Sizzling Sixteen (Stephanie Plum Series #16)

From Margie Hartough
author: Evanowich, Janet
Sizzling Sixteen (Stephanie Plum Series #16)
Summer is a great time to visit cool friends,   Stephanie, Lula, Connie, Grandma Mazur, Ranger, Morelli and they’re back with another adventure.  Cousin Vinny has gone missing and owes a lot of money for gambling debt. If Vinny goes down so does the bond agency and Stephanie has to do whatever it takes to save it, even listening to Lula’s crazy plans. Also Stephanie has  inherited a lucky bottle from Uncle Pip, which is supposed to bring luck.  Good luck or back luck no one knows! And the off again on again romance with Morelli is off, but Ranger is on this summer.  It’s just all fun!

Never Tell Our Business to Strangers

From Linda Lennon
author: Mascia, Jennifer
Never Tell Our Business to Strangers
Author Jennifer Mascia is 5 years old when she witnesses the FBI arrest her father. At that moment she realizes her family isn’t exactly like everyone else’s. This memoir, along the lines of Jeanette Walls The Glass Castle, chronicles a dysfunctional family and the amazing survival of a strong child. Filled with drug dealing, murder, bankruptcy and cocaine addictions, Mascia tells the story of a loving family and her struggle to overcome her notorious parent’s deaths a few years apart from cancer leaving her alone.

Her Fearful Symmetry

From Elinor Sbrocchi
author: Niffenegger, Audrey
Her Fearful Symmetry
An aunt dies in London, leaving her apartment to her twin nieces with the stipulation that they live in it for a year. The twins come from Chicago and soon find they are not living alone. Elspeth, their aunt, is still inhabiting the place in the form of a spirit. There are two other apartments in the building; Martin lives on the top floor, paralyzed by his fears, and Elspeth’s lover is grieving below. Well-written and appealing. Recommended, from the author of “The Time Traveler’s Wife.”

Mistress of the Sun

From michele webb
author: Gulland, Sandra
titl: Mistress of the Sun
This is an enjoyable piece of historical fiction.  The novels centers on Marie Louise, the mistress to the French king.  Much of the story is about her childhood.  This allows the reader to appreciate how it was the the king was so attracted to her.  The character is truly unusual.

House Rules

From Catherine Costanzo
author: Picoult, Jodi
House Rules
One of the newer Picoult books.  It involves a family including a teenager with Asperger’s syndrome who is accused of murder.  It’s a very quick read — keeps moving and keeps your interest.  Through the story you see the situation through the eyes of all members of the family and see how they react  — or don’t react — to different situations.  One of the better Picoult books in my

What Remains of Heaven

From Rosemarie Jerome
author: Harris, C.S.
What Remains of Heaven
Sebastian St. Cyr does not believe in coincidences. Two men have met their demise in an ancient crypt, but their murders occurred thirty years apart.   When he is asked to investigate the murder of the outspoken Bishop of London, who has many powerful enemies, he is foiled by lies and secrets.  Is the motive politics, revenge or blackmail gone wrong?  Can he solve it before he suffers the same fate?  Each book in this mystery series, that takes place in 18th century England, offers a new surprise about the main characters.  This fifth adventure unearths shattering news.  The other titles in the Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery series are What Angels Fear, When Gods Die, Why Mermaids Sing, When Serpents Sleep.  The sixth book, Where Shadows Dance, will be available in March 2011.

The Help

From Shelley Lauer-Bader
author: Stockett, Kathryn
The Help
This very readable account of the lives of the “colored” maids who took care of whites in the South around the time of the Civil Rights movement rings true. Character development is well done and while the dialect is difficult at first, it is just right for the story. While not of the caliber of “To Kill a Mockingbird”, it evokes the times and the gross inequality of the American system as it really was.

Beast Behaving Badly

From Jody Bassuk
author: Laurenston, Shelley
Beast Behaving Badly
Very enjoyable.    it’s a lot of fun reading about Blayne’s, a wolf-dog hybrid drifter, and Bo’s, a bear-cat hybrid, encounters and eventual relationship.  It’s fast moving and the characters acceptances of each others differences is highly amusing.  He’s all about keeping on schedule and she doesn’t even have a watch that works.  I highly recommend this book.

Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind

From Jody Bassuk
author: Kelley, Karen
Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind
Very good.   It’s very entertaining when Mala, from the planet Nerak arrives on Earth to visit the planet that her grandmother wrote about.  She meets Mason and there’s that instant attraction–but of course he doesn’t believe in her when she tries to tell him she’s from another planet.  Mala learns about Earth (chocolate tastes better than food capsules) and builds a relationship with Mason.  Holds your attention but doesn’t have as much substance as other Karen Kelley books.

With Extreme Pleasure

From Jody Bassuk
author: Kent, Alison
With Extreme Pleasure
I liked the story idea.  Cady has been on the run for a long time.  King is a wrongly convicted ex-con who knows what it’s like to deal with bad situations.  The adventures were entertaining and overall the book was good, but there were a lot of slow sections in the middle of the book.  It’s still worth reading.