Reading Wishful Thinking was more fun that I have had in a long time!  The story begins when Jennifer has lost her cell phone, only to have it returned with a new and intriguing app Wishful Thinking.  Before she has a chance to examine her phone more closely, she has to rush to get her two young boys to school and not be too late for her meeting at work.  Jennifer faces the struggles so many of us face, trying to raise children, maintain or establish a romantic relationship and also be a dedicated employee, all at the same time.  Enter the Wishful Thinking app and its creator Dr. Diane Sexton, who just happens to be Jennifer's neighbor.  Through some physics, modern technology and wormholes, Jennifer is able to be in two places at the same time.  Haven't we all wished for that ability!  The Wishful Thinking app is the perfect solution to all of Jennifer's problems.  She can now be Super Mom, Employee of the Year and maybe even meet the man of her dreams.  

Kamy Wicoff is a great voice in women's fiction and I look forward to reading more books written by her.  Wishful Thinking is refreshing, humorous, insightful and engaging read.  It also has an important message at its core.  There are book club discussion questions included and Wishful Thinking would make a great book club selection.  

The Grown Ups by Robin Antalek is an engaging story about a group of friends and the journeys their lives take from middle school into adulthood.  The story is told from the perspectives of Sam, Bella and Suzie.  In addition, we meet Sam's older brother Michael and all the parents of Sam, Bella and Suzie.  Their paths start together, branch apart and come back together throughout their lives.  I really enjoyed being able to watch each character grow and change throughout the course of the book.  While each character faced very different challenges, they were all relatable.  The story also delves into the role our parents play in our lives and the changes to that relationship over time.  

The Grown Ups is a story about love, forgiveness and growing up.  I believe The Grown Ups would be a good book club selection and there are discussion questions included.  

I received this book as part of the BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge 2015.  

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Inside the O'Briens is the first book I have read by Lisa Genova and all I can say is Wow!  Inside the O'Briens will engage your mind and your heart.  The story centers around the O'Brien family, an Irish Catholic family living in the Boston area.  Joe O'Brien is proud to be a police officer and his family means everything to him.  His wife Rosie is the glue that holds the family together.  Their four children, J.J., a firefighter, Meaghan, a star ballerina, Katie, a yoga teacher and Patrick, a struggling bartender, all remain close to home in Charlestown and are just finding their way as young adults.  

Early in the book, Joe is diagnosed with Huntingtons disease, an inherited neurodegenerative disease characterized by a progressive loss of voluntary motor control and an increase in involuntary movements.  HD is typically diagnosed between the ages of thirty-five and forty-five, proceeding inexorably to death in ten to twenty years.  There is no treatment that affects the progression and no cure.  

The author does an amazing job of making each diverse character relatable.  I could empathize with Joe as he struggled with the disease and worried more about whether his children would inherit the chromosome and how to set an example for them of living and dying with HD.  I also understood the dilemma the children faced when deciding whether to have the blood test to determine their HD diagnosis.  Rosie's struggle to be the anchor for her family is also powerfully portrayed.  

I especially liked the ending of the book.  While I may not have had the conclusion to each character's journey, it was the perfect way to leave things.  

Even though the story is a work of fiction, it was a very realistic portrayal of what many families must face in dealing with Huntingtons disease.  I had no previous knowledge about HD and I'm grateful to the author for bringing attention to this disease.  

Ultimately, I believe Katie O'Brien said it best, "Every breath is a risk.  Love is why we breathe."  I recommend putting Inside the O'Briens on your must read list.  I received this book as part of the GoodReads First Reads program.  

The House on Mermaid Point is the third book in the Ten Beach Road series by Wendy Wax.  This series is a fun read and The House on Mermaid Point was no exception.  The book further the stories of Avery, Maddie, Kyra, Deidre and Natalie.  They were all thrown together in the first book of the series Ten Beach Road, and remodeled a home together, which created a reality tv show called Do Over.  The House on Mermaid Point finds them on their way to Key West for a new season of Do Over.  It also introduces William Hightower, a rock star/recovering addict, who is the homeowner and is definitely against the entire construction project.  I enjoyed the way the characters grew throughout the book and look forward to future books in this series.  I was able to escape to Key West and enjoyed my literary vacation.  

