One Day in December by Josie Silver (FIC Sil)

One Day in December...Laurie is on her way home from work.  From her seat at the top of the bus, she looks down and locks eyes with a man on the street waiting for a bus.  She feels an instant connection and is certain that he feels it too.

Over the next year, Laurie and her roommate and best friend, Sarah, look for "bus boy" as they call him.  Until, one day, he appears at a party in their flat - as the new boyfriend Sarah is over the moon about. And he has a name - Jack.

Over the next ten years, the lives of Laurie, Sarah, and Jack intertwine.  In and out, back and forth, they see each other through love and loss.  And always in the background is the question - does Jack feel the same way about Laurie as she does about him?

Full of fun characters and great locations, this is a nice way to spend a day or two in December.

War of the Wolf by Bernard Cornwell (FIC Cor)

Uhtred of Bebbanburg returns in his 11th outing.  This time his foes are both closer to home and farther away...

In Mercia, King Edward is trying to seize control following the death of his sister Aethelflaed.  Caught up in the intrigue, Uhtred tries to work his way through and somehow finds his loyalty sworn to Aethelstan, the "bastard" son of Edward.  (For an explanation of whether Aethelstan is or is not a bastard, read previous volumes in this series.)

Suddenly, Uhtred faces a threat from Northumbria, where his lands lie and his son-in-law is king.  Skoll, a powerful warrior, has declared himself King of Northumbria and has dared  Uhtred and his followers to defeat him in battle.

Will Uhtred except the challenge?  Well, this is Uhtred after all...

I must admit that I had a harder time reading this book than others in the series.  Set in the 920s, Uhtred is now in his sixties in a time when men and women don't live that long.  And he's always fighting!  But then I remembered that the book is written in the first person so all would be well in the end.  But not without a lot of bumps in the road.

Uhtred is his usual arrogant, confident, pagan self and always worth spending time with.

the next person you meet in heaven by Mitch Albom FIC ALB

    If you loved the first book you will love this one.  I was afraid it had been so long since I read the original that I would be lost.  Not true.  As he referred to things that happened in the original it came back to me.
     Eddie was the war veteran who returned to work at an amusement park where he was in charge of keeping kids safe by keeping the rides in perfect condition.  But one day there was an accident and the cart from one of the rides began to fall.  Eddie threw himself in harm's way to push a young girl out of the way and he was crushed.  That young girl's name was Annie.
     This book is about Annie.  When the book opens we immediately know that Annie is going to die and how many hours she has left.  That is particularly sad because she is a young woman and she is getting married to Paulo, a childhood friend with whom she had reconnected.  The have a wonderful wedding and go to a hotel after the reception.  But there aren't many hours left before she is going to die.  She will be going on the same journey that Eddie took - meeting people from her past.   I love the way he writes and I loved this one.  If I had my way he would kill one person a year and tell this person's story through the people they meet in heaven.  As with his first book, I will probably spend some time wondering which five people I would meet.
   

Until I Say Good-bye: my year of living with joy by Susan Spencer-Wendel 616.83 SPE

      ALS is a devastating disease.  If you have known anyone with this diagnosis you have seen or heard about what it does to the person.  Spenser-Wendel  was able to write such a beautiful memoir because she was a journalist.  She is also a wife and mother.  ALS doesn't attack all at once.  There are little signs - most easy to ignore for a while.  Eventually she seeks medical attention and is given her 'sentence'.  The way she chose to live her final year is inspirational.
      She takes many trips that year- sometimes with family and sometimes with the special friends in her life. All the time her physical condition is deteriorating .   The most gut-wrenching one for me was when she took her 14 year-old daughter to NYC to shop for her wedding dress knowing that she would not be around when her daughter got married.
     Want more inspiration?  She typed out her memoir on her iPhone with her right thumb!  

Fear by Bob Woodward

      There are two types of people.  One group has no interested in reading this book.  The second group has been waiting to dig into it.  I obviously was in the second group.
      Bob Woodward is a very talented writer, winning two Pulitzer Prizes among his 18 books that he wrote or co-wrote.  He has worked for 47 years at The Washington Post.  He knows how to research and write a book.
        It is a very readable book.  I am not going to comment on the content.  Read the cover and you will know what it is about!

Something In The Water by Catherine Steadman FIC STE

      Loved this book!  It begins with a documentary filmmaker struggling in the woods to dig a grave big enough for her husband's body.  After that brief intro the story really begins.  Erin and Mark, an investment banker, have been together for quite a while.  Now they are ready to get married and start a family.  Big plans are made for the wedding, the reception and of course the honeymoon.  When an economic downfall leads to Mark losing his job, some of their plans are scaled back.  The honeymoon to Bora Bora is still on except for only two weeks.
      While there they are having a wonderful time.  One day they take a boat out for some scuba diving.  When they find something -yes it was in the water! , they have to make a big decision.  Do they tell what they found or do they keep the secret to benefit themselves?
      I see a movie in this book's future!

The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molly FIC MOL

      There must be thousands of women who give birth every month in New York City.  This book is about a group of women who live in Prospect Park in Brooklyn.  They are all first-time moms and they have a lot to learn.  So this group is perfect for them.  They are called the May Mothers.  They meet regularly in the park with their babies to hear everyone's birth story, exchange worries, and offer support.  One of them organizes a moms' night out on the Fourth of July.  The husbands can get a taste of what they go through - well, except for Winnie.  She is a single mother and after only six weeks of being a mother to Midas she doesn't want to leave him with a babysitter.  The others insist she needs to come and one of them offers her nanny as a babysitter.
      The evening is filled with a lot of alcohol which often leads to bad actions.  At the end of the evening there will be lots of headaches........and a missing Midas.    Another psychological thriller - and I loved it.

