The book goes back & forth between Slaverytime & Freedomtime around the Civil War. The mother is Miss May Belle & daughter is Rue. Miss May Belle is a healer, midwife & conjures curses on people. She teaches her daughter her craft. Rich in descriptions of plantation working & family life. Superstition & fear surround a boy named Bean that Rue birthed with a “caul”. Rue fears the boy & feels the need to protect him from the others on the plantation who accuse the little boy of bringing a deadly sickness to the other children. A preacher comes to the plantation & gets involved with “saving” the sinners,Bean & Rue through baptism. Theres a lot going on in the story between relationships of plantation owner, his daughter Varina, Rue, the preacher & May Belle. This is fiction based on history & I loved it!

Two divorced women start dating now that they are empty nesters. Both are not sure that they are ready to let love in. What happens to change their minds. Fast reading.

A friend of mine suggested that I might like the Hulu series "Normal People." Upon hearing it was based on a book, I obviously had to go read the book first. I definitely understand why my friend recommended it. This is a coming of age story that explores a complicated relationship between two people as they navigate growing up and becoming adults. However, if you are looking for a happy, heart-warming story, this book is not for you. It's honest, tender, and heart-wrenching at times. Though there are sweet moments, I wouldn't call this a happy story, but that's okay. Overall I do not regret the time I spent reading this book. Just check with yourself first to make sure you're in the mood to feel a complex range of emotions.

Another gem by Jodi Picoult. In this book she brings to light the day to day life and struggles that families living with children who have Asperger's syndrome experience. She then takes it to another level when the main character (an 18 year old with Asperger's) is charged with the murder of his social skills tutor. His younger brother is also involved and the reader does not find out what actually happened that day until the very end of the book. Although I was still left with questions that I wish could have been answered after the final page I would definitely recommend this book. As usual Picoult brings to light insights into an often unexplored topic and is able to weave into the story opportunities for self reflection and introspection.

A man with a faded well -worn notebook open in his lap . A woman experiencing a morning ritual she doesn't understand. Until he begins to read to her. The Notebook is an achingly tender story about the enduring power of love, a story of miracles that will stay with you forever. Set amid the austere beauty of coastal North Carolina in 1946. The Notebook begins with the story of Noah Calhoun , a rural Southerner returned home from World War LL. Noah thirty -one , is restoring a plantation home to its former glory , and he is haunted by images of the beautiful girl he met fourteen years earlier, a girl he loved like no other. Unable to find her, yet unwilling to forget the summer they spent together, Noah is content to live with only memories... until she unexpectedly returns to his town to see him once again. Allie Nelson , twenty-nine is now engaged to another man, but realizes that the original passion she felt for Noah has not dimmed with the passage of time. Still, the obstacles that once ended their previous relationship remain, and the gulf between their worlds is too vast to ignore. With her impending marriage only weeks away, Allie is forced to confront her hopes and dreams for the future, a future that only she can share.

The Sisterhood books are always a great read. This time they helped a young woman, who lost everything, get her revenge.

Widow Liza Schrock is the owner of the Amish Charm Bakery. She is content to cook mouthwatering recipes for her community and stay unwed. That changes when widower Jacob Graber moves town. Now they both get a second chance at love, unless the secret from her past gets in the way. Very enjoyable and easy read.

it keeps you reading

It is always an experience when we get the experience of living on the other side of the tracks. The author did an excellent job of expressing what her experience was like when she wore the robe of a patient instead of that of a doctor. She had the experience of lying in a hospital bed and watching and hearing the treatments that patients get from their medical team. She was able to experience the coldness, insensitivity, the mistakes, the delays, dealing with attitudes and the attitude of being treated as a subject, as a bed #. She saw and heard, ego, self-satisfaction, nonchalant attitude from the medical team caring for her. This was an eye opener for her and made her determine in her heart that she would not display these attitudes in her practice.

Good fast read. Had me guessing from the start and was surprised, who did it.