Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate, 342 pages

"Before We Were Yours" has been on my to-be-read list for quite a while and I am so happy that I finally got to it.  This is a fictionalized account of a family of seven children who were victims of the Tennessee Children's Home Society.  The society was real and was supposed to be a wonderful system of orphanages for children, when in fact, it was a horrible place that stole children and sold them for profit.

This is one of those books that I occasionally had to put down because I just needed a break from the heartbreak.  It was also one of those books I struggled to put down because it was such a well-written and compelling story and I wanted to know what happened next.

This one definitely puts the reader through the ringer but it is so worth it.

As Time Goes By by Mary Higgins Clark 278 pages

I love Mary Higgins Clark!  It could have something to do with the huge emerald ring she wears...or it could be that she writes solid, clean mysteries.  Stories that hold your interest without all the sex and violence drama.  They do not call her the Queen of Suspence for nothing.  This one is the newest in the Alvira and Willy series.  Television journalist Delaney Wright is covering the sensational trial of Betsy Grant, accused of murdering her husband who had been suffering from early onset Alzheimer's.  Betsy is a very sympathetic character who truly loved her husband  and took excellent care of him.  But did she do it? Or was it the step-son who is deep in debt and stands to inherit $15 million?
Meanwhile, Delaney asks her friends Alvira and Willy to help her find her birth mother.  What they uncover is a bit shocking!  Will everyone live happily ever after?

The Greenglass House by Kate Milford 376 pages

The Greenglass House was one of my favorite books I've read lately.  It was quieter, more thoughtful, than many of my recent reads.  The story centers around a boy, Milo, who is of Chinese descent, but has only ever known his adoptive parents.  He loves them very much, but has always wondered what his other family may have been.  This creates some guilt for him and he tries not to think about it.  It's Christmas break and Milo finishes his homework early so he can enjoy his break to its fullest, without surprises or distractions.  Milo also likes things to go as expected, no surprises is the best way to go as far as he's concerned.  However, the very unexpected happens.  Guests begin to arrive at the inn his parents own, and where they all live.  Furthermore, the guests all seem to be very mysterious about why they are there at all.  Milo begins a game with a young girl where he has to use stealth, ingenuity and smarts to outwit a thief.  This was such a great story.  There were stories within the story and it just had a really great feeling to it.  It was constructed as well as any adult mystery and I would recommend it to anyone of any age.

The Mind of Winter by Laura Kasischke 276 pages

Didn’t know what to make of this book. It seemed like a horror story but it wasn’t really. Then I thought it was about a mother’s descent into madness. But not that either. Not much happened or it didn’t seem to. Hardly no characters and the narrator had serious issues. It all took place in a twelve hour period during a raging blizzard on Christmas Day. Absolutely loved it. Oh and if you’re a read-the-end-first kind of a reader then you probably shouldn’t read this book.

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman, 352 pages

Set in Australia in the 1920s, this is the story of Tom Sherbourne and his wife Isabel.  Tom is a lighthouse keeper on a remote island.  Isabel happily goes to the island but after she suffers three miscarriages, life is not as happy as it once was.  Soon after the third miscarriage a boat washes ashore with a dead man and a live baby.

Isabel convinces Tom they should keep the baby because God obviously brought them the baby and the story that follows is the consequences of that decision.  This is one of those books where I thought, how can this turn out okay?  But I found the ending satisfying and truly enjoyed the book.  This is a book I will recommend to others.  We'll be discussing it soon at the library book club and I'm looking forward to hearing what other book club members thought of it.

And Then I Found You by Patti Callahan Henry, 261 pages

And Then I Found You is the story of a secret.  Kate & Jack were childhood sweethearts whose relationship didn’t work out.  Before it was all over, they became parents to a baby girl named Luna.  Only Kate’s family & closest friends ever knew about the daughter they gave up. 

Thirteen years later this all changes.  Kate’s in a picture perfect relationship with Rowan, that isn’t so perfect after all.  He knows nothing of Jack or Luna and how these two people shaped who Kate has become.  Then comes the day Luna (now Emily) decides to try and find her biological family on Facebook.  She first discovers Kate’s sister and from her page finds Kate.  As they all realize who Emily really is, their whole world is turned upside down.  Emily’s reappearance in her life is the spark that rekindles Jack & Kate’s difficult relationship and ultimately ends her relationship with Rowan. 

One of the most interesting things I discovered about this book is that it was based on actual events in the author’s life.  Her sister had given up a baby girl many years ago and this girl also found them on Facebook.   These events inspired the author to write this book.  This was a very touching story and I could easily see it as a Lifetime movie one day.  I swear, this is a compliment!