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!