Cora agrees to go to NY as young Louise Brooks’ chaperone. Louise is 17 and has a crack at stardom. Cora has some very personal reasons for wanting to return to the city of her birth. Of course both characters discover that life doesn’t always go according to plan – whether we live on the edge or in the box. Novel is suspensful and wise – characters have width and breadth – nothing too dramatic so a slice of real life woven all the way through. ‘Tis a great read!

Meet Alice Buckley: Middle-aged, disgruntled, teenagers, disengaged husband and a couple of unsightly chin hairs springing up – nothing really wrong but nothing really right. Alice agrees to participate in an on-line marriage satisfaction quiz – the plot is filled with unexpected twists and turns. Alice is positively delightful, witty, wise, sharp, engaging … I LOVED this book … (and, no, I am no longer disgruntled!!!!)

One more in a whole slew of Inspector Brunetti detective series – light, fun, good ending, good dialogue, set in Venice with all of its intrigue …

Another fabulous read by Donna Morrissey. This woman has depth, breadth and humour and her characters reflect the same. Her novels all take place in Canada’s East and the setting is as important as the characters. Livvy, the novel’s protagonist, has spent a lifetime burying some haunting secrets from her past (I do love those haunting secrets – don’t we all harbour them?) – she is at the end of that life and is being revisited by the past forcing her to come to terms with her ghosts – especially the ghost of her young self whom she fears she lost along the way.

“Can’t imagine spending my life staking out enemies, then finding in the end there weren’t none, only my own fool heart.” How wise is that????

Sarah lives in the Australian outback at the turn of the century and is struggling her way through family secrets and social mores of her time and culture. She is a feisty, courageous young women who is unafraid to ask the difficult questions to which there are no easy answers. What I loved about the book is that the characters and decisions they make are so believable and in the end, no pat answers are offered – a great read!

I couldn’t put this book down and felt bereft as I turned the last page. I fell in love with Harold Fry – this ordinary, simple, seemingly failed 66 year old man who went to mail a note to “Queenie” and ended up walking 600 miles to say goodbye to her. This is the story of that journey – into his heart and mind and soul. The book is funny and heartbreaking, the ending hopefilled and the characters so utterly like you and I you will want to walk 600 miles just to make sure you “get it”.

Eleanor (I think that’s her name – don’t have the book anymore) – has a journal that allows her peeks into future events – particularly those that affect her life. She decides to put her faith in it and lives her life according to the predictions it makes. The story raises the questions of free will versus predestination or are they inextricably (good word, eh?) linked? A wise and intelligent book that keeps you hooked up to the last page. I loved Eleanor’s courage and grit and fearlessness in the face of her fears …

This is the meringue on the lemon meringue pie of books – light, airy, fun, believably unbelievable – will keep you hooked and giggling all the while knowing that the plot is absolutely fantastical (but, who cares, really???) – and, really, if there is a man like Julian Ashford out there could you PLEASE give me call? (Don’t tell Bill)

Aside: I don’t do the music recommendations but if you’ve never heard to the New Lightweights it is well worth a listen to – they don’t have a cd out but a few tunes that are terrific

I think he’s been around for a while but this is my first “Arthur Beauchamp” mystery – Arthur is a witty, dissipated, lovable lawyer who is revisiting a case that went awry when he was but 25 (he’s now 70’ish). The case centres around what Arthur believes was a wrongful conviction but we’re never quite certain about that. Thought I had it figured out several times but I didn’t (kinda like me and the rubrics cube!) – the ending was satisfying and plausible indeed.

I love all of her books – this is a sequel to Whistling in the Dark but you don’t have to read one to appreciate the other. Characters are wise, witty and quirky but absolutely believable. Main character is 10 year old sassy Sally O’Malley. She leads us through her summer – it is a maze of challenges that she faces with wit and aplomb – and she even gets to resolve a few mysteries along the way. Light but not at all flaky!