By Colleen Coble Blue Moon Promise is a book that intermixes relationship, conflict and faith. Lucy Marsh’s life is turned upside down after losing her job shortly after her father died, and she is caring for her two younger siblings on her own. The stage is set, and Coble immediately jumps into intrigue. Someone breaks into Lucy’s home, and then an old friend of her father’s shows up at the door with the proposition of marriage to his son. With no money and fearing for the safety of her siblings, she prayerfully considers the option. Why would someone break into…

By Eric Sevareid Imagine two teenagers paddling a canoe from Minneapolis to the Hudson Bay without the benefits of GPS, cell phones or tracking systems. That is what Eric Sevareid and Walter C. Port chose to do in 1930. It was the day after graduation from high school when they launched their used 18-foot canoe filled with supplies into the Minnesota River at Fort Snelling, amidst goodbyes of family members. Their four-month journey covered more than 2,200 miles of rivers, lakes and difficult portages. On the side of the canoe, aptly named Sans Souci, which means “without care,” the boys…

By Lilian Jackson Braun   A pleasant romp through the day-to-day life of detective-journalist Jim Qwilleran and his Siamese cats Koko and Yum Yum. The story takes place in a city called Pickax in Moose County, “400 miles north of everywhere.” It is September, a busy month with the local hotel reopening, the Highland Games celebrating the town’s Scottish heritage taking place and a visit from the mysterious jewelry dealer, Mr. Delecamp. The reader follows Qwilleran along his daily routines with Koko and Yum Yum and his treks through the community, learning about the town, its people and their increasing…

By Luanne Rice Summer’s Child begins in New England where a young pregnant woman, Mara Jameson, disappears without a trace from her grandmother’s garden.Years later, people still remember her glowing smile and are still trying to figure out what actually happened. No body was found, though there were traces of blood at Mara’s home. Her husband, Edward Hunter, was accused of killing her, but with no body and no proof, the case was unsolved. Police Detective Patrick Murphy was obsessed with solving the case, so much so he lost his wife in the process. He continued to look for clues…

By Dean Koontz Ever wonder how you would react if a loved one is kidnapped for ransom? “The Husband” takes the reader on a journey through a gardener’s mind and heart after his wife is kidnapped. The confusion begins when the kidnappers ask for a $2 million or they will kill his wife, Holly, though they know Mitch Rafferty, the gardener, does not have that kind of money. “You’ll find a way,” Mitch is told. The kidnappers shoot a man walking a dog just down the street from where Mitch is standing to prove their point. He is given two…

By Bill Holm This book is a collection of essays and letters written by Bill Holm describing his experiences while he was on an exchange program teaching English at a university in China. It speaks of the cultural differences between here and there, the frustrations of living in China, the indomitable spirit of the Chinese people, and the love-hate relationship Holm builds with China. When Holm talks about coming home crazy, he does not mean insane. An anthropologist who taught with Holm said, “In Asia, you either lose your inner moorings, start to sink, go some kind of crazy, and…