Year of Wonders

Year of Wonders
by Geraldine Brooks

Geraldine Brooks' Year of Wonders is some of the best historical fiction I've read in a long while. It describes the events that take place in a small English village in the 17th century during an outbreak of the plague. Told through the eyes of 18-year-old Anna Frith in the language of the time as she struggles to survive, a year of tragedy becomes instead annus mirabilis, or a "year of wonders". It is a compelling and honest look at human nature. Brooks is an extremely talented writer, and I look forward to reading more of her work.

- Lynn

Wedding Belles

Wedding Belles
by Haywood Smith

This story is about five southern women, all friends since high school, who support each other through life's ups and downs. Out of the blue, one daughter announces her engagement but her choice of fiance is a shocker to all. It's going to take a lot of southern charm (and these five women have it) to get through the planning of this wedding and other problems that crop up along the way.

I enjoyed the author's wit and wisdom and her ability to weave the past into the present in such a way that the reader does not lose interest. Looking forward to reading the author's other books.

- Rose

On My Journey Now: Looking at African-American History through the Spirituals

On My Journey Now: Looking at African-American History through the Spirituals

by Nikki Giovanni (juvenile book)

Author and poet Nikki Giovanni has always loved the spirituals and has visited various slave ports in Africa, trying to learn as much as she can about the people brought to our shores as slaves. In this book, she talks to American young people about the first Africans in America - what their lives were like and why the spirituals were so important and evolved the way they did. This is a touching narrative that made me want to learn more.

-Linda

Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf

Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf
by Jennifer L. Holm

Did you realize your refrigerator can tell a story? This is a story about seventh grade Ginny told through the use of 'stuff' such as notes on the refrigerator, memos, to do lists, school passes etc. From the frustrations of hair turned pink to the discovery of a new talent, the well designed book touchingly chronicles a year of middle school in a refreshing and totally different manner.
-Sue

Sleeping Arrangements

Sleeping Arrangements
by Madeleine Wickham

This book was so different than anything I've experienced lately. Funny and lighthearted, it is set in a Spanish villa. Two families, who don't know each other at all, end up there at the same time with no warning from the the villa's owner.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to be entertained. Delightful.

-Beckie

Collateral Damage

Collateral Damage
by Fern Michaels

Fern Michaels' Collateral Damage is fifth in the series of the Sisterhood: Rules of the Game. Collateral Damage is the continuing saga of seven women vigilantes and how they bring about truth and justice. We cannot forget Charles who is head of the operation and presents the "projects" to the group. The current project is a trap to catch the vigilantes but these young women caught on quickly and just in the nick of time. Now it is time for payback!

- Rose

Cellist of Sarajevo

The Cellist of Sarajevo
by Steven Galloway

This novel follows the lives of 3 people living in Sarajevo while it was under siege in the early 1990's. A shell lands in a bread line killing 22 people. To mourn the senseless killing, a professional cellist plays Albinoni's Adagio everyday for 22 days at the bomb site. Each of the main characters are directly or indirectly effected by this act of mourning as they go about their daily duties in order to survive.

Based on true stories of the siege of Sarajevo, this is a haunting tale of the ways people coped during the siege. Steven Galloway puts a human face on the inhuman act of war.
-Holly

Christmas After All: The Great Depression Diary of Minnie Swift

Christmas After All: The Great Depression Diary of Minnie Swift
by Kathryn Lasky
(for ages 9-14)

It’s late November 1932 and everybody is feeling the effects of the Great Depression. Eleven-year-old Minnie Swift in Indianapolis, Indiana writes about her fears and changes in her diary. Her father loses his job and her cousin from Texas comes to live with them. Read about how the love of a family can help make the worst of times bearable.

- Ann

Made in the U.S.A.

Made in the U.S.A.
by Billie Letts

Life is dismal for 15-year-old Lutie McFee and her younger brother Fate. They live in the "godforsaken" town of Spearfish, South Dakota with their father's ex-girlfriend, Floy. Their mother is long dead and their father took off for Las Vegas to find his fortune. One day in Wal-Mart, Floy keels over with an apparent heart attack and the kids high-tail it out of town. They head to Las Vegas in search of their dad. In Las Vegas the kids find out what a cruel world it is. Just trying to survive is difficult - then help comes - from where? Could they have a guardian angel?

- Dixie

Perfect Paragon

The Perfect Paragon
By M.C. Beaton

An entertaining 16^th Agatha Raisin mystery sent in Carsely, a charming Cotswolds village. Follow Agatha, a modern-day Miss Marple, as she connects the two murders of a teenage girl and a jealous husband. The reader will be kept hanging until the final pages.

- Ann

Every Last Cuckoo

Every Last Cuckoo
by Kate Maloy

At age seventy-five, with her husband Charles gone, Sarah is grief stricken until her home suddenly becomes a haven for lost souls. In sharing her home, Sarah learns to share her heart again, just when she thought her best years were over. A wonderful read .

- Lynn

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows

Juliet Ashton is a writer who finds herself at a crossroads following WWII. Searching for a topic for a book, she begins writing the members of the Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society. She gets more than a story with Elizabeth, the missing heroine of Guernsey Island during the war - she gets Elizabeth's headstrong & adorable daughter Kit and a life changing lesson in love.

I honestly did not want this book to end. I grew to love the characters and the island itself. I found myself going back to re-read my favorite passages.(P.S - the ending was just lovely.)
-Holly

Hidden

Hidden
by Shelley Shepard Gray

Anna is abused by her boyfriend and takes refuge with the Brenneman Family, who is Amish and owns a bed and breakfast. While staying with the family, Anna helps out with the business and disguises herself by wearing Plain clothing and practices the family’s customs and religion. Anna begins to feel as if she belongs and this helps her to heal emotionally. Then it is time for Anna to go home. While staying with her parents, she must sort out her feelings and decide the direction she wants to take with her life.

Hidden is the first inspirational book I have read by Shelley Shepard Gray. I found it to be a fast and easy read and am looking forward to the author's next book, Wanted.

- Rose

Old Books, Rare Friends: Two Literary Sleuths and Their Shared Passion

Old Books, Rare Friends: Two Literary Sleuths and Their Shared Passion
by Madeline B. Stern & Leona Rostenberg

Madeline and Leona met in college in New York City in the 1920s and quickly became inseparable friends and colleagues based on a passion for books. Their persistence and talent paid off and they both became successful antiquarian book dealers in the USA and Europe. A charming story that spans over 60 years!

- Ann

Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name

Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name
by Vendela Vida

Clarissa Iverton receives the shock of a lifetime following the death of her father. He wasn't her father after all. Her mother, who left the family 14 years earlier, had lived in Lapland with the Sami people prior to moving back to the US. Not knowing who to trust or what to think, Clarissa leaves for Lapland, the land north of Finland. There she learns about the Sami people as well as her mother's mysterious past.

I enjoyed the interesting storyline and the crazy cultural details. Clarissa is a likable character tossed into an astonishing land that has everything to do with her history. This book was fascinating.
-Holly