"A Perfect Day" by Richard Paul Evans

Have you ever made a promise and wondered later how you could keep it? Maybe you didn't want to keep it or maybe you wanted to but too many things got in the way?

This is a story of what begins as a perfect situation, goes through difficulties and temptations. But, like all good stories; there is a happy ending. This is the kind of book you want to read for relaxing and turning off your own problems for a while. You may learn something, but, if you do, that is just an extra bonus. Reviewed by Peggy Duncan

"Blue" by Joyce Moyer Hostetter

Joyce Moyer Hostetter, Catawba County author, delivers in her novel "Blue" a warm and moving story set in 1940's Hickory, through the words of a 13 year old girl, Ann Fay. It was a time of war and crippling disease that could easily have broken the spirits of our community and neighbors but in her historical fiction, Mrs. Hostetter relates tha truth of how the courage and strength and caring hearts of our people gave rise to a miracle here on Lake Hickory.

Ann Fay's life is turned upside down with the departure of her father who is off to fight in the war and she is left with much hard work to help her mother with the home and family. The situation is made even worse when one of her siblings falls gravely ill with polio. She is then mother and father to her sisters, as her mother has to stay at the makeshift emergency hospital with the sick child. Her story is entertaining and delightful at the same time as it is touching and poignant.

Mrs. Hostetter's faith and wisdom (not to mention her superior literary talent) shines through in her writing, making us proud of those who came before us but also showing us the strength that lies within us all to rise above adversity and fear to victory over chaos. Reviewed by Judy Shirley

Comfort by Joyce Moyer Hostetter

There's no sequel let down when you read "Comfort" the heartfelt continuing encounter with "Blue"s Ann Fay as she struggles with polio, her father's return, segregation and even a burgeoning interest in boys. Add to that a naive country girl's intimidating adventure into the Warm Springs, Ga. hospital scene made famous by President Franklin Roosevelt.

"Comfort" confirms that Ms. Hostetter can observe and research the human condition and events and then skillfully personalize them into the lives of her characters. Each one, even minor characters like the "strange" Otis, becomes alive and resonates in the reader's heart. The frustration generated by her father's post traumatic stress disorder is intensified by our knowledge that such a thing was unheard of before WWll.

The author - sometimes gently, sometimes "in your face" - takes us into Ann Fay's life as her boundaries expand and intensify. "Comfort" is more than a sequel; it is the stand alone examination of a young teenager's life on many levels. Reviewed by Shirley Cunningham

Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall

Before he knows him better, Ron has trouble believing Denver's comment that homeless life on the streets of a big city is a step up from his life growing up in Miss. This is true in part because, for Ron, childhood was a joyous time and the plush life of an affluent art dealer he now enjoys seemed to fall in his lap. The author allows each man to to tell his story in alternating chapters.

But, this book isn't just about Denver or Ron. It is about the partnership between Ron's wife,Debbie, and God. And then they all came together. Watch how Debbie uses love and unselfish caring to bring about change in both men and, in fact, everyone who knows her. When Debbie discovers that she has cancer, she charges both men to pick up the torch. Who will step up and who will be lost? What is the future for these unlikely three? What is God doing?

Have your hi-lighter handy to mark moments that you want to go back to and remember. Find out why Denver needs to know if Ron is a "catch and release" fisherman. Then there's the new interpretation of the "seed cast on the ground". Read this one as soon as you can get your hands on it. It's on order now for the CVL. Recommended by many, reviewed by Shirley Cunningham

The Blue Bottle Club and Leota's Garden by Stokes

Both of these books cross generation lines and tell stories that demonstrate how these generations are interwoven. This author always presents a very personal study of her characters that allows the reader to jump in and feel both their joy and their pain.

In the "Blue Bottle Club "we meet a group of girls who huddle together on a cold Christmas day of their senior high school year and drop a slip of paper into a cobalt blue bottle. On each slip they have written their hopes and dreams for the future. As so often happens, the years bring some totally unexpected twists and turns into each life and, as you read, you become personally involved and often surprised at what happens to each girl. Sometimes, you are almost afraid to reach the end for you know there will be both disappointment and heartache at life's end. During the demolition of an old building, the bottle is found by a reporter who realizes she has the makings of the story of a lifetime.

"Leota's Garden" covers three generations. After a violent rift with her own daughter that separates them for many years, Leota's grand daughter enters her life and tries to put things right. How can one generation understand another? Sometimes helping another with their relationships can help you sort out your own.This story involves both neighbor, relative, and love relationship that are so timely in today's world. These books are recommended by Marcia Gniadek

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

Journey with Hannah on a thrilling search for the true story of a rare illuminated manuscript that dates back to the 15th Century. Hannah is an expert rare-book conservator doing a fairly routine study until she discovers a series of tiny artifacts hidden in the ancient binding - an insect wing, a wine stain, salt crystals, and a white hair. What could they mean?

In an effort to unlock these mysteries, Hannah takes us to Bosnia during WWll, Hitler's Germany, inquisition era Vienna, and then Barcelona and Seville. Her investigation at times causes her to doubt herself as well as the man she loves. This novel, inspired by a true story, will grab you and hold you tight. Skipper Smith first suggested this book to me and then Mickey Shuford agreed that it is Brooks' best yet. reviewed by Shirley Cunningham

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

The Glass Castle was a real page burner. From one childhood memory to another, the book was hard to put aside. This is a memoir of a dysfunctional family told with humor, sadness, knidness, and pure innocence. The children of Rex and Rose Walls were moved from place to place around the country and exposed to situations that make you wonder how any of them survived, much less thrived.

From the alcoholic father who instilled a love of astrology to the mother who lamented that the maggots on the leftover ham had a right to live, the story is one of survival, love and, finally, realization of their own abnormality. Mr. Wall's succes in life is one of personal motivation that cannot go unrecognized!

It was not unusual for the four children, their college educated mother, and their highly intelligent father to sleep in their car or outside in the desert - under the stars. Their travels covered Phoenix - where their mother inherited a house - and then up to West Virginia. Often hungry, the family looked for food in left over school lunches.

You will definitely want to stick with the Walls to discover with them their own redemption. Reviewed by Sue Mayfield