Repo Madness by W. Bruce Cameron MYS Cam

Ruddy McCann from The Midnight Plan of the Repo Man is back - and eighteen months have passed.  Things seem to be going well.  His has a job as a repo man (some would call it stealing cars), a fiancee and a lovable basset hound.  But he hasn't been taking the medication that his court ordered psychiatrist has ordered and if he doesn't start taking it soon, he'll end up violating his probation and going back to jail.  The reason?  He's afraid taking the pills will rid him forever of the voice of Alan Lottner (who just happens to be Katie's dead father - can anyone say "Awkward"?) and as annoying as that voice was, Ruddy finds that he misses it/him.

Suddenly  not only must Ruddy figure out how to deal with the psychiatrist but his boss dies suddenly and Katie wants to take a break.  And then while visiting a medium to try to discover where Alan has gone to, he is approached by a young woman who tells him that the event that defined his life may, in fact, be a lie.  And suddenly Ruddy is on the trail of a serial murder - before his loved ones are threatened.  Oh and then there's the banker threatening the life and happiness of his best friend and there's that sudden death of his boss and father figure.  But thankfully, Alan is back to help him solve the case, or cases.

With laugh out loud humor and lovable characters, this was a fun way to spend a bitter cold day.  The ending was satisfying but there are plenty of loose ends to be dealt with in the next book.  I can't wait.

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In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware MYS War

Another psychological thriller!   Leonora was known to her friends as Lee when she was in school.  But that was a decade ago.  Now she goes by Nora and she is a crime writer who is basically a recluse.  She has very little contact with anyone from her past.  But then she is invited to a hen party for a woman that she was very close to in school - but they have not had any contact.  She hasn't even been invited to the wedding!  But she decides to go with another friend.

When the story begins she is waking up in a hospital with injuries.  She hears people talking outside of her door and to her horror she realizes that someone is dead.  She can't remember what happened.  Did she do it?  In bits and pieces her past is revealed to the reader.  As her memories come back she searches for a motive for the crime.  A twisted tale!

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The Perfect Girl by Gilly Macmillan FIC Mac

I loved Macmillan's first novel and this one is equally great.  The title refers to Zoe Maisey, a teenager who is also a gifted pianist.  But at the age of 14 she made a mistake and it cost the lives of three of her classmates.  She has to pay the price.  Her parents also paid the price in the form of a divorce.  After being released her mother, Maria, is determined to get Zoe's life back on track.  So they move away and decide not to tell anyone about Zoe's past.


When the novel begins Zoe is ready to give a recital that Maria has planned for months.  She will share the stage with Lucas who is her step-brother.  Maria and Chris met because of their children's piano interests.  Now they are married and there is also Grace, a new baby sister.

The recital does not go as planned and by the next morning Maria is dead.  The story takes place during a few days and is told from the point of view of several of the characters.

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The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict FIC Ben

 First of all this is a work of fiction using the facts that are known about Mileva Mari's life.  She was born in Serbia to a family that encouraged her interest and talents in the fields of math and physics.  She attended the Polytechnic Institute in Zurich which was one of the few schools willing to grant a degree to women.  Because of her desire for an academic life and a physical problem she knew she would never get married.  And then she met Albert Einstein.

At the beginning he seems like a likable quirky genius.  He definitely becomes less likable as the story goes on!   There is the part where she becomes pregnant and he does not hurry to marry her nor does he support her in any way.  It is true that she had the baby but it is not known what happened - either the baby was put up for adoption or it died.  Mileva was supposed to be a partner with Albert in the world of science.  How much of his success was due to her?  No one really knows, but a theory is put forth in this book.

I enjoyed the historical aspects of the book and learning about the Einsteins.

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The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena FIC Lap

A debut novel that was filled with turns and twists.  I always thought I knew what was going on - but I was wrong here and there!  Anne and Marco share a common wall with Cynthia and Graham.  Anne and Cynthia were good friends but the relationship has cooled since Anne became a mother to baby Cora.  Cynthia and Graham can't stand babies.  So when Anne and Marco are invited over for a dinner party they hire a sitter - problem solved.  Except that the sitter cancels at the last minute.  Marco convinces Anne that it will be perfectly fine to leave the baby at home with the monitor turned on and the two of them taking turns to go check every half-hour.

It was 1:30 in the morning when the parents (who have heavily imbibed) return home to a front door that is ajar.  And no baby Cora.  Thus begins a nightmare with the police trying to find the baby, the parents trying to ignore the directives of the police, and the public being hateful toward the mother who would leave her baby alone.  A good psychological thriller!

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Paris For One & Other Stories. By Jojo Moyes FIC Moy

I am not a great fan of short stories but I have loved the other books by Moyes so I had to read this one!  I loved it!!!!   It was a great book for the holiday season.  The first story wasn't very short but very entertaining.  Nell works hard and has never been abroad.  But it is time to break out of the rut.  She plans a romantic weekend in Paris, the city of love with her boyfriend.  He's been there which makes her feel safe because she would never be able to find her way around or deal with taxis or anything else that tourists have to do.  She's meeting her boyfriend at the train station but he is late - very late.  Finally she hears from him.  He isn't going to make the train so she should go ahead and he will meet her in Paris.  Total panic.  I love Paris and the French so I loved the characters she meets.

After that story are several very short stories.  I think Moyes has a real gift for capturing a lot in a few words.  These vignettes reminded me of those by Maeve Binchy - and in my world that is a good thing!

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The Drowning Girls by Paula Treick DeBoard FIC DeB

With one job offer the McGinnis family (Liz, husband Phil, and daughter Danielle) went from living a modest middle-class life to living in the lap of luxury.  Phil was hired to manage a very exclusive gated-community called The Palms.  The house they are given to live in will never be filled with furniture like the neighbors. Phil is busy handling the whims and complaints of the priviledged residents.  Liz is looking forward to going back in the fall to her counseling job at the high school Danielle will be attending.  Liz is worried about Danielle meeting friends, so she is thrilled when a neighborhood girl, Kelsey, starts hanging out with Danielle.  In fact in no time at all Kelsey is practically living at their house.  And there is something about her that makes Liz uncomfortable.

