A Murderous Procession, Ariana Franklin

First Time in Paperback - trade edition
Tess Garritsen calls this one “my favorite book of the year!”
 
In 1176, King Henry II sends his daughter Joanna to Palermo to marry his cousin, the king of Sicily. Henry chooses Adelia Aguilar to travel with the princess and safeguard her health. But when people in the wedding procession are murdered, Adelia and Rowley must discover the killer’s identity, and whether he is stalking the princess or Adelia herself.

Thank you Berkley Books.

Something for Nothing by David Anthony

More Spring reading!  I can't wait. Thank you Algonquin.

About Something for Nothing

Martin Anderson has a racehorse, a deep-sea fishing boat, a vacation home in Tahoe, and a Caddy in the garage. But his life is in freefall. It’s the 1970s, and with the arrival of the oil crisis and gas rationing, his small aircraft business is tanking, as is his extravagant suburban lifestyle. Martin keeps many secrets from his wife, such as his mounting debt and his penchant for sneaking into neighborhood homes and making off with small keepsakes. So when he’s given the opportunity to clear his debt by using one of his planes to make a few drug runs between California and Mexico, Martin doesn’t think twice . . . or at all, for that matter.

Things quickly spiral out of control when Martin’s simple plan lands him in the midst of gun-toting Mexican thugs. After a narcotics agent arrives on his doorstep, he becomes increasingly paranoid, both about the police and about his associates in the drug world—a feeling that seems justified when he stumbles upon the scene of a brutal double murder. Martin wants out, but he wants his money, too.

Deeply funny and suspenseful, David Anthony’s novel is a perfect snapshot of the excesses of American culture.

about David Anthony

David Anthony grew up in the Bay Area. He is an associate professor of early American literature in the Department of English at SIU-Carbondale. This is his first novel.

What you see in the Dark, by Manuel Munoz

Here is another ARC that I received and I am thrilled to read it.
Thank you Algonquin.

About What You See in the Dark

Bakersfield, California, in the late 1950s is a dusty, quiet town too far from Los Angeles to share that city’s energy yet close enough to Hollywood to fill its citizens with the kinds of dreams they discover in the darkness of the movie theater. For Teresa, a young, aspiring singer who works at a shoe store, dreams lie in the music her mother shared with her, plaintive songs of love and longing. In Dan Watson, the most desirable young man in Bakersfield, she believes she has found someone to help her realize those dreams.

When a famous actress arrives from Hollywood with a great and already legendary director, local gossip about Teresa and Dan gives way to speculation about the celebrated visitors, there to work on what will become an iconic, groundbreaking film of madness and murder at a roadside motel. No one anticipates how the ill-fated love affair between Dan and Teresa will soon rival anything the director could ever put on the screen.

This thoroughly original work is intense and fascinating in its juxtapositions of tenderness and menace, violence and regret, played out in a town on the brink of change.

about Manuel Munoz

Manuel Muñoz is the author of two short story collections, the most recent of which, The Faith Healer of Olive Avenue, was a finalist for the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award. He teaches creative writing at the university of Arizona in Tucson, is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts literature fellowship, and in 2008 was awarded the prestigious Whiting Writers’ Award. Find him online at www.manuel-munoz.com.

When Tito Loved Clara, by Jon Michaud

I have been a bit remiss in posting the books coming in for review. I am excited to say that I will be busy reading this summer.  This sounds especially good.  Great title, great cover.
Thank you Algonquin.

                                               When Tito Loved Clara

About When Tito Loved Clara

Clara Lugo grew up in a home that would have rattled the most grounded of children. Through brains and determination, she has long since slipped the bonds of her confining Dominican neighborhood in the northern reaches of Manhattan. Now she tries to live a settled professional life with her American husband and son in the suburbs of New Jersey—often thwarted by her constellation of relatives who don’t understand her gringa ways.

