Dragonflight – Anne McCaffrey

Dragonflight is the first book in the acclaimed Dragonriders of Pern novels by Anne McCaffrey. The first segment of the book won a Hugo award in 1968, and the second part won a Nebula award. Dragonflight takes place on a planet called Pern. The world of Pern has a complex social system of Holders (sort of like Kings), Crafters (blacksmiths, musicians, weavers, etc.), and Weyrfolk (riders of dragons and protectors of Pern). At their hatching, the huge dragons bond with humans. Together the dragons and their riders share a telepathic communication. In this first book it’s been 400 years since … Continue reading →

Firstborn – Robin Lee Hatcher

“Firstborn” is my favorite Robin Lee Hatcher novel to date. It’s written in a way that reaches the reader’s heart on a very personal level, and it made me feel as though I were there. When Erika was sixteen, she fell madly in love with Steven Welby. They spent every minute of an entire summer together, and when he left to go to college, she thought her heart would break. Out of loneliness, she and his best friend made a mistake – they sought comfort from each other, and Erika became pregnant. No one knew but her grandmother. They arranged … Continue reading →

Organizing From the Inside Out – Julie Morgenstern

I first read Organizing from the Inside Out about eight years ago. As a mother of three little boys, I was desperate to find a system that would help me keep our house in order. And I will say that except for the toys, the areas I organized with her plan are still fairly organized eight years later. I think it’s because we really thought out what we wanted and needed in those spaces, and we labeled them. Morgenstern believes that clutter can be caused by technical errors, external realities, and psychological obstacles. Technical errors are things like items having … Continue reading →

The Confession – Beverly Lewis

I first encountered Beverly Lewis when I read “The Shunning,” the first book in The Heritage of Lancaster County series. I’ve always been curious about the Amish but never knew much about them, and “The Shunning” helped broaden my understanding, although the book does portray a stricter order than actually practiced by many. When I saw “The Confession” at the library the other day, I was more than happy to pick it up and continue my look into the life of Katie Lapp, the Amish girl who discovered at the end of “The Shunning” that she’s not Amish at all, … Continue reading →

How Clean Is Your House – Kim Woodburn and Aggie MacKenzie

Guess what I found at the library? Those ladies from the How Clean Is Your House TV show have a book! The How Clean Is Your House? book is subtitled “Hundreds of handy tips to make your home sparkle”. And the book is just that. It first introduces Aggie MacKenzie and Kim Woodburn and explains how they ended up cleaning Brittan’s filthiest homes. There’s a quick quiz to see if you are a filth offender. Then “the girls” explain what is in their own essential cleaning kits. And like in the show, they use environmentally and people friendly products like … Continue reading →

After the Rains – Deborah Raney

We first met Nate and Daria when I reviewed “Beneath a Southern Sky,” about a couple who goes to Columbia to serve as missionaries. In “After the Rains,” it’s now seventeen years later and their daughter, Natalie, is in high school. She’s feeling confused about her mother’s remarriage to Cole, and wishes she had a closer relationship to her father, Nate, who is still in Columbia. She’s confused about who she is and how she fits into her family, and when her stepsister is asked to Homecoming by the boy she’s been in love with forever, she’s even further confused. … Continue reading →

Lady Luck’s Map of Vegas

Lady Luck’s Map of Vegas sounds like it would be a book about gambling and Vegas, but it’s not. It’s really about mother and daughter relationships, family secrets, and a search for not only a lost daughter but lost selves. The author, Barbara Samuel, is a multiple RITA award winner and has written over twenty-five books including women’s fiction and historical and contemporary romances. India is a 40 year old web designer involved in a purposefully uncommitted romance. Gypsy, her identical twin sister is a schizophrenic artist. Their mother, Eldora, is still beautiful and flirtatious at sixty something. When their … Continue reading →

Really Something – Shirley Jump

Normally, I’m not a big fan of romance. But I do like Shirley Jump’s books. They always have a touch of humor and the books are always about more than just a love story. In Really Something, Allie returns to her small hometown in Indiana to scout it for her independent film company. The movie company specializes in horror films and is named Chicken Flicks. See what I mean about the humor? In the years Allie Dean has been gone she’s lost 170 pounds. She’s anxious to prove herself to her boss, move on with her life after a divorce, … Continue reading →

Coffee Rings – Yvonne Lehman

Christian novel “Coffee Rings” by Yvonne Lehman incorporated many of the elements I like in a good story. We have three main characters who were brought together by a tragedy years ago, and they each moved away to try to put the past behind them. However, they all eventually came back, knowing they couldn’t escape it forever. Annette is an attractive redhead who owns a sandwich shop situated in a charming Victorian home. She was widowed young and has been making a life for herself, but now she has a chance to love again, with handsome and distinguished Curt, who … Continue reading →

Restoree – Anne McCaffrey

Anne McCaffrey is probably best known for her fantasy series Dragonriders of Pern series, but she’s written many more wonderful books based on other worlds. Restoree came out in in 1967 and was McCafffrey’s first published book. McCaffrey changed the field of science fiction and fantasy with her strong female characters. In Restoree, Sara is a twenty-one year old woman who recently left home for New York City. In Central Park she is abducted by an alien race, the Mil. The Mil skin their captures alive. Other than traces of light, inexplicable things, and nightmare, that’s all she remembers for … Continue reading →