In Revere, in Those Days by Roland Merullo (2003)
1960s – ’70s coming of age story of Anthony Benedetto growing up in Revere, Massachusetts.  The descriptions are written so well, that the reader feels like they are on the beach, with the sand tickling their feet or walking the Revere streets with the breezes blowing the city’s sounds around them.

Jury Double by Edward Stewart (1996)
The high profile murder trial of a cult leader has many twists and turns including a juror who isn’t who she seems to be.

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (2009)
A local country doctor narrates the bizarre events surrounding an impoverished post WWII upper class British family whose crumbling mansion appears to be haunted.

The Zookeeper’s Wife: a War Story by Diane Ackerman (2007)
True story of two Polish zookeepers who used the zoo to shelter over 300 Jews and resistance fighters during World War II.

Dawn Over Kitty Hawk by Walter Boyne (2003)
Blending fact and fiction, the author breathes life into the story of the Wright Brothers while considering the familial, engineering and competitive challenges that they faced.

Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett (1996)
Golems are merely machines doing the nastiest of jobs.  Could they want freedom?

South of Broad by Pat Conroy (2009)
The story takes place in Charleston, SC – twisty and quirky with a lazy way of describing details that I find fascinating.  A “must read!”

Voices from D-Day by Jonathan Bastable (2004)
Letters, memoirs and quotes detailing first-hand experiences leading up to, during and right after June 06, 1944.

A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg (2009)
A memoir told in recipes – touching and appetizing.  Molly Wizenberg’s debut shares the same format as her Orangette blog–favorite recipes interspersed with personal reflection–but constructed around a much tighter family narrative.

Killer Dreams by Iris Johansen (2006)
Sophie Dunston has created a drug to help people with night terrors, but it the wrong hands it is now the latest tool used for mind control.  Can Sophie stop the experiment in time?

The Longest Trip Home: a memoir by John Grogan (2008)
The author examines the events of his life and his relationship with his parents, from his upbringing in a devout Catholic home, to his marriage to a Protestant woman, and finally his father’s diagnosis with leukemia.

In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming (2002)
Clare Fergusson, the first female priest of an Episcopal church, finds herself immersed in murder when a newborn baby is abandoned and a young mother is brutally slain, forcing her to dig deeply into the town’s secrets.

Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross (2009)
Extremely well-researched and engagingly told historical fiction about the only female pope -  presents a believable story of this legendary character.

The Lady and the Monk by Pico Iyer (1991)
A fascinating and touching memoir of a man’s year spent in Kyoto, Japan.  Along the way, he finds love and deeply explores Japanese culture.

Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella (2008)
Lexi Smart awakens from amnesia to find herself three years older and living a life completely different from the one she remembers.  In this unfamiliar world, she must piece together her memories to learn about her new past.

Agatha Raisin and the Witch of Wyckhadden by M.C. Beaton (1999)
After losing her hair in a previous story, Agatha escapes to a seaside resort only to get caught up in the murder of the witch who was helping accelerate the re-growth of her hair.

Unseen by Nancy Bush (2009)
After waking up with amnesia, a woman is informed she is a suspect in a hit and run accident that critically injured a child molester.  As she pieces things together, she makes several unexpected discoveries.

Enter the Past Tense by Roland Haas (2007)
True story of CIA assassin, Roland Haas.  Unbelievable memoir of heroic and deadly maneuvers to protect the United States.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt (1994)
A true story with the author’s license to weave fiction, formulating a page turner about interesting characters of Savannah, Georgia.  Specifically, the 10-year-long murder trials of a wealthy antique dealer, who after having been acquitted of his male lover’s murder, dies seemingly with a touch of grave voodoo (possibly retaliance for the murder).

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen (2007)
A delicious tale of 1899 Manhattan, where the rules are plenty but so are the ways in which the teens break them — romance, betrayal and surprisingly well-drawn characters.

Diary of a Bad Year by J.M. Coetzee (2007)
Senor C is an aging writer in Australia working on a book of political essays.  As a means to spend more time with her, he lures the sexy neighbor, Anya to be his typist.  Their interesting friendship is recorded through diary entries.

To Love What Is by Alix Kates Shulman (2008)
A beautifully heartbreaking memoir of a woman’s love story and what happens when her husband suffers a traumatic brain injury. His impairment is rendered particularly poignant as Shulman moves backward in time over their 50-year relationship.

Hitched by Carol Higgins Clark  (2006)
A Regan Reilly mystery.  Several wedding gowns (including Regan’s) have been stolen but not every victim bride is especially distraught.  As Regan works to solve the mystery, it becomes intertwined with her fiance’s bank robbery case that takes them to the streets of New York and Las Vegas.

