The Lock Artist / Steve Hamilton / 304 pages / Anthony Award

Michale has been called Miracle Boy, Milford Mute, and Lock Artist, among other things.  In 1990 Pennsylvania, he is 18 years old and mute, and has an extraordinary gift for picking locks.  Traumatized at the age of 8, he has been forced into a life of crime by virtue of his talent.  Taking the rap for the misdeeds of others, his "punishment" results in his developing a relationship with the only person he ever loves.  This adventure-packed novel compels the readers to empathize with the hapless "criminal".

Anthony Award Nominee for Best Novel 2011
I have read and posted to the Blog for all 5 Anthony Award Nominee for Best Novel

Faithful Place / Tana French / 400 pages / Anthony Award 2011

Detective Frank Mackey is divorced and estranged from his birth family.  His sister, Jackie, has called him back to Dublin when Rosie Daly's suitcase is found in an abandoned house on Faithful Place, the same street on which his parents still live.  Frank and Rosie had planned to run away to London and get married.  Frank wanted nothing to do with his family and his out-of-work, abusive, hard-drinking father.  The night they were to leave, Rosie disappears and Frank thinks she has left without him.  When the body in the basement is ID'd as Rosie, Frank knows that she did not leave him.  She was murdered.  When he comes back home to unofficially investigate, his younger brother, Kevin falls from an upper story of the same building.  Was he murdered also? " Immersing listeners in the atmosphere of inner-city Dublin, Faithful Place, is a tale of soured dreams, the relentless grip of one's past" and the inevitable pull of family.  Tim Gerard Reynold's Irish inflections greatly enhance the story.  (Although the language is a bit harsh!!)

Anthony Award Nominee for Best Novel 2011

Grounded / Kate Klise / 196 pages

Daralynn Oakland was grounded for going fishing without permission.  That's the only reason she wasn't in her Daddy's plane when it crashed and killed him, her brother, and her little sister, Lilac Rose.  Even though she doesn't like dolls, well-wishers send her 237 of them, resulting in her new nickname, Dolly.  Her mother is inconsolable and uncommunicative after the deaths.  She has a breezeway built connecting her house to her mother's next door.  Her mother is getting forgetful and treats Daralynn's dolls as if they are real children.  Because her mother does such a good job dressing her husband, son, and daughter for the funeral and doing their hair, she is offered a job fixing the hair of deceased for the local funeral home.  This position leads to her opening her own beauty parlor.  Daralynn struggles to deal with all her loses by writing letters in Pertinent Facts and Important Information, a journal given to her by her  teacher, Mrs. Staniss.  Her journal is instrumental in the arrest of a flimflam man and her strong-willed determination to do the right thing opens the way for much needed healing.

Mark Twain Award Preliminary Nominee 2012-13

The Other Half of My Heart / Sundee Frazier / 296 pages

Minnie and Keira are twins.  Minnie is white-skinned & red-haired, while Keira is black. Their Dad is white and their Mom is black.   Minnie's Momma told her that her "blackness is just hidden a little deeper - like a vein of gold running deep within the soil of [her] soul."  Millions of genes made them all human and only 7 or 8 told their skin what color to be - a very small difference.  Minnie hopes this is true and prays "may nothing ever, ever come between Keira and me, nothing - big or small."  Their grandmother requests that the girls come stay with her so that they can compete in the Miss Black Pearl Preteen Program.  Grandmother is strict, straight-laced, and persnickety.  She tries to "improve" Keira and wants desperately for one of the girls to win the "pageant".  Minnie finds herself, and the courage and wisdom to stand up for what she believes in.

"It is had to accept the reality that your skin color could determine your material well-being and others' treatment of you."

Character is integrity and a commitment to hard work, and the strength to make the right choice."

Mark Twain Award Preliminary Nominee 2012-13

State of Wonder/Ann Patchett/353 pages

Dr. Marina Singh works for a large pharmaceutical company. Her colleague was sent to the Amazon to check on the progress of another researcher there. When word comes back that he has died and was buried there, her colleague's wife asks her to go find out what happened and her boss asks her to go down and check out the progress herself.

One, I never want to go to the Amazon jungle. Two, I hate snakes which makes one scene in the book pretty unbearable. Three, I would never swim in a brown river (and the Amazon apparently is brown.) But still, this is an interesting story and satisfying ending.

Twenty Gold Falcons / Amy Gordon / 216 pages

Amy Gordon had done it again!!  Hopefully, you read The Gorillas of Gill Park and you know Ms. Gordon is an excellent storyteller, filling her tales with suspense, endearing characters, and poignant themes.  Twenty Gold Falcons emulates this fantastic formula.  Aiden's father has died and she and her mother leave the family farm to live in Gloria with Uncle Tony, an opera singer.  She becomes involved in solving the mystery of the missing gold coins.  Using elements of an oft repeated story, a friendly mouse, 2 new friends, a family of elevator operators, a clock repairman, and her own ingenuity, she accomplishes what had seemed to be mythical.

Mark Twain Award Preliminary Nominee 2012-13

The Other Side of Dark / Joan Lowry Nixon / 185 pages

Stacy wakes up in a hospital to discover that she has been in a coma for 4 years.  She has lost 4 years of her life and her mother.  She had been sunbathing when she was 13 and heard a noise from inside the house.  She looked up to see a man with a gun coming out of her house.  He shot her, and she finds out later, killed her Mom.  While trying to catch upon how much she and her world have changed, she recalls seeing the face of the man who shot her, and inadvertently tells this a reporter.  She knows the man was familiar to her and tries valiantly to remember who he was.  Working with detectives, she attempts to solve the mystery before the killer puts an end to her sleuthing.  Nonstop suspense and believable characters will thrill readers as tension builds to a fever pitch and Stacy races against time to stop the killer.

Scrawl / Mark Shulman / 230 pages

Tod Munn is a bully who has been busted.  He has been sentenced to afternoon detentions with Mrs. Woodrow, the guidance counselor.  He must use his detention time to scrawl his story in a beat up notebook.  Tod's grades are excellent and his favorite class is English with Mr. Harmon.  Unfortunately, Mr. Harmon is not as supportive as he could be.  Tod enters the Spelling Bee without invitation or the green spelling study sheets.  He is, in actuality, the winner, but the results are skewed to favor a more traditional student.  Tod is economically disadvantaged, but understands the importance of being there for his friends.  This book is humorous...Great last line...Great tribute to the power of the written word.

Truman Award Preliminary Nominee 2012-13

Five Flavors of Dumb / Antony John / 337 pages

Piper is deaf and has been since she was 6 years old.  Both her grandparents were deaf so the encroaching deafness was not viewed as the tragedy it might have seemed in other families.  Her mother can sign, but her father refuses to learn and insists that Piper lip read.  Piper has plans to attend Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.  Her grandparents have left her money to attend.  Unfortunately, her parents have raided her college fund to buy cochlear implants for her baby sister, Grace.  As the family centers on Grace and her new found ability to hear and speak, Piper feels abandoned.  She throws herself into managing Dumb, a rock band.  She bemoans the fact that "there is no togetherness, no blending, just 5 separate flavors of an indigestible dish called Dumb."  With the invaluable assistance of Eddie, a chess-playing drummer and virtuoso, and Baz Firkin, an ex-con, Piper accomplishes the impossible.  This book will resonate with YA's.

Gateway Award Preliminary Nominee 2012-13

The Scorch Trials/James Dashner/361 pgs.

Labeled "the sequel to The Maze Runner," The Scorch Trials continues the Gladers struggle to survive in a world they don't remember or understand. Enter into the mix "Group B"--all girls and one boy who also had escaped from "the maze." The two groups are trying to reach "the safe haven" which they are promised will result in them receiving the "cure" for "the Flare." I'm looking forward to the third (and hopefully, the last) book in this series.

Cross Country/James Patterson/406 pgs

The Alex Cross series by James Patterson is one of my favorites and this one does not disappoint. Alex's old girlfriend from college and her family are brutally murdered and Alex is trying to find the murderer. When he discovers that the murder was committed by a brutal assassin named "The Tiger" and his gang of boys from Africa, he decides to take a trip there. The brutality in this book is more than the usual Alex Cross novel but the picture that Patterson paints of what is and has been happening in places like Darfur and Lagos should make people sit up and take notice.

