THE BROKEN TEAGLASS: Coded clues hidden in the files of a dictionary publishing company. Charm, mystery and a quirky romance.
IN SEARCH OF THE ROSE NOTES: Childhood friends play detective when a beloved babysitter disappears. Years later, they are forced to revisit the past.
Henry, star college shortstop with a confidence problem, is at the center of this engaging novel; other appealingly flawed characters include teammates, the college president, and his daughter. A captivating story whether or not you are a baseball fan.
MR. PIP: on a war-torn island, a teacher reads Great Expectations aloud in this celebration of imagination.
HAND ME DOWN WORLD: A woman – anonymous, adrift, unknowable – undertakes a dangerous, lonely journey to find the child that was stolen from her.
SISTER: Bee doesn’t believe that her sister Tess committed suicide, and she decides to solve the murder herself. This twisty story is told as a long letter from Tess to Bee.
AFTERWARDS: A suspicious fire leaves a mother and daughter unconscious, but they are able to leave their injured bodies and follow family, police, and suspects, keeping us updated on the action. A tricky mystery wrapped in a moving family story.
Take a look at Susan Hill’s series featuring Chief Superintendent – and artist – Simon Serailler, who solves puzzles in the cathedral town of Lafferton. You’ll want to read them in order, as characters in addition to Simon are developed from book to book; in each, Hill balances various plot lines, and part of the fun is to see them eventually connect. Terrific writing.
Beginning in Iowa in 1973 and ending in Iowa in 2003, this story follows four siblings through their own family’s upheavals and also the national turmoil, from Vietnam to Iraq. Thompson uses illuminating details to describe the American conflict between wanting to move on and wanting to be home.
Trillin: humorist, essayist, biographer, novelist, poet, observer of human nature, eager eater. This wonderful book collects and sorts the very best of everything. Smart and tart, Trillin is a delight to read.
