Really Angelic: Pride and Prejudice with a steamy paranormal twist

ISBN: 978-0980610529

Written by: Enid Wilson

Reviewed by:  24girl

Stars:(5)

Do you love Pride and Prejudice retellings? This is actually only my second one but I'm hooked. Whenever I read a really touching and memorable book I always find myself thinking about the characters long after the book is over. Now with P&P fan fiction I get my fix simply by reading books like Enid's previous Pride and Prejudice inspired Regency romance, Bargain with the Devil and now with Really Angelic.

Another huge plus is that I can clearly picture the characters in my head because I've seen the movie. To me that just makes these fun and sexy romps much more realistic (yes, even when the story is about a fallen angel, LOL).

It's really hard to describe the book without giving away any spoilers. From the cover you can tell who's the angel but of course there's more than one. I won't share what kind or give hints as to who else may be. You'll just have to pick up your own copy and read all the juicy goodness for yourself and learn just how demonic Mr. Darcy can really be. I highly recommend this one for anyone who loves Pride and Prejudice fan fiction or just good old-fashioned hot and steamy romances.

And speaking of steamy romances, In Quest of Theta Magic is still my absolute favorite of Enid's books. I wish that one was a series because I would be first in line to read the next book.

The House on Sugar Plum Lane

ISBN: 978-0758238948

Written by: Judy Duarte

Reviewed by:  gabina

Stars:(5)

  The House on Sugar Plum Lane

By Judy Duarte

   Your actions often speak louder than your words. When you do something in your past and harbor the guilt in the present don’t be surprised if the truth comes out when you least expect it. Barbara Ruddock Davila has a secret that she has hidden from her husband and family for years. This secret if revealed would change everything for her and possibly destroy more than her marriage.

Amy Masterson sees this magnificent Victorian house on Sugar Plum lane and decides to rent it. Not realizing that this one action would forever change her life. Learning whom the real owner was, Amy comes face to face with the past. The past and the truth behind why her mother was put up for adoption and who her real mother was. Sugar Plum Lane belonged to her great-grandmother, Eleanor Rucker, who Amy’s mother searched for until her death. Now, in order to honor her mother’s memory and hopes for finding out the truth about her real parentage, Amy decides to rent this house and search for answers. Brendon Masterson, Amy’s soon to be ex-husband has a secret about his past that he does not want revealed. Maria, Amy’s next door neighbor would prefer that no one knows that her ex-husband is in prison and has decided to limit any he contact he might want with her son. But, often events intertwine and people’s lives without their knowing it come together and full circle as you will find out in this heartwarming and heartfelt book by Judy Duarte, The House on Sugar Plum Lane.

 At the center of this story is a woman named Eleanor Rucker who lived her life remembering her past. As a young girl in 1941 she met and fell in love with a man named Harold. But, Harold was killed in the war and she was left as a widow and pregnant. What does happen next and her reasons for putting this child up for adoption will help you understand the actions and motives behind those of the others in this book.Ellie’s daughter, Barbara, decided to have her live with a young Hispanic girl and her family. Maria, the girl she is living with takes great care of Ellie who has Alzheimer’s disease. As someone that understands and has researched this illness, I can identify with what Barbara might be going through having a parent with this horrific illness. Although she has wisely decided not to put her in nursing home, she seems cold and clinical and divorced from the situation. Every encounter with her mother or even her own son, who is ill in the hospital, helps the reader learn more about this woman. Now, with her mother remembering certain events that she would rather not have revealed, Barbara is going to try hard to convince her son to put her in a home.

Amy begins renovating and cleaning up the House on Sugar Plum Lane and finds a journal written by Ellie. The reader along with Amy begins the journey from beginning to end of a romance that was short but meaningful. Looking through the world through your child’s eyes is what Amy wants to do and realizes that Ellie did too. Reading more of her journal she becomes embroiled in her life and learns about her skill as a seamstress and her flair for decorating. But, Amy comes face to face with Ellie when she learns she is living with Maria her neighbor and she wants to get to know her and understand more about her life. But, as I know when a person has dementia or Alzheimer’s they have some lucid moments but as the illness progresses those moment are few and far between.

