Whistling Past The Graveyard

By Susan Crandall

In the summer of 1963, 9 year-old Starla runs away from her grandmother's house. She hopes to reach Nashville. Starla wants to find her mother, who abandoned her and her father when she was 3.

What follows is the heart wrenching yet heart warming tale of her adventure. On her way to Nashville, she meets Eula, a young black woman. They travel together, and nothing is ever the same again for either of them. They journey through the deep South, encountering trouble everywhere they go.

I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. If you enjoyed The Secret Life of Bees or The Help, you will like it too.

~ Kathy

Six Years

By Harlan Coben


A  stand-alone title with all the suspense you came to expect from Coben. Six years ago Jake Sanders watched his lover marry someone else. When he hears of the husband's death he goes to the funeral to see the widow - but it's not his lover. Jakes starts to wonder what happened. When he begins to investigate, things come to light that trigger a reaction he never expected.

~ Rochelle




 
 
 
 

Truth Stained Lies

 

By: Terri Blackstock

Cathy is a former lawyer who now writes commentary on her blog about high-profile homicides. When she finds a threatening note warning her that she is going to experience the same kind of judgment and speculation that she dishes out in her blog, she doesn’t take it too seriously. Then her brother’s wife is murdered and the killer stages the crime to point to her brother. All the while, she is receiving threats and it looks more and more like the murder and the threats are related. Cathy and her sisters know her brother is innocent and they put their heads together to solve this murder. As they get closer to the truth, their brother’s five-year old son is kidnapped and in serious danger.  Time is running out for Cathy’s brother and nephew. Can they solve the mystery in time?

~ Dixie

Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls

By  Anton DiSclafani

This is the author’s debut book, and has received a lot of attention from the press. The setting is 1930, the midst of the Great Depression. After her mysterious role in a family tragedy, passionate, strong-willed Thea Atwell, age fifteen, has been cast out of her Florida home, exiled to an equestrienne boarding school for Southern debutantes located in the mountains of North Carolina. The story weaves between home and school, revealing the true story behind Thea’s expulsion from her family.   Thea comes across as a complicated, imperfect, totally screwed up character who still manages, at times, to be loving, brave and kind. I did not appreciate the change-up from a coming of age story of innocence, to ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ graphic descriptions of Thea’s encounters both at home and at her exclusive boarding school  In the end, I had the sense that the author wanted to write something bold and empowering but ended up with something strange and sad.  

~ Sally

A Week in Winter

By Maeve Binchy

Stoneybridge is a small town on the west coast of Ireland where everyone knows one another. Chicky Starr moves back to Ireland and decides to turn an old decaying mansion into a restful place for a holiday by the sea. Everyone thinks that this business venture will fail miserably, but Chicky, helped by Rigger the handyman and Orla, her niece, welcomes her first guests to Stone House’s big warm kitchen, log fires, and understated bedrooms.

Once again Maeve Binchy creates a delightfully quirky cast of characters whose lives intersect in one moment in time.

This is Maeve Binchy's final book as she passed away in July 2012.
~ Paula

The Kill Room

By Jeffrey Deaver

The murder takes place in the Bahamas and the police there aren’t sharing any information. The accused is a secret government agency set up to take out the bad guys other agencies don’t want to touch. Their assassin uses a knife in unique and deadly ways.There’s no evidence to examine and the investigation has to keep a low profile so the secret agency doesn’t get wind of it.This gets the reclusive Rhyme out of his apartment to the Bahamas to wrestle some information from the police.

Another wonderful Lincoln Rhyme/Amelia Sachs thriller!

~ Rochelle

Nowhere But Home

By Liza Palmer

Queenie grew up in a small Texas town and couldn't wait to get out. She left for life in the big city as soon as she was able. Anywhere sounded better than living in a town where it seemed no one would ever forgive her and her family 's past.
Ten years later, after being fired from her job as a chef and with no other options, Queenie returns home. She finds herself still unaccepted by the town, and still in love with Everett, her high school flame. She learns to put the past where it belongs, in the past, so she can live the life she wants and deserves.
Nowhere but Home is full of quirky, engaging characters. This is one of those stories that is funny and moving and satisfying. It is perfect for a rainy day or a day at the beach.

~ Kathy

Not by Sight

By: Kathy Herman

The Cummings family is still in limbo five years after the disappearance of Micah and Riley Jo, Abby’s Dad and little sister. They still don’t know what happened and long to have closure and move on with their lives.

When Abby sees a little girl in town that looks so much like her sister Riley Jo, she snaps a picture and can’t get the girl out of her mind. The connection to this girl feels so real. Her mother and brothers are skeptical however, since this is not the first time this has happened. Despite the doubt from everyone, Abby
and her best friend Jay team up to find this girl and hopefully solve the five year old mystery. Before long, there are warnings from a mysterious stranger and they are in too deep to stop. All Abby has is her “blind faith” to see this through and hopefully find the answers she is looking for.

