While I found this book rather hard to follow, it did hold my attention. Sometimes I had to keep going back to what I had already read to try and figure out what exactly was going on and why. That makes it hard to get up to speed.

Emily Arsenault tells a story of Charlotte …more and Nora, two 11-year old friends, and Charlotte’s 16-year old babysitter, Rose. They take delight in dabbling in the supernatural, using old Time-Life books.

One day, Rose disappears. The girls try to uncover the mystery of her disappearance by using their paranormal interests, but an action by Nora causes her to leave the friendship. What follows is a troubling childhood and a suicide attempt when she’s in high school.

Sixteen years later, when Rose’s bones are found, Nora returns home, having left after graduating from high school.

Although she and Charlotte lost touch, Charlotte invites Nora to stay with her. While Charlotte is teaching at the high school, Nora starts looking through old copies of “The Looking Glass,” the high school literary magazine. She runs across some anonymous poems that start a process of her thinking about what really happened to Rose.

Meanwhile Charlotte wants to try again to ferret out the truth. Since Nora was the last person to see Rose alive, and after seeing the poems, Nora is drawn in again, but she battles with the unpleasant memories of her life after Rose’s disappearance.

Told from Nora’s viewpoint, Arsenault goes back and forth in time, from when Rose babysat the girls and to present time when they are trying to figure out what happened.

She throws in a few red herrings, and that makes for an interesting, but not quick, read. The pace goes slow, and that caused my attention to flag many times.
It picked up as the story started on the road to its conclusion, which was unexpected. It did, however, make sense by tying together all the loose ends floating around.

Arsenault tells an unusual story, and if readers stick with it, they will not find it a waste of time. (less)

This book is must reading for anyone who has a pet, has had a pet, or will have a pet.

Veterinarian Dr. Nick Trout’s accounting of his journey to veterinary medicine grabs the heartstrings and tickles the funny bone.

Written in the similar style as John Grogan who wrote …more Marley and Me, Trout tells hilarious tales such as the time his yellow lab, Meg, who has a propensity of making nightly raids on the trashcan, gets a turkey carcass with the “end” result being what one would expect – and much more.

Born, raised, and educated in England, Trout knew his father was an animal lover and followed James Harriott, author of All Creatures Great and Small.

While Trout wanted a puppy, his mother would have none of it. When his father brings home Patch, a German shepherd, the dog bonds with the father more than Trout, but his father takes Trout along on all the veterinarian visits, piquing Trout’s interest in veterinary medicine.

When Patch finally succumbs to age-related disease, Trout’s mother, much to the surprise to the family, brings home a black lab mix, Bess, a puppy who had gotten her head stuck in a fence. Within days, his father brings home Whiskey, a golden retriever puppy. They prove to be quite a spirited mix.

The family moves to Yorkshire Dales, mainly because Harriott lives close by and because the father hopes that Trout will choose farm animals as his specialty.

That is not to be. After graduating from The Royal College of Veterinary Medicine, and visiting the United States, Trout chooses to go to the states to practice.

Trout marries and therein follows a succession of animals, Reggie C. Cat, Sophie, a Jack Russell terrier, and the infamous Meg.

He intersperses stories of these pets along with those of his patients, his successes and failures, and how his relationship with his father and the family pets have shaped him as a husband, father, and veterinarian.

I can see this being made into a movie with Matt Damon, Colin Farrell, or Liev Schreiber as Trout.

Trout now and his family live in Boston where he is staff surgeon at Angell Animal Medical Center. (less)

Maybe it’s my age, perhaps a longing to return to the Christmases of my youth that made me connect with this book. I confess – I love thrillers, especially a good vampire read, but this simple book with the simple theme of loving each other and being non-judgmental really …more struck a chord with me.

I read almost half the book setting in the ophthalmalogist’s office (he was very slow!) and finished the rest in the next two days. While over-used, the term “heartwarming” perfectly describes this book.             

The Hobarts have it all – a beautiful home in Charlotte, North Carolina, the requisite BMW, three children who enjoy all the accoutrements the technological age can offer.

Wife Meg feels more and more, however, that something is missing. Her husband James is handsome, successful (obviously), but her life is so hectic that she has a color-coded appointment book to keep track of all the family’s comings and goings.
The two oldest children, 15 year old Lizzie, and 13-year old Will, seem to have no sense of values, and being grateful for what they have escapes them. Meanwhile, nine year-old Sam takes everything to heart, and is a worrier.

An unexpected turnaround puts the Hobarts with an Amish family during the holiday season-no computers, no cell phones, and no television. How they come to terms with their lives and their priorities will keep readers turning the pages.

Author Cynthia Keller did a wonderful researching the Amish and their way of life. It’s obvious she put her heart and soul into this book. (less)

This is a story of infidelity that occurs between two couples, formerly good friends. Ladd uses the points of view from each of the four characters which moves the story along and allows readers to connect with the characters. The story evolves from the first meeting of …more each character to each other, how they met as couples, and follows them through the affair.

Each chapter belongs to a spouse, although Ladd does toss in a couple of friends for another POV, which gives more depth both to the main characters and the story.
More than the betrayal of a spouse, “After the Fall” tells of a friendship torn apart, and how far the remnants scatter.
However, I could not get past the feeling that these were some of the most narcissistic, shallow people I'd ever known, and I really didn't care what happened to them. If this was Ladd's intent, she succeeded.
“A month after Kate had broken my heart, it still felt unmended.” This is spoken by Kate’s husband, Cary. Anyone who has been in love knows that one month is a drop in the bucket.
After the Fall qualifies as a great summer read and a good first effort by Ladd. (less)