Payback Time by Carl Deuker

Mitch True has wanted to be a reporter ever since his dad took him to see All the President’s Men when he was little [in a theater that shows old movies, of course].  He has been on the school paper, The Lincoln Light, since freshman year.  He assumed he would become the editor during senior year because his only competition, Alyssa Hanson, was not a very talented writer.  Alyssa got the editor position based on a popular vote and then moved Mitch from lead reporter to sports.  Although he was initially unhappy, Mitch quickly realized that Alyssa made a great editor and that the sports writer position was likely to give him a lot more exposure before graduation.  But this story is not just about how some kid learned to adapt when his life plan didn’t pan out.  It’s a whole lot juicier than that!

When Mitch and the sports photographer, Kimi Yon, went to interview the quarterback, they noticed something fishy about a new player.  He was throwing amazing passes before practice started but pretended to be only mediocre when people started paying attention to him.  He also looked older than the rest of the guys on the team.  Everyone knew Coach McNulty was unhappy coaching high school football and wantedto get hired on at a college . . . so, could he be cheating by bringing in a guy who was ineligible to play?  Mitch and Kimi decided to dig up the truth and to get this story out.  But there’s just one problem — they’re not even close to guessing this guy’s secret and have no idea how much danger they could be in if they dig too deep.

The Great Divorce : A nineteeth-century mother’s extraordinary fight against her husband, the Shakers, and her times by Ilyon Woo

In the early 1800s a woman had few rights.  If she married, she didn’t own property.  If she separated from her husband, she usually didn’t have custody of her children.  Eunice Chapman, a small woman, enlisted the support of New York State legislators to get custody of her children after her husband joined the Shakers at the Watervliet site.  This true story reads like fiction.  It is balanced and enlightening.

The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman

Alice Hoffman’s newest book, The Dovekeepers, is a mesmerizing story based on the 1st century battle at Masada between Jewish zealots and the Romans who were determined to eliminate them.  According to 1st century historian Josephus, over 900 Jews, expelled from Jerusalem, sacrificed everything to reach what they hoped would be a safe haven in a Judean desert fortress. The  story unfolds in the voices of four incredible women, each with different backgrounds and talents but dedicated to the survival of their faith and families. The tragic and iconic final battle of the small outpost against the vast might of the Roman military, and the survival of two women and five children, is both horrifying and uplifting.  This is a book that you won’t want to put down!

Other People’s Rejection Letters, edited by Bill Shapiro

Rejection letters are never fun . . . unless they are written to someone else!  This rejection collection includes letters by and to famous and not-so-famous people, ranging from the amusing to the disturbing.  While many names have been redacted to protect the innocent, the Postscript section at the end of the book sheds light on some of the recipients, including background on the letters and how the people moved on after the rejection.

The Penguin Who Knew Too Much: A Meg Langslow Mystery by Donna Andrews

This is the eighth book in the Meg Langslow series, all of which have birds in the titles and in the stories.  It all started with Peacocks.  The books do not have to be read in order.  Some have more laughs than others.  This one is laugh out loud funny.  You get exposed to Meg’s ever-growing extended family.  A body is found in her home while she and her fiancé are planning their wedding.  To add to the mix, a zoo-load of animals is being dumped off at their home.  Just sit back and enjoy.

Day After Night by Anita Diamant

Just when I thought I had heard of most of the twists and turns related to the Holocaust, another facet is discovered.  This novel, based on a true situation, tells the story of four young women who go to Israel after World War II.  They were placed by the British in Atlit, an internment camp for “illegal” immigrants.  We learn about life at the camp, the different paths which brought the women to Atlit, and their life afterwards.  It is a richly told story by the author of The Red Tent.

King of the Mild Frontier: an Ill-advised Autobiography by Chris Crutcher

Chris Crutcher often writes about dysfunction, and he does so well with it because he writes what he knows.  He didn’t have a terrible childhood per se, but he had major anger-management issues, an alcoholic mother, and a hard-working father who tried to keep up appearances no matter what — not to mention a trickster of an older brother who got Chris into a whole lot more trouble than he would have managed on his own.  As an adult, Crutcher worked as a child and family therapist, and he did his best to help other people work past their anger to fix the messes they’d made of their lives.  I liked hearing how the young Chris was already fond of speaking his mind and speaking out against injustice, and I really appreciated learning about some of the real-life people he had worked with who affected him so much that he incorporated their stories in his novels.

This autobiography was often hilarious, but sometimes brought me to tears.  Between the candid writing style and the fact that Crutcher narrated the audiobook himself, I sometimes felt like he was sitting in the passenger seat and telling me his stories in person.  The only thing I didn’t like was that it was over so quickly!  Still, I can appreciate the fact that this book will be an easier sell to reluctant readers for this very reason.  If you’ve read any of Crutcher’s books, you’ll surely recognize the people who’ve inspired him.  And if you haven’t yet read his books, this autobiography will surely entice you!

A Room on Lorelei Street by Mary E. Pearson

Zoe Beth Buckman has got more than her fair share of troubles.  Ever since her dad died, her mom has been a wreck.  Her parents were always drinkers, but now it is clear to Zoe that her mom is an alcoholic who is going to drink herself to death if she doesn’t change her ways.  Zoe’s grandmother insists that she needs to stay and take care of her ailing mother, but Zoe is sick and tired of it all — sick of the secrets and tired of being more of a mom than a daughter.  After things at school start to be affected by her home life, Zoe decides that she needs to get out on her own.  She finds a room for rent on Lorelei Street, but she isn’t quite sure how she will be able to make ends meet.  All she knows is that she needs to get out before she is sucked any further into the vortex of her mother’s misery, and she is willing to do almost anything to make it work.

