Books read May 2012 - Summer 2012

1. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane - Katherine Howe
2. Skylight Confessions - Alice Hoffman
3. Fragile - Lisa Unger
4. The Rapture of Canaan - Sheri Reynolds
5. The Soloist - Steve Lopez
6. The Girl Who Played With Fire - Stieg Larsson
7. Happy Accidents - Jane Lynch
8. The Abstinence Teacher - Tom Perrotta
9. Until the Real Thing Comes Along (Reread) - Elizabeth Berg

Previous Reads

 Old Books Read - Most probably from 2010

1. Winter House - Carol O'Connell
2. Lust Killer - Ann Rule
3. Cat's Eye - Margaret Atwood
4. Lipstick Jungle - Candace Bushnell
5. Patchwork Holiday - Wanda E. Brunstetter, Renee DeMarco, Diann Mills, Colleen L. Reece
6. Commitments - Barbara Delinsky
7. Family Tree - Barbara Delinsky
8. A Murderous Yarn - Monica Ferris
9. Unraveled Sleeve - Monica Ferris
10. Cutwork - Monica Ferris
11. 50 Harbor Street - Debbie Macomber
12. Alias Grace - Margaret Atwood
13. Once Upon a Day - Lisa Tucker
14. Diary of a Mad Bride - Laura Wolf
15. Thank You For All Things - Sandra King
16. Snow Falling on Cedars - David Guterson
17. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
18. Say When - Elizabeth Berg
19. Best Friends Forever - Jennifer Weiner
20. Revenge of the middle-Aged Woman - Elizabeth Buchan
21. Certain Girls - Jennifer Weiner
22. March - Geraldine Brooks
23. The Doctor's Wife - Elizabeth Brundage
24. The Baker's Apprentice - Judith Ryan Hendircks
25. One Day at a Time - Danielle Steel
26. The Art of Mending - Elizabeth Berg
27. For Love - Sue Miller
28. 44 Cranberry Point - Debbie Macomber
29. The Senator's Wife - Sue Miller
30. Knit Two - Kate Jacobs
31. A Season in Purgatory - Dominick Dunne
32. Therapy - Jonathan Kellerman
33. Thunderstruck - Erik Larson
34. The Secret Life of Houdini - William Kalush and Larry Sloman
35. Anybody Out There? Marian Keyes
36. The Fourth Hand - John Irving
37. Comfort Food - Kate Jacobs
38. The Devil Wears Prada - Lauren Weisberger
39. Montmorency - Eleanor Updale
40. Man and Wife - Tony Parsons
41. Death by Cashmere - Sally Goldenbaum
42. The Shipping News - E. Annie Proulx
43. All My Friends Are Going to be Strangers - Larry McMurtry
44. Blessings - Anna Quindlen
45. Hanging by a Thread - Monica Ferris
46. The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
47. I Leap Over the Wall - monica Baldwin
48. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
49. Snow Country - Yasunari Kawabata
50. Shelter Me - Juliette Fay
51. Big Stone Gap - Adriana Trigiani
52. The Memory Keeper's Daughter - Kim Edwards
53. A Stitch in Time - Monica Ferris
54. The Kindness of Strangers - Katrina Kittle
55. Man and Wife - Tony Parsons
56. It's Not the End of the World - Joan Borsenko
57. The Secret Laws of Attraction - Talane Miedaner
58. The Nanny - Melissa Nathan
59. Losing It - Valerie Bertinelli

