CHARMS FOR THE EASY LIFE by Kaye Gibbons

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GIBBONS

Charlie Kate was a strong southern woman. A successful midwife and self-educated doctor of the needy, she put more conventionally trained doctors to shame. She was not so successful in her marriage, however, and her husband left her and her beautiful daughter, Sophia. Sophia also married a weak man, despite her mother's advice, but he died prematurely. Fortunately, he had already fathered Margaret, the narrator of the stories of these three generations of women.

Margaret shares the stories of all three, including their doctoring adventures and their experience of World War II. Despite her own unsuccessful marriage, Charlie Kate has excellent advice for Sophia and Margaret regarding men.

Women who enjoy southern writers, humorous stories, and recent historical fiction are likely to be charmed by the no-so-easy but most interesting lives of Charlie Kate, Sophia, and Margaret.

MR. IVES'S CHRISTMAS by Oscar Hijuelos

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HIJUELOS,O.

This touching book details the life of Mr. Ives, a foundling in New York. From his modest beginnings he finds love and spiritual fulfillment.

One Christmas tragedy strikes: his son is senselessly murdered. Mr. Ives questions his faith in God and man. He contacts the family of the murderer and in time begins a correspondence with the man who killed his son. Eventually he reconnects with his life and his God but the Journey is not easy.

A very good read at any time of the year.

CRISIS, by Robin Cook

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COOK

Dr. Craig Bowman is "on call" 24/7 for his patients. He is a partner in a "concierge" medical practice serving wealthy clients. He thinks he is also practicing medicine the way he was trained in medical school. When one of his problem patients dies, her husband initiates a malpractice suit against Dr. Bowman. Craig's estranged wife ask her brother, medical examiner Jack Stapleton, to come to the defense of his brother-in-law.

Although Jack has never cared for his brother-in-law, he decides that the plaintiff's lawyer is trying to railroad his career. Jack believes an autopsy may help the case.

When Jack gets permission to perform and autopsy, nothing unusual is found...at first. But further toxicology test reveal a starting result.

THE ECHO MAKER, by Richard Powers

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POWERS

Twenty-seven year old factory worker, Mark Schulter flips his truck over in a remote area of Nebraska's Platte River country and goes into a coma. The accident brings his only sibling, Karin, out of her well-structured life and to his bedside.

When he finally comes back to consciousness, doctors discover that he is suffering from Capgras syndrome, a rare brain disorder whereby one is unable to connect visual and intellectual identifications with emotional ones-he thinks Karin is an imposter. Dismayed, she summons a well-known neurologist. In addition to her brother's condition, there are mysteries surrounding the accident, including a cryptic condition, there are mysteries surrounding the accident, including a cryptic note left at the hospital bedside, Even Mark's nurse's aide seems to conceal more than she reveals. This gripping book won the 2006 National Book Award.

THE WEDDING OFFICER by Anthony Capella

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CAPELLA

British officer Captain James Gould arrives in Naples in 1944 charged with task of discouraging soldiers from marrying Italian women thought to be of low moral character. In truth, many are starving widows who have turned to rostitution in utter desperation. Straight-laced and rigid, Capt. Gould will not condone these unions.

One day beautiful widow Livia comes to Naples seeking work. A restaurant owner befriends her and sends her to the British/American officers' club where she signs on as a cook. The officers soon learn that Livia knows her way around a kitchen. James is smitten with Livia's fiery personality and mouth-watering dishes. He begins to understand that she is passionate not only about food but life itself. Ultimately, joy infuses every dish and love ranks highter than military orders.

Especially for fans of Chocolat. Delicious!

PROTECT AND DEFEND by Vince Flynn

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FLYNN

Another thriller from CIA operative, Mitch Rapp. When Iran's secret nuclear facility implodes, the Iranian leadership blames the United States. In order to make their point clear to other countries, fanatical Iranian officials give their navy the authority to sink one of their own ships, thus incriminating the U.S.

CIA Director Irene Kennedy and Mitch Rapp travel to Iraq to meet with a more level-headed Iranian government official. Little do they know that a member of Hezbollah will ambush, abduct and torture Irene Kennedy.

A fast-paced political thriller.

ON CHESIL BEACH by Ian McEwan

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MCEWAN

The setting is England in 1962. The novel opens in the wedding suite of Edward Mayhew, age 23 and his wife of a few hours, Florence, age 22. They are eating a post-ceremony dinner in a beautiful resort on Chesil Beach. They are strangely quiet, each consumed with thoughts of the remainder of the evening. Edward is anxious to consummate their relationship, while Florence is repelled at the idea. Because of the social mores of the time and their repressed English upbringings, neither one can discuss his feelings and apprehensions. The situation is almost unbearably tense. McEwan's description of the conflict is insightful and compassionate.

BEYOND the GATHERING STORM by Janette Oke

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OKE, J.

Before the gathering storm of World War I breaks, young Christine and Henry Delaney, the adopted children of a loving evangelical couple, set out into the world of Alberta, Canada. Christine takes a secretarial post in Edmonton, where she misses the wilderness. She soon falls for the boss's son, who is an unbeliever. Henry, a Royal Canadian mounted policeman, still worries about the fate of the young mother he had to inform of her husband's death five years earlier. Posted to a small town in the north, he is shocked to find the same woman is his barber. Henry is soon head over heels, but the widow keeps all men at bay. Both Henry and his sister trust God for the resolution of their romantic dilemmas.

Those who enjoy this story seem likely to be rewarded with a sequel.

JULY, JULY by Tim O'Brien

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O'BRIEN, T.

For all you "Big Chill" Fans out there, this novel goes beyond the thirty-something folk to look at their fifty-something counterparts.

A group of graduates of a small college in Minnesota are celebrating their 30th reunion. The novel moves between the present and their college years during the tumultuous 60s.

Baby boomers will relate to the characters and the myriad paths their lives have taken.