (pre-ghost) is suspenseful and frightening. Each chapter includes an old photo in which a "ghost" appeared. Loved it!

The House Girl

Author: Tara Conklin
Stars: 5
Review by: libraryaimee
This book intertwines the stories of a slave girl in 1852 and a modern day woman working at a NYC law firm. I loved both characters and their stories. The historical aspect is very interesting: the lawyer tries to track down living relatives of the house girl slave.

The Burgess Boys

Author: Elizabeth Strout
Stars: 4
Review by: Happygirl
What I liked about this book: Strout has the ability to make the ordinary interesting. With the exception of the son who throws a pig's head into a mosque, this book is about normal people who go to college, get jobs in "the big city", get married, have kids, get divorced . . . or not. I felt like I was Olive Ketteridge when I read that book and here I feel like I am one of the Burgess kids, especially when one of the brothers tells the other he is tired of listening to him. It sounds so much like my own family. If I have any complaints, it's that the ending isn't crisp enough. After (whoops . . . spoiler alert!!!) it seems to drag on to the finish.

Reunion at Red Paint Bay

Author: George Harrar
Stars: 3.5
Review by: Miss Lucy
Do sins of the past go away if they are old enough?

Tempest in the Tea Leaves

Author: Kari Lee Townsend
Stars: 3
Review by: Saraswati
This is book 1 in the series. I had book 2 on my shelf and read it and was happy to see the library had books 1 and 3. This is a fun, light cozy about a city girl with a special talent. She moves to a charming upstate NY town to find her way. Instead she finds her way into intrigue and murder. She gets to use her talent to solve these mysteries. It reads like Evanovich light. Enjoy!

Wedding Night

Author: Sophie Kinsella
Stars: 4
Review by: syd
Laugh out loud book. Her books always put you in a good mood.

The Sweetest Thing

Author: Jill Shalvis
Stars: 3
Review by: syd
Enjoyable summer read.

Progress Thus Far

Click on image to enlarge.

Congratulations to...

... the benign bibliophile, our Week #1 prize winner!!!

The Way Life Should Be

Author: Christina Baker Kline
Stars: 5
Review by: Angel1
Fast reading, enjoyable fun summer read. A young woman leaves everything and moves to Maine. Also, includes great authentic, Italian recipes.

And the Mountains Echoed

Author: Khaled Housseini
Stars: 3
Review by: Kathy G
This was a difficult read for me that finally came together at the end. Many of the chapters seemed disjointed.

Through Frankie's Eyes

Author: Barbara Techel
Stars: 4
Review by: Gypsy P
Adorable, heartfelt story of a woman and her dogs ~ in particular her dachshund, Frankie, who ends up in a roller cart. 

Secret Daughter

Author: Shilpi Somaya Gowda
Stars: 5
Review by: ADAR
I just read this book for the second time and loved it as much as the first time. 

A Good Man

Author: J. J. Murray
Stars: 3
Review by: Miss Lucy
 If you like to watch The Bachelorette, then be sure to read this book about contestants on a Bachelorette-type reality show.

Walden on Wheels: On the Open Road from Debt to Freedom

Author: Ken Ilgunas
Stars: 3.5
Review by: bd
A great story of an enterprising guy who got himself out of debt and then worked his way through grad school. A relatively short section of the book recounts his adventures living in the van; the rest is his adventures working in remote regions of Alaska. Can't say I relate to him or his journey, but it was a very interesting story.

Absolute Power

Author: David Baldacci
Stars: 3
Review by: LateNightReader
This was a little slow to get going, but once it did, David Baldacci keeps the action moving. This thriller takes place in Washington, D.C. and it involves a murder that the Secret Service helps to cover up since the US President was involved. Little did they know, but the crime was witnessed and now the more everyone tries to keep it covered, those seeking the truth are more exposed to deadly danger.

Lucky's Lady

Author: Tami Hoag
Stars: 4
Review by: Saraswati
This book was originally published in 1992 and republished as anniversary years have gone by. It was Ms. Hoag's first attempt at story lines that were not pure romance. It is about coming home again, betrayal, and love. It still has a lot of romance to go around but the intrigue made it a little more. I'm glad I finally took this book off my shelves and read it. It was a nice way to kick off my summer reading.

Defending Jacob

Author: William Landay
Stars: 4
Review by: BookMom3
This is a good crime drama. The court proceedings can be a little dry in parts but an interesting ending.

