Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie

What a magnificent book! It has love ghosts, lost kids, weird housekeeper and second chances.

Andie Miller-Archer and North Archer are divorced and haven't seen one another for ten years. The past is dead and done - she is engaged to Will Spenser the famous writer. Andie's life couldn't be better, she has come to see North to return tens years of alimony checks and to say good-be.

North is the legal guardian of two children, Alice and Carter, who live in an alleged haunted house in a remote area in the south of Iowa. The children are orphans and being taken care of by Mrs. Crumb, the elderly housekeeper. North has been unable to keep Nannie because they believe the house is haunted , the children are weird and Mrs, Crumb is downright evil. In desperation North hires Andie to fix the children and see what is actually going on at the house.

CONTINUED AT BookGateway.com: http://bookgateway.com/2010/09/maybe-this-time-by-jennifer-crusie/

Becoming A Woman Of Destiny by Suzan Johnson Cook

Wow - what a book! Dr. Cook or Dr. Sujay as she is known to thousands is an excellent writer and truly a Woman of Destiny. She has patterned her book and her life after the most prominent woman in biblical history - Deborah of the Old Testament, a woman who has no peer, the Prophetess-Judge-Warrior-Wife.

Dr, Sujay uses Deborah's Four-Pillared Model to illustrate how we can become A Women Of Destiny. These are:

-Intelligence - pursue new goals with clarity, decisiveness, and thoughtful strategies.
-Spirituality - a path of nurturing your sacred self through prayer and trust in God.
-Action - perform every action with the fruits of your new wisdom.
-Community - form your Destiny Circle.

Now more than ever the world needs women who aren't afraid to walk the talk about doing the right thing. A woman of Destiny, like Deborah, can listen to God's voice by showing reverence for their intuition, their God-given connection to the Holy Spirit.

CONTINUED AT BookGateway.com: http://bookgateway.com/2010/08/becoming-a-woman-of-destiny-by-suzan-johnson-cook/

Once Wicked Always Dead by T. Marie Benchley

Molly Madison has it all - Country Clubs and the luxury of city life in Florida. Her husband , Phillip, is a successful attorney - her world is almost perfect. Suddenly everything comes crashing down. Her parents are killed in a fierily automobile and she learns Phillip is gay. After hearing all the gory passionate details from his lover, she leaves everything behind and heads to Montana and her family home - The Ghost Bear Ranch. She plans to divorce Phillip and start a life. Molly is unprepared for her instant attraction to Clayton Leatherbe, the ranch foreman.

Molly is unaware of the sociopath creating havoc with a sense of her own justice. Phillip want her to sell the ranch so he can further his political ambitions. Her refusal causes a riff in their relationship. Molly's ranch falls prey to an unscrupulous land developer determined to get the ranch and he will stop at nothing to obtain his goal.

Everything seems to go wrong at the ranch since Molly took over as owner. Several murders have occurred - Phillip's ex lover is out to exact his revenge on Molly - Clayton is questioned by the local police.

CONTINUED AT BookGateway.com: http://bookgateway.com/2010/08/once-wicked-always-dead-by-t-marie-benchley/

Shut Up And Kiss Me by Christie Craig

This is an exciting, fast-moving story with intriguing characters and a little mystery and murder thrown in for good measure. The story is about love, regrets, secrets, stalking and Native American culture. The culture of an almost forgotten society - the belief of Council Elder Redfoot Darkwater and his spirits. Shala Winters is a photojournalist, living in Houston, Texas who has been hired by Major Johnson of Precious, Texas to put it on the map - bring tourism to the town. There are some that are not too thrilled that she is coming to their town and are very vocal in their protest.

Shala arrives in Precious just at the time the Native Americans are holding their annual powwow. The sign clearly states no cameras allowed. She is reluctant to leave her expensive Nikon camera at the gate and takes it with her, as it always happens when we disobey the rules, something goes wrong. A woman in the crowd takes a picture. Sky Gomez, one of the dancers, believes Shala has taken the picture and snags her camera and refuses to return it. After talking to the Tribal Council, she is told Sky has the camera and will return it in a week if she pays the asking fine - whatever it may be.

