Never Tell a Lie by Hallie Ephron

I believe this is the first novel by Ms Ephron - she is a mystery reviewer and has written non-fiction books. She must have picked up a lot from reading mysteries because she did a great job on this novel! It very much reminded me of a Mary Higgins Clark book. From the first page I was interested in the characters. They are Ivy and David, a young married couple eagerly awaiting the arrival of a baby. They had a stillborn child before and Ivy is on pins and needles about this one. They live in an old Victorian house that they bought 3 years before. As the birth of the baby approaches, Ivy begins nesting and cleaning. At last the stuff in the attic that was left from the previous owner must go! They have a yard sale. At the sale a woman comes up to Ivy to ask about a swan dish. The woman turns out to be a former high school classmate. Neither Ivy nor David were friends of Melinda's but she carries on a long and annoying (to Ivy) conversation. David "saves" Ivy and takes Melinda off for a tour of the remodeling. Melinda isn't seen leaving the house by anyone. The Police come asking questions. Poor Ivy. There she is pregnant and now this. And more upsetting is the question of whom she can trust.
Great mystery - not gory. Reads quickly. It's a good one!

Dream House by Valerie Laken

This is a debut novel and I can't wait for more to be published! It was very well-written. It begins with a short chapter about a man and his young helper who are hired to clean up a crime scene. It isn't too graphic (yeah!) and we don't get a lot of information about the crime. Then it skips twenty years forward. Two stories are then told and eventually they overlap. The basic story is about Kate and Stuart who buy a very run-down house in Michigan. When school lets out for the summer Kate throws herself into the remodel even though Stuart is less than enthusiastic and their marriage reaches a critical state. The other story is about Walker. He has recently been released from prison. He ends up helping Kate with the remodel. I loved the way she wrote this book, intertwining the different characters and stories. Highly recommended!

Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan by Suze Orman

This is an audio book. If you like Suze Orman, you will feel like she is right in your ear! She offers a simplified explanation of what happened to the country financially. The rest of the book is situations and action plans. The downside of an audio book is that you can't skim through it. So you have to listen to every situation and action plan! It is filled with scary situations and straight-talking solutions - Suze never pulls any punches.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

Part of this story takes place in the Japanese interment camps during World War II which is what drew me to the book. I always liked history and I actually read the assignments and paid attention in class. Imagine my astonishment when I found out around the age of 30, that my own country and rounded up American citizens and put them in camps because they were of Japanese ancestry. That seems to have been left out of the history books when I was in school. This is a wonderful book that takes us into the lives of those that lived in Seattle at that time. Through flashbacks we learn the story of Henry (despite the name he is Chinese). He got a scholarship to an exclusive elementary school. The white kids either ignore him or tease him. School becomes bearable when he meets Keiko, a young Japanese-American girl. They become close friends. One day she is taken away in the evacuations.
In present day, Henry is a recent widower who is having a hard time dealing with his loss and communicating with his son. A discovery is made in the basement of an old hotel. There are boxes and belongings of the Japanese-American families. Could Henry find a trace of Keiko's past in that basement? You will have to read the book to find out! Well written and a good peek into an embarrassing part of American history.

The Appeal by John Grisham

This newest book by Grisham reminds me of the first one he wrote - The Firm, which I think was my favorite. Once again there is a fine young lawyer. His dad is a small-town lawyer and he has been Kyle's role model. Kyle wants to do something good and worthwhile with his law degree. Before he can even graduate from law school he is approached by some really bad guys. They have some evidence of a possible rape that happened in Kyle's college apartment five years ago. They blackmail Kyle into signing with a prestigious law firm in New York so that he can get them information on a high-profile law suit. Quick paced with lots of twists. It's a winner

While my sister sleeps by Barbara Delinsky

Ms. Delinsky always writes very readable books - and this one is no exception. The Snow sisters, Molly and Robin, are grown-up and living together. But just because you are a grown-up doesn't mean that you are over the resentments, jealousy etc. that you had as children. Molly always tries to be the good one. She is the one that keeps their house in order. She works in the family business - a nursery, trying to impress her mother. Robin is a world-class runner and is always preparing for a race or in a race. Right now she has her eyes on the Olympics. Robin wanted Molly to help her train one day - that is, to wait a designated place with water. Molly is mad because Robin was supposed to train that morning but then changed it to late afternoon. Molly has reasons she gives for not being able to help. So Robin goes running by herself. Later Molly receives a call that Robin is in the hospital and for her to come right away. Assuming it is another sprained ankle, Molly takes her time. When she arrives at the hospital she finds that Robin has had a heart attack and is in critical condition. The book is about the family and how they cope with this tragedy and guilt. It was a good one!

The Spare Room by Helen Garner

This is a short but powerful book. Nicola has advanced cancer and is chasing alternative treatments. She is upbeat and absolutely certain that the treatments will heal her. She calls on her old friend Helen to ask if she can stay with her when she comes to town for the three weeks of treatment. Helen is, of course, happy to help out her friend. But reality is a little different. On the back of the book is a quote from Hilary Mantel concerning this book. The line that struck me was "What are the limits of friendship?" This book explores the answer to that question.

Running from the Puppet Master by D-L Nelson

This was a quick read full of suspense. Leah Stockbridge is a square peg in a round hole. Her family is very New England conservative. She is an artist. Her art teacher is encouraging her to go to art school. Her parents will have nothing to do with it - and they will not pay for it. Leah gets a job and saves her money. She gets accepted into art school and sneaks into Boston to rent an apartment. The day her parents think she is going off to a 'real' school, she announces what she has done. Things go well for a while - artistic success, love - the usual. Then tragedy strikes (doesn't it always??). Leah moves to Paris where she meets Jean-Luc, a smooth Swiss rich guy. Her life is filled with lots of material things, but nothing that fulfills her artist's soul. She ends up on the run - I won't tell you why. It was a good book.

