1.
The Gift by Cecilia Ahern. "If a man could be two places at one time" is the premise behind this novel about a workaholic man who is shown what he really should be doing with his time and energy. I didn't see the ending coming! An excellent novel; I've enjoyed every book I've read by this author. A. 1/1/10
2.
The Long Run by Leo Furey. Set in 1960 St. Johns, Canada, in an orphanage run by Irish Christian Brothers, this book has the predictable "attacks upon the Church" that you'd expect as well as the theme of sex abuse of minors by the Brothers. However, though the adults are excoriated for using children for their own ends, the hero of the novel does the same (though it is not a sexual aim). Well-written. B. 1/14/10
3.
The Summer Kitchen by Lisa Wingate. A lovely novel about an empty-nester selling a family home and meeting a young orphan who's trying to make it on her own. I'll look for more by this author. A. 1/15/10
4.
Far from Home by Anne deGrace. Strange book about some strange people. It was like a venture into the Land of Misfit Toys, except most of these people were hitchhikers. Set in mid-1970s British Columbia, it's got an odd cast of characters that all have something to come to terms with. B.
5.
Vision in White by Nora Roberts. A Harlequin-type romance that is part of a series of 4 (only 2 published thus far.) 4 young women have a wedding-coordinator business; each romance is the story of one of their love lives. C+.
6.
Bed of Roses by Nora Roberts. C+.
7.
Bread Alone by Judith Ryan Hendricks. A young woman finds herself alone after a failed marriage and decides to pursue her love of bread-baking as a career. Great characters, good story. B+. 1/24/10
8.
The Baker's Apprentice by Judith Ryan Hendricks. Second in the series. Wish there were more--I was left hanging at the end! I had all these grand plans for my favorite characters. B+. 1/25/10
9.
The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini. So I had to go and get hooked on the Elm Creek Quilter's books. This was a good story and I liked the characters. I'll be happy to read more, and fortunately there are plenty of them! B+. 1/25/10
10.
Round Robin by Jennifer Chiaverini. Book 2 in the Elm Creek Quilter's series. B+. 1/27/10
11.
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt. I can't believe I've never read this one before. It was fabulous--kind of like a little boy's version of
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. And while the level of poverty that McCourt endured was almost horrifying, I couldn't help but laugh at the delivery. The Irish certainly do know how to tell a story, and he really did master the child's voice. A+. 1/29/10
12.
Shades of Blue by Karen Kingsbury. This Christian novelist takes on the topic of post-abortion syndrome in a sensitive story about a young man and woman who must come to terms with the choices they made in the past, before they can move on with new relationships. The characters were great. B+. 1/30/10
13.
The Cross-Country Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini. Another Elm Creek Quilts novel; this time the protagonists are students at the quilt camp instead of the camp staff. B. 2/6/10
14.
To Sleep with the Angels: the story of a fire by David Cowan and John Kuenster. Heartbreaking and chilling, this nonfiction book tells the story of a Chicago parochial school fire in 1958 that killer 92 children and 3 nuns. The authors interviewed countless survivors of the fire, family members of those killed, firefighters and others. The result is a moment-by-moment account of the events of that day and those following the disaster. A+. 2/7/10
15.
The Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher. My daughter chose and purchased this teen novel, and I've never seen her so hooked on a book. She's been bugging me since New Year's to read it, but I've been putting it off since I thought it would be depressing. The novel tells the story of a high-school boy who receives a box of cassettes in the mail--taped by a girl who he used to have a crush on, a girl who had killed herself a few weeks ago. On these tapes, she details the treatment that selected individuals in her school had given her, and how that treatment relates to her suicide. It was not as depressing as I'd feared, and it was a very well-written book. B+. 2/9/10
16.
Between Sisters by Kristin Hannah. Two adult sisters try to come to grips with events of their childhood--and deal with crises of the present. A few graphic "romance" scenes. It was a pretty good, but kind of predictable, story. C+. 2/10/10
17.
Sea Glass by Anita Shreve. Set in 1929-30 coastal New Hampshire, this novel brings together a rich young socialite, a mill boy, the young wife of a typewriter salesman, a Communist union agitator, and several others during the time of the New England mill strikes just following the stock market crash, with a surprising but inevitable conclusion. A. 2/12/10
18.
