Rainy Day Friends / Jill Shalvis / 384 p.

 This is the second book in the Wildstone series, however, it can easily be read as a stand alone. Lainie Jacobs is newly widowed and floundering. After her husband (Luke) died Lanie discovered he had other wives.  She decides to leave home and try something new to get her life back on track.  Her arrival at the Capriotti Wildstone Winery is not quite what she bargained for - a loud, nosy, loving Capriotti family brings her on as their web/tech designer for their winery. After feeling so betrayed by the man she thought she knew and loved, the Capriotti family shows each other and Lanie the humor, love, trust and loyalty that Lanie so desperately needs, but can't bring herself to believe. Lanie's journey to healing is the story. Mama Cora Capriotti is full of guiding wisdom, kindness and patience along the way.  An enjoyable story of family love like we hope it would be for all of us.

Summer of '69 / Elin Hildebrand / 432 p.

I am very biased since I love Elin Hilderbrand's novels. The Summer of '69 just happens to be the year of my high school graduation. I decided it was the perfect read prior to going to our 50th reunion.
   Each chapter is a line or title of a song from that time period.  So fun and clever!

Firestarter/ Stephen King/ 564 pages/ Horror

          Andy and Vicky were participating in a drug trial for extra cash when the two met and fell in love. The trial they were volunteering for was being held by a government agency called The Shop. Soon the two discover their new abilities and are on the run from The Shop. They end up having a daughter named Charlie who shows to also have her own powers- the ability to create fires with her mind. When The Shop learns of Charlie they have even more motivation to track down the family and use her strength for themselves.
           I was really excited to read this novel, it sounded like such a fun story with a chase and super powers! However, I did not like this book. I think the story was good but the way it was formatted was odd. It was told in flashbacks back and forth to present time for the characters. If the story was told normally beginning to end without the jumping I would have liked it a lot more. There also was quite a few slow parts that easily could have been cut or condensed which pains me to say because I love Stephen King's writing and have never wanted less from any of his books so far. This one though was a bit dull at parts. If I had gone in with not as high expectations I would have enjoyed it more but because this is a more popular title I was expecting a lot and it didn't deliver all that I wanted. It also is labeled everywhere as horror but I didn't feel scared at all. Maybe that is just different for everyone, but to me there just wasn't anything that happened to cause anyone to be nervous or fearful for the characters.  Even though the timeline and plot disappointed me a bit, the characters didn't. I thought the characters had great personalities and it was easy to see their struggles and what they were feeling throughout. Especially Andy McGee, if anyone watches Stranger Things he reminded me so much of Jim Hopper who is one of my favorite characters from that show.  Over all I would give the book a 3 out of 5 stars, it was entertaining just wasn't all I was hoping for.

Baby Teeth/ Zoje Stage/ 304 pgs

I've finished this book and I'm still not sure what to make of it. This is the story of the Jensen family: father Alex, mother Suzette, and 7-year-old daughter Hanna. Hanna is super intelligent, but she does not speak. The story is told from her point of view and that of her mother. Suzette was raised by an indifferent mother and she's never sure if she's doing the right things for Hanna, especially since the girl doesn't talk, though she communicates well. Hanna adores her father (as Suzette adores her husband) but Suzette and Hanna have their issues. For the first half of the novel, I thought this was a creepy horror story of a diabolical little girl out to kill her mother and the suspense was really well done. Until the midway point, when the story seems to become more of a family drama and much of the tension fizzles out. It ended with a whimper. But the more I think about it, it's interesting to think about the actions of the adults in this book, especially the parents, and wonder if they had been less selfish, and more committed to their family relationships, as opposed to their individual relationships, if things would have turned out differently.

