Wishin' and Hopin' by Wally Lamb

Wishin' and Hopin' by Wally Lamb

The holidays are upon us which makes it the perfect time of year to read a delightful Christmas story. Felix Funicello, is a young cousin to the beautiful and famous Annette. Felix attends a Catholic school where the nuns rap the pupils knuckles without hesitation and his parents run the diner at the local bus station where posters of Annette adorn the walls.

It's the 1960's, a time I remember with fond memories.  if you were a child in the sixties, you will chuckle with delight at Felix's embarrassments.  He's dealing with parochial school, girls, an awakening sexuality, friends, bullies, and of course a family who top the list when it comes to humiliating Felix on a daily basis.  His story begins to seem all too familiar.

Throw in an anything but run of the mill Christmas pageant and Wishin' and Hopin' will take you on a comical trip down memory lane.  This story is delightful, charming, and full of laughter.  But don't blink.  You might miss an appearance by the charming Annette.  Fun from start to finish!

The Financial Lives of the Poets by Jess Walter

The Financial Lives of the Poets by Jess Walter

This book came highly recommended, lots of 5 star reviews on Amazon.  One even says this book "perfectly captures the plight and desperation of today's displaced executive".  Really??

Matt is a reporter who quits his job to realize his dream of starting a financial website for poets.  Until he finds out that his credit cards are maxed out, his house is going into foreclosure and his wife has stocked the garage with soon to be valuable stuff she bought on eBay.  He's hardly a person anyone should take financial advice from.

One night he goes out to pick up something at the 7 Eleven and ends up befriending some characters who turn out to be drug dealers.  As they drag him deeper into their web, he thinks that selling pot is the answer to his financial nightmare.  I don't need to tell you the rest of the story only to say Matt's life goes even further south from there.

If this book is the story of the future of America then I am going back to the store to buy that bumper sticker I saw the other day.  It said, "Where am I going?  And why am I in a hand basket?"

A Wedding on the Banks by Cathie Pelletier

A Wedding on the Banks by Cathie Pelletier

Amy Joy Lawler is getting married and Mattagash, Maine is abuzz.  Her fiance, Jean Claude Cloutier, speaks French, lives in Frogtown and is Catholic.  Horrors!  Gossip races through the backwoods town, while Amy Joy's mother, Sicily, is dreaming up yet another imaginary illness so she can take to her bed. Once the invitations are mailed, the big city relatives arrive bringing more than what's packed in their suitcases, while the no good local Gifford brothers plot to crash the reception and steal the wedding gifts. The wedding day is set for May 1st. Can a spring snowfall bring the festivities to a screeching halt and are Sicily's wishes finally granted?

I'm a big fan of Cathie Pelletier and the antics in Mattagash.  The Funeral Makers, the first book in this series, is one of my favorites. It introduced me to the residents of Mattagash earlier in their lives. Their antics made me laugh out loud.  Even though they've grown up, their penchant for the absurd hasn't changed.

A Wedding on the Banks has lots of funny and laughable moments but the story just didn't come together for me.  The backstory overwhelmed the present.  Many times I felt like I was reading The Funeral Makers all over again. I understand that as a writer of a series, each book still needs to stand on its own.  In this case, the new story sprinkled itself over the backstory.  A good writer knows it should be the other way around.

Ms. Pelletier's works are funny, lighthearted and border on the ridiculous.  A Wedding on the Banks is sure to take your mind off whatever is ailing you.  The laughs are many.  But some of her other works are more entertaining and worth taking the time to read.  Just remember, this is Maine without the lobster, the way life should be.  Or not.

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

Dr. Alice Howland celebrates her 50th birthday and realizes she's not herself.  She's built her life on the study of language and words and suddenly her words are lost in everyday conversations.  Names and places escape her.  While out for a run one day, she can't find her way home, a route she's taken a thousand times before.  Alice tries to write these changes off to menopause but that is not the cause.  Alice is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease.

Having recently turned 60, the topic of Still Alice scares me.  Every little ache and pain is cause for alarm. My memory is certainly not what it used to be and that just sucks.  I know too many people around my age who have suffered through physical or mental illness themselves or of a loved one.  The clock is ticking.  I usually have a positive outlook on life, but that 60th birthday threw me for a loop and I haven't recovered.  Still Alice made me think about what may lie ahead for me and my family.  I know that age is strictly a number and soon I'll be back to my youthful mindset.  But Alice didn't have that option and that made me sad.

