Book ~ "Everyone is Beautiful" (2009) Katherine Center

From Goodreads ~ Lanie Coates’s life is spinning out of control. She’s piled everything she owns into a U-Haul and driven with her husband, Peter, and their three little boys from their cozy Texas home to a multiflight walkup in the Northeast. She’s left behind family, friends and a comfortable life - all so her husband can realize his dream of becoming a professional musician. But somewhere in the eye of her personal hurricane, it hits Lanie that she once had dreams too. If only she could remember what they were.

These days, Lanie always seems to rank herself dead last - and when another mom accidentally criticizes her appearance, it’s the final straw. Fifteen years, three babies and more pounds than she’s willing to count since the day she said “I do,” Lanie longs desperately to feel like her old self again. It’s time to rise up, fish her moxie out of the diaper pail and find the woman she was before motherhood capsized her entire existence.

Lanie sets change in motion - joining a gym, signing up for photography classes and finding a new best friend. But she also creates waves that come to threaten her whole life. In the end, Lanie must figure out once and for all how to find herself without losing everything else in the process.

Lanie's husband, Peter, is a musician and when they started having children, they decided it made sense financially for her to stay home and take care of them instead of continuing to work. They now have three sons with the oldest being three and it's a full-time job for her. The boys are constantly on the go so she's busy busy busy with no time for herself.

When Peter gets a job in Cambridge, MA, they make the long move from Texas. Lanie doesn't know anyone and she's lost the support of her parents who are still in Texas. She assumes she'll make friends with other young mothers but that doesn't happen ... she does reconnect with someone she went to high school with who seems to have the perfect young daughter. Lanie realizes she has lost herself and starts working on that ... she joins a gym and takes a photography course.

I've read a few books by this author and I wasn't crazy about this one. There was far too much minute-by-minute detail about her rambunctious undisciplined sons. I've never had children but their behaviour seemed exaggerated, especially considering she's a stay-at-home mom. 

I didn't find any of the characters likeable. Peter is the dad but because he works he expects Lanie to be responsible for their sons 100% of the time ... I thought he was a bad dad. But Lanie allows it so I was glad when she eventually takes a stand and joins the gym and takes the photography course (she had to fight with Peter to be able to). It got tiring hearing about how little money they had all the time, though. I thought Lanie's response to her mom's news that they were selling their house to move was childish ... Lanie and her brothers hadn't lived there in years. It's written in third person perspective in Lainie's voice.

Book ~ "Honey" (2009) Ellen Miles

From Goodreads ~ In this special Valentine's Day story, Charles and his best friend Sammy meet Honey, a sweet, intelligent yellow Lab who's family is moving away - without Honey! 

When Charles brings this puppy home, guess who falls in love? Charles's mom - the cat lover of the family! Will the Petersons end up keeping Honey? Or will Honey become a service dog and best pal for Noah, a talented artist who uses a wheelchair? One thing is for certain: puppy love is in the air!

Charles and his older sister, Lizzie, are in elementary school. The Peterson family have a puppy named Buddy plus they foster dogs and help them find homes.

Buddy's mother was adopted by an owner of a local bookstore and his sisters were adopted by an author. Charles and Sammy bring Buddy to the bookstore for a family reunion. A customer comes into the store with her young dog, Honey. They are moving away and can't take Honey so Charles offers to foster her and find her a home. Then Charles and Sammy run into Harry, an older friend, who introduces them to his girlfriend, Dee, who is in a wheelchair, and her service dog, Murphy. When Charles meets Noah, who is a bit older than him, and discovers Noah is also in a wheelchair, he promises Honey to him as his service dog but then discovers there is an issue.

Though this book is a quick read and directed at elementary-aged children, I found it entertaining. There is a learning experience and a puppy tip at the end. It is written in third person perspective and first person from Honey's point of view. It is the fourteenth in the Puppy Place series, which currently has 64 books in the series, and works as a stand alone.

Book ~ "Bear" (2009) Ellen Miles

From Goodreads ~ 10-year-old Lizzie Peterson and her family are on an adventurous winter vacation in snowy Vermont when she meets Bear, an adorable husky called lazy and then abandoned by his sled-dog racing team. Lizzie falls in love with Bear and rescues him when he gets lost during a big snowstorm. 

Will Lizzie be able to find Bear a home where he is appreciated? When she meets Fern, a young musher, Lizzie goes on the ride of her life - and thinks she may have found the answer.

Lizzie and her younger brother, Charles, are in elementary school. The Peterson family have a puppy named Buddy plus they foster dogs and help them find homes.

The Petersons heads to Vermont on vacation to enjoy the snow. They stay at a lodge run by a couple of sisters who are fostering a husky puppy named Bear. The puppy's owner has headed off to Alaska to run in a dogsled race ... he feels Bear is too lazy and unmotivated to be a sled dog so has asked the sisters to find him a home. Lizzie gets attached to Bear and is determined to prove the owner wrong.

Though this book is a quick read and directed at elementary-aged children, I found it entertaining. There is a learning experience and a puppy tip at the end. It is written in third person perspective and first person from Bear's point of view. It is the fifteenth in the Puppy Place series, which currently has 64 books in the series, and works as a stand alone.

Book ~ "Cody" (2009) Ellen Miles

From Goodreads ~ Charles and Lizzie Peterson have a special talent when it comes to taking care of animals and somehow there always seems to be another dog who needs their help! 

