Stunning in its simplicity and grace, A Man of His Own touched this reader deeply. The characters, including and most importantly, Pax, felt authentic and the subject is one that is particularly timely. Wilson has written a book that I will recommend to anyone wanting to know more about the bond between service animals and their companions.

As a mental health professional who has worked extensively with trangender clients, I was curious, and more than a little apprehensive about reading Golden Boy. Curious as to how the author would approach a subject not often addressed in any form, apprehensive for the very same reason. Twenty pages in and I was hooked. Tarttelin's grasp of the subject, the sensitivity and grace with which she created characters (in particular Max), her portrayal of a young person coming to terms with who he is and parents whose love for a child takes them in different directions--all combined to create a highly readable and ultimately, a very moving novel.

Elena Ferrante's novel My Brilliant Friend (the first in a trilogy) is not an easy, throw in the bag book for the beach. Instead, it should be savored under the shade of an old tree over days when you won't be disturbed. It is a rich story with a host of characters, all of whom play a part in the sometimes complicated narrative of a friendship between two women that begins in the 1950's just outside Naples.

Unlike some books translated from the writer's native language, this one flows easily, leaving the reader immersed in a time and place unfamiliar to most American readers. In some ways it reminded me of the "big" novels of Edna Ferber (Giant) or Anton Mryer (The Last Convertible)---leaving me anxious to read more.

if you are a fan of early Stephen King or Peter Straub, you will enjoy this book. Well-written, with engaging characters and a plot that kept me reading well into the night, I would recommend this for a lazy day in the hammock or on the beach. Just beware the chills the book will bring...

First let me say I am a huge Peter Robinson fan. His Inspector Banks series is one of my favorites so I started this stand alone novel with high hopes and was not completely disappointed. Robinson's talent for transporting his readers to the scene of his novels is in high gear in Beore the Poison, as is his love of music and knack for adding a soundtrack to the pages. With one exception, the characters feel fully thought out and the protagonist, Chris Lowndes, is charming. The exception, Heather, comes across as shallow and one dimensional compared to others even less important than she is to the plot.

The mystery at the heart of the novel kept me engaged until the last page- well researched, full of historical detail about the experiences of nurses during WWII, Robinson delivers a novel that I will recommend to others.

I wanted to like Next to Love. The premise--following a group of friends from WWII until the 60's-- seemed to offer a different twist to the usual "women & friendships" novel. Instead I found myself struggling to finish, in spite of some beautifully written phrases and intriguing plot lines. The characters were one dimensional and felt stereotypical---the girl from the wrong side of the tracks; the good girl. What could have been a fascinating glimpse of history through the eyes of women who lived through it left me cold by the end.

This time of year, I start my search for fiction that will keep my interest but not be too heavy (both in weight and subject!) to be tossed in the beach bag. Thayer's newest fits the bill perfectly--a well written and engaging look at how grief, loss and change affect the ties that bind women to others: mothers to daughters, friends to friends, lover to lover and more. While it breaks no new ground, it is full of characters that hold your interest and situations that are neatly tied up in the end. In short: a perfect book for that weekend at the shore or the summer cabin!

Having recently lost and old and dear friend to a stroke I was reluctant to start Outside Wonderland, thinking it might be too close to the bone. I was wrong. In a way it has helped me feel the loss a little less due to the writer's deft use of her characters as two of them watch, from their afterlife, as their children grow up, make mistakes and live. I would recommend it to anyone who has asked themselves: what next?

For many years, one of the themes of my reading life has been the many forms that relationships take in our lives: mothers and children, brothers and sisters, lover and lover, men and women, friends and friends. A Box of Darkness will take its place among those already on my shelf with its painfully honest look inside a marriage that was never quite what it may have seemed to those outside it and as Sally Brady reveals, ultimately a surprise even to herself. Well worth reading and sharing.

A delightful book, perfect for a summer day on the porch. Sweet, quirky and bittersweet, it held my interest and left me wanting to know what happens after it ends!