Desert Heat/J.A. Jance/246 pgs

This is the first title in the Joanna Brady series. The series takes place in Arizona - one of my favorite places. Joanna's husband is a deputy and is running for Sheriff of Cochise County. On the evening of their 10th anniversary, he is found dead in a wash on the way to their home. Joanna believes that he was murdered but everyone believes that he is dirty and committed suicide. It is up to Joanna to find out what really happened. It was a good story and I will try the next book in the series.

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay - 294 Pages

Book Discussion title at Kathryn Linnemann

This is another book that I consider 'book club gold'. There was so much to discuss in this book - many of us had not heard of the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup in France during World War II. Without giving too much away, the book switches back in forth in time from Nazi-occupied France to 2002 (60th anniversary of this incident). Old family secrets and modern domestic issues blend together in a suspenseful, well-told story. If you enjoy World War II fiction, historical fiction, or just an all-around great book, you'll love Sarah's Key.

Our discussion covered everything from the Holocaust to reincarnation. Now how's that for variety?

Happy Reading!

A motion picture based on Sarah's Key was released in 2010, see Internet Movie Database at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1668200/

Discussion questions available from Reading Group Guides at: http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides_S/sarahs_key1.asp#discuss

Melanie - KL Book Club

Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America by Linda Lawrence Hunt - 307 Pages

Book Discussion title at WingHaven.
My club really enjoyed this read about a pioneer woman and her daughter who set off on a journey to walk across America by foot to save the family farm from foreclosure. It was a great discussion book that touches on women's issues in regard to strict guidelines for dress, lack of right to vote, and basically how inferior women were regarded due to their "irrational nature". This book was based on a true story and required a lot of research by the author because at the time the main character's incredible journey turns out to be a disgrace to her family. The family tried to suppress the events and this fact alone brought about an illuminating discussion about heritage, family's and their secrets and what we value in our cultures.
Discussion questions available from Reading Group Guides at: http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides3/bold_spirit1.asp#discuss
Jennifer - WH Book Club

Leota's Garden by Francine Rivers - 425 Pages

Book Discussion title at McClay Branch

This book is Christian fiction at its best. We had 22 women at this discussion which rivals the numbers at our Christmas discussion (AND we had NO FOOD!!) And there were 4 no shows due to other obligations and illness that day!

Rivers has published more than 20 novels with Christian themes - all bestsellers. Her Christian novels have been awarded or nominated for numerous awards including the RITA Award, the Christy Award, the ECPA Gold Medallion, and the Holt Medallion in Honor of Outstanding Literary Talent. In 1997, after winning her third RITA award for Inspirational Fiction, Francine was inducted into the Romance Writers’ of America Hall of Fame. In 2007, the feature-length film version of her novel The Last Sin Eater was released in theaters by Fox Faith. In March 2010, Francine officially became a New York Times bestselling author, when Her Mother’s Hope debuted at #12 on the hardcover fiction bestsellers lists. The sequel, Her Daughter’s Dream, debuted at #12 on the same list just 6 months later, in September, 2010. Francine’s novels have been translated into over twenty different languages and she enjoys best-seller status in many foreign countries including Germany, The Netherlands, and South Africa.

All of the above to show you that this woman knows how to write in the very best sense of the word. Yes, she writes from a Christian perspective but she does not preach...she shares life as a Christian with all the bumps the human family experiences but with a hope and a joy in spite of loss,heartache, seemingly unanswered prayer and her main characters do that with a Christian graciousness that is a marvelous pattern for life.
Leota is the wife of a German man who serves in the US Army during WWII when Germans and Japanese both were feared and unwanted in the USA.. Bernard's family lives in the states and Leota is the main bread winner because Papa Reinhardt cannot find employment even though he is an engineer by profession. Mama Reinhardt detests Leota because she thinks that Leota is working to pawn Leota's two children off on her and simply have a "rip roaring" good time herself. Papa Reinhardt tells his wife nothing of the financial stress he is under with his inability to find employment. Leota finds solace in her garden. When Bernard returns his mind has been affected by the concentration camps he has helped to free in Germany and Leota's children grow up feeling that Leota was never there for them...which idea was confirmed to them by their German grandmother.
The crux of this story lies with the relationship between Nora and her Mother, Leota. Nora is soo controlling that her own daughter, Annie leaves home and decides to look up her grandma because she wants to know why Leota would have deserted her own children. Who Annie finds is an elderly woman who prays for her children daily and shares her heart with Annie over events that happened years ago over which she had very little control. Annie becomes the instrument used to bring the heart of her mother Nora back to the heart of Leota.
Within these pages we find bad relationships, misunderstanding, woman's lib, euthanesia...a myriad of discussable topics...but also a book rich with the panaroma of life as it can be lived if we turn our hearts into making "lemonade out of lemons..."
Discussion questions available from author's website at: http://francinerivers.com/books/101/discussion-guide
Ruth - MY Book Club

One Thousand White Women: the Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus - 304 Pages

Book Discussion title at Spencer Road Branch

Great book and wonderful discussion.

One Thousand White Women is the story of May Dodd and a colorful assembly of pioneer women who, under the auspices of the U.S. government, travel to the western prairies in 1875 to intermarry among the Cheyenne Indians. The covert and controversial "Brides for Indians" program, launched by the administration of Ulysses S. Grant, is intended to help assimilate the Indians into the white man's world. Toward that end May and her friends embark upon the adventure of their lifetime. Jim Fergus has so vividly depicted the American West that it is as if these diaries are a capsule in time.

Discussion questions available from Reading Group Guides at: http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides3/one_thousand_white_women1.asp#discuss

Sue - SP Book Club

Simply Unforgettable / Mary Balogh 343 p.

First in the Simply quartet featuring Miss Martin's schoolteachers. Frances Allard, music teacher, finds herself stranded at a remote inn during a snowstorm with Lucius Marshall, Viscount Sinclair. The sparks fly and ignite a romantic night. Frances returns to her world well below his. He finds she creeps into his mind. Chance brings them together and Lucius refuses to take no to his marriage proposal. Balogh matches her Bedwyn family Regencies.

Check the library catalog

Conjurer's Bird / Martin Davies 167 p.

The hunt is on for the bird of Ulieta, captured in the South Pacific during Cook's exploration and disappeared from naturalist Sir Joseph Banks' collection. Many are seeking the bird, each wanting it for different reasons. Taxidermist and university professor John Fitzgerald ably assisted by Katya zooms from clue to clue, falling for red herrings, and occasionally serendipitous discoveries. Gabriella, Fitz's former lover, and Karl Anderson want it for its DNA, American Emeric Potts for his own secret reasons, and Fitz because of his interest in lost species. The story advances alternatively between the passionate love story of Joseph Banks and Mary Burnett, gifted botanical artist and the 3 way race for the bird.

Check the library catalog

Sailing to Capri / Elizabeth Adler 146 p.

Sir Robert Waldo Harwick, British modern mogul, charges his personal assistant, Daisy Keane, and Harry Montana, private investigator, to find out who murdered him! He provides a list of suspects and an outrageous, ostentatious bait to lure the 6 on a sailing trip to Capri. Adler reveals how each one’s life was changed by Harwich-- and not usually for the better. The plot twists and a budding romance develop by the end.

Check the library catalog

Soul Surfer/Bethany Hamilton/288 pgs

I had watched the movie first and then decided to read the book. It is a good book but can tend to get a little preachy, if you are not a believer. That didn't bother me though. The book doesn't really go into the aftermath on the shark attack - as to how her life changed. Mainly about her surfing, faith and family. Pretty quick read and this updated version has information on the making of the movie.

A Stolen Life/ Jaycee Dugard/ 273 pages

This was a difficult book to read since it was about her 18 year ordeal of being kidnapped at age 11 by a crazy sexual predator. She keeps the horrible details to a minimum, but it is still difficult to read.

What shines through is her resilience, her intelligence, and her desire to move forward with her life. I don't know that I could have done that well. Many p.o.w.'s come back in worse shape.

She now has a lawsuit against the government because of the many, many times her captor could and should have been sent back to prison and wasn't. I hope she is successful. It was a needless waste that no one found her.

A Whole Nother Story / Cuthbert Soup / 264 pages

This is a very funny story for kids grades 4 & up. It offers adventure, suspense, humor, pathos, and time travel! The main characters are three attractive, polite and relatively odor-free children and their inventor father. He is inventing a time machine so they can go back and rescue their mother who was killed by evil corporate villains. They are also pursued by top secret government spies and international superspies. It is hilarious and absurd while telling a great story of family and friendship. Oh yeah, did I mention Captain Jibby's Traveling Circus Sideshow, the poet cowboy, Leon the Chimp and....well you'll have to read the book to find out more!

