Emily and Einstein by Linda Francis Lee

First of all, bravo to whoever decided not to put the fact that Emily's husband is reincarnated as a dog on the front jacket of the book. I am not sure I would have read it if I had known this up front. The author of the book went all out in creating Sandy. She really made you hate this guy. However, because he was such a selfish, arrogant, cheating ungrateful husband his change at the end was much more rewarding. Emily had her own faults which prevents her from truly realizing her true potential. Lee was even able to get the reader to loath Victoria, a supporting character. When Emily "discovers" all of Sandy's journals which chronicles all of his extracurricular activities a person can really feel for her. Something that I particularly loved was Sandy's canine impulses. You have this snobbish character that still has the uncontrollable urges to gobble dog treats and sniff the trees and the ground during walks. The only thing I didn't like about the book was how the two of them didn't end up together at the end.

The Rook by Daniel O'Malley

The Rook is an inventive thriller about a young woman who happens to be a high ranking member of a secret government agency that battles the supernatural in Great Britain. Someone or something is trying to kill her and she’s at a bit of a disadvantage because she has completely lost her memory. Fortunately, she knew her memory loss was coming and prepared herself with extensive notes. I enjoyed this fast-paced, funny book.

Now You See Her By James Patterson

For those one or two of you that might remember, last month I reviewed Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson. It did not live up to my expectations. This months review Now You See Her also by Patterson grabbed my interest right away and didn't let go. I listened to the book on CD. This story is what I have come to expect from Patterson.
Nina Bloom has built a good life for herself and her daughter, the only problem, it is built on lies. Would you walk back into the "lions' den" and possibly destroy your life and your child's to save an innocent man. This question is answered in Now You See Her. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey

Elana Klovis is tired of waiting for her prince to come. She decides to leave her evil step-family and go find herself a job. Really, how much worse could it be? She ends up the new Fairy Godmother of the land. Talk about a whole new lot on life. But can a Fairy Godmother do her job and fall in love? This is something Elana has to wrestle with along with trolls, pixies, and evil witches and warlocks. This was a fun read and I really enjoyed the beginning of this series and can't wait to read more.

Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook Feasting With Your Slow Cooker by Dawn J. Ranck

Here it is the month of January, so I decided I should try some new recipes. This slow cooker cookbook looked interesting, and yes, I tried 4 recipes from the book. The first one was Hamburger Vegetable Soup on pg. 32. The soup turned out well. It was tasty and it was a big recipe so the family could have soup a couple times that week. It was not fast to make as I had to chop all the vegetables and brown the hamburger first, but once it was in the pot I could go to work for the day and forget it.
I noticed that this book included desserts that could be made in the slow cooker. I tried 2 desserts. Hot Fudge Cake took 3 hours in the cooker and was immediately devoured with a scoop of vanilla ice cream(pg. 249). Cherry Delight was also easy and delicious with a 3 hour cooking time (pg. 248).
The last thing I tried was the Wild Rice on page 227. I added slender pork shops and had a good meal for the family.
So I had some fun cooking in January. If you didn't know, we have dozens of beautiful cookbooks at the library. Come and try one out!

Treasure Island!!! by Sara Levine

Following the incidents of a dysfunctional female college graduate whose name the author never reveals, the novel is a tragic comedy of errors. After reading Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, the graduate is determined to emulate Jim Hawkins, the adventurous hero of the classic, because her life seems stagnant with a series of meaningless jobs. With the help of her mother, she was hired by a Pet Library in a mall. Everything goes downhill from there, as she was fired after stealing the owner's money to buy a parrot for the Library's collection...
Although the story is entertaining, it also alludes to the reality that many people are indeed crying out for help.

Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin

Alice Grace Ripley, a librarian in Illinois, loses her job because of cutbacks during the Great Depression. She loves to read but her boyfriend breaks up with her, accusing her of living in a dream world of books, even reading a book during a funeral. Alice flees to the Kentucky mountains to deliver boxes of donated books she has been collecting to a library. She plans to stay just a short time until relatives pick her up but ends up left in this town. Lillie, a 100 year old past slave and Mack, the librarian, add a lot of humor to the story. In the town of Alcorn times are rough with no running water or electricity and a long-time family feud. She delivers books in the mountains by horseback to people in need. Dangers exist in this town; there is a fake death and questions concerning a past coal mining accident. Alice finds many real life adventures in these mountains and a little romance too.