Safe at Second by Scott Johnson

I first picked this up when I was looking for a sports related story for a student. The blurb sounded interesting. It tells the story of a high school senior Todd who plays baseball and his friend Paulie. Todd Bannister has had offers from colleges and even the pros. He is that good but one day a line drive drives straight at him and hits in in the eye. Todd loses his eye and has to cope with his new glass eye.
Paulie has always traveled in Todd's limelight and tries to find his place now. He believes it is his job to help Todd and encourages him to make a comeback. He believes in his friend, so much so that his life is on hold.
If you enjoy sports related books you will cheer for the characters in this book.

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

At first I wasn’t thrilled that this title was on our book club reading list as I don’t really enjoy fantasy reading and didn’t like the idea of reading about vampires. The book is very popular among the students and it rarely sees the library shelf. Bella the main character moves to Forks, Washington to live with her father. Her first day at the new school brings her face to face with Edward, her science lab partner. He glared at her and pulled himself as far away as possible. She wondered what was wrong with him. Edward is a vampire and the smell of Bella made him dangerous. This is a love story between the human, Bella and the vampire, Edward. Meyer keeps the reader turning pages and keeps the relationship tense.
I was bothered by the recklessness of Bella to abandon her caution for her love of Edward. Edward was making choices that were difficult and I wonder if he can maintain his decision to not give in to the ancient desires of vampires. I think young girls need to keep a cautious stance and not be mesmerized by physical attributes and manners. Too many times girls get themselves into abusive relationships and then find it difficult to get away as they can’t see the “forest for the trees” so to say. For fantasy fans, I would suggest you try Twilight. You probably won’t want to stop there. She has two other books that follow the story of Bella and Edward

I Heard That Song Before by Mary Higgins Clark

This was a fun read. I began it one day during lunch and brought it home over the weekend. I finished it that evening. Like most of Clark’s books it was pure escape. The plot was not particularly extraordinary but it still kept me turning the pages. Kay Lansing must rely on her memory of an incident during her childhood to save her new husband from prison. She believes he is innocent of the two murders even though evidence and the people around her are certain he is the one. Even Kay’s mother warns her to be careful. If you enjoy a quick mystery read and like Mary Higgins Clark, I would suggest you try this one.