On the anniversary of his beloved wife’s death, Dr. Michael Everett receives a letter Hannah had written him. In it she reminds him of her love and makes one final request. An impossible request. I want you to marry again. She tells him he shouldn’t spend the years he has left grieving her. And to that end she’s chosen three women she asks him to consider. During the months that follow, he spends time with Winter, Leanne, and Macy, learning more about each of them…and about himself. Learning what Hannah already knew. He’s a man who needs the completeness only love can offer. And Hannah’s list leads him to the woman who can help him find it.

Macomber2010Bookmark

This book is slated to be published in May of 2010 – be watching for it!

My Review: This was a great read!  I cried and I laughed.  If you have read any of the Blossom Street books, you will recognize many of the characters.  What a different concept.  A husband receives a letter from his dead wife which listed  three women she wanted him to consider for remarriage. He thought it impossible because he was still deeply grieving her death.  The characters are colorful and probably resemble some of your friends.  I know they reminded me of people I know.   Three couples are highlighted so I would call this book a romance and slice of life read.  The link above will take you to a Debbie Maccomber bookmark that lists all of her books being published in 2010.  I’m also looking forward to the new Cedar Cove book.  If you enjoy easy, enjoyable reading with happy endings you will love this book!

Product Description
When Rebecca Kauffman’s older sister, who left the Amish community when she was a teenager, dies in an automobile accident, Rebecca is left custody of her two modern non-Amish teenage nieces, Jessica and Lindsay. Will she be able to reconcile the two worlds in her home—or will the clash of cultures tear her world, including her marriage, apart?

From the Back Cover
Rebecca Kauffman’s tranquil Old Order Amish life is transformed when she suddenly has custody of her two teenage nieces after her “English” sister and brother-in-law are killed in an automobile accident. Instant motherhood, after years of unsuccessful attempts to conceive a child of her own, is both a joy and a heartache. Rebecca struggles to give the teenage girls the guidance they need as well as fulfill her duties to Daniel as an Amish wife.

Rebellious Jessica is resistant to Amish ways and constantly in trouble with the community. Younger sister Lindsay is caught in the middle, and the strain between Rebecca and Daniel mounts as Jessica’s rebellion escalates. Instead of the beautiful family life she dreamed of creating for her nieces, Rebecca feels as if her world is being torn apart by two different cultures, leaving her to question her place in the Amish community, her marriage, and her faith in God.

My Review:  Books about Amish life are so fascinating to me; including this new one by Amy Clipston.  Imagine two teenage girls being transported from normal American life with all the advantages and perks we have to a simple, basic life in an Amish community.  Imagine a young married Amish woman unable to have children of her own inheriting these two girls. Imagine her husband getting pressure from the Amish community to control those girls.  Sounds like disaster ready to happen, right?  First of all, the girls lose both of their parents in an automobile accident.  This seems like quite a bit to deal with, would you agree?  The result is an interesting, quick read that pulls at your emotions.  I look forward to more books by this author!

Piper Mills has just lost her grandfather when the family lawyer passes on a small gift from her grandmother. The gift is nothing more than a small charm and Piper is puzzled about why it’s important. Unfortunately, she can’t ask her grandmother who is suffering from Alzheimer’s. However, when Piper’s grandmother dies, she attempts to find some information about her grandmother’s mysterious past. When an old friend of her grandmother refuses to speak with her, Piper goes undercover as a renter on her property to pursue the truth.

I really enjoyed this story by Karen White as it embodied many of the things I’ve come to expect from White’s books. Interesting characters who are deeply hurt and looking for peace and redemption, a slow but satisfying pace, and a rich setting. Karen White also seems to write about mysterious family history well.

I enjoyed the way the story was told and the characters though a few pieces of the premise stretched believability a little bit for me. I have a hard time thinking of girls sharing a scrapbook based on when they get to wear a charm. Even so, I just threw my disbelief to the wind and savored the story.

