Recommended by Andrea

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Recommended by Jane and Connie

Jane's review: It's full of quirky characters I cared about, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan setting rings true. I generally like books in which the main character moves to a new place and starts over, and this appealed to me.

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Recommended by Andrea

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A 2012 staff favorite. Recommended by Jo and Ellen J. Read Jo's review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/461350912

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I was attracted to this book by the excellent reviews it was given plus the fact that, as a woman of a certain age, I am becoming increasingly aware of my own mortality. The author is a neuroscientist at Harvard and she used her years of experience to write this debut novel. I suspect she may have used herself as the model for the main character Alice, who also is a well-respected Harvard professor who faces her diagnosis and progressing illness with courage and determination.

I made myself read this heart-breaking book until the bitter end and cried more than once at the cruelty of this disease and at the beauty of telling of this story. Although I can’t recommend this as a cheerful, escapist read, I am glad I read it and have a better understanding of Alzheimer’s disease and its impact on its victims as well as their families.

I was reminded of Bette Davis’s words, “Old age ain’t no place for sissies.”

--Recommended by Ellen

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Recommended by Sonia and Haley

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Maeve Binchy never disappoints. Kathy and Tom's catering business is full of adventures, young twins Simon and Maude are engagingly quirky, and in the end family trumps all.

Recommended by Sonia

This book has such real insights about parenting, what it means to be a family, and what's really important in life. Here's a quote that I just loved: "Love is not a zero-sum game; there is no even-steven. There are only acts of grace, large and small, through which we reveal who we are." Well said!

--Recommended by Andrea

A 2018 staff favorite recommended by Erica. Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Smending%20matters%20rodabaugh__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=gold

Recommended by Cheryle. Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Ssecret%20life%20of%20violet%20grant%20williams__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=pearl