The Home For Unwanted Girls by Joanna Goodman (electronic resource)

     In the middle of the last century the French and English who lived in Quebec put up with one another but that's about all.  Maggie's father speaks English but the boy she falls in love with is French.  There is no way he will allow this romance to lead to marriage.  And he got his way even though at 15 Maggie finds herself in the family way.  Her parents force her to give her daughter Elodie up for adoption.  Maggie goes on with her life and eventually marries.  She never stops missing Elodie and thinks of her constantly.
      Elodie did not get adopted by some loving family.  Instead she lived in an institution run by nuns.    It was not a great life but things get even worse.  A law is passed regarding funding.  Psychiatric hospitals will receive more funding than the orphanages.  To get money thousands of orphans were classified as mentally ill.  Elodie is a bright girl and she survives this awful life until she turns 17 and is allowed to leave.  She enters a world that is like another planet.
     Eventually Maggie decides to take on the daunting task of finding the daughter she never stopped loving.
This is a great book.  And it is a novel.  However it is inspired by events that really happened and that adds to the heartbreak of the story.

Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage (electronic book )

       Suzette should be happy - a great husband and a young daughter named Hannah.  But Hannah isn't a normal child.  She doesn't talk.  There isn't a physical reason for it.  There is a diabolical reason behind her silence Hannah adores her father and would prefer to have him to herself.  So she plays games with her mother.  And she is clever enough that her father never sees what she is doing.  She is no angel at school either -but he has excuses for that.
      The chapters alternate between what Suzette is thinking and what Hannah is thinking.  And what Hannah is thinking will give you the creeps!  
       A classic Bad Seed story!

The Good Pilot Peter Woodhouse by Alexander McCall Smith FIC MCC

     In a world that seems so crazy it is a nice escape to find a book like this one! It is a heartwarming story of a Border Collie with the unusual name of Peter Woodhouse.  The poor thing is abused by his owner and finally an angel comes to save him.  The angel's name is Val.  She is young and to earn money and help with the war effort she is a working on a farm.  When she takes the dog she realizes that she needs to hide him from his owner.  She had met an American pilot named Mike who was stationed nearby.  Peter Woodhouse finds himself being named a mascot for the unit.  And as you can tell from the title he also gets to fly in airplanes and becomes a good luck charm for the men.
      The love of a dog can bring people together - even those who are on opposite sides of the war.

                  

Clock Dance: A Novel by Anne Tyler FIC TYL

      Instead of using flashbacks to flesh out the story of a character, Tyler took a different approach which I really liked.  We are introduced to Willa when she is 11 in the year 1967.  That is a year in which her mentally unstable mother left home again.   Of course this has a great influence of how Willa views herself and her role in life.  We are treated to a few more glances of Willa's life as she becomes a wife, a mother, and a widow.
     All of this sets the stage for her story in 2017.  She is remarried and is longing to be a grandmother but that doesn't seem to be happening.
      One day she receives a phone call from a stranger across the country asking for her help.  The woman is calling on behalf of the former live-in girlfriend of her son.  It seems the ex has been shot and this neighbor has been taking care of the daughter and the dog but she can't continue to do it, so Willa has to come immediately.  Willa's desire to be useful in life does what is asked of her and with her husband in tow takes off to save the day.  After decades of not feeling that she fits in, Willa finds a whole neighborhood of quirky people where she feels more at home.

The Half Life of Everything FIC GAN

     This novel has an intriguing twist.  Kate and David have been  happily married a long time. In her early fifties Kate began to lose herself.  Once a woman with an excellent memory, she becomes a woman in decline.  Finally she is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer diseases.  With the help of their sons and eventually some paid help, they are able to keep her at home for years.  Inevitably the day comes when that is no longer possible and Kate is moved into a facility.  Even though Kate is disappearing more each day, David faithfully visits her everyday and begins to think of himself as a married widower
     Kate was the one who kept track of all the paperwork in the household so David is finding insurance overwhelming at times. One day at his wife's facility he meets someone who can help him.  Her name is Jane.  They develop a relationship.  So David, who has never cheated on his wife falls in love.  Is it cheating if your spouse doesn't even recognize it?
       The book was entertaining - sad, humorous, heart-warming - a bit of everything!

Summer Hours at the Robbers Library by Sue Halpern (FIC Hal)

In Riverton, New Hampshire, in 2010, Kit is the reference librarian at the local public library.  Riverton is a mill town fallen on hard times but Kit doesn't mind.  No one here knows her past or asks her any questions which is just fine with her.  The last thing she wants to do is talk about her past.

When 15-year-old Sunny is caught trying to steal a $30.00 dictionary from a local bookstore (it needed to be hardcover and she only had $12.00 with her), she is "sentenced" to do community service for 40 hours a week all summer long - at the local public library.  The child of parents who have lived "off the grid", Sunny is eager to learn more and meet more people.  She is assigned to "work" with Kit.

As Sunny and Kit gradually become friends, they notice the continued presence in the library of Rusty, a late 30-something who lost everything in the crash of 2008 and comes into the library every day to use the computer.  Pretty soon, Rusty has become part of the regulars.  He, Kit and Sunny are drawn to one another as each struggles to move beyond their past and into an unknown future.

Unlike most books set in a public library, this one really captures what it's like - the regulars, the staff (OK, there are some stereotypes there!), the atmosphere and the importance of a public library to its community.  The library and the people who inhabit it are as much a part of the story as the three main characters.  Watching Kit, Sunny and Rusty move closer to each other and find a kind of family was time well spent.

Ghosted by Rosie Walsh (FIC Wal)

While visiting her parents in England, Sarah meets Eddie while he is sitting in a village green talking to a goat.  Instantly charmed, she strikes up a conversation which leads to drinks which leads to the most magical seven days Sarah can remember.  She knows it's crazy but she also knows she has fallen in love and Eddie returns her feelings.  Eddie has booked a trip to Spain so they part reluctantly promising to be in touch as soon as he returns, if not sooner.