In the meantime Kelsey is becoming obsessed with Phil.  Every time he turns around she is there in her skimpy clothing.  He doesn't tell Liz about it the first time and then it became harder and harder to confide in her.  The story is told from both Liz's and Phil's point of view.  Their lives begin spiraling out of control and ends in a tragedy.

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Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult FIC Pic

I have read all of Picoult's books (some more than once) and she is one of my favorite authors.  Her characters always have such depth.  Her themes always make me think - sometimes about society and sometimes about what I would do in such a circumstance and sometimes questioning if I did or said things in my own past that showed a lack of understanding of others. This book will certainly make everyone think about racism in this country. In the back of the book she writes about how difficult this book was for her to write.  I would recommend that you read that first for a bit of background.

Her storytelling was prompted by an article about a white supremacist who asked a nursing supervisor not to let any African-American nurses touch his new baby.  The woman in question had twenty years of experience in the field but that didn't matter to him.  In this book that woman's name is Ruth.  Unlike in the article, Ruth ends up in the nursery with the new baby and there is a medical emergency.   She finds herself on trial for the baby's death.  The story is told from many points of view but mostly by Ruth, the white supremacist and the public defender who takes Ruth's case.

 At times the book made me uncomfortable as I saw life and society from the perspective of Ruth and of her son.  I think it is an important book.  As always there is a twist at the end that I didn't see coming.  Read it!

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The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware FIC War

In a review I read about this book, it was mentioned that it was like an Agatha Christie book.  So immediately I knew that I had to read it!

Lo Blacklock became a journalist who ended up writing for a travel magazine.  She is usually not given any plum jobs until her boss isn't up to going on a week-long cruise on a small but luxurious ship.  This is her chance to show what she can do.  But things don't go smoothly before she leaves.  Two nights before she is to leave she falls asleep in her bed after drinking too much and is awakened when she realizes someone is in her apartment.  So her nerves are on edge when she goes aboard the ship.  One night she hears a scream and a splash.  Did someone go overboard?  When she decides to follow up on it she discovers that no one is missing.  Did she imagine it?

I enjoyed the twists and turns.

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Happy People Read and Drink Coffee by Agnes Martin-Lugand FIC Mar

This is a novel that was translated from French.  It is the story of Diane who was enjoying a great life.  She was happily married with a wonderful daughter.  She was also the owner of a small literary cafe in Paris which bears the same name as the novel.  But as we all know, life can change in a split-second.  As the novel begins she tragically loses her husband and daughter. Diane can not find a way to go forward in life.  After a year of living in a deep depression she decides to make a change and move to Ireland.  She never wanted to even visit Ireland - that had been a dream that belonged to her husband.

Even though Diane keeps her story to herself and tries to keep a low profile, she is eventually enveloped by some of the people living in this small town.  I thought the book was well-written and it was easy to feel all of the pain and despair of Diane.

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The Bitter Season by Tami Hoag MYS Hoa

In the cold, bitter night of a Minneapolis winter there is a shocking double murder.  A university professor and his wife are killed in a very brutal way with a samurai sword from their home.

Sam Kovac is the detective assigned to the crime.  Sam's former partner, Nikki Liska, is beginning a less hectic job with a newly-formed cold case division.  The first case chosen is 25 years old. It was the death of a member of the police force.  He was shot in cold blood outside his home.  There was no physical evidence so it seems like a long shot.

In the meantime there is Evi Burke.  Although she had a hard life in the beginning she is now living a wonderful life.  She lives in a nice house with her family and has a job she loves in social services.  And then she receives a cryptic letter which shakes her up.  Someone doesn't think she deserves this good life.  There are many parts of her past life that she hasn't shared with her husband and she doesn't want to start now.

Obviously these two cases are going to be intertwined but it takes a while to get there - and that is what makes it entertaining to me!

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On My Own by Diane Rehm BCD 791.44 Reh

This is an audio book that was written and read by the author, Diane Rehm.  I don't listen to NPR where Rehm had a program, but I wished I had after listening to this book.  I think I would have enjoyed it a lot.  This book has several different themes running through it.  Ms. Rehm lost her husband of 54 years a few years ago - and thus the title of the book.  She talks about the abrupt changes that happen when one is left alone to deal with life's usual challenges.  She talks about the depth of pain that comes with losing a spouse.  What was unexpected and made her pain seem so raw was the truth she told about the marriage.  Often after a death the lost one becomes a saint.  Ms. Rehm tells about the wonderful parts of their marriage but doesn't hold back when telling about the hard parts.

Another theme that she weaves in and out the entire book is the question of the "right to die".  Her husband, John, had suffered a long time with Parkinson's.  He wanted to die but could no longer physically commit suicide.  His state does not allow physician-assisted suicide.  So desperate to die was John that he did the only thing he could to bring an end to his suffering.  One of Ms. Rehm's passions now is to help change the culture so that people can have control over their own deaths.

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Coffin Road by Peter May MYS May

Three plots converge in an isolated location in Scotland:

1.  A man washes up on the seashore with no memory of who he is, what he does, or how and where he got the gash on his forehead;
2.  Karen, a lonely 17-year-old in Edinburgh continues to mourn her father's suicide two years ago and feel, somehow, responsible for it.  If only her last words to him hadn't been "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!";
3.  Detective George Gunn investigates the murder of a man who's body is found at a lonely and hard-to-reach lighthouse on an island located twenty miles out in the Outer Hebrides.

Loaded with tons of Scottish atmosphere, this book hooked me from the beginning and kept me reading.  I was anxious for the mystery man, felt sorry for troubled Karen, and enjoyed the solution to the mystery.

The author is new to me but I will go back to read some of his other mysteries.

