Fiction: "Dublin 4" by Maeve Binchy "Evening Class" by Maeve Binchy "Tara Road" by Maeve Binchy "Summer Sisters" by Judy Blume "River, Cross My Heart" by Breena Clarke "Moonlight Becomes You" by Mary Higgins Clark "Pretend You Don't See Her" by Mary Higgins Clark "For My Daughters" by Barbara Delinsky "Legend" by Jude Deveraux "The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant "The Mistress of Spices" by Chitra Banerjee Divakarun "White Oleander" by Janet Fitch "My Summer With George" by Marilyn French "The Saving Graces" by Patricia Gaffney "Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden "Tall, Dark, and Deadly" by Heather Graham "The Partner" by John Grisham "A Map of the World" by Jane Hamilton "Stones from the River" by Ursula Hegi "A Widow for One Year" by John Irving "The Ritual Bath" by Faye Kellerman "I Know This Much Is True" by Wally Lamb "She's Come Undone" by Wally Lamb "Where the Heart Is" by Billie Letts "Jewel" by Bret Lott "Feather Crowns" by Bobbie Ann Mason "While I Was Gone" by Sue Miller "The Deep End of the Ocean" by Jacquelyn Mitchard "The Last Don" by Mario Puzo "The Ghost of Hannah Mendes" by Naomi Ragen "Jephte's Daughter" by Naomi Ragen "The Sacrifice of Tamar" by Naomi Ragen "Sotah" by Naomi Ragen "The Rapture of Canaan" by Sheri Reynolds "Genuine Lies" by Nora Roberts "The Reader" by Bernhard Schlink "Acts of Faith" by Erich Segal "Tell Me Your Dreams" by Sidney Sheldon "The Pilot's Wife" by Anita Shreve "Up Island" by Anne Rivers Siddons Non-fiction: "Taking Charge of ADHD" by Russell A. Barkley, Ph.D. "Teach Yourself Paint Shop Pro 5 in 24 "Hours" by T. Michael Clark "Daredevils and Daydreamers" by Barbara Ingersoll, Ph.D. "Your Hyperactive Child" by Barbara Ingersoll, Ph.D. "Setting Limits" by Robert J. MacKenzie, Ed.D "1-2-3 Magic" by Thomas W. Phelan, Ph.D. "The Baby Book" by William Sears, M.D. and Martha Sears, R.N. "Creating Paint Shop Pro Web Graphics" by Andy Shafran "What You Need to Know About Ritalin" by James Shaya, M.D., James Windell and Holly Shreve Gilbert "The Hyperactive Child, Adolescent and Adult" by Paul Wender, Ph.D.

"Dublin 4" by Maeve Binchy This book consists of four short stories by one of my favorite authors about life in Dublin. In the first story, a woman invites her husband's mistress to dinner. In the second story, a girl from the country experiences city life for the first time. The third story deals with the pregnancy of an unmarried young woman. In the last story, an alcoholic photographer tries to put his life and career back together. Maeve Binchy's strength is in the depth of her characters. Even in her short stories, I felt as if I actually knew these people and cared what happened to them. The thoughts and feelings and beliefs of the characters are so well expressed. If you can find a copy of this book (I bought it for a dollar at a used book store and it was published in 1982, so I don't know if it's still sold), it's well worth reading. top of this page "Evening Class" by Maeve Binchy Aiden Dunne, a Latin teacher at a run-down Dublin high school, is able to fulfill his dream of starting an evening class in Italian at his school. But the plan seems doomed until Signora appears, seemingly out of nowhere, to teach the class. Signora does much more than teach, though. She instills in her students a passion for everything Italian and leads them to the biggest adventure of their lives. This novel tells the stories of the different students in the class. They come from widely varying backgrounds--from the underworld to high society and just about everything in between. In ordinary circumstances, they would never have met, but Signora and her Italian class bring them together. The characters in this book are so different from one another that with each new chapter, I felt like I was starting a new book. Yet the author manages to weave their lives together into one happy ending. Recommended reading. top of this page "Tara Road" by Maeve Binchy Ria has everything--the perfect husband, a beautiful home in Dublin, wonderful friends. One day, though, her world begins to crumble. Just then, a chance phone call becomes an opportunity to get away and rethink life. She and Marilyn, an exceptionally private American woman, exchange homes for the summer, an experience that changes both of their lives. What I liked most about this book was the assortment of characters, and especially the naive Ria, warm, caring and loved by all. A beautiful story--I was sorry when it ended. top of this page "Summer Sisters" by Judy Blume As an adolescent, I don't think I missed a single book by Judy Blume. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret was one of my all-time favorites. Blume's skill as a story-teller has carried over into her novels for adults, as well. Vix and Caitlin are from different worlds, but when Caitlin invites Vix to enter her world, Vix's life is changed forever. They become "summer sisters", spending each summer together at Caitlin's father's home on Martha's Vineyard. The story follows the complicated friendship of Caitlin and Vix for nearly 20 years. This is a moving story that captured my interest immediately. It is very easy reading -- I finished all 400 pages in just a couple of days. Though parts of the story seemed a bit unrealistic to me, I would recommend it to someone looking for an easy, captivating read. top of this page "River, Cross My Heart" by Breena Clarke This is the story of a black family in Washington, D.C., in the 1920s, facing the tragedy of their young daughter's sudden death. Mostly, it deals with the coming of age of the girl's older sister, Johnnie Mae, who feels responsible for her sister's drowning. Though very well-written, I had a tough time getting through this book. The story was moving, but it didn't have the momentum to keep me interested for long periods of time. A good read for those who like a "laid back", descriptive read. top of this page "Moonlight Becomes You" by Mary Higgins Clark Maggie Holloway runs into her former stepmother, who she once loved very much, at a party that she attends with a rather inattentive date. Her former stepmother, who is thrilled to see her, invites her to come stay in her home in Newport, Rhode Island for two weeks. But when Lacey arrives, she finds that her beloved stepmother has been murdered. Later, when another woman dies of seemingly natural causes, Lacey begins to uncover details which lead her to believe that these two deaths, and possibly the deaths of three other women, are related. As Maggie comes closer and closer to solving the mystery, the killer becomes desperate to get rid of Maggie. A typical suspense-filled Mary Higgins Clark novel. Everyone in this book seems to have a motive, yet we are kept in the dark until the end. Again, for those who enjoy this type of novel, this book provides great reading. top of this page "Pretend You Don't See Her" by Mary Higgins Clark Lacey Farrell witnesses a murder and is forced to enter the witness protection program, leaving her family, friends and job behind. She starts a new life in Minneapolis, but later on discovers that due to a few indiscretions on her part, the killer has traced her and is going to make sure she never talks. In a race against time, Lacey tries to solve the mystery of two murdered women and to save her own life. Once again in typical Mary Higgins Clark style, this book is suspenseful and a real page-turner. I couldn't put it down, as I wanted to know what was going to happen next. I definitely recommend this book to those who like mystery and suspense. top of this page