If You Could See Me Now

by Cecelia Ahern

Elizabeth Egan's life runs on order: Both her home and her emotions are arranged just so, with little room for spontaneity. It's how she counteracts the chaos of her family--an alcoholic mother who left when she was young, an emotionally distant father, and a free-spirited sister, who seems to be following in their mother's footsteps, leaving her own six-year old son, Luke, in Elizabeth's care. When Ivan, Luke's mysterious new grown-up friend, enters the picture, Elizabeth doesn’t know quite what to make of him. With his penchant for adventure and colorful take on things large and small, Ivan opens Elizabeth's eyes to a whole new way of living. But is it for real? Is Ivan real?

~Crystal

When Hitler Took Cocaine and Lenin Lost His Brain: History’s Unknown Chapters

by Giles Milton

The first installment in Giles Milton's outrageously entertaining series, History's Unknown Chapters: colorful and accessible, intelligent and illuminating, Milton shows his customary historical flair as he delves into the little-known stories from the past.

There's the cook aboard the Titanic, who pickled himself with whiskey and survived in the icy seas where most everyone else died. There's the man who survived the atomic bomb in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And there's many, many more.

~Crystal

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly

by Anthony Bourdain

A deliciously funny, delectably shocking banquet of wild-but-true tales of life in the culinary trade from Chef Anthony Bourdain, laying out his more than a quarter-century of drugs, sex, and haute cuisine—now with all-new, never-before-published material.

~Crystal

Healthy Meals for Less

Great-Tasting Simples Recipes Under $1 a Serving

by Jonni McCoy

In this easy-to-use, make-it-from-scratch cookbook, Jonni McCoy, the original Miserly Mom, demonstrates that inexpensive meals can be both nutritious and mouth-watering. She offers proof that living well without spending is doable. Originally published as Miserly Meals, every recipe includes the price per serving and a nutritional analysis. Kitchen tips are an added bonus with every recipe. Simple soups, slow-cook dishes, breakfast ideas, vegetarian options, snacks, gifts from the kitchen, and more will make this the busy mom's most-used cookbook.

~Crystal

The Last Anniversary

By Liane Moriarity

I am making my way through all of Liane Moriarity's books since reading Big Little Lies, which I loved! This is an earlier book by the author with the same signature style: humorous, thought-provoking, mysterious, frightening.

The story is set in Australia on Scribbly Gum island. It switches between 1932 when the "Munro Baby Mystery" occurred and present day when Sophie is shocked to discover that she will inherit her ex-boyfriend's aunt's house - the same house that was involved in the mystery.

This is a real page-turner that is hard to put down. Try it if you have enjoyed other books by Liane Moriarity or The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins.

~ Paula

Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats

by Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats
Music CD

I first saw this group on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Their performance blew me away, and I knew I had to hear the entire album.  It did not disappoint. The CD is listed under "rock" but the sounds are a combination of R&B, Bob Seger, James Brown, & Classic Rock. You could leave this on in the background looping, and it's just good for the soul. Fantastic group!

~Becky

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

by Alan Dean Foster

If you haven't gotten around to reading this after seeing the movie, now is the time, just before the DVD/Blu-ray release on April 5th. This book is basically a novelization of the movie, but if you are dying to know about some deleted scenes, this is where to find them. Ever wonder how Poe Dameron manages to get off Jakku and back to D'Qar? Does Kylo Ren know Han Solo is on Takodana? Do Rey and Poe ever meet? Have I piqued your curiosity yet?

~Becky

The Ex

By Alafair Burke

The Ex features defense attorney Olivia Randall, the strong & mouthy female protagonist, who feels remorse over ruining her former fiance's life 20 years ago. Now that Jack is the prime suspect in a mass shooting, Olivia feels that she can rectify the (false?) accusation and alleviate her guilt at the same time by proving him not guilty of this crime.

I enjoyed the heart-pounding suspense of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train and this novel is a good choice for other fans of this genre.

~ Paula

A Gift from Bob

By James Bowen

If you have read the other books by James Bowen you will definitely get a warm Christmas feeling from his latest book, A Gift from Bob. If you haven’t read the other books, you should. How Bob affected James’s life is truly remarkable. James made many bad choices due to bad circumstances in his life. He was working on making his life better when he met Bob and this chance meeting was the boost that really was the icing-on-the-cake. Bob is a ginger street cat that needed James as much as James needed him. If you like animals at all, you will love these books.