Northern Lights/Nora Roberts/562 pgs

Nate Burke is an ex-Baltimore cop who has moved to Lunacy, Alaska, to become their police chief after his partner is killed and he is injured. He is feeling guilty about what happened and is looking for a change. Once there he meets Meg Galloway, a bush pilot who doesn't need anyone. When a body is found on No Name Mountain, things change for both of them. Good story - made into a movie - will have to check that out too.

A Chesapeake Shores Christmas/Sherryl Woods/285 pgs

This is the story of Mick and Megan O'Brien, the parents of the O'Brien clan, who had divorced years ago because of Mick's work. They have gotten back together and are going to get remarried on New Year's Eve. Their son, Connor does not approve and unless he changes his mind, Megan wants to delay the wedding. Complications arise and the wedding is on hold. Will they make it down the aisle??

The Dog Who Knew Too Much/Spencer Quinn/308 pgs

This is the fourth title in the Chet and Bernie mystery series. This series is unique as it is told by Chet, the dog. Bernie Little is a private detective and Chet is his sidekick - not always too smart but somehow always gets the job done. In this one, they are searching for a boy who has disappeared from a wilderness camp. Everyone says he is lost but Bernie and Chet think otherwise. Very good story - a light murder mystery - not much blood and guts. If you want to find out how a dog thinks, this is the series for you.

Sherlockian / Graham Moore 589 p.

Literary researcher Harold White reaches nirvana when he is inducted into the Baker Street Irregulars, the preeminent Sherlockian group in the United States. Arthur Conan Doyle scholar Alex Cale is coming to the Baker Street Irregulars convention with the long lost Doyle diary-- only to be murdered in his hotel room. Doyle's great-grandson hires White to solve the murder and trace the diary, which is missing from Cale's hotel room. Chapters alternative between White's probing in the present and Doyle's own account of his serial murder investigation with his friend Bram Stoker in 1900. A good yarn utilizing much from the Holmes stories useful for readers of Sherlock Holmes.


Anthony Award Nominee

Before I Go To Sleep/S.J. Watson/360 pgs.

If you like psychological thrillers, this is the book for you! Christine Lucas lost her memory years ago as a result of an accident. During her waking hours, she remembers certain events, only to lose them again when she falls asleep at night. Christine's therapist encourages her to record her memories in a journal during the day, so that she can review them the next day. As Christine recalls more events, she doesn't know who to believe or trust. It's a very riveting debut.

A Discovery of Witches / Deborah Harkness / 579 pages

It's a bodice-ripping witch and vampire story but one that is well-written, intriguing, and high brow with well-developed characters. Take one scholar who specializes in ancient alchemy manuscripts and is a witch who denies her heritage, add one bewitched manuscript that is sought by witches, vampires and daemons, and stir with an ancient hot, hot, hot vampire and what do you get? Discovery of Witches. Not a fast read, you will be drawn in by the characters, events and exotic settings in Oxfords Bodleian Library, France & the US, scholarly research, magic, spells, and culture of vampires, witches & daemons. The book ended with a feeling there might be a followup...hopefully so.

Hide and Seek / Katy Grant / 230 pages

Geo caching is like hide and seek.  There are over 1 million geocaches hidden all over the glove.  Muggles - non-geocachers - can pass right by a cache without even knowing its there. Chase is embarking on his first solo geocache.  His dad gave him a GPS for his 14th birthday and, getting some free from time from his mom & stepdad's store, he sets off in the White Mountains of Arizona on his bike with his dog, Dexter, to find the treasure.  He is successful.  Inside the metal ammo case, Chase finds a notebook for recording his find, what he takes, and what he leaves behind.  He realizes that the cache has been muggled.  Some items are lying outside the box and the notebook contains the entry "WE NE".  Chase wonders what this means.  Monitoring the cache, Chase happens upon two dirty boys, brothers, ages 9 or 10 and 7 or 8, named Sam & Jack.  He thinks they and their father are homeless and decides to help the boys.  Comments by the boys  lead Chase to visit several child search sites on the internet.  He discovers that their father has kidnapped them.  Again he tries to help.

Mark Twain Award Preliminary Nominee 2012-13

Nobody's Baby But Mine / Susan Elizabeth Phillips 376 p.

Third in Phillips' Chicago Star series. Genius in physics, Professor Jane Darlington yearns for a baby --but she wants a father who's IQ will balance hers so that her baby won't have her nerdy life. The perfect father--dumb jock Chicago Stars quarterback Cal Bonner. Dr. Jane gets more than she bargains for with Cal who forces marriage with a quick divorce after the baby is born when he learns of her pregnancy. His parents rocky marriage and a quirky grandmother enter the arena when they settle into his home. Funny, romantic with strong, sensitive characters. Phillips makes me laugh and her characters are flawed in ways that ring true. Now I have to read about the other Bonner brothers!

Readers may also enjoy Jayne Ann Krentz stories.

1998 RITA Winner

Mockingbird: (mok' ing burd) / Kathryn Erskine / 235 pages

Caitlin Smith is a fifth grader with asperger's syndrome.  Her mother died of cancer and her brother, Devin, was killed in a middle school shooting spree that left a teacher, 2 students, and one of the shooters dead.  Her father is having difficulty dealing with Devin's death.  He has thrown Devin's eagle scout books in his room, slammed the door, and covered his eagle scout project - a chest - with a sheet.  He cries often.  Caitlin is brilliant and her best friend is the dictionary.  She had difficulty dealing with her brother's death, too, and with all social relationships.  She makes friends with someone who will help her find closure - "an emotional conclusion to a difficult life event." This book portrays an increasingly prevalent condition and its ramifications for the person having asperger's.  Hopefully, it also in ceases the reader's understanding and empathy.

Mark Twain Award Preliminary Nominee 2012-13
ALA Best Fiction For YA

Ship Breaker / Paolo Bacigalupi / 326 pages

This is a very interesting story set in the future.  Catastrophe has, of course, struck the world.  After Hurricane Katrina destroyed New Orleans, several successive massive storms and floods have occurred and the ruins of New Orleans are visible at low tide.  Crews of scavengers, usually small people who can fit through various small spaces, are hired to scavenge shipwrecks off the coast.  To find oil among the wreck is considered to be a very lucky.  Naylor does just this.  His mother is dead and his father is a drunken abuser.  Naylor is entranced by the clipper ships owned by the wealthy - their sleekness and their freedom.  He and a friend discover a wrecked clipper one day and rescue its sole survivor - Needa (sp?) Patel.  Rivals in her father's company & family were pursuing her when the ship ran aground.  Naylor and Tool, a half man, help Needa return to her father and safety.

Gateway Award Preliminary Nominee 2012-13

Dark Life / Kat Falls / 297 pages

Gemma is an orphan and a topsider.  She has run away from her boarding school to search for her only relative, Richard, her brother.  She needs him to sign emancipation papers so that she will not have to return to school and live under cruel supervision.  The time is the near future.  The seas have risen and humans (topsiders) have to live in crowded stack cities.  All have been living under emergency law for 32 years.  Rights have been curbed to ensure safety and order.  The only ones with land of their own live on the ocean floor - the dark life.  Gemma travels to the ocean floor in search of her brother.  She meets Ty and his family including his sister, Zoe.  It has been discovered that children raised under the sea have dark gifts - camouflage, number genius, electricity, communication with whales/dolphins, etc.  The Sea Blight Gang has attacked a settlement home.  The Senator tells the settlers they must catch Shade, the leader of the outlaws.  Doc has done experiments on boys who escaped and became members of Shade's band of outlaws.  Ty discovers that Shade is actually Gemma's brother.  He convinces him to sign the emancipation papers.  Great adventure story.  Interesting ideas!!

"Not all cages have bars."

Truman Award Preliminary Nominee 2012-13

We the Children (Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School Book 1) / Andrew Clements. 142 pages

Benjamin's parents are separated and he stays part of the time with his dad, on his house boat.  One day at school, Mr. Keene, the janitor, has fallen and Ben stops to help.  He is asked to call 911 because Mr. Keene thinks he has broken his leg.  He gives Ben a coin and tells him to keep it safe.  Mr. Keene dies in the hospital, and Ben and Jill go to the library to find more information about the school - founded in 1783 by Duncan Oaks,  and the plan to close the school in order to build a theme park.  Mr. Oaks loved the school so much, he was buried in the middle of the playground. Ben and Jill conduct their investigation despite interference from the new sinister janitor. ...to be continued.

