Missing You by Harlan Coben

Harlan Coben delivers another fantastic read. It's entertaining, thrilling and nearly impossible to put down! Quite possibly the best book he has written to date.

 Be prepared for a lot of twist, turns and subplots! Coban manages to make all his characters distinct, which makes this character driven novel a breeze to read.

Kat Donovan is a detective for NYPD. She is haunted by the murder of her father and can't quite get over her broken engagement from, Jeff, that happened 18 years ago. Her best friend signs her up for an online dating site and which she stumbles upon, Jeff's profile, old feelings return.

The man who confessed to murdering her father is dying and when Kat pays him a visit in prison old suspicions arise. She's not sure the right man is behind bars and her investigation into his death, just might reveal more than she can handle.

A young man reaches out to, Kat asking her for help finding his mother, who he believes is missing. At first she is hesitant. The case isn't in her state and everything points to his mother just out having a good time. He convinces her and when she begins to investigate, she's find that things aren't quite what they seem.

Grade: A+

The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott

The Dressmaker is a fascinating historical novel. Alcott takes facts from the sinking of the, Titanic and weaves it into a well constructed and entertaining story.  Her writing places you on the ship, giving you a glimpse of what it must have been like. The opulence, the beauty and the horror.

Tess is a young seamstress aboard the Titanic and this is her story, her life. Be prepared to go on an exciting, entertaining read that will keep you turning the pages and reading late into the night.

This is a perfect read for lovers of historical fiction novels.

Grade: A

Newtown: An American Tragedy by Matthew Lysiak

Newtown is well written, compassionate and informative.

It documents the fateful events of, December 14, 2012. It is emotionally gut wrenching and heart breaking.

Lysiak, breaks down the events and details of the days leading up to, the day of and the aftermath of the shooting. This well researched book gives you insight into the lives of the victims and those who's  lives where changed by these tragic events.

Lysiak, covers the life of Adam Lanza (the shooter) and his mother.  He digs deep into, Adam's mental illness and his fascination with guns and violent games. You learn about the misconstrued information put out by the media. About the hero's who died saving lives and the hero's who helped with the aftermath.

An excellent educational read that will change the way you examine school shootings.

Grade: A+

The Artemis Effect by Kasia James

The Artemis Effect starts off strong. A fascinating lunar phenomenon occurs causing world wide devastation and then as the story unravels it slowly loses steam and becomes another run of the mill apocalyptic story.

This story is unique in that it is told from the point of characters living in three different counties. All modern conveniences in Australia, Great Britain and the United States come to a halt.  Crises erupt as food becomes scarce, modern transportion stops and electricity goes out.  People struggle and some form bonds in order to survive.

The book focuses on the characters and their lives but gives little to no information on what caused the moon to change. I was more interested in knowing what happened to the moon, what caused this changed rather than lives of characters who didn't hold my full interest.

Grade: C

Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel by Jeannette Walls

Half Broke Horses is based on the life of, Jeannette Walls grandmother, Lily.

Lily was a strong, adventurous, spirited individual.  She lead a very unusual and interesting life.  Lily was born in 1901 and was far from the "typical" woman of her era. At a very young age she was helping her father break wild horses and doing numerous tasks on the farmstead.  She was wise beyond her years and took on a large amount of responsibility as a young child.

Walls captures her spirit effortlessly. Most of her life was spent in the southwest, working on a ranch or a a teacher. She took long journey's on her own --- traveling long distances in many instances on horse back.

Lily learned  how to fly a plane, found true love with her second husband and gave birth to two children, one who was just as spunky and curious as herself.


If you love historical fiction or books on the southwest this book is perfect for you.


Grade: A

The Memory Child by Steena Holmes

The Memory Child goes on sale, March 18, 2014

 The Memory Child is told in two alternating points of view.  Brian and Diane are in their 30s and deeply devoted to their careers when, Diane     finds out she is expecting their first child. Brian is elated, it is his dream come true but Diane is less then trilled. Diane is frightened that history will repeat itself and she will suffer from post-partum psychosis, like her mother.

I don't want to write much more in fear of revealing the storyline . The author gives hints  and if you're clever enough to unravel them you will still enjoy this novel. I did.

