Eight students gather in Lillian’s Restaurant every Monday night for cooking class. While Lillian considers her students to be like ingredients, each affecting the others in subtle ways, it soon becomes clear that each one seeks a recipe for something beyond the kitchen. Told from the point of view of each character, this is a lovely exploration of food and hope.
Jill
In 1994, Deogratias, a young Burundian medical student and refugee, fled to New York City. Sleeping in abandoned buildings and in shrubs in Central Park, he was eventually adopted by an older couple who sent him to Columbia University to continue his education. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tracy Kidder recounts Deo’s struggles in the United States, his horrifying memories of the Burundian and Ruwandan civil wars and his heroic efforts to open a free medical clinic in Burundi.
Jill
What would have happened if Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson had investigated the Jack the Ripper killings? Author Lyndsay Faye, with permission from the Conan Doyle family, recreates what might have transpired in Whitechapel had Holmes and Watson been on the case. The gritty streets and dark alleys of Victorian London come to life along with an interesting cast of characters. Fans of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle will enjoy this engaging pastiche.
Allison
When another Mother’s Day passes and friends Carol, Helen and Gillian have, yet again, not received a card or call from their 34-year-old sons, they decide it’s high time to reconnect. They make a pact to descend on their sons for an unannounced week’s stay and the result makes for a very funny, very British novel. With Nick Hornby-like wit and a dead-on eye for mother son dialogue, Sutcliffe has written a satisfying interpersonal relationship story that mixes humor and insight in equal doses.
Laura
Grief stricken Jason Kolarich, who recently lost his wife and daughter in a car accident, is asked by strange man to represent a murder suspect who turns out to be Jason’s childhood best friend. But everything is not as it seems in this intricately plotted, twisty legal thriller full of dark secrets and childhood loyalties from Edgar award winner David Ellis.
Dedra
The Promised World, the fourth novel from Lisa Tucker, is a tense story about the obsessive bond between twins Lila and Billy and the somewhat mysterious family history Billy has created for Lila who can’t remember anything from their youth. After Billy’s untimely death Lila suffers a breakdown and begins to recover some distant memories that ultimately allow her a breakthrough to a hopeful future. Tucker develops the story slowly through the perspective of several characters which adds to the suspense of a story that is about truth, love, trust and obsession.
Laura
After several years of spousal abuse and not believing in divorce, Stella Hardesty took care of business – with a wrench. The widow now owns a sewing shop and helps other victims of domestic abuse in her own way. Stella, an unapologetic, smart, potty-mouthed, brash, hilarious woman who is always a bit cantankerous, keeps things interesting in Littlefield, Missouri.
Dedra
It is year 25 and a deadly virus has wiped out most of humanity. Toby has survived on her garden rooftop using the many skills she’s learned as a member of God’s Gardenders. Ren, a former God’s Gardener’s member now working in an upscale sex club, has survived in the club’s isolation room. Alternate chapters reveal how they both came to be members of the eco-conscious cult and how they bond to fight for survival. Atwood’s post-apocalyptic vision is inventive and insightful.
Laura
The bond between Elv, Meg and Claire, the three Story sisters, changes forever on the day Elv protects Claire from an abduction and they hide the incident from everyone. At first Elv survives by retreating into her invented land but she eventually succumbs to the pull of reckless and selfish behavior that ends up having a dramatic affect on her whole family.
Laura
This is a simple and quiet story of a summer love between former convent-raised foundling, now farmer’s wife Ellie Dillahan and bicycle-riding, quasi-photographer Florian Kilderry. Their affair develops quite innocently but affects several characters quite profoundly in the small town of Rathmoye, Ireland. Trevor’s writing is subtle and restrained, yet he manages to capture the essence of each characters’ deepest emotions.
Laura
