Natural Born Charmer / Susan Elizabeth Phillips / 394 pages

This is a fun, almost too predictable read.  Blue's mother is a famous philanthropist who is too busy with her causes to give her daughter her time and attention.  Blue Bailey is a would be artist who accepts a ride, dressed in a beaver suit, from Chicago Stars quarterback Dean Robillard.  They travel across country to Dean's country home which is currently being renovated by none other than April, Dean's estranged mother.  Also arriving at the house, is Jack, a charismatic rock star and Dean's dad, and Dean's eleven year old half sister.  Add to this eclectic mix a old woman who holds the town's fate in her hands and you have the makings of a humorous, slightly unbelievable, happily ever after tale.

Into the Darkest Corner / Elizabeth Haynes / 400 pages / August Challenge - Europe, Great Britain

Although this book was a tad confusing at the beginning with its flip flopping between two different time periods, it was an indescribably captivating, edge-of-the-seat, page-turner.  Catherine Bailey had met a mysterious police officer, Lee Brightman, who seemed too perfect to be true.  He almost kills her.  Years later she meets Stuart Richardson who understands her COD and is ultimately her savior.

Fifty Shades of Grey / E. L. James / 716 pages

Who would have thought to use pseudo multiple personalities as a literary device?  E. L. James does in her 50 Shades trilogy.  Young, naive Anastasia Steele, a literature student about to graduate college, is asked by her roommate and best friend, Kate, to interview a wealthy CEO for the school newspaper.  Kate has the flu, but has scripted the interview.  Ana finds Christian Grey to be domineering, a control freak, and quite handsome.  She is drawn into his unusual sex world, and her reactions to him and his world are recorded through her own thoughts, her subconscious thoughts, and her inner goddess - apparently a sex maniac.  Although this literary device is amusing, the book has been described as soft porn.  Although I don't know if this is an accurate assessment , it is far, far too graphic...is depraved too strong a word ?!

The Help / Kathryn Stockett / 721 pages / August Challenge - North America

This is an excellent, heartbreaking account of race relations in the 1960's United States as told through the eyes of the help - the maids hired by wealthy families in the South to care for their homes and their children.  Young Eugenia (Skeeter) wants to be an author and she embarks on writing articles of advice on household maintenance even though she knows nothing about this.  She must rely on the knowledge of a maid to answer questions posed to the column.  She also undertakes the process of interviewing maids on their life and experiences serving the white folk of the South after being the go ahead by a New York publisher.  This cautionary tale, encourages all to view, treat, and respect people as people, regardless of color...also...watch out for chocolate pie.

On the Blue Comet / Rosemary Wells / 329 pages

Wow! This book is quite literally a ride - on the Blue Comet.  Rosemary Wells, noted for her children's books featuring Yoko and Max, has written an excellent, imaginative tale dealing with time travel, trains, the Great Depression, and World War II.  Within the pages of this awesome read, we meet John Wayne, Alfred Hitchcock, Joan Crawford, Joe and John Kennedy, etc. as real characters not merely mentionables.  This is a great adventure starring Oscar, a boy who rises above seemingly insurmountable odds to right the wrongs of the past...and the future.

The Risk Agent / Ridley Pearson / 420 pages

Ohhhh  yes, Ridley Pearson is the master of intricate plotting with plenty 'o twists & turns.  In Risk Agent, he introduces two new characters, John Knox (exporter, true blue, clever & violent) and Grace Chu (forensic accountant and former Red Army) and kicks off a new series of books.  Pearson spent a year with his family teaching writing in Shanghai and apparently he left no stone unturned when it came to understanding politics, police, culture, corruption, construction and day-to-day life in Shanghai.  20 million people in a city and face recognition technology so sophisticated that you can't go anywhere without being on camera.  The story is great, the plot is great, the characters are winners...so read it already.

Stone Cold/ Robert Parker/ 218 pages

Jesse Stone is back for another adventure. This time he is trying to figure out who is killing random people with two gun shots to the chest. The evidence points to a team, but they are smart and leave little evidence. When they kill someone close to Jesse, it becomes personal. Jesse is also trying to find justice for a teenaged girl who was gang raped by three classmates. As always, his relationship with his ex-wife is part of the story.

I enjoy the Jesse Stone series for the actual crime and the police work. His character is somewhat annoying with his Gary Cooperish dialogue, but I can overlook that as well. But his relationship with his ex-wife really bothers me. He should have kicked her to the curb a long time ago. In this book, he seems to be realizing that she just uses him, but then he backslides once again. On another note, this is the third book in a row that I've read that deals with the rape of a young girl. I need to choose my next book carefully. I don't want to extend my streak.

Have a New You by Friday / Kevin Leman / 247 pgs.

This is a very quick read.  You are suppose to read a section a day and use the exercises to help you think about why you do the things you do.  Then by Friday you are given some suggestions on how to change your thinking and behavior.  This book was so groundbreaking and overwhelmingly useful that I cannot even remember any of the helpful tips on how to change my behavior *insert sarcastic look here*.  Basically, the things Dr. Leman says I have heard before from various other self-help books (Phil McGraw, Stephen Covey, etc.).  Also, the author uses so many anecdotal stories about famous people like Oprah & Jim Carey that some chapters get a bit repetitive.  Plus, since this author goes on self-help speaking tours and has other books with the titles: "Have a new kid by Friday", "Have a New Teenager by Friday" and "Have a New Husband by Friday"; I bet he repeats these stories and his material over and over without adding much new content. 

