Trapped in a terrifying marriage with two young daughters, and a baby on the way, Ciara knows that she and her are no longer safe in their home. Her husband is cruel, and although he has not become physical, he is emotionally torturing her. While she has been thinking about it for a while, she impetuously leaves when one evening things become impossible. From here on, the book describes her attempt to leave, navigating the impossible bureaucracy, the challenging housing market, being penniless, with children, being unable to work, and being tormented by her husband, as she tries to navigate the situation and keep her children safe, and regain control of their lives. Along the way she encounters the good, the bad and the ugly. Friendships blossom; professionals try to help. The mean stay mean. An emotional rollercoaster, an insider’s look into the difficulty of “leaving”.

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

Laurel Applebaum gets a call from the hospital that her husband Doug was in an accident and imagines he had died. She is surprised to feel relief as she imagines a carefree life without him. Lots of twists and turns as Laurel learns to assert her own needs and resist her habit of being subservient to Doug. She had been maintaining the peace and losing her autonomy as a person.

I read this book in high school and remember enjoying it. I wanted to re-read it to see how it compares with the actuality of life now, in terms of the technological "advances" that were used in the book. It turned out that I remembered scenes from the book that I guess I fabricated; only one thing that I recalled actually took place in the novel. The book did not hold my attention, and I wouldn't recommend it. I imagine it meant more when the Cold War was still in effect.

These friends have continued to summer at the lake since they were children. Now adults, they look forward to those few weeks in summer when their family’s vacation together, keeping up the tradition. This year things are off. The friends are not comfortable with each other. Their children are not talking to each other, and the new nanny is an enigma. David, now divorced has brought a new girlfriend, along with his twin 5-year-old children and the new Nanny. He has also built a huge glass house that does not fit in to the area, and has blocked his friends’ views. There is tension among the friends. There is a legend that every thirty years a woman disappears from the lake…. the lake takes them. There have been 2 of these disappearances. It is now thirty years after the last disappearance, and guess what, David's girlfriend disappears. A complicated murder mystery with connections to three generations. Some outlandish sections, but if you can get over that, a good solid mystery. I actually enjoyed it, despite my misgivings.

Cynthie Taylor and Jack Turner Jones are young actors who star in their first movie together and are tasked with pretending to be in a fake relationship for publicity purposes. The entire relationship implodes and both Cynthie and Jack vow never to speak again. Thirteen years later, the two more famous stars are offered to star in a remake of the original cult classic movie but with the stipulation of having another pretend relationship for publicity. The second time around with ground rules and more maturity, can Cynthie and Jack face the truth about each other? Read and find out. This was definitely a feel good read and I recommend it if you are looking for a little romance.

Jenny was in an unhappy marriage and ended up having an affair. She fell deeply in love and there were many missed opportunities and lost years. So sad. At least it had a happy ending.

The author’s style is difficult to read. The storyline is interesting.

I love the way Fiona Davis weaves her stories around historical buildings in NYC. This one is centered around the NY Public Library and a family that lives within the building.

Loved this new novel by one of my favorite authors. It has a determined, very independent heroine, Sloan Cooper, with a very supportive family. After a traumatic incident, she returns home where she recovers. Meets Nash, who has recently bought a house near her parents and has traumas of his own from childhood. There is a lot of suspense as Sloan tracks a duo of serial killers. Spoiler alert: happy ending!