Books Read April 2012

1. Earthquake Terror - Peg Kehret

2. Who Ran My Underwear Up the Flagpole? - Jerry Spinelli

3. Hardy Boys No. 73 Casefiles Bad Rap - Franklin W. Dixon

4. Summer School! What Genius Thought Taht Up? - Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver

5. Danny The Champion of the World - Roald Dahl

6. The Kid Who ran For Principal - Judy K. Morris

7. My America Freedom's Wings Corey's Diary Kentucky to Ohio, 1857 - Sharon Dennis Wyeth

8. Encyclopedia Brown Gets His Man - Donald J. Sobol

9. Deer in the Darkness - Ben m. Baglio

10. The Summer of Riley - Eve Bunting

11. The Library Card - Jerry Spinelli

12. The Dead Game - A. Bates

13. Canyons - Gary Paulsen

14. Stone Fox - John Reynolds Gardiner

15. Among the Hidden - Margaret Peterson Haddix

16. Magic Tree House #8 Midnight on the Moon - Mary Pope Osborne

17. Magic Tree House #12 Polar Bears Past Bedtime

18. Magic Tree House #11 Lions at Lunchtime

19. magic Tree House #7 Sunset of the Sabertooth

20. Magic Tree House #13 Vacation Under the volcano

21. Magic Tree House #16 Hour of the Olympics

22. Magic Tree House #14 Day of the Dragon King

23. Magic Tree House #9 Dolphins at Daybreak

24. Magic Tree House #6 Afternoon on the Amazon

25. Magic Tree House #4 Pirates Past Noon

26. Magic Tree House #23 Twister on Tuesday

27. My Side of the Mountain - Jean Craighead George

28. For Girls Only - Edited by Sylvie Schuman

29. Scooby-Doo's Super Case Book - Vicki Berger Erwin and Suzanne Weyn

30. The Little's and the Trash Tinnies - John Peterson

31. Magic Tree House #3 Mummies in the Morning

32. The Littles and the Big Storm - John Peterson

33. The Adventures of the Baily School Kids Frankenstein Doesn't Plant Petunias - Debbie Dadey & Marcia Thornton Jones

34. Nine Lives - Ben M. Baglio

35. Great Stories From Real Life (From Guideposts Magazine)

36. The Silent Boy - Lois Lowry

37. Daisy, Buttercup, and Weed - Ben M. Baglio

38. Magic Tree House #5 Night of the Ninjas

39. Magic Tree House #15 Viking Ships at Sunrise

40. Magic Tree House #21 Civil War on Sunday

41. Jigsaw Jones Mystery The Case of the Secret Valentine - James Preller

42. Baily School Kids Ghouls Don't Scoop Ice Cream - Debbie Dadey, Marcia Thornton Jones

43. The Best Christmas Ever - Sylvia Green

44. The Nutcracker - Retold from E.T.A. Hoffman

45. Why Me? - Rebecca Gomez

46. Teen Why Me - Edited by Apryl Lundsten

47. Cosmo's Best Confessions Ever

48. On the Threshold - Adapted bu Frances T. Humphreville and Charlotte B. Diamant

Books Read March 2012

1. "The Boxcar Children - Schoolhouse Mystery #10," Gertrude Chandler Warner

2. "The Boxcar Children - Houseboat Mystery #12," Gertrude Chandler Warner

3. "The Boxcar Children - Caboose Mystery #11"

4. "The Boxcar Children - Benny Uncovers A Mystery #19"

5. "The Boxcar Children - Snowbound Mystery #13"

6. "The Boxcar Children - Mike's Mystery #5"

7. "The Boxcar Children - Mountain Top Mystery #9"

8. "The Boxcar Children - The Woodshed Mystery #7"

9. "Henry and the Clubhouse" Beverly Cleary

10. "Henry and Ribsy" Beverly Cleary

11. "Ramona Quimby, Age *" Beverly Cleary

12. "Socks" Beverly Cleary

13. "Emily's Runaway Imagination" Beverly Cleary

14. "Henry Huggins" Beverly Cleary

15. "The Littles Go to School" John Peterson

16. "Fantastic Mr. Fox" Ronald Dahl

17. "Nighty-Nightmare" James Howe (Bunnicula pals)

18. "The Kid in the Red Jacket" Barbara Park

19. "The Chalk Kid" Clyde Robert Bulla

20. "It's a Weird, Weird School" Stephen Mooser

21. "Hedgehogs in the Closet" Joan Carris

22. "The Hopeless Romantic's Handbook" Gemma Townley

23. "Lost and Found" Carolyn Parkhurst

Books Read Feb. 2012

1. "Madeleine's Ghost" Robert Girardi

2. "Perfect Match" Jodi Picoult

3. "Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind" Ann B. Ross

4. "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" Stieg Larsson

5. "Compulsion - An Alex Delaware Novel" Jonathan Kellerman

Books Read Jan. 2012

1. "Knit the Season - A Friday Night Knitting Club novel" Kate Jacobs

2. "The Whole World Over" Julia Glass

3. "Fortune's Hand" Belva Plain

4. "Needles and Pearls" Gil McNeil

5. "Grand Avenue" Joy Fielding

Books Read Summer - December 2011

Not in exact order

1. "The Dogs of Babel" Carolyn Parkhurst
Really interesting novel about a college professor who tries to teach his dog to talk as a way to find out how his wife died. The dog witnessed her death. Interesting observations about grief/death.

2. "Loving Frank" Nancy Horan
Another interesting read -picked up for a buck at Half-Price Books. Fictionalized account of Frank Lloyd Wright's life.

3. "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" Sidney Sheldon
Good suspenseful tale of a murder conspiracy. Two scientist guys get killed and their young widows join forces to figure out what is going on.

