Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon

From the title I was not sure what to expect.  Then when I started reading I was really not sure what to expect.  The basis of the story is about a woman who has not had good luck at love and her friend tries to help.  They bring to life a Greek god-like man who should take care of her every desire.  Well, Grace, the main character, was going to have nothing of that and really got to know Julian, the Greek god-like man.  Through out the book you learn about both of them along with some Greek mythology.  It was a fun book and there was a light erotica feel at times but nothing that would really make you blush.  There was substance and fun and it was a great escape from anything and everything. (NOOK)

Summer Harbor by Susan Wilson

This was your typical beach read.  It was a story about a woman who did not want to confront her past and had been able to escape it for 18 years.  Then her parents decide the beach home needs to be sold and they are not well enough to do it, so she needs to take care of it.  The past gets dredged up, she runs into an old friend and her son brings up many questions that she just does not want to answer but has to confront which makes it hard for her to move forward.  Once you were part way through it was quite predictable.  I was not disappointed with how it ended, I would not have expected it any other way.  A great easy read to just fall into.

Sympathy for the Devil by Jerrilyn Farmer

A mystery that takes you right into Hollywood and all the crazy behaviors.  A party is being catered and the host dies.  There are many ways things could go because of bad history, crazy family and an old curse that had been put on the land.  The caterer gets involved in trying to figure out who killed the host because her co-worker is accused of killing him.  She finds out way more about some of the crazy things that happen in Hollywood than anyone would really need to know.  Farmer wove a good tale, but it was easy to put down.  There were a few different story lines and they worked well throughout the story and I did not feel that things did not flow well it just was not super exciting.

Invisible by Lorena McCourtney

This is the type of mystery that makes you chuckle and wonder if your own grandmother would do what Ivy Malone does.  She is just a LOL -little old lady - that gets involved in trying to figure out some criminal activity going on in her little town.  The people that she meets and some of the predicaments that she gets into just made me smile.  It is a Christan Mystery, which through me off a bit, but seeing this LOL put her faith in God and have Him help her through some of her tough spots endeared her to me even more.  She tries to embrace life as much as possible yet maintain her integrity.  If I did not already have an awesome grandma I would want Ivy Malone on my side!!

The Giver by Lois Lowry

When I finished this I really could not believe that it was a children's book.  The themes and ideas were very mature, in my opinion.  It is about a community where things are the same.  There is no individuality and decisions are made by the elders.  Then a boy is assigned his job and he learns about this sameness and really feels that much of it is wrong.  He feels people are missing out on so much because a select few want them to only see a little.  The Elders don't want pain and suffering and questions, they want calm and level.  It was a bit disturbing and reminded me of something that Orwell would have written.  If I would let a child read this I would be reading it with them and having discussions because I don't think it is something they should read on their own. (NOOK)

A Place Called Freedom by Ken Follett

I am really getting into Follett's books.  He tells such a great story and pulls you in so you feel like you are right there.  This is about a coal miner in Scotland who learns that he can be free from this even though the mine owner thinks otherwise.  It is also about a privileged woman who learns about some of these injustices and tries to do something about it even though it is looked down upon.  The book follows them the England and then over to Virginia.  The strength and courage shown by the main characters and what they were willing to do for what they thought was right made you root for them.  Follett has a way of really making you think about the time period he is writing about and just does an awesome job. (NOOK)

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen

Subtitle: A Memoir of Going Home -- I am not sure how I felt about this book.  Janzen had left her family and went out on her own and got away from the Mennonites.  Through a divorce and accident she went home for some comfort and healing.  I learned a bit about the Mennonites, yet there are many variations.  Janzen has a good sense of humor and some of her stories were quite good.  Overall though, it was just a series of things that happened in her life that were not all that spectacular.

Violets are Blue by James Patterson

I have never been one to go for Patterson's books, but this one landed in my lap and I am glad that it did.  It was about a detective called in by the FBI to help solve a case.  The thing was, there was a whole other story underneath.  I am sure if I had read some of the previous books I would have been more invested, but it sure took me along.  While they are trying to solve murders that are happening all across the country the detective is being haunted by a crazy man.  How Patterson wove the two stories together was wonderful and even though I had not read his other books I did not feel in the dark about much.  A great book and I will be keeping Patterson in my sights.

Albatross by Deborah Scaling Kelty with Meg Noonan

Subtitle: The true story of a woman's survival at sea -- This was probably not a book I should have been reading as we were expecting very high winds in a very bumpy anchorage without much protection.  With that said, it was a very good book and we did fine during our windy conditions for two days.  She had been away from the water for a bit and was ready to crew for someone and head south.  She found a boat that fit that for her, but through a series of very, very unfortunate events things went terribly wrong.  The captain was questionable and some of the crew he took on even more so.  If she had gone with her gut feeling she probably would have gotten off the boat.  The terrible tragedy was that the boat sunk in a terrible storm and only two of the five crew survived.  She did a beautiful job retelling the story and I cannot even imagine what it was like and applaud her in her ability to tell the story and go sailing again.

Murder of a Small-Town Honey by Denise Swanson

This was a very fun little mystery.  A woman moves back home after trying to escape the place for more than twelve years.  There is not a dull moment when she gets there.  People don't let her forget her past and have a hard time seeing her as she is today.  The star of the parade gets murdered and she finds her.  A few more deaths occur and she is always there.  Her brother is accused, which he denies.  People through out the town are woven together by the events and things that you thought were benign have huge implications.  It was just a fun, easy book to read and I hope I can find more of her books.

No Defense by Kate Wilhelm

What do you do when there really seems to be no evidence that can help your case?  A man has died and everything points to his wife.  She is adamant that she did not do it.  Cryptic clues had been left and the lawyers had to dig through years and years of information that did not seem to have anything to do with his death.  As they dug into the histories of people who had been involved with this mans life more things start to come to life.  There were many twists and turns and things that took me by surprise.  One thing that is true is that you can't escape history, it can come back and bite you in the butt.

Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult

She has a way of telling a story that leaves you either in tears or really questioning what you believe and your own thought process.  A girl needs a heart.  A guy wants to give her his heart.  He is in jail.  This guy was the murderer of the girls father and step sister.  What do you do?  Can you separate the emotion from the physical need of a heart?  Do you let your daughter die because you can't get over the fact of the circumstances that have brought you to this point?  There was much emotional struggle not only for the parent but the lawyers involved and everyone that was touched by these events.  It really gives you something to think about that you may not ever be faced with. (NOOK)

Simple Genius by David Baldacci

He writes very interesting stories that revolve around some form of government happening.  This was about a compound that had a bunch of geniuses trying to figure out something that would change the world.  Then people started to get murdered and strange things were happening at night.  There was a military base across the river that had strange planes and things going on under the cover of darkness.  The detectives called in each had their own stories that worked well through out and with each other that added some depth to the overall picture.  The end did surprise me.  I really could not figure it all out, as much as I tried.  There was much cover up and half truths that I don't feel were far from what really happens and it makes you wonder how far some of this is from the truth.

Wild Oranges by Joseph Hergesheimer

Very strange little story.  A man is on a ship and drops his anchor near an island and goes ashore.  There are some run down buildings and also some signs of life.  He does end up meeting some people, a woman that grabs his fancy and some skittish gentlemen.  The woman starts to relax around him and wants to go sailing.  There is an undercurrent of fear through out the story and a feeling of danger and suspicion.  Over all I found it very unsettling with an ending that felt strange and right at the same time. (NOOK)