Hush Hush

By Becca Fitzpatrick...recommended by a teen, I resisted reading this book for a long time...but finally gave in.  I am kind of done with the supernatural...I think TWILIGHT has beat it out of me...then Patterson and his Maximum Ride...I wasn't sure I wanted to read it...but I did.  It was a great book!  I was hooked within the first couple of chapters.  Nora Grey is in high school...she plans to go to college, she has a best friend and her new lab partner, Patch.  There is something about him...she can't quite put her finger on it.  He is a fallen angel who desperately wants to become human.  What will he do to make that happen?  What will others do to stop him?  And...is Nora caught in something that may end with her dead?  I recommend!

The Art of Mending

By Elizabeth Berg...An annual trip home turns Laura's life upside down.  Her sister drops a bombshell on her about their childhood, her brother doesn't believe it, and her father dies suddenly.  This book talks about families and the relationship they have...or don't have.  You can choose your friends but you can't choose your family.  Laura is 50, a quilter, married and with two children...she has left her family behind and now her sister brings up things that happened in the past, Laura is left to decide what to do about the bombshell.  I found this book very interesting and it brought up thoughts about family, loyalty, and how to face the past.  I recommend to anyone!

Julia's Chocolates

By Cathy Lamb...Julia has been hit one too many times...so she leaves the day before her wedding and goes to her aunt's house where she spent some of her childhood.  Her life changes in big ways...job, purpose, friends, but her past still looms over her.  This book was recommended to me by a library patron and I finished it in less than two days...the characters were involved, the plot interesting and the message of self discovery and starting over...I loved it.  Also, she can make good chocolate!  I am excited to read other books by this author. Recommend for female readers...

Bold Spirit

Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America by Linda Hunt...I read this book for book club.  What an incredible story...and how maddening.  I can't really go into why I say that...you will have to read it and find out.  But, this woman's journey was incredible.  She walked from Spokane, WA to New York City from May to December...wearing the clothes of the time...with her eldest daughter...they fought off tramps and highwaymen...they met tons of people and to my delight they passed through Atlantic, IA...a place I am VERY familiar with.  If you like stories about women with tenacity and spirit...if you like history, if you like history but can't read it because it is too dry...try this book...it was incredible...and it gets you thinking about how a woman like that would be received in today's world!  I highly recommend.  A side note...written by a local author!

Committed

A Skeptic makes Peace with Marriage...By Elizabeth Gilbert...I read Eat, Pray, Love twice...once with the book and once with audio...I loved it and wanted all of my girlfriends to read it.  Now, I want to replace that book with this one.  I wasn't sure about this book.  I believe in marriage...the commitment of two people for life.  I realize that sometimes that doesn't work for everyone...but in my heart of hearts I wished it worked for everyone.  This book was EXACTLY what I needed to hear.  Elizabeth makes peace with marriage...and in doing so, brings out a lot of history and assumptions about marriage.  It made me think about my marriage and thoughts that I had before I got married.  I recommend this to EVERYONE!  Be warned...some of the thoughts Elizabeth has may not agree with what you believe...but I think she has a handle on what people should think about BEFORE marriage!  Enjoy the book..and if you are a friend of mine reading this blog.  READ IT!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

By Steig Larsson...I have seen the books, I have even been told there is a Swedish film...so of course I felt the need to check it out.  Turns out that this mystery, suspense, thriller kept me guessing right up until the very end.  Loved the characters...but want to warn readers the content is not for the weak of stomach.  There are parts that are vividly described!  It is obvious from the beginning the author has it out for those who abuse, misuse, and murder women...but you aren't sure what direction the book will take!  I can't wait to read the next one!

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

By Jamie Ford...This book was recommended to me by a patron.  I mentioned reading Shanghai Girls and a couple others and she thought I would enjoy this book.  And...I did!  A mixture of history, romance, and family drama all set in Seattle, WA.  A chapter of history that includes internment camps and racism.  The story grabbed me...and kept me interested until the very end.  I recommend to both men and women readers!