The Trick: A Novel by Emanuel Bergmann
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow! What a great book! I couldn’t put it down.

The story starts in Prague before WWII and it about a Jewish boy who eventually grows up to join the circus. Moshe does the dirty work at the circus eventually learning how to be a mentalist. With the coming of the holocaust, Moshe adopts the moniker of the Great Zabbatini, has fake papers made, and actually goes about as if he’s truly Persian and not Jewish. This went on until he was turned over to the Gestapo in a revenge move by the owner of the circus where he learned his magic.

Alternately is the story line of Max a young boy whose parents are getting divorced. He’s devastated and wants them to remain together. When his dad is collecting his things to move out, he discovers a record album by the Great Zabbatini. Intrigued, he asks his dad if can keep the record and his dad agrees. As he listens he finds there is a love spell but is unable to understand it due to a large scratch on the album. So Max sets out to find the Great Zabbatini to learn the love spell to save his parent’s marriage.

Here is where the two stories intersect. This is a wonderful story with colorful characters and twists and turns that keep you turning the page. I highly recommend!

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Laughing out loud funny, I loved this book!

Jen has two college age daughters and, with her marriage, little Max who is starting kindergarten. She’s been through the class mom thing with her other two and has no desire to revisit that role. However, her best friend is the PTA president and pushes her into it. At the beginning, she decides she not having the parental power struggle that comes with the positions and sends the most hilarious communication to the other parents, some of whom can’t take a joke.

This is a great book. I love the humor and the storyline in general. Two thumbs up! 🙂

When We Were Worthy by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wowza. The VERY best book I’ve read all year. I feel like I need to sit and digest it before I’m ready to leave it behind.

Taking place in a small town where football rules, the story outlines the lives of four women after the death of three high school cheerleaders. One of the girls feels she should have been in the car with them except she was doing something terrible at the time. One is the mom of the boy who was driving the car that hit the girls. One is the mom of one of the girls. One is a high school substitute teacher who is targeted by the football players and loses her family because of it.

This is such a good book I didn’t want to go to sleep until I had finished it. I can’t recommend it more!

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Fashionably Late by Lisa Q. Mathews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this madcap mystery! It was so cute.

A model turns up dead at a fashion show and Summer and Dot are on the case to try and solve the murder. Dorothy (Dot) is an older lady and Summer is her young friend. Dot lives at a retirement home and, as it turns out, the model’s mom is there but it seems not of her own will.

The characters in this book are colorful and awesome. I couldn’t put the book down it was so fun! This book is the 3rd in a series and I’m planning to read the previous books. 🙂

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