This contest period's winners were Jeanne G., Linda M. and Marilyn M., who each received a copy of TARGET: ALEX CROSS by James Patterson and WITNESS: Lessons from Elie Wiesel’s Classroom by Ariel Burger.
Shelia
The Longevity Code : Secrets to Living Well for Longer from the Front Lines of Science by Kris Verburgh, MD.
5 stars on content, 4 on technicality. First, technicality. He seemed to restate what he had just written two or three more times! I give him a little slack since he is a scientist though and may have thought he had to dumb it down for us. He did do that, but not in a condescending way. Just made it understandable. Also I think it could have been broken up more in subheadings/titles and shorter paragraphs (hence the repetitions). Wow! What a lot of new information that is being discovered and put to use today! I learned new amino acids I never heard of and I consider myself a median health student! What is disconcerting is that we are becoming more like God (or are trying to) and it will be used for evil for sure. Amazing possibilities.
Julia
Gmorning, Gnight by Lin Manuel Miranda
Whether you read it straight through, or a bit everyday, I guarantee there will be a pep talk to resonate with you. Would make a fantastic holiday gift.
Nancy
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
This book is very enjoyable and I learned so much about the history of Koreans and Japanese.
Nancy
Noon at Tiffany's by Echo Heron
Any present that comes in the recognizable blue box from Tiffany is a hit. And so is this book about Tiffany -- specifically Clara Wolcott Driscoll, who headed up the women's workers and was the designer and creator of Tiffany's famous lamps. I had always assumed that the lamps were Louis Comfort Tiffany's own creation. Turns out he took credit for them, but the credit belonged to Clara. It was fascinating to read about the love-hate relationship and power struggle between the two, and how Clara was way ahead of her time. Her story fits right in with the "Me Too" movement. It's a great read and a perfect book for discussion. We emailed the author and got questions from her.
Francisca E B
The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon
Book number five in the popular OUTLANDER series continues the saga of Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser. There’s plenty of drama and intrigue in these tales - personal and political. It’s a ripping good yarn that moves at a quick pace and held my interest throughout.
Laurie
Paris Echo by Sebastian Faulks
Such a unique fictional history that took the reader from Tangier to all over Paris! I laughed and cried with colorful primary characters Moroccan teenager Tariq and Hannah, an American historian. Author Sebastian Faulks has written another great tale that I can highly recommend.
Judy
Come Sundown by Nora Roberts
A family ranch vacation getaway is the setting for this book. Dead women keep being found, but who is killing them? It will take you to almost the end of the book before you find out...and in the process, there is a love story that evolves. Good read.
Susan
A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult
I like how Jodi takes a subject and delves into it. This time it is abortion clinics. A shooter comes into an abortion center on a mission. It starts at the beginning of the ordeal and goes back in time to what happened before the incident and how it came about.
Marilyn
Sunshine on Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith
I feel as if I’m a neighbor!
Ruth
The Fabulous Bouvier Sisters by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger
Very timely, about two of the most famous women in the world.
Diana
Golden Child by Claire Adam
Well written and haunting. The story of a hard working man trying to support his family in rural Trinidad. He favors one of his twin sons over the other, and because of a family betrayal one son is put in danger. It is a profound human story with many emotions.
Betty
Barking to the Choir by Gregory Boyle
Boyle is the founder of Homeboy Industries and practitioner of radical compassion, which is how he deals with the gang-bangers who are part of Homeboy.
Lee
Past Tense by Lee Child
Not his best effort by far. Have read all the Reacher novels and have enjoyed them throughly until PAST TENSE. Reacher just talks too much and sounds more like a professor of ancient languages then a former MP. In my experience authors start to lose their original train of thought after about 15 novels of the same character.
Chris
Sons and Soldiers by Bruce Henderson
Amazing story filled with brave individuals who sought to fight the greatest hate ever known to humankind - the battle against Hitler and his Nazi Party!