Wrong to Need You/ Alisha Rai/ 358 pgs

This is the second book in this series about two families who co-owned a grocery store, but things took a tragic and dramatic turn two people were killed in a car accident ten years. The fallout from that incident is still being felt by the younger generation. In this story, Sadia is a widow with a young son. She's struggling to run the cafe left to her by her husband, the husband who told her he wanted a divorce just before he died. She's also struggling with family expectations, as her parents and four sisters are all doctors or doctors-in-training. Jackson is her former best friend and her late husband's brother. He's back in town after a ten year absence. Seeing that Sadia needs a chef, he stays on to help at the cafe. I really liked the characters in this one and the way their relationship developed. There has been some healing within the family and I'm interested to see what happens in the third book.

Orange : The Complete Collection (vols. 1&2) / Takano, Ichigo / 384 pgs.

On the first day of 11th grade, Naho, receives a letter from her future twenty-seven-year-old self.  At first she believes it to be a joke, but as events describe in the letter start happening in front of her, she starts to take the letter more seriously.  One major detail in the letter is asking the younger Naho, to look after the new transfer student, a boy named Kakeru, and help keep him from a terrible future. 

If you could go back in time to fix a regret in your life, would you?  Do you think it could change things?  A very interesting concept to explore and to remind younger teen readers some truths about human nature.  For example, everyone has things going on in their life that you may not know about, but it affects their behavior. 

You will know me / Megan Abbott / 345 pgs

In the competitive world of girls Gymnastics, once athletes reach the "elite" level stakes are raised
and tensions run high.  Young gymnast, Devon Knox, is gifted and has the discipline to make it to the upcoming Olympic team.  Her path is clear-cut, until one of her trainers is involved in a hit-and-run accident.  The death of the trainer causes grief and distractions, as the gymnast's families accuse and shame each other in order to get ahead or just make sense of the tragedy. 

This book reads like the TV "Dance Moms" on crack!  If you like snippy, helicoptering parents involved in their child's competitive sport, as well as a healthy dose of dysfunction, this is a good read. 

Recommended for Adults and older Teens. 

Winter Garden/ Kristin Hannah/ 391 pages

Winter Garden written by Kristin Hannah is a story of a mother who hides all emotion and two daughters trying to break through.  When Meredith and Nina were young, their mother, Anya, told them a fairy tale of peasant Vera, prince Sasha and their great love.  One day Anya refuses to continue to tell the tale.  After the passing of Meredith's and Nina's father, the girls must find a way to convince Anya to finish the tale.  It was their dying father's wish.  Along the way the reader is introduced to Jeff, Meredith's husband and Danny, Nina's boyfriend.  Meredith has stayed close to home, helping her father run the family apple orchard.  Nina has traveled the world often with Danny in search of the perfect photograph.  As more of the fairy tale is told, it becomes evident that the story is true and very much a part of Anya's life.  Over all the book will hold the reader's interest although the characters seem a bit extreme in each of their weaknesses.  The 'fairy tale' gives an insiders recounting of the Siege of Leningrad and the suffering endured.  The ending is just a little too neat, but does reinforce the idea presented through out the book of not waiting to do something.

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarity

Alice Love is twenty-nine, crazy about her husband, and pregnant with her first child.
Imagine Alice’s surprise when she comes to on the floor of a gym and is whisked off to the hospital where she discovers the honeymoon is truly over — she’s getting divorced, she has three kids and she’s actually 39 years old. Alice must reconstruct the events of a lost decade, and find out whether it’s possible to reconstruct her life at the same time. She has to figure out why her sister hardly talks to her, and how is it that she’s become one of those super skinny moms with really expensive clothes. 
Ultimately, Alice must discover whether forgetting is a blessing or a curse, and whether it’s possible to start over.
There are so many times Alice's journey back to remembering her life made me wonder the "what if's" in my own life. How easily we all fall into taking our life and the people we love for granted. I enjoyed this book and think it would be a wonderful book club discussion selection.

After You by Jojo Moyes 384 pages

For Louisa Clark, life after Will Traynor means learning to fall in love again, with all the risks that brings. But here Jojo Moyes introduces us to Will's daughter (unknown to Will) that Louisa feels an obligation to care for and protect. Louisa also seeks counseling to work through her grief. We meet the various members of her group and some of their issues. The story rambles and lost my interest in several places. "After You" does not come close to "Me Before You."

