Not sure what to expect, what I was drawn into was the life of a young writer told by his first wife, Hadley Richardson. An intimate look of Paris Life in the 1920's (with all the other artists, who too were there to make their mark on the world) Hemmingway is seen struggling to write the "great" novel at the expense of his marriage. A personal look at one women's first love & regret. This is not Hemingway of of our high school studies, but rather a young man as he copes with the scars of war, the desperate struggle to "fit in" and self doubt.

Following the death of a colleague stationed in the Amazon, 42-year-old Indian-American pharmacological researcher Marina Singh travels to the Brazilian rainforest, where she encounters her former medical school professor, Dr. Annick Swenson--who was instrumental in Marina's decision to quit practicing medicine. Swenson, who is now conducting groundbreaking research on a tree whose bark may have fertility-enhancing properties (and the indigenous Lakashi who ingest it), is secretive about her work, which takes the women on a harrowing journey into the jungle. Containing echoes of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, State of Wonder is a suspenseful adventure story that also explores the intersection of money and medical ethics.

Zoe, the music therapist struggles to find happiness after a series of disappointments in her life. Not wanting to give away a part of the plot I can just say that Picoult wrote very briefly without going into any details about the incident that changed Zoe's life. Had she done that, it would have given the story a much needed boost. Predictable ending.

Stephanie Plum is back in full force along with her entourage. Never mind that people are being killed left and right, and that 4 people are after Stephanie trying to kill her too, one can't stop laughing throughout. Lula and Grandma Mazur are at at their best. Well, everyone is very funny in their own way, including Stephanie's mother with her ironing when she is upset and her silent father judging from his usual chair. The added bonus is the extended appearances of Morelli's grandma Bella and Mooner, adding even more laughs to the story. And... let's not forget sexy Morelli and Ranger. Stephanie we can almost do without, she has become too slutty.

A moving story about a grieving family. Enright profiles a modern-day Irish family in mourning for the loss of one of their own. In the wake of the tradgedy, Veronica, the middle of the brood, watches over her brother's body and tells a story of a family, whose dysfunction rivals any I have ever known. She writes with such unabashed passion that you really are drawn in to become a member of the family, laughing at the humor and crying at the pain of their loss. An interesting read!

Jack Reacher continues his journey east but it is not until you are well into the novel do you find out how he survived the bunker blast. Jack's clear lines of right & wrong find him up against the family who runs a small Nebraskan town. The mystery of a long missing child is solved but at a cost. An action thriller at its best.

A young Chinse immigrant girl and her mother arrive in the USA to be enscounced in tennament housing in New York. To survive she must overcome the ridicule of fellow students, struggle to regain her academic standing in a new county while working nights in a "sweatshop". Reflective of many immigrant trials as they work to realizing their "American Dream" you may find yourself wondering if it is all too good to be true, but Kwok's writing is very readable, providing insight into a life many of us know little of. Once into the story you may have difficulty putting it down before the end.

Follett has moved from the medieval times in Pillars of the Earth & World Without End" to the first of a trilogy that begins in a small Welsh mining town. We follow the complicated lives of five families (England, Russia, Germany, United States & Wales) through progressive and troubled times leading up to and into WWI. Fictional characters are mixed with real: we look in to womans suffrage, class sytems, failure, disappointment and the ravages of war. Left with unanswered questons, we await the next book

It is 1906 in Eudora Mississippi, a presidential envoy is sent, in secret, to answer the question “Does lynching still happen in the south”    We see through the eyes of a young lawyer the unspoken norms—racism, injustice, and the impact of the KKK (Ku Klux Klan). For Patterson’s “Alex Cross fans” this is a look at one of his ancestors.

The circus has come to town, prompting Jan, a retired Veterinarian, to travel through his life memories.   From the death of his parents, to running away to the circus, we see & members as they struggle to survive during the depression.   How will caring for an elephant (who understands Polish) to the concern for another circus performer, lead Jan to where his is today.

Colette, at her most derogatory, described someone as "talking like a concierge." Not in the case of Renee Michel, the antithesis of the conventional Parisian concierge. She conceals her intelligence and eriedition until a Japanese newcmer to her high-class establishment and an unconventional 14-year old gilr discover it for themselves. A masterpiece, translated form French, it is elegiac, funny, philosophical and sad. "On the inside" Muriel Barberry refers to the eponymous heroine,"she (Mme Michel) has the same simple refinement as the hedgehog: a deceptively indolent creature, fiercely solitary and terrible elegant."
Although "a thin book" (as a friend commented), it is dense in its content and quality. A reading must!

This novel will capture your heart as well as your mind. To think of the ape communicating with sign language with Sara can only bring a smile and sometimes tears. I didn't want to put this book down as I imagined myself in their place when the lab is bombed. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes some mystery woven into every day real-life information.