September Fair

Author: Jess Lourey
Stars: 4
Review by: L.Z.
I've really been enjoying this Murder by the Month series, and this book was no exception!

The Sisterhood

Author: Helen Bryan
Stars: 4
Review by: Kathyb
This book had a lot going on. Set in the 1500's in a convent and also present day. This book touched on religion, the Spanish Inquisition, the treatment of women (or mistreatment), and a mysterious medal. There are many characters, all very interesting. I enjoyed it very much.

Paris

Author: Edward Rutherfurd
Stars: 5
Review by: Judy 
Historical fiction that makes the history of France so interesting. While the book has over 800 pages it is very readable.

Have a Little Faith

Author: Mitch Albom
Stars: 5
Review by: Mystery Girl
A moving, enlightening book on faith. Everyone should read it!

Sealed with a Promise

Author: Mary Margret Daughtridge
Stars: 3
Review by: Saraswati
Had this book home and decided now was the time to read it. Different from many other SEAL books where they use mystery, warfare and rescuing, this is just about a man who happens to be a SEAL. Someways I know the SEAL thing just makes you want to read it, but this is a nice story of the girl geek and the jock that works. It was nice to read about people with intelligence where math & science is their thing. Fun summer read!

Blood of the Sorceress: The Portal Volume 3

Author: Maggie Shayne
Stars: 3
Review by: Saraswati
Coming into a series at book 3 of what seems to be a trilogy is not really a good idea.
This book can stand alone but there is a lot of back history that would make reading it
much easier. Trust, betrayal, and trust again are the key components of this book. It took
me a while to ramp up to the reading, but once I did, it was somewhat funny and enjoyable.
I have the first book on my list. I think it will be much better. Still--not a bad summer read
if you like the paranormal.

The Love Song of Jonny Valentine

Author: Teddy Wayne
Stars: 3
Review by: Happygirl
What I liked about this book: Teddy Wayne really got into the mind of an 11-year-old who has to exist in an adult world. The character talks like a kid when describing his life as a video game, but then sounds like an adult when he describes his job. He wants friends so bad he lets cool people take advantage of him and dreams of living with his bodyguard.

I always wondered why Justin Beiber had a serious girlfriend. Now I wonder if it is a real relationship or just created for his image. It showed me how manipulated these tween idols' images are.

The length of the book was just right. It starts at the beginning of a tour and runs to the end.

The only negative thing I can say about the book is that it didn't leave me wanting more. It would be real easy to write a book that follows this kid as he grows up, but I don't really care.

Time Thief

Author: Katie MacAlister
Stars: 4
Review by: Saraswati 
This is the first in a new series by Ms. MacAlister and the first
book after the unexpected death of her husband. It is the story of a new
Otherworld group called Travelers. They have the ability to "steal" time. The two main characters are outcasts of society and come together unexpectedly, fall in love and...no spoiler alert here. This book holds true to MacAlister's campy humor and chippy heroines.  It show that people are resilient. A fun summer read.  Looking forward to book 2, The Art of Stealing Time, coming this August.

Dead Ever After: The Final Sookie Stackhouse Novel

Author: Charlaine Harris
Stars: 4
Review by: Saraswati
Reading Ms. Harris' Acknowledgments made me realize that I have followed Ms. Harris' characters for a long time. I never got into True Blood because I feel my imagination is much better. Knowing that this is the final book for this series I just had to read it straight through. This story really did end an era of fun reads. Many past characters were brought back to take their final bows. The inner cover has many of the key characters walking the circumference of the moon and it is a giveaway of the ending. I enjoyed the ending and even though Ms. Harris states that this is the end, there is room for new beginnings. I was happy to read the book straight through, but sad that it is now over. Enjoy the grand finale!

Whiskey Beach

Author: Nora Roberts
Stars: 4
Review by: Saraswati 
This is my first read for this summer's club. A nice heartwarming
novel.  It's about two people who have been through some very tough times and are 
trying to make themselves whole again. They find friendship and love. The added fun to this is a murder mystery and an old pirate's tale.  Yes, there is digging for buried treasure.  An enjoyable summer read.

Tapestry of Fortunes

Author: Elizabeth Berg
Stars: 3
Review by: ADAR
Good summer read. Quick.

