"Light From a Distant Star" by Mary McGarry Morris

Coming-of-age story with family drama

Light From A Distant Star by Mary McGarry Morris is told by Nellie, a tween girl, who has an older step sister and a younger brother. Nellie tries to do the right thing which sometimes actually gets her into trouble. Her parents struggle financially and Nellie knows more than they give her credit for. When she becomes a star witness in a murder trial, she feels pressure not to tell the whole truth which she knows is wrong. I enjoyed this book very much because of all the interesting relationships Nellie had with a wide variety of characters including the bully, an unpopular girl, her family, her grouchy old sick grandfather, Max, the ex-con, and their tenant the stripper. I really liked the ending!  This reminded me of To Kill a Mocking Bird.
(Karen's review, my rating: 4 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Catching Fireflies" by Sherryl Woods

Catching Fireflies by Sherryl Woods (A Sweet Magnolia Novel) is about a small town romance between a doctor and a high school English teacher who both are concerned about a girl in her class who is being bullied, both at school and on the Internet.  This did not grab me like I expected it would.  I know this is a popular series so perhaps my expectations were higher than they should have been, but it seemed to plod along and the dialogue seemed lame to me.  I enjoyed the storyline about the bullying more than I did the romance, but even that lacked spark.  It was more about how the adults stepped up to stop the bullying than it was about being bullied.  I know Sherryl Woods is a "Bestselling Author" but I was not thrilled with this one.
(Karen's review, my rating 3 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"One Breath Away" by Heather Gudenkauf

Her Best Yet!

In One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf, a lone gunman takes over a small classroom holding the teacher and pupils hostage.  What made this book so good in my opinion is that it is told by five people as the novel is ongoing.  I got to know their thought and background to understand what led up to this point.  The writing is superb.  If you want riveting, this is it!  I could hardly put it down and kept saying how good it was while reading it.  Oh, and good luck trying to figure out who the gunman is—I was completely surprised!  To sum it up, it doesn’t get any better than this—don’t let this one get past you! 
(Gerard's review, rating 5 stars)

One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf is really, really good!  It is fast-paced and realistic contemporary fiction with characters that are very believable.  It grabbed my attention right from the start and never let me go!  The hostage situation at the small school in a fictional small town in Iowa is described so well, I could feel what the characters were feeling.  It kept me guessing who the gunman was right until he was revealed.  I’m sure because this story is told from five different people, there is at least one that you will identify with.  For me, I identified with the teacher—determined to protect her students from the gunman while thinking about her husband.  The teen girl’s unwavering desire to protect her brother was both touching and heartwarming.  It shows how a crisis can bring families closer.    I highly recommend One Breath Away—it even has a dog in it!
(Karen's review, rating 5 stars)

Other books we've read by this Heather Gudenkauf:
These Things Hidden
Weight of Silence

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"The Affair" by Lee Child (GIVEAWAY WINNER)

The Winner:  Sheri at Shut Up And Read

The Affair by Lee Child has a strong, likeable main character in Jack Reacher, a military cop who is told to go undercover to investigate a murder of a young woman. Once he gets to town, he befriends the local sheriff and together they try to solve the crime.

I really enjoyed this book because Reacher is so awesome and it has a good ending!
(Gerard's review--rating 5 stars)

Manny Boy (cat in picture above) chose our winner.  I just threw all the entries in the air between our two cats who were lying next to each other and the first and only name touched was by Manny which was Sheri.
I won this from our library's summer reading program and would like to pass it on to one of our blog readers if someone would like to have it. Leave a comment letting us know you are interested in receiving this book with an email so we can contact you. The winner will be chosen Saturday, July 21.


Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"One Shot at Forever" by Chris Ballard

 WOW! One Shot at Forever--A Small Town, An Unlikely Coach, and a Magical Baseball Season by Chris Ballard is a really, really good people book!  It is also a good baseball book.  It is the true story of a small High School and a bunch of farm boys with a very cool coach.  Against all odds, they have a chance to win the state championship.  I loved the team--what a great bunch of boys!  The games are very exciting to say the least.  The best part of the book is years later when the coach talks to all the guys and they look back on the year they had.  I got into this book right away.  It's all good--you will be glad you read this one!
(Gerard's review)

Karen's review:
One Shot at Forever by Chris Ballad is an enjoyable true story about a small rural town high school baseball team that no one wanted to coach until Sweet, the new hippie English teacher reluctantly volunteered.  With his laid back attitude, unconventional methods and philosophy of keeping it fun he proved that his coaching style could produce a winning team.  This is a baseball book that takes you inside the inner workings of a ball team and lets you know how the coach thinks and also the players.  This was a coach that was there for his players and it wasn't about his ego.  