CONTINUED AT BookGateway.com: http://bookgateway.com/2010/07/shut-up-and-kiss-me-by-christie-craig/

The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, June by Robin Benway

April/May/June are sisters. Their parents have recently divorced and their dad has moved to Houston, Texas. They, with their mother, have moved to a new town and school. April is the oldest, May is the middle child and June the youngest.

April is the studious type - she actually likes school. May is a loner - she doesn't make friends easy, and June wants to be popular and fit in with the in-crowd. May is having problems with European History and is assigned a tutor. Henry. This seems ironic to her since most the Kings of Europe have been named Henry. Henry is very serious about his studies and hopes to go to Stanford after graduation. He wears everything with the Standford name on it even down to his shoe laces.

June, a freshman, becomes friends with Mariah, a sophomore. Mariah is a little wild and persuades June to ditch school, attend drunken parties and lie to her family. April/May/June are extraordinary girls - they have special powers. April can see the future - May can literally disappear - June can read minds. Will they realize that they need each other before it is too late?

Highly recommended! This is a funny, well written book. You will be amused at the antics the three sisters go through trying to keeps their powers secret. Read how they cope with being teenagers in high school, their first boyfriends and their parent's divorce. You will learn that there is nothing stronger than sisterhood!

This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.

Spaceheadz: SPHDZ Book #1 by Jon Scieszka and Francesco Sedita

This is a cute children's book about a fifth grader named Michael K. He is the kid in a new school. (P.S. 858 - Room 501), new town (Brooklyn, New York) and it is the first day. In his class are two other new kids - Bob and Jennifer. and a talking hamster - Major Fluffy. Their teacher is Mrs. Halley. Michael K. thinks the new kids are weird and doesn't want anything to do with them. Bob tells Michael K. they are spaceheadz from another planet. He tell Michael K. that he must become a SPHDG and save your world. This is really weird and what did he mean "save your world"? They need three point one four million (3.14M) Earth persons to become Spaceheadz or the Earth will be turned off.

Agent Umber is a special agent working for AAA. He receives a call on his AAA Pickle phone from his chief. There is a possible AEW (Alien Energy Wave) in his sector. The coordinates are D-7. - P.S. 858. He tells the chief he won't let him down. Umber's motto is to Protect and to Serve and to Always Look Up.

Bob and Jennifer has seen all the major Earth commercials and believes them all. They don't use spaceships, but change channels - or adjustment of wave forms, They have seen Michel K's eating Super Crunchies and believes he can do anything.

Recommend the book for children kindergarten through fifth grade, they will find the book funny, and intriguing. Their imagination will run wild as they read to see how Michael K. and Agent Umber will handle the problems associated with Bob and Jennifer. If they fall short of their goal - the Earth will be turned off.

Highly recommended.

This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.

The Lost Summer Of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees

Louisa Alcott is the well known author of Little Women, a classic novel that has never been out of print since first published in 1868. Louisa had not always been famous. Ms. McNees takes the reader back to Louisa's life before she became a recognized writer. Reading the book, one must remember this is only the writer's imagination, and not all actual fact.

Louisa is the second oldest in as family of four daughters, Her father, Bronson, is a philosopher who believes holding down a job is beneath him - it would tarnish his image should he sully himself with economic affairs like providing for his family. However, he is not adverse to accepting charity. Abba (or Marmee as she is called) and her daughters have to depend on the charity of friends and family. Things are rough for the family, but financial mercy comes from her brother-in-law who offers the family a house in Walpole in New Hampshire. This is where the author really begins to get into Louisa's life.

Louisa has always dreamed of being an independent woman, a famous writer and living in Boston - a city she dearly loves. She has sold a few articles and had one small book published, but nothing spectacular or anything that has gained her recognition. During the summer in Walpole she meets Joseph, a young man running his father's store. They fall in love, but a happy ending is not to be.

Ms. McNees puts you right in the midst of Louisa's life. You will feel her heartaches, frustration, first love, her dreams, the decisions she must make, and the hardship she endures because of her father refusal to care for his family.

