Afterwards by Rosamund Lupton

    This book was a nice change of pace.  A little something out of the ordinary.  It is in the fiction section  but it is really a mystery.  It is told from the point of view of Grace.  She does a great job of it considering she is actually lying in a hospital bed in a coma.  Have you ever heard of an out-of-body experience?  Well, she is having one.   While helping out at a sports day at her son's school, Grace rushes into a burning building to save her daughter.   How relieved Grace is when she finds her daughter in the hospital. Then she realizes the daughter that she is 'seeing' and 'talking' to is also out of her body.  Being able to travel without being seen has its advantages and Grace soon overhears the word arson being used.  She wants to find out who is responsible.  It was a good mystery and there were lots of interesting characters (in other words they had interesting secrets!) and oh so many possible suspects.  

Shadow of the Titanic by Andrew Wilson 910.9163 Wil

       With the flood of Titanic documentaries and books coming out this year in honor of the 100th anniversary, I had to find time to read at least one.  Although there are details given about the sinking, this book is more about how surviving the Titanic affected the lives of those people.  We learn about only a small fraction of the 705 survivors of course.  Wilson was able to access some 'new' information that came from letters, memoirs and diaries.  He also relied on interviews that had been done with family members of survivors.  It was interesting how some of the survivors shared the story with their family and others would not allow it be mentioned.  Some were hailed as heroes but couldn't deal with the survivor's guilt.  Others were seen as villains and couldn't deal with the shame.  One thing that shocked me was the number of divorces in the lives of these people.   If you like history and stories of human behavior this was a great one.  I imagine a story told about the survivors of 9/11 would have many similarities to this book. 

The Beginner's Goodbye by Anne Tyler

      Tyler usually has a story with a theme that is common enough, but somehow she has a way of writing that makes it special.  Aaron is reeling from the unexpected death of his wife. (Instead of the usual manner of death, Dorothy got killed by a tree that fell on the house!).  Dorothy was a doctor and an independent woman who was  not necessarily looking for a man when she met Aaron.  After an over-protective mother and a hovering older sister have driven him crazy all of his life he adores the fact that Dorothy thinks his minor disabilities are no big deal.    Unable to face the process of repairing his house Aaron seeks refuge at his sister Nandina's.  I loved the title when I realized what it meant!  Aaron and Nandina  have a small publishing company and their main product is a series of Beginner's Books  which lead people from college through the rest of their lives.  Not a bad idea to have a book on saying goodbye!  Aaron didn't have a book - but he did have dearly departed Dorothy showing up here and there.  I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book.  We also have it in regular an large print. 

Decoding Gardening Advice by Jeff Gillman and Meleah Maynard 635Gil

      The sub-title of this book is The Science Behind the 100 Most Common Recommendations.  So that sums up the book - I don't really have to tell you any more than that.  But of course I will!  There are 8 chapters covering soil, water, pests(and weeds), mulch, annuals (perennials and bulbs), trees (and shrubs) vegetables and fruit and lawn care.  In my opinion what makes this book great is the way the information is presented.  At the beginning of each chapter you can see what is covered.  Now here is the cool part!  It is divided into 3 columns:  Good Advice,  Advice That's Debatable and Advice That's Just Wrong.  If you only read that part you will learn something.  But keep reading because the advice is explained.  I think I'll see if I can buy an e-edition so that I can have it for reference.  Oh, one more thing - please don't think that the condition of my garden and lawn is any reflection on the advice in this book.  I have a puppy - that's my story and I'm sticking to it. 

Paris in Love: A Memoir by Eloisa James BCD 944 Jam

      This is another book that we  have just on audiobook.  Eloisa James is a romance writer but this book is a compilation of thoughts and essays from her time in France.  Taking sabbaticals from their teaching responsibilities, Eloisa and her Italian husband pack up the kids (ages 11 and 15) and head off on their new adventure. The cast of  'characters' also includes her mother-in-law and Milo- the Chihuahua  who is so fat that he can't fit into his spiffy new raincoat (and has to get the Bulldog size- yikes!)   essays on food, fashion and French schools.  She takes us along with her on trips to museums, castles and restaurants. Some of the food descriptions had my mouth watering while others made me want to swear off food for a week.    I enjoyed the 'tour' and getting to know her family.

The Replacement Wife by Eileen Goudge

         I don't think anyone really knows how they would react to a death sentence from his/her doctor.  When Camille Hart is given one she fights back and wins.  Her own mother died when she and her sister were young and their father wasn't around much.  So she is so happy that her children won't face the same fate.  Now the doctor has given her bad news again - about six months to live and no real treatment options.  This time she puts her energy into enjoying her family and working, working, working.  Camille happens to be a very successful matchmaker.  Now it is time for her most important match of all - someone for her husband and children.  As you can imagine her husband, Edward, is not thrilled about this!  But it is basically Camille's 'dying wish' so he pretends to be a little cooperative.  Remember that saying - "Be careful what you wish for"?   It is a saying for a reason!  It was a good story that wasn't as predictable as you might think when you begin the book.

