Recently received

 

Longbourn by Jo Baker (Knopf hardcover, 8 October 2013).

The servants at Longbourn estate--only glancingly mentioned in Jane Austen's classic--take center stage in Jo Baker's lively, cunning new novel. Here are the Bennets as we have never known them: seen through the eyes of those scrubbing the floors, cooking the meals, emptying the chamber pots. 

Our heroine is Sarah, an orphaned housemaid beginning to chafe against the boundaries of her class. When the militia marches into town, a new footman arrives under mysterious circumstances, and Sarah finds herself the object of the attentions of an ambitious young former slave working at neighboring Netherfield Hall, the carefully choreographed world downstairs at Longbourn threatens to be completely, perhaps irrevocably, up-ended.

Invisible by Marni Bates (K-Teen trade paperback, 25 June 2013).

I'm invisible at my high school and I'm fine with it. It‘s kind of inevitable with a name like Jane Smith. But when the school newspaper staff insisted that I write a cover story, I decided to find out just how much scandal one geeky girl could uncover.

Except I never expected to find myself starting a fist-fight, auditioning for the school's Romeo & Juliet musical, running away with a Romeo of my own, befriending the most popular girl in school, or trying to avoid one very cute photographer, who makes it impossible to to be invisible...


The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure (Sourcebooks Landmark hardcover, 8 October 2013).

Like most gentiles in Nazi-occupied Paris, architect Lucien Bernard has little empathy for the Jews. So when a wealthy industrialist offers him a large sum of money to devise secret hiding places for Jews, Lucien struggles with the choice of risking his life for a cause he doesn't really believe in.

Ultimately he can't resist the challenge and begins designing expertly concealed hiding spaces—behind a painting, within a column, or inside a drainpipe—detecting possibilities invisible to the average eye. But when one of his clever hiding spaces fails horribly and the immense suffering of Jews becomes incredibly personal, he can no longer deny reality.


The Book of Someday by Dianne Dixon (Sourcebooks Landmark hardcover, 3 September 2013).

Ever since she was a little girl in California, Livvi Gray has been tormented by a nightmare of an eerily beautiful stranger in a shimmering silver dress.
Shortly before Livvi's thirtieth birthday she will come face to face with this stranger, an encounter that will not only alter Livvi's future, but also change much of what she thinks she knows about the past.

California girl Livvi Gray has always been haunted by a terrifying nightmare of an eerily beautiful stranger in a shimmering silver dress. Shortly before Livi’s thirtieth birthday she will come face to face with the stranger from her dream, an encounter that will not only alter Livi’s future, but change much of what she thinks she knows about her past. - See more at: http://www.sourcebooks.com/book-club-favorites/#sthash.CmY589L8.dpuf

Like most gentiles in Nazi-occupied Paris, architect Lucien Bernard has little empathy for the Jews. So when a wealthy industrialist offers him a large sum of money to devise secret hiding places for Jews, Lucien struggles with the choice of risking his life for a cause he doesn’t really believe in. Ultimately he can’t resist the challenge and begins designing expertly concealed hiding spaces—behind a painting, within a column, or inside a drainpipe—detecting possibilities invisible to the average eye. But when one of his clever hiding spaces fails horribly and the immense suffering of Jews becomes incredibly personal, he can no longer deny reality. - See more at: http://www.sourcebooks.com/book-club-favorites/the-paris-architect-charles-belfoure.html#sthash.q4QfgHWY.dpuf

Like most gentiles in Nazi-occupied Paris, architect Lucien Bernard has little empathy for the Jews. So when a wealthy industrialist offers him a large sum of money to devise secret hiding places for Jews, Lucien struggles with the choice of risking his life for a cause he doesn’t really believe in. Ultimately he can’t resist the challenge and begins designing expertly concealed hiding spaces—behind a painting, within a column, or inside a drainpipe—detecting possibilities invisible to the average eye. But when one of his clever hiding spaces fails horribly and the immense suffering of Jews becomes incredibly personal, he can no longer deny reality. - See more at: http://www.sourcebooks.com/book-club-favorites/the-paris-architect-charles-belfoure.html#sthash.tzE2vkW9.dpuf

Mother, Mother by Koren Zailckas (Crown hardcover, 17 September 2013).

