"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!

"Tell The Wolves I'm Home" by Carol Rifka Brunt

Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt tells the story of a young teen girl whose beloved uncle passes away.  Then, she finds love and understanding from the last person she would think she would.  I loved the byplay between the two sisters which I think is the best part of the book.  This is a feel good story that you may enjoy.
(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!

"Home Front" by Kristin Hannah

Home Front by Kristin Hannah is an outstanding book! Jolene and Michael have two little girls. Their marriage is rocky at best, and then when things are at their worst, Jolene gets a call to be deployed and is off to join the war! Great writing to be sure. You will care deeply about Jolene and Michael and Betsy and Lulu. Will their marriage survive? Will Jolene be all right in the war? I really enjoyed this book a lot! Definitely a MUST READ!
(Gerard's review)

Karen read this one too:
Home Front by Kristin Hannah is a fantastic book about an ordinary family affected by war when the wife and mother of two girls gets deployed to Iraq.  This is a fascinating and emotional read that opened my eyes to the sacrifices soldiers and their families make to serve this country of ours.  At the beginning of the book, I didn’t like Michael, the husband, at all but he changed when he realized his family was what mattered most and stepped up when his wife went off to war.  Home Front gives insight into what war is really like and the struggles soldiers face in adjusting to civilian life when they come back. We both highly recommend this one!

Here's the trailer for this book:




If you would like to hear an audio clip from the book, click on this link:  http://media.us.macmillan.com/video/olmk/macmillanaudio/homefrontclip.mp3



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!

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"The Violets of March" by Sarah Jio

"The Violets of March" by Sarah Jio is a very interesting romance novel with mystery as well. It’s about a successful New York author who is recently divorced and goes to visit her aunt Bee at her beach house in Bainbridge to get away and think things through. While there, she discovers a diary about a woman’s similar experience to hers and gets drawn into trying to piece the bits and pieces together about her grandmother’s story.


I liked this book because it is not predictable from the start like many romance novels are. I didn’t understand what drew men to her like bees to honey, but it kept my interest all through. It’s about following your heart and knowing your true love will last forever. I enjoyed this light and entertaining read. If you like romance novels, I highly recommend it!
(Karen's review:  My rating 4 out of 5 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!

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"The Off Season" by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

The Off Season by Catherine Gilbert Murdock is the second book in the Dairy Queen series about a family who owns a small Dairy farm in Wisconsin.  The story is told through the eyes of D.J., a 16-yr.-old girl who leaves the farm to be with her older brother, Win, who gets a spinal cord injury playing college football.  The story involves being friends with people no matter what others think and not letting the opinions of others stop you from living.

My favorite part of the book is when D.J. gets through to Win to make him care about getting better by letting him coach her in basketball at the gym and the rehab center.  I look forward to reading the last book of this trilogy, Front and Center.  
(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!

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"The Homecoming of Samuel Lake" by Jenny Wingfield

The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield is a good story about three families.  Tragedy hits when Swan's grandfather commits suicide and her father, Samuel Lake, loses his church. Samuel Lake is a preacher with a wife, a daughter named Swan and two boys. He lost his church so moved his family to live with his wife's parents in Arkansas. The preacher's kids meet a boy named Blade who is abused by his father who is their neighbor. Swan determines to help Blade hide from his father. The author does a good job of story telling about good and evil using three families--the Lakes/Moses and Ballengers. Through the story, the little girl and father both pray for miracles, trusting God for a good outcome.

Here's a little teaser for you:

I know you're probably afraid of your daddy.  I'm afraid of him, myself, and I only saw him once.  So why don't I have my daddy talk to your daddy?  My daddy's a preacher.  He talks people into changing their ways all the time. (pg. 57)

This book held my attention because there is the story about the kids trying to protect Blade, the family dynamics, the faith angle and the murder. This was an interesting read with lots of characters that I liked.
(Karen's review:  My rating: 4 of 5 stars)

(Read on Kindle for free through library.)