Bringing up bebe BCD 649Dru

        This book is on order but in the meantime we do have the audiobook - and it was great!  You might think it strange that since I will not be  bringing up a bebe (forgive the lack of accent marks - I don't know how to do that on the blog) nor baby that I would find this book so fascinating.  Well, to begin with I love the French culture and this book provided a great view of the culture as seen through American eyes - and that is always entertaining!  It is very apparent to anyone traveling in France (and other parts of Europe) that the kids seem to be better behaved in general.  The parents with children in restaurants seem less harried than their American counterparts who seem always to be trying to come up with new things to entertain the kids while waiting for the meal to come.  French kids in restaurants seem to be eating food that goes beyond the standard 'kids' meal' here at home.  You also get an up-close look into the French 'Creche' (a government pre-school) and I guarantee you will be open-mouthed as you read about the menus being served there!  I highly recommend this book.  And for those of you who aren't doing any child-rearing - well, I think many of the ideas can be used on dogs and the French dogs are also well-behaved!

The Good Father by Noah Hawley FIC Haw

     Unfortunately most of us can rattle off quite a list of serial killers and assassins.  We might hear a little about the childhood of the killer but most often the families are left out of the story.   In this novel the emphasis is on the father of  Daniel who is accused of assassinating a Presidential candidate.  It was captured on film and the suspect is in custody.  Of course this is breaking news and Paul Allen,  his second wife, Fran, and their two sons are home with the television on when it comes across the screen. Later, when the kids are upstairs, they check out CNN.  The video is not very clear, yet he still looks familiar to them.  The doorbell rings and standing there are two federal agents who are ready to destroy Paul's life with the news.  Daniel was an odd kid and he did have a rough childhood when his parents divorced and ended up on opposite sides of the country.  He made it into college but without a word to his parents he dropped out and began traveling around picking up odd jobs here and there.  There had been very little communication between Paul and Daniel for a long time.  But Paul is sure of one thing - his son could not have pulled the trigger, and he is going to prove it.  It was an interesting story - it left me thinking about lots of things.   

The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott

Desperate to get away from her life as a servant and establish herself as a real dressmaker, Tess lucks into a job as the personal maid of Lady Lucile Duff Gordon on the Atlantic crossing of the maiden voyage of the Titanic.  Tess can't believe her luck in getting this job with a renowned fashion designer.  Lady Duff Gordon (who insists on being called "Madame") is difficult to work for and like but there are other advantages to being onboard the ship - like catching the eye of two completely different men.  On the fourth night at sea, however, disaster strikes.

Tess is one of the last people to get on a lifeboat (Molly Brown's) and one of her suitors makes it into another lifeboat along with Lady Duff Gordon.  There he is able to witness her actions on a lifeboat only partially filled.  Once in New York, Lady Duff Gordon's actions are called into question and Tess finds herself torn between the woman who can guarantee her future and the man (or men?) she might love.

Unlike many people, I'm not as up on my Titanic history as I could be.  Much of what I know I learned from movies or musicals!  ("The Unsinkable Molly Brown" is a favorite.)  I knew that some lifeboats weren't completely full and that there weren't enough for all the passengers.  I didn't know that the Duff Gordons were real people.

I enjoyed this look at real events through the eyes of fictional characters.  The writing style might have been a little too instructional at times but the history and look at how things played out after the ship landed were welcome.  Tess is a determined young woman excited at being in a new country with new possibilities and I pulled for her to make the right decisions.

The Library owns this book in hard copy and ebook format.  I checked out the ebook format.

red ruby heart in a cold blue sea by Morgan Callan Rogers FIC Rog

    This is Rogers' first novel and it is very impressive.  She has done a wonderful job with the characters.  The story takes place in a small Maine fishing village where Florine's father, Leeman,  has a lobster boat.  Her mother, Carlie, is a waitress.   When her parents are working Florine is taken care of by her grandma whom she calls Grand.  Life is simple and predictable until the summer she was twelve.   Every year Carlie and her best friend Patty went to Crow's Nest for a few days of girl stuff.  Carlie had promised Florine that when she turned 13 she could join them - sort of a rite of passage.  This time Carlie went to pick up a present for Florine and never returned to the hotel.  This is the story of a girl growing up with lots of questions and few answers.  If you like a coming-of-age book check out this one.

Flags of our fathers by James Bradley 940.5426 Bra

      This book has been out for over a decade but I decided to listen to it when I saw it on the WILBOR site. (I ended up also checking out the book because I wanted to see the pictures!). One of the most iconic photos in history is that of the flag raising on Iwo Jima.  This book was written by James Bradley, the son of one of those men in the photo.  Although James and his family knew this about his father it was never discussed - his father's choice.  Whenever reporters wanted to do an 'anniversary' article the children were instructed to say that their father was in Canada fishing.   There was no copy of the photo in their home.  That was just the way it was in the Bradley household.  When John Bradley died at the age of 70 they found letters and photos - and the Navy Cross that he had been given and then kept  secret.  If the younger generations want to understand  "the Greatest Generation" they need to read this book.  I know that every soldier in WWII had a story that deserved to be told.  This book tells about six of those soldiers.  Very powerful.