Josephine Hurst has her family under control. With two beautiful daughters, a brilliantly intelligent son, a tech-guru of a husband and a historical landmark home, her life is picture perfect. She has everything she wants; all she has to do is keep it that way. But living in this matriarch’s determinedly cheerful, yet subtly controlling domain hasn’t been easy for her family, and when her oldest daughter, Rose, runs off with a mysterious boyfriend, Josephine tightens her grip, gradually turning her flawless home into a darker sort of prison.

Resentful of her sister’s newfound freedom, Violet turns to eastern philosophy, hallucinogenic drugs, and extreme fasting, eventually landing herself in the psych ward. Meanwhile, her brother Will shrinks further into a world of self-doubt. Recently diagnosed with Aspergers and epilepsy, he’s separated from the other kids around town and is homeschooled to ensure his safety. Their father, Douglas, finds resolve in the bottom of the bottle—an addict craving his own chance to escape. Josephine struggles to maintain the family’s impeccable façade, but when a violent incident leads to a visit from child protective services, the truth about the Hursts might finally be revealed.

Like most gentiles in Nazi-occupied Paris, architect Lucien Bernard has little empathy for the Jews. So when a wealthy industrialist offers him a large sum of money to devise secret hiding places for Jews, Lucien struggles with the choice of risking his life for a cause he doesn’t really believe in. Ultimately he can’t resist the challenge and begins designing expertly concealed hiding spaces—behind a painting, within a column, or inside a drainpipe—detecting possibilities invisible to the average eye. But when one of his clever hiding spaces fails horribly and the immense suffering of Jews becomes incredibly personal, he can no longer deny reality. - See more at: http://www.sourcebooks.com/book-club-favorites/the-paris-architect-charles-belfoure.html#sthash.tzE2vkW9.dpuf

Like most gentiles in Nazi-occupied Paris, architect Lucien Bernard has little empathy for the Jews. So when a wealthy industrialist offers him a large sum of money to devise secret hiding places for Jews, Lucien struggles with the choice of risking his life for a cause he doesn’t really believe in. Ultimately he can’t resist the challenge and begins designing expertly concealed hiding spaces—behind a painting, within a column, or inside a drainpipe—detecting possibilities invisible to the average eye. But when one of his clever hiding spaces fails horribly and the immense suffering of Jews becomes incredibly personal, he can no longer deny reality. - See more at: http://www.sourcebooks.com/book-club-favorites/the-paris-architect-charles-belfoure.html#sthash.tzE2vkW9.dpuf

Like most gentiles in Nazi-occupied Paris, architect Lucien Bernard has little empathy for the Jews. So when a wealthy industrialist offers him a large sum of money to devise secret hiding places for Jews, Lucien struggles with the choice of risking his life for a cause he doesn’t really believe in. Ultimately he can’t resist the challenge and begins designing expertly concealed hiding spaces—behind a painting, within a column, or inside a drainpipe—detecting possibilities invisible to the average eye. But when one of his clever hiding spaces fails horribly and the immense suffering of Jews becomes incredibly personal, he can no longer deny reality. - See more at: http://www.sourcebooks.com/book-club-favorites/the-paris-architect-charles-belfoure.html#sthash.tzE2vkW9.dpuf

Like most gentiles in Nazi-occupied Paris, architect Lucien Bernard has little empathy for the Jews. So when a wealthy industrialist offers him a large sum of money to devise secret hiding places for Jews, Lucien struggles with the choice of risking his life for a cause he doesn’t really believe in. Ultimately he can’t resist the challenge and begins designing expertly concealed hiding spaces—behind a painting, within a column, or inside a drainpipe—detecting possibilities invisible to the average eye. But when one of his clever hiding spaces fails horribly and the immense suffering of Jews becomes incredibly personal, he can no longer deny reality. - See more at: http://www.sourcebooks.com/book-club-favorites/the-paris-architect-charles-belfoure.html#sthash.tzE2vkW9.dpuf

