Missing Pieces by Heather Gudenkauf

Jack Quinlan has secrets. Lots of secrets. Upon returning to his hometown after a close relative suffers a serious accident, the reality Jack has created and shared with his wife, Sarah, for years quickly begins to unravel. What really happened to Jack’s parents all those years ago? Just how much is Jack hiding? Sarah Quinlan must find out. But will she be able to fill in all the missing pieces before it’s too late? Sarah enlists the help of locals to get to the bottom of Jack’s dark secrets, which all seem to lead to the cellar in Jack’s childhood home. 

Reviewed by Jennifer Harden

Click here to find this book

Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson

To have a mental illness is frustrating - to the person who has one and very often to those around her.  Jenny Lawson has several, including OCD, ADD, depression and an anxiety disorder.  As bad as things can get at some times in her life, Lawson believes in seizing the moment and experiencing as many positive adventures as possible.  She calls this being “furiously happy”. 

 Lawson is a best-selling author and a well-known blogger and is often hilarious.  This book reads like a collection of blogs based on real episodes in her life; on the challenges of dealing with her mental illness, on her personal life and career, and on her relationship with her husband, Victor.  Her writing style is as exuberant as her ideas, and as intense.  It rushes along, full of almost manic energy and pulls the reader with it.  Some of the chapters are very funny, some deal with specifics of her mental illness and are so revealing and honest that they are painful.  

In Lawson’s words “…there is something wonderful in accepting someone else’s flaws, especially when it gives you the chance to accept your own and see that those flaws are the things that make us human.”

Lawson has succeeded in putting a very human face on the challenge of mental illness.  And she made me laugh while doing it.  Her book is available at the library in both print and ebook formats.

Reviewed by Kate Tesdell

Click here to find this book

Normal by Graeme Cameron

In this, his first novel, Graeme Cameron takes the reader into the complex mind of a serial killer, a unique character who remains nameless, and whose undoing is built up, throughout the story. Prone to violence from his past, and frustrated by the disillusioned and complicated relationships with the women in his life, the character becomes more greatly understood as his demise unfolds, and the extremes that are “normal” to the character, become to the reader as well. Cameron’s ability to create a cast of such deeply conflicted characters whose complexities intertwine in disturbing ways makes this a good read.

Reviewed by Sarah Younkman

 

Click here to find this book

Mistletoe Inn by Richard Paul Evans

I listened to this book on an audiobook.  I love listening to books as I drive to and from work and out on errands.  It really makes the mundane tasks more tolerable especially if it is good book and reader.  This book gets a thumbs up on both accounts from me.  Okay, onward with my review.

Kimberly Rossi is a want-to-be author with some devastating heartbreaks in her past.  These heartbreaks have taken a toll on her and are especially hard at Christmas.  She hears about a writers retreat in Vermont at the Mistletoe Inn and is intrigued.  After all, her favorite author in the whole wide world will be there.  How could she say no? 

While at the conference she meets Zeke, a man that seems too good to be true.  When their growing relationship hits a few bumps in the road all the hurt and self-doubt that she has carried from her past comes back to haunt her.  How can she trust this man?  

As the story goes on, Kimberly learns about trust, self-worth and most of all forgiveness. 

I am a huge fan of this author and he didn’t disappoint with this book.  I found myself sitting in my car a few extra minutes just to hear more of the story.  I highly recommend this book whether you read it yourself or listen to the audiobook.

Reviewed by Brenda Rodammer

Click here to find this book

How many of these have you read?

Take a look at this list from USA Today ( Dec.30, 2015)!

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2015/12/30/10-books-we-loved-reading-in-2015/77972528/

The Money Answer Book: Quick Answers to Everyday Financial Questions by Dave Ramsey

Whether you're worrying about credit card debt, your kids' college tuition, your own retirement, or refinancing your home, this book frames the problem; then suggests a solution. The Money Answer Book gives an easy-to-read distillation of all of the key Ramsey commandments for financial success.

You can read the entire book in 90 minutes and get on your way to “financial freedom.”

Reviewed by Kim White, Head of Hoyt Library

Click here to find this book