Lonely Hearts

Meet Addie and Louis, two lonely widowed neighbors, who decide to do something about it. Addie approaches Louis with an idea about spending some time together, so neither of them will have to deal with the long empty evenings alone. They are around the same age, have grown children, and have a lot of things in common. Will this plan work? Read Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf and find out. (This book has just been made into a movie starring Jane Fonda and Robert Redford.) DB  

Don't Tempt Me

Don't Tempt Me is the first book of the series by Lori Foster. It's a contemporary romance set in a small town and the story features two couples in a single book. Don't Tempt Me can definitely get you hooked from the very first page. You will immediately fall in love with Honor Brown and Lexie Perkins. As best friends, they certainly get along, but they also couldn't be more different to one another. While Honor is a little more reserved and independent, Lexie is seen as more of the party girl.

Don't Tempt Me is sweet, sexy and funny. It has all the things you will look for in a contemporary romance. *JK*

Not Exactly Camelot

In 1935, before he penned Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck wrote a short novella about a group of friends living the life in a poor district of Monterey, called Tortilla Flat.  Based loosely on Arthurian legends, Steinbeck's story centers on the accidental landowner Danny and his tribe of devoted comrades as they conspire, drink, gossip, and have a holy experience or two.

For more retellings of classic stories, check out our reading list at the Adult Reference Desk, "Covering the Classics."  HM

The tragic demise of a neighborhood family in 2000 spurred Peter Lovenheim into action. He wondered if knowing your neighbors could have prevented the horrendous murder-suicide in his upscale New York community. He vows to get to know his neighbors. Not only does he intend to converse with them, he actually wants to spend time in their homes and observe their daily rituals. He asks to spend the night. While this bold move is met with many declines, he actually does sleep over at a few homes nearby. His interactions pay off when he introduces few neighbors and they begin to interact. Lovenheim’s premise, although somewhat assertive, is truly captivating. His experiment ultimately proves beneficial, both for him individually and for his neighbors. Check out In the Neighborhood by Peter Lovenheim for a thought provoking read! DB