Like most gentiles in Nazi-occupied Paris, architect Lucien Bernard has little empathy for the Jews. So when a wealthy industrialist offers him a large sum of money to devise secret hiding places for Jews, Lucien struggles with the choice of risking his life for a cause he doesn’t really believe in. Ultimately he can’t resist the challenge and begins designing expertly concealed hiding spaces—behind a painting, within a column, or inside a drainpipe—detecting possibilities invisible to the average eye. But when one of his clever hiding spaces fails horribly and the immense suffering of Jews becomes incredibly personal, he can no longer deny reality. - See more at: http://www.sourcebooks.com/book-club-favorites/the-paris-architect-charles-belfoure.html#sthash.tzE2vkW9.dpuf

Like most gentiles in Nazi-occupied Paris, architect Lucien Bernard has little empathy for the Jews. So when a wealthy industrialist offers him a large sum of money to devise secret hiding places for Jews, Lucien struggles with the choice of risking his life for a cause he doesn’t really believe in. Ultimately he can’t resist the challenge and begins designing expertly concealed hiding spaces—behind a painting, within a column, or inside a drainpipe—detecting possibilities invisible to the average eye. But when one of his clever hiding spaces fails horribly and the immense suffering of Jews becomes incredibly personal, he can no longer deny reality. - See more at: http://www.sourcebooks.com/book-club-favorites/the-paris-architect-charles-belfoure.html#sthash.tzE2vkW9.dpuf
Like most gentiles in Nazi-occupied Paris, architect Lucien Bernard has little empathy for the Jews. So when a wealthy industrialist offers him a large sum of money to devise secret hiding places for Jews, Lucien struggles with the choice of risking his life for a cause he doesn’t really believe in. Ultimately he can’t resist the challenge and begins designing expertly concealed hiding spaces—behind a painting, within a column, or inside a drainpipe—detecting possibilities invisible to the average eye. But when one of his clever hiding spaces fails horribly and the immense suffering of Jews becomes incredibly personal, he can no longer deny reality. - See more at: http://www.sourcebooks.com/book-club-favorites/the-paris-architect-charles-belfoure.html#sthash.tzE2vkW9.dpuf

Recently received

Tarnished and Torn (Witchcraft Mystery #5) by Juliet Blackwell (Obsidian mass market, 2 July 2013).

When Lily arrives at an antique jewelry fair, her bargain sensors go off left and right—but she also picks up a faint vibration of magic. Could the hard-bargaining merchant Griselda be a fellow practitioner? It certainly seems that way when a sudden fire sends panic through the crowd, and Lily discovers Griselda murdered in a way that nods to an old-fashioned witch hunt…   
A crime that hits close to home turns into an unwelcome flash from the past when the police bring in their lead suspect—Lily’s estranged father. Though he may not deserve her help, Lily is determined to clear her father’s name and solve a murder that’s anything but crystal clear.


A Custom-Fit Crime (Magical Dressmaking Mystery #4) by Melissa Bourbon (Obsidian mass market, 2 July 2013).

Harlow’s designs will be featured in a big magazine spread, but she only has a few days to finalize her collection. Plus she’s busy helping to plan her mother’s upcoming wedding, playing host to her old friend Orphie, and avoiding a competitive Dallas designer set on stealing Harlow’s ideas. Harlow’s making it all work—until someone breaks into Buttons & Bows and the rival designer is found dead.
But when a near miss makes it clear that Orphie could be the next victim, Harlow will have to untangle the threads of evidence if she wants to save her friend, her mother’s wedding, and her business from becoming fashion road kill…


Final Sentence (Cookbook Nook Mystery #1) by Daryl Wood Gerber (Berkley Prime Crime mass market, 2 July 2013).

In need of a change, Jenna Hart leaves the high-pressure world of advertising to help her aunt, Vera, open a culinary bookshop and café. Back with her family in Crystal Cove, California, Jenna seems to have all the right ingredients for a fresh start—until someone adds a dash of murder.
 As a marketing expert, Jenna wants to make sure the grand opening of the Cookbook Nook draws a crowd, and no one is better at getting attention than her old college roommate, celebrity chef Desiree Divine. But when Desiree arrives in quiet Crystal Cove to do a cookbook signing, the diva stirs up more trouble than business…especially when she turns up dead.
Known for stealing husbands and burning bridges, Desiree left behind plenty of suspects—including Jenna. Though the celebrity’s life always appeared to be an open book, Jenna will have to read between the lines in order to clear her name, and catch a killer before another body is served cold.