Made from Scratch by Jenna Woginrich 640 Wog

The sub-title of this book is "Discovering the Pleasures of a Handmade Life". I always like reading about how-to-simplify-your life books but this one was almost unbelievable! Ms Woginrich, a web designer, is only 26 years old. My idea of simplifying is having fewer magazine subscriptions and cleaning out the basement. This woman takes up homesteading after hours! She plants a garden, raises bees, makes omelets with fresh eggs from her hens - well you get the idea. Oh yeah, she also has two huskies for sledding. I admire her a lot! She gives lots of ideas and suggestions on how the rest of us can join in this lifestyle. I personally did not take notes, but it was interesting to read!

The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman - audio book on Wilbor

This was a great book to listen to. Jane Hudson was a student at Heart Lake School twenty years ago. She came from a poor family and attended on a scholarship. She formed a close bond to the other scholarship student named Lucy. The two of them end up sharing a dorm room with Deirdre. By the end of her senior year Jane had lost her two roommates and Lucy's brother Matt (who is also Jane's love interest) to suicide. Perhaps the legend of the lake claiming the lives of children is true! Now Jane is a Latin teacher at the school. She has separated from her husband and is living in a cottage with her daughter. Jane is shocked when a page from her high school journal shows up. Then it seems that the events of 20 years ago are beginning to repeat themselves. The story goes back and forth between the present and 20 years ago. It certainly kept my interest. A good book!

An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination by Elizabeth McCracken 921 McC

Ms. McCracken is a successful novelist. She never thought she would get married and that was okay with her. Of course she meets another writer and falls madly in love. This is the story of her early marriage and her first pregnancy. The baby died in the ninth month and she had to go through labor to deliver him. It is a heartbreaking story. I am just going to quote from the book cover because it explains the book in the best way. "It is a story of true love and unfathomable sadness. It is a story of courageous recovery and bittersweet moments, of steadfast memories and deep affection. It is a story of the importance of friendship. It is a story of happiness and of hope." Definitely not a book for everyone, but it is well-written and very touching

Good-Bye and Amen by Beth Gutcheon

This is the follow-up book to Leeway Cottage. It was great. The format is a bit different. There are a lot of characters and they tell the story in snippets. It is interesting because we hear the same story from different points of view. It can be confusing sometimes - but at the back of the book is a list of characters. That would have helped if I had known it was there before I started reading! The story begins after the death of Sydney and Laurus, the parents of Eleanor, Monica and Jimmy. They all have their own scars from childhood. One of my favorite parts of the book is during the 'lottery' that takes place. The three adult children (with no spouses or children) are to choose what they want from Leeway Cottage, one at a time. I loved the reactions and strategies they each had! I really enjoyed both books.

Leeway Cottage by Beth Gutcheon

A new book caught my eye and I began reading the jacket. There I discovered that it was a follow-up book to this book, Leeway Cottage. Often it is not that important to read books in order since the author manages to bring you up to date with what has gone on with the characters. In this case I am very glad I read this one first. It is the generational story of a family who summer in a coastal village in Maine. The main character is Sydney who grew up with a loving father and a jealous, cold mother. At the beginning of World War II she falls in love with Laurus, a talented pianist from Denmark. They elope. A year later they begin a four-year separation when Laurus goes to London to help organize a Danish Resistance. I was fascinated by this part of the story that told about what went on in Denmark during that time. They rescued almost all of the 7000 Jews in their country.
Laurus comes back home and meets his nearly four-year-old daughter and begins the next phase of his life. The characters are interesting and the background is well-done. I am almost half-way through the second book which picks up immediately after the death of Sydney and Laurus. I'll be blogging on that one soon!

Casting Spells by Barbara Bretton

Chloe Hobbs is the only human living in Sugar Maple. And she is their only salvation.

Descended from a long line of sorceresses, Chloe must find a way to get her magic in order to save the town from outsiders. A charm cast by her ancestor provided that as long as someone in her line was around to keep the magic going, the town would be a safe haven for all magical beings--werewolves, vampires, trolls, and the fae. However, with Chloe still not accessing her magic, that charm is losing power.

Then someone dies. The first death since Chloe's parents. And the investigation brings in an outsider--a cop who has to investigate. And suddenly, Chloe's whole world is turned upside down.

A humorous and charming romance story. For those who love knitting, you'll get a kick out of a main character who owns a yarn store, and can teach anyone how to knit. Tips and tricks are listed in the back of the book. If you don't really like magical beings, you'll still like the book!

The Distance Between Us by Bart Yates (Fiction)

At 71, Hester Parker is dealing with the end of her 45-year marriage. When she rents her upstairs apartment to a young college student, she has no idea of the impact he will have on her family.

Hester is handling a lot - the end of her concert pianist career many years before, her children who want nothing to do with her, the fact that her husband left her for another woman. She is bitter and angry. Her biting wit can hide many things but not this.

Many times while reading this book, I wanted to shake everyone in it. Although I didn't always agree with Hester, I found myself liking her and understanding where her actions were coming from.

I enjoyed the way the author wrote, especially about music and the way it affected all of the characters in the book. His characters were believable and compelling and the pages flew by all too quickly.