Also, if you have any other ideas of ways to keep me occupied, send them my way.  My house and closets and drawers are almost all cleaned and organized.

I’ve decided to look at this as extending my summer break!

I grew up in New Jersey, but now live in Southern California – the Inland Empire – about an hour from everything you’ve heard of.  Stay cool!

What would a loving mother not do for her child

Lawyer Danielle Parkman is at her wits’ end. Her son Max, a whip-smart teen with high-functioning autism, has always been a handful. But lately he’s shutting down, using drugs and lashing out – violently.
Desperate, Danielle brings Max to a top-flight psychiatric facility for a full assessment. But rather than reassurance, Danielle receives an agonizing diagnosis describing a deeply damaged, dangerous boy – one she’s never met.

Then Danielle finds Max unconscious and bloodied at the feet of a patient who has been brutally stabbed to death. A fiercely protective mother instinct rears its head – and Danielle is arrested as an accessory to the heinous crime.

In a baffling netherworld of doubt and fear, barred from contacting her son, Danielle clings to the thought of Max’s innocence. But has she, too, lost touch with reality? Is her baby boy really a killer?

With the justice system bearing down on them both, Danielle steels herself to discover the truth – no matter how horrifying. It’s a path well on the wrong side of the law. But only finding the true killer will absolve her from having to choose between her son and her soul.

Release date is October 1, 2010

My Review: This book was riveting!  I could not put it down.  ”Saving Max”  includes two hot buttons – aspergers/autism AND mental institutions.  The third perk I found was the law aspect.  I love the character Danielle (New Yorker)  and her devotion to and belief in her son.  Her willingness to take any risk to save her son moved me.  She begins showing her devotion by taking her son to a psychiatric center in Texas at the recommendation of her son’s New York physician.  The meat of the story begins here.  Danielle, a lawyer by profession, meets Tony who just happens to also be a lawyer.  Tony (an Iowan) becomes her son’s (Max) and her lawyer.  ”Saving Max” is an engaging read.  This may not be your favorite type of beach/pool read unless you are smothered in sun screen and plan to stay a while!. For mystery lovers and lovers of law-related books or for those who just love a great escape, I recommend this book!

I reviewed this book for the publisher via Net Galley.

Everyone wants a piece of millionaire Bennett Marshfield, owner of Marshfield Manor, but now it’s up to a new curator Grace Wheaton and handsome groundskeeper Jack Embers to protect dear old Marshfield. But to do this, they’ll have to investigate a botched Ponzi scheme, some torrid Wheaton family secrets-and sour grapes out for revenge.

My Review: Daughter Amy gave me this book because she knows I love cozy mysteries.  I read this book in two days.  The story was engaging, the characters likable and this is the first book in what I hope are many more.  Grace is by herself, single, parentless, but she has obtained the job of her dreams.  Almost as soon as she is hired,  she encounters problems she wasn’t expecting and the police are understaffed which leaves it up to her to (help) solve the mystery.  Along the way I encountered some heart pounding situations which made me continue turning pages to find out what would happen next.  This was a fun new book and I look forward to many more in this series by Julie Hyzy.  She has also written the White House Chef Mysteries, and I think I may look up those as well!

Gripping, suspenseful, magical, and richly atmospheric . . . Ilie Ruby’s haunting debut novel, The Language of Trees, is exhilarating fiction that announces the arrival of a truly extraordinary storyteller.

Echo O’Connell knows that the summer holds its secrets. They are whispered in the rustling trees, in the lush scent of the lilacs, in the flurry of the mayflies batting against the screen door, and in the restless spirits that seem to clamor in the scant breezes on hot evenings. It is in summer that she returns home to Canandaigua, to confront these spirits, both living and not, and to share a secret with her first love, Grant Shongo—a secret that will forever change the lives of many people in the town and put to rest the mysterious disappearance of a little boy more than a decade earlier.

Grant, a descendant of the Seneca Indians who call this place “The Chosen Spot,” has also come back to face his past. After a broken marriage, he has moved into his childhood home, a lake house that has withstood happiness and tragedy. He knows the spirits of the past must be dealt with—that of the little boy who disappeared all those years ago; the boy’s sister, who never overcame the loss; and the love Grant still has for Echo. But before the healing must come the forgiveness. . . .

My Review: I enjoyed this book and it is a great summer/beach read. The characters are diverse and somewhat tragic.  Small towns hold lots of secrets and this small town, Canandaigua Lake, is no exception.  As the book progresses many of those secrets are revealed, sometimes surprisingly so.  Two of the biggest secrets involve one family.  Most of the book builds up to these revelations.  If you enjoy mysteries, small town life and imperfect people working through problems sometimes alone and sometimes together, you will enjoy this book!

This book will be on sale July 20, 2010.

First, there is Christianity Today’s “Seven Theology Books for the Beach”
They say,

Summer affords many of us a few spare moments to sit down someplace warm and relaxing and read a good book. In case you’re looking for something deeper than a celebrity magazine or cliffhanger novel, consider picking up these new releases that make theology accessible and practical while staying true to Scripture.