So it is no surprise that Lizzie offers to lend a hand when an overly energetic Dalmatian is left on their porch. But after Cody destroys Lizzie's Halloween costume she's not certain she can convince the perfect owner to adopt him. Will this pup's curious teeth cost him a home? 

Lizzie and her younger brother, Charles, are in elementary school. They have a puppy named Buddy plus foster dogs and help them find homes.

 Their neighbour brings over a pup that was mistakenly tied to her tree and meant for the Petersons so they could find a home for him. Cody is a Dalmatian puppy and a note said he is too hyper and sheds too much. After Lizzie trains him to settle down and open commands, she finds him the perfect home.

Though this book is a quick read and directed at elementary-aged children, I found it entertaining. There is a learning experience and a puppy tip at the end. It is written in third person perspective and first person from Cody's point of view. It is the thirteenth in the Puppy Place series, which currently has 64 books in the series, and works as a stand alone.

Book ~ "Don Messer: The Man Behind the Music" (2009) Johanna Bertin

From Goodreads ~ Don Messer was more than a household name in Canada: he was part of family life, the background music in Canadian kitchens, first on radio, and then on television. 

Private and unassuming, Don was everyman, and yet someone singular and special: a devoted family man, a rigid Calvinist, band diplomat, lover of Kentucky Fried Chicken, and a musical prodigy who from the age of seven knew and played directly to an audience ... an audience that eventually protested in unprecedented numbers on Parliament Hill upon CBC's sudden cancellation of his show, Don Messer's Jubilee. 

Through collected personal anecdotes and careful research, Johanna Bertin shares the inner complexities of the man family and friends knew: the man behind the music that warmed the hearts of three million fans.

Don Messer (1909 - 1973) was a proud Canadian, fiddler, radio broadcaster and TV band leader.  He was known for his "down-east" fiddle style and "old-time" music on radio, TV and concerts.

Messer was born the youngest of eleven children in rural New Brunswick.  He began playing the fiddle when he was five, eventually playing weddings, square dances, etc. as he got older to make money.  He moved to Boston when he was 16 and spent a couple years working at Woolworths.  During that time, he took music lessons. 

When he moved back to New Brunswick, he started working in radio and formed different bands, which eventually had air time on radio.  He moved into TV with Don Messer Jubilee in 1956, produced in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on CBC and broadcast across Canada.  When it was cancelled in 1969 (there was a national uproar and protest), the show was then produced in Hamilton, Ontario, on CHCH until his death.  During all this, he and his band toured across Canada many times.

I watched Don Messer Jubilee when I was a kid (back then we only had two channels and you watched what your parents watched) and as I am originally Nova Scotia, I enjoy "east coast" music.  I thought his story would be interesting and it was.  Messer had the reputation of being shy, controlling and distant so it was interesting to learn more about him.

I liked the writing style.  In addition to telling his story, the author also included interviews with Messer's relatives, friends and colleagues.  Throughout the book, there were pictures of Messer, his family and colleagues.  The background and stories of some of the main players in his band (such as Charlie Chamberlain and Marg Osborne) were included.

Book ~ "The Birth Order Book: Why You Are the Way You Are" (2009) Kevin Leman

From Goodreads ~ Dr. Kevin Leman's ever-popular book on birth order is getting a new look and updated writing. With insight and wit, Dr. Leman offers readers a fascinating and often funny look at how birth order affects personality, marriage and relationships, parenting style, career, and children. Birth order powerfully influences the way people interact with others, whether they're at home or on the job. 

This is a great book for anyone who wants to learn more about how they react to their world. Dr. Leman even shows readers how to overcome ingrained tendencies they never thought they'd be rid of, all by focusing on their birth order. 

This book originally came out about 20 years ago.  I read it then and thought it was interesting.  My sister recently read it so I thought I'd reread it.

Have you ever wondered why you and your sister or brother are so different, even though you grew up in the same family and had similar childhood experiences?  Why do you get along with some people and not with others?  Why do you act the way you do?  Why you pick the friends you do?  Who should you marry?  What job is best for you?  This book might answer some of those questions.

A lot of it has to do with your birth order.  Here are some of the traits:

• First born:  perfectionist, reliable, conscientious, a list maker, well-organized, hard driving, a natural leader, critical, serious, scholarly, logical, doesn't like surprises, a techie
• Middle:  mediator, compromising, diplomatic, avoids conflict, independent, loyal to peers, has many friends, a maverick, secretive, used to not having attention
• Last born:  manipulative, charming, blames others, attention seeker, tenacious, people person, natural salesperson, precocious, engaging, affectionate, loves surprises
• Only child:  little adult by age seven, very thorough, deliberate, high achiever, self-motivated, fearful, cautious, voracious reader, black-and-white thinker, talks in extremes, can't bear to fail, has very high expectations for self, more comfortable with people who are older or younger

Gord and I are both first borns, which isn't supposed to be a good combination.  I can see why the author would say this but as a first born I can understand why Gord does some of the things he does sometimes.  Supposedly first borns and last borns make the best match.  The first born teaches the last born things they may be lacking like being organized and having goals while the last born helps the first born lighten up and not take an overly serious approach to live.  I don't know if I would have the patience to be married to a last born.  Ha!

I like the writing style.  The author gives lots of example from his own life and those of his clients.

Book ~ "The Fixer Upper" (2009) Mary Kay Andrews

From Goodreads ~ After a political scandal, fledgling lobbyist Dempsey Jo Killebrew is left almost broke, unemployed and homeless. She reluctantly accepts to refurbish Birdsong, the old family place in Guthrie, Georgia.