Her mostly happy life is disrupted, however, when Tito, a former boyfriend from fifteen years earlier, reappears. Something has impeded his passage into adulthood. His mother calls him an Unfinished Man. He still carries a torch for Clara; and she harbors a secret from their past. Their reacquaintance sets in motion an unraveling of both of their lives and reveals what the cost of assimilation—or the absence of it—has meant for each of them.

This immensely entertaining novel—filled with wit and compassion—marks the debut of a fine writer.

about Jon Michaud

Jon Michaud is the head librarian at The New Yorker magazine and a regular contributor to newyorker.com. His short stories have been published in North American Review, Denver Quarterly, Fawlt, and other journals. He lives in Maplewood, New Jersey with his wife (also a librarian) and their two sons.

West of Here by Jonathan Evison

Hello!  Nothing but good stuff in the mail. Thank you Algonquin Books.

About the book:

Set in the fictional town of Port Bonita, on Washington State’s rugged Pacific coast, West of Here is propelled by a story that both re-creates and celebrates the American experience—it is storytelling on the grandest scale. With one segment of the narrative focused on the town’s founders circa 1890 and another showing the lives of their descendants in 2006, the novel develops as a kind of conversation between two epochs, one rushing blindly toward the future and the other struggling to undo the damage of the past.

An exposition on the effects of time, on how something said or done in one generation keeps echoing through all the years that follow, and how mistakes keep happening and people keep on trying to be strong and brave and, most important, just and right, West of Here harks back to the work of such masters of Americana as Bret Harte, Edna Ferber, and Larry McMurtry, writers whose fiction turned history into myth and myth into a nation’s shared experience. It is a bold novel by a writer destined to become a major force in American literature.

about Jonathan Evison

Jonathan Evison is the author of All About Lulu, which won the Washington State Book Award. In 2009, he was the recipient of a Richard Buckley Fellowship from the Christopher Isherwood Foundation. He lives on an island in Western Washington.

And a nice book tote to celebrate and announce Algonquins Book Club Series. Check it out here!

I can't wait to dig in.  I have a little day trip coming up and I will be on a train...this is what is coming with me!

Have a great weekend.

Exciting Incoming Books

I am thrilled to be reading these books in 2011. It was like they were hand picked just for me!  Thank you Michael Taeckens, Algonquin Books

Pictures of You, Caroline Leavitt

The Girl Who Fell From the Sky, Heidi W. Durrow

Paris Was Ours, Penelope Rowlands

Pale Rose of England, By Sandra Worth

I was thrilled to receive this in the mail last week.  I can't wait to get reading.  It sounds wonderful.

Synopsis (From Author's website)

From the award-winning author of The King's Daughter comes a story of love and defiance during the War of the Roses.

It is 1497. The news of the survival of Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, has thundered across Europe, setting royal houses ablaze with intrigue and rocking the fledgling Tudor dynasty. Stepping finally onto English soil, Catherine arrives at the island of Saint Michael’s Mount, along with her husband and young son Dickon, their second child already on the way. With the keen support of Scotland’s King James IV, Richard—known in England as Perkin Warbeck—has come to reclaim his rightful crown from Henry Tudor. Based on a prophecy given Catherine by a seer that she would be loved by a king, she has no doubt Richard will succeed in his quest. But rather than assuming the throne she believed was their destiny, Catherine would soon be prisoner of King Henry VII, and her beloved husband would, unimaginably, be stamped as an imposter.

Nothing could shake Catherine’s belief in Richard and her loyalty to the man she loved. She became a favored lady-in-waiting to the queen, Elizabeth of York, but her dazzling beauty only brought her unwanted affections from a jealous king and enmeshed her in a terrifying royal love triangle. With her husband facing execution for treason, Catherine, alone in the glittering but deadly Tudor Court, finds the courage to spurn a cruel monarch and shape her own destiny, winning the admiration of a nation.

About the Author:
Sandra Worth is the acclaimed author of five historical novels chronicling the Wars of the Roses. Each is the recipient of multiple awards and prizes, including three Reviewers Chloice Awards and a Best Books of 2009 nomination.
Author's Website

The Tapestry of Love

Thank You Rosy Thornton.  She sent me a copy of her book The Tapestry of Love. It has a beautiful cover.  I can't wait to sink my teeth into this book.

