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Beautiful Malice by Australian author Rebecca James immediately made me think of a teenaged take on Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, except Malice came out first.  Katherine has been keeping a secret about her dark past.  Her very popular and pretty new best friend Alice has a lot of secrets, as well.  There are so many secrets that I can’t say anything else without there being major spoilers!  This quick summer read is filled with bad decisions, youthful indiscretions, and a psychotic stalker.  Fans of books by the previously mentioned Flynn or Lisa Jackson will probably enjoy this escapist

Jake Fisher notices an obituary online and is swept up in a maelstrom of events.  Six years before, Jake’s girlfriend Natalie married an “old boyfriend”, makes Jake promise to leave them alone and then disappears!  When Jake sees an obituary for Natalie’s husband, he thinks it’s a new ballgame. But Natalie is nowhere to be found. Everything Jake does to find his missing love seems believable, and the mystery of Natalie evolves. Once Harlan Coben sets the hook, I just keep turning the page, and so will you!

Finn Easton is like any other epileptic teenage boy with a famous author for a father who had a horse fall on him, break his back and kill his mother. Which is to say that Finn Easton is like no one you have ever met. The eerie resemblance between himself and the main character of his father’s best-selling book, has left Finn wondering if he is even real. Measuring time by the miles traveled by earth’s rotation, Finn has a different way of looking at things than anyone around him. Finn’s senior year brings opportunities to visit broken dams, see the world outside of California, kiss a girl, go

This historical fiction book is about Meggie Dillon's life.  To help improve the family's income, Meggie's family ups and moves to Willow Run, Michigan, during WWII. Her father has obtained a job working on war planes at night to help the war effort. Because they are moving into a small apartment they have to leave her German grandfather behind in New York.  Meggie soon realizes that she misses him but quickly meets other kids in the same circumstance as hers.  Then, coming home one day to a military car parked outside, she learns that her older brother is missing in action, and Meggie must

Elisabeth Tova Bailey has a mysterious illness that lasts for many years.  At one point during this illness she is confined to her bed.  She can only sit up or hold a book for minutes at a time.  She has been removed from her beloved farmhouse to a condo in the city so that she can be cared for around the clock.  One day a friend brings Elisabeth a snail that is nestled in a pot of violets.  This is the story of how a snail ferries one woman through countless hours of suffering into a place of wonder-induced healing.

I, too, was swept up in the White-Lipped Forest Snail’s trail of reverence

Lori Shepherd knows everything about the town of Finch, the small English village where she lives. Recently, the big news is that recluse Hector Huggins has passed away, and everyone in the village attends the funeral. A stranger arrives at the funeral who, it happens, is Hector's nephew, Jack MacBride from Australia, who is in Finch to finish his uncle's affairs.

When Jack starts to clean up Hector's overgrown garden, he discovers a wishing well, and the mystery begins. The wishing well is where the residents of Finch sneak to at night to make wishes. When those wishes come true, Lori asks

It's 1962 and the world is watching as President Kennedy and Russian leader Nikita Khrushchev face off. Tensions are rising day by day, the Cuban Missile Crisis is reaching its peak. Scott's father has built an underground bomb shelter and the family is the brunt of the neighbor's jokes. That is until the air raid sirens go off and suddenly only Scott's family has somewhere safe to go. Just as Scott's dad is about to close and lock the heavy steel door, some of the neighbors grab it and try to open it back up; they are desperate to survive. But Scott's dad has only stockpiled enough for the

High school seniors Tony and Ryan had a plan for after graduation.  They were going to get jobs and an apartment and live together—Toni to get away from her mom who favored her younger sister, and Ryan to leave behind his alcoholic and abusive father.  It all seemed so simple.  But that's not what happened.  Senior year the "mean girls" clique started harassing Toni, just to be mean.  Then, unbelievably, Toni's little sister, Nicole, starts hanging out with the clique and harassing Toni too.  Nicole has also changed a lot since starting high school; she's gotten secretive, and sullen, although

In The Ocean at the End of the Lane, author Neil Gaiman presents a magical fairy tale that completely captures the reader’s imagination.  This is a book you will not want to put down once you have started reading, so it is a good thing that, at just over 200 pages in length, it is an easy day read!  The story unfolds as the narrator, a man in his fifties, returns home to England to speak at a funeral. (One of the many things you will ponder is whose funeral is he at….the reader is left to wonder.)  Having a few hours to kill after the funeral and wanting to avoid other people, he returns to

Dr. Wes Crenshaw is very straightforward when talking about the difficulties of living with ADD/ADHD and how to manage the disorder and be successful at work, school, and in relationships.  With the use of thirteen principles to live by Dr. Wes coaches individuals into successful living and helps their parents, teachers, friends and partners to understand why those individuals do the things they do and how best to help them.  The principles include the following: learn to be where you're at right now, make mindful decisions, make the right choice not the easy one, small decisions matter, don't

