As those who bore witness to Pearl Harbor die off, a book like this becomes even more important. It has fortuitously been reissued so that the memories of this time will not be lost. Beautifully written, it elucidates the tragic effects of the attack on a mother and her young child, and its future repercussions on them both. For adults and older teens.

The book starts off as a meltdown of a suburban family when Ben, an attorney decides that he needs more excitement in his life. His bad judgement creates a mess resulting in divorce, estrangement with his young daughter, and legal trouble. His wife on the other hand, reinvents herself as a talented publicist. The plot bogs down when a former childhood friend, now a famous actor crosses path with the wife, and the book takes off as a thriller that doesn't quite materialize.

This five generation story of women who have a family business growing grapes in California uncovers the source of their longevity. A geneticist becomes interested in how they live so long just as major changes occur in their lives. A heartfelt story of what it takes to live through difficulties and maintain a sense of family.

Shocking and suspenseful, this book is about the tangled relationships of parents, children and staff at a private school in England. When an arson fire badly injures a teaching assistant and her mother, it is the unconscious victims who reveal the trail to uncover who is guilty. The author accomplishes this by the clever convention of allowing them to leave their bodies. There are many twists and turns involving a solution to a hate crime as well as the disclosure of financial problems at the school. Many twists and turns keep the reader engaged.

Four former roommates reveal the back story of their undergraduate years at Harvard during their 20th reunion weekend. Despite advantages in life, their reality is a messy unraveling of betrayal, paths not taken and the myth of having it all, while trying to live authentic, meaningful lives. Smart, probing and sophisticated. The women and their friends have a range of experience and backgrounds. Touches upon lesbian and gay relationships, younger woman falling for older men, pursuing the artistic versus being practical, and combining motherhood and career. Over all, the book is an indictment of today's technology driven communication and the loss of true connection between people.

This thin book has some witty moments as the author reminisces about her privileged childhood, marriages, and life in LA. There is some name and luxury brand label dropping that can be a bit tiresome. Fun, if you crave a diversion that turns trivial adversity into drama.

The idea is clever--Lily is a Jane Austen aficionado whose own life seems to be falling apart. Caught in a cycle of repeating the same mistakes, she decides to do something different. An opportunity arises and she takes off for London to be a part of a theater festival featuring Mansfield Park. Her expectations for her foray to England are not exactly met, but she ultimately does find a new path in her life. This is a light froth of a book which will appeal to fans of contemporary chick lit. treatments of 19th century women's literature.

This is a novel that builds gradually as the layers peel away. On the surface, it starts when a man tries to connect with his parents who he has not seen since he left home. This journey results in a shocking series of revelations. The mysteries move the story along as the pieces fall into place.

Poignant and beautifully paced.

This is a powerful story of a woman caught between history and her own difficult family relationships. Olivia Harker Cross is raised on a mountain in Kentucky, an existence that challenges her resourcefulness. A bittersweet first love, coupled with the dysfunction of her mentally ill mother, her estranged daughter and the grandson she cherishes pulls her in many directions. Underlying her life are the mysterious dealings of her father and a group of local men whose racism is brought to light in a startling revelation. A meaningful and explosive story that holds the reader's interest to the last page.

The author's memoir of her trip in a rowboat across the Atlantic is a vivid stream-of-conscious that gives insight into her mental and physical state. At the same time, she reveals what in her life brought her to this point. People who enjoy adventure stories will get a vicarious thrill from this book. I enjoyed her honesty about herself and the way she was able to gain insight into what is really important in life as a result of the challenges she set for herself.

I enjoyed this fanciful flight backwards into a young suburbanite's life to the land of "what ifs?" This story playfully explores what happens when an intelligent, career woman marries and leaves her urban life to pursue motherhood. Jill thought she had the perfect husband, house and baby, but life has settled into a routine that makes her wish that she had a different life.

Unexpectedly, she finds herself pulled backwards seven years to her life with a previous boyfriend and on the cusp of career promotion.What would she have done differently? Does it matter? Should she mend fences with her estranged mother? The drama builds and enlightenment dawns. Would make a great movie.

The Fisher Boy is a colorful book bringing together cultural clashes, mayhem, and a murder. The main character, Mark, is trying to launch a club act with a group of friends. The book gives a real feel for the summer community in Provincetown, and the push and pull of gay visitors, the resident community, the wealthy and their groupies. The murder focuses the story and sends Mark, who becomes the suspect, on a quest to deal with the dark forces in his life and a mystery from the past. Edgy and unsettling.

Since I have not had much exposure to military culture, this book gave me a new perspective on the impact of literature by illustrating how this field has had a longstanding tradition in the West Point curriculum. The author is a civilian instructor with impressive credentials who has been teaching English at West Point for 10 years.

She struggles with the issues surrounding the relevance of teaching an appreciation of literature at the academy, especially to young people who were likely to be deployed in a war zone after the start of the Iraq War. She makes a strong case for her subject area which gives her students the freedom to explore their own feelings. This is different from the other aspects of their West Point experience where they are expected to obey and where they face regimentation in all facets of their military training.

She also has some interesting thoughts about women in the military and her own role, which falls outside that of female cadet, officer or military spouse.