And then.....nothing.  Eddie just drops off the face of the earth. Frantic, Sarah, a successful executive for a charity she started, finds her life falling apart.  She barely recognizes the person she is becoming.  Could she have been so mistaken about Eddie's feelings for her?  Has something happened to him?  How could she have been so wrong?

Only when they both come to grips with their past, and tell each other the truth, will they be able to resolve their relationship.

(I will admit that I had to look up the definition of "ghosting".  It is defined online as "the practice of ending a personal relationship with someone by suddenly and without explanation withdrawing from all communication.")

Sarah's desperation to find Eddie at first seemed a little hard to believe.  I wanted to tell her that she was being silly, to grow up, that he wasn't worth it.  But gradually, I became as curious to find out what had happened to him as Sarah was.  And almost as frustrated!  If the ending was a little pat, I still enjoyed the journey and finding out just what drove Eddie away.

The Spy of Venice by Benet Brandreth

It is fact that William Shakespeare disappeared from historical records between 1585 and 1592.  No one knows where he was or what adventures he had during that time.  What if...

...His wandering eye wandered too far and he was forced to leave his wife, Anne Hathaway, and their three young children and flee to London
...Where he joined forces with a group of players
...And somehow caught the eye of Sir Henry Carr, an English gentleman about to leave London for Venice to negotiate for help against the Spaniards
...And while underway things went awry and William ended up in Venice with one member of the company masquerading as Sir Henry and his steward?

Well, what if?  No one can say otherwise, right?

William, as portrayed here, needed to do some growing up.  What better way to do that than to send him, fictionally, of course, to Venice.  (References in his plays to happenings in Venice at the time give credence to this possibility.)  Over the course of his time there, William does begin the process of maturing but not before angering some wealthy and powerful people in Venice.  Will he have to flee Venice as well?

A fun book to read, a fascinating look at Venice and the promise of a sequel to come.
 

The Sapphire Widow by Dina Jefferies (FIC Fef)

It is 1935 in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and Louisa Reeve leads a privileged life.  Married to Elliott, a successful businessman, and the only child of an even more successful gem dealer, her only regret is her inability to bear children.  Longing to become a mother, she still mourns the loss of a stillborn daughter 2 years ago as well as several miscarriages.

When Elliott is killed suddenly, Louisa finds her life changed forever.  Her internal strength is tested as she attempts to forge a path through life without the man she adored.  And when she finds that Elliott not only had a long-term mistress but a child with her, Louisa wonders if anything in her life with him was real.

Louisa herself is very likable.  I liked her strength and her willingness to try new things.  If things were tied up a little bit too nicely, I didn't mind because that was the way I wanted it to!

Part of the reason I enjoyed this book was because it is set in a country I know very little about.  If I thought about Ceylon at all, I would have thought of tea and spices, horribly hot weather and high humidity.  The author, who grew up in that part of the world, shares her love of the area and by the end of the book I found myself thinking that maybe this was a place I should visit...

 

The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis (FIC Dav)

In New York City in 1928, Clara Darden begins her career as an instructor at the Grand Central School of Art, located in Grand Central Terminal.  Because she has chosen commercial illustrating (i.e. advertising) as her medium, her talent is looked down on.  But Clara is determined to succeed.

In New York City in 1974, Virginia Clay is recovering from a recent divorce and breast cancer and trying to figure out what is going on with her 19-year-old daughter, Ruby.  Desperate to support herself and Ruby, she takes a job in the Information booth in Grand Central Terminal.  But Grand Central Terminal is a much different place than it was during Clara's time - a place for homeless, drug deals, and general filth and decay.  The City of New York is locked in a battle with Penn Central, the owner of the building, to have it declared and landmark and thereby prevent its destruction.

While exploring the building (in circumstances I'll let you find out about!), Virginia discovers the abandoned art school and a painting that takes her breath away.  While trying to discover the artist behind the painting, she learns more about the art school, the terminal, and herself.  And also more about the artist who created it.

I vaguely remember the battle to declare Grand Central Terminal a landmark so I knew the outcome of that story wasn't in doubt!  But I didn't know about the art school and the rest of my knowledge was pretty much limited to the movie based on the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret.  I loved the inside look at the terminal as well as the chance to root for two women to find themselves and come into their own.  A fun book.

Ike and Kay by James MacManus FIC Mac

        This is an historical novel based on the "not so secret" relationship between General Dwight Eisenhower and Kay Summersby.  Ike met her when he arrived in London in 1942.  Kay was one of many London women who acted as chauffeurs for important  military personnel.  London was war-torn.  Drivers who were extremely familiar with the city were the only ones capable of navigating London because all the street signs had been taken down 3 years before in case the Germans invaded.
      Of course I knew about this 'scandal' but only in a general (no pun intended!) way.  It was interesting and a fast read.  It is hard to say anything negative about any of these historical figures.  Considering the conditions of that time it was easy and understandable how they were attracted to one another.  So I felt so sad knowing how it was all going to end!  Yet if it had ended differently - well that would have left poor Mamie.  She had done nothing but be a supportive wife and didn't deserve to be cast aside.  I am guessing that in the end there were three people who spent the rest of their lives being impacted by this romance.

All These Beautiful Strangers by Elizabeth Klehfoth FIC Kle

    I really enjoyed this book.  It is the story of Charlie Calloway.  When she was only seven years old her mother, Grace Fairchild, simply vanished.  No one knew what had happened to her.  Her father, Allistair, raises her in a house of privilege but she is haunted and teased about the disappearance of her mom.
      When the time comes Charlie goes off to a prestigious school in New England, the same one that her father had attended,  There is a secret group that has existed for decades at the school.  The members are known as the "A's".  Charlie is thrilled when she gets tapped to join.  Previously the only thing she knew about the group was that they had been responsible for some rather bold "pranks".  It's made all the better for Charlie because some of her close friends are also joining.  And then she finds out that to actually join she has to play The Game which is high stakes. And little does she know that her family's secrets will finally be revealed to her.
     This is a debut novel and I am looking forward to the next one!
     

