The Scent of Rain and Lightning

The Scent of Rain and Lightning
by Nancy Pickard

This story centers on the life of Jody Linder, who was 3 when her father was murdered and her mother disappeared. The person everyone believes is responsible for the crime is captured and imprisoned. The town thinks he will never get out, but 20 years later he is released and returns to the small Kansas town where the crime was committed.

Jody and her family must come to terms with what really happened 20 years ago and the truth about their loved ones. The book is a story of betrayal, the futility of revenge, and the necesssity of forgiveness.

This book will grab you from the first page and not let you go. Great for a summer read.

- Kathy

Did You Hear About the Morgans?

Did You Hear About the Morgans?
DVD

Starring Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker

Paul and Meryl Morgan witness a murder and someone tries to kill Meryl. They are put into the witness protection program and are immediately uprooted from their beloved New York and moved to a small town in Wyoming. What is wrong with that? Unfortunately, the Morgans have recently separated and must adjust to living under the same roof as well as life in a small town and the wilderness. This is a great comedy!

- Rose

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
by Helen Simonson

This is a charming story of daring curmudgeons who discover later-in-life love. No one does this kind of story better than the Brits.

It's multicultural, surprising and amusing. If you need a break from the usual formula, give this charmer a try. I recommend it highly.
-Holly

Game Over

Game Over
by Fern Michaels

The Sisterhood is awaiting word of their pardon from President Martine Connor. But there is a rumor going around that one of their own, Lizzie Fox, who is also Chief White House Counsel, will be offered the position of Justice of the Supreme Court, and their pardons are going to be shoved in a desk drawer, forgotten. That does not sit well with any of the girls or their allies so they start planning the next coup d’etat. In the meantime, Lizzie learns of the President’s plan but will she accept the offer? There are many surprises in store for the sisterhood as well as the reader. Enjoy!

- Rose

The Last American Man

The Last American Man

by Elizabeth Gilbert

This is the story of a man who walks to the beat of a different drummer. Eustace Conway has been driven by his goal of trying to convince people to give up their materialistic lifestyle and return to nature. The facts of his life are a testament to the saying, "truth is stranger than fiction." When he was 12 he went out into the woods, alone and empty-handed, and survived off the land for a week. He lived in a tepee for 17 years, wears clothes made out of buckskin, and set a record for his travels across the U.S. on horseback. He purchased 1000 acres in North Carolina which he has developed into a working primitive farm.

Elizabeth Gilbert does a great job of showing who this man is, warts and all. This isn't just a romantic picture of a mountain man - this is a real portrait of who he is and what he does. If you are a fan of adventure non-fiction give this book a try.

- Kathy

O'Horten

O'Horten
Norwegian Film on DVD

Odd Horten has been forced to retire after 40 years as a train engineer. His future is not a place of punctual timetables. It's unpredictable with crazy characters and unlikely adventures.

This is one of the most charming movies I have ever seen. I enjoyed watching Horten take in the world around him. The truth is that we are on this crazy ride together.
-Holly

Front and Center

Front and Center
by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Written for young people, this is the third title about DJ Schwenk, a high school junior from rural Wisconsin, who lives on a run-down dairy farm. She's not the best student, has a somewhat dysfunctional family, and is an amazingly gifted athlete. In this installment, DJ is starting to get her life back after taking a break from school and normal life to care for her older brother who was injured playing football. She's trying hard in school and is back on the basketball team, playing phenomenally. But she's feeling immense pressure from her coach, the townfolk, and especially her brother, to commit to playing Division I b-ball at a big 10 university. Her self-doubts and self-image are so true to life. I think the author did a great job in portraying DJ's fears and struggles for self-awareness and would serve to help all young women realize how unnecessarily hard they can be on themselves. I recommend the story highly for this reason. Read these books in order: Dairy Queen, The Off Season, and then Front and Center.

- Linda

Kisser

Kisser
by Stuart Woods

Kisser by Stuart Woods finds Stone Barrington juggling more woman than even he can handle. There's the actress, spoiled heiress, lady detective and the federal DA. Shots are fired, sexual romps, and dinner at Elaine - the usual Stone scenarios. Stone Barrington fans will not be disappointed.

