Reading - A Wallflower Christmas

 

A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas

 

 

Rafe Bowman has just arrived from America for his arranged meeting with Natalie, the very proper and beautiful daughter of Lady and Lord Blandford. His chiseled good looks and imposing physique are sure to impress the lady-in-waiting, and if it weren't for his shocking American ways and wild reputation, her hand would already be guaranteed. Before the courtship can begin, Rafe realizes he must learn the rules of London society. But when four former Wallflowers try their hand at matchmaking, no one knows what will happen…

Winning a bride turns out to be more complicated than Rafe Bowman anticipated, especially for a man accustomed to getting anything he wants. However, Christmas works in the most unexpected ways, changing a cynic to a romantic…and inspiring passion in the most timid of hearts.

Reading - Holes

Holes by Louis Sachar

 

 

Stanley Yelnat'sfamily has a history of bad luch, so he isn't too surprised when a miscarriage of justice sends him to a boys' juvenile detention center, Camp Green Lake.  But there is no lake -  it has been dry for over a hundred years - and it's hardly a camp: as punishment, the boys must each dig a hole a day, five feet deep, five feet across, in the hard earth of the dried-up lake bed.  The warden claims that this pointless labor builds character, nut this's a lie.  Stanley must try to dig up the truth.

Reading - Lethal

Lethal by Sandra Brown

 

 

 

When her four year old daughter informs her a sick man is in their yard, Honor Gillette rushes out to help him. But that "sick" man turns out to be Lee Coburn, the man accused of murdering seven people the night before. Dangerous, desperate, and armed, he promises Honor that she and her daughter won't be hurt as long as she does everything he asks. She has no choice but to accept him at his word.

But Honor soon discovers that even those close to her can't be trusted. Coburn claims that her beloved late husband possessed something extremely valuable that places Honor and her daughter in grave danger. Coburn is there to retrieve it -- at any cost. From FBI offices in Washington, D.C., to a rundown shrimp boat in coastal Louisiana, Coburn and Honor run for their lives from the very people sworn to protect them, and unravel a web of corruption and depravity that threatens not only them, but the fabric of our society.

Reading - Smooth Talking Stranger

 

Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas

 

 

 

Billionaire playboy, and all-around ladies' man, Jake Travis has a reputation as big as the
state of Texas. He drives too fast, lives too hard, and loves too many women to count.

In her advice column, and her love life, Ella Varner is always practical. So when she's left holding her reckless sister's baby, she decides to ask Jake Travis to take a paternity test.

Ella is instantly struck by Jake's bold good looks and easy charm--but she's not falling for his sweet talk. This big sexy tomcat needs to take responsibility for his actions, and Ella's making him stick to his word. Now if she can only ignore the unspoken attraction that smolders between them…

Reading - Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor

 

Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas

 

 

 

One rain-slicked night, six-year-old Holly lost the only parent she knew, her beloved mother Victoria. And since that night, she has never again spoken a word.

The last thing Mark Nolan needs is a six-year-old girl in his life. But he soon realizes that he will do everything he can to make her life whole again. His sister's will gives him the instructions: There's no other choice but you. Just start by loving her. The rest will follow.

Maggie Collins doesn't dare believe in love again, after losing her husband of one year. But she does believe in the magic of imagination. As the owner of a toy shop, she lives what she loves. And when she meets Holly Nolan, she sees a little girl in desperate need of a little magic.
Three lonely people. Three lives at the crossroads. Three people who are about to discover that Christmas is the time of year when anything is possible, and when wishes have a way of finding the path home…

Reading - It's Like This, Cat

 It's Like This, Cat by Emily Neville

 

A Junior Fiction

 

 

My father is always talking about how a dog can be very educational for a boy. This is one reason I got a cat.

Dave Mitchell and his father yell at each other a lot, and whenever the fighting starts, Dave's mother gets an asthma attack. That's when Dave storms out of the house. Then Dave meets Tom, a strange boy who helps him rescue Cat. It isn't long before Cat introduces Dave to Mary, a wonderful girl from Coney Island. Slowly Dave comes to see the complexities in people's lives and to understand himself and his family a little better.

Reading - Gathering Blue

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

A Junior Fiction

 

 

Kira, an orphan with a twisted leg, lives in a world where the weak are cast aside.  She fears for her future until she is spared by the all-powerful Council of Guardians.  Kira is a gifted waver and is assigned a task that no other community member can carry out.  Though her talent keeps her alive and brings certain privileges, Kira soon realizes mysteries and secrets surround her.  No one must know of her plans to uncover the truth about her world - and to find out what exists beyond it.

Reading - Queenie

Queenie by Alice Munro

 

When Queenie elopes with a recently widowed neighbour her family are uniformly shocked, and a window on adult life and relationships is opened for her step-sister. A summertime stay with the newlyweds in Toronto yields further insight into the lives of couples, but also causes confusion.

Reading - Gone Girl

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

 

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

Reading - Son

Son by Lois Lowry

A Junior Fiction

 

They called her Water Claire. When she washed up on their shore, no one knew that she came from a society where emotions and colors didn’t exist. That she had become a Vessel at age thirteen. That she had carried a Product at age fourteen. That it had been stolen from her body. Claire had a son. But what became of him she never knew. What was his name? Was he even alive? She was supposed to forget him, but that was impossible. Now Claire will stop at nothing to find her child, even if it means making an unimaginable sacrifice.