Mailbox Monday (July 30, 2012)

Welcome to Mailbox Monday, the weekly meme created by Marcia from A girl and her books.  This is where I share the titles I have received for review or purchased during the past week.  Mailbox Monday will be hosted in July by Mrs Q Book Addict.

Gone
by Cathi Hanauer


For the past fourteen years, Eve Adams has worked part-time while raising her two children and emotionally supporting her sculptor husband, Eric, through his early fame and success.  Now, at forty-two, she suddenly finds herself with a growing career of her own -- a private nutritionist practice and a book deal -- even as Eric's career sinks deeper into the slump it slipped into a few years ago.


After a dinner at a local restaurant to celebrate Eve's success, Eric drives the babysitter home and, simply, doesn't come back.  Eve must now shift the family in possibly irreparable ways, forcing her to realize that competence in one area of life doesn't always keep things from unraveling in another.


Gone is an outstanding novel about change and about redefining, in middle age, everything from one's marriage to one's career to tone's role as a best friend, parent, and spouse.  It is a novel about passon and forgiveness and knowing when to let something go and when to fight to hold on to it, about learning to say goodbye -- but, if you're lucky, not forever. 

Some Remarks
by Neal Stephenson


One of the most talented and creative authors working today, Neal Stephenson is renowned for his exceptional novels -- works colossal in vision and mind-boggling in complexity. Exploring and blending a diversity of topics, including technology, economics, history, science, op culture, and philosophy, his books are the products of a keen and adventurous intellect.  Not surprisingly, Stephenson is regularly asked to contribute articles, lectures, and essays to numerous outlets, from major newspapers and cutting-edge magazines to college symposia. This remarkable collection brings together previously published short writings, both fiction and nonfiction, as well as a new essay (and an extremely short story) created specifically for this volume.


Stephenson ponders a wealth of subjects, from movies and politics to David Foster Wallace and the Midwestern American College Town; video games to classics-based sci-fi; how geekdom has become cool and how science fiction has become mainstream (whether people admit it or not); the future of publishing and the origins of his novels.  Playful and provocative, Some Remarks displays Stephenson's opinions and ideas on:

• The Internet, our dwindling national attention span and the cultural importance of books and bookishness
• Waco, religion, and the cluelessness of secular society
• Metaphysics and the battle between Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
• The laying of the longest wire on Earth -- and why it matters to you
• Technology, freedom, commerce, and the Chinese
• How Star Wars and 300 mirror who we are today -- and what that spells for our future
• Modern Jedi knights, a.k.a. scientists and echnologists, and why they are admired and feared by both the left and the right

By turns amusing and profound, critical and celebratory, yet always entertaining, Some Remarks offers a fascinating look into the prismatic mind of this extraordinary writer. 

Mailbox Monday (July 23, 2012)

Welcome to Mailbox Monday, the weekly meme created by Marcia from A girl and her books.  This is where I share the titles I have received for review or purchased during the past week.  Mailbox Monday will be hosted in July by Mrs Q Book Addict.

I have been in email hell for the last week!  We changed internet providers so I had to change email addresses - it feels like I have been updating all the newsletters that I get for a month!  And don't get me started on what I had to do to get my files transferred!  My new provider doesn't have files within files *yet* so I hope I can find things when I need them.  But, at least I got some good books last week!

Pushing the Limits
by Katie McGarry


So wrong for each other. . . and yet so right.


No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms.  Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night.  All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.


But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined.  They should have nothing in common.  And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.


Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away.  And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

The Last Letter from your Lover
by Jojo Moyes


In 1960, Jennifer Stirling wakes in the hospital and remembers nothing -- not the car accident that put her there, not her wealthy husband, not even her own name.  Searching for clues, she finds an impassioned letter, signed simply "B," from a man for whom she seemed willing to risk everything.


In 2003, journalist Ellie Haworth stumbles upon an old letter containing a man's ardent plea to his married lover.  She becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to the lovers.  Perhaps if they lived happily ever after, her own complicated afair could have a happy ending, too.  A Brief Encounter for our time, this is a novel for romantics of every age. 

Finding Emma
by Steena Holmes


Megan sees her daughter Emma everywhere.  She's the little girl standing in the supermarket, the child waiting for the swings at the playground, the girl with ice cream dripping down her face.  But it's never Emma.