Cheryle
A Death in Eden by Keith McCafferty
A mystery/crime novel set in the beautiful Smith River area in Montana. The Smith is an unspoiled river that floaters must put their name in a lottery to be able to float the river. In this novel, someone is leaving messages "Not on My Watch" along with a gruesome scarecrow along the area of the Smith where there are ancient Indian Petroglyphs. The reason looks to be the response to the proposed copper mine in this area. When a headless corpse shows up there is a response from law enforcement to find out who it is and is it tied to the messages. A very good mystery along with the thought-provoking subject of the place of mining as it relates to ecology.
Cheryle
The House on an Irish Hillside by Felicity Hayes-McCoy
I have read several books by this author and really enjoyed her writing style and storytelling. This is her story of buying a small cottage and restoring it to live in. Along the way she learns what it means to be a part of a community and what is really important. At first she and her husband want to use the area as a getaway from the hustle and bustle of London life and their high stress jobs. But they discover that they love the people and the area and choose instead to live there with jaunts to London occasionally.
Cheryle
Copper Sky by Melana Marsenich
This book was submitted for consideration in the High Plains Book Award program that highlights authors and works about and from the high plains of U.S. and Canada. Although it was not a finalist it is a good look at Butte, Montana during the late 19th century. Butte is a mining town and life was difficult both for the miners and their families. This story revolves around a young woman whose twin sister was killed when they were six years old and those whose life intersects with hers.
Elizabeth
The Last Letter From Your Lover by Jojo Moyes
I have enjoyed all the Jojo Moyes books I have read. Her characters are human and believable. And I found the love letters exquisite!
Shelley
Educated by Tara Westover
Provocative and troubling.
Elizabeth
The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy
THE PERFECT MOTHER is a surprise. And then it's a surprise again, and then it's a surprise again, and then it's a surprise again, etc. The first surprise for you may be, as it was for me, that this is more than just a book about young mothers and the trials of motherhood. THE PERFECT MOTHER contains so many twists and turns that it really is a pleasure to read. The epigraph Aimee Molloy puts at the beginning of the book refers to three blind mice, a hint of what is to come. Three young mothers (Collette, Nell, and Francie) with newborn babies are members of a "mommy group," a support group for, yes, mothers of newborn babies. They become determined to help another member of the group (Winnie) when her baby boy is kidnapped.
kay
The Runaway Family by Diney Costeloe
Story of a young Jewish Family separated during the Holocaust. Excellent moving story, but rather abrupt ending.
ILene
The Suspect by Fiona Barton
THE SUSPECT starts with the disappearance of two 18-year-old English girls gone missing in Thailand. We have reporter Kate Waters working on the story. Just so happens Kate is worried about her son, she hasn’t heard from him in two years. Then we have the detective Sparks working on the case, his wife dying of cancer. We also have both families of the girls with their own problems. How does all of this tie in? What a great story, so much happens. Thank you Penguin Random House for this great book.
Patricia
Coal Tar: How Corrupt Politics and Corporate Greed Are Killing America's Children by Bill Clutter
This is a true story about a children's cancer cluster in Taylorville, Illinois told by Private Investigator Bill Clutter. Clutter tells the heartbreaking story of the families that were devastated by their children's cancer diagnoses and how together they fought to prove that it wasn't just a coincidence. With the battles going with clean air, water, and environment this is a tale that we all can learn from. Reading this book makes you want to pay more attention to what's going on with our environment for the safety of our children and ourselves, and who should be accountable when lives become the cost of doing business.
Amy
Not Quite Over You by Susan Mallery
I love these Happily Inc. Books - can't wait for the next one. I like how all the characters are in each book and you know their stories continue when they appear in each book. Great read.
Donna
The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff
Based on a actual event, this book tells of the dedication, friendship, courage and betrayal of a small group of women during WWII. I will be sharing this story with my book club and reading friends.
Melissa
A Special Kind of Advent by S. J. Crabb
Vicky and Charlie are both in competition to take over the company where they work once the boss retires. In order to make up his mind, Mr. Rowanson has put together an advent calendar of holiday challenges that Vicky and Charlie must complete together. This is a wonderful, humorous, and heartwarming story that is perfect for capturing the holiday season. Highly recommend!
