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"'It is often in the space between things we think are irreconcilably different that the most interesting connections are made. That space is where poems live.' Orly a young child, and our heroine lives through the earliest scenes of Hitler's bewildering regime as it tore apart her family home, the place she is growing into a person living inside a community unit she knows and depends on with its love, a love which propels her to survive into a new world.

"London Rose turns down a marriage proposal to start a new job as social director on a Hungarian river cruise. For London, travel 'is life itself.' While London is adjusting to the challenges of her new job, a greater challenge confronts her, solving the murder of a passenger before she is charged with the crime. A fast paced, enjoyable read enhanced by descriptions of the sites of Hungary." - E. Pasquali

3/4 stars.

"Best friends, Mona and Vicki, start their own business selling their jam and honey products. When their shop burns down, and a neighbor, Collin MacInroy, is found dead in the shop’s basement, the police have a case of arson and murder on their hands. Vicki’s brother, Leo, is the police investigator, and Mona is the prime suspect. An engaging, fast read." - E Pasquali

2/4 stars.

"This is the latest book in a series about Hannah Swenson, who runs a cookie shop and solves mysteries. Come for the murders but stay for the recipes. The title one sounds fantastic and there are over two dozen more recipes sprinkled throughout the story." - N. McGill

3/4 stars.

"The story of the selling of a Catskill resort in the 1960's. This nostalgia tale tells of the change of traditions, when families ran to the Catskills for the summer to escape the heat of NYC. It tells the story of the Goldmans and Weingold families each with their own memories of their experiences at the hotel. It is a nice read, especially if you grew up in the 60s." - C. Daley

3/4 stars.

"Anna Qu makes herself open and vulnerable in her memoir. It was heartbreaking to read about the lack of love her mother showed for her. At the age of five, her mother leaves her in China to be taken care of by her grandparents while her mother moves to America to achieve the American dream. Once she is finally reunited with her mom, she has no relationship with her mother and feels inferior to her half siblings.

"A short and fast read with an ending I never predicted. It starts out with a newly married couple, and the husband disappears after the company he works for is in trouble with the FBI. The wife and her 16 year old step daughter have to work past the struggles in their relationship to work together to solve his disappearance and determine his innocence. The book truly shows the love of a parent/step-parent." - J. Cipolla

4/4 stars.

"The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is a most engaging book about 69 year old man whose wife has just died. He finds a charm bracelet among her belongings and seeks to discover the meaning of each charm. This leads to adventures around the world and a complete change in Arthur and his relationships." - L. Gerber

4/4 stars.

"This is the third novel in the award-winning Ellery Hathaway crime/mystery series. FBI agent Reed Markham is haunted by one painful unsolved mystery - who murdered his mother while he was still an infant? He has reopened the cold case, and enlisted the help of Ellery Hathaway (current police officer; former child abduction victim whom he rescued many years earlier) in solving this case. Ellery, meanwhile, is grappling with her own troubles, including attempts by her biological father to reconnect.

"The wife of an abusive man from a political dynasty with strong ambitions of his own. A young woman with a tough childhood who was expelled from Berkeley and turned to making drugs for a dangerous man. What do these two women have in common? Both have a strong desire to leave their lives behind and start afresh. A chance meeting at an airport and a last-minute decision to switch tickets may be the key... until one of the planes crashes and turns their plans upside down.

"The year is 1792 in this historical romantic novel, set in high society in London. Every April, all the ambitious mothers whose sole aim is to find a very suitable bachelor for their debutante daughters, have these beautiful balls and teas. They must have wealth and be a high ranking family in society, perhaps a duke. The Bridgerton Family has 8 children. Their daughter, Daphne, is ready to go out to as many parties as she can, always having her mother to be her chaperone. She meets Simon, not knowing he’s a duke.

"A perfect Cozy Mystery. I had never read this author before, but did so on another recommendation here. It had your typical clichés (4 women hiding from their pasts come together to build an unbreakable friendship, hunky paramedic and amateur sleuthing) but a few surprises at the end." - C. D'Orazio

4/4 stars.

"Premise is 'Same Time, Next Year.' Enjoyable beach read with a little bit of a tough ending." - A. Barrone

4/4 stars.

"I'd been a fan of Jodi Picoult in the late 1990's, but I hadn't read anything she's written in recent years because her writing became too formulaic and less appealing. I'm surprised I bothered finishing her new novel, The Book of Two Ways. I gave one star because she did fairly well addressing the topic of death. But the story included boring bits of information about Egyptian burials and quantum physics, had sections which were entirely unrealistic, and the inconclusive ending was unsatisfying. Overall, it was not worth my time." - D.