Gwendy's Magic Feather / Richard Chizmar / 328 pages

This is the sequel to the book Stephen King and Richard Chizmar co-wrote, Gwendy's Button Box.  Gwendy Peterson is now thirty-seven years old and is a representative in the United States Congress.  She returns to office in Washington one day after a meeting and finds the mysterious button box of her childhood sitting on her desk.  The box was entrusted to her one summer by Richard Farris, a mysterious stranger.  The buttons if pressed could cause catastrophic events in any part of the world.  Gwendy takes the box home with her over the Christmas holidays.  The box has effects over her mother's battle with cancer and with the disappearance of three girls from the town.

The Shoemaker's Wife / Adriana Trigiani / 470 pages

This story is based on the author's grandmother.  The story begins in Italy in the early 1900s.  Enza is the oldest daughter of a large family.  Ciro is being raised with his older brother at a convent after their mother leaves them there when their father is killed in a mining accident in America.  Their mother is mentally unable to care for them.  Enza and Ciro meet when Ciro is hired to dig the grave of Enza's youngest sister who has died.  Shortly after this Ciro immigrates to the United States and becomes an apprentice to a shoemaker.  Later Enza and her father also immigrate to America to earn money to send home to the family to build their own home.  Ciro and Enza both end up in New York City and their paths cross several times, until at last after Ciro returns from fighting in World War I they get married.  From there they move to Minnesota to set up their own shoe business.  This was a beautiful story that does a good job telling the immigrant experience in the United State.

The Silent Patient / Alex Michaelides / 323 pages

Alicia Berenson is a famous painter married to a famous fashion photographer.  One evening her husband returns home late from work and Alicia shoots him five times in the face.  Police arrive to find her with the gun, but Alicia never speaks a word.  She refuses to talk or explain all through her trial.  She is found guilty and is put in a secure psychiatric unit in North London.  Over the years Alicia continues her silence and her art work increases in value.  Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who is fascinated by Alicia's case and when a position opens up at the facility that houses Alicia, Theo applies and is hired.  Thus, Theo sets out to try to get Alicia to talk.  The results of his efforts lead to unexpected consequences and takes the reader on a thrilling journey!

A Fatal Winter / G. M. Malliet / 364 pages

Max Tudor is the priest in the small English village of Nether Monkslip.  His former occupation was in the intelligence community and as a result the local police come to him to help investigate crimes.  In this story a bother and sister, Lord Footrustle and Lady Baynard,  living in nearby Chedrow Castle are found dead.  Max is called on to go to the castle and to interview the long-lost greedy relatives who have recently come to visit at the castle.  With the information he gathers he solves the mystery of who is responsible for the murders.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time / Mark Haddon / 226 pages

This book is about a mathematically gifted autistic boy, Christopher,  living in England.  The author tells the story from Christopher's point of view. Christopher's mother has left him and his father to live in London with another man.  She can no longer cope with raising an autistic child.  Christopher's father tells him his mother is sick in the hospital and then that she has died.  One day Christopher is in his neighbor's backyard and discovers that the neighbor's dog has been murdered.  Christopher sets out to be a detective and track down clues to solve the dog's murder.  In the process he stumbles on evidence that his father has lied to him about his mother and that she is living in London.  Angry with his father Christopher takes off on his own to London to find his mother.

Thriver / Mendel Rosenberg / 79 pages

What drew me to this book is that the author lived in St. Louis when he wrote this book.  Mendel Rosenberg lived with his family in Lithuania.  When the Germans invaded Lithuania in World War II the Rosenberg family was forced to move to the ghetto created for Jews in 1941.  Mendel was 14 years old at the time. Eventually the family is transferred to concentration camps.  Mendel's father, grandmother, and brother do not survive the war.  Only Mendel and his mother survive.  The author does a good job telling his story of his life surviving WW II and what he did after the war.