Nancy
The Reckoning by John Grisham
I am a big fan and have read most of John Grisham's books. I was immediately drawn in at the beginning of THE RECKONING and could hardly put the book down. I thought that it dragged a bit and went on too long during the middle of the book when the main character was a POW. But then it got back to the more interesting part of the tale. I was bitterly disappointed at the ending of the book though. I felt it was building up to a surprise ending and that didn't happen. I didn't like the way it ended and there was no big surprise as I had been led to believe as I read the story. Mr. Grisham's writing style was his usual great and the book did keep my interest all the way through.
Marsha
Juror #3 by James Patterson and Nancy Allen
One of Patterson's best. Small-town lawyer, Ruby Bozarth, is called to represent a defendant in her first ever murder trial. Then she must defend her rich ex-fiancé in another murder case. Ruby runs into many obstacles and complications, but you can't help but root for her to the very end. She is a determined, spunky heroine.
Jan
The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler
The is the first book in a series about a Swedish detective, Joona Linna, who is a delightful character. He is smart, unusually quiet, and always solves the crimes he sets out to solve. He tells the family and his boss that he will solve the mystery and often reminds them, "I told you so." This is a complex mystery about a little boy who is stolen from his home. There are all sorts of clues and Linna is often a step behind. The father of the missing boy is a noted psychiatrist and he is mired in problems with his wife, some read, some imagined. He has also treated some very crazy people through the years so some of them are suspects. This book is translated very well and is easy to read.
Tessa B C
The Best of Friends by Sara James and Ginger Mouney
Sara James and Ginger Mauney met when they were in middle school, and this shared memoir covers their early divergent career paths, missteps and successes, both personally and professionally. Good for them. I was bored.
Francisca E B
Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas
I knew going in that this was a cheesy holiday romance. Despite the book jacket’s promised “magic”, there isn’t much of it here…unless you count a child’s belief in fairies and Santa Claus as magic. But that’s okay, it’s still a fun holiday read.
Ruth
The Rain Watcher by Tatiana de Rosnay
I love books about France and this was so interesting - flooding of the Seine - a family in crisis - and coming together, sharing all of their flaws. Very memorable.
Joyce
When We Meet Again by Kristin Harmel
Beautiful story. Well-developed characters. Interesting situation with WWII prisoners in the United States. You develop compassion for the people and situation.
Kathy
The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende
Really enjoyed this book. It is the first I've read from this author but will not be my last. I was delighted to read that she had won a lifetime achievement award from the 2018 National Book awards.
Carol
Evans Above by Rhys Bowen
A new mystery series. Yeah! Constable Evan Evans from Wales is a blushing big Welshman in a small village where the characters abound. Mount Snowdon is not only part of the landscape but a major character in the book. Delightful.
Barbara
Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie Ford
I love Jamie Ford's books. In this book he gives readers an insight into early 1900 Seattle's history and he creates characters that are so real.
Lynn
The Quiet Side of Passion by Alexander McCall Smith
Always a satisfying read.
Judy
Varina by Charles Frazier
This is a tale of the life of Jefferson Davis's wife, Varina, told in a series of vignettes from six Sunday visits with a young black man who had once been in her home and raised with her children. Each Sunday is a different era for Varina, who was a very young bride to Davis, who was a much older widower. The storytelling is well crafted.
Matt
A Noise Downstairs by Linwood Barclay
Among other things a "locked room story." Interesting story with many twists and false clues. A fast read with short chapters that end with you wanting to read the next one.
Laurie
Family Trust by Kathy Wang
Family saga filled with plenty of issues for book club discussion: siblings, ex-wives, greed, terminal illness, infidelity, Asian-American Silicon Valley competition, money, money, money!!
Beth
Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
This book really got me thinking about race issues in the U.S. Parts of it are really hard to read but so necessary in this country.
Brian
Red War (A Mitch Rapp novel, Book 15) by Vince Flynn and Kyle Mills
Assassins with hearts! Who would ever think that killers can have feelings too?
Tessa B C
Heat Lightning by John Sandford
This is the second book in the Virgil Flowers series, which is a spin-off of Sandford’s extremely popular Lucas Davenport series. In his trademark style, Sandford gives us plenty of twists and turns in the plot, a few red herrings, and some subtle clues that are easy to miss. Flowers is an extremely likeable character. The action is fast and furious, and the ending is satisfying for the thriller/mystery genre.