The books on the list include reads such as Dug Down Deep: Unearthing What I Believe and Why It Matters and Surprised by Grace: God’s Relentless Pursuit of Rebels. Admittedly, almost all the books look great to me, just maybe not for the beach!

NPR also shared a list of books, these were in fact bookseller’s picks! These books are supposed to be books that are “light, but not fluffy.” I do have some thoughts on the issue of light and fluffy, but scanning over their list I’m not entirely sure I agree with their definition of light! For example, they have some definite wartime books on their list, such as Day for Night and The Postmistress.

What kind of books do you like to read during the summer? I have to admit I prefer reads like Emily Giffin’s Heart of the Matter, or Emilie Richard’s Fortunate Harbor. Elin Hildebrand’s The Island seems like it will be a PERFECT summer read! I also like to dive into a few thrillers such as Graham Brown’s Black Rain. Those are the reads I’m looking forward to this summer! How about you?

Now that Gabby is back on her feet after being in a homeless shelter, she has a new dream that will stretch her faith farther than ever.

Gabby expects a fight from her husband over custody of their boys, but she is taken aback when he leans on her for a loan to cover his gambling debts. When she turns him down, Philip makes a desperate move that puts Gabby, her friends at the shelter, and even the House of Hope at risk.

The props Gabby usually leans on–Jodi, her Yada Yada prayer partner; her friend Harry, the ex-cop; and Lee, her lawyer, who has fallen in love with Gabby–are not always there when she needs them most. Gabby must make a decision that could change the course of her life. But is it for better–or for worse?

My Review: I enjoy these books soooo much.  I think it’s because I wish I was in a group like the Yada Yada prayer group!  They so take care of each other and everyone else they come into contact with!  I can’t really relate to the character Gabby, I would just like to tell her what to do in the case of her love life.  I guess my mantra is don’t trust anyone for a while at least.  I always love Jodi Baxter and I can relate to her – happy marriage and public school teacher.  The only difference is I have three kids and they are older.

I  ordered the first parallel novel, Harry Bentley’s Second Chance by Neta Jackson’s husband Dave.  Can’t wait to get it.  These books take off on the secondary characters in Neta’s books.  It will be nice to read about Christian men from a Christian man’s point of view!  This book will help me wait until March 2011 when the next book in the series comes out, Who is My Shelter? These books rate at the top of my list of favorite Christian fiction books.  Keep them coming, Neta and Dave!

www.SylvanDellPublishing.com

This will give you more information about ALL of their books including grade level recommendations. and AR levels.  Please check this out if you are a teacher, parent, grandparent, homeschooler, librarian, or just plain interested in these types of books.  The time spent will be well worth it!

Welcome to the grand opening of Fromagerie Bessette. Or as it’s more commonly known by the residents of small-town Providence, Ohio-the Cheese Shop. Proprietor Charlotte Bessette has prepared a delightful sampling of bold Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, delicious tortes of Stilton and Mascarpone, and a taste of Sauvignon Blanc-but someone else has decided to make a little crime of passion the piece de resistance. Right outside the shop Charlotte finds a body, the victim stabbed to death with one of her prized olive-wood handled knives.

This book will be released in early July 2010.

My Review: This is a great addition to the cozy mystery genre.  I LOVED it.  The characters have a French bend.  The main character has what would be called a “nontraditional family.”  The idea of a cheese shop with cheese products and cheese recipes is awesome.  The mystery is engaging with twists and turns at times, yet there is also character building along the way.  The main character, Charlotte, is very easy to relate to.  She is a single 30 something, yet she is helping to raise her cousin’s eight-year-old twin girls.  Some questions are left unanswered meaning, hopefully, that this is the beginning of a series of books!  Watch for the release of this book.  If you love cozy mysteries, you will love this book!

From the company that brought you Bio-comics on Barack and Michelle Obama, comes a new Bio on an unlikely public figure – Bo, the First Dog of the United States! In this 40-page Special Edition reissue of the widely successful comic, get a floor height tour of the White House from the Presidential Pup and discover who is the real “Top Dog” in Washington.

My Review: First I would like to share some comments from my second grade students (their comments will be in italics):

The book is just too funny because a dog talks and gets mad.  The dog hoped there wouldn’t be any cats.  He said this to Obama before he talked to Obama, he said not on my watch.  That was funny.  Then he said no cats allowed in the White House to Obama.

In the story Bo Obama is really funny.  It’s kind of like a comic book and that’s awesome.  The dog in the book talks about some of the presidents.  I think this book is really good for children to read.  Everyone will love the book.

This book is funny because the dog talks in his mind and says not on my watch.  Bo Obama is so cute, I like Portuguese Water Dogs, do you?

I like the dog and I like the very ending when there are fireworks in the sky.  Bo was really funny.  I felt sad when the people burned the White House.  I like the pony and all of the other animals.

Some of the other presidents mentioned are FDR, JFK, William Howard Taft, Nixon, Clinton, George Washington, and George W. Bush.  Other animals which lived in the White House and who they belonged to are included.  The history of Portuguese Water Dogs is given.  The idea of a comic book is a great way to teach children history.  My students were all eager to read it and loved it!