Gone Missing

By Linda Castillo

This is the 4th novel at Police Chief Kate Burkholder of fictional Painters Mill, in Holmes County, Ohio. Kate is a former Amish woman who left her faith and family after a horrific experience during her teen years. She is a dedicated police officer, though often takes matters into her own hands when she should wait for back-up! In this story, the police are just realizing that there is a pattern forming concerning the disappearance of Amish teen girls in Northeast Ohio and western PA. Part of the investigation even takes place in Geauga County. I think Linda Castillo has become a better writer over the course of this series - the plot was tighter, the characters better developed and the violence less graphic. The series is an interesting mix of police drama and Amish culture in our area.

~ Linda

Born of Silence

By Sherrilyn Kenyon

The latest of the League series focuses on Darling Cruel, one of the many members of the Sentella (an otherworldly group of ex-assassins out to protect the innocent from a corrupt intergalactic government). While the story could be read without the previous novels it would be more enjoyable to know the background of the characters first, so starting the series from the beginning book is highly recommended.

Darling's character follows the same storyline that all the League Assassins have, which is the physically abusive past, secret assassin double life, and the girl who betrays him. The interesting twist is we have previously been led in the other books to believe that Darling is a homosexual, and this book gives us the intricate story of what Darling's true preference is. While the basic underlying story is almost a carbon copy of the previous books, Kenyon still is able to make it exciting enough to keep reading and rewards us with a jaw-dropping ending.

I loved it!

~ Becky

Juno’s Daughters

By Lise Saffran

I felt transported to the island community of San Juan in the Pacific Northwest, where single mom Jenny and her teenage daughters get involved in a local summer Shakespearian production of Tempest in a Teapot. Jenny's relationship with her daughters forms the heart of this novel and provides plenty of tension throughout. I appreciated Jenny’s growth as a mom and a person as her daughters began to negotiate their own journeys.

~ Sally

I, Michael Bennett

By James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

Michael Bennett is a widower, father of ten ethnically diverse children, grandson of a priest and a member of the NYPD. Bennett is given information that Manuel Perrine, a notorious drug kingpin, is coming to New York. During the attempt to apprehend the criminal, police officers and a bystander are killed. While waiting for trial, Perrine orchestrates additional attacks against the legal establishment from his jail cell. To get away from the chaos, Bennett takes the kids, grandfather and nanny to the family cabin in upper New York. Before long, he realizes that trouble has followed him there. The continuing conflict between Bennett and Perrine gathers momentum, ending with a cliffhanger.

Terrific read. I can’t wait for the next book.

~ Rochelle

Wallflower in Bloom

By Claire Cook

Another sweet beach read! If you have ever felt taken for granted, Deidre is just the heroine to help you get yours back! This story is a really fun mix of pop culture and real life, including a spot on Dancing With the Stars.

~ Sally

Gold

By Chris Cleave

Just in time for the London Olympics, Gold tells the story of two Olympian cyclists. Zoe and Kate have a difficult relationship. They are best friends, yet Olympic rivals, making their lives on and off the track complicated. The story revolves around their polar opposite personalities, the choices they make, and the effects these have on their lives both on and off the track. Gold succeeds not only in its absorbing description of the drive, discipline, and ambition necessary to be an Olympian, but also because of its realistic and eye-opening account of the cost this determination has on families as the athletes pursue their dream of winning the Olympic Gold. A great read – perfectly timed for the upcoming Olympics!

~ Kathy S.

Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker, and Fifty Shades Freed

By E. L. James

In the first book of this incredibly popular trilogy (more than 2200 holds in CLEVNET!), we meet Anastasia Steele, a young woman close to college graduation who is preparing to go into the field of publishing. Due to her roommate’s illness, she agrees to interview the wealthy, powerful, and attractive Christian Grey, owner of Grey Enterprises, for the school newspaper.

From the first moment, Christian is enthralled by Anastasia and must have her as his own. She quickly learns of Christian’s “alternate lifestyle” in the area of masochism and erotic “play”. Ana is faced with the decision of whether she should pursue this relationship (as one in a long line of Christian’s contracted submissives) and see where it leads, or to run in the other direction. Ana decides to continue the relationship, but defines many of her own rules. Throughout the trilogy, we witness the blossoming love between Ana and Christian as Christian battles to overcome his tortured past.

Despite all of the erotic and dominant/submissive elements and hundreds of creative usages of the “f” word, this is basically a love story. I found myself rooting for the characters to overcome their many obstacles: Christian’s early childhood trauma which leaves him mentally and physically afraid of true intimacy; his beginnings as the submissive of a much older woman (and family friend); those set on vengeance to hurt Christian; and Anastasia’s innocence and desire for true love.

I will not give away the ending, but it follows the basic formula of a love story: boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl. While this is not my usual type of reading material, I thoroughly enjoyed this series.

~ Paula

Close Your Eyes

By Iris and Roy Johansen

This mother and son duo has written another tight action-paked story.

Kendra was blind at birth. She developed her other senses to extraordinary levels. When her sight was restored, she learned to notice details others often overlooked.

Because of these skills, Kendra was drawn into helping the FBI solve cases. She stopped when the emotional stress became too much. When the FBI agent she worked with disappears while working a case, Adam Lynch from the Justice Department asks for her help. The investigation gets tense, dangerous and complicated.

A wonderful thriller anyone can enjoy. Great audio book for a couple on a road trip.

~ Rochelle

Gypped (A Regan Reilly Mystery)

By Carol Higgins Clark

Also available in audio book format.