Talking to Girls about Duran Duran

Author: Rob Sheffield
Stars: 4
Review by: Lrizza 
This book is a great read for someone who grew up in the '80s. 
It's a memoir of how the author learned about love through the music of the '80s. Each chapter is the name of a song from that decade. It sure brought back a lot of memories. The author is a writer for Rolling Stone magazine.

The Tender Bar

Author:  J.R. Moehringer
Stars: 4
Review by: ADAR
Non-fiction which I usually do not read, but it really kept me
going. Takes place mainly on Long Island 1970s to 9/11. Really a 
good picture of the times.

Just Jennifer

The Time of My Life by Cecelia Ahern (William Morrow, April 2013)

Ever since Lucy Silchester’s boyfriend Blake left her three years ago as he was embarking on a new travel show for television, Lucy has been telling small lies, such as she was the one who left Blake, that she feels are excusable as long as the outcome is the same.  Lucy has lied about the number of languages in which she is fluent at her job translating appliance manuals (she can translate into every language except Spanish) and has all but alienated all her friends and her very judgmental, wealthy family.  When Lucy receives a summons from her Life to meet with him, she is a little startled and does everything she can to avoid the meeting, as is her habit with most people.  Life is worn down and less than appealing but calls Lucy on her many lies and follows her around, outing her to family, friends and co-workers.  As Life attempts to help Lucy in many aspects of her life, including arranging a carpet cleaning that has surprising results for Lucy, as does the announcement that her parents plan to renew their wedding vows on their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary.  Funny and poignant, Lucy’s story will strike a chord with many people as she begins to pay attention to the people around her rather than herself.  Long, internal monologue inspired paragraphs look daunting on the page, but work very well as Lucy evaluates and takes stock of her life, facing her fears and insecurities as she goes.  Lucy is a character that will stay with readers long after the final pages of the book; readers may find themselves looking over their shoulders to see if Life is lurking just around the corner to help set them on the straight and narrow.

Just Jennifer

Astor Place Vintage by Stephanie Lehmann (Touchstone Books, June 2013)

Manhattan vintage clothing store owner, almost 40-year-old Amanda Rosenblum has gone to the home of 98-year-old Jane Kelly who is divesting herself of her possessions, including trunk loads of vintage clothing.  Sewn into a muff, Amanda finds a turn of the 20^th century journal written by Olive Westcott, who was raised by an upper-class widowed father who was killed shortly after he lost everything in the stock market leaving Olive to fend for herself as she faces many prejudices and challenges trying to become a self-supporting, independent woman as a department store buyer.  Olive’s story is interspersed with Amanda’s modern day life as Amanda faces the possible loss of her beloved East Village building, her reluctance to let her married lover Jeff go and the need to gain her own independence, both financially and emotionally.  As Amanda becomes immersed in Olive’s story, she begins to trace Olive’s history through Manhattan, combining Amanda’s love of history with her new fascination with Olive.  When Olive’s story takes a surprising turn, Amanda finds herself in a position to help not only her business, but her personal life if she can summon the courage from within.  A charming story filled with details from early 20^th century Manhattan, mingling them with the modern day city.   

Just Jennifer

After Her by Joyce Maynard (William Morrow, September 2013)

Rachel and Patty grew up in the shadow of the hills of Marin County, California and in the shadow of a serial killer their father, the Chief of Detectives, was unable to catch.  Growing up in a small neighborhood, their parents divorced, their mother suffering from bouts of depression, Patty and Rachel learned to take care of themselves early on.  Using the mountains in their backyard as their playground, the girls have no fear of the wilderness and inherent dangers.  The girls also turn their fascinations toward their neighbors, using picture windows to catch glimpses of television shows they are unable to watch themselves, focusing on one man, his dog and the wife they only occasionally see. 

Beginning in 1979, over a dozen young women are murdered in the mountains and Rachel watches as a town’s fear turns to anger toward her father.  As his career slowly begins to come apart, Rachel decides it is up to her to trap a killer and restore her father’s career, only to make things worse, completely obliterating the career of a man she learns is dying and looking back on a life filled with regrets.

Thirty years later, Rachel receives a journal containing her father’s notes from the Sunset Strangler case, a case that remains unsolved even after a man confessed and was sentenced to jail for crimes Rachel---and her father---know he is innocent of.  Deciding it is time to vindicate her father, Rachel constructs a plan to smoke out a killer, but in doing so, uncovers family secrets that may have been best kept hidden.

