The Gifted School: A Novel by Bruce Holsinger FIC Hol

          This novel could also have been called Desperate Parents.  I would like to think that this story is just an exaggeration of things that go on in our society but no doubt the truth is we live in a very competitive society.
     The fictional town of Crystal is located in Colorado.  Many families moved there thinking it was the perfect place to raise a family.and educate the children.    The novel revolves around four families.  The parents became friends when the children were young. Everything is good - until it is announced that a Gifted School is going to be opened as a magnet school.  To be accepted it is not simply good grades.  The school will be looking for more than that.  They want diversity (including geographically) and they want children with special gifts - such as the boy who did unbelievable origami .
        Let the competition begin for these kids are headed to Middle School.  There are different phases and students are cut from the potential list. The parents will stop at nothing to get their children in the school.  Friendships, marriages, and the community will be tested during these months.  And of course there will be secrets revealed.
      I enjoyed the book.    

The Editor by Steven Rowley (FIC Row)

At 31 and after years of working odd jobs so that he can work towards his dream of being a writer, James is on his way to meet with his new editor.  But this isn't just any old editor.  Much to his surprise, James' new editor is none other than Jackie Onassis.  Yes.  THAT Jackie.  None other than Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

Over the next few months, James and Jackie form an unexpected friendship.  She pushes him to be more specific in his book while entertaining him at her Cape Cod home. Does she share more with James than with other writers she has edited?  James doesn't know the answer but he cherishes his contact with her.

The book, however, proves to be a problem.  Perhaps because it deals with the relationship between mothers and sons, particularly James and his mother.  And until he can figure out what that relationship is, it looks as though his book might never get finished.

You know how sometimes you walk into the Library and you pick up a book and read the flap or jacket and think that it sounds like a good one and then you take it home and start reading it and you just don't like it?  Well, that was definitely NOT my experience with this book.  It was surprisingly sweet and sometimes funny.  The relationship between James and Jackie (or Mrs. Onassis, as he calls her) is touching.  His mother is sometimes likable and sometimes not.  But I really enjoyed the time I spent with these people and sorry when the book came to its inevitable end.

The Huntress by Kate Quinn (FIC Qui)

The story of three people:  Nina, Ian and Jordan.

In the cold east of Siberia, Nina grows up reckless and wild, perfectly suited to the dangers of pre-WWII flying.  Determined to fly, she journeys from her lakeside home to become a member of a flying club.  When war breaks out, she becomes a member of the Night Witches, so named by the Germans they bomb, an all-female flying regiment.  (Historical note:  The USSR was the only country to use women in wartime flying.)  When she comes down behind enemy lines, she must fight for her survival.  Her early upbringing helps her.  Until she comes into the path of a Nazi murderess known as the Huntress.  And survives, unlike any of her other victims,

In post-war Vienna, Ian, an English journalist, and his small group (actually just him and Tony, a former US soldier) hunt for Nazi war criminals.  Next on their list is a woman known as the Huntress.  While the Huntress committed many horrible crimes, this hunt is personal for Ian - she killed his brother in cold blood just before the end of the war.  And only one person knows what she looks like.

In Boston, Jordan lives with her father.  At 17, she longs to be a famous photographer.  When her father, an antiques dealer, brings home a lovely German widow who becomes his fiance, Jordan is at first excited.  But there's just something about Anneliese that doesn't seem quite right.

The lives of all of these people eventually intersect as they search for the Huntress.

This is a long book (530 pages) so I had to psyche myself up to start it!  But once I did, I found it hard to put it down.  I liked the characters and the story, the setting and the details the author provided.  I also enjoyed her first book (The Alice Network) so I'm definitely adding this author to my list of favorites.

The Great Unexpected by Dan Mooney (FIC Moo)

Joel lives in a nursing home.  Since the sudden passing of his beloved wife three years ago, he has had only one roommate.  And since he was in a coma the whole time, you can hardly say that Mr. Miller was a troublesome person to have around.  Still, Joel had gotten used to his presence so when Mr. Miller, too, passes away, he finds himself unhappy in ways he never imagined.

Estranged from his daughter and her two children, Joel decides that the only option for him is to commit suicide.

And then his new roommate, Frank, arrives.  A retired actor and soap opera star, Frank is the very opposite of Joel.  And just like that, Joel's life changes forever.

Part A Man Called Ove and part The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, this is also part it's very own book.  The characters were interesting and worth caring about, even though sometimes Joel was just a little bit TOO much the grumpy old man.  His dissatisfaction at living in a nursing home comes through loud and clear.  But the ultimate message of the book - that it's never too late to change your life or your relationships - comes through loud and clear.

The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny Colgan (FIC Kol)

Zoe is a single mother in London living life on the edge.  It seems there is never enough money to go around and Jaz, the DJ father of Hari who is four, is rarely around and provides little support of any kind.  To make matters worse, her definitely low-scale but almost affordable studio apartment is about to go upscale.  Zoe can't afford the rent now.  How can she afford it later?

Jaz's sister, Surinder, comes to the rescue.  Her friend is pregnant and needs someone to look after and run the bookshop on wheels that she owns.  (Both characters are from the author's previous book, The Bookshop on the Corner, but the book really isn't about either of them.)  Zoe, book lover that she is, would be perfect for the interim position.  And there's a second job to provide housing - as an au pair to three children.  All of this is on the shores of Loch Ness but maybe getting out of London is the best thing possible.

Scotland is everything Zoe could hope for.  Fresh air, plenty of space for Hari to run around, beautiful surroundings.  But Nina, the owner of the bookvan, isn't as welcoming as Zoe could have hoped for.  And that genuine Scottish castle?  Well, the laird is distant even to his own children, the children are more than a little wild (Zoe is their seventh au pair), and the castle is just a little bit creepy.

This book was a welcome summer break.  I loved the setting and felt for the characters.  And the ultimate message, that families come in all shapes and sizes, is one that can't be heard and read often enough.  I really enjoyed reading it and look forward to another "sequel."

Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos (FIC Kal)

In her 70s, Margaret Hughes lives alone in the family mansion high on a hill in Seattle.  She is surrounded by the treasures, valuable pieces of porcelain and china, accumulated by her late father.  Dusting them and talking to them has become her life. When she is diagnosed with brain cancer, she realizes how isolated she has become and decides to makes drastic changes.  The first one is taking in a boarder.

Wanda Schultz has come west looking for her boyfriend.  He left her suddenly and her only clue is that he might be in Seattle.  Working as a tech in theater gives her plenty of time to look for him.  In Margaret she finds not only a place to live but a home.

Both women have lived with secrets and regrets for their entire lives.  As they come to know one another, their horizons are broadened.  And gradually, other people come into the house and a strange but very real family is formed.

Often, a book title has no real significance.  But this title speaks in many ways to not only the emotional state of the characters but the things that happen within the walls of the house.  And this statement from someone who doesn't every dive very deep into the meaning of books!

I enjoyed this book a lot.  Bad things happen but so do good things.  Some of it might be a little fantastical but it all seemed believable.  I really cared about Margaret and Wanda and their growing circle of friends.  And I was sorry when it came to an end.