Mark Twain Award Preliminary Nominee 2012-13

The Clockwork Three / Matthew J. Kirby / 391 pages

The cover art of this book reminded me of The Invention of Hugo Cabret.  Unfortunately, there were no fantastic illustrations like within the pages of Mr. Selznick's book.  Mr. Kirby did not need them.  His descriptions and narratives were so vibrant you only need a bit of imagination to bring the story to life.  Giuseppe is an orphan and is treated cruelly by his ruthless patrone who demands he play his violin for money.  Frederick is an apprentice clockmaker.  He is secretly building a clockwork man.  He only needs a head.  Hannah is a maid at a grand hotel.  She has had to quit school to earn money for her family because her father has hurt his leg and has had a stroke and cannot work himself.  It is ingenious how the author weaves their stories together in this truly awesome book of friendship, honor, and self-sacrifice.

"Everyone has why questions, but no one had all the answers."

Mark Twain Award Preliminary Nominee 2012-13

Blindsided / Priscilla Cummins / 226 pages

Natalie O'Reilly is 14 years old and is told that time...and hope, have run out.  She is going blind.  Born with sporadic aniridia - the gene responsible for eye development did not do what it was supposed to do.  She has no iris, juvenile glaucoma, and irrevocable bad luck.  She is living between 2 worlds.  It is easier to be blind, than to pretend you're not blind," but Natalie still clings to ideals of being normal and maintaining her old friendships.  "underneath it all, of course, the truth of what was happening stalks Natalie, "like a beast in the bushes."  Tragedy strikes.  A friendship is renewed.  Nuisance has triplets.  A rabid bear attacks.  This is a great heartwarming story with themes and situations sure to appeal to all ages.

"Sometimes you had to walk around the holes in your life, instead of falling into them."
"No matter how bad off you are, there's always somebody worse off than you, so be grateful..."

Truman Award Preliminary Nominee 2012-13

Best Laid Plans/Nora Roberts/533 pgs

This is the second title in the "Loving Jack" series. It is the story of Cody Johnson, Nathan's partner. He is the architect on a project in Arizona and comes up against Abra Wilson, the structural engineer on the project. Sparks fly of course - she wants changes made to the plans and he won't let any changes be made. But they end up with each other and help uncover a cover up in the project.

Flowers on Main/Sherryl Woods/393 pgs

This is the second title in the Chesapeake Shores series and is Bree O'Brien's story. She had left town to move to Chicago and become a playwright. After she receives very bad reviews on her third play, she goes back home. While there she decides to stay and open a florist shop. The problem is the only supplier for her shop will be Jake Collins, the man she had left behind and who is not crazy about having anything to do with Bree. They both realize that they are still in love with each other but Jake is still afraid that Bree may still leave to follow her dreams. Another good romance.

The Help/ Stockett/ 451 pages

Wow, what a great book. I saw the movie and this time I listened to the CD because someone told me that they do the voices. (there were also fewer reserves) being able to listen to 15 CD's in 2 weeks is much more difficult a feat than reading, but it was worth it. (even the extra gas from driving around in order to hear just a bit more.)

There are some things in the book that are not in the movie. I think that there could be a sequel, but I don't know if there is any plan for one.

Icarus at the edge of Time/ Greene/ 32 pgs

This is a science fiction story that retells the Greek legend of Icarus. It could have been a really cool book about 200 pages, but the author wanted to use all the Hubble telescope photos so it is a 32 page cardboard book. so I guess it could be a toddler board book for genius 2 year olds.

Still, the bare bones story is really cool. I so wanted to read it in a longer form. Icarus is on a journey that started with his great-grandfather. He has always lived aboard the ship and will die on the journey. They encounter a black hole that he thinks he can explore without being drawn in. Of course, being drawn in is not the real problem. Icarus easily skirts the edge as skilled as he is. What he did not factor in was the effect of time and gravity.

He comes out thousands of years in the future and is the stuff of legends. Very cool.

Quinn/Iris Johansen/374 pages

"Quinn" is the second part of a three-part series. It goes back and explains the story of how Eve Duncan, a forensic sculptor, and Joe Quinn, an FBI agent meet and become involved with solving the disappearance of Eve's daughter Bonnie and with each other. This book brings you closer to finding out the identity of Bonnie's (possible) killer and ends abruptly with a cliffhanger which requires you to read the third book-in fact there isn't an ending. I didn't read the first part of the series - "Eve" - so some of the characters were new to me. I feel like this is just a repetition of what I've read in some of Johansen's earlier works. It seemed like a waste of my time.

The Inn at Eagle Point/Sherryl Woods/394 pgs

"The Inn at Eagle Point" is the first title in the Chesapeake Shores series. It is Abby O'Brien Winters story. She has been called home by her baby sister, Jess, who is about to lose her dream - The Inn at Eagle Point. What she doesn't know is that she will have to deal with Trace Riley, the man she left behind, who is temporarily working in the loan department of his father's bank. Your typical romance - enjoyed the story and looking forward to reading more about the O'Brien family.

Lifeguard/James Patterson/394 pgs

Ned Kelly is living the life - he has met the woman of his dreams, is working in Florida as a lifeguard and living in a mansion. But when he gets involved with a plot to steal some artwork with his lifelong friends, everything begins to fall apart. Typical James Patterson - not one of my favorites but not a bad story.

Heartwishes/Jude Deveraux/363 pages

This is another part of the Edilean saga. Gemma Ranford is nearing the completion of her PhD in history. She obtains a job organizing the historical papers of the Frazier family when she hears about the family myth of the Heartwishes Stone. The Fraziers seem to produce large, handsome children. Gemma finds herself attracted to one of Frazier sons. The small town of Edilean is again involved in every aspect of the Fraziers' personal lives. Deveraux always does a good job of continuing the saga.

The Ideal Man/Julie Garwood/322 pages

I'm a big fan of Julie Garwood so I always look forward to anything new from her. She always adds a little touch of humor and "snarkiness" to her work. "The Ideal Man" is set in St Louis although there aren't many references to the city. Dr. Ellie Sullilvan's life is in turmoil - she just finished her residency, and because of a stalker she isn't sure where to live next. She witnesses a crime and becomes attracted to one of the agents in the investigation. The ending is a little abrupt but I enjoyed the book anyway.

Ghost Dog Secrets / Peg Kehret / 184 pages

I don't think you can ever go wrong reading Peg Kehret.  The kids love her and so do I!!
Rusty sees a German Shepherd chained to a tree without food and water.  It is raining and the dog looks miserable.  After a class discussion about responsibility, Mrs. Webster says "Remember that you are the someone in the phrase 'Someone should do something about that.'"  The class decides to help a local animal shelter after Marci reports having heard on the news about a local puppy mill...and Rusty decides to help the dog he has seen.  Mr. Meyers, the dog's owner, has already been responsible for the death of a collie, now a ghost dog, who appears to Rusty.  Mr. Meyers (Mean Man) breaks into Rusty and his mom's house looking for his watchdog.  Following the ghost dog, Rusty discovers that Meyers is running a meth lab and is instrumental is his apprehension.

Mark Twain Award Preliminary Nominee 2012-13

Turtle in Paradise / Jennifer L. Holm / 191 pages

Turtle's mom gets a job cleaning house for a wealthy old lady who does not like kids.  Turtle is sent to Key West to live with her mother's sister and her boy cousins.  The cousins run a babysitting service and have developed a secret recipe for diaper rash.  It is 1935, during the Great Depression.  Shirley Temple and Little Orphan Annie are very popular, although Turtle does not care for Shirley.  Turtle offers to help care for her estranged grandmother and finds a gold coin and a treasure map inside her grandmother's piano.  The cousins and Turtle "borrow" a boat, find the treasure, lose the boat, and are caught in a hurricane.  This is an enjoyable read that does not feature "and they all live happily ever after ending."  Something for everyone?

