She, Myself & I by Whitney Gaskell


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this one. Told from three different perspectives, you still get to see what is happening in everyone's lives. Three very different stages in life - dating, marriage, children - but all with common themes of fear, loneliness, regret, joy and desire. Great read.

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Straight Talking: A Novel by Jane Green


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This was one of those books where I found myself wanting to scream at the characters. Thank God she was in therapy, or I might have lost my mind. A great story of love, lust and relationships. Fairly accurate look at the life of a single woman looking for love.

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Three Junes by Julia Glass


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
My first Julia Glass book. It took me a while to get into it. I found myself falling in love with a line here or there, but not really caring about the story. Until the second part. Then I really dove in and fell in love. I couldn't wait to see what would happen, how the characters would resolve their feelings, what mysteries would be uncovered and if characters from the earlier parts would reappear. Highly recommend it.

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Mr. Monk and The Two Assistants by Lee Goldberg


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Love the Monk books. This is very much the way I imagined this reunion going.

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Andrew Greer's book is complex, layered and transcends the time it was written in. But you need that time frame to truly appreciate the story.

I struggled to connect with the characters at first. I couldn't envision where the story was going. But once I pushed past that, I was very glad I did. I uncovered a fantastic story with a woman whose strength, passion, desire and loyalty are quite admirable.

A true love story.

The Last Summer by Ann Brashares


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really really loved this book. More than two months later - I find myself replaying it in my head. The character development, the struggle, the anguish- Ann Brashares did an excellent job of making it real.

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Listened to it on my ipod. A fun read. Nice to see some familiar characters in a different setting.

Mr. Monk and the Dirty Cop by Lee Goldberg


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The Monk books are fun. I love the characters and I love the stories. This one doesn't disappoint.

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Mr. Monk and The Blue Flu by Lee Goldberg


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Love the Monk books. I can feel the struggle Monk has in this one - desire to be back on the force combined with friendship and loyalty. Also the introduction of the other crazy ex-cops = awesome!

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Dune Road by Jane Green


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Jane Green's newest book is thoroughly enjoyable. She seamlessly tells the story of a group of people through many different eyes. Highly recommend it.

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Mr. Monk Goes to the Firehouse by Lee Goldberg


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Love the Monk books. While I could do without the dog dying in this one - still a great book.

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Mr. Monk is Miserable by Lee Goldberg


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Love the Monk books. The detail of the catacombs in this one is way cool.

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Mr. Monk Goes to Germany by Lee Goldberg


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Love the Monk books. This one doesn't disappoint - I love whenever we delve into the Trudy mystery.

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I enjoyed this one. A classic single girl trying to fine love, but still enjoyable.

From the authors site: http://www.karen-white.com/books.shtml




Practical Melanie Middleton hates to admit she can see ghosts. But she’s going to have to accept it. An old man she recently met has died, leaving her his historic Tradd Street home, complete with housekeeper, dog—and a family of ghosts anxious to tell her their secrets.

Enter Jack Trenholm, a gorgeous writer obsessed with unsolved mysteries. He has reason to believe that diamonds from the Confederate Treasury are hidden in the house. So he turns the charm on with Melanie, only to discover he’s the smitten one...

It turns out Jack’s search has caught the attention of a malevolent ghost. Now, Jack and Melanie must unravel a mystery of passion, heartbreak—and even murder.


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Karen White's books are full of heart and love. By the end of The House on Tradd Street - I wanted to restore an old house in Charleston. Looking forward to the sequel!

From the author's site (http://www.sarahaddisonallen.com/the_sugar_queen.html)




Josey Cirinni is sure of three things: winter is her favorite season, she’s a sorry excuse for a Southern belle, and her passion for the man she loves is best kept a secret, even from him. Josey has grudgingly settled into an uneventful life in her mother’s house, but her one consolation is the secret stockpile of sugary treats and paperback romances she keeps in her closet. One morning, she opens her closet for a sweet, but finds Della Lee Baker hiding there instead. Della Lee is a local waitress on the run who is one part nemesis—and two parts fairy godmother. Under Della Lee's guidance, Josey is soon living in a world where the color red has startling powers, and passion is so real it can make eggs fry in their cartons. And that’s just for starters.