    Book Description

A rural idyll: that's what Catherine is seeking when she sells her house in England and moves to a tiny hamlet in the Cévennes mountains. With her divorce in the past and her children grown, she is free to make a new start, and her dream is to set up in business as a seamstress. But this is a harsh and lonely place when you're no longer just here on holiday. There is French bureaucracy to contend with, not to mention the mountain weather, and the reserve of her neighbors, including the intriguing Patrick Castagnol. And that's before the arrival of Catherine's sister, Bryony.

    About the Author

Rosy Thornton teaches at Cambridge University.

Happy New Year Bloggers and readers.

I have received a few more lovely books that I will post this week.  I am not reading a lot of book reviews these days.  I like to browse the book store and be a little surprised.  But I will be stopping by blogs to comment and say hi more often.  Have a great week.  Thank you again to author Rosy Thornton for sending me this lovely book.

Chosen, A Novel, by Chaundra Hoffman - Review

Color me happy, I read a book!

Thank you Jocelyn @ Kelly and Hall.  I really enjoyed this book.  I read it in a week or so.  I looked forward to reading it each night.  It is about Chloe who works for an adoption agency placing newborns with adoptive parents.   It is an interesting book with a bit of drama when a child ends up missing.  It gives a glimpse into the lives of the adoptive parents, the birth parent(s), and the life of Chloe in the middle of it all.  It read a little bit like a  Jodi Piccoult novel, and I say that loosely because I don't think the writing was the same.   But the writing was enjoyable and flowed well.   I would recommend the book and the author.  I found the characters real to life and I enjoyed the Portland, Oregon setting.  I enjoyed the drama without tears.  I also was happy the book was a quick read and wasn't cluttered up with a bunch of writing for the sake of writing.  If you know what I mean.

Hope you have a chance to check this one out.

The Peanuts Collection

Treasures from the world's most beloved comic strip, Nat Gertler

Full Description

This fully authorized, one-of-a-kind illustrated book celebrates the 60th anniversary of the world's most beloved comic strip characters. A compendium of rare materials from the Charles M. Schulz Museum and family archives, The Peanuts Collection comes in a sturdy slipcase and features high-quality reproductions of original sketches, comics, and photographs from the world of Peanuts. Removable film cels, stickers, and booklets are included, as well as reproduction prints of Peanuts artwork ready for framing.

My Review:
This book's title does not lie.  It is a treasure of treasures!  I thought it was going to be a kind of cute picture book and I would review it in a night or two.   Not true! It has provided night after night of reading and enjoying the whole book.  From the moment I opened the book, I was enchanted.  Page after page is loaded with surprise after surprise.  It is the best collection of history, and artifacts of the Peanuts Gang that I have seen.  I adored it.  I could tell you all little perks and details, but to do so would wreck the complete euphoric treats that are bestowed upon discovering the contents.  As I opened the book and squealed with each surprise, my husband came over to the sofa and joined me on this wonderful journey into the history of Peanuts.  We slowly turned pages and examined the artifacts.   It is an exquisite collection of artistically presented gems for all Peanuts junkies.   Fans everywhere will be delighted.  It is the perfect gift.  I can't part with  mine but will keep it in mind for gift giving this holiday season.

Thank you Anna from Hachette Books.

About Author

Nat Gertler is the founder and author of Aaugh.com, a comprehensive resource for Peanuts collectors and fans. Gertler has written for Speed Racer, Flintstones, and NASCAR Adventures. He has authored horror works for Pocket Books, written a number of titles in the Complete Idiot's Guide series, contributes regularly to Hogan's Alley, a comics-related magazine, and is the founder and publisher of packager About Comics.