Tending Roses by Lisa Wingate. I discovered this author earlier this year and decided to find more of her books. I wasn't disappointed with this, her first novel. It was a sweet story of a young wife and mom who returns to her grandmother's home, ready--with her extended family--to consign Grandma to assisted living. By leaving her journals in plain sight, Grandma "tells" her granddaughter about her life, explaining things about her opinions and attitudes, and convinces her granddaughter to help her stay in her home. Good stuff! B+. 2/13/10
19.
The Runaway Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini. Fourth in the Elm Creek Quilts series, I think I enjoyed this one most of all. It contains a story-within-a-story, with a century-old journal telling the tale of how Elm Creek Manor became a station on the Underground Railroad. B+. 2/14/10
20.
Crazy Ladies by Michael Lee West. This was an ambitious book that began with the Great Depression and ended during the Vietnam War era. Several women within the same family, their own struggles and a hidden corpse that touches all their stories--even when they don't realize it. Not such a great book. C+. 2/17/10
21.
The Laws of Harmony by Judith Ryan Hendricks. A novel about a woman who grew up on a hippie commune and whose fiance is found dead after some irregularities with his business. I liked this better than Hendricks' other work. B+. 2/20/10
22.
The Things that Keep Us Here by Carla Buckley. A riveting account of what would happen if a pandemic flu tore through the modern-day US. Not sci-fi at all, it instead tells the story of one family, that could be in any of our neighborhoods. It was heartbreaking, suspenseful, well-written. A+. 2/24/10
23.
The Quilter's Legacy by Jennifer Chiaverini. A novel from the Elm Creek Quilts series. B. 2/25/10
24.
The Master Quilter by Jennifer Chiaverini. A novel from the Elm Creek Quilts series. B. 2/26/10
25.
Home Again by Kristin Hannah. The story of a movie star who needs a heart transplant, his brother the priest, and the woman they both love--and how a tragedy brings them all together. Yeah, it's predictable. But it was still a good read. B. 2/27/10
26.
'Tis by Frank McCourt. A memoir of his years teaching in New York City high schools. It's not a chronological account as
Angela's Ashes was, and sometimes all the stream-of-consciousness memories were a little tough to follow. But McCourt can make any tragedy funny in the telling. B+. 3/2/10
27.
The Cracker Queen by Lauretta Hannon. This was a memoir of a tough childhood, with an alcoholic mother and all kinds of other addictions in the extended family. Hannon kind of wrecked it at the end when she left behind the memoir and started talking about her "life principles." This book would have been better if she'd stopped telling the story at the end of her teen years. B. 3/7/10
28.
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. This book won a Pulitzer Prize. I didn't like it at all. The title character was not likable at all--and not meant to be. This was a novel made up of short stories, so it was quite disjointed (though, fortunately, all in chronological order.) This book was a real downer. C-. 3/11/10
29.
Dana's Valley by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan. The story of a teen girl dealing with her sister's terminal illness. The first-person narrative was overly simple, and I'm not sure if that's the authors' usual style or if they were just going for the 14-year-old-girl voice. Otherwise, a well-done book. B+. 3/12/10
30.
Love, Rosie by Cecilia Ahern. I have yet to be disappointed by one of Ahern's novels. This one is unique--not only is it epistolary, but it's told mostly through emails and online chat printouts. It's the story of a girl and a boy who grow up as best friends and just keep missing that chance at having a life together. It's a thick book, but a quick read and a wonderful story. Highly recommended! A. 3/15/2010
31.
Methland by Nick Reding. This nonfiction account of the history of methamphetamines in small-town America was fascinating and disturbing at the same time. B+. 3/18/2010
32.
Waiter Rant by Steve Dublanica. I used to read the blog, so most of the stories were not new. But Dublanica is a good storyteller just the same. Foul language alert: this is not for the kids! B. 3/18/2010
33.
Letter to My Daughter by George Bishop. It's pretty impressive that a novel written from a mother's perspective was penned by a man. He did a really good job. This novel is a letter written by a mom after she fought with her teenage daughter. She tells of her own turbulent teenage years as she anxiously waits for her daughter to return home. B+. 3/21/2010
34.
Ask Again Later by Jill A. Davis. This book read like a blog. The main character is a young professional woman who can't make a commitment to the man she loves or to her job. She dumps both when her mother dramatically announces that she has breast cancer and winds up working as a receptionist for her father, who abandoned her during her childhood. Funny and poignant, it deals with feelings of loss and family dynamics. B.