Still Alice is a beautifully written and crafted novel.  The reader follows Alice step by step as the disease changes her. We see her triumphs and her failures.  We watch her husband and children try to come to grips with the changes in their lives too. Still Alice is difficult to read, her disease is a painful and heartbreaking one.  It's one that once we reach a certain age, we all fear will happen to us.  And that's probably the one thing about Alzheimer's that's normal, the angst that we all see in it.

I learned a lot from this book and the most important is that every human being that suffers from any form of dementia is still a person who lives.  Alice was Still Alice living a life full of hope, and for that I'm glad.

Front Yard by Norman Draper

Front Yard by Norman Draper

After winning first place in the world famous Burdick's Best Yard Contest, George and Nan Fremont have happily settled in to enjoy their new found fame and fortune.  They won the prize despite sabotage from another contestant.  Now they have set their sights on a beautifying the front yard too.  After a few glasses of their favorite merlot, topped off with a gin and tonic, nothing can stop them.  Or can it?

Jealousy abounds in the town of Livia and all eyes are set on the Fremont's yard.  I'm not a gardener, so I found myself lost in the plant names and gardening terminology.  I had a difficult time picturing  what the flower beds and trees should have looked like and why everyone thought they were so beautiful.

I also found this story too busy.  It had a large cast of off the wall characters to contend with, many of whom were quite entertaining but others who lacked purpose.  As I read further into the book, I started thinking that they were all too similar, quirky but all in the same way.  Alcohol flowed on almost every page to the point where it overwhelmed the story of the garden.  George and Nan decided to give it up but only for a few seconds.  A couple pages later, they were back slugging it down.  By the end, there was so much history, dirt, fairies and treasure flying around, I had trouble keeping it all straight.

I want to thank Net Galley for my free copy of Front Yard.  Unfortunately it didn't contain a topic I had much interest in.  A gardener would feast in this story but it wasn't for me. 

Dog Gone, Back Soon by Nick Trout

Dog Gone, Back Soon by Nick Trout

Dr. Cyrus Mills is a veterinarian pathologist who is used to a solitary career peering into a microscope.  When he inherits a failing veterinarian practice in a small town in Vermont, from his estranged father, he's forced to come out of his comfort zone. 

He immediately finds himself falling in love with an elusive woman, Amy while doing battle with a corporate veterinarian practice with very deep pockets, in the next town.  Cyrus appears to be losing on both fronts.  His investigative skills however, are winning back patients the corporate vets were unable to diagnose using their rigid and uncompromising methods.


Dog Gone, Back Soon is a charming, modern day All Creatures Great and Small.  Dr. Mills and James Herriot have been cut from the same mold.  The story includes many lovable characters on four legs and just as many captivating ones on two legs.  They all keep the story moving in a very enjoyable way.

Many thanks to Netgalley for my advance reading copy.  If you are a dog lover, Dog Gone, Back Soon is just right for you.

Confessions of a Call Center Gal by Lisa Lim

Confessions of a Call Center Gal by Lisa Lim

Madison Lee is fresh out of college and without a job.  Her best and only prospect is a call center job in Pocatello, Idaho.  She, along with her best friend, Karsynn, takes the leap into the working world.  Maddy catches on quickly to the inner workings of a call center, a world all its own, but even she is not smart enough to anticipate the wide variety of questions a customer may ask.

I have to admit I read this book only because I'm tossing about the idea of my own book based on my experience as a tax advisor.  I am lucky enough to work from home, but taking a customer service call is the same no matter where it's done.  Maddy had me in hysterics!  I, too, have had calls from people with names that use every letter of the alphabet and are unpronounceable.  Callers who are angry for no reason other than they like to be angry are a staple in this business.  And when someone gives an email address that has something to do with what they like to do in bed, the mute button is a good friend.  I've experience everything that happened to Maddy and it was just as funny for me the second time around as it was the first. 

Confessions of a Call Center Gal is not a great work of literary accomplishment.  But it's funny, light, and easy to read.  If you are considering a job taking inbound customer service calls, read this book first.  You will know exactly what to expect when you take the first call.  If you are looking for a beach read this summer, Confession of a Call Gal will fit the bill.  It's simply good, plain fun!