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

"These Things Hidden" by Heather Gudenkauf

These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf tells the story of Allison Glen.  She's a young teen girl who was her parents' pride and joy--good grades, great athlete, had it all until an unwanted pregnancy and a chain of events changed all that.  She gets a chance to get back into society but her parents shun her although she keeps trying to reach out to her sister.

WOW!  This book is Good!  This is a page turner that I did not want to put down.  I got into it from page one!  I love this author's first book (The Weight of Silence) and this one is just as good, if not better!  The ending is shocking!

“These Things Hidden” by Heather Gudenkauf is a sad book about two sisters, adoption, guilt, infanticide and relationships.  It certainly kept my interest but had a surprise ending that I didn’t expect.  This shows how far teenagers will go if they feel isolated and desperate.  I think “These Things Hidden” would be a good Book Club book.
(Karen's book)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?  We also liked Weight of Silence by this author.

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"The Baker's Wife" by Erin Healy

"The Baker’s Wife" by Erin Healy is a really good book.  Audrey and her husband work at a bakery.  Her husband used to be a Pastor, but when her son got a church deacon’s daughter pregnant, they got booted out.  One day Audrey gets into an accident and the blood is the deacon’s wife’s who got her kicked out.  The problem is, there’s no body so where is she?  Her husband, a detective, decides to take matters into his own hands and has a hostage situation at the bakery:  “Find my wife or everyone dies!”  This is a page-turner for sure!  It includes lots of scripture and references to God as well.  Give it a shot.
(Gerard's review)

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

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"Roam" by Alan Lazar is Heartwarming

Talk about not being able to put a book down; I finished this book in one day (and I work full time).  Yes, to me it's that good!  ROAM by Alan Lazar is about a dog named Nelson who has a very nice home with a loving owner named Katey (his first owner).  One day the gate is left open and Nelson just wants to go exploring.  What a heartwarming book this is!  Nelson goes and finds different places and meets new people.  It's a great tale!  If you enjoyed the "Art of Racing" I think you will love this book.  I cried over this book like I cried over "Dewey, the Library Cat" but I loved both these books.  This is my favorite read for this month so far.
(Gerard's review)

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

We are thankful for our pets!

HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!  Hope you will stop by my other blog and read about My Favorite Thanksgiving. (An excerpt from "My Funny Dad, Harry," the book I wrote in memory of my dad.)--Karen

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.

"The Most Dangerous Thing" by Laura Lippman

The Most Dangerous Thing by Laura Lippman is about growing up, keeping secrets, death, friendship, jealousy, and marriage. Three brothers and two girls form a close friendship but when an incident occurs in the woods where they go exploring, it affects them and their parents for years to come. The novel jumps around a lot with flashbacks and hopping from one family to the next. The reader gets to know the parents and their struggles as well as the kids who grow up into adults with struggles of their own. Sometimes I found it hard to follow. This is a mystery with complex characters. It kept me reading to discover exactly what the most dangerous thing was; not telling you. You’ll just have to read this to find out!

I liked the flashbacks to the kids hanging out together but overall this is a sad story with a dark view of marriage. Only one out of 6 marriages were really happy which I found kind of sad. This is slow moving and depressing. If you enjoy family sagas and lots of interpersonal relationship dynamics, then you may like 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.

"Sarah's Daughter" by Ruth Bass

I enjoyed Sarah’s Daughter by Ruth Bass more than I thought I would.  It’s about a grieving family in the 1880’s and how the husband and his three children cope with the death of Sarah, the wife and mother.  Rose, the oldest daughter, is 14 and becomes overwhelmed with taking on all that the mother did while still going to school.  The father turns to alcohol to drown his troubles.

Here is a quote I thought was very good:

Sarah always said when the problem was very big, you just started at the very beginning and went along a bit at a time, the way you read a new book.

"Read only the first line," she'd say, "and understand that.  Don't go skimming through or try to see the end before you have absorbed all the lines between.  Problems are like books.  You work your way through them, and sometimes the ending is quite a surprise."