4. "The Last Chance Saloon" Marian Keyes
Another good one by this Irish author. Age 30ish group of friends figuring it out together in London.

5. "Crossroads" Belva Plain
Great read centered on a wealthy glass-making family in New England. The story centers on the adopted daughter of the family and a woman who obsesses about her and her life.

6. "Firefly Summer" Maeve Binchy
My main summer saga read. 662 pages about a group of rural Irish townspeople in the 1960s.

7. "Unpredictable" Eileen Cook
Cute chick lit read about a 30ish career gal and her antics at impersonating a physic to win her live-in boyfriend back. Happy ending with a new guy predicted.

7. "Wish You Were Here" Stewart O'Nan
Liked this novel involving family relationships and the death of the father. Everyone spends a last vacation at the family lake house before it is to be sold.

8. "The Almost Moon" Alice Sebold
By the author of "The Lovely Bones." Interesting plot about a middle-aged woman who kills her elderly mother.

9. "Mystery" Jonathan Kellerman
n Alex Delaware novel, but as is per usual with me, once read, I don't recall much of the plot. Always enjoy the read though.

10. "Big Girl" Danielle Steel
Love her books, quick and enjoyable reads - and do remember her plots. This one interestingly about a larger-sized young woman. Appreciate Steel incorporating a size-14 wearing woman as her main character.

11. "The Kiss" Danielle Steel
Very dramatic tale set in Paris about a woman in a love-less marriage and her relationship with a male "friend." Aren't all Steel novels dramatic?

12. "The Way Men Act" Elinor Lipman
Just got introduced to this author from some books I picked up at the Library book sale. Love her quirky sense of humor - reminds me of Anne Tyler's style. This plot was about young, single adults returning home and their efforts at finding love and moving responsibly onward.

13. "The Widows of Eastwick" John Updike
30 years have passed in the Witches of Eastwick's lives and they have become widowed after remarrying so long ago. Great read - I loved "The Witches of Eastwick" too.

14. "Run" Ann Patchett
Good, interesting plot about the lives of two families who connect at the site of an accident and how they are really connected to each other as relatives, unknown to them before the event.

15. "The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club" Gil McNeil
I enjoy any book about knitting. Here is another English tale about a young widow who inherits her elderly relative's yarn shop and is able to move to a quaint seaside town and rebuild her life. Wish I had an elderly relative with a yarn shop to inherit. Still, good for the words about knitting and project inspiration.

16. "After the leaves Fall" Nicole Baart
Very good read about a young woman growing up in a small Iowa town and her life after losing both her parents. Five stars.

17. "6 Rainier Drive" Debbie Macomber
6th in the series about a small community in Washington state. There are about 6 more to go. Macomber has been writing these every year and I enjoy them because some of the characters knit and some of the characters are middle-aged and living active, love-filled lives. It gives me hope that I'll get remarried again too and have a rewarding career.

18. "Heart Full of Lies" Ann Rule
I like reading these true crime sagas - this one about an evil, conniving woman who murders her husband. Makes me wonder how these crazy people out there think they will get away with their evil actions.

19. "Skinny Dip" Carl Hiaasen
Just found this author at the library book sale. Very humorous and funny. Lighthearted to take your mind off the crappy stuff. Quirky characters like Seinfeld.

20. "Nature Girl" Carl Hiaasen
Ditto above.

21. "The Neighbor" Lisa Gardner
Mystery writer who comes up with some good tales. This one keeps you guessing til the end. About a young wife who disappears and the search for her while her husband is suspected.

22. "When Day Breaks" Mary Jane Clark
Good suspense novel about a murder in the community of a t.v. news program.

23. "House Rules" Jodi Picoult
Really good novel about a teen boy with Autism and the murder charges against him. Excellent, absolutely excellent insight into Autism - very realistic and curernt.

24. "The Inn at Lake Devine" Elinor Lipman
I'm loving this author. Period piece set in 1960s at an inn in Vermont and prejudice against Jews.

25. "The Ladies Man" Elinor Lipman
Enjoyable read about three unwed sisters and their brother and what happens when an old flame of one of the sisters who jilted her prior to marriage returns 30 years later.

26. "Ramona and Her Father" Beverly Cleary
Actually a very good vintage read because it involves how and 8-year-old feels when her dad looses his job and the family has to pinch pennies before Christmas.

27. "Seven Year Switch" Claire Cook
Love this author too. Her books include advice for mid-life women reclaiming their energy, love and relationships with themselves and significant others.

28. "Rebecca" Saphne DuMaurier
Have wanted to read this classic forever but always had a hard time getting into it. This time I stayed with it and it was worth it. Interesting to read a suspense novel from the 1938.

