A Dirty Job
by Christopher Moore
Rating: Good
This is a funny book, Charlie Asher is a normal guy that tragically lost his wife after she gave birth to their daughter. He actually sees the "soul catcher" that comes for his wife.  Now that Charlie has seen the unseeable, people are beginning to drop dead around him.  He has now been recruited for a job of a "soul catcher". Reluctant to the job, he finds it isn't one he can refuse. Christopher Moore takes a grim subject, and turns it into a satire, that is entertaining and sometimes laugh out loud funny.

The Confession
by: John Grisham
Rating: Great
Love John Grisham when he is on roll.  This book is suspenseful and a paige turner. It has been out for a few years, but if you haven't read it, get it.  Won't disappoint!
Travis got a way with murder, why is he coming around the crime scene after years of being away?  He seeks counsel from a local Texas minister, when it appears that a young promising African American boy will be killed via lethal injection, for a crime he didn't commit.  Will Travis, confess in time, or will he change his mind at the last minute?

gods in Alabama
By: Joshilyn Jackson
Rating Great
It has been along time since I posted a review.  This book took me out of hibernation.  A great story about a girl that thinks she did something horrible, and runs away to Chicago to start a new life.  She falls in love with Bur a young black tax lawyer obsessed with legal trillers.  Bur encourages Arlene to go back to Alabama for her Uncles retirement party, but Arlene refuses.  Until Bur issues an ultimatum, they both will go to the party, or their through. Arlene has a secret, and to keep her deal with God, she must never tell a lie, never sleep with another man until she is married, and never go back to Alabama. Although she knows that her family will be surprised with Bur, that is not the reason she has stayed away.  Her biggest fears will be uncovered, and she will lose everything.  Excellent story, characters, plot, and setting. Very entertaining.

How to Be an American Housewife
By: Margaret Dilloway
Rating: Good
Shoko is a Japanese girl at the time of WWII.  She and her brother and sister are in a field when the bomb goes off at Nagasaki.  They are far enough away that the bomb does not affect them until later in life.  Her brother and her are very close until Shoko is a young women and falls in love with a "undesirable" man.  She is forbidden to see the man, and is disgraced.  Her father feels that Shoko only choice to marry would be an American GI. Shoko had been dating Charlie, a GI that she met in the hotel gift shop where she works, and decides to marry him.  Her brother is furious with her for dating someone that is beneath her, and then agreeing to marry an American.  He refuse to talk to her and has disowned her. When she arrives in America, she purchase a book for Japanese women that are moving to America with their husbands.  Shoko has a son, and a daughter, that she raises in America without any connection with her family.  When Shoko gets sick and tries to go back to Japan, she reaches out to her estrange brother, but does not get a response.  She becomes to ill for travel, and her daughter agrees to go in her place. Shoko daughter eventually finds her uncle, and is shocked by what he gives her to take back for her mother. The book is well written, entertaining, and insightful.  A good way to spend time on a rainy day.

The One & Only
by: Emily Giffin
Rating: Not so Wonderful
When I read a book, that I think is "Not so Wonderful", I have to refrain from posting a review, and think about the book before being negative. I am still thinking "not so wonderful" for The One and Only by Emily Giffin.  The book is based in the small town of Walker Texas, and revolves around a relationship of the head college football coach, Clive Carr and Shea Rigsby.  Shea is best friends with the daughter of the head coach, and grows up going in and out of the Carr house as easily as her own.  After graduating from Walker, she continues to work at the college and interact with the Carr family.  When Coach Carr's wife dies of cancer, Shea discovers that she has romantic feelings for the Coach. The book tries to distract from the inevitable, by Shea leaving her job at Walker, and getting a reporting job covering the Walker College football season. Simply written and with an overuse of the word "Coach" is another reason that this book is "Not so Wonderful".

Between Georgia
By Joshilyn Jackson
Rating: Good
This book starts off with a bang, and finishes with a..... bang.  A story about a family feud between the Fretts and the Crabtree's, that continues to escalate through Bernice and Mona. One of the Crabtree daughters is hiding her pregnancy, and gives birth to a baby girl in Bernice's living room.  Bernice's deaf sister holds the baby and claims the baby as hers.  Nonny grows up as a Frett, but is well aware of her Crabtree roots. She has established herself as the peacekeeper between the families, until a horrible accident happens to one of the Fretts. As hard as Nonny tries, she can not prevent the ongoing acts of revenge between the families. For all of my friends familiar with Athens and Between Georgia, this is a must read.  A roller coaster ride that is very entertaining. I really enjoyed it.

