The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman

Although it was a bit predictable, I liked this thriller. It's set at a not-so-prestigious girls boarding school near the Adirondacks. The heroine, Jane, once a Latin student and now a Latin teacher, has to deal with deaths in her past that are being replayed in her present. The dark, icy atmosphere around the school's lake and the dead language provide interesting metaphors for Jane's turmoil. Goodman is a good writer and storyteller. I'll read the next one when it comes along.

stuff I've read in past year or so

I know This Much Is True, Wally Lamb
The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
Atonement, Ian McEwan
Crusader’s Cross, James Lee Burke
She’s Come Undone, Wally Lamb
Founding Brothers, Joseph Ellis
Cold Sassy Tree, Olive Ann Burns
Blessings, Anna Quindlen
Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller
What’s So Amazing About Grace?, Philip Yancey
Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd
His Excellency: George Washington, Joseph Ellis
Running With Scissors, Augusten Burroughs
DaVinci Code, Dan Brown
Life of Pi, Yann Martel
The Time Traveler’s Wife, Audrey Niffenegger
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling
My Losing Season, Pat Conroy
Divine Secrets of the Ya-a Sisterhood, Rebecca Wells
The Innocent, Harlan Coben
Searching for God Knows What, Donald Miller
The Emperor of Ocean Park, Stephen Carter
Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
The Five Love Languages, Gary Chapman
Where the Heart Is, Billie Letts
Prodigal Summer, Barbara Kingsolver
Digital Fortress, Dan Brown
The Lion’s Game, Nelson Demille
The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory
Just One Look, Harlan Coben
Julie and Romeo Get Lucky, Jeanne Ray
Eat Cake, Jeanne Ray
The Red Hat Club Rides Again, Haywood Smith
Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold
Mermaid Chair, Sue Monk Kidd
Founding Mothers, Cokie Roberts
Black and Blue, Anna Quindlen
Dry, Augusten Burroughs
Magical Thinking, Augusten Burroughs
Prodigal Summer, Barbara Kingsolver
Cabinet of Curiousities, Douglas Preston
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Alexander McCall Smith
The Kalahari Typing School for Men, Alexander McCall Smith
Morality for Beautiful Girls, Alexander McCall Smith
The Sunday Philosophy Club, Alexander McCall Smith
44 Scotland Street, Alexander McCall Smith
Indelible, Karin Slaughter
Elizabeth and Mary, Jane Dunn
Honeymoon, James Patterson
The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren
Deception Point, Dan Brown
Stephanie Plum series, Janet Evanovich
The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell
Customer Mania, Ken Blanchard
Angels & Demons, Dan Brown
The Five People You Meet In Heaven, Mitch Albom
Last Car to Elysian Fields, James Lee Burke
Jolie Blon’s Bounce, James Lee Burke
The Big Bad Wolf, James Patterson
London Bridges, James Patterson
State of Fear, Michael Crichton
Prey, Michael Crichton
Rule of Four
Hour Game, David Baldacci
Little Earthquakes, Jennifer Wiener
In Her Shoes, Jennifer Weiner

Mary, Mary by James Patterson

Typical for James Patterson books I've read thus far, this is an easy-reading thriller. A serial killer, presumed to be a woman, has Hollywood in terror and Alex Cross all crossed up with his family and employer, the FBI. I was in suspense and intrigued throughout and as always sympathetic to Cross and the cross he has to bear as a single parent.

The Inn at Lake Devine by Elinor Lipman

This story is set in the 1960s and deals with love and religious prejudice in a fun-loving tale. As a child, Natalie Marx learns first-hand the discrimination her Jewish family has to deal with as they are turned away from an inn. She then makes it her life's mission to teach the innkeeper a lesson. On her way, though, she falls in love with the innkeeper's son, a crisis for both families, Jew and Gentile. This one is easy to read and heartwarming.

The Return Journey by Maeve Binchy

Each chapter is its own separate story, which took a while to figure out. I kept waiting to get back to the characters in the first chapter! Oops. Binchy's ability to develop her characters and stories with life lessons in such a short space is amazing. This is very well written and definitely worth reading.