Star Island Carl Hiaasen

Set in Miami, or south Florida, but with Hollywood connections. Th story of a over indulged teen star, with a double, a body guard, the club scene, stage parents, and a crew of other very interesting characters.

Cutting For Stone, Abraham Verghese

This is a book of huge scope, the story of the lives of conjoined twins growing up in Addia Ababa. Deserted at birth by their father, and their mother who dies in childbirth. But it is also the story of the political upheaval in Ethiopia, and the description of the medical practices of the "adoptive' parents and both boys. The title comes from a part of the Hippocratic Oath, and from their last names.

The author, a doctor himself, has put a lot of detail in the telling of the story-perhaps too much, but it certainly is a wonderful "read".

Fly Away Home, Jennifer Weiner

Mothers and daughters, political scandal, divorce, unplanned pregnancy, reconciliation, this novel has it all. And really readable.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Jamie Ford

This was wonderful! The story of Seattle during the World War Two written from the perspective of a Chinese boy who falls in love with a Japanese girl. It is the story of war, race relationships, the internment of the Japanese, forgiveness, and it has a happy ending. This would be great for a book club. I didn't realize until the end that there was one black character in the book, a jazz musician, and only one white character-the lunch lady, who helped the boy find his girl in the relocation centers. The story was what mattered.

Broken, Karin Slaughter

This is the second novel by this author about the Atlanta area, and one review I read called her a top female suspense writer. It was indeed gripping, and I would read another.

Perfect Reader, Maggie Bouncey

A debut novel, about a only-child daughter who returns to her fathers house on his death, and finds that she has also been made his literary executor-she must decide what to do with his previously unpublished poetry. And what to do about his girl-friend/collegue/muse, to whom some of the poems have been dedicated. I liked it; thought it was timely, and liked the authors struggles with her own future.
A review I read said it was agonizingly slow, but I was engaged the whole time.

THE PARTICULAR SADNESS OF LEMON CAKE, AIMEE BENDER

In this story, the main character Rose is able to taste the feelings of the chef in foods they made. Her brother apparently can disappear into furniture, and eventually does. Her father won't go into hospitals, because he has some knowledge of patients. So it is weird, and not on the level of Like Water for Chocolate, as one review said. But intriguing if loopy.