Debut novelist Laura Hemphill's "Buying In" is a compelling look behind the (fictional) scenes of the crisis on Wall Street. Both timely and intriguing, the novel is not only for readers with background knowledge of the banking industry. Told through alternating viewpoints of a recent college grad working as an analyst, a midlevel banker of foreign descent, a managing director of an industrial group, and the CEO of a struggling company, the story is fast-paced and surprisingly relatable. "Buying In" is a great read, and Hemphill is a promising author to watch.

In a strange way, Kimberly Rae Miller's memoir "Coming Clean," about growing up with a father who was a hoarder and a mother who was a compulsive shopper, is relatable. Even though I didn't grow up like that at all. But as much as her story is about her unusual upbringing, it's also about the loneliness of being different than others in the family, of being afraid to be honest with friends out of fear that they won't understand, and about being an only child.

"Coming Clean" does not present the same view of hoarders that so-called reality television shows do. I felt like I could understand her parents in a way that I've never experienced by watching those shows. I highly recommend "Coming Clean."

The newest installment in Linda Castillo's Kate Burkholder Amish mysteries, "Her Last Breath," is perhaps the best in the series. From the opening chapter, the novel is gripping and fast-paced. Readers can't help but want to learn who might have committed a crime against an Amish family, and why.

While I won't give away any spoilers, I will say that I was completely shocked by the ending (in a good way). Castillo's twists and turns are always surprising, but this one in particular was so unexpected, my jaw literally dropped. Anyone following this series will love this book.

"Golden Boy" is one of the best novels I've read in years. It provides a heart-wrenching view at the growing pains faced by an intersex teen. Max's story is full of family secrets, medical questions, and difficulties with dating. It's a page-turner, and I read it in several days, not wanting to put it down to go to bed at night. Heart-breaking at times, the novel provides honest glimpses into a family full of secrets and lies. I highly recommend it.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first third or so of "The Imposter Bride". It had a bit of mystery and lots of family drama. After that, it got incredibly boring. I only finished it because I have to write a review.

Additionally, while I usually enjoy when authors switch between the past and the present, the technique is usually done with something to distinguish between the time periods (a heading or italics). Nancy Richler did nothing to indicate the time period, and with the same characters both in the present and the past, it became convoluted. It's a technique that other authors have employed with much better success.

"The Forgetting Tree" is a lyrical novel about a woman named Claire, who is living with cancer, and her family and caretaker. While the setting was lovely, the different parts of the book don't always tie together well; Part 3 seemed almost entirely unnecessary and had little to do with the story. That said, I still wanted to find out what became of the main characters in the end. However, I wasn't totally satisfied with the climax because it seemed out of character for Claire. I'm glad I stuck with it, but it took some work.