The Husband's Secret has it all: suspense, romance, intrigue and humor.  The Husband's Secret is the story of three women: Cecelia, the perfect mom of three daughters with the perfect life (or is it); Tess, who thought she had the perfect marriage until her husband fell in love with her cousin; and Rachel, who can't get past her daughter's unsolved murder.  Each woman has unique struggles, yet their stories become intertwined as they develop through the course of the book.  I'm so glad our book club chose this book and I think we will have a wonderful discussion about the different characters, their motivations and rationales.  I especially appreciated the ending of the book.  It is always a good feeling to close a book and feel like you not only enjoyed the story but your time reading it was well spent.  I look forward to reading other novels by Liane Moriarty.  I would definitely recommend this book to other book clubs and anyone looking for a great read!

I developed a love of reading early in life.  My mom taught me to read before I started school with a little book she wrote and illustrated just for me titled, "Jane's Red Ball."  We always talked with each other about what we were reading and recommended books back and forth.  My mom was my best friend and she passed away very unexpectedly in 2013.  Often since that time, I think about how much I'd love to share a book with her and Leaving Time definitely topped that list.  
To me, this book was a compelling story about mother/daughter relationships and the amazing nature of elephants and their social culture.  Jodi Picoult is truly an amazing storyteller and always draws me in from the first page.  She does a fantastic job writing characters that are diverse, yet authentic and identifiable.  I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well written story that will keep you interested and intrigued.  I also believe it would be a wonderful book club choice.  


My favorite quote from the book:  "If you think about someone you've loved and lost, you are already with them. The rest is just details.”                                         To my Mom, I think about you all the time!  

I always look forward to reading a holiday novel by Richard Paul Evans and The Mistletoe Promise did not disappoint.  It is a wonderful story about love, healing and redemption.  Nicholas approaches Elise in the food court of their office building and makes a proposal.  They would contract with each other to attend holiday functions together and have lunch together everyday but their commitment would end on Christmas Eve.  I couldn't help but get caught up in Elise's journey with Nicholas.  Mr. Evans does such a fabulous job describing scenes, I often felt I was experiencing the meals and holiday festivities myself.  The Mistletoe Promise is an uplifting story for the holidays and it was a pleasure to gift this novel to friends for Christmas.  

Quite simply, I loved this book!  I completely fell in love with all the characters but especially Ove.  He has recently lost his job and his wife, who was the love of his life, and at the start of the book, has decided to commit suicide and join his wife.  All his best laid plans go awry, and his meddlesome neighbors just won't leave him alone.  Parvaneh, who is pregnant with her third child, moves in across the street and doesn't cut Ove any slack.  This is a heartwarming story of life, heroism, grief and the power of the human connection.  I highly recommend this book and look forward to discussing at my next book club meeting.  

This novel was the first I had read by Jojo Moyes.  The book is described as "One single mom.  One chaotic family.  One quirky stranger.  One irresistible love story."  While the book was all those things, it was also much more.  The story is narrated in separate chapters by Jess (the single mom), Tanzie (the daughter and math genius), Nicky (the older somewhat troubled brother) and Ed (the quirky stranger).  The author did an excellent job of making each of the characters genuine and relatable.  You were immersed in each of their plights and were taking the journey with them.  While portions of the story are predictable, there are several plot turns and I don't think I would have wanted it any other way.  Overall, a fun enjoyable read.

I received this advanced uncorrected proof from a Goodreads.com giveaway. I really loved both the premise of the book and the topics that it explores.  The Wonder of All Things takes off quickly when a horrific accident occurs and the main character Ava miraculously heals her friend Wash.  Like Mr. Mott's previous novel The Returned, The Wonder of All Things makes you think about how society would react to certain scenarios.  This novel describes the chaos that ensues in the small town once word of Ava's miracle healing gets out.  The reader is able to see how both Ava and her family struggle with her gift.  Does Ava have a responsibility to heal others?  Can their family capitalize on all of the offers being made to them so that they can finally escape poverty? At the end of the book, I was left wanting more closure for the characters and I felt that some of the storylines were left unresolved.  That said, I did enjoy the book and felt it was definitely worth reading.  I think Mr. Mott's voice is important in literature today and I think his work brings something different to the publishing world.