Category:COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

Format:HARDCOVER BOOK

Publish Date:10/25/2010

Price:$35.00/$43.00

ISBN:9780316086103

Pages:64

Size:11-3/4" x 10-1/4"

 

I will say the first photo doesn't do the book justice.  The book is large and thick and really quite a beauty for the coffee table.  It comes encased in a nice hard cover that slips over the book.  Oh what the heck.  I will show you one photo. 

Cheers!

Giants

Just had to send out a post.... Dexter says "congrats Giants!!!!!!"


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Mailbox Monday October 11th

 Mailbox Monday- Welcome. This is a weekly event that was created from Marcia from The Printed Page.  It is being hosted in the month of October by She Reads and Reads. What came in your mailbox, book bag or into your library this week?   Here is what I accumulated over a the last three weeks.

My most long awaited book was the reprint of  Aran Knitting by Alice Starmore. (A treat from myself). It is the history of Aran Knitting AND a bunch of patterns that I have been dying to make for a few years now.  It will reside in my most cherished libraries of knitting books.  I haven't read it all but I have made a good dent in it and it exceeds my wildest expectations.

 I received Chosen by Chandra Hoffman from Jocelyn @ Kelly and Hall (thank you)

A bit about the book:
A young caseworker increasingly entangled in the lives of adoptive and birth parents faces life-altering choices when an extortion attempt goes horribly wrong in Chosen. Written in the spirit of Jodi Picoult and Anna Quindlen, Chosen is an extraordinary debut novel from Chandra Hoffman that deals with the controversial subject of adoption while providing a riveting read that will equally ensnare lovers of suspense, domestic drama, and literary fiction.

I also received Missing Lucile by Suzanne Berne, from Algonquin (Thank You).

A Bit about the book:
Even as a child, Suzanne Berne understood the source of her father’s terrible melancholy: he’d lost his mother when he was a little boy. Decades later, with her father now elderly and ailing, she decides to try to uncover the woman who continues to haunt him.

Every family has a missing person, someone who died young or disappeared, leaving a legacy of loss. Aided by vintage photographs and a box of old keepsakes, Berne sets out to fill in her grandmother’s silhouette and along the way uncovers her own foothold in American history.

Lucile Berne, née Kroger, was a daughter of Bernard Henry Kroger, the archetypal American self-made man, who at twenty-three established what is today’s $76 billion grocery enterprise. From her turn-of-the-century Cincinnati childhood to her college years at Wellesley, her tenure as treasurer of her father’s huge company, her stint as a relief worker in devastated France, her marriage to a professional singer, and the elusive, unhappy wealthy young matron she became, Lucile both illustrates and contradicts her times.

In the process of creating this portrait, Berne discovers the function of family history: “to explain what is essentially inexplicable—how we came to be ourselves.”

Hellos from Me!!

I am busy as heck.  I get around to pop in on blogs but I don't always leave a comment.  I got an IPAD and I think this is going to help keep up with all the lovely blog reading.    I am still trying to get through a few books.  I love my books just as much as ever,, but I am sure I got a bit burned out somehow.  I started reading more blogs than books. (well you know what I mean).  

This year has been about blog  balance and I don't feel blog stress anymore!  Yahoo!!!  I still do have some reading and blogging goals that I'd like to maintain.  Middle ground sort of evades me at the moment...and it needs to be about middle ground for me.    It has been over two years now since I started this book blog.    I love it here, I love the books and all the bloggy folks. 

I don't know that I can keep up with all the reviews that I want to do, but I do want to feature new books and stay connected.  I want to reward those who read with giveaways and I do want to participate in some of the blogging events and activities that everyone enjoys.

Thanks for everyone who stops by and if you leave me a comment know that it is always as special for me now as it was from the start. 

Have a great week!

Mailbox Monday - September 20th

Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia at the Printed Page (my monthly version)  is on Tour and September it is hosted over at Bermudiaonion's Blog.

Here is what she got this week!

I am still on a slow down.  The last month I still have received some stellar books.  I am eager to read them, even when they show up as a surprise.  I am always thankful for books!

