THE FRIDAY NIGHT KNITTING CLUB By Kate Jacobs


This is a wonderful slice-of-life novel with all sorts of themes relating to friendship, hardship, growing up, women's support for one another and forgiveness to name a few.


The main character,Georgia Walker, is a "mompreneur" and owner of a knitting shop in New York called Walker and Daughter. She does indeed have a wonderful daughter, Dakota, who is the center of Georgia's life. As a single mom and business owner, Georgia deals with all of the issues of any single, working parent... no time for yourself, kids don't come with instruction books, her father isn't here to help, etc.


The shop is frequented by an eclectic group of women who range in age from 20's to 70's. One Friday evening, they all just seem to gather informally and the knitting club is born.


The cast of wonderful, interesting characters who populate this novel are such fun to read about. The reader may identify women in their own lives who fit the descriptions these characters they seem so real.


The author holds a mirror up to a group of women whose lives reflect what many of us have gone through. There is joy, laughter, and not a few tears not only for the characters, but also for ourselves. I really enjoyed the novel. What do you think?

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MISTRESS OF THE REVOLUTION By Catherine Delors

The novel is fiction but has its base in actual historical events before, during and after the French Revolution. Love, loss, futility, intrigue, and destiny are all themes.

The central character of the novel is a young French noble woman, Gabrielle de Montserrat. We see Gabrielle removed from the convent where she has spent the first eleven years of her life and taken by her brother to the family home to meet a mother she has never met. The reader glimpses a life of impoverished nobility and a mother who is cold, cruel and calculating. The reader witnesses a young girl fall in love with a young man, Pierre-Andre Coffinhal, who is beneath her in rank and the consequences of an arranged marriage to a rich brute of a Baron. Gabrielle is a survivor. After the death of her brutal husband she flees to Paris where she lives with a distant cousin who introduces her to the intrigues of the French court of Marie Antionette. We watch with fascination the downward spiral toward the bloody Revolution and the fall of the Monarchy.

The brutality of the Revolution makes a fitting backdrop for the novel. The richness of the tapestry that is the history of France is woven seamlessly into the novel. This is a slice of life novel that author Catherine Delors has given breath and a heartbeat through the use of both real and imagined characters. If you enjoy historical fiction, this is a must read. What do you think?

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THE QUIET MILLIONAIRE By Brett Wilder

The book begins by asking the reader to identify what about money is important to them.  Wilder says "Knowing your own money values helps to chart the directions you need to take in making life choices."  His book guides readers through taxes, investments, college funding, retirement and so much more.  The book presents a straightforward approach to financial and investment management to lead the reader toward financial independence.  I found the book interesting and helpful.  What do you think?

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DYING TO BE THIN - A Fat City Mystery By Kathryn Lilley

First of all, I saw a picture of Kathryn Lilley... she is gorgeous! She looks like an actress or a model!

Kate Gallagher, a plus-sized TV producer with a "face" for television, but a plus-sized body that won't look so hot on camera, has just been fired from her job and her boyfriend has dumped her. At loose ends employment-wise and relationship-wise, she decides to trade Whoopie Pies for thinner thighs by enrolling as a client at the Hoffman Clinic, an exclusive weight loss clinic. In order to pay for the clinic fees, Kate has bartered her producer talents to the local TV station to be the subject of her own "fat makeover" documentary. Kate has been at the clinic a total of one day when she finds the dead body of the diet guru. Now that the menu features murder as the specialty of the house, Kate has her hands full being an investigative reporter and trying not to be the murder's next entree!

Such a fun read. I do enjoy mysteries and this one if fun. There are lots of unexpected plot twists and a romantic fling or two in the mix. If you're looking for a book to read and enjoy, this one is a good pick. It's escapism at it's best! What do you think?

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AUNT DIMITY:  VAMPIRE HUNTER By Nancy Atherton

Loved this book!  It's my first "Aunt Dimity" mystery.  

Main character Lori Sheperd, an American, has a lovely life in the small village of Finch in England.  Lori's 5-year old twins have just started school and are doing really well.  That is until the headmistress calls Lori and her husband into her office to confront them about a story the twins told their classmates about seeing a vampire in the woods while they were taking a riding lesson!  Lori is aghast!  Her boys don't tell lies and so she begins an investigation into the story that takes her on a rollicking ride through the English countryside chasing vampires and finding out new things about her adopted home.