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin by Erik Larson

It is 1933, and the post of U.S. Ambassador to Germany remains empty as the President battles with the Great Depression.  Quiet,  scholarly Chicago history professor William E. Dodd’s name is suggested as a candidate to the President, and he and his family find themselves in Berlin as Adolf Hitler is gaining popularity.  Dodd’s determination to maintain communication between his embassy and the Nazis is challenged daily by the Anti-Semitism of  German leaders and  pressures from American Jewish groups. While he walks a diplomatic tightrope, his beautiful and effervescent daughter engages in a lively social life, becoming close to Nazis and Socialists alike, complicating the picture.  This is an incredible and readable account of the years before the outbreak of World War II in Europe.

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

In Victorian times, plants and flowers held symbolic meaning: you might give your love interest a bouquet of tulips (declaration of love), your enemy one of tansy (I declare war against you).  In Diffenbaugh’s novel, eighteen-year-old Victoria, alone and homeless, has just aged out of the foster care system.  Victoria’s knowledge of the sentiments conveyed by flowers proves to be her salvation and leads to employment with a florist.  Gruff, defensive Victoria cautiously begins to bloom in her new life, until a life-altering event derails her delicate progress.  In alternating chapters, Diffenbaugh weaves Victoria’s past and present until the two meet in a tender conclusion.

Definitely not Mr. Darcy by Karen Doornebos

Chloe Parker is thirty-nine, divorced, owner of a failing letterpress business, and a total Jane Austen fan.  Desperate for cash to save her business and insure a good future for her daughter, Abigail, she applies and is accepted for a position on what she thinks is a total immersion documentary about Jane Austen’s England.  Imagine her suprise when she discovers that it is actually a period reality show, an 1812 version of The Bachelor.  This is outrageous!  This is ridiculous!  This is still $100,ooo on the line.  And so, Chloe decides to give it her best shot to win the heart of Mr. Sebastian Wrightman, a total hunk.  She’ll just ignore the tender feelings she begins to have for his cousin, Henry, who is also on the show in a secondary position.  In the process, she has to cope with nineteenth century hygiene or lack thereof, unpalatable food, and all the strict rules of society at that time.   Light and amusing, as well as informative about Victorian England.  Enjoy.

Blood Wounds by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Willa has it pretty good.  Her mom got remarried, but her step-dad [Jack] is a genuinely nice guy who loves her as if she is his own daughter.  She even gets along really well with her step-sisters and their mom.  Unfortunately, Willa’s happy little life is about to fall apart.  When her mom’s best friend calls from Texas, freaking out about a guy named Budge, a missing twin, and an Amber Alert, Willa starts to realize that there is a lot she doesn’t know about the life she left behind.  As it turns out, Budge is her birth father’s nickname.  The twin is one of Budge’s daughters from his second marriage.  And the Amber Alert was put in place because Budge’s wife and two other daughters were found murdered…  Stabbed to death.  If that wasn’t freaky enough, Budge and his daughter were potentially sighted at a gas station along a highway that leads to the town where Willa and her mom now live. How do you even begin to process that information?!?

Bumped by Megan McCafferty

In a world where the Human Sterility Virus (HSV) causes nearly everyone to become sterile after the age of 18, teenage pregnancy becomes both necessary AND trendy.  It’s pretty disturbing to think of a world in which teenage girls are basically pimped out as incubators, but McCafferty manages to keep the tone light and funny overall.  I especially enjoyed the “FunBumps” (complete with moving “babies” inside) and the t-shirts for tweens that proclaimed they were “Born to Breed.”  Some people have accused this book of glorifying teenage pregnancy, but I think they got it completely wrong.  If anything, this book derides our culture’s current obsession with teen pregnancy.  Shows like 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom, while reportedly intending to show the harsh reality of teen pregnancy, have actually resulted in the glamorization of teen pregnancy.  Need proof?  How about news stories about pregnancy pacts, girls trying to get pregnant to get on the show, and the surge in popularity of the names “Maci” and “Bentley” (the names of a featured teen mom and her son).

Beyond the insanity of HSV and teen pregnancy for hire, there is another level of complexity with twin sisters (Melody and Harmony) who were separated at birth and reunited as teens.  Harmony was raised in Goodside, a highly religious, gated community in Pennsylvania, where she was raised with the singular goal of being a good wife and mother.  Melody grew up in a “normal” community in New Jersey, where she was given every advantage toward the end of attending the best college and bringing in a large amount of money as a surrogate.  I cannot even begin to describe how awkward it is when Harmony comes to town to try and “save” Melody from her life of sin, but I can assure you that the questions raised by this book will stick with you long after you put it down.

Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks

Geraldine Brooks is known for her compelling historical novels, and Caleb’s Crossing does not disappoint.  The story of Caleb, the first Native American Indian Harvard graduate, is narrated by young Bethia Mayfield,  daughter of the local minister who begin’s Caleb’s education. Bethia, constrained by the puritanical times of the 1600s,  forms a forbidden friendship with young Caleb, learning about the life of his tribe and their surroundings on beautiful  Martha’s Vineyard.  Their friendship takes her to Cambridge, where she is indentured as a housekeeper and where she can observe the changes in her friend.  This is a beautiful and absorbing story!