I received:

 Exley, a novel  by Brock Clark (thank you Algonquin) 

The Postcard Killers by James Patterson and Liza Marlund (thank you Hachette)

   (Audio Book)

Natural to a Super Natural Health, by David Herzog. (Thank you Atlas) 

Nothing Left to Burn, a memoir by Jay Varner. (thank you Algonquin)

The Jefferson Project by Thor Duffin (thank you Atlas) 

Stay tuned for more info on these books coming soon!

Have a great week!  Thanks for stopping by!

Exley, a novel by Brock Clark - Coming October 5th 2010

I received this great book to review from Algonquin. I picked it up and read the first 25 pages and I can tell I am going to like this book.  I just wanted to post a little preview.  This book comes out October 5th, 2010.  

A Bit About Exley

For nine-year-old Miller, who lives with his mother in Watertown, New York, life has become a struggle to make sense of his father’s disappearance, for which he blames himself. Then, when he becomes convinced that he has found his father lying comatose in the local VA hospital, a victim of the war in Iraq, Miller begins a search for the one person he believes can save him, the famously reclusive — and, unfortunately, dead — Frederick Exley, a Watertown native and the author of his father’s favorite book, the “fictional memoir” A Fan’s Notes. The story of Miller’s search, told by both Miller himself and his somewhat flaky therapist, ultimately becomes an exploration of the difference between what we believe to be real and what is in fact real, and how challenging it can be to reconcile the two.

Part literary satire, part mystery, Exley unleashes the enormous talent of a writer whom critics have compared to Richard Ford and John Irving and whose work has been called “absurdly hilarious” (Entertainment Weekly) and “wildly entertaining” (Daily Candy).

A Bit About Brock Clarke:

Brock Clarke is the author of two previous novels and two short story collections. He lives in Portland, Maine, and teaches at Bowdoin College.

A Bit of Praise:
EXLEY is already garnering early buzz, receiving a starred review from Kirkus: “Another literary high-wire performance by a novelist who is establishing himself as a unique voice in contemporary fiction ... A seriously playful novel about the interweave of literature and life.”

Winners - Audio - The Post Card Killers

Congratulations to the winners!  Thank you Anna @ Hachette Book Group!

Denny, Alaska

LAMusing

AmyLyn

THE POSTCARD KILLERS
(Unabridged)
by James Patterson and Liza Marklund

Read by Katherine Kellgren, Eric Singer and Reg Rogersy

An email is going out shortly.  Please reply with your address!! Congratulations!  This looks like a good one.  I am reviewing it too!!

Winners - She's Gone Country - Jane Porter

And the winners are:

1. Lu (love my kids and books)
2. Dawn (librarygrinch)
3. DeSeRt RoSe  (Thank you for the award too!)

Thank you Hachette Books for the giveaway.

I will be emailing you all shortly!

Giveaway - The Postcard Killers, by James Patterson and Liza Marklund

THE POSTCARD KILLERS
(Unabridged)
by James Patterson and Liza Marklund
Read by Katherine Kellgren, Eric Singer and Reg Rogersy

Paris is stunning in the summer. NYPD detective Jacob Kanon is on a tour of Europe's most gorgeous cities. But the sights aren't what draw him—he sees each museum, each cathedral, and each cafe through the eyes of his daughter's killer.  The killing is simply marvelous. Kanon's daughter, Kimmy, and her boyfriend were murdered while on vacation in Rome. Since then, young couples in Paris, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, and Stockholm have been found dead. Little connects the murders, other than a
postcard to the local newspaper that precedes each new victim.

"Wish you were here. "

Now Kanon teams up with the Swedish reporter, Dessie Larsson, who has just received a postcard in Stockholm—and they think they know where the next victims will be. With relentless logic and unstoppable action, THE POSTCARD KILLERS may be James Patterson's most vivid and compelling thriller yet.



Giveaway Details / Rules
US & Canada Only
NO P.O. Boxes
Enter by September 15th, 2010
You are not eligible to win this title if you or someone in your house has won in another giveaway. (one per household)

To enter:
Simple leave a comment with your email address.  If you are a follower you get a double entry.

