The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Fiction)
This delightful novel takes place in Jackson, Mississippi in the 60’s. With civil rights shaking the lifestyles of southern ladies and their “help”, boundaries get stretched and redefined as friendships and loyalties become tested. This novel lets us peak first hand as hearts pass lines of skin color, bonds and trusts are formed and dreams are realized. This book is funny, sad, heart-warming, encouraging and suspenseful. This spectacular author transports you into the lives of each character, allowing you to experience life through their eyes. I already miss being able to pick it up again and visit Skeeter, Aibileen, and Minny. What will their new lives be like?

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman (Fiction)
From the very beginning of the book my own world disappeared as I was drawn directly into CeeCee’s adolescent heart, feeling her dramatic experiences with each page I turned. The character development was incredible and I felt I knew each one as I traveled the pages of this entertaining story from her small hometown in Ohio to the southern comfort of Savannah. I found myself surprised, delighted, bewildered, frustrated and completely charmed and connected to CeeCee as I’m sure you will be too. An Incredible debut novel – can’t wait for more from Beth Hoffman.

U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton (mystery)
Our author takes a diversion in this book as she shifts us back and forth through time between the 60’s & 80’s weaving us through characters and sub-plots building the drama of a “cold case” missing person and a suspicious grave. I found it confusing at times and had to re-read to bring clarity regarding “who was who”. What I’ve always liked about Sue Grafton was her direct, easy to follow plots and character development with a comfortable flow. I haven’t missed reading any of her Alphabet Series Mysteries yet, but I’m not at all sure I liked this change of pace. You’ll have to decide for yourself.

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (fiction)
In this compilation of stories you’ll probably recognize elements of personalities that you can identify with. I know I did. Each story is about the people and happenings in Crosby, Maine. You’ll come to know Olive and her interactions with others…and patient, quite Henry, Olive’s husband and her influence and interactions with those in her family and town. I find this book to be quietly powerful…a book about life and how people choose to lead it…the decisions they make…or not make…how they adapt, or not, to circumstances or relationships they encounter. When you finish it, you’ll physically lay it down or pass it on, but it fades slowly. You’ll have to decide if it was compelling, disturbing…or maybe both. I guarantee it might help you understand people a little better.

Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult (Fiction)
I could tell you that is book re-examines the death penalty… or I could tell you this book is about trust and betrayal…or it could be about faith, guilt, justice,…coincidence. All would be correct. As I read the book, I felt rattled! Just when I had decided I knew where this story was going, a new dimension was interjected. Sometimes, that adds to the main story, but I felt distracted…pulled in different directions. I couldn’t help wondering where the author was leading…or not leading me. It was a relief to finish it!

Thank You For All Things by Sandra Kring (Fiction)
This book is full of colorful characters. We get to examine life from Lucy McGowan’s eleven year old eyes. Lucy’s serious, slightly phobic mother is balanced by her free spirited, new age-ish grandmother. Lucy’s twin brother Milo, is intellectually gifted and asthmatic leaving us with a perception of Lucy as delightfully grounded. Unsettling circumstances lead the family on a journey into the past in order to find a road to the future and we get to go along. The author chose the perfect lens to allow us to share this disconcerting trip.

Islands by Anne Rivers Siddons (Fiction)
Steel clad bonds of friendship sealed from youth expand with marriage and take a trip through time in the low country of the South. The heart of the union beats within a rustic beach house on what seems to be solid ground – or could it be sinking sand? I believe this book is a trip worth taking. I took it twice.

The GlassCastle by Jeannette Walls (A Memoir)
The author takes us into the realms of a family fractured by alcoholism. We see through her eyes how each member attempts to both accept and deny its presence and effect on their lives. The relational interplay of family members struggling with survival of addiction reveals the often painful refining process necessary to cope. A truly revealing story of choices.

Carry Me Home by Sandra Kring (Fiction)
One of the most entertaining books I’ve ever read! The story takes place in rural Wisconsin at the beginning of World War II. The author introduces us to the world of Earl (Earwig) Gunderman through his perspective. Be prepared to laugh out loud as you share his world and come to know the members of his family, his friends and the people of his community. From the first page, the author paints such a vivid picture of the characters that you don’t just read the book, you become a part of their lives. Refreshing, Touching and Funny! Destined to become a classic!

UNRAVELLED by Robyn Harding (Drama)
A total chick-flick in black & white, cover to cover! This book would make a great sit-com! It’s inane, rambling story line would be perfect in half-hour segments. Revolving around a “stitch-n-b-tch” (knitting) club, lost & found relationships, a lot of wine drinking and soul searching, the main character drives you crazy. It’s the kind of thing you would watch again and again and wonder why! Just like I did when I read the book…I kept picking it up and wondering…WHY?

Safely Home by Randy Alcorn (fiction – with a “reality bite”)
This is a novel that weaves a fictional story within the realms of reality. It revolves around two old college friends - one climbing the corporate ladder of money and success, the other seeking a deeper fortune of the heart in his homeland China. The reality of repression of Christians in China becomes all too clear as the two get together for the first time in many years. Shocked by each others circumstances, they reconnect in a story of reunion, love, faith, and strength.

The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond (Drama)
People magazine calls it “Gripping”, I call it “Torturous”. This is a story about coping with the loss of an abducted child…the waiting, the searching, how each of us reacts differently as we go through horrific circumstances. It’s takes you to the depths of blame, guilt and the struggle to forgive. It’s intensity within the story line actually gets monotonous at times, but is well written and definitely takes your emotions for a rough ride.

The Summons by John Grisham (Suspense)
A tale of suspense, temptation and greed as two brothers deal with the death of their celebrated father, Judge Atlee. Within the tangled mesh of family dynamics a secret grows out of control, unexpected actions and reactions loom around every corner, tables are turned and suspicions confirmed. An intriguing page turner that comes to an abrupt ending, leaving you feeling like you’d been dropped off a cliff.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (Fiction)
This story takes place in the south at the time of the Civil Acts Movement. The author has created defined, easy to know characters, each one incredibly unique in a story that captures your heart from the beginning and takes it on a journey with surprising twists and turns until the very end. A definite page turner!

Designing with Succulents by Debra Lee Baldwin (Horticulture & Landscape Design)
Tom and I occasionally get the opportunity to meet some wonderful writers and photographers. Debra Lee Baldwin is one of our favorites writers. We would like to recommend this book to our visitors and readers. It’s just jam packed with spectacular pictures and loaded with wonderful information on gardening and designing with cactus and succulents.

The Shack by William P. Young (fiction/fantasy)
This book is full of surprises as it transports you from the deep pain of the main character, Mack, through his healing process. I think we’ve all imagined what it must be to sit down and talk to God, to be able to ask all the questions you want to and experience that presence and relationship, even for an instant. This book allows you that gift, pleasure, and experience through Mack. Take a journey, you won’t soon forget!

The Beach House by Jane Green (Light fiction)
Light and delightful would best describe this wonderful book with an unexpected mix of characters. As you get to know each one with their own contribution to the plot the author almost magically intertwines their lives in the most unpredictable ways. You get to examine their humanness and how life simply resolves each difficulty. Totally enjoyable!