Emma's been missing for two years.


Unable to handle the constant heartache of all the false sightings, Megan's husband threatens to walk away unless Megan can agree to accept Emma is gone.  Megan's life and marriage is crumbling all around her and she realizes she may have to do the thing she dreads most:  move on.

When Megan takes a photo of a little girl with an elderly couple at the town fair, she believes it to be her missing daughter.  Unable to let go, she sets in motion a sequence of events that could destroy both families lives. 

and when she was good
by Laura Lippman


When Hector Lewis told his daughter that she had a nothing face, it was just another bit of tossed-off cruelty from a man who specialized in harsh words and harsher deeds.  But twenty years later, Heloise considers it a blessing to be a person who knows how to avoid attention.  In the comfortable suburb where she lives, she's just a mom, the youngish widow with a forgettable job who somehow never misses a soccer game or a school play.  In the state capitol, she's the redheaded lobbyist with a good cause and a mediocre track record.


But in discreet hotel rooms throughout the area, she's the woman of your dreams -- if you can afford her hourly fee.


For more than a decade, Heloise has believed she is safe.  She has created a rigidly compartmentalized life, maintaining no real friendships, trusting few confidantes.  Only now her secret life, a life she was forced to build after the legitimate world turned its back on her, is under siege.  Her once oblivious accountant is aksing loaded questions.  Her longtime protector is hinting at new, mysterious dangers.  Her employees can't be trusted.  One county over, another so-called suburban madam has been found dead in her car, a suicide.  Or is it?


Nothing is as it seems as Heloise faces a midlife crisis with much higher stakes than most will ever know.


And then she learns that her son's father might be released from prison, which is problematic because he doesn't know he has a son.  The killer and former pimp also doesn't realize that he's serving a life sentence because Heloise betrayed him.  but he's clearly beginning to suspect that Heloise has been holding something back all these years.


With no formal education, no real family, and no friends, Heloise has to remake her life -- again.  Disappearing will be the easy part.  She's done it before and she can do it again.  A new name and a new place aren't hard to come by if you know the right people.  The trick will be living long enough to start a new life. 

Outpost
by Ann Aguirre


Salvation isn't as safe as it seems. . .


Deuce's whole world has changed.  Currently living topside in a community called Salvation, she has a new set of problems.  Down below, she was considered an adult, and she contributed to the enclave.  Now above ground, she's a brat in need of training in the eyes of the Salvation residents.  She doesn't fit in with the other girls:  She hates cooking, sewing, and school.  Deuce only knows how to fight.


To make matters worse, her feelings for her Hunter partner Fade haven't changed, but he seems not to want her around anymore.  Confused and lonely, she starts looking for a way out.


Deuce pursues a chance to serve in the summer patrols -- those responsible for making sure the growers and planters can work the fields without danger of Freak attack.  It should be routine, but the Freaks have grown smarter.  They're watching.  Waiting.  Planning.  The monsters don't intend to let Salvation survive, and it may take a girl like Deuce to turn back the tide. 

Not Much of a Crime
by Steven W. Johnson


Allison King finds herself embroiled in a fight for her life when she decides to run for a vacant seat on the town council of Charleston, Nevada.  Does she have what it takes to overcome the political corruption, intrigue, and murder that permeates the town and still save the adult video empire she has created in Los Angeles?


What books came home to you last week?

Mailbox Monday (July 16, 2012)

Welcome to Mailbox Monday, the weekly meme created by Marcia from A girl and her books.  This is where I share the titles I have received for review or purchased during the past week.  Mailbox Monday will be hosted in July by Mrs Q Book Addict.

A Girl Like You

by Maria Geraci

Every ugly duckling is a swan in waiting.

Emma Frazier is smart and hardworking, and loves her job as a journalist for a Florida lifestyle magazine.  Emma knows she's no great beauty, but she's pretty certain she has a shot with her handsome new boss, Ben Gallagher -- untiil Emma overhears a mutual acquaintance refer to her as the "ugly friend."  In an effort to reclaim her battered self-esteem, Emma decides to impress Ben at work by promising an exclusive interview with NASCAR legend Trip Monroe.