Mark Twain Award Preliminary Nominee 2012-13

Palace Beautiful / Sarah DeFord Williams / 232 pages

Sadie and Zuzu (Susan) Brooks have just moved from Texas to Utah with their Dad and stepmom, Sherrie.  Sherrie is pregnant and Sadie worries as her Mom died giving birth to Zuzu.  Sadie finds a secret room in the attic and a journal written by Helen White.  She wrote in 1918 and told of World War I and the Great Influenza outbreak.  She lost her mother and and sister to the disease.  She had lost 2 baby brothers and was reluctant to love her new baby brother, Freddy, as was she was afraid to lose him, too.  Sadie, Zuzu, and Bella - a neighbor whose Mom is a TV mom, take turns reading the journal in the Palace Beautiful - the secret room.  They track down Helen and Freddy and return her journal to her.  The cover of this book, as well as the content, is probably not particularly appealing to boys.

Mark Twain Award Preliminary Nominee 2012-13

My Life As a Book / Janet Tahsjian / 211 pages

Derek Fallon doesn't like reading.  His Mom bribes him with 1 chocolate chip per page.  He "should've known extra reading would be hazardous to (his) health."  He finds a newspaper article in the attic about a girl who drowned on Martha's Vineyard.  He bugs his Mom until she reluctantly tells him the tragic story.  The text is accompanied by humorous drawings in the margins complimenting the story.  Artwork has been executed by the author's 12 year old son, Jake, who has been drawing his vocabulary cards since he was in grade school, and now has a stack higher than the house.

"...evolving is what we're supposed to do...all of us  all the time."
"Anyone who expects perfect to stick around is a moron."

Mark Twain Preliminary Nominee 2012-13

Chocolate Chocolate/Frances Park & Ginger Park/269 pages

First, I'm not a chocoholic. Don't get me wrong, chocolate is okay, it's fine, but it's not my raison d'etre. Unless it's chocolate ice cream. Because in my world, ice cream in any flavor is the perfect food. Second, I only read this book because of the interesting post a week or so ago by a fellow blogger. Thanks for the review that sparked my interest!

A nice true story of two sisters opening a chocolate shop in D.C. in the 1980s after the death of their father.

Girl Stolen / April Henry / 213 pages

Cheyenne Wilder is 16, is 1/32 Indian has been blind 3 years, and has just been accidently kidnapped.  She was lying in the back of her stepmom's Cadillac Escalade while she went in to get Cheyenne's antibiotics.  It is Christmastime and the kidnapper/car thief, Griffin, had been sent by Roy to steal packages from cars.  When he saw the keys in the ignition, he stole the car without knowing Cheyenne was in back.  Fearing apprehension and grief from Roy, Griffin takes Cheyenne with him, intending to release her later.  Cheyenne's mom was killed

The Sky Is Everywhere / Jandy Nelson / 275 pages

Lennie Walker's sister, Bailey, died 4 weeks ago of a fatal arrhythmia while in rehearsal for a local production of Romeo & Juliet.  Lennie's mother hasn't contacted her in 16 years, and suddenly, all she can think about is sex.  When she returns to school after being out for her sister's funeral, a new boy, Joe Fontaine, is occupying her chair in band.  Her best friend, Sarah, is "the most enthusiastic cynical person on the planet" and a goth.  Lennie, named after John Lennon, has an unfortunate affair with Toby, her sister's fiance.  (After Bailey's death.)  She has also fallen in love with Joe and he with her.  Joe had a bad experience with betrayal in France and when he sees Toby and Lennie kissing, he turns from Lennie.  The book is punctuated by messages written by Lennie on various mediums and left in sundry places.  Great book about grief!  Bit of bad language.  Perhaps too condoning of premarital sex.

Gateway Award Preliminary  Nominee 2012-13

Drizzle / Kathleen Van Cleve / 358 pages

Polly Peabody lives on Rupert's Rhubarb Farm where the rhubarb tastes like chocolate and it rains every Monday at 1:00.  Diamonds sprouted from the ground around her grandmother's body when she died.  Polly's family's home is a castle and a green glass house.  Visitors come to the farm to ride a giant red umbrella when it rains.  To say this farm in unusual is not accurate enough. It is, indeed, magic.  Suddenly the rain stops, the plants begin to wither, Freddy gets sick, Harry - the "talking" plant, is nearly destroyed, and Polly's father loses his research funding from Dunbar.  Polly seeks to find solutions - with the help of her science teacher, Owen.

Mark Twain Preliminary Nominee 2012-13

Belly Up / Stuart Gibbs / 294 pages

"Zoos and aquariums attract more than 500 million visitors in America each year- more than all sporting events combined." That is why J.J. McCracken decided to build FunJungle just 30 minutes from San Antonio...that and his 6-year-old daughter wanted to go on Safari and was not old enough.  Teddy lives at FunJungle.  His mother is a primate expert and his father is a photographer.  FunJungle is a combination of San Diego Wild Animal Park and Disney World.  When Henry, the Hippo, the park's mascot, dies, an autopsy reveals that he was murdered - with a filed jack (the toy).  Teddy begins investigating to find the murderer and discovers that the situation is much worse that he thought. Great page-turner, filled with humor and facts about animals.

Mark Twain Award Preliminary Nominee 2012-13

Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians / 96 pages

Graphic novel featuring Lunch Lady and Betty and Breakfast Bunch foiling a plot by the librarians to hijack the newest video game.  The librarians' weapons are books and the characters within.  The new video game is used in the library to entice the kids to read.

The Line / Teri Hall / 219 pages

Rachel lives with her mother on The Property owned by Elizabeth Moore.  The good thing about living there is that it's far from the city, where the oppressive government is most active.  The bad thing, at least to most people, is that it's close to The Line - an uncrossable section of the National Border Defense System, an invisible barrier that encloses the entire country.  She can see The Line from the orchid greenhouse, but she has been forbidden to go near it.  Across The Line is Away - a section of the United States cut apart from the rest when The Line was established and war erupted.  Rachel's dad, Daniel, was killed in the war...or was he?  Rachel finds a corder and is determined to help the people who sent the message encripted on it.

Post-apocalyptic novel for YA's.
Truman Award Preliminary Nominee 2012-13

Mistwood / Leah Cypress / 304 pages

Isabel is the Shifter ( a shape shifter).  She is captured in Mistwood, her home, braceleted, and told that it is her duty and her destiny to protect Rokan, the prince, soon to be king of Samorna.  His father, a cruel king and usurper of the throne, had spelled out his weakness many time:  He cared too deeply, wanted too much, acted too quickly when emotions were involved..."  His father had drilled into him the harsh reality that being a good man and being a good king were two separate, opposite things.  Isabel is not the Shifter Rokan believes her to be.  She cannot shift at will and feels human emotions.  She discovers that Kaer, the rightful heir to the throne still lives and so it becomes her duty to protect him over Rokan.  Great suspense, great themes - responsibility, honor, duty, and surprising plot twists make this an awesome read.

"People did fight who lived in castles...not with fists and feet and claws, but with words, whispers, and influence."

Gateway Award Preliminary Nominee 2012-13

Revolution / Jennifer Donnelly / 471 pages

Andi is struggling with her brother Truman's death...as is her mother.  Her father has moved out, and on, but he returns to intervene in their recovery.  Andi is taking anti-depressants - often and too many and blames herself for Truman's death.  Her mother is hospitalized in a recovery program as her husband believes her mind has snapped.  She only wants to paint.  Andi's father takes her to Paris where he, as a Noble Prize-winning scientist, has been asked to do DNA testing on a preserved heart believed to belong to young Louis XVII.  Andi finds a diary and a portrait of the heir apparent in a secret compartment in a guitar case.  Exchanging places with the Green Man - Alex, Andi continues the Revolution.

Great information on the French Revolution and music and composers can be found in this captivating YA novel.

Gateway Preliminary Nominee 2012-13

A Turn in the Road/Debbie Macomber/333 pgs.

I'm normally a big fan of Debbie Macomber, but this book was definitely not one of my favorites. Ruth Hamlin wants to drive from the state of Washington to Florida for her 50th high school reunion. She's willing to go alone, but since no one thinks this is a great idea, Ruth's former daughter-in-law, Bethanne, and her daughter, Annie, decide to road trip it with her. Along the way, Bethanne meets a "biker," Max, who she is immediately attracted to, while her ex-husband, Grant, is trying to win her back. Should she try to get back together with Grant, or go for "biker" Max--who, of course, is not a real biker. My ultimate thought--who cares? Annie is a whiner, and Grandma Ruth reunites with her high school sweetheart. Shoot me now!

The Maze Runner/James Dashner/375 pgs.

