The story of Sera, a middle class Parsi housewife and Bhima her illiterate, poor housekeeper. The women are friends, of a sort. Both women have troubles that they share with each other and they really do try to help each other as best they can. But the differences in class and power finally put a wedge between them that cannot be removed. Written with compassion and understanding. I can’t wait to read the sequel!

A series of deaths in London that parallel the deaths in Dante’s Purgatory lead a Christina Rossetti to enlist the help of Robert Browning, Alfred Tennyson and Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes to find the killer in the hopes of saving the life of her brother Gabriel. Matthew Pearl does a great job of fictionalizing the characters in an unlikely scenario. I loved getting to know them all and found myself reading up on them to see if their characters in the book lined up with their real lives – they did!! Very fun read.

Over the course of a five year period the womenand girls of an ultra conservative Mennonite community in Bolivia were drugged and raped on a nightly basis by a group of men from their community. The men are arrested and sent away but are slated to return within two days. A group of eight women gather in a barn to discuss their options in the face of these crimes. Their choices? Stay and do nothing, stay and fight or leave. The book spans two days of discussions among these vary different women who are fighting to preserve their faith, their dignity and keep their daughters safe. This is a wise and beautiful novel dealing with huge issues with grace and humour. I LOVE HER!!!

Kate has fled to Granada, Spain for reasons we slowly uncover. While there she finds a scrap of paper hidden within the ancient ruins of the city. The novel travels between Kate’s story and the story of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Johnson has a real flair when it comes to weaving historical fiction into a great,suspensful read with characters we truly come to care for.

A fast paced story of a network of female spies during World War 1. Based on a true story these women in this French Resistance movement are courageous, smart and committed to regaining France’s freedom from the Germans. A great read!

After spending years on the run, Samuel Hawley settles with his daughter, Loo, in her deceased mother’s hometown. Throughout the novel we learn how Samuel received each of the twelve scars he carries on his body. Loo, too, starts to uncover some uncomfortable truths about her father’s past. This is an epic father/daughter coming of age story, so believable it’ll make you laugh and cry and be unable to put it down until the very last page. Beautiful!

Circe is a witch banished to an island by her father Helios – Titan god of the sun. Circe is smart, self-reliant, resilient and uses all her wits to survive her banishment. You don’t even need to know much about Greek mythology but I found myself reading about the various gods whose deeds Circe continuously thwarts. I found myself rooting for her at every turn. A great read!

The story begins at the end, with the Richardson house ablaze. Mother, Elena, has always followed the rules and her life is upended when Mia Warren, a visual artist and non-conformer, moves to town with her daughter, Pearl. Pearl is befriended by the Richardson children and they become mesmerized by Mia. Their lives become entangled and unravel in unforseen ways. The novel is beautifully, gently written – with characters that are well-meaning, if misguided, doing damage to those they love and those they disdain, but shouldn’t.

Single mom, Alice, finds a man sitting on the beach outside her house. She invites him in out of the rain and discovers that he can’t remember who he is. Twenty-three years earlier Gray and Kristy Ross accompany their parents on their annual trip to Ridinghouse Bay. At the same time Lily, a blissfully happy newly-wed discovers that her husband has gone missing and is determined to find him. All three stories are brought together in this face paced, clever thriller.

Jules Epstein has given away his money and earthly possessions (of which there are PLENTY) and disappeared in Tel Aviv. He is on a quest for the meaning of his life, much to the chagrin of his three children. Meanwhile, Nicole is a NY city novelist, mother of two whose marriage is failing. She abruptly decides to go to Tel Aviv, ostensibly to research a new novel, but really to make sense of her life. The novel is filled with humour, sadness and wisdom. I loved it.