Bad Animals is an interesting book. The main character Mauve has an obsessive personality. As a librarian she has been writing to an author for years, wanting him to come to her library. Many letters sent even though he does not respond. But then she does meet him. There is an incident with a teenager accusing her of a wrongdoing. Mauve is proved innocent but then is let go due to budget cuts. She becomes obsessed thinking about this girl, trying to find her, actually to help her. She also wants to help a young refugee from Sudan. It is a fast moving book. A lot is going on. The reader immediately realizes Mauve has an odd personality. An emotional book about a woman trying to figure out her life and trying to do too much. It does have a surprising ending!

Two witches, two sisters, the year is 1677. Minna and Kaija live in Finnmark, Norway. The story begins with the death of their grandmother. She did not die burned at the stake, as their mother did thirteen years ago, but peacefully in her sleep. They have been living in the wild with their grandmother. Now Kaija wants to leave and return to the village. She says, the village I have to go. Not knowing her sister has already left Minna casts a spell on the village. Revenge is sweet like no other. Cast to those who burned my mother. Minna now lives alone in the wild. Kaija, in the village, is trying to fit in, disguised so no one will recognize her from years ago. There are many heartbreaking consequences from Minna's evil spell. If you enjoy books about the occult you will enjoy this book. Well written and a fast read, hard to put down!

Bucky a young Korean American high school senior is arrested. He is considered an immigrant and is deported from Washington State the only home he knows. He is put on a plane to South Korea. He knows nothing of South Korea, no knowledge of the land or the language. His attorney says think of it as a short vacation! But vacation it is not! His goal is to return to the United States, attend college and play football. The author takes Bucky and us on a wild ride. It is amazing what he goes through trying to return home. It is a fast read, hard to put down. A well written book. I know book clubs will have a lot to discuss.

Reading the first sentence of this novel I knew this was a beautifully written book and it did not disappoint. It was also an excellent character driven book. I bonded with Alice Young immediately. She is a young woman who has left her hometown after her remaining parent dies. She gets on a bus hoping to arrive in Chicago where she thinks her sister lives. Not having enough money for the fare her destination is Birmingham.

However before arriving there she gets off the bus at New Jessup. This is an all black town and she decides to stay. In this town the people welcome and embrace her. She has a job as a seamstress, has a small place to live and falls in love with a wonderful man. She is a strong young woman and this is a story of the love for her husband and also the courage to protect him when she finds out he and some friends are involved with something that could hurt him his friends and family, and could possibly banished them from town.

I enjoyed this book. It took place in Alabama in the 1950's, and I was happy to read about this town and the people. This will be a good book for book clubs to discuss.

After many tries Patsy has been given a visa. Finally she is leaving Jamaica and going to America where her best friend is living. Going to the land of opportunity and success. She is leaving behind her six year old daughter. Once there she realizes her friend has changed and she is on her own. This is the story of her struggle in America and her daughter's struggle being abandoned my her mother and now living with a father she barely knows and his family. Heartbreaking but beautifully written, the author ends with "In memory of the unsung stories of undocumented immigrants in search of trees with branches." Certainly a timely novel.

Cameron Harris is a paraplegic, paralyzed from the waist down,due to an accident in Afghanistan, while he was in the Army. He has been confined to a wheelchair for the past four years. His older sister Tanya is his caretaker and is extremely protective. One day wanting to be left outside the neighborhood convenience store while his sister shopped he all if a sudden stands and starts walking. Is this a miracle from God? Was his medical condition misdiagnosed ? Or has this all been a faux? These are the questions people are asking. This is an intriguing novel filled with interesting characters. Religious leaders, reality TV producers, his VA doctors and her colleagues and skeptics are all wanting answers. From current time the author takes us back to Cameron's stressful teen years and of course to his time in Afghanistan. I highly recommend this novel to book clubs. It brings up issues people are facing today. It will be an excellent book to discuss in your club .

During the past few years I have read many novels about World War II and I was not sure if I wanted to read another one, but I am glad that I did. Lena Woodward is a Holocaust survivor from Poland. She is now 89 years old. All her adult life she she been wondering what became of her best friend Karolina's twin daughters, that had to be abandoned during the war to save their lives. She hires a husband and wife team, Catherine Lockhart is an attorney and Liam Taggart is a private investigator. She needs Catherine because her only son is taking her to court, as he is claiming she can no longer take care of herself. He feels she is obsessed with finding these twins, that he thinks never existed and are just in her imagination. She needs Liam to find the twins for many reasons. From her conversations with Catherine we learn her devastating story, starting as a teenager with her father hiding her in the attic while her invalid younger brother and parents are being taken away by the Germans. Meanwhile Liam is searching for the twins who would now be in their 70's if they are still alive. This is a well written fast moving novel. I bonded with Lena and her story and liked the husband and wife team. I did not know until after I finished this book that this is # 3 in a mystery series about Catherine and Liam. I am now looking forward to reading #1 and #2.

Dan Cluchey is an excellent writer. This is his first novel. His many characters are a bit weird. I enjoyed how they interacted with one another. Rather then reading a novel it was like listening to conversations between friends, however odd friends. At one point in his novel he mentions Woody Allen and I immediately thought...yes these characters could be right out of a Woody Allen movie. Leo is the main character. When he graduates from law school his first job is to defend criminals on death row. This is s novel about Leo's relationships and struggles. It is a great read.

This novel is the sequel to Paula Brackston's novel The Witch's Daughter. The returning witch is Elizabeth. After a five year absence she is coming back to see Tegan at Willow Cottage. Tegan is the young woman that she had trained in the occult and thinks of her as a daughter. She is worried that Tegan is in danger. The worry is Gideon the evil warlock. A new delightful character is Erasmus, the Time Sleeper. He escorts Elizabeth through a time traveling journey looking for Tegan and Gideon. This novel is wonderfully written, once you start reading it is hard to put down. Suspenseful with characters you immediately care about. I recommend it as a novel you will enjoy.