All Our Wordly Goods by Irene Nemirovsky

Nemirovsky was a very talented writer who died at Auschwitz in 1942. Some of her works have just been translated into English and I will be keeping my eyes open for more to come. Google her name to read about the background of this woman and you will appreciate her books even more. This novel takes place between the 'war to end all wars' and World War II. It is a fascinating look into life when the line between classes was not crossed by most. Except Pierre and Agnes were in love. Pierre broke his engagement to Simone, a rich woman whose money would have helped the factory owned by Pierre's grandfather. He married Agnes, was declared a non-person by his grandfather and was soon sent off to war. The feuds that were started during this time reverberated for years to come. The story is so well-written. The characters are well-defined. You really get a feeling for France during the wars. If you like a book with a historical feel I highly recommend this one.

Unmeasured Strength by Lauren Manning 973.931 Man

I read a lot of fiction, but when it comes to a story of courage there is no novel that compares to a true story. I finished this book some days ago, but it remains in my mind. I can not imagine enduring the pain or despair of Lauren for two minutes, much less years. Lauren was living a normal life - a husband, a child and a job. It was a normal morning. Before Lauren could get out the door the phone rang. A small problem with a rental property she and her husband Greg owned caused her to be running late. There are many people alive today because they too were running late that morning. It was September 11, 2001. I remember hearing parts of Lauren's story in those days after. She had just arrived in the building when the big fire ball came roaring into the lobby. Over 80% of her body was burned. This book gives some background on Lauren, tells the story of what happened that morning and then the part of her life that is unbelievable. The odds she beat, the pain she endured, the love and support of her family and the emotional trauma of learning bit by bit what happened to her Cantor Fitzgerald family. In November she began to ask about some of her colleagues. For some reason, the part that got to me was when Lauren asked Greg to get some things out of her office. "He said he would, but I noticed that his manner was a bit awkward. I asked a few other questions and then said, "How do the buildings look? Have they been dismantled?" "Crews are working on them," Greg answered." If you read this book you will have found a new hero. It is simply an incredible story.

Kitchen Counter Cooking School by Kathleen Flinn 641.507 Fli

I loved Flinn's first book which told about her experiences attending the Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris. Back home she wasn't sure where she wanted her live to go....and then she saw this woman in the grocery store. Her cart was filled with examples of what not to eat for a healthy life. After covertly (she thought) following her around the store, Flinn approached her to ask a few questions and make some suggestions of things that would be healthier and cheaper. Although the woman didn't get down on her knees and promise to convert, this event gives Flinn an idea. She recruits some volunteers - woman who thought they were terrible cooks, or they thought they couldn't afford to eat 'real' food or they didn't have any idea about how to fix food. She visits these women in their homes. (The group included women who were single, married, rich and not so rich and of all ages.). Each was asked to prepare one of her typical dishesl. Flinn also went through the pantries to take inventory. I was embarrassed just thinking about my own stash of food! Then the 'classes' began. (I copied down some of the tips for myself! She was right about the way to hold the knife and cutting an onion went better than usual too!) I loved getting to know the 'students'. Flinn even inspired me a bit! I might actually make something....tomorrow.

Lost December by Richard Paul Evans

If you are a fan of Evans' books you will not be disappointed. Although I am not generally a fan of 'mushy' books I always like his book. Part of it might be the time of the year and part of it might be because he really is a good writer. Luke Crisp had a mixed childhood. He lost his mother to cancer when he was young. Fortunately he had a great father and they grew very close. Luke began working in his father's business - Crisp's Copy Centers. By the time he graduated from college he was ready and eager to take on the family business. But his father wanted him to get a graduate degree in business. Luke wasn't opposed to the idea - until his father pushed him to go East and go to Wharton. When he arrives at school he is very lonely until a pretty girl talks to him and introduces him to her friends. Eventually Luke gets an education - the hard way. Think Prodigal Son!

The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman

If you like reading books that are set during WWII, this one is good! I appreciated the story even more when I read the author's notes at the end of the book (which I would suggest you read first!). Many of the situations and events in the book actually happened - just not all to our fictional characters, Lenka and Josef. At the beginning of the book Josef is getting ready to attend the rehearsal dinner for his grandson. One can quickly grasp what life is like for this old man. At the dinner he meets the widowed grandmother of the bride. There is something about her that startles him. He believes he is looking at the wife he married before war broke out and they were separated. Then Richman throws us back to the past where we meet a young Lenka and the man that she will love forever. It is a powerful story told against the background of some of the last century's darkest days. I don't think we can ever be reminded often enough of what happened then - Lest we forget. If this type of book appeals to you I would highly recommend it.

