My absolute favorite read aloud of 2013 so far. It's perfect for ages 4-7, but I've seen high school kids giggling over it as well. This is a cautionary tale about why one animal should never follow another animal home for dinner, with an unexpected twist. Guaranteed giggles and surprises on the last 2 pages. ...and oh yes, there is a new Gerald and Piggie book coming out May 21st! (A Big Guy Took My Ball - pre orders available now!)

Tina Fey is one of the leading ladies of comedy, and rightly so. Her memoir depicts a woman who appreciates seeing the humor and the absurd in the every day. She is eloquent about what it means to be "the boss," and why it does not involve marching around saying "I am the boss! I am the boss!" the way she thought it might when she was 10. Pieces of her childhood, along with her adult life mix together into one of the most introspective, entertaining, and inspiring books of the decade. Thank goodness Fey reads the audio herself. Now I want to listen to it all over again.

Can you imagine what you would have learned about adults if you could have grown up listening to patrons in your father's bar through a vent in the back wall?  When Tom Harry finds out that his son, Rusty, has been living with his ex-wife's sister and her bothersome children, he has a dilemma.  Should he attempt to raise his son alone while he tends and runs his bar, The Medicine Lodge, or leave him in the care of his ex-sister in law?  He makes the decision to bring his son to live with him, and it's the best thing that ever happened to either of them.  Father and son reunite and get to know one another through a series of awkward fishing tournaments and miscommunications that all serve to make their bond stronger.  This is yet another Ivan Doig novel that manages to be brilliant, entertaining and heart-warming without any of the flash and splash of many of today's current novelists.  I adore Ivan Doig's writing, his characters, and the simple way that he conveys the flawed beauty of the human experience.

I know that someday Ron Rash will write a book that does not make me fall all over myself gushing about what a beautiful writer he is ... but that day has not come. Once again, a tremendously beautiful book with shadowy characters as dark and complex as their setting, an Appalachian cove. There is not a single character left undeveloped, no narrative less than captivating, and no shadow illuminated into obscurity. His writing is, as always, flawless and lovely. To call this a Southern Gothic would fence the novel into too narrow a genre. It is literary fiction / historical novel / mystery / social commentary. I loved every page and had to read it as fast as possible to find out who the skull at the beginning of the book belonged to. Yes, you read that right.

After reading Tomato Girl, the most accurate phrase I can think of to describe it is heart-wrenching. To watch the ugliness of a mother's mental illness unfold, through the eyes of her 11 year old daughter, is both enlightening and terrifying. When you come out on the other side of this novel, you feel as though you have an understanding of how light can come out of a horribly dark situation. I found Ellie to be an insightful narrator, struggling to understand an adult world that is far from normal. Good for those who liked Southern gothic authors Carson McCullers and Kaye Gibbons.

Clothes you would actually wear, which is a real problem for me when I look through any 'make your own clothes' books. This one has the most great ideas I've seen in one collection. There are darling tops, great tips about sizing, and great dresses for every season. There are two sections I haven't found anywhere else: making t-shirts, and using the clothes you already have to make patterns. The writing is concise, and I can't wait to try it out myself. It's so inspiring, that I now have confidence that this one will keep me from looking like a walking ad for "Don't try this at home."

Enzo is the charismatic narrator of The Art of Racing in the Rain. He has struggled since his puppyhood with the fact that monkeys got opposable thumbs and dogs did not. It just isn't fair. Why does the canine have a wonderful, imaginative, innovative mind, and not have the physical means to open a refrigerator door? He stays home and watches television while his owner (a down-on-his-luck racecar driver) and family are away. The Weather Channel, we learn, is not about the weather, but about the world. Unfortunately, things get very rough for the family and Enzo is there through the pains of that real world. Just the way a good dog ought to be. The best ending I've read in quite some time.

I read it because Laurie King used a pen name and I had to have it. Then *gasp* I liked it! Set in the not so distant future; a man-killing virus has swept across the globe. Men only make up 1/3 of the population and must be protected at all costs. Marriage is a luxury, reserved primarily for women who can afford it. In the midst of such global change, a woman named Dian sets off on a journey to change the course of a new world's history. (Think The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell, without the graphic abuse scenes toward the end.)

