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Thoughts on Recent Reads My reading lately hasn't lead me to anything too spectacular...but here's what I have read and what I thought of my reads: The Trophy Wives Club by Kristen Billerbeck Reading about pedicures, fashion, fancy cars, and the other accrutements of a rich California lifestyle were what made this one a fun read for me.  Haley was a "trophy wife"--wooed and courted by a rich hollywood producer and married by the time she was 20. So when he dumps her for an up and coming actress she finds herself in a struggle to survive. That's when a tip from her husband's slimy lawyer leads her to the "trophy wives club"-- a group of women who have all been in similar situations to Haley's but they also know how the Lord can help her find true joy and peace. Having been dumped by her former friends, Haley reluctantly joins the group and while at first she wishes they would tell her the best way to get revenge, she eventually learns that there are other ways to find love and happiness and that pedicures with her new friends are a lot more fun than they were with her old ones. I was smiling through this one, it took me to sunny California and a whole different lifestyle that was a blast to read about. Fans of chick lit will definitely enjoy it. The Thieves of Heaven by Richard Doetsch This looked like a promising thriller to try, though I was unfamilar with the author the premise looked interesting.  Unfortunately that premise didn't really hold up and I felt this was just an average read. Michael used to be a thief--one of the best--but he gave that up to live with the love of his life, Mary. He doesn't want anything to mess up his life with her, as after a stint in prison he knows he couldn't bear the agony of being seperated from her again. So when he is approached my a mysterious man who wants Michael to steal something for him he refuses--but then Mary gets cancer and there is no way he can pay for her medical treatment. So Michael gets involved with this mysterious man's request--to steal a set of keys from the Vatican that have a significance Michael is unaware of at first, and that horrifies him when he finds out. Now Michael and his allies must steal the keys back--or Mary will not only be in danger of losing her life, but also her very soul. The theological premise is shaky at best, but setting that aside there are some good thrills to be had from this story. So if you just want something fast paced with lots of action/adventure to pass the time, this will work, just don't give it much thought. Calico Canyon by Mary Connealy OK, these "marriage of convience" stories are always pretty contrived, but this one is a lot of fun too. Grace ran away from the cruel man who adopted her to find a new life in the west. Now her biggest worry is Daniel Reeves and his crop of unruly boys. Her attempts to disipline the boys end up with her butting heads with Daniel and losing her job, but that devestation pales in comparision to her fear when the cruel man who adopted her shows up in town. She escapes by hiding a wagon--which turns out to be Daniel's. So she ends up hiding out at his place, and after a visit from the parson she ends up married to him. Will she learn how to get along with Daniel and all those rambuctious boys? Like I said, this was a fun read and the author throws in plenty of challenging situations for the characters to deal with.  It can be pretty unbelievable at times but it is a fun read for fans of light historicals with a positive message. Actually the best book I've read recently is a children's book.  It is the new Madeline book Madeline and the Cats of Rome by John Bemelmans Marciano, who is the grandson of the orginal creator of the Madeline stories.  He has captured the look and cadence of the original artwork and stories perfectly.  I read this with a 4th grader and we both enjoyed it very much while learning a little bit about another part of the world.  This one gets two "thumbs-up" from both of us!   http://www.tscpl.org/books/comments/thoughts_on_recent_reads13/