Patty Pick for 8/3/17 is "Little Black Lies" by Sandra Block

Zoe Goldman has secrets, some she doesn't even know she has. The nightmares have returned with the pressure of residency. Zoe is a resident in the psych ward of a hospital, working her way to being a Psychiatrist. Her mother's death haunts her and she feels guilty wanting to know the details, since her adopted mom is dealing with dementia. Discussing that night always upsets her mom and Zoe knows that time is running out to find out the answers she wants to know about her real mother and the night she died. Her dreams make it seem like the answers are so close, but even with therapy Zoe can not discover what is right there in her memory and unlock the secrets to the past.

As the plot twist and turns, many secrets and lies will be revealed to Zoe. Zoe lives with her step-brother in the town where she grew up. She is separated from her longterm boyfriend, Jean Luc since they finished college and went their separate ways. Even though she can spend more time with her adopted mom, being back in Buffalo has made her nightmares return. The nightmares about the night her real mother died. Her 

brother is worried about her.  

One of her patients, Sofia, is trying to win her own freedom from her past. Sofia, a violent killer who has been locked away since she was a teenager, has been on her best behaviour for a while. Zoe's boss wants to set her free, but there's something about Sofia that does not set well with Zoe. All the while, Zoe is dealing with her own personal issues, like ADHD, and since her return all of her inner demons seem to be torturing her. With Zoe's family and the characters she works with at the hospital, you are going to like them all. Well most of them. Don't let the cover fool you, prepare to stay up and finish this one like I did. 

I know that the story of Zoe Goldman has been turned into a trilogy by the talented author, Sandra Block. I can't wait to read the next two as I loved this one and Zoe. You will, too but beware there are many scary twists and turns coming your way. "The Girl Without A Name" and the soon-to-be released, "The Secret Room" will give us more time with Zoe. I can't wait! All 5 Stars are shining or rather burning for "Little Black Lies"!

Patty Pick for 7/20/17 is "The Orphan's Tale" by Pam Jenoff

Lucky for me I found #TallPoppyWriters and #Bloom Groups 
on Facebook. I picked a good book, "Dear Carolina" by 
Kristy Woodson-Harvey for my book club choice a year or so 
ago. She is an author that is part of this terrific group of writers that support each other and write awesome books! Now I find 
amazing book choices to read and contests to participate in. 
I won "The Orphan's Tale" by Pam Jenoff in one of their contests. 
This book has been on my To-Read list for a while, even before it was published this year. I was so excited to win it and really appreciatative that this great group of writers sent it to me! 

"The Orphan's Tale" takes place in Germany during World War II, 
but the main setting is a circus that is still operating in Germany and France. A young girl estranged from her family, and the baby she rescues from a train car full of dead and dying babies heading to the camps, drop into the midst of the winter circus quarters. 
The owner of the circus and his confidantes save their lives from the snow storm they were trapped in. Now Astrid, the star of the flying trapeze and young Noa are thrown together and need each other to survive. They each bring secrets with them and they have each suffered at the hands of the Nazi's.

Unfortunately they will suffer more while they are trying to keep the circus operating. This honest look at the suffering of individuals during war and their struggle to just survive against the backdrop of a circus trying to continue on, will move you. How much can an individual take and still carry on? Noa and Astrid will show you. Will these two opposites thrown together survive? They have more in common than you think. Their friendship will have you in tears! You need to read the book to find out. A 5-Star Book!!  

    

Patty Pick for June 9, 2017 is "The Choices We Make" by Karma Brown

This book will make you laugh, cry, and question the choices you make and have made. Sometimes it's hard to see them from another person's perspective and sometimes they have unintended consequences. There are quite a few choices in this book, but the main one involves one's couple quest to have a child. When Hannah hit a classmate to protect another girl, Kate, from one boy's terrible behavior, she and Kate became life-long friends. They have always been there to help each other, but now there is nothing that Kate can do to help.  

Hannah and Ben have tried everything. They are at the end of their rope. Hannah wants to try to find a surrogate to carry a child but Ben is not ready to give up on having a child of their own. Kate and her husband, David, are watching their best friends fall apart. Kate and David have the perfect family with two little girls, a perfect house and the life that their friends want desperately.  

Then after struggling for years for their dream of a family, they don't know how they are even going on as a couple. Kate decides she wants to give Hannah and Ben the ultimate gift. It takes David some thought to agree, but he is onboard when he realizes that Kate is making the hardest choice. Kate will become the surrogate mother for their child. As the pregnancy advances, Hannah and Ben become more and more involved in the choices for the baby. But all choices do not turn out the way we think and they all have consequences. Karma Brown writes about this struggle in great detail and accuracy. This book will move you. 4.5 Stars!