A Dog's Purpose byW. Bruce Cameron

The book tells the story of a dog named Toby who finds himself reincarnated and decides that there must be a reason, a purpose that he must fulfill and until he does so, he will continue to be reborn. The story is narrated by Bailey, who is very much, a dog.

From Toby, the feral dog, to Bailey, Ethan's best friend, to Ellie, the Search and Find dog, and lastly to Buddy, the reincarnated Bailey, I laughed and cried.

Zeitoun by Dave Eggers

Zeitoun is a disturbing, non-fiction account of a New Orleans married couple who were dragged through their own special brand of Kafkaesque hell after Hurricane Katrina.

Left Neglected by Julie Rosen

This was an excellent book. It was similar to Still Alice in that it told the story of Sarah, a multi-tasking successful business woman who was texting on her phone while driving and had a horrible accident that gave her TBI in that she could not "see" her left side even though she was not blind.

The inter-dynamics of the family especially the relationship between the mother and Sarah were wonderful. The book showed Sarah as a strong woman as she was trying to cope with her disability as well as the strength of the family.

This is a MUST read.

The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer

This is a tale of war-torn lovers, family and survival of the luckiest rather than the fittest. The Invisible Bridge tells the story of a family shattered and remade in history's darkest hour. The book moves from the small Hungarian town of Konyar, to the grand opera houses of Budapest and Paris. It moves from the despair of the Carpathian winter to an unimaginable life in the labor camps. It tells the story of Andras Levi, a Hungarian-Jewish architecture student who arrives in Paris in 1937, from Budapest with a scholarship, a single suitcase, and a mysterious letter that he has promised to deliver. He falls into a complicated relationship with the letter's recipient and becomes privy to a secret that will alter the course of his and his family's history.

It's a wonderful book. And I'm proud to say that I'm going to review it for the Sisterhood Book club.

THE YEAR OF FOG BY Michelle Richmond

Six-year old Emma vanished into the thick San Francisco fog. Or into the heaving Pacific. Or somewhere just beyond: to a parking lot, a stranger's van, or a road with traffic flashing by. Now, as the days drag into weeks, as the police lose interest and flyers fade on telephone poles, Emmas's father finds solace in religion and scientific probability- but, Abby can only wander the beaches and city streets attempting to recover the past and the little girl that she lost. With her life at a crossroads, she will leave San Francisco for a country thousands of miles away. And there, by the side of another sea, Abby will make the most astonishing discovery of all- as the truth of Emma's disappearance unravels with stunning force.

This is a profoundly original novel of family, loss and hope, of the choices we make and those that are made for us.

LIT by Mary Karr

LIT follows the self-professed blackbelt sinner's descent into the inferno of alcoholism and madness and to her astonishing resurrection.

Karr's longing for a solid family seems secure when her marriage to Warren, a blueblood poet produces a son that they adore. But, she can't outrun her past. She drinks herself into the same numbness that nearly devoured her mother. She reaches the brink of suicide. A hair raising stint in "The Mental Marriot," with an oddball tribe of gurus and saviors, awakens her to the possibility of joy and leads her to an unlikely faith.

This is a conversion story that reads with dark hilarity.

LIT is about getting drunk and getting sober. It is about becoming a mother by letting go of a mother. It is the story of learning to write by learning to live. It is an electrifying story of how to grow up.

By Invitation Only byJodi Della Femina

A wonderful book that gave me an insider's look at the big money, big romance, food wars, catering wars, restaurant wars, local newspaper fights, and comical vendettas that make East Hampton, America's most talked about small town.