My favorite player was John Heneberry, the pitcher who couldn't throw a fast ball.  I thought the coach was a funny guy and really admired how he motivated his players and brought out the best in them.  The accounts of the tournament games were well done and tugged at my heart.  I couldn't help but feel the Macon Hawks was my team.  It's a heartwarming story about the cohesiveness of a ball team and how the town rallied around them.  I loved after Sweet retired, he made his land into a wildlife preserve!  I recommend this book to anyone who likes baseball. 

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to THE WARRIOR PROJECT which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts. We encourage you to check it out and perhaps make a donation of your own!

"A Land More Kind Than Home" by Wiley Cash

A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash is told by three people: Jess, a young boy; Adelaide Lyle, a midwife; and Llem Barefield, a sheriff. Two boys, Jess and his brother, Christopher, see something in a church that they really should not have seen. Here's a little teaser from this book for you from page 260:

"Maybe that's why they were trying to heal him," Joe Bill said. "Maybe they wanted him to talk so he could confess his sins and go to Heaven when he died."

I found this book to be pretty good although it was mostly dialog without much action. It's a quick read.
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during May to Joni and Friends for Camp Scholarships for families with special needs children.

"The Scent of Rain and Lightning" by Nancy Pickard

"The Scent of Rain and Lightning" is a murder mystery that takes place in Kansas.  When one of the sons of a wealthy and influential family is killed and his wife missing, their 3-yr.-old daughter goes to live with her grandparents, Hugh Senior and Annabelle.  The family immediately suspects one of their young ranch hands, Billy Crosby, a wife beater and an alcoholic.  Billy is sent to prison for murder but the body of the victim's wife was not found and no one really knows what happened to her (until the very end of the book).  When Billy gets out thanks to his son becoming a lawyer and getting his sentence commuted due to an improper investigation 23 years later, most of the town is not very happy.  

This book is about family, betrayal, revenge and marriage.  I enjoyed this book very much but almost didn't read it because of the sex scene that it starts off with.  I thought the whole book was going to be that way, but it isn't.  I felt sad about several good people getting killed and it had me guessing throughout the book as to who the real murderer was.  I thought it was a good read and had a hard time putting it down.  I recommend it if you like a good murder mystery and books about families.
(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during April to Paralyzed Veterans of America.

"Fragile" by Lisa Unger

Fragile by Lisa Unger is a good contemporary fiction novel about a missing teen girl, Charlene, that brings back memories for a lot of people about another missing girl who was found dead years before.  The story takes place in a small town near New York City where people generally live out their entire lives and know each other very well since they grew up together, but still manage to keep secrets.  There are many interesting characters in Fragile who are connected through past events.  Ricky’s girlfriend turns up missing and his dad, the police detective, heads up the investigation that conjures up some guilty feelings from his past when he let an innocent teen confess to a murder he knew the kid did not commit.   

There are so many aspects this book hits that makes it an excellent choice for a book club to discuss—friendship, parenting teens, suicide, rape, ethics and young love.  Here are some teasers for you:  There is the general question asked by the troubled teen, Marshall:  How do you know if you are a good person.  I mean, how do you know if you’re not? (p. 143)  When detective Cooper searches his boy’s room for incriminating evidence so he can protect him, he says to his wife, “Anyone is capable of anything, given the right circumstances, the right motivations.” (p. 187)  Then, a little later he tells her, “I know how a moment can spiral out of control” (p. 189) speaking from experience. 

Fragile is not action packed, but rather delves into ethics and the consequences of actions.  I liked how once the mystery was solved, the book didn’t end there, but continued to reveal more to the characters about the past and have the father-son relationship healed.  I recommend this if you like books about relationships and family dynamics.