I liked the humor in this book and found the historical look at daily living in the 1800s very interesting.  The main character is likeable and well developed.  The author told most of the story from Rose’s point of view, even sharing her funny thoughts with the reader.  It is very well written and character driven.  This novel is about friendship, dysfunctional families, grief, suicide, dreams and some romance.  I recommend it to anyone who likes books teens or historical fiction.

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.

"Blood Feud" by David Robbins (UPDATED)

Blood Feud by David Robbins moved along at a good pace and kept my interest because Chace was such an interesting character.  It is is full of killing, a shoot-em up book about family loyalty, revenge, and hate. My favorite part was when Chace fled to Galveston, Texas and took over the hawking business from Tunk to help the kids which showed he was kind-hearted in spite of being a killer.  I did like the ending!
(Karen's review 9/12/11)

Blood Feud by David Robbins is about a feud between the Harkey clan and the Shannon clan. Chase Shannon sets out for revenge after the brutal rape of his older sister by the Harkeys. To say I enjoyed this book would be an understatement--I loved it! Blood Feud is a double wow, which means it's as good as it gets! The good news is that there is going to be two more books in this series. Can't wait!! Read and enjoy!
(Gerard's review 9/8/11)

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

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"Look Again" by Lisa Scottoline

Look Again by Lisa Scottoline is the second book I have read by her.  It’s about a Ellen, a journalist and single mother who thinks her adopted son looks a lot like the face of a missing child on a postcard she received in the mail.  She becomes paranoid that neighbors may think she kidnapped him and is afraid she may lose him.  Nevertheless, she can’t ignore the fact that her 3-yr.-old son, Will, looks like the missing kid, Timothy.  She goes on a search for the truth to hopefully prove Will is not the same child that turns deadly.  This is a book that starts slowly and an ending that did not surprise me.  My favorite characters were Marcelo, Ellen’s boss and Will’s cat, Oreo Figaro.  I didn’t care much for Ellen at the beginning but did get to like her by the end of the book.  She was smart and courageous. 

If you like books about fierce mothers who fight for their kids or books that address moral dilemmas, this is a good one for you.  I liked Save Me by Lisa Scottoline better though.  My husband starting this one but said it was a woman’s book and gave up on it.  I agree with him—it is geared more to women.

(Karen's review)

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.

"Faith" by Jennifer Haigh is a Must Read!

WOW! Double Wow!  Faith by Jennifer Haigh is good!  It is told by a sister who has two brothers.  One brother is a priest, accused of molesting a child.  I loved this book, especially enjoyed the family.  A loving family, this is not.  Brother vs. brother, sister vs. brother, husband vs. wife made for great reading.  The last 75 pages are some of the best pages you will read all year!  It was impossible to put down!  The ending is a shocker!  I highly recommend you put this on your TBR list--it's SO GOOD!
(Gerard's review)

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.

"Minding Frankie" by Maeve Binchy

“Minding Frankie” by Maeve Binchy

I was very disappointed in “Minding Frankie” by Maeve Binchy. First off, I expected Frankie to be a boy and instead it was a baby girl. I was happy when I finally finished this book. It just dragged along for me. It is about a community in Ireland. The main story line is how a bunch of people help Noel, a single alcoholic dad take care of his baby girl that came as a surprise to him. The whole novel only covers the first year of Frankie’s life.

This book is like a soap opera in that there were so many different story lines, none of which I was really interested in. Other characters are Emily, the do-gooder cousin from America, Moira the social worker, Lisa who moves in with Noel because her life is a mess, Charles and Josie who are Noel’s parents that seek to build a statute to a dead saint. There are lots more characters too, all with their own story lines as well. I’d say this book is generally about how people live and how they need one another. It does show how a baby can change everything.

I found this book very boring for the most part. The only excitement was when Frankie was missing for a bit. The ending was good but it took forever to get there.

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.