Go the F**k to Sleep by Adam Mansbach

HYSTERICAL!!!

Just look at the title - do I need to say more??? If you've ever tried to get a child to go to bed---you will understand this perfectly.

Karen

Sins of the Mother by Tara Hyland

The best way to describe this novel - a sweeping family saga. Spanning the years 1946 through 1976, and taking place in Ireland, England, and Hollywood, this is the story of Franny, a poor Irish girl determined to become a famous movie star. And she will stop at nothing to reach her goal. Much of the story is set around "old" Hollywoood and all the glitz and glamour of how it was there in the 1950s. This novel is a little bit of everything, way too much to put into a few sentences. If you like a book with lots of family secrets, this is one I highly recommend.

Karen

Room by Emma Donoghue

Jack is a five-year-old boy whose entire world has been an 11-by-11 room. His mother was taken captive when she was 19, and has been a prisoner for seven years. She has created a life for Jack contained in that small space and he is content. As he gets older, he becomes more curious and his mother knows Room won't hold them for much longer. She devises a plan for escape. Does it work? Do they get away from their captor?

I first started reading Room in print. I loved the premise of the story, but I couldn't get into it. Then I tried the audiobook, and I was sucked in immediately. Jack's voice especially comes alive when you listen to this book. At times the book is heartbreaking, but hopeful. You root for Jack and his Ma throughout the book. If you like audiobooks, I would highly recommend this one. It's a great listen!

Carrie

Dominance by Will Lavender

Lavender's first book, Obedience, was one of he best books I ever read. It was just so clever! So, when I found out he had written another, I could not wait to get into it. And, in my opinion, this one is even better. It begins in 1994, when nine students at a small Vermont college are invited to attend the class "Unraveling a Literary Mystery."  The professor teaches the class via satellite from a prison where he is serving time for murdering two college students years earlier. If that isn't creepy enough, he leads the class into a strange game called The Procedure, which started back when the professor was a student himself. I really can't tell you much more without ruining it. Let me just say this; if you like a novel that keeps you guessing from start to finish, then you will certainly be satisfied with this.

Karen

Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

Imagine waking up one day not knowing where you are, who you are, or who is in bed next to you. Now imagine going through this every single day. In Before I Go to Sleep, that's the life that Christine is living. Her husband fills in all the details of Christine's life every day, because when she goes to sleep her memories are erased. But can she trust her husband? She has no idea. She must figure out whom she can trust, and she does it by keeping a journal.

There were so many twists and turns in this novel, it keeps you guessing until the very end. How did Christine end up this way? Who can she trust? What will happen to her? This book will stay with me for a long time. I highly recommend it, but it might not be a book to read before you go  to bed.

Carrie

Demonic: How the Liberal Mob is Endangering America by Ann Coulter

She's b-a-a-ck!  America's most outspoken conservative commentator jumps into the fire with her latest book.  Drawing on the work of French psychologist Gustave LeBon, Coultler shows how the science of mass psychology pertains to the concept of "group think" today.  She provides plenty of examples of liberal mob mindset, including the American Idol complex and conspiracy theories.  She also delves into the history of mob violence, starting with the French revolution and continuing through the social upheaval of the 1960s.
Regardless of your political leanings, this is a fascinating study of what happens when people get fired up.

Dawn

Always Something There to Remind Me by Elizabeth Harbison

This is a very sweet story of first love, and how it can affect the rest of your life. Erin & Nate start dating when Erin is just 15 years old, and fall madly in love. They spend every minute that they can together, and are sure their relationship will last forever. The chapters go back and forth between the past and the present, and the story unfolds slowly. One minute you feel like a teenager with all the drama and fun, and the next minute you are back for the adult reality check.

I really thought the author got all the feeling just right.

Karen

Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

Eleanor Brown must have been channeling her inner Shakespeare when writing this first novel! My boy Bill’s presence is obvious in the main characters’ names: Rosalind, Bianca, and Cordelia, as well as in references throughout. The adult daughters of a small Ohio college’s Shakespearean scholar return home to help care for their sick mother. Sounds sweet and simple, yes? Not so fast, dear reader! These ladies bring more emotional baggage and hidden agendas with them than Edwardian heiresses sailing to Europe. It is actually a wonderful tale of sisters, long-estranged, rediscovering old ties and strengthening them as adults. Each sister must work through her own demons but finds she’s no longer fighting alone. They come to support each others’ joys as well as lend a helping hand. With their father wafting through in iambic pentameter and their mother’s gentle courage, these three find their way home in every sense of the word.  

CAS 

Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews

The title fits this novel perfectly; a pretty good beach read. Three best friends since high school rent a beach house on Nag's Head to relax and catch up. Of course, they all have issues they are dealing with, and of course most of the issues are man-related. And of course the owner of their beach house is a very attractive, single man with issues of his own. And of course another woman with even bigger issues comes to stay with them as well.

You get the drift. Not much like her other novels, Fixer Upper and Deep Dish (they are much funnier!), but if you're looking for something beachy, this will work.

Karen