Author: bookhound

This Rough Magic

by Mary Stewart, 1964 Lucy visits her sister on the Isle of Corfu. A dolphin swims with her – she and Max save it, fall in love, solve the mystery of the near death of Spiro and the death of Yanni (not a main character). What beautifully written details – the walk down through pine […]

Scarlet Feather

by Maeve Binchy, 2001 Irish-Dublin-Tom & Cathy start dream catering business and they are the best. They both are with others (Marcella & Neil) but end up together at the end. Yahoo! Neil is a jerk and so is his family – the Mitchell’s. Marcella wants to be a model but at 25, finds out […]

The Pilot’s Wife

by Anita Shreve, 1999 Page-turner. Pilot’s wife coping with his death in plane crash – mystery – was it a bomb or suicide – set in New Hampshire coast – plane crashed in ocean off Ireland. Turns out he had a secret marriage and 2 kids in Ireland – and it was IRA involvement that […]

In This Mountain

by Jan Karon, 2001 Pastor Tim hits a man and his dog due to diabetic shock – kills the dog, man is okay – Baptist pastor – nice guy! Never thanks Hessie Mayhew for the gorgeous arrangement she brought him. He gave to head nurse. I don’t know about that – oversight on Jan Karon’s […]

The Glass Lake

by Maeve Binchy, 1994 757 pages – Helen McMahon disappears from Lough Glass leaving her husband and 2 kids. Kit, her daughter, finds a note to Martin & burns it – it was a suicide note, Kit thought – but it really wasn’t – it was an explanation to Martin from Helen of why she […]

Ladder of Years

by Anne Tyler, 1995 Delia Grinstead, married to Sam, a family doctor; three kids, walks away from them while on a beach vacation. Ends up living in a new town, Bay Borough, for a year and a half. Comes back for daughter’s wedding – ends up staying. Couldn’t put down (helped that we had snow […]

The Year of Pleasures

by Elizabeth Berg, 2005 What a quick read! Bette Nolan loses her husband, John, to cancer. Leaves Boston, drives to Midwest, picks a town, a house, starts a new life. Opens a store, ‘What A Woman Wants,’ renews friendship with 3 old college roommates. Doesn’t open store until the very end. Great book! Loved all […]

A New Song

by Jan Karon, 1999 Cynthia and Father Kavanaugh go to island church on White Cap. Frenchwoman, Helene Pringle, rents the rectory in Mitford – steals the angel. Is an heir of the Baxter’s. Morris Love, organist with Turrette’s Syndrome and deformities – starts out as enemy, becomes friend, comes to Jesus.

Death in Cypress

by M. M. Kaye, 1984 Wonderful mystery set on the Isle of Cyprus in the 1940’s. Loved the characters of Steve and Amanda. Love story intertwined in a mystery. Amanda is young, beautiful, and stays with Miss Moon in Kyrenia in the Villa Oleander. One person is murdered in the drawing room after another was […]

My Sister’s Keeper

by Jodi Picoult, 2003 Interesting: One sister, Kate, has leukemia, and Anna is born to be her donor. Anna decides to go to a lawyer to sue for the rights to her own body when they want her kidney. Loved the lawyer, Campbell Alexander, and his dog, Judge, a seizure dog.

Marley & Me*

by John Grogan, 2005 *Life and love with the world’s worst dog Loved this book! It’s a memoir describing John Grogan’s early adulthood, getting a yellow lab puppy, meeting his wife, raising this yellow lab who is the world’s worst dog, finding a home, having children, and all the while growing up with this dog. 

Three Short Novels

by Wendell Berry, 2002 Wonderful writer (Wayne’s Uncle Bob’s favorite writer and became Wayne’s favorite writer). 1. Nathan Coulter; 2. Remembering (Andy Catlett loses his arm); 3. A World Lost (Uncle Andrew’s murder)

Years

by LaVyrle Spencer, 1986 Long novel about 1917-1919 young girl named Linnea, goes to small wheat farming community to be the school teacher. Falls in love with Theodore – 35 years old.