 Yarn to Go (Yarn Retreat Mystery #1) by Betty Hechtman (Berkley Prime Crime mass market, 2 July 2013).

Dessert chef Casey Feldstein doesn’t know a knitting needle from a crochet hook. But after her aunt dies unexpectedly, leaving Casey to run her yarn retreat business, the sweets baker finds herself rising to the occasion—and trying to unravel a murder mystery…
 When Casey finds out that her late aunt’s business, Yarn2Go, has one more yarn retreat scheduled, she decides to go ahead and host the event, despite her complete lack of experience as a knitter. At least the retreat is on the beautiful Monterey Peninsula.
 But the idyllic setting is soured when a retreat regular is found murdered in her hotel room. Feeling a sense of responsibility, Casey begins to weave the clues together and detects a pattern which may shed light on her aunt’s suspicious death. Despite the danger, the last thing Casey plans to do is retreat. She’ll catch this killer…or dye trying.


Laced With Poison (Sweet Nothings Lingerie Mystery #2) by Meg London (Berkley Prime Crime mass market, 2 July 2013).

Emma Taylor is happy to be drawing in customers at her aunt Arabella’s lingerie shop, Sweet Nothings, but replacing the store’s broken window is going to cost a small fortune. Hoping to hoist up their sagging profits, Arabella arranges to have a trunk show at the home of a local socialite who will invite all of her friends and take care of the catering. All Emma and Arabella have to do is show up and show off their wares. Seems simple enough…
 A gorgeous spread is prepared for the event, including delicious cupcakes topped with edible flowers. But after one of the partygoers takes a bite and winds up dead, the guest list becomes a suspect list. Now Emma must separate facts from idle gossip before the killer gives the cops the slip…


Dyeing Wishes (Haunted Yarn Shop Mystery #2) by Molly MacRae (Obsidian mass market, 2 July 2013).

Always up for trying something new, Kath and her friends from the fiber and needlework group TGIF—Thank Goodness it’s Fiber—are visiting Cloud Hollow Farm for the day to learn the fine art of dyeing.  With spring in the air, the friends head out to greet the sheep.  But the sheep are more interested in something else—two bodies spread under a tall tree.  And one of those bodies is someone they know.
 Kath’s friends nudge her to investigate, and no one is more adamant than Geneva, the ghost who loves to play assistant sleuth. But when Kath discovers another murder cut from the same cloth, she’s more determined than ever to hang a roving killer out to dry…


Amy Falls Down by Jincy Willett (Thomas Dunne hardcover, 9 July 2013).

The endearingly bitter writer, Amy Gallup has happily isolated herself from the world spending the last two decades teaching and reviewing—she’s done a lot of thinking . . . but very little writing. On an unassuming morning, in her slippers, Amy trips in her backyard, goes head-over-heels, and into the side of a birdbath. The hospital clears her of head injury—so Amy returns home. When a local reporter shows up for a scheduled interview—Amy is not quite herself.
The article paints Amy as a the zen-goddess of writing, publishing . . . and life. Her bizarre interview was interpreted as the rambling of a true genius. But all that really happened was: Amy fell down!
The next thing she knows, friends and fans are coming out of the woodwork. Suddenly Amy is on radio shows, keynoting a major publishing event, and guiding a local writers’ retreat.  But the strangest thing of all:  Amy starts to write.

A Conversation with Jennie Fields -- and a giveaway!!

Jennie Fields is the author of The Age of Desire, a novel about Edith Wharton.

Edith Wharton is one of your favorite writers. How did that influence your writing?

Well, I must say, I felt very conscious of the language I used.  I wanted it to be appropriate to the era, hard-working and beautiful all at once.  I could never dream of writing as exquisitely as Edith.  I often get chills when I read her writing.  If angels could write, they’d write as she did.  The music of her language is instructive and breathtaking.  But I tried to write in a way that I felt might please her.  Also, I often started my writing sessions by reading a few pages of one of her books.  I never get tired of her books, no matter how often I read them.

The book follows Edith’s sexual awakening. What was it like writing sex scenes for such a well-known writer?

Not many people know this, but when Edith died, among her effects, her literary executor found some pornography that she’d penned.  There was nothing shy about this work.  It was bold, shocking, and also, of course, exquisitely written.  While I did not use any of the language of this piece (named Beatrice Palmato, for those who are curious—and yes, it’s on the internet) it did instruct me as to how she viewed sex and passion, and gave me insight into what excited her.