35.
Past Secrets by Cathy Kelly. A chick-lit tale of several women in an Irish town as they come to terms with secrets they have kept in their lives. Good story, fun characters. B.
36.
My Cousin the Saint by Justin Catanoso. This is a combination memoir and biography of a twentieth-century Italian saint. While the biography was interesting, the memoir part was quite unsatisfying. The author, a lapsed Catholic, seemed to want it both ways--he wanted a "Santa Claus" saint who would give his family everything they needed, and he wanted all this without obligation of belief on his own part. Maybe that was the idea, to show himself "warts and all" but I found it irritating. B.
37.
Sarah's Key by Tatiana deRosnay. I read this book in an afternoon. It was fabulous, and heartbreaking all at once. It's a dual story, but they're both connected. A little girl, faced with a roundup of Jews in Nazi-occupied Paris, locks her brother in a cabinet in the hopes of hiding him from the Nazis. Sixty years later, an expat American journalist learns about this roundup and her own connection to that same Paris apartment. A+.
38.
Talk of the Town by Lisa Wingate. The first book I've read entirely on the Kindle app for my iPod touch. A cute story with a bit of a Christian twist (but not very over the top) about a young woman who works for an American Idol-type show and the even younger performing artist she's assigned to work with. B+.
39.
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio by Terry Ryan. A biography written by the daughter of a woman who used her ability to win "twenty-five-words-or-less" sweepstakes to support her ten children and alcoholic husband. This was a re-read--it's an excellent story and portrait of 1950s America. B+.
40.
Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott. This novel begins with a fender-bender; a lonely single woman takes pity on a homeless family after she totals their car, taking them into her home while the mother undergoes cancer treatment. The novel deals not only with group dynamics but also the role guilt plays in good works. You don't get a neat, clean ending--but then, when do you ever, in real life? B+.
41.
The Sugar Camp Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini. A novel from the Elm Creek Quilts series. Back story: the Underground Railroad years. B.
42.
The Christmas Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini. A novel from the Elm Creek Quilts series. This was kind of a mini-novel. B.
43.
Circle of Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini. A novel from the Elm Creek Quilts series. B.
44.
The Quilter's Homecoming by Jennifer Chiaverini. A novel from the Elm Creek Quilts series. B.
45.
The Winding Ways Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini. A novel from the Elm Creek Quilts series. B.
46.
The New Year's Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini. A novel from the Elm Creek Quilts series. This one was awfully short! B-.
47.
The Quilter's Kitchen by Jennifer Chiaverini. A novel from the Elm Creek Quilts series. Rather disappointing. I liked the addition of recipes and will try some--but there wasn't much to the novel. C.
48.
A Quilter's Holiday by Jennifer Chiaverini. A novel from the Elm Creek Quilts series. Another short one. B-.
49.
The Lost Quilter by Jennifer Chiaverini. A novel from the Elm Creek Quilts series. A historical novel about an escaped slave. B+.
50.
The Time It Snowed in Puerto Rico by Sarah McCoy. A coming-of-age novel about a young girl, who describes the discomfort she feels about growing up, getting a sibling, and relationships with other preteens. I felt uncomfortable right along with her. Pretty disappointing. C+.
51.
Through the Heart by Kate Morgenroth. I'm not sure how I ended up with this murder mystery (not what I usually read) but this was a really good book! Unlike any mystery I've read before, this one did not start with the body--but instead introduced many characters, situations, motives...and you didn't find out who was killed (or who did it and why) until almost the very end. Good stuff! A.
52.
Sleepwalking in Daylight by Elizabeth Flock. Should have been titled something like "Watching a Family Implode." Yikes. This one was like looking at a train wreck--you just can't look away. A mom in her 40s deals with a distant husband, an adopted teen daughter who is caught up in drugs and sex (and her parents don't know it), and young twins. B.
53.
Our Lady of Fatima by William Thomas Walsh. Based on Lucia's own memoirs and interviews with eyewitnesses, this account tells the story of the Fatima apparitions. Recommended for teens and up--but be aware, there are lots of Portuguese words in the book. I love that, but I know it drives other people crazy. A.
54.
The Moon Looked Down by Dorothy Garlock. A novel set in late-World War II America; a young German immigrant and her family, all of whom came to the USA during the Hitler era but before the war broke out, are persecuted by some young men and receive protection from an unlikely source. It's a romance novel, and I could have done without that--the story stands on its own nicely without it. B.
