2013 West Warwick Public Library Book Club Selections

January- The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard
February- Playing the Game by Barbara Taylor Bradford
March- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 
April- Faithful Place by Tana French 
May- Tough Customer by Sandra Brown 
June- What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship, and Love by Carole Radzwill 
July- The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
August- The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant 
September- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
October- Haven by Kay Hooper
November- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
December- The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani

The Language of flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

What can I say, I loved it. reading it I learned a lot about flowers, but more than that about the young woman and her fight for survival. 

Rated 5 out of 5 

 Submitted by Amelia Tremblay

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

 

I loved the three books. The story was well written. The main characters were Christian Grey, Anastasia Steele, Kate, the Grey's and Mrs. Robinson. You need to get past the language and the sex and look at the story. It is beautifully written and I am reading it for the second time.

Rated 5 out of 5 

Submitted by Amelia Tremblay

Zoya by Danielle Steel

 

 Follows the life of young Zoya during the Russian Revolution and her escape with her grandmother to her new life in New York. It follows her marriage, children and the tragedies she must face. 

Zoya is well written and I highly recommend it. 

Rated 5 out of 5 

Submitted by Amelia Tremblay 

The Season of Grace by Beverly Lewis

There are 3 books in this series, The Secret, The Missing, The Telling. Follow Lettie on her journey from Bird- in- Hand, PA to Ohio and Indiana for the secret that she has kept for many years, just to return home to find what she has been looks for. 

Would definitely recommend. 

Rated 5 out of 5 

Reviewed by Amelia Tremblay 

The Heritage of Lancaster County by Beverly Lewis

 

There are three books in the series, The Shunning, The Confession, and the Reckoning. The story of a girl on the day before her wedding discovers she is not Amish after living with the only family she has known since birth. The books will follow Katie from her old life through her new and the things she discovers. 

I have read all of the Beverly Lewis books and plan to read them again!

rated 5 out of 5

submitted by Amelia Tremblay

Annie's People by Beverly Lewis

 Follow Annie Zook as she longs to do her one desire and to love the man she has met. But her father has forbidden her to do both. Follow Annie, Ben, and her father as they come to a crossroad in life and how everyone's life is changed.

The books are worth the time if you have been to Pennsylvania you will love the stories. 

Rated 5 out of 5 

Submitted by Amelia Tremblay

Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor' Easter by Lisa Patton

A delightful ladies book and I would rate it a 5. When you love your husband as much as Leelee Satterfield did, you would follow him to the end of the earth in order to make him happy. Even if it takes you away from your family and friends in your beloved Memphis, Tennessee and relocates you to a small town in Vermont to run a business neither of them know about. This is Leelee's story of how she went from being totally dependent on her husband to becoming an independent single parent and the owner of a B&B in Vermont. 

This warm and wonderful book is humorous, sad at times and filled with Southern charm and Yankee wit. Leelee could be an inspiration to many of us. The characters are quite colorful and realistic. There is much to learn about the Vermont seasons and how the people survive them. Waiting to read the sequel. 

Rated 5 out of 5 

Reviewed by Joan Boucher

Obsession by Karen Robards

I give this book 5 stars as it is truly a real thriller. 

Katherine Lawrence finds herself and her friend Lisa bound and gagged on her kitchen floor while two gunman search her house. It is a mystery to Katherine as to what they are looking for and no explanation by these men is forthcoming. This is only the beginning of her nightmare and she only knows she must escape and trust no one as both the good and bad guys are after her. In fact, Katherine doesn't know who she really is for when she looks in the mirror she doesn't recognize herself and she has flashbacks of being another person. 

 A fast paced suspenseful story that will keep you fully engrossed from beginning to end.