Until the arrival of "Thomas," teenage boys are being "dropped" into a box ultimately ending up in the Glade--a large area enclosed by stone walls. This has occurred on a monthly basis for a few years, but the day after Thomas's arrival, a girl arrives--Teresa. Did I mention that during the day, "doors" open up leading to a maze--inhabited by the Grievers? Also, the teenagers enter the Glade only knowing their first names. Why the "Gladers" are there, and how they propose to escape the maze, makes for nonstop action, and a very fast read. This book is followed by the "sequel" The Scorch Trials, with a third book scheduled to come out next month.

Faithful Place / Tana French 400 p.

Detective Frank Mackey returns unwillingly to his home after 22 years of self-imposed exile when his long lost, love, Rosie Daly's suitcase turns up in an abandoned home, the only remnant of their plan to run away together to London. In this third novel featuring the Dublin Murder Squad, Frank investigation is wound tightly around his dysfunctional family, friends and neighbors of Faithful Place, Dublin, Ireland. Mackey reveals all the happenings of the neighborhood. Everyone from that time has secrets drudged up as the pieces slowly fall into place. Language alert. For those readers who enjoy all the details of relationships.

Anthony Award Nominee

Loving Jack/Nora Roberts/296 pgs

This is book 1 of a 2 title series. In this one, we meet Jack (Jacqueline) McNamara who is subletting her dream house from her cousin in order to write her first novel. What she doesn't know is that her cousin was only house sitting and the owner, Nathan Powell, is on his way home. Of course, sparks start to fly but they make an arrangement where she can stay for 1 month and will cook for him. This is your typical romance, but if you are looking for just a mindless good romantic story, this book is for you.

The Search for WondLa / Tony DiTerlizzi / 477 pages

There aren't many good science fiction books for kids and I'm glad to say that this one is a great science fiction story. Eva Nine lives underground with her robot muthr. She longs to meet other humans but has never been on the surface of the planet. Chaos ensues when a brutal hunter blasts into her sanctuary and she must escape. Readers will be fascinated by the unusual creatures that Eva meets and hooked by what happens to Eva as she searches for other humans. The book while very long, will keep the attention of good middle grade readers. It's very thought-provoking too. The illustrations by DiTerlizzi are unique, fabulous and integral to the book. Hope the 2nd book comes along soon as you are left hanging at the end of the 1st book.

One False Note / Gordon Korman / 174 pages

Second book in the 39 Clues series. Each book in the series is written by a different author but uses all of the same characters and plotline. Each of the authors in the series knows how to write books that will hook readers. One False Note uses information about Mozart and his sister to help solve a clue. There's plenty of action, despicable characters and sibling rivalry. I can see why these books are never on the shelf at the library!

Maze of Bones / Rick Riordan / 220 pages

First in the hugely popular 39 Clues series. Listened to this one on CD and loved it, loved it, loved it. Got a reluctant boy reader in your family? Hand them this book. Dan and Amy Cahill must compete with other Cahill family members to solve 39 clues that will bring the winner world power. Riordan is soooo clever. He fits in historical characters and details that will get kids reading about Benjamin Franklin. This is all action, suspense, and puzzle solving. Don't start the series because you'll have to read them all....

A Turn in the Road / Debbie Macomber / 333 pages

Three generations of women (mom, daughter, and ex mother-in-law) set off on a road trip from Seattle to Florida. Each of the characters has issues with men in their lives. Each resolves those issues and lives happily ever after of course. Good chick lit. Warm female friendships.

Zita the Spacegirl / Ben Hatke / 183 pages

Graphic novel for kids. Zita risks everything to save her friend who is taken to another planet because of Zita's actions. Great story. Interesting creatures. It reads like Zita may have more upcoming adventures. Girls and boys would enjoy this one.

Live to Tell / Lisa Gardner / 388 pages

Detective D. D. Warren solves another mystery. This one involves psychotic children, survivor issues, and D. D.s ticking biological clock. Very intense. Scary. Told from aspects of three characters and each of their stories come together in the end.

61 Hours / Lee Child / 383 pages

Listened to this one on cd and it was chilling. First Jack Reacher book I've read and now I feel the need to go back and start from #1. Very suspenseful. Leaves you hanging.

The Art of Forgetting/Camile Noe Pagan/284 pages

Marissa and Julia have been friends since high school and are living out their dreams (well, almost) in New York. When Julia is hit by a cab and suffers severe head trauma, her life changes, but Marissa's does too. Julia moves back to the Midwest so her parents can care for her leaving Marissa to re-examine her life without Julia as a focal point.

Another "memory" book but still different from the rest. Good story.

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter/Tom Franklin/274 pgs

Larry Ott had been accused of kidnapping and maybe the murder of a neighbor girl while he was still in high school. But because the body was never found he was never charged with any crime except in the minds of the people in his home town. Now another girl is missing and he is a suspect in this crime, but before anything can be done he is shot. His childhood friend and the new constable, Silas Jones is trying to find out what happened. Silas and Larry were friends one summer - this is important because Larry is white and Silas is black and this is Mississippi in the 70s. You can figure out part of the story right away but there are some twists at the end.

The Shelockian / Graham Moore / 589 pgs

When literary researcher Harold White is inducted into the preeminent Sherlock Holmes enthusiast society, he never imagines he's about to be thrust onto the hunt for Arthur Conan Doyle's missing diary. But after a Doylean scholar is murdered, it is Harold who takes up the search, both for the diary and for the killer.

For the life of me I cannot remember if I actually have ever read any Sherlock Holmes stories. Many titles are listed in this work and I vaguely recall certain story lines...I must have been brought up on all the TV shows and movies. I like the way the author ties in the turn of the century advancement from gas lamps to electric lighting in London....and how there may have been so much more intrigue and mystery in the past (shadowy features of gas lamps) as opposed to the almost overexposed facts, etc. (bright electric lighting) our technology offers us now. I like historical fiction. Read it!

Faithful Place / Tana French / 679 pgs

The story is set in Dublin, Ireland. Young Frank plans to run away with his girlfriend to London in the hopes of escaping poverty and a horrible family life. Rosie, his girlfriend fails to join him. He decides to leave anyways. His life takes a turn he never imagined it would.

More than 20 years later he discovers evidence of foul play from that fateful night. He winds up back home trying to make sense of relationships, both of friends and family members. It took a chapter or two to get my mind wrapped around the language but from then on.....I could almost hear the voices and picture the characters. I liked it.

Midnight Crystal/Jayne Castle/406 pgs

"Midnight Crystal" is the ninth title in the Arcane Society series. This one takes place in the future in the world of Harmony. The new head of Jones and Jones - Marlowe Jones meets the new head of the local Ghost Hunter Guild, Adam Winters. He is looking for the Burning Lamp because he believes that he is the next victim of the Winters curse. Plus he believes that the power of the lamp will help save the underworld. Together they find the lamp and save the underworld but they also discover the secret of the Midnight Crystal. I really liked this one - the world of Harmony is very different and the author's descriptions of it make it very believable.

Now You See Her/James Patterson/ 383 pages

In Patterson's 40th book of the year (clearly I jest...), a woman has to confront her past and try to save an innocent man. If we purchase large print versions of his work, we are wasting our money. With short chapters, large margins, big print and even bigger chapter headings, every book is large print. All in all, a good story though.

Born to Rock/ Gordon Korman/ 261 pgs.

I thought it was time to read something by Gordon Korman (actually, listen to it on cd) since he is coming to the Library District. What a fun book! I don't generally choose "guy" books, but this was really entertaining.
I was hooked right from the beginning wondering how the president of the Young Republicans Club was going to end up with a punk rock band. It was well done. Even the promised cavity search. Korman also offers a small look into the life of a "roadie" that travels with a rock band. I am much happier reading about it.
He ties the book together at the end with a great ending. I reluctant reader might actually read this, especially if he likes heavy metal or goth.

Justice/Karen Robards/342 pgs

This is the sequel to "Pursuit". Jessica is now in a sort of Witness Protection but unfortunately her secret is about to come out. She is the lawyer on a high profile case and now seems to be a target for murder again. Not sure if it has to do with the murder of the First Lady. Mark Ryan is back in her life - trying to protect her again. Once again, the close quarters is making those feelings about Mark, that Jessica had been trying to bury, surface. Another good story - could there be a third? Will have to wait and see

Pursuit/Karen Robards/369 pgs

Jessica Ford is a up and coming young lawyer who is called in the middle of the night by her boss to pick up the First Lady. After she gets to the hotel where the First Lady is hiding, she is then taken in a car and the next thing she remembers she is in the hospital - the only survivor of an accident which killed the First Lady and 2 other people. She is then on the run for her life with Mark Ryan, the Secret Service agent on the First Lady's detail. Of course they fall in love as they are trying to find out what really happened that night. Good story and prequel to "Justice" - which just came out in July.