The Charm Bracelet by Viola Shipman 304 pages

Lolly is the mother/grandmother who passes on the family history through charms on her bracelet. Her daughter, Arden, has been estranged from Lolly for three years because she thinks her mother doesn't understand the pressures of her life as a single working mother. Arden doesn't think her mother is very realistic about life. Lauren is Lolly's granddaughter. Lauren is very unhappy and at a crossroads in her life. She has tried to fulfill her mother's (Arden) expectations by pursuing a practical degree in college. However, Lauren is an artist, and she feels such despair about not following her passion that she wants to drop out of college.
When Lolly faces a health challenge, Arden and Lauren go visit her. The story of their family is shared in each chapter by describing each charm on Lolly's bracelet. Heartwarming! 

Off Season / Anne Rivers Siddons / 11 hrs. 29 min.

This audio book was read by Jane Alexander - an actress I have enjoyed in the past. Her reading was almost the reason I would have given this 4 stars, however, the last part of the story was unfulfilling. The journey of Lily through her present grieving process took us to back to her past. The story had wonderful description and character development - I really knew who these characters were and could easily picture them. Lily loves so completely that her very self is lost when Cam, her husband, dies suddenly. Lily goes back to her childhood summer vacation home to heal in the only way she knows how...by connecting to her past. It is when the author brings us to Lily's present life when unsettling information becomes known to Lily and she does not pursue it. Why the author chose to finish her novel this way is a mystery to me. Seems like it was time to wrap it up, I guess.

Light on Snow / Anita Shreve / 6 hrs. 36 min.

Nikki Dillon and her father are trying to put their life back together after a tragedy strikes their family. They move to a new small town to escape memories and heartache. As part of their daily routine they take walks in the woods after Nikki comes home from school. One day, they hear a small cry that they soon discover is an abandoned newborn wrapped in a sleeping bag. Nikki and her dad rescue the baby and soon find themselves deeply involved in the incident. I enjoy Anita Shreve's writing and have read many of her books. This one is different in that it doesn't take place in the house on the East Coast like so many of her other stories. It is a story that illustrates how  the decisions we make have a domino effect on the lives of others. Nikki is 12 years old and the story is told from her point of view with misconceptions, innocence, naivete and wishful thinking that are part of that mixed up time in everyone's life. She is still a child, but forced to be caught in very grown-up circumstances. This could be a good book club selection.

Whiskey and Charlie / Annabel Smith / 336 pgs

I read this book because it is next month's book club book and I doubt I would have picked it up if not for that fact. However, I really enjoyed the book. I loved the set up of the chapters. There are 26 in all, for each letter of the alphabet, but not just the alphabet - the international phonetic alphabet. I learned that alphabet when I was a kid because I got my ham radio license at the age of 10. The phonetic alphabet starts with Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India.....

Each of those words show up somewhere in that chapter, and it's that alphabet that ties the story of twin brothers, Whiskey (William) and Charlie. In the story, Whiskey is in a coma in present day, but the book goes back to the beginning to tell the story of Whiskey and Charlie, their relationship as brothers, from childhood to adulthood. Along the way, their relationship fractures and breaks. The reader is given reasons why. My only complaint is that although we are told that they were nearly inseparable as kids, the reader is not given a whole lot of a glimpse into their happy childhood. It seems that Charlie was jealous of his brother from nearly the very beginning.

Nevertheless, this book will speak volumes to anyone who has ever had a less than perfect relationship with a sibling, so I do recommend it highly.

Fangirl/Rainbow Rowell/438 pgs.

