Last Five Books I've Read

I love a good story, and I usually have one (or more) books that I'm reading or listening to at any given time. Here are my last five along with my ratings (***** is the best):

5. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. Set in South Carolina, it tells the story of 14 year old Lily Owens, who is in search of her mother's past. Her life deals with her abusive father, her maid, and the kindness of strangers. My rating: *****

4. The Opposite of Love by Julie Buxbaum. This is the story of Harvard Law grad Emily Haxby as she deals with self-doubt, abandonment issues and skeletons in her closet. There are some funny parts and some sad parts but mostly parts that had trouble keeping my attention. It just wasn't my favorite. My rating: **

3. The Bride Quartet by Nora Roberts. Okay, this is really a set of four books: Vision in White, Bed of Roses, Savor the Moment and Happy Ever After. Set in Connecticut, this is a series of books about four childhood girlfriends who grow up and form an all-inclusive wedding service. One is the photographer, one handles the flower arrangements, one creates beautiful wedding cakes, and one handles the books and supervises the events. Predictable, but enjoyable. My rating: ****

2. Cross Fire by James Patterson. I'm definitely a James Patterson fan, and I love the character he's created in Alex Cross. In this book, Alex is trying to solve murders and marry his long-time girlfriend, Bree. The fact that Alex's nemesis Kyle Craig is involved makes the story a real page turner. My rating: *****

1. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. This is a non-fiction book about Henrietta Lacks and the immortal cell line, known as HeLa, that came from her cervical cancer cells in 1951. It is composed of a good bit of scientific writing dealing with medical research and ethics, but it is also a good and fairly told story about Henrietta and her family. Very moving. My rating: ****

Right now I'm in the middle of The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner. I'm liking how Mr. Weiner approaches this subject; it's interesting and enjoyable so far!