55.
Day After Night by Anita Diamant. Another World War II novel; this one takes place in postwar Israel, where Jews who wish to resettle there but have no documentation were incarcerated in makeshift prison camps. This novel tells the story of four of these women, who had different experiences during the war but were brought together in one prison camp. B+.
56.
The Aloha Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini. Next in the Elm Creek Quilts series, this one follows one of the quilters to Hawaii. It seems like the author is getting a little heavy-handed with the history lessons in many of these novels, but I still enjoy the stories of the quilters and will continue to read this series.
57.
"Let It Burn!" the Philadelphia Tragedy by Michael Boyette. A rather biased account of the MOVE bombing by the City of Philadelphia. Finding an unbiased account will be impossible as this is a highly-charged issue. However, it was an interesting book. C+.
58.
Breaking Out of Bedlam by Leslie Larson. A fairly disturbing novel in journal form, from the point of view of a woman in a nursing home. It deals with drug dependence, con artists, family dynamics and more. Interesting. B.
59.
Hannah's List by Debbie Macomber. Just before dying of cancer, a young woman writes a letter to her husband and lists 3 women he should consider marrying. He receives this letter 1 year after her death; the novel details his meetings with each of the women. Predictable but entertaining. B.
60.
The House on Sugar Plum Lane by Judy Duarte. I'll look for more by this author. Yes, it was all tied up neatly in the end, but that was OK! A woman trying to end a troubled marriage and mourning the death of her mother looks for the woman who gave her mother up for adoption. B+.
61.
Breakfast at Sally's by Richard LeMieux. This is a memoir by a homeless man who had run a successful business for several years before losing everything. There was very little about the circumstances of his descent into homelessness and depression, but much about his experiences and the people he met through a meal program run by the Salvation Army (Sally's). There was more of a political "axe to grind" going on than I expected, and an awful lot of that was, of course, that conservatives are bad and wrong and misguided. Pretty good, but not fabulous. B.
62.
A Soft Place to Land by Susan Rebecca White. Two teenage sisters deal with separation after their parents die in an airplane accident. A good story. B+.
63.
Who Do I Talk To? by Neta Jackson. A "Yada Yada House of Hope" Christian novel, this continues the story of a mom of two boys whose husband locks her out of their home after she takes a part-time job and brings her ailing mother to live with them. B+.
64.
Sunrise by Karen Kingsbury. I didn't realize I was coming in at the middle of a story here, since this was labeled "book 1 in the Sunrise series." Surprise, surprise--there are at least 8 books I should have read first. I was missing a lot of back story, and while I do enjoy Christian fiction, I thought this one was pretty heavy-handed. C+.
65.
Neighborhood Watch by Cammie McGovern. Not my usual type of book to read, this one is a suspense novel with lots of plot twists. It tells the story of a sleepwalking librarian who serves 12 years in jail after admitting to the murder of a neighbor that she's never sure she killed. Yes, in the end the mystery is solved. This is a
really disturbing book. Not super-graphic in terms of violence, it's all suspense. B.
66.
Summer by Karen Kingsbury. I wasn't going to read this second book in the Sunrise series, but I needed something really light after that last book! C+.
67.
Who Do I Lean On? by Neta Jackson. I really do enjoy this series--the Yada Yada House of Hope books. This is the third novel in the series, in which a woman who was locked out of her house by her husband deals with his gambling problem, learns about standing on her own two feet, and never forgets her desire to help other women do the same. B+.
68.
The Promise of Lumby by Gail Fraser. It's been a while since I read any of the
Lumby books but they're very enjoyable. In this fourth novel in the series, a veterinarian trying to start his life over again moves to the quirky town. His new start is almost ruined when his long-held secret comes out. Readers won't fail to be charmed by the characters, including Hank, and the Sheriff's Report in the local newspaper. B+.
69.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Now I see why all the book clubs are reading this. This was an excellent novel. Told in the voices of two African-American women employed as domestic servants in the early 1960s as well as one Caucasian woman whose family employed such servants, it is the story of how these servants were treated and the relationships they formed with the families who employed them. It is an amazing character study as well as a snapshot of this time in our nation's history. I stayed up way too late to finish this! A+.
70.
