Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg

Another great novel by Ms. Berg. Her characters are so real that I feel like I know them. Helen Ames is the main character. She is a daughter to aging parents, an over-protective mother to a 27-yr old daughter and poorly-prepared widow after the death of her beloved husband Dan. Although Helen made good money as a published author, Dan took care of everything in Helen's world. It is all Helen can do to get out of bed in the morning - well late morning. As if things weren't bad enough with Helen being unable to write, her accountant finally gets through to her with the news that her half of a million dollars in the bank is down to fifty thousand. Dan had withdrawn large amounts of money during the past few years. You can see that Helen has plenty on her plate! No matter your age, you will find yourself relating to someone in the story. I read this in one day - now I have to wait months and months until her next book - and that makes me sad.

Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy

This is classic Binchy. She always writes so well that I am never disappointed. This novel centers around a heart clinic. Clara Casey has been hired to establish the clinic and to run it for one year. She hires a diverse group of people - all of whom have their own stories to tell. One of my favorite things about Binchy is the way she weaves the characters of earlier books into her latest endeavors. It is always fun to catch up with the lives of the twins, Maud and Simon, Father Flynn, Signora etc. A great escape to Ireland!

The Body Broken by Lynne Greenberg 921 Greenberg

The next time I have a headache or my back aches I'm going to build a bridge and get over it! Nothing I have ever experienced is close to one minute of what Lynne Greenberg has gone through. As a college student she was athletic and active. Then she met Martin. I don't know that Martin can be totally blamed...but still. Date number one- horseback riding. Lynne's horse bolts and throws her. Date two- they go skeet shooting, the gun backfires and she falls to the ground. Instead of dropping Walter, she decides to go on a third date. On their way to a party Martin is driving too fast (this is his fault!) and no one was wearing a seat belt (it was in the olden days). Lynne was lucky to be alive. She recovered, returned to school, fell in love, got married, had kids and taught English lit. And then the pain began - which is what this story is about. How her past came back to shatter her whole world and how she dealt with it is inspiring. The story of a strong woman. It was a good read.

In the Dark by Brian Freeman

We have a couple other books of Freeman's in the library and I will be checking those out too! This is a great mystery book - not gruesome, just a well-written book that keeps you wondering what really happened.
Thirty years ago a young woman, Laura, was found beaten to death. Her sister, Cindy, was with her boyfriend Jonathan that night. The only suspect was a vagrant who hopped a train that night and disappeared. Jonathan becomes a detective and experiences the loss from cancer of his beloved wife Cindy.
Now Laura's best friend Tish has returned to the area to write a book about the murder. You know what that means in a mystery book! Lots of things are uncovered that no one knew about! I loved the writing and the story line.

Gimme Shelter by Mary Elizabeth Williams 333.33 wil

I enjoy reading non-fiction. I often read true-crime stories. The crime in this book gave me the shivers. It's about the crime of the century - the housing/mortgage debacle! Mary and her husband are true New Yorkers - they can't imagine living anywhere but New York City. The book begins several years ago. Mary and Jeff are living with their daughter Lucy in an apartment in Brooklyn. "a one plus den (Brooklynese for the cell-like side room that every apartment seems equipped with). It probably measured 750 square feet in its dream." They have decided that they are tired of paying $1800/ month for this apartment and that it's time to start the quest for their piece of the American Dream.
This book tells the story of their quest. During their three-year search, prices were skyrocketing in New York. The descriptions of the places they visited and also the real estate stories of their friends were enough to keep me reading at a quick pace. I just couldn't believe that this was non-fiction! Sure I've heard stories and seen things on television - but why would anyone pay so much for so little in a place that is so packed with people????
I'm just a small-town girl - but at least I have a yard!
Fascinating read.

Until It's Over by Nicci French

Another fascinating mystery by the writing duo known as Nicci French. The book is divided into two parts. In part one the main character is Astrid Bell. She has been looking for some direction in her life. In the meantime she delivers letters and packages in London on her bike. She lives in a house owned by college friend Miles and inhabited by a variety of new and old roommates. Astrid's life seems pretty mundane until she seems to start attracting dead bodies. The police are actually getting suspicious! How ridiculous.
The second part of the book is written from the killer's point of view. An unusual approach that I liked a lot. Many interesting characters although I really wasn't fond of any of them! No tears were shed during the reading of this book.

The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club by Gil McNeil

It's hard for a woman with two rowdy boys to lose her husband in a car crash. It's even harder when the crash happens after Nick, her husband, has just announced to Jo is divorcing her. He has always traveled with his job and has not been the most dependable husband/father. With this loss comes the necessity of selling her house and moving to a small town to take over her Grandmother's knitting shop. The shop needs a face-lift. Grannie is fine with that. Elsie, who has worked at the shop forever, - well, not so much.
It is a typical 'knitting' novel - warm and fuzzy with lots of quirky people around to keep it interesting!

Everyone is Beautiful by Katherine Center

This is a chick-lit book. Normally I don't care too much for this genre, but occasionally it is a fun read. Lanie is married with three young sons. They have lived in her hometown of Houston where Lanie has enjoyed the support of her parents. Her husband, Peter, is a musician who cannot turn an opportunity in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Lanie starts to lose it in the small apartment in their new town. Fortunately she runs into a high-school classmate, Amanda.
So this is the fluffy story of Lanie's ups and downs with her self-image, her marriage, her neighbors and her kids.
It was okay but I think it will appeal more to someone who is around 30, married and has children. I'm 60, single and have two dogs - that's the disconnect!

Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult

If it is by Jodi Picoult, it is going to be interesting and thought-provoking! This book is told from alternating characters which I love because not everyone in a family actually sees things the same way - and that's an understatement!
In this novel Charlotte and Sean have a two daughters. The older, Amelia, is Charlotte's from a previous relationship. But for Sean and Amelia, their bond is as close as any blood relationship. The younger daughter, Willow, was born with OI - better known to non-medical people as brittle-bone disease. Before she was ever born, Willow had sustained numerous fractures. She is a bright girl with a great personality, but she will live her life dealing with this affliction.
The conflict of the story comes when a lawyer suggests a wrongful birth lawsuit against the ob-gyn who failed to notice something unusual on the ultrasound and thus denying Charlotte the option of an abortion. The doctor who would be sued is Charlotte's best friend Piper. Is it worth destroying a friendship to have access to the amount of money that will make Willow's life easier?
It's a heart-wrenching story - one that doesn't leave you after you have finished the last page.

Memory Lessons by Jerald Winakur 362.6 Win

This touching story is about Dr. Winakur who is around 60 years old and has spent years helping his patients (and their families) deal with the many challenges of aging. He is now getting first-hand experience because his own father and mother are among the old old (the term the doctor uses). One day his mother calls him for help because his dad had gotten lost coming home from a restaurant He drove around for an hour and wouldn't listen to her. Jerald then finds out that his mother has been keeping his father's condition a secret. After tests it is confirmed that his father is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. The book itself combines stories of the past with the present. For anyone who has dealt (or is dealing) with the "old old", you will be able to relate to many parts of this book.