Blood, Bones and Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton

Subtitle:The Inadvertant Education of a Reluctant Chef -- Hamilton lead an interesting life.  In her youth her family broke up and she became a bit of a wild child.  She lied about her age to get work, stole things and even did drugs.  Once out of high school she travelled a bit and did get in some college.  She lived in New York City and worked in kitchens and with catering services.  It was a rough and tumble life and she learned a lot.  Eventually she purchased her own restaurant and did very well for herself.  There were a lot of ups and downs and many lessons learned.  She put her thoughts together well and there was good continuity throughout the book.

An Owl Came to Stay by Claire Rome

Claire took in an owl, Wooly.  She gave him a good life and worked hard at making sure he could go back in the wild.  He had a great studio to explore and an amazing yard.  He did go back, but always came to visit.  She took in a few more and only one made her studio his permanent home.  Claire draws great pictures and is a wonderful story teller.  I love owls and love how she was able to interact with them yet let them be wild.

X Marks the Spot by M. J. O'Shea

Jack is trying to keep his TV show on the air and his job.  Alo  just wants to be academic, write his paper and keep his head above water through graduate school.  Alo is gifted his great grandfather's papers and there has always been talk of treasures left behind during World War 2.  Alo does not really want to get involved, but as he looks further into things he can't help himself.  Through a series of events he ends up with Jack and they travel the world, they also hook up.  There are many twists and turns along the way and it was enjoyable and not all of it predictable.

The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck

Many secrets are kept during World War II.  Marianne is the widow of a resistor. Before her husband left he asked that she take care of other widows in the same position.  She finds some of the women and their children and creates a make shift family.  They all come from different backgrounds and deal with the situation differently, but they all survive.  This novel opens up a little bit of the underground that occurred during the war and it's long term consequences.  Shattuck gave the characters very distinct personalities that played against each other well that made everything come together.

Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

The crazy adventures continue with Sookie and the vampires.  She has to go to Dallas to help another nest figure out where a member had gone.  This leads to some crazy adventures and death defying acts.   I did not find this one as exciting as the first, so we will see how the series continues.

The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier

Ella moves to France with her husband and is looking forward to learning more about her family history.  Things do not go as planned and a dream leads her down a path she had not expected.  She 'meets' Isabelle, a relative from the 16th century, who had a less than idyllic life.  Chevalier had a nice balance and continuity going between past and present.  She was able to shock you and pull you in to wonder how things unfold.

Ultraviolet by Nancy Bush

This is the third book in a series which I did not realize when I picked it up.  It isn't bad as a stand alone, but there is some background information that I would like to know.  This was a female detective story where Jane Kelly gets herself into some interesting spots.  The two investigations dealt with a murder of the father of the bride and a teen party get together that was up to no good.  This was not overly exciting and at times I really felt it was a trudge getting through.  I am curious of some of the back story though, so I may seek out the first couple of books to  see where this all started.