"I Heard You Painted Houses" by Charles Brandt

I gotta say I enjoyed reading this book. Sheeran is a complicated man doing complicated things, many of which the law and most people's moralities disapprove of. Yet, as I read along I couldn't help but understand the fascination that the mob life most hold for some. You feel like these are just good ole boys doing the dirty work that nobody else wants to do, reminded me of some guys that my Uncle used to know when I was a kid in the Bronx. So pull up a chair, get some spaghetti with gravy and just listen knowing that nobody's on their way to give you a message. Good read.

"Heresy" (Giordano Bruno #1) by S.J. Paris

Loved it and am happy to see that I have the next two books in my huge pile of too reads. Seriously though, this was a great mystery and well written.

"These Broken Stars (Starbound, #1)" by Amie Kaufman

This was recommended to me by a friend and I have to admit I wasn't enthused about another teen scifi read but I'm glad I listened to her. Although this takes place in hyper space and terra formed planets with crashing star ships and lone survivors, it's more than that. This is a great love story. Not your mushy teen nonsense but an actual love story wrapped up in a really good story. As a bookseller anything that totes itself as a trilogy makes me wince but in this case I await the next installment with baited anticipation. Read and enjoy.

"Dime Store Magic (Otherworld, #3)" by Kelley Armstrong

Good book. Will read more when I come across them.

"The Last Dragon Slayer" by Jasper Fforde

Not bad at all. I liked the characters and am looking forward to reading the next installment. Particularly liked the Quark Beast.

"Gourmet Rhapsody" by Muriel Barbery, Alison Anderson translation

This book is phenomenal. This is going to be one of the books I return to read again and again because it is such a pleasure to do so. The story is engaging in and of itself but it's the intricacy and elegance of the writing that is so enrapturing. Each sentence felt like diving into a sensory wonderland. I highly recommend this book not only to those interested in the food culture but anyone who's looking to relive the magic of a really good book.

"A Red Sun Also Rises" by Mark Hodder

An interesting idea from an author I liked but not my cup of tea. Having said that it's still worth a read.