The Girls of August
By: Anne Rivers Siddons
Rating: Good
This is a good book about four friends that reunite on different beaches for a girls week in August.  Rachel, Barbara, Maddison, Cassandra are the four original girls of August.  They met while their husbands were attending medical school. Cassandra and Teddy divorce and Teddy remarries Melinda who is later killed in a car accident.  The girls reunited on Tiger Island South Carolina with new comer Baby, Teddy's new 20 something wife. The house belongs to Baby's family and she hopes that it will help her enter the group. The generation gap between the original three women and Baby make for some comical situations, and some unkind confrontations.  Beautifully written in the style that Ms. Siddons is known for, The Girls of August is an entertaining read.

The Lowland
By Jhumpa Lahiri
Rating Great
A story beautifully written about family, terrorism and love. Two brothers that are so close they can sense each others presence, but so different there lives will be separated by beliefs. The journey begins in Calcutta India during political unrest. Subhash is quiet, reserved and wants to please.  Udayan is outgoing curious and strong willed. Both brothers have two different destinies, but one will assume the responsibilities of the other. A brother that loves the other so much, his life is altered for the other ones actions. Written with picture clarity of events and scenery, The Lowland is a movie for the mind.

Dollbaby

By Laura Lane McNeal

Rating: Good

Liberty Ann Bell is a young girl that is dropped off at her estranged paternal grandmothers house, by her mother, after her father died in a accident.  Liberty, nicknamed Ibby, becomes to love her grandmother Fanny, but also the staff of the house.  Dollbaby is an African American woman in her 20's that works with her mother Queenie to take care of the house and Miss Fanny.  The three women have a loving caring relationship, and share a screat that has been hidden for years. The setting is New Orleans in 1964 during the civil rights movement. Although the civil rights movement is the backdrop, it is not the focus of the novel.  The loyalty, love, and friendship between Fanny, Queenie, Dollbaby, and Ibby is center stage. For those of you that enjoyed Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, Driving Miss Daisy, and The Help this is a must read.  

The Heist

by Daniel Sliva

Rating: Great

Well written, exciting, cultural look into espionage, and the art world.  I throughly enjoyed all of the Gabriel Allon books that I have read, and this one is just as exciting as the first one.  With events that could be taken off the front paige of the news paper, Gabreiell Allon tries to solve a murder and return a stolen masterpiece to it's rightful place. The book takes the reader on a journey around Europe, and to the Middle East. The answers will come when he follows the money!  

Bloody Jack (The Accounts of the Adventures of Mary Jacky Faber)
By L.A. Meyer
Rating:  More then Great (the series)
I can only try to express how fun, adventurous and great these books are. They are so good, that my husband and I saved Viva La Jacquelina (book 10)  for our drive back home from taking our daughter to college. We knew that Jacky would help defuse any melancholy that we felt, of leaving our daughter so far away, for the first time. Listening to these books narrated by Katherine Kellgren, have been fabulous. There are a total of 12 books in the series, and the last one will be published in September. I recently read that Mr. Meyer died last month. I am sadden to hear that we will not have other adventures after the 12th book.  Thank you Mr. Meyer, for the joy your stories have brought not only to me, my family and friends, but to everyone with an adventurous heart, and the tenacity to change their environment.
Mary Faber is a young girl whose family has died from the pelage in England. Faced with being put on the streets of London, Mary joins the Rooster Charlie Gang, and becomes a beggar. Knowing this is no life for her, she disguises herself as a boy and is chosen to become a ships boy for the English Navy. The series are her adventures that takes the reader on a comical, sometime sad, and an always fun ride around the world.  Can't wait for the next one!

The Daring Ladies of Lowell
by: Kate Alcott
Rating: Good
The Daring Ladies of Lowell has it all. Murder, love, a horrible working environment, and a strong willed woman that is determined to seek justice for all. Alice is a young mill worker in the town of Lowell Massachusetts.  In 1832, the working conditions at the mill causes sever health problems and sometimes death. Because of poor ventilation in the mill, fibers from the cotton are getting caught in the girls lungs. Alice is determined to improve the conditions, and is appointed spokes person for the "mill girls". One of the "mill girls" is found dead, and the death is first thought to be suicide. Alice knows this could not be true.  Proving that a "mill girl" was murdered, the murderer convicted, and changing the working conditions at the mill, seems to be a losing battle. Alice is willing to make the difficult choices that could cost her the man she loves, in hopes of getting justice for all.  Based on a true story, this historical fiction is a interesting and entertaining read.

Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake
By Anna Quindlen
Rating: Great
When I finished this book, I felt a little sad.  Not because the book was over, but the truth that the book confronts. The retrospect of Anna Quindlen's life puts into words what every women in the "baby boomer" generation faces. There is something to be learned, contemplated and revered in the life of the women in this generation.  It maybe a closer look at ones own mothers life, confronting aging, the importance of girlfriends, raising children, body image, or the climb up the professional ladder. It is not a "self help" book, but a book about life, joys, and sorrows that one is either facing or will be soon. I found myself wanting to highlight some of Ms. Quindlen's words of wisdom, so I could share them with my own daughter, sister, and mother. Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake is defiantly a book that you will be thinking about long after you finish it!

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Rating: Good
This is a coming of age book, and a good YA novel.  It is based in the 80's and the descriptions in the book will be nostalgic for those who were teenagers at this time.  Eleanor is a not so pretty new girl in school.  When she gets on the bus her first day, she is befriended by the reluctant Park.  There story goes through the typical desire of adolescence that most adults are familiar with, but what amazed me about the book is Park's parents. They were the good guys.  The ones that raised Park the right way. He doesn't care that she is a little heavier then other girls.  He isn't afraid to be her boyfriend, and he defends her when the other kids make fun of her, and play mean jokes on her. His parents allow Eleanor to seek refuge from her abusive family at their house, and allow Park to help her through the difficult times.  It is a story about a first love full of emotions and conflicts, but it also shows how to be a good friend.  

The Hurricane Sisters
by Dorothea Benton Frank
Rating Great!
The Hurricane Sisters is a fun book that will make you laugh out loud in some parts, and make you think in others. The book has it all from an eccentric grandmother Maisie, a cheating husband Clayton, Liz a mother, wife and daughter who is dealing with the family, Ashley the struggling artist, Ivy (nickname for IV) the gay son,  Mary Beth, Ashley's roommate and partner in crime, and Ashley's politician boyfriend name Parker. The mix of characters makes for a rich story about family, support, and life. The four women learn to except each others faults and strengths to become stronger themselves. Like most of Ms. Frank's books, it is based in Charleston SC and the descriptions and language in the book is typical southern.  The scenery is picturesque, and of course there is a hurricane brewing.

The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion and the Fall of Imperial Russia
by, Candace Fleming
Rating: Good, non-fiction
I picked this book up for my mother who is visiting Russia in a few weeks, and decided to read it myself.  I did not know that the book was considered to be a middle school, or a very young YA book.  It didn't take long to figure that out. My rating is based on the idea that the reader is a young person.
The book is an easy historical read for the audience that it intended to reach.
A very general picture of the conditions of the Russian people, and the clueless Tsar and his family. There are quotes from letters written from families, both the royals and commoners. Very good for a reference in a middle school history or an English project.

Save the Date by, Mary Kay Andrews
Rating: Not so Wonderful

Cara, is a recently divorced florist in Savannah Georgia that is struggling to keep her business a float, while juggling a new puppy, an assistant that is recently out of rehab, and a new love affair. She is faced with more problems, from her over bearing father that loaned her money to start Bloom, as well as a famous florist from South Carolina that is expanding into Savannah.
The main character is often flustered, always defensive towards men, and on the verge of failure. (sound familiar?) Instead of concentrating on the floral shop and it's success, the reader is taken on a journey of multiple weddings where Cara is portrayed more as a friend then a florist. It would have been nice to have Cara in her shop instead of the many unrealistic escapades not preformed by a florist. Her involvement into the personal lives of her clients makes the story even more unbelievable  Mary Kay Andrews books are enjoyable for their wit and Southern charm, Save the Date didn't have either.  

The Last Magazine

The Last Magazine by Michael Hastings
Rating: Really Good
When I was reading this book I thought it was GREAT!  As I got towards the end of the book I thought that the language and sexual escapades were to explicit. Michael Hasting is a young intern at "The Magazine" a news periodical.  The book describes the people that he works with, and his responsibilities. Michael is hired as a research assistant and wants to be a traveling news correspondent like A.E. Peoria. A.E. Peoria is sent to Iraq when the US invades. He is caught in a assault on the military unit he is riding with as a reporter.  His experience instead of promoting his career causes a major set back.  Hastings is trying to impress both the international editor and the managing editor, both who are trying to out preform each other for the position of editor and chief of the magazine.  The book shows the journalism side to major events in the 21st century, from the genocide in Chad, the  invasion of Iraq, and hurricane Katrina to name a few. The author Michael Hastings was a journalist for NewsWeek, a contributor to Rolling Stones, and Gentleman's Quarterly.  He was killed in a car accident in 2013.  This book was found on his computer by his wife, and thought to be one of the first books he wrote.

