Because Amelia Smiled, by David Ezra Stein, is a charming story that perfectly illustrates the chain effect of goodness, when one person starts the ball rolling. When Amelia smiles at a neighbor while jumping rope, the neighbor smiles and decides to send a package of cookies to her grandson Lionel in Mexico. This sets in motion a chain of events from person to person in various countries around the world and finally ending up back in New York. This is a seemingly simple story, beautifully illustrated with a very big message. Perfect for ages 3 and up; there is much to talk about.

Tana French's books are not your typical murder mysteries; rather they are police procedurals combined with psychological thriller. Broken Harbor, her 4th in the Dublin Murder Series, follows Mike "Scorcher" Kennedy, a top murder detective just getting back on his feet. He's asked to investigate the murder of a seemingly perfect family in Brianstown, formerly known as Broken Harbor, which happens to be the place where his family used to vacation every summer. Not surprisingly, this dredges up past secrets and emotions he had been trying to keep buried. Kennedy's indisputably mad, baby sister Dina shows up at all the worst times with troubles of her own. As the case begins to unfold we learn that things are not really as they seem- the case, which looked like an easy solve is turning into something altogether more complicated. French does so much more than give us a police drama....her books are full of characters with frayed edges and damaged childhoods. She keeps you hooked, from start to finish, making this a perfect end of summer read! Definitely one of her best!

I am a huge fan of Joshilyn Jackson and this does not disappoint! Big (Liza's mama and Mosey's gramma), Liza and Mosey are connected in more ways than meet the eye. When Big decides to cut down long the standing willow in the backyard, she unearths more than just roots. A buried silver treasure box of Liza's contains secrets that no one imagined, sending us on a whirlwind of a journey. Quirky characters abound in Jackson's books, oozing with sass and Southern charm. Her characters are flawed but full of heart. Once again she creates a multi-layered story to be savored...love, family, and friendships come under the scrutiny of Jackson's eye, and ultimately all three prevail.

Jackson is back with another quirky, charming novel set in the South. Protagonist Nonny is caught between 2 feuding families; she is the adopted daughter of Stacia, one of the 3 lovable, sassy sisters. Stacia is deaf and Nonny has become a strong hearing impaired translator. Through a series of bad to worse incidents, the cycle of Mother-Daughter pairings is continually explored, the characters are vivid and colorful, and the story is fun. A very enjoyable read!

This book is a ride from start to finish- dark, twisted and utterly compelling! I couldn't stop reading it and now I can't stop thinking about it. I love the spunky misfit that is Lisbeth Salander; she is never boring! The topic is real and uncomfortable - news journalists uncovering a sex trafficking ring in Sweden; Salander is drawn in to the hunt in an explosive scenario where the hunter becomes the hunted. Now, all I can ask is: when is the final book in the trilogy coming out???!!!

This is a wonderfully told story about a little known part of the devastation of WWII. Jan and Antonina are the caretakers of the Warsaw Zoo; when WWII reaches Poland they are able to use the zoo cages, the animals, and the Jews from the Warsaw ghetto and the concentration camps. Ackerman has deftly interspersed what could be a horrific war story with tidbits of life and stories of the funny antics of the animals that inhabit their lives. The book is as powerful as it is poignant, heartbreaking, and yet full of the resilience and goodness of the human spirit. I loved it!

The author transports us back to the 17th century, to a time of intrigue, deception, and masquerade, laced of course with her characteristic flair for mysticism. Juliette has fled from her demon lover and her past of rope dancing to an isolated abbey, with her 5 year old daughter, Fleur. The tale unfolds from there and it is mesmerizing. Highly recommended!

This is poignant coming of age story that deals with all types of relationships; abusive father, passive mother, revered older brother. When Jason shows up at his older brother Christian's door, in another state, he has a freshly landscaped face and a very big dark secret. Many questions become obvious...will the brothers regain the relationship they once had? will their mother join them? more importantly will their father find them? This is a beautifully told young adult story that will appeal to adults as well.

