9. Southern Cook Book: 250 Fine Old Recipies Edited by Claire S. Davidow & Ann Goodman

On our trip to the Deep South I wanted to bring home some of the local cuisine. This old-fashioned recipe book is the next best thing. Includes hush puppies, okra & tomatoes, apple pandowdy and mint julep.

8. The Mason Jar by James Russell Lingerfelt

When I bought this book at a restaurant in Franklin, TN I thought it was going to be more mystery than romance. Although first-time novelist James Russell Lingerfelt writes a disclaimer stating "This is a work of fiction", one can't help wondering how much of himself is part of main character Clayton "Finn" Fincannon. Some memorable words of wisdom penned by Finn's grandfather and left in a mason jar for him to read.

7. Swindle by Gordon Korman

This is the first book in the Griffin Bing, "the Man with the Plan" series. When Griffin gets "swindled" out of a  valuable Babe Ruth baseball card he comes up with a plan to steal it back from the dishonest dealer. He enlists the help of some friends and enemies to commit the perfect heist. I look forward to reading the others in the series.

6. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Part romance, part science fiction and totally compelling. Not what I thought it would be about at all. Niffnegger's details about the city of Chicago, the Newberry Library and the art of papermaking add authenticity. I would love to find out what happens next to Alba, Clare and Henry.

5. Peggy of the Cove: Secrets by Ivan Fraser

An adventure story in which Peggy, shipwrecked in Nova Scotia as a child, finds out about her family in Scotland. Follow the clues left to her in a poem written by her now deceased father to discover her fortune.

4. Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

This first book in the Flavia De Luce mystery series is set in the English village of Bishops Lacey in 1950. Eleven-year-old Flavia is keen on chemistry but not her older sisters Ophelia and Daphne. She helps police unravel a current murder and one that occurred  twenty years earlier.

3. Inconceivable by Ben Elton

   In this sometimes funny, sometimes sad story about a couple's struggle with infertility, Ben Elton takes a poke at the BBC, Hollywood and the people who make their livings in TV, radio and film.

2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Many friends and students recommended I read this trilogy, especially when the first film was released last March. I am surprised at how well written it is and at how it stretches the typical plot and character development of teen fiction . Don't know if I want to see the film now; have my own vision of Katniss, Peeta and the other tributes. Looking forward to "Catching Fire". I bought my Advnce Reader's Copy at a yard sale. Only 500 were printed. Currently, there's one in similar conditon on sale on ebay for $299 US. I paid a dollar. Deal.