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Jan:
Amber Beach
By Elizabeth Lowell
This is an enjoyable and easy summer read. Meet the Donovan
family and their interests in gemstones. The author gives you a
good background in amber and then weaves a story of lost
treasure, greed and intrigue. She follows this one up with Pearl
Cove and then Jade Island, and each of the family members will
have their own stories told.
Antibodies
By Kevin J. Anderson
I found this book to be more a medical thriller than
science/fiction. Is this a miracle cure or a killer virus on the
loose? Even if you are not an X Files fan, this is still a good
read.
Before and After By
Rosellen Brown
This is a story of a teenage boy accused of murder. What I found
most interesting was how each member of the family reacted to
this terrible situation. It really makes one think of how far
you would go to protect your child and the strain on all the
family relationships. Once I started the book it was hard to put
down until the end.
Big Trouble
by Dave Barry
I found this book to be a comic thriller and he action
doesn't slow down until the last page. After reading this and
several other authors (Hiassen, Elmore Leonard, James Swain)
with Florida settings, it sure seems like Florida is filled with
wacky characters. This is a good book to relax with i you don't
mind getting caught laughing aloud.
The Birth of the Detroit
Sound (1940-1964) --
Most of us are familiar with the Motown Sound but Detroit
has been involved with many other styles of music. This book is
filled with pictures and bits of information about the music
scene.
Bleeding Maize and Blue By Susan Holtzer
I’ve chosen another series that is set in Ann Arbor. The college
campus is a familiar setting, and who hasn’t followed football
at Michigan as some time? Anneke is a computer whiz and solves
the murder case with her boyfriend Karl, an Ann Arbor policeman.
Look for this duo in other mysteries. Another book with this
local setting is Deadly Sweet in Ann Arbor by Jerry Prescott.
Buffalo in our Backyard By Jean Cummings
This is a biography of a doctor living in the town of Stanwood,
Michigan and his decision to purchase a small herd of buffalo.
The setting of this story caught my eye since my mother grew up
in the Stanwood area. It makes a nice summer read.
Cold Harbour
By Jack Higgins
The French Resistance in WWII has always interested me, and this
book has some good characters and plot twist to keep you turning
pages. This book is set off the coast of England just before
D-Day and how they are trying to keep the landing a secret from
the Nazi forces. Storm Warning and The Eagle Has Landed are two
of Jack Higgins’s other WWII espionage stories that are hard to
put down once you start reading.
Cold Sassy Tree
By Olive Ann Burns
At the age of 14, young Will Tweedy is finding many changes in
his life. Three weeks after his grandmother's death, Grandpa
decided to marry again and starts the people of Cold Sassy,
Georgia talking. I liked the warmth and humor as the family goes
about life in a small Southern town during the early 1900's and
how they deal with each other. If you like this one, try the
sequel "Leaving Cold Sassy".
Deception Point
By Dan Brown
This thriller has everything to make it hard to put down -
political cover-ups, the NASA program, hidden research and
murder. I really liked the strong woman character who was first
to figure out what was happening and the one to save the day in
the Arctic. I can't wait to see what else Dan Brown has written.
Double Image by David Morrell --
This book begins with Mitch Coltrane caught photographing
mass graves in Bosnia. When he returns home he becomes obsessed
with a photograph of a beautiful woman and sets about to solve
the mystery surrounding it. This is a quick read with lots of
twists and turns in the plot - a real thriller. David Morrell is
also the author of the "Rambo" books starting with First
Blood.
Duty: A father, his son and the man who won the war
by Bob Greene --
Bob Greene went home to Columbus, Ohio to spend time with
his dying father. His father mentions seeing a man "the man who
won the war" around town but he had never met Paul Tibbets.
After his father's death, Bob Greene seeks out Paul Tibbets, the
man who flew the Enola Gay and dropped the bomb on Hiroshima.
