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by
Joshilyn Jackson
The
biological daughter of poor, scared teenager Hazel Crabtree, Nonny Frett
was left at birth with the wealthy, respectable Frett clan—a secret
that doesn't keep long in a rural Georgia town of 90 people. Growing up
at the center of a Crabtree-Frett feud begun by her birth, Nonny is
caught between her biological family and her adopted one, between
contempt for her philandering husband and the comfort of marriage,
between an apartment in Athens, Ga., and her childhood home, Between.
When a Doberman belonging to Nonny's biological grandmother Ona Crabtree
attacks Nonny's adopted mom, deaf and blind Stacia Frett, and Stacia's
twin sister, Genny, the families' dormant "war" awakens.
Though Jackson (Gods in Alabama) might cut a few corners plotwise, her
strengths more than make up for it: plenty of Southern sass ("Don't
call me again unless you are personally on fire") and rueful,
charming confidences ("I wanted the divorce with all my heart. I
did. Only I wasn't sure I wanted it tomorrow") make this a
theatrical and well-paced Southern family drama.
Copyright © Reed Business Information,
a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Read
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by
Joan Didion
“From
one of America’s iconic writers, a stunning book of electric honesty
and passion. Joan Didion explores an intensely personal yet universal
experience: a portrait of a marriage–and a life, in good times and
bad–that will speak to anyone who has ever loved a husband or wife or
child.
Several
days before Christmas 2003, John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion saw their
only daughter, Quintana, fall ill with what seemed at first flu, then
pneumonia, then complete septic shock. She was put into an induced coma
and placed on life support. Days later–the night before New Year’s
Eve–the Dunnes were just sitting down to dinner after visiting the
hospital when John Gregory Dunne suffered a massive and fatal coronary.
In a second, this close, symbiotic partnership of forty years was over.
Four weeks later, their daughter pulled through. Two months after that,
arriving at LAX, she collapsed and underwent six hours of brain surgery
at UCLA Medical Center to relieve a massive hematoma.
This
powerful book is Didion’s attempt to make sense of the “weeks and
then months that cut loose any fixed idea I ever had about death, about
illness . . . about marriage and children and memory . . . about the
shallowness of sanity, about life itself.”
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by
Marjorie Williams
Washington,
D.C., is a city ruled by insiders, and few writers have broken through
the social and public politics that govern it as eloquently as Williams.
This posthumous collection presents a series of remarkably well-observed
and intelligent profiles of the great and minor figures who have made
D.C. for the past two decades. Williams, a longtime writer for the
Washington Post and Vanity Fair, has a fine eye for telling
details—the license plates on a bureaucrat's car, the folds of satin
in a dying socialite's dress—but it's more than just details that make
Williams's profiles so engaging. Underlying each representation is
Williams's ability to make her characters as complicated on the page as
they are in real life. It's that same concern that governs the
heartbreaking personal pieces in the last third of the book, which
covers Williams's losing battle with cancer. Here she is on her
impending death: "whatever happens to me now, I've earned the
knowledge some people never gain, that my span is finite and I still
have the chance to rise and rise to life's generosity." In these
final pieces, Williams steps out from under the self-effacing veil that
made her such a fine journalist and speaks of her own experiences. The
result is a collection of writing that dissolves the boundaries between
the personal and the political to arrive at an obvious but no less
startling conclusion. ~Publishers Weekly
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by
Jasper Fforde
In
Jasper Fforde's Great Britain, circa 1985, time travel is routine,
cloning is a reality (dodos are the resurrected pet of choice), and
literature is taken very, very seriously. England is a virtual police
state where an aunt can get lost (literally) in a Wordsworth poem and
forging Byronic verse is a punishable offense. All this is business as
usual for Thursday Next, renowned Special Operative in literary
detection. But when someone begins kidnapping characters from works of
literature and plucks Jane Eyre from the pages of Brontë's novel,
Thursday is faced with the challenge of her career. Fforde's ingenious
fantasy-enhanced by a Web site that re-creates the world of the
novel--unites intrigue with English literature in a delightfully witty
mix. ~Book Description This
is the first in the unbelievably creative and clever Thursday Next
series. Everyone I know that has started this series is now seriously
addicted! Can't wait!! ~Beth
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by
Jeanette Walls
Jeannette
Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were
both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four
children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among
Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic,
brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination,
teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life
fearlessly. Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn't stand the
responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an
"excitement addict." Cooking a meal that would be consumed in
fifteen minutes had no appeal when she could make a painting that might
last forever.
