This is a wonderful read! Gods in Alabama tells the story of why mistakes made, covered up, by one at an early age may not be what they seem! This is full of funny and endearing characters with plenty of backbone. It reassures us that no matter where you may hail from, we are all ultimately the same. I loved it!

This is a wonderfully told story about a little known part of the devastation of WWII. Jan and Antonina are the caretakers of the Warsaw Zoo; when WWII reaches Poland they are able to use the zoo cages, the animals, and the Jews from the Warsaw ghetto and the concentration camps. Ackerman has deftly interspersed what could be a horrific war story with tidbits of life and stories of the funny antics of the animals that inhabit their lives. The book is as powerful as it is poignant, heartbreaking, and yet full of the resilience and goodness of the human spirit. I loved it!

The outbreak of cholera in London, 1854 was one of its deadliest. This book chronicles the work of Dr. John Snow who painstakingly "mapped" the outbreak of cholera and connected it to one water source. Snow was ahead of his time and the local media people were resistant to this line of thinking. However, the modern day medical society consider him responsible for changing the way we think about disease and how it is spread. The book is compelling and reads like a novel - very Devil in the White City-ish.

Jackson is back with another quirky, charming novel set in the South. Protagonist Nonny is caught between 2 feuding families; she is the adopted daughter of Stacia, one of the 3 lovable, sassy sisters. Stacia is deaf and Nonny has become a strong hearing impaired translator. Through a series of bad to worse incidents, the cycle of Mother-Daughter pairings is continually explored, the characters are vivid and colorful, and the story is fun. A very enjoyable read!

Ishiguro's latest work is a masterpiece of understatement. Told through the voice of the placid Kathy H., who is preparing to begin the next phase of her life, the story is revealed in a series of reflections of her past. Growing up in an idyllic country setting in a seemingly privileged English boarding school, Kathy and her close friends Ruth and Tommy learn poetry and art and are made to feel special. But as details are revealed subtly, beautifully and ever so slowly, truth begins to dawn on the reader that things are not as they seem. Like the children in the story, there is much the readers are "told but not told." The book is haunting and leads to some very interesting thoughts on the topic of science without ethics. I couldn't put it down!

You are transported through sight, sound and smells into Sirine's kitchen, where she is the chef at a small Lebanese restaurant in the middle of an Arab-American community in L.A. Abu-Jaber's language is beautiful and sensual. Sirine is 29, unmarried, living with her Iraqi uncle and is more passionate about her cooking than any boyfriend she's had - until she meets Han. Hanif is an exiled Iraqi professor and forces Sirine to examine her broken past. Crescent is part romance and part cultural discovery. It is a lovely read for all ages.

This is the heart wrenching memoir of a young woman, raised in a “Good Family” in a small community in New Hampshire. In 1964, at the age of 16, as things begin to disintegrate within her own family, Meredith makes a poor choice, ending up pregnant. What happens next is mind boggling- her family and community, inexcusably, shun her. She is forced to live with her father and his cold wife, retreating to the upstairs when there are people round. Ironically, just when Meredith needs her mother’s love the most, it is snatched away from her. How she ends up, pulling things together to make a life for herself make an incredible, stunning, yet ultimately healing story

The quote on the back of the book hits the nail on the head -- "tender, tough, and tearful" -- yes, all of that plus a great story about sisters, families, and life! Written in a very unique style, this will grab you from the beginning.

Sweet wild strawberries, gravlax and lingonberries, dry, bone chilling cold -- you can almost smell and feel Sweden in this moving story of two women's friendship. Astrid, living alone in a big house on an isolated street outside of town, is considered by many to be the town witch. Veronika is a young writer who has just moved from New Zealand after losing the love of her life in a tragic accident. Both have hidden secrets and as the women slowly get acquainted, secrets are revealed, layers of pain and solitude are stripped away, slowly, slowly as the ice melts, creating a very real feeling of a thaw. Beautifully written, hypnotic prose pulls you along in this wonderful novel of friendship.

Walters takes an edgy look at the desperate situation many an average Joe finds themselves in during this rocky roller coaster of financial times we are in right now. Out of work and faced with the prospect of losing his house and marriage, Matt makes some reckless choices while at a 7/11 one evening that take him spiraling down into the world of drugs and all of its various sides. Walters takes shots at everyone and everything in this dazzling satire, making it akin to a Catch 22 for the 21st century.

Four Spirits was truly a compelling read- you are drawn into a particularly painful part of our history through her choice of interestingly drawn characters. The story parallels events of the time and is told through various voices that lend credence and humanity to the story, which is in turn haunting and intriguing. Four Spirits has no “Hollywood” ending, but the ending is appropriate and feels right. In spite of its painful subject matter, it is inspiring and hopeful, and on top of that written beautifully. Definitely worth tackling!

This is a phenomenal read -- it’s bizarre but oh, so compelling! Taking place immediately following 9/11, we meet our unlikely hero: ex-cop, Brian Remy. Remy is suffering from eye damage and memory gaps due to the explosion, and the novel is written from his point of view, thus following a style that stops and starts. He ends up involved in a shadowy covert operation in which he has no idea of how he became involved. This style of writing takes a bit of getting used to but you are soon totally engrossed; it is darkly comic and sticks with you long after you have finished. Highly recommended!

Jackson writes with a picture perfect Southern voice in all of her previous novels, and this one is no different. She take us back to a minor character from Gods in Alabama, Rose Mae Lolly, and tells her story. As Rose Mae Lolly, she grows up trying to survive, and she does so with her feisty exterior and zest for lovin'. After she marries Thom, she is trying to survive as well, and she does so by donning ballet flats and pretty skirts and becoming "Ro" Grandee. A chance meeting with a "gypsy" in the airport changes the course of her life, and ultimately saves it. Jackson takes a subject that is uncomfortable and gives a great story. Her characters, richly drawn as always, are quirky, charming and full of various flaws. Pick this one up and you won't want to put it down!

A dusty box discovered in the remains of a basement of an old North Carolina plantation house opens the door to the reader on an extraordinary life from the past. The treasures include an 1870’s diary of a young girl, letters, court documents, news clippings, marbles, dolls, etc.; all allowing us to meet the irrepressible Molly Petree, the protagonist from Lee Smith’s newest novel. Raised in the ruin of the post-Civil War era by relatives, Molly refuses to waste time on self pity. She means to live life to the fullest, so when a mysterious benefactor shows up to rescue her, she doesn’t look back, until she is an old woman and returns to the old family home on “Agate Hill.” Molly lives her life with the throttle on high, risking everything to remain true to herself. Spanning half a century, On Agate Hill is a novel of love, unexpected adventures and luck, both good and bad. This is a wonderful piece of historical fiction with flesh and blood characters and equal doses of comedy and tragedy. Lee Smith at her finest!