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

Alice awakens on the floor of the gym, while being attended to by paramedics.  She has no idea why she would belong to a gym let alone be there taking a step class.  The clothes she's wearing are unfamiliar.  In fact everything around her is strange.  The last ten years of Alice's life have disappeared from her memory, simply erased like a chalkboard. 

All Alice can remember is Nick, her husband, the love of her life.  He, however, has left her and their three children and the divorce has not been amicable.  Alice is frustrated that he hasn't rushed to her bedside.  But then again, everything is frustrating Alice right now.

  
In What Alice Forgot,  the reader sees the world through Alice's eyes and her struggle to find her life again.  I am a huge fan of Liane Moriarty and she's done an excellent job creating the character's point of view.  Every action Alice takes and every word she speaks is true to Alice's condition. 

What Alice Forgot also has a message about what is important in life.  With her memory erased, Alice got a chance to start over.  The little things brought a smile to her face when in the past they had annoyed her.  There are times when we'd all like a chance to start over.  Alice shows us that it's not easy but it's never too late. 

The Battle of the Thermostat

I know I'm a wimp.  My northern friends remind me of that on a regular basis these days.  I understand that here in Florida we don't have 10 feet of snow to shovel out of the driveway and it's not -50 below even without the windchill factored in, but we've had a miserable winter too.  I am desperate for the cool, sunshiney days with flowers blooming and birds singing. 

Get out your violin.

I have all tile floors in my house.  A good idea when it's 90 degrees outside in the summer.  But when the temperature dips to 30 degrees outside, the inside turns into a meat locker.  An air conditioner turned furnace is hardly up to the challenge.  The poor little heating element runs and runs and runs, while I have put on every sweater in my closet and every pair of socks in my drawer.  I can't get warm.

And then Mother Nature pulls another cruel trick.  The next day we are breaking all kinds of records when the temps climb to 85 degrees.  I've turned off the heat and turned on the air again.  I'm sweating buckets around here!  The piece of machinery we depend on for our year round comfort is just as confused as we are. It was just getting the hang of the heat when we asked for it to make us cool instead.

Today we are back down to 50 degrees outside.  My nose is running, my lips are chapped and my toes are turning blue.  Misery loves company and I want you to know, I'm pretty miserable too. The sky is grey and gloomy.  Even here in the Sunshine State.

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

Last summer I vacationed in Maine.  I'd never been to Maine because it's never on the way to anywhere else.  One look around and I fell in love with the place.  Maine is a treasure with sweeping ocean vistas from high atop the mountains.  Plus it has lobster and lots of it. 

On a local news show, I saw an interview with Christina Baker Kline.  I thought this book sounded interesting but I never saw it for sale while in Maine.  Recently Orphan Train showed up as an Amazon deal.  I remembered it from the summer and immediately bought it.

The story starts in 2011 with Molly who is a teenager in the Maine foster system who has been tossed around for as long as she can remember.  When caught stealing a book from the library, she appears to be headed to juvie.  Molly's given community service as punishment for her crime, but it's her last and final chance.  And she knows it.

Vivian is an wealthy, old widow with an attic full of memories, some good, some bad.  The attic needs cleaning out and Molly lands the job for her community service.  The treasures of the attic tell the story of Vivian's life after having been sent to Minnesota on an orphan train.  While looking through each box, Molly and Vivian learn just how much they have in common.

Ms. Kline has done vast research for this story.  The places and people come to life on the page.  I have to say I enjoyed reading this novel as much as I liked learning about this little known slice of American history.  Whether you like Maine or Minnesota, the Great Depression or World War II, or simply want to read a good piece of historical fiction, Orphan Train deserves a place on your book shelf.

The Yellow Eyes of Crocodiles by Katherine Pancol

The Yellow Eyes of Crocodiles by Katherine Pancol

I fell in love with the title of this book.  The Yellow Eyes of Crocodiles sounded fresh and intriguing.  The blurbs spoke of comedy and trickery.  Plus I'm always a sucker for a great cover. This foot the bill on all accounts.

Josephine and Iris are sisters.  Josephine is the frumpy one with an unemployed husband who rarely attempts to look for work.  Iris is a glamor girl, living a life of luxury with her wealthy and successful husband who is a lawyer.  Jo studies the medieval life in the twelfth century, while Iris becomes easily bored with her fast paced twenty first century social circuit.  When Iris lies to a well known publisher about a new book she's writing, she taps Jo to write her out of a jam. 