The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Baumeister. This series of vignettes masquerading as a novel takes place in a restaurant's cooking class. As the season goes on, each student is transformed by the instruction, interaction and the food. It's all about the magic of food and of course the charisma of the instructor. A little heavy-handed at times, but a nice story. B.
71.
Lumby on the Air by Gail Fraser. The latest Lumby novel, it covers a "week in the life" of the Montis Inn as it's closed down for a family reunion. Personality conflict abounds; of course, it all ties up nice and neat at the end, but still it's a fun story if you're a fan of Lumby. B+.
72.
A Single Thread by Marie Bostwick. First in a series of novels about quilters; this one covers the opening of a quilt shop in CT and introduces the characters. B+.
73.
A Thread of Truth by Marie Bostwick. Second in the Cobbled Court Quilt series, the main plot in this one involves a young mother escaping (and moving on after) an abusive marriage. B+.
74.
A Thread So Thin by Marie Bostwick. Aunt-of-the-Bridezilla takes over in the third Cobbled Creek Quilt novel. Whose wedding is it anyway? B+.
75.
The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan. Beautifully written, poignant story about a young woman growing up near Niagara Falls around the turn of the (20th) century. Highly recommended! A+.
76.
When You Least Expect It by Whitney Gaskill. An awful lot like "Baby Mama"; chick-lit story.
77.
Kitchen Chinese by Amy Mah. A young Chinese-American woman moves to China for her career.
78.
A Broom of One's Own by Nancy Peacock. A woman with combined careers: author and cleaning woman, writes about both. Interesting! B-.
79.
A Home of our Own by Gwen Kirkwood. Set in rural postwar Scotland, this is apparently the second book in a series but I had no trouble jumping right in. I'll look for more by this author. B.
80.
Fatherless by Brian Gail. I will do a larger review of this book but it is very impressive--though I fear it's preaching to the choir. A.
81.
Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin. Chick-lit for sure. "Do I stick with my husband or the guy I was infatuated with before I met him?" It was kind of irritating after a while! B-.
82.
If These Walls Could Talk by Bettye Griffin. Chick-lit about 3 NYC families who relocate to northeastern PA in search of a better life. B-.
83.
The People Next Door by Bettye Griffin. Chick-lit about Florida families. Lots of "keeping up with the Joneses" plus a twist: exes who wind up living next door to each other. B-.
84.
Trouble Down the Road by Bettye Griffin. The families from
The People Next Door are back about 5 years later with more drama. The story got more soap-opera-like in this installment. B-.
85.
America's Dream by Esmeralda Santiago. This is a novel but it really feels true. A young Puerto-Rican woman escapes an abusive husband by taking a job as a maid in New York. It was interesting to see the world through the eyes of someone with such a different background--even winter weather was a new concept for her. The ending was especially powerful. B+.
86.
Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok. This is billed as a modern-day
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and while I wouldn't go that far, this book was excellent. It's the story of a Chinese girl, about 10 years old, who comes to live in America with her mother, and the menial work and horrible living conditions they endured. I just kept thinking, "Oh my God, people actually live like that! Today!" Unlike
Tree, this takes place in modern times (late 1990s). Stick with it to the unexpected ending! A.
87.
The Two Lives of Miss Charlotte Merryweather by Alexandra Potter. The premise of this novel: what if you could meet your "10-years-ago self" and give yourself advice so you could prevent some horrible mistakes? Chick-lit meets time travel; this book was a lot of fun to read. I loved the ending, and Charlotte Merryweather was a fabulous character (at both ages). A.
88.
Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen. This is a teen book, appropriate for ages 12 and up. I recommended it to our school librarian; there's nothing
inappropriate for a Catholic-school audience in this book either. It's a very sweet story about a boy who moves into a new neighborhood at around the age of 8; the girl across the street wants to be his buddy and he always brushes her off. For years. Once they hit junior-high age, it all comes to a head when he is confronted with the rude way he has treated her. The book is told from both viewpoints so it's like a "he said, she said" for young teens! Excellent. A.
89.
Summer Shift by Lynn Kiele Bonasia. Set in Cape Cod, this novel centers on a 44-year-old restaurant owner and her relationships with her staff. The tragic death of a teenage waitress forces her to confront difficulties from her own past. This one stayed on my mind after I finished it. I didn't always like the main character, but I was intrigued. B+.
90.