Maria, Amy’s neighbor on Sugar Plum Lane has many had many hardships in her life. Wrong choices are things that everyone makes. Some choices we need to live with and others we might learn from as we move on to hopefully better things. When Eddie a gardener and landscaper enter Maria’s life, she sees glimmer of hope not only for her but for her son Danny too. With an ex-husband in prison and a son who can often be difficult, Eddie helps him gain some perspective in understanding his mother and invites him to join a very special team.

As Amy enters the world that Ellie created for herself and reads more about this amazing woman, she hopes that she will be able to communicate with her at least once before she reaches the final stages of dementia.

So many events and some many characters whose lives will intertwine into one large ball and hopefully remain in tact. Brandon and Amy each coming to grips with their pasts and the hopes for the future. Will they ever see things as one again? Barbara, Ellie’s daughter, will she reveal her secrets to her husband and how will she deal her past? Second chances are not always easy to come by or give. Forgiveness is something that many will not afford those who have wronged them. This is truly a book about second chances, hope, love and forgiveness and woman named Ellie who brought everyone together. For just one moment, she knew that something wonderful and someone special was now in her life and her daughter’s life. I would love to have that lucid moment with my mom too. This is a book that everyone needs to read in order to understand that family comes first and keeping a loved one at home, if at all possible, is the best thing you can do. I know that first hand. Well written and very heartfelt this is a must read to help you understand although hard, to forgive someone is one of the greatest gifts you can bestow on the person you are forgiving.

The Song of Hannah

ISBN: 9780452286726

Written by: Eva Etzioni Halvey

Reviewed by:  gabina

Stars:(5)

 The Song of Hannah

By Eva Etzioni Halvey

Reviewed by Fran Lewis

In this first novel by Eva Etzioni Halevy wrote a novel that far surpasses that of others of today and in the past. Two women, Hannah and Pninah are bond together by one man. Hannah sought after by one man only to spurn him to fight for another, the husband of her best friend Pninah. Pninah having broken the laws of the Torah and gave herself freely to Elkanah before they were wed. But, he played with her feelings and her mind, and having fallen for his words she succumbed to him many times only to learn the truth leaving her feeling degraded and alone.

What would you do if your best friend became your husband’s second wife and you could do nothing about it? Pninah had to live with knowing that her husband favored another woman right after they were married and knowing that she was going to bear him a child not long after they were betrothed. Jealous, angry and tossed aside, this intelligent and beautiful woman and scribe who took pleasure in teaching young child, is depicted as the villain a jealous shrew. But, is she?

Two women caught in a web of lies and deceit and tied to one man. Hannah, Pninah’s best friend and second wife to Pninah’s husband looking to find a permanent place in his heart and in his bed. Pninah able to bear children something that Hannah could not do until she decided to make the ultimate sacrifice to God. Going to the Temple of the Covenant of the Ark she bears her soul and promises that if she gives birth to a son she will have him raised by the priests and devote his life to God. But, at what sacrifice to herself and the child.

Samuel is born to Hannah and Elkanah. Hannah does keep her word. But, as he grows and learns more about the Torah and God so is he able to foresee and foretell the future. What he does learn of the fate of the people of Israel and many other nations was terrifying to those who heard his words and others who chose not to believe him.

Hannah having secrets of her own and Pninah wanting to fill her heart and bed with another man. She and Hannah learn that not everything will come out right and they often have to bond together for the sake of their children and for the one man that they both love and still want. Pninah realizing that her actions go against Torah law and she is now a deviant woman who has cheated on her husband justifies it in her own mind when she states that men are allowed other women and take their maids to bed and more than one wife, why can’t women be afforded the same rights. Sounds like she and Hannah are two women might have started their own women’s rights movement back in Biblical Times. The author even brings to light birth control and abortion in this novel and lets the reader know that these issues were prevalent even then.