I also love love love White’s prose, for example, how beautiful is this?
“But guilt, she’s also learned, was a lot like tree sap: it stuck to everything and after a long time it hardened to stone, trapping unsuspecting creatures inside of it.”

Little nuggets of wisdom like that are throughout the book! I’ve also noticed that White does not follow conventional point of view in her book…this book is told through Piper’s first point of view and Lillian and Helen’s third person point of view.

Ultimately, this is a satisfying character piece with an interesting mystery to keep you engaged to the end.

Ivy Schneider is wife to a husband that travels 10 months of the year, mother to 3 children, daughter to an ailing mother whose husband ran out on the family years ago, and sister to two siblings who don’t hesitate to let the full responsibility of caring for mom rest on her shoulders.  Can you relate?  Anyone feeling the pressure of caring for young children and aging parents at the same time?  If so, this book is for you says Lisa.

I loved, loved, loved this book.  But to be honest with you, I have loved all of Lisa’s books and when I open a new one, I am already mentally prepared to love it!  Why do I enjoy her books so much?  Well, I think because with any of her characters I can always find some aspect that I relate to.  I love that her characters are not perfect and sometimes have quite unusual flaws.  Many times I can relate to one or more of the struggles the main character is having.  It’s like Lisa gets what women are going through.  And I think all this talk of characters is what it boils down to.  Her books have a story, but they are very character oriented.  The main thing is how the character in the book changes and develops through the grace of God.  And I want that for my own life, too.  I don’t want to wallow through my struggles forever without having learned and grown from them.

Plus I like her writing style.  And she’s funny.  So if you haven’t read a Lisa Samson book yet – well, what are you waiting for?  I recommend starting with Tiger Lillie or Songbird, my personal favorites.  Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Product Description
Something strange is brewing
at the Comeback Café

A grandfather’s song has turned a diner into hallowed ground. A contrary girl with a gypsy heart feels the tug of home. And a truck driver named Jedidiah keeps his foot on the gas, ready to sweep you into an unforgettable story of belonging and grace.

It’s the 1960s Midwest, and Ellee Crumb wants to change the world, starting with her mother, but she’s having trouble even getting her teachers to know her real name. So Ellee sits at the Comeback, her broken heart lying there on a table, when a three-armed waitress and a quirky stranger show up and hand her back the pieces.

An affecting tale, My Mother’s Wish will remind you of the power of grand hopes and effect of impossible expectations. You’ll witness the influence every life has on another, and you’ll find new reasons to believe in the comfort and joy in an everyday, American version of the story of Christmas: being known and loved, just as you are.

My Review: I loved this book!  It’s not a long book, but it packs a punch.  I love the themes of individuality, differences, and acceptance.  I cried like a baby at the end of the book.  It wasn’t sad, just very touching.  The book was very Christmasy.  The phrase “Christmas miracle” came to my mind.  If you need a gift for a person who may not like to read long books, or may not be much of a reader at all, I would recommend this book.  The story is great and you don’t spend days reading it.  I read it in about an hour.

You can buy it here.

Two sisters. One with a great job, fancy car, seaside cottage, and good-looking boyfriend who doesn’t demand much. The other with a devoted husband, two grown sons, and a stable home life. Each one is grateful for what she has, yet a bit envious of what the other has as well.

After Charlene’s marriage falls apart, she wants nothing to do with her hometown in Michigan. She moves far away, starts earning a lot of money as a real-estate agent, and sets up a life for herself by the seaside in Maine. She leaves behind her parents and her sister, Janni, who with her husband now runs the family’s maple farm. But as her parent’s 50th wedding anniversary approaches, Charlene knows it is time for a visit back home.

As soon as she arrives in Tappery, MI, she runs into the gossip she had expected – and dreaded. But during her time at home, she runs into a lot more than that. Her parents seem to be having problems – putting into jeopardy the anniversary bash! Her sister seems to be hiding something. And an old friend is causing her pulse to race. . .