The Yellow Eyes of Crocodiles is full of crazy characters and twisting sub plots.  For the first half of the book, the reader is kept engaged by this.  After that the story flattens out and nothing anyone says or does seems very believable.  I have to agree with several other reviews I've read, that alot was lost in translation.  Funny in French isn't necessarily funny in English.

If you're looking for something light and easy, this book will fill the bill.  But if you're looking for a book with depth and emotion, The Yellow Eyes of Crocodiles is definitely not it.

Pot Roast??

I come from a long line of non-cooks, of which I am also one.  My mother made non cooking famous with her pot roast.  My father loved it so she made it often because she didn't know how to cook anything else.  He liked alot of things like canned yellow wax beans, peas and lima beans all of which were cause to spend time alone at the dining room table staring at my plate long after everyone else had left. More than anything, he loved the pot roast.  He cleaned his plate while the rest of the family picked at it only enough to be excused from the table.

I don't remember much about the pot roast itself, only that my siblings and I dreaded pot roast night.  So when my own husband asked me to make pot roast for him, the uncook side of me had to turn into a cook.  That is not an easy task.  I thought about if for awhile and figured how hard could it be?  A slab of inexpensive meat, a few potatoes, an onion and maybe a couple carrots, throw it all together in a pot and... Voila! Dinner.

Over the years, Richard ate the pot roast without complaint so it couldn't have been that bad.  So the other day when he brought a bowl of something in from the freezer, he thought was pot roast, one look at it brought all those childhoods memories flooding back.

The bowl of whatever looked disgusting with little cold dabs of fat congealed on top.  Thawing it didn't do it any favors.  The meat had taken on an unrecognizable pallor.  A few remaining carrots had turned brown and lifeless.  I heated it up and dished it onto our plates.  I swirled the meat through the gravy with my fork.  Slowly I lifted a piece to my mouth and chewed it.  One swallow and I could eat no more.  I watched Richard clean his plate and then mine.

Growing up with four kids, we never had leftovers.  I know my mother never served any that had spent time in the freezer.  The freezer didn't do the pot roast any favors.  But maybe that's the beauty of pot roast.  It's meant to be over cooked with the meat, potatoes and vegetables all touching each other in a big soupy mess. A pot roast is comfort food and we shouldn't analyze it too much.  Or maybe it's a guy thing and I need to make myself something more girlie on pot roast night.  Like a Lean Cuisine.

The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin

The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin

I don't remember how I came to own this book.  I must have had a balance left on a gift card that I wanted to use up and be done with.  The Orchardist  has been sitting on my shelf for awhile.  I'm sad to say it sat there for much too long.

The first two pages of this novel describe Talmadge, an orchardist in the Pacific Northwest.  At first I thought I may not be able to stick with the story.  I'm often impatient. But I continued to read because something about the narrative slowly and carefully drew me into his simple life tending to his apples and apricots.  When two young, pregnant girls appear on his land, his kind soul offers them food. They take the food but keep their distance, afraid of something.  A missing piece in his own heart makes him long to understand what they are running from.

One of the blurbs on the back of the book uses the word hypnotic.  The storytelling in The Orchardist is spellbinding. Immersed in Talmadge's solitary and secluded life, I couldn't put the book down.  The author's style is beautiful, poetic and all embracing.  I lived in the orchard and embraced the hard work it required for Talmadge to keep it running.  I knew Della's pain and why she struggled to find her way.  And I rooted for sweet Angelene, the child who survived, who found love and serenity in the orchard against all odds.

The Orchardist is a sweeping historical novel set in the late 19th century spilling over in to the 20th.  The book is full of captivating characters who move through every facet of life, love, pain, struggle and comfort.  And I walked by their sides each and every step of the way.  Don't miss this one. 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I like to take time at the start of each new year to reflect on the year past and look forward to the future.  Each year I make resolutions and I actually write them down and hang the list on the bulletin board next to my desk.  I refer to them often during the year.  It helps to keep me focused. 

In 2013, I had some hits and I had some misses.  I resolved not to buy a book.  So I answered surveys and earned points toward Amazon gift certificates.  I also got free books to read and review from NetGalley.  I went to the book store often to pick out what I wanted to nab for free elsewhere and believe it our not I was hugely successful.  I never paid for a book all year. 

On the other hand I resolved not to swear.  That didn't work out so well.