Later,
when the money ran out, or the romance of the wandering life faded, the
Walls retreated to the dismal West Virginia mining town -- and the
family -- Rex Walls had done everything he could to escape. He drank. He
stole the grocery money and disappeared for days. As the dysfunction of
the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother and sisters had to fend
for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents'
betrayals and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home.
What
is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the
guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she describes
her parents with such deep affection and generosity. Hers is a story of
triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of
unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her
the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms.
For
two decades, Jeannette Walls hid her roots. Now she tells her own story.
A regular contributor to MSNBC.com, she lives in New York and Long
Island and is married to the writer John Taylor.
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by
Joshilyn Jackson
This
book was fabulous! Great storyline, lots of unexpected
twists and turns. The past and present are weaved together
flawlessly and it was fun trying to put the pieces together myself
before the author revealed them. I highly recommend it! ~Allison
When
Arlene Fleet headed off to college in Chicago, she made three
promises to God: She would never again lie, never fornicate
outside of marriage, and never, ever go back to her tiny hometown
of Possett, Alabama (the "fourth rack of Hell"). All God
had to do in exchange was to make sure the body of high school
quarterback Jim Beverly was never found. Ten years later, Arlene
has kept her promises, but an old schoolmate has recently turned
up asking questions. And now Arlene’s African American beau has
given her a tough ultimatum: introduce him to her family, or he’s
gone. As she prepares to confront guilt, discrimination, and a
decade of deception, Arlene is about to discover just how far she
will go to find redemption--and love. ~Book Description You
can't go wrong with an author who lists Harper Lee's
To Kill A Mockingbird
as one of her biggest influences.
Read
Discussion Questions
and An
Interview with the Author
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by
Anita Shreve
Two
weeks after I finished with this book, and just couldn't seem to
move on to anything else. I don' t know if this book found me at the
exact right moment that I needed "a good cry" or if it simply
became what I needed as I read it. I didn't want to betray the
story left lingering in my head by beginning something new.
The
descriptions of a bitter New England winter are exquisite, but concise.
She cuts to the chase and offers no apologies for stories that ring so
true they are, at times, painful. Yet you would never accuse Light on
Snow of being a tear-jerker. It is vulnerable and fragile and tenuous,
but it never asks for your sympathy. It is human and perfect. Thank you
yet again, Ms. Shreve, for living up to my highest expectations. ~Beth
Already
taking its place alongside The Pilot's Wife
and The Last Time They Met
as one of Anita Shreve's most widely popular and bestselling novels,
LIGHT ON SNOW recounts the aftermath of a startling discovery: a
12-year-old girl and her widowed father find an abandoned baby in the
snow-filled woods near their home. Writing with all the emotional
richness that has drawn millions of readers around the world to her
fiction, Anita Shreve unfolds in this book a tender and surprising story
about love and its consequences. ~ Book Description
New
to paperback September 2005
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by
Lisa See
This
is an unforgettable and beautifully written story of female friendship.