Private investigator Regan Reilly takes a trip to Los Angeles with her husband, Jack, head of the NYPD Major Case Squad. While Jack attends meetings with the LAPD, Regan shops and sees the sites in LA. Coincidentally, she bumps into an old acquaintance, Zelda, who she has not seen in seven years since their joint appearance on the game show “Puzzling Words”. Zelda shares with Regan that she inherited 8 million dollars a year ago from a neighbor whom she barely knew.

Regan’s interest is piqued after a series of curious events begin happening to Zelda while she is spending the week in a rundown Hollywood mansion that she had won as a prize: a butcher knife is found in the woods outside the mansion; Zelda’s financial advisor gives her some tea (which makes her feel groggy) and pushes her to sign documents; her father marries a near-stranger in Vegas. Of course, Regan wraps up all of these seemingly unrelated events into a neat package and solves the mystery.

I would not recommend this book; the characters are shallow, the dialog unnatural, and the plot line is very weak. It was easy to figure out “whodunit?” early on in the book. This is the first Regan Reilly Mystery that I have read and I truly feel “Gypped”.

~ Paula

Born to Darkness

by Suzanne Brockmann

This book is a departure from Brockmann's popular Troubleshooters series about Navy Seals. It takes place in Boston, sometime into the future, when our country is still gripped by the second Great Depression and the divide between the haves and have-nots is greater than today. People even have to pay the police to file reports and investigate crimes.

The heroes are a team of super-people from the Obermeyer Institute somewhere outside of Boston. Called "Greater-Thans," the team members all have different enhanced abilities and are trained to control their powers and use their talents for good. At this future time in our society, evil has definitely gotten the upper hand! The book jacket talks about Brockmann's "talent for sexy, action-packed storytelling" and this story definitely fits the bill. 

~ Linda

Quiet: The power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking

by Susan Cain

You know you are an introvert if ….you prefer listening to speaking, reading to partying; you favor working on your own, over brainstorming in teams. Author Susan Cain charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal in the twentieth century and explores its far-reaching effects. She examines both brain science and psychology to show how introverts move through the world.

Quiet offers advice on everything from how to better negotiate differences in introvert-extrovert relationships, to how to empower an introverted child when it makes sense to be a "pretend extrovert." You may find yourself in this book, or perhaps someone you know.

Regardless, it is an interesting read, and I recommend this book to introverts and extroverts alike.

~ Sally

Seriously...I'm Kidding

by Ellen DeGeneres

Audiobook format.
Also available in print and large-print editions.

Talk show host, best-selling author, and 12-time Emmy winner, Ellen DeGeneres has written her third book in which she updates the reader, or listener in this case, on the new events in her life and career since her last book, “My Point…and I do have one”, was released in 2007. Some of these happenings include: marriage to Portia De Rossi, “Cover Girl” status, American Idol judging, and her colonoscopy.

This 3-CD audiobook set passes very quickly as it narrated by DeGeneres herself. I was surprised by the amount of material that has been added specifically to the audiobook version, such as a meditation while you are driving, special sound effects, and chapter 29. The print version of the book doesn’t include numbered chapters as it is a series of short essays, but Ellen (May I call you Ellen?) announces each chapter number in the audiobook. Don’t let the fact that there are 57 chapters worry you – some chapters contain only a word or two.

The book and audiobook are done in classic, tongue-in-cheek “Ellen” style where her warmth and positivity shine through. Having said this, if you love Ellen, you will love this. If you don’t, skip this one.

~ Paula

Daily Coyote

The Daily Coyote: a Story of Love, Survival, and Trust in the Wilds of Wyoming by Shreve Stockton

Shreve Stockton describes her first year raising a coyote and living in Wyoming. This is a love story really, about a young woman and her new home, new boyfriend, and a coyote pup named Charlie. She takes this task seriously and provides training while respecting the unique nature of this wild animal.

Not only is Stockton a great writer, but a fantastic photographer as well and the natural beauty of the land (and Charlie) shines through. If you love animal stories like I do, check this book out.

-Dixie

Imagine by Jonah Lehrer

“The imagination is vaster than we can imagine. We just need to learn how to listen." “Imagine” by New York Times best-selling author, Jonah Lehrer (“How We Decide”), is an exploration into the world of imagination and creativity through the areas of artistic inspiration, brain function, mental illness, and amphetamines.

Many artists, writers, and musicians from the early Greek through present day, have suffered from bi-polar disease or depression, which can generate feelings of melancholy triggering intense concentration and creativity. Artists and musicians are not the only ones to take advantage of creativity as a tool for productivity. The leaders of 3M and Pixar inspire creativity in their workforce through physical building arrangement, collaboration with those outside of the company, and group dynamics.

Lehrer encourages the reader to look at the world from a different vantage point. Think like a child. Talk to someone new. Travel.

Although this book is very thought-provoking, Lehrer sometimes jumps from topic to topic without providing a smooth transition. While I would not call this a casual read, the science of creativity is explored and those interested in the topic of imagination and inspiration will be intrigued.

~ Paula

A Basketful of Broken Dishes

A Basketful of Broken Dishes: a true story
By Naomi Mullet Stutzman

The author, Naomi Stutzman tells the story of her parents, Simon and Sue Mullet, a couple from Geauga County, who leave their Amish way of life early in their marriage. Naomi is their youngest child and the only child in the family not born Amish.

Even from a young age, Simon struggled with following the strict Amish rules. Simon and Sue marry, both having joined the church making their vows to keep the Ordnung, but Simon continues to question everything. He joins the military, which is forbidden and Sue is now stuck between the Bishops and her husband. Who was she to obey?

Together they set their family free from the bondage of “religion” although their freedom brings a heavy price - the Bann – shunning. Naomi relates how her mother loved unconditionally and lived courageously looking forward to her divine inheritance and how it was hidden in her earthly inheritance, a basketful of broken dishes.

Dixie