MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search for a New Best Friend by Rachel Bertsche 070.92 Ber

Only once in my life have I had to move to a place where I didn't know a single person. That was when I had graduated from Simpson and left to go to Muscatine and teach. It is very scary and lonely to be away from your support system. My take-home pay was about $400/ month - and my phone bill was over $40. But it was money well-spent - it saved my sanity. Rachel Bertsche is not totally alone - she is newly married and her mother moved to Chicago also. The point of the book, however, is that husbands and mothers cannot replace girlfriends. This is the story of how she tried to find new friends. There are many amusing stories but what I especially liked was the research about friends that she includes in the book. Research shows that it really is hard to make friends when you are all grown-up. Yet it is vital to your health and happiness that you have your friends!!! I think most women will enjoy this book and after reading it I think everyone will be more likely to be a little more open to "the new girl in town".

The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay

De Rosnay is also the author of Sarah's Key which I absolutely loved (and as a side note- the movie was also great). I loved that book so much that I knew this one couldn't live up to it. This story didn't have that heart-pounding suspense. That said, I really did like this book. I think she is a terrific writer. If you have ever visited Paris you were no doubt struck by the beauty of the avenues and boulevards. Most of this was done in the 1860's by Baron Haussmann for the Emperor Napoleon III. I knew this fact but as with many things, I never thought about the impact it had on the people who lived in Paris at that time. This is the story of a woman named Rose . She was born in the "old" Paris. She married a man from the same neighborhood. They raised their children there. And now the house is in danger of being razed. The book is mostly written as stream-of-consciousness letters from Rose to her husband -who has been dead for 10 years. Through those letters we learn the happiness and tragedy of her life. I was enthralled with her story. And one more thing - the next time I hear of a new road being built or rerouted my first thoughts will not be about the improvements being made, but instead about the people who may lose the 'house that they love'.

The Summer House by Marcia Willett

I love this author because she writes in the style of Maeve Binchy and Rosamund Pilcher who have written some of my all-time favorite books. Her books are about relationships, places and the occasional family secret (!). Don't expect adventure, heart-stopping terror or anything to make you blush! Do expect to meet characters that you will care about. Matt and Imogene lost their father at a young age. Their mother, who lived to a fairly old age, never recovered from the loss of her husband and tended to find solace in alcohol. Fortunately the two children were able to receive nurturing from a man called Milo and Lottie, the sister of his ex-wife . (It's alright - it's platonic!) Now grown up, Imogene is married with a new baby. But some long-ago feelings have surfaced for Nick, Milo's son. Matt has written a successful book but is struggling to get through his writer's block now. He is also bothered by some unfamiliar pictures of himself that he comes upon in his mother's things. The family secret is figured out by the end of the book. I hope this story continues on in a future book - because I really want to know how things work out for everyone!!

The Serial Killer Whisperer by Pete Earley 364.152

This book was interesting but it will have a very small number of interested readers! I read a lot of different genres but one of my favorites is true crime. I like the Ann Rule type book which is mostly about the background and the trial and just a bit about the actual crime itself. About half of this book is detailed information about grisly crimes. I quickly learned to skim those sections - just too much information. The part that I did find fascinating is the story of Tony Ciaglia. He was a an above-average teen. He had good grades, was athletic and ran around with a good group of kids. Then everything changed in a heartbeat when he was 15. Hit by a jet-ski he suffered a horrific brain injury. He was not expected to survive but somehow he did. But the new Tony was not like the old one. At first he was a hero to his friends as he struggled to relearn how to do normal things. His brain, however, was damaged forever which caused emotional outbursts that alienated him from his friends. He decides to write to serial killers in prison (!?). He somehow connects to these misfits of society and in scores of letters they began to tell him things that the police didn't know. After reading a few of these letters I decided that skimming was the only way I would make it through the book. So it was interesting - but reader be ware before you begin this book.

Ten Letters: The Stories Americans Tell Their President by Eli Saslow

Since the beginning of President Obama's term in office he has requested that his staff delivery to him every night a purple folder in which there are ten letters. The topics of these letters vary greatly because they come from all parts of the country. Some are from children and some are from elderly people. They are all touching. Saslow did a great job with this book. I wondered how ten letters were going to turn into a book! He tells the background story of these letters - who wrote them and why. We also learn of how they impacted the President and how these people's lives were impacted by their letters being chosen. Occasionally he hand-writes a reply. What can you do with a hand-written letter from the President with the official seal on it? There are many choices as are seen in this book -it can be sold for money, it can be framed and treasured forever or it can be hung up in the classroom so that kids can actually handle it and read it themselves. I found this to be a very inspiring book and a great look into what is going on in this country now - at least for ten people who happened to write a letter to the President. Good book!!!

One Moment, One Morning by Sarah Rayner

This is a unique book - it takes place over the period of a week. The book begins on the commuter train going to London. To pass the time Lou has been watching the people around her on the train. She notices a couple who seem to be very connected. He is stroking her hand from time to time. It seems to be a normal trip - and then the man slumps over. His wife, Karen, is screaming for help. Because of this tragedy the train is held up and most of the commuters are in a panic knowing that they will be late to work. Lou is one of those commuters. As she leaves the station she sees a cab and rushes to get in. At the same time there is another woman, Anna, who is entering from the other side. They share the cab into the city. It turns out that Anna is Karen's best friend and thus begins the connection between these three women. This is a book about friends, relationships and life. I thought that the characters were very true-to-life and I enjoyed it a lot.