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Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple FIC Sem

     

I loved Ms. Semple's previous book "Where'd You Go, Bernadette", so I was eager to read her newest book - and I was not disappointed.  Her characters are a bit quirky which makes them so much more interesting.  I tend to think that since tomorrow is a new day, it is the perfect time to clean my house, eat more veggies, pull weeds and so forth.  So from the first page I felt I had found my literary soul sister.  Yes Eleanor Flood had a long list of things she was going to do so that "today will be different".

Eleanor is supposed to be writing her graphic (in the picture sense!) memoir.  She is married to Joe who is an outstanding hand surgeon.  After ten years of living in Manhattan they are ready to start a family and Joe doesn't want to raise a child in the city.  He has a lot of job offers.  Their deal is that he will choose where they are going to live for the next 10 years.  And then they will move back to New York for ten years.  He picks Seattle.  They are almost to the ten-year mark but Joe hasn't mentioned moving.  They also are parents to 8-year-old son named Timby (you'll love the way he got his name!)

Well Eleanor's day didn't go the way she planned.  Her poetry lesson (which she loves) is interrupted by a call from the school to come pick up Timby (even though Eleanor knows he really isn't sick), she finds out that her husband hasn't been to work all week, and her son finds out about a family secret that Eleanor has been keeping from him.

A wonderful book!

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Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris FIC Par

This is a debut novel.  The problem with debut novels is that when you read a good one you can't run back to the library to check out others by the author!  Oh well, I'll wait.  This is a 'psychological thriller' which I love to read.  Grace and Jack seem like the perfect couple.  Jack is always solicitous of his wife.  He is always praising her.  He seems eager to welcome Grace's down-syndrome sister into their home when she finishes her schooling.  And the home?  It's a beautiful house in a wonderful  location.  Everyone is envious.

But behind closed doors not everything is perfect. A fast read that will keep you interested and wondering how this will end.  I was reminded of the movie "Sleeping with the Enemy" - but on steroids!

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The Book That Matters Most by Ann Hood FIC Hoo

I loved this book as I have other books by Hood.  Ava Tucker had a lot of trauma in her childhood.   She married a guy named Jim and they had two children Will and Maggie.  Will was an easy kid to raise. Maggie wasn't.  She was a wild child into trouble all the time.  When Maggie finally survives to the fringes of adulthood things seem to be okay and Ava feels confident that Maggie will be okay studying in Italy for the next year.  Will is off doing good works in Africa.  And Ava finds herself alone - because Jim has left her for another woman. Desperate for some social life she bugs her librarian friend, Cate, to let her join the book club when an opening is available.  (Only ten are allowed!).  This year the theme is "the book that matters most". Members are supposed to come to the next meeting with their selection.  Except that Ava forgets and under pressure she blurts out the name of a book that she read and reread after the deaths of her sister and then her mother.

The books flips back and forth between Ava's story and the horrific adventures of Maggie in Europe.  I loved reading the parts about the book club meetings when they discussed their books and how they were influenced by them.  A good read!

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Don't You Cry by Mary Kubica FIC Kub

       

I enjoyed this book although it was a bit hard to follow sometimes because it flips between two stories - but it might just have been my brain that was the problem!   One part of the book is focused on Quinn Collins.  She has been working in downtown Chicago for a year and was fortunate enough to answer an ad that led to an affordable shared apartment.  Her roommate is Esther and they have developed a great friendship.  One Saturday night Esther begs off going to a new bar because she thinks she is coming down with something.  On her own, Quinn ends up bringing a man back to her room.  It isn't until the next day that she realizes Esther is missing.

An hour from Chicago there is another story unfolding.  Alex is 18.  His childhood has been horrible.  At the moment he is earning money by working in a coffee shop.  One day he sees this mysterious woman.  When he finally gets to talk to her he is completely smitten.  But 'true love never runs smooth' to quote Gene Pitney (for those of you who are old enough to know who he is!).

Everyone is keeping secrets.  Not everyone will survive the next week!

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Hope For A Cool Pillow by Margaret Overton 362.175

  

It is the autumn of the year and for some of us, or maybe for someone we love, it is the autumn of our lives.  Dr. Overton wrote this book because she is an advocate of planning for end-of-life care.  This may sound like a dry subject but she has written a great book.  She writes about it from different points of views - financial, emotional and physical.  Interspersed is the story of her life and how she dealt with the deaths of her parents.  Her father died of cancer.  Several years later her mother is suffering from dementia when she finally dies.  Two ways of dying and each has its own challenges.

It won't take you long to read this book but I think what you read will stay with you and maybe start a dialogue that everyone needs to have.

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The Secrets of Wishtide by Kate Saunders MYS Sau

At 52, Laetitia Rood has been widowed for two years.  Faced with reduced circumstances and with few options available to her in London in 1850, she lives with her landlady and confidante, Mrs. Bentley, and earns additional money as a highly discreet private investigator.

Her most recent case involves an investigation for her brother, Frederick, who is a successful criminal barrister.  The son of his client is determined to marry a very unsuitable woman.  Laetitia moves into the family home as governess to investigate the love interest and to decide if the rumors about her (that she is still married) are true.

It soon becomes obvious that this simple case is far from it.  In relatively short time, Laetitia is investigating a series of murders that are all somehow tied into the family's past.

Written in the first person and in a conversational style, this mystery kept me guessing.  Laetitia is a sympathetic character who relies on her instincts and good sense to solve cases.  Her brother is also likable and the relationship between them fun to observe.  This is the first in a series.

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A Good Killing by Allison Leotta FIC Leo

Anna and Jody Curtis are sisters.  The older of the two, Anna, has left their hometown in Michigan, attended law school, and is now working as a prosecutor in Washington D.C.  Her life was perfect as she planned her wedding to Jack and looked forward to a life with Jack and his daughter.  Then Jack's ex-wife decided she wanted to try again.  Her anger and grief over this situation is interrupted when she gets a call from a friend of Jody's begging her to come home because Jody has been arrested.  She was charged with the murder of Owen Fowler - normally called Coach and one of the most popular men in town.