Paris figures heavily into the book. What did the city mean to Edith? What’s your relationship to Paris and did it figure into the writing of the book?

Edith adored Paris.  It was everything that New York wasn’t: culturally oriented, worldly, beautiful.  She found New York society closed and stifling.  She blossomed when she finally moved to France full-time, and her devotion to France is clear in how she helped the women of France during World War I with her workrooms and charities. (France awarded her the Cross of the Legion of Honor for her work during the war.) She had loved Paris as a child, and even more as an adult.  And of course, she fell in love with Morton while in Paris. That would forever insure a place for Paris in her heart.

There was a period where I did not like Paris.  I found it jostling and sad.  But about the time I began the book, I also began a new relationship to Paris, and fell in love with it all over again. 

What’s your writing regimen?

Generally, I walk in the mornings and do errands.  I write in the afternoons.  Usually I read starting at 1 or 2 pm.  (While I was working on THE AGE OF DESIRE I always read something by Edith). Then, with a strong cup of tea I get down to work by three.  I write in my writing room, a large old sleeping porch with windows on three sides overlooking my backyard.  I sit in a comfortable chair with an ottoman, my MacBook Pro on my lap.  I rarely write more than three hours at a time, usually less.  But it’s extraordinary what three dedicated hours can generate as far as pages.  If I get five good pages a day, I’m thrilled.  But not every day can be a successful day.  I always take weekends off—perhaps a holdover from my years in advertising.  My brain needs time to recharge!

What’s next for you?

I'm working on a new biographical novel about a woman who was world-famous in the 1890's but that few people know about today.  She was one of the richest women in the world, accomplished, highly intelligent, beautiful and charming.  Because of her power and fame, she was able to go places where most women weren't allowed, and used her access to further the cause of women.  She was also an art-lover, and one of the first Americans to purchase Impressionist paintings.  She and her husband bought hundreds which now make up the majority of the Art Institute of Chicago's collection.  If you can guess her name, you're good!  If not, I'm hoping my book will make her far more well known.

Photo: Anthony Scarlati

Jennie Fields received an MFA in creative writing from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop and is the author of three other novels, Lily Beach, Crossing Brooklyn Ferry and The Middle Ages.  An Illinois native, she spent many years as an advertising creative director in New York and currently lives with her husband in Nashville, Tennessee.

Penguin has graciously offered a copy of THE AGE OF DESIRE to one of my readers.  Please comment below with your favorite Wharton novel (don't forget to include contact info).  Entries from the US only, please.


 

Teen Tuesday

The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler (Simon Pulse hardcover, 5/21/2013).

Jude is much younger than her three older sisters.  She's been the only Hernandez daughter at home for the last five years, but she's graduated from high school and preparing to go to Denver University in the fall.

Meanwhile, she plans to spend the summer hanging out with her father, who's recently been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's.  Wanting her last summer at home to be as "normal" as possible, she decides to hire someone to rebuild  Papi's old motorcycle, Valentina.

At Duchess Custom Cycles, the owner recommends a young mechanic named Emilio, who agrees to come out to the Hernandez place to work on it when he's not at the shop.  Jude thinks Emilio seems like a nice guy, and he's cute.

Then she finds out that his last name is Vargas.  When she was very young, her sisters made her swear a blood oath that she'd never get involved with a Vargas boy because they're heartbreakers.  More than that, Jude doesn't really know.

What she does learn as the summer progresses, is that Emilio is a pretty nice guy.  Even though she hasn't told him about Papi's illness, Emilio is gentle with him, and seems to instinctively know how to deal with him.  But she dreads what will happen if her sisters find out about him.

The Book of Broken Hearts is a love story about Jude's relationship with her family, as well as a tale of romance between two teens.  Sarah Ockler deals with the subject of Alzheimer's sensitively, but with humor in an engrossing story about a young woman growing into confidence and  individuality while  dealing with some issues that are just as difficult for her parents and older siblings as they are for an 18-year-old.


FTC Full Disclosure:  Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for providing both print and digital galleys. 

Making It

Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham (Ballantine hardcover, 30 April 2013).