When Samuel comes to his parent’s home he explains his prophecies for Israel and tells Pninah in order for her to save herself and her children from God’s wrath she needs to return to the Lord and not sin anymore. Explaining to her that he understood how she felt when his mother became her husband’s second wife, and that she was not as loved by her husband as Hannah was, Samuel goes on toe explain that she must return to the Lord, her God. He knows of her sins and her cheating with another man and tells her of what will befall the people if they do not stop worshipping other gods and women stop sleeping with other men. The sins of his people are they continue will cause the Lord, he foretells to bring on a bloodbath that will be devastating.

With her sons off to war, Pninah, sat in her room battling with despair and the fear that they would never return. Deciding to leave her home and wait for her sons to return, Pninah goes up on a hill to wait for their return and when they did she greeted them and had their wounds tended to. But the battles that raged between Israel and the Philistines wreaked havoc, death and destruction. But, the fate of her two sons was in the hands of another and what happens will surprise the reader and renew your faith in Pninah and what she did in order to try and prevent these wars from happening. All too often one deed that we think will bear no importance turns out to be the one thing that makes things right. Although Samuel had told her that to mend her sins would save her sons, it seems as the reader will learn that just the opposite saved them.

From her lover, Arnon, she learned of the letter that her sons had written and the promise never to fight against the Philistines again. She would keep that promise and demanded that her two sons take a vow and promise allegiance to the Lord.

Although the Israelites lost in battle what happened the death and destruction to the Philistines, was even worse. Returning the Ark to where it belonged and Samuel’s words were finally heard and the people of Israel turned to the Lord and gave up their idol worship.  But, Samuel’s life would not be the same and would he ever find peace within himself, or just torment.

The bond between Samuel and Pninah grew in a way that will surprise the reader in many different ways. When Hannah realizes his true feelings for his father’s wife, what will she do? What does finally happen between Pninah and Samuel and what bond do they form you will have to learn for yourself.

Revenge, hate, deceit, loyalty, friendship and love and more are what this book is about. It is about two women caught in a web that they found hard to break free from. Hannah, loyal to her husband and hating to share him with others, even though she learned she was. Pninah, sought after by her husband and falling prey to temptation. One woman who would unite her family and bring unity: Hannah.

Two different women wrote two different books from their own points of view. Do as I did: Read them together and then separately to really understand both women and you will come to admire them both for different reasons.

What will happen between to Samuel? Will he ever find peace? Will Hannah be able to keep her family together?

You will have to read this outstanding novel for yourself to learn to what lengths a woman will go to in order to find true love and more. Eva Etzioni Halvey has described a time in Biblical times that must be remembered and understood. How difficult for woman to have to share her husband with another and not being allowed to do the same. Wars that her won and some that were lost. One man, Samuel, who stood tall and hoped his words were heard. You decide you listened and who did not.

Read the Garden of Ruth to find out what happens next.

Fran Lewis: Reviewer

Author of the Bertha Series of Books, and Memories are Precious

www.gabina49.webs.com

www.gabina49@wordpress.com

www.franifashinista@blogger.com

The Garden of Ruth

ISBN: 9780452286733

Written by: Eva Etzioni Halvey

Reviewed by:  gabina

Stars:(5)

The Garden of Ruth

By Eva Etzioni Halevy

The Garden of Ruth is a novel about a young girl named Osnath who is torn between her need to find out and uncover the mystery and details behind the woman the in the Bible’s Book of Ruth. Osnath is the granddaughter of Pninah and has decided to make it her life’s journey and goal to learn more about Ruth. 