Carefully constructed, much of the book builds Rachel’s relationships with her sister and her father and then deconstructs these relationships bit by bit.  After such careful plotting, the climax and finale of the book feel a little rushed, leaving readers anxious for just a bit more.  So much effort is to put into Rachel’s fourteen years to bring her abruptly thirty years into the future is a little jarring, though an unexpected meeting answers several questions left hanging.  The tension created by the serial killer is not that of urgency for him to be caught or who will be next, but one of the effects his presence in the mountains has on a community and the microcosm of Rachel’s family past present and future.  Joyce Maynard once again details and a family and the relationships within and without with exceptional care and attention.

Just Jennifer

All the Summer Girls by Meg Donohue (William Morrow, June 2013)

Kate, Vanessa and Dani have been best friends since their days at a Philadelphia Quaker Friends’ School.  Even during their college years the here would reunite at Dani’s beach house in Avalon, New Jersey each summer.  Eight years after their last beach reunion, and one night that would change their lives forever, the three women converge on the beach again to sort out their presents, reveal and heal from the secrets of the past and make plans for the futures.

Kate, who remained in Philadelphia, has just been dumped by her fiancé as the wedding invitations are about to go out and on the same day she learns she is pregnant.  Vanessa appears to be living a dream life, married to a handsome television personality and stay-at-home mom to an adorable two-year-old.  Vanessa is beginning to feel restless, thinking about the career she gave up as an art gallery specialist and finds herself searching for a boyfriend from the fateful summer eight years ago.  Dani, who has been in San Francisco for the past eight years chasing her dreams of writing, has hit rock bottom after too many drugs, too much alcohol and losing too many jobs: Dani plans to return to her father’s home in Philadelphia after a long overdue reunion with the girls.  Arriving in Avalon, Dani is met with a surprise that changes her plans in an instant.

As these three women gather to face each other and themselves with nothing but the sun, sand and memoires, they each take stock of their lives and how the events of eight summers ago has shaped their choices.  When they come together to face the roads not taken, they realize some secrets might have been better off kept and the uncertainty if their friendships can withstand the truths they now face.

Meg Donohue intertwines the stories of the three women with honesty and ease.  She allows each woman to accept responsibility for her role in the summer eight years ago and the choices each has made since without casting blame.  As there women ready to let go of the past and step into adulthood with both feet, they learn what memories they need to let go of and how to forgive themselves and each other in order to hold close to each what is dearest. 

Just Jennifer

Resurrectionist by Matthew Guinn (W.W. Norton, July 8, 2013)

Dr. Jacob Thacker is on probation for abusing Xanax and is working in public relations for the dean at South Carolina State Medical College until he is deemed ready to return to practicing medicine.  When renovations begin on campus, a burial ground of bones estimated to be a century old are uncovered taking Jacob and his colleagues on a journey into a darker part of the colleges history and taking Jacob on a journey of self-discovery that will help shape his future.  A founder of the school, Dr. Frederick Augustus Johnston purchased a slave, Nemo, who was especially skilled with a knife.  Nemo was an unofficial member of the faculty and a resurrenctionist, who was responsible for finding bodies on which the students could practice.  The further Jacob delves into Nemo’s story, the more he realizes that he must make decisions that will not be popular with the school, possibly costing the school funding and costing Jacob, perhaps his livelihood.  Told in alternating chapters between Jacob’s present day story and Nemo’s story in nineteenth-century South Carolina, Matthew Guinn depicts two memorable characters with a subtle narrative and strong sense of place.  Readers watch as Jacob is transformed from a self-absorbed young man into someone with a curiosity about his past & that of his school’s and into someone willing to stand up for what he knows is right.  This is a beautifully and subtly written  debut novel.  

