The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

Sounds like a religious book, doesn't it?  Well, I'm not exactly sure what the miracles are that are mentioned in the title, but the book itself is very good.  This is a coming-of-age story that focuses on a family of three, a mother, father, and a daughter.  In addition to the preteen issues the daughter, Julie, experiences, there is also a scientific event unfolding.  The earth is starting to slow its rotation, which causes the days to become longer each day.  The affects this has on people, society, food, transportation, and the environment is profound, and all these changes take place slowly over a year.  It means the end of the earth, but it's going out with a whimper rather than a bang.  Very interesting premise and a well-written book.  -June

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

I've been saving this book since Christmas.  I knew once I started reading it, I wouldn't be able to put it down.  So true!  I think I read it in 3 days.  I've had enough friends read it to know the basic plot and even a spoiler or two, but it still was exciting and amazing.  The author does a wonderful job of slowly revealing all the twists and turns of the plot, and although it might seem completely unrealistic if you stop to think about it, it seems so true when you are caught up in it.  I loved it.  And highly recommend it.  But wait until you can devote a few days to it, because you can't put it down!! - June

Benediction by Kent Haruf

Are you looking for an exciting page-turner?  A riveting plot that hooks you at the beginning and doesn't let you go?  Well, if so, this is not the book for you.  It's beautifully written, the characters are fabulous detailed, and I loved it.  But it's one of those quiet books that is just a "slice of life" in a small town.  Dad (he goes by that name to everyone in town) has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and as he looks back on his life, we learn his life story.  His wife and daughter take care of him, but there is also a son who is missed.  The book also focuses on other people in the town - a young girl who has come to live with her grandmother, a minister who is struggling personally, and two women who are a part of it all.  This book isn't for everyone, but it was just what I needed.  -June

The Submission by Amy Waldman

As I looked at my last review, I realized I never wrote a review about this book!  And this one shouldn't be missed.  It's one I'd never heard of, and frankly when one of my book club members suggested it, we all thought it must be a Shades of Gray type of book based on the title.  Far from it.  A panel has been formed to select the best submission for a 9/11 memorial.  We learn at the beginning of the book that the winner has been chosen, and the architect is Muslim.  Of course, this causes controversy on many levels - the victims' families, the people in New York, the rest of the nation, and Muslim groups.  This is a fabulous book and one that you'll think about long after you finish.  If there is a "right" side, I'm not sure what it is.  The ending is not what I expected but it still was appropriate - even if I wanted more from one of the characters (I won't give it away).  -June

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

Recently I read a book called "The Submission".  In both that book and this book, we are presented with a moral dilemma and while we may think we know which side we are on and what choice we would make, as we read the books, our minds can be changed multiple times.  Tom and Isabel are living on a small island off the coast of Australia in the 1920's tending the lighthouse.  They discover a small boat that has landed on the island with the body of a man and a live newborn baby girl.  The decisions they make as to how to handle this event and the consequences of those decisions make up the rest of the book.  I thought it was an excellent story, and although the writing sometimes became a bit wordy with excessive descriptions, I loved it. -June