Something Wicked This Way Comes

In the 1970s backwater of Coden, Alabama, a teenage orphan called Annie mysteriously arrives and quickly drives a wedge in an apparently perfect family.  Full of creepy supernatural elements and family secrets reminiscent of The Turn of the Screw and The Amityville Horror, The Darkling by R. B. Chesterton (aka Carolyn Haines) is a quick and easy read, which is sometimes exactly what you want on a sunny, beautiful afternoon.  HM

Thoughts for Travelers

If travelling makes you feel fearful or unsettled, Dr. Elisha Goldstein’s Mindfulness Meditations for the Anxious Traveler will be a great help. The book is divided into 46 concise sections that focus on one specific thought or practice. The author explains that there is a space between stimulus and response that can be used to make a choice. The response will depend on the choice. He offers suggestions about how to recognize this space and make beneficial choices. The book also includes a step-by-step story about boarding an airplane, for those who fear flying. Goldstein is the author of The Now Effect and the Mindful Solutions Program and is a frequent contributor to the Huffington Post. He has been a leader in mindfulness psychology and maintains a private practice in Los Angeles. DB   

Every Last One

I’ve always liked Anna Quindlen’s books but I have been avoiding them lately because sometimes they can be sad or disturbing.  I found myself listening to Every Last One because I had heard great things about the narrator of this audio book and needed something for my commute to work.  I was not disappointed – the narrator of this book was excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed the book.  That said, be warned!  About halfway through the book you WILL start bawling.  The story is about Mary Beth Latham, a woman with a husband and three children and the shocking act of violence that changes everything in her life.  Anna Quindlen is a Pulitzer Prize winning author and for good reason - you will find yourself drawn into this book. SG