Linda
Hello Again by Brenda Novak
Evelyn Talbot, psychiatrist at Hanover House, is looking forward to examining Dr. Lyman Bishop, a.k.a. Zombie Maker, who is imprisoned for the deaths of many women. He is released when evidence used against him is found to have been planted by police. He vows revenge on Evelyn for removing his sister from his home where he had sexually abused her. Jasper Moore, her old nemesis, is also after Evelyn. He is on a killing spree and she is on his list. Surgery altered his appearance and she won’t recognize him. Evelyn is living with State Trooper Benjamin Murphy (Amorak) and he vows to keep her safe.
Linda
Face Off by Brenda Novak
Jasper Moore, now using the alias of Andy Smith, has plans to torture and kill Dr. Evelyn Talbot and has set up a torture chamber in the basement of his home. But things are not going as he planned. Returning to the cabin he had used with his latest victim, he finds a woman waiting on her friends. Since she saw the dead woman, he had to kill her too. Now he has two bodies to dispose of. Every time his plans to take Evelyn are botched. She is either with her boyfriend Amorak, Alaska State Trooper, or working late at Hanover House. But he is patient. He has waited over twenty yeas to take his revenge.
Linda
Alaskan Holiday by Debbie Macomber
Coming to Alaska to work at a lodge until her new job started, Josie Avery didn’t know what to expect. She certainly didn’t expect the natural beauty all around her nor the love she found with Palmer Saxton. He asked her to marry him and she reluctantly said no. He knew she had to return to Seattle and the sous chef job she had worked so hard to obtain. His heart ached at the thought of her leaving but he had to let her go. He planned to stop over in Seattle on his way to deliver an order for one of his customers and hoped to get Josie to return to Alaska with him.
Linda
Never Let You Go by Chevy Stevens
Fleeing from an abusive husband, Lindsey Nash takes her daughter Sophie and runs. Andrew comes after her but is involved in an accident where a woman is killed. He is sent to prison for ten years. Now he is out and living in the same town as Lindsey and Sophie. Sophie admitted writing to him and says she wants to get to know her father. Things begin to occur that lead Lindsey to think Andrew has gotten inside their home. Police are unable to do anything until Andrew’s body is found. They think he fell down the stairs and his death is ruled accidental. Lindsey turns to Marcus, a retired psychologist who volunteers at sessions for abused women. Someone is still getting inside her house. If not Andrew, who?
Linda
The Designs of Lord Randolph Cavanaugh by Stephanie Laurens
As an investor in inventions, Lord Randolph Cavanaugh has not heard from William Throgmorton and his steam-powered horseless carriage is set to be shown at the exhibition of new inventions. Rand arrives at the Throgmorton residence to find William is deceased and his son William John is working on the carriage but has run into a few problems. They talk Felicia Throgmorton into helping them and she finds several problems and offers solutions that work. The horseless carriage is complete and working perfectly. They just have to keep it from being sabotaged before it is viewed by the committee.
Linda
Juror #3 by James Patterson and Nancy Allen
Ruby Bozarth has been practicing law for only eight months when she is handed a murder case. A young black man is charged with the murder of a white woman found stabbed to death in a cabana at the country club. As jurors are selected, Ruby as well as the district attorney have doubts about juror #3 but he is allowed in the jury. She has seen this man in the local diner and there is just something about his staring at her that tells her something is off. The next trial case she is assigned is a murder trial involving her ex-fiance. He was found in a hotel room with a dead hooker. He doesn’t remember anything about the night spent with an old college friend.
Sean
Snowblind by Christopher Golden
Such an underrated book! Christopher Golden tells a horror story that has a strong family element. What started to seem like Stephen King's THE MIST evolved into a really good ghost story that didn't focus on the "scary thing" as much as the characters' fears of it. The dialogue was good and the ending was satisfying. Overall, a really good novel.
