This memoir, written through the eyes of a young girl and eventually a young woman, evoked considerable emotion on the part of this reviewer. Having had a dear friend go through a similar situation this past year, made this book an arduous read. Greenfield handles this topic of incredible sorrow with lyricism and poise that made a difficult subject bearable. "Ten Minutes from Home" takes you through Beth’s feelings of tragedy, remorse, hope, courage, and finally ends with a peace she so richly deserves...yes, even when we don't expect it, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

I can’t say I was smitten with this book. . . interesting premise, but unknown author and very few expectations. The book’s main character is a young woman in her 30’s whose mother died when she was a child. All that Tessa really knows about her early childhood is that she and her parents lived in a New Mexico commune. Working as an adventure guide and recovering from a recent physical injury, she decides to combine a work fact-finding trip with business and return to the commune.

I thought this was a unique and interesting setting, and found the interspersed recipes neat however this gimmick has overused by authors. Once Tessa arrives in the area of the commune (now an organic farm/bakery), she meets up with a variety of interesting people, and includes Vince, a single dad of three little girls. I certainly was in the mood to enjoy a little romance (sex) but the author’s pornographic descriptions were a little out of character for the rest of the book.
The book was crowded with too many choppy, never fully developed story lines and lacked the thrust to keep me reading. I put it down several times finding it didn’t have that special something to draw me immediately back. Would Tessa ever learn or remember about her early history? Never did figure the author’s intention by the insertion of the mysterious man in the plaza – rather odd and really didn’t fit. My last comment is about the ending .... too quick, neatly resolved and somewhat forced.

Set against the ferment of World War I, Gifts of War is a finely woven tapestry that deals with one man’s choices, consequences and redemption. This vivid tale of romance and intrigue is a salient narrative that explores the uncertainties of the human heart by creating a story that resonates with the reader long after having finished the last page. I thoroughly enjoyed Mackenzie Ford’s book filled with superb period details of wartime England. It captured the era and the fates of men and women caught in this period of history. With its uncertainty, this touching love story has a shocker of a surprise ending that kept me wanting to know how Montgomery would resolve the war within him. Just between you and me it would make a terrific movie!

A strong, honest memoir – Asa pulls no punches, however, I ask . . . as a single mother why would anyone deliberately put herself into this position of life – husband in jail, baby conceived in a trailer never to be able to enjoy the fruits of their love for each other.

As many other women, I too have wondered how women can stay in such abusive relationships, and after having read this sad, but beautiful book I came away with some new insight. This book is one woman’s story of the difficulties one faces in loving the “wrong” kind of man while trying to balance motherhood with work and one’s self. The subject matter is not for everyone. But for those interested in taking a look at someone's life from a different perspective, it's worth an afternoon of quiet reading.

What gal or guy hasn’t thought – what if I had only chosen Lonnie instead of Jim or Cindy instead of Sue, what if? Or in the case of Jill Westfield, the main character in Allison Scotch’s funny, but honest and latest novel, “Time of My Life” – Jackson instead of Henry. This tale, based on the 1940’s idiom - hindsight is anything but twenty-twenty. Jill finds herself seven years in the past and is given a chance to revisit her life as a highly paid advertising executive, a stay- at-home wife and a devoted mother. Through trial and error Jill rethinks her biggest decisions and find that life’s decisions are rarely black and white. Good vacation read!

A buxom baker and her handsome Israeli investigator boyfriend, Daniel, solve a series of crimes – that’s Heavenly Pleasures, the second installment of Kerry Greenwood’s series featuring, Corinna Chapman, a former accountant who has opted for the more sedate life of a baker. Having left her driven husband and high-pressure job, she opens Earthly Delights, a bakery in Melbourne. A unique Roman-style apartment house, Insular, provides lodgings for her, her cat Horatio and a diverse bunch of neighbors.

What do the house’s mysterious new tenants, a lady of taste and style and an ultra-private man, have in common with a case of sabotaged chocolates? Who is sneaking chili sauce into the chocolates at the nearby chocolate shop in an attempt to ruin the reputation of its two owners – sisters, Juliet and Vivienne Lefebvre? Corinna's old financial world contacts, Daniel's criminal world contacts, and the apartment’s helpful fellow tenants all come up with clues that help bring the case to a satisfying resolution. The fun here is simply watching a charming, rather amply bodied amateur sleuth solve a couple of mysteries and manage her hectic life.

The cast of characters is an eclectic, quirky, and entertaining bunch; however, this reader definitely felt at a disadvantage for not having read the previous book. It would have made getting into the "meat" of the book less difficult and certainly would have helped this reader to keep the charmingly quirky characters and the heroine’s beloved cats straight.