"The Last Judgement" by Iain Pears ****

• Audiobook
• #4 in Jonathan Argyle series
• Originally published 1999
• Englsh author
• Review:   A very enjoyable art history murder mystery!  Jonathan Argyll and his lady love, Flavia, of the Art Police in Rome move between London, Paris, and Rome to solve the case.  Fast-paced, betrayal and double crosses that have reached past the WWII era and French Resistance movement to present day lead them a chase.  Good read!

"And The Mountains Echoed" by Khaled Hosseini. ***

• Audiobook
• Originally Published in 2013
• Afghani author
• Review:  Frankly, I was disappointed in this novel.  Set in Afghanistan, this is a saga across generations.  Initially powerful and engaging, I did not think the cross generational method worked well, seeming to lose momentum.

"The Snow Child" by Eowyn Ivey ****

• US author
• Originally published in 2012
• Set in 1920s Alaska
• Summer Sub Club with Beth
• Review: Imagine the cold and isolation of an Alaskan winter.  Add to that a strong dose of loss.  Depressed yet?  don't be, because out of the morass of darkness comes a lovely story about choosing to survive, choosing to suspend logic, about choosing to believe that there are mysteries in life which defy explanation.  Fairy tale or reality?  It doesn't matter to Mabel, Jack, Garrett, Esther and George.  It certainly doesn't matter to Faina, the beloved and lovely snow child.  This is a delightful and poignant story.

"Day After Night" by Anita Diamant ****

• Book Club selection...July 2013
• USA author
• Originally published in 2009
• Epigraph:  "Know that every human being must cross a very narrow bridge.  What is most important is not to be overcome by fear." - Rebbe Nachman of Bratslav, 1772-1810
• Characters: Shayndel (former fighter, Polish Zionist), Tedi (hidden Dutch Jew, magical scents), Leonie (French, former prostitute), Zorah 9concentration camp survivor)
• Ease with which they kill the former SS member
• Memory as an inescapable enemy
• Review:  Anita Diamant has a notable ability to bring a story alive out of the history books, or Bible in the case of "The Red Tent".  I had never heard about the internment of Jews by the British, and was immediately intrigued with the story.  Diamant's deceptively simple writing style manages to convey deep affect, character development and the emotional energies which work on the psyche of the characters.  The four protagonists have all escaped to Palestine, only one from a concentration camp.  Their experiences and memories, losses, and survivor guilt work on them in differing ways, all of which are powerful.  I think this is a post Holocaust story which is more bearable to read than some others, although clearly shadowed with the horror of Nazi Germany.  Survival, the drive to be free, the desire to love and be loved are such powerful, vital forces!

"Love, Anthony" by Lisa Genova ***

• Audiobook
• USA author
• Originally published 2012
• Review:  A nice book about love, loss, healing and autism.  Nice narration by Debra Messing.

"The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald *****

• Audiobook, narrated by Jake Gyllenhall
• Originally published in 1925
• USA author
• Review:  Nothing to say that hasn't already been said.  An amazing piece of writing!

"Speaking From Among The Bones" by Alan Bradley. ****

• Audiobook
• #5 in the Flavia de Luce series
• Originally published 2013
• Review:  Wow!  This is definitely my favorite in the series so far!  Flavia is witty, precocious, and vulnerable.  And.......a huge cliffhanger ending!