Three Weeks With My Brother by Nicholas Sparks

LOVED IT! I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants and I bawled like a baby at the end. Such an interesting family life that Nicholas and his brother Micah have had. They tell their story through this trip that they take together around the world. (Can we say, jealous???) They visited places like Machu Pichu, Ayers Rock in Australia, Easter Island, Norway, Cambodia, India. So cool. I won't say much more as you'll have to check out my book group's blog after May 16th to see if the others liked the book. :)

And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander

This was a fun read about a woman in Victorian England who marries a man to get away from her overbearing mother. Unfortunately her husband dies within the first year of their marraige. She comes to know him through his friends and his diaries. And she's off on a path to solve the mystery of all of this antiquities that have been delivered to their house in the country.

I enjoyed this--the style is easily read and was it was an engaging plot line.

Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs

A new series that I wanted to try out. Reichs' Temperance Brennan books are the basis for the TV series Bones. I have not seen the TV show at all, but the premise of these books is that Brennan is a forensic pathologist in Montreal and she is working on cases for the various police departments. She starts piecing together that two of her cases may be linked together and may have been victims of a serial killer. She starts helping out in the investigation of each and finds her own self in danger. It's fast-paced and much like the Scarpetta series by Cornwell, but different and has it's own charms. I would read more of this series.

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

I loved this book. It took me awhile (I'd say 150 pages or so) to really get into it because almost immediately you know the ending. The fun part is reading the middle and trying to figure out how it will all fit together. I won't fool you--I was scared by the 600 pages that I had to read for my book club. I was a little put off by the use of CAPITAL LETTERS for everything OWEN SAID. You get used to it though--keep reading!

There is so many symbols in the book--the dummy, the red dress, the baseball, the armadillo. You wonder what they all mean. Each one plays a role as a result of Owen's death. I didn't see it coming, but Irving really set up different aspects of the story to all come together at the end. His storytelling is so rich and you know the characters inside and out by the end. You don't want it to end.

Highly recommend adding this to your MUST READ list!