THE SHOEMAKER'S WIFE (Adriana Trigiani)

I'm not Italian, but my mother-in-law was, so my husband and children all possess robust northern Italian genes. This story makes me wish I did, too! Trigiani's wonderful novel is a story of enduring love and strength, family ties, sacrifice, and freindship.

Enza Ravanelli is a gifted seamstress and the eldest daughter of a close knit family and Ciro Lazzari is a young man who has been raised by nuns, along with his brother, after the death of their father.  The two meet briefly and fall in love as teenagers in Italy.  Unbeknownst to Enza, Ciro is soon sent to live in America after being banished by the unscrupulous local priest.  Eventually Enza and her father also travel to America to earn money to build a home for the family in their village in the foothills of the Alps. Throughout the ensuing years, the two meet several times as Ciro masters shoemaking and joins the army during World War I and Enza sews costumes for the Metropolitan Opera Company, including the great Caruso.  Eventually the two marry and settle in Minnesota, building a new life and a new family.

Trigiani manages to fill every page of this novel with color, texture, and historical ambience.  Based on the lives of her grandparents, Lucia and Carlo, the novel transports the reader into pre-war Italian village life, the trenches of France, the glamour of back-stage life at the Met, and the streets of Hoboken and little Italy.  The Shoemaker's Wife is a testament to family love and inner strength and is filled with characters that are both admirable and endearing.  Please read it!

MAN DOWN (Dan Abrams)

Man Down: proof beyond a reasonable doubt that women are better cops, drivers, gamblers, spies, world leaders, beer tasters, hedge fund managers, and just about everything else...
Finally, a man has the guts to admit the truth!  In this tongue-in-cheek series of short essays, Abrams quotes studies and statistics from around the world that support his assertion that woman really are the superior sex in most respects.  He describes Adam as a sort of test model that God used before finally perfecting his creation in the form of a woman.  In general, women are better looking, more compassionate, more successful competitive eaters, they vote more, sleep better, run longer, endure pain better...the list just goes on and on. Not that every woman is superior to every man, but as a gender we have been undervalued for years,  apparently.  Abrams paints a rather bleak possible future for men, who most likely will be consigned to roles as househusbands and clerical workers as women's success in education, business, and politics continues to burgeon.  This nifty little tome is humorous, to be sure, but it does inspire one to wonder why men have been in charge of so much for so long while obviously under-performing when compared to what women could have achieved.  "Behind every great man there is probably an even greater woman..."  Abrams, an attorney, presents some compelling evidence here.  Food for thought!

A KILLER PLOT (Ellery Adams)

Ellery Adams Books by the Bay series is a little different from some of the cozies that I have read, less humorous and more introspective.  Main character Olivia Limoges has a secret, vulnerable side and the kind of thoughtful intelligence that make the reader want to get to know her better.  In A Killer Plot, first in the series, she has recently returned to Oyster Bay, NC, the home of her painful childhood.  Wealthy and community-minded, she runs a successful restaurant and is landlord to many thriving local businesses.  Olivia's greatest love is her wonderful dog, Captain Haviland, the smartest and best-trained poodle I have ever encountered in the pages of a novel (or in real life!), but she is lonely for human company and in need of social contact despite her long history in the town. 

When Olivia discovers the Bayside Book Writers group, she is drawn to one of the group's members, Camden Ford, a charming, talented, and very flamboyant writer (I picture him as Carson Cressley).  Camden is visiting the town to do research for his novel, a thinly disguised take on the life of Oyster bay's prominent Talbot family.  An aspiring author herself, Olivia offers the group the use of her dilapidated lighthouse cottage as a meeting place and then proceeds to refurbish and redecorate it for the next meeting.  When Camden uncharacteristically fails to show up to hear the group's critique of his work, they decide that something is amiss.  Camden's body is discovered behind a local dive along with a seasonal haiku painted on the wall, leading Olivia to conjecture that the killer they are dealing with is both literate and likely to strike again.  With the help of her newfound friends and gentlemanly police chief Sawyer Rawlings, Olivia finds herself involved in the investigation.  Check out this series! You won't regret it.

DIFFERENT... NOT LESS (Temple Grandin, PhD)

Inspiring Stories of Achievement and Successful Employment from Adults with Autism, Asperger's, and ADHD.

Temple Grandin has compiled the personal success stories of fourteen people with Asperger's, Autism, and ADHD into a wonderful, inspirational book that should be required reading for, well, everyone. Most of us will have to admit that, despite our best intentions, we have at some time minimized someone who seems a little "weird" or decided that it wasn't worth the effort to include a coworker or acquaintance who is a little too overbearing or too withdrawn for comfort. Dr. Grandin's book gives us the opportunity to see the world of those who are "different" from the inside and in their own words. Being bullied, failing in relationships, experiencing near constant anxiety, and struggling to earn a living can be the norm for those of us whose brains are wired a little differently.  We "neurotypicals" have a great opportunity here to learn something that could make us more compassionate and understanding people.

