Amazon.com ReviewBarnaby Gaitlin is one of Anne Tyler's most promising unpromising characters. At 30, he has yet to graduate from college, is already divorced, and is used to defeat. His mother thrives on reminding him of his adolescent delinquency and debt to his family, and even his daughter is fed up with his fecklessness. Still, attuned as he is to "the normal quota for misfortune," Barney is one of the star employees of Baltimore's Rent-a-Back, Inc., which pays him an hourly wage to help old people (and one young agoraphobe) run errands and sort out their basements and attics. Anne Tyler makes you admire most of these mothball eccentrics (though they're far from idealized) and hope that they can stave off nursing homes and death. There is, for example, "the unstoppable little black grandma whose children phoned us on an emergency basis whenever she threatened to overdo." And then there's Barnaby's new girlfriend's aunt, who will eventually accuse him of theft--"Over her forearm she carried a Yorkshire terrier, neatly folded like a waiter's napkin. 'This is my doorbell,' she said, thrusting him toward me. 'I'd never have known you were out here if not for Tatters.'" These people are wonderful creations, but their lives are more brittle than cuddly, Barnaby knows better than to think of them as friends, because they'll only die on him. Yet his job offers at least glimpses of roots and affection. Helping an old lady set up her Christmas tree (on New Year's Eve!) gives him the chance to hang a singular ornament--a snowflake "pancake-sized, slightly crumpled, snipped from gift wrap so old that the Santas were smoking cigarettes." And Barnaby himself is sharp and impatient at painful--and painfully funny--family dinners, apparently unable to keep his finger off the auto-self-destruct button every time his life improves. As much as his superb creator, he is a poet of disappointment, resignation, and minute transformation. --Kerry FriedFrom Library JournalDavid Morse's reading in a calm, even tone reflects the unruffled attitude of the central character in this story. After getting into trouble early in his young adult life, and subsequently paying for his crime, Barney Gaitlin has achieved a level of fulfillment working with senior citizens. Unfortunately, he is perceived by most of his family and friends as a failure, not having attained a college education nor a high-paying position in a high-profile profession. In a relationship with Sophia Maynard, he tries to find a greater level of stability, partly to create a more suitable atmosphere in which to establish closer ties with his young daughter. Tyler's (The Ladder of Years, Audio Reviews, LJ 8/96) characters are real people recognizable in one's own circle of acquaintances. The bonds and tensions arising among family members are readily understandable. A definite recommendation for academic and public library fiction collections.?Catherine Swenson, Norwich Univ., VTCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. Views: 7
Rob Matheson’s a fighter. Flattening enemies with his fists or with his legendary practical jokes, he’s a tough enemy, and a troublesome friend. But Rob doesn’t know how much longer he can keep up the act. As his buddies get married one by one, he’s left with his lonely life – and the sinking feeling he lost more than his dreams when he traded them for a thick skin. Now Rob’s father has issued a challenge – he’ll give 200 acres of prime Montana ranchland to the first of his four sons to wed. No conditions, no meddling. Could this be a chance to become the man he really wants to be?Morgan Tate’s worked for years to climb the ladder to a top job at Cassidy Wineries, but Duncan Cassidy, the boss’ son, always stands in her way. Now he’s issued an ultimatum; marry him or he’ll make sure she never works in the wine industry again. Morgan wants marriage – and a family – but not with Duncan. A certain cowboy in Chance Creek, Montana, has stolen her heart.When Rob offers Morgan a proposition – marry him and split the land – they both find themselves with an ethical dilemma. They don’t know each other well enough to wed, but they can’t lie about their intentions before God and man, either.Now they’ve got sixty days to fall in love, and a passel of family and friends determined to keep them apart. The victims of Rob’s previous jokes are lining up to get their revenge, and Morgan’s half-sister, Claire, is stirring up their mother’s past.Will it take the biggest practical joke of all to convince the world – and themselves – that they’re truly meant to be man and wife? Views: 7