Anna immediately goes to Michigan and prepares to help Jody with the aid of a high school friend named Cooper.  There are lots of secrets being kept in that town and soon they are all going to come out!  Can any killing be a good one?

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Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty FIC Mor

Three couples - Sam and Clementine who are parents of two little girls; Oliver and Erika - oldest friend of Clementine; Vid and Tiffany who live next door to Oliver and Erika.   Erika and Clementine have a friendship with a lot of baggage and from the opening pages you will notice the strain between them.  A spur-of-the-moment invitation is extended by Vid for everyone to come for a barbecue.  Later everyone will regret going.

This isn't a story that begins at the beginning and goes straight through to the conclusion.  What happened at the barbecue is revealed in very small pieces for most of the book.  The friendship between the women is explained as we learn about Clementine's childhood - again in small snippets.

The reviews of this book are not as good as for her previous books but I was entertained enough to read it in two sittings!

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The City Baker's Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller FIC Mil

While serving baked Alaska at the posh club where she is the pastry chef, Olivia catches sight of her married lover with his wife, loses her balance, drops the baked Alaska, and starts a fire.  Fleeing the scene of the disaster she turns to her friend Hannah in Guthrie, Vermont.  Hannah, not for the first time, comes to her rescue and Olivia finds a job as the pastry chef at the Sugar Maple Inn.

Used to being on her own Olivia gradually finds herself settling in. The work is demanding but fun, the people she works with supportive (except maybe for the Inn's owner), and then there's Martin...

Loaded with descriptions of baking guaranteed to make your mouth water and your stomach growl this book is a fun read.  The plot may be a little predictable but the characters are fun and sympathetic and worth rooting for.

This is the author's first book and I'm looking forward to her next one.

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The Hamilton Affair by Elizabeth Cobbs FIC Cob

In a nutshell, this is the fictionalized story of the marriage of Alexander Hamilton to Elizabeth Schuyler. I've listened too many times to count to the soundtrack from the Broadway musical "Hamilton."  From that I've gained a basic knowledge of the life of this famous American.  To fill out the edges, I tried to read the bestseller Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow.  It is, to say the least, long.  Someday maybe I'll be able to plow through it!

This version of the love story between Alexander and Eliza filled in many of the gaps left by incomplete reading.

Hamilton was one of the most controversial figures of the American Revolution.  Complicated, charming, pig-headed, stubborn, he nevertheless loved his wife and family beyond measure.  In the end, defending his honor led to his death in a duel.  Eliza, devastated at his loss, lived for fifty years after his death and worked to clear his name as well as establishing the first orphanage in New York City.

Some books are hard to read - not because they aren't good but because you know how it's going to end and you want desperately to change it.  Such was the case with this book.  Historical figures came to life and made me want to go back and take another stab at the non-fiction version of these two lives.

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People Who Knew Me by Kim Hooper FIC Hoo

In this debut novel Emily Morris was a typical college student.  She had a high school boyfriend who was still a part of her life but she was interested in some of the new guys she met.  And one day she met a guy named Drew who lived in the apartment next door. Soon they have an intense relationship and get married even though they were still very young.  Life is good until things begin to unravel.  Drew's mother begins to need more and more help. When she moves in with Drew and Emily the marriage becomes more and more stressed.  This is the story from Emily's past.  It is interspersed with the story of Emily's present.  Emily is thousands of miles away from her life with Drew, living with her 13-year-old daughter.  Drew doesn't even know Emily is alive - the last time he saw her was on 9/11.  She escaped death that day.  All these years later on the anniversary of 9/11 she is in the office of an oncologist.  Things have to change.

I enjoyed reading this novel and look forward to other ones from Ms. Hooper.

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Uprooted by Naomi Novik SF Nov

Agnieska loves her village home in a quiet valley.  But life is not all good - the corrupted Wood stands on the border full of malevolent power that threatens to overrun their lives.  If not for the power of the Dragon, a mysterious wizard who keeps the Wood at bay, her lovely village would be overrun.  In order to continue to protect them, however, the Dragon demands that every ten years a young maiden be handed over to him.

Everyone in the area knows that Agnieska's best friend, Kasia, will be the one who is chosen.  She is beautiful and kind and good, all traits that the Dragon seems to value.  There is no way to save Kasia from being chosen and everyone knows it.

And then the dreaded day comes and it isn't Kasia who is chosen but Agnieska herself and for reasons she can't imagine.  It turns out that the Dragon sees in her what runs through him - magic.

Locked in the tower castle with the Dragon, Agnieska slowly and reluctantly comes to use her powers and draw closer to the man who has imprisoned her.  But when Kasia is taken by the Wood, Agnieska has no choice but to try to save her dearest friend.  And from then on her life, the life of the Dragon, and all those she loves are changed and put in danger as the power of the Wood threatens to take over everything.

Inspired by Polish and Russian stories told to the author by her mother and grandmother, this is a lovely book to read.  I don't usually like science fiction/fantasy but really enjoyed this one.  Agnieska is a well developed character whose love for her friend and family and the valley she lives in practically leaps through the pages. The Dragon is mysterious and yet sympathetic. The danger of the Wood is all encompassing.  Will it be destroyed?  Read and find out!

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All The Missing Girls by Megan Miranda FIC Mir

Ten years ago Nicolette Farrell had left her hometown of Cooley Ridge to live in Philadelphia where she is living a good life with a job and a fiancé.  She rarely goes home since the day she left soon after Corinne, her best friend, disappeared.  A decade has passed and no one knows what happened to Corinne.  But now Nicolette has to return to help as her father is now in a facility since his dementia has progressed. Nic's brother, Daniel, needs help with cleaning out the family home so that they can sell it.  Being back is not easy - especially since her former boyfriend is still there.  He is involved with a woman named Annalise Carter.  Annalise was part of a group of friends that were hanging out the night that Corinne was last seen.

