Is the reading world ready for a book about a school shooting?  That must be for each reader to decide, but Picoult has no fear of controversial issues.  One morning seventeen-year-old Peter Houghton loads up his backpack with four guns and goes on a rampage at school, killing nine students and one teacher.  The book tells the story through both a riveting trial sequence, and flashbacks to show Peter’s day to day life in school.  Ms. Picoult does not treat Peter as the villain of the piece, but digs deeper to expose the fault lines in teen life that could bring about such devastation.  This book is not for the squeamish, but those interested in the “why” of such tragedies might be curious about this thought-provoking tale. By Staff ****1/2

I loved this story of Royal Mistresses, Royal Wives, and Royal Egos, all pitting lust, obsession for an heir, and power seeking against the dogma of the Church and the State.  Among all the intrigue and monumental power struggle between the Church of England and the Pope, is a young girl of fourteen.  Her ambitious family pivots Mary Boleyn into the midst of this controversy when she catches the eye of King Henry VIII in the flamboyant Royal Court in the early 1500's.  Required by her family and peers to please the King she must, as time passes, relinquish her position to her sister Anne.  With children to consider, she fights a subtle battle for her own and her children's survival in a time and place gone mad with power and pleasure seeking.  She meets an ally in her journey and therein lies the foundation of a great tale with wonderful historical drama to enrich the entire panorama.  Gregory writes with engaging pageantry and brings to vibrant life her version and understanding of the heart and mind of a woman living in a time where women were just chattel to be bargained for wealth or position.  I recommend this book to all who love a heroic tale of a young woman, her plight, and the historical era in which she lived. ***** by Pat Moore

Love Walked In by Marisa De Los Santos

As warm and friendly as a cup of coffee in your favorite café, this debut novel by Ms. Santos will whisk you away with laugh-out loud humor and a poignant tale of a lost little girl finding her way home.  Cornelia Brown is waiting for her life to take off.  In the meantime, she manages a trendy café in Philadelphia.  Clare Hobbes is an eleven-year-old girl whose life is unraveling as her mother slowly loses her grip on reality. Lost and sad, Clare walks into Cornelia’s life and nothing will ever be the same for either of these strong heroines.  What I love best in this novel is the two alternating voices, each compelling in their own way and yet richly written and resonating with truth and humor.  To make their work feel deep, many debut novelists seem to dive into tragedy (see other works on this page) but here is a wonderful, beautiful story that will make you laugh and grin as you read—an all around heart-warming tale that’s perfect for summer reading. By CC Moore ****1/2
 

When Mary Baxter loses her five-year-old daughter to meningitis, she can’t seem to pull herself through her grief.  Though she tries to hang on to her husband and job, her overwhelming sorrow begins to unravel the rest of her life.  At her mother’s suggestion, she joins a knitting circle, and by listening and bonding with the other women in the circle, she starts to move past her sadness.  This poignant, uplifting novel is full of great female characters. Be prepared though, you’ll probably need more than one piece of tissue. You might need to get the box out for this one. **** by Staff

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

On a cold, snowy night in 1964, Dr. David Henry makes a fateful decision about one of his twins when he sees that the newborn girl has Downs Syndrome.  He gives her to his nurse, Caroline, and tells her to take the baby to an institution, then he explains to his exhausted wife Norah that her daughter was stillborn.  Caroline, a complicated woman with her own disappointments, disappears with the child that very night, deciding to raise the baby on her own.  The novel then follows the two parallel stories, through Norah’s grief, David’s confusion over his own actions, and Caroline’s determination to find her own way.  Poetic, lyrical descriptions fill this book, with passages so moving that they will linger in the reader’s mind.  Though the novel is haunting, I wouldn't call it riveting. Instead, it's a psychological drama with no true villains or heroes, only real characters that act out of their weaknesses and their strengths—imperfect people, each struggling to overcome their handicaps in their own ways. **** by Staff 

Debut Novel

From the Author of Kite Runner

Hailed as a brilliant literary debut and short listed for the 2006 Man Booker Prize for fiction, this novel will transport the reader to Tripoli in the summer of 1979.  Suleiman is only nine years old when he sees his best friend’s father being beaten and taken away by Qaddafi’s soldiers.  His own rebellious father could easily be next, a fact that has both mother and son living in a state of anxiety.  Suleiman’s mother turns to vodka and ranting to relieve her own stress, but when his father doesn’t return from a business trip, it will be up to her to save both her husband and her son.  Poetic and stunning, this novel is a wonder with a very sympathetic and effective protagonist. ****1/2 by Staff

Another nuanced character study from the writer of the Kite Runner. This time he follows two Afghan women's lives through the turmoil of the last three decades.  When Mariam fails to produce a son, her husband Rasheed grows more and more brutal.  Finally he takes a new wife, fourteen-year-old Laila who’s only other choices were prostitution or starvation in Taliban Afghanistan.  Rasheed is a monstrous, misogynistic character and at times this book is brutal. Hosseini, though, portrays the women as resourceful and resilient, unbreakable by any torment.  This is a disturbing tale, a harrowing journey, but in the end, it is about the endurance of hope.****1/2 by Staff

A big, gorgeous novel that follows Sugar, a nineteen year old prostitute in Victorian London from the lowest brothel to the mansions of the elite.  Opening this book is like taking a tour through old London, riding in the carriages, smelling the rain-soaked cobles, walking the dark alleys at night.  When the ambitious, wily Sugar meets William Rackham, a perfume magnate, she uses him to climb the rungs of society…but worries when lust starts to behave like love.  This is a grand tale on an epic level, like eating a very rich and tasty piece of chocolate cake.  One warning: this is not a romance, but more of a character study and adventure through time.  ***** by Staff

Four women from very different walks of life get together once a week to chat and trade shoes.  A senator’s trophy wife, an agoraphobic sex phone operator, a nanny, and Lorna, whose consumer debt is nearly overwhelming, come together and slowly start helping each other overcome their self-made prisons.  Each woman is a vivid and interesting character, and this light-weight, enjoyable novel is a perfect summer read. **** by Staff

Jacob wanted to be a veterinarian, but when his parents die in an auto accident he can’t finish his exams, and instead, runs away to join a second string circus during the Depression years.  What follows is a story of Jacob’s bond with the animals, and the brutality of the insular world he joins.   Gruen fills her pages with fascinating details of life in the circus, giving all her characters vibrant life, but don’t expect a soft portrayal. The animal trainer is a crazy abuser who beats his wife (she later becomes Jacob’s love interest), and manager of the circus is a cruel, unhappy man who has no problem slapping his employees around because where else are they going to go? Great descriptions and a compelling story will keep the pages turning late into the night. **** by Staff  

Among other things I've taken up smoking by Aoibheann Sweeney (July 19)A girl's journey from an island in Maine to the city of Manhattan to discover her father's secrets.

The Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea (July 5) four girls growing up in Saudi Arabia- searching for life, love, and freedom.

Chambermaid: A Novel by Saira Rao (July 10) Debut novel about a young attorney clerking for a judge-wickedly funny.

I Have the Right to Destroy Myself by Young-ha Kim (July) Two brothers fall in love with the same woman in the urban landscape of Seoul, Korea

The Life Room by Jill Bialosky (Aug) A woman's journey back into self-expression and passion-set in Paris.