Can you keep a secret? Growing up in Sugar Maple, Vermont, knit shop owner and sorceress-in-training Chloe Hobbs learned to keep a secret before she learned to tie her shoes. When your town is home to werewolves, vampires, trolls, sprites, and everything else the real world is told doesn't exist, you learn quickly how to hide in plain sight. And now she's keeping the happiest secret of her life: she and 100% human chief of police Luke MacKenzie are going to have a baby. But when a quiet young knitter at an afternoon workshop blurts out a warning about Chloe's unborn baby girl, Chloe and her magickal friends quickly discover just how hard it is to keep the biggest secret of them all. Praise for USA Today best-selling author Barbara Bretton "Bretton seamlessly blends a playful world of eccentric and meddling supernatural creatures." Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Bretton spins an imaginative and charming tale." Booklist (starred review) "Bretton has created a paranormal series that is both engaging and timely; for those who like their fantasy with a down-home flair." Library Journal Views: 7
New danger in Dallas...and what one woman wants to keep hidden! It started with a break-in. Now, after uncovering a priceless treasure hidden in the floor of her wedding catering business, Lilah Castle has a target on her back. A mastermind has made it clear that there are no limits to winning this game. As if that weren't stressful enough, cool-eyed Detective Reed Graystone refuses to stray from her side and his reasons aren't purely professional. But when the increasing danger is linked to a dark secret from Lilah's past, only Reed will be able to protect her--from peril and from herself. All Lilah has to do is trust him...before it's too late. Views: 7
There's a sexy secret under the tree this Christmas... With no money and her real name under wraps, chef Joy McKinley isn't expecting the greatest Christmas. At least her hideout is a luxury mountaintop estate. But when a gorgeous, gallant, incredibly sexy billionaire ends up snowbound with her, Joy wishes she could tell Alexander Townsend the whole truth about herself. Especially when the one thing she shares is her bed—and then discovers he has as many trust issues as she does. Will keeping secrets cost Joy the best Christmas gift she's ever received? Views: 7
Spoiler alert. I fall in love with the man who comes in the night. He watches me down the scope of his rifle and it’s terrifying, and exhilarating, not knowing when he’ll squeeze the trigger. If he’ll squeeze the trigger. Maybe I’ll die tonight… …maybe I’ll die next week. It’s a sick and twisted game, but it’s ours. And just when I think our story ends at a distance, he comes in close, thrusting himself into my life. We are at war, him and me, and eventually, he’ll have to kill me. If he doesn’t, someone else will. Views: 7
Escaping the big city...For love under Icelandic skiesWhen surgeon Betty Jacinth's heart is broken once again, she takes a job in Iceland for a change of scenery. She expects cold weather—but not the frosty welcome she receives from gorgeous but brooding Dr. Axel Sturlusson! Now father to his orphaned niece, Axel gradually thaws, and a flame ignites—but when Betty's ex begs her to return, can she make the right choice for love? Views: 7
No. It's a word that could have kept my life on an easy path. Now I'm torn between two men. One is tender, sweet, and dependable. The other is rough, dirty, and unreliable. One man will lead me to the life I've always planned. The other man will lead me to a life with wild new experiences. I should have said no. *Recommended for 18+ due to subject matter and sexual content. Views: 7
The last place Abigail wants to spend the summer of 1885 is Fort Laramie in the Wyoming Territory, but can a handsome lieutenant change her mind? Westward Winds book 1. Views: 7
Genevieve Porter was forced to flee the art world of Manhattan after she blew the whistle on the shady practices of a powerful dealer. Now she owns a small gallery in the breathtaking beach town of Cambria, California. For Gen, this is a place to regroup; she's poised to restore her reputation in the art world and return to New York in triumph.When she meets Ryan Delaney, a cattle rancher who's more than he appears to be, she's ready for a sexy roll in the hay—literally. But when her feelings for him become more than casual, she realizes that his roots on the Central Coast go back generations, and it's going to be a challenge to lure him away from his family's land.If these two are going to make a life together, one of them is going to have to give up old ideas, old goals—old feelings about what success means, and what makes a place a true home.Set amid the crashing waves and rugged cliffs just south of Big Sur, Like That Endless Cambria Sky is Book 2 in Linda Seed's Main Street... Views: 7
