you can always go home...

I really enjoyed "Come Home" by Lisa Scottoline.  It is about Jill Farrow, a doctor and mother, who has been divorced and is finally happy to be engaged to the man of her dreams.  But then her ex-stepdaughter Abby shows at her door with the news that her dad, Jill's ex-husband, is dead, possibly murdered.

Abby asks Jill to look into his death.  Jill agrees because she misses Abby and her sister so much and her ex never allowed her to keep in contact with them.  As Jill digs into the life of her ex, she realizes that there were so many things about him that she did not know about and that you can never have an ex-child, and the love of a mother know no bounds.

friends close, enemies closer..

Harlan Coben's "Stay Close" is the latest book I have read.  I have always enjoyed Coben's books and this was good.  I didn't enjoy it as much as some of the other ones, but I did like it.

The book follows Megan, a soccer-mom with 2 kids, living the life she always wanted.  However, her past is soon going to catch-up with her.  She used to be an exotic dancer, had a photographer boyfriend in Ray and then there is Jack, the detective who cannot seem to forget the case that couldn't be solved.

The book follows these three characters as they try and figure out how to deal with their past and allow the secrets out and see where it takes them.

Olympics then and now...

"Private Games" by James Patterson was the latest in a series about a private investigative firm, Private.  The story is based in London as the site of the 2012 Olympic Games.  

At the start of the opening ceremonies, a member of the Olympic committee is murdered.  Then a reporter has received a letter from a man calling himself Cronus, saying how he thinks the Olympics needs to be restored to what they once were and that there is too much corruption in the games now.  All Cronus wants to do is destroy anyone involved in the modern games.

I liked it, but not as much as the past "Private" books.

so, so good

I really enjoyed "Home Front" by Kristin Hannah.  This story is about Jolene, a helicopter pilot, and her husband, Michael, a lawyer.  They are living their lives with their two daughters, going about their daily routines when Jolene is deployed to Iraq.  Michael also confesses he is no longer in love with his wife anymore and Jolene is forced to leave for Iraq, mad at her husband and yet having to trust her children in his care and do her job of protecting her country.

I really enjoyed this book, cried even, and that is saying a lot...

going up in flames...

"The Flame Alphabet" by Ben Marcus, is the book for today.

I was really interested in this book when I read the synopsis about how the fact that the kids are literally making their parents sick with their language, in this story of how far we will go to protect our families.  However, the more I read, the less I was interested.  The premise was interesting, but the book lacked sparkle for me.  It took me a long time to get through it and when I did finally finish it, I was so happy it was over...