ANOTHER PIECE OF MY HEART (Jane Green)

I read with interest some of the Goodreads reviews on this novel and I tend to agree with the people who mentioned "old Jane" and "new Jane."   There has been a definite change in Jane Green's writing and themes over years, from earlier chick lit novels like Babyville and Bookends to her more recent publications, which remind me much more of Barbara Delinsky or Nancy Thayer than Sophie Kinsella and Helen Fielding.  Maybe it has to do with growing older (as we all do) or moving to America.  I tend to like the chick lit phase more, I have to confess.

Overall, I did not dislike Another Piece of My Heart, but I found it to be a bit too angst-filled for my taste.  Andi and Ethan met and married after his divorce from Brooke, an out-of-control alcoholic who shares custody of their two daughters, Emily and Sophia.  Longing for a family of her own, Andi enthusiastically embraces her role as stepmother to sweet 8-year-old Sophia and Emily, who is a sullen teenager.  Despite their commitment, things go from bad to worse for Andi and Ethan as they battle infertility and Emily's constant competition for Ethan's attention.  Emily's disruptive behavior and Ethan's guilt at his daughter's unhappiness drive a wedge between the couple, and Andi has almost reached her breaking point when Emily's pregnancy at 17 becomes a further stress in their lives.

Emily is a deeply troubled drama queen, for sure, and I still cannot quite fathom why her parents decided to forego individual or family counseling.  It might have ruined the plot line, but it might have made a big difference for this poor family. Fortunately, they work it out in the end.  You'll have to read it to find out how!

THE BEST OF TIMES (Penny Vincenzi)

Where has Penny Vincenzi been all my life?  Interestingly, I choose most of the fiction at the library where I work and I have discovered that we own at least five of her novels, all purchased by ME!  I wonder why I never noticed them before?

The Best of Times is a long book (593 pages) with a LOT of characters whose lives intersect dramatically on a hot August afternoon when some of them are involved in a tragic multi-vehicle accident on the M4 just outside of London.  Jonathan and Abi are bitterly ending a brief affair, Georgia is desperately trying to get to the audition that might result in her big break as an actress, and Mary is on her way to the airport to meet Russell, with whom she shared a war time romance.  Toby and Barney are late for Toby's wedding and Patrick, whose truck goes out of control and causes the accident, is just trying to get home to his family.  Will Grainger witnesses the accident from his farm adjacent to the highway and his life slowly becomes entwined with the heroes and victims of the crash.

Full of intrigue, suspense, and romance, Vincenzi's novel is a must-read as far as I am concerned.  I loved it.  A The only thing I could suggest to make it better would be a list of characters to refer to.  It does get confusing at points!

BY HOOK OR BY CROOK (Betty Hechtman)

Molly Pink stumbles on yet another crochet-related murder! Molly is the events organizer at Shedd & Royal Books, where her local crochet group, the Tarzana Hookers, meets weekly.  When she comes across a strange filet crochet piece at a local festival, left deliberately at the Shedd & Royal table, Molly begins to wonder what the strangely designed squares mean and who wants her to decipher the message.  When Molly finally tracks down the crocheter, the owner of a local dance studio, she discovers that the woman has died after eating marzipan apples.  Much to the chagrin of her detective boyfriend Barry, and to the apparent amusement of her lawyer friend Mason, Molly and her friends quickly become involved in solving yet another murder.  The investigation takes them from Tarzana, CA to Catalina Island and back again, all with the background rhythms of Molly's mother and the She La La's, in rehearsal at Molly's house for their big comeback audition.


Hechtman's Tarzana Hookers series is fun.  Molly is a 40-something widow trying to build a new life and enjoy friends, career, and maybe a little romance, putting up with frequent interference by her parents, sons, and romantic interests.  Her friends are likable with well-developed backgrounds and personalities, although they don't figure as prominently in this novel as in some of the others.  I love all of the knitting mysteries out there, but I love crocheting more, so I'm thrilled with this series.

