Joy of Zentangle

Drawing Your Way to Increased Creativity, Focus, and Well-Being

By Marie Browning, Suzanne McNeill, Sandy Bartholomew

There have been oodles of books written about Zentangle, the meditative not-quite-doodling technique catching the attention of artists and newcomers alike. Having never tried it myself, I decided to give this new book a shot. The authors did an excellent job keeping the instructions simple, and most of the book is filled with step-by-step examples of patterns to draw, as well as some more elaborate pieces for inspiration. As the authors say, there is no right or wrong, no required outcome, and anyone can try this fun method of drawing. Whether you want to create a masterpiece, take some time for relaxation, or just doodle for a bit, this book is a great place to start.

~Kaleena

Rock Art!

Painting and Crafting with the Humble Pebble

By Denise Scicluna

This book is jam-packed with full-color photos of everything you need to know to create amazing rock art for your home or garden. The adventure begins with the hunt for the perfect rock, smooth is good, but look for fun shapes, rocks that stand up, dark or light color, etc. Next, look at your rock for inspiration - does it suggest an object? Or, you can make "rocks" out of clay. Now, for the fun part: painting! There are dozens of ideas in this book based upon different themes. 

My favorite part of this book is the "Using Your Rock Art" section where the author/artist shows us practical and whimsical applications for your rock art. Cactus, anyone?

This book rocks! (Please pardon the pun.)

~ Paula

The Rosie Project

By Graeme Simsion

As sometimes happens, I listened to and blogged The Rosie Effect (the sequel to this book) a little more than a month ago. I knew that I would like this book because I enjoyed The Rosie Effect a great deal. Knowing how the book would end did not diminish my enjoyment of The Rosie Project. 

Don Tillman is extremely intelligent but he is also a bit over the top, a bit autistic (maybe) and a bit overwhelmed by the challenges in his life, especially in his search for a wife. He has a hard time fitting in socially and is looking for a wife via a survey he has devised. He is looking for the perfect woman but finds Rosie, who according to his survey is far from the perfect woman. 

This comedy had me laughing repeatedly. I recommend that you listen to The Rosie Project then The Rosie Effect, but in whatever order, they are both lots of fun. (Dan O’Grady’s Australian accent makes the entire experience even better.)

~ Beckie H.

The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy

By Rachel Joyce

This book is the companion novel to The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.  It tells the story of Queenie and Harold, and what has brought them to this point in their lives.  As Queenie is dying in a hospice home in northern England, she waits for Harold to walk the length of England, to see him one more time.  In revisiting the past, Queenie comes to terms with her parting from Harold twenty years ago.

~Nancy

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

By Rachel Joyce

Newly retired Harold Fry receives a letter from a long ago colleague, Miss Queenie Hennessy, stating that she is dying and wanted to say good bye.  Harold feels terrible about the way things ended between them twenty years ago, and so decides to walk to Queenie to try to clear the air.  Unfortunately, Harold lives in the south of England, and Queenie lives in the far north. Harold’s walk takes him back in time to relive his memories and teaches him about who he is today.  

~Nancy

Poison

A Wicked Snow White Tale

by Sarah Pinborough

Thought you knew Snow White?  Maybe not. This is a not-so-happy (but wicked) version of the Snow White fairytale. Delve a little into the feelings of the wicked queen, and the sappy lovesick prince. You may like this version better!

The author has also written two other wicked versions of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty (Charm and Beauty). Definitely something to try if you're a fan of the fairytales!

~Becky

Saving Grace

by Jane Green

Saving Grace is a powerful and riveting novel that will be hard to put down.  Ted and Grace Chapman, married for 20 years, experience a home invasion of a sort.  They hire a woman (Beth) to be Ted’s secretary, he works from home as a writer.  She also helps Grace because she wants to remain busy.  But she has an ulterior motive.  During this time Grace has some issues that she has a hard time working out.  Ever present Beth is being very supportive during this hard time, until one day...
I hope you enjoy Saving Grace as much as I have, I listened in my car - read by the author, but other formats are also available.

~Beckie

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared

By Jonas Jonasson

Desperate to avoid his 100 hundredth birthday party at the old folks' home, Allan Karlsson climbs out of his window and heads off to begin a new adventure. The chapters of Allan's story alternate between past and present memories revealing comical interactions with historical figures from all over the globe.

