"Fattening for Gabon." Now this is the turning point story in this book for me. This is THE turning point story.

I have done over the years… I would have to say countless stories about child sex trafficking. I have done them with people who are known like Ricky Martin. I've done them with Nicholas Kristof from The New York Times. I've done many, many, many, many, many stories and read newspaper articles and really given a lot of thought to the child sex trade industry. Never have I been affected by the humanity of the children the way I was by this story, "Fattening for Gabon." It was just really searing.

It was searing, and I couldn't believe it. The end of the story… May I just say the end of the story, the very last line of story, is what prompted me to choose this as a Book Club selection. I finished reading that story and I was in disbelief. I won't give away the ending if you haven't read the ending yet, but I had to talk to somebody else who had read the story! And I didn't

This book hit a nerve because I suffered with infertility. I have long since reached acceptance, but I could identify with what the author describes as "the want" for something I could not have.

This fictional story is set in the future, where live births are becoming scarcer either due to environmental issues, couples postponing having children to advance their career goals (sounds a bit realistic, doesn't it?), and increasing failures in fertility sciences. Babies that are "wanted" are microchipped for security and governmental purposes.

The main character is Jack Starbird, a man who makes a career out of kidnapping "unwanted" infants that have not been microchipped and sells them to couples who can both afford his fee and who he believes (through a series of interviews or tests) will love the child and give them a better life.

I was horrified when I read about his methods of taking "the product" - the baby from "the supplier" - a mother with more children than she can handle. The

"In nineteen minutes you can mow the front lawn, color your hair, watch a third of a hockey game. In nineteen minutes you can order a a pizza and have it delivered. You can read a story to a child or have your oil changed."

"In nineteen minutes, you can get revenge."

In Nineteen Minutes, Jodi Picoult takes us back to high school, to a time that was for some of us was a wonderful experience and for others a nightmare. This book is set in a small town where everyone knows everyone else and secrets are far and in between. To the shock and horror of the tight knit community of Grafton County, New Hampshire a seventeen year old student at Sterling high opened fire killing 10 students and injuring 19 others.

This story delves into the world of bullying, it shines a light on the trauma that stems from repeated abuse at the hands of the "popular" crowd. You feel the shame and the ridicule, the fear and the humiliation, the anger and the desperation. This author almost forces you to side

After reading What Type of Girlfriend Are You, I decided that some self-help relationship books, or guides, if you will, might be desperately needed (like ASAP). Agreed?

With that said, here are some remedies in book form that might help you change your relationship and life for the better. Plus, it's crunch time (must have boyfriend before the holiday season)! These books cover it all, from finding a guy, what to do with him once you find him, and even getting over a break up...

1. Why Him? Why Her? By Helen Fisher, $16.50, at amazon.com - The book offers a chemical/biological basis for four basic personality types and advice on how the four relate romantically.

2. He's Just Not That Into You! by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, $14.95, at amazon.com - A fun, easy to read, yet sometimes a tad harsh book geared towards heterosexual women in need of a kick in the pants to get them on the right dating track. It is written by two former Sex and the City staffers (a

I never liked Twilight, but every girl old enough to know who Robert Pattinson is was off-her-rocker crazy about Twilight. And so, I needed to find something just as addictive and supernatural so that I could be that crazy, too. Crazy loves company. I discovered The Women of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong.

In Bitten, you get to know Elena, the world's only surviving female werewolf. Werewolves and the like are still kept under wraps, but those who are supernatural are aware that there is only one Pack.Elena belongs, somewhat, to that pack. The problem is that the Alpha's adopted son Clayton loves Elena. They dated before Elena knew Clayton was a werewolf, before she herself WAS a werewolf, and loved him. But loving humans isn't for the pack. At least, not in the white picket, 2.5 kids, and dog named Spot way. Desperate to keep Elena with him after being told to leave her, Clayton bites her and she becomes a werewolf. Internal struggles ensue as The Pack enlists Elena's help in

Jane Green is my favorite living British author. She is hilarious, romantic, and she tells a good story. I cheered along with Jemima J, suffered with the Babyville crew, and Swapping Lives got me through a brutally, long international flight.

While some may sneer and call her novels fluff, rubbish, or chick-lit, I must protest. Though Green throws in a little bit of fluff and rubbish (think fashion and sex), she also writes a story with heart. For this reason, I must read her; I can't put her books down; she is my literary soul-mate.

Dune Road does not disappoint. It is the story of Kit Hargrove, an ex "Wall Street widow" who rediscovers her true self after her divorce. The book takes place in Connecticut, which is not surprising since Green is a transplanted Londoner. In the novel, Kit redefines herself through a fulfilling job with a famous writer, female friends of all ages, and a burgeoning love interest.

The novel raises several interesting questions: Whom can we trust? How

I have to admit, I was not looking for a book for myself when I spied this one.
First the title caught my eye, and then the cover design, so I picked it up,
flipped it over, read the back and took it straight to the register.

"Same Kind Of Different As Me" is published by Thomas Nelson Inc.2006
Authors are Ron Hall, Denver Moore with Lynn Vincent.
It was a New York Times Bestseller and is a true story and that
is what gripped me, it is a true story!

And I quote (from the front cover)"a modern day slave, an international art dealer,
and the unlikely woman who bound them together."

In the center of the book are pictures of the real people involved in this story.
No, let me rephrase that, the people who are the story.
It is amazing from the first page to the last, how these unlikely people were brought
together and what was accomplished through them.

The story carries you and the people involved, through "a burning plantation hut,
an East Texas honky-tonk, a Hollywood

Google Pocket Guide

By Tara Calishain, Rael Dornfest, and DJ Adams
Publisher: O'Reilly Media
Pages: 129
Price: $9.95 at Amazon.com or O'Reilly


Beyond just going to Google website and performing a search like I normally do, the book itself delves a lot deeper into what Google has to offer and what types tips and tricks can be used to make an effective search on the Internet. The book itself was divided into four parts. Part One, "What Can You Do with Google?" This section explains what Google isn't (Google index is not a snapshot of everything online) and what Google is (Google is a searchable index).

Part Two, "Asking For What You Want". This section shows you how to use phrase searches by surrounding a phrase (roses are red) with quotes to generate results. There were a lot of search features in this section that one can used which included: using the AND or the OR, using the date range, using the minus sign in order not to include that word as