I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You

I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You
by Courtney Maum
Rating: Totally stumped!
The story is told from the prospective of Richard, a man who cheated on his beautiful wife, and of course got caught.  It was interesting reading about this from a male perspective.  A different twist from the ordinary. Richard is an artist and his wife is a lawyer and they reside in Paris.  He loves his wife Ann, but thinks he loves his mistress, then realizes that he really loves Ann, after being dumped by his mistress.   When Ann is pregnant with their first child Richard paints a picture of a scene looking through a key hole at a vibrant blue bear.  The painting loses its sentimental meaning to the couple, when the affair is known to Ann, and the painting is sold.  Richard has to deliver the painting to a man name Dave in England where the mistress now resides, and is engaged to a man name Dave.  Here the book gets kind of weird.  The title threw me for a loop too.  No one is having "Fun" in this book.  Did I miss some inside joke? I keep looking at the cover. Is it suppose to be cynical?  Enlighten me please!! I'm ready for that OH, I get it moment.

The Husband's Secret

The Husband's Secret by, Liane Moriarty
Rating: Great
I read this book in January and liked it so much it was my book club choice for this year.  July is my month to host, and I reread the book for it to be fresh in my mind.  I can say I liked it as much the second time. How well does anyone really know the people that are closest to them?Once their secrets are revealed, the responsibility of knowing also becomes yours.
Cecilia Fitzpatrick finds a letter address to her in a box of old bank statements that is from her husband.  On the letter is her name and open after my death.  Cecilia is a good wife and wants to abide by his wishes but the letter is controlling her thoughts.  Tess with her husband Will, and cousin Felicity own and advertising company.  When her marriage is on the rocks she goes back to her hometown, to stay with her mother. She enrolls her son into her old elementary school.  Rachel is an elderly lady that works in the school office that both Tess and Cecilia's children attend. Rachel's daughter Janey was murdered as a teenager, and would have been around the age of Tess and Cecilia if she had lived.  All three women barley know each other, but their lives are intertwined by secrets. Excellent writing by Liane Moriarty. Fantastic plot and characters.  A GoodReads Best of 2013

The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott

Rating Good

The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott is historical fiction based on the life of Lady Duff Gordon, a fashion icon of the 1900's.  Much more interesting then her dressmaking is the fact that she was one of the 706 survivors of the Titanic. She was known to be ruthless and over-bearing, but shows a softer side when she hires a girl she meets on the docks as her maid.  A young dressmaker named Tess that knows little about being a Ladies maid, but wants to learn dressmaking from Lady Gordon. The story is told from Tess's perspective. There is a little romance between Tess and two men that she meets on the Titanic, but it seems to be a sideline to the real story.  The historical events of the night the Titanic sank, the US investigation, and the demise of Lady Gordon's carrier are interesting to read. At the end of the book Ms. Alcott relays what is fictional and truth in her book.  The mix of history and fiction is entertaining and educational.

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
Rating: Good
I first heard of this book a couple of years ago after I read another Gillian Flynn book Gone Girl.  I put off reading Dark Places, but not for the lack of interest, but for a lack of time.  I am glad that I came back to it and glad that I waited to read it.  Gillian Flynn's novels leave you feeling kind of spooked. The book begins with  Libby, a depressed young women who has lost all of her money, that she received from donations, after her family was killed in what was thought to be a satanic mass murder committed by her brother. The murders happen in 1985 and the book flashes back between 1985 and present day.  Libby was only 7 when the murders were committed, and she testified against her brother.  Her brother is found guilty, and is serving time for the crime.  Libby out of money, is asked to speak with a group called the Kill Club.  The Kill Club theorizes over different murders and come up with conspiracy theories of who actually killed the victims.  Only going for the money she starts to realize that things may not have been as they appeared to a seven year old, and she may have put her only living family member in jail for a crime he didn't commit. Scary, suspenseful and sometime gory.  Dark Places will keep you up all night "reading".    

Lucia, Lucia by Adriana Trigiani
Rating: Great!
Aunt Lou is a 70 something lady that lives in a Greenwich Village apartment and at the first sign of cold weather puts on her full length fur coat to run her errands.  Kit is a young play write that is getting frustrated by rejection letters, and is invited to Aunt Lou's fifth floor apartment for a "sale".  Kit is intrigued by the prospects of finding "good stuff" goes to Lou's apartment and finds something much more interesting then things, but the story of Lucia. This is one of those books that makes the reader feel good and enriched for taking the time to read it.  Triumphs and tragedy, parties and work, family, and friends, love and sadness.  Life!  And everything is just as it should be.

