Days of Grace by Catherine Hall

This book presents a fascinating story that takes place over a span of fifty years. On the brink of WW II, Nora Lynch is a young girl in London. She lives with her mother in poverty, but since she hasn't known anything else, it seems normal to her. One day she finds out that she is to be separated from her mother. Thousands of London children are being evacuated from the city because of the threat of war. Nora begs her mother not to send her away. Of course her mother does what she must and sends her away on a train. Upon arrival at her destination she is accosted by a young girl her age named Rose Rivers. Rose says that Grace looks just like her and that she just has to come live with them. And so she arrives at the home of Reverend Rivers.
In the present day, Nora is a sick woman who refuses to go to the doctor and just wants to die. Her plan of an isolated death is disrupted when she comes upon a young woman about to give birth. Nora takes her into her home. Through conversations and flashbacks we learn what happened to Nora during the War to turn her into the pathetic woman she seems to have become.
This is a debut novel and I am eager for more!

The Snowman by Jo Nesbo

What is it about that cold Nordic weather that brings out the icy violence in the imaginations of its writers? If you like those chilling Scandinavian crime stories from Stieg Larsson, Henning Mankell, and Hakan Nesser -- Jo Nesbo is another writer to add to your list.

In The Snowman, a young boy wakes on the first snowfall of the year to find his mother gone and an eerie snowman in the yard. It seems to be a typical missing persons case until Detective Harry Hole receives an anonymous letter signed by "the snowman". Soon Hole and his colleague, the beautiful Katrine Bratt, discover a pattern of murders that goes back years.

What Hole doesn't know is that he's been targeted from the beginning by a killer with a personal vendetta. As Hole rushes to try to solve the case before the next snow falls, he must battle his PR-minded superiors, untrustworthy colleagues, and his own addiction to alcohol.

The Snowman is one of those good, old-fashioned thriller/mysteries with a flawed, but likable hero, interesting side characters, plenty of plot twists, and a deliciously evil villain. If you're in the mood for a creepy read - you're in luck.

Sea Escape by Lynne Griffin

I'm sure every family has secrets. But if they are real secrets, no one will find out! Laura Martinez' mother, Helen, was really, really good at keeping secrets. She and Laura haven't been very close. Most of Helen's focus was on her husband Joseph, a journalist who spent more time away from home than with his wife and two kids. He has been gone for many years and Helen has never gotten over it. When Helen suffers a stroke, Laura tries to bring back Helen's will to live and communicate by reading out loud some of the letters that Joseph once wrote to Helen. The story moves from present day back to the early days of Helen and Joseph's romance.
Griffin did a wonderful job of writing. You could feel the anxiety in Laura as she struggles to balance her life - her husband, her children, her mother and her job. I loved the way Griffin reveals the secrets slowly through flashbacks and letters. Great book!

Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin

Like Hedge's book, the narration flips back and forth. This time it is between a wife (Tessa) and a possible 'other woman' (Valerie). It seemed a bit predictable at the beginning. Tessa is out to celebrate her wedding anniversary with handsome husband Nick, who is a well-known pediatric plastic surgeon. Nick is paged because a young boy, Charlie, has been burned in a backyard accident. His mother, Valerie, is an attractive (but not gorgeous) woman who has raised Charlie by herself. So Valerie spends all of her time at the hospital and then she and Nick start spending some time outside of the hospital and then....... you get the point. Nick gets closer to Valerie and drifts away from Tessa. So the plot didn't excite me much. Giffin's characters were well-developed and believable. I found both of the women likable, so I didn't know what to hope for at the end! It was an enjoyable read.

Mothers & Other Liars by Amy Bourret

This was a quick and interesting read. At the beginning of the book Ruby is a 29 year old woman raising her daughter Lark. She also has been seriously dating a local cop. It's a good thing it's been serious because now they are expecting a baby. Lark is a bright and precocious girl. Life is good. Then one day Ruby sees an article resurrecting a decade-old story about an infant who was involved in a carjacking. (The baby wasn't driving - just a passenger!). You quickly find out that the infant is Lark. This isn't a good situation - especially since her boyfriend is a cop. Throughout the book there are flashbacks so that we learn what happened that "fateful night". It is about the bond between a mother and daughter and also makes you think about nurture versus nature. I really enjoyed it.

What to Wear for the rest of your life by Kim Johnson Gross 646.7 Gro

No, I am not a "fashionista" (and I can hear friends of mine snickering and saying something like ..."Well, that is pretty obvious!") When I was younger, thinner and had a perkier (you know what I mean) body, it was fun to shop. It was fun to look in the mirror. It was just fun. Now I have my fun through books - and that is why I checked this one out! Ms. Gross is walking in my shoes (although mine are definitely flatter than hers). She had been in the fashion world. Now she is basically home while she writes books. Let me give you a quote from the introduction. "I'd look in the mirror and wonder -How do I look?- and suspect it wasn't the way I had long imagined. Was it really the way I appeared in photographs - the fuller face, weaker chin, and thicker middle, much like my dad? Was I growing into my genes while growing out of my jeans?" This quote should give you an idea of the age group of women who will appreciate this book. I found it to be an entertaining book with lots of good ideas and quotes from real women. No, I haven't gone through my closet to apply the new things I learned .....because I can't remember them! But I do remember that I enjoyed this book immensely!

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

In 1951 a 31-year-old black woman and mother of five named Henrietta Lacks underwent treatment at Johns Hopkins for cancer. She died without knowing that the doctors took tissue samples from her cervix for research.

With these tissue samples, they cultured the first viable cell line (known as HeLa) which spawned a multi-million dollar industry that aided medical discoveries in everything from the polio vaccine to AIDS. Meanwhile her children lived in poverty without financial compensation for their mother's contribution and were ignorant of her importance.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot is the story of the Lacks family and what happened in the aftermath of their mother's death and their reaction to learning about HeLa. Part mystery, part family chronicle, Skloot tells of her struggle to connect with the family and how she teamed up with Henrietta's children to discover the truth of their mother and lost sister.

It is an engaging account, although it is one of those nonfiction narratives where the author plays a central role in the story. I'm never quite comfortable with this form of nonfiction as it can sometimes seem a little self-absorbed, but, in this case, Skloot's involvement adds an important perspective here as much of the story focuses on her effort to gain the trust of the family.

You can find The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks at the Indianola Public Library in the nonfiction area under the call number 616 SKL.