Secret Life of Bees (Sound Recording)

Title: Secret Life of Bees
Author: Sue Monk Kidd

I may be the last person on the earth to read, well listen to, The Secret Life of Bees. Jenna Lamia did a wonderful job of reading this book. She convinced me she was a young girl from the south as well as the other women of various ages through out the book. She got out of the way and let the story tell itself.


This is a great story. Sue Monk Kidd brings us to the South just as the Civil Rights Act has passed. Lily runs away from home with her maid and lives with the "calendar" sisters. Her experiences with these loving accepting women make a charming coming of age story.

-vicky

The 5th Horseman

Title: The 5th Horseman
Author: James Patterson

During the summer, I listened to James Patterson’s Fifth Horseman on cassette. It’s the fifth mystery in Patterson’s Women’s Murder Club series. Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer, along with members of the murder club investigate deaths of patients at San Francisco Medical Center. The mysteries in this series are great audio books. The reader does a great job, and the action and suspense of the story keep me interested to the end.

If you are interested in reading or listening to this series, be sure to start with the first book, 1st To Die.

Sue S.

P.S. I Love You

Title: P.S. I Love You
Author: Cecelia Ahern

I read P.S. I Love You about a year ago, but it I still find myself thinking about this sweet story. After Holly’s husband dies of cancer, she receives a packet of letters he wrote to help her get through the year after his death. She follows his suggestions each month and finds herself slowly healing due to the adventures her husband planned for her during the 1st awful year after his passing. What a sweet man!

This is Cecelia Ahern’s first novel. If she can write such a great story at 22 years old, I’m certainly looking forward to the rest of her work.

Sue S.

"Child of My Heart" by Alice McDermott

Title: Child of My Heart
Author: Alice McDermott

Powells.com interview with Alice McDermott about Child of My Heart.

Why is it that a good book can be ruined by a bad or sloppy ending. Alice McDermott took me to the Long Island shore. I could hear the waves, feel the grit of the sand on my feet and the warmth of the sun on my shoulders. Her writing is beautiful. However the end of the book was a disappointment. Why is it that authors often fail with the ending?

I haven't given up on Alice McDermott. A friend suggested I read That Night and said I would find it was her best work. He said that in this book she played for the audience which she usually does not do.

Time will tell

-vicky

You're Not You by Michelle Wildgen

Title: You're Not You
Author: Michelle Wildgen

I enjoyed this book. Wildgen's first book shows how life takes you in unexpected directions. Each character's life takes an unexpected turn. If you are a food lover you will enjoy the descriptions of Bec cooking.

For a different opinion read Erin Frenhoffer's review.

-vicky

A Woman in Jerusalem

Title: A Woman in Jerusalem
Author: A.B. Yehoshua

I picked up this book my hope was to be an armchair traveler to Jerusalem. I lived and studied in Jerusalem for a summer. The book turned out to be very different from what I expected. It is a story of war, terrorism and redemption that is more about what happens inside people than what is happening in Jerusalem. Although the book was not what I expected I was not disappointed.
- vicky