While it is at times painfully vivid, the poetic language is a joy to
read. Our 80 year-old narrator shares with us the story of two
lifetimes. This is one book that will not soon be forgotten. ~
Joyce
In
nineteenth-century China, when wives and daughters were foot-bound and
lived in almost total seclusion, the women in one remote Hunan county
developed their own secret code for communication: nu shu (“women’s
writing”). Some girls were paired with laotongs, “old sames,” in
emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives. They painted
letters on fans, embroidered messages on handkerchiefs, and composed
stories, thereby reaching out of their isolation to share their hopes,
dreams, and accomplishments.
With
the arrival of a silk fan on which Snow Flower has composed for Lily a
poem of introduction in nu shu, their friendship is sealed and they
become “old sames” at the tender age of seven. As the years pass,
through famine and rebellion, they reflect upon their arranged
marriages, loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two
find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when
a misunderstanding arises, their lifelong friendship suddenly threatens
to tear apart. ~Book Description
Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, and Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a
Geisha, rave about this book.
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by
Miriam Toews
Nomi’s
your typical 16-year old girl except for one glaring difference: she’s
Mennonite. Living with her father in a dull Mennonite village in rural
Manitoba, she struggles to flourish and find independence outside the
strict religion she was born into. Questioning her beliefs and outwardly
rebelling, Nomi also tries to accept and understand why the two most
important women in her life – her mother and her sister – suddenly
left their lives and the stifling community they were a part of.
This
is a very different story full of characters that were extremely
well-rounded and executed. Nomi is a fabulous character and is so real
that I could picture her in my head right down to the finest of details.
Her father, Ray, is withdrawn and peculiar; their relationship survives
on strange small talk and their main form of communication, handwritten
notes to each other.
The
tone of the book is very distinct and is so strong it almost became
another character in itself. Toews didn’t use punctuation when people
were speaking, which added to the “different” feel of the story. She
did a wonderful job of projecting Nomi’s disdain for her religion and
the people around her, as well as the bleak environment in which she is
living. At times it seemed as though the story was dragging, yet I think
it might have been a technique Toews used to further illustrate Nomi’s
life.
Although
the dust jacket boasted the ending of the book as "a shattering
conclusion", I had it figured out mid-way and wasn’t all that
shocked. All-in-all, a very good read. ~Katherine
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by
Rochelle Jewel Shapiro
This
is an utterly charming first novel by an actual psychic and a gifted
writer. While this was
the first quick read I've enjoyed in quite a while, it may have been
only been quick because I had such a hard time putting it down. Miriam
is a closet phone psychic in a posh upstate New York neighborhood. While
she sees startling details of her clients' future, she can't seem to
navigate her own life. Her typically self-involved teenage daughter is
ashamed of her mother's gift and terrified her friends will somehow find
out. Her once-adoring husband is saddled with a money pit pharmacy and
struggling to get out of a cycle of debt. Between
the comical clients and family tensions, Miriam struggles to make sense
of her gift and relationships. Her gift to us a lovely novel reaching
surprising depths of emotion about a very human woman learning to love
and respect herself. ~Beth
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Discussion Questions
and An
Interview with the Author
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by
Khaled Hosseini
From
the moment you read the first few pages you will be totally engaged in
its characters. It's a complex story of love, friendship and betrayal.
Be prepared for a roller coaster ride of emotions. One that will tug at
your heart long after you close the book. A must read! ~Joyce
Taking
us from Afghanistan in the final days of the monarchy to the present, The
Kite Runner is the unforgettable, beautifully told story of the
friendship between two boys growing up in Kabul. Raised in the same
household and sharing the same wet nurse, Amir and Hassan nonetheless
grow up in different worlds: Amir is the son of a prominent and wealthy
man, while Hassan , the son of Amir's father's servant, is a Hazara,
member of a shunned ethnic minority. Their intertwined lives, and their
fates, reflect the eventual tragedy of the world around them. When the
Soviets invade and Amir and his father flee the country for a new life
in California, Amir thinks that he has escaped his past. And yet he
cannot leave the memory of Hassan behind him. ~Book Description Read
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by
Tracy Chevalier
A
must read for those of us who loved Chevalier's best-selling
Girl with a Pearl Earring, and its
heartbreaking Victorian follow-up, Falling Angels.