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Loved it, loved it, loved it! I adore her books and the light magical touch running through them. This one didn't disappoint.

From the authors site (http://www.janegreen.com/index.php/books/bookends/)




On the heels of her national bestsellers Jemima J and Mr. Maybe, British sensation Jane Green delivers a sparkling tale of old friends reunited and old jealousies rekindled.

Catherine Warner and Simon Nelson are best friends: total opposites, always together, and both unlucky in love. Cath is scatterbrained, messy, and — since she had her heart broken a few years back — emotionally closed off. Si is impossibly tidy, bitchy, and desperate for a man of his own. They live in London’s West Hampstead along with their lifelong friends, Josh and Lucy, who are happily married with a devil-spawn child and a terrifying Swedish nanny, Ingrid.

All’s well (sort of) until the sudden arrival of a college friend — the stunningly beautiful Portia, who’s known for breaking hearts. Though they’ve grown up and grown apart from Portia, the four friends welcome her back into the fold. But does Portia have a hidden agenda or is she merely looking to reconnect with old friends? Her reappearance soon unleashes a rollicking series of events that tests the foursome’s friendships to the limit and leaves them wondering if a happy ending is in store.

Fortunately, Cath has plenty to take her mind off Portia’s schemes — like her gutsy decision to leave her job in advertising to fulfill her dream of opening a bookstore. And then there’s James, the sexy real-estate agent who keeps dropping by even after the bookstore deal is done. With his irresistible smile and boyish charm could he be the one to melt Cath’s heart?

Told with Jane Green’s captivating wit and flare, Bookends is above all a story about friendship — its twists, turns and complications-and how it weathers the challenges of love, ambition, marriage, and, most of all, growing up. Warmhearted, sophisticated, and full of delicious surprises, Bookends is Green’s most dazzling novel yet.


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I really enjoy the way she is able to tell a story about so many people. While this one is all from Cath's point of view - you still really get a feel for the other characters. I also love a story that keeps me guessing to the very end.

Mr. Monk in Outer Space by Lee Goldberg


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The Monk books are so much fun. Loved the satirical banter about TV Sci Fi in this one.

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From the author's site: http://www.emilygiffin.com/lovetheone.html





The New York Times bestselling author of SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMETHING BLUE, and BABY PROOF delivers another captivating, straight-from-the heart novel. This is a story for everyone who has ever wondered: How can I truly love the one I'm with, when I can't forget the one who got away?

Ellen and Andy's marriage doesn't just seem perfect, it is perfect. There is no question how deep their devotion is, and how naturally they bring out the best in each other. But one fateful afternoon, Ellen runs into Leo for the first time in eight years. Leo, the one who brought out the worst in her. Leo, the one who left her heartbroken with no explanation. Leo, the one she could never quite forget. When his reappearance ignites long-dormant emotions, Ellen begins to question whether the life she’s living is the one she's meant to live. LOVE THE ONE YOU'RE WITH is a powerful story about one woman at the crossroads of true love and real life.

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Very enjoyable. I found myself wanting to scream at the main character and tell her how stupid she was behaving. But she figured it out on her own.

From author's site (http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/thehost.html)




Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away.

Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy. Humans become hosts for these invaders, their minds taken over while their bodies remain intact and continue their lives apparently unchanged. Most of humanity has succumbed.

When Melanie, one of the few remaining "wild" humans is captured, she is certain it is her end. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, was warned about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the glut of senses, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Wanderer probes Melanie's thoughts, hoping to discover the whereabouts of the remaining human resistance. Instead, Melanie fills Wanderer's mind with visions of the man Melanie loves—Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she has been tasked with exposing. When outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off on a dangerous and uncertain search for the man they both love.

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Reread it. Actually, listened to it on the ipod with the husband. His first foray into her novels. His assessment was similar to mine - long, drawn out, elements of unrealistic drama. But not a bad story.