What Mother Never Told Me

From page one the reader is drawn into the life of Parris McKay as she goes in search of the mother she had been told was dead for 30 years. The story slowly and surely allows the reader to see and feel how and why the deception took place. The story is so well-told that at times.

Last Dragon

The debut of a brilliant new voice that will change the fantasy genre forever. An intricate web of stories weave together to tell a tale of revenge, justice, ambition, and power. Zhan has been sent to find her grandfather, a man accused of killing not only Zhan's family, but every man, woman, and child in their village. What she finds is a shell of a man, and a web of deceit that will test the very foundations of a world she thought she understood.

The Glass Palace

Set in Burma during the British invasion of 1885, this masterly novel by Amitav Ghosh tells the story of Rajkumar, a poor boy lifted on the tides of political and social chaos, who goes on to create an empire in the Burmese teak forest. When soldiers force the royal family out of the Glass Palace and into exile, Rajkumar befriends Dolly, a young woman in the court of the Burmese Queen, whose love will shape his life. He cannot forget her, and years later, as a rich man, he goes in search of her. The struggles that have made Burma, India, and Malaya the places they are today are illuminated in this wonderful novel by the writer Chitra Divakaruni calls “a master storyteller.”

A Stitch in Crime

The way Molly's relationships between her and Mason, and her and Barry, are developing. Her dealings with her sister (and fellow) crocheters/Hookers are deepening as well and in the most satisfying ways. Of course there is the mystery to play out, and it is fairly and intricately constructed and resolved.  The wit of Molly is ever present. There is also no way I can read one of Betty's books without wanting to enjoy the goodies she includes the recipes for at the end of the book. A really fun ride.

You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up: A Love Story

After thirteen years of being married, Annabelle and Jeff have found “We’re just not that into us.” Instead of giving up, they’ve held their relationship together by ignoring conventional wisdom and fostering a lack of intimacy, by using parenting as a competitive sport, and by dropping out of couples therapy. The he-said/she-said chronicle of their intense but loving marriage includes an unsentimental account of the medical odyssey that their family embarked upon after their infant son was diagnosed with VACTERL, a very rare series of birth defects.