Fiction
The Association of Small Bombs by Karan Mahajan. “This is a beautifully written, very sad book about a Kashmiri terrorist who detonates a bomb in a crowded Delhi market and a family whose sons are its victims. The title refers to an NGO started by that family to unify and comfort victims of bombings that do not impact enough people to elicit much support. It’s a complicated story that spans many years and which, surprisingly, manages to make the terrorist a sympathetic character”.
The Astronomer: A Novel of Suspense
The Asylum by John Harwood. "recently out in paperback. It's a Victorian gothic psychological thriller. I couldn't put it down!"
At the Edge of the Orchard by Tracy Chevalier. “A gripping account of a what life was like for early Americans who had to literally saw down and enormous trees and dig out the trunks to be able to plant food to eat. Tough life but the son, Robert Goodenough (like the name?) makes it out of the Ohio swamp and all the way across the country. His journey shows what grit and determination can do for you. And in the process of reading this very enjoyable book, you learn so much about trees and nature and the life of American pioneers.”
At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen. "A woman and her disgraced high-society husband leave the US, along with his best friend, during WWII to search for the Loch Ness monster. The trio is ill-equipped to deal with the deprivations of wartime Scotland. The woman ends up befriending the house maids and falling in love with the inn-keeper, while her husband and his friend make fools of themselves and enemies of those around them."
An Atlas of Impossible Longing by Anuradha Roy . “It's a family saga set in India in the early part of the last century. Men, women, love, lust, struggle, families, the meaning of work... all tackled with a mystical slant. Like very much.”
Attachments
The Attack by Yasmina Khadra. Go to Amazon to find out more, but here’s a bit: “Amin Jaafari, an Israeli-Arab, is a contented man. Happily married and a respected surgeon, he has chosen to heal, not to fight. Suddenly his world explodes. His beloved wife is killed in a suicide bombing, and the police believe she was the bomber. Drowning in grief, Jaafari attempts to make sense of what he finds impossible to believe.”
Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis. “An old classic. Extraordinarily witty and well-written, it's akin to P.G. Wodehouse - i.e., absurd story lines mixed with clever social critiques. A light-hearted but nonetheless rich and rewarding read.”
Austenland by Shannon Hale. “A fun read about a woman obsessed with Pride and Prejudice, whose own life isn’t working out as marvelously as Elizabeth Bennet’s. She spends 3 weeks at an Austen-themed estate in England, where everyone dresses in Regency clothing, plays Regency games and all women will be wooed by a gentleman by the end of their stay. The lines between reality and pretend get blurred and not everyone is as they seem. At times hilarious, it will totally get you into an Austen mood. And it inspired me to watch Colin Firth in the BBC production, which was also fabulous. Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale is a follow-up to the first, though you don’t have to read them in order (but it’s better if you do). This book takes a darker twist – the characters staying at Austenland are playing a murder game, but it appears as if a real murder may have occurred. Again, it’s hard to tell who is pretending and who is not. The few repeat characters are such fun.”
The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin. “I loved it!” From Amazon: “She was only two feet, eight inches tall, but more than a century later, her legend reaches out to us. As a child, Mercy Lavinia ‘Vinnie’ Warren Bump was encouraged to live a life hidden away from the public. Instead, she reached out to the immortal impresario P. T. Barnum, married the tiny superstar General Tom Thumb in the wedding of the century, and became the world’s most unexpected celebrity.”
Awayby Amy Bloom. From Amazon: “The epic and intimate story of young Lillian Leyb, a dangerous innocent, an accidental heroine. When her family is destroyed in a Russian pogrom, Lillian comes to America alone, determined to make her way in a new land. When word comes that her daughter, Sophie, might still be alive, Lillian embarks on an odyssey that takes her from the world of the Yiddish theater on New York’s Lower East Side, to Seattle’s Jazz District, and up to Alaska, along the fabled Telegraph Trail toward Siberia. All of the qualities readers love in Amy Bloom’s work–her humor and wit, her elegant and irreverent language, her unflinching understanding of passion and the human heart–come together in the embrace of this brilliant novel, which is at once heartbreaking, romantic, and completely unforgettable.”
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie -- "I loved this book! Good review: This book was a charming vignette about a most unlikely subject: the re-education of two city boys during Mao's cultural revolution in China. The two young men are sent to a remote mountain called Phoenix of the Sky where they work like peasants in the fields and are allowed no books. But life in the remote mountains is never dull.”
Bark by Lorrie Moore. “Short stories about domestic life. Some are funny, some are sad, but they are all beautifully written and very good.”
The Beautiful Mystery: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel
Beginner's Greek: A Novel
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity
Belle Canto by Anne Patchett. I think everyone's book club read this in 2005, but for those of you who didn't have the pleasure…
Belong to Me
Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan. "Set in the northern lake district in Italy during the German occupation of WWII. Based on the true story of Pino Lella, and his remarkable journey as a member of an underground railroad helping Italian Jews escape the Nazi’s through the Swiss Alps. Later he served as a spy for the Allies while driving German General Hans Leyers. I realized how little I knew about this part of the war."