But, oh, is Dempsey in for a surprise. "Bird Droppings" would more aptly describe the moldering Pepto Bismol pink dump. There's also a murderously grumpy old lady who has claimed squatter's rights and isn't moving out. Ever.

Furthermore, everyone in Guthrie seems to know Dempsey's business, from a smooth-talking real-estate agent to a cute former lawyer who owns the local newspaper. It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the pesky FBI agents who show up on Dempsey's doorstep, hoping to pry information about her ex-boss from her.

All Dempsey can do is roll up her sleeves and get to work. And before long, what started as a job of necessity somehow becomes a labor of love and, ultimately, a journey that takes her to a place she never expected back home again.

Dempsey is a lobbyist working in Washington for Alex.  She gets caught up in a scandal caused by Alex and he pushes the blame her way.  With no job or money, she heads to Birdsong, a big ole house that her father has just inherited from Uncle Norbert about an hour outside of Atlanta.  Her father says if she fixes the house up so they can sell it, he'll split the profits with her.  With no other options, she packs up her meager belongings and takes on this challenge.

When Dempsey gets to Birdsong, she discovers the house is in worse shape than her father thought.  Everything has to be renovated and her father has given her an $80,000 budget to get it all done.  So she has to digs in and start learning how to do the manual labour.  Plus she discovers that Ella Kate, Uncle Norbert's elderly and crusty caregiver, is living in the house with her dog and has no intention of leaving.

FBI agents are investigating the scandal and have all the proof they need to put Dempsey in prison for about 15 years.  But if she cooperates with them, they may be able to give her a break.  She eventually hires Carter, Uncle Norbert's lawyer, and starts dating his son, Tee.

I've read quite a few books by this author ... I didn't really like this one and didn't enjoy the story.  It is written in first person perspective in Dempsey's voice.  I hated the way the blue-collar locals spoke ... they sound so illiterate, for example saying "I brung this" or "I done that".  As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity.  There are recipes at the end of the book.

I found it unbelievable that one minute she is living a life in Washington with pedicures/manicures and suits and the next her father is sending her off to renovate his house.  He had confidence in her abilities because she coloured a couple chairs in her Barbie house about 20 years ago!  The next thing we know, she's sanding cupboard doors, stripping floors, etc. like a pro!

I didn't find most of the characters likable.  Dempsey is in her late twenties and graduated from law school but she had the maturity of someone much younger.  When news of the scandal hit and she was threatened with prison time and everyone was advising her to talk to a lawyer, she resisted ... because she didn't want to hurt Alex's feelings?!  Really?!

I hated Ella Kate and didn't find her amusing at all.  She was unappreciative and rude beyond belief.  I would have kicked her out of the house the second there was conflict.  Plus Ella Kate was stereotypically racist ... she wanted an "American" doctor rather than the East Indian one and she called a nurse "coloured".  Even Shorty, Ella Kate's dog, was cranky.

Dempsey's parents were awful.  Her father and stepmother were condescending and A-holes and never nice to her.  Her mother was a flake.  It was weird that Dempsey usually called them by their first names rather than "Mom" and "Dad".

Carter and Tee become Dempsey's friends and Tee is in love with her after about hour of meeting her.  Seriously?!  It seems like the story took place over a couple weeks and even though she pushes him away, Dempsey and Tee end up in love in the end (sorry to ruin the surprise of the happy ending).

I thought it was odd, though the story was written in and I'm assuming set in 2009, the only album Dempsey has on her ipod was Michael Jackson's Thriller, which came out in 1982, around the time she was born.  Why Thriller?!  I like listening to older albums but I mix it up.

Book ~ "Little Bitty Lies" (2009) Mary Kay Andrews

From Goodreads ~ In a suburban Atlanta neighborhood where divorce is as rampant as kudzu, Mary Bliss McGowan doesn’t notice that her own marriage is in trouble until the summer night she finds a note from her husband, telling her he’s gone - and taken the family fortune with him. Stunned and humiliated, a desperate Mary Bliss, left behind with her seventeen-year-old daughter, Erin, and a mountain of debt, decides to salvage what’s left of her life by telling one little bitty lie.

At first, Mary Bliss simply tells friends and family that Parker is out of town on a consulting job. Then the lies start to snowball, until Parker turns up dead. Or does he?

Mary Bliss’s formerly staid existence careens into overdrive as she copes with an oversexed teenager, a mother-in-law with Ethel Merman delusions and the sudden but delicious shock of finding herself pursued by two men: the next-door neighbor who’s looking for a suitable second wife and a dangerously attractive ex-cop who’s looking for the truth about Parker McGowan.

All around her, couples are breaking up and Mary Bliss never expected it to happen to her.  So you can imagine her surprise when she discovers that not only has her husband left her and disappeared but he has taken all their savings.  She is in shock so at first tells everyone he is out of town working.  But as she discovers just how dire her financial situation is, she has to come up with a plan and take drastic measures.

In the meantime, Erin, her 17-year-old daughter, is out of control.  Mary Bliss is still visiting Eula, her elderly mother-in-law, in the seniors home despite her being nasty and rude to her.  Her best friend, Katharine, is bitter about her husband leaving her for a younger woman.

I've read a few books by this author and I liked this one.  I liked the writing style and found the storyline entertaining (it's a fun summer book).  It is written in third person perspective focusing on Mary Bliss.  I was surprised there was so much drinking and driving.  As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity.  There is a recipe for the much talked-about chicken salad.

