Charley’s Web, by Joy Fielding

Charlotte (Charley) Webb is a journalist for the Palm Beach Post. She’s used to having fans and critics send her e-mails and letters commenting on her edgy weekly column. She’s used to bailing her brother out of jams. She’s used to trying to be a good mother to her two children.
She’s not [...]

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Shakespeare: The World as Stage, by Bill Bryson

I listened to this book on audio (narrated by the author) and loved it. Bill Bryson gives us a look at what is truly known about William Shakespeare with his typical wit and straightforward delivery.
According to Bryson, there’s little to go on in the way of hard facts about Shakespeare (the reason the book [...]

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The Queen of Babble, by Meg Cabot

Meg Cabot, author of The Princess Diaries, the Mediator series and various other popular young adult books, is also a funny, entertaining author of adult contemporary fiction.
Cabot introduces us to Lizzie Nichols in Queen of Babble. Lizzie is a recent college grad – well, she thought she was a grad. She found out at [...]

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The Crossroads, by Chris Grabenstein

“Have you ever seen a face hidden in the bark of a tree and known that the man trapped inside wanted to hurt you?”
Who could resist such a creepy opening?
Grabenstein, author of Tilt-a-Whirl, Mad Mouse and Whack a Mole, doesn’t disappoint in this Young Adult story of ghostly happenings. (Kirkus Reviews suggests ages 10-12)
Zack Jennings [...]

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The Sugar Queen, by Sarah Addison Allen

I enjoyed Sarah Addison Allen’s first book, Garden Spells, so I picked up her second title, The Sugar Queen, to see if it continued to delight with quirky characters and interesting plot lines. It does!

Josey Cirrini is trapped by guilt and fear in the house she has grown up in – torn between her sense [...]

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The Alchemyst, by Michael Scott

I stumbled across this great Young Adult fantasy book and could not put it down. Scott, like Rick Riordan of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, takes ancient myth and folklore and puts it smack in the middle of contemporary America with an exciting and humorous result.
This story starts with 15-year-old twins Josh [...]

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Deep Dish, by Mary Kay Andrews

Mary Kay Andrews (best-selling author of Hissy Fit and Savannah Breeze) creates another fun, romantic story in Deep Dish.
In one corner is Gina Foxton, the chef for Fresh Start, a public television cooking show. She promotes using natural ingredients and making traditional Southern recipes healthier. She’s in a bind because her ex-boyfriend/producer has [...]

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The Little Lady Agency, by Hester Browne

Melissa Romney-Jones has mastered the unappreciated art of planning a party, buying the right present, and dressing well. She has used her talents to work in various jobs, but she downplays her contributions and frequently is the one to get canned when companies lay off staff. After the latest administrative job goes down [...]

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The Spellman Files, by Lisa Lutz

Chick Lit meets Mystery in this clever debut by Lisa Lutz about Izzy Spellman, 28-year-old private investigator in her family’s firm, Spellman Investigations.
The story is an interesting, entertaining mix of family relationships, mystery, romance, friendships, coming of age… and I didn’t realize it was complicated until I started trying to write about it here. [...]

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What is Mine, by Anne Holt

Anne Holt is a former minister of justice, lawyer, and journalist, and one of Scandinavia’s successful crime writers. What is Mine is her American debut.
In this story former FBI profiler Johanne Vik is working on a paper about the media coverage of serious crimes. She is asked to look into an old case where [...]

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