the fifth five

21. The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard

Wow. Intense story. And one that will make any mother of young children want to keep a much closer eye on the whereabouts of their kids. I can recommend it only because it ends happily. Well, semi-happily, anyway.

22. The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith

The latest in the Number 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, and just as good as the ten that came before it. My circle of friends would not be complete without Mma Ramotswe, Mma Makutsi, and Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni and his two lazy apprentices.

23. The Help by Kathryn Stockett

This one has been making the book club circuit, and I must admit that it was hard to put down (so I usually didn't; for such a big book, it was a surprisingly quick read). I really enjoyed it and missed the characters when I finished it. I like how it was told from three different points of view. It made the story seem more well-rounded and poignant.

24. No Time to Wave Goodbye by Jacquelyn Mitchard

This is the sequel to Deep End of the Ocean. It was published about 20 years after the first book and it picks up the saga of the Cappadora family 20 years after the story in that book ended. It is just as intense as the first book, and for similar reasons. Who'd have thought that so much tragedy could so believably happen to one family?

25. How to Sew a Button and Other Nifty Things Your Grandmother Knew by Erin Bried

This Brooklyn author has a light and carefree tone, which made this how-to homemaking book fun to read. Bried wrote the book after realizing that, as a long-time New Yorker who dropped off her laundry and regularly ordered take-out, she'd let certain housekeeping skills fall by the wayside. Calling on the help of a handful of "expert grandmothers," she teaches readers such things as how to plant a windowsill herb garden, how to use baking soda and vinegar to clean almost anything, and how to make a pie crust, in addition to how to sew on a button. She is solely responsible for my now burning desire to sew a crazy quilt.