Band of Sisters

By Cathy Gohlke

It’s 1910 in New York City. Maureen O’Reilly is running from a difficult and shameful life in Ireland. All she wants is to have a respectable job and to care for herself and her younger sister. Joshua Keeton is a young man from her hometown who sails to America on the same ship and wants to help and watch out for them. Maureen doesn’t want to depend on anyone else to succeed. She finds that not only is it a struggle to get through Ellis Island, soon she discovers that their benefactor is deceased and his family wants nothing to do with her. Maureen falls into a trap of lies to secure a position at a department store, only to learn that it is a front for a human trafficking ring. She finds herself in a very dangerous position and she has to step out in faith to trust Joshua and her new friends to help her and her two missing co-workers.

~ Dixie

Keeping the Castle

By Patrice Kindl

A YA book

Althea accepts the fact that she must rely on her wits and beauty to catch and marry a wealthy man in order to support her family and retain the family’s tumbling down castle for her younger brother. There is a decided lack of such suitors in her small 19th century Yorkshire town, and she managed to bungle the closest prospect. The new neighbor, Lord Boring, is a likely candidate, but his bungling cousin keeps getting in the way, and her stingy step-sisters must be tricked into paying for a new roof (with the help of some healthy rats).

~ Sue

San Miguel

By T.C. Boyle

Off the coast of California lies San Miguel Island. It is a harsh, rainy, hilly piece of land suitable only for raising sheep. The author creates a tale of the lives of 3 women who lived on this desolate little island.

The novel has 3 parts. The book starts in the 1880's and tells of island life into the 1940's. It centers on the satisfactions and frustrations of the women who live at different times on San Miguel. Some enjoy the rugged life, others do not. Their stories are gripping, the characters real, and the writing is beautiful.

~ Kathy

Darth Vader and Son

By Jeffrey Brown

A Children's & YA Book

While this book is listed in the children's graphic novel section, it can be appreciated just as much by a Star Wars adult fan. Let's be honest, I was laughing out loud and running off to find my husband to read some of the pages to him. In the book, Darth Vader is going through the usual trials of raising and taking care of his young son Luke--not quite keeping with the Lucas timeline but it doesn't matter. What makes it funny is every page has a reference to one of the Star Wars movies mixed in with well-known banter you have with a child. Any Star Wars fan will love this tiny book. It is such a unique perspective that I haven't seen before in all the Star Wars material out there.

~ Becky

A Confusion of Princes

By Garth Nix

YA Book

Prince Khemri grows up knowing that he, with all his enhanced, nearly immortal powers, will be the next Emperor of the vast Intergalactic Empire. However, when he comes of age he quickly realizes that he is but one of thousands who must compete with and battle each other if he can escape assassination attempts by the other competitors. He survives long enough to be sent on a secret mission where he has to battle aliens and space pirates, meets a young human woman Raine and learns more about the inner workings of the empire and of humanity. Can he escape his destiny? Can he retain what he still has of his humanity?

~ Sue

The Unexpected Houseplant

220 extraordinary choices for every spot in your home

By Tovah Martin

ISBN 9781604692433

This is a wonderful book about alternatives to the standard houseplant. Martin looks at each season and how it affects growing plants indoors. Beautiful pictures help inspire. Part of her creed is about the beauty/appropriateness of the container. Taking a poor looking supermarket item with a plastic pot and finding it a new home that will be the proper setting for the beautiful plant it will become. Some of the plants that are listed, we usually consider for our garden outside. She shows you how to use these beautiful and colorful plants as works of natural art in your home.

I had forgotten how plants can change a home.

~ Rochelle

The Third Gate

By Lincoln Child

Audiobook format

World-famous archeologist Porter Stone has assembled a team of experts on a top-secret search for King Narmer’s Egyptian tomb and the legend “double crown” of Egypt. The tomb is located in the Sudd, a tangled and treacherous swamp land in the northern Sudan. Professor and paranormal investigator Jeremy Logan has been added to the team after unexplained accidents have begun to happen at the site. One team member who has had a near death experience is being used for receiving communications from the dead, making her a valuable asset, as well as a threat, to this mission.

The pacing of the story keeps the listener interested as the mystery unfolds. Are the unexplained events the result of a five thousand year old curse, or is it sabotage?

~ Paula

How to Make Stuffed Animals

By Sian Keegan

ISBN 9781592537990

This book contains modern, simple patterns and instructions for 18 adorable projects. All you need is just a ¼ yard of fabric to produce these cute little stuffed animals to give your favorite little ones. My favorites are the spring dear (love her flower necklace), the hedgehog mobile, raccoon and fluffy sheep. Make them for gifts, decorations or just for fun. These little animals will become family treasures.

~Rochelle

Complete without Kids

An Insider's Guide to Childfree Living by Choice or by Chance

by Ellen L. Walker, Ph.D.

This book analyzes the pros and cons of having a childfree life whether it is by choice, happenstance, or circumstance. It is written by a psychologist who compiled interviews of childfree adults of all ages and pulled out repetitive themes these people experienced. As she points out in the book, we live in a society that celebrates the idea of having children and the idea that this is a choice is not discussed often, if ever at all. This book gives those who are starting their lives out a guide of what this childfree path is like--the reasons some people choose it and how some cope with it.

I found it to be very accurate, while avoiding any negative dialogue against those who chose to have children. The ideas go against what is considered normal in our culture, and it is refreshing to hear a different perspective.

~ Becky

The Tiger’s Wife

By Tea Obreht

While living in a nameless Balkan country, a grandfather shares the stories of his life through tales of the “tiger’s wife” and “deathless man” with his young granddaughter, Natalia. After her grandfather dies alone in a strange place, Natalia realizes that these childhood tales were about events in his life and unlock a secret that she has been searching for. The descriptions of the people and the countryside are rich and vibrant and the story and dialog are refreshingly original.

Our Tuesday night book club recently read this novel and the reviews were mixed. Several of our members felt that the story was too long and moved back and forth through time so often leaving the reader feeling confused. I enjoyed the audiobook format of the book which was performed by two very talented readers who portrayed Natalia and her grandfather.

Téa Obreht, the youngest of The New Yorker’s twenty best American fiction writers under forty, has won several awards for “The Tiger’s Wife”.

~ Paula

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