There are millions of books out there to read, but how do you chose? Judy has been posting on FB some goodreads, both interesting & inspiring. I've read most of the ones she's suggested & they are really good!  Karen

             

The name of this book is IF THE CREEK DON'T RISE by Leah Weiss. In this wonderful book, we explore the worlds of people who live in Appalachia in the 1970s. Each character writes a chapter or two about his/her life there. We meet the new schoolteacher, the minister of the church, a young girl who marries the local bad boy and bully, some of the local characters, etc. All of these stories are tied together by shared experiences. It is beautifully written in the vernacular of Appalachia. This is the author's first book, but hopefully not her last.

 

 

THE LATE SHOW

I just finished Michael Connelly's new book called THE LATE SHOW. It introduces a new character--a woman cop named Rene Ballard. Most of you are probably familiar with this author because he has written at least 35 books through the years. In my estimation, he's never failed to write a good story. This is a police procedural, with a couple twists in it, and I enjoyed it a lot.

         

 

Judy says, "Thanks to Sue Buchan for telling me about this wonderful story. The name of this book is FORTY AUTUMNS by Nina Willner".
This is a non-fiction book that portrays "A family's story of courage and survival on both sides of the Berlin wall". A family in Germany ended up in East Berlin when the Soviets took control of the eastern part of Germany and established a very brutal and repressive rule. A teenage girl from the family ends up escaping, in spite of the wall, and goes to the West. She does not see her relatives again until the early 1960s when Gorbachev tears the wall down and ends the nightmares of the German citizens. I learned a lot about this subject, and it was a terrific story.

                       
                            

 

    THE GIRLS IN THE PICTURE

     

Recommended book: THE GIRLS IN THE PICTURE by Melanie Benjamin. I received an autographed, ARC copy of this book from a couple of nice ladies in town. It is the story of movie actress Mary Pickford, her husband Douglas Fairbanks, and dear friend Frances Marion. It is 1914 when the book begins, and we meet Mary and her family trying to earn a living as child actors on the stage. We learn about the beginning of "movies" and how Mary gets her start in them. I thought the section on the beginning of "talkies" was fascinating. We take all that for granted. The book takes us all the way to 1969 when Mary is an old woman confined to her home--but a woman with wonderful memories of a stellar career to look back on.. This book will not be released until January 16, 2018, but it is worth waiting for.

                         
 Defending Jacob
 

                                                               

DEFENDING JACOB by William Landay.  This book was published in 2012, and I now have read it 3 times.  It explores the idea that there is a "murder gene" that is passed down through families.  Fourteen-year-old Jacob Barber is accused of killing a classmate, and the evidence seems pretty strong against him.  His father is a well-known DA in Boston, and he and his wife are desperate to see Jacob free of this murder charge.  The ending is shocking and unexpected.

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

                                     
I just finished the book BEFORE WE WERE YOURS by Lisa Wingate. The beginning of this story is 1939 in Memphis, TN. We meet the Foss family who live on a shanty boat that cruises the river. The four younger siblings lived aboard the boat--the oldest, Rill, is only 12 years old. One night Rill is left in charge, when a group of strangers come and round up the kids and take them to The Tennessee Children's Home Society--an orphanage in Memphis, TN. What follows is an unbelievable story of love, loss, secrets, and redemption. This book is historical fiction because this orphanage actually existed during this time and was a brutal place. Actually, a few times it was a little hard to read for this reason. I will have to investigate other books by this author. 

TWO GOOD DOGS BY SUSAN WILSON

                                       

"Do you enjoy a good dog story?  I just read TWO GOOD DOGS by Susan Wilson.  This story takes place in the Berkshire Hills at a rather run-down hotel called LakeView.  Skye Mitchell is a single mother and the owner of the hotel, and Cody is her teenage daughter.  Two formerly mistreated dogs end up at the hotel with a mix of people which includes two new friends, Adam and Mingo.  This is a heart-warming story whether you love dogs or just like them. 

A MAN OF HIS OWN BY SUSAN WILSON

  
Another book by this author is:  A MAN OF HIS OWN which is about a soldier who fought in WWII with a dog called Pax by his side.  The two have developed such a deep bond that when he returns home, he brings Pax back; but the people who owned him first want him back.  Wilson has written a few other dog stories too, and I've enjoyed them all".