Caught Dead in Philadelphia by Gillian Roberts, featuring Philadelphia school teacher, Amanda Pepper. When the body of a colleague is found dead in Amanda's living room, she has to clear herself of suspicion—and make sure she isn't the next victim as well. This made for enjoyable read. It is first in the series and I will look for others. Kind of like the East coast version of Maggody.

Hot Enough to Kill by Paula Boyd features Jolene Jackson, born in Texas but lives in Colorado. Jolene's back in her hometown of Kickapoo, Texas, bailing her 72-year-old mother out of jail and trying to stay one step ahead of a killer. Reminds me of Maggody in a lot of ways with more romance. A good fast paced read.

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells. With all the new previews of the movie I decided that I should read the book and then go see the movie. I enjoyed every page of it. When Siddalee Walker gives a less than flattering view of her mother in the New York Times article her mother disowns her and Siddalee goes into a depression. She cancels her engagement and retreats to a friend's cabin outside of Seattle. The Ya-Ya's (childhood friends of her mother) convience Vivi ( Siddalee's mother) to send a scrapbook about the Ya-Ya's. This brings more questions than answers are we go back and forth in time reliving these memories. Reminiscent of Fried Green Tomatoes by Fannie Flagg, this will keep you reading until the end.

On Mystic Lake by Kristin Hannah. As her 18 year old daughter flies to England for the summer Anne Colwater is told by her husband that he has been having a long term affair, no longer loves her and wants a divorce. Anne retreats to her childhood home in Mystic, Washington, where she encounters her old friend Nick, a widower with an emotionally scarred young daughter. She cuts her hair, falls in love with Nick and finds out she is pregnant by her soon to be ex-husband. Her husband wants her back so she tries but really only loves Nick. So she leaves her husband and goes back to Nick to start a new life. Very similiar to Maeve Binchy's, Tara Road, but I really never felt any connect for any of the characters as everyone felt flat.

Agnes Parker ... Girl in Progress by Kathleen O'Dell - is very similiar to the Alice series by Naylor. Agnes is a 6th grader trying to copy with life's changes and new glasses and a class bully. It was ok, but I just couldn't finish it.