Listening Is an Act of Love by Dave Isay

Subtitle: A Celebration of American Life from the Storycorps Project -- This was very interesting.  When Terry saw what I was reading he recognized it from NPR.  I had never heard of it before.  This is a very small compilation of some of the interviews that were done.  There are a couple Storycorps booths set up in New York City and then there are traveling booths that go everywhere else.  You can go there with anyone and just talk, tell your story.  If there is no one you want to go with you there is a facilitator there to ask you questions.  Some of the stories shared in this book were wonderful.  They covered everything from wars and love to just how life had been.  I laughed and cried and really would like to hear the interviews themselves.  This really brings in the idea that we all have a story to tell, no matter how big or how small, and these stories shape us, how we live and how the world goes on.

Medical Error by Richard Mabry

This was not an oh-my-goodness great book.  The story line was good, I just don't think that the way it was presented was the best it could have been.  The book was about a doctor that had her narcotics license compromised and her identity stolen.  The character development was not that great and the characters were not that exciting.  For me, also, it was a religious fiction which is not high up on my list.  I don't even think that that aspect of the story came through very well either.  It is very frustrating when it seems like the bones of a story are really good and you expect a lot, but in the end the execution just sucks.

World Without End by Ken Follett

Follett is an amazing author.  This book sucked me right in and I had a hard time putting it down.  As much as it was a sequel to 'Pillars of the Earth', I do not think it was necessary to read it.  The character development and interactions pulled you along.  Watching people grow and push the limits and in the end really come out ahead made me feel really good about everything that happened throughout their lifetime.  So much happens within the story it is hard to describe much without giving too much away or writing a book about it.  All I can say is that it is a read that you should not miss out on.

Lye in Wait by Cricket McRae

Subtitle: A Home Crafting Mystery -- What a fun mystery.  Sophie Mae makes her own soaps, bath salts, lip balms, etc. in the basement of the home she shares with Meghan and Meghan's daughter Erin.  Their handy man dies in the basement and she cannot let it go because she just knows there is foul play.  She in sticking her nose in many places it should not be.  The things she gets wrapped up in and the little sub-stories through out made this a very fun and enjoyable book.  I laughed out loud and shook my head many times.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

How everything came together was amazing.  This book did not flow as well for me as the last one though.  It got quite wordy and there was a lot of back story on many characters.  It was needed to help you get the whole picture as to where the story was.   I still could not put it down because I needed to know who this would all fall together.  I was very satisfied with the ending and am very sad that Stieg Larsson in no longer with us to share his brilliant writing.

The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson

The word that comes to mind is "WOW".  I just could not stop reading this.  One thing lead to another and the twists and turns kept me gobbling up this book!  It is hard for me to describe because I don't want to give anything away.  What I can tell you is that you learn way more about Lisbeth Salendar, and some of it makes your jaw drop.  Lets just say that when I finished this I IMMEDIATELY started reading the next book!!  I had to see how this would continue to unfold.

Finding Grace by Sarah Pawley

This was a wonderful story about a girl, Grace, who was raised in the backwoods of Virginia.  It was a rough life and when her family was going to force her to marry she ran away to Chicago to be with her brother and his wife.  The innocence of going from there to the big city was portrayed very well.  Grace was shy and innocent and then full of spit fire and it all worked.  A gentleman eventually fell for her and it changed him.  Grace really grew throughout the book and I felt like I really got to know her and could feel what she was feeling.  Pawley did a great job putting this together and making it all work.  (This is the first book I read via Kindle!!)