Beautiful, clever, persistent and educated a really strong combination for a woman of her time. Osnath, a scribe, like her grandmother, Pninah visits Bethlehem with her grandmother and uncle, the prophet Samuel and finds herself torn between two men. Wanting to visit the scroll room of this house she was visiting, she comes across a piece of parchment. As she continues to explore her relatives scroll room, she learns that the parchment was addressed to Ruth the Moabite, who was the great-grandmother of the man she fell in love with, the next king of Israel, David. As Osnath begins to learn more about Ruth and wants to delve into her life and her secret past, her efforts are waylaid and thwarted by David’s older brother, Eliab. Eliab intimates that Ruth’ s past is secret and too shocking to reveal.

Osnath is in love with David. David is a smooth talker and convinces her that he will marry her in due time. However, upon being anointed the next King of Israel he meets with King Saul and any hope of Osnath becoming his wife is lost as he is to marry King Saul’s daughter.

David and Eliab, two brothers who would not want Ruth’s past uncovered for fear of losing their inheritance. Although, Osnath wants to uncover the reasons why they want her life to kept a secret, there is a second story or plot that comes into play. Osnath is in love with both David and Eliab. She feels connected to Ruth, and they share the same joys, sorrows and heartaches. When reading this book you learn of Ruth’s first born not living and many other areas where she and Osnath’s live appear to mirror each other’s.

When there is information to be had or a mystery to be solved I will delve into the subject or persist in finding out what I need to in order to solve the problem or find out what I need to for my research or for anything else. Osnath is a persistent young and intelligent girl who has an advantage over many other girls her age. She can read and write and understands the importance of having the skill. I love the fact that she does not back down and has managed to get Eliab to give her the information about Ruth in order to learn more about her past.

If Ruth could speak she would tell you how she met the man called The Unnamed and how she developed a relationship with him. The piece of the missive that she found had his name on it and information leading to the fact he and Ruth were close. But, it would not be until her husband died of a serious illness and she met him in the market.

 Ruth Speaks:

“Today the Unnamed from Bethlehem comes to me

It was from the gods

It was marvelous in my eyes.

Just what this means and how they come together you need to read this for yourself.

“I met with him many times. I went to his house. We stayed in the bedchamber and my need for love was aroused. The only regret that I have is that these months of encounters with him flew by so fast. Disclosing our lives to each other. I told him about my father and my childhood. He told me about how his brothers made him fend for himself and they did not afford him their protection. But, then the unthinkable happened. He told me he had to leave and go back to his own land. Something inside of me froze. He did not seem concerned with my pain and the one thing I needed to tell him, I never did.

Stating that I would always be in his heart were meaningless words. The fact that I was carrying his seed, made me feel even more betrayed by his words and actions.”

 What was she going to do? How would she deal with her betrayal to her late husband? What would her decision be about having this child?

Naomi, her mother –in-law was a wise and wonderful woman whose advice Ruth valued and whose opinions were strong and mindful. Naomi was leaving her land and going back to Israel. Ruth decided to make the journey with her.

But, as we get to know Ruth we learn of the sorrow of losing her first born.  Osnath’s attempt to mend the ways between her and Adah her husband’s first wife, do not  succeed . Both women struggling to find a place for themselves in the lives of the men they loved. Ruth worked along side the people of Israel and met and related to her late husband made Ruth feel welcome.

Defying Torah Law, both Ruth and Osnath are naïve in the ways of men, intelligent in their knowledge of the laws of the Torah and fall prey to the wiles of the men they both love. As Ruth becomes more enmeshed in her new live, she becomes involved with a man named Boaz, and what happens next will defy all of the conventions of Torah law and let you know that women in Biblical times are no different than they are today. But, Ruth did ponder her thoughts and even though she went with the ways of the flesh, as did Osnath, you have to respect both women for pursuing their goals and never giving up.

