The Photograph by Penelope Lively

Glyn Peters finds an envelope labeled DO NOT OPEN – DESTROY on a shelf amidst some of his books and papers. In it is a photograph of a gathering of friends including his dead wife, Kath, who is holding hands with Nate, her sister’s husband. This discovery leads Glyn, an archaeologist of ancient gardens, to use some of his research skills to unearth facts about his wife’s past of which he might have been unaware. Glyn notifies Kath’s sister, Elaine, a successful landscape gardener, causing her to reexamine her life with her charming, but childish husband, Nate, and reflect on her relationship with her sister. The novel develops and unfolds from the viewpoints of all of the characters except Kath, the catalyst. An intriguing read. - JP

Cleaver by Tim Parks

Harold Cleaver, the charming, egotistic, successful British broadcast journalist, scores one of the highs of his career by conducting a scathing interview of the current U. S. president. This success is tempered by the release of a novel written by his son featuring him in an unflattering light as the protagonist of the story. These two events precipitate Cleaver’s leaving in a huff for a mountainous region of Germany near the Austrian border to be alone and unreachable for a while. Cleaver cannot escape himself, of course, and the novel unfolds with Cleaver’s reflections on all of the other highs and lows of his life as he settles into a cabin with the help of a nearby family and the companionship of the family’s dog. This is a well-written, unique story with an engaging character. - JP

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a powerful exploration of the lives of ordinary people in Nazi Germany. It tells the story of Liesel Meminger, a young German girl who loves the written word and makes it a point to steal books when and where she can. Life is hard, destruction and suffering are everywhere, and Death is a regular visitor to Liesel’s world – he is in fact the narrator of the story. But acts of enormous bravery and decency abound as well. A moving subplot involves Liesel’s foster family’s effort to save the life of a Jewish man, at great risk to their own safety. The Book Thief is generally considered a young adult novel, but had I not known this beforehand, it would never have occurred to me. It was first published as a book for adults in Zusak’s native Australia. - EB

The Emperor’s Children by Claire Messud

The Emperor’s Children, by Claire Messud, is the story of three almost 30 year-old friends, alumni of Brown who are struggling to reconcile the gap between their current circumstances and the promise of their college days. One of the three, stunningly beautiful Marina Thwaite, is the daughter of celebrated liberal journalist and intellectual, Murray Thwaite, who has a powerful effect on all of the major characters, including his nephew, an initially idealistic, then bitter, college drop-out who arrives on his doorstep determined to horn his way into the New York intelligentsia. “Messud, in her fourth novel, remains wickedly observant of pretensions: intellectual, sexual, class and gender. Her writing is so fluid, and her plot so cleverly constructed, that events seem inevitable, yet the narrative is ultimately surprising and masterful as a contemporary comedy of manners,” Publishers Weekly, vol. 253, issue 19. - JEP

My Antonia by Willa Cather

For those in the mood for an American classic, My Antonia is an engrossing story of the pioneering period of European settlement on the midwestern prairie at the turn of the century. Cather depicts a rich mix of immigrant and native-born American characters, all struggling to make a new life with its attendant joys and tragedies. The story is told from the point of view of Jim Burden, the childhood friend of Antonia Shimerda, whose family came to settle on the harsh yet beautiful Nebraska plains in hopes of escaping poverty in their native Bohemia. While Jim moves away to college and a career in the east, Antonia stays on the plains enduring many hardships, including an illegitimate child, before ultimately acquiring land and building a farm and a large family. Although they go their separate ways, Jim’s admiration and love for the unschooled, passionate farm girl continues through the years. - JEP

Castle Waiting by Linda Medley

This graphic novel encompasses an array of fascinating, three-dimensional characters: a pregnant woman on the run from her abusive husband, a horse-headed knight looking for a place to rest in between quests, a bearded nun with a surprising past and others from fairy tales and medieval legends. What holds the stories (and stories within stories) together is Caste Waiting itself, the home Sleeping Beauty left behind when she ran off to live with the Prince. Also left behind are her three ladies-in-waiting, the cook and her “slow” son, the castle’s bird-headed steward and others. Although not as fine as in its glory-days, the castle and its inhabitants offer, without judgment, a most welcome refuge to weary frightened visitors. The wonderful artwork, great storytelling, humor and pathos are all reasons to pick up this book. - JEP

The Nine by Jeffrey Toobin

A fair and mostly bipartisan critique of the Supreme Court during and after the Rehnquist years. Toobin manages to get into the inner workings of the court, and his descriptions of who really holds sway and why are fascinating. Sandra Day O’Connor and William Kennedy in turn hold the keys to the court, as their votes are the deciding ones in many if not all of the 5-4 decisions. The politics of the 2000 Bush vs. Gore case is worth reading alone. The justices and their interactions with each other are intimately described. A good look at both the personalities on the Court and the major cases of the last thirty-five years. - RC

The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond

This beautifully-paced novel tells a story of a dedication and faith, as well as the subtle nuances of the meaning of redemption. Photographer Abby takes Emma, her fiancé’s young daughter, for a walk on a foggy beach. In a tragic moment of inattention, the child vanishes, leaving Abby to manage her guilt and grief, her love for Emma’s father and especially for the child herself, her unswerving belief in Emma’s survival, and her almost obsessive determination to bring her home. The book moves quickly, and Abby is a sympathetic character who comes to peace with her past and her own needs, strengths and flaws as she copes with the events surrounding Emma’s disappearance. Other reviewers have compared Richmond’s work favorably with the family and relationship dramas of Jacquelyn Mitchard (The Deep End of the Ocean) and Jodi Picoult (My Sister’s Keeper; Vanishing Acts). - CB