This is the 13th Aunt Dimity mystery for author Nancy Atherton.  I enjoyed it so much I plan to go back to the beginning and read the first 12!  I enjoyed the characters, the plot and the surprise ending.  I am not giving you any clues, you need to read this one for yourself!  What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon, reading.  What do you think?

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THE LAST SINGLE WOMAN IN AMERICA By Cindy Guidry

Congratulations Cindy!  This book will be the basis for a new HBO series!  You heard it here!

This book is actually a collection of essays that hang together and create a book about the author's life.  It is funny, poignant, and right on target!  It could be a manual for the man who wants to look inside the female brain and try to figure out what makes us tick.  

Cindy was once a New Line Cinema executive who loses her job and isn't upset about it.  She takes the reader on a journey involving a Canadian neighbor who knows it all, a Yoda-like waxing lady (who philosophizes with the author in "the position'), and a family whose dysfunction makes them even more endearing.  If you don't find yourself laughing, tearful, and shaking your head while thinking "Yes!  that's right!", I will be surprised. This is an interesting slice of life book I really enjoyed reading.  Good luck with the TV series!  If you need any voice talent, let me know!

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THE SUPER ANTIOXIDANT DIET AND NUTRITION GUIDE by Robin Jeep

I like the scientific basis behind this program.  I also admire Robin Jeep's knowledge and passion for trying to help people live a healthier lifestyle.  

Knowledge is power, someone once said.  So if that's true, the more we know about diet, nutrition and health the better off we are.  This program is scientifically based, well thought out and is designed to be a permanent  lifestyle change, not just a fly-by-night-to-lose-10-pounds diet.  The discussion of body inflammation was particularly illuminating.  I have a little touch of arthritis as does my husband, so the idea of changing my eating to eliminate that pain is something I want to try.  There is a true mind-body-spirit connection and this book explores all of those facets.  Additionally, the recipes sound wonderful and doable.  The photos are really well done.  What do you think?

  

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CHECKMATE By Karna Small Bodman

Terrorism, murder, cutting edge technology and romance all throb through the plot of this novel. The events are based on fact and sound as if they could have been ripped from yesterdays headlines.

Dr. Cameron Talbot is a brilliant scientist who is on the brink of inventing a new technology to defend against an attack by cruise missiles, but she needs funding to carry on her important, cutting edge work. In an effort to gain government funding, she appears before the House Armed Services Committee where she attracts the attention not only of the committee chair, but also that of Lt. Col. Hunt Daniels. Col. Daniels, detailed from the Pentagon to the White House National Security Council, is not only very interested in Dr. Talbot's work, but in Dr. Cammie Daniels herself. There is immediate sexual sizzle between the two of them.

But disaster is brewing overseas as a militant group in the disputed region of Kashmir send one of their agents to Washington to steal Dr. Talbot's technology. The scientist and the NSC staffer find themselves enmeshed in a terrorist plot and political wrangling at the highest levels. The tension and intrigue escalate as two nuclear-armed countries stand on the brink of war.

The author, Karna Small Bodman, is a former Washington "insider" having served in the White House for six years, She also is a former TV reporter and news anchor. Her insider perspective coupled with her reporter savvy blends to create a story that rings with excitement and tension, both sexual as well as political. If you like espionage fiction, you will enjoy this book. What do you think?


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THIEVES OF FAITH By Richard Doetsch


This is an action novel with a capital "A"! Michael St. Pierre, a master thief, has the ultimate motivation to attempt the heist of the century deep in the dark, forgotten catacombs of the Kremlin. Several lives depend upon his success. Thousands of years of religious faith depend upon it. And Michael's conscience, skill, and passion will not let him fail.


The novel takes the reader on a world tour from the shores of America to Russia to Corsica. Michael matches his skill and cunning against a villain who has it all... money, power, personal magnetism and a black soul. There is non-stop action and more than a few plot twists. It's hard to talk about this complex multi-plot novel without giving too much away.


This is not a quick read, but one that will hold the reader's attention and keep the pages turning! I really enjoyed it. What do you think?

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