The Shadow of Your Smile by Mary Higgins Clark

I was number 46 on the hold list but I got lucky because we received the large print copy and I was able to snag it! It's a typical Mary Higgins Clark book - I'm never bored and it reads quickly and easily. In this latest book and elderly woman, Olivia, has been given two weeks to live. You would think at 83 with that prognosis she wouldn't really be able to do anything. But she is tough and despite the fatigue she manages to makes several trips in a car (with a driver!). She is searching for some inspiration from the spirit of her dead cousin, Catherine. (This is figuratively not literally!). Catherine was a nun and is now being considered for beatification in the Church. Catherine was a good, good person but she did have a couple of secrets - like a child she bore. Olivia has evidence of who that child grew up to be and also the identity of the father.
So let me just say that there is an inheritance involved, some scams going on in a family charitable foundation and people who are willing to kill to keep secrets hidden. Plenty of characters to love and to hate!

The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game

If you're in the mood for a simple, feel-good story, watch Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side and steer clear Michael Lewis' book The Blind Side: Evolution of the Game. The book lets pesky little things like real life interfere with the Hollywood story.

Both the book and movie explore the relationship between Michael Oher, a black child born into poverty and a dysfunctional family (at one point Michael has a hard time remembering the names of all his siblings - most of whom have different fathers) and the Tuohys, the rich, white Republican family who takes him under their wings and help him reach success in the NFL.

The story of Micheal's ascent to the NFL is truly amazing and inspirational. But it's the complicated relationship between Michael and the Tuohys that make this story interesting. The Tuohy's are neither as innocent of ulterior motives as their fans assert nor as self-serving as their critics claim but are instead a natural combination of both.

[Although they truly love Michael, one has to wonder if their influence in steering him to sign with their alma mater, Ole Miss, was really in Michael's best interest. Clearly, playing for the University of Iowa would have been a much better choice - but maybe I'm biased].

My one complaint about The Blind Side is that Michael remains a mystery. His thoughts, motives, and personality are unknown even though the story is ostensibly about him. Still, it's a great book, and I really enjoyed it.

You can find The Blind Side at the Indianola Public Library in the nonfiction shelves under the number 796.332 Lew.

Getting Organized in the Google Era by Douglas Merrill

It is not unusual for me to start reading or listening to a book and decide I don't like it - so I just put it down and go on to something else. It is unusual for me to blog about a book I didn't finish! I was listening to the audio book and I was enjoying it. There are lots of interesting facts and suggestions about how to do things on the computer. I kept thinking "I need to remember this" and "I need to try this". Who am I kidding?? I can't remember much. So half-way through the book I quit listening - and went to Amazon to order a copy of it!
Now I will start skimming the parts I listened to with a highlighter in my hand and then go on to the rest of the book. I think it will be a great reference book for me and I'm going to try out some of his suggestions. Who knows, I may even get organized!

Arcadia Falls by Carol Goodman

This was a quick and interesting read. Arcadia Falls was an art colony back in the early part of the 20th century. Today it is a private school with an emphasis on art. Meg is on her way there to begin her teaching career. Meg's husband died unexpectedly the year before and left her in a financial mess. To support herself and her daughter, Sally, Meg has sold her house and left the easy life behind.
Meg is worried that Sally will hate having to change schools, but she fits in surprisingly well and soon has friends. One of her friends (and one of Meg's students) dies after a school bonfire when she plunges into a ravine. It was part of a ritual the students put on every year (the bonfire part, not the plunging into the ravine!). Was it an accident or murder?????
The other part of the story involves some research that Meg wants to do for her PhD. It involves the lives of the artists who lived at Arcadia Falls.
Good book - I enjoyed the plots and the characters.

Imperfect Birds by Anne Lamott

Let me give you a warning about this book. If you have pre-teen children you probably don't want to read it. It will give you nightmares! Elizabeth and her second husband, James, have been raising her kids. The oldest is Rosie. She is 17, bright and lying to her parents on a regular basis. She is involved with some less than desirable friends. She is sexually active. She is using a variety of drugs.
How to get Rosie to stop? They ground her. Things get better. Then they catch her in a lie. Then they ground her........and you the idea. The way she manipulates everyone around her is scary! After working with teens for over 30 years I am afraid that I found the book to be very realistic and could see it all happening. Anyway, the book is very well written but it isn't a very cheery book!

The Red Thread by Ann Hood

When I read a novel by Ann Hood I like to make sure there is a box of Kleenex nearby. Maya is the owner of the Red Thread Adoption Agency. In an attempt to escape the emotional pain from the loss of her child, she dedicates her life to uniting Chinese baby girls with adoptive parents in the U.S..
The book moves back and forth between the adoption process for five couples and the story of how the five babies became available for adoption (and that would be where it got a bit weepy for me!) I have only adopted animals, but I think she has probably done a good job of describing the pain and emotional upheavals that adoptive parents might go through. I would recommend this book.