- Rochelle

Why My Third Husband Will be a Dog

Why My Third Husband Will Be A Dog
by Lisa Scottoline

I had never read one of Lisa Scottoline's novels, but this book's cute cover and humorous title caught my attention. Let me assure you this is not a husband-bashing book. (Even though she does refer to her exes as Thing 1 and Thing 2) The book is a collection of essays excerpted from Lisa's "Philadelphia Inquirer" columns. Many of the chapters are laugh-out-loud funny. She writes about motherhood, love, men, and Spanx. Yes, Spanx. Her take on these undergarments is hilarious. ("Like slipping into a tourniquet")

This book is full of wisdom, quirkiness, and down-to-earth anecdotes of the trials of everyday life. A really fun read.

- Kathy

An Irish Country Girl

An Irish Country Girl
by Patrick Taylor

Mrs. Maureen Kincaid is housekeeper to Dr. Fingal O’Reilly and his assistant, Dr. Barry Laverty. They live in the village of Ballybucklebo, Ireland. While preparing Christmas dinner for the doctors, Mrs. Kincaid, affectionately known as Kinky, invites the Christmas carolers in for a snack and decides to tell them a story about her past. The story centers around the O’Hanlons neighbor, Connor MacTaggart, and the Dubh Sidhe (dark faeries) and what happened when he cut down a Blackthorn tree and ignored the advice of Kinky’s mother.

Kinky, like her father, was an excellent storyteller and had entertained the children with her tale. When the children finished their snack and left for home, Kinky continued with dinner preparations. The story she told brought back memories of her childhood and family traditions. While preparing dinner, Kinky couldn’t help but reminisce about her past, family, and when she met her husband.

Patrick Taylor is a great seanachie (storyteller) because of the way he mystically presented Kinky’s life story. Hopefully his storytelling will continue with another sequel.

- Rose

La's Orchestra Saves the World

La's Orchestra Saves the World
by Alexander McCall Smith

Lavender Stone, "La", moves to a quiet Suffolk hamlet to try to recover from a broken marriage and a broken heart. When war comes, she wants to help and finds herself working on a small farm feeding chickens.

Knowing that music can brighten the mood even in war-time, La pulls together a rag-tag orchestra.

Meanwhile, she meets Felix, a Polish refugee and flutist. La finds that she can love again but the war gets in the way.

This historical novel brings life to England, La, and her colorful companions during WWII.

- Dixie

The Cazalets

The Cazalets
DVD - TV Series

The story evolves around the Cazalet siblings Hugh, Edward, Rupert and Rachel. Rachel is considered a spinster and still lives with their parents. The brothers have families of their own and the responsibility of running the family business.

England is on the brink of war with Germany so the Cazalets retreat to the family’s country estate. While Edward’s family is in the country, he takes full advantage of the situation and continues having affairs. His wife doesn’t have a clue but his daughter knows. Hugh loves his family and is very happily married but tragedy strikes. Rupert’s first wife died and he remarried. His son and daughter despise their stepmother. And . . . Rachel loves another woman!

The Cazalets is an excellent Masterpiece Theater family saga.

- Rose

Provenance

Provenance

by Laney Salisbury & Aly Sujo

This is the story of a con man who scammed the art world in the 1990's. It is a very well done true - crime story, an enjoyable read that sheds a lot of light on the world of fine art. This nonfiction book reads like fiction and is a real page turner. The story of John Drewe, the man behind the scam is extraordinary. His swindle resulted in over 200 forged paintings being verified by authorities as real, and many of them sold at auctions for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Very interesting and well written, it is a wonderful book that I could not put down.

- Kathy

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much

The Man who Loved Books too much
by Allison Hoover Bartlett

John Gilkey is an accomplished book thief - he has stolen over $100,000 worth of rare first editions. Ken Sanders is a Salt Lake City book dealer who makes it his mission to catch John in the act. Allison Hoover Bartlett interviews both of the men extensively to learn all about the rare book market.

It was interesting following Allison as she learned what drove both men - their shared passion for rare books. She evens follows John on a book heist to see how its done. I recommend this book for its insight into literary obsession.

-Holly

Viola in Reel Life

Viola in Reel Life
by Adriana Trigiani

This is Trigiani's first novel for young people. I enjoyed both the story and her writing. Viola, a Brooklyn born and raised teen, ends up in boarding school in the middle of nowhere Indiana for a year while her parents are out of the country. It is the story of Viola's coping and growing, both in her film-making and in her friendship-making. I would be curious to know what teens think of this novel. I thought the girls were a bit emotionally mature for high school freshmen but what do I know? I need some teens to read this book and tell me what they think.

-Linda