Books  

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin is the second in the trilogy and I already have the third ready to go. Mara Dyer isn’t quite sure what’s happening to her. Her “abilities” continue to be dangerous and she worries that she’ll end up hurting someone she loves. When Mara’s parents don’t believe that she saw her old boyfriend Jude – who supposedly died in the building collapse, she ends up being institutionalized. Mara realizes anything she says is going to convince them she’s more crazy so she pretends that she knows she has problems and she’s trying to get it together. And, of course, she has Noah – beautiful, brooding Noah who knows Mara isn’t crazy. Because whatever is happening to her, it’s happening to him too.


The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain was a good read. When Riley MacPherson was 2 years old, her much older sister, Lisa, committed suicide. She grew up in a sad house with a mourning mother, a distracted daddy and a brother who acted out. But Riley has virtually no memory of Lisa. So when her father dies and Lisa discovers a box of news clippings that indicate that Lisa was a murderer she is stunned. Did she commit suicide? Did she run away? Is she still alive? What Riley will uncover will shake her world.


The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness was the third in the trilogy featuring the witch Diana Bishop and her vampire mate Matthew Clairmont. It’s been a fiery romance, and now the two have broken all the rules by getting married. It’s been a complicated journey with a bewitched manuscript at the centre. Back from the past, in Shadow of the Night, they are reunited with many of the characters from the first book, A Discovery of Wtiches, which I just loved. Now Diana and Matthew’s lives, and the lives of their still unborn twins, rest on discovering the root of the blood rage, which plagues Matthew. Will Diana finally find the missing pages for Ashmole 782 – otherwise known as the Book of Life. Well, of course she will. But what happens next I did not see.


Us by David Nicholls is the first book I’ve ready by this author, but it likely won’t be the last. It tells the story of Douglas Petersen’s marriage and it’s dissolution. At 54, the biochemist is a stolid man who is a bit of a square. In remembering back to meeting his spontaneous and somewhat unconventional wife twenty five years early, he says “My wardrobe at that time ran the gamut from taupe to gray, all the colors of the lichen world, and it’s a safe bet that chinos were involved.”. So when his wife, Connie, tells him she thinks she’s done with him and the marriage – hey but let’s take one last great vacation with our son – Douglas is gobsmacked. He loves Connie. This can’t be happening? So he turns the vacation into a campaign to change Connie’s mind. The story flips back and forth between present and past, but does so smoothly. Snappy dialogue, great characterizations, no wonder the book was longlisted for a Man Booker prize.


The Best Man by Kristan Higgins is a love story that starts out with our heroine, Faith, being left at the alter when her husband-to-be chooses that moment to come out of the closet. Faith beats it, leaving behind the whispers. How could she not have known her perfect man was gay? And how could that horrible Levi Cooper have talked him into coming clean at exactly the wrong time! So when Faith has to return to her family home, she’s forced to deal with her past and reconcile with the two men who she most wants to avoid. It was a fun read, fully of laugh out loud moments, like when Faith gets stuck trying to climb through the bathroom widow of a local restaurant and Levi must come to her rescue. You can just feel your face burning for her.


What Einstein Told his Cook by Robert Wolke was a delightful read. I love it when I read a book and learn new stuff. Did you know, for example, that the red stuff in meat is not blood? Have you ever wondered how they take the caffine out of coffee? Robert Wolke delivers clear and funny explanations for a whole slew of foodie type questions. Like this: What does clarifying butter do, chemically? Answer: “gets rid of everything but that delicious, artery-clogging, highly saturated butterfat.” Wolke, is a chemistry professor and syndicated Washington Post columnist particularly likes debunking misconceptions and calling a spade – or in his case, “salt” – salt! So, should you avoid aluminum pans? Are microwaves dangerous? And is it okay to eat the green stuff when potatoes start to turn? I’ve already added What Einstein Kept under His Hat to my To Read list.


 

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Published on February 09, 2016 23:58
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