Emma and Trip went to high school together and although it's been fourteen years since they've spoken, Emma is sure she can score an interview with the elusive superstar.  But connecting with Trip turns out to be harder than Emma imagined.  Her quest for the interview leads her back to her tiny hometown of Catfish Cove, where old secrets and a new romantic interest shoake up Emma's views on life and teach her that maybe the key to finding true love is as simple as accepting yourself for the person you were always meant to be.

Saving June
by Hannah Harrington


Everyone's sorry.
But no one can explain why.


Harper Scott's older sister, June, took her own life a week before high school graduation, leaving Harper devastated.  So when her divorcing parents decide to split up June's ashes, Harper steals the urn and takes off cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going - California.


Enter Jake Tolan, a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession. . . and an unknown connection to June.  When he insists on joining them, Harper's just desperate enough to let him.  With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanor and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what Harper needs.  Except. . . Jake's keeping a secret that has the power to turn her life upside down -- again. 

Rainbow Colors
by Karen Szybalski


Everyday is a treasure hunt, when you're looking for rainbow colors.  This is a joyful, playful, romp which celebrates bright colors and bright ideas!


This illustrated poem and song can be enjoyed again and again!


Wonderful for children 4-7 years of age. 




What books came home to you this week?

Mailbox Monday - July 9, 2012

Welcome to Mailbox Monday, the weekly meme created by Marcia from A girl and her books.  This is where I share the titles I have received for review or purchased during the past week.  Mailbox Monday will be hosted in July by Mrs Q Book Addict.

The Zombie Generation

by Drake Vaughn

Warner is the sole survivor of a deathscape dominated by hordes of the undead.  Years of isolation and lack of any human contact has driven him to the brink of insanity.  Plagued with vivid hallucinations and shocking nightmares, he scours the deadlands for any signs of life.

While discovering a temporary cure for his creeping mental illness, Warner is attacked and infected with the deadly disease.  Switching between man and beast, he must decide on risking a desperate cure or attempting a suicidal quest to rescue a group of stranded survivors.  Worse, these survivors may only be a figment of his crumbling sanity.

The Zombie Generation is a terrifying tale, perfect for fans of horror and the flesh guzzling undead.

Schooled
by Tali Nay


"Do you have to have sex to have a baby?"


It's a question that ten-year-old Tali Nay asked the office assistant at her elementary school after the woman had done her best to explain how it all happened to a roomful of confused girls.  Or maybe Tali was the only one who was confused.  It's entirely possible, for if there's anything she knew at this point in her schooling, it was that she -- without fail -- was the last to know about anything interesting. Take her first day of kindergarten, where it turned out that every other kid already knew which letters were the vowels.  Her first lesson as a student was consequently one of humiliation, and her second -- only slightly less important -- was that puking in a classroom tends to start a chain reaction.  A refreshingly honest deep-dive into what we actually take away from a public education, this hilarious and heartfelt memoir captures the things we learn in school that are never part of any lesson plan yet somehow have the biggest impact upon the shaping of our perceptions over the years we spend in a classroom.  Things like competition, failure, scandal, popularity, disillusionment, triumph, guilt, and, of course, throwing up in public.  From the glorious to the gloriously awkward, this everyman tale is a story of growing up, one semester at a time. 

The Raven Boys

by Maggie Stiefvater

"There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark's Eve.  Either you're his true love. . . or you killed him."

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past.  Blue never sees them -- until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks to her.

His name is Gansey, and he's a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school.  Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys.  Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can't entirely explain.  He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys:  Adam, the scholarship student who resents the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul whose emotions range from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die.  She doesn't believe in true love, and never thought this would be a problem.  But as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore.

India's Summer
by therese


India Butler, single and about to turn forty, travels to LA in an attempt to reinvent her life in a world rarely illuminated by the flashbulbs of the paparazzi, she discovers the true meaning of "having it all."