Boaz is her next of kin and goes to the man called the Unnamed to find out his intentions toward Ruth. Learning that he will honor his feelings for her and now has a wife, Ruth attempts to dissuade him again, succumbs to his advances, but fails. Boaz shuns her for a while and then recants.  Finding out the truth behind her lover and what transpired between him and Boaz, enlightens Ruth to just what kind of man her lover really is. Will she find happiness with Boaz, what happens next?

Osnath reads what really happened to Ruth’s lover and the circumstances for why he fled his land the crime he committed. The final piece of the puzzle will surprise you and helps Ruth to understand the mystery she wanted to uncover, with the help of Eliab. The real truth as to why he never married or honored Ruth comes out and how Boaz convinced him and why to give her up.

Osnath learns the truth and does write the story of Ruth the way Eliah and her uncle Samuel request. The scroll was placed in the House of the Lord and copied many many times. Ruth’s life as Osnath was closely intertwined. The history related by the author, the disappointments, the hardships, the feminine and the descriptions of the people and the land are so graphically depicted, allows the reader to become one with the story and enter the lives of both of these great women.

To understand and learn what did happen and why to Ruth’s true love and whether she finally does find happiness and more, you need to read this novel, from the author of The Triumph of Deborah and the Song of Hannah.

From beginning to end you learn some much about the struggles of the people of during Osnath and Ruth’s times. But, what does not change is their faith in finding love.

As I read about Ruth, I smiled as my mom’s name is Ruth and so much of her and Osnath remind me of her growing up. My mom is and always was a strong and persistent woman who left no stone unturned. Her true love was my Dad and when she met him there was no turning back. Unrequited love is something that dreams are made of and everyone hopes to find.

Osnath, thank you for honoring the memory of Ruth.  Ruth, you deserved to have your memory honored.

Fran Lewis: reviewer

Author of Memories are Precious and the Bertha Series of Books

An Irish Country Girl

ISBN: 9780765320711

Written by: Patrick Taylor

Reviewed by:  RutaBaker

Stars:(5)

AN IRISH COUNTRY GIRL, a novel by Patrick Taylor, A Tom Doherty Associates Book, is not the kind of book I usually read nor was the book what I expected. AN IRISH COUNTRY GIRL is part of series, and not all series books should be read out of sequence, but this one proved to be a stand alone book which reads like a fairy tale for adults. I enjoyed this myth-rich reading experience.

Those who have read any of Patrick Taylor’s Country Doctor series will already know Kinky Kincaid, the main character. Those reading Taylor for the first time will get to know her as both Kinky Kincaid and by her birth name of Maureen O’Hanlon.

The narrative begins with Kinky relating a ghost story to young carolers on Boxing Day in Ballybucklebo, Northern Ireland. The story she tells is one she lived whilst still a young girl in County Cork in the Republic. This ghost story begins in 1922 and introduces all the O’Hanlons plus Connor MacTaggart, a near neighbor and the central character in the ghost story. It’s Connor who will become the ghost of St. Stephen’s Day, as Boxing Day is knows in the Republic. The tale of Connor’s becoming a ghost is filled with faeries, banshees, animals who behave strangle, sacred trees, and wise women who are both blessed and cursed with the sight.

After finishing the story, which I don’t wish to spoil for future readers, Kinky sends the carolers on their way and begins to prepare dinner. She works as housekeeper to two doctors serving the village of Ballybucklebo. During the dinner preparations Kinky remembers the rest of the story thus providing her own back story for readers of the Taylor’s Country Doctor series and a tale of days long gone for other readers.

Taylor has kindly provided some Irish recipes in the Afterword, as apparently he does in the other books in the series. The COUNTRY GIRL recipes are for Leek and Potato Soup, Potato Apple Fadge, Colcannon, Steak and Kidney Pudding, and Frockon Jelly.

If a word or two in the names of the recipes is unfamiliar, Taylor has also kindly provided a fairly comprehensive glossary which includes not only words but also Irish phrases and expressions, some of which are familiar whilst others are as enchanting and picturesque as the Emerald Isle itself.