Shelter/Harlan Coben/304 pages

Shelter is Coben's foray into Young Adult fiction. Lucky teens! Mickey Bolitar, Myron's nephew who was introduced in Live Wire, lives with his uncle but doesn't have much contact with him. He's starting a new high school and trying to fit in. When his almost girlfriend goes missing, he and his small band of outcasts try to find out where she went. Of course, it's a Harlan Coben story, so expect the unexpected.

The Ideal Man/Julie Garwood/322 pgs.

Other than the lame title, Julie Garwood has written another enjoyable romantic suspense novel. Dr. Ellie Sullivan has witnessed an attempted murder, and is under the protection of FBI agent Max Daniels. If that isn't enough, Ellie is also on the radar of Evan Patterson--a stalker who attempted to kill her years ago!

Split Second/ Catherine Coulter/419 pages

The next in the the FBI Thriller series. The team finds out early on who the killer is, so the goal is finding the killer before someone else dies. A secondary story involves a team member and a family secret.

The Help / Kathryn Stockett / 451 Pages

This was an excellent book, one of those where you want to get to the end so you know what happens, but at the same time you don't want it to end.  I really don't know what to say about it without giving the story away.  The characters were well-developed and the story was believable.  Now I want to go see the movie!

Standing in the Rainbow/Fannie Flagg/548 pgs.

Years ago I read Fannie Flagg's Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, and thoroughly enjoyed it; I can unequivocally say the same for this book! Flagg introduces the reader to the residents of Elmwood Springs, a small town in southern Missouri. From the 1940s through the 1990s, the reader follows the residents in all aspects of their lives. There is humor, sadness, anger, etc--emotions all of us have experienced. This is our September book club read, and one that I am looking forward to discussing!

City of Fallen Angels / Cassandra Clare / 424p

The war is over but, as usual, all is not right and well for the Shadowhunters, vampires, and werewolves in book 4 of The Mortal Instruments series.  Simon is dealing with secretly dating two girls, being kicked out of his house, being attacked by mysterious men in grey hoods, and, most importantly, dealing with the Mark of Cain and all that it entails.  Jace is having dreams of killing Clary so he's scared to death of being around her.  And Clary is stressing over the fact that Jace is avoiding her.  Not to mention a blast from the past is suddenly back in Maia's life.  All with a background of fighting an evil demon doing something evil and a evil vampire who might not be as evil as originally thought, the book reads similarly to the first three - if you enjoyed those, you'll enjoy this one.  Be forewarned, it ends with a serious cliffhanger!

I listened to the audiobook of this read by Ed Westwick (of Gossip Girl fame) and Molly C. Quinn (of Castle fame) and they both did a fantastic job - a rare statement coming from me when reviewing audiobooks...

Blood Red Road / Moira Young / 459p

  Saba lives in Silverlake, a draught ridden area filled with dust storms and scarce food options.  She lives there with her twin brother, Lugh, her little sister, Emmi, and her father who can read the future through the stars.  Suddenly, a quick dust storm turns out to be a group of riders who kill her father and kidnap her brother.  Saba embarks on a journey through harsh landscape and dangerous characters in trying to find and rescue her beloved brother.

Promoted as, you guessed it, a new Hunger Games, Blood Red Road was a solid and entertaining story.  The dialect (dropping all g's, using "afeared" instead of afraid, etc) and dialogue (no quotation marks, ever...) were hard to get through in the beginning, but once you get used to it, it flows pretty well.

A reasonable recommendation for teen readers looking for their next dystopian fix.

Snow Angels / James Thompson 264 p.

Fast-paced mystery centers on Inspector Kari Vaara as he investigates a most horrific murder of a beautiful Somali immigrant. Vaara fears the sadistic killing may be a hate crime. A quick arrest seems eminent but as the body count rises, Vaara finds more suspects in this intricate plot. Thompson realistically describes Lapland during kaamos – two weeks of complete darkness and the depth of winter with this effect on people. This is a very difficult mystery to read due to the very detailed graphic account of this gruesome killing and others. '
Not a read for the faint of heart.
A debut book worthy of its Anthony Award nominee.
Lucifer’s Tears, a 2nd Inspector Vaara mystery, is already out.

Available as a book, large print book and audiobook

The Burning Lamp/Amanda Quick/340 pgs

This is the second book in the Dreamlight Trilogy of the Arcane House series. This is the story of Adelaide Pyne, a dreamlight worker and Griffin Winters, descendant of Nicholas Winters who is afraid that he has inherited the Winters curse and is also a major crime lord in London. He finds Adelaide and discovers that she also has possession of the Burning Lamp. They work the lamp to help save Griffin from the curse and then have to save each other from others who are after the lamp and Adelaide. Very good read and now on to book 3 - "Midnight Crystal"

Eclipse Bay / Jayne Ann Krentz 346 p.

Hannah Harte and Rafe Madison find themselves part of an aunt’s plot to halt the Hatfield and McCoy’s type of feud between their families. This romantic suspense has both inheriting half of the same property with similar designs to develop it into an inn and/or restaurant. An 8 year-old mysterious death comes back to haunt them – Hannah gave Rafe an iron-clad alibi for the death of his former girlfriend. Looking to solve the mystery gives the pair time to get ‘involved’. 1st of a trilogy. May be useful for readers of Nora Roberts and Jennifer Crusie.

Search out this now

Charming Grace / Deborah Smith 371 p.

Young widow Grace Vance crusades to stop a true life and death film of the life of her husband who died stopping the Turn-Key Bomber. Action-adventure star Stone Senterra uses this as his directing debut in a dramatic film. His roots take over and the film becomes a bad action/adventure film. Grace is aided and abetted by a host of eccentric characters: Harp’s niece, her grandmother, and Boone ex-con Noleene. Stone’s half-sister Diamond is quite the thug when she feels Stone needs protection. Stir in Boone soon to be ex-con brother and the plot is full of twists. Smith makes it work. This contemporary romance may be enjoyed by Susan Elizabeth Phillips fans as they wait for her latest.

Ready to grab this one

What I Did For Love / Susan Elizabeth Phillips 416 p.

Two teen idols whose highly successful series went off the air due to bad boy behavior by Bram Shepherd find themselves accidentally married after a night in Vegas. Georgie York’s career can’t take more bad publicity (her husband dumped her for his current co-star); and, Bram is looking to breathe life into his. So they agree to stick with it for 6 months. Phillips combines snappy witty dialogue with believable situations.

Get this from the library now

Dick Francis's Gamble / Felix Francis 519 p.

Nicholas "Foxy" Foxton, a former jockey, is out for the day at the Grand National races when his co-worker, Herb Kovak, is shot right in front of him. He and his friend are both independent financial advisors for Lyall & Black. Unravelling Kovak's death reveals depths of Kovak which makes Foxton wonder just how much did he know this American. As with Francis he loads lots of detail about the world of high finance into the mystery. This may be useful for readers who prefer less blood letting in their fast paced mysteries.

Request this title

second messiah/ Glenn Meade/ 479 pages

This was an exciting, easy to read book that kept me turning the pages. Meade writes short chapters, but each chapter leaves you hanging for the next detail. I couldn't quit turning the page.

The story involves archaeology, dead sea scrolls, the Vatican, religion, and conspiracy. What's not to like? You also didn't need to know as much as you do for the Da Vinci Code. I liked the characters better too.

The Apprentice/Tess Gerritsen/376 pgs

The second in the Rizzoli & Isles series. We meet Isles for the first time. She is to replace the Medical Examiner from the first novel. Be forewarned: in the book she is called the Queen of the Dead and is almost silent in her opinions. Direct difference from the TV show. Once again there seems to be a serial killer loose in Boston. Rizzoli is back from her confrontation in the last book and hasn't yet recovered from that ordeal. Now she begins seeing parallels from the previous killer to this one and then the FBI shows up and begins withholding information. Her police team thinks she has gone off the deep end and the staff criminal psychologist begins to voice his concerns about a long break. With all this going on around her it is a wonder a string of murders ever gets solved. This one isn't for the faint of heart. What the serial killer does to some of his victims just isn't easy to read. I was disappointed Gerritsen followed up the previous book so soon. I was hoping for something a little different. I think the police deal with more than murder. But yes, I have found the third book to read. Must the writing.

