The House of Hawthorne took me on a journey back in time into the heart of a marriage between the elusive author Nathaniel Hawthorne and his devoted wife Sophia Peabody.  I truly felt that the author had a unique insight into these two artistic characters and the book read more like a biography than a work of fiction.  While I was familiar with Nathaniel Hawthorne's literary works, I was not familiar with his personal story nor that of his wife.  The House of Hawthorne is a testament to the role Sophia Peabody Hawthorne played in the making of one of the greatest American authors.  We see how Sophia used her artistic talents to support her family, when needed, but also gave up her artistic endeavors when her role as a mother and a wife was more important.  The book also shines a light on the struggle faced by the Hawthornes over the ethics of slavery and the hope to avoid war.  It further provides glimpses into the artistic circle of that time with appearances by Thoreau, Emerson and Hemingway, among others.  Fans of historical fiction should add The House of Hawthorne to their must read list!  I received this book from Penguin First to Read program in exchange for an honest review.   

Cotton Malone is back and Steve Berry has another spellbinding tale!  If you aren't acquainted with Steve Berry's work or his main character Cotton Malone, your life isn't complete (in my opinion).  Cotton Malone is back working for the Magellan Billet, a special government agency and this time, he is pursuing some potentially damaging documents that have gotten into the hands of the brother of the North Korean leader.  Without telling too much of the plot, those documents could have an impact on the legality of income tax and some potential governmental coverup.  Steve Berry writes extraordinary thrillers and ties in some very interesting historical points.  I always appreciate at the end of the book, he points out all that is fictional and all that is factual.  I'm never disappointed in a Steve Berry book and again, feel that Cotton Malone has to be one of the best literary characters of all time.  Our book club selected this book and I'm looking forward to discussing it with our members.  Highly recommend this book!

As followers of this blog may know, Lisa Gardner is an author that I enjoy and look forward to reading.  Touch & Go brings back the character of Tessa Leoni from Love You More and this time she is trying to rescue a family from their abductors before time runs out.  Like most of Lisa Gardner's novels, there is usually an unexpected twist at the end and this novel did not disappoint.  Lisa Gardner always pens a good thriller and Touch & Go should be added to that long list.  

The Rosie Effect is the followup to the very successful The Rosie Project, which I read and really enjoyed.  I thought The Rosie Project was a fun read and offered something different from what I had been reading.  Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this sequel.  
To me, what made The Rosie Project a good book had much to do with the interaction between the two main characters and that is lacking in this second book.  There were some humorous scenes in this second book, but I don't think there were enough to merit recommending this book to others.  However, I would recommend reading the first book The Rosie Project as I enjoyed it very much.