Maskerade by Terry Pratchett (1995)
A murder mystery encircles the plot of The Phantom of the Opera.  Witches Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg at their best!

The Marriage Game by Fern Michaels (2007)
In a six-week period, Sam was married, divorce and turned down for entrance to the CIA.  So Sam, Slick and a trio of ex-wives set out to exact vigilante justice against a philanderer, an effort that is interrupted by their recruitment into a secret law enforcement agency that is covertly spying on the five women.

Protect and Defend by Vince Flynn (2007)
In the aftermath of an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, CIA director  Irene Kennedy and operative Mitch Kelly are dispatched to the Middle East to diffuse Iran’s sworn retaliation against the United States.  Great read!

The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson (2008)
A ghost story, murder mystery and family drama rolled into one.

The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick (1962)
An alternative timeline in the 1960s United States revolving loosely around the question “What if the Allies had lost World War II?”

Full Bloom by Janet Evanovich and Charlotte Hughes (2005)
Annie Fortenberry now owns a haunted bed & breakfast where among other strange occurences, ladies’ undergarments often mysteriously go missing.  Amid the choas of planning a celebrity wedding, Annie finds herself as the prime suspect in her own husband’s disappearance.

The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War by David Halberstam (2007)
Explores the lesser-known elements of heroism and pathos that marked the Korean War and evaluates political decisions and miscalculations on both sides of the conflict.

Below are some of last year’s entries.  Check back often to see what folks are reading this summer!

Midnight Magic by Avi (1999)
Plot, plot and counterplot!  Is the magician’s servant, Fabrizio truly gullible, or will he see through the carefully crafted lies, find out the truth and save his master’s life?

Cost by Roxana Robinson (2008)
A griping story about one family’s experience when a member becomes heroin addicted.

Summer Sisters by Judy Blume (1998)
The improbable relationship between two girls that spans over eighteen years as they grow from pre-teens to young, married women.

Judgment by William Coughlin (1997)
Lawyer Charlie Sloan works with the deputy chief of police to prove him innocent while at the same time working to uncover a serial killer whose victims are children.

Devil’s Teeth by Susan Casey (2005)
Great read about great white sharks and an interesting location, Los Farallones Islands.

The Song of the Exile by Kiana Davenport (1999)
Set against the background of Hawaii’s history, the story deals with two lovers torn apart by World War II. Very moving!

Merles’s Door: lessons from a freethinking dog by Ted Kerasote (2007)
This true story is about the bond between a man and his incredible dog, Merle.

I Heard That Song Before by Mary Higgins Clark (2007)
A vanished landscaper, a wife who has disappeared, a little girl who overheards a secret conversation and the owner of a wealthy estate are all part of another well-written Clark mystery.

Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas (2007)
Set in the 1940s, a heartbreaking story about a murder in a small town which hosts a Japanese internmetn camp.

Leisureville by Andrew Blechman  -  HQ 1063.2 U6 B646 2008
Investigation of America’s so-called retirement utopias such as The Villages and Sun City in Florida and in Arizona.

The Special Prisoner by Jim Lehrer
An American POW suffers terribly in a Japanese camp.  Years later, he encounters his captor and seeks revenge with unexpected results.  Thought provoking.

Shoot Him If He Runs by Stuart Woods (2007)
Stone Barrington’s Caribbean adventure.  Terrorists vs. Stone.  Stone wins.  Or did the “bad guy” get away?

The Children of Men by P.D. James (1993)
The entire human race has become sterile.  As extinction approaches, so also does a human birth.  Margaret Atwood’s  The Handmaid’s Tale meets Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451.

How Not to Look Old by Charla Krupp – HQ 1059.4 K78 2008
Exhausting! Many tips covering all aspects of life…if you have lots of time.

Hair and lip color: Go lighter
Clothing: Skip the suit and matching shoes/purse.  Mix it up.
Eye makeup: Stick to neutral colors

Adopting a small percentage of the tips would require much motivation!

Dark Possession: Carpathian novel by Christine Feehan (2007)
Hot jungle, hot man, really hot passion.  Cool summer reading.

The Garden of Last Days by Andre Dubus III (2008)
An absolute page turner centered around the kidnapping of a little girl from her mother’s place of employment, a strip club.

Mutation by Robin Cook (1989)
A brilliant scientist uses genetics to create the son of his dreams.

Twenty Wishes by Debbie Macomber (2008)
A shopkeeper and her friends on the famous Blossom Street starts personal wish lists and work to make their wishes come true.

Bet Me - by Jennifer Crusie (2004)
Min and Cal start their relationship on a $10 bet.  They think it will be one dinner and turns into a loving partnership.