The Surgeon/Tess Gerritsen/359 pgs

I have been aware of this series for a while. I wasn't all that interested to read yet another book about a serial killer and the police who finally track him down. Then I caught an episode of Rizzoli and Isles on TNT. I was intrigued by the snappy writing and the plot that wasn't too predictable. So I decided to take a chance. I have to tell you after finishing this I had to double check all the closets in the house and asked my husband to take a look in the basement. This one got to me. We meet Jane Rizzoli for the first time. She isn't a looker like Angie Harmon is on the show but the book Rizzoli has guts and brains and a giant chip on her shoulder. In some instances there is good reason but sometimes it got a little old. The Surgeon is the name of a man who likes to fantasize about what he would do to women and then acts it out. Rizzoli becomes obsessed with finding this guy and stopping him at all costs. And it nearly does. She loses her partner, she loses her job and is 'benched' and then nearly her life. I couldn't stop reading this. In fact I should have been reading a book club suggestion and almost didn't make it! This is the first book in the ongoing series.

Alice I Have Been / Melanie Benjamin / 351 p.

Alice Liddell will always been known as the basis for the book character "Alice" in Alice in Wonderland.  This book, however, focuses on the "real" Alice and her life story; from her childhood in Oxford where she was friends with Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) to her adult life with her husband and three sons.  Author Melanie Benjamin does an excellent job of creating a fictionalized account of Alice Liddell's real life, especially when she only had a few actual facts to go on.    A quick read through Wikipedia shows that the author covers all of the major events in Alice's life that are historically known.   The author also keeps Alice's and Mr. Dodgson's relationship a bit muddled; was it innocent? inappropriate?  Since the families never discussed it publicly the world will never know; but I think the author does a good job laying out the facts and letting the audience draw their own conclusions.   

Chocolate Chocolate : -- a true story of two sisters, tons of treats, and the little chocolate shop that could/Frances & Ginger Park/274 pgs

The title says it all - this is a story about 2 sisters who decide to live their dream and open a chocolate shop in Washington DC. It goes into the problems they had starting it and a lot about their customers who become friends and part of the family. It also goes into their private lives - their loves and losses. It is a very good book and you will love the names of the chapters - they are all different types of chocolates.

The Dirty Secrets Club/Meg Gardiner/355 pgs

The Dirty Secrets Club was a group of very rich and powerful people who got together and told their deep dark secrets to each other. Now someone is causing them to kill themselves. Forensic psychiatrist Jo Beckett has been hired by SFPD to find out if one of the victims really killed herself or was there something else going on. This is the first book in a series starring Jo Beckett and I did enjoy it so will have to add this series to my list to read.

Maine/J. Courtney Sullivan/388 pages

The Kellehers are a lucky lot. They have a beach front house to go to every summer from Boston. Too bad that for the most part, the siblings and their families don't get along. Every one has a different take on every perceived wrong. Told from different viewpoints (only the women, no men), everyone reveals secrets and past indiscretions. When several members of the family end up at the property at one time, the matriarch's final secret is revealed along with some of the others current secrets.

I've spent some time in Maine and have visited several of the towns mentioned. I enjoyed it, and don't let the length fool you. It was a fast read.

The Help/ Kathrynn Stockett/ 530 pages

I read this book in 3 days, because I have a friend in town from FL that suggest we go see it. I did not want to see it before I read it. Now, I'm prepared and eager. It was a fantastic book. One of those where you want to hear more about the characters. But, most people know it's the story of African American maids in Jackson, MI, in the 1960s and what their life was like. But, it is told from the perspective of Aibileen (a reserved maid), Minny (an outspoken maid), and Skeeter, a socialite not content with the way things are in Jackson. There are wonderful characters and characters that you really want to see get whats coming to them. I'd love to say more, but I don't want to give too much away.

The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb/ Melanie Benjamin/ 421 pages

This is the fictionalize autobiography of the real Mrs. Tom Thumb--Vinnie Stratton. I had never heard of Mr. & Mrs. Stratton before. But, I have since looked them up on the internet. What a fancinating life--circuses floating on the Mississippi and working with P.T. Barnum. Of course, it's not always a happy story. There are limitations and prejudices with being so small. But, Vinnie is a wonderful and often funny narrator. I love her spunk and her intelligence. I think this is a book to recommend to anyone that liked "Water for Elephants".

The Colorado Kid/ Stephen King/ 184 pages

What I like least about this book is that the cover seems to have absolutely nothing to do with the story. That said, it was a good story. The Colorado Kid was found murdered on a beach in Maine and now 15? years later, two town reporters are still hoping they can be the ones to uncover the secret of who murdered him. There is no new evidence, but they do have a recent graduate joining their team, maybe she can shed some light on the mystery.

The Outsiders/ S.E. Hinton/ 180 pages

This is the story of Ponyboy and his gang and especially, Johnny, who has been kicked around by his father all his life. The story is timeless and sad and wonderful. It has the theme of many books--people from all walks of life are similar. We all see the same sun set. I especially love that this is the favorite book of several of my teens in book club!

American Heiress/ Daisy Goodwin/ 465 pages

I loved this book. I'm not a big romance reader, but this was historical romance. But, this is the story of Cora, an american heiress, going to Englad to find herself a title. The one thing her money can not buy. She meets a duke and marries him quickly--she thinks for love. But, he has secrets... I liked that the story included also the life & love of her maid. I like that you never really know what you want to think about Cora or the Duke. And Cora's mother is quite the firecracker--right from the beginning!

Castle Waiting/ Linda Medley/ 457 pages

My review disappeared!!! But, it was not a great book. I was thrown off by the first chapter--I expected a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, but that never happened. I just remember lots of stories with Bearded ladies...

Death Note Vol 6: Give & Take/ Tsugumi Ohba/ 216 pages

Sadly, I read this book about 3 weeks ago and I don't remember much of the details, but I think this is when Light finally zero's in on the bad guy with his "girlfriend's" help. I had thought that I would still keep reading, just to find out if Light ever gets caught or redeems himself, but it's been 3 weeks now and I don't really miss him...

The Sinner/Tess Gerritsen/342 pgs

This is the third title in the Rizzoli and Isles series. Rizzoli and Isles are called to a convent to investigate what looks like a double murder - 2 of the sisters of the convent. Further investigation shows that the younger nun had recently given birth. But nothing is what it seems. Meanwhile, Jane has a problem of her own and is not sure how she is going to handle it. A very good read.

Before I Go To Sleep/S.J. Watson/ 358 pages

Every morning when Christine wakes up, she has no memory of the day or year or decade before. Her husband must remind her who he is and who she is and how she got to be this way. The only truth she knows is what he tells her. A doctor is working with her to help her learn how to live with her disability and maybe even help her regain some of her memory.

This must be the year of the "memory story." Vampires for the teens and young adults and people with impaired memories for us, uh, more mature readers. Overall, I enjoyed this, but I am ready for something different.

Only Mine/Susan Mallery/379 pgs.

This is another addition to Susan Mallery's "Fool's Gold" series. This series is similar in style to Debbie Macomber's--small town, everyone knows everyone, and there's always a budding romance. Mallery's characters are likable, and her books are a light, entertaining read.

Blog Updated!

Hey! Is this dog Freaky or what?!

Hey all, great job this month.  This is just a little note to let you all know that I have posted this month's reading challenge, the final Aug Statistics, and last month's winner. 

Also, I started a little trash talking over at the Missouri Book Challenge Blog; because I really just cannot keep my mouth shut.  ;)

The Light Bringer/ DiGiuseppi & Force/ 323 pgs.

Police officer Alan Crane finds that he is at the scene of people's deaths more than most. He has a definite gift for comforting the survivors. He finds he is recruited by a mysterious Lt. Simmons for a special task force. Just how special forms the plot of this fantasy novel. He is to help people who just died to "go to the light:" In this book, the journey can be long or short depending on the person's life.

It also involves the "other side" where the battle between good and evil continues. Compare this book with other "other side" books or books about heaven.

Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making / Catherynne Valente /247 pages

This is a very special book. It reminds me of Alice in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz, Phantom Tollbooth, and fairy tales in general yet the book is unique and supreme in its own right. The language and imagery are sooooo rich, the plot is wondrous, and the characters are real. This would make an awesome book discussion title for upper elementary or middle school. Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland will not appeal to all readers. You need to find the special reader who likes meaty fantasy that they can sink their teeth into.