29. "The Right Thing" Judy Astley
Good read about a middle-aged "mum" in England near the Cornish surf who wonders about the daughter she gave up at birth.

Books Read June 2011

!. "Fly Away Home" Jennifer Weiner
Love this author. Great read about a midle-aged woman (57) having to face life-changing decisions after her husband has an affair. Nice that she has the money and a family vacation home on the ocean to retreat to for solitude and recovery, but I'll let that pass.

2. "The Bean Trees" Barbara Kingsolver
Have meant to read this one for years. Decent story about a young woman discovering herself in a move from Kentucky to Arizona and her relationship with the little girl "given" to her whom she ends up adopting.

3. "Best Friends Forever" Jennifer Weiner
Great beach read! Loved it. Kind of like Thelma and Louise. Fast-paced but meaningful. Two friends reconnect and reestablish their relationship within a crazy week.

4. "Life's a Beach" Claire Cook
Nice to read a novel about mid-life women. This one about two sisters, one in her 40s the other just turning 50. Like that Cook's characters face challenges and life events that cause them tomake new decisions and life plans as this one does.

5. "Mennonite in a Little Black Dress" Rhoda Janzen
Funny memoir about a young woman in her 40s raised as a Mennonite who has to redirect her life after her husband leaves her for another man. She ends up returning home and to her faith for healing.

6. "Rabbit, Run" John Updike
I love Updike but not this novel which is supposed to be his best. The characters are horrible and the plot line depressing. About a 26-year-old father who leaves his 7-month pregnant wife and two-year-old son to escape his drudgery. A terrible family tragedy results. Not sure I can read the three novels that follow this one in the series as this guy progresses though life.

Books Read May 2011

1. "Caught" Harlan Coben
Another suspense/action/mystery by this author. Many plot twists and turns. How does he do it and manage to wind it all up? This one about a plot involving old college roommates whom seem to all be experiencing revenge against them.

2. "Another Mother's Life" Rowan Coleman
British novel about two best friends who are reunited after 15 years. One ended up with the man the other wanted and the book explores what ifs, forgiveness, paths not taken and new decisions.

Books Read April 2011

1. "Angela's Ashes" Frank McCourt

2. "American Star" Jackie Collins

3. "The Wildwater Walking Club" Claire Cook
Loved this book. "Discovered" it while looking through the fiction shelves at Half-Price Books. Perfect for mid-lifers undergoing change and challenges. Three women form a walking club with a daily goal of 10,000 steps and this novel covers the first month of their friendship and walking goals. Can't say enough good things about this book. It inspired me to try and walk 10,000 steps a day too.

4. "No Second Chance" Harlan Coben
The first mystery/adventure book by this author I've read. Plot was about the kidnapping of an infant and related murders. How can there be so many authors I don't even know about? Saw a review for this author in a woman's magazine and decided to pick up one of his books at Half-Price Books. Suspenseful, fast, intriguing read.

5. "Multiple Choice" Claire Cook
Another delightful and creative read. Each chapter starts with a cute multiple choice quiz. Plot involves a middle-aged mom going back to college as her oldest child, a daughter also starts.

6. "Living Oprah" Robyn Okrant
Memoir of a the year a 35-year-old woman "lives" all the advice Oprah gives from her t.v. show, magazine and website. Good thing this woman doesn't have kids. A lot of time spent marking down the time spent with which activities but not enough "meat" about her actual feelings for me.

7. "Must Love Dogs" Claire Book
Haven't seen the movie yet, but the book is a pure delight as all by this author. A newly divorced 30-40ish woman is back in the dating scene again. Realistic, funny, endearing and hopeful without being corny.

8. "Water For Elephants" Sara Gruen
When this first came out it didn't grab me - the life of circus people in the 30s but with all the hoopla over it I decided I had to read it. Couldn't find it anywhere, even at Walmart. Kept going to HalfPrice Books and after four months finally got a copy that just came in as I was checking out. Great, inspiring and touching book!

Books Read March 2011

1. "Ghost In My Soup" Judi Miller
Middle-school-age geared book about a 10-year-old who moves into a home inhabited by a ghost whom he eventually helps cross over to the other side. Interesting that it was written in 1985 before all the ghost interest increased.

2. "The Tuesday Erotica Club" Lisa Beth Kovetz
A group of women working in a law office meet on Tuesday afternoons to read their erotic stories out loud. Interesting concept - a widowed, mom in need of sex has to get her fix someplace!