I liked Mary Bliss.  I know she had a lot going on but she needed to be firmer with Erin.  Erin was so disrespectful to her and all Mary Bliss did was say she was grounded but she never backed it up.  Erin treated Mary Bliss like crap and she allowed it.  Some of the things happening in Erin's life were extreme and not necessary to the storyline and I could have done without.  Even though she was not a nice woman, I found Eula amusing.

Book ~ "U is for Undertow" (2009) Sue Grafton

From Goodreads ~ It's April 1988, a month before Kinsey Millhone's thirty-eighth birthday, and she's alone in her office catching up on paperwork when a young man arrives unannounced. He has a preppy air about him and looks as if he'd be carded if he tried to buy a beer but Michael Sutton is twenty-seven, an unemployed college dropout. 

More than two decades ago, a four-year-old girl disappeared and a recent newspaper story about her kidnapping has triggered a flood of memories. Sutton now believes he stumbled on her lonely burial and could identify the killers if he saw them again. He wants Kinsey's help in locating the grave and finding the men. It's way more than a long shot but he's persistent and willing to pay cash up front. Reluctantly, Kinsey agrees to give him one day of her time.

But it isn't long before she discovers Sutton has an uneasy relationship with the truth. In essence, he's the boy who cried wolf. Is his story true or simply one more in a long line of fabrications?

It's April 1988 and Kinsey Millhone is a private detective in Santa Teresa, CA, who will soon be 38 years old.  She has been hired by Michael Sutton to investigate a memory that he claims to have recovered of two people burying a body in the woods in 1967 when he was six years old (they told him they were pirates looking for treasure).  Michael suspects it's has something to do with the famous unsolved kidnapping of a four-year-old named Mary Claire.  The kidnappers had requested a ransom but never picked up the money after police were called and she was never found.

Rain, the four-year-old granddaughter/adopted daughter of the couple who owned the land where Michael saw the "pirates", had also been kidnapped in a similar way just before Mary Claire.  She was returned unharmed, though, after her parents paid a ransom using marked bills, which never turned up.

Meanwhile as Kinsey is investigating Mary Claire's disappearance, her own past is becoming present for her.  Kinsey is invited to a family event and she doesn't want to go as she feels her family had abandoned her and her Aunt Gin after her parents had died when she was young.  She discovers, though, that this isn't the case and that her grandmother had actually tried to get custody of her at that time.

I enjoyed this story.  It bounces back and forth between 1988 and 1967.  It's written in first person perspective in Kinsey's voice but also in third person perspective in various voices depending on where the action was.  As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity.

This is the twenty-first in the "alphabet series" featuring Kinsey Millhone.  Though it is part of a series, it works as a stand alone.  I discovered this series in the mid-1990s and have read them all.  I started rereading them last year.  With the author's recent death, Y is for Yesterday will be the end of the series.

Book ~ "Grinder" (2009) Mike Knowles

From Goodreads ~ “You brought me back into this because you know what I am. I’m a grinder, I find out everything.” 

Bullets squared everything. Wilson left his old boss alive in exchange for a clean slate. Wilson held up his end of the bargain and stayed off the grid for two years. Two years of peace until a man came calling. The man brought a gun and a woman in his trunk. Thousands of miles from home, Wilson learns that the city doesn’t let go so easily. The city is more than bricks; it is a machine running on the blood of hard men and women. The hardest man in the city remembers Wilson and he will stop at nothing to get him back. 

A dangerous mobster’s nephews are missing and the only suspects are his lieutenants. Wilson is pulled back to once again work under the radar - to quietly find out who is responsible, so it can be settled with screams. Wilson is back to being what he was. He’s a grinder again. All bets are off and before he’s done - everyone will pay.

Two years ago, Wilson was working for Paolo, a mobster in Hamilton, ON.  He was a grinder ... he did what he had to do to get information out of people.  Some stuff went down and Wilson took off to start a new quieter life in Prince Edward Island.  He ended up getting a job on a fishing boat and kept his head down.  Two years later, two of Paolo's nephews have been kidnapped and he suspects it was done by someone within the "family".  Paolo sends for Wilson (not giving Wilson much choice) to find out who kidnapped his nephews.

This is the second (of six) in the Wilson series ... the first one apparently covers what happened two years ago that made Wilson run.  This is the first book I've read by this author and I liked the story.  It's the first time I've read a book set in Hamilton (I spent three days there a couple weeks ago).

It works as a stand alone ... though I haven't read the first one, there was enough information provided to get the gist of what had happened in it.  I'd like to read the first one to get caught up and then move onto the rest.

I liked the writing style.  It's written in first person perspective from Wilson's point of view.  It was blunt and to the point.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.  Despite his occupation and the characters he encounters, I found Wilson likable.

Book ~ "The Silent Hour" (2009) Michael Koryta

From Goodreads ~

Whisper Ridge
Home to Dreams
October 2, 1992--April 12, 1996

So reads the strange epitaph carved beside the door of the home called Whisper Ridge, a multimillion-dollar piece of architectural majesty that once housed the beginnings of a unique program for paroled murderers. The program never got off the ground, however, despite how passionate a woman named Alexandra Cantrell, daughter of a notorious Mafia don, and her husband, Joshua, had been about it. Still uninhabited twelve years later, the house remains as a strange monument to dangerous secrets, falling into ruin as the forest grows up around it.

While the couple’s abrupt exit was unusual, it was also not regarded as suspicious - until the bones of Alexandra’s husband are found buried in the woods.

