This is a parable about setting out on your journey in life to find your true meaning in the world (or fortune). Santiago leaves his life as a shepherd in Spain to travel to Egypt. He was told by an old gypsy that he will find his fortune under the pyramids. Along the way of his journey Santiago meets people who help him on his quest and people who hinder his journey but all the time he follows the omens to reach his true destiny. I enjoyed this book and definitely think it’s worth a read. Maybe we can all follow our omens and meet the alchemist who can teach us to go for it.

Marianne is a sixty year old German woman stuck in a loveless marriage and tries to kill herself. She is saved by three homeless men and her husband commits her to a mental institution. She escapes and ends up in a quaint town in Brittany, France where she makes herself a happy life with friends and joy. When her husband tracks her down will Marianne take him back and go back to her former life? Read a find out. I recommend this book. It was an easy read and you really root for Marianne’s happiness.

The bodies of the Pine family, mother, father, sister and little brother are found dead in their vacation home. Two sons have survived one, a college student, who couldn’t attend the trip because he had classes, and one a prisoner for the murder of his girlfriend. What happened here, and why. An intriguing story. Very suspenseful.

Another chapter in the Michael Bennett character series, this book does not disappoint. Blending the usual police thriller with Bennet's unique family situation, Patterson once again delivers a page-turner that is difficult to put down. A rash of retired police officer suicides may not be what they seem and the investigation intersects with another examining a string of deaths of drug dealers from various gangs. There are numerous twists and turns as Patterson and co-author James Born deliver another strong piece of the series.

Very much the Golden Girls we we all know and love. However, it was very difficult to get through this one. It would have made a good episode for the show but not a book.

A reread for me that I was using for the July prompt. But what a masterpiece of a series

CLAIRE DARLING by Callie Kazumi is the story of a young woman in love. The setting is London, England; the style is a mixture of personal narrative and introspection; the time frame is a back and forth between the here and now and Claire's childhood. Not giving anything away - the first sentence on the fly leaf says "this is a story of obsession, love and murder..." - the reader is taken on a wild journey with many twists and turn. An enjoyable read, if somewhat predictable...

THE FROZEN PEOPLE, author Elly Griffiths' latest book, has many of the same features as her previous books. She has a well drawn central character, great supporting characters, experts in a variety of subjects, and the wonderful English humor, countryside, and history. Her new book has now added time travel to the mix ... How much easier crime solving would be if the police could arrive in time to see the villain running from the body with a bloody knife in his hand? ( Why they couldn't arrive before the murder and stop it is a question for another time!) This book takes the investigators back to Victorian times. Why were they looking into such an old case? You'll have to read the book to find out ... Or, better yet, start reading her series featuring forensic pathologist Ruth Galloway!!

This was a great summer read for me. It kept me interested and wanting to keep reading to see what happened next. I am not a fast reader at all but was able to finish in a few days and really enjoyed this book. I would recommend it for a quick easy read.

Elizabeth Hoyt, the very prolific author of more than 20 Recency Romance novels has written another one. Her latest, NO ORDINARY DUCHESS, is rich with characters, charm, and social settings that existed in the early part of the 1800's in Great Britain. To this is added the unique story for whatever novel. All of Hoyt's Recency Romance novels have a hero (handsome and brooding), a heroine(charming and headstrong) and , of course, a villain (ruthless and cruel). Frequently a kidnapping or blackmail is involved. So far, so good. However, this latest offering goes into great detail about the hero's problem. Rather than his problem being about money, the life of a second son, or a forced marriage - Julian Greycourt's problems are sexual. And, in a twist of roles, Lady Elspeth comes along to save him, rather than visa versa.... I'm all for gender bending stereotypes in literature (and life?) but a found this book to be more graphic than I like in Regency England.