Th1rteen R3asons Why/ Jay Asher/ 288 pages

Clay Jensen finds a package on his front porch. When he opens it, he discovers seven cassettes tapes. He's startled to discover that Hannah Baker, his secret crush, had recorded the tapes. Hannah had just committed suicide a couple of weeks before. On the tapes, Hannah claims to explain the 13 reasons why she did what she did, and if you are listening to the tapes, then you have played a part. Clay can't imagine what he might have done since he had worshiped Hannah from afar and had very little direct contact with her. He listens to the tapes and learns what Hannah's life had been.

 Another heavy duty young adult selection. It shows how perceptions are different depending on what side you are on. High school seems to be a virtual war zone these days. I'm so glad to be past that.

Pieces of Us/Margie Gelbwasser/323 pages

Alex and Kyle are brothers who visit their Russian grandparents in the Catskills every summer. Katie and Julie are sisters who also visit their own Russian grandparents right next door. The summers are so far removed from their "real" lives during the school year that they even go by their Russian names. They have known each other forever, but as they grow up, their relationships change with Alex and Katie becoming a summer-only romance. Julie would like the same with Kyle, but he is resistant to the idea. Their lives back home are very different with Alex being an angry and abusive young man toward his brother, his mother and every girl who crosses his path. Katie's life is changed when she gets drunk at a party and suffers a humiliating attack.

This was a disturbing look at two dysfunctional families and how they treat each other. Young adult fiction may be too much for me!

Pirates Past Noon/Mary Pope Osborne/80 pages

Jack and Annie end up on a beach that Pirates land on in search of buried treasures. Will they escape? Oh the drama!

Glory in Death/JD Robb/320 pages

Darn you Kathy @ GA for getting me hooked on a new series...In the second book Eve has to find a serial killer who is killing high profile women. She follows a few false leads but gets her man at the end. Along the way she breaks up with Roarke and (tries) to use herself as bait. I am really enjoying these but wish the future was more fuuristic and that Eve's past wasn't quite so creepy.

Naked in Death/ JD Robb/314 pages

I will admit that I was avoiding this series since Robb is really Nora Roberts and I am not a fan of Roberts. But Kathy at GA said it was good so...And it was. Eve Dallas is a strong woman and after reading that horrible 50 Shades it was nice to read something where a woman can fall for a man and not be an idiot. It was written in the late 90s and set in 2058. Robb's "futuristic" setting isn't that futuristic anymore but they do have flying cars. Definitely going to keep reading this series.

Insurgent/Veronica Roth/544 pages

This is such a great series. I couldn't wait to get my hands on this after finishing Divergent. The plot twists and turns and goes places you don't expect. The characters continue to develop and the cliffhanger ending will leaving you wanting more. The tone is darker here than in Divergent, but there always seems to be light at the end of the tunnel. My one disappointment is that Roth may have enjoyed City of Ember too much.

Fire/Kristin Cashore/480 pages

Against my better judgment I decided to read the second book in the Graceling series. First, this is not a sequel, it's a companion to Graceling. Second, it's not any better. I think my problem is that the writing seems juvenile compared to other YA series like Divergent or Hunger Games. I will say that the plot here was better. But it was just as contrived and still not developed enough. I will not read Bitterblue. I will not read Bitterblue. I will not read Bitterblue. Okay, I probably will...

Death and Judgment/Donna Leon/ 304 pages

If you have never read the Commissario Guido Brunetti series of mysteries you really should check them out. Leon is a terrific writer and she has created a fully developed character in Guido. He is both a police commissioner and a family man and in each title you see how those world tear at him from many directions. He is by no means perfect and you love him for his flaws as well. And the Venice setting is incredible. In this third book in the series Guido tries to solve the murder of a high profile attorney and the case takes many unexpected twists and turns. I can't wait to read the next one.

Spell Bound/Rachel Hawkins/336 pages

This is a great series and this was a great end to it. Sophie is a great, character, perhaps a little too snarky. And I love Cal. The students have been summoned back to Hex Hall but have lost all their powers. Sophie and friends fight to stop the castoffs from turning everyone into demons. Of course they succeed, but there is a shock at the end.

Graceling/Kristin Cashore/480 pages

The premise of this series is really intriguing, but I found myself disappointed in this effort. The plot needed to be developed more. The characters are too two dimensional and concepts like the fact that Gracelings are feared are never fully explained. Katsa is a great character but she needs more substance. I know people who love this series but I am not sold.

Relaible Wife/Robert Goolrick/305 pages

I'm not really sure if I liked this book or not. It was very dark and at times the actions was slow, but you wanted to keep readinging. There are NO nice characters in this book either, which is depressing as well. It would be a great Book Club selection though and part of it does take place in St. louis.

Crossed/Ally Condie/367 pgs

This is book 2 of a trilogy. I was a little disappointed by Matched (book 1), it lacked the tension of say Hanger Games, but I enjoyed it enough to pick this one up. At the end of MAtched Ky, Cassia's "soul mate" has been sent to the Outer Provinces to basically die. Crossed picks up with Cassia working her way to the Outer Provinces to find and save him. I don't think it's a spoiler to say she finds him. This sequel was far better than its predecessor with real tension and action that moved quickly. I can't wait book #3