Private investigator Lincoln Perry isn’t thrilled about the situation or his client: Parker Harrison served fifteen years for murder but claims Alexandra’s intervention saved his life. Now he wants to find her - and he’s not the only one.

What seems at first like the simplest of jobs proves to be an undertaking that will challenge both Perry’s abilities as a detective and his commitment to that calling. With a new partner to train and a case that leads straight to the heart of the Cleveland organized crime scene, Perry finds himself glancing over his shoulder at every turn, pushing the bounds of safety even as he backs away.

Lincoln is a private investigator who starts getting letters from an ex-con named Harrison who wants his help to find a woman named Alexandra.  Alexandra's father and brother were part of the mafia and when her father died, he left her a lot of money which she eventually used to build a house to start a program for paroles ... Harrison was one of those paroles.  Twelve years ago she and her husband, Joshua, disappeared.  Then Joshua's bones are found.

Ken, the private investigator than Joshua's parents had hired to find him, shows up and asks Lincoln to help figure out what happened.  It's a case that Ken hadn't been able to solve and it's bothered him ever since.  Working together, they investigate to figure out who killed Joshua and where is Alexandra.

I enjoyed the writing style of this book.  It is the fourth and last in the Lincoln Perry series and it's been about eight years since I read the first three.  Though it is part of a series, it does work as a stand alone.  It's been seven years since this was written ... I wonder if the author has decided that he won't continue with this series.  The book didn't end as if there wouldn't be any more.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

I liked Lincoln.  As much as he doesn't want to, he can't help pitching in to help.  I found that there were quite a few characters (the paroles and the bad guys) and I had a bit of a hard time keeping them straight.

Book ~ "New Tricks" (2009) David Rosenfelt

From Goodreads ~ Andy Carpenter gains possession of an adorable Bernese puppy whose owner was brutally murdered. Few can rival Andy's affection for dogs and he will do whatever it takes to insure that this little pup doesn't fall into the wrong hands. However, his playful new friend is valued by several people, many of whom are willing to resort to violence to get what they want. 

It will take more than Andy's usual courtroom theatrics to save this dog, including a little help from his beloved golden retriever, Tara. 

Andy soon discovers that anyone around him is in danger, including his long-time girlfriend, Laurie, and he will have to muster all of his wits to save those he holds most dear.

Andy is a lawyer.  His father left him $22 million a couple years ago so he has the luxury of only occasionally taking on cases.  He is assigned a pro bono case of deciding on the custody of Waggy, a Bernese puppy.  Waggy's owner, Walter, has been murdered so it's up to Andy to decide who gets Waggy ... Walter's second wife, Diana, or his son, Steven (Diana and Steven hate each other).  That decision becomes easy when Diana is murdered but harder because Steven is arrested for his father and stepmother's murdered.  Steven hires Andy to be his lawyer and it's going to be a tough case to defend because everything points to Steven.

Andy and Laurie have been together for a while and dating long-distance since she moved back home to Wisconsin.  In addition to temporarily taking care of Waggy and defending Steven, he is also trying to figure out how to make Laurie stay.

This is the seventh book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it.  I liked the writing style as it was funny, sarcastic and amusing.  It was written in first person perspective in Andy's voice.  It is the seventh in the Andy Carpenter series (and the seventh I've read) and it works as a stand alone (so you don't need to have read the first one to know what is going on).

I like Andy.  He loves his dog, Tara, and thinks she's the most wonderful dog in the whole wide world, and Laurie.  Andy's team is made up of Kevin, his hypochondriac associate who also owns/runs a laundramat, Sam, his accountant who is also a computer hacker who he sing-talks with, and Marcus, an investigator with persuasive reasoning skills.  His friends are Vince, the editor of the local newspaper, and Pete, a local police officer, who love taking advantage of Andy's wealth to pick up the tab at restaurants.

Book ~ "Best Friends Forever" (2009) Jennifer Weiner

From Goodreads ~ Following the ups and downs of a long-time friendship between two young girls who grow up to be two very different women. Addie Downs and Valerie Adler were eight when they first met and decided to be best friends forever. But, in the wake of tragedy and betrayal during their teenage years, everything changed. 

Val went on to fame and fortune. Addie stayed behind in their small Midwestern town. Destiny, however, had more in store for these two. And when, twenty-five years later, Val shows up at Addie’s front door with blood on her coat and terror on her face, it is the beginning of a wild adventure for two women joined by love and history who find strength together that they could not find alone.

Addie and Valerie were eight-years-old when Valerie and her newly divorced mom moved across the street from Addie and her family.  Addie was shy and had no friends and they instantly bonded.  Val's family was so different from her own.  Val's mother was a free spirit.  Addie's father had been in Vietnam and suffered from PTSD and her mother was obese.  Addie's popular teenage brother, Jon, was ashamed of them and distance himself.  As Addie and Val grew older, Val became more popular and Addie was left on the sidelines, allowing herself to be used by Val.  When tragedy strikes, everyone including Val turn against Addie, making her life hell.  She eventually balloons to over 350 pounds but starts turning her life around and losing weight.

On the night of their 15th high school graduation, Val shows up at Addie's doorstep, scared and covered in blood.  She had hit someone but didn't know if the person was dead and needed Addie's help.  Not able to find the body, they go on the run to Florida.

I didn't enjoy this book.  I thought the story lines were awful and absurd.  Val had turned her back on Addie back in high school and treated her like crap yet when she knocks on Addie's door  out of the blue 15 years later, she's able to convince Addie to help her.  I don't think so.

