Any Other Family by Eleanor Brown

I really looked forward to reading this book and enjoyed it for 3/4 of the way, and then I got annoyed that it was too kind to its negative characters and wrapped everything up too perfectly.  Then I read the Author's Note at the end and had a completely different opionion. This book was written as a response to the author's feelings and experiences revolving around adoption, so I wish I had known that from the start.  True, there was one character that was overdone, perhaps, but her motives were well-intended.  I would read this book again with new eyes, knowing that the author has a real stake in its content.

Jackie and Me by Louis Bayard

 

I enjoyed this charming fictional account about a part of Jackie Kennedy's life that we know little about (at least I knew little about it.) Jack (JFK) is hardly a major character in the book, except in the 3rd person. The real protagonist is his best friend, Lem Billings (yes, a real person), who "took care of" Jackie while Jack was courting her.....sort of.  He was busy with his Senate campaign and had little time for courting or dating, so he called upon his best friend to entertain her and insure that she didn't get away.  From Good Reads:

It is a surprising look at Jackie before she was that Jackie. And in best-selling author Louis Bayard’s witty and deeply empathetic telling, Jackie & Me is a page-turning story of friendship, love, sacrifice, and betrayal— and a fresh take on two iconic American figures.

I recommend it!