Little Bee is simply an amazing book, both in the way it is written and in the story it tells. Little Bee will find a permanent residence in your heart. By turns this story is funny and powerfully, achingly poignant. It is a book we don't want to describe too fully. As the back cover says, This is the story of two women. Their lives collide one fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice, the kind of choice we hope you never have to face. Two years later, they meet again - the story starts there . . . Once you have read it, you'll want to tell your friends about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens. The magic is in how the story unfolds. We love this book and give it our highest recommendation. If you have a book group, please consider choosing Little Bee.

This new novel of the Civil War is the tale of an odyssey, a trek into a land of war peopled by a vividly described cast of outlaws and characters. Mosher's writing is lyrical as he describes seventeen year old Morgan Kinneson's desperate quest for his brother, Pilgrim, a doctor with the Union Army who disappeared at Gettysburg. His trail pulls Morgan from a post on the Underground Railroad in northern Vermont along the Erie Canal and through the vast and beautiful wilderness that stretchs down the Blue Ridge to Tennessee.

This long, layered novel leaves the reader haunted by the love stories it tells, the beautiful drama of medicine and countless surgical procedures, the tastes, smells and sounds of Addis Ababa and Ethiopia and the Bronx in New York, and the flawed and noble characters whose lives are revealed. It is, simply, a wonderful book that every one of us has read and loved, and it comes with our collective highest recommendation!

Here is another novel so good that is just about impossible to put down! The three women of this story, set in Jackson, Mississippi in 1962, and simply good company. They are smart, lively, decent people, and it is a pleasure to spend the hours of reading this book in their company. Two of them are black servants in the town, one is white, a new grad of Ole' Miss with a yen to write. The narrative of what their lives are like and how they intersect will stay in your mind long after the last page is finished.

The petty but picturesque village of Edgecombe St. Mary is the setting for this wry, unsentimental, amusing new novel. When Major Pettigrew (retired) and Mrs. Ali (shopkeeper) find growing comfort in their shared life circumstances and love of literature, they scandalize more than their respective families. This smart romantic comedy is also an exploration of decency and tradition.

The time is 1940. Though that is constant, the lives of the characters in this new novel are starkly varied. Some of them pass their routine daily lives in the insular, placid village of Franklin on Cape Cod. Others struggle to attain the stamina to survive the nightly German bombings of London. And still others are heard as voices recorded for the BBC of Jews spread across Western Europe and in various stages of fleeing their homes.

Trapped in World War II Leningrad, Lev is a gawky teenager who tells his tale with wry humor. It is an enormously appealling story of a strange quest for fresh eggs amidst a starving city under siege. Lev meets Kolya in the frightening darkness of a prison cell, where the two tentatively connect in a joint determination to survive. When they are randomly given a chance for reprieve and sent out on a quixotic journey, their relationship deepens to form a touching, odd couple friendship as they navigate the violent, unpredictable landscape of communist partisans, Nazis occupiers and the Red Army.

The superlatives for Karl Marlantes' new novel are tumbling over one another in the media. Mark Bowden, author of Black Hawk Down gives perhaps the best and most succinct description. "There have been," he says, "some very good novels about the Vietnam War, but this is the first great one, and I doubt it will ever be surpassed . . . Here is story-telling so authentic, so moving and so intense, so relentlessly dramatic, that there were times I wasn't sure I could stand to turn the page. As with the best fiction, I was sad to reach the end." In the annals of writings on the U.S. War in Vietnam, Matterhorn is sure to rank with Michael Herr's nonfiction account, Dispatches and Philip Caputo's memoir, Rumor of War.

Howard Frank Mosher writes in a comment on this book that the young horse whisperer Martha Lessen is the most memorable character to come out of the west since Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call of Lonesome Dove. That is high praise indeed! In the winter of 1917, Martha Lessen sets out to earn a living 'gentling' horses in eastern Oregon. With most of the young men off to war, she is able to find the work she craves. This quietly profound and beautiful novel is written with a deep understanding of place and people and most of all, of horses.

Sixty seven year old Trond Sander moves from the city to a remote, riverside cabin, where his life is simple and content. He is surrounded by a hard, beautiful natural world that speaks to his sense of longing. Then one night, when he is out walking, he sees a strange figure in the dark, and he is plunged back into the turbulence and grief of his youth. This spare and beautifully written Norwegian novel is a deeply affecting story.

While this has our vote for Bad Title of the Year, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society also has our vote as one of the most enjoyable books we've read in a while! This is an intelligent, well researched novel about life on the Isle of Guernsey under German occupation during World War II. The story unfolds through the letters of an English novelist who stumbles on an account of the occupation. In desperate need of a new plot, she visits the island hoping to find the makings of a novel. She finds all of that, as well as a cast of hardy, complex characters who fast become real friends. Told with charm and wit, this book is simply a pleasure to read.

