Renaissance Florence comes vividly alive through the eyes of 15 year old Lucrezia de'Medici in Maggie O' Farrell book THE MARRIAGE PORTRAIT. Lucrezia is a historical figure whose short life and unhappy marriage are known through history. Her inner thoughts and actions are the author's fictional additions. Not only was I totally involved with the story, but cried over what could have been "if only ..." I loved it!

I my never ride a train again and that is the only spoiler. Most definitely worth the read. I was so engrossed that I was almost late for work, and I work from home. With A Vengeance by Riley Saeger is Not a perfect 5 stars but really close. By the way, don't keep guessing, just keep reading.

Really enjoyed this one! Lots of adventure.

This is the fourth book in The Thursday Murder Club Mystery series. The club consists of a group of friends who live in a retirement community and solve murder cases together. This book has a more somber tone than the first three books, which, despite being about murders, were quite funny. Besides dealing with murder, this book has a lot to say about Alzheimer’s and its effect on the individual, caregivers, and friends.

Margaret Winterbottom a recently widowed, 89 year old woman, lives by herself in a nice neighborhood where she has alot of friends. Her over-bearing daughter and son-in-law want her to down-size or even go to a home, which Margaret refuses. When her good friend and neighbor, Barbara, is found murdered it shakes up Margaret who has a vivid memory of something Barbara told her, but she just can't remember what it is. With the help of her teenage grandson, James, she's determined to find the killer, remember what she was told and figure out why strange things are happening in her house, things she can't figure out.

This book is a memoir written by Whoopi Goldberg about her relationship with her mother and brother. She discussed the influence that her mother had on her and how she helped her become the person she is now. The book was heartwarming and informative. I liked this book

Eve and Charlie are refurbishing an old house when a man shows up with his family claiming that he used to live there and asking if he can show his family around. All of a sudden strange things start happening in the house and the family can’t seem to take the hint to leave. When a dark entity appears in the basement, Charlie disappears without her locket and the house starts changing, Eve starts to freak out. Is Eve imagining these incidents or are they actually happening? Read and find out.

Carl Hiaasen is on of my favorite writers. His books aquirky a

This novel was definitely one of my favorite recently read books. it is very well written. I was not expecting the ending at all. I actually thought I had the plot figured out but at the very end was surprised. I highly recommend this book.

A woman embarks on a cross country drive from California to New York under the guise of a work trip. She ends up staying at a motel that is thirty minutes from her house and family. She redecorates the motel room to replicate a room where she once stayed in Paris. During this stay she becomes sexually awakened by a younger married man. She upends her marriage by making an arrangement with her husband to have an open marriage. She wants her sexual freedom however it is short lived and she is still not happy. I found this book slightly off putting. I found the main character selfish and not fully mature. I just felt sorry for the husband. I do not recommend this book.