Cormoran Strike is a private detective who has just broken up with his on-again/off-again girlfriend of fifteen years. He's living in his office, where he gets almost daily calls asking for the money he owes for the business.  Robin is a temp sent from an agency to help run his office, although she quickly discovers that there's not much to do because there's not much business. Out of the blue, in walks a man asking Strike to investigate the death of his sister, Lula Landry. She was a famous supermodel whose official cause of death was suicide, although her brother believes she was murdered

The full title of this amazing book is Aviary Wonders Inc. (Spring Catalog and Instruction Manual) Renewing the World's Bird Supply Since 2031.  The narrator of this story first developed his passion for birds and bird watching while working at his family's logging business (the irony is intentional.)  He is no longer logging; he now runs a company that builds birds.  After searching out the best engineers, biologists and artists to work for him, he launched the company in 2031 and they have struggled to keep up with demand ever since. The company creates the finest of birds, better in many

The beginning of the end of Romanov rule of Russia began with the ascension of Nicholas II. Ill prepared for the crown by his father, Nicholas depended heavily on his new wife Alexandra (married under the shadow of the death of Nicholas’ father their marriage was seen as a curse by the Russian people). Problems for the Romanovs multiplied when Alexandra, after several difficult pregnancies, produced only female heirs leaving the line of succession unsure. A disconnect from the government and the people, and an overdependence on Alexandra and her religious advisors, made Nicholas appear weak

A year after the horrific rape and murder of his one true love, Ignatius Perrish got drunk, did terrible things, and woke up the next morning with horns growing from his forehead.  Horns that compel others to confess their true, worst thoughts, and makes them seek permission to do the terrible things they always wanted to do.  Ig may resemble a demon, but real demons reside everywhere, much to his horror.

I picked this book up on the suggestion of a friend, who said that I was the only person he knew who could appreciate how utterly twisted it was.  And it is delightfully twisted.  Horrific

Kitty lovers will appreciate Caroline Paul's humor, devotion and manic-depressive curiosity in Lost Cat.

Out of desperation, Saboor, who is a poor farmer in Afghanistan, sells his three year old daughter, Pari, to a wealthy couple living in Kabul. Pari's older brother, Abdullah, is completely distraught over the loss of his beloved sister. Pari grows up, not knowing or remembering her biological family, but a letter left for her by her deceased uncle reveals the details of the adoption and Pari is then able to search for the family she didn't know existed. A reunion occurs, but perhaps doesn't have the happy ending one might have hoped for. Hosseini is a wonderful storyteller. And the Mountains

In the conclusion of the Deadly Reunion series, investigative reporter Jillian Carter has decided it is finally time to come out of hiding and return home after 10 years on the run.  On the night of her high school graduation Jillian witnessed a murder committed by her boyfriend's uncle who just happens to be a state senator.  Knowing that she was next on the senator's hit list she ran and has been in hiding ever since.  Jillian is exhausted from looking over her shoulder and frustrated by the stress of being hyper-viligant for all of this time knowing that the senator will never give up until

It's 1986 and five year old Saroo has made a last minute decision to accompany his older brother on a short train trip to a nearby town in rural India. Instructed to wait on the platform by his older brother, young Saroo is scared and confused when his older brother fails to return in the specified time. Not sure what to do next, he hops onto a waiting train, taking him far away from his family.

Saroo lives on the streets of Calcutta, just trying to survive, for several weeks before being rescued by a caring woman who runs a nearby orphanage. Although attempts are made to locate Saroo's

In this memoir, Will Schwalbe looks back on the last years with his mother, Mary Anne. When Mary Anne is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Will and his mother use books as a meaningful way to connect with each other and talk about life and death and everything in-between. Will, a former publisher, and Mary Anne, a life-long reader, look at a variety of literature for their book club. The club is informally held in waiting rooms and during Mary Anne's treatments. Though the subject matter is heavy as it deals with dying and death, I felt that this book was a lovely tribute and a beautiful way

Thank You For Your Service by David Finkel is a deeply moving look at the wounded bodies and scarred psyches of the men who return home after modern-day combat.  In the author’s previous book, The Good Soldiers, he was embedded with soldiers during the surge of deployments in 2007-08.  Now, he’s following them home to record their struggles with finding and keeping jobs, post-traumatic stress disorder, and rehabilitating their wounds.  Without inserting himself into the story, the author shows us life after war for soldiers, their families, their widows, as well as their counselors/therapists

Author Bingaman-Burt pays penance by drawing all the things she's charged on her credit cards - sunglasses, coffee filters, french fries, diet Coke, shoes and a swan applique. The list goes on as her credit card debt rises. She even draws her monthly statements complete with her payment and interest rates. I'm fascinated with my fascination for Kate's mundane purchases. Oh, what tangled webs we weave with our obsessive need to acquire.