GOSSIP (Beth Gutcheon)

Lovey French, Avis Binney Metcalf, and Dinah Kittredge Wainwright meet at Miss Pratt's, an exclusive Connecticut high school  (presumably a thinly disguised Miss Porter's) in 1960.  Gutcheon's fabulous book traces their lives throughout the next 50 plus years, with Lovey acting as the inadvertent conduit for the confidences and gossip that define and sometimes direct the course of their lives. All of us wonder "what if?" at various times in our lives.  Gutcheon allows the reader to imagine what might have been over the course of these 3 women's lives if someone had made a different choice, spoken up, corrected a misconception, encouraged a confidence, or simply given in.  All three women are successful: Lovey as an exclusive boutique owner and fashion consultant, Avis as an art buyer, and Dinah as a writer.  Lovey is the common bond between Dinah and Avis, who are polar opposites, until their children, Nick and Grace, fall in love and marry.  The book alternates points of view among the three women.

How would I describe Gossip?  Compelling, elegant, subtle, insightful, and frightening are all words that come to mind.  How fragile are our human bonds, how sacred the trust between friends.  I'm still thinking "What if?" long after finishing this wonderful novel.  Each of us is entrusted with confidences that could change the course of others' lives.  When should we share and when should we respect the trust?  We may not even be aware of what we should just forget we heard and when we should have spoken up, and we may feel guilty about the times that we decided that something is "none of my business."  I always think that one of the signs of a good book (aside from not being able to put it down) is not being able to stop thinking about it when you are done reading.  This is a good book!

KING PEGGY (Peggielene Bartels & Eleanor Herman)

On hold for the moment!  Very interesting memoir by a DC secretary who becomes King of her village in Ghana....

HOW TO EAT A CUPCAKE (Meg Donohue)

A cruel (and untrue) remark by Julia St. Clair, made to impress a boy in high school, set off a series of events in Anna Quintana's life that ultimately resulted in her suspension from school and delayed her acceptance into college.  A short time later Anna's mother, Lucia, died of an aneurysm, leaving 18-year-old Anna  alone in the world.  Lucia had fled Ecuador as a pregnant 16-year-old years before and found work as a nanny and housekeeper for the St. Clair family.  As a result, Anna and Julia were raised as sisters and best friends in the St. Clair mansion until the differences in their social status and Julia's lie tore their relationship apart.  Now, 10 years later, Anna has been hired to cater the dessert for a charity luncheon at Lolly and Tad St. Clair's mansion, where she encounters Julia for the first time in years.

Stories about foundlings or servant's children raised together with the children of wealthy can often end badly (remember all of the problems between Darcy and that bounder Wickham in Pride & Prejudice, or Heathcliff's nasty behavior towards Catherine in Wuthering Heights?).  Sometimes, however, the children in question can end up owning a business together!  The question then is how much the bitterness, lies, and  recriminations from the past will get in the way of a happy ending.  Both Julia and Anna are nice people and Donohue throws a little mystery and some hidden agendas into the mix that add a bit of adrenalin rush to the story.  The best part of this novel, though, is the cupcakes!  I would love to taste some of the flavors that Anna comes up with.  Yum!

MISSING CHILD (Patricia MacDonald)

Patricia MacDonald writes terrific domestic thrillers and this one is no exception.  Caitlin Eckart is happily married to Noah and is a loving stepmother to 6-year-old Geordie, but she has a secret.  Nearly four years ago her 16-year-old brother (and ward) James was the driver in a hit-and-run accident that killed Noah's first wife, Emily.  James died of a drug overdose before Caitlin could convince him to turn himself in to the police.  At a memorial service for Emily a year later, Caitlin's intention is to introduce herself to Emily's widower, Noah, and confess her brother's role in the tragedy and her own failure to report her knowledge to the police.  Instead, she falls in love with Noah and the right time for confession never seems to come.  Now part of a happy, loving family with a son that she thinks of as her own, Caitlin still worries about her deception and how it could destroy their happiness.

Everything falls apart one autumn day when Geordie disappears from school without a trace.  Emily's parents, Westy and Paula Bergen, her brother Dan, ex-sister-in-law Haley, and Noah's sister and mother, Naomi and Martha, are consumed with fear over Geordie's fate, and suspicions grow and fester within the family.  When James' old girlfriend Karla, who has been born again, stops by Noah and Caitlin's house after seeing news of Geordie's disappearance on the news, she discusses Emily's fatal accident with Noah, inadvertently revealing Caitlin's "secret" and throwing the family into turmoil.  Of course, this new information prompts Noah and the police to question Caitlin's character and motivations and to wonder what else she may be hiding.

I stayed up until 11:30 last night finishing this novel.  I was shocked at the outcome, but it made sense.  These are two of the marks of a good thriller, in my opinion: you can't wait to get to the end and when you do you are simultaneously shocked and wondering why you didn't see it coming.  MacDonald is good, very good.  She gets my vote as the current queen of domestic thrillers!  Read this!