Word Lover's Dictionary: Unusual, Obscure,and Preposterous Words

ISBN: 9781567315547

Written by: Josefa Heifetz

Reviewed by:  RutaBaker

Stars:(5)

Josefa Heifetz is the daughter of the legendary violinist Jascha Heifetz. She is a concert pianists and composer, but her avocation is collecting odd words. WORD LOVER’S DICTIONARY: UNUSUAL, OBSCURE, AND PREPOSTEROUS WORDS, MJF Books, is the result of this pastime. She spent ten years compiling this lexicon and word lovers will surely delight in it. The book was first published under the title of MRS. BYRNE’S DICTIONARY in 1974 thus the casual reader will note some words that are not so unusual having been absorbed into more common usage over the intervening years. Examples might include words such as cachet, hydrophobia, hydroponics, maxilla, palimpsest, scrimshaw. Crossword puzzle fans will be aware of more words including the likes of orc, Ainu, yegg, yurt. Those who visit the freerice.com site regularly will know even more words. But I can guarantee that there will be words to delight word lovers of any guise or stripe. And some of the familiar words hold a surprise or two. Chevy is not just the nickname for a brand of car. As a noun a chevy is a hunting cry or the hunt itself. Used as a verb to chevy means to hunt or to tease or torment.

A Complete Guide to Public Speaking

ISBN: 978-1432734848

Written by: Joseph A. Grippo

Reviewed by:  gabina

Stars:(5)

 A Complete Guide to Public Speaking

By Joseph A. Grippo

As a child I rarely spoke in front of a room full of my peers or raised my hand to answer a question in school. All too often many teachers, parents and even friends would answer the questions for me, speak for me. Teachers will tell  their students that unless you are sure you are right, keep your hand down. That being said, I had to learn on my own the art of speaking to an audience, raising my hand to answer questions without the fear of being chastised for being wrong, and at the present time and while I was teaching, speaking in front of large groups of people.

Author Joseph A Grippo in his book A Complete Guide to Public Speaking really hones in on the salient points needed by anyone who is going to speak in front of any audience. The book is well written, gives the information in a concise and clear cut manner and allows the reader to fully understand the author’s message in writing this book on how to create a speech that everyone will want to listen to and the pitfalls to avoid when preparing the speech and giving it.

Communicating with an audience and the way you convey your message takes work, practice and time.

The author stated that a methodical approach to a presentation would ensure a better result for the speaker.  Every speech that you are going to give needs to be carefully researched before giving it. First, you must know what the goal is or the reason you are presenting this information to a group. Is this a business meeting, family gathering, corporate dinner or a seminar? Then you need to find out who you are going to present to, in other words, your audience. Your presentation must match the occasion, the audience and the goal of the event. The author in an easy to understand manner describes each of these aspects.

When presenting your information to an audience you need to remember that most people often drift off during some parts of the presentation. You need to present a central theme and message and repeat it throughout the speech but in different ways to hold the interest of the audience. The author states and I agree that a good speech does require preparation and practice.

As the author states before giving a speech and once it is written you need to practice the speech or rehearse it to yourself. Read the speech to yourself and do a mental rehearsal. Learn where your stumbling blocks are and revise and rework them in your head. Before presenting my dissertation for my reading masters I enlisted the help of my brother. I asked him to listen to what I was going to present, ask me questions and tell me where he thought I needed to improve. He was great. By the time I had to give my speech in front of all of the Professors in the department and the students in my class and one other, I was ready. I learned that not having an entire speech in front of you was the right way to go. I used index cards with the main points listed on them. I put secondary points under each main point that I knew I had to cover and hoped that I would present a speech that was informative, interesting and would give me the grade that I hoped for. I knew that I had to be ready with my tough questions from my classmates and never having given a speech of this magnitude or gravity before, I did what the author states, I practice and I did one more thing. I taped by myself giving this speech because I did not want, as the author says in the book, to speak too fast or too slow or even in a monotone and put everyone to sleep.