The author is to be congratulated on a well written novel. It is a story of first love, sacrifices and a woman's determination to fulfill her dreams no matter the cost.

Highly recommended.

This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.

The Eastern Stars by Mark Kurlansky

This is a very complex book! - Is it a history of the sugar mills and the town of San Pedro de Macoris ... or a history of baseball and its players? Yes to both.

San Pedro de Macoris is a small town in the Dominican Republic. For centuries their main industry has been sugar - exporting it to Europe and the United States. The great mills are no longer being operated, just abandon empty rusty buildings. The few left employ very few for four to six months per season. The town is extremely impoverished. Each ruling government party has bought in European and American developer to build large hotels to encourage tourism, but few tourist have come. San Pedro is one of the most ethnically diverse areas of the Dominican Republic and one of the poorest.

The main mill is controlled by the existing ruling government party and at the start of the sugar season, a big banner goes up over the mill which reads "Gracias Presidente por ina nueva zafra" - Thank you President for a new cane harvest, as if he has anything to do with the good or bad harvest.

The second industry in San Pedro de Macoris is baseball. "Baseball is not just a way of life - it's the way of life.," says the author. Make shift stadiums are everywhere - boys of all ages play baseball in dirt filled lots with sock balls and cane stick bats. Their dream is to make it in the United States big leagues - becoming rich and famous, returning to San Pedro to build big mansions and drive SUVs. The town is overrun with scouts from all leagues - sorting through all the promising candidates. Boys as young as 14 years are signed with a major US teams to be groomed to their full potential. Some never make it to even the A league, being released and sent home. But a select few have made it to the big leagues, keeping the dream alive for all the other boys.

Seventy-nine boys from San Pedro have made it to the Majors - Jose Cano, Alfonso Soriano, and Sammy Sosa to name a few. Sammy is the only batter to hit 60 or more home runs for three consecutive years. He is one of only five players to hit 600 home runs.

The book is a story of many who sought freedom from poverty through baseball. However,the total failures are almost the same as successes. When one asked the question - Why does the town of San Pedro produce so many baseball players? The answer - Because we don't have anything else to do and we aren't tall enough for basketball.

Good book for baseball fans and historians. They will thank this small impoverished town for turning out such great players in a sport that has become America's pastime. The Dominican Republic may be a challenged nation, but it sure turns out some great baseball players who have the dream of making it in the Big Leagues.

This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.

Mornings In Jenin by Susan Abulhawa

This is the story of a young Palestinian girl named Amal borne in the refugee camp of Jenin. Her family had been evicted from their home during the 6-Day war between Palestine and the soon to be State of Israel. One must read the book to follow her journey from Jenin to a Jerusalem orphanage to Beirut, Lebanon to America and her decision to return to Jenin.

Young Yasser Arafat had just formed the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the world would soon label him a terrorist. Tears will be streaming down your face as you experience her fear in being constantly under Israel's guns/planes/tanks, the watchful eye of the Israeli solders, and the war crimes of Ariel Sharon. You will hear the voices behind the headlines of the massacres in Lebanon. Who are the terrorists - Israel or Palestine - the PLO or Israel's Prime Minister. Will she survive her return to Jenin?

The author was born to refugees of the 6-Day War and has first hand knowledge of what it is like to be a Palestinian under Israel's thumb.

The story will keep you turning pages to learn how she survives the death of her family, her marriage, the birth of her child and the hardships she endures in America trying to fulfill her father's dream of getting an education. You will experience the family's struggles to survive through over 60 years of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

A must read book for all ages. When you have finished I believe you will come away with a different view of the Israeli government that is supposedly an ally of the United States.

This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.

The House of Tomorrow by Peter Bognanni

This is a story of two misfits. Sebastian Pendergast who lives in a geodesic dome in the woods with his eccentric "Nana". He has been home schooled since the age of 4 by Nana in the teachings of the futurist philosopher Buckminster R. Fuller. Sebastian is being groomed to someday save the world. He has never been out into the real world as he is forbidden to leave the dome. Nana gives tours of the dome and Sebastian works in the gift shop. Peter Whitcomb is an angry, guilt ridden teenager who recently underwent a heart transplant. He is guilty because another young boy had to die so he could live. He is mostly confined to his home, rarely going outside, and really doesn't know what to do with himself.