Cemetery Girl by David Bell

Caitlin (12 years old) takes her dog, Frosty, for a walk. Only Frosty comes home. When the book begins the marriage of parents, Tom and Abby, is about to totally dissolve. In a good faith effort Tom is taking Frosty to the pound. Frosty was a source of comfort to Tom during these tough four years - because he was Caitlin's dog. Frosty caused only anguish to Abby - because he was Caitlin's dog. Abby has planned a 'funeral' for Caitlin. A headstone has been erected and people have been invited. Tom is completely opposed to it since there is no evidence that their daughter is dead. Shortly after the 'funeral' the unbelievable happens and Caitlin is found. But now she is 16 and she isn't talking about the last four years. This is an interesting read and it is told from Tom's point of view which is a bit different than one would expect. There are lots of twists and turns that kept me interested every minute.

Breaking the Code by Karen Fisher-Alaniz 940.54

Karen heard the war stories growing up. She soon grew tired of them and tended to roll her eyes when her father, Murray, would start one again. He downplayed his part in the war because he said he just sat behind a desk. She never asked any questions. At a birthday party celebrating his 81st birthday her father handed her some old notebooks. She was told she could keep them or throw them away - it didn't matter to him. What Karen received were hundreds of letters written by Murray to his parents during the war. Eventually she transcribes them just for the family but they ended up the basis of this book. This is not just a book about Murray. It is a book about what war does to people. It is about a thing called Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome -that's the modern name. Back in the 40's I don't think there really was a name for it. Murray and many (or maybe most?) of his comrades who were lucky enough to come home just tried to pick up their lives where they had left off years ago. They didn't talk about what had happened. They had jobs to do and families to take care of. But 'war' doesn't go away because you stop talking about it or because decades have passed. In Murray's case there were things he couldn't remember - and things he remembered but wasn't totally sure that they really happened. It is a very moving and important story if you have loved someone that was in a war. This book won't be for everyone, but it is an excellent book.

All Wound Up by Stephanie Pearl-Mcphee 746.432

If you knit (or do any kind of handwork) and want to lose yourself for a few hours in a very entertaining book, this is the one for you! Part of the book is about her knitting obsession (the night she went to a restaurant for dinner with her family and realized that her knitting wasn't in her purse - could she say she was going to the restroom and literally run home and back before they noticed?). Part of it is about people and things in her life (like her old washing machine that she wanted to keep forever). Part of it is about projects (both completed and not) that she loved or hated. All of the parts were highly entertaining with lots of laugh out loud moments. McPhee also made me feel less guilty about my stash of needlework threads and projects!!! That alone made it worth reading!

22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson

As this post WWII story begins Silvana and her son Aurek (who is 8) have boarded a ship that is traveling from Poland to England. They are going to be reunited with Silvana's husband Janusz. Although this seems as if it should be a happy reunion there are reservations on both sides of the channel because it has been six years since they were a family. It was a Red Cross official who informed Janusz that his wife and son had been found in a Refugee camp and warned him that they were not in great shape because they had been living in a forest. This is the story of three people trying to be a family again. The past holds many secrets for both husband and wife - and they can't speak about the things they have survived. I really enjoyed this book and you will too if you like books set in this era.

Darkness, My Old Friend

Although this isn't a sequel, you will recognize some characters if you read Unger's book titled Fragile, which also took place in a small town called The Hollows. I listened to this book on CD and enjoyed it a lot. Jones Cooper is now a former cop. He has had a hard time defining this part of his life. He has been doing a lot of odd jobs for his neighbors when they are gone - feeding pets, letting workmen into the house, watering the plants, etc. One day he receives a visit from psychic Eloise Montgomery who shares with him a vision she saw. Jones is not impressed with her supposed "gift".
Michael Holt grew up in The Hollows. He returns after the death of his father because he wants to find out answers about his mother who disappeared when he was a child.
Willow Graves is a suffering 15 year old. After a divorce from her step-father, her mom has ripped her from NYC to this place because she thought Willow needed to start over. Now she has one friend - and she is always getting Willow in trouble.
Three separate story lines which in themselves I found interesting. Of course they all come together and some mysteries are solved. If I had been reading the actual book I would have been reading faster and faster to find out what happened!

The First Husband by Laura Dave (FIC Dav)

At 32, Annie is a successful travel writer with a long-time live-in boyfriend who doesn't like the idea of marriage - they are "beyond that". When Nick, now a successful movie director, tells her that he has met someone else and wants out, Annie, who survived a childhood of moving, picks herself up and tries to move on. On a trip to her favorite local restaurant and bar, she meets Griffin, the substitute chef, and within three months finds herself married and living in western Massachusetts. Not used to trusting herself or others, she is still trying to adjust to the changes in her life when Nick walks back into her life. With marriage on his mind.

I always hate it when people tell me a book is a "quick read." What if it isn't for me? What if it takes me days rather than hours to read it? What does all that say about me?

Now, of course, I sound like Annie who was a character I really rooted for. Who among us hasn't made a snap decision and then wondered if we had made the right one? OK, so Annie's snap decision had major complications but I still enjoyed this "quick read" (think "the length of the Super Bowl" and you'll know what I mean) and found myself turning the pages to see how it all turned out.