I think the hardest thing is to overcome your fear of stage fright. You cannot think about being afraid or show your audience anything but a self-assured and confident person. That is where researching your audience, your topic and having the right visuals, if you need them, will come into place.

To learn how to create the introduction, body and conclusion and the different tips on speaking style you need to read this book and learn them yourself. To understand what visuals will enhance your performance and which to avoid read Chapter Ten. How to handle a disruptive member of the audience and how to handle aggressive questions will also be answered in Chapter Ten.

I am starting my own radio show this month and I am going to do exactly what the author states. First, I will practice what I am going to say to introduce the show and my guests. Next, I will read the format of the show and make sure the events flow and that I am not speaking too fast. I have been interviewed many times and some interviews I felt were good and others I felt I could have done better and presented the information in a more organized way.

Whether you are speaking at funeral, wedding reception and making a toast, or a corporate dinner, I would definitely keep this book hidden away in my bag or portfolio to refer to if you are still unsure of what you are going to do.

The hardest part is the opening and grabbing your audience. Make your first words heard and start with something that will grab the attention of your audience. I find that short stories or anecdotes are old and cliché. Find your hook and Bring Your Speech to Life!

I highly recommend this book for students in a debate team, teachers that are presenting workshops, Principals who want to have effect staff meetings, corporate meetings to make them more meaningful and informative and for anyone that presents to an organization.

I Have overcome my fear of public speaking, but I could have used this excellent guide when I was a child and before presenting my dissertations. I do ask questions, I research everything that I do, but if I had this book it would have made it clearer and simpler for me to understand the art of Public Speaking.

Fran Lewis: reviewer

Author of the Bertha Series of Books and Memories are Precious

www.gabina49@wordpress.com

www.gabina49.webs.com

www.franisfashionista@blogspot.com

The Heights

ISBN: 978-0525951131

Written by: Peter Hedges

Reviewed by:  kanellio

Stars:(4)

Peter Hedges, the accomplished author who is known for writing WHAT’S EATING GILBERT GRAPE, PIECES OF APRIL, along with other well-loved stories, has now written THE HEIGHTS, a humorous, thought-provoking, and entertaining book about men and women’s relationships and family dynamics. It’s the story of Tim Welch, a well-liked but underpaid private school history teacher and his wife of 9 years, Kate Oliver. Kate is a stay at home mom caring for their two young sons in their home in Brooklyn Heights, New York City. They feel that although living in this area is costly and also has such financial pressure, it is worth it as THE HEIGHTS is a good place to raise their children--full of upper, middle class families with activities for the children and parents alike to interact with.

The other major characters are Anna Brody who moves into the neighborhood and is immediately THE person to know with her wealth and connections; Bruno Schwine who runs a charitable foundation and happens to be Kate’s former boss; Jeff, a famous, wealthy actor who was Kate’s former boyfriend; and Bea, a student of Tim’s who has a crush on him but also seems to appear in the story and strange events invariably follow. Hedges writes the story from a first person point of view from each of these characters. They each tell a part of the story and so make it very interesting to experience as readers will see what is going on through the eyes of the character. I think it is very cleverly done and an enjoyable way to experience a book.

When Bruno offers Kate a huge salary to come back to work for him, Tim becomes the Mr. Mom, taking time off from teaching to also finally finish his doctoral paper. It is at this time that Tim gets to know Anna better and the plot thickens as they say. With the taste of fame and fortune as a strong aphrodesiac, the couple becomes involved in situations that can not be chalked up as being positive ones. Can Anna really make that much of a difference in such a short time in this couple‘s life? Does the role reversal of jobs effect Kate and Tim and cause problems that can’t be solved? Will the excitement of an old flame, now famous and ruthless, be too much temptation for Kate? With all this, can Tim and Kate’s marriage survive? What answers you find will undoubtedly take place in THE HEIGHTS. Do not miss Peter Hedges’ THE HEIGHTS as I had a rare-sit-down-and-read-in-one-sitting experience with this highly enjoyable book!

