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A sweet story that continues the many lives of a special dog and his unique way of helping the people he loves. As Cooper, he is now helping a young boy who is wheelchair-bound and lives on a farm. The farm is in trouble and part of that trouble stems from the large corporate farming nearby and the Asian family who works for them. Racial tension, small-town farming vs. big corporate farming practices, sibling rivalry, friendship and dealing with disabilities all play a role in this story. For dog lovers naturally but also if you are just in need of a sweet story with perfect dogs guiding their imperfect humans. 
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Maxine is adrift. She once had a husband, a successful career and a clever son working in Silicon Valley. Now, she isn't as quick to get to her job as a noted professor at the University of Michigan, her husband is dead and her son has gone off the grid plus there is a madman called the Technobomber who is blowing up people and it may be someone she and her son know quite well. She worries that there may be a connection to the bomber and her son's disappearance and she also knows that in telling what she knows to the FBI she may be giving up her son. This is a classic tale of doing the right thing, taking a hard look at our own mortality and finding our own place in the universe.  Enter the wonderful world of Bill Bryson who has a master's touch for explaining things in a way that we all understand and are fascinated by. When he takes apart our body, system by system, piece by piece we not only understand more about our inner workings but we have been thoroughly entertained along the way. He is the master of anecdote, the king of clever tidbits of knowledge and his easygoing writing style gives you a greater appreciation for the intricate machine we call our body. Here's to not-stuffy science!  Saul Adler is a young man who is a historian specializing in the Eastern Block. He thinks he is in love with a young art student in London, his friend a translator in East Germany and has an unusual relationship with the translator's sister. After a car accident in the famous crosswalk of Abbey Road, Saul's memories begin to be unfocused. The result is the reader is not sure what really happened to Saul and what memories are really just his desire to get it right. Saul's life cascades into a million different paths until we come to him in a hospital room, middle-aged and very ill. Dreams, hopes, sexual awakening, political ghosts and shortcomings all play out before our eyes. Beautifully written but I did have a bit of trouble sorting out the life he wanted with the life he had.  The mountain people of Kentucky are known to be a very tight-knit group and this distrust and racial tension was evident in the difficulties that the horseback librarians had in convincing the people in power in small communities that it was very much needed. These brave women from all backgrounds were so much more than delivery people bringing recipes books and romance novels - they were a lifeline that connected remote mountain dwellers providing news, entertainment, educational materials and more. It took a group of mismatched, tough as nails women to tackle the progressive program that Eleanor Roosevelt envisioned. A powerful story of what happens when you tell someone they can't do something. Loved the real characters and their unusual backgrounds.  Mysterious and moody this gothic ghost story has a kiss of steamy romance. The scandalous Mrs. Webster has just arrived in town to renovate an old estate but she is having trouble finding someone to work on it due to the fact that it is haunted. It is this ghost that captures the attention of a famous scientist, Samuel Moore. They form an unsteady alliance as each is drawn to and repelled from each other as much as a magnet to true north. Mrs. Webster has all kinds of skeletons in her closet some of which Sam is all too eager to banish. Witty and filled with just the right amount of scare and sauciness - this debut marks what I hope will be more fun to come.  I have found my life's ambition - I want to be a passeur! In this slim masterpiece, we follow Juliette who has a dull job and a long commute so she studies the other commuters and what they read on the metro. One day she follows her heart and instead of going to work ends up at the doorway of a most unusual bookshop, as unorganized as the man who runs it. As soon as she smells the old page smell and sneezes from the dust we know she is there to stay and so she becomes a passeur who passes on books that match the person who receives them. As she takes on more responsibility for the man, shop and his young daughter lives, Juliette will undoubtedly find her own. Charming, unassuming and magical - this clever little tale takes us on a book adventure. For anyone who strives to find their passion, no matter how late and strives to share it with others who believe in the power of the written word - this is your lifeline.  A love letter to the artwork, staff, and benefactors of the incredible Metropolitan Museum of Art. Christine Coulson shares a bit of the secret life of the museum that she was privy to while she worked there but the stories are told in a fanciful way. We learn of the chair that longs for the touch of a young child even a wayward toddler, the guard and the statue who loves him and the incredible Mezz Girls who work the events as well as the people who keep the show on the road. A bit of whimsy with a taste of real-life makes this collection of character sketches so inviting you want to sneak in after-hours and lurk in the galleries. My own love affair with the Met began as a child reading "The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiller" and that love has been rekindled in this slight but heartfelt novel.  Imagine that you are five years old and told to pick out your sign so you can picket with the rest of your family and congregation spreading a message like - God hates Fags or Death to Fags. Megan along with her many siblings was taught hate, bigotry and unflinching loyalty to the church her grandfather began and was the pastor of. The Westboro Baptist Church made up almost in its entirety of family members was well known for their absolute hatred and broad spread of that message of hate. This was the only world Megan knew and she was taught to obey her parents, never stray from the gospel and absolute obedience to the church. It is no wonder that it wasn't until she was in her twenties that Megan and one of her sisters began to have doubts and knew they had to flee. From the ashes of hate, she has risen like a phoenix to spread a much different message - one of love and acceptance.  We have all heard of the wonders of search and rescue dogs but this is a first. Molly is a Cocker spaniel who specializes in finding lost cats. It takes an amazing amount of patience and persistence to find a pet that might not want to be found by a dog but Molly soon charms the frantic cat and cat owner. Molly and her ex-police detective human partner, Colin Butcher, deliver not only excellent detective skills but also are very kind and ease the minds of the pet owners. This story takes place in England but I would not be surprised to find similar pet detective agencies popping up in the states. This is a wonderful tale for any animal lover but also anyone who understands the anguish and helplessness of losing a pet.  |
I love to read good books and share the new books that are available and those that are coming soon
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