Nightwoods
by Charles Frazier


Charles Frazier, the acclaimed author of Cold Mountain and Thirteen Moons, returns with a dazzling novel set in small-town North Carolina in the early 1960s. With his brilliant portrait of Luce, a young woman who inherits her murdered sister's troubled twins, Frazier has created his most memorable heroine.  Before the children, Luce was content with the reimbursements of the rich Appalachian landscape, choosing to live apart from the small coummunity around her.  But the coming of the children changes everything, cracking open her solitary life in difficult, hopeful, dangerous ways.  In a lean, tight narrative, Nightwoods resonates with the timelessness of a great work of art. 

Louder than Words
by Chelsey Shannon, Emily Smucker, Marni Bates
edited by Deborah Reber


Real Girls. Real Words. Real Life.


What do you get when you give talented teen girl writers a chance to share their life stories with the world?  The first-ever series of teen-authored memoirs:  Louder Than Words.  Each Louder Than Words book features a young author sharing her powerful story through unique prose, journal entries, and poetry.  Louder Than Words: The First Collection features three unique books written by three incredible teen authors in one riveting compilation.


In Marni: My True Story of Stress, Hair-Pulling, and Other Obsessions, Marni Bates brings us insider her secret world of "pulling" and the challenges of surviving high school while trying to hid an obscure stress disorder.


Then in Emily: My True Story of Chronic Illness and Mission Out on Life, Emily Smucker takes us through the senior year that wasn't when chronic illness forced her to miss out on one of the most important times of her life.


And finally in Chelsey: My True Story of Murder, Loss, and Starting Over, Chelsey Shannon uses writing as a way to recover from experiencing the unthinkable when her father was murdered the week before her fourteenth birthday. 

Mailbox Monday (June 25, 2012)

 Mailbox Monday will be hosted in June by Marie at Burton Book Review.
I received lots of ebooks this week and a few physical copies.  My bookshelves appreciated this!




Love is Murder
edited by Sandra Brown


Go on vacation with Allison Brennan's Lucy Kincaid, where she saves a man from drowning, only to discover he is in far greater danger on land. Meet Roxanne St. Claire's "bullet catcher"--bodyguard Donovan Rush--who may have met his match in the sexually charged "Diamond Drop." Debut author William Simon shows us what happens when the granddaughter of the president of the United States is kidnapped. And Lee Child's pitch-perfect "I Heard a Romantic Story" puts a whole new spin on Love Is Murder.

Bodyguards, vigilantes, stalkers, serial killers, women (and men ) in jeopardy, cops, thieves, P.I.s, killers--these all-new stories will keep you thrilled and chilled late into the night.

 

Gone Missing

by Linda Castillo

Rumspringa is the time when Amish teens are allowed to experience life without rules, but everything changes when a child goes missing
 
In the newest chilling thriller from New York Times bestselling author Linda Castillo, Chief of police Kate Burkholder is called upon to assist when an Amish teenager disapears without a trace.
A missing child is a nightmare to all parents, and never more so than in the Amish community, where family ties are strong. So when a body turns up and another young girl goes missing, fear spreads through the community like a contagion. Kate and state agent, John Tomasetti, delve into the lives of the missing teens and discover links to cold cases that may go back years. But will Kate piece together all the parts of this sinsiter puzzle before it's too late? Or will she find herself locked in a fight to the death with a merciless killer.

 

Beach Season

by Lisa Jackson, Cathy Lamb, Holly Chamberlin, Rosalind Noonan

The Brass Ring (Lisa Jackson)

It's a beautiful June day, perfect for a wedding -- until Shawna learns that her fiance, Parker, has been involved in a car crash.  Though his injuries heal, his memories of her are gone.  Yet Shawna won't stop reaching to reclaim the love they once shared. . .

June's Lace (Cathy Lamb)

June MacKenzie is done -- with her high-pressure legal career, her cheating soon-to-be-ex, and the stress of city living.  In her studio on the Oregon coast, she creates beautiful lace wedding dresses, with no intention of ever wearing one again herself.  then songwriter Reece rents the house next door and sets out to change her mind. . .

Second Chance Sweethearts (Holly Chamberlin)

Thea Foss is putting a bad marriage behind her in the pretty vacation town of Ogunquit, Maine.  What's past is past. . . Until her first love wanders into the local diner, reminding Thea of the person she once was, and the life it's not too late to claim. . .

