Kindle Raffle Winners' Book Recommendations!

Announcing the winners of the Friends of the Edmonds Library Kindle Raffle! Donations from Symetra.  Thank you so much to the Edmonds Library staff for their work to make this Raffle such a success!  Congratulations! To the winners and their recommendations -

Addie Marie Jones,
Skin Deep an Interactive Coloring Book, by Screebee (Addie Marie Jones)
This book encourages all ages and all races to understand and accept diversity in a mild manner. It combines old-school with modern technology for a learn through play experience that helps build self-esteem as well as computer skills (when using the APP).

Brook Roberts,
My Stroke of Insight, by Jill Bolte Taylor
Amazing insight into what happens to the victim of a stroke

Wendy Kliment,
Shedding Our Stars, by Laureen Nussbaum & Karen Kirtley
A great read about a family who survived the Holocaust due to a decision made by German Reichskommissar named Hans CalMeyer, who very quietly saved thousands of Jews from concentration camp from behind his desk.

Cheryl Bailey,
Oil and Marble, by Stephanie Storey
Well researched historical novel about Leonardo de Vinci and Michealangelo

Christmas Knight - A Romantic Adventure Not Just For The Holidays by Pam Binder

Christmas Knight Matchmaker Café Series, Book 5
By Pam Binder

Cross the threshold of this romantic adventure without hesitation, and be propelled onto a breathtaking time travel tour between contemporary Seattle and medieval England.

 Do you have a holiday wish? Colin Edward Penrose has one. It’s a very desperate Christmas wish. He must find the woman who can break the curse that was cast in a fit of rage upon his family, by the legendary enchanter Merlin. The right woman to break the curse is mysteriously riddled to be “a woman out of time”. But time is running out. He must find her before New Year’s, or all is lost at Tintagel Castle.

Madeline Murphy is a successful lawyer working in contemporary Seattle. She often reminds herself that she doesn’t need a man and that she should be satisfied with her life. She wonders if it’s time to stop searching for the ideal man, give up on love, and commit herself fully to her father’s needs at his law firm.  Christmas Knight is an adventurous journey through time with such romantic milestones. Yet, these travelers are torn between their passionate love and the compelling, different family responsibilities they each carry.

Sometimes love needs a nudge. No better place for a nudge than the magical Matchmaker Café. The mischievous matchmaker Nessa is the integral player creating an encounter where a romantic spark may ignite. But other matchmakers are concerned when they find out what Nessa is up to, and what may come from the ripples created by her actions. The matchmakers all become involved in different and intriguing ways, hoping to save the day for love.

Is time an illusion and love the only reality? Or does the reality of the time that you live in restrict the love you can feel? Can true love transcend time? Colin and Madeline are about to find answers, at the exciting Tintagel Castle, even in the midst of battling against other struggles of 1485 and also of today’s modern world.

Christmas Knight is a delightful addition to the Matchmaker Café series by author Pam Binder. This prolific author blends historical events, characters and myths into her young adult, romance, historical, time travel, and fantasy fiction. She is an award-winning New York Times and Amazon bestselling author based in suburban Seattle. Visit her website at pambinder.com, and if you’d like to hear more from the author, please enjoy this interview by Wendy Kendall and Carl Lee – A Novel Talk with Pam Binder

The Fog Ladies - They're On The Case

The Fog Ladies

By Susan McCormick

 

An ominous suspicion creeps into the minds of the resident ladies at the Pacific Heights apartment building as they watch the fog bank inch its way over the Golden Gate Bridge. There had been a number of grave accidents in their building recently. It’s suspicious. None of the group nicknamed The Fog Ladies, are as nimble as they used to be, but they’re smart and compassionate, and determined to solve this mystery. After all, they’d called this building home for decades, and the next “accident” could be one of them. They enlist the help of Sarah James, a medical intern renting the apartment just below Frances Noonan, one of the fog ladies. And so this curious group of friends begins investigating.

Circumstances will have these ladies doubting themselves, and each other. There are complicating factors and concerns from the busy lives they lead that fascinate. These intricacies unfold and intercede upon these amateur sleuths. Gossip flies as the possible motives of other residents, their visitors, and even building maintenance people are questioned. How fun to catch little glimpses into all these interesting lives. The reader can’t help but be pulled in as a virtual friend on the team, weighing theories and judging suspects.

