Barefoot

And so we have a new offering by author Elin Hilderbrand, author of The Love Season (c2006) and my personal favorite The Blue Bistro (c2005) among others. All of this author's works take place on Nantucket. A place that I would like to visit, particularly after reading about it in her books.

Barefoot on a beach in Nantucket are three women friends. Each friend comes with her own excess baggage. One has been diagnosed with lung cancer, one has gotten pregnant after many unsuccessful tries at invitro and one has been terminated from her job as a college professor after an assignation with one of her students. They come to this pristine island in search of a respite from all that their jumbled lives have to offer. Do they find it? Yes and No.

If you like this author, it's definitely worth reading. There is an epilogue at the end of this book which doesn't begin to give the reader all the answers but which shows that one can get through difficult circumstances and live.

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North River: A Novel

Pete Hamill's latest book takes place in Manhattan, New York during the 1930's.
Delaney, the main character, is a physician whose wife has left him. He was a surgeon whose arm was damaged in the war, forcing him to open practice as a General Practitioner.

Enter his grandson, birthed by his daughter Grace. Grace leaves Carlito on his doorstep and takes off in search of her husband who has disappeared. Delaney has to hire someone to care for his grandchild.

The story is about the development of the relationship between the grandfather, his grandson, the woman he hires to care for the child, his daughter Grace and the people Delaney helps along the way.

It's also a story of resilience during a bleak era of American History. Many people lost much of their material possessions and some lost intrinsic portions of their personalities as well. Delaney is a man who has experienced all kinds of losses and yet, manages to overcome them and move on.

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Lean Mean 13

Hello friends,

Janet Evanovich has a new title out Lean Mean 13. Same ole chracters, Stephanie Plum - Joseph Morelli - Grandma Mazur - Ranger - Lula - Connie Rosolli - Joyce Barnhardt - AND Stephanie's ex.

This time Stephanie has to move out of her apartment and guess where she goes?
Not directly to Joe's but instead to Ranger's apartment. She's caught in a web. Someone's after her but we don't know who.

There's some shooting, some sex, some empty refrigerators, a perpetrator in protective custody and $40 million dollars in missing funds. All portrayed with the infamous humor attributed to this author.

If you're into this series, this is a must read.

Ladybookbug!

Perfect and Someone to Watch Over Me

Ah for a day in the sun, listening to the gentle lapping of the ocean, the shifting sands, the playful interaction of children and A GOOD BOOK.

I like to read paperbacks in the summer, especially at the beach. They are easy to hold and quick reads for the most part. I also enjoy a good suspense novel. Judith McNaught fits the bill in all categories.

A recent read of McNaught's was Perfect. In this story an escaped convict finds refuge in the arms of a woman he has kidnapped while on the run. As the story unfolds, we discover there is much more to the convict than meets the eye. The story takes the reader to the mountains of Colorado, a prison in Texas and a small town.

I'm currently reading Someone to Watch Over Me by the same author and it's also a good read. The story opens with a horrific car crash. The driver awakens in the hospital with broken bones, bruises, and a desperate need to locate her husband. We're taken to an old stone cabin in the mountains and a grand apartment in New York City. What these two very different locations have in common remains to be read.

Other books by this author include but are by no means limited to the following:
Night Whispers, Until You, and Remember When.

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Absolute Fear

Lisa Jackson, author fifteen previous novels, is at it again in her latest entitled Absolute Fear. Eve Renner has amnesia, stemming from a traumatic event. While she is in the process of recovering, she elects to determine what, exactly, led up to the shooting.

It means she must reconnect with the person she believes shot her. There is a series of tattooed numbers, a crumbling old asylum, a convent, and numerous secrets.

As her memories come back to her, she comes to a deadly revelation. One from which she may not escape.

If you like to be kept guessing as to who perpetrated the crime—you will enjoy this book.

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The Road

Ordinarily I would not pick up this book to read. Why? Because it is futuristic, bordering on science fiction--not a genre that I generally enjoy. BUT--this was a very interesting book. I might add that it's also a great story to read aloud.

What caused me to read it? Actually the author was interviewed on a popular talk show. The author's demeanor, coupled with bits and pieces of the story revealed AND the fact that it was awarded the 2007 Pulitzer made me want to know more.

The author takes us on a journey. Life as we know it today was in the past. In the current day of the book, the land is a vast entity of ash, decayed bodies, rusted metal, and few live people. It is the journey of a man and a boy.

One of the interesting things about this book was the fact that the author made each day unique (which of course it is, isn't it?). One might think what could a writer possibly say that would motivate a reader to continue "walking" along side the man and the boy as one day unfolds into another in a world of hopelessness. Yet, he does. I found myself wanting the pair to experience the best that this world could offer and relishing the intimate moments of inexpressible love. Although I could foresee what might happen at the end, it did not diminish the journey.

"The Road" by Cormac McCarthy.

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