OK, I have wanted to read this book since it came out but never managed to do so. With all the Oprah hype I finally took the time and I love it! A Million Little Pieces is everything Oprah said it is -- painful yet inspirational -- worthy of all the acclaim given it. It is an incredible account of one young man's struggle for survival in a life filled with addiction. Along with he physical abuse he has subjected his body to, his family and friends have been subjected to great amounts of emotional pain. This is his story of his struggle and successes and it is compelling!

When Suzan Colon lost her dream job in 2008, she was forced to economize; to help with the challenges of new choices and “homecooking,” her mother suggested she check the basement for her grandmother’s recipes. This became so much more. Cherries in Winter is filled with family stories, vignettes and of course recipes. It is a heartwarming look at how to survive life by looking not only forward, but back into the past. It’s funny and poignant and the perfect read for anyone heading into a hectic holiday season.

Martha Stewart has done it again- this cupcake book is a step above the ordinary. Filled with delectable user-friendly treats, the book is organized into sections to make navigation easier-celebrations, birthdays, holidays and every day. Stewart has also included step by step directions for all sorts of lovely icings and decorations for topping your creations. There are yummy recipes from traditional devil's food cupcakes to mint filled brownie cupcakes, cookie monogram cupcakes, all the way to marshmallow turkey cupcakes! If you love cupcakes the way I do, you'll not want to miss this one!

This is lovely, sad and haunting. When Rose takes a bite of her lovely lemon birthday cake, baked for her by her mother on her 9th birthday, she discovers she has been blessed or cursed with a special gift- she is able to taste the baker's feelings. What is a 9 year old to do when she tastes her mother's despair in a bite of cake? or the school cook's resentment in the lasagna? Life changes for Rose in those moments...the story is one that draws you in easily- it is strange and yet somehow a typical theme- family doing their best to isolate and get away from each other, while simultaneously craving that very closeness and connection. Bender's writing is lovely, and poignant, and her touch of magical realism is the best.

Set in a charming Welsh village, life is really not as it seems for 12 year old Gwenni. With her irrepressible style and curiosity she unwittingly unravels the family's dark hidden secrets, and at the same time finds answers to the town's mysteries. You will fall in love with Gwenni and her "old family stomach". The characters are wonderfully quirky and richly drawn. When situations arise and mysteries take place, Gwenni is determined to solve them....but is the cost of finding the truth worth the effect it will have on her small community? This is a lovely, completely enchanting tale. I loved it.

This book is so much fun. It's smart, literary fiction, modeled after the writing style of a college syllabus, with chapters named Othello, Moby-Dick and Paradise Lost, among others. Following the sudden death of her mother, Blue and her eccentric college professor father travel from community to community, depending on where he is teaching at the moment. Much time is spent traveling by car, discussing books, books, and more books. This doesn't lead to much of a social life, to say the least. When Blue and her dad set up a home in Stockton, NC, for her senior year, things take a turn. The story quickly become a kind of murder mystery, and you won't want to put it down. I savored every moment!

This is Frank's story, the brilliant undercover cop leading the investigations of French's first two thrillers. Discovery of a past girlfriend's suitcase takes him back to his family and into the thick of his old Irish neighborhood, otherwise known as Faithful Place. The dialect is thick and lovely; the story is a good one, interweaving his present life, divorced with a little girl, into his past, strong, if broken, Irish family. The story grabs you immediately...called back home to help solve a missing person mystery, Frank discovers much more. Frank is one tough cop, but hidden under the hardened exterior is a soft spot. Going home is never easy, and this return is full of tangled lies and black secrets from the past. Third in the series, this one rounds it out satisfyingly. I can't wait for more from French!

This is a phenomenal read -- it’s bizarre but oh, so compelling! Taking place immediately following 9/11, we meet our unlikely hero: ex-cop, Brian Remy. Remy is suffering from eye damage and memory gaps due to the explosion, and the novel is written from his point of view, thus following a style that stops and starts. He ends up involved in a shadowy covert operation in which he has no idea of how he became involved. This style of writing takes a bit of getting used to but you are soon totally engrossed; it is darkly comic and sticks with you long after you have finished. Highly recommended!

