This Life is in Your Hands: One Dream, Sixty Acres, and a Family Undone

This Life is in Your Hands: One Dream, Sixty Acres, and a Family Undone
by Melissa Coleman

In the fall of 1968, the author's parents, Eliot & Sue Coleman, an idealistic young couple from well-to-do families, pack a few essentials into their VW truck and abandon the complications of the modern world and carve a farm from the woods. They move to a remote area on the coast of Maine and become disciples of Helen & Scott Nearing, authors of the homesteading bible, Living the Good Life. On 60 acres of land, Eliot & Sue begin to forge a new existence, subsisting on the crops they grow and sell as they build a home with their own hands.

Pursuing this purer, simpler life comes at a price. A tragic accident happens that destroys the family's life. It's interesting to see how the author looks back on her life, the role of fate, and the power of forgiveness as she struggles to understand her family's complicated past. An excellent read!

- Ann

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday
by Danielle Steel

On November 1, people around the world will be celebrating a birthday. For some it will mark a milestone, for others it will be an ordinary birthday. For three people living in New York, this year’s birthday will change their lives forever. Valerie Wyatt has her own television program and is a popular author. She will be sixty but looks much younger due to weekly workouts, plastic surgery, and of course Botox injections. Her daughter, April Wyatt, will be turning thirty and owns a successful restaurant. She is in for a very big surprise on her birthday! Lastly, Jack Adams is an NFL superstar and a successful sports commentator. He woke up on his fiftieth birthday with serious back problems and needs an MRI. All three are brought together by a tragedy that happens before Christmas and changes their outlook on life, love, family, and friendships.

- Rose

Six Inches of Partly Cloudy

Six Inches of Partly Cloudy
by Dick Goddard

Dick Goddard has been on TV for 50 years! Everyone in NE Ohio has probably watched “Uncle Dick” give the weather report at one time or another. Many of us have watched him for decades.

This book is a compilation of personal stories, photos, fun facts and essays on just about everything. There are stories by Dick’s friends and colleagues and cartoons drawn by Dick himself.

This book is a fun trip down memory lane and highly recommended for anyone who puts their “trust in Goddard”.

- Dixie

The Borrower

The Borrower
by Rebecca Makkai

Available through CLEVNET, The Borrower is the story of Lucy Hull, a 26-year-old children's librarian in Hannibal, Missouri. She becomes confidante to 10-year-old Ian who loves to read but whose parents don't allow him free rein in his reading choices. Lucy finds ways to slip Ian the classic children's books she thinks he should read and then comes to believe it is her duty to save Ian, who is a very quirky child, from religious zealot Pastor Bob. Together, Lucy and Ian embark on a 10-day odyssey of fun, anxiety and introspection. The story is as much about Lucy's coming of age as it is about Ian's struggle to fit into his world. The scenes in the library are really funny, as are Lucy's interactions with her Russian father. I enjoyed Lucy's journey and eventual self-reflection.

- Linda

1225 Christmas Tree Lane

1225 Christmas Tree Lane (A Cedar Cove Novel)
by Debbie Macomber

It saddened me to learn this is the final book of the Cedar Cove Series. I eagerly waited for each sequel and looked forward to reading about the families, how they grew, and solved their problems.

I decided not to write a summary about 1225 Christmas Tree Lane but to let the you, the reader, enjoy the final chapter of the town of Cedar Cove and the families we intimately came to know and love. A good read for the holiday season!

- Rose

Bill Cunningham New York

Bill Cunningham New York
a film by Richard Press (DVD)

Bill Cunningham is obsessed with fashion. He spends his time riding his bicycle around New York photographing people on the street for his New York Times column - "On the Street". He is witty and his observations are always on the mark about upcoming fashion trends.

This documentary takes you behind the scenes into his personal life. His life is very singular & focused on chronicling the changes in fashion since the 1960's. From his Carnegie Hall apartment, to his hob-nobbing with high society, this documentary is a slice of New York City life. I recommend it highly.

-Holly