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is a completely engrossing novel set on the plains of Northern Wisconsin. Edgar Sawtelle is a little boy who comes into the world without a voice. But he doesn't need a voice to communicate with his dogs. The Sawtelles raise dogs, not for their withers height or by any other AKC point system. The Sawtelles are looking for something else; character, heart, and a compatibility with people. They find all of this and more in Almondine, Edgar's dog. It is epic. It is heartbreaking. It is wonderful.

If you plan to visit the small mountain town of Blackwell, there are some landmarks you won't want to miss. First, dessert. Either have a slice of apple pie with apples made from the famous apple tree in town that the villagers swear was planted by Johnny Appleseed himself, or have a slice of the local, dark and mysterious Apology Cake. Next, take a bottle of brew from the local Jack Straw Bar and Grill down to the Eel river late at night, and try to catch a glimpse of the girl in blue, nicknamed "The Apparition," by the town. Finally, make a visit to the local museum for a look at the famous, although threadbare, bat collection that is said to have resided there from the time the structure was built. More than just a book of short stories,The Red Garden is the history of a small mountain town told through the trials and tribulations of the people who founded it and their long ancestry. Hoffman takes the reader from Blackwell's unhappy and unlikely beginning up to the present day. I loved my visit, although it was brief, with the village. The characters are rich, the setting vivid, and your heart aches for all of the sorrow that the red garden has seen. If I could, on my way out of town, I would be sure to stop by the garden itself to dig my hands into the blood red dirt to see for myself if it really stains

More of an introduction. There is a wonderful "Basic Techniques" chapter that includes choosing seams, and fabrics that are best suited to each pattern. The patterns are enclosed in a tidy envelope at the front of the book, and the spiral binding allows you to leave the book open while you go back and forth from your work to the book. Quite a handy reference to have for more formal and office attire. (Wonderful and Funky Spring Jacket on page 98.)

A true classic, with the storytelling style of writers like Betty Smith. Quite frankly, I thought I was going to be uncomfortable with the subject matter, but the story unfolds with such tenderness, I couldn’t help but love it. The writing is wonderful, the characters are so very true to life, and the narrator is a gentle guide through his vulnerable experiences. Extraordinary.

One brutal night changes the lives of two 12 year old twin sisters forever. One of them saw something that made her lose the ability to speak. Shenandoah will protect her mute sister Woody at all costs, but it would be a lot easier if she knew what Woody saw the night their mother disappeared. Their heartbreaking loss would be hard enough, but adding to their troubles is their heavy-drinking, heavy-handed father. A superior court judge. As the story progresses, you can’t help but wonder, “How heavy handed is he?” Shenny is our protagonist and shows incredible strength and humor while dealing with incredible pain. She is full of one liners you will want to remember like, “That boy was so dumb he could fall on the ground and miss.”

A fast-paced story of integration, that tugs at the heart strings. Let’s say you have to drive a bleeding white man to the doors of a hospital in 1960, in the south, and you are a 10 year old black boy. Should you deliver him to the “white side” or the “black side” of the hospital? Such are the everyday dilemmas for the people of Revere, Mississippi where race is the ultimate decision maker. With fully realized characters and a wonderful sense of place, Johnson captures the spirit of the small southern town.

Do not read the jacket description about this book! (It makes it sound sappy and goofy. Well, maybe it is a little bit sappy, but it is too well written to be described that way.) It is a story about decisions that change lives, but it is also heartbreakingly romantic in places. Hoffman’s novels almost always have a supernatural element to them, and this one did too, but it surprised me this time. She remains a favorite.

The imagery in this novel is fantastic. I re-read several passages. Learning the history of the drum is a story within the story. It was like reading an old legend, and it was my favorite part of the book. Interesting how some horrific experiences can be so softly explained.

Remember “She sells sea shells down by the seashore?” This novel is the story of the woman behind that tongue twister, Mary Anning. In the seaside town of Lyme, just outside of London, fossils and friendships are uncovered. At a time when Jane Austin is in her heyday and the bible is seen as historical fact, fossils don’t exactly fit into fashionable society. The discovery of skeletons from extinct animals, are the cause of scientific furvor and controversy. Mary is right in the middle of it. Mary Anning’s lifelong journey with fossils began as a common way to make ends meet for her family, and gradually developed into a scientific exploration unlike anything the world had seen.

I read this book in 2004, and I have not read a contemporary novel that I feel so strongly about since. When I got to the ending, I wanted to start over with page 1. The narrative style is reminiscent of Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible, and there is a sense of place that only Jim Harrison can match. There are some books that capture your heart and you fall in love. This is one of them.

