Shiver by Karen Robards

This book is great for an evening to be entertained, not knowing who the bad guys really are and whom is telling the truth.  Samantha Jones is a single Mom with a 4 year old (adorable!) son who runs a business as a tow-truck driver, and is going to EMT school to make a better life for herself, and raising her son with absolutely no help from the child's father.  How was that for a run on sentence!  She's out at 2 in the AM looking for a BMW to tow, and in the trunk is a trussed bleeding man with a bullet hole in his leg.  She hooks the car to the tow truck and takes off.  The bad guys follow.  Is the man she saved a good/bad guy and how can she tell, he's all bloody for heavens sake.
Involved in the shenanigans are, in no particular order, the FBI,a  Drug Cartel, really mean men with guns in general, and  a crooked FBI person.  Great adventure reading if you suspend reality a bit.  The ending was a bit too quickly arrived at, but what do you want for a couple of pleasant reading hours.  I like her books anyway, so try this one too.

Orphan train: a novel by Christina Baker Kline

I've heard of the orphan trains, sent from the East Coast to the Midwest with thousands of abandoned children.  Some were welcomed into families, some were used as brutal farm laborers. this book is a fictional account of an orphan train rider, now at the end of her life, and a young girl who has been in foster care for many years with all the problems that entails.  The orphan train side of the story is fascinating, and there is no way it would be allowed today, to just give children away at a train depot, and not have any oversight on the homes they were going to.   The time period is contemporary Maine, and Depression-era Minnesota.  Even though this is a fictional account of the time, it makes for gripping reading, and you really want to finish the book and google 'orphan train' to read some of the real stories.

Tapestry of fortunes/ Elizabeth Berg

Aaah, Elizabeth Berg, perfect for a cozy rainy weekend!  This is one of those "women's" books and truly lovely.  Cecilia Ross cannot get over the death of her best friend Penny (who still talks to her, and gives advice), she sells her house with most of the furnishings, and moves into her own bedroom with three housemates.
All change their lives, meet past loves, and in general improve their circumstances because of the relationship they have with each other.
Cecilia reads her tarot cards to help make decisions, but all ends well with happiness for all.   Sort of treacly, but a delight to read.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Ready Player One is technically fiction for adults, but it will appeal to young adults too. The setting is a dystopian future, where people use an elaborate online world to escape the despair of the real world.  Buried deep in the world are clues to finding a hidden egg. Finding the egg is worth billions of dollars, so Wade Watts, our protagonist, and just about everyone else is looking for it. The novel is full of 80's pop culture references, so if you were around for any of the 80's you will enjoy the nostalgia factor. This is a very entertaining read, especially if you are old enough to remember the 80's!

Also Try:
Legend by Marie Lu
Homeland by Cory Doctorow
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

The Good House by Ann Leary

The Good House is a very well written book about a small New England town and it's inhabitants, as see through Real Estate Agent Hildy's eyes. Her descriptions of the town and the people who live there are vibrant and funny, and if you know anything about New England "Townies" you will relate to many of the characters.  As the story progresses you begin to realize that Hildy may not be a very reliable narrator, but she is so wry and funny it doesn't really matter.

Also Try:
The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout
The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
Me Before You by JoJo Moyes

The power of six - Pittacus Lore

I was home this week, held captive by a bad knee.

Fortunately i had a couple of YA books to keep me company.

I am number 4, and The power of six, by Pittacs Lore.

Great stuff - future world and all that, escaping from the really big bad guys, and helping humanity at the same time!

A great series - "the rise of nine" will be my next 

The Art Forger/ B.A. Shapiro

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum's heist March 18 1990 has been in the news lately with somebody supposedly knowing where the missing paintings are.  This novel is the story of a  professional paint copier-a legal way to own your own piece of art - and you know it's a copy.  The story starts out slowly, but can we all find the Degas 'the bath' or is the whole thing a hoax?   lots of interesting tidbits about Ms. Gardner, not sure if they are true or not, but they add greatly to the story.
Interesting bit of local history.