Eating Pomegranates by Sarah Gabriel 362.196 Gab

This is a memoir about a young woman who found out that she carried the BRCA Gene which is connected to breast cancer. Her mother died when she was a teenager and she wants to save her kids from that heartbreak. She has her ovaries removed to help increase her odds of escaping the disease - but it still catches up with her. This is the story of her battle with breast cancer and how she dealt with it. There are so many decisions to make - about the treatment, about what to tell her children, about dealing with her father ( There are a few unresolved issues from her mother's death.). It is a touching book but it's not for everyone.

The Lake Shore Limited by Sue Miller

Sue Miller is a great writer and her books always have a depth to them. There are several strands of a story going on in this novel. Billy (who is a she!) has written a play about a terrorist bombing of a train in Chicago. The main character is a man who is waiting to hear if his wife survived. Don't worry - he's not waiting alone. His son is there with him and then his (previously secret) girlfriend shows up! The play is about the husband's ambivalence towards his wife's survival. Does he or doesn't he want her to live?
Billy was living with a guy named Gus on September 11th. Gus left on a plane trip and never returned. Billy loved Gus's sister, Leslie, who had been more of a mother than a sister to Gus. Throughout the book we are allowed into the pasts of these characters and find out how they became the people that they turned out to be.
Along with that story is the one about Rafe who plays the husband in the play. Rafe relates to the character he plays because his wife is dying a slow death.
I became very caught up in the characters - the unfolding of their stories drew me in from the very beginning.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Ah, a great British novel. Just a reminder about this genre - it's not a page-turner in terms of adventure. Major Pettigrew is a widower who has just been dealt another blow with the death of his younger brother, Bertie. Now the Major needs to use his tact to get back an antique Churchill gun from his sister-in-law. The gun is part of a set that the Major's father divided between his sons with the plan that the guns would be reunited upon the death of one of them. But the Major's son, Roger, has a different idea. The guns should be quite valuable so why not sell them and make some money!
During this trying time, the Major strikes up a friendship with Jasmina. Her late husband owned a food shop and now she is running it with the help of her nephew. It turns out that Jasmina and the Major have a lot of common interests. Roger, the nephew and the rest of the village don't feel that it is appropriate that the two are friends - and certainly not anything else!
The characters are interesting and it's always delightful to read about an English village. Cup of tea anyone???

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I had heard good things about this book but never bothered to put my name on the hold list because it really didn't sound that appealing to me. When we received the audio book I decided I would listen to it - wow!!!!! Unbelievable that this is a first novel. I was taken in by the first chapter and listened to it while walking, pulling weeds, taking a shower, checking my e-mail and a few other things! Eighteen hours of listening that just flew by!
It is the 1960's in Mississippi. Eugenia- more commonly known as Skeeter- comes from a typical southern family of the times. Their "help" is a loving woman named Constantine. While Skeeter is away at the University, she and Constantine write letters every week to keep in touch. After graduation Skeeter is shocked when she arrives home to find that Constantine is gone - and the explanation given by mother is not very satisfactory.
Skeeter wants to be a writer and was given advice by an editor to get any kind of job she can at the newspaper. The only job she can get is writing an advice column - on cleaning. She has never cleaned anything but takes the job anyway! She turns to a black maid named Aibileen for answers on how to clean things.
Eventually Skeeter turns to a big project - writing about the lives of some black maids in Jackson. No one can know about the interviews or the book. The characters are varied and always interesting - whether you love them or hate them! Life in Mississippi was certainly different than it was in Indianola back in the '60's!
Now I know why everyone has been asking for this book! Read it when you get a chance.

The Last Time I Saw You by Elizabeth Berg

Elizabeth Berg seems to write one book a year. I wish it were once a month - but then the books might not be as outstanding as they are! You can answer a few questions to see if this book is right for you! Do you know what a circle pin is? Would you recognize Bass Weejuns? If I say "Letterman - The Way You Look Tonight" - can you hear it playing in your mind? If you answer yes to these questions, you will really enjoy this book. (Of course others will also enjoy it and might learn a little about the culture of the 60's!).
It's time for a fortieth high school reunion. That means it's time for new diets, hairstyles, up-lifting bras and maybe some valium. This is the story of some of the attendees. If you have ever attended a reunion, you will be able to relate to the characters and the emotions they are dealing with. A wonderful book with believable characters and believable actions at the reunion. We get to know the present-day characters and what they were like when they were cheerleaders, star athletes, nerds, prom queen - well, you get the picture. I loved this book!