This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection

This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection

by Carol Burnett

book-on-cd

I thoroughly enjoyed this book written and read by the wildly funny Carol Burnett. She shares her personal history, her rise in show business and stories about the people she's met along the way. Most of these anecdotes are hilarious (she is a hoot off-stage, too), some are heartbreaking (it's real life!), and all are told in such an easygoing style that you will feel like you just had a chat with your next-door neighbor.

- Dixie

The Imperfectionists

The Imperfectionists
by Tom Rachman

This novel, set in Rome, tells about a struggling international newspaper. Each chapter focuses on a different employee of the paper: the accountant, publisher, copy editor, obituary writer and more. The author does a good job of getting into the heads of his characters, and he captures the quirkiness and eccentricities of the individuals. Each story has its own flavor and rhythm, some are dry and humorous - others poignant and disturbing.

The Imperfectionists is very enjoyable to read. It's short, sharp, and leaves you wanting more. Highly recommended!

- Kathy

The Maiden Heist

The Maiden Heist
DVD

A very funny story about three art museum security guards who have spent many years at the museum. When word gets out that the collection will be moved, they can’t bear the thought of losing their favorite pieces. They come up with a plan to save their beloved masterpieces and so starts a funny romp with this all-star cast. This is a very entertaining movie well worth watching.

- Dixie

Think Twice

Think Twice
by Lisa Scottoline

I have enjoyed the work of Lisa Scottoline many times in the past but with this story I was very surprised by the dark aspect in the beginning. The main character falls victim to her twin sister's evil, and she has a very hard fight as a result.

There were moments in the story that I didn't think that I would continue, it was just too intense. I'm glad I stuck with it, because it turned out to be a great book.

- Beckie

Wedding Season

Wedding Season
by Katie Fforde

Sarah is a wedding planner, Elsa designs fabulous wedding gowns, and Bron is a talented hair dresser and occasionally creates cakes. They are so busy planning other weddings, the three friends do not have much time for a love life of their own.

Sarah is asked to plan the wedding for a famous actress, Carrie Condy. Unfortunately for Sarah, Carrie and Sarah’s sister pick the same date for their weddings – two months away. The three friends meet and decide they can handle both weddings. In the meantime, Sarah’s sister wants a fairy tale wedding but the budget is limited; and, Carrie wants a fairy tale wedding including the church, and one is not available. The three friends make it happen for both brides but not without chaos and problems, this includes their personal lives as well.

Katie Fford is a gifted writer and can bring out the comedy in any given situation. I even enjoy reading her Acknowledgments!

- Rose

Girl in Translation

Girl in Translation
by Jean Kwok

Eleven-year-old Kimberly Chang and her mother emigrate from Hong Kong to the US. They don’t know the language or the culture and owe a great debt to the relative who brought them here. Their new life includes a squalid Brooklyn apartment with no heat, and hard labor in a Chinatown sweatshop.

Kim is an excellent student and knows that her education will be their way out of poverty. She is a student by day and sweatshop worker on evenings and weekends. With a foot in both worlds, Kim learns the language and the culture. But she is still a girl and has to experience peer pressure, teen angst and first love.

A moving story about immigration, triumph and heartbreak. I highly recommend it.

- Dixie

The Girl Who Chased the Moon

The Girl Who Chased the Moon

by Sarah Addison Allen

Emily Benedict arrives in Mullaby, North Carolina after the death of her mother, to live with her previously unknown grandfather. She finds a town full of secret, unexplainable things: lights flit around her yard at night, wallpaper in her room changes to suit her mood, and her giant of a grandfather won't reveal anything of her mother's past. Emily doesn't believe in magic, but she can't shake the feeling that something mysterious is going on.

Allen has, once again, written a novel with strong and interesting characters with magical quirks that are somehow believable. She cuts this lighthearted story with just a pinch of darkness, keeping it from becoming too sweet.

If you liked Ms. Allen's first two books, Sugar Queen and Garden Spells, you will enjoy The Girl Who Chased the Moon as well.

- Sally

Taking Chance

Taking Chance
DVD

Starring Kevin Bacon

This movie is based on a true story regarding a fallen soldier’s journey from his death on the battlefield to his final resting place. It shows how the marine is prepared for the final journey home as well as the respect and reverence he is given along the way. This story is told through a volunteer military escort, Lt. Colonel Michael Strobl as he escorts Lance Corporal Chance Phelps home to his final resting place in Wyoming.

This is a very touching movie and brings emotions to the surface. I highly recommend watching it.

- Rose

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