Sweet wild strawberries, gravlax and lingonberries, dry, bone chilling cold -- you can almost smell and feel Sweden in this moving story of two women's friendship. Astrid, living alone in a big house on an isolated street outside of town, is considered by many to be the town witch. Veronika is a young writer who has just moved from New Zealand after losing the love of her life in a tragic accident. Both have hidden secrets and as the women slowly get acquainted, secrets are revealed, layers of pain and solitude are stripped away, slowly, slowly as the ice melts, creating a very real feeling of a thaw. Beautifully written, hypnotic prose pulls you along in this wonderful novel of friendship.

Jackson writes with a picture perfect Southern voice in all of her previous novels, and this one is no different. She take us back to a minor character from Gods in Alabama, Rose Mae Lolly, and tells her story. As Rose Mae Lolly, she grows up trying to survive, and she does so with her feisty exterior and zest for lovin'. After she marries Thom, she is trying to survive as well, and she does so by donning ballet flats and pretty skirts and becoming "Ro" Grandee. A chance meeting with a "gypsy" in the airport changes the course of her life, and ultimately saves it. Jackson takes a subject that is uncomfortable and gives a great story. Her characters, richly drawn as always, are quirky, charming and full of various flaws. Pick this one up and you won't want to put it down!

I loved this book! This is a solid, meaty read - full of intrigue and passion. You are pulled into Berlin at the end of WWII where things are not always as they seem, and the Black Market jumps to life. A fascinating read.

For all of you Michael Connolly fans, I say look out Harry Bosch, there's a new guy in town! Well, make that Norway . . . set in Norway, The Redbreast introduces us to Det. Harry Hole, a washed-up detective with the uncanny ability to solve the most unsolvable crimes. The story flips from past to present as it takes us back to WWII where the setup for a present day crime is unfolding. This is smartly written and fast paced, with twists and turns until the very last page!

"Jeannette Walls' 'The Glass Castle' was not a one hit wonder, but rather one piece of a very complicated puzzle. After reading this book I felt as though I had completed a large corner of that puzzle of which is the life of Jeanette Walls. Lily Casey Smith (Walls' Grandmother) helps to break wild horses at age 6 with her father and teaches in a frontier school at age 15. Her independence at such a young age is amazing. She continues to be inspiring and larger than life throughout the story. This is a mesmerizing story and a "have to have" for all readers of 'The Glass Castle."

This is a riveting account of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina; initially, the hardships of the storm are first and foremost, and then in the days following, New Orleans is swept up in a sea of paranoia, chaos and inept management. Eggers follows the Zeitoun family as they try to regroup in the ensuing horrors of Katrina. When Zeitoun takes to his canoe to hand out supplies to fellow victims, he is arrested by the police in a possible case of racial-profiling. Eggers tells the story with his unique brand of clear prose and wry humor. The reader is sucked into the horrifying circumstances slowly and eloquently, ever the worse because it is true. A disturbing yet compelling look at human nature at its best and at its worst.

This is a sweeping, glorious novel taking place in Spain, Portugal and Morocco just before WWII. Although it is a bit of a slow start, you can really sink into this tale of Sira, a seamstress from Madrid, who blindly follows her heart and ends up down and out in Morocco. The story of how she picks herself up and with the help of a few quirky and special friends, finds her way out of the darkness, using the skills she has forgotten that she possesses is riveting. The venue, North Africa and Spain, provides a setting for WWII that I really knew very little about. There is passion, plenty of intrigue and a wonderful cast of characters to keep you engrossed and forget that this novel is 600 plus ages!

This is a wonderfully understated slip of a book. It all takes place in the day in the life of Isabel, a twenty-something working with the damaged books in a library in the Pacific Northwest . As Isabel goes through her day, you learn about her past, growing up a a young girl in Alaska, her present, as a lover of all things vintage, her hidden feelings for the ex-armed forces veteran who works on her floor, and little by little, her hopes and dreams for the future. It's lyrical and haunting and beautifully written; Glaciers is a quiet little book that packs an emotional wallop. Lovely.