Every time I opened Final Exits, I learned something new and I wanted others to share in the "fun." I became particularly fond of annoying those around me by blurting out things like "Did you know that bees and wasps cause 6,000 deaths a year?" or "Look, here's a guy who specialized in killing landladies!" and "Ewww! Listen to what it says about cockroaches!" Am I the only one who finds these things fascinating?

It’s easy to sum this book up in one word: lovely. Nothing sensational happens in Rich Boy, which makes it hard to describe, but I will try. This is a prime example of solid writing, rich characters, and the growth of a character from his adolescence into adulthood. Robert is a loveable, but fallible character, and you root for him until the very end. Whether he was causing trouble in his tiny Pennsylvania neighborhood, or running with the "A-crowd" in college, I couldn't wait to go back to this book when I got home to see how the saga continued. I was engulfed by his world and transported to the New York and East Coast every night. Robert wants to "make something of himself," and no matter how misguided he may be, you will want that for him too. Sharon is a University of Michigan grad, and has made me a firm believer that whatever they are doing down there must be a good thing, because the writers that come out of that MFA program are solid storytellers.

Johnny will do anything to find out what happened to his twin sister Alyssa, who disappeared when they were 12. Johnny’s mother numbs her pain with drugs, while he relentlessly searches for her every single day and night. Events from this small North Carolina town’s past are slowly revealed, and they change everything. I get the feeling that John Hart wants to be as commercial as John Grisham. The only thing holding him back is that his writing in better! Fast, intriguing, and well written.

Charming. British. The whole time I was reading, I could picture the movie. The quirky characters are at the root of what makes this novel so brilliant. There is a lot of slapsick or physical comedy moments in this book where comedic timing on film would be absolutely brilliant! If you can slow down and read it at the pace it deserves, while savoring the silliness and the heart-warming moments, you will be sure to get hooked.

Remember the bible story of Abraham taking his son Isaac up the mountain to kill him because God asked for a sacrifice? Well, if you don’t think that a conversation on the way back down the hill (when God said, “Nah, I can tell you mean it. Don’t kill him.”) is funny, then this is not the book for you. Each of these stories is about 5 pages or less, and I laughed every single time I opened it. THE perfect book to have on hand when you only have a second to read, but want the satisfaction of a beginning, middle, and end.

This is the book for all of the women whose mothers made them read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. Now it's your turn to give one to mom! Contemporary instead of historical fiction, this is a beautifully written, emotionally complex novel based on the Asian American woman's experience. To celebrate her mother's 80th birthday, Irene Shen covertly plans to take her on a trip to visit her daughter and sister in China, bringing her other 2 daughters unwillingly along. These 6 women, from 3 generations drive the novel. You want to know more and more about them, and you spend a great deal of the book hoping against hope for a resolution or bond of some kind to bring them all out of their individual sadness. A beautiful book about what it means to be family.

Two girls are living very separate lives. Dana and Chaurisse are only months apart in age, but their families are very different.  Dana and her mother live a quiet solitary life with intermittent visits from Dana's father and his brother for Sunday dinners.   Chaurisse is Dana's sister, but she doesn't know it.  Chaurisse lives a cookie-cutter, normal life...or at least that is what she thinks.  She meets Dana, and strikes up a friendship with her, without knowing what they have in common.  James Witherspoon (their father) is the common denominator, but also the weakest link in both families.  One father, two families, and an intertwined future.  Jones' writing is stunning, and captures day to day life with a crystal clear quality reminiscent of Twain.

Sisters Clare and Anne haven't had anything to do with one another for over 10 years; and for good reason. Clare was sent to jail for attacking Anne's husband. She was protecting Anne from her abusive husband, and trying to defend her niece and nephew, but when her sister takes the stand, she doesn't stand up for Clare. In fact, she lies for her husband and is the reason that Clare goes to jail. Convicted for assault, Clare serves two years in jail, and when she returns to regular society nothing feels the same. Alone, and struggling, Clare's passion for birding which she does in the hidden wilds of Central Park and surrounding New York City, is the one thing that brings her peace and fulfillment. She is trying to put the pain of her sister's betrayal behind and move on with her life when a note from Anne's daughter turns up on Clare's doorstep, with the daughter following shortly behind. Once again, everything in Clare's life changes. A refreshing take on how families deal with bitter events from the past. (I will confess, I was skeptical about reading a Luanne Rice novel and finding enough "substance" for my liking. I was so glad to be wrong!)