Linda
We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter
Beautiful writing about the horrific, tragic assault on the Polish and Jewish in WWII. One family's story about the family members' different experiences and most importantly, the extreme measures they each had to take. The story is based on the author's family story. Not a book to read for the holidays but everyone should read it.
Theresa
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
I resisted reading this book for ages...I thought it was going to be silly. To my surprise, I liked it. The story was entertaining and full of humor, and the settings were exotic and so very unique. I especially enjoyed the passages about the various Asian cuisines - I could practically taste the delicacies described!
Jan
Warlight by Michael Ondaatje
This book about World War II is dull in parts but the last half is worth the read. A young man who was lost on his own just after the war, both parents gone, left to a variety of lost souls and vagabonds, decides to search for his mother. Because of a job that he thought was random, he began to know about her and to understand some of the things that happened to him and his sister. He gains access to secret government files and learns that his mother (and maybe his father) was a spy and perhaps an enforcer for the government. As he searches out the various people he was with during the absence of his mother, he discovers many of them. However, the final person he discovers has key information. A great read.
Liza
The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck
Loved this book, a different take on WWII in Germany, told from the experiences of the women and children left behind after their resistance-fighting husbands are executed. Marianne, the owner of the castle, searches and finds the widows and children of her husband's resistance group, and they live together in the castle until the war is over. Not all Germans were Nazis, and each woman has secrets that are revealed late in the historical novel.
Jeanne
Plantation by Dorothea Benton Frank
My book club is reading books by Ms. Frank this month - reader’s choice, i.e., we are each choosing a book to read by the author. This is one of her earlier books that I’m just finished reading - and I think her writing (vocabulary, plot and character development) has improved significantly since writing this book. In the future, I will limit myself to reading her newer releases.
Bonnie
Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
Disappointed in this novel. I thought there was no character development and the plot was hackneyed.
Donna
Her Pretty Face by Robyn Harding
This is a suspenseful book. Two women meet and we learn they each have a long held secret involving death. When one secret is discovered the choice has to be made whether the lies and deceit can be forgiven. Can they remain friends? Is one a sociopath or has she changed?
Francisca E B
Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende
In a bit of a departure from her usual emphasis on Hispano-American history, Allende gives us a story of an 18th-century slave in French-occupied Saint-Domingue (later to become Haiti). We follow Zarité from her childhood through age forty, Saint-Domingue to Cuba and on to New Orleans. Allende is more than up to the task of relating the historical events that frame this family drama. I loved Zarité. She’s intelligent, resourceful, courageous, and wily. Violette is also a richly drawn character – willful, intelligent, confident, loyal and loving. None of the men in her life are a match for her.
Thomas
Leverage in Death by J. D. Robb
Excellent read. Enjoyed the book very much.
Barbara
Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder
This book is a mix- up of PETER PAN and ALICE IN WONDERLAND. While it was a quick read, the ending was very disappointing. I read it so I could discuss with my nephew and he couldn't even finish the book. There were many instances in the book that seemed to be just an attempt to put words into the book. There was detail upon detail for certain aspects of the life on the island, but then there was a rush to finish it up and it left me frustrated and disappointed. Almost like there was a deadline to meet so just put in a quick chapter and type "The End".
Theresa
The Beekeeper’s Daughter by Santa Montefiore
A very absorbing story, focusing on a mother and daughter who prove to be more alike than different. The narrative travels smoothly between the past and the present as it tells the story of Grace and her daughter, Trixie. A very good read by an author I’ve come to love!
Connie
The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict
I won this book in the recent "Sneak Peek" contest and recommend it to everyone. It is the enlightening story of Hedy Lamar, the famous movie actress, and her involvement in the World War II munitions production.
Tessa B C
Michael Tolliver Lives by Armistead Maupin
Eighteen years after “finishing” his TALES OF THE CITY series in 1989, Maupin returned to the beloved characters and gave readers a 7th installment. Michael has a landscaping business and a new husband. He’s dealing with what many middle-aged people face – the decline of our elderly parents. I really like the way these characters support and love one another. However, readers who are offended by gay sex scenes should beware. I’m not usually shocked, but a couple of scenes made me uncomfortable.
