The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
Moriarty deftly mixes thriller with women's fiction in this page-turner set Down Under. One wife returns to her childhood home after learning of an affair between her husband and her cousin; another grapples with the secrets learned after she opens a letter from her husband, ignoring the instruction that it is only to be read after his death; a third comes to terms with the terrible loss she has lived with for many years.
Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo; illustrated by K.G. Campbell (Youth)
DiCamillo received the Newbery Award for this book, and rightly so. This winsome fantasy about friendship, love, and a superhero squirrel will please children and parents alike, and would also make a good family read-aloud.
Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg
Best known for her role as CEO of Facebook, Sandberg has had a stellar career; like all working women, she has also had to fight for leadership positions and struggle to balance her family life with work. In this provocative manifesto, Sandberg urges women to examine the habits that keep them from achieving their full potential.
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown (audiobook)
Brown interweaves the story of the Olympic nine-man crew with that of the efforts of Hitler and his cronies to use the Olympic stage as a showcase for the glories of the Third Reich. This is so good, I sat in my driveway listening to the narration of the gold-medal race, even though I knew how it ended!
The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
Love, ambition, botany, art and evolution all come together in this sprawling historical novel, quite different from Gilbert's popular memoir, Eat, Pray, Love. Alma Whitaker has the fortune/misfortune to be born plain and intellectually gifted to a wealthy family in 1800 Philadelphia; a traditional life appears to elude her grasp, but she might find an even better substitute in her travels from America to Tahiti to Amsterdam.
Fin and Lady by Cathleen
Young Fin has seen a lot of tragedy in his young life: after losing his parents and grandparents in quick succession, he is left with no one except for his glamorous half-sister, Lady, who is barely known to Fin. Lady takes him in and does her best to serve as a parental substitute, but has a lot of growing up to do herself; Fin's upbringing, therefore, is a rather unusual one. A sweet, nostalgic book that takes us from Greenwich Village to Capri, from the 1960s through the Vietnam War and the '70s.
Mr. and Mrs. Bunny: Detectives Extraordinaire by Polly Horvath; illustrated by Sophie Blackall (Youth)
Funny, funny, funny! Bunny towns exist right under the noses of humans in this delightful fantasy, although the bunnies try very hard not to have much to do with us. But when evil foxes kidnap Madeline's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bunny (who have, conveniently, recently taken up detecting) decide to ignore the taboos to help the human girl. Translated from the Rabbit. ;)
The Giver by Lois Lowry (Youth)
Lowry's classic dystopian tale is the grandmother of the breed currently in favor amongst teen readers, and one of the best. At first glance, Jonas and the rest of his society appear to inhabit a world very much like our own, although greatly improved--everyone has fulfilling work, there is no hunger, there is no conflict. As the story unfolds, however, and Jonas receives his Life Assignment, we learn along with him that all is not as it seems. Read it before the movie comes out in August!
Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper (Youth)
Imagine if you were knew the answers to all the questions in school, but had no means of communicating your knowledge. This is the plight of 11-year old Melody, whose cerebral palsy makes everyone assume that because she can't control her body, she is also intellectually disabled. Luckily, her family and caregivers refuse to believe this, and the reader has the great fortune of following Melody through a school year full of both adversity and triumph. If you liked R. J. Palacio's Wonder, you'll love this too.
Euphoria by Lily King
Set in the 1930s, when anthropology was just becoming accepted as a science, and loosely based on the life of Margaret Mead, this captivating story tells of 2 married anthropologists in the South Pacific who join forces with a lonely legend in the field. Their uneasy alliance is threatened by the ambition and greed of one member of the triangle, which also has disastrous effects on their subjects.
The White Elephant by Lauren St. John (Youth)
After losing her parents in a fire, Martine goes to live with her unknown grandmother in South Africa. Lost and bereft, Martine struggles to make a life for herself in a strange new environment with a family member who doesn't seem to want her. She begins to rethink her place in her new community, though, after a number of mystical events begin to occur and an unforeseen power begins to manifest itself.
No comments:
Post a Comment