Evvie Drake Starts Over/ Linda Holmes/ 293 pgs

Evvie Drake has packed her bags and is headed to her car to leave her emotionally (and occasionally physically) abusive husband when she gets a phone call. Her husband has been in a car accident. By the time she gets to the hospital, he's dead. Evvie hadn't told anyone she was leaving her husband, a well-respected and much -loved local doctor. Fast forward a year and Evvie is still trying to get her life together, but keeping secrets from her father, her best friend, and her in-laws. But life goes on and she takes in a boarder, her friend's friend, a former baseball player who had to quit when he suddenly couldn't pitch anymore. Evvie and Dean become friends at first and are each trying to find their way back to life. This deals with some serious issues but also has some humor. It was a fun read, but it took Evvie a frustratingly long time get her act together.

A Piece of the World/ Christina Baker Kline/ 388 pgs

This was a book discussion read. One of Andrew Wyeth's most famous paintings in "Christina's World." Andrew spent some twenty years worth of summers painting at the Olsen house, where Christina and her brother lived. This story follows Christina's life. She was never diagnosed, but suffered from a muscular/nerve disease that crippled her hands, feet, and legs. Though her mobility was limited, she never let her disability get in the way of running the household or venturing outside, even if she had to crawl. This was a well written book about a subject that I didn't know much about and I found it very interesting, though some of the characters could be very frustrating. As real people are:-)

Christine/ Stephen King/ 640 pages/ Horror

            When Arnie and his friend Dennis are driving home one day they see a '58 Plymouth Fury for sale. Once Arnie sees the car he is in love and has to have it. Dennis (and everyone else in Arnie's life) doesn't have a good feeling about the car and tries to convince him otherwise but Arnie buys the car anyway. As time goes on Arnie begins changing. He's rude and lashes out more easily. He is constantly spending time with his car, Christine, "fixing her up" and although the car is improving no one ever sees him working on it. Arnie's mood continues to decline and as this goes on, many people that circle his life are being found dead.
           This was one of my favorite Stephen King's so far. I thought the characters were very well crafted and the town felt so real and easy to picture. This was one that I kinda rolled my eyes at thinking there was no way it was going to be scary, but it proved me wrong. There were times where I had to put the book down and step away because of gore or even just the descriptions of Christine and how alive she felt. Definitely left me spooked to walk across a parking lot alone at night. 

The Last House Guest/ Megan Miranda/ 343 pgs

This takes place on the coast of Maine, in a resort town that is one place in the summer when all the wealthy vacationers arrive, and another the rest of the year when just the locals are around. Every year at the end of summer, the young people throw a party. Avery, a local who now manages the rental properties of the Loman family, is the unofficial hostess. The party comes to a screeching halt, however, when her best friend, Sadie Loman, is found dead at the bottom of a cliff. The death is ruled a suicide. A year later, Avery is still feeling the loss of her friend when Sadie's brother Parker returns and weird things start happening around the rental properties. I loved the setting for this story and there are some twists that surprised me. Avery's character had an interesting background and her relationship to the townspeople and the vacationers was intriguing.

The River at Night/ Erica Ferencik/ 304 pgs

This story of 4 long-time female friends who decide to take a whitewater rafting trip in Maine starts out very slowly. Once the four inexperienced women arrive at their destination and meet their guide, however, the adventure begins. And really, though it's labeled a mystery/suspense, to me this was more action/adventure. Although it's a strange mix of action written in a very literary style. I found this distracting but others might not. This becomes a tale of survival and while I was on board for that, I was disappointed in the twist that occurred about 3/4 of the way through the story. Still, this was the worth the read for descriptions of the Maine wilderness alone.

Christmas Carol Murder/Leslie Meier/264 pages

Lucy Stone's Tinker's Cove is having a difficult time with the downturn in the economy. The Christmas season might not be so merry with many townspeople losing their homes to Downeast Mortgage, a locally owned company. When one of the partners of Downeast is killed by a mail bomb, some think he got what he deserved. Lucy's time is split between investigating who wanted him dead enough to act on it and practicing for her debut in The Christmas Carol.

A nice cozy mystery. Lucy Stone is very down-to-earth and easy to like.

Like the Willow Tree : the diary of Lydia Ame / Lois Lowry 216 p.

Only eleven-year old Lydia Pierce and her older brother Daniel survive the horrific flu epidemic of 1918 that took both their parents and baby sister in a matter of days.  Their grieving uncle takes them to be raised in the Shaker community at Sabbathday Lake near Portland, Maine.  In this installment of the Dear America series of diary novels, Lydia tells the story of their adapting to this new way of life.

2012 Notable Children's Books