Books Seized This Week

These are the books that came into my house this week:

Bo's Cafe by John Lynch, Bill Thrall, Bruce McNicol

I received this book from the publisher to review.

Product Description (from Amazon):

High-powered executive Steven Kerner is living the dream in southern California. But when his bottled pain ignites in anger one night, his wife kicks him out. Then an eccentric mystery man named Andy Monroe befriends Steven and begins unravelling his tightly wound world. Andy leads Steven through a series of frustrating and revealing encounters to repair his life through genuine friendship and the grace and love of a God who has been waiting for him to accept it. A story to challenge and encourage, BO'S CAFE is a model for all who struggle with unresolved problems and a performance-based life. Those who desire a fuller, more authentic way of living will find this journey of healing a restorative exploration of God's unbridled grace.

I will be reading and reviewing this book next week. Look for it soon!

From the library:

Though Waters Roar by Lynn Austin

From the back cover: "Thank goodness you're such a plain child. You'll have to rely on your wits."

So went the words of Grandma Bebe. And for all of my growing-up years, I scoffed at the beauty of my sister and what I saw as her meaningless existence. But my wits hadn't served me well in this instance, for here I was, in jail. And while I could have seen it as carrying on the family tradition (for Grandma Bebe landed in jail for her support of Prohibition), the truth is, my reasons for being here would probably break her heart.

So how did I end up becoming a criminal? I've been pondering that question all night. Perhaps the best way to search for an answer is to start at the very beginning...

Secrets of the Tudor Court: Between Two Queens by Kate Emerson

Back cover: The secrets of the Tudor Court series is "rich and lushly detailed, teeming with passion and intrigue," said Romantic Times. Now talented Kate Emerson continues a saga as dramatic and seductive as the court itself.

"Subtle and well-drawn." - Publisher's Weekly

I took this one off the shelf at the library to read and review for the library's website, as well as here. I will also be looking at these to review:

The Secret of Everything by Barbara O'Neal

In this spectacular new novel, Barbara O’Neal delivers a generous helping of the best in life–family, food, and love–in the story of a woman’s search for the one thing worth more than anything.

At thirty-seven, Tessa Harlow is still working her way down her list of goals to “fall in love and have a family.” A self-described rolling stone, Tessa leads hiking tours for adventurous vacationers–it’s a job that’s taken her around the world but never a step closer to home. Then a freak injury during a trip already marred by tragedy forces her to begin her greatest adventure of all.

Located high in the New Mexico mountains, Las Ladronas has become a magnet for the very wealthy and very hip, but once upon a time it was the setting of a childhood trauma Tessa can only half remember. Now, as she rediscovers both her old hometown and her past, Tessa is drawn to search-and-rescue worker Vince Grasso. The handsome widower isn’t her type. No more inclined to settle down than Tessa, Vince is the father of three, including an eight-year-old girl as lost as Tessa herself. But Tessa and Vince are both drawn to the town’s most beloved eatery–100 Breakfasts–and to each other. For Tessa, the restaurant is not only the key to the mystery that has haunted her life but a chance to find the home and the family she’s never known.

A Bolt From the Blue by Diane A.S. Stuckart

Third in the intriguing Leonardo da Vinci mystery series known for "capturing the essence of 15th-century Milan".

As court engineer to the Duke of Milan, Leonardo da Vinci turns his superior mind to many pursuits- from outlandish contraptions to the odd murder...

With war looming ever closer, the iron-fisted Duke of Milan calls upon Master da Vinci to invent the deadliest weapon ever-a flying machine. So da Vinci calls in a craftsman who happens to be father to his star apprentice, Dino.

But da Vinci does not know that Dino is actually the craftsman's daughter, Delfina, who keeps her gender a secret to serve as apprentice. But as Delfina worries that her father will prove her undoing, someone murders another apprentice. Now, as her master works his brilliance, Delfina can only pray that no other apprentice- including herself-will fall victim to a bolt from the blue...

A Second Helping by Beverly Jenkins

With the millions she received after divorcing her faithless tycoon husband, Bernadine Brown saved the historic town of Henry Adams, Kansas, from financial ruin and found loving homes for five needy children. Now there are other "projects" crying out for rescue.

If ever a town institution needed rescuing, it's the beloved Dog and Cow diner. Once it was Henry Adams's social center—or gossip central!—now it's in danger of becoming duct-tape central. But there are other distractions pulling Bernadine from the task at hand: a plethora of romantic entanglements, including her own with a disturbingly attractive Malachi July; a bitter young boy newly arrived in town with his widowed father; and a fugitive on the run with a six-hundred-pound pet pig that's wanted for murder (the pig, that is). And when Bernadine's philandering, troublemaking ex-husband rolls into town looking for a second chance, life in Henry Adams gets very interesting indeed.

And, here are the ones I bought at Goodwill and Habitat for Humanity Store:

No Plot? No Problem! A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel by Chris Baty - I have Illusions that I will someday write a book. This may be a book that will help...

Withhold Not Correction by Bruce A. Ray - This is an oldie, but I hope, goody. It is "a guide for all parents who experience doubt and indecision in their roles as disciplinarians." Just what I need: another book to make me guilty that I'm doing everything wrong in the raising of my children. Hmmmmm.......

Intimate Issues by Linda Dillow and Lorraine Pintus - From the back cover: With warmth and wisdom, authors Linda Dillow and Loraine Pintus speak woman to woman: examining the teachings of Scripture, exposing the lies of the world, and offering real hope that every woman's marriage relationship can become all it was intended to be in God's design. (another guilt-producer, no doubt)

I'll let you know more about these finds in the weeks to come ...............