Cather "Cath" and her identical twin sister, Wren, are going off to college. Wren is ready to establish her own identity, and begins by informing Cath that they won't be roommates in college. Cath has always relied heavily on Wren, and isn't sure she can make it in college without Wren right there beside her. They have always shared a love of Simon Snow--a Harry Potter type of fictional character--to the extent that Cath blogs her own stories about Simon. So, part of Fangirl consists of Cather's entries about Simon. On top of Cather and Wren's growing pains, is the fact that their mother left them when they were eight years old, and now wants to be a part of their lives. Add to this Cath and Wren's father's mental health issues, and the reader is given insight into a not so uncommon family situation. Highly recommended!

The Same Sky/Amanda Eyre Ward/274 pgs.

This is a story of two very different lives that ultimately converge. Alice and her husband, Jake, own a barbecue restaurant in Austin, Texas. Life is good except for a void in their life--they both want a child. Alice is infertile, and she and Jake have been unsuccessful in their efforts to adopt, which is putting a strain on their marriage.  In the Honduras, young Carla is growing up fast. Her mother left years ago to make a better life for herself and her family in Austin, Texas. She sends money to Carla, her grandmother, and Carla's young brother, Junior. When Carla's grandmother dies, Carla sees the only way out is to make her way to her mother in Austin, Texas. She tells of her and Junior's journey as illegal immigrants trying to make it back to her mother. This novel is told in alternating chapters in Carla and Alice's voices.  It's a timely piece of fiction during this election year. Recommended.

Anything for You/Kristan Higgins/366 pgs.

Jessica Dunn and Connor O'Rourke have secretly dated, on and off, for over ten years. Whenever Connor wants to make their relationship more permanent, Jessica puts him off. Jessica's brother, Davey, has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and has been Jessica's responsibility since her alcoholic mother died, and her alcoholic father abandoned them after her mother's death. Davey hates Connor, so Jessica cannot see marriage to Connor as a possibility. It's a romance that takes the reader through both of the main characters' lives, ending in a satisfying conclusion. It's a very enjoyable read, and I look forward to reading other titles in the "Blue Heron" series. Enthusiastically recommended!

In the Unlikely Event/Judy Blume/402 pgs.

Thirty-five years ago, in the early 1950s, several airplane accidents happen in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Based on actual occurrences, Judy Blume gives a fictionalized account of these events. Miri Ammerman,one of the main characters in the story, is 15 years-old, and living in Elizabeth, New Jersey during the crashes. Blume takes the reader through the events in the past, up to the present--1987--when Miri is returning to Elizabeth for the 35 year commemoration of the tragedies. Blume does a wonderful job portraying the landscape of the time, and the impact such tragedy has on the families who lose loved ones in accidents, and the loss to the entire community. Highly recommended!

One Plus One/Jojo Moyes/368 pgs.

Jess Thomas has a life no one would envy: she's a single parent (her deadbeat husband left to live with his mother to get his life back together); she holds two crummy jobs; her teenage stepson,Nicky, is constantly being bullied; and her young daughter, Tanzie, is a math whiz. Through it all, Jess keeps a pretty positive attitude--until it gets to be too much, and the only solution to a better life is for Tanzie to compete in a math competition in Scotland. Ed Nicholls enters the picture--and has his own problems. The novel is told in different chapters through the various characters' voices. There is sadness, humor, misunderstandings, twists and turns--all ending in a wonderful novel. Highly recommended!

Double Dexter / Jeffry P. Lindsay / 337 pages / November challenge (Horror)

This 6th novel follows much the same formula as previous novels in this series.  Watching the friendly neighborhood serial killer try to balance family, work, and very illegal playtime is humorous, but perhaps the author has spun out the formula a few too many times to make it feel fresh and new.  Dexter's lovely (and increasingly neurotic) wife plays a larger role than in previous novels.  She never quite gets enough development to feel like a real person, but that may be the author's clever way of showing how Dexter views her.  She seems to only be foremost in his mind when she's not in the kitchen cooking.  He then sets about figuring out how to get her back into the kitchen.  Dexter's monstrous step-children seek out new brushes with death and destruction as Dexter tries to hold them in check.  While I've mostly enjoyed this series, I will also be glad to see it come to an end with the next novel, Dexter's Final Cut.