I didn't find any of the characters likable.  Addie was pathetic as a child and worse as an adult.  I thought her naïveté at the end was laughable ... there's no way she was that dumb.  I liked Val as a child but she was clueless and conceited as an adult.  It was unbelievable that Jordan was a cop and in charge of finding out what happened when a belt was found in a puddle of blood in the parking lot of the high school reunion.

It's like the author tried to jam every horrible thing she could think of into one book ... PTSD, obesity, rape, emotional eating, cancer, brain damage due to an accident, infidelity, infertility, etc.

I didn't mind the writing style.  It jumps back and forth in time but it was pretty obvious what time period it was.  It is written in first person perspective when it is Addie's voice and third person perspective when the focus is one everyone else.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

This is probably the one and only book I'll read by this author.

Book ~ "The 9th Judgment" (2009) James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

From Goodreads ~ A young mother and her infant child are ruthlessly gunned down while returning to their car in the garage of a shopping mall. There are no witnesses and Detective Lindsay Boxer is left with only one shred of evidence: a cryptic message scrawled across the windshield in bloodred lipstick.

The same night, the wife of A-list actor Marcus Dowling is woken by a cat burglar who is about to steal millions of dollars' worth of precious jewels. In just seconds, there is a nearly empty safe, a lifeless body and another mystery that throws San Francisco into hysteria.

Before Lindsay and her friends can piece together either case, one of the killers forces Lindsay to put her own life on the line - but is it enough to save the city? 

There are four members of the Women's Murder Club ... Lindsay, Cindy, Claire and Yuki.

Lindsay and her partner, Rich, are investigating two cases in this book.  Someone is going around shooting mothers and their children and leaving cryptic messages in lipstick.  Claire, the medical examiner, is a new mother and urges everyone to arm themselves.  The killer makes it more personal for Lindsay because he uses her to deliver a ransom demand.  In the other case, a cat burglar has been robbing rich people right under their noses as they have been having parties downstairs.  In the last one, though, the wife of an actor is shot and murdered and the cat burglar is getting blamed for it ... but they didn't do it.  Cindy and Rich are dating and getting more serious.  I like that Lindsay has finally realized that it's Joe she wants rather than being torn.  I thought the last couple chapters re Joe were a bit of a waste ... it seems like the bood was setting itself up to be a cliffhanger but then it resolved itself on the next page.

This is the ninth in the Women's Murder Club series (and the tenth one I've read). Though it is part of a series, it does work as a stand alone.

I enjoyed the writing style and it went at a good pace. I liked the short choppy chapters. The point of view shifted ... it was first person perspective when the focus was on Lindsay and third person perspective when the focus was on everyone else ... but it was easy to figure out.  As a head's up, there is swearing, adult activity and violence.

I thought the stories were interesting and that this book was okay.  I will continue to get caught up on the series.

Book ~ "The 8th Confession" (2009) James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

From Goodreads ~ As San Francisco's most glamorous millionaires mingle at the party of the year, someone is watching - waiting for a chance to take vengeance on Isa and Ethan Bailey, the city's most celebrated couple. Finally, the killer pinpoints the ideal moment and it's the perfect murder. Not a trace of evidence is left behind in their glamorous home.

As Detective Lindsay Boxer investigates the high-profile murder, someone else is found brutally executed - a preacher with a message of hope for the homeless. His death nearly falls through the cracks but when reporter Cindy Thomas hears about it, she knows the story could be huge. Probing deeper into the victim's history, she discovers he may not have been quite as saintly as everyone thought.

As the hunt for two criminals tests the limits of the Women's Murder Club, Lindsay sees sparks fly between Cindy and her partner, Detective Rich Conklin. The Women's Murder Club now faces its toughest challenge: will love destroy all that four friends have built? 

There are four members of the Women's Murder Club ... Lindsay, Cindy, Claire and Yuki.

Rich young obnoxious millionaires are mysteriously dying.  There doesn't seem to be any foul play and Claire, the medical examiner, can't find any cause for their deaths.  We, the readers, know, though, as the killer includes us in the killings.  Pet Girl is seeking revenge and she's getting it. Officers Lindsay and Rich are stumped until they get some clues from the past that may tie into the present.

A homeless guy named Bagman Jesus is found dead, beaten and shot.  The police have more important murders to investigate so Cindy, a reporter, takes it upon herself to find out what happened.

Yuki is a district attorney trying the case of a woman accused of bludgeoning her parents in their sleep.  After she gets hurt, she starts dating her doctor.

This is the eighth in the Women's Murder Club series (and the  ninth one I've read). Though it is part of a series, it does work as a stand alone.

I enjoyed the writing style and it went at a good pace. I liked the short choppy chapters. The point of view shifted ... it was first person perspective when the focus was on Lindsay and third person perspective when the focus was on everyone else ... but it was easy to figure out.  As a head's up, there is swearing, adult activity and violence.

Some of the storylines, like Pet Girl and Bagman Jesus, were okay.  Other stories were a bit annoying and unbelievable.  Like Yuki dating the doctor.  It turns out there is an issue between them (which was a bit out there) and Yuki and the rest of the club, though they like Doc, didn't have any compassion about his situation.  Yuki had fallen fast and hard for Doc and behaved like a gushing teenager ... but once she knew Doc's secret, she didn't care anymore.  Very shallow.  Lindsay and Rich still have a crush on each other.  Keep in mind that Lindsay is living with Joe, who had disrupted his life to be with her in San Francisco and had proposed (she's stalled him).  Conveniently Joe is out of town for the next three weeks.  Rich and Cindy start dating and Rich suddenly forgets about Lindsay and she's jealous.  Seriously?