3. "The Ten Year Nap" Meg Wolitz
Picked this up for 3 bucks at the dollar store. Substantial novel about the lives of four middle-aged women friends in their 40s - where they are in their lives, their past decisions, regrets/fears, etc.

4. "The House of Mirth" Edith Wharton
Probably my favorite Wharton novel so far. Finding a lot to relate to in socialite Lily Bart's plunge into poverty at the turn of the century. Also, descriptive of how friends can so quickly abandon us.

5. "The Return Journey" Maeve Binchy
A nice collection of uplifting short stories.

Books Read Feb. 2011

1. "Be Mine" Laura Kasischke
Excellent read. Picked this up a few years ago at the community college bookstore sale hardback table. It was near Valentine's Day and I thought it would be fun to read a themed book as this one starts on that date. It has sat on my shelf for three years but was definitely a good buy. Intriguing story line involving a marital affair, some mystery, family drama and very good descriptive writing. I hope to find the other books this author wrote because her style is amazingly detailed. I was totally absorbed in her words and descriptions.

2. "Who Put That Hair in My Toothbrush?" Jerry Spinelli
Sibling rivalry described within these pages for middle school readers.

3. "The Berenstain Bears and the Galloping Ghost" Stan & Jan Berenstain
Mystery involving horse stables and ruthless developers trying to obtain the property.

4. "Dune Road" Jane Green
Really liked this book about divorce and new beginnings. Many insights about starting over and single parenting.

5. "Ghost In My Soup" Judi Miller
Middle-school-age read about a boy who moves and has to adjust to a new house, community, school, etc. A ghost in the new house helps him.

Books Read Jan. 2011

1. "To Have and to Hold" Jane Green
Chick Lit at its best. About an unfaithful husband and his marriage from the wife's perspective. Pure enjoyment reading.

2. "Bergdorf Blondes" Plum Sykes
Another fun chick lit read. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the book, I have trouble remembering the details except vaguely that the plot involves young rich women husband husband hunting (I think).

3. "The Other Woman" Jane Green
Enjoyable read but also with some good substance about how acceptance and commitment is so needed in a marriage today.

Recent Reads

"Crewel Yule" Monica Ferris

This is the 8th book in the mystery series about the owner of a needlecraft and knitting store set in the real town of Excelsior, MN. I read it around the holidays because it was set in mid-December. In fact, I had started to read it in summer and put it aside to read until later and I was in a holiday mood. These types of books are quick and enjoyable reads. I love anything involving knitting and crafting and need to get the next book in the installment - I'll keep checking for it at the used book store.

"How to Be Lost" Amanda Eyre Ward

Great, intriguing mystery written in a very unique way. Some of the chapters are devoted to different characters and some are interwoven with the past and present. Plot is about a five-year-old child who disappears and her remaining family 15-years later. A very good read.

"Second Chance" Jane Green

I have rediscovered this author and find that I just love her. She taps into the emotional core of women, and definitely gets the struggles of single moms, parenting, grief and loss. I have decided to read all of her books that I have not yet read. This one is about four old school mates who reconnect 20 years later when one of the group is killed in a terrorist attack. They end up having to reexamine their lives and the choices they've made. I think I will add this book to the shelf where I put my grief books (fiction and non-fiction) because I found Green did an excellent job of portraying grief and its effect on friends, family members, relationships, etc .

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.

Regretful Decisions

Just finished "The Memory Keeper's Daughter," by Kim Edwards. An intriguing book that was quite popular a few years back. The plot of the story involves a doctor in 1964 who in a fluke snowstorm has to deliver his wife's first baby. But the wife ends up having unexpected twins, one of whom has Down Syndrome. The doctor makes the decision to spare his wife from the grief involved in raising the infant girl and "gives" her away. The wife thinks she only gave birth to the healthy son. The details of the lives of the separated twins is outlined in the book.

Keeping Track of Books

Had to create a blog to keep track of my reading. I don't like it being a part of my other main blog. This is mainly for me because I like to maintain a list of what I read. Today I finished "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood which I thoroughly enjoyed. I picked up the book at a big used book sale last fall. I have read the 20 or so books I picked up at the sale and am anxiously looking forward for this year's. This book allowed me to escape to another city and country, Toronto, Canada and a different era, the 1940s-1980s.

The story is supposed to be somewhat autobiographical. I liked the tale because it dealt with families, relationships, interactions and the large and small aspects of life that make up our personal histories. A majority focus of the book involves the main character's difficulties with her group of junior high age girl friends. Having experienced this same sort of stuff when I was that age, which was awful, I was able to totally relate.

Now I have to figure out what I'll read next. I'm running out of titles on my bookshelf. But every night I read before bed so will have to pull something off the shelf.