The Year of Fog, by Michelle Richmond, is a mystery about the disappearance of a little girl that can’t fail to capture the heart of anyone who has cared for a child. The photographer, Abby Mason is exploring a densely foggy San Francisco beach with Emma, the six year-old daughter of her fiancé. She turns her head momentarily when she sees a dead seal pup out of the corner of her eye. When she turns back, Emma is gone. Did she get swept up in the unpredictable Pacific surf or was she snatched? This novel, told from Abby’s point of view, chronicles the following year: hers and her fiancé’s very different responses to the crisis, its effect on their relationship, the reaction of the outside world to such a tragedy and its effect on her very sanity. Abby’s relentless search takes her to another beach in South America, where the mystery begins to reveal itself. A moving exploration of love, forgiveness, truth and memory, it also demonstrates the role of chance in our lives. - JEP

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

This is a laugh out loud funny and at the same time very touching novel with characters you really come to care about. The Corrections tells the story of three anxiety-ridden adult siblings and their aging parents (who have some pretty major issues of their own) as they deal with their more or less dysfunctional lives and lurch towards a pending Christmas family reunion. Some reviewers used words like "self-indulgent" and "show-offy" to describe this book, and others loved it. While it is undeniable that the plot lines do careen all over the place, and Franzen's writing style may not be for everyone, I found the digressions to be fascinating, and the writing blew me away. Winner of the 2001 National Book Award and an Oprah Book Club selection. (Franzen gained some notoriety as the author who got disinvited from Oprah's show.) - EB

Going Gray: What I Learned about Beauty, Sex, Work, Motherhood, Authenticity, and Everything Else That Really Matters by Anne Kreamer

At the age of forty-nine and after twenty-nine years of dying her hair, Anne Kreamer made a drastic decision. She chose to “go gray”. In this very engaging, humorous and honest memoir, Kreamer, a former television executive, takes a long look at what it takes to be your authentic self. On her journey, the newly gray-haired married author conducts a number of sociological experiments, such as looking for dates on Match.com, hitting the singles bars (both with her amused husband’s blessing) and meeting with professional image consultants. Can a middle-aged woman with graying hair still be appealing, attractive and authentic? The answers that Kreamer uncovers are somewhat surprising and often unexpected.

For additional essays on “Going Gray” as well as photos of Anne Kreamer’s transformation from her self described “too darkly shellacked helmet of hair” to her current natural state, visit her website at www.annekreamer.com. - MM

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Jacob Jankowski is a ninety-something year old man “living” in a nursing home. In his younger days, at the beginning of the Great Depression, he spent seven years traveling with the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. While his mind is no longer as sharp as it once was, he can recall details of those seven years as if they were yesterday. He carries those memories, and a long-kept secret, as he wages a daily war against the indignities of old age.
Sara Gruen’s, Water for Elephants, is a captivating book filled with colorful, complicated characters in a rich, vivid, exotic setting. Gruen has combined a beautiful love story with a page-turning mystery. At the same time, she manages to capture all of the dark splendor and seediness of life under the big top. Gruen takes the reader into the world of the circus, with its peculiar rituals, rules and laws. One can’t help but get swept away with Jacob and his traveling companions as they experience joy and despair in 1930’s America.
Using Jacob’s insightful narration, Gruen also reminds us that an aging body may still house a youthful soul and a passionate spirit. - MM

One Hundred Demons by Lynda Barry

Inspired by an ancient Buddhist scroll depicting one hundred demons, the author decided to create her own "scroll" of personal demons from her girlhood. The child-like drawings show old humiliations, thrills and discoveries about family, friends, neighbors, teachers and old boy friends. One by one, each strip seems inconsequential, but as an aggregate, it's a terrific distallation of growing up in the 60's and 70's. - JEP

Blankets by Craig Thompson

This autobiographical novel about first love is set in the context of the author's small-town, repressive Catholic upbringing. It does an excellent job of conveying both the anguish and joy of adolescent love amid flash-backs of Thompson's often-cruel childhood. Through the arc of the story we see Thompson stuggle with his beliefs and develop as an artist. The stark, energetic black and white illustrations are a perfect complement to the powerful emotions this story expresses. - JEP

Fables series by Bill Willingham

This series imagines a world in which all the characters from children's classic fairy tales -- Snow White, The Big Bad Wolf, Prince Charming, Little Red Riding Hood, and many, many more -- populate a world set in the present that's invisible to "normal" people. Legends in Exile is essentially a murder mystery, the heart of which is, who killed Little Red Riding Hood (Rose Red)? Although employing characters from a more innocent time, as well as a lot of humor, these are definitely adult and young adult stories. - JEP

Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson

This is a quiet story of a sixty-seven year old widow who chooses to live his remaining years alone in an isolated cabin in Norway near the border to Sweden. While here he reminisces about a summer spent in a similar cabin with his father in 1948 and an incident that happened to a family of a boy he befriended while there. The author deftly moves between past and present, writing a spare but rich, compelling, and haunting story. - JP

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

I loved this novel about a months-long South American hostage crisis and opera singing (one of the hostages is a world-famous soprano), even though I have no particular interest in either topic and I was not at all sure I would be drawn in. But drawn in I was. The story, which is based on a real incident, is full of surprises, the writing is masterful, and the observations about human nature, art and love are profound. Winner of several awards, including the PEN-Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize for Fiction. -EB

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is one of those novels that utterly transports you to another time and place, so much so that when you put down the book you are astonished to find normal life going on around you. The relationships and struggles of the narrator, Lily, a woman of nineteenth century rural China, ring familiar and true, no matter how strange the details may be to us now. Footbinding, arranged marriages, and nu shu, a secret written language used solely by women, are among the historical details that come very much alive. This is a moving, thought-provoking, poignant novel. -EB