Many of the primary characters are seasoned seniors. This gives them such interesting personal histories and engrained personalities that are delightfully portrayed. Over their decades, they have gained perspectives and wisdom that sometimes bring compelling insights. But are they always correct? Over time have things changed, and have these ladies kept up? Do they really know contemporary human nature?

The city on the Bay is almost a character itself. San Francisco is a beautiful and yet intriguing setting that also has its own part to play in this cozy mystery story. If you like puzzling out the solution to everyday situations, The Fog Ladies is sure to give you an enjoyable challenge.

The author, Susan McCormick writes cozy murder mysteries. She is also the author of Granny Can’t Remember Me, a children’s picture book about Alzheimer’s disease. She is a doctor, and that background is seamlessly woven into the clues of her mysteries, giving authenticity and dimension to the plot. You can learn more about the author at http://www.susanccormickbooks.com

This Particular Happiness Will Fill You With Love

This Particular Happiness

A Childless Love Story

By Jackie Shannon Hollis

Choice can be a double edged sword. When couples have the opportunity to decide between them whether they will have children, it presents a dilemma when the two people in the relationship do not agree. Choosing between the love of a partner and the chance to become a parent creates tension. Someone may end up with regrets. This memoir is a poignant description of the author working through this situation with her husband. Her analytical review becomes a memorable exploration of their relationship, and also of her own life experience and what drives her desire. “Maybe this thing I called wanting a child was a distraction from a bigger need: to understand why I was here, why I was alive. My need to justify myself.”

The author’s sincere soul searching is touching and mesmerizes as it builds in its intensity. Her history is revealed as she remembers it, and how she feels it. A picture is painted of her life experiences. The resulting portrait shows wrinkles from the consequences that left strong emotions beneath the surface. As she struggles with her inner passions and unresolved issues, she tries to persuade her husband to change his mind, hoping he will not stand firm in his choice not to become a father.

In the meantime the author describes that “Life made a path around the wanting.” Despite our personal trials and tribulations, life has a habit of moving forward at a relentless pace. For this family decision, that also sets up a ticking clock which increases the urgency of an acceptance of a final decision between them. Can true happiness be found in a childless love story? Join this passionate woman on her very personal and heartfelt journey of discovery. This memoir resonates especially with couples who have faced this pull at their heart, but also it’s a revelation for those who have chosen parenthood. When these difficult struggles surface the author has a life lesson to share. “Death can come at any moment. Be present, or you will miss your life.”

Think of choosing this book for your book club. A readers’ guide is included for a lively discussion. Jackie Shannon Hollis is a lifelong Oregonian, and resides with her husband in a home her friends call the tree house.

Robert Dugoni and The Eighth Sister

The Eighth Sister

By Robert Dugoni

Mystery surrounds the sisters. Their identities are unknown even to each other. Trained from birth to penetrate Russia’s foreign intelligence service and report to the CIA, suddenly they are disappearing. Three of them are dead. What is it about this intrigue that appeals to ex-agent Charles Jenkins? What convinces him to come out of retirement, and away from the love of his family? He had left the CIA disillusioned; now he’s back in the midst of extreme danger.

Charles Jenkins, a character known from author Robert Dugoni’s riveting David Sloane series of legal thrillers, will now match wits against Viktor Federov. This FSB agent is very smart, a personality wrapped in many layers, ruthless, and very good at his job. He is the challenging opponent working for his government to thwart Jenkins when he travels to Russia to spy and investigate. The male and female spy characters are incredibly good at espionage. The little known aspects and tricks of their trade have become their way of life – of staying alive. The Russian setting is as captivating as the tale told. Winter is fast approaching, and so are the footsteps that are quickening behind the protagonist, and so is the tightening of the squad of spies surrounding the hero. The clock is ticking and it will take all his knowledge, creativity, and good luck for the hero to break the case. The question is, even if he’s successful will that be enough for him to get out and get to safety?

Bonus thrills abound as this international action thriller moves into the court room. When Sloane ends up having to take on governments, that’s when precedent is sometimes abandoned and the search for justice becomes a troubling case. Spies have few friends, or colleagues who are willing to step forward and help or testify, or even acknowledge their acquaintance, and a paper trail gets quickly buried.