Bob discovers many things about his father and his generation of
World War II soldiers. I enjoyed the end of the story where Bob
goes to Branson with Tibbets, Ferrebee and Van Kirk to see them
treated as heroes but in urn they react as they were only doing
their duty.
Edsel By Loren
Estleman
Have you been hearing about the Ford Rouge Factory tours that
are available through "The Henry Ford"? Loren Estleman begins
his series of Detroit novels with the book Edsel. He gives us a
good story, some history and a feel for what was happening at
the Ford Motor Company during the 1950's. If you enjoy this
book, try his Amos Walker mystery series set in Detroit. It's
always fun to have the characters travel in areas that we are
familiar with.
Ella Minnow Pea
By Mark Dunn
The citizens of a fictional island in South Carolina have
decided to honor the creator of the panagram "The quick brown
fox jumps over the lazy dog" with a monument. As the letters
start to fall off, they are banned from use, leaving only the
letters LMNOP. If you like words, you will enjoy this story that
is written in the form of letters, with lots of other unusual
twists. This book may bring a smile during the hectic times of
the year.
Fatal Treasure
By Jedwin Smith
This book tells a tale of the Spanish galleon Atocha that went
down off the coast of Florida in a hurricane in 1622 and Mel
Fisher's search for gold and jewels
For the Roses
By Julie Garwood
Four young boys, one of whom is a runaway slave, find an
abandoned baby girl in an alley in New York City and decide to
raise her themselves. They call her Mary Rose and become her
family as they head west to Montana. The “brothers” each have
distinct personalities. They are very protective of their sister
when Lord Harrison MacDonald comes looking for the young lady
who could be the daughter of his employer back east. If you like
this story of love and adventure, each brother has his own story
as well.
The Good Sister By Diana Diamond
This is a story about two sisters - Jennifer (quiet,
technology-minded) and Catherine (outgoing and flashy) who have
inherited a communications company and make it a huge success. A
murder attempt soon has you wondering who is the victim and what
will become of the business. I really enjoyed this thriller.
Gravity By Tess Gerrittsen
This medical thriller keeps you turning the pages to see what
happens when a science experiment on board the International
Space Station starts to go wrong. Emma and her crew are stranded
at the ISS while her husband Jack who works with NASA to try
bringing them back to earth. If you are a fan of Robin Cook, you
will enjoy reading Tess Gerrittsen's other medical suspense
stories like "Harvest" and "The Surgeon."
If I Never Get Back By Darryl Brock
With baseball spring training beginning, this is a good book to
get you in the mood for the new season. A young sportswriter
traveling home from his father’s funeral is sent back in time to
1869 and gets involved with the original Cincinnati Red
Stockings. There is a nice mix of baseball history and fiction
to make this an enjoyable read.
Jackdaws By Ken Follet
I have always been interested in the European fighting during
World War II and the Resistance fighters. This is the story of a
group of women sent into France to sabotage the telephone
exchange under German control just before D Day. This is a good
action thriller.
Julie and Romeo
By Jeanne Ray
This is an enjoyable, light spring read. Julie and Romeo are
feuding rival florists, no one can remember why, who meet at a
small business owners' conference. The fun starts when they
realize they are attracted to one another and their adult
children try to keep them apart.
Lamb: The Gospel according to Biff, Christ's childhood pal
by Christopher Moore--
Christopher Moore tells the story of what could have happened
during the years of Christ's life between the ages of twelve and
thirty. Biff leads us through many miracles and adventures with
humor and a slightly irreverent view. This is an historical
comedy and quick read.
Mackinac By
Donna Winters
Travel around Michigan with this series "Great Lakes Romances".
Each book takes you to a different place during the 1890s. A
little bit of history mixed in with a light love story. This
first book brings you to the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.
Marrying Mom
By Olivia Goldsmith
This is the story of three siblings who are not happy when their
widowed Mother lets them know that she is moving from Florida
and is coming to live with them in New York. The grown-up kids
plot to find a man and marry Mom off so she will be too busy to
interfere in their lives. The funny characters and plot make
this a quick read.
