New Yorker Clary Fray gets a shock when she witnesses three tattooed teens murder a boy at the Pandemonium Club. She gets a worse shock when the body disappears and no one else saw the murderers even when they walked through the busy club. As she tries to make sense of what she saw, she discovers that there is a whole world that she didn’t know about. The tattoo covered teens are Shadowhunters, and she shouldn’t be able to see them either. When her mother is kidnapped (she is the only person to know where find the Mortal Cup, a magical object sought by Shadowhunters and their rivals) Clary must go into danger and discover the secrets about her family.

This urban fantasy is entertaining, though the characters are not as three dimensional as one would like. There are multiple types of nonhumans, including demons,werewolves and vampires; competing or cooperating with humans to save the world or destroy it.

There are three books in the series The Mortal Instruments: 1.  City of Bones, 2. City of Ashes, 3. City of Glass

Jane lives in a California beachside home on the Pacific Ocean with her father and beloved dog. Her grandmother invites her to visit Elvie, the Scottish estate of her early childhood. Jane meets up with Sinclair, her close cousin. Jane discovers that Sinclair is no longer the man she once dreamed of marrying. Even though he is charming she can no longer trust him.

Engross yourself in this detailed account of persistence and bravery which took place during the dark days of the Holocaust. Eva and Martin Deutschkron met, fell in love, endured many hardships together, and eventually sailed to the United States. They opened a tailoring business in Madison, Wisconsin but they were forever scarred by the deaths of numerous family members.

This is a collection of alternative history short stories. In one of the stories, Theodore Roosevelt is sent to England by President Grover Cleveland to assist investigators in the hunt for Jack the Ripper. The actual “vampire” story in this collection is called, The Roosevelt Dispatches. Roosevelt is in Cuba leading his Rough Riders on a campaign. They encounter a creature that is impervious to bullets and it ingests the blood of its prey.

The book takes place at various lighthouses around Scotland in the late 60's and 70's, during the Vietnam war. You may wonder how the war played into lighthouse keeping but the writer was 20 and concerned about the war and Watergate. It was interesting to read how another country was so taken with both issues. Peter applies to be a summer intern on a whim and is amazed when he is given the chance to work at the lighthouse during his summer break. During the interview, he is asked if he can cook an with a straight face, says yes. His cooking special is a grilled cheese sandwich and going out to eat. Food is very important to the people working on the lighthouse and much of their day revolves around preparing it, he was fortunate to work with an excellent cook and learned to take great notes but the day he was scheduled to make hagis required all his resources. The routine of the keepers is very strict and did vary from lighthouse to lighthouse. While sharing meals and the middle of the night shift change, stories and histories were shared. He writes much of the book in the Scottish dialect so the flavor of the county comes through. An interesting book about a lost profession.

Dr. David Henry, an orthopedic surgeon, delivers his own son when his wife Norah goes into labor in the middle of a blizzard in 1964 and the obstetrician cannot make it to the hospital. David and Caroline, the nurse on duty, keep a secret from Norah for many years. This engrossing story keeps you wondering if the secret will ever be revealed. This is a well-crafted story you won’t want to miss.

Ms. Wall recalls how she fell in love and married a Syrian man, moved to the Middle East, gave birth to a son and daughter, then fled for safety to the United States with her two children. You won’t be able to put this book down due to the heart-breaking suspense.

Twin brothers, Logan and Noah Miller, recount their efforts to make a film based on the life of their father who died in jail. Their film, Touching Home, starred Ed Harris as their alcoholic homeless father. The Miller brothers had no money and few connections in Hollywood. They are to be applauded for their sheer determination to fulfill a promise to their father against all odds.

A memoir in the sense that Sultana (a code name) is the Princess who told her story. It was written and published by someone else to protect the Princess and her children.

Sultana is member of the Saudi royal family, so she is privileged compared to most women living in Saudi Arabia—but as with any other woman, she has no right to go anywhere without a man to escort her, she can be killed by her male family members for small infractions, she can’t vote or control her own life. This description of the world behind the veil is interesting but sometimes shocking. The contrast between the riches—multiple palaces (rich men usually have 4 wives, each with their own richly furnished main palace plus vacation palaces), unlimited money to spend on clothing and jewels, and how the servants and lower classes live is immense.

Since it was published in 1992, one hopes that conditions for Saudi women have improved.

Readers who enjoy an exotic setting and are politically & socially active might want to read this, though there are some descriptions of abuse of women and children that are hard to read.

Marion was born in Australia, but lived mostly on cruise ships with her traveling mother after her parents split up. Her father was a captain on a freighter, and later worked at the shipyards along the Canadian west coast. When she was five, her mother gave her up to be raised by her aunt and uncle in Canada.

Marion was 14 in 1960. Turquoise was the fashionable color, and the writer uses the vivid color to tie together the time she spent at the beach (turquoise bathing suit), the unused living room (turquoise carpet and pillows), holiday meals (using the special turquoise plastic dishes) and other events. Family photos start each chapter. Readers who were teens in the 1960s will recognize many of the cultural references.

Sixteen-year-old Norah Bloom develops a crush on James, a member of her book group which meets at the Book Nook. She develops a plan, based on a romance novel, to win his heart while dealing with her more popular sister, Stacey, and confiding in her best friend, Audre.

Margaret and Steve Frawley’s three-year old twin girls, Kelly and Kathy, are mysteriously kidnapped the evening of their birthday while their parents attend a black-tie dinner in New York City. They return home to find the babysitter unconscious and the girls missing. An eight-million-dollar ransom note has been left behind by the kidnapper who calls himself the Pied Piper. Clark takes the reader inside the minds of the parents and gang of kidnappers as they try to rescue both girls from the clutches of evil. Clark is a master of suspense and this page turner will not disappoint.

A collection of essays revolving around everything from veterans practicing for a funeral ceremony in his back yard to trucking to Prudhoe Bay on the frozen Haul Road.

The humorist focuses on three themes: working on his truck, falling in love and getting married, and the joys of gardening.

Perry reflects on various characters and ambulance runs he encountered while serving as a volunteer fire fighter at his hometown of New Auburn, WI, population 485.