The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe

The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe by Mary Simses
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ellen Branford, NYC attorney and soon to be married, is on a weekend mission - to deliver her beloved, late grandmother's letter to an old friend in Maine. But what is supposed to be quick trip turns into trouble when Ellen falls through a rotted seaside dock and has to be fished out by a local, handsome carpenter. As Ellen finds out more about her grandmother's young life in the small village, discoveries are made and questions turn into more questions! An enjoyable light read but rather predictable from this first time author.

It is definitely not to be compared, as it was touted, to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a favorite of mine...

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The Apple Orchard

The Apple Orchard by Susan Wiggs
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Tess Delaney is a whiz at finding lost or stolen antiques and returning them to their rightful owners and is actually awaiting a huge promotion. Everything is right on track, except for the fact that Tess barely has any family left and she lives out of suitcases. Her controlled little world is rocked when she discovers that she has more family than what she thought - a grandfather, bedridden from a coma, and a sister who run an apple orchard called Bella Vista in the Sonoma Valley. The lure of new-found family and unknown secrets unravel Tess's desire to move ahead in the jet-hopping antique business.

I liked this book - reading about the orchard and the way the family was drawn together by homegrown organic foods and cooking, but what kept me on edge was the information on the German invasion of Denmark and how Wiggs wove it throughout the novel and her characters.

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The Silver Star

The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The writer of bestsellers, The Glass Castle and Half Broke Horses, has penned a coming-of-age book of fiction about two sisters, 12 year old, precocious, say it like she means it Bean and 15 year old, quite brilliant Liz who are used to being on their own in Cali as their mom, Charlotte, leaves them alone for days while she searches for musical stardom. But when the police start snooping around, the girls hop a unsettling Greyhound ride to visit an unknown eccentric uncle living in a once booming mill town in Virginia. Liz and Bean start to fit in and adjust to the sleepy town's ways but desegregation, bullying, and even worse await the girls, who have had to grow up too fast. Young Bean, who was once sheltered by Liz, now will need to be the protector.

I fell in love with Bean, who tries so hard to make everything right and who gets so angry with her mother for leaving them to fend for themselves. Her sense of black and white honesty and justice is perhaps just what we need...



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The Hunters

The Hunters by John Flanagan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Third and final book in the exciting, adventure series, Brotherband Chronicles, for juveniles, teens, and adults alike is The Hunters. Hal is back with Thorn and his Heron brotherhood and hot on the trail of the bloodthirsty pirate Zavac and the stolen Skandian treasure, the Andomal. Zavac and his crew of cutthroats somehow seem to stay ahead of the Herons, resorting to bribing and murder. Hal is determined to track Zavac and return the Andomal to his homeland, earning back honor and respect for him and his young friends.


Both series, Ranger's Apprentice and Brotherband Chronicles, exemplify the strengths of working together, friendship and loyalty, patience, thinking outside the box, and you can see as both series progress a maturing of all the characters. I've always looked forward to the release of Flanagan's novels and am wondering what he's working on now.

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A Place to Belong

A Place to Belong by Lauraine Snelling
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Book three in the Wild West Wind series wraps up the story of Cassie Lockwood and her return to the Engstrom ranch in South Dakota. Cassie is maturing and eagerly learning the hard ways of ranching by Mavis Engstrom and her sons, Lucas and Ransom. Her shooting skills are returning as the strength in her damaged arm mends and Cassie looks forward to the next shooting match where hopefully a win will earn money for the ranch. Accepting a marriage proposal from Lucas will ensure her stay on the rich Dakota land that she wants to call home, but Cassie still isn't sure of her feelings for the younger of the two Engstrom brothers.

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The Hare With Amber Eyes: A Family's Century of Art and Loss

The Hare With Amber Eyes: A Family's Century of Art and Loss by Edmund de Waal
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the story of a family's history - of love, great wealth, and great loss. The author, de Waal, had been given, by his beloved Uncle Iggy, an exquisite collection of 264 tiny Japanese carvings called netsuke. Passed down through his Ephrussi family, who were at one time extravagantly wealthy Jewish bankers who hobnobbed with the Rothschilds, Impressionist painters, and Emperors, the netsuke finally ended up in his hands. de Waal researched his family through poor beginnings in Odessa, high times in Paris and Vienna, and when the family lost everything during Kristallnacht and the German occupation. Although the book starts slow, it picks up steam until it can't be put down -if you enjoy history this is definite read. I do wish more more pics of the netsuke were included.


Favorite quote: Objects have always been carried, sold, bartered, stolen, retrieved and lost. People have always given gifts. It is how you tell their stories that matters.

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Sweet Salt Air

Sweet Salt Air by Barbara Delinsky
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Charlotte Evans is a freelancing travel writer - she loves her travels around the world and is more than good at her job. Nicole Carlysle, a photoblogger with a huge following, lives on the island of Quinnipeague and blogs about food - delicious, fresh food and herbs. At one time, the two women were almost like sisters on the island, spending all their time together until one huge mistake. Although Nicole has never been aware of the aberration, Charlotte has carried the guilt for ten years - never going back to Quinnipeague until Nicole suggests a collaboration to work on a book of delicious, organic island cooking. What Charlotte doesn't know, is that Nicole carries her own heavy, heartbreaking secret. Can this summer be a time of honesty and truth for the once best friends?

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Wedding Night

Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

At the perfect moment Lottie just knows that her boyfriend is going to finally propose! Setting: fancy, smancy restaurant, corner table overlooking the river, and at the point where Richard has something to ask her, Lottie looks down at her stockings and sees one of them flapping around her ankle. Flouncing off to the ladies room to tear both both stockings from her legs results in Lottie telling all the girls in there that THE moment has arrived - now practically the whole restaurant is holding their breath when Lottie returns back to her table, Richard, and the question. Only to Lottie's tearful embarrassment, the question isn't, "Will you marry me, " but something boring about air miles...

Lottie's sister Fliss knows that every time her sister ends a relationship, impulsive, outrageous things happens...like when Lottie got a tattoo, or an "intimate" piercing, or the expensive membership in a cult. So Fliss knows something horrible is about to happen and will she be able to successfully head it off?

Sophie Kinsella is hilariously funny - I found myself giggling until my sides hurt!

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Stealing the Preacher

Stealing the Preacher by Karen Witemeyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Crockett Archer wants to preach and is on his way to interview for exactly that position when the train he is on is hijacked by masked bandits. When he finds that the only thing they are looking for is a preacher, Crockett lies but is soon found out, hands bound, and put astride a horse. The bandit's head honcho leads them through the woods and to a small ranch where his daughter, Joanna awaits, astounded to see that her father has brought her birthday wish and present - Preacher Crockett! Archer, however, is determined to get to his interview, even late, and to his dismay the small town church has already hired the other candidate. Sensing that someone larger than he is choosing his path, Crockett heads back to the bandit's ranch and Joanna's answer to prayer.

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