The Pink Suit / Nicole Mary Kelby / 280 pages

On November 22, 1963 President Kennedy and the First Lady travel to Dallas, Texas.  Mrs. Kennedy is dressed in the now iconic pink Chanel-style suit that was the President's favorite.  This novel tells a story of how that suit was created in the New York boutique Chez Ninon.  Kate is an Irish immigrant that works at the boutique and is charged with making this suit.  Although the two women never meet, Kate knows exactly how to make the suit to fit the First Lady.  The story shows how this famous suit also was a big part of Kate's life.

Escape From Paris / Stephen Harding / 206 pages

This is the true story of a small group of downed American aviators in World War II who are hidden and guided out of Nazi occupied France by the French resistance fighters.  The story specifically focuses on American Joe Cornwall and the daughter of the family sheltering him, Yvette Morin.  Yvette and her parents lived and worked at the Hotel des Invalides, a complex of buildings which includes the tomb of Napoleon.  The Morin family with the help of other resistance fighters were able to smuggle in , hide, and help downed Allied flyers escape Nazi France.  Joe Cornwall spent more time with the Morin family due to unexpected circumstances which allowed time for Yvette and Joe to fall in love.  By the time Joe is able to escape he and Yvette are engaged.  Shortly after Joe gets out of France Yvette and her parents are arrested by the Nazis for their resistance activities.  The book follows the story of what happened to Yvette and Joe during the rest of the war and after WWII ends.

The Bride Test / Helen Hoang / 296 pages

This is a light, humorous romance novel.  Esme Tran is a young mixed race Vietnamese woman working as a bathroom attendant at an upscale hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.  It is there that she meets Co Nga, a Vietnamese woman living in California who is in Viet Nam looking for a "mail order" bride for her son.  Co Nga convinces Esme to come to the United States to live with the son for the summer.  If the two are not married by the end of the summer, Esme will return home.  The son, Khai, is on the autism spectrum and has difficulty with feelings, emotions, and romantic relationships.  It is an uphill battle for Esme with ups and downs over the summer.

The General's Women / Susan Wittig Albert / 387 pages

This book is the fictional account of the historical affair General Dwight D. Eisenhower had with an Irish woman, Kate Sommersby, while he was leading the armed forces in Europe during World War II. Kate was assigned to be his driver when he went over to Europe and she was with him throughout the war.  I had read about this relation ship in my many studies of American history.  It always intrigued me.  The Eisenhower family did a lot to cover up this relationship because of the political interests and future of Dwight Eisenhower.  The author tell the story through the viewpoints of Dwight, Kay, and Dwight's wife, Maime.  I found the book interesting and I learned more about Kate Sommersby.

At the Wolf's Table / Rosella Postorino / 275 pages

This story takes place in Germany in 1943 during World War II.  Rosa Sauer is twenty-five years old and grew up in Berlin.  She is a secretary that married her boss, who has now gone off to fight in the war.  After her parents are killed in the bombing of Berlin she decides to go live with her in-laws in the countryside.  Rosa is one of twelve women chosen to be food tasters for Hitler at his secret headquarters.  The SS picks the women up at their homes and they are forced to eat two times a day whatever they are served.  The story develops the emerging relationships between the women themselves and between the women and the soldiers.

Among the Wicked / Linda Castillo / 306 pages

This novel is part of the author's Kate Burkholder series.  Kate Burkholder is the chief of police in Painters Mill, Ohio.  Kate grew up in the Amish community of Painters Mill, but left her faith and community when she was in her late teens.  She went to school and studied law enforcement only to return years later to become the chief of police.  Her Amish upbringing helps her in her many dealings with the Amish community.  In this book Kate is called on to go undercover in an Amish community in upstate New York.  Kate poses as an Amish widow to help solve the death of a teenage Amish girl.  In her infiltration of this Amish community Kate uncovers more than just a mysterious death of a young girl.  A lot of action and excitement.  I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

The Residence: Inside the Private World of The White House / Kate Andersen Brower / 275 pages

Kate Andersen Brower has written this book that describes what it is like to work inside The White House and serving the first family.  She interviewed former White House residence workers from the Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Clinton, and Obama administrations.  The book is filled with many interesting stories of serving these first families.  The book also gives an excellent picture of what it takes to work in the residence of The White House and gives you a glimpse of what it is like for the first family.

