Sepha Stephanos, an Ethiopian immigrant, has fled the Red Terror in his youth and settled in a gritty neighborhood of Washington, DC. His friends Kenneth, an engineer, and Joseph, a waiter, both share his African immigrant status. When Judith, a white professor, and her daughter, Naomi, a bi-racial 11-year old, move in and completely renovate a run-down mansion as part of a "gentrification" of the area, Sepha begins to feel the stirring of connected and affectionate relationships with them.

His resigned apathy about his immigrant life and Judith’s naive idealism contribute to the failure of that connection being truly made; possible reverse racism, but surely resentment toward Judith's wealth, destroy the chance of relationship among the three.

I liked the subtlety of the issues being raised in this novel. There were no in-your-face stereotypes or out-and-out political or social judgments made. The effectiveness is from the first person perspective of Sepha, an appealing, sensitive and intelligent man who has "settled" for the life he lives, yet really may never have had a chance for more anyway. Kenneth is portrayed as someone who has striven to better himself in this country, yet also is isolated and not 100% "one of us."

A line at the end of the novel quotes Sepha's father, "What was it my father used to say? A bird stuck between two branches gets bitten on both wings. I would like to add my own saying to the list now, Father: a man stuck between two worlds lives and dies alone."

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At its most basic, this is a story of the Christian right imposing its moral agenda on a suburban town. A newly established church in town is flexing its evangelical muscles through its members. Ruth, the high school sex ed. teacher has been required to teach the new abstinence curriculum, to which she is philosophically opposed. When her daughter’s coach ends a game with a group prayer, she becomes more activist in her opposition, creating tremendous conflict in her home (both her daughters are interested in the church's teachings), and at work.

The story offers a lot of shades of gray on both sides of the issue, which I appreciated, as the characters could have remained stereotypical. The irony of the abstinence curriculum being the polarizing issue between the two sides is that the undercurrent of the whole plot is sex and its importance in our lives; how it can have both negative and positive effects but is pervasive and undeniable. This would make a good book for discussion--lots of viewpoints and perspectives to consider.

--Recommended by Susie

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This was a phenomenal social satire of the rabbi's wife of a wealthy Orthodox Jewish congregation. The wit was sharp and pointed, and the story would ring true in many ways for anyone who is closely involved in any religious congregation--especially one that is wealthy and suburban.

--Recommended by Susie

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Wow! What a great read! This book is part vampire, part dystopia, part thriller/suspense, but full of meaningful ideas and well developed characters and lyrical writing. The author is skillful at keeping you reading throughout the 766 pages by separating the narrative in delineated parts as well as working up the suspense within an episode only to leave you hanging and moving to another scene before he brings you back to the resolution of where he left you before.

Without spoiling, be aware that this is the first of a planned trilogy, so even though the ending is wonderfully satisfying, you do want to get started on the second installment! Cronin's writing style is extremely visual and well-done.

--Recommended by Susie

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This fast-paced thriller is similar to The Da Vinci Code. The premise is an ancient secret society called "The Thousand" that follows a near religious philosophy promulgated by Pythagoras and expanded by his present day followers who are divided in a "civil war."

This group has tremendously influential members all connected by the belief that numbers and their understanding will eventually bring humanity to complete knowledge of the universe--and also its end. The acusmatici want to slow humanity’s destruction, and the mathematici want to accelerate numerical discoveries even at the expense of the innocent.

Canada Gold is the unknowing daughter of parents in The Thousand and the focus of a power play between factions. The story is set in the summer in Chicago during a major and worsening electrical blackout, for which there seems to be sinister origins.

--Recommended by Susie

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This was such an intriguing story and a plot that "snuck up" on me. The first scene describes a very unhappy little girl, recently moved from Paris to the south of France, on a school field trip. She seems a little "off," so when the scene ends up with her screaming, you aren't really sure what she's upset about. You don't figure it out until the very end of the book, and it is something pretty horrible--so she is justified to be screaming!

I loved the setting of this book, England and France, and the intricately developed characters. Tremain has a special ability to describe a character's inner thinking especially in regard to reactions to someone's social cues and innuendos. I love that. The "trespass" part of the book is multifaceted and mainly involves trespasses within relationships but also, the idea of "foreigners" settling in rural France and "liberties" taken among various people. Ultimately, this is a murder mystery, very subtle as it builds to a big ending with many lives changed forever!

--Recommended by Susie

Rachel, the only survivor of a mysterious family accident, comes of age in this poignant book and along the way struggles with her identity as a biracial girl in Seattle in the 1980s. A bird-loving boy travels across the country for over a decade to find a stranger to deliver an important message. I was totally immersed in the two main characters’ search for a place to belong and for love and healing. I don’t think I’ll ever forget this book or its characters. Although written for adults, this book would be suitable for an older teen.

--Recommended by Ellen

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Two women meet on a beach in Nigeria and their lives are never the same.

I initially picked up this book because it had some early buzz in the book reviews, plus the blurb on the back cover proved irresistible. After the first horrific scenes of the novel, I was compelled to find out the answers about what had happened and why. I was not disappointed. I will never forget Little Bee.

This is a powerful story about human connections, what each of us owes our brothers and the limits on our ability to actually take care of each other. It would be great for a book discussion. I must read it again to fully appreciate the beautiful writing and careful plotting.

--Recommended by Ellen

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The three Story sisters were extremely close and as children created their own fantasy world complete with its own language which they spoke together as a way to isolate and protect themselves from the real world.

An awful event on their way home from school one day, binds Claire and Elv together and leaves Meg left out and hurt. The consequences of this day resonate throughout the rest of their lives.

I love how Hoffman uses magical realism as a way to explore human emotions. Even though her characters live in a dark and often frightening world, this is ultimately a hopeful book. A thoroughly riveting read!

--Recommended by Ellen

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"What life will you choose for yourselves?" a father asks of his identical twin sons in Dan Chaon's Await Your Reply. An innocent enough question many parents have asked, but in the hands of Chaon the various answers to this question are the core of this suspenseful page-turner.

Three inter-locking story lines propel the reader from rural Wisconsin to the Arctic Circle to Peru as their characters alternately run away from and headlong toward the lives they think they have chosen for themselves. This book kept me up too late to finish and then even later to re-read it looking for clues I'd missed. I don't want to say too much more about this book, but if you like great characters and a stunning plot, you won't be disappointed. Wow.

--Recommended by Ellen

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