Carolina Summer (Rosalind Noonan)

Jane Doyle needs to get out of New York -- the farther the better.  She's headed toward Florida, but thanks to a storm along North Carolina's Outer Banks, she finds herself stranded in a beautiful, remote town that soon feels a lot like home.  And thanks to the local sheriff, she finds herself staying longer than she planned -- and feeling less lost at sea than ever. . .

From Fame to Shame

by Veronica Blade

Despite the danger of tabloid drama if their identity swap is discovered, Maddie has to save her sister's butt. When Jackie’s ex-boyfriend shows up with a rekindled spark for “Jackie,” his deep gray eyes and sweet kisses make Maddie's heart thumpety thump. But dating the guy who dumped her sister is a no-no. Too bad Dallas isn’t used to girls saying no. What will happen when he discovers Maddie’s deception?

 

Secret of the Wolf

By Cynthia Garner

Warriors of the Rift

Once a generation, the rift between the paranormal world and the human world opens, allowing supernatural entities to cross. Vampire, demon, or shapeshifter, they can save the world-or send it spiraling into chaos.

As a werewolf liaison to the Council of Preternaturals, Tori Joseph is used to straddling the world between humans and immortals. She plays by the rules and always delivers justice, no matter the cost. But after a string of increasingly brutal attacks results in humans turning into werewolves, Tori doesn't reveal her horrifying suspicion: Someone very close to her might be responsible.

Investigating the paranormal violence, no-nonsense detective Dante MacMillan believes Tori is hiding something. His search for the truth draws him into greater danger as he gets closer to the dark realm of the immortals-and to the sexy werewolf who stirs his primal lust. Now with evil closing in around them, Dante must convince Tori to trust him . . . before her deadly secret destroys them both.

 

Tangled Ties to a Manatee

by Kalen Cap

A pregnant manatee is rare at any zoo, and a first for the Grove City Zoo in Ohio. Ankh is a delight to zoo patrons, a concern to its staff, and the unintentional victim of two con men. She has no idea how many human relationships, problems, and dreams tangle around her. 

Jerry is a young developmentally disabled man who happily follows Ankh's pregnancy on the zoo's webcam. He has a shy crush on Janelle, a pretty college student who volunteers for his group home’s outings to the zoo. 

Jerry's Aunt Vera also loves nature and runs an environmental retreat center. But all is not well, with Vera or the center. The center needs money and is under investigation as a cult. 

Amid their college studies, Janelle and her friend Cecily try to help. Instead, Janelle re-awakens an old obsession in Vera when an innocent tarot reading hints at how the center might be saved. 

Two bumbling con men are attempting to sabotage the region’s electrical grid as part of a lucrative scheme. But Jerry accidentally gets in their way and becomes their captive. 

When the con men surprisingly succeed in bringing the grid down, it spells danger for Ankh, her unborn pup, and the many people tied to them both. With investigations of their own, Cecily and Janelle try to untangle it all to find Jerry, save a manatee’s life, and rescue Vera from herself. 

Tangled Ties to a Manatee is a humorous crime thriller with environmental themes. The novel is revealed through multiple points of view and centers around college-aged characters.

Forgive Me, Alex

by Lane Diamond

Tony Hooper stands in shadow across the street, one amongst many in the crowd of curiosity-hounds gathered to watch a monster's release. Seventeen years after Mitchell Norton, "the devil," terrorized Algonquin, Illinois on a spree of kidnapping, torture and murder, the authorities release the butcher from psychiatric prison.

Tony longs to charge across the street to destroy Norton—no remorse—as if stepping on a cockroach. Only sheer force of will prevents his doing so.

"The devil" walks the world again. What shall Tony do about it? Aye, what indeed.

After all, this is what Tony does. It's who he is. "The devil" himself long ago made Tony into this hunter of monsters. What a sweet twist of fate this is, that he may still, finally, administer justice.

Will FBI Special Agent Linda Monroe stop him? She owes him her life, so how can she possibly put an end to his?

Tony Hooper and Mitchell Norton battle for supremacy, with law enforcement always a step away, in this story of justice and vengeance, evil and redemption, fear and courage, love and loss.