A Spark of Light / Jodi Picoult / 364 pages

Once again Jodi Picoult delivers another mesmerizing novel.  This one centers around the topic of abortion.  Hugh McElroy is a police hostage negotiator who is called to the Center, a women's reproductive health services clinic, when a gunman barges in and opens fire, taking everyone inside hostage.  Soon Hugh discovers that his fifteen year old daughter, Wren, is also inside the clinic.  Wren went her Aunt Bex, Hugh's sister, to get birth control pills.  The book is written in a backwards time frame with each chapter an hour earlier.  The author does an excellent job developing the different characters and showing both sides of the issue of abortion. I came away with a lot more knowledge of this topic than before I read the book.

After Anna / Lisa Scottoline / 388 pages

Maggie is a woman who developed postpartum psychosis, a severe form of postpartum depression , after the birth of her daughter Anna.  As a result she and her husband divorced when Anna was six months old and Anna's husband got sole custody of Anna.  Anna and her father moved to his native country France to live.  Anna got better after years of therapy.  Now she is happily remarried to Nathan, a widowed single father of a young boy named Caleb.  Suddenly out of the blue Maggie receives a phone call from Anna, now sixteen years old.  Anna is attending a boarding school in the United States.  Her father and his new family have just died in a private airplane crash.  Maggie and Anna set up a meeting and soon Anna leaves school to come live with Maggie, Nathan, and Caleb.  Things do not go smoothly and a few weeks later Anna is found dead and Nathan is arrested for her murder.  The story is filled with many twists.  It kept me guessing until the end!

Sold on a Monday / Kristina McMorris /341 pages

Sold on a Monday is an historical fiction story based on a true story.  It is set in 1931 during the depression.  Ellis Reed is a young newspaper reporter trying to make a name for himself at a newspaper in Philadelphia.  One day he takes a picture of two boys sitting on their front porch before realizing there was a sign in front of the porch advertising the boys for sale.  The picture was not meant for publication.  Lillian Palmer is the secretary for the head of the newspaper.  She finds the picture and gives it to her boss thinking it would help Ellis's career.  Ellis writes a human interest story to go along with the picture.  The story spreads to other papers and Ellis's career is taking off, but there are huge repercussions.  The book starts off slow, but gains momentum and was hard to put down.

After the Storm / Linda Castillo / 306 pages

This is Linda Castillo's seventh book in her Kate Burkholder series.  Kate is the Chief of Police of Painters Mill, Ohio.  Painters Mill is a small town with a large Amish community.  Kate grew up Amish, but left her faith and family as a teenager.  This personal history helps her in her job when she needs to deal with the Amish community.  In this book a set of old human bones is found near an old abandoned barn after a tornado comes through Painters Mill.  Another mystery for Kate to solve!  The story has a lot of excitement and action. 

Love and Other Consolation Prizes / Jamie Ford / 304 pages

This is Jamie Ford's fourth book.  It is based on the true story of a young boy who was auctioned off at the 1909 World's Fair in Seattle.  Ernest Young is a Chinese boy whose starving mother manages to get him on a boat sailing to America.  Ernest is one of many young Chinese children being taken to America.  They hope to be adopted or sponsored, but many are just put to work.  Ernest is sponsored by a rich patron and starts to get a good education.  However, when he aspires to reach for a higher status in his life his sponsor does not approve.  She makes arrangements for him to be auctioned at the World's Fair.  Ernest is bought by a madam of a prostitution house to become a house boy.  There Ernest meets the young "sister" of the madam and reunites with a girl from his boat journey to America who is now a maid at the madam's house.  The story is told in two time periods, the 1962 Seattle World's Fair and the 1909 Seattle World's Fair.