~ Beckie H.

Sweet Home Alaska

By Carole Estby Dagg

Terpsichore’s Father has lost his job at the mill and it doesn’t look like things are ever going to improve. The great depression has hit hard in Wisconsin. When Terpsichore’s family gets chosen to go to Alaska to homestead, she is so excited! She loves the Laura Ingalls Wilder books and she wants to live just like Laura did. Mother is not too happy about the move and says she will “vote” on whether to stay after the first harvest.

Terpsichore falls in love with Alaska along with her father and twin sisters. Mother will have to be convinced however, and Terpsichore starts planning to win her over by the end of the local fair.

This is a juvenile book suitable for any reader.

~ Dixie

Mud Season

By Ellen Stimson

A very funny chronicle of one family’s transition from city life to real country living in Vermont. That culture shock alone is funny but when Ellen decides she wants to own the old fashioned country store, the calamities start coming at an alarming rate. Anything that could go wrong did with (most of the time) hilarious results. I’m pretty sure the broken bone healed. I always enjoy stories of people totally out of their element.

~ Dixie

Lovable Livable Home – How to Add Beauty, Get Organized, and Make Your House Work for You

By Sherry & John Petersik

I want to read anything with the word “organize” in it. Someday maybe I will master that. In the meantime there are some great books about it including this one. Nice photos of livable rooms and ideas that don’t take a professional to accomplish. Now I’m pretty sure I need a Murphy bed. . . .

~ Dixie

Interstellar

DVD format

Cooper is an ex-pilot who is now a farmer in the Midwest. The earth is foundering and mankind’s existence is being threatened. Cooper and his daughter stumble upon a secret NASA station and learn of a most important mission in the history of mankind. Cooper agrees to pilot this mission to see if humans can find a planet that will sustain life. This is a great cast including Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Michael Caine. Very enjoyable!


~ Dixie

Annie’s Quilted Mysteries

This 12 book series includes:

A Patchwork Murder – by Jan Fields
Raven Threads – by K.D. McCrite
A Midsummer Night’s Seam – by Racheal Phillips
Broderie Curse – by Jan Fields
Innocent Until Proven Quilty – by Donna Kelly
Oceans Selvage – by Jan Fields
A Deadly Pattern – by Liz Penney
Unsavory Notions – by Amy Lillard
Seam of the Crime – by Jan Fields
Celtic Chains – by Donna Kelly
Sab Stitched – by Liz Penney
Unraveled Secrets - by Jan Fields

This series is the type that can be purchased from a book-of-the-month club. I thought it might be something that I would enjoy because it involved quilting and mysteries: two topics that I enjoy in a book. There is only one set in the Clevnet system so it makes it a necessary to wait a bit for the next book. Emma Cotton and Kelly Grace are co-owners of a quilt restoration business in Mystic Harbor, Massachusetts. Fifteen years before the first book takes place their best friend dies falling down a stairway at the college where she worked. Emma always felt it was murder but the police declared it an accident and closed the case quickly. Emma never believed it was an accident and had been trying for 15 years to get the police to reopen the case. She received a clue from a friend and decides to investigate the murder herself with help from Kelly and her Aunt Dottie Faye. The series takes the reader to Europe twice and different locations in the US. I found the books entertaining and wanted the next book as soon as I finished each title. I think you will like this series, give it a try.

~ Beckie H.

Tricky Twenty-Two

By Janet Evanovich

Fans of Stephanie Plum will not be disappointed by the latest in the series. Stephanie is always getting into trouble and the trouble in this instillation is really big. Ken Globovic (aka: Gobbles) has missed is court date, while looking for him Stephanie discovers he is the Supreme Exalted Zookeeper for Zeta House fraternity and there is definitely something funny going on at that house. While she is trying to find Gobbles, there are two murders and her life is in danger more than once. I don’t want to give too much away, so I’ll leave the rest for you to discover. I’ve always enjoy the Stephanie Plum novels as a book on CD in my car because Lorelei King does such a fantastic job. If you have only read her books, give the book on CD a try, you’ll laugh your way down the road.

~ Beckie H.