Betty Recommends...

Curious about the inner lives of dogs, I picked this up and finished it in record time. Tender AND terrifying, this story is about an abandoned child in Moscow, who in desperation takes to the streets and is sheltered by a dog pack for 4 years. A compelling story. Read it so we can discuss the ending.

A frothy little tale of a mother and two daughters forced to fend for themselves when the man of the family (her husband, their stepfather) leaves them for another woman. Of course the daughters are 50 and 52, still they gather around their mother and retreat with her from Manhattan to Westport, CT. There they get caught up in a social swirl that comes and goes (and sometimes explodes). With a cast of characters where one is more eccentric than the next. There are charmers, predators, and plenty of amusements. Schine is a talented comic writer and this is her most popular book to date. Like eating candy.

Of the five days I was gone, I spent three completely under the spell of Her Fearful Symmetry. It is the most wonderful ghost story I have ever read. I loved the characters, each more quirky than the next. I was mesmerized by all the twinness. The English setting added to the charm, and the story line was just fantastic enough to keep me levitated without dropping me. To those adventurous readers willing to trust me, I beg you to give this new entry by the author of The Time Traveler's Wife a try. You will be rewarded with a kooky but contemporary tale of what happens when you mess with the fates. And you'll learn some interesting historic facts about cemeteries while you're at it. And, its not creepy at all. Reading Her Fearful Symmetry is time well spent.

A literate complicated dilemna is posed in The Post-Birthday World. What if things had gone the other way? Go with Irene McGovern as she explores her options. A very rewarding book!

Just after WWII a writer is contacted by a fan on the island of Guernsey. As events unfold and she goes to Guernsey, she learns of the misery, bravery and ingenuity of the locals when Guernsey was abandoned by the British to be captured by the Germans. Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is just a gem!

What would it feel like to have reached the height of academis - Harvard professor of cognition - and suddenly at age 50, start to lose your faculties. This touching, personal account of early onset Alzheimers is unique because it is told from the perspective of the victim. I saw the world a little differently after I finished it.