No time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay

At the age of 14, following a fight with her father, Cynthia wakes up one morning to find her entire family gone - mother, father, and brother - with no note or any clue as to where they have gone. Now it's 25 years later and she is married with a daughter but is still unable to leave her past behind her and new clues are resurfacing. Seen through the eyes of her husband, Terry, we wonder with him if his wife is completely sane. Is she making up the clues? Has she known all along what happened to them? And if she is sane, then what happened to her family all those years ago. Some people might figure out part of the story - but not the whole thing! I went along for the ride - and enjoyed this book tremendously.

The Appeal by John Grisham

This is a typical Grisham novel. It was interesting and I generally learn something new. In a year filled with politics maybe I really don't want to think about what might be going on behind closed doors! Of course this IS a novel - it isn't true....I'm sure this sort of thing doesn't happen......
The book opens with a jury bring back a shocking verdict - they have found a chemical company guilty of causing a cancer cluster and given the plaintiff( a young woman who lost her husband and son within 6 months of each other) a verdict of 41 million dollars. The company immediately starts an appeal to the Supreme Court of Mississippi. They want to be sure those 9 justices are on their side..... thus begins the intrigue. I liked this book a lot and you can't figure out who is going to do what. Good guy? Bad guy? - hard to tell in this political arena.

Roommates Wanted by Lisa Jewell

This is not fine literature! It is, however, an entertaining, quirky book! Here is the storyline: Toby has received a big house as a wedding present from his father, who wants to give him his "inheritance" and be done with him. Of course the house is in terrible shape- as is the marriage. Within a month the bride has fled, leaving Toby alone and lonely. So he decides to advertise for roommates - ones who are also down on their luck. He figures they can live in his house until they get their lives together. Toby even makes them write a letter to explain why they should live there. Fifteen years later Toby is finally going to move on with his life. But how can he get rid of the people he meant to shelter for a short while? He tries to solve the problems that brought them to him in the first place. I enjoyed it.

Airman by Eoin Colfer

Conor has always had his eyes on the sky. Being born in a hot air balloon will do that to you. From an early age, he has wanted to fly and be free. It seems he will have that opportunity to discover how to fly.

Then tragedy strikes--he witnesses a murder. Not just any murder--the murder of his king and his mentor. The murderer then locks him away in prison with no one knowing what happened to him. Conor must find a way to conquer the sky and rescue himself and his family from danger that lurks around every corner.

A fascinating read, staged in Ireland around the time of the discovery of flight. Conor is an energetic and determined teen thrown into some harrowing and frustrating circumstances. This book is action-packed!

The Pajama Girls of Lambert Square by Rosina Lippi

Julia fled to Lamb's Corner, Georgia, five years ago following the sudden death of her husband. There she opened a highly successful linen and pajama store. The first time John Dodge sees her, she is wearing pajamas - the "uniform" for all the employees. He has moved to town to revive a store that sells pens and is instantly smitten. Each of them has things they are hiding from which must be resolved before the necessary happy ending. Both the employees of the two stores and other residents of the community figure prominently in the story and give it much of its local flavor.

I like Rosina Lippi's books, whether she's writing as herself (in this case) or as Sara Donati (who writes historical romances). This book was no different - not too much thought involved but characters that were likable and honestly trying to solve their problems.

Losing You by Nicci French

I don't know if I've read anything else by this author (who is actually a husband-and-wife writing duo) but I will check out their other books. Another mystery, another missing child. This time it is a 15-yr.old girl named Charlie. She is supposed to come home from a sleep-over and get packed. Charlie, her brother Jackson, mom Nina and Nina's boyfriend are planning to leave that afternoon for Florida. It's Nina's 40th birthday and she has lots to do. Her old car is giving her problems but she manages to make it home. No Charlie. Nina is not happy that her irresponsible daughter has not packed. Then people start coming to the door. Surprise! It's a birthday party - planned by Charlie. But still no Charlie. You see where this is going, don't you? It read quickly and was interesting. I would recommend it.

Lady Killer by Lisa Scottoline

In this typical Scottoline thriller our heroine is Mary diNunzio. As usual she is kept busy with her own family's problems (generally trivial) and those of the south Philly neighborhood (not so trivial). Trish Gambone (one of the Mean girls who tormented Mary in high school) comes to see Mary and ask for help. Her live-in boyfriend (who is in the mob) doesn't treat her well but she is afraid to leave him. (Just to make things interesting he is also an ex-boyfriend of Mary's - small world!) Mary offers to help her with a restraining order but Trish doesn't believe it will help. She storms out - and then she ends up missing!!! I listened to this book on cd and it was narrated by Barbara Rosenblat who always does a great job.

Where Are You Now? by Mary Higgins Clark

Clark has written 27 suspense novels and has kept up her high standards. This book is vintage Clark. Lots of red herrings in it so that you don't know whom to trust. My advice - don't trust anyone! Mack was a college senior when went missing ten years ago. All attempts to find him failed. Yet every year he calls on Mother's Day. His younger sister, Carolyn, is now twenty-six and has just finished her clerkship. She is determined to find her brother or at least find out why he has remained hidden all this time. As she begins the quest she tries to uncover all the secrets people seem to be hiding. A quick read.

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

I don't like fantasy books. I do like books with a little magic in them - after all, that isn't a fantasy. "Garden Spells" is the story of the Waverley family. Everyone in the family has some sort of 'gift'. Claire, the main character, is a caterer. She is quite successful because she uses ingredients from her garden which cause reactions from the people that eat them. (i.e. keeping secrets, making people thoughtful etc.) My favorite character is the cousin, Evanelle. Her gift is that she hands out unexpected 'gifts' to people all over town. They may not need the quarters, the bandage or whatever at that moment - but soon they find themselves in a situation where they are needed. Claire's sister Sydney comes back to the hometown with a daughter. So there is the usual - sisters having problems with things that happened in the past...................
I liked the book a lot!

The View from Mount Joy - audio book

I loved Lorna Landvik's book Angry Housewives Eating Bonbons. When I read the blurb on this book I decided to pass. Then we bought the audio edition. My standards are a little lower on audio books since I have fewer to choose from! Surprise, surprise - I loved it! It begins with a teenager named Joe who moves with his mother to Minneapolis after the death of his father. During high school he has a wild (secret) relation with Kristi (the head cheerleader no less!) and a close friendship with Darva (totally platonic). These women weave in and out of his life. The book covers four decades and I love the way she skips through Joe's life with just enough information that I felt I really knew what had happened to him. Nice guys don't always finish last!

Family Secrets by Judith Henry Wall

This is another book that won't make you any smarter - but it was enjoyable all the same. There are three sisters (who don't always get along), a mysterious letter found in a family Bible after their father's death (seems their paternal grandmother didn't die in childbirth!) and a mother who loves these three but needs to get on with her life (she moves to southern France). The sisters plan a trip to Montana to solve the mystery of granny. Along the way we find out more about their lives and problems. There were a few unexpected twists along the way - but not many.

Identical Strangers by Schein and Bernstein

Lots of children are adopted. Many adoptees have fantasies about their biological families. Many adoptees decide at one point or another to look for information about their births. At the age of 33 Elyse Schein decided to find out information about her birth mother. Originally the only information she received was that her mother was 28 years old and American. Six months later she receives a follow-up letter and finds that she has a twin sister. The rest of the story is told in the alternating voices of Schein and Bernstein. Since this is a true story it is not a match made in heaven at their first meeting. We read about their feelings as they get used to this new relationship. Eventually they begin a search for their mother. It was a fascinating read. I recommend it.