And soon after Nic returns Annalise also disappears.  I loved the way the story went back and forth between the present and the night Corrine disappeared.  As Nic is cleaning out the house she comes upon some items that only add to the old mystery.  A good read!

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The Good Life by Marian Thurm FIC Thu

I thought this was a good book. I liked the way Thurm built up the suspense by interspersing the thoughts and actions of the husband Roger with the story of how Roger and Stacy met, fell in love, married and had two children.  Stacy worked as a social worker.  One day she was at her neighborhood muffin shop when she dropped her purse and everything spilled out.  A well-dressed older man helped her to pick things up while glancing at her driver's license.  He notices that they share the same birthday. They had both bought the same kind of muffin and sweet tea.  It must be fate.  He is wearing a $15,000 watch.  They definitely come from different worlds.  Yet it worked.

Sounds like a happy book.  But it starts out with Roger buying a gun.  And that is all I'm going to say!

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A Murder in Time by Julie McElwain FIC McE

FBI agent and child prodigy Kendra Donovan is on the hunt for the man who infiltrated her team and led to their deaths.  Her search takes her to England and Aldrich Castle.  When her plans go awry she runs for cover in a secret passageway...

...and comes to in the same castle in 1815.

Forced to hide her identity while she tries to figure out what happened to her and how to get back to her own time, Kendra becomes involved in trying to solve the murder of a young prostitute whose body is found in a local river. She must also try to figure out how to put her 21st century experiences to use while not giving up the truth about her life.  If only the presence of the Duke of Aldrich's nephew wasn't such a distraction.

This wasn't a great book but rather a fun book to read.  The book bore some resemblance to other time travel romances I've read.  The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon springs to mind.  Kendra is a likable heroine, concerned with finding the killer but also with how her presence in the past could affect the future. The author hints at a sequel.

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And After the Fire by Lauren Belfer FIC Bel

In Berlin in 1783, Sara Itzig is the beloved student of Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, son of the great Johann Sebastian Bach.  In failing health and lacking funds, Wilhelm has been selling his father's compositions to get by.  As a wedding present to Sara, he gives her a composition that he wrote and one of his father's.  The contents of this cantata are so horrific to Sara that she hides it away so that no one can see it.

In modern day Buffalo, NY, Susanna Kessler discovers an unpublished cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach in her uncle's piano. Wondering if it really is what she thinks it is, Susanna begins the process of authenticating the discovery.  Among the many questions she has is how this piece of music came to be in her uncle's possession.  And why had he kept it hidden for so long?

The process leads her on a personal path of discovery as she tries to recover from the rape that ended her marriage.  In the course of her journey she meets Daniel Erhardt and Scott Schiffmann, both experts in Bach's music.  Through them she enters a world previously unknown to her and begins to find her way back to the person she wants to be.

I enjoyed the back story of Sara Itzig Levy and her connections to Felix Mendelssohn.  The author's descriptions of Bach's music as well as Mendelssohn's were incredibly rich and made me want to listen to the pieces she mentioned.  (So far I haven't.)  In addition, there were real struggles with the still lingering after effects of World War II and the Holocaust.  If some of the situations seemed a little too coincidental, I found it didn't matter because I cared about the characters and was fascinated by the history and descriptions.

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Raising Ryland by Hillary Whittington with Kristine Gasbarre 362.785 Whi

I didn't get anything done today - except to read this book.  After I finished it I went online to watch the video that was made by the Whittingtons and then I headed to Amazon to read some reviews.  There were 84% of the reviews that were five-stars. There were 13% four-star reviews - and one person who gave it three stars.  Here is that review:
"Although I didn't agree with the content of the book, it was interesting. I imagine this book is much better received in the West or North than the Deep South. This is definitely for a more liberal-minded mother. I was hoping to be more emphatic about childhood diversity, but this book did not convince me a child is old enough to decide his or her gender at five."

I wondered if that person actually read the book!  When Ryland was about one year old she was diagnosed as being profoundly deaf.  What a blow to the young parents.  How would they get through it?  Fortunately Ryland was a good candidate for cochlear implants and with a lot of hard work develops oral skills.  And she announces she is a boy.  Everyday Hillary tries to dress her there is a battle.  A pivotal point is when Ryland asks, 'mom, when the family dies....can I cut my hair so I can be a boy?"  They cut his hair and their little boy became a much happier kid.  An inspiring and touching story of a couple who decided they would do everything they could to make their child happy.  Ryland is an amazing boy!

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Auschwitz #34207 The Joe Rubinstein Story by Nancy Sprowell Geise 940.5318 Gei

History has a lot to teach us and it's always good to be reminded of things that happened - especially how and why it happened.  This isn't an easy book to read.  It is the story of Joe Rubinstein.  When Geise wrote this book in 2014 Joe was 92 years old.  So that is the spoiler - he survived and lived a long life.  Before he was born his parents lost a son to illness.  They went on to have more children including Joe and his twin brother.  By the end of the war Joe knew that he was the only one left in his family.  What the man went through was endured by millions but it is so much worse when we read about an individual.  There were several times that he shouldn't have survived, but he did.  We learn about the entire life of Joe - his childhood, the war, the post-war and then a brief part that summarizes the second part of his life.  All the Holocaust stories are important.  We can't ever forget that it happened.

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First Dads by Joshua Kendall 973.099 Ken

I loved this book!  It is filled with so many interesting stories.  There are lots of great books about our Presidents but this is one with a twist.  It is about their roles as fathers and as an extension it tells how they were parented.  Kendall has divided his book into kinds of dads.  They are: The Preoccupied, Playful Pals, Double-Dealing Dads, Tiger Dads, The Grief-Stricken and The Nurturers.  It was definitely interesting to find out who was in which section.  I have to say I was shocked about several stories of the Presidents who have served during my lifetime.  Here is one. The children of George and Barbara Bush were left in the care of friends for long stretches in 1948.  In 1959 they were again pawned off for four months.  Here is a quote from Jeb Bush when he was talking about that time.  "At least we weren't put in a kennel"!