~ Dixie

Sweet Confections: Beautiful Candy to Make at Home

by Nina Wanat

 

If you've ever thought you'd like to make your own marshmallows or caramel one day but thought it sounded difficult, this book is for you!  The photographs inspire you to try them all, and the instructions are written so simply you can't believe it will turn out right--but it does.  There is a very good section on how to correctly temper chocolate, and recipes with fantastic instructions for cookie dough fudge, Turkish delights, meringues, bark, making your own vanilla extract from scratch, even how to roll truffles.  The author also has a blog  which has great stories and helpful tips.

Happy candy making!
~ Becky

Between Heaven and Texas

Marie Bostwick has done it again. Her books are always a delight to read. She has taken us back in time to learn about Mary Dell's background. Mary Dell has always been a strong willed character in her earlier books and you see that again in this book. I loved this book, if you like Marie Bostwick you will, too.
-Beckie

The Last Runaway

By Tracy Chevalier

The Last Runaway is the story of Honor Bright, a young Quaker woman who emigrated from England in the mid 1800’s. Honor decides to accompany her sister to America after being jilted at the altar. Honor’s sister has arranged to marry her fiancé when she reaches Ohio. Unfortunately, she does not survive the journey. As Honor tries to find her place in the world while living in different households, she meets a successful farmer in Oberlin and marries him. Honor is a good farmwife and an excellent quilter. Her troubles with her new family stem from a difference in views on slavery. Oberlin, Ohio, is a major station on the Underground Railway. Honor feels a calling to help slaves escape to Canada although her mother-in-law strictly forbids it. The main conflict in the story appears when Honor breaks the rules of the home and runs away right before her baby is born.

There is a great deal of uncertainty in Honor's future throughout the book, but she maintains a positive attitude and hope for the future. After a slow start, I had trouble putting this book down. This is a good selection for those interested in Ohio history, the Underground Railroad, and quilting/farm life. Romance is interwoven into this story as well.

~Paula

Robot and Frank

Robot and Frank (DVD)

It's hard to know where to begin discussing Robot and Frank. It is a social commentary about aging, dementia, public libraries and ethics. Set in the near future, it is a story about an aging jewel thief who is given a robot by his son. The robot's only directive is to help Frank with his memory loss. Frank then teaches the robot to steal. Frank has a crush on the local librarian who is deleting all the books that are left. They are making way for the virtual library experience.

This charming movie has social satire with biting humor but ultimately it is about families. I can't recommend this movie enough. It has something for everyone.

-Holly

Suspect

by Robert Crais This is a stand-alone suspense novel by Robert Crais. It takes place in Los Angeles and starts out with 2 police officers being attacked by a group of masked men. Officer Scott James was severely wounded and his partner killed. While Officer James physically recovers from his wounds, he is suffering from PTSD as he returns to his new duty as a K-9 officer. It turns out that his K-9 partner, Maggie, a beautiful German Shepherd, is also suffering from PTSD after serving a tour of duty in Afghanistan. The attack against the 2 police officers was never solved. Officer James is being shunned as damaged goods by the LAPD as he works on his own to solve the crime. The story moves along nicely and is, refreshingly, only 300 pages. I enjoyed the fast pace and the growing relationship between Officer James and Maggie. ~ Linda

The House Girl

by Tara Conklin

Debut novelist Tara Conklin weaves the stories of two very vibrant women, living a century apart : seventeen year old Josephine, an artistically talented house slave in antebellum Virginia; and present day, twenty- four year old first year lawyer, Lina. Their stories become intertwined when Lina starts working on a retribution case for a big client. Looking for the perfect plaintiff, Lina discovers that Josephine may actually be the true artist of the famous works of her owner.

This book is filled with history of pre-Civil War Virginia, and the underground railroad. This being the sesquicentennial of the Emancipation Proclamation, The House Girl reminds us all about the unnamed victims and heroes of slavery in America.

I got caught up in both stories because of the great detail Ms. Conklin uses and because of the "digging" for historical information. As the author switched between the two stories, I found it hard to choose which life was more intriguing....Lina's or Josephine's.... both were appealing and drew me in, but in the end, for me, Josephine's story won hands down because of the historical interest.

This would make a great book club read! I enthusiastically recommend it to my book club friends.

~ Sally

The New-Fashioned Wedding:Designing Your Artful, Modern, Crafty, Textured, Sophisticated Celebration

By Paige Appel and Kelly Harris

The New-Fashioned Wedding showcases the beautiful work of Paige Appel and Kelly Harris, founders of the event planning company Bash, Please. Each chapter is devoted to a bridal couple and their signature style. Although traditional and elegant themes are included in this book, there are fresh and unusual themes that reflect today's modern bride, such as Country Eclectic, Backyard Bohemian, and Urban Organic, just to name a few.

Each theme includes details of the vision and color palette for the dress, venue, food, decor, flowers and more. The back of the book lists each category by couple/theme with ordering information.

This a beautiful book that will surely inspire the newly engaged couple and those planning special events.

~ Paula