"Twenty Wishes" by Debbie Macomber

After reading several murder mysteries and then The Hunger Games I was ready for something uplifting so chose Twenty Wishes by Debbie Macomber.  This is contemporary fiction that I found to be heart warming and inspirational.  It’s about Ann Marie, owner of a bookstore and a terrier named Baxter who is a widow and gets together with a group of other widows who all make a list of 20 wishes which change their outlook and their life.  The main plot is about Ann Marie reluctantly volunteering to be a lunch buddy to a very shy 8-yr.old girl, Ellen, once a week at the school and how that not only changes her life, but how each of them make the others wishes come true.  This book is all about relationships and moving out of your comfort zone to live life. 

This book is full of romance, mother-daughter relationships, dealing with grief and moving forward with your life.  I liked this book because I loved the main story line about Ann Marie, her dog, her relationship with her stepdaughter and Ellen and think any woman would enjoy it.  The romance in it was also humorous.  It was a delightful read!  It inspired me to start a wish list too.

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?

"No Dogs Allowed" by Bill Wallace

No Dogs Allowed by Bill Wallace is about Kristine, a 5th grader girl, who is afraid to let herself love her puppy because she is so sad the horse she loved died.  She doesn’t want to be hurt again.  Her father gave her a puppy for her birthday, but she did not want it.  I did not like Kristine at all.  She was mean to her puppy and was a stupid girl.  I was glad to see her attitude changed by the end of the book; however, it was too little too late for me.  I felt the best part was when her grandfather told her off about there being a difference between training a dog and making a dog terrified of you.  I only recommend this book to people who can identify with Kristine because they are afraid to love because they might be hurt.

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?

"Hiss and Tell: True Stories from the Files of a Cat Behaviorist" by Pam Johnson-Bennet

Hiss and Tell:  True Stories from the Files of a Cat Behaviorist--
Insights To Explaining Cat Behavior by Pam Johnson-Bennett was extremely interesting to me because I love cats and it explained some of the puzzling behaviors that can arise. I found it fascinating that this woman was able to actually think like a cat to figure out what was causing the strange behaviors. It is both humorous and educational. I recommend it highly to any cat owner.
(Karen's review 7/1/08)

"Sophie's Heart" by Lori Wick

Sophie's Heart is a contemporary, heartwarming Christian romance about a grieving widower and his three children who hire Sophie, a Christian immigrant from Czechoslovakia, to be their cook and housekeeper. It's a fun journey seeing how the family comes to love Sophie and how she slowly becomes more Americanized. Throughout the book, the author reveals Sophie's heart through her prayers and one can see what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ by reading this book. I enjoyed Sophie's interaction with her friends, her driving instructor, Alec but most of all with his children. It was refreshing to see how the oldest one, Rita, helped her instead of resenting her. This book gives great insight into what Christian living is all about!  One of my favorites.
 (Karen's review 5/1/09)

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?

"Elliot Allagash" by Simon Rich

Elliot Allagash by Simon Rich is about a very rich kid, Elliot, who tries to make the least liked kid, Seymour, popular. Has some very funny moments and a great ending. It teaches a lesson we can all learn from this quick read. I enjoyed it. 
(Gerard's review)

This short novel, Elliot Allagash, by Simon Rich is a funny novel about an evil rich boy who tries to prove he can make, Seymour Herson, the least popular kid in school the most popular.  At first Seymour goes along with it, thankful that he has a friend.  Through manipulating, lying, Elliot not only makes Seymour popular, but also corrupts his character in the process.  When Seymour finally has enough and confronts Elliot, he finds himself on Elliot’s “enemy” list but learns that popularity is not so important after all.  I enjoyed this book and recommend it to teens.

(Karen's review)

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?