Franny Banks lives in a  New York brownstone  with  roommates Jane, her best friend, and Dan, an wannabe science fiction writer.  Franny had given herself a three-year deadline:  either she "makes it" on Broadway, or she moves back home to marry her old boyfriend Clark.  There are only six months remaining before her time is up, and the only role she has is a commercial for Christmas sweaters.

Her last hope is to do really well in the showcase for her acting class, so that she gets signed by an agent.  Meanwhile, she's waiting tables at a comedy club and trying not to freak out.

Lauren Graham's debut novel is inspired by the early days of her career, living in a New York brownstone and waitressing in a comedy club.  But she insists the book is not autobiographical, that 

"I was so not interested in writing any kind of tell-all. If I wanted to do that, I would have just written a memoir and probably sold more copies."

It's an enjoyable read, well-written and witty.  Franny's narrative is strewn with pages from her Filofax, filled with doodles and encouraging notes to herself, which adds a real sense of authenticity to the story.  Franny is an engaging protagonist, talented, but insecure and easy to empathize with.  

Below is a radio interview Graham recently did with Leonard Lopate on WNYC radio.  It's almost twenty minutes long, but it's definitely worth listening to.





FTC Full Disclosure:  Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for the e-galley.

Favorite fiction 2012

I don't read a lot of "general" fiction books, in fact I probably read less than ten last year.
I was lucky, though, in that a good portion of them made it onto my Favorites list.

(Again, they are listed alphabetically by author, and clicking on the title will link to my review.)


Austentatious by Alyssa Goodnight (Kensington trade paperback, 31 January 2012).

Blackberry Winter by Sarah Jio (Plume trade paperback, 25 September 2012).

The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai (Penguin trade paperback, 29 May 2012).

Ten Girls to Watch by Charity Shumway (Washington Square Press trade paperback, 31 July 2012).

Books make great gifts!

Around this time of year, "Best Of" lists start to come out, of movies, music and of course, books.  I get frustrated with a lot of published Best Books lists because I (who read well over 100 titles a year) have often not read any of them, and sometimes not heard of any of them.

So, here are what I think might make the best gifts for people like you and me.


Fantasy/Paranormal

• The Elementals by Francesca Lia Block (St. Martin's hardcover, $24.99)*
• City of Dark Magic by Magnus Flyte (Penguin trade paperback, $16.00)
• Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness (Viking hardcover, $28.95)
• This Case is Gonna Kill Me by Phillipa Bornikova (Tor trade paperback, $14.99)*

Mysteries

• Broken Harbor by Tana French (Viking hardcover, $27.95)
• Sacrifice Fly by Tim O'Meara (Minotaur hardcover, $24.99) *
• The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny (Minotaur hardcover, $25.99)
• Valley of Ashes by Cornelia Read (Hachette hardcover, $24.99)
• The Other Woman by Hank Philippi Ryan (Forge hardcover, $24.99)
• Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan (Farrar, Strauss and Giroux hardcover, $25.00)*

Women's Fiction

• The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh (Ballantine trade paperback, $15.00)
• The Inn at Rose Harbor by Debbie Macomber (Ballantine hardcover, $26.00)
• Where'd You Go, Bernadette?  by Maria Semple (Little, Brown hardcover, $25.99)*
• Ten Girls to Watch by Charity Shumway (Washington Square Press trade paperback, $15.00)

*These are on my list, too!

More books on the porch!

The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis (Knopf hardcover, 13 January 2013).

In 1923, fifteen-year-old Hattie Shepherd flees Georgia and settles in Philadelphia, hoping for a chance at a better life. Instead, she marries a man who will bring her nothing but disappointment and watches helplessly as her firstborn twins succumb to an illness a few pennies could have prevented. Hattie gives birth to nine more children whom she raises with grit and mettle and not an ounce of the tenderness they crave. She vows to prepare them for the calamitous difficulty they are sure to face in their later lives, to meet a world that will not love them, a world that will not be kind. Captured here in twelve luminous narrative threads, their lives tell the story of a mother’s monumental courage and the journey of a nation.



Crime of Privilege by Walter Walker (Ballantine hardcover, 4 June 2013).

Years have passed since a young woman was found brutally slain at an exclusive Cape Cod golf club, and no one has ever been charged. Cornered by the victim’s father, George can’t explain why certain leads were never explored—leads that point in the direction of a single family—and he agrees to look into it.