Special Thanks to Anna from Hachette Book Group.

Good Luck!!
Have a great weekend.

Envy - Audio Book by Sandra Brown - A Review

My book club picked this book to read this summer.  I was hesitant.  Don't get me wrong, I read a lot of Sandra Brown, but I haven't read them since the sizzling summer days of the 1990's.  I enjoyed that "sort" of thing back then.

The book takes us from The Florida Keys, to New York to St. Anne's Island, Georgia.  The author does a pretty good job of including scenic, historic and pop culture events into the story.   The characters are well developed and interesting. We go from the past to the future and bounce from location to location.  Saundra Brown does that well.

The book is a about authors and publishers, love, hate, money and ENVY.  Of course.   It was a good read.   I will post a summary below as I don't want to spoil. There are some twists and turns in the plot.  I believe most are predictable, but that isn't always bad.  Everything doesn't have to be a big ole surprise right?

If you like her novels for the gratuitous sex, then you won't be disappointed.  I think it went a bit too far, but that is just me.  I wasn't offended, (those who know me will know that isn't it).  I just found it unrealistic.  I won't expound, as I think my blog is still pretty "G" rated last time I checked.  I will say when I say unrealistic , I mean maybe very awkward, and near impossible, like I would cock my head to the side and try to get a mental image, and say...'naw...not happening.."   The over use of the "F" bomb is a problem.  Again, I am not a prude but it lost its effectiveness.  And there was an abundance of metaphors that drove me crazy.  Just a few too many. 

It was a good summer read.  Sandra Brown can put together a good plot.  I just got annoyed with some of the ingredients. I would recommend this book.  Summer read, airport read, vacation read..you name it.  I could see it as a movie, or mini series.  

The best part of the book for me is the book within a book. I gotta love that, and that part was really well done.   It makes it all worth while.

I listened to the audio.  I think I give the audio production and A-/B+.   Sometimes I  thought the Parker character sounded like a dumb oakie and the Southern drawl was off.  That could just be me.  I would recommend  it nonetheless.  I heard some of it in the car and I know passersby were looking at me as I cupped my hand over my mouth for a number of reasons.  (wink)


Click here to read a summary.

She's Gone Country - Jane Porter Giveaway

Hey Everyone!

I thought it would be nice to host a giveaway!

Thanks to Hachette Book Group, I have three copies of Jane Porter's, She's Gone Country.  I am going to review this book later on my blog but I thought it would be great to host a giveaway and get back in the giveaway groove a little.  This book is available on August 23rd!!
 
A bit about the book:
Jane Porter has returned with the type of bestselling novel that she writes best, featuring an almost-forty protagonist finding a second chance in life. SHE’S GONE COUNTRY is an entertaining tale of a modern-day woman, Shey, who has led a charmed life in New York City, gracing the covers of Vogue, and is now forced to reinvent herself by moving back to her hometown in Texas after her marriage falls apart. Shey soon realizes that in order to reinvent herself, she must let go of an uncertain future and a broken past, and allow for the possibility of new love in the present.

A bit about the author:
Jane Porter lives in Seattle, Washington, with her two children. You can find out more about her at www.janeporter.com.

Audio and Video

Giveaway details:

• Leave a comment on this blog by September 1, 2010 and you will be entered into the drawing.
• If you are a follower of the blog, you get an extra entry.  Make sure you let me know. One post or two, it makes no difference.  I need your email address to notify you that you have won.  If it is on your profile that is fine by me.
• US and Canada Only
• No P.O. Boxes
• Hachette Books (Thank you very much) will send your book to you.
  

Mailbox Monday - August 16th

It has been awhile since I participated in Mailbox Monday.   It is hosted by Marcia at the Printed Page. Okay...last time I participated it was. But now it is on Tour.  Not sure what that means?  Me, neither but I am catching up and it appears that the August Tour is at Chick Loves Lit.