American by Day by Derek B. Miller (FIC Mil)

I really liked the author's first book (Norwegian by Night) but I loved this book.  Now on to the plot summary:

This book picks up a month after the ending of the afore-mentioned first book but reading that one first isn't necessary to following the plot of this one.  Norwegian police chief Sigrid Odegard is still recovering from the events of the first book when her father, Morten, asks her to go to America to see if she can find her brother, Marcus.  Her brother has been semi-estranged from her father and Sigrid and has been living in the U.S. for the past 20 years.  Recently, however, Marcus has begun corresponding with Morten but his last letter was unsettling and he hasn't been heard from since.

Reluctantly, Sigrid agrees.  As soon as she arrives in Watertown, NY, she begins looking for Marcus - only to find that he has disappeared.  As if that weren't bad enough, he is the main suspect in the death of a well-known African American professor with whom he was in love.

Sigrid's search leads her to the local sheriff, Irving Watson, and a crash course in all things American.  Race relations, gun control, police investigative tactics, politics circa 2008, to name only a few.  While Sigrid and Irv, sometimes working together and sometimes working separately, rush to find Marcus, they discuss and wonder at what unites them and what divides them.

The author is an American currently living in Oslo, Norway with his Norwegian wife and their two children.  As such, he has a unique perspective on life in both countries.  If he sometimes comes down a little hard on his native country, it is easy to understand when compared with Norway.

This book is a wonderful combination of laugh out loud humor and thoughtful analysis.  I can't wait for his next book and I hope that Sigrid and Irv figure prominently in it.

Between You & Me by Susan Wiggs FIC Wig

        An enjoyable read where the worlds of the Amish and the "English" collide.  Caleb's world is small - his farm, his family and his faith.   His immediate family consists of his niece and nephew whom he has been raising since the death of his brother.  When his nephew has a serious farm accident he is thrown into the English world of medicine where he meets Dr. Reese Powell. She is (spoiler alert) young and beautiful.  Her life plan is to join in a medical practice with her parents.  But for now she is working in a hospital.
     You probably have an idea where this storyline is going!  Although the attraction between Reese and Caleb is strong they have all these problems that at times seem insurmountable.  You will have to read to the end to find out!

Dear Mrs. Bird by AJ Pearce (FIC Pea)

London.  1940. The Blitz is in full swing.  Emmy and her Best Friend Bunty are trying to keep their spirits up while doing their bit for the war effort.  Emmy desperately wants to be a Lady War Correspondent and jumps at the chance to be a Junior associate for a prestigious London magazine.

Only it turns out that Emmy should have read the Fine Print.  Rather than working for the prestigious magazine (where she would have surely been able to refine her skills and move along the path to becoming a Lady War Correspondent), Emmy finds herself at the very much lower down the ranks cousin - a women's magazine that has seen better days as far as circulation goes.  She is assigned to help Henrietta Bird who answers letters from women for the Problem Page.

Mrs. Bird has strict standards about what kind of letters can be answered and printed.  Emmy finds to her dismay that most of the letters they receive fall in the Unacceptable category.  Mrs. Bird refuses to answer any letter that contains any Unpleasantness. But as Emmy reads the desperate pleas from women who have Gone Too Far or can't bear to have their children evacuated, she begins to write back to them secretly.  Needless to say, there are Consequences.

Emmy is delightful and irrepressible.  She is determined to make the best of things (while sometimes making them worse).  I loved reading about her adventures, laughed out loud often, and sometimes cried with her.  A fun read.  I can't wait for the author's next book.

The King's Witch by Tracy Borman (FIC Bor)

It is 1603 and Queen Elizabeth I has passed away.  With her successor, James I of Scotland, on his way to be crowned, Lady Frances, a favorite of the old queen, returns to the family home of Longford.  Frances is delighted to be away from the intrigues of court and home once again.

Times are changing, though, and Longford isn't as peaceful and safe as it used to be.  The king is determined to rid the kingdom of witches and Frances' skill with using herbs to heal puts her squarely in the suspicious category.  When her ambitious uncle secures a place for her as a maid to the king's young daughter, Frances finds herself reluctantly back at court.  There she finds that she loves her young charge but has developed a new enemy in the Lord of the Privy Seal, Lord Cecil, who has the king's ear.

Dissatisfaction with James grows as his intolerance towards Catholics grows. Despite herself, Frances finds herself drawn into the plotting of what would become known as the Gunpowder Plot - an attempt to blow up Parliament with the King, his two sons, and all of Parliament inside.  Will her love for Tom Wintour, a lawyer she has come to know and love, help her or hurt her?

This book covered a time in history that has always been somewhat confusing to me.  Beginning in 1603 and ending in early 1606, it helped me understand what happened after Elizabeth died and even helped me understand why Charles I (the youngest son of James I and his heir) was eventually executed. It also showed me just how little power women had (and sometimes made me wonder if things had changed all that much.)  Lady Frances is likable and courageous and I was rooting for her all the way through the book.

Natural Causes by Barbara Ehrenreich 306.9 EHR

          At the beginning of this century I read Ehrenreich's book Nickel and Dimed.  It made an impression on me that remains today.  So when I saw this book I immediately checked it out.
     A short summary of the book is the subtitle : An Epidemic Of Wellness, The Certainty of Dying and Killing Ourselves To Live Longer.
     I loved the first chapter which she titled Midlife Revolt.  She explains how her attitude toward annual exams, screenings and other things suggested by the medical community has changed.  Her explanation made total sense to me (although I might be in the minority).  Her second chapter is "Rituals of Humiliation" and I am sure that all women can relate to what Ehrenreich has written.
    I will admit that there were parts of the book that became a bit too scientific and I did some skimming.
     All in all I enjoyed the book and gave me a lot of things to think about at this stage of of my life.

