The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

 The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave, 306 pages

This poor lady bit off more than she could chew when she married someone who was not up front about his past and came with a teenage daughter!  It kept me guessing until the final page..so I count that as a good read!

Ghost Diary, v. 1-3 by Seiju Natsumego

Ghost Diary, v. 1 by Seiju Natsumego - 180 pages
Ghost Diary, v. 2 by Seiju Natsumego - 180 pages
Ghost Diary, v. 3 by Seiju Natsumego - 180 pages

Sukami is desperate to find his older sister Hanaichi who disappeared while out on an exorcism job.  When he meets Chloe, a grim reaper who claims to be Haniachi's friend, they work together to complete the Ghost Diary, recover Chloe's memories, and find Hanaichi.

I am not really sure if I liked this series or not.  The characters were interesting.  However, the ending seemed rushed.  I also did not care for the direction the story took.  Although it was set up from the beginning I found some of the character motivations very disturbing.

Autumn in Scotland by Karen Ranney

Autumn in Scotland by Karen Ranney - 375 pages

Charlotte is furious when her husband shows up after disappearing five years ago with her dowry a week after the wedding.  She had finally gotten her school for girls going, but now he has ruined everything.  What she doesn't know is that it isn't her husband, but his cousin who is now determined to solve his disappearance.
I thought the premise was interesting.  However, I don't think that a person would have been able to continue the masquerade as long as the story did.  I also think that Charlotte was extremely forgiving considering her feelings at the beginning of the book.

Secondhand Spirits by Juliet Blackwell

Secondhand Spirits by Juliet Blackwell - 325 pages
A Witchcraft Mystery #1

Lily has only been in San Francisco for a short while.  Her vintage clothing shop Aunt Cora's Closet is just starting to take off when a client dies of apparent supernatural means.  Lily is determined to figure out what happened and to rescue a missing girl as she feels responsible since she had laid a spell of protection upon the woman.

I am glad I picked up this book.  I almost didn't.  It was a quick, fun mystery with a little romance thrown in.  I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the series.

The Golden Day by Ursula Dubosarsky

The Golden Day by Ursula Dubosarsky - 149 pages

Eleven schoolgirls go on a secret expedition to a cave with their teacher and her friend Morgan.  Only the girls return.  What happened to the teacher?  Who was Morgan?  And why was everything a secret?

This was an interesting book.  It shows the power that an adult figure can have over children -- how they think, what they believe, and the secrets they'll keep.  While the characters would lend you to think the book was for kids, it it definitely a book for teens.

Emily's Dress and Other Missing Things by Kathryn Burak

Emily's Dress and Other Missing Things by Kathryn Burak - 232 pages

Claire has just moved to Amherst, home of Emily Dickinson, after the worst year of her life.  She was with her mother when she died of a suicide attempt.  And she became a suspect when her best friend disappeared.  So now she is obsessed with death, poetry, and Emily Dickinsin.  When she accidently reveals her past to her English Literature student teacher it sets in motion a crazy adventure where they steal Emily Dickinsin's dress and try to solve her best friend's disappearance.

I'll be honest - I did not think I would enjoy this book.  This is one of those books that I purchased for the library simply because it was getting excellent reviews.  I thought the book sounded depressing and nobody would ever want to read it.  I picked it up yesterday as something to read during lunch - fully expecting that I would turn it back in and not finish it.  I'm shocked to say that I didn't want to put it down.  I started reading it again as soon as I got home and kept going until I finished.  It was a great story!  Yes the story and characters are pretty depressing, but they were also intriguing.  The author did a great job of infusing humor into such an emotional book.  I laughed out loud several times as well as cried several times.  This was a wonderful book!  I do think it will be a very hard sell to teens though.  I think it is something that ultimately would have been better being marketed as an adult book.