Susan Hill has created an English town called Lafferton and its inhabitants, notably policeman Simon Serrailler. The mysteries are smart and absorbing, but it is the characters - Simon, somewhat mysterious himself, and his relatives and colleagues – who make these books so outstanding. You’ll want to start at the beginning, with THE VARIOUS HAUNTS OF MEN.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
BLISS, REMEMBERED by Frank Deford
Elderly, captivating Sydney Stringfellow tells her son the story of her life, beginning with the Berlin Olympics in 1936… 
SAVAGE LANDS by Clare Clark
In the early 18th century, women traveled from France to Louisiana to marry – sight unseen – the colonists struggling to survive there. You might also try Clark’s earlier historical fictions: THE GREAT STINK and THE NATURE OF MONSTERS.
BORN UNDER A MILLION SHADOWS By Andrea Busfield
Precocious and endearing 11-year-old Fawad narrates his story, set in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
ROOM by Emma Donoghue
The room in which they live is a prison for Ma, but it’s five-year-old Jack’s whole world. Jack narrates this remarkable story of love and survival.
You might like some of Donoghue’s other titles:
BURNING BRIGHT by Ron Rash
Short stories set in the author’s native Appalachia, from the Civil War to the present, illustrate the stark beauty of the land and the heartache of many of the people. Written with spare elegance by Rash, who is also a poet.
Try some of Rash’ s earlier novels, too. You won’t be disappointed.
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