Our Tuesday Night Book Club seldom agrees on whether or not we enjoy a book, but we all really enjoyed this one. Some of us chuckled, some guffawed, and others laughed out loud! Give this book a try if you want to be entertained in a refreshing way!

~ Paula

One Wish

By Robyn Carr

The latest edition to the Thunder Point series is One Wish.  This book will not disappoint Robyn Carr fans.  The new girl in town, Grace Dillon, has a secret past.  Her childhood was extraordinary, as a young adult she is quite famous.  One day she has had enough and leaves it all behind to (like so many people in Thunder Point) find a new life in a small town.  Grace has everything she wants and then she has the scare of her life. The nice thing about Robyn Carr’s books is the balance she achieves of tragedy and happiness. The towns she creates are always a place you would want to live. Her next book is due out in July: A New Hope, I can hardly wait.

~Beckie

Outlander

(Now also a Television Show)

By Diana Gabaldon

The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon after 5 years of hardly seeing each other, when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of 1743. Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that threaten her life and her heart. For here James Fraser, a young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire—and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

~ Crystal

​Old Before My Time: Hayley Okines' Life with Progeria

by Hayley and Kerry Okines

The extraordinary life of Britain's oldest teenager Hayley Okines is like no other 13-year-old girl. Born with the rare genetic condition progeria, she ages eight times faster than the average person. In medical terms her body is like that of a 100-year-old woman. Yet, she faces her condition with immense courage and a refreshing lack of self-pity. Here, Hayley and her mum Kerry reflect on her unusual life. Share in Hayley's excitement as she travels the world meeting her pop heroes and her sadness as she loses her best friend to the disease at the age of 11. Now as she passes the age of 13 - the average life expectancy for a child with progeria - Hayley talks frankly about her hopes for the future and her pioneering drug trials in America.

~ Crystal

The Guest Cottage

By Nancy Thayer

Sophie Anderson, and Trevor Black unwittingly rent the same Nantucket beach cottage for the summer. Sophie, looking for time to consider her life in the face of a potential divorce from her husband, has brought her two children to Nantucket for some breathing space. Trevor Black is looking for a new situation to help his young son recover from the death of his mother. When they both show up at the same cottage, (complete with a whittling grandfather in a separate apartment), the adventure begins.

Well developed characters and good storytelling by Ms. Thayer, who lives on, and writes about Nantucket, make for a good beach read, with a refreshingly different twist.

~ Sally

The Girl on the Train

Audiobook format

By: Paula Hawkins

Rachel’s life has fallen apart, yet she still takes the train into London every day, pretending to go to a job she lost months ago.  The same schedule, morning and evening. Rachel is really struggling with all the tragedies life has handed her.  The train stops at a broken signal every day outside of a suburban community.  Most days she sees a young couple outside on their deck.  She makes up a story in her head about their relationship and how they live their lives.  She does not know them but when she was married she lived in a house just five doors down the street.  Misfortune strikes the small community and Rachel gets herself involved.  This book will keep you on the edge of your seat wondering about who is the responsible party.  Very well written, you will enjoy the experience.

~Beckie

The Summer’s End

By Mary Alice Monroe

Go back to Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina and renew your acquaintance with Harper, Carson and Dora, three half-sisters who share a father, but are raised by their mothers in very different circumstances. Mamaw, their paternal grandmother invites them for one last summer at Sea Breeze, the family’s ocean cottage, as it is about to be sold

The last book of the Lowcountry Summer trilogy, The Summer’s End, is a great beach read. The setting is glorious, and the wildlife, the marshes and the sea are the perfect place to sort out the changes in each sister’s life.

I enjoyed the first two books of this trilogy, and loved beginning my summer’s reading with this book.

~ Sally

Rosie Effect

Audiobook format

By Graeme C. Simsion

If you want a book that is about a lovable, bumbling genius this is your book. Don Tillman is extreme in everything he does. Because of Don’s nature and speech, I think that this is a book better listened to than read; it is very entertaining. Don's new wife becomes pregnant and he orders an almost commando style stroller to keep the baby safe. Unfortunately, this extreme stroller does not suit his wife and other issues in their marriage have her wanting to leave. All his antics make this a pretty funny book. Very enjoyable as I drove to work.

~Beckie H.