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I found myself discovering as I read it that I am starting to enjoy books about older women – now, why could that be? These women are about middle age, I guess, and it is interesting for me to peek down the road a few years to see what sorts of emotions and situations I will be facing.

The book is funny. Diann Hunt has developed her characters well, and I liked the interplay between all the personalities. Some of the themes are universal – women dealing with their eating habits, people wanting to prove themselves to those who knew them first, children wanting approval from their parents and siblings, and of course, wanting to be known and loved by someone special. These topics are easy to relate to for most of us and make the book engaging.

Be Sweet is available from Thomas Nelson Publishers. It includes a Reading Group Guide at the end.

About the Book: Paige Woodward is a woman without choices. Her destitute mother’s only hope for a cure isn’t covered by insurance. When a dream opportunity arises at a brand–new pharmacy, Paige is willing to keep quiet about her past to make sure she lands the job.
For Clarissa Richardson, the dream of running her own pharmacy comes to a screeching halt when her grandfather hires a too-perfect new girl who seems to be hiding somethig. How far will they go to protect their dreams for tomorrow?
What will happen when one woman’s last hope means ruining another woman’s greatest dream?
My Review: Let me tell you what kind of book this was…I picked it up intending to read just a few pages, and a couple of hours later I was done! It was a real page turner.
Part of what I found so fascinating was the inner working of a pharmacy. Okay, not only fascinating but also frightening. I’ve never read a book in this setting before so it was very interesting. It also heightened the urgency of drama of the situation the characters found themselves in. Admittedly, one character was more likeable than another, but I really appreciated the way Cushman developed the idea that any sin or wrongdoing can harm us, not just the big ones. There are also some great secondary characters.

The pacing was perfect. It moved along at a brisk pace and really engaged my emotions as I felt like Paige was treated unjustly! There was also a little bit of romance and most importantly hope.

You can visit Kathryn Cushman on the web here, where you can find her blog and sign up for her newsletter. If your book club has selected Waiting for Daybreak, she’ll even have a chat with you on the phone! Check out Waiting for Daybreak on Amazon.

About the Book: A novel of psychological suspense in which a private adoption’s dark consequences play out years later, at an elite prep school in the Berkshires.

My Review: That has to be the shortest synopsis I’ve ever found for a book, but it’s pretty accurate. This book has a huge cast of characters and they are all quite different from one another. We are treated to male and female, adult and teenager point of views throughout the book. While the adoption is where we begin, the book is about so much more.

I had a hard time putting this book down as the inner worlds of each character were revealed. I sympathized greatly with some, and rather hated others. Pornography and the role of sexuality in people’s lives plays a significant role in this book. The spiraling effects of each individual decision was fascinating to me and the truth that our decisions impact the people we love was really driven home for me.

There’s also an exploration of the role of feminism in today’s world. The character of the artist Claire represented this greatly, and there were so many little nuggets of wisdom tucked within the pages. I was struck by this particular passage as two of the characters discuss feminism. One has just said that everything is open to interpretation depending on your own life experiences. Claire responds:

Maybe, but then everyone’s justified in their thinking and there’s not right and wrong. Laws become arbitrary decisions. That doesn’t work either. Then you have teams. You’re either on one team or another, right or left, Red Sox or Yankees–even the judges on the Supreme Court. It becomes more about the teams and players than the issues.

I thought that was so true. But this quote perfectly sums up this book for me:

It’s been my experience, Mrs. Golding, that teenagers seem to yearn for the truth in the same way that adults yearn to ignore it….If nothing else, it’s always liberating.

If you’re looking for a book with strong character development that’s also a bit of a thriller than I recommend this one. I thoroughly enjoyed it and as I wished I had someone to discuss it with when I was finished, I think it would make a great book club selection!

Somebody Else’s Daughter is published by Viking Adult a division of Penguin. You can find a Q&A with the author and reading group guide here.

Please note that there is a lot of frank sexual talk in this book as well as some explicit language.