Lethal Legacy by Linda Fairstein

When the police are called to a building on New York's Upper East Side, Detective Mike Chapman and Assistant DA Alexandra Cooper respond quickly. A resident, Tina Barr, has allegedly been assaulted, but she refuses to cooperate with their inquiries. Within a day Alex and Chapman are back at the same building, confronted with the body of a woman, battered to death, with a mysterious jewel-encrusted book beside her. But the victim isn't Tina Barr - Tina has disappeared.

The book is part of a rare collection at the New York Public Library and Alex and Chapman are plunged into the deadly world of the super-rich - those who protect their fortunes and collections more carefully than other people's lives....

 I really enjoyed this book. A good mystery with lots of twists and turns. The parts on the history and secrets of the New York City Library were fascinating, as were the descriptions of some of the books. 

Christmas Letters by Debbie Macomber

Katherine O'Connor often spends her days at a cozy café on Blossom Street in Seattle -- where she writes Christmas letters for other people. She's good at making their everyday lives sound more interesting. More humorous. More dramatic.

But for Dr. Wynn Jeffries, who also frequents the café, Christmas means lies and deception. In fact, the renowned child psychologist recommends that parents "bury Santa under the sleigh." Katherine, however, feels that his parenting philosophy is one big mistake -- at least, based on her five-year-old twin nieces, who are being raised according to his "Free Child" methods.

She argues with Wynn about his theories, while he argues that her letters are nothing but lies. They disagree about practically everything -- and yet, somehow, they don't really want to stop arguing.

As the days -- and nights -- move closer to Christmas, Katherine and Wynn both discover that love means accepting your differences. And Christmas is about the things you share . . .

A sweet, feel-good Christmas romance. 

The One Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

Desperate to avoid his 100th birthday party, Allan Karlsson climbs out the window of his room at the nursing home and heads to the nearest bus station, intending to travel as far as his pocket money will take him. But a spur-of-the-moment decision to steal a suitcase from a fellow passenger sends Allan on a strange and unforeseen journey involving, among other things, some nasty criminals, a very large pile of cash, and an elephant named Sonya 

Quirky, entertaining and delightful. I loved Sonya the elephant.  Not too sure about being killed by being sat on by an elephant.

A Killers Christmas In Wales by Elizabeth J Duncan

As the townsfolk of the Welsh valley town of Llanelen settle in for the snowiest winter in twenty-five years, an American stranger arrives. Harry Saunders charms the ladies, one of them in particular: Evelyn Lloyd, the town’s former postmistress, who was left comfortably off after the death of her husband. After Mrs. Lloyd invests a good deal of money with him, Harry goes missing, as does her money. His body is soon discovered outside the walls of Conwy Castle, and Mrs. Lloyd is implicated in the murder.

Although Penny Brannigan and her business partner, Victoria Hopkirk, are busy overseeing the grand opening of their new spa, that doesn’t stop Mrs. Lloyd from desperately seeking Penny’s help to prove her innocence. It’s quite possible that Harry made other enemies while in Llanelen and Penny’s investigation unfolds while she juggles her work at the spa, her growing relationship with Detective Inspector Davies, and the Christmas window competition that she signed up to judge.

An Ok mystery, the villain wasn't who I expected and that can be a good thing. A pleasant, light read.

Twenty Chickens for a Saddle by Robyn Scott

The Scotts are truly one of the most unusual families you are likely to meet. Robyn's father is a flying doctor who always wanted to be a vet. Her mother believes in holistic medicine and homeschooling. Both are deeply eccentric, and under their affectionate but relaxed guidance, life for the children is a daily adventure of the kind usually confined to storybooks.

Storybooks-or being read to from them-comprise, it turns out, most of their homeschooled education. That, and searching the surrounding bush for animals (poisonous and otherwise) to let loose in their schoolroom. As a result of the absolute freedom of spirit, thought, and movement that they are given, all three children grow into fascinating, if rather eccentric, characters in their own right.

When the family moves to a game farm bordering South Africa, the children become more aware of the darker undercurrents of life in Africa. Here the apartheid mind-set lives on in many of their white South African neighbors. And when at fourteen Robyn begins conventional school in neighboring Zimbabwe, she sees more of the racism initially only glimpsed in Botswana. AIDS also rears its head. Long witnessed by Robyn's father at his village clinics, the existence of the disease is acknowledged by the government too late-only as death, on an unprecedented scale, begins to devastate this peaceful and prosperous African country.

A wonderfully mad family, great descriptions of the bush and people of Botswana.  Not a place I could live!  The book could have done with a bit of editing , a bit too much repetition of some descriptions. 

The Sixth Man by David Baldacci

Edgar Roy-an alleged serial killer held in a secure, fortress-like Federal Supermax facility-is awaiting trial. He faces almost certain conviction. Sean King and Michelle Maxwell are called in by Roy's attorney, Sean's old friend and mentor Ted Bergin, to help work the case. But their investigation is derailed before it begins-en route to their first meeting with Bergin, Sean and Michelle find him murdered.

It is now up to them to ask the questions no one seems to want answered: Is Roy a killer? Who murdered Bergin? With help from some surprising allies, they continue to pursue the case. But the more they dig into Roy's past, the more they encounter obstacles, half-truths, dead-ends, false friends, and escalating threats from every direction. Their persistence puts them on a collision course with the highest levels of the government and the darkest corners of power. In a terrifying confrontation that will push Sean and Michelle to their limits, the duo may be permanently parted. 

Fast paced, gritty action, interesting story.

I will be looking for more by this author. 

Not Buying It by Judith Levine

If you've ever contemplated cutting down on your consumerism but couldn't bring yourself to do it, Levine's volume allows you to witness and learn from this drastic experiment without going through the withdrawal yourself. Since giving up shopping entirely is impossible in North America (buying food requires money), the most interesting aspect of Levine's adventure is the process of defining necessity. High-speed Internet access, Q-tips and any soap fancier than Ivory, for example, are all ruled out as luxuries. With chapters divided by month, the book witnesses Levine's journey from enthusiastic experimenter in January to a still game but weary participant by the fall, as favorite luxuries run out and clothes become shabbier. As Levine trades in movies and restaurants for the public library system and dinner parties at home, she is forced to reflect on not only the personal indulgences she's become used to but also their place in defining her social space. Since this book is about exploring consumerism rather than economizing (although she does manage to save $8,000 by the end of the year), Levine investigates several anticonsumer movements—she joins her local Voluntary Simplicity group, participates in Buy Nothing Day and consults experts on issues of consumerism and conservation. Yet the most insightful aspect is Levine's account of her own struggle to keep down her day-to-day consumption of goods and to define the fine line between need and want. 

Had some very interesting bits. I would have liked more personal experience and more from those who have moved to a simpler lifestyle or off the grid totally and less of the political and economic theories.

I thought it interesting that the year she and her partner spent not buying anything but rather making do and mending was, as she said, the best year of the 13 years they had been together.