When's the last time you read a book set in Thailand? This fascinating novel begins when an American expat encounters an imprisoned American anthropologist. Determined to unravel the truth of her story, he follows her trail into the remote hill country of the Dyalo tribes. Berlinski manages to balance this exotic setting with a good deal of anthropological information and a nuanced story that ultimately reveals the mystery of a complex and difficult life.

Can't Cook But Doesn't Bite is the headline of the help wanted ad that changes the lives of a good many folks in Marias Coulee, Montana in the fall of 1909. Doig describes the landscape of that prairie West with deep pleasure and familiarity. He creates an enticing story of family, community and a one room school house peopled by a host of irresistible characters.

This is a beautiful novel. As in Bel Canto and her other books, Patchett writes of lives that become real, nuanced and genuine. This story takes place mostly over the course of one long day and evolves from the consequences of an accident on a snowy street in Boston. Through the lives of this small collection of people, Patchett explores the meaning of family and love and the responsibility that connects us to community and even to country.

This richly atmospheric literary thriller will keep you guessing to the end! As the new year begins, there are odd and unsettling incidents at the elite St. Oswald's School for boys. Before long, a wicked game of 'chess' evolves between a beloved classics teacher nearing retirement and his unknown, formidable opponent who has a bitter grudge and a master strategy planned to the final, deadly move.

This begins a mystery series unlike any other. Dr. Siri Paiboun is an unlikely and very appealing hero. Against his wishes, Siri becomes the National Coroner of Laos under the new communist regime in 1975. Untrained and unsuited for the position, nonetheless he and his staff grow to embrace their roles and to solve the mysteries they encounter with the same droll wit and mordant humor with which they face all the deprivations and bureaucratic absurdity of life under communism.

This intelligent, engrossing Swedish novel is an international bestseller, and now one here in the US, as well. At the center of the story is Lisbeth Salander, a brilliantly portrayed young computer genius who is awkward, wise, ruthless and vulnerable. A death 40 years ago, financial intrigue, a crusading journalist, a complex family and a tender relationship drive this fascinating story. In addition, the places and geography of Sweden add interesting detail (and kept this reader balancing an atlas on her lap underneath the book!)

Lisbeth Salander, the oddly vulnerable genius hacker of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo returns in Larsson's riveting second book. When Mikael Blomkvist publishes an expose that touches the highest levels of Swedish society, Salander is implicated in a murder investigation. The fight to prove her innocence reveals new layers of Lisbeth's early life and is written in Larsson's trademark tense, complex, fast paced style. This is a book that is guaranteed to keep you turning pages late into the night! The final book in this trilogy, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is now on sale. Call or email to reserve a copy of these (or any) books!

Flavia de Luce is the wickedly funny, brilliant and unflappable young chemist and budding detective at the heart of this adult story that will also appeal to teens. With her remote, absentminded father, loftily sophisticated older sisters, and grand but derelict country house, Flavia is largely left to explore the mysteries of the top floor Victorian chemistry lab . . . until a real murder presents itself in the kitchen garden.

Commander Dalgliesh and his team are called to Dorset to investigate the death of a journalist in a private clinic there. The grace and beauty of the building, once a private estate, and the lovely setting make murder seem unlikely . . . until the second death. James' restrained writing, complex plot, and the touch of love in the air make this surely one of her best novels. At age 88, it may, sadly, be James' last.

Publisher's Weekly captures the essence of this very funny tale as it is told by its mild-mannered narrator, Norman de Ratour. Sly and spicy from start to finish, this unexpected hybrid blends academic spoofery, cannibalism and a murder mystery, serving it up with a just-right balance of innocence, subtle malevolence and cheeky irony.

Gemma James's neighbor pulls her into the complex web of a mystery that began when a priceless heirloom disappeared in World War II. As Gemma and her partner, Duncan Kincaid, move through the intriguing world of London's wealthy, they connect links from the war, from 1952 and the present. As always, the pleasure in Crombie's book is not only in the well plotted mystery and fine writing, but in the human relationships of the story.

This is a true story by our friend, Don Wright. Don was left with strangers on a New York farm at the age of 8, travelled alone across the Atlantic to post war Berlin at 12, rode vaquero in the wilds of Mexico at 15, piloted the U-2 'spy plane' before he was 30, and, as he recounts in this fascinating autobiography, had a few adventures in between all that! Whether or not you also count Don a friend, this is a fabulous story, well told.

The subtitle to this is A Guide to Succession Planning for your Cottage, Cabin, Camp or Vacation Home, and that aptly summarizes the contents. This is a well organized, easy to read and understand guide to issues that face many families in our beautiful area, and it offers a creative method to solving a situation that all too often becomes hurtful and contentious