The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood FIC Mar

In 1986, two young girls meet for the first time.  By the end of the day the lives of Jade and Bel will forever be changed and a child will be dead.  Throughout the book we get peeks into what happened that day.  Most of the book takes place in 2011.  Amber Gordon works at Funnland amusement park.  She works at night as a cleaner, although she also supervises some of her co-workers.  Her time at home is spent with her long-term partner Vic, and with Mary Kate and Ashley - her adorable Yorkies.  (No there isn't a picture in the book, but I just
know they are adorable!)  Not surprisingly the Yorkies treat her better than Vic does!  Still she can't believe a guy as good-looking as Vic has stayed with her so long.

Kirsty Lindsay lives in a modest, but nice home with her husband, Jim, and their two kids.  Things are a bit tense because Jim has been unemployed for a while now and the job search isn't going well.  So Kirsty has a lot of pressure on her as the only bread-winner at the moment.  She works as a free-lance journalist, so her income isn't always steady.  In Whitmouth a young woman is murdered and her body is found by Amber.  Kirsty goes to Whitmouth to cover the developing story and of course she wants to talk to Amber......but maybe she won't want to when she actually sees Amber!   An enjoyable mystery - not 'cozy' but not graphic.  

His Majesty's Hope by Susan Elia MacNeal MYS Mac

This book is the third in a series.  I didn't know that!  So don't worry if you haven't read the first two because this one is enjoyable all by itself.  The "Hope" in the title is a double entendre.  Besides the obvious it also refers to the name of our heroine - Maggie Hope.  Apparently in the first two books she worked really hard and now she is a member of the Special Operations Executive. This group was sent to Europe to help the British in the war effort.  (WWII).  When Maggie is tapped to go to Berlin it is much more than checking for her passport.  It includes such things as packing her cyanide pill and changing the fillings in her teeth which could give her away as British.  This book has it all - history, romance, suspense, characters to love and of course the Nazis to hate.  I enjoyed the historical notes that MacNeal added at the end to explain the reality of what was in the book.  It is a very readable and entertaining book.  You can check it out as a book or an audio book from us or as an ebook or downloadable book from WILBOR. 

There's More To Life Than This by Theresa Caputo 133.9 Cap

I know that there are many people to whom this book won't appeal.  If it does appeal to you, you will love it.  As a big fan of  Long Island Medium I could actually hear Theresa's voice saying the written words as I read them - she has a very memorable voice!  I also went to see her in person (well, from very, very high up in the auditorium!) last year.  Even though I didn't receive any messages that evening, it was still amazing to watch others receive theirs.  In her book she talks about growing up and all of the anxiety and fear she lived with because she didn't understand what was happening.  When she was able to accept her gift her world changed.  And through her the lives of many people changed as well.  You will read about some of the readings that she has done for clients.  I recognized several of them from the TV show.  What I personally found the most fascinating was the information she shares (via Spirit) about dying, Heaven and Angels.  I found it to be an interesting and comforting book - but maybe that is just me.

Stella Bain by Anita Shreve FIC Shr

Shreve is one of my favorite authors because her books are all so different from one another.  In Stella Bain we are transported to Europe during WWI.  A woman wakes up in a field hospital.  She is wearing a British nurse's aide uniform.  So she assumes she must be British but she can't remember anything.  Those around her quickly assess that with her accent she has to be an American!  As she recovers from her wound she struggles to remember something about herself.  She comes up with the name Stella Bain although she knows that isn't her name.  Her skills in the field do come to her and she is able to carry on with helping the Doctors with the wounded and driving ambulances.  When she hears someone talking about The Admiralty (it's a building in London) she somehow knows that it is important for her to go there.

She makes her way to London but by the time she arrives she is quite ill.  Fortunately a  woman is looking out her window and sees Stella trying to hold herself up.  Lily Bridge, wife of a surgeon, is a compassionate woman who insists on taking Stella into her home for some food, warmth and a bed.  She stays with the couple and Dr. Bridge becomes quite interested in helping Stella regain her memories

I enjoyed the story and the time-frame of the book. 

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion FIC Sim

This is a great read!  The main character is a loveable man named Don Tillman who has Asperger's Syndrome.  This had not stopped him from a successful academic career as a professor of genetics. Every minute of his life is scheduled so as not to waste time.  Socially he has not been as successful.  His friends consist of a colleague, Gene, and his wife, Claudia, a clinical psychologist, and an elderly neighbor.  Don is 39 years old and he thinks he should find a wife.  Although Gene and Claudia have encouraged him and given him tips, he has been a failure so far.  But wait!  Don is a scientist.  The way to find the right mate is to approach it like any other scientific problem.  He begins by making up the questionnaire.  An example of a question is:
Do you eat kidneys?  The correct answer is occasionally.   This question is to discover if the person has any food issues.  After a bad experience he does not want any more strict vegetarians - or smokers- or drinkers - or, heaven forbid, people that do not arrive somewhere on time!!!!