I haven't been accepting books, but I wanted to get my butt reading so I have accepted a few over the last 4 weeks, and some came by surprise.  

First off:  The Queen's Pawn from Christy English.  I intend to read it soon with pleasure!! It sounds great!  Thank you Christy.

A bit about the Book: (From Amazon)

A historical novel of the legendary Eleanor of Aquitaine and the one person she loved more than power-her rival for the throne.

At only nine, Princess Alais of France is sent to live in England until she is of age to wed Prince Richard, son of King Henry II and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. Alais is an innocent pawn on the chessboard of dynastic marriage, her betrothal intended to broker an uneasy truce between the nations.

Estranged from her husband, Eleanor sees a kindred spirit in this determined young girl. She embraces Alais as a daughter, teaching the princess what it takes to be a woman of power in a world of men. But as Alais grows to maturity and develops ambitions of her own, Eleanor begins to see her as a threat-and their love for each other becomes overshadowed by their bitter rivalry, dark betrayals, conflicting passions, and a battle for revenge over the throne of England itself.

From Algonquin:   A Curable Romantic by Joseph Skibell (Thank you algonquin)

A bit about the book: (from Algonquin)

As far as romance goes, Dr. Jakob Sammelsohn is fairly incurable. Twice married, once divorced, once widowed—all by the tender age of twelve— he finally flees his small village and his pious, vengeful father. A lovelorn candide, young Dr. Sammelsohn wanders optimistically through history—pursued by the amorous ghost of his dead wife.

Arriving in Vienna in 1890, a chance encounter with Sigmund Freud leads our hero into the arms of Emma Eckstein, one of Freud’s most famous patients. Later he romances the beautiful and wealthy Loë Bernfeld, who carries him into the world of Esperanto and the universal language movement. Finally, Dr. Sammelsohn finds himself in the Warsaw ghetto in 1940, only to become a pawn in a battle over the path to heaven.

A Curable Romantic is a novel of personal and historical exile that could spring only from the literary imagination of a virtuoso. Often fantastical yet always grounded in tradition and history, it is that rare literary feat —a truly incomparable tale, ingenuously told, peopled with characters who live on in the memory.

Thirdly:

Deep Nights, by Steven Sloan

A bit about the book:

Summary

A policeman, haunted by memories of past failures and faced with opposition from loved ones, finds himself under pressure to protect the citizens of his community. In Duncan Switch, most deep night shifts are usually quiet, but tonight’s converging events threaten to smother his efforts and test his ability. Protecting a fellow officer, a hostage situation and working the night shift short-handed tests the officers of Duncan Switch, Texas. One of them finds the biggest challenge of the night, still ahead.  Thank You Kim from AtlasBooks.

And lastly.

Salvation City, by Sigrid Nunez from Lydia with Riverhead Books.

Salvation City, a novel  (from the author's Website)
(Riverhead Books, Coming September 2010)

After losing both parents to a flu pandemic that seriously threatens his own life as well, thirteen-year-old Cole Vining is sent to live with an evangelical pastor and his wife in Salvation City, a small town in southern Indiana. There, Cole feels sheltered and loved but never as if he truly belongs. Everything about his new home is vastly different from the secular world in which he was raised. As he tries to adjust, he struggles also with memories of the past, a struggle made more difficult by the fact that he had lost his parents at a time when family relations were at their most fraught and unhappy. How is he to remember them now? Are they still his parents if they are no longer there? Must he accept what those around him believe, that because his parents did not know Jesus they are condemned to hell? During this time, Cole finds solace in drawing comics, for which he has a remarkable gift, and in fantasies about being a superhero.

Salvation City is a story of love, betrayal, and forgiveness. It is about spiritual and moral growth, and the consolation of art. It is about belief—belief in God and belief in self. As others around him grow increasingly fixed on the hope of salvation and a new life to come through an imminent rapture, Cole imagines a different future, one in which his own dreams of happiness and heroism begin to seem within reach.