Critically acclaimed author Robert Dugoni’s books are New York Times Best Sellers, #1 with the Wall Street Journal, and he is #1 Amazon Best Selling Author of The Tracy Crosswhite series. This series has sold over two million copies and has been optioned for television series development. But that’s not all! There’s also the best selling David Sloane series, and even more stand alone books including The Cyanide Canary – a Washington Post best book of the year. His website is robertdugonibooks.com. Along with multiple awards and award nominations, Robert Dugoni books are sold world-wide and translated into more than two dozen languages. With all this work, it’s amazing how much time Robert Dugoni gives back to the writing community through classes, workshops, and speaking engagements. See him in October at the Write on the Sound (WOTS) Conference in Edmonds.

And for more from the author himself, join co-hosts Wendy Kendall and Carl Lee on the podcast A Novel Talk with Robert Dugoni.

The School of Essential Ingredients

The School of Essential Ingredients

By Erica Bauermeister

September means back to school. This year graduate to a new class.  Go to The School of Essential Ingredients and enjoy learning in the company of author Erica Bauermeister’s heartwarming characters. Attendance is a treat as you learn lessons from the Monday night cooking classes; mostly you learn lessons of life and compassion. This artistic triumph will entice you to slow down your pace and feel life with all your senses.

The cooking class is held on Monday nights at a restaurant called Lillian’s. It’s an Arts and Crafts house with front rooms converted into a dining area. This is a very magical place run by a very special lady named Lillian. For seven years she’s taught weekly cooking classes on the night the restaurant is closed. The class is a refuge from the distractions that often prevent people in everyday life to take time to treasure their life and happiness. There are eight students who gather for this current series of classes, eight students plus the reader. The author’s writing is so vivid the reader is drawn right into the midst of the classes, and the characters’ stories.

Like peeling the layers of an onion, each character’s history is artistically revealed, the joys and the hurdles that brought them to their present day. What has shaped them into the person they are, and what is it that each of them is facing now? Can a cooking class of strangers shape a future? What are the essential ingredients to a recipe for the perfect meal, or to the perfect life? Is there such a thing? As Lillian says with a smile about the essential ingredients, “I might as well tell you, there isn’t a list and I’ve never had one. Nor do I hand out recipes. All I can say is that you will learn what you need to.”

Erica Bauermeister has an extraordinary gift for language and lyrical insights into human nature. The resulting novel is a magical gift. It‘s the first of her four novels. According to her website ericabauermeister.com, in her own words she “wanted to write - books that took what many considered to be unimportant bits of life and gave them beauty, shone light upon their meaning.” Her dream has been beautifully shared.

Tailwinds Past Florence Is A Magical Ride

Tailwinds Past Florence

By Doug Walsh 

Join ambitious couple Edward and Kara as they pop the kickstands on their bikes and launch an exciting worldwide bike trip. They’re putting their lives on hold for a couple of years while they see new sights and challenge themselves to live their dream. What a courageous and incredible experience. But, as they launch their trip at Puget Sound’s Alki Beach, they have no idea what is ahead of them. Living a dream is not always everything you dreamed it to be.

Tailwinds Past Florence is a road trip with a spark of romance and a fantastical twist. It’s a passionate story and this author not only knows his impulsive characters well, but also the facts about biking, and he excels at describing the various settings in a number of different countries. You’ll feel like you’ve been on tour as well, but without breaking a sweat. There’s an underlying push from destiny that sends this spinning couple to steer their way to Florence, Italy. There surprises lie in wait that will test this couple up to the breaking point. Can they endure?

The fictional characters in this book feel very real and are of great interest. The author tells this story from several characters’ points of view, so that you really get to know them and understand how they view the world. It’s amazing to watch characters react to events and see how they each misunderstand each other so often and so easily. How will they discover the truth between them before they make some important life choices based on mistaken information?

 It is fun, and sometimes terrifying, to read about the biking, as the miles add up. Moments of humor are delightful. And of course it’s in Italy, what a perfect setting, that they encounter the magic of fate. Edward and Kara now have to face the ultimate questions of what is love and what is a beautiful life. When history and fate stare them down, can they risk it all for each other, for their dream together? Or will the fantastical figure obstructing their path defeat them?

Doug Walsh authored this book after being inspired by the around the world bike trip he took with his wife, from Seattle to Singapore with no planes. They traveled for nearly two years by bike and ship. This is not the travel memoir he expected to write; instead it became the fictional novel he’d dreamed of writing his entire life. Visit the author’s website at dougwalsh.com and hear more from the author himself on YouTube podcast episode with co-hosts Wendy Kendall and Carl Lee – A Novel Talk with Doug Walsh