to be sung underwater by Tom McNeal

I can't explain why, but I became obsessed with this book. I couldn't put it down. The characters were complex and fascinating, and I just had to find out what happened to them. Most of the book uses the technique where the author moves between the current time and the time when Judith was a young girl. Because so much of what's happening now is based on what happened in the past, this really works. And the book asks the question..... Do we ever really forget that first real love? Could you ever really get over Willy? This is a great book, and I highly recommend it.

The Seamstress: A Memoir of Survival by Sara Tuvel Bernstein & others

I'm through with WWII books for a few months. It seems like my book club has picked several of them, and although I find them fascinating, books like this one just haunt me. Sara Bernstein was a holocaust survivor having spent months in concentration camps. Most of the women with her died, but she managed to stay alive - although she was certainly close to death when the war ended and she was saved. The first half of the book focuses on her family and her life leading up to the war. But it's the second half that blows you away. It is graphic in it's detail, and there were actually times when I would have to put it down because I felt physically ill from reading it. It reminded me at time of Unbroken - both excellent reads. -June

The Cradle by Patrick Somerville

I read a review of this book in the newspaper months ago, and the plot sounded intriguing. So I wrote the name down and forgot about it. I found the note recently, ordered the book, and I loved it. The main character, Matt, goes on a road trip to find his pregnant wife's cradle, and along the way he uncovers all kinds of family secrets. At the same time, we meet Renee who is struggling with her son leaving to fight in the war. These stories merge only at the very end of the book. Highly recommend. Loved the writing. -June

The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold

I read "The Almost Moon" by Sebold (author of The Lovely Bones and Lucky) and OMG! Starts out with the protagonist saying "When all is said and done, killing my mother came easily." Someone else wrote, "With fierce intelligence and emotional intensity, Alice Sebold brings us a searing portrait of a mother-daughter bond that descends into murder." hmmmmm It is excellent, I think, but I was thoroughly entranced with her style in the other two novels. - BT

The Crying Tree by Naseem Rakha

Just finished "The Crying Tree" and highly recommend it. It's about a family disrupted by the violent shooting death of their 15 year old son, the next 19 years leading to the "warrant" (didn't know it was called that) ordering the shooter's execution by lethal injection; the moral dilemma of the warden, the hatred and bitterness of the family, secrets and forgiveness--some excellent observations on the penal system, etc. It's the author's debut novel and well worth the read. The author of The Art of Racing in the Rain writes "Beautifully written, expertly crafted, forcefully rendered. The Crying Tree is a story of forgiveness and redemption but at its core it is a love story as well and that is the most powerful story of all." -BT

Helen of Pasadena by Lian Dolan

I wanted to love this book. I feel like the author is someone I know personally; however, we've never met. Lian (my personal friend) is one of the Satellite Sisters who had a marvelous radio show for years. I would try to listen to them whenever I could, and now that I'm able to download their podcasts, I rarely miss one. The sisters are all smart, funny, and interesting. I've also been listening to Lian's Chaos Chronicles podcasts and I've enjoyed hearing about her parenting, her work, and her writing. This is her first novel, and..... I really wanted to love it. We all have types of books that we gravitate to, and "chick lit" - however you define it - is not necessarily my thing. So while I enjoyed parts of the book, it's enough of a chick lit kind of book that I just couldn't adore it. There were some interesting characters, but too many were just over-the-top, full-of-themselves kind of people. (Remind me never to move to Pasadena!) And my biggest complaint.... the plot is predictable. I really wanted Helen to NOT fall in love and end up with the handsome archeologist and find her way on her own. That being said, Lian has a wonderful sense of humor and that comes across in the book just like it does in her podcasts. The book has received rave reviews elsewhere, so it's definitely found an audience, and I'm sure there were be more books on the way. -June

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Just a fascinating book following the history of HeLa cells and how the donor's family was impacted by it all. The author conducted massive amounts of interviews and extensive research in the writing of this book. So many ethical questions were raised. I'm looking forward to the discussion at my book group on this one. And some of the real-life characters in the book..... well, let's just say they are real unique characters. -June

Paris Wife by Paula McClain.

Historical fiction narrated by Hemingway's first wife. Fascinating. I want to read his books again after reading it. -DS

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

I'm a little behind in my reading.... obviously. This was the "book of the moment" about 3 years ago, but I'm finally getting around to reading it. And I picked it up reluctantly. Several friends swore it was one of the best books they'd ever read, while others said they didn't like it at all. As for me... I loved it. It's beautifully written, and the characters are very well developed. And the dogs!! Loved all the dogs references! Yes, the ending is hard to read, but it truly does follow the Hamlet storyline, so you know it will end tragically. But it's definitely a book that I'll remember for a long time. -June

Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff

I never realized how much I didn't know about Cleopatra!! Was I sleeping when we learned about her in school? Maybe she wasn't covered in my Western Civilization class, or if she was, we certainly didn't learn about all her love interests. I'm sure I would have remembered that! This was a book on my book club list, and although I learned a great deal, I didn't enjoy reading the book. I felt like it was a textbook and not something I'd choose for enjoyment. The authors style is to include as many long, difficult words as possible, and I felt that there was too much detail given when a nice summary would be just fine. -June

Friend of the Family by Lauren Grodstein

I do believe this was recommended by Sister BT, and I think she found a good read here. There are many secrets kept from the reader as the narrator weaves his story. The plot revolves around the narrator and his family and the family of his best friend. As the book jumps around in time, we realize that the main character is in trouble, and we're left to try to understand why. It's very well written, and the story-line keeps you reading. I will admit that I was somewhat let down by the ending. I wanted answers to all the questions even if I didn't like them. I'm OK with the fact that the relationship with his son was shattered, but the accusations made against him were never cleared, and I wanted that resolved. - June

The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton

I'm a sucker for books about friends. The Wednesday Sisters are 5 friends who meet in a park where their children play. They soon are helping each other with their writing talents and even more than that, they are helping each other through life's challenges (breast cancer, infertility, infidelity etc). The book is somewhat predictable and there are a few gaps in the story, but for the most part, I enjoyed the book because I liked the characters. The author uses the time period (late 60's and early 70's) to add to the plot... the characters are all struggling with their roles as women at that time. Liked it. -June

Finished The Wednesday Sisters and enjoyed it, although the author should not try to write in the vernacular because it was annoying instead of clever and it made me sorry every time Kath said anything -- you can understand the personal edge. A lot of it was contrived -- but still, an enjoyable read and I liked thinking about writing all the way through. I thought my novel would begin "The other seven called us 'The Great Eight' while I referred to us as 'The Crazy 8.' But then their nicknames were June, Ginger, Carit, Janit, Tillie, Duba and SueC. Mine was Turd." -BT

And I also read Wednesday Sisters. I thought they were just a bunch of Great 8 Wannabes...who were pathetically short of being anywhere near as cool as us. Some good parts, though, and I enjoyed reading it. Most of all, I'm glad it inspired you to write, Busturd. I can't wait for that end product...and you MUST begin it like you said.- Carit