Promise Me by Richard Paul Evans

Usually I like to read Evans' books closer to Christmas because they are always feel-good reads with a little magic thrown in. This one was travel through time. It was at times touching, sometimes sad, sometimes funny but always entertaining. It begins with a young wife's discovery of her husband's betrayal. And her life goes downhill from there for the next year! It is a very quick read. If you are in the mood for a book about all kinds of love, come into the Library and pick up this book.

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell 158.1 Gla

Why do people succeed? Why do some people never reach their goals? My pat answer would have been - those successful people are given advantages by their parents, they grow up in nicer neighborhoods, they try harder, etc. Who knew that most pro hockey players were born in January? Who knew a good reason why Asian students are better at math? Who knew that airplane crashes could be linked to the cultural ways of the pilots? Many of us can think of a few(!) reasons that our schools are in trouble when compared to the rest of the world. In this book you will hear some statistics that will show you how bad is the situation.
A fascinating read (or listen!). It will entertain you and make you think.

A Secret Kept by Tatiana de Rosnay

I loved de Rosnay's last book Sarah's Key. Her newest book was just as great. The characters are fascinating, the family relationships are somewhat difficult and there is just a touch of mystery in the story. Antoine surprises his sister Melanie with a trip for her birthday. He takes her to the sea and the place they spent many happy summers. Those holidays and happy times ended thirty years ago when their mother died. There are some memories that have been suppressed which are beginning to come back to Melanie. They are driving back to Paris when Melanie appears to be hit with a flashback that stuns her - and she loses control of the car. Melanie spends a long time recuperating in a village hospital. During that time there are lots of interesting side stories concerning Antoine's kids, his former wife, and his new love interest. Highly recommended - I listened to it on cd but I bet the book is just as great!

The Charming Quirks of Others by Alexander McCall Smith

Smith writes several different series. This one is from the Isabel Dalhousie Series. Sometimes it doesn't seem to matter too much if you read a series in order; but in this case I think you will enjoy this book more if you are already familiar with the characters. Isabel has been asked to help with a delicate situation. A local boys' school is in need of a new headmaster. There are three finalists for the job. But then there comes the dreaded anonymous letter hinting about something shady in the past of one of the candidates. So we don't know which one it is nor do we know the "crime". This book is much more a character study than a mystery.
It was not my favorite book from this series but I still enjoyed listening to the story.

Ape House by Sara Gruen

Calling all Water for Elephants fans --- Sara Gruen's newest book Ape House is just as good. Maybe even better.

Inspired by the Great Ape Trust in Des Moines, Gruen's story is centered around six bonobos housed in the fictional Great Ape Language Lab. Unlike other bonobos, these six communicate via American Sign Language and are capable of forming relationships with humans, especially scientist Isabel Duncan.

Isabel has problems of her own but she is devasted when animal activists break into the lab to free the bonobos, severly injuring Isabel in the process. Luckily the apes are recaptured but the university washes its hands of them by selling the bonobos to an undisclosed buyer.

While Isabel frantically tries to find them, they appear one day as the stars of their own reality TV show called "Ape House" (it's the equivalent of giving free reign to six middle schoolers to eat and do whatever they want). They have a great time eating cheeseburgers and candy, watching TV, and signing for Isabel to come get them. Little do they know that if their TV ratings drop, the producers will quietly dispose of them.

Isabel bands together with the unlikely team of computer hackers, a green-haired vegan fanatic, a tabloid journalist, and a retired porn star to rescue the bonobos.

Gruen has a magical way of making animals really come to life as characters. I love the bonobos in this book -- although I have to admit that the meth-lab dog named Booger dressed in an argyle sweater steals the show.

The ending wraps up a little too neatly but Ape House is still a very satisfying and enjoyable read.

Crossfire by Dick Francis and Felix Francis

Inured while on a tour of duty in Afghanistan, Tom Forsyth returns, reluctantly, to his mother's home to recuperate. His mother is a well-known and highly-respected horse trainer - but not the best of mothers. When her prized horse finishes a disappointing last in a race he should have won, Tom discovers that all is not well in his mother's life. In order to survive and rescue his mother at the same time, Tom must rely on the skills he learned to use while on the battlefield.