A lot of the book is about the First Kids.  There are a lot of sad stories about what happened to them.  A very entertaining book!!

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The Last Time She Saw Him by Jane Haseldine MYS Has

This was a good mystery which was also a quick read.  The story revolves around Julia Gooden.  At the beginning of the book Julia, a reporter who covers the crime beat, spends a lot of her time trying to protect her young boys - from what?  The evil that she knows is out there.  She and her husband are living apart but both of them are still actively parenting the boys.  Their problem is Julia's obsession with 'protecting' her kids.  David had tried to convince her that the boys were fine and that she needed to let them have a more normal life.  Julia's obsession is because of something that happened 30 years ago.  After a day at Funland (bankrolled with the twenty dollars their absentee father had given them), Julia and her older brother return home to a mother who is passed out.  They go to bed but someone comes in and abducts Ben.  The case is still cold.   Julia is afraid that history could repeat itself.  And on the Labor Day weekend of the 30th anniversary Julia receives a phone call that makes her very uneasy.  And then it happens - her youngest son, Will, is taken from their home.  Are the cases connected????  Read it and find out!

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The Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell FIC Jew

Clare was married to Chris, a film maker, and they had two daughters - Pip and Grace.  But their lives were shattered when Chris had a schizophrenic break with reality and burned down the family home.  Fortunately Clare and the girls were not in the home but they came home to see their house in flames and their father ranting like a mad man in front.  He is taken to a psychiatric hospital and Clare takes her daughters to live in a new place called Virginia Crescent.  It is almost like a separate world.  The houses all have access to a large park.  Many of the residents have lived here for decades. The kids move through each others' houses and lives.

Pip and Grace take a while to become part of the 'gang' of kids that live there and spend a great amount of time in the park.  There are lots of secrets and dark history in Virginia Crescent.  This is the story of one long, hot summer that ends with one teenager in a coma.  The story is told from the viewpoint of various characters.  The characters are great and the book is filled with turns and twists.

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Old Age A Beginner's Guide by Michael Kinsley 305.26 Kin

This is a book for baby boomers.  Kinsley writes, "Sometimes I feel like a scout from my generation, sent out ahead to experience in my fifties what even the healthiest Boomers are going to experience in their sixties, seventies or eighties."  He is ahead of the rest of us because he has been dealing with Parkinson's for a couple of decades.  He is thinking more about the end because of it.  He writes about competitive longevity and he who has his marbles at the end are the winners.  This might sound like a depressing book but I found it entertaining and at times thought-provoking.  I liked his take on this time of life. Another quote I loved was: "The easiest way to shuffle off to Buffalo with a good reputation is to earn it legitimately.  If you want to be remembered as a good person, then try to be a good person.  Who knows?  It might just work. But start now, because if you're a boomer, time is running out."

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A Few of the Girls: Stories by Maeve Binchy FIC Bin

I am still so sad that Maeve Binchy is no longer with us.  I am thrilled when anything penned by her comes out.  This is a collection of short stories - many of them quite short.  I am not a fan of short stories - except for hers.  I am always in awe the way she puts so much into so few words.  Some of these stories had been published because beside books she also wrote for magazines.  Some of them were written as a gift for friends of hers - what a treasure.

If you are a fan of Binchy you will want to read this.  As always, she writes about situations and people that are so familiar to her readers.  The world seems to be going crazy and I loved having the opportunity to  escape into the fiction of my favorite author.

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The Bridge Ladies: a memoir by Betsy Lerner 305.2 Ler

  

I loved this book.  The Bridge Ladies refers to the women with whom Betsy's mom has been playing bridge for decades.  Betsy has known these women since she was a child and her attitude toward the 'bridge club' changed as she grew up.  Then Betsy left to get an education and live her own life.  After twenty years of living and working in NYC her husband is offered a great job and Betsy finds herself moving back to New Haven - where her mother still lives.

The book is about the relationship between mother and daughter.  Betsy will find out things about her mother's life that she never knew before.  The story of the other ladies is interwoven.  Since I lived in part of the club's era I found it fascinating.  I also play bridge so I enjoyed Betsy's attempt to learn the game.  Any mother or daughter will recognize some of the issues between the generations.  At times I had tears in my eyes and other times I laughed out loud.  Great book!

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A Game for All the Family by Sophie Hannah MYS Han

A psychological mystery that kept me guessing.  Justine has retired from her job and plans on doing NOTHING.  That is her goal.  She and her husband, Alex, and daughter, Ellen, have moved from London to Devon.

Justin's life is being interrupted by some strange premonitions and 'feelings'.  Alex does a lot of traveling so it is often just Justine and Ellen.  One day she comes across a very strange story written by Ellen.  We continue to be given the chance to read more of the story as the book progresses.  It is an integral part of the mystery.

During a conversation with Ellen,  Justine discovers that Ellen is distressed because her best friend (Justine had never heard his name!) has been expelled from school because he was accused of stealing Ellen's coat (which she had given him).  When Justine goes to the school to explain the situation she is told that George doesn't exist.  Justine has no reason to believe that Ellen isn't telling the truth - yet why would the school lie to her?  There is no way to figure this one out - you just have to keep reading!

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Quiet Neighbors by Catriona McPherson MYS McP

I enjoyed this book even though it didn't move at a very past pace.  The mystery in the book is why does a woman named Jude flee London to go to the small village of Wigtown where she returns to a bookshop that she had been in once on a holiday.  If you want to find out why you have to read most of the book. (Well, I suppose you could take a quick look but that wouldn't really be playing by the rules.). The bookshop is a poorly maintained place filled with stacks of books. To Jude, a librarian cataloguer, it should have been a nightmare but on her previous visit she had found a treasure - a book by an author whose work she loved.  So when she ran away (with only the clothes on her back) that is where she went.  The owner is Lowell Glen and he is still there, as disheveled as ever.  He recognizes her right away and hurries to grab another book for her.  He found it and had been keeping it in case she returned.

