First book of 2012 - The Litigators by John Grisham

I really enjoyed this new one by Grisham. I needed a quick legal fix and this fulfilled my need. His last book The Confession was really good also. Entertaining just like the jacket on the book says!

Judgement Calls by Alafair Burke

This is the first book I have read by the daughter of my favorite all time author. So far I have had hits on most of those familial combos and I again had one here. I've read every book James Lee Burke has ever written and started with his daughter's first book here. I have already ordered her second, looking to see how she grow's as an author. Good crime drama!

Promises to Keep by Jane Green

This novel qualifies as a sad delightful romp. Good read, kind of a beach read.

In the Name of Honor by Richard North Patterson

Newest from one of my favorite authors and was very enjoyable. Always like his novels, they tend to shed light on a different subject. In this case a military trial. Good read.

Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin

Qualifies as a delightful romp, read in two days. Moves quickly, about a marriage and what happens when someone else shouldn't have entered it.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

First, this book is not really in my normal range of reading. I do read non fiction, usually history or an occasional biography. This book is heavily weighted in the area of science which was always one of my absolute worst subjects in school. However, it was worth every minute of reading.

Henrietta Lacks was unknowingly one of the biggest contributors to medical research in the world. In 1951 she was diagnosed with cervical cancer, she underwent treatment at John Hopkins hospital in Baltimore and did not know at the time that the cells taken from her cervix were going to be used for research. She was an African American women from a family with not a lot of means and she died within months of her treatment. Her cells became known within the science community as HeLa cells. Unlike other cells that were being researched that would die within days, hers multiplied at an insanely high rate. No one in her family knew about this until decades later when her personal information was divulged and they were bombarded by the press.

HeLa cells are still around today and have been used for almost 50 years in research and development of many drugs and treatments. I'm sure at one point in my life, I've probably been injected with a vaccine that had her cells in it. This book is the amazing story of how this happened, the effect on her family and the medical community. It is a pretty technical book but I was easily able to understand the complexity's of the science. That is pretty much a miracle in itself which gives credit to a great author.

The Lion by Nelson DeMille

The is a sequel to a book DeMille wrote over 10 years ago called The Lion Hunter. Great read, suspenseful, terrorism, action and a little humor and romance mixed in. I genuinely enjoy all of his books and look forward to each one being published.

Lowcountry Summer by Dorothea Benton Frank

This book qualifies as a delightful romp. My sister and I use that phrase for chick flicks and books like this. Quick read, no major thinking but very enjoyable.

The Scent of Rain and Lightening by Nancy Pickard

A little girl is left essentially an orphan at three years old and her wealthy grandparents raise her on their cattle ranch in Kansas. They keep the family home in town where the incident took place involving her parents. It's somewhat of a mystery and the ending surprised me. This is the first book I've read by this author but I will be backtracking and reading more.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest by Steig Larsson

The third and final book in the series by this Swedish author. I've enjoyed all of them a great deal, however, he died after he turned in the three manuscripts. Evidently, he had a fourth manuscript in the works and I am betting that since these have all been huge bestsellers that it will be finished by someone.

These books are full of action, suspense and interesting political angles. Great reads, start at the beginning; The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and then The Girl Who Played with Fire.

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

Very enjoyable book with a storyline set at the beginning of WWII. The book goes back and forth between several women in different situations which eventually will tie together. A young reporter in London during the Blitz, a newlywed girl who's husband enlists and then the postmistress of a small town in Massachusetts. The story's intertwine very nicely and it was a good read.

Deliver us from Evil by David Baldacci

Another suspense, thriller, a little romance from David Baldacci. I've always enjoyed his books and this one didn't fail.

Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns

My friend Mette recommended this book to me and I can see why. Set in 1906 in small town Georgia, this novel follows a fairly well to do family which is ruled by an iron fisted patriarch. The story follows a two year period where the patriarch bucks many social convention that causes upheaval in the family and the town. Don't want to give the story away! This book was written in 1984 but is a great read no matter what decade you are in.

Every Last One by Anna Quindlen

This book was pretty heart wrenching. Story of a tragedy that befalls a family and how to scrape yourself up and start over. Anna Quindlen is a Pulitzer Prize winner before and it is easy to see why.

The Ninth Judgement by James Patterson

Latest in the Women's Murder Club series. Pretty good book, need to have read the others first. I've become a little cynical about the writing since he publishes a book almost every month. Will stick with the Alex Cross books and this series in the future!