The Secret Life of Copernicus H. Stringfellow

by Lorin Barber

Copernicus H. Stringfellow, a.k.a. Nick, is not your run-of-the-mill genius. His mind is so powerful it can stop a speeding automobile or stem internal bleeding. As Nick goes about quietly doing good, he discovers that his powers are greatly enhanced by the nutrients present in Twinkies. Follow Nick on his amazing adventures in this humorous and exciting action-packed book for all ages.

 

Dangerous Past

by A.F. Ebbers

Airline Captain Frank Braden is being stalked by unknown assailants who must arrange his death to look like a suicide or an accident before a specific deadline.

 

You, Fascinating You

by Germaine Shames

In the final weeks of 1938, in the shadow of Kristallnacht and imminent war, a heartsick Italian maestro wrote a love song called “Tu Solamente Tu.” 

Its lyrics lamented his forced separation from his wife, the Hungarian ballerina Margit Wolf, in the wake of Mussolini’s edict banishing foreign Jews from Italy. The song, first recorded by Vittorio de Sica in 1939, catapulted to the top of the Hit Parade and earned its composer the moniker “the Italian Cole Porter.” The German version, “Du Immer Wieder Du,” would be performed by Zarah Leander, the foremost film star of the German Reich, and its English counterpart, “You, Fascinating You,” by the Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band. 
Twenty-two years would pass before the maestro and his ballerina again met face-to-face.

You, Fascinating You begins as a backstage romance and ends as an epic triumph of the human spirit.

The Secret of Ravelston

by Sergio Silveira

Jane Freemont is British young lady with a very big problem.  She is modern girl...but she lives in early 19th Century.  Jane has a critical, inquiring mind that is always ready to state her honest opinions--no matter whom she may inconvenience.  This causes the young gentlemen to run away for her--for men surely can welcome women's criticism so much more than they do.  But that's our loss.

Jane's older brother, and only living relative, has sent her to live far away in the north, where he believes her critical and inquiring mind will no longer create problems for him.  But as Jane arrives in beautiful Ravelston, she becomes determined to discover the fate of another, yet much less privileged, young woman who has mysteriously vanished. In Ravelston no one seems to care about what happened to Mary Hale, who was seen as unimportant because she was poor. But Jane will risk everything, even her future, to find out the truth. 

And Jane will discover that powerful love, when not accepted in oneself, is one of the cruelest things there is.

 

The novel is also very funny. There is much satire of the affluent, aristocratic class, who live an idle life in unimaginable luxury, all at the cruel expense of countless persons who they do not see as real, and who live in poverty.  That's the autobiographical part of the novel, having grown up in an "old," land-owning family in which having "proper manners" was considered as being more important than having true kindness.  Therefore, much of my life is in the novel.

What books came home to you this week?

Mailbox Monday (June 18, 2012)

 Mailbox Monday will be hosted in June by Marie at Burton Book Review.  It is good to be back!  I took an unplanned hiatus the last two weeks - which started with our trip to Vegas.  Turns out that in Vegas they don't want you to spend time in your rooms, so wireless internet is NOT free!  So my computer made the trip with me, but did not get used at all.  My husband liked that alot.  This week's mailbox will cover the last two weeks because of that - I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours!



Books for review:

The Conviction
by Robert Dugoni


Attorney David Sloane is desperate to get through to his troubled teen-aged son, Jake.  Still reeling from his mother's brutal murder, the sixteen-year-old is spiraling out of control and Sloane has barely been able to keep him out of jail, much less steer him onto a less destructive path.  Haunted by his own sense of loss, Sloane must find a way to reconnect with his son and overcome the grief that feeds Jake's stubborn silences and alcohol-fueled outbursts.  So when his old friend, detective Tom Molia, suggests taking their sons on a guys-only camping trip, Sloane gratefully seizes the opportunity to spend quality time with Jake while keeping him out of harm's way. 


What Sloane imagines as the perfect getaway turns into a father's nightmare when Jake vandalizes a small town general store with Molia's young son, T.J., as an unwitting accomplice.  Early the next morning, before Sloane and Molia even realize they are missing, the boys are summarily tried, convicted, and sentenced to six months in the Fresh Start juvenile detention facility, a boot camp in California's Gold Country wilderness.