Rated 5 out of 5

Reviewed by Joan Boucher

Lady Justice by Vicki Hinze

Gabby Kincaid, an elite Secret Service operative, is sent to Carnel Cove, Florida on a secret mission which becomes compromised and her partner May Grayson is sent to eradicate her. Fortunately for her, a hurricane is barreling down on Florida and before Max can kill her, they are swept up in trying to locate the persons responsible;e releasing a killer virus, with no known antidote that destroyed crops and humans, not only in Florida but other parts of the US as well. Germ warfare is a reality for it can be used to control the economy and destroy a nation. This part of the story was interesting but then she spent too much of it describing the relationship between Gabby and Max and some other unbelievable characters in the story. 

This is a book where the story is so bad you want to immediately put it down but curiosity makes  you skim the story just to see the outcome.

Rated 1 out of 5 

Reviewed by Joan Boucher

March by Geraldine Brooks

Peter March, the father in "Little Women" is forced to examine his life, actions and views when he joined the Union Army as a Chaplain. This is a story depicting raw human emotions and deception and how one's life was changed by what they had witnessed and experienced.

Ms. Brooks once again has her novel steeped in history and based on the life of Bronson Alcott, Louisa Alcott's father.

Rated 4 out of 5

Reviewed by Joan Boucher

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

What an emotional book to end the "Hunger Games" trilogy. In this final book, the reader is taken on an emotional roller coaster as we see our strong characters deal with the physical, emotional, and physiological effects of the capitol's manipulation. The only reason I didn't rate it a 5 was because I felt that Prim. Katniss' sister played such critical part in Katniss going into the Hunger Games that I expected a happy ending for her.

Rated 4 out of 5 

Reviewed by Catarina Anselmo

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

This is the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy and does a good job picking where the first book ended with Katniss and Peta's return home to District 12 after winning the Hunger Games. This book focused less on the games and more on the defiance of the Capitol and what it is causing in the other districts. When you finish this book you can't wait to see what's happening back in District 12.

Rated 4 out of 5

Reviewed by Catarina Anselmo

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I have to admit when I first read about this book, I wasn't drawn to the future- Panem setting, but what pulled me in was the Hunger Games plot and the genuine characters. When you learn about Katniss, Gale, and Peta you can't help but wonder what their future holds. When you finish this book, you can't wait to see what the Capitol has planned for them.

Rated 5 out of 5

Reviewed by: Catarina Anselmo

Fifty Shades Darker by EL James

My favorite book in the trilogy! This book had more of the story line that I loved and less of the racy scenes. I got more answers to my questions about the damaged Christian. We also see Ana struggle with Christian's past lovers and their relationships. Just when you think Ana is moving forward with Christian, Ana's ex-boss is determined to get his "revenge." Can't wait to see what unravels in the last book!

Rated 5 out of 5

Reviewed by Catarina Anselmo

Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James

I knew nothing about this book until one of my colleagues came in to work and I realized when I asked her about what she was currently reading, she looked around and started whispering! All she told me was you have to read this book. Although, it is not a book I would have picked up on my own because of the racy content, I did enjoy the story line and wanted to see what would happen to Anastasia.

Rated 4 out of 5

Reviewed by Catarina Anselmo

On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves

 Loved it! I was drawn to the book because I am a teacher like the main character, and was looking for a good summer beach read to start the summer. It was a quick read and perfect for the beach, just pack some extra sun screen! Enjoyed the plot because it was so realistic and you felt like you were right there sympathizing with the two main characters. 

Rated 5 out of 5

Reviewed by Catarina Anselmo 

Flashpoint by Suzanne Brockman

Jimmy Nash goes to work for Troubleshooters Inc. a secret ops firm. He and his team of experts are sent to Kazbekistan, a country ravaged by an earthquake to track down and recover a missing laptop computer. One member of the team is Tess Bailey, a computer specialist who has fallen in love with Nash and their steaming relationship tends to wreck havoc with the mission. 

The story has plenty of action, intrigue, romance and soul searching as no one really knows who the enemy is.

Reviewed by Joan Boucher