Author: Ann

Thirteen for 2013

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FICTION

Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver  The butterflies are warning us!

Pictures of You by Caroline Leavitt     Bittersweet with memorable characters

MYSTERIES & SUSPENSE

Learning to Swim by Sara J. Henry  Wonderful first novel

Void Moon by Michael Connelly        Has you rooting for Cassie, the ex-con

A Cold and Lonely Place by Sara J. Henry   Almost as good as the first one

A Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths   Another featuring the very cool Ruth Galloway

Suspect by Robert Crais       A wounded war dog and wounded police officer save each other. I loved this one!

The Draining Lake by Arnaldur Indriðason   There’s a skeleton in a lake in Iceland

The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz   Koontz honors his beloved golden retriever, Trixie in this novel that is a blend of horror, thriller, and the supernatural

NON-FICTION/BIOGRAPHICAL/ANIMALS

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed  A thrilling true story

Lost Cat: A True Story of Love, Desperation, and GPS Technology by Caroline Paul   Clever with cool illustrations

A Street Cat Named Bob: And How He Saved My Life by James Bowen   Love that Bob!

CHILDREN’S BOOK

Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo   Winn Dixie will steal your heart

~Ann

Caroline Leavitt.

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pictures you is this tomorrow

I’ve recently read two books by an author I hadn’t read before, Caroline Leavitt. Pictures of You captures your attention from the very beginning. Two women driving on a lonely fog shrouded highway are running away from their lives. There is an accident on the highway, and one woman survives, the other dies. Isabelle survives and becomes drawn to the family of April, the woman who died. This is a melancholy and bittersweet tale with characters you can’t get out of your head.

Is This Tomorrow begins in 1956. Ava Lark, a young divorced woman and her son Louis live in the Boston suburbs. Louis has made great friends with the neighbor children, Rose and Jimmy. One day Jimmy doesn’t come home. His disappearance colors both Ava’s, Louis’s, and Rose’s lives. The story jumps ahead to 1963. Jimmy’s disappearance still haunts his friends. When unexpected news comes of a resolution of Jimmy’s disappearance, everyone’s lives are shaken. A novel of loss and love set amidst the Cold War era.

~Ann

Travel with Us

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massachusetts

Every week the Rocky River Public Library adds new travel books to its collection.

One of the newest titles is Insiders’ Guide to Massachusetts by Maria Olia.

The series provides an insider’s perspective on visiting each location. This guide covers the state of Massachusetts from east to west- the history of Boston and Plymouth, the relaxing Cape Cod beaches, and the quaint Berkshires. For each area of the state there are listings of attractions, accommodations, shopping, and restaurants. There are also suggestions for day trips. Be sure to check out the Massachusetts guide or any of the many other titles in this series when planning your next trip.

~Ann

Suspect

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suspect crais

Recently I discovered an author I had never read before, Robert Crais, when I read Suspect. Maggie is a wounded war dog. Scott is a wounded police officer. When the two team up it’s unclear whether either one can survive in the real world.

This is an excellent mystery-thriller that you won’t want to put down! If you like Michael Connelly’s books or Dawn Patrol by Don Winslow try Suspect.

~Ann

Through the Evil Days

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through the evil days

The cold cold Adirondacks are once again the setting for the eighth novel in the Clare Fergusson-Russ Van Alystyne series by Julia Spencer-Fleming. In Through the Evil Days, Clare and Russ have decided to celebrate their honeymoon in the middle of winter at a lonely deserted cabin well off the beaten path. But trouble is brewing when a nearby home is destroyed by fire, the couple in the house is dead, and the little girl in their custody has disappeared. The girl, Mikayla, is a recent transplant recipient, and needs medication quickly to survive. Clare and Russ each face major decisions in their careers, but brooding about those decisions takes the back seat when they both become caught in the web of the evil brewing around the little girl’s disappearance and the rush to find her.

Fans of Julia Spencer-Fleming will enjoy this intense new novel in the series. Release date is November 5, 2013.

~Ann

Twelve for Twelve

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My top favorite books read during 2012 are-
Gone Girl– Gillian Flynn  “Delightfully wicked”
The Informationist– Taylor Stevens  “Vanessa Michael Munroe is one tough cookie”
Broken Harbor– Tana French  “Creepy and dark”
Colo’s Story : the Life of One Grand Gorilla- Nancy Roe-Pimm  “Colo rules!”
The Twelve– Justin Cronin  “Beware of the virals”
The Butterfly’s Daughter– Mary Alice Monroe  “A girls’ road trip”
The Expats- Chris Pavone–  “Spies, spies everywhere”
Lone Wolf– Jodi Picoult  “A howling good read”
Defending Jacob– William Landay  “Guilty, or not guilty?”
Dawn Patrol- Don Winslow  “Surf’s up”
The Call– Yannick Murphy  “CALL: Looking for a great book; ACTION: Read this”
12/22/63– Stephen King  “Change the past, change the world”
Ever by My Side– Nick Trout BONUS TITLE  “Vets are pet parents too”

~Ann

Woodall’s Great Lakes Campground Guide 2012

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It’s not to late for camping, and we have a brand new guide- Woodall’s Great Lakes Campground Guide 2012. It’s filled with comprehensive info on the campgrounds including phone, address, and website. Details about campgrounds that are big rig, internet-friendly, and pets welcome are included. There is a special new section for one tank trips, and helpful tourism and travel information for states and provinces. Check it out!

~Ann

Defending Jacob

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Did you miss the clever, “can’t put it down”, and sometimes disturbing mystery-suspense novel Defending Jacob by William Landay? It spent months on the New York Times Bestseller list this year, and it’s easy to see why. What do you do if you are the assistant district attorney investigating the murder of a 14-year-old boy in your son’s class … and your son is accused of the murder? You defend your son. But what if you start to suspect that your son is guilty? This is one heck of a read.

~Ann