Just Jennifer

Close My Eyes by Sophie McKenzie (St. Martin’s, July 9, 2013)

Geniver Loxley has been unable to get over the death of her daughter Beth at her birth eight years ago.  Once an author with a promising future, Gen has begun teaching writing classes at a local college, though her heart is not in it; her husband Art has been urging Beth to try fertility treatments that will enable them to have another child, but Gen can’t bear the thought of losing another child.  A stranger arrives on her doorstep one day telling Gen that she is the sister of the nurse who was in the delivery room the day Beth was born and that Beth did not die, but was stolen from Gen, is still alive and that Art was in on the crime.  Gen cannot believe that Art would be involved in such a thing, but as she begins to look into the veracity of the woman’s claims, she realizes that her sister, now dead, may have been telling the truth.  Gen tracks down the people who were in the delivery room that day and realizes that Lucy’s sister was telling the truth and that her Beth may in fact still be alive.  Filled with twists and turns and a woman on the edge, Close My Eyes begins with a parent’s worst nightmare and ends with a shocking conclusion few will see coming.  

Just Jennifer

The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood (Penguin, July 30 2013)

Engrossing and disturbing, The Wicked Girls explores the lives of two women convicted of murder as eleven-year-olds who appear to have gotten away from the events of their childhood until the day the two meet again as a serial-killer stalks young women in a seaside town.  Bel and Jade meet for the first time when they are eleven but become tied together forever when they murder, and attempt to cover it up, the young sister of a friend of one of their older brothers.  Convicted, but separated during their time they served at their sentences, new identities were created for the notorious pre-teens and they have tried to put their pasts behind them: Jade has become Kristy, a newspaper reporter who has a loving husband and two children; Bel is now Amber, a night-shift cleaning supervisor at an amusement park with an abusive common-law husband and little hope for her future.  Bel stumbles upon a dead woman in the house of horrors and Kristy comes to report on the serial murders, putting the two on a collision course that will force them to remember the past and creates circumstances that will make their futures as uncertain as they once were.  The original crime is revealed slowly as flashbacks, leading up to the inevitable meeting of these two women who must resolve their past issues if they hope to move on with the future.  While tracking down a serial killer makes this book part mystery, the moodiness of the narrative and the focus on the two women and how their past and choices since have affected their lives takes the book, a hit in the UK into the realm of psychological suspense.

Just Jennifer

Once Upon a Lie by Maggie Barbieri (Minotaur, December 2013)

Barbieri, known for her cozier novels featuring St. Thomas College professor Alison Bergeron, has written a very different, darker novel, featuring Maeve Conlon, a very tired divorced mother of two who owns a bakery and who keeps secrets from her past close and will stop at nothing to protect those she loves.  Even being from a close Irish family, Maeve can’t shed any tears when her cousin Sean is found murdered.  Her father Jack, who is showing signs of dementia, is also not saddened when he hears of the death of his nephew, and what’s more, he cannot provide an alibi for himself for the night of Sean’s death.  As Maeve slowly confronts the demons of her past, she is relentless in the defense of her father, but as she delves deeper into Sean’s murder she has to face things she is not ready to face, leading to the biggest surprise of all.  While it’s never clear why the police focus on Jack as the murder suspect, it doesn’t detract from the suspense and drama as Maeve works to clear her father’s name and hold what is left of her family together while all the while, keeping her sanity; trying to find peace of mind and a truth she can live with when she learns the truth she has been living with all these years was a lie which set into motion events that can never be undone.

Just Jennifer

Loyalty by Ingrid Thoft (Putnam, June 2013)

Fina Ludlow is the youngest and only daughter, in a family of high-powered Boston attorneys.  After flunking out of law school, Fina got her PIs license and finds she enjoys that part of the law business much more than litigation; she has got the looks to charm men from low level thugs to high level cops but has the nerve, and good shot, to hold her own in any situation.  Fina’s sister-in-law Melanie doesn’t come home one night and Rand asks Fina to find where his wife went, thinking she is sulking at a spa or over some designer shopping.  When Melanie turns up no traces of the woman, and Melanie’s best friend Risa also hasn’t heard from her in days, Fina becomes concerned: first for Melanie’s safety, and secondly that Rand has done something to his wife.  Using some of her less than upstanding contacts, Fina starts asking questions as to the whereabouts of her sister-in-law and quickly finds herself on the receiving end of a beating and accident on the Mass Pike designed to kill.  The closer Fina looks, the more she realizes that every family has secrets, but will her family stop at nothing to keep them hidden? Even hurting Fina?  Edgy with a feminine side, Fina is a welcomed addition to the growing ranks of female PIs.  The complicated plot will keep readers guessing as they untangle the strands that have become the life of Rand Ludlow, and by association, his sister’s life as well.  The narrative is well-paced and doesn’t stop until the last page.