The Eye of God : A Sigma Force Novel by James Rollins

Nobody, and I mean nobody does Action-Adventure like James Rollins.  The Eye of God is the 9th in the Sigma Force series, and is just as amazing as the others.  Usually, I find myself bored with the characters, plots, or seemingly cookie cutter methods that authors employ when writing long running series, but not with Sigma Force.  James Rollins is a gem and his writing always has you on the edge of your seat.  My favorite part of the Rollins' books is the "fact vs. fiction" section at the end.  James Rollins is a researcher, an academic, through and through, so it's always interesting to find out what pieces of the story were real and which were fictional.
I have read other reviews of this book online and one of the complaints are that the people who work for Sigma Force seem unnaturally talented.  Well, when one is working for a covert government agency you should be resourceful and intelligent - duh.  I never heard anyone complaining about James Bond - geez.  Second, this book may be hard to follow if you have never read any of the proceeding Sigma Force books.  The relationships between the characters have depth, the depth that one may expect after "working together" in nine books.  All in all, I love James Rollins, his characters and his books.  Just a warning, this is probably not a good book for bedtime reading - I was up until 2am one night and eventually put the book down after I couldn't take the suspense.

Roses by Leila Meacham

     Red and White roses - symbols of the warring English houses of Lancaster and York are the inspiration for this novel. However this is a decidedly American story - a sweeping saga ala "Gone With the Wind" which spans some 100 years in east Texas.

     Second sons of 3 rival English & French families, deprived by primogeniture of their estates, move westward from South Carolina intending to establish a gentile Southern enclave of cotton plantations, timber farms, & mercantile stores. 

     Prospering and settling into stately homes set back on tree-lined streets, they leave to generations of offspring -  family mysteries, supposed curses, and legal disputes - in addition to their land and their money.  

     An engrossing, good old-fashioned story of love, land, war, family secrets, and destiny.  

Strawberry Picker by Monika Feth

 I ordered this book because I read a review that touted it as Dexter for teens, and I can't tell you how many teens come into the library asking for suspense and horror books.  Unfortunately, I'd have to disagree.  The book alternates between the viewpoints of the killer and his victims, but it doesn't leave you rooting for the killer.  This guy doesn't kill bad guys, but unsuspecting women.  The reader, or at least I, felt absolutely no empathy for this guy. 
  I decided that if the book turned out to be good I would order it for the library, since no library in the Delaware system owned it.  I think I'll pass.  Our collection dollars could be spent in wiser ways within the same genre.  Oh well, no harm in trying.

Orange is the New Black : My Year in a Women's Prison by Piper Kerman

Once I heard that Netflix was turning this book into a series, I jumped right on the bandwagon and decided I just HAD to read it.  Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman is an account of how her need to escape her white bread life sent her to the federal pen.  There were both good and bad things about this book.  The first half of it flew by reading more like fiction that non-fiction.  It had that un-put-downable quality that I love in good books.  The middle portion was a little more difficult to swallow, becoming a bit preachy about the ills within our prison systems.  We get it - prison is BAD.  The ending was dynamite and left me wanting to know more about Piper Kerman and her life since her ordeal ended.  I recommend this book based on the relationships Piper made while in prison and because of the interesting dynamic that was captured on the page that explained the difficulties in maintaining the relationships she left on the outside.  Her observations of the different types of people she encountered while inside are also amusing (a particular type of woman became known as "Eminemlettes").  At times funny, and at other points heartbreaking, this book is worth picking up.

Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende

This beautiful, sweeping historical saga begins mid 1700's on the Caribbean island of Saint-Domingue (modern day Haiti).  Upon his father's death, Toulouse Valmorain reluctantly leaves his bon vivant bachelor life in Paris to manage the family sugar plantation in Haiti. Planning to get his affairs in order quickly & return to Paris, he faces a brutal overseer and rebellious slaves, & quickly realizes that as an only son, he must stay to provide the income for his family to continue living their opulent Parisian lifestyle.  Procuring a suitable wife, he then buys a 9 year-old slave girl to care for her. The rest of the story involves the relationship between these 2 figures & many colorful ancillary characters.  From Toussaint Louverture leading the infamous slave rebellion, to Napoleon's army dessimated by yellow fever, to Voodoo, to pirates & political intrigue & the mercantile trade of slaves, rum & sugar - the narrative moves from Haiti to Cuba & finally the wild & wonderful Creole town of New Orleans pre Louisiana Purchase, where beautiful light-skinned mulattos are auctioned off at debutante balls to wealthy single patrons.  Engrossing, enlightening, thoroughly enjoyable.

The Wrap-Up List by Steven Arntson

 Gabriela opens her mailbox to find her Death Letter.  She has exactly seven days before she's due to depart.  Seven days to figure out her death's secret weakness, because if she can do that, she can earn herself a pardon.
  Steven Arntson opens up a weird world in which a percentage of the population is chosen for departure.  There's still the unexplained, unexpected and natural deaths of this realm, but with a little extra.  Deaths walk freely and visibly within this world, often hanging out at local coffee shops.
  In addition to the fantasy element there is impending war and a draft, familial problems and struggles with love and friendship.  The premise of the book made it intriguing and the background stories kept it moving.  All in all, a pretty solid read for fans of fantasy and the paranormal.   

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

Don't read this book on a Nook, Kindle or iPad.  I did, and I also tend to speedread.  However, 1/3 of the way through, I wanted to flip back to re-read parts more carefully.  (And being able to flip back and forth is decidedly NOT one of the virtues of an e-reader.)  I will buy the book, and read it again - carefully and slowly.

One person's experience of living the same life over again every time she dies. Sometimes with fleeting images and memories, sometimes changing history.  It spans the 20th century, from her birth in 1910, through the Blitz in London in WW2,  up to the 60's.  You'll need to invest some time reading this beautifully written book -  it's worth it.