Looking for a good book to curl up with now that the days are shorter and temperatures are dropping? Need a good read that will give you a break from the holidays? These are a few titles that I have discovered recently and would recommend. What do you think?
The Things We Cherished by Pam Jenoff
The Things We Cherished tells the story of defendant, wealthy financier, Roger Dykmans who has been accused of WW II era war crimes. Roger Dykmans refuses to help in his own defense, only to say that the answer lies within a clock last seen decades ago in Nazi Germany. The story moves from Philadelphia to Germany, to Poland, and Italy with a glimpse of the lives that were touched by the anniversary clock and the love affair that turned a brother into a traitor. Charlotte Gold and Jack Harrington, the two defense lawyers, are frantically trying to prove that Mr. Dykmans is innocent before it is to late find themselves falling for one another.
Rich in historical detail, Pam Jenoff’s, author of The Kommandant’s Girl, new novel is a testament to true love under the worst of circumstances.
Domestic Violets by Matthew Norman
Tom Violet is having a midlife crisis. He is the son of a Pulitzer Prize author, his marriage is crumbling and he is in a dead end job. When all these factors come together and his world looks like it is about to fall apart Tom must face the reality of his situation and begins to take measures to change his life and find happiness. A first novel by Matthew Norman rich in character development, humor and a good read. I couldn’t put it down and am looking forward to his next book.
A Surge of Guilty Pleasure by Ron Hansen
Based on a true story. A traveling salesman has a turbulent love affair with a socialite in the 1920′s. When passion overcomes common sense and morality the socialite convinces the salesman to help kill her husband turning the tables on him when it goes to trial. A mystery rich in 1920’s history and colorful characters.
All the Way Home: Building a Family in a Falling – Down House by David Giffels
The Giffels family is growing and so is their need for more space. Their search for an affordable home leads them to a run-down, soon to be condemned early – 20th century mansion. Giffels’ mission is to renovate the house one room at a time often fighting a slew of vermin, tackling leaks and crumbling brick. Sometimes sad, sometimes humorous All the Way Home is a memoir of one man’s search to turn a house into a home for his family.
One Thousand White Women: the journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus
One Thousand White Women is the story of May Dodd and a group of pioneer women, who under a U.S. government program in 1875 travel west to intermarry among the Cheyenne Indians. The program “brides for Indians” was introduced by the Ulysses S. Grant administration as a way to bring the white man’s ways to the Indians. This work of fiction, written in journal style in May Dodd’s own hand vividly depicts life among the Cheyenne Indians. That the reader feels as if May Dodd and her companions really existed is one of the strengths of this author’s work.
The Grief of Others by Leah Hager Cohen
Leah Cohen’s newest novel touches on the very thing new parents fear …. The loss of a baby. Pretending that nothing has happened the Ryries’ family tries to move on with their life only to find that they cannot escape the past. Cohen delves deep into the psyche and heart of the characters in much the way that Jodi Picoult does bringing them to life and to a better place in the end.