Wild Fire by Nelson DeMille
Rating: Good
I am a HUGE DeMille fan, so this may be one sided.  Wild Fire is another adventure for John Corey and Kate Mayfield.  The setting is a couple of years post 9/11 and the country is at code orange. Tom Walsh Special Agent in charge of the Anti-Terrorist Task Force sends Harry Muller, John's cubical mate to the Adirondacks to spy on a hunting lodge. Harry is missing and John and Kate go to find him.  They interview Maddox the owner of the Custer Hill Hunting Lodge and Corey knows there is more to the story. Kate and John find themselves not only investigating Harry's disappearance, but chasing down nuclear suitcase bombs that could destroy the US. Intense, sometimes scary, and in spot sarcastically funny, as only John Cory can be.  If you have a chance try listening to this book.  Scott Brick is a fabulous reader and is a phenomenal John Cory.

Summer House by Nancy Thayer
Rating: Good
Summer House is the perfect beach read. A wealthy family with a summer house on Nantucket Island with as many secrets, affairs, and family jealousies to keep you turning the page. The Wheelwright family meet at the house every summer for the family meeting hosted by the 90 year old patriarch, Nona.  The women stay on the island and the "bank men" jet back and forth from Boston on the weekends.  Helen and Worth are a 60 something couple with three children, a daughter Charlotte that lives on the island full time and runs an organic garden and vegetable stand, a son who lives in San Francisco and comes to the island for the family meeting and his wedding to his partner, and Teddy who is a recovering alcoholic that brings his pregnant girlfriend to the house to stay for the summer.  Helen finds out that Worth is having an affair, Nona reveals a secrete that she has been hiding for 60 years in hopes to save Helen and Worth's marriage.  Charlotte who seems to be the most sane out of the bunch is laden with guilt over something she did to Me, a cousin that is also at the house.  Yes a soap opera, but isn't that what a "beach read" is suppose to be?

Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella
Rating: Really Good ****
Lottie is sure that her boyfriend Richard is going to propose to her at dinner, and when he doesn't she breaks up with him terribly embarrassed and hurt. She reunites with Ben, a boyfriend from 15 years ago, and agrees to marry him not knowing how he has changed over the years.  Lottie is determined to make her honeymoon a night to remember.   She and Ben decide to refrain from sex until their wedding night. The two elope and anxiously head for Echinos, the island where they first met and had a summer love affair. Enter Lottie's divorced sister Fliss. Fliss is a travel magazine editor, and pulls strings at the 5 star resort to prevent Lottie from consummating her marriage to Ben in hopes they can get an annulment.  Funny, enriching story that examines the relationship between sisters, lovers and friends.

The All-Girl Fling Station's Last Reunion
by Fannie Flagg **
Rating: Not so Wonderful
It is hard for me to say that any book is bad.  I feel there  must be some redeeming qualities in the story that will enrich the reader in someway.  In Fannie Flagg's, The All Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion, there is a bit of history that I did not know.  I was unfamiliar with the WASP (Women Air Force Service Pilots).  It was interesting to read about the women that were truly the first feminist.  Although Ms. Flagg's pilots are fictional, I did Google the group and admired their courage and willingness to be important players in World War II.  The characters in the book almost drove me crazy.  Sookie Pool the protagonist is whiny, annoying, and unrealistic. Her mother, Lenore Simmons is obnoxious, prideful and deceitful. The dialogue between the two is hard to get through.  There are redeeming flashbacks to the history of the WASP when Sarah Jane finds out that she is adopted, and her biological mother was one of the Women Air Force Service Pilot

Brava Valentine, by Adriana Trigiani
Rating:  Really Good, ****
I really enjoyed this book.  Maybe more then the first of the series Very Valentine.  The characters dialog is funny, thoughtful, and entertaining.  A great story about an American Italian family that own a custom shoe shop in Greenwich Village.  The 34 year old Valentine takes over for her grandmother's custom shoe store that has been in the family for over a 100 years.  She is forced to become partners with her estranged brother at her grandmother's request.   Valentine has to figure out a way to work with her brother, and manufacture a shoe for everyday wear to save the family business.   Along the way she meets a cousin that she didn't know she had in Buenos Aries, and reconnects with the love of her life (although she doesn't know it.) Gianluca Vechiarelli.   The story takes you to beautiful cities in Italy, Buenos Aries, and of course back to her home in New York.