Karin

Let me first say that yes, I did read portions of this book out loud to my husband and wasn't shy while reading certain scenes. Fifty Shades of Grey has taken the U.S. by storm. First mentioned by a staffer on the Today show, this book is becoming the cult read of this spring.  This book started as a self-published title, but since the whirlwind word of mouth, publishing giant Random House quickly obtained the rights to print all three books in the series.

The storyline centers on literary student Anastasia Steele and the very wealthy, young and gorgeous Christian Grey.  When the couple embarks on a passionate and daring affair, neither is prepared for their hidden secrets and feelings to come to light.

For the last several weeks, Jill has been very busy booking author events for late spring and summer. I was excited when we booked author Camille Noe Pagan for June 21^st, at 6:30 p.m. I have read her debut novel, The Art of Forgetting, and I LOVED this story of friendship, relationships, family, forgiveness and moving forward.

In this novel, Julia and Marissa are best friends and have been since growing up together in Ann Arbor. Julia has always been the one who seems to be in control, while Marissa is the friend who follows behind.  At the beginning of the book, Julia is involved in an accident where she sustains a brain injury. With the brain injury, her personality changes as does her ability to remember events of her past.

I will admit that I thought this book would be more about Julia and her recovery but was happy the story was more about Marissa, who seems to have always played second fiddle to Julia. Marissa is a strong character who grows as she must take over the job as the pillar in her relationship with Julia.

The Land of Decoration is a powerful, unique and extraordinary tale of strong religious convictions and the power of imagination. Ten-year-old Judith McPherson is an unforgettable heroine who lives against the backdrop of manic religious fervor.  While constructing a miniature model of the promise Land, she hears God's voice and believes she is an instrument to carry His words to others.  Land of Decorations is a complex story of faith, family, good and evil.

With the centennial anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic comes a compelling historical novel about Tess, an aspiring seamstress, who survives the disaster. Tess thinks she is lucky when she is hired by famous designer, Lady Lucile Duff Gordon (who really was aboard the doomed ship). While on board, she catches the eye of two very different men, a handsome millionaire and hard working sailor.

The House at Tyneford, by Natasha Solomons, is the book selection this month for Saturn Booksellers’ virtual book club. I just finished this exquisite novel surrounded by piles of Kleenex. The story of Elise Landau starts in the spring of 1938 in Vienna, where it has become unsafe to be a Jew.  Like others who have grown up surrounded by wealth, art and glittering parties, Elise must leave the world she knows behind in order to survive.  She becomes a parlour maid at Tyneford, a beautiful country estate in England. When Kit, the young son of the owner of the estate, arrives home, he and Elise start an unlikely upstairs/downstairs relationship that transforms Tyneford forever.