As Sloane fights the conviction, he soon finds that county judge Earl Boykin bends the law to his will with an authority that seems to go unquestioned -- both inside and outside the confines of his courtroom.  Meanwhile, Jake and T.J. face a grueling physical and psychological ordeal and learn the hard way that Fresh Start has a very different purpose than rehabilitating troubled youths.


For the first time, Sloane feels utterly paralyzed by the judicial system, and several near misses with vindictive local law enforcement leave him terrified for Jake, whose own fear is palpable during infrequent, clipped phone calls.  With their legal options exhausted, Sloane and Molia will do anything to save their sons, even mount a daring rescue operation that could win the boys their freedom -- or cost all of them their lives. 

Summerland

by Elin Hilderbrand

A perfect summer's night ends in a deadly crash -- and four lives are changed forever.

On a warm June evening, a local tradition continues:  the students of Nantucket High gather for a bonfire on the beach.  But the celebration ends in tragedy after a horrible car crash leaves the driver, Penny Alistair, dead and her twin brother, Hobby, in a coma.  Penny's boyfriend, Jake, and her friend Demeter are unhurt but haunted by the events of that night, and by the questions that linger about what happened in the car -- and in the dunes before Penny took the wheel.

For Zoe, the twins' mother, the unthinkable awaits:  life without her daughter, and an agonizing recovery for the son who had been a star athlete with infinite prospects.  Free-spirited Zoe has been as much friend as mother to her children, but now she has to face devastating truths about them, and about her own role in all that happened.

As summer unfolds, Zoe and the other parents ask whether their efforts to protect their children from life's realities have only left them more vulnerable.  The key to understanding the accident lies in what Penny learned that evening on the beach -- but will it also destroy the survivors' fragile peace? 

 

Blood Line

by James Rollins

Galilee, 1025.  Infiltrating an ancient citadel, a Templar knight uncovers a holy treasure long hidden within the fortress's labyrinth:  the Bachal Isu -- the staff of Jesus Christ -- a priceless icon that holds a mysterious and terrifying power that promises to change human kind forever.

A millennium later, Somali pirates hijack a yacht off the coast of the Horn of Africa, kidnapping a young pregnant American woman.  Commander Gray Pierce is enlisted for the covert rescue mission into the African jungle -- for the woman is no rich tourist; she's Amanda Gant-Bennett, the daughter of the U.S. president.

Suspicious that the kidnapping masks a far more nefarious plot, Gray must confront a shadowy cabal, one who has been manipulating events throughout history. .. and now challenges the current presidency.

For this sensitive mission, SIGMA is aided by a pair of special operatives with unique talents:  former Army Ranger Captain Tucker Wayne and his military war dog, Kane.  But what should be a straightforward rescue turns into a fiery ambush and a deadly act of betrayal as Gray and his team discover that the hostage is a pawn in a shattering act of terrorism with dark repercussions.  And the danger is only beginning. . .

Halfway around the world, a firebombing at a fertility clinic in South Carolina exposes a centuries-old conspiracy to manipulate our genetic code.  With time against them, SIGMA must race to save an innocent unborn baby, one who holds the key to a mystery and whose very existence raises questions about the nature of humanity, asking: 

Could you live forever?

Would you live forever? 

 

The Skeleton Box

Bryan Gruley

Mysterious break-ins plague the small town of Starvation Lake.  While elderly residents enjoy their weekly bingo night at St. Valentine's Catholic Church, someone is slipping into their homes to rifle through financial and personal files.  Oddly, the intruder takes nothing -- yet the "Bingo Night Burglaries" leave an entire town uneasy.

Worry turns into panic when a break-in escalates to murder.  Suddenly, Gus Carpenter, editor of the Pine County Pilot, is forced to investigate the most difficult story of his life.  Not only is the victim his ex-girlfriend Darlene's mother, but Phyllis Bontrager's body was found in the home of Bea Carpenter -- Gus's own mother.  Suffering from worsening dementia, Bea remembers little of the break-in, and the only clue from Phyllis's final desperate phone call is one unintelligible word: 'Nye-less'. 

With the help of Luke Whistler, a former Detroit Free Press reporter who came north looking for slower days and some old-fashioned newspaper work, Gus sets out to uncover the truth behind Mrs. B's death.  Yet Whistler may have his own agenda, and the secrets Gus is determined to unearth -- involving a lock-box his mother has guarded for years and the long-ago disappearance of a nun -- could forever change his perceptions of Starvation Lake, his own family, and the value of the truth.  Are some secrets better left buried? 

