Girls in Trucks, by Katie Crouch **

Sarah Walters, the narrator of GIRLS IN TRUCKS, is a reluctant Camellia Society debutante. She has always felt ill-fitted to the rococo ways of Southern womanhood and family, and is anxious to shake the bonds of her youth. Still, she follows the traditional path laid out for her. This is Charleston, and in this beautiful, dark, segregated town, established rules and manners mean everything.

But as Sarah grows older, she finds that her Camellia lessons fail her, particularly as she goes to college, moves North, and navigates love and life in New York. There, Sarah and her group of displaced deb sisters try to define themselves within the realities of modern life. Heartbreak, addiction, disappointing jobs and death fail to live up to the hazy, happy future promised to them by their Camellia mothers and sisters.

When some unexpected bumps in the road--an unplanned birth, a family death--lead Sarah back home, she's forced to take another long look at the fading empire of her youth. It takes a strange turn of events to finally ground Sarah enough to make some serious choices. And only then does she realize that as much as she tried to deny it, where she comes from will always affect where she ends up. The motto of her girlhood cotillion society, "Once a Camellia, always a Camellia," may turn out to have more wisdom and pull to it than she ever could have guessed.

I can't say I loved this one. Each chapter tells a story about a debutant as she progresses from high school to her 30's, during which she drinks too much, does drugs and sleeps with a lot of men. The first chapter (story) seemed kind of funny, but they went down hill from there. The stories told in the chapters seemed kind of random and without reason - one is a letter that an otherwise minor character leaves behind for her cheating husband after she dies. I kept waiting for something to happen that would explain what had come before, or tie things together. It never happened.

I didn't like the main character, and didn't really like the supporting characters. There was no underlying plot that caught and held my attention... it seemed a lot more like a collection of tales from a frat house than a story of a debutant.

The Weight of Silence, by Heather Gudenkauf ****

It happens quietly one August morning. As dawn's shimmering light drenches the humid Iowa air, two families awaken to find their little girls have gone missing in the night.
Seven-year-old Calli Clark is sweet, gentle, a dreamer who suffers from selective mutism brought on by tragedy that pulled her deep into silence as a toddler.

Calli's mother, Antonia, tried to be the best mother she could within the confines of marriage to a mostly absent, often angry husband. Now, though she denies that her husband could be involved in the possible abductions, she fears her decision to stay in her marriage has cost her more than her daughter's voice.

Petra Gregory is Calli's best friend, her soul mate and her voice. But neither Petra nor Calli has been heard from since their disappearance was discovered. Desperate to find his child, Martin Gregory is forced to confront a side of himself he did not know existed beneath his intellectual, professorial demeanor.

Now these families are tied by the question of what happened to their children. And the answer is trapped in the silence of unspoken family secrets.

To be perfectly honest, the only reason why I bought this book was because Amazon kept recommending it to me. For almost a year, it seemed like almost every time I ordered a book, Amazon would come back and say if I liked that one, I'd like this one too. I don't normally like stories about missing children - I find them too disturbing - but this one was good.

I can't say much about the plot without giving it away, but I will say it was a new take on this sort of story. The focus is more on Callie and her family than it is on Petra.   For Callie, the question is more about what led to her disappearance than where she was, and for Petra the question was where she'd gone.  Actually, I was almost finished the book before I understood what was going on with Petra. It's more Callie's story, but Petra is an integral part that helps tie everything up at the end. Good book.

The Lucky One, by Nicholas Sparks ****

After U.S. Marine Logan Thibault finds a photograph of a smiling young woman buried in the dirt during his tour of duty in Iraq, he experiences a sudden streak of luck -- winning poker games and even surviving deadly combat. Only his best friend, Victor, seems to have an explanation for his good fortune: the photograph -- his lucky charm.

Back home in Colorado, Thibault can't seem to get the woman in the photograph out of his mind and he sets out on a journey across the country to find her. But Thibault is caught off guard by the strong attraction he feels for the woman he encounters in North Carolina - Elizabeth, a divorced mother -- and he keeps the story of the photo, and his luck, a secret. As he and Elizabeth embark upon a passionate love affair, his secret soon threatens to tear them apart -- destroying not only their love, but also their lives.

Filled with tender romance and terrific suspense, THE LUCKY ONE is an unforgettable story about the surprising paths our lives often take and the power of fate to guide us to true and everlasting love.

First, a tangent: You know what I would really like to see in a book? I'd like to see the main character have a dog that isn't so darned perfect. Maybe he's got no recall, or jumps like a pogo stick any time somebody new comes through the door. Maybe she stands on the back deck and barks like a fiend when a leaf so much as drops. Either way, I'd like to see a dog that - despite their owner's attempts to train them - can really be a pain in the ass. Show me a book with a dog like that, and I'll show you a book with some credibility.

Back to the book - I think it's generally accepted that Nicholas Sparks is escapism. His work isn't deep, but it's entertaining and makes you feel good in the end. This was exactly that. A quick easy read that took little to no thought, during or after I was reading it. I enjoyed it, but I generally prefer books with a little more substance... or dogs that get into the kitchen garbage.

