Maybe One Day by Melissa Kantor

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We meet our narrator and main protagonist, Zoe, on one of the worst days of her (and her best friend Olivia's) life. They deal with the devastating news differently, as we find a year later along. They remain the closest of friends. But then Olivia gets sick. And Zoe has to figure out how to handle day to day life with her best friend's new life. Not to mention the problems Olivia has dealing with being ill herself.

The prose is well-written and flows in a conversational style that seems to fit a sixteen to seventeen year old girl. I care about what happens to the characters - not just the two or three main ones, but all of them. The story feels realistic, and I wasn't sure exactly where things were going. The book was hard to put down once I got started.

I would recommend this novel to teenagers in the target age group, as well as parents/adults who might want to see what seriously ill teens and their friend go through. It's fiction, but the medicine seems correct to me (I'm a doctor). More mature kids could probably read it (or have it read to them by a parent) at a slightly younger age.

Reviewer: Lorien Goodale

Available: February 14, 2014

Love Birds: Discover Your Love Type - One of 8 Birds - and the Secrets to Living with the One You Love by Trevor Silvester

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Non-fiction, best placed in the relationship area, this is all about getting along with people. After a nicely brief introduction, we jump right to a quiz to help figure out which bird you are are. There are two main categories, which are explained a little after the first quiz. Then you take another quiz to further subdivide you. Once you know which of the 8 you are, and which of the 8 your partner is, there are chapters to tell you about each other and areas that might be troublesome.

Basically, this book takes the Myers-Briggs inventory and uses birds instead of initials. To be fair, the writer does tell you this, and he explains which of the birds mean each Myers-Briggs category. And it is useful. My husband and I took the quizzes, and gave them to his pre-teen daughter. We all got valuable insights from figuring out what each of us was, and then reading about relating to one another. So, even though this is supposed to be for romantic partners, I don't think it should be limited to that.

Although I enjoy British writing a great deal, I found a few terms that I didn't know. For some people that might be annoying. The explanations are concise, but detailed enough to get the information that you need. It didn't take long to actually do the quizzes and then read about our types.

I recommend this book for anyone looking to understand themselves and their partner better, or anyone they love.

Reviewer: Lorien Goodale

Candlelight Christmas by Susan Wiggs

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This review is for Candlelight Christmas, a Lakeshore Chronicles book. The two main people it centers around are Logan O'Donnell and Darcy Fitzgerald. Both are divorced, Darcy more recently and feeling much more raw over the loss. Darcy's best friend happens to be Logan's sister India. Of course, she decides the two should meet. Don't our loved ones always want us to be happy? And happy together they will be; the reader will arrive at this conclusion before the couple does.  Also in the mix are their close-knit families (in Darcy's case, this includes her ex-husband, who happens to be the child of her parents' best friends), including Logan's son Charlie.

The plot is somewhat predictable, but it did hold my interest. I enjoyed the characters and liked riding along with them. I did feel that I couldn't see inside some people's heads. The writer gives us a good view of Logan, Darcy, Charlie and some others, but I couldn't really picture or understand some of the other minor, but still important characters. I enjoyed the settings (skiing in the mountains, Thanksgiving at the beach), especially because of reading it in the winter. The travel in the novel was a lot of the fun.

Susan Wiggs is certainly a competent writer. This is an easy, fun holiday read-- entertaining but not challenging.  If you like well-written romance novels without lots of sex, this a great book for you. 

Reviewer: Lorien Goodale

The Copernicus Legacy: The Forbidden Stone by Tony Abbot

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The first book in a series for "middle graders", this is an adventure-filled story about four preteens who end up involved in a very dangerous mission. Wade, who loves the stars and science, received a star chart from his uncle (actually a former professor of his dad's) several years ago. When Uncle Henry dies suddenly, the four kids go to the funeral with Wade's dad. They are soon on the run from Uncle Henry's killers, because they begin to follow a series of clues to find out why he died. The roller coaster ride that ensues is a lot of fun. I found the children's distinct personalities to be well-drawn. It was entertaining to follow them as they travel all over the world. The end is tumultuous and leaves the reader yearning for the next installment. Highly recommended, especially for kids in the target audience (and adults!) :). Kids who like Harry Potter, mysteries and suspense will enjoy this book.

Reviewer: Lorien Goodale

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

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This romantic comedy by Australian author Graeme Simsion has been sold in many countries and would make a fun movie.

The narrator, Don Tillman, is an obsessive, socially-challenged genetics research professor. I could not help but envision him sometimes as the TV program characters "Monk" or Jim Parsons as Sheldon in "Big Bang Theory".  He had only a few friends and no luck attracting a "suitable" woman.  After deciding he would like to marry and have a family, he develops a 16-page questionnaire to help find his ideal woman. The interview process certainly created some comic scenes.

Then Rosie seeks his assistance in finding her biological father. Even though she definitely does not meet his requirements for a girlfriend or wife, he begins to enjoy her company.

I laughed a lot at Don's idiosyncrasies and then his attempts to make some changes in his life. I hope a movie is made of this novel!

Reviewer: Betsy Griffies