From the opening of this story author Douglas Kennedy introduces the reader to three people who are in the throes of questioning their family relationships. What is so brilliantly captivating is the dialogue in this story. Laura's conversations, aloud and privately with herself, could be any woman,s conversations..about obligations, disappointment, disconnecting, and finding the love of oneself.

For me, this was not a casual read. I was caught up quickly into the story and stayed with the turbulence of commitment and desire for Laura, her husband Dan, Richard, and the children. This is a story that most families experience at different stages in a marriage, if we are to be honest. Just the scenario might be different.

The story has a tone of honesty and sincerity, for everyone. After closing the book the reader must take a moment to question where they are within their own circle of the universe.

Sharing this book, FIVE DAYS, on many levels, with a glass of wine and small group of friends, would be lovely way to engage in a conversational adventure!

Reading mysteries is not my forte, but this book was a winner! Walter Walker brings the reader into his book through the education and enlightenment of George Becket, a young, naive, assistant district attorney. The twists and turns of the rich and powerful who thwart the investigations, while controlling the lives of those involved in the cold case of a young woman's murder keep the tempo of this story moving at top speed, from the first page to the last. This book is rich with conversations for any book club. This book is one the reader will reach for at every possible moment to keep reading, as George finds the solution not only where his life is going but the crime that has been committed.

Everybody in Annawadi talks like this - oh, I will make my child a doctor, a lawyer, and he will make us rich. It's vanity, nothing more. Your little boat goes west and you congratulate yourself, "What a navigator I am!" And then the wind blows you east.
Abdul's father, Karam Husain
The author Katherine Boo, draws you into her explosive, powerful, world of women, men and children, who spend their days and nights living in one of the worst slums of India. This is not a novel, there is no happy ending. These are real people, who live in world in which from the moment you open your eyes, till sleep overcomes you, life is a struggle. "Everything around us is roses" is how Abdul's younger brother MIrchi, put it. "And we're the shit in between'. There is very little of truth in their lives. Corruption, lies, bribery, filth, is every where in this slum community which borders the International Airport of India. They watch the planes bring the beautiful and the wealthy. Yet this is the place where they go to steal food, where they scavenge to find garbage which they can resell and earn a rupee or two. Yet they dream of a better tomorrow. They dream of love, education, a job, a place in country around them.
This is a book I will suggest that others read, that my book groups read and discuss.
Katherine Boo has used her writing skills to encourage each of us to open our eyes and view the global world, to see what's wrong and find a way to make a difference..somewhere.

The beautiful city of Siena in 1723 is the setting for this lush novel of beauty and violence between the nine contradas of the Sienese people of Italy.
The author creates a complex story of love and greed involving five main characters along with equine "characters," giving the reader a wonderful readable moment of time in historical Italy. A perfect book to read this summer!

The story of Sally Ryder Brady's tormented marriage to Upton Brady must be read with an open heart. "It is was it is" can lead to an enlighten conversation about what each partner brings to a marriage, the laughter and the tears. This book can begin a soul-searching discussion with others or a private re-affirmation. It will be sure to go on my book club to-read list.