(Karen's review 2/3/12--My Rating:  4 stars)

(Gerard's review 10/19/2010--My rating 4 stars)
Fragile by Lisa Unger is about small town secrets where a girl turns up missing one day.  Secrets hidden away from an incident that took place long ago come to the surface.  I thought Fragile was pretty good.  There are lots of characters so you have to pay attention as you read to follow along.  It‘s a good book, but didn‘t really “wow“ me.


Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Magic Hour" by Kristin Hannah

This kept Karen up Late!

Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah is a fascinating and heartwarming read about two sisters who help a little missing girl that doesn't talk who just showed up in the small town of Rain Valley up in a tree with a wolf pup.

Julia is a psychiatrist whose reputation is shot and has lost her clients and her confidence because of it but who returns to her home town when her sister, Ellie-the chief of police, calls her for help with the "wolf girl." 


I liked this book very much.  I was fascinated at how Julia fell in love with the little "wolf girl" and helped her begin to talk again.  It was heart-breaking when after she decided to adopt the girl that her biological father came for her.  Julia and Ellie both struggled with being professional and their strong attachment to the girl.  When they found out about the dad's prison record, giving her up was even harder.  This is one of the few books that I looked forward to reading to see what would happen next and stayed up late to finish it.  I highly recommend this one!

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Coral" Moon by Brandilyn Collins

Coral Moon by Brandilyn Collins is a murder mystery that involves evil spiritual forces and that was a hard one to figure out. It is certainly unusual and spooky. It deals with ghosts, curses, demons and seances. I didn't like the creepiness of this one but it kept my interest to the end.  This is the second book in the Kenner Lake series and the one I liked the least.
(Karen's review April 2009)

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Violet Dawn" by Brandilyn Collins

Violet Dawn by Brandilyn Collins is a double mystery! It has a murder mystery plot as well as a personal mystery plot. The author builds to a climax and then switches to another story line altogether and leaves the reader hanging. This pattern occurs throughout the book and kept me hanging on--kind of like a soap opera. It has both suspense and action that made me want to keep reading. I was hooked right from the start along with Leslie, the small town reporter looking for her big story. I recommend this to anyone who likes suspense or mysteries. 
(Karen's review April 2009)

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Down River" by John Hart

Down River by John Hart is about a rich family torn apart by family secrets and betrayal.  It is about choices, anger, friendship, forgiveness and murder which makes for a very interesting read.  This book got my interest right from the start and kept it all along the way.  I found myself asking "why" quite a bit.  

The main character, Adam, is acquitted after being falsely accused of murder but moves to New York City to put the past behind him and get away from those who still believe he did it, including his father.  After five years, he returns home to try to make things right with his father and help out a friend, but finds his friend dead and goes on a mission to find out who did it.  He also tries to pick up his romantic relationship with Robin, a former cop who is now a detective.  There are a lot of complications and he discovers more truth than he bargained for.  

I liked this book even though near the end I felt completely baffled and confused.  I recommend it to anyone who likes not only a “who done it” but also a “why did they do it.”

(Karen's review 6/18/10)

"The Lucky One" by Nicholas Sparks

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks is an interesting romance involving a single mom who took care of her elderly mother and helped her with the kennel, and a vet who felt the photograph he found of her in Iraq brought him luck so wanted to find her because he felt he owed her.  He walked across the country with his dog to find her and had a little run-in with her ex who happened to be the Sheriff.  He also had a dog who traveled with him which added to the interest of the story for me.  This was a good read if you’re looking for a light family type story with some suspense tossed in.  I liked it!

(Karen's review 10/25/09)

Our Boys: A Perfect Season On The Plains With The Smith Center Redmen by Joe Drape

I really enjoyed Our Boys: A Perfect Season On The Plains With The Smith Center Redmen by Joe Drape.  It is about the Smith Center Redmen led by their coach, Roger Barta.  It is located in a small town of Kansas, but this book is so much more.  You see how the whole town gets behind "Our Boys" and you get to know the players and the assistant coaches as well.  You will get caught up in this book right from the start and feel the excitement all the way to the end!  It's a good read and I recommend it.

(Gerard's review 10/8/09)