This time Chevalier weaves her magic into the the famous Lady and the Unicorn
tapestries,
now in Paris's Cluny museum. An irresistibly seductive artist, Nicolas
des Innocents has been captivated by his noble patron's daughter while
designing tapestries for a great hall. A strict medieval society keeps
their passions at bay, and Nicolas pours himself into the tapestries as
a way to express his love. Will duty and society prevail over
love? Chevalier's
richly detailed stories, lyrical style and exquisite endings are
reading's equivalent to the masterful brushstrokes that bring light and
shadow to the greatest works of art. ~Beth
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by Curtis Sittenfeld
Lee
Fiora, the heroine of Curtis Sittenfeld’s debut novel, “Prep,”
gets hooked on the idea of boarding school via the glossy brochures
filled with attractive kids in beautiful sweaters. The daughter of a
South Bend, Ind., mattress salesman, Lee proves smart enough to get in,
but never rich enough, pretty enough or smooth enough to truly succeed
at the Ault School.
“Prep”
chronicles Lee’s four years at the school, which she slinks through in
a constant funk of loneliness and insecurity. Surrounded by brilliant
classmates with uber-preppy names (Gates, Cross, Aspeth) and billionaire
parents, she finds herself losing the spark that had marked her as a
star at home. By the end of senior year, she has distinguished herself
in just a few humiliating ways.
It’s
frustrating to spend 400-plus pages with a protagonist who never
changes, yet Sittenfeld’s dour realism is refreshing in its own way. A
more idealistic writer would surely have buffed Lee’s rough surfaces,
lifted her from her funk. You won’t necessarily like Lee Fiora, but
anyone who’s ever suffered from the sidelines will like “Prep.” ~Eileen
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by
Sue
Monk Kidd
This
is a story of relationships: the relationships that develop between the
characters as well as the co-relation between bees – namely queen bees
– and mothers in general. The underlying theme of The Secret Life of
Bees was mothering and motherhood, while the story detailed the main
character’s search, and ultimate struggle, to find out and accept the
truth behind her mother’s death.
In
a story that was based upon people who were, on the surface, “black”
and “white”, the characters were very colorful – they grew
together in ways that didn’t seem possible in the beginning. The
backdrop of the story -- set in southern America during a time of deeply
rooted racial tension – added to the strong sense of the strength of
relationships and what truly is important in life. Monk Kidd does an
excellent job of revealing the poignant, compelling story of a young
girl who starts off searching for the truth behind her mother’s
mysterious death, and ends up learning powerful lessons about life and
herself. ~Katherine
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and An
Interview with the Author
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by
Lee
Nichols
I
really didn’t want to like this book. After reading the blurb on the
back describing main character Elle Medina’s current pathetic life
status, I figured I wouldn’t be able to relate to her at all. Let’s
see…Me: Always dressed in casual lounge clothes, non-makeup
wearing stay-at-home-mom who can navigate the aisles of the local Wal*Mart
in less than ten minutes flat. Elle: Has never set foot in the
real world, but instead has spent years living vicariously through her
ex-fiancée’s attorney title (and paycheck) until his recent departure
from their relationship. Is fashion conscious and stylish, with a keen
knowledge of all things Prada and ridiculously expensive.
Yeah,
right. I’ll relate to her.
Shocker:
I found myself actually liking this spoiled character, rooting for her
to find and actually hold down a job and to succeed in the game of love.
Nichols paints a fabulous character in our heroine Elle; when I closed
my eyes I could picture her as clearly as if she was a personal friend.
The narrative is hilarious -- I was literally in tears laughing at parts
– especially when Elle adopts Scab, her "hairless jowly
lizard-rat dog” – a turning point in her life. Grab this book if
you’re looking for a funny, feel-good-in-the-end read. ~Katherine
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