Peter meets Sebastian by accident when he, his mother and sister take the dome tour. Soon Sebastian is leaving the dome at night and going to visit Peter. Nana catches him in a lie and asks him to leave. Sebastian goes to live with the Whitcombs. He doesn't really understand Peter or the family, but they all sort of become friends. Peter wishes to start a rap band as he thinks it would be cool - he would then become rich and famous. Neither he nor Sebastian have any musical talent or really know how to start a band.

What follows in the lives of these two unlikely friends makes for a very interesting story. One must read the book to learn if Peter actually forms a band. Does Sebastian return to the dome? What happens to Nana? Each of these questions and the superb writing kept me reading even though I felt the vulgar language was inappropriate. It did nothing to enhance the story.

Therefore, would not recommend the book for young readers or those who wish to avoid gratuitous vulgarity. An interesting read that ultimately left me disappointed.

This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.

Keeping The Feast by Paula Butturini

Paula Butturini and John Tagliabue, both foreign correspondents, met in Italy, fell in love, and married several years later. Shortly after their wedding they were given assignments in Communist Warsaw Poland. The time is at the beginning of the Polish revolution. John is critically wounded by a sniper's bullet and their happy carefree life they had known in Rome no longer existed plunging them into a horrible nightmare of events,

Paula, in her own words, tells of her struggles to overcome John's many surgeries, his bouts of clinical depression, his treatments by numerous psychiatrists,and the birth of their daughter. She is not only trying to survive John's illness, but also the death of her mother by her own hands. Love, food and Italy is the sustaining factor throughout the entire book. One must read the book to see how the simple daily selection of food, preparing the meals, her memories of family dinners and the ritual of eating three meals together each day at the kitchen table played such an important role in the healing of two people and stabilized their very existence. The love of Italy's countryside, good friends and good food healed a hurting family.

An enjoyable read, but lacked substance. One learns a lot about 'old world' Italian cooking and the role food plays in the lives of Italian families. The story clearly points how the simple ritual of selecting, preparing and eating food can become an important step in the healing process.

This book was provided as a review copy by the publisher.

Vienna Secrets by Frank Tallis

The decapitated body of Brother Stanislav, a Piarist monk is found in the Maria Treu Kirche Church yard close to the school where he teaches. This is no ordinary decapitation - the head was literally torn from the body. Detective Inspector Oskar Reinhardt of the Vienna Security Police is baffled by this mode of decapitation. Who or what has the strength to commit this heinous crime? He calls in his friend, psychoanalyst Dr. Max Lieberman to help with the investigation. (This is the same Dr. Lieberman who is featured in several of Tellis' previous works.)

In the course of the investigation, the body of Councillor Faust is found at Maria Geburt church. He has been decapitated in the same manner as Brother Stanislav. The only clue at both crime scenes is a patch of black sticky mud. Dr. Lieberman uncovers that both Stanislva and Faust were vocal members of a shadowy anti-Semitic group. Could the Jewish population, especially the Hasidic community be responsible for these crimes or had the Jewish golem, a legionary figure, arisen?

The investigation soon becomes personal for Dr, Lieberman. His privileges at the local hospital are suspended and he is on the verge of losing his medical license. After the third decapitated body of Jeheil Sach, a local pimp, is found, Dr. Lieberman turns to the Hasidic Jews to find answers. The question is why had the Jews killed one of their own?

What transpired in the investigation as Dr. Libermann searches for answers leaves you in suspense. Tallis keeps you turning pages as he weaves his intrigue and brings the story to the final conclusion of who or what committed the crimes. However, it is very difficult to keep your focus as the plot jumps from subject to subject. Tallis has received many accolades for his work, and his fans will definitely want to read this one. However, I do not recommend Vienna Secrets for first time reader of Frank Tallis.

This book was supplied by Random House as a review copy.