Books Read 2009

Books Read 2009

· 27. "Hooked on Murder" Betty Hechtman (Summer/09) First in a series - a crochet mystery. I love reading any book involving crafts but this was hard to follow. I couldn't keep track of the characters. After some weeks I don't even remember in the end who done it!

· 26. "Every Secret Thing" Laura Lipman (Summer/09) Good suspense, mystery. Two 11- year- old girls are accused of the accidental death of a baby. The story picks up when they are released from juvenile detention at age 18 and another infant is kidnapped.

· 25. "Does She or Doesn't She?" Alisa Kwitney (Summer/09) Cute, fast read but don't remember much of plot. Written in the style of Jennifer Weiner. Young mom uncovers plot that husband is being investigated by FBI for some international business scandal. Falls in love with the FBI agent.

· 24. "How to Knit a Wild Bikini" CHristie Ridgway (6/09) Summer read. A little bit of a silly, far-fetched plot - too much unrealistic romance/sex but I'll read any current novel that involves knitting to some extent. (Cute chef becomes personal chef to rich, playboy type guy - they fall in love but can't admit they really love each other so pretend she is gay (stupid idea) but eventually all is right with the world.

· 23. "Trading Up" Candace Bushnell (5/09) Great, fun read by the author of "Sex and the City." This novel is set in the year 2000 and follows the life of a Victoria's Secret model. Altough the cast of characters are wealty and shallow, I found myself rooting for them and engrossed in their dramas.

· 22. "Possible Side Effects" Augusten Burroughs (5/09) I needed to be cheered up and these essays about life/living by the "Running With Scissors" author made me smile and laugh outloud!

· 21. "Here If You Need Me" Kate Braestrup (5/09) Memoir of a woman who becomes a minister (actually her deceased husband's dream) after he is killed in a car accident on the job as a Maine state trooper. Lots of good insight and truth regarding grief, healing, hope, moving on in another direction and living fully .

· 20. "I Used to Miss Him but my Aim is Improving" Alison James (4/09) Very funny/cute breakup survival guide. Lots of down-to-earth ideas about rebuilding your life after loss.

· 19. "Obedience" Will Lavender (4/09) A "Bookmarked" selection from Target. Intriguing thriller about a college class in Logic & Reasoning, in which the professor gives the students clues to stop a future murder, which some begin to believe may really happen.

· 18. "Postcards from the Edge" Carrie Fisher (4/09) Had this paperback on my shelf for years and am so glad I finally read it. Very funny & enjoyable - as it was published in 1987 it is now kind of a retro look at Hollywood. I never saw the movie either so maybe I should (it starred Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine).

· 17. "Mad River Road" Joy Fielding (4/09) I love this author for her suspenseful mysteries. Again, picked this up from the sale pile at a drugstore, no less. Intriguing plot about a crazy guy just released from prison, the woman he cons and the two young single mothers living in Dayton, Ohio. Of course, all the characters connect together. Good escape read.

· 16. "Come Closer" Sara Gran (4/09) I picked this up from the bookstore's dollar table. A short, interesting read about a woman's descent into mental illness or is it reallly evil possession?

· 15. "The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes" Diane Chamberlain (3/09) This was a great escape read that I couldn't put down. I'd never heard of this author but it was bookmarked at Target so I gave it a go. A riveting story line about a woman hiding a horrific past after committing a crime and going on to create a new identity/life. The crux of the story is what happens when her past catches up to her because it of course affects the people in her life both past and present.

· 14. "The House on Hope Street" Danielle Steel (3/09) I am not enough of a book snob to hide the fact that I love to read a Danielle Steel now and again. I will be guaranteed tears and resolution by the final page. Somehow it doesn't bother me that the characters in her books find true love with the first guy they meet. Maybe I want to believe in that fantasy too. This book was about the violent death of a woman's husband and the first year following it. And yes, she finds love AND marriage again.

