Sworn to Silence

Kate was brough up Amish but an incident in her childhood disillusions her and she leaves her parents' farm as soon as she can and becomes a policewoman. Now she's the chief of police in the town where she grew up and some horrific murders have been happening.

This was another unputdownable novel. Yes, the plotline is a bit predictable but the characters are well drawn and unique enough to give it depth.

I took this with me to the beach yesterday and read and read.

Dead Until Dark

One of my fellow English teachers gave me this book and said it was something to read when I just wanted to escape and have fun. And she was right!

Sookie Stackhouse is a waitress who can read minds--that is, everyone's except the handsome vampire, Bill's mind. She ends up using her "disability," as she calls it, to help solve a series of murders in her town.

I love the way the author makes the existence of vampires so natural. This was so much more fun than that other popular vampire series where the main characters are boooooriiiiing! Sookie will steal your heart!

The Help

This was an awesome book! Awesome! When I got home from school yesterday, I was only half way through it and finished it before I went to bed.

It's the early 60s and 3 women form an unusual alliance. There is Skeeter Phelan, a white woman who has just finished college and has returned home to try to find a job. She wants to be a writer but there aren't many opportunities for her in Mississippi.

Then there is Aibilene, Skeeter's friend's black maid. She is dignified, loving and intelligent but is stifled by the limitations placed on blacks.

The third member of this group is Minny, also a black housemaid. She's a great cook but her smart mouth keeps getting her fired.

For various reasons they unite to tell the story of what being the "colored help" is really like.

WARNING: Don't finish this wonderfully written book right before going to bed. You'll be up all night thinking about these courageous characters.

Finger Lickin' Fifteen

I know it's Monday but it feels like Sunday because of the long Labor Day weekend. I'm enjoying it with my granddaughter and some friends who drove up from Massachusetts to visit. Not much reading is getting done, though!


What can I say about this series that hasn't already been said? As with her others, this is a quick read but it holds plenty of entertainment. It was the perfect antidote for my first week at school. I laughed out loud quite a few times.






I'm sneaking a few minutes of peace and quiet before the rest of the crew wake up and we start cooking breakfast outside for everyone. Maybe tonight I'll have a chance to sit and read for awhile.

Long Lost

I think I devoured this book in two big gulps! Harlan Coben really knows how to tell a good story.

This novel features Myron Bolitar and it was so nice to visit with him again. This time he rushes to Paris to help his friend, Terese, locate her ex-husband and the daughter she thought had died ten years earlier.

Their investigation lands them in all kinds of tough situations and keeps the story moving at breakneck speed.

This one is definitely a winner!

School started today with two days of teacher workshops and preparation. The kids begin on Wednesday. I'm already pooped!

Dark of the Moon

This was a pretty good book. I liked the crisp and tight writing. It stars Virgil Flowers in his own book. Fans of Lucas Davenport and the Prey series by John Sandford will recognize him. In this novel he's on his own trying to figure out who killed several people in a small town. There are quite a few suspects and Virgil uses his unique style to solve the mystery.

One thing bothered me though. On page 111 Roman Schmidt hears someone at the door in the middle of the night. He figures it can't be good news and as he's on his way to the door, he hopes it doesn't involve his son or daughters. On page 117, after he's been killed, Virgil asks about family and the sheriff answers that Schmidt had no family. And that was it. There was no mention of Schmidt's family after that. I thought there would be a deep, dark secret revealed later but...nothing!

And that bothered me the whole way though kind of spoiling it for me.

The Weight of Silence

This should say, "Tuesday Salon"! I can't believe how late I am this week. Our son and his girlfriend visited over the weekend so we were busy. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!


I did manage to finish this book quite quickly and liked it. Two little seven-year-old girls disappear from their bedrooms early one summer morning. One girl, Calli, is mute and Petra, her friend, speaks for her.

The novel is told through several voices including Calli's.

Really, I couldn't put it down! It was that good.

Mom update: Her doctor injected silicone in her back. It will take a couple weeks to alleviate her pain. In the mean time she's been moved to a rehab facility to help her get back on her feet. Wish I lived closer!

This is my last week of vacation so I'm determined to bike to the beach each day to read for a couple hours. So, I'm outa here!