Home Alone America by Mary Eberstadt. Scary because it's true. This book discusses the consequence of television, diet, day care, and other modern parental substitutes in children's lives. It'll make you think--and think about your choices. A.
91.
Delta Girls by Gayle Brandeis. I picked this up thinking it was going to be about women in the South, but it was actually about an area of northern California where pears are grown. The story vacillated between that of a mother and her young daughter who are migrant (not immigrant) workers, and that of a teenage figure skater. The connection is made at the end--and it's surprising. A-.
92.
Every Last One by Anna Quindlen. This was a tough read because it was so emotional--but it was so good. A mother is watching her children grow up but is fairly detached from what's going on with them, and at the same time worried about them. An act of violence (no surprise) from a surprising source shatters their lives. A-.
93.
Once Upon a Project by Bettye Griffin. This book seems more aspirational, more intended-to-preach to its audience than others by the author. Kind of a "project girls make good" story. C+.
94.
Shopaholic & Sister by Sophie Kinsella. I don't know why I read these. The main character makes me crazy--she just buys stuff she doesn't need and never thinks about the consequences. Yet she's charming--and charms those around her. Mind candy, but a sweet story. B.
95-102. The "Valentine" series by Curtiss Ann Matlock. I did not read these in order; it would have helped if I did but it's not necessary. They're not listed in order either. But these books were very good--I'd say they got better with each one (rare in a series!) Valentine is a small town in Oklahoma where everyone knows everyone. With the first book, I wanted to live there. Each book has a different main character, with the other familiar characters as a backdrop. I'm sad to know that with the last book, the series is over.
Lost Highways
Driving Lessons
At the Corner of Love and Heartache
Cold Tea on a Hot Day
Chin Up, Honey
Recipes for Easy Living
Sweet Dreams at the Goodnight Motel
Little Town, Great Big Life
103.
Sleepless Nights by Sarah Bilston. Yuppie parents learn that parenthood isn't what they'd expected--for better or for worse. They ponder whether to escape the NYC rat race. B-.
104.
Bed Rest by Sarah Bilston. Prequel to
Sleepless Nights. Neither was fantastic, but I had to see what the first half of the story was. B-.
105.
The One That I Want by Allison Winn Scotch. A high-school guidance counselor who dreams only of motherhood and staying in her own home town, is granted the ability to see into the future. B.
106.
Call Me Mrs. Miracle by Debbie Macomber. Written as a novel, the story was intended to translate into a made-for-TV movie, and it does read like one. But like a made-for-TV movie, it's a sweet, feel-good read. B.
107.
Parallel Play by Tim Page. A memoir by a man about growing up with Asperger's. Fascinating. B+.
108.
1022 Evergreen Place by Debbie Macomber. Number 10 in a series of "clean" romance novels. As always, an enjoyable "chick" book.
109.
The Last Time I Saw You by Elizabeth Berg. A high-school reunion's coming up, and a bunch of people have something to prove to their former classmates. B.
110.
Simply from Scratch by Alicia Bessette. A chef's young widow, who cannot cook, decides to deal with her grief by entering a cooking contest to benefit Hurricane Katrina's victims. B.
111.
The Cookbook Collector by Allegra Goodman. This was a strange story about book collectors, college students, May-December romance, and more. It kept me reading, but it was very odd, and I didn't really like any of the characters. C
112.
Motherless by Brian J. Gail. See
separate review.
113.
Morning Glory by Diana Peterfreund. Novelization of a movie about a young news producer. Super-predictable, but fun.
114.
Fragile by Lisa Unger. A troubled teen's girlfriend goes missing; suspicion is cast; old stories of girls disappearing also come to light. B.
115.
Digging to America by Anne Tyler. A story of foreign adoption and how two families deal with their newly-arrived children.
116.
The Department of Lost and Found by Allison Winn Scotch. A young woman with political aspirations is diagnosed with cancer, loses her boyfriend, and must deal with the disappointments of professional life as well.
117.
Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore. A young woman can't wait to leave her one-stop town for the big city. But when she gets there, she finds out it's not all she imagined. It's a little reminiscent of "It's a Wonderful Life" which is not entirely a bad thing. She's definitely a Harry Bailey character, minus the guardian angel.
118.
Not My Daughter by Barbara Delaney. A single mom and high-school principal must deal with a pregnancy pact within the school--one that includes her own daughter. B+.
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