A Breathtaking Work of Staggering Genius  by Dave Eggers	I just love this story.  I liked having some of the settings be here in Leland's neck of the woods, the Deerpath Inn in Lake Forest, the beach, the other local hangouts.  Eggers writes about the terrrors of being a guardian for his brother and the sheer love and joy of playing frisbee on the beach with him.
The Last Sanctuary by Craig Holden	Craig Holden led several workshops I attended at the Walloon Writer's retreat here in Michigan. First I read Four Corners of the Night. Holden tugs at our hearts with characters who resonate with strength in heartbreaking circumstances.  His men are loners who work night shifts correcting wrongs embedded in their souls.  His women are stronger than men, smarter and more able to solve life's complexities and move on to the next place.  Of course when the lives of men and women intersect all the shadows and intricacies get very complicated.  A theme in Holden's work is that one never knows who is zooming who.  I am still reading the The Last Sanctuary.  Currently, all the different plot lines are starting to converge with agent Red Feather ever so close to her prey without knowing that he is trying to contact her.  The characters are well drawn as well as their relationships.  I like them and the story has me completely hooked even if the book will be overdue.
Portrait of  a Killer by Patricia Cornwall	This is a compelling case to convince us that Jack the Ripper was a famous painter and dandy named Walter Sickert.  Much of today's technology was brought to bear on evidence dating from years ago.  Eckert himself is a quixotic character with art studios hidden about the city of London.  His many letters to the police demonstrate that Jack the Ripper was an educated man who incredibly used the same paper to compose letters that Walter Eckert used to make his drawings.  I found this book a fascinating collection of evidence.   Cornwall clearly shows how far technology and understanding have evolved in collecting evidence to convict a killer.
The Tarnished Eye by Judith Guest	Judith Guest was my favorite speaker and author that I was privileged to meet at the Walloon Writer's Conference.  She had done lots of research on true crime and had lots of books to recommend that I have been working my way through ever since the conference.  The Tarnished Eye is her version of an unsolved murder of a family in northern Michigan in the 1960s.  Guest has an ear for great dialogue and she understands young adults perfectly.  This is what made her so successful as a writer of the book Ordinary People.  She is interested in the chaos underneath smooth veneers.  She promises another book with the likeable detective Hugh Dewitt taking another star turn.  IN the meantime, I recommendThe Tarnished Eye.
Dead by Sunset by Ann Rule	This is not my first Ann Rule and it won't be my last.  Judith Guest recommended this book, as part of her research on excellent true crime novels. I was riveted by how difficult the case was to put together and how much tenacity the prosecutors had to have amid a defendant with a love for battling court cases.  The defendant ended up defending himself and revealed to the jury and courtroom more about his character than benefited him in the trial.  Rule elucidated the trial by staying in control of the information with ruthless attention to every detail.
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote	This classic non-fiction book kept coming up in news articles, at the writer's conference until finally, I had to read it again.  Capote included incredible detail to paint the "bad guys" less forbidding because he knew them so well.  I particularly like the scene of one of the murderers on death row needing to have his cell open onto the kitchen of the jailer and his wife.  The wife ends up serving his favorite meals to him in the prison cell and talking to the inmate as she goes about her chores.  If Capote had made up this story, no one would have believed it, but because he detailed every fact of a true story, this story became larger than life.
In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith	Who left the pumpkin on the fence?  How does a painfully shy stuttering man propose to his sweetheart?  What happens when a married older woman steals away an intern from the garage?  As usual the resolutions are smart and fun, showing a clever understanding of the complexities of the human condition.  Happily all is put to rights in the end.
Back from Betrayal by Suzy Farbman	I read this book because of Farbman was one of the writers at the Walloon Lake workshop.  The great part about Farbman's writing is that I stayed up all night reading it.  I was absolutely fascinated by her description of her married life, her time at Kingswood School, the descriptions of Detroit places that I have visited.  I liked that the only publisher that would take her was one that they paid to publish the book.  The story itself speaks to a materialistic life with a lack of spiritual growth.  I end up wondering why Farbman feels so strongly about staying in a marriage which seems only to bring her economic security.  Unfortunately, the book does not solve any of the author's problems, except maybe her ambition to have a best selling book on the Amazon list.
Julie and Julia by	This book was a Christmas present to myself from myself.  Julie is a whacky gal, with fortitude because she works all day, blogs befoer work and then stays up to ungodly hours cooking.  Yet, her domestic life is appealing, with a lovely cast of characters sharing meals and the hardships of electrical failures in New York.  Because Julie is so irreverant about Julia Child, I worry that not everyone would enjoy reading the book.  Iloved especially Julie's blogging friends who read her notes and write back giving support.  Maybe I'll start a blog and people will write in from all over the country offering me encouragement.  Delightful reading.
Dress Your Family in Cordury and Denim by David Sedaris	I liked this book, biting good humor and the author does not take himself too seriously, but at the same time writes scathingly and realistically about the challenges of young adulthood.  I love the descriptions of family life, there is so much love and commitment in this group.  The last essay where David is trying to kill a half dead mouse by drowning him and a man stops by to ask directions and says, " I see you have a little swimming mouse, I have a dog," made me laugh out loud.
Shoot the Moon by Billie Letts	A silly book really but very staisfying plot and a happy ending although perhaps too many characters commit suicide or are murdered, but that is what a murder mystery is about.