Very quickly Lowell offers her a room in his house and some clothes (decades old!) that she can wear.  Lowell is a great character.  The description of his bookshop is great and I could imagine it in my mind.  Jude hasn't been staying with Lowell long before he has a young woman who shows up in his life - the daughter he never knew he had.

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The Boys in the Bunkhouse by Dan Barry 362.384 Bar

In 2009, a social worker from Muscatine traveled to the small town of Atalissa to follow up on a strange complaint of abuse.

The caller claimed there were about 20 intellectually disabled men living in squalor in the old Atalissa school house.  The men worked in a nearby turkey processing plant and did some of the worst jobs while being paid substandard pay. The social worker was doubtful but followed up on this outlandish claim - only to discover it was true.  And worse.

The Boys in the Bunkhouse by Dan Barry is the story of these disabled men: how they went from institutional care into a experimental group home promoted as a means to give them job skills and independence while providing a warm home environment. Instead, over the years it devolved into a situation of medical neglect, emotional abuse, and unsanitary living conditions.

I used to live near Atalissa, and I try to read Iowa stories whenever I get the chance, so, of course, I grabbed this one off the new shelf.  To say it is very compelling is an understatement.  I have been talking about this book to almost everyone I see.

While reading it, I asked myself over and over "How could no one have seen what was going on?"   Of course there are reasons, and this book does a great job trying to suss them out.  Barry doesn't take the easy way of just pointing fingers but he seeks out the perspectives of the Atalissa community, the men's caretakers, and Iowa's social services agencies who perfected the art of passing the buck when it came to these men.

I was especially caught by the life stories and personalities of these men, and appreciated the author's effort in tracking down their backgrounds and following up on where they are today.  Although it is a heartbreaking story in many ways, it's also complex and nuanced.  It's great nonfiction writing, and I highly recommend it.

PS - And in case you were wondering about the book cover - yes the schoolhouse was bright turquoise.  The inside was just as garish, but much shabbier.

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The Year We Turned Forty by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke FIC Fen

You have to suspend reality to enjoy this book but it was worth it!  Jessie, Gabriela, and Claire have been friends forever and part of their friendship involves the yearly celebration of their birthdays. The year they turned forty was a pivotal point in their lives.  Jessie had just given birth to a son who joins two sisters.  The problem? Well, Lucas is not her husband's child and he doesn't know. Gabriela has worked hard on her successful career as a writer.  She loves her husband who knew from the beginning that she didn't want children.  She wouldn't change her mind - until she turned forty and wanted a baby more than anything - but now he doesn't. Claire is in a fairly good place.  She is engaged to a great guy. Although she has had a lot of problems with her daughter Emily over the years, things are a bit better.

For their fiftieth the three friends go off to Vegas.  They go to a show with a magician.  After the show he meets them privately and offers them a chance to go back in time to when they were turning 40.  The trick is that all three have to agree to go back.  They will stay there for one year and then they have a choice to make - they all have to decide to stay or return.  An interesting premise and I found it thought provoking - would I have taken the journey back?

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As Time Goes By by Mary Higgins Clark MYS Cla

I have read all of Ms. Clark's books so I was delighted to know that she had written another one. Delaney Wright has known forever that she was adopted and not surprisingly she has always longed to know her birth mother.  As is often the case she didn't want to hurt the feelings of her adoptive parents.  But since they have moved to Florida, Delaney feels that this is a good time to get some help in her quest.  She turns to her friends Alvirah and Willy (well-known characters from previous books) who are rather good detectives in that Miss Marple way.

In the meantime she has also been promoted to an evening news anchor and has been assigned to follow the trial of Betsy Grant. Betsy had been married for a long time to a successful surgeon. Six years before our story begins her husband began to act differently and was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease.  Two years ago she quit her teaching job to be home full-time to care for him with some help.  When he is found dead one morning it is assumed he died from his disease.  But at the funeral home the undertaker noticed something and it is found that his death was homicide.  Now she is on trial and things are not looking good.  The worlds of Delaney and Betsy are going to collide.

It was a fast read.  Her books are certainly not psychological thrillers but I always find them entertaining.

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Salt of the Earth by Jack Olsen 364.1 Ols

If you are a fan of true-crime this is a great one to read.  The crime was the kidnapping and murder of Brenda Gere (I think she was 12 - can't remember for sure!).  What makes this book so different is that if you were to take all the sentences in the book that had to do with the actually murder you would probably have about one page.  This book is mostly about two families.  The "salt of the earth" in the title refers to Elaine Gere.  Olsen takes us back to the beginning of Elaine's life, her upbringing, her marriage, her family life, her tragedy and the years and years she waited for justice.  The other family is the Greens.  Michael Green is a suspect in Brenda's disappearance.  As with Elaine we learn all about his background.

It was a very interesting book about "One family's Journey through the violent American landscape" which is the subtitle of the book.  It is a good reminder that when a crime is committed there are far-reaching consequences for many people.

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Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman FIC Bac

Britt-Marie has left her husband after learning he cheated on her.  After repeated visits to the unemployment office (always showing how considerate she is by showing up at 9:02 rather than 9:00 when the office opens), she is assigned to a temporary job as the caretaker of the soon-to-be-demolished recreation center in the small town of Borg.  And somehow, this non-soccer person also becomes the coach of the local youth soccer team.

Britt-Marie loves structure. Forks, knives, spoons, in that order in the silverware drawer.  Lists to get her through the day.

But she also wants to know that when she leaves this earth, someone will know that "Britt-Marie was here."  And beneath that structured exterior beats the heart of a woman yearning for adventure and filled with love.  Her time in Borg expands her horizons in ways she could never have imagined.

I love the way this author describes people who wouldn't necessarily be described as "normal."  Britt-Marie is socially awkward but Backman manages to let the reader know the heart that beats beneath her crusty exterior.  At times I wanted to shake her.  But most of the time I wanted to give her the hug that she desperately needed.  By the time the book was over, I didn't need to worry because others were doing it for me.

