Bookreporter.com Bets On...

The Widow Waltz by Sally Koslow

June 2013

I like smart humor, both in conversation and in writing. Thus, when I heard Sally Koslow reading from THE WIDOW WALTZ this week at a book signing, I was reminded of why I enjoyed the book so much. It’s smart writing with a humorous punch.

Georgia Waltz has little to smile about. When the book opens, Georgia’s husband, Ben Silver (of course, Georgia kept her maiden name), has a heart attack on lap three of a sprint pre-New York marathon. As he lies gasping for air, he thinks about the small cell phone that’s not at his side --- not the iPhone the world knows about, but the one that has skittered away. And he wonders, “Who would call her?” And in one five-page chapter setup, Ben exits, but leaves behind his starring role for us to unravel with Georgia.

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Flat Water Tuesday by Ron Irwin

June 2013

This time of year, as school wraps up, is always one of reflection for me. I find myself thinking about my last year of high school and of college. I confess that I am not one of those people who keeps in touch with her kindergarten best friend or who has a large legion of friends from grade school, high school or college with whom I am still in touch, and I don’t spend weekends having reunions with a mass of people from my past. I instead seem to move on and make new friends while weaving some older ones into the fabric of my life. But I love reading about stories of people who bonded when they were in school --- over a sport, a cause, or just for being in the same place at a certain time.

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Is This Tomorrow by Caroline Leavitt

June 2013

These days, divorce is fairly commonplace and so are fractured families, but this was not so in the 1950s when Caroline Leavitt’s book, IS THIS TOMORROW, is set. Families had a mom, dad and children --- and those whose families did not “conform” to this structure could feel like outsiders. Thus, when Ava Lark, the divorcee, meets Dot Rearson, the widow, and their children --- Ava’s Lewis and Dot’s Rose and Jimmy --- become fast friends, there is some solidity to their lives, though they are not like everyone else’s. Then Jimmy goes missing, and the fragile world that they have fabricated falls apart.

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A Certain Summer by Patricia Beard

May 2013

I am crazy about A CERTAIN SUMMER by Patricia Beard, which is a perfect summer book. Set in 1948 at an idyllic beach community called Wauregan, this debut novel introduces readers to Helen Wadsworth, whose husband has been declared missing since an OSS operation in France during World War II. She is currently vacationing with her 14-year-old son, Jack, as they always have done. While she waits for news about what happened to her husband and longs for his return, two other men fall for her, which brings drama to the summer.

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And Then I Found You by Patti Callahan Henry

April 2013

In AND THEN I FOUND YOU by Patti Callahan Henry, Katie Vaughan has tucked away something from her past. It’s a secret she thinks about every day: her daughter Luna, who she gave up for adoption the day she was born. She wonders where Luna is and what she is called now, for without Luna, Katie’s life does not seem whole. One day, she finds a small ring box in her boyfriend Rowan’s drawer, and in a panic she knows she needs to put her own life together before she can embrace a life with him. And part of that life includes Luna. Plus, she has to confront her feelings for Luna’s father, Jack. And Patti takes readers on Katie’s journey of self-discovery with her.

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The Ashford Affair by Lauren Willig

April 2013

As a lawyer in a large Manhattan firm, Clementine Evans has been slaving to make partner in Lauren Willig’s THE ASHFORD AFFAIR. Long hours at the office have taken a toll on her personal life; she has a broken engagement and a lot of fractured friendships and family relationships to show for it. Then suddenly she learns that life is not going to turn out the way she planned, and her personal roadmap for success is taking some serious turns in the wrong direction.

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Palisades Park by Alan Brennert

April 2013

As I read PALISADES PARK by Alan Brennert back in January, I became caught up in Eddie and Adele Stopka’s story, as they started out working at Palisades Park (known to insiders as “The Park”) back in the 1930s running concessions and building their lives one summer season at a time. Amusement parks in the ’60s were very different from the extravaganzas we know now, like Disney theme parks, and PALISADES PARK captures the energy of these special places where memories were made.

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Heart of Palm by Laura Lee Smith

April 2013

I love reading big family dramas, probably because my own family is small and has so little drama. In HEART OF PALM, a debut novel from Laura Lee Smith, we have plenty of big family drama. Here we meet the Bravos, who live in Utina, Florida, a small southern town on “the other side of prosperity.” It was once known for its Palm Sunday palms, but we know how that market has faded away. The town is faded too, and the people there are going through the motions. But the town is primed for the big time with a land deal that could completely change things --- but it all hinges on the Bravos’ next move. Will they sell to allow the big-time marina to come to town bringing in out-of-town big money?

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Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

April 2013

Christina Baker Kline’s latest novel, ORPHAN TRAIN, introduces readers to Vivian Daly, a now-90-year-old woman who has had a chaotic past --- from her difficult childhood in Ireland to her turbulent adulthood Midwest. This story specifically documents the “orphan trains” that transported more than 200,000 orphaned, abandoned and homeless children to the Midwest for indentured servitude. Those of you who read THE CHAPERONE, another Bookreporter.com Bets On selection, will remember that its plot touched on the orphan trains. It left me wanting to hear more about it, which made this book even more of a delight. Christina did very extensive research, which authenticates her characters.

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Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

April 2013

In ORDINARY GRACE, William Kent Krueger departs from his Cork O’Connor series with a stand-alone title, and it is a winner. Set in New Bremen, a small town in Minnesota in 1961 during what we know as “The Kennedy Years,” this coming-of-age story is beautifully told in a style that reminds me of some of my favorite Southern writers, which is interesting since Krueger is Midwestern through and through. The prose wraps around you, and suddenly you look up and wonder where you are as the writing has been so vivid and clear that your sense of place has been redefined.

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