I first read a Dick Francis mystery on a long road trip to a convention in 1984 and have been a fan ever since. It was with a lot of sadness that I heard of his death earlier this year at the age of 89. This last mystery was bittersweet for me to read - but I breezed through it none-the-less.

All of Dick Francis' mysteries focus on horse racing in one way or another. Sometimes the connection is thin but it is always there. Male characters predominate, female characters are not so important. The tricks and turns in this mystery were sometimes difficult for me to follow (not so unusual for me - I usually just "go with it" when I read mysteries) but the pace was quick, the main character worth rooting for and I finished it much more quickly than I wanted to.

His last several novels have been co-authored with his son. I know it's probably too soon but I find myself wishing that his son might carry on the writing tradition...

Baby, We Were Meant for Each Other by Scott Simon

The subtitle of this book, by the host of National Public Radio's Weekend Edition with Scott Simon, is "In Praise of Adoption." Unable to conceive a child by "natural" methods, the author and his wife decide to try foreign adoption. This is the story of the process they went through while adopting two daughters from China. It is also the story of other people he knows who have been adopted, as well as his thoughts on the adoption process and what constitutes "family."

Despite its subtitle, Simon does not always present the good side of adoption. Several of his stories are sad stories of adoptions gone wrong. And not everything is peaches and cream in his own life. Do his daughters misbehave out of some sense of abandonment? Or is it just normal childish misbehavior?

I have had a crush on Scott Simon for more years than I can count. It's a little hard to have a crush on someone that you only know by his voice but I have managed to do it - listening religiously every Saturday morning to his account of the week's news or the latest-breaking headlines. So I am probably not entirely neutral when I say that I enjoyed his insights into the adoption process and thought this book was a thoughtful look at the joys (and some sorrows) or adoption. It can be a quick read - or a book to pick up again and again for thought-provoking comments.

The good Daughers by Joyce Maynard

This was the best book I've read in a while. It is about two families who are quit different from one another. What they do share is that each has a daughter that was born in the same hospital at the same time. The two girls in question, Ruth and Dana, don't think it is that big of deal and don't enjoy the times they are forced together simply because they are "birthday sisters". Even when Dana's family moves away they continue to be brought together over the years.
It doesn't take long to figure out what is going on - it is a bit obvious. But I didn't know what happened in that hospital and I really wanted to know the story! The book extends over a period of decades. I enjoyed the plot, the characters and pace of the book. I would definitely recommend this book!

U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton

Although this book has been out for awhile, I just got around to listening to it. As with Ms. Grafton's other books, this is an enjoyable mystery. I love her heroine, Kinsey Millhone, and the colorful characters that hang out with Kinsey. The mystery this time is an old one. Twenty years ago a four year old girl disappeared and the case was not solved. The case is featured in a newspaper article about cold cases. A young man named Michael Sutton reads the paper and suddenly has a flashback to his childhood. He remembers seeing and talking to two guys who were burying something. He realizes that the date corresponds to the time the girl disappeared. So he wants Kinsey to help him find that spot and to see if there is actually a body there. Of course this opens up a Pandora's box and there are all sorts of side stories going on. An enjoyable read.

Running Scared by Lisa Jackson

Part romance and part suspense, this book was an entertaining read - or listen in my case. From the beginning it was pretty obvious that it was going to be a boy meets girl, they hate each other and then feelings change and .......... Still I was interested enough in the story to read the whole thing. Kate Summers is a woman with a lot of bad luck. Fifteen years ago her husband and daughter were killed in a car accident. Shortly afterward, she is making plans to get away from the memories of Boston and from her sleezy boss. Her entire life changes when he offers her a baby boy. The child belongs to the daughter of a client and they want him to disappear forever. She raises John in Oregon. He is a good boy, but he has some problems with kids at school because of his special gift (a little ESP). Now John is having nightmares in which a man is chasing him and tying him up. From past experience John knows that it is a premonition of what is to come. Do you want to know who is after him? Read the book!