For 2014 I resolve to do the following:

1. Write and publish a book. Put my butt in the chair and just do it!

2.  Enter the Royal Palm Literary Award Contest sponsored by the Florida Writer's Association.

3.  Activate my Reiki every day. 

4.  Treat each day as a gift.

5. Count my blessings.  This will take me all year since my blessings are many and I'm certain many more new ones will be sent my way.

Whether you make resolutions or not, try to make the most out of this precious time we are given.  The single act that causes the most regret in our lives is the waste of time.  Once it's gone, we can never get it back.

Set a goal.  Focus.  Enjoy!  I wish you much happiness, good health and prosperity in the coming year.

A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron

A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron

If my New Year's resolution was to only read good books this year, then I have started out right where I want to be.  This book is a winner!  If you are a reader, a writer or a dog lover, then A Dog's Purpose is the cream of the crop, the pick of the litter, the top dog.

From page one I fell head over heels in love with Toby, Fella, Bailey, Ellie and Buddy.  And if I wasn't already convinced that dogs are sent to us for a reason, after reading this book there is no question in my mind.  These animals are searching for their purpose in this world.  Through plenty of ups and downs, laughter and heartache they find it.  I was rooting for them the entire book. 

This review is a little short, because I'm not going to give away any of the story here.  It's best you discover it on your own.  I don't want to spoil it.  Books filled with emotions, good or bad, rank high on my list of good books.  I like to feel when I read.  And there is nothing like a good dog to show you the path to the meaning of love and satisfaction.

Palisades Park by Alan Brennert

Palisades Park by Alan Brennert

The inside world of carnivals and amusement parks is a mystery to those of us on the outside.  Our excitement builds to a frenzy when we plan a day riding roller coasters and indulging in cotton candy and plump juicy hot dogs.  We gladly spend our money to be entertained in new and unusual ways.

Palisades Park is the place where dreams are made, dashed and made once again. Eddie and Adele met on the midway, are married on the carousel and raise their family selling french fries to scores of hungry park goers.  All is well until their dreams are rearranged by war, fire and a need to get more from life.

Fire destroys the park several times and the owners rebuild it each time bigger and better. Adele desires to be back on the stage.  Eddie wants to bring a piece of the Hawaii he loved back during the war to New Jersey.  Their daughter, Toni, wants only to fly like a bird from the top of the high dive.  Their dreams rip their lives apart only to put them back together in unexpected ways.

I felt Palisades Park slogged along in a predictable way.   I loved both Mr. Brennert's novels, Honolulu and Molokai.  Palisades Park, however never captured my attention in the same way.  The story had a host of carny characters but who's personalities I found mostly dull and flat.  I wanted to love them.  I wanted to be immersed in a carny's life.  But I wasn't.

  

Reparation by Ruth Rodgers

Reparation by Ruth Rodgers

A few weeks ago, I attended a book signing at a local church.  Several authors talked about their novels.  Ruth Rodgers talked about her book, Reparation. This is a story about segregation in the South, white versus black and right versus wrong.  A lively discussion emerged about the use of the "n" word from some elderly attendees who had been children in a time when this word was widely used.  I found their perspective fascinating to say the least. 

Kate is the main character in Reparation. Now in her sixties, she returns her childhood home in the Panhandle of Florida to care for her aging mother.  The memory of a night as a teenager when she failed to protect her childhood friend, Delia, who is African American, smacks her in the face.  She can't shake it off any longer as she had done so many years ago. On her path to find reparation, Kate uncovers more ugliness that continues to live on in the small town.

First off I'm not crazy about the title.  Does it describe the novel? Yes.  Kate wants to admit her mistake and make amends to Delia.  Does it grab me and make me want to read the book?  No, not really.  Reparation is not a word that is widely used or can roll easily off my tongue. Secondly I found the writing repetitive and slow. I tired of reading about their eating habits and her mother's sore shoulder.  I skipped alot.

OK, so I didn't like alot about the book, but I have to say that this is story that needs to be told.  It's a part of history we need to be reminded about so that we will never forget it.  Only then can we as a society move past our sordid past and move on to a peaceful and loving future.

Memoir of the Sunday Brunch by Julia Pandl

Memoir of the Sunday Brunch by Julia Pandl

Written from the point of view of Julie, the youngest in a family of nine children, Memoir of the Sunday Brunch is a heartwarming and funny story. The family business is a restaurant in Milwaukee, and I do mean it's a family business.  Each child has to earn their rite of passage by working the Sunday brunch.