 It is full of rich characters and a well developed plot line. Be prepared for an emotional, captivating ride.

This is by far the best book, I've read by, Steena Holmes.

Grade: A

Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski

Don't Even Think About It goes on sale, tomorrow! 

This book has a large cast of characters but Mlynowski manages to keep them all in line. You are never lost and the storyline easily falls into place.

22  sophomore students at a high school in, New York go to their school nurse to get their annual flu shot and the side effects are unusual to say the least. They develop telepathy and the ability to read the thoughts of one another causes an array of issues for all involved. The scandals and great characters make this a fun, easy read.

Don't let the book cover scare you away from this read. The cover isn't very fitting for this storyline.

Grade: A

39 Ways Not to Kill Your Best Friend: Tales of Caution for Dog Lovers by Judith Samson-french

A must read for any dog lover but be cautioned there are tales of woe and death. Not, for the faint of heart.

Each chapter presents a a danger to your dog, the out come and how to prevent it. There are real case scenarios. There are a variety of subjects ranging from cosmetic procedures to cancer. This book might just save your furry friends life.

It's educational and covers the controversial topic of choke collar usage (don't use one!) and what you should and should not feed your little friend!

Scientific evidence not only explains but shows dog owners why they should and should not do certain things. Go get you copy today!

Grade: A+

Cress (Lunar Chronicles) by Marissa Meyer

Cress is the the third book in the Lunar Chronicles series and once again, Meyer mixes sci-fi, fairy tales and dystopia with finesse!

Cress, who represents the fairy tale version of Rapunzel is a young girl trapped inside of a satellite who's only connection to the outside world is net screens.  Years of solitude and practice have made her an excellent hacker and when she is given orders by the lunar queen to find, Cinder, things go awry.

Cress ultimately teams up with, Cinder, Wolf and Scarlet and together they formulate a plan to stop the emperors wedding. The only way to protect earth and it's inhabitants it to insure that the emperor and queen of lunar never wed. This takes them on an adventure of a life time full of plot twists and page turning action.

This is a heft 550 page book, full of wonderful character and complex plots. The next installment comes out in 2015 -- it's going to be one, long agonizing wait.

Grade: A

Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles, Book 2) by Marissa Meyer

Scarlet is the second book in the lunar chronicles series and it is just as enchanting as the first book, "Cinder".

Expect romance,drama and action. When you first pick up this book, it's a bit confusing because you have no idea how these characters are connected but one you learn everything falls into place.

  "Scarlet" picks up right where, "Cinder" ends. New characters are introduced and new story lines are divulged. This story centers around Scarlet and continues to add onto Cinders.

Scarlet is basically a twist on, Little Red Ridding hood. Her grandmother goes missing and Scarlet sets out to find her. Along the way she meets up with, Wolf (another great character) and together they go searching for her grandmother.

We find out, Scarlets connect to Cinder. Who, Cinder really is and just how evil the Lunar Queen is. Scarlet is sassy, fun and spunky. This is one read you do not want to miss, however you must read the first book because this does not stand on its own.

Grade: A

Cinder: Book One of the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

Cinder is a new, fresh look and retelling of an old, famous fairytale. This story takes place in the far future. One in which the moon is inhabited by Lunars, cyborgs are the norm and technology is booming.

I have put off reading this series for years because I wasn't interested at all about reading a rehashed story about, Cinderella. Much less one, in which she is a mechanic! Well --- let me tell you, I was wrong, wrong, wrong! This is a wonderful tale, so far fetched from the original story, I forget it was based on one.

Cinder is a strong, interesting character and the storytelling is at its best. Meyer really knows how to pull in a reader and keep them turning the pages. Twist and Turns hook you in and  having you rooting for this delightful character (one of my favorites to date).

Cinder is a lovely cyborg who lives with her evil step-mother and step-sisters. She works as a mechanic to bring in money for the family. One day the price in disguise brings in his favorite bot to be repaired by Cinder, who has quite the reputation for fixing anything. This one encounter changes everything for Cinder, her family, the prince and the world....

This is not a typical, Cinderella story. Go, get your copy now and start reading!

Grade: A+