Through the intervention of Gene, Don meets Rosie who does not come close to acing the 16 page questionnaire.  Don, however, has something Rosie could use.  The ability to help her find out who her biological father is.  So the Wife Project is put on hold as he begins the Father project.  And Rosie manages to turn Don's life and schedule upside down.  You will love Don and Rosie.  A very entertaining book.

Longbourn by Jo Baker (FIC Bak)

Told against the backdrop of the happenings in Pride and Prejudice  this is the story of Sarah, an orphaned housemaid in the Bennet household.  She spends her days washing, scrubbing the laundry, and looking after the five young ladies of the household.

Her story entwines with the one we know - Jane and Mr. Bingley, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, and Lydia and the scoundrel Mr. Wickham.  In this telling, however, it is the servants who take center stage.  Mr. and Mrs. Hill, the housekeeper, and Polly, another orphaned housemaid, form the nucleus of this story along with Sarah.  Against the lives of those lovely and privileged young women, Sarah's life is harsh and offers little room for fun and enjoyment.

Until, that is, James Smith arrives to become the new footman for the household. His arrival opens up long-kept mysteries and wounds and awakens Sarah to what else the future might hold for her.

As I read this book I found myself constantly measuring the life of Sarah against the story I knew - the story told by Jane Austen and popular in movies for years.  If life was regimented for the middle and upper classes, it was even more so for the working class.  Sarah was a valued employee yet her feelings and needs were rarely taken into account.  On the few occasions when she does assert herself her actions are met with astonishment and disbelief from her "betters."

As the story progresses Sarah comes to terms with what life has to offer...and takes steps to find the happiness she knows she deserves.

An intriguing look behind-the-scenes and one I enjoyed a great deal.  I was anxious for the book to end so that I would know the outcome but sorry when the last page arrived.

the first phone call from heaven by Mitch Albom FIC Alb

If you are a fan of Mitch Albom's books (The Five People You Meet in Heaven,  Tuesdays with Morrie and others) I think you will enjoy his latest.  Well, the title gives away the gist of the book!  The story takes place in a small town, Coldwater, Michigan.  Like all towns, big or small, there are people who are hurting or emotionally wounded because they have lost a loved one.  And one day a phone rings and a woman named Tess answers and hears the voice of her mother - who has been dead for four years.  Later the police chief receives a call from his son who was killed in the war two years ago.  Seven people are chosen to receive these special calls.  All of these people kept the news to themselves for a while.  When the word does get out Coldwater becomes an overnight media circus as everyone flocks to hear about the calls from heaven.  Is there really a miracle happening here?  Sully Harding has returned to Coldwater after serving time in prison.  He doesn't believe.  His little son, however, does and he wants to talk to his mommy in Heaven.  So Sully sets out to disprove the miracles.  Albom did such a good job of drawing me into the story that I was regretting the times that I ignored the phone calls that came up as Unavailable - maybe, just maybe I should have answered. 

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak TEEN Zus

Death tells the story of Liesel Meminger who, at nine, is taken by her mother to live with foster parents in a small town just outside Munich.  The time is 1939 and Germany is in the grip of the Fuhrer.

Despite the hardships of living in a time of war, Liesel comes to love her foster parents - kind, soft-spoken Hans who sits with her and reads with her every evening after her nightmares wake her and Rosa whose brashness covers her soft heart.  Her best friend is Rudy, the boy next door, who has two wishes - for Liesel to kiss him and to run as fast as Jesse Owens.

The war and the Third Reich intrude ever more into the daily lives of Liesel and her family and friends.  Rationing, Hitler Youth and reduced income are hard but the hardest part happens when Max, a young Jew shows up on their doorstep.  He is the son of the man who saved Hans' life during World War I and spends the next two years living in their basement.

What saves Liesel is her discovered love of words and reading.  She is "The Book Thief" of the title and it is this love of reading that helps her survive the horrors of war.  And with Death as the narrator, you know there will be horrors.

I put off reading this novel for years.  Death as the narrator?  A teen novel with adult appeal?  World War II?  It had many strikes against it in my eyes and not much going for it.  When I saw previews for the movie, however, I decided that maybe I should rethink my opinion.

I'm glad I did.

Who better than Death to narrate a novel set in wartime?  Who else could explain the horrors of war?  And this novel, while long at 500+ pages, is a quick read - the advantage of a teen novel.  While the setting may be World War II Germany the actual theme is about books and reading and the power of words to both save and hurt.  What book lover could resist that?

I've read the book, now I look forward to seeing the movie.