Her father, George, has very strict rules that must be observed while working in the restaurant.  However those rules are often had to follow after skipping breakfast, or while nursing a hangover.  And Mother's Day stretches all of the employees to their limits. Knowing nothing about the restaurant business, I found their antics very amusing.  But I have to say how work in a family restaurant business spilled over into life at home became laugh out loud, hysterical.

I love books that bring out emotion, whether happy or sad, it doesn't matter to me.  I want to feel the story not just read it.  Julia Pandl is a very talented writer.  The first half of the book is written in a captivating manner while we watch a teenage girl grow into herself.  There comes a point when the family experiences a time of overpowering grief.  Ms. Pandl changed her writing style at the precise moment necessary bringing tears to my eyes. 

I never like to reveal much about the specifics in a book.  I believe a reader wants to find those things out on their own.  I love to comment on the character of the story and whether or not it's worth reading.  Memoir of the Sunday Brunch is a not only a tribute to a talented writer, it pays homage to a loving mother and father and the family they created. 



 

Merry Christmas, Oh My!

My neighbors, across the street are aiming to win the $75 neighborhood prize for the best Christmas lights. In a 55 community, $75 might buy the early bird special once a week for at least a month.  Last year they received an honorable mention so this year they are going all out.  The eaves of the roof are gracefully draped with white lights.  The trees in front are covered in colored lights for contrast.  In the driveway is a large inflatable Christmas tree that has flashing strobe lights inside it.  At the base is a lighted choo choo train.  It took them several days to get it all perfect and it's quite a dazzling display. 

Down the street, a guy puts a projector in his driveway every night to make it look like it's snowing on the front of his house.  He packs it up every morning so he can get his car out of the garage.  This is Florida so I give him an A+ for the illusion of snow when it's 80 degrees outside.  I think he may also be in it to win it.

Moving a few doors down, the effort of lights starts to deteriorate.  The strings of lights fit tightly along one side of the roof and hang sloppily over the other.  Hanging lights is a hard job especially from the top rung of the ladder you bought in 1974 and refuse to get rid of even though it wobbles just the slightest little bit. Soon I come to the house with one of those lighted reindeer.  I always liked those.  The sparkly animal looks as if it's grazing in the front yard.  And in this case it really is.  Its nose is only inches from the Halloween pumpkin that took its place in the garden somewhere around the beginning of October.  

The lighted wreaths I hung on the garage lights and the front door, won't win any prize.  I know that the judges won't even give my house a passing glance.  But the rest of the neighborhood is having its own little version of the television show, The Great Christmas Light Fight, and it's over a lot less than the 50 grand being given away for the best lights on the show. 

Every night there's a traffic jam of sorts while cars stop to admire the handiwork even though there isn't any computer generated light show set to music. The cars finally dissipate when lights go off at about 9 pm.  Most of us are in bed by then. A spike in the electric bill is a concern too. Hopefully the $75 will cover it.  The losers may have to pinch their pennies well into the new year. But if the pumpkin lasted this long I'm betting it will still be around long after the Christmas lights have been packed away until next year. And it didn't run up the electric bill.

Merry Christmas!  Ho! Ho! Ho!

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

All I can say is "Wow"!  I couldn't put The Husband's Secret down.  This is one of those novels that grips the reader from the first word and never lets go. 

Cecilia Fitzpatrick is living the perfect married life, raising her three daughters and successfully selling Tupperware. Tess O'Leary runs to her mother's home in Sydney with her son, Liam, in tow when she learns her husband has fallen in love with her cousin, Felicity. Rachel Crowley is the school secretary who is still grieving for her daughter, Janie, who was murdered twenty three years ago.  She's convinced herself that the school's PE teacher, Connor Whitby is the murderer. All of these lives become intertwined because of an envelope Cecilia finds from her husband that is labeled, "To be opened in the event of my death". 

What I absolutely loved about this book is the author's ability to put the reader inside each character's head.  The way Cecilia's thoughts raced, Tess's actions frozen by her lack of self esteem, and Rachel's unresolved grief were all captured precisely by the written word.  I'm not going to give the secret away.  The story is too good.  You have to experience it for yourself.  The Husband's Secret is  the best book I've read in a long time.  I can't wait to read more by Liane Moriarty.  No wonder it's a bestseller.  It's that good.