· 13. ""The Copper Beech" Maeve Binchy (3/09) Had to read something by Maeve in honor of St. Patrick's Day. All books by Maeve are good (I love her name). This was written in an interesting format where each chapter was specifically about a certain character in a small Irish town set primarily in the 1950-1970 time period

· 12. ""Here's The Story - Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice" Maureen McCormick (3/09) Very interesting and uplifting book. Well-written and was hard for me to put down. I'm a huge Brady Bunch fan. Maureen deseves to be commended for having the courage to relate the life-long adversity she faced in such an open and honest manner. A great inspirational read.

· 11. ""How to Sleep Alone in a King-Size Bed - A Memoir of Starting Over" Theo Pauline Nestor (3/09) Loved this book! We need more like it. The author used humor and candor in describing the first year of her divorce. Her descriptions of a horrible day-long job interview for some big corporation are worth the $13.00 price of the book alone!

· 10. "Now You See It" Allison Lynn (2/09) A young wife disappears without a trace and how her husband and family cope and strive for resolution. It does not escape me that the books I choose or choose me all deal with some kind of loss. I know that I am still searching for ways to come to terms with my losses. What I am really hoping to find in these books is proof that life will go on and happiness can be attained in the future. .

· 9. "Big City Eyes" Delia Ephron (2/09) Revolving around the mystery death of a young woman, the main character, Lily, grapples with her guilt over her divorce, life as a single parent of a teenage son, and the sacrifice she makes after falling in love with a married dad of three. Great little read!

· 8. "Comfort - A Journey Through Grief" Ann Hood (2/09) Everyone should read this book's Prologue which describes the platitudes and words of well-intentioned comfort given to grieving survivors. This author calls these words "lies." Those dealing with loss in their lives will totally get Ms. Hood's accurate portrayal of just how empty these words are. She is also the author of "The Knitting Circle." For a long while I was too afraid to read this amazing author because I felt the grief she had suffered was so much more than mine (the death of her five year old daughter, Grace to a strep infection). But I came to believe that she could teach me something and she has. She also has an excellent blog under her name.

· 7. "Storms Can't Hurt the Sky - A Buddhist Path Through Divorce" Gabriel Cohen (2/09) This is a great guide for any type of loss in addition to divorce. Reading it helped put me in a calm and less hostile attitude for my divorce mediation. The author offers very good insight and advice on the difficult topics of anger and forgiveness. The chapters are short (good when you are grieving because you feel you accomplished something by getting a chapter read) and he uses a great deal of humor which helps when we're down (we forget about the power of humor).

· 6. "Become Your Own Matchmaker - 8 Easy Steps for Attracting Your Perfect Mate" Patti Stanger (2/09) I read this book for its advice on getting over men who dump you and for some insight into how men feel and what they want in relationships. But I really liked the beginning of the book which describes a plan for getting over a breakup and focusing on healing/becoming happier.

· 5. "Come and Get Me" Alyssa Brooks (1/09) A "Chick Lit" read I picked up at the $1.00 sale table of my bookstore. But I found the topic silly and it made me angry. A young woman gets cold feet before she marries her lawyer fiance. She takes off for a jaunt around the world demanding that he chase her. Along the way there are various sexual escapades. I just wanted to shake this girl silly and tell her to be grateful she had a man willing to marry her. And to forget the three and foursomes. Those of us on our own would be totally satisfied with a "onesome!"

· 4. "Lost in the Forest" Sue Miller (1/09) Beautifully written examination of family life after the death of a husband/father.

· 3. "A Three Dog Life" Abigal Thomas (1/09) Everyone should read this gem of a book , a memoir of the five years following the writer's life altering expereience when her husband is hit by a car and severely disabled (brain injury).

· 2. "I Know Why We're Here" Mia Dolan (1/09) A British psychic's autobiography.

· 1. "Open Doors" Gloria Goldreich (1/14) About a newly widowed mother of four adult children and her changing relationships with them.