I thought this book was the worst of the series but will continue to get caught up on it.

Book ~ "Breaking the Silence" (2009) Diane Chamberlain

From Goodreads ~ Laura Brandon's promise to her dying father was simple: to visit an elderly woman she'd never heard of before. A woman who remembers nothing - except the distant past. Visiting Sarah Tolley seemed a small enough sacrifice to make.

But Laura's promise results in another death. Her husband's. And after their five-year-old daughter, Emma, witnesses her father's suicide, Emma refuses to talk about it - to talk at all.

Frantic and guilt ridden, Laura contacts the only person who may be able to help. A man she's met only once - six years before. A man who doesn't know he's Emma's real father. 

Guided only by a child's silence and an old woman's fading memories, the two unravel a tale of love and despair, of bravery and unspeakable evil. A tale that's shrouded in silence - and that unbelievably links them all. 

On his deathbed, Laura's father makes her promise that she will look out for an elderly woman named Sarah Tolley.   Laura's husband, Ray, forbids her to do so and commits suicide when she's visiting Sarah.  Their five-year-old daughter, Emma, witnesses it and becomes mute and fearful of men.  Laura takes Emma to therapy and her therapist suggests that she might benefit from a positive male influence. Laura contacts Dylan, Emma's birth father (Emma is the result of a one night stand), to see if he wants to be part of her life.

Laura begins visiting Sarah, who has Alzheimer's (she can't remember what she did yesterday but her memories of the past are clear) to figure out the connection between Sarah and her father.  As Laura gets to know Sarah (she has no family), she learns Sarah's story.  In the meantime, she and Dylan work together in hopes that Emma will speak again.

This is the fifth book I've read by this author and I liked it.  I liked the writing style ... it was written in third person perspective.  The book jumps back and forth in time but the chapters are labelled, which worked for me.  I found part of Sarah's story farfetched but I went with it. The story comes together at the end ... some of it I bought (there was one twist I didn't see coming), some of it I didn't.

I liked the main characters.  Laura has a lot going on ... caring for her daughter, grieving for her father and her husband, solving the mystery of how Sarah and her father knew each other, etc.  It was interesting to see Dylan's growth during the story.  I felt bad for Sarah because she is all alone and so looks forward to her walks with Laura.

Book ~ "100 Ways to Take Better Nature & Wildlife Photographs" (2009) Guy Edwardes

From Goodreads ~ This guide is suitable for all levels of photographers. "100 Ways to Take Better Nature and Wildlife Photographs" features 100 practical and inspiring tips on every aspect of the genre.Guy Edwardes' breath-taking pictures accompany his easy-to-follow advice on a wide range of subjects from capturing the actions of large mammals to snapping wild birds and flowers in the garden. 

 With tips on everything from technique to composition, coping with extreme field conditions to Photoshop software manipulation, this is an invaluable guide for anyone with a passion for photography of the natural world.

I have three cameras ... a Canon point-and-shoot that is usually in my purse, a Nikon D5100 DSLR along with some lenses, and a Nikon CoolPix (that's in between the two). Needless to say, I take a lot of pictures.  I'm still an amateur and like reading photography books to see what professionals take pictures of and how they do it.

The content of book includes:

• Nature and wildlife:  photography basics - keep a diary (to remember locations, conditions, angles, etc.), recording action and behaviour, legal issues, etc.
• Technical considerations - understanding the histogram, depth of field, lenses, etc.
• Fieldcraft - researching locations, setting up feeding stations, working from hides, etc.
• Composition - the best focal length, natural patterns, controlling the background, etc.
• Lighting - front, side, artificial, etc.
• Photographing birds and animals - in the nest, in flight, in your garden, etc.
• Photographing flora and fungi - with a telephoto lens, in wet weather, removing debris, etc.
• Close-ups in nature - using a macros lens, shooting abstracts, capturing a sharp image, etc.
• Photographing the seasons - autumn colour, cold climates, hot dry climates, etc.
• Digital cameras and post-production  - RAW vs jpeg, finetuning, etc.

For every one of the 100 tips, there is an intro about it, a picture, a description of how the picture was set-up, where the picture was taken and the specs of the picture (the type of camera, aperture, shutter speed, tripod/beanbag, etc.), which I found helpful.  Here is a sample of one of the tips:

The pictures are inspiring ... the author obviously knows what he is doing and enjoys doing it.

I enjoyed this book ... though there is a lot of information, I found that I understand most of it.

Book ~ "Vengeance Road" (2009) Rick Mofina

From Goodreads ~ The murder of a broken-hearted woman and the chilling disappearance of her friend raise questions about their ties to a respected detective and lead to one journalist’s obsession to find the truth! 

The body of Bernice Hogan, a troubled young ex-nursing student with a tragic past, is found in a shallow grave near a forest creek. 

Jolene Peller, a single mom struggling to build a new life with her little boy, vanishes the night she tried to find Bernice. 

Hero cop, Karl Styebeck, is beloved by his community but privately police are uneasy with the answers he gives to protect the life - and the lie - he’s lived. 

The case haunts Jack Gannon, a gritty, blue-collar reporter whose sister ran away from their family years ago. Gannon risks more than his job to pursue the story behind Styebeck's dark secret, his link to the women and the mysterious big rig roaming America's loneliest highways on its descent into eternal darkness.