Murder and the First Lady By Elliot Roosevelt
This book is the first in a series with Eleanor Roosevelt
solving the crime. Elliott Roosevelt shows us the warmth and
charm of his mother and father that you don't see watching an
old newsreel or in the history books. I enjoyed reading these
light mysteries set around the family homes in New York and the
White House. It's interesting to see the familiar names and
world situations woven around the stories. Margaret Truman,
another favorite mystery writer, sets her stories in modern day
Washington DC.
Murder on the Iditarod Trail By Sue Henry
This is a cool read for the hot days of August. I have enjoyed
reading about Alaska and the dogsled races. If you like the
characters of Jessie Arnold and Alex Jensen, then you have a lot
of good reading with this series. Dana Stabenow also has an
Alaskan series if you like this rugged setting.
North of Nowhere by Steve Hamilton --
Alex McKnight, a former Detroit policeman, moved to the
Upper Peninsula to run the hunting camp built by his late
father. He often finds himself taking on jobs as a private
investigator, traveling between Paradise and Sault Ste. Marie. I
enjoyed the Michigan scenery and the story's fast pace with many
interesting characters. This series would make good vacation
reading.
Open House By Elizabeth Berg
After Samantha’s husband leaves her, she has to build a new life
for herself and her son. Financial problems force her to take in
borders, and this story is about how they all mesh together
while Sam goes about finding the person she used to be. I really
liked all the characters and how all their lives were affected.
Over His Dead Body by Leslie Glass
Cassandra wants to revitalize herself and her marriage. She
surprises her husband by having a facelift while he is away on a
business trip. One glance at her and he collapses into a coma.
She finds out he was planning on running off with another woman
and taking all the money out of their business. Cassie starts
out wanting revenge but she finds herself taking charge to solve
the mess he had gotten them into and finding a new romance. A
fun read.
Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio
by Terry Ryan
Eileen Ryan entered contests and jingles as a way to try
to earn enough to raise her family of 10 children. The 1950s and
1960s were a time when advertising jingles and slogan contests
were very popular and everyone had hopes of wining the big
prize.
This book takes you through their struggles and good
times. I have an aunt who loved to enter these contests and she
was also a winner - freezer, motor home and even a trip to
Hawaii.
The Ryer Avenue Story
By Dorothy Uhnak
In 1935, six children in a Bronx neighborhood flee from the
scene of a murder, and one of their fathers is executed for the
crime. This story follows their lives through the next four
decades and how their lives are still crossing one another. One
of the group knows what really happened and now it’s finally
payback time.
Sadie Shapiro's Knitting
Book By Robert Kimmel Smith
Sadie wants to publish a book of knitting patterns and her
neighbors in the Mount Eden Senior citizens Hotel pitch in to
help her out. As a 72 year old, she wants to live life to the
fullest and she helps others find happiness. I enjoyed her visit
to the Johnny Carson show and how she deals with her celebrity.
A funny and quick read, a good way to pass a cold winter day.
This book also has a sequel - "Sadie Shapiro Matchmaker".
The Sea Hunters
By Clive Custler
If you are a fan of Cussler’s adventure stories with Dirk Pitt,
you may find this book interesting. The author has his own NUMA
foundation that is dedicated to finding and preserving historic
shipwrecks. Many of these ships find their way into Cussler’s
stories. The Civil War submarine, the Hunley (the first
submarine to sink a warship) was lost in 1864 and discovered
again in 1995 near Charleston, SC. Read about this and many
other famous shipwrecks.
The Set-up By
Paul Erdman
I enjoyed this financial thriller, it gave me insight into how
the Federal Reserve Board works to set the interest rates.
Charles Black, the retired chairman, has been arrested in
Switzerland and charged with using his insider information and
committing securities fraud. As Black and his wife struggle to
clear his name they encounter a vicious adversary who would do
anything to protect his half-billion dollar gain from exchange
rate speculations.
