Marley & Me by John Grogan

If you are an animal lover (and perhaps even if you are not) you will enjoy this wonderful book that takes you through the life of a young couple who adopted a dog. What a dog! Large, rambunctious, loving, gentle, and all dog Marley kept his family on their toes all the time. From eating anything in sight to being tender with children Marly will invade your life as he did the Grogan's. This big yellow lab has many adventures from getting kicked out of obedience school to auditioning for movie. You will laugh until your sides split and cry with the Grogan's in the tough times. The story of this energetic much loved canine is a terriffic read.

No time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay

This is the only book we have by this author but it was a good one! Lots of suspense and totally unforeseen events. It is a mystery but without the blood and gore. The characters actually have dialogs! After my recent disappointment with James Patterson's You've been Warned I was a bit worried that this book might also end with a stupid explanation for what has gone on.
This book kept me reading eagerly because I had to know what happened. Maybe you would like to know too!

Deadline, by Chris Crutcher

About to be a senior in high school, Ben Wolf has a serious problem on his hands. His sports physical has come back, with extremely bad news. He maybe has one year left of his life.

Ben is torn between telling everyone in his life, or leaving it a secret until he can't anymore. But he's determined to make his last year the best one he's ever lived. That includes going out for the football team. Hitting on the best-looking girl in school. Antagonizing the government teacher. No matter what, Ben must face what will come. No matter what.

If you only read one book this year, make sure it's Deadline. This book will have you thinking about what you might do if you only had one year left. And what you might change.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

This memoir is fascinating. Having been raised in a traditional family (sure there were a few quirks) in the same town all of my growing years, I was in awe the way that some people lived their young lives. Of course it was not the children's choice - it was the parents'. Jeannette writes a book that will pull you in from the beginning. You know basically how it ends (after all she wrote the book!) but you want to know how she did it. I highly recommend this book!

Now and Then by Robert B. Parker

I've always loved the Spenser series by Robert Parker. (I have to admit that I haven't taken the plunge and tried any of his other series.) This newest one in the series lives up to its predecessors - snappy dialog, a plot that I can pretty much follow, and laughs along the way. Hawke, who was absent in the previous book, is back as Spenser's helpmate as they try to figure out why an FBI agent and his philandering wife were murdered. If you're looking for a quick read, this is the series for you - after carrying it around with me for a week, I managed to read almost all of it in a few hours on Thanksgiving Day!

Acorna Series by Anne McCaffrey

I started reading this series about 6 weeks ago, and have just started book 5 (of 7 - or 10 if you include the Acorna's Children series as well). The way McCaffrey has set up the characters and organized the setting I can find myself standing with the characters are they are progressing through the book. I find it hard to stop reading - I want to know what happens next!

Science fiction has always been something I enjoy. This series is a new addition to my favorite list.

Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and me / by Pattie Boyd and Penny Junor

What a fascinating read! This book refrains from being a tell-all expose, and the result is a thoroughly believable, heartfelt account of what is was like to be part of Beatlemania, and to be at the top of the social scene during the 1960's in London, including insights into the fashion world and drug culture. Amidst trips around the world, parties, and mansions, (all full of 60's icons) Pattie's story of fame, love, addiction and the struggles of all three is sincerely portrayed. It was a fascinating glimpse into a lifestyle that few tell.

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, by Laurie Viera Rigler

Not full of substance, but an interesting, quick read. Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict doesn't have the substance or dialogue that you might expect from an author who is sooo crazy about Austen's novels, but the premise of the novel, in which a 21st century L.A. working working girl is mysteriously transported back to Regency England, is enough to keep you turning the pages!

How Starbucks Saved My Life

This is a good quick non-fiction read. Like many other people Michael Gill finds out that loyalty to a company is not necessarily reciprocated - unless you choose the right company!
There are lots of life lessons to be learned from his journey. Also it's an interesting look into Starbucks and how they run their company.

a few thoughts on books I've loved and hated recently

Most books that I finish are rated good to great (by me). Otherwise I will quit at the point that I don't like it. With authors that I usually enjoy I'm willing to keep going in hopes that the end will justify my decision. Next time I might quit early!
James Patterson and his co-author du jour never create stories that are as good as Patterson's Cross or The Women's Murder Club series. But some of them have been okay. You've Been Warned was awful!! There are no sympathetic characters. I find it hard to like a book if there is no one in the book to root for. At the end I thought everything would be explained to my satisfaction. It wasn't. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone unless you are stuck in a doctor's office and there is no other reading material available.

Alice Sebold blew me away with her book The Lovely Bones. The Almost Moon was a bit of a disappointment. Again I found no truly sympathetic characters and some of the reactions and decisions of the characters seemed way off base. I would love to hear what other people thought about it.

I enjoyed reading The Faraday Girls by Monica Mcinerney. It is the story of a family of girls who had lost their mother years earlier. They live with their father. One of the girls becomes pregnant and it affects the family for years. It is not a real deep book but I liked it and was sad to see it end.

My New Favorite Author

A recent trip to Scotland increased my awareness of books by Ian Rankin. He is a Scottish mystery author and writes several series. The newest one in his John Rebus series had just been published when we were there so the book and his face were in every bookstore I went into. And then to make things even more fun, I heard him interviewed on the radio the week after I got back. Needless to say, I've been reading his books since!

I have to say that John Rebus is not a character I would normally like. As a police investigator, he is good but as a person he leaves a lot to be desired. He is flawed (alcoholic or not - you can decide) and resistant to authority. In spite of that, I like the character and the books and am almost always surprised by the way they end.

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