Accidental Brothers 306.875 Seg

    A fascinating book!   Nature vs. nurture is always an interesting  question to ponder.  There is more to ponder after reading this book.  Although there are many examples of identical twins being separated at birth and then reunited later in life in the book, the main focus is on two sets of identical twins born in  Colombia in 1988.  Due to an unknown slip-up, one boy in each set was switched and both would be brought up as fraternal twins.  One set of twins grew up in a city while the home of the other set was in a very remote village (150 miles apart) where life required a lot of work and effort.
      The twins didn't find out about the truth until they were 25.  It was a woman who was friends with one of the twins who just couldn't believe she had mistaken a stranger to be a good friend.
         A very readable book about how families can be disrupted by a mistake in a nursery decades before.

 

Now That You Mention It by Kristan Higgins FIC Hig

           Nora Stuart has a pretty good life.  She is a Doctor, she's living with her boyfriend and she has a great dog named Boomer.  As often happens in real life, Nora will find that her dog is more dependable and trustworthy than the boyfriend.  When she is hit by a van she is crushed to awaken to see her boyfriend flirting with the doctor while she is trying to figure out if she is dead or alive.  Turns out she is alive but knows that recovering from her injuries at her apartment is not going to be an option.  So reluctantly she decides she will return to her hometown of Scupper Island Maine.  It isn't a decision she takes lightly but she has no choice.  It was a place where she was bullied for being fat.  She left and had no intentions of going back.
      So now she is back and living with her mother and sharing a bedroom with her niece Poe.  Poe is there because her mother (Nora's sister) is across the country in prison.
       This was a nice entertaining book.   A little romance, a bit of mystery, some quirky characters, a past that will make you sad and best of all the dog is alive and well at the end of the story!!  (spoiler alert- the bird isn't).

Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan FIC Sul

       Although this is a work of fiction it is based on a true story of Pino Lella during World War II.  Pino lived in Italy and had all of the interests of a normal teenager - girls, cars and music.  His family is a close one.  His life changes drastically when his home is bombed by the Allies.  He and his brother are sent to Casa Alpina where they can be safe and continue their studies.  He becomes part of a group helping Jews escape over the Alps.
      As the war gets worse his parents insists he enlist in the German army to give him cover.  Because of his background with cars and his language abilities he is recruited to be a personal driver for General Hans Leyers, a high ranking officer for Hitler. Because of his love for Italy and his hatred for the Nazis he begins spying and sharing info with the underground.
      This book has everything!  There is romance, history and lots of tension.  A wonderful read.

The Bookshop of Yesterdays by Amy Meyerson FIC Mey

I think I have loved every book I've ever read which has to do with a bookshop!  This one is no exception.  When Miranda Brooks thinks back to her childhood it is always filled with wonderful memories of trips to Prospero Books which was owned by her uncle Billy.  It wasn't just the books that she loved.  He also shared with her his love of riddles and he set up many scavenger hunts for her.  On her 12th birthday there is an argument between Billy and her mother and he is no longer in her life despite her attempts to contact him.

Miranda grows up and moves across the country.  She has a teaching job she loves and is in a serious relationship.  Her life takes an unexpected turn when she finds out that Billy has died and left his bookshop to her.  She returns home and discovers that Billy has left her the ultimate scavenger hunt.

I loved the characters and the mystery that surrounded the falling-out between her mother and her beloved uncle.

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The Map of Salt and Stars by Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar FIC Jou

It is 2011 and Nour's Syrian-American family is still mourning the loss three months ago of her father who died as a result of cancer.  At 11, Nour is the youngest of her siblings and sees and hears the world in colors, a condition known as synesthesia.  Her mother's angry voice is red; she misses her father's caramel and brown voice.

As their finances suffer, Nour's mother decides to take her family back to Syria and family there.  They settle in Homs, a city initially far away from the fighting in the rest of the country.  But when a bomb hits their neighborhood, destroying their home and severely injuring her oldest sister, Huda, Nour and her family become refugees.

As they work their way through Syria on their way to safety, Nour and her family face unknown challenges.  But always, Nour remembers the many stories her Baba shared with her before he died, particularly the story of Rawiya - a twelfth century girl who disguised herself as a boy in order to apprentice herself to a famous mapmaker.

I won't lie.  This book was difficult for me to read.  But oh so rewarding in the end.  Written from Nour's point-of-view, we only know what she sees and understands. I felt so much empathy for Nour that it was hard for me to deal with the many challenges she and her family faced as they fled their home. 

If you are at all interested in the reasons people flee their homeland, this book will help you understand just a little bit of what they go through.

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Carnegie's Maid by Marie Benedict (FIC Ben)

When her father's political activities threaten their small tenant farm in Ireland, Clara Kelley is sent to America to find a job and send whatever money she can back home.  Upon her arrival in Philadelphia and without a job, she answers a call for "Clara Kelley" only to find that she has mistakenly taken the place of another woman from Ireland with the same name.  Determined to help her family, Clara jumps at the opportunity that presents itself to her.  And ends up in Pittsburgh as a lady's maid to Mrs. Carnegie, the mother of famous industrialist Andrew Carnegie.

Thrust into a world that is completely foreign to her, Clara becomes the perfect lady's maid.  She must keep the secret of her real origins in order to earn money and help her family. Always with her is the constant fear that her lie will be discovered.  In spite of her efforts, Clara is drawn to Andrew Carnegie and finds they have much in common.  But can she reconcile her sympathy with immigrants and the working poor with the ambition of Carnegie?

This book lays the groundwork for Andrew Carnegie's future philanthropy.  In a note from the author, she explains that history has not provided a clear reason for why, by the time he died, Carnegie had given away his entire fortune - to the building of free public libraries, for one.  Whether it was because of a forbidden relationship, as this book portrays, is unclear.  But why not?

Clara is a likable character and I felt for both her ambition and her worry about her family.  Andrew Carnegie and his rise to wealth, along with his personal ambition, are also well drawn.  I enjoyed the book for a (fictional) look at man whose name I've known all my life but about whom I knew very little.

Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser 921 Wilder Fra

Ostensibly a biography of the famous author, this book is really a look at not only Wilder's life but also the times in which she lived.  It is the story of her parents, Charles and Caroline, her sisters, Mary, Carrie and Grace, and her beloved husband, Almanzo.  But it is also the story of her daughter Rose and their relationship - sometimes loving but often contentious.

Interwoven into all of these stories is the story of how the United States grew and changed during the lifespan of Laura Ingalls Wilder.  The author's explanation of social and cultural changes is carefully interwoven with the lives of Laura and those who surround her.  These explanations help explain many of Laura's attitudes and opinions.

Loaded with information, this book took me awhile to read.  The portrait of Laura Ingalls Wilder isn't always a nice one but ultimately I found myself liking the real person and not the fictional version I grew up with.  Her daughter, Rose, doesn't come across as very likable and often not very nice to her mother.  Still, according to the author, there was no denying the bond between mother and daughter.

At the end of her life, swamped with letters from an adoring public, Laura often found herself unable to respond to each as personally as she would have liked.  One quote that she used often was this:  "The most valuable thing for life never changes by time or place - it is to be honest and cheerful, to find happiness in what you have, and to have courage in hardships."  Words for all of us to live by.

This book was well worth the time it took me to read it and left me with a new perspective on someone I thought I knew well.

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Endurance A Year In Space: A Lifetime of Discovery by Scott Kelly 629.45 Kel

I loved this memoir.  Scott Kelly's story is pretty amazing. Growing up he struggled in school and he seemed destined to fail in life as far as education goes.  Amazingly it was a book that changed his life.  When he read the book The Right Stuff, which tells the story of the Mercury astronauts and the beginning of the space program, he had his dream.  And with hard work and determination he succeeded.

The book invites us into the world of living a year in space which was fascinating.  We also learn the back story of how he ended up fulfilling his dream.  Over the years I have seen videos and stories about space travel but this book is a bit more explicit!

From the trip to Russia for take off to the chores they have to do in order to keep their quarters clean and safe I was totally drawn in.

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Educated by Tara Westover BCD 270 Wes

Very few memoirs are written about boring lives!  It is unbelievable what some people go through as children and yet grow up to be so successful.  Tara Westover has a PhD from Cambridge and yet the first time she entered into a classroom she was 17.  And it isn't that she had a mother who had been homeschooling her with a great curriculum.

Tara and her family lived in Idaho up in the mountains.  Her parents are survivalists.  So everyone in the family has a bag packed to grab on the way out the door if they have to leave quickly.  Tara's dad wanted his children to know that they couldn't trust the government, the educators or even the doctors.  So they were very isolated.  Her mom begins working with herbs and has all sorts of salves and 'medicines' to cure whatever ails you.  She also began working as a midwife.

Tara's life was hard, painful and isolated.  She spent days doing hard, physical work in her father's junkyard.  Besides the many injuries she suffered there, she was also physically abused by her older brothers.

There were many parts of the book that were hard to read (well actually listening) but I was in awe of the story and it has stayed with me.  The family loyalty is very hard to understand.   A great book if you want to broaden your horizons and find out about another 'culture' that is part of our country.

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Gone to dust by Matt Goldman MYS Gol

Nils Shapiro is a private detective who lives in Minnesota.  It is winter which is a challenge.  His private life is also a challenge because he can't seem to get over his ex-wife.

"Ellie" - a nickname for a former colleague - has called him to come help with an investigation.  Maggie Somerville was murdered in her suburban home.  Finding evidence is going to be very difficult because in the bedroom where her body was found the murderer has dumped hundreds of vacuum cleaner bags.

There are a few suspects immediately because Maggie had an ex-husband, a former boyfriend and a current boyfriend.  After checking the cell phone records Nils also finds a frequently called number which belongs to a young woman who has a secret involving Maggie.

As the investigation continues, the FBI steps in to tell Nils to drop it because someone they have their eyes on is also one of the suspects in Maggie's death.  Of course he doesn't give up!

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Don't Let Go by Harlan Coben MYS Cob

Have you ever noticed that often in novels the detectives have a mystery from their past that they are trying to solve?  Well, this is one of those and it was good.

Nap had a twin brother named Leo.  In high school Leo and his girlfriend Diana were discovered dead on the railroad tracks.  The circumstances were murky.  At the same time Nap's girlfriend Maura broke up with him and disappeared.  He had no idea why. He had entered her fingerprints in the hopes of finding her some day.  And one day that happened.  The prints were found in a rental car that was rented by a man suspected of murder.

So his quest begins to find her again and find out why she left and if it had anything to do with the death of Leo and Diana.  He has never gotten over what happened that summer.

Coben's books never disappoint me.

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How to Walk Away by Katherine Center FIC Cen

This is the perfect book if you just want to lose yourself in a novel for the afternoon.  There weren't many secrets that were revealed that would make you gasp!  I wasn't very far into the book when it seemed obvious how the story was going t  unwind.  That being said I really enjoyed it.

Don't count your chickens before they are hatched.  Good advice. Maggie was young, smart and invincible.  So with her MBA in hand she has a great job lined up (well it is almost lined up.  The HR guy told her she was going to get it.)  So on the strength of that she has purchased a condo.  Her long time boyfriend Chip has also graduated and has a job - the salary isn't as high as hers but that shouldn't be a problem.  Maggie is expecting a diamond one of these days.

It's Valentine's Day and Chip has a surprise for her - one she is not happy about.  Chip is getting his pilot's license soon.  He's close enough anyway so he is taking her for a flight.  Maggie tries to get out of it because she has always been terrified of flying.  But she gets in the plane.  That night changes her life forever.

Lots of lovable characters and a few that aren't as great as they first appear.