Ship of Gold in the Deep
Blue Sea By Gary Kinder
This book tells about the SS Central America returning from the
California Gold Rush and sinking off the Carolina coast in a
hurricane in 1857.
Skipping Christmas by John Grisham --
I enjoyed this light read about a couple who decide to skip
all the Christmas fuss and take a Caribbean cruise instead.
Everything starts to go wrong when their daughter decided to
come home for the holidays. As you read, you feel that this
would make a funny movie and it did. "Christmas with the Kranks"
in the film version just coming out on DVD.
Snow in August By Pete Hamill
This is a story set in post World War II Brooklyn about the
friendship of a young Catholic boy and old Jewish Rabbi. They
both learn much from each other, not just baseball and Yiddish
but prejudice (religious - Catholic vs. Jew) and racial (black
vs. white in the baseball world).
Soupy Sez! by Soupy Sales
with Charles Salzberg
As I was growing up in the Detroit area in the 1950's, we had to
hurry home to watch "Lunch with Soupy Sales". These were the
early days of television and the programs were live, anything
could happen. His shows appealed to both the kids and the
adults. he moved to California and continues on TV with evening
adult programming. Everyone came on his show just waiting to be
hit in the face with a pie. His humor and laughter has lasted
through the years. See him in action in one the videos in
our collection.
Spyder Web By Tom Grace
This is an exciting suspense story that takes place right here
in Ann Arbor. It’s fun to read and know you have traveled on the
same streets as these characters. Tom Grace tells a good story
of industrial and political espionage using new computer
gadgets. He is working on the third book in this series.
Sub 4:00 By Chris Lear
This book will give you some insight into the sport of running
at the college level and also some of the runners who have won
the quest to break the 4 minute mile. Alan Webb became the first
to do it as a high school student. He chose to come to the
University of Michigan. Read and find out what lead to his
decision to turn pro after just competing during his freshman
year. If you have been following the 2004 Olympics, both Alan
Webb and Kevin Sullivan competed in the 1500m, Webb for Team USA
and Sullivan for Team Canada. In watching the races, I am amazed
at how fasst the times are now.
Swimming to Antarctica by
Lynne Cox --
When I read the review of this book, I was fascinated by the
idea of anyone swimming in the Antarctic waters. The story of
Lynne Cox is even more interesting, she started training for
distance swimming as a nine-year-old and by the time she was
sixteen, she set a new world record for an English Channel swim.
I was surprised by her focus and drive to swim suck seemingly
impossible locations and her determination to complete her goals
under some really life-threatening situation.
The Tall Pine Polka By
Lorna Landvik
Fenny Ness is happy living in the small town of Tall Pine,
Minnesota where everyone gathers at a cafe called Cup O'Delight.
When the town is chosen for a movie location with Fenny one of
the stars, there will be changes in both the town and in Fenny's
life. This book reminded me of a Billie Letts book with a good
mix of characters and for summer, it's an easy read.
The Vernor's Story by
Lawrence L. Rouch --
Do you remember going through the old Vernor's plant in
downtown Detroit? This book show show the logos have changed
over the years, recipes using ginger ale and lots of fun facts.
Wait Till Next Year by
Doris Kearns Goodwin --
This is a book that I have thoroughly enjoyed since I also grew
up in the 1950s and could relate to many of her experiences.
Those were the days of air-raid drills at school, the fear of
polio, our first television and all the fun with the kids in our
neighborhood. Doris Goodwin's photos could have come out of my
own family album. She tells about becoming a Brooklyn Dodger fan
and learning about baseball with her father, which was a way to
bring them closer together.
Walking in Egypt
by Clyde Edgerton --
Mattie is a 78-year old who wants a grandchild to care for
and Wesley is a troubled youth in need of love. How the two come
together and reconcile their needs with the disapproval of the
Southern town they live in with make you feel good too. One
person can make a difference.
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