Jolene is a former hooker who has turned her life around and is moving to Florida to start a new life with her young son.  She tries one last time to convince her friend, Bernice, also a hooker to do the same.  But then Bernice is found dead and Jolene disappears, her bus ticket unused.

Jack Gannon is a reporter who had once had bright future.  He put his dreams on hold when his parents were killed in a car accident.  He missed his opportunity and is still a reporter for a newspaper in Buffalo.  He is investigating the murder of Bernice when he gets inside information that a hero cop named Styebeck is the killer and prints his story.  Refusing to reveal his sources or retract the story, Jack is fired.  Determined to find out what happened, Jack continues to investigate and uncovers some shocking information about Styebeck's past (which is interesting yet sordid).

This is the third book I've read by this author and I liked it.  I liked the writing style ... it was written in third person perspective with the focus bouncing around depending on what was going on.  Plus it goes back in time to give you some background (it's in italics so you know you've stepped into a different time period).  As a head's up, there are some F-bombs.

I liked Jack.  Despite being threatened with the loss of his job, he is honourable and trustworthy and doesn't give up his sources.   Jolene's mom trust hims and looks to him to find the truth when no one else would help her.  He seems to lead a lonely existence, though, because he has no friends, family, romantic interest or pets.

It is the first in the Jack Gannon series and I look forward to reading the others.

Book ~ "Six Seconds" (2009) Rick Mofina

From Goodreads ~ A vengeful woman who aches for her place in paradise ... 

In Iraq, an aid worker who lost her husband and child in a brutal attack saves the life of an American contractor. Believing he can help her avenge her family's deaths, she follows him back home to the United States. 

An anguished mother desperate to find her child ...

In California a soccer mom arrives to pick up her son from school, only to discover that her husband has taken their child and vanished without a trace.

A detective who needs to redeem himself ...

In the Rocky Mountains, an off-duty cop rescues a little girl from a raging river moments before she utters her final words in his arms. Haunted by failure, he launches an investigation that leads him to a Montana school where time is ticking down on an event that will rewrite history.

Three strangers entangled in a plot to change the world in only six seconds.

Samara is an aid worker in Iraq whose husband and son were killed in a brutal attack.  Brutalized and lost, she is taken in and shown how she can be with her family again in paradise.  Jake is a truck driver who takes a job in Iraq because he and his family need the money.  Samara saves him after his he has been kidnapped.  When Jake returns home to the States, he isn't the same.  Convinced his wife, Maggie, is cheating on him, he takes their son, Logan, and takes off to make a life with Samara who has followed Jake to the States.

Dan is a Canadian Mountie whose wife has just died.  While in the mountains grieving, he rescues a young girl in a river.  When she dies, he sets out to find out how her family died in an accident.  His investigation leads Dan to Maggie.

During all this, the Pope is planning on visiting a small town in Montana and the Secret Service are determined to do all they can to protect him.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I thought it was okay.  The terrorist plot was far-fetched but I just went with it.  I liked the writing style.  It was written in third person perspective with the focus bouncing around depending on what was going on.

I liked the characters. Dan is grieving over the death of his wife and solving the deaths of the family in the mountain gave him focus and a chance to redeem himself.  I felt for Maggie.  She was dealing with a husband who had a terrible experience in Iraq (though he never talked about it) while assuring her young son that everything was going to be okay ... until her husband kidnapped her son.  Despite the fact that no one would help her, she never gave up and kept looking.

I'd recommend this book if you are into stories about terrorists.

Book ~ "Digital Landscape Photography" (2009) John Gerlach and Barbara Gerlach

From Goodreads ~ Photographing landscape with a film camera is different than with a digital camera. There are several books on the market that cover landscape photography but few of them are specifically for the digital photographer. This book is what you are looking for! 

Digital Landscape Photography covers:

• equipment such as accessories and lenses
• exposure from shutter speed and other common mistakes
• shooting
• light and its importance
• composing your perfect photo
• printing
• a special section on specific subjects such as waterfalls and sunrises

Digital Landscape Photography, written by experts that have been shooting outdoors for decades, is a fresh look at current ways to shoot landscapes by making the most of digital format.

I have three cameras ... a Canon point-and-shoot that is usually in my purse, a Nikon D5100 DSLR along with some lenses, and a Nikon CoolPix (that's in between the two) that I use often.  Needless to say, I take a lot of pictures.  Gord and I took some classes last year to learn how to (1) use our cameras in other than auto mode and (2) take photographs, not just pictures.

I'm still an amateur and like reading photography books to see what professionals take pictures of and how they do it.I like taking pictures of landscapes so this book caught my eye.

The chapters are:

1. Landscapes are Everywhere
2. Cameras and Accessories
3. Choosing and Using Lenses
4. Mastering Exposure
5. Techniques for Sharp Images
6. Light on the Landscape
7. Composing Pleasing Images
8. Special Subjects
9. High Dynamic Range Images
10. Panoramas

There is a resources section at the end of the book for equipment, tours and workshops, books, websites, cameras and accessories, etc.

I thought this was a good book for intermediate to advanced photographers.  I understood most of what was discussed, though.  It's written with a lot of detail and I found some of the stuff I didn't know still went over my head.  There seemed to be some repetition ... so they'd talk about something in one chapter and then repeat it in another.

There are lots of beautiful pictures ... it would have been nice to know the ISO, f-stop, shutter speed, focal length, etc. of them so I can go out and try to replicate as practice.