15 Seconds

by Andrew Gross

Henry Steadman didn't know what was about to hit him when he pulled up to a red light.  A successful Florida plastic surgeon, he is in town to deliver a keynote address at a conference when suddenly his life becomes an unrelenting chase to stay alive. 

The situation escalates when he is stopped by the police for a minor traffic violation and pulled from his vehicle, handcuffed and told he is under arrest.  Several other police cars arrive and the questioning turns scary, but just as Henry is released and about to move on, a blue sedan pulls up and the officer is suddenly killed.  As the car speeds away, there is only one suspect left behind - Henry.  In that moment, his idyllic life becomes a free fall into hell as he becomes the target of a police manhunt, as well as being pursued by a cunning unnamed perpetrator bent on some kind of vengeance.

When Henry turns to a close friend for help, and he, too, ends up dead, Henry realizes he's being elaborately framed.  But in a chilling twist, the stakes grow even darker, and he is unable to go the police to clear his name, without bringing on dire and deadly consequences.

With breakneck pacing and nonstop action, 15 Seconds shows what can happen when even the best life is turned upside down in an instant.  It is also the story of an innocent man, framed for murder, who has to save the person he loves the most, all while being drawn closer and closer to an inevitable face-to-face stand-off with a man determined to destroy his life. 

Books won:

 

Whisper Cape

by Regan Walsh

Whisper Cape is a town of secrets and Addison MacKenna soon becomes tangled in a web of them.

Fighting to shake off one of those devastating early morning nightmares.  Addison finds it even harder to escape from the vision of a man lying on the side of the road -- a man she may have just killed.  When she frantically tries to locate him, he seemingly disappears, just the beginning of strange occurrences in her life.  She also cannot ignore the weird sensations in her own body.  Suddenly, the impossible seems possible, but is that a blessing or a curse?

The only one who can protect Addison and teach her how to overpower the murderous monster who is determined to destroy her, is the same man who makes Addie's heart race and her blood heat with passion.  The same man she'd left for dead.

Cael Sheridan may be arrogant and mysterious but he's also undeniably gorgeous.  A member of a secret society, he is sworn to protect the woman he believes to be the daughter of his recently murdered mentor.  In the process, he finds it impossible to resist her magnetic sensuality, complicating his efforts to shield and guide her.  Fate has brought them together, but will it make them stronger or destroy them both in end?

Garage sale finds:

 

Angels at Christmas

by Debbie Macomber

Every Christmas, three lovable angels visit Earth.  Once a year, Shirley, Goodness and Mercy are allowed to intervene (or, more accurately, interfere!) in human affairs.  Despite their frequent misadventures and the chaos they often cause, things always seem to turn out right. . .

This Christmas, join Those Christmas Angels as they respond to Anne Fletcher's prayer request.  She wants her son, Roy, to meet a special woman -- and the angels contrive to throw Julie Wilcott in his path (literally!). 

Watch as the heaven-sent messengers reunite a divorced couple, bring peace of mind to an elderly man and grant a little boy's fondest wish.  Because there's always joy Where Angels Go.

Shirley, Goodness and Mercy offer you laughter and Christmas cheer in these two heartwarming stories!

Twice Kissed

by Lisa Jackson

Marquise Walker has vanished without a trace.  There are few clues and much speculation on her sudden disappearance.  But the truth is more terrifying than anyone can even imagine. . .

Maggie McCrae would do anything to find her identical twin sister -- even if it means stepping into her unfamiliar shoes.  Walking through Marquise's wild, uninhibited life is a revelation for Maggie, proof that she knew very little about her twin's darker side and her connection to the only man Maggie ever loved, Thane Walker.  Now he's the man she shouldn't trust, a man who could be her best hope. . . or a cold-blooded killer. . . .

The deeper Maggie digs, the more she is drawn into the web of her own past. . . to a twisted family legacy of desperate deceit, betrayal, and revenge. . . each secret bringing her closer to a final, shocking truth -- and to the identity of a killer who's closer than she thinks. . .

What books came home to you this week?