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Tangerine by Christine Mangan FIC Man

This was an interesting book which takes place in cold Vermont and hot Tangier.  Alice Shipley and Lucy Mason were college roommates and very close.  They had some similar life experiences although they came from different worlds when it came to economics and social status.  Personality-wise they were also polar opposites.

Later Alice is living in Tangier with her husband, John.  Alice is trying to forget a tragedy that happened in Vermont and John basically seems happy to live his carefree life which is all paid for by his wife's trust fund.  Alice has had no communication with Lucy since she left Vermont and now suddenly there is Lucy standing at her door.

There is really not a lot of action in the book but the psychological aspect is action enough.  Obsessive behavior is always interesting to read about in my opinion!

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The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott FIC McD

This novel takes place in the early part of the last century in Brooklyn where life can be hard but the Catholics are lucky to have dedicated nuns - angels who show up when people need them.  In one tenement lives Jim and his wife Annie.  Jim worked for the railroad but unfortunately he has a time management problem and they have finally let him go. Things are even worse when Annie tells him she is pregnant.  In despair one gloomy February day he insists Annie go shopping.  As soon as she is gone he begins to fill the cracks of the door and the windows and turns the gas taps on.  It leads to a fire and Jim's death.

Sister St. Savior had spent the afternoon asking for alms and is on her way back to the convent when she smells the fire and shows up to help.

The nuns continue to help Annie and eventually the baby, a daughter named Sally.

I loved the book.  The characters were wonderful and I enjoyed reading about the inner city as it was a hundred years ago.

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The Bad Daughter by Joy Fielding FIC Fie

Five years ago Robin's best friend Tara got married - to Robin's father.  Robin left her home in California and became a therapist but she doesn't seem very good at being her own therapist since she suffers from panic attacks.

After ignoring calls from her estranged sister, Melanie she finally calls back to learn that there has been what appears to be a home invasion.  Her dad, Tara and Tara's 12-yr-old daughter Cassidy are all in the hospital fighting for their lives.  So Robin goes to California to do what she can.  Melanie and Robin have never had a good relationship and nothing is about to change.  It takes a while to get their brother to return to the nest.  A very dysfunctional family.  I didn't really like any of the characters very well.  There was enough mystery to keep me going to the end but it definitely wasn't my favorite book by Fielding.

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The Other Mother by Carol Goodman FIC Goo

This is certainly not a book where you read the first chapter and think you can figure it all out.  Because you can't!

Daphne Marist is going to a support meeting for new mothers. Her baby Chloe is the most important thing in her world.  Yet she has intrusive thoughts about what she might do to her.  Thus the support group.  There she meets Laurel, another new mother with a daughter named Chloe who is the same age as her Chloe. Daphne is full of fears and has no self confidence and Laurel is the total opposite.  They quickly bond and even begin getting together as couples.  That turns out to be a bad decision!  When Daphne becomes fearful that her husband may commit her, she takes her daughter and runs!

You have to keep alert as you read and pay attention to what you are reading because throughout the book are excerpts from the journals of Laurel and Daphne.

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Two Steps Forward by Graeme Simsion and Anne Buist FIC Sim

Told in alternating chapters, this is the story of a couple that meets and remeets as they walk the Camino de Santiago from Cluny, France to its endpoint in Santiago, Spain.

Zoe, from California, is visiting a life-long friend in Cluny while she deals with the sudden death of her husband.  Martin, from England, is running from a nasty divorce and the 17-year-old daughter he has left behind.  Both start the Camino on a whim, hoping to find answers to the problems they face while they walk.

This book by a husband and wife writing couple captures both the joy and agony of walking the Camino, the way paths cross and recross while you're walking, and the mystique that surrounds the ancient pilgrimage trail.

I enjoyed this book immensely.  I walked a portion of the Camino in 2017.  Reading this book made me want to go back and walk even more.  But I think maybe I'll just re-read this book the next time I get that feeling!

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The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton SF Gra

In the kingdom of Innis Lear, the king realizes his life is drawing to an end and it is time to name his successor.  Which of his three daughters will he choose?

Oldest Gaela, a trained warrior and determined to be not a queen but a king?  And equally determined to achieve her goal by any means?

Second daughter Regan, beautiful and cold and more a child of the earth than her older sister?  Together the two of them have determined to rule the kingdom, Gaela as king and Regan as queen?

Youngest daughter Elia, whose destiny seems to be as a star priest but is it really?

When the king announces his decision, the lives of all three and those in the kingdom they all say they love are changed forever.  There can only be one ruler...

Fantasy novels always take me a little while to get used to.  I have to figure out the world the author has created, the characters, the plot.  Once I reached that point, I really liked this book.  I liked the world she drew and found myself drawn to the message that we must live in harmony with all of our surroundings.  This is the author's first adult novel and I am looking forward to others by her.

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After Anna by Lisa Scottoline FIC Sco

Maggie has not had a great life.  She was married with a baby named Anna. But when Anna was six months old Maggie's marriage is over and worse of all her ex gets full custody of Anna. Eventually Maggie's life improves when she meets a pediatric allergist named Noah.  Noah is a widower who has a son and Maggie becomes the perfect person to fill the void in their lives. And then one day Maggie receives a phone call from her daughter!  Anna, in high school now, is in a boarding school but her life has turned upside down.  Her father, step-mother and two step-brothers have died in a plane crash in Europe where they lived.  With her father gone Anna wants to reconnect with her mother.  Maggie is ecstatic and Noah is very supportive. At the initial meeting between mother and daughter Anna is clear that she wants to come live with Maggie.   But it is not all roses.  Anna is used to spending money (lots of money) when and where she wants.  She is manipulative and doesn't like rules.  Tensions mount as Anna makes accusations against her new step-dad who leaves the family home.  When Anna is found murdered all evidence points to Noah.   Another great book by ScottolinClick for availability.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman FIC Hon

Eleanor is one of a kind.  She is socially awkward and just plain odd.  She does have a job but that is about all she has in her life.  After working Monday through Friday she stops on her way home to buy a couple of bottles of vodka and settles in to drink and heat up a pizza.  She remains isolated in her little apartment until she returns to work on Monday morning.