Siren Song by Cat Adams

This is the sequel to Blood Song, and was just as good... actually I take that back, it was better. Blood Song started out kinda slow, while Siren Song jumped right in the same day that Blood Song ended.

Celia is an abomination. She was a human bodyguard that was attacked in Blood Song by a vampire - but was not fully changed. Because of that partial change her heritage from her grandfather was brought forth, she is also part Siren. At her best friends wake (in Blood Song), Celia is summoned to the island of the Sirens, to stand trail for using her Siren powers on so many mortal men.

Teaming up with some old friends and some possibly new friends, she sets off for the island to meet her Siren relatives and to stand trial. While on the island, her friends who are still on the boat they took are attacked by a demon - the same demon we are introduced to in Blood Song. Celia then regroups her team, adds a few Siren allies and makes plans to defeat the demon once and for all.

This was definitely a great read. Refreshing to see some no so common fantasy creatures (such as the Sirens and Demons), great to get away from the common vampire (that has become so mainstream that it is now boring to read about).

I recommend this book to any science fiction / fantasy reader - know that there is "language" in this series, and the books DO need to be read in order.

The Christmas Note by Donna VanLiere

It is that time of year when I enjoy a quick dip into the world of the Christmas novel. Gretchen has moved to be closer to her mother. She is not doing it to help her mother, but just the opposite. Gretchen is now a single mother with two children who are missing their father. In the condo next door lives Melissa. She is very abrupt, unfriendly and just down-right weird. One day a man knocks on Gretchen's door to see if she knows where Melissa lives. He is trying to find her to break the news that her mother has died and she has one week to clean out the apartment or he is throwing everything away. Melissa is at work and the man asks - well actually tells Gretchen that she needs to pass on the message. No way does Gretchen want to undertake that task. She avoids it for a while but eventually she does. Turns out Melissa and her mother weren't exactly close and she has no intentions of cleaning out the apartment. Eventually Gretchen talks her into doing it by offering to help her. Thus begins a rocky 'friendship' of sorts. It is a short book, so try to put a little Christmas magic on your reading list. Tis the season.

Betrayal of Trust by J. A. Jance

I listened to the audio book from Jance's series featuring J.P. Beaumont (now working in a Special Homicide Unit. He and his wife Mel are called to the Governor's mansion. The Governor actually went to school with J.P. - although they hardly ran in the same circles. She found a video on the cell phone of her husband's grandson. It appears to be a snuff film - the victim a young girl being strangled by a blue scarf. A similar blue scarf is found in the boy's room. Obviously this is ....well too obvious! The boy denies everything -but then he commits suicide. There is a lot going on in the book - family relations, modern technology, and missing kids. As a side story Beaumont is doing a lot of reflecting back to his own childhood. He has been contacted by a woman who claims to be his cousin. Although he longs for a family connection he is not rushing into a meeting until this case is over. It was a good mystery - as are all of her books.

running away to home by jennifer wilson 305.891 Wil

(and yes I know that I didn't capitalize - but that is the way the title was done on her book. She's the author and she gets to decide!)
I enjoyed this true story of Jennifer, her husband Jim and their two young kids. They are Iowans and were living in Des Moines where he was an architect and she was a travel writer. When they were young and childless they had dreamed of having an adventure and living abroad somewhere. Then they had kids and so it began - lots of driving around, buying stuff, fixing up the house....................... They end up going to Croatia which is where Jennifer's roots were. I won't go into how they made the decision- that is part of book! Jennifer goes over first to check out some things. After reading one paragraph of that section I know I would never have gone back much less moved there. But they are better people than I am! There was one short part of the book that had a little too much geneaology in it (I skimmed that part) but the rest of it was very interesting. I need to find out what happened to their lives after this year in Croatia - if the 'lessons' learned stuck with them or if they went back to their crazy lives!

the Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks

This was a typical Sparks book - and that was just fine! It is a love story but not too sloppy - or else I wouldn't be reading it! There are some mysterious pasts that are unraveled and a little bit of the supernatural thrown in. It is the story of Amanda and Dawson. She was a 'good girl' from a prominent family. He was really a good kid but from a family whose reputation was so bad that he really didn't have a chance. So of course they fell in love in high school. But a tragedy broke up the relationship. Twenty-five years later they are reunited in a strange way. An old man, Tuck, has died and his lawyer has contacted both Amanda and Dawson. Tuck had given Dawson a place to hide from his family. Amanda met him through Dawson and later began her own friendship with him when she came to town to visit family. As always, Sparks has done a good job with his characters.