Library Loot ~ all by the same author

Joy School ~ by Elizabeth Berg

Synopsis:  "Katie has relocated to Missouri with her distant, occasionally abusive father, and she feels very much alone.  Her much-loved mother is dead, her new school is unaccepting of her, and her only friends fall far short of being ideal companions. When she accidentally falls through the ice while skating, she meets Jimmy. He is handsome, far older than she, and married, but she is entranced. As their relationship unfolds, so too does Katie's awareness of the pain and intensity first love can bring."

Home Safe ~ by Elizabeth Berg

Synopsis:  "Helen is shocked to discover that her mild-mannered and loyal husband had been leading a double life. The Ames's had saved money for a happy retirement, planned in minute detail, but that money has disappeared in several big withdrawals — spent by Helen's husband before he died. What could he possibly have been doing? And what is Helen to do now? Why does Helen's 27-year-old daughter Tessa object to her mother's applying for a job?"

The Handmaid and the Carpenter ~ by Elizabeth Berg

Synopsis:  This novel is based on the biblical Christmas story.  Berg imagines Mary and Joseph falling in love, their struggles, their faith in each other, and the birth of their son Jesus."

What We Keep ~ by Elizabeth Berg

Synopsis:  "A reunion between two sisters and their mother reveals secrets and complexities in the lives of the women in a family. Ginny Young is on a plane, going to visit the mother she hasn't seen or spoken to for thirty-five years. She thinks back to the summer of 1958, when she was twelve years old and a series of dramatic events divided her family, separating her and her sister from their mother, seemingly forever. Moving back and forth in time between the girl she once was and the woman she's become, Ginny confronts painful choices in a woman's life — even as surprising secrets are revealed about the family she thought she understood."

Talk Before Sleep ~ by Elizabeth Berg

"They met at a party.  It was hate at first sight.  Ruth was far too beautiful, too flamboyant.  Not at all Ann's kind of person.  Until a chance encounter in the bathroom led to an alliance of souls.  Soon they were sharing hankies during the late showing of 'Sophie's Choice,' wolfing down sundaes sodden with whipped cream, telling truths of marriage, mortality, and love, secure in a kind of intimacy no man could ever know.  Only best friends understand devil's food cake for breakfast when nothing else will do.  After years of shared secrets, guilty pleasures, family life and divorce, they face a crisis that redefines the meaning of friendship and unconditional love."

Library Loot is a weekly meme co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library.  Marg has the Mister Linky this week, if you'd like to share a list of the loot you brought home.