Pray for Silence, by Linda Castillo *****

One family. One horrific murder. An entire town under suspicion…

The Planks moved from Lancaster County Pennsylvania to the small Amish community of Painters Mill, hoping to resume the comforts of the Plain Life in Ohio. Less than one year later, the family of seven is found dead—slaughtered on their own farm.

Police Chief Kate Burkholder and her small force have few clues, no motive, and no suspect. Formerly Amish herself, Kate is no stranger to the secrets the Amish keep from their “English” neighbors—and each other. When the diary belonging to the rebellious teenager Mary Plank turns up, Kate is surprised to find not only a kindred spirit but a murder suspect: the charismatic stranger who stole Mary’s heart.

Then there’s Mary’s brother, Aaron. Shunned by his family and the rest of the Amish community, could he have returned to seek revenge? Now it’s up to Kate to search for some dark truths about the Planks—and confront long-buried secrets of her own. As Kate’s obsession with the case grows so does her resolve to bring the killer to justice—even if it means putting herself into the line of fire . . .

This book is the follow up to "Sworn to Silence" by the same author, that I reviewed last spring. I thought this one was as good, if not better, than the first. They're both good mystery books with the same imperfect but relatable characters. Lots of suspense, some violence, but described in a way that I didn't find it too graphic.

Leaving Jack, by Gareth Crocker ***

After months in Vietnam, soldier Carson Fletcher has had enough. He's tired of the rain, the mud, the discomfort, the danger - and most of all he's tired of seeing his buddies killed. But when his platoon encounters a yellow Lab named Jack, something in Carson comes alive again. He knows that if he can help Jack survive, he can save himself.

A friend recommended this short story to me. She said she's read it over and over and loves it every time. I've looked, and am pretty sure it's out of print... an audio version of it is going for $63 on Amazon, so I figured it must be a great story. I thought it was good, but not spectacular. The story opened up as the main character stands over his families grave, after an accident. He's already tried to commit suicide once over their loss, and decides to enlist to go to Vietnam to ensure his death in a 'useful' manner. It's a story that's been told many times in various forms, but it has potential.

Being the dog lover that I am, it feels odd to say this, but the story lost credibility when the dog is introduced. Injuries and events are a little to severe to be survived - multiple times. If you suspend your disbelief, the story is based on good premise; I just found it a little too hard to believe to get truly involved.

Falling Home, by Karen White **

Cassie Madison has it all: a high-powered advertising career, a stylish Manhattan apartment, and a sophisticated, rich, and gorgeous fiance. It's a far cry from her childhood in Walton, Georgia, home of the annual Kudzu Festival and hot, sticky summers. And then there are all the bad memories, the heartache. When Cassie's estranged sister calls to say that her father is dying, Cassie knows it's time to set aside her feelings and go home and face the sister she hasn't seen in 15 years. When her father dies, he leaves the family home to Cassie, who can't wait to get rid of it and get back to New York, her job, and her fiance, even if it means having a developer tear down the house. But something keeps her in Walton, and she doesn't know if it's her mending relationship with her sister; the irresistible, aggravating Sam Parker, who wants her to preserve her house; or the feeling of finally being home. This sweet book is highly recommended.

I don't recommend this book. It had a few good parts, but you've got to slog through a bunch of junk to get to it. I really didn't like the main character. She came across as a prissy snob with a chip on her shoulder and magically transformed to a considerate and loving family woman through the book. I'm beyond believing that people change that much over a period of a few weeks. Actually, I found too many of the characters to be over the top and predictable. In fact, I had to check the cover a few times to make sure I wasn't reading a Harlequin romance.

Arranged, by Catherine Mckenzie ****

Anne Blythe is lucky. She’s got a brand new book contract, a great newspaper job and a steadfast best friend, and she can land just about any man she sets her sights on—and the ones that appeal are typically tall, dark and handsome. Problem is, the men she chooses never last. Shortly after yet another relationship goes down in flames, Anne comes across a card for what she believes is a dating service, and pockets it just in case. If she’s so unlucky in love, maybe she could use a little assistance. Then her best friend announces she’s engaged, and envy gets the better of Anne. Now’s the time, she decides, to give the service a try—and she is shocked to discover that what the company specializes in are exclusive, and pricey, arranged marriages. After learning of the company’s success rate, however, she overcomes her reluctance and signs on. After all, arranged marriages are the norm for millions of women around the world, and she’s not done so well selecting a mate on her own. So why not use a professional service that claims it can produce the perfect match?
Some time later, Anne is travelling to a Mexican resort, where in one short weekend she will meet and marry Jack, the man they have chosen for her. And against all odds, it seems to be working out, until Anne learns that Jack and the company who arranged their marriage are not what they seem at all.

There's a quote on the front cover of this book that says "Just when you think you've got Arranged figured out, time and again, Catherine McKenzie delivers the flawless, unexpected twist that keeps you glued to the book." That, and the description on the back of the book lead me to believe that there was going to be some mystery. I bought this book because I thought it was going to be a thriller of sorts. It wasn't.

This was a very predictable, formulated love story. It wasn't a bad book - I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. It was probably the perfect intellectual level for my anesthesia brain - but I felt like there was some false advertising in the description.