Choices and Consequences

What happens when a person's past comes to light? Ask Annie Black, lighting designer, doctor's wife and mother of three. Annie spent one year in London when she was 19. She worked for a structural engineer, traveled to Paris, fell for an aloof photographer and met her husband. Sounds simple enough--but there were a few twists that change everything. In A Small Indiscretion by Jan Ellison we learn the truth about Annie's behavior and her secret obsessions. This book is a warning to think before you act. DB

First Time in Forever

First Time in Forever is the first series by Sarah Morgan. The story is set on an island off the coast of Maine. The setting is the perfect backdrop for this charming story of love and friendship. The cast of characters is beautifully written and their personal growth is impressive. It is truly a captivating romance that I love and highly recommend. In this book we meet Emily Donovan. She is on the run with her niece, Lizzie, who is being hounded by paparazzi upon the death of Lizzie's mother. We also meet Ryan Cooper who was injured while on assignment overseas and is now home for good on Puffin Island.

Traveling through food...

A good travel book and a good cookbook create the same things, a sense of vicarious travel, to new lands, new food, new experiences. While one may not actually travel or actually cook, the pleasure is the same. A good cookbook gives us more than recipes, it gives us the life of the author, stories and remembrances. The new cookbook by Sabrina Ghayour , Persiana, satisfies on many levels. A celebration of the food and flavors from  the  regions near the Southern and Eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea, it features beautiful photographs and an introduction before each recipe. Recipes would satisfy the healthy foodies as well as the more adventurous. How about Red Rice Salad with Barberries, Grilled Vegetables and Toasted Almonds, or Spiced Vegetable Soup, a meal in a bowl. Sweets are not neglected, with old favorites like Baklava or exotic treats like Cardamom and Rosewater Poached Pears.. ML

Back in the Game

Back in the Game by Lori Wilde, has a good story line. It is also heartwarming, heartbreaking, compassionate and funny. The story is set in the town to Stardust, Texas where baseball is lived and breathed for most of the town folks. They love their hometown baseball hero Rowdy Blanton, who playing days came to an end when he was brutally attacked and he has come home to recover from his injury. He meets Breeanne Carlyle, who helps him write his memoir and just seems to know what goes in to recover his surgeries. Lori Wilde did a great job starting this new series! It also has romance, mystery and even a little magic! *JK*

Consider the Chicken

 If you ever wondered what these birds were good for (besides eating and eggs) take a look at Why Did The Chicken Cross TheWorld: The Epic Saga of the Bird That Powers Civilization by Andrew Lawler.  He will take you on a trip across centuries and continents and explain how chickens have become the most popular and numerous fowl on the planet. You will find out how they have been used to advance science and benefit the human race. Lawler started out as a journalist with a passion for Science. This is his first book. Although he does not own any chickens himself, he may well be their best friend! DB

More good stuff

If you enjoyed Gone Girl try…..

              Afterwards by Rosamund Lupton  

              The Playdate by Louise Millar

              Defending Jacob by William Landay

              Heartbroken by Lisa Unger

              The Dinner by Hermann Koch

              The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

              Broken Harbor by Tana French

              Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight

              Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson

 

I hate to recommend a book that will probably never be on the shelf because it's gotten so popular (even though it's only been out just a few months) but I would highly recommend The Girl on the Train, which coincidentally is being touted as the next "Gone Girl."  It's suspenseful, with fun twists, and is an easy quick read that can't be put down.  SG

 

Return to Me

Return to Me by Kelly Moran can bring you into tears. It is more than just a love story. It is a story of self-sacrifice, perseverance, healing, and so much more. The story can take you on an emotional roller coaster and it will keep your interest until the very end of the last chapter. The characters Cole and Mia were high school sweethearts but circumstances ripped them apart. Now they are reunited, but it won't be all sunshine and roses. I can't describe what happens at the end because Kelly Moran does it much better with her words than I could ever do. Just know that this is one of the best stories that I have read in years. I will be looking forward to book #2! *JK*