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A Series of Catastrophes & Miracles by Mary Elizabeth Williams 616.994 Wil

About seven years ago I read an entertaining book about finding a place to live in New York City written by this author.  I had no idea this was the same author until I read the About the Author section at the back of the book.  I found out I still love her writing. And her sense of humor!

This book is about her Melanoma diagnosis.  She begins the book with this: SPOILER: I lived!

In August of 2010 Mary Elizabeth Williams decided to call a dermatologist to do something about the scabby place on her scalp that had been bugging her for a while.  It never occurred to her that it could be cancer.  And not a regular skin cancer - it was a melanoma. Putting her info into a Google search she finds the survival rate for ten years is not good.  The first part of treatment was surgery after which her surgeon declares her cancer free.   Well, not so fast.

This is the story of diagnosis, treatment, emotions, friends, doctors, love, and SCIENCE.  As Williams points out, she isn't alive today because she fought a good fight or because she had a positive attitude or because of prayers.  She is alive because of science.  Along with her story we are privileged to get to know her close friend Debbie who has also received a cancer diagnosis.  It is a wonderful book and I highly recommend it.

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A Question of Honor by Charles Todd FIC Tod

This is one of the series featuring Bess Crawford the WWI nurse who also solves crimes on the side!  These books are rather long and involved so I wouldn't want a steady diet of them but I do enjoy them.  This book begins in 1908 when Bess was a child living in India.  It seems that a soldier in her father's regiment has become a dangerous man and is believed to have killed five people.  His name is Lieutenant Wade.  The authorities were unable to bring him to justice because he escaped and it was believed that he was dead when he never surfaced again.

Skip forward to Bess a decade later when she is a nurse with the troops.  A dying man tells Bess that Wade is still alive.  Thus begins an investigation by Bess (and friends and family!) to find Wade. Her impetuous was to clear the cloud above her father that remained since the incident.

I love the background of WWI and reading about the social norms of the day.

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Miller's Valley by Anna Quindlen FIC Qui

I love Quindlen's books and wish she could write one every month!   Miller's Valley is a small town where the Miller family is still represented after decades.  The story is told through the voice of Mimi Miller.  She lives with her parents, Miriam and Buddy and her older brothers, Tommy and Ed.  Her mother's sister, Ruth, lives in a tiny home next to the Miller's house - and she literally lives there because she never comes out of the house.

The Miller's are a bit dysfunctional but probably not any more than a lot of families.  When Mimi was a child her town became the target of a government buy-out so that a large lake community could be created.  Many people fought hard against it for a long time.

In the meantime Mimi is growing up.  Her brothers are leaving home, her best friend gets religion and changes are all around her. The book drew me in from the beginning.  Her characters are wonderful and true-to-life.  Since this is a book about a family, you know you can expect to find out that there are some secrets to be uncovered.  A great book!!!!

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The Rainbow Comes and Goes by Anderson Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt 070.92 Coo

I loved this book!   Anderson Cooper has been one of my favorites on TV but I had no idea that he was the son of Gloria Vanderbilt.  If you had asked me what I knew about Ms. Vanderbilt I would only have been able to say that she designed some very expensive jeans and that she had been referred to at some point in time as the "Poor little rich girl".  Her life is a lot more interesting (and often heartbreaking) than that of the average person!  Though her life was interesting that wasn't my favorite part of the book.

When Gloria turned 91 she and Anderson began a special correspondence that lasted a year.  Anderson knew very little of the real story of his mom's life.  He began to ask some questions and she answered them in a very honest way.   The sub-title of this book is "A Mother and Son on Life, Love, and Loss" sums up this book!   There were many times when I would pause and reread a passage that spoke to me.

One of my favorites refers to the title of the book.  Here's a quote:  "In every life , you have moments of blinding beauty and happiness, and then you land in a dark cave and there is no color, no sky.  Then the rainbow returns, sometimes only briefly, but it always does come back.  You have to believe that it will, even in the darkest of times.  That belief is what is really important."

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The Good Girl by Mary Kubica FIC Kub

Mia is a young woman who loves her job teaching art in the inner-city of Chicago.  She has a boyfriend although he is obsessed with his job and often stands her up at the last minute. One night it happened again - but this time she stays to have a drink and ends up talking to a stranger.  He is charming and she is headed to a one-night stand after doing some drinking.  Although he was a stranger to her, he knew all about her.  He had been hired to kidnap her and hand her off to a not very nice guy.  For reasons he doesn't really understand, Colin just keeps driving and takes her to a remote area (at least during the winter!) in Minnesota.

Mia's parents are not the most loving in the world - at least when it comes to Mia.  Her father is a prominent judge and her mother is a socialite.  At first the Judge thinks Mia is just being irresponsible.  Her mother, Eve, is quite upset and begins a close relationship with Detective Gabe Hoffman in an effort to find Mia.
The story is told from the point of view of Mia, Colin, Eve and Gabe.  I was surprised at the ending - and that is always a plus!

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Ashley Bell by Dean Koontz FIC Koo

   

I don't read all of Koontz's books.  I always know that they are going to be weird and sometimes the storyline just doesn't appeal to me.  This one interested me so I checked out the audio edition.  We are introduced to Bibi Blair a young, smart woman who is working at being an author.  She is close to her parents who were die-hard surfers and passed that onto Bibi.  Bibi's heart belongs to her fiancé who is serving in the Middle East.  Life is good - until Bibi becomes quite ill.  In the hospital, after extensive tests, Bibi is told that she has a very bad brain tumor and that maybe she will live a year.  Bibi refuses to believe that.  And miraculously she is right and the cancer goes away.  Why?  Well this weird woman tells her she was saved in order to save Ashley Bell. Bibi has no idea who that is but she is determined to find out.
     
I really can't go into much more of the plot.  I will tell you that part way through there is a big twist.  I don't want to read this kind of book every week but I did enjoy it.

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