Philip Gulley's Home to Harmony is the first book in the Harmony series in which Sam Gardner, Quaker Minister, has returned to his hometown of Harmony, Indiana to assume the pulpit. Gulley uses a folksy writing style to share the joys, frustrations, humor, and outrageous predicaments encountered in a small community church. The story of Sam and his parishioners is told through a collection of vignettes, each which can stand on its own; but all are woven together expertly by Gulley to paint a pleasant, funny, and poignant picture of the dilemmas and rewards of pastoring a small congregation

Half a King is a rollickingly fun read, about a prince in a Viking-like kingdom who was born with a deformed hand, so he can't hold sword and shield and be a proper warrior. He trains as a minister and adviser, but is thrust onto the throne when his father and older brother are assassinated. Not to give too much away, but thus begins his adventure that starts on a creaky merchant vessel and goes to a cross-country journey in a frozen tundra and ends in an abandoned keep with the odds stacked against the characters. The book is laced with Abercrombie's knack for memorable characters and

Welcome to Paris! Cade Corey of America's favorite chocolate maker, Corey Chocolate, has just landed. Her dream is to transform the name of Corey (synonymous with comfortable) by including a new gourmet line of chocolates to be created by the top chocolatier in Paris, maybe even the world. The top chocolatier happens to be Sylvian Marquis and he (not so politely) says no. Cade does not give up. She tries a few other chocolatiers on her list but she really wants Sylvian Marquis to be her chocolatier. But Cade might have to break a few rules to make it happen.

I really enjoyed this steamy

If you enjoy cooking from scratch with simple wholesome ingredients, then this is the right cookbook for you!  I love how the layout of the book takes you through the ingredients necessary for a “perfect pantry” and then straight into a chapter on Everyday Basics, including my two favorites, Perillo's All-Purpose Baking Mix and her Whole Grain Baking Mix.  With these two recipes alone you have a third of the work for so many other delicious homemade foods already complete.  My family loved the Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes(using the All-Purpose Baking Mix) and they were simple enough to make that

If you’re not a fan of what happens to your food from one end of your body to the other, stop reading this review right now!  For those that are curious, Mary Roach’s Gulp is the book for you.  Roach humorously covers both silly and taboo topics: pet food taste-testers, internal deodorizers that keep bathroom odors away, resourceful prisoners who know just where to hide unbelievable amounts of contraband, and, yes, even the constipation that may have killed Elvis.  For me, the chapter describing an American surgeon in 1825 that used a wounded trapper as his own lab rat stuck with me long after

The First Fifteen Lives is an excellent and satisfying journey through time travel. Harry August is a Kalachakras, a group of people born and reborn many times. After a message from a young girl is passed to Harry that the world is ending, Harry is left with the task of saving the world. From the beginning of the story "Let us begin at the beginning" I was hooked. The author lets us see just enough of Harry's previous lives to allow the reader an idea of how being reborn works. North had me questioning the people I cross paths with. Why do some people I've never met seem so familiar? I enjoyed

There are some books that I’ve read that could have benefited from being trimmed down. It seems that authors sometimes try to get dense and intense, especially in the sci-fi/fantasy genres. Dune springs to mind. And while I haven’t even finished the Game of Thrones, its emphasis on royalty and lineage and so forth intimidates me. I like to be challenged with what I read, but if it gets to be more-work-than-fun (particularly in a genealogical way) I usually give up. Call it a mixture of ADD/laziness…

And man…Lexicon was work! But I finished it. Not because of the compelling characters or

In The Book of Heaven, Patricia Storace creates the mythology of an alternate universe, but one the reader recognizes, as if through a veil, from its allusions to Greek legends and Old Testament stories. It is different from anything I’ve read and therefore hard to describe. Although the sections hinge on central themes, such as of the oppression of women and the nature of God and of love, they can be read in isolation. Each section presents the tale of a different woman, eulogized in the stars themselves in this world Storace creates. Her writing is contemplative; reading it is a meditation

Amy Gumm wants to get the hell out of Kansas. She is sick and tired of being mocked at school for her worn out clothes and trailer trash mom. After getting kicked out of school for getting into a fight with a pregnant girl (a fight that Amy did NOT start she would like me to point out), she comes home to find her mother out of her usual funk and primping for an evening at the local dive bar. The news on the TV in the living room shows radar towards Dusty Acres (their luxurious trailer park). Like the caring mother she is, she leaves her child in a trailer without tornado shelter to get drunk