What begins as a search through the highly stratified layers of Cape Cod society, soon has George racing from Idaho to Hawaii, Costa Rica to France to New York City. But everywhere he goes he discovers people like himself: people with more secrets than answers, people haunted by a decision years past to trade silence for protection from life’s sharp edges. George finds his friends are not necessarily still friends and a spouse can be unfaithful in more ways than one. And despite threats at every turn, he is driven to reconstruct the victim’s last hours while searching not only for a killer but for his own redemption.



The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can Eat by Edward Kelsey Moore (Knopf hardcover, 12 March 2013).
When Odette, Clarice, and Barbara Jean meet as teenagers in the mid-sixties, the civil rights movement is moving along and so are their everyday lives. Their regular gathering place is Earl's All-You-Can-Eat diner, the first black-owned business in downtown Plainview, Indiana. Dubbed the Supremes by their friends, the inseparable trio is watched over by big-hearted Earl during their complicated high school days, and then every Sunday after church as they marry, and have children and grandchildren. Sitting at the same table for almost forty years, these best friends grow up, gossip, and face the world together with pointed humor, some sorrow, and much joy. Meet Odette, Clarice, and Barbara Jean--once you meet them, they will be your friends forever...



Hollywood High by Ni-Ni Simone and Amir Abrams (Kensington Teen trade paperback, 25 September 2012).

They’re the daughters of celebrities—the kind all the teen mags gossip about! But the It Girls of Hollywood High are about to discover that fame has a price. And no friendship—or romance—is safe….

London Phillips will diet as her mother demands. She’ll even date the billionaire her mother has chosen for her. But she won’t give up her secret hottie, Justice Banks. She and Justice plan to elope—right after he becomes a hip-hop superstar. All he has to do is seduce a media mogul’s darling daughter, Rich Montgomery, and a record deal is his! But he better remember London is really his girl…

Rich is so lucky to have a BFF like London. It was London who introduced her to dreamy Justice. Little does she know that her new heartthrob is about to cause a media explosion that will change this spoiled princess’s life forever…

Spencer Ellington hates to see a billionaire go to waste. That’s why she’s hooking up with London’s boyfriend, Anderson Ford. London may not be in love with Anderson, but she believes he’ll do anything for her. Just wait till she finds out the only thing Anderson is doing is Spencer…

Heather Cummings wants in with the It Girls to secure the spotlight for her actress mother. But when she stumbles upon a secret about the father she never knew, she discovers she has ties to the clique so scandalous it may just bring Hollywood High’s in-crowd to their knees!



Alone (Chasers #1) by James Phelan (Kensington Teen trade paperback, 30 October 2012).
When Jesse crawls out of the wreckage of a subway car and emerges into daylight, he’s greeted by a living nightmare. An unexplained force has destroyed New York City, turning skyscrapers into ash, cutting off all power and communication. Jesse and his new friends, Dave, Anna and Mini are dazed but unhurt. The other survivors are not so lucky. Every human being they encounter is infected, gripped by an unquenchable thirst that drives them to monstrous acts of violence.
Somehow, Jesse has to escape. But first, he has to stay alive.

Just finished reading...

The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club by Gil McNeil.

Jo McKenzie's husband is killed in a car crash, but she's not sure whether or not she should grieve, as he had told her he was leaving her just before he drove away. Meanwhile, she has two young sons to raise, and no real source of income.
Then her grandmother decides to retire, and asks Jo to take over her yarn shop, in the seaside town where Jo grew up. Eager to make a new start, Jo and the boys relocate to Broadgate Bay, where Jo sets about modernizing her granmother's musty yarn shop.

While she is updating displays, upgrading stock, and starting a Stitch'n'Bitch group, Jo makes friends with her new neighbors and reconnects with people from her childhood. Unintentionally, she also makes herself much stronger and more independent, which has a trickle-down effect on her sons.

This is British chick-lit at it's finest. I began to talk with a posh accent and each chocolate digestives with my tea. I thought the ending required a bit more closure though, but I see that this book was published in the UK in 2007 under the title Divas Don't Knit, and that a sequel entitled Needles and Pearls has been published there. I hope it makes its way across the Atlantic soon!