She becomes aware of a wanna-be star who sings with a band.  When she becomes totally obsessed with him she decides she should try to make herself look better.  It's fate that they should be together - she is certain of that!  So she goes to a hair salon (a first) for a new look and then to a department store. Having no clue what to buy, she is fortunately helped by a patient clerk.

While Eleanor is setting her sights on the musician she actually makes a friend at work who tries to bring Eleanor out of her isolation.

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Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate FIC Win

I love history and I enjoy fiction - so historical fiction is one of my favorite genres since I usually find out about a piece of history that I missed along the way.  In this heartbreaking book we learn about the scandal of the Tennessee Children's Home Society. What these people did to make a buck will turn your stomach.

The book flips back and forth between present day South Carolina and the story of a twelve-year-old girl, Rill Foss, in 1939 Tennessee.  Rill has four younger siblings and they live with their parents on a river.  When their mother, pregnant with twins, goes into labor and has complications their father has to take his wife to a hospital.  Rill is left with instructions to watch over her siblings. She is doing her best until the police come to their boat and take them away.  They end up in the orphanage where they live a hellish life.  It was a fascinating book.

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The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin FIC Ben

In 1969, four siblings living in New York City visit a traveling psychic.  Rumor has it that this woman can tell them the date of their deaths.  For Varya (age 13), Daniel (age 11), Klara (age 9) and Simon (age 7), things well never be the same again.

Over the next 40 years, the prophecy either haunts or informs their lives.  Simon escapes with Klara to San Francisco where he immerses himself in the gay lifestyle of the late '70s.  Klara is determined to become a magician and bases her act on that of her daredevil grandmother.  Back in New York City, Daniel becomes a doctor and Varya becomes a biologist who conducts research on how to extend longevity.

How much did the prophecy affect the way their lives turned out?  Did they live their lives the way they wanted to or was the prophecy real?

Although I wanted to shake the siblings at times, I enjoyed this book a lot.  It is both a story of how people face their future as well as a story about family bonds and caring.  Not always fun to read but well worth the time I spent reading it.

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Alternate Side by Anna Quindlen FIC Qui

This is a novel about characters - not a lot of action!  It all takes place in NYC on a dead-end street.  The buildings are old.  Some of the tenants have tried to bring their apartments back to former glory and others to completely modernize them.  Their street is like a very, very small community where people can get on your nerves.  There is George who likes to send out edicts to the neighbors about what they should and shouldn't be doing in their little spot of the city.  They gossip, they have traditions that they follow and they all share the same handyman.  One of the true jewels of their location is a small parking lot. Nora's husband, Charlie is thrilled when he scores one of those parking places.  He can use a break because things haven't been all that great at work and he has been on edge.  But all in all Nora is happy and keeping busy with work and running and surviving the empty nest now that her twins are off at college. 

One day she is returning from a run and is stunned to see violence taking place before her eyes.  What happened is disputed by those who were involved or by those who were there (including Charlie).  And with that one act things begin to change.

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The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen FIC Hen

Well this one is going to be hard to explain!  I liked it - one of those psychological novels which are now so popular.  You don't want a review to tell you too much so I won't!

There are two narrators.  One of them is a bitter ex-wife.  Forced to move in with an elderly aunt she is trying to hold onto a job as a saleswoman in a department store.  Drinking helps her cope.  It is quite different from living the life as the wife of a very, very rich man.

Then she learns that her ex is now engaged to her replacement and she becomes obsessed with her.  The "replacement" is the voice of the second narrator.

I listened to the audiobook and it kept me entertained and wondering where the story was going to end up.

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Every Note Played by Lisa Genova FIC Gen

Ever since reading Still Alice, I have been a huge fan of Genova.  With her background as a neuroscientist her books are factually correct with the physical/mental conditions of her characters.  This book deals with the subject of ALS (often referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease).

Richard and Karina are both pianists and fell in love when they were young.  Richard has had a very successful career as a concert pianist.  He has travelled the world - not always compatible with marriage.  Karina had shifted her focus to jazz (partly because she didn't want to outshine her husband with her gift for classical music).  Karina's dreams didn't really work out.  Richard made them move from NY to Boston, away from the jazz scene.  As he traveled she was stuck at home being a mother to Grace and giving piano lessons.

When the story begins Grace is off at college and Karina has been divorced from Richard for years.  She couldn't take his infidelities any longer.  She stayed in the home and he moved to an apartment.  They have no contact.  His career had been going great except that he was having some trouble with one of his hands.  Thinking it was only tendonitis he wasn't worried at first but eventually he was diagnosed with ALS.  He hasn't told his daughter or his ex-wife.  He is managing with outside help.  But that won't last long.

It is difficult to read about this disease.  It isn't easy for the patient or the family and Genova takes you through the struggles, both physically and emotionally of everyone involved.

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The Lightkeeper's Daughters by Jean Pendziwol FIC Pen

Loved this book!  It is a story which covers decades but it begins with the day Morgan met Elizabeth,  Morgan is a troubled teen who is in yet another foster home.  She sneaks out at night to meet her no-good boyfriend.  When she gets into trouble she is assigned community service and finds herself helping a handyman by painting a fence at a retirement home.  That is where she meets Elizabeth, an old woman who is still mentally sharp but whose eyesight has dimmed so much that she can no longer read.  She has recently been given some journals that had been written decades before by her father when he was a lightkeeper on Lake Superior.  Elizabeth wants to find some family secrets that she is sure are hidden in those journals and Morgan seems like she might enjoy some breaks from painting to help her out.

As Morgan begins to read to Elizabeth her story is slowly revealed.  Lots of twists and turns along the way!  The characters are interesting - some endearing and some not so much.  I found myself wanting to read faster to find out all the secrets but needing to slow down so I didn't miss something important.

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