The Glass Room

ISBN: 9781590513965

Written by: Simon Mawer

Reviewed by:  RutaBaker

Stars:(4)

THE GLASS ROOM is about the history of a house and of a people, a fledgling nation as well as a family.

Murder in Baker Company

ISBN: 978-1556529474

Written by: Cilla McCain

Reviewed by:  EmilioCorsetti

Stars:(5)

This is a story that has followed an unconventional path. It was first brought to light by author Mark Boal, who wrote an article for Playboy magazine (Mark is also up for best screenplay for The Hurt Locker). Mark's magazine article piqued the interest of director Paul Haggis, who turned the story into the movie In The Valley of Elah, which I saw and thought was very good. Mark Boal wrote the screenplay. There's even been a 48 Hours segment. Now comes a more complete telling of the story by author Cilla McCain

Murder In Baker Company tells the story of the murder of Richard Davis by a fellow soldier, the search for the truth by Richard's dad, and the subsequent trial and sentencing of the men involved. It's a compelling story with many layers. The story highlights a number of issues including PTSD, gang members in the military, mental health problems in the military, prescription drug misuse by soldiers, the bureaucracy of the military, and an imperfect justice system.

Richard Davis had just returned from serving in Iraq. He and his fellow soldiers had taken part in the original assault on Baghdad. Two days after their return Richard went out drinking with a group of fellow soldiers. They ended up at a strip club. What took place next depends on who you ask. What is known is that Richard was brutally murdered. When Richard didn't show up for roll call the next day or the day after little was done to find his whereabouts. He was eventually listed as AWOL.

This is where Richard's dad, Lanny, enters the picture. He knows his son, and he knows he isn't AWOL. When he can't get any assistance from the military, he goes to Fort Benning himself to look for answers. Even then the military doesn't seem too concerned. They do little to assist Lanny. Lanny is a veteran. He does a little investigative work on his own and enlists the aid of others who are in a position to help. Eventually he convinces the army that a crime has been committed. Still the army does little to move things along. It's not until one of the men involved in the murder confesses to another soldier that an investigation is begun.

It doesn't take long for the four soldiers who were involved in the murder to be arrested. And once they are behind bars, it's a long journey at getting to the truth. Lanny's continued search for answers is what drove the movie and it's what drives this book as well. The truth is that without his persistence Richard might still be listed as AWOL and Lanny and his wife Remy might not ever have learned what had happened to their son.

There were a number of issues covered in the book that were intriguing. The issue of PTSD, which happens to be a topical subject right now, could definitely have played a role. There was also an interesting section about the use of antidepressant medication for soldiers and the misuse of the antimalarial drug Lariam. It's almost hard to believe how inept the military was when it came to the distribution of this drug.

The trial and eventual sentencing also had its share of intrigue. Lanny isn't convinced that the truth has been fully uncovered. But after reading the book, I came away thinking that the murder was committed by one individual. That there was no plan. The other three soldiers were at the wrong place at the wrong time and with the wrong individual. That doesn't excuse their actions before, during, and after. But in at least one case, that of Mario Navarrete, I feel that his sentence was excessive considering his level of participation. Two things did him in. First, his allegiance was in the wrong place. His unwillingness to go against the actual murderer was a mistake. He states that he feared for himself and his family. That may have been true, but once everyone was behind bars he could have come forward. His second mistake was his lawyer. His lawyer, who was ill at the time due to cancer treatments, made some strategic errors that ended up costing Navarrete a life sentence. The lawyer screws up and all he loses is a case.

The author closes the book by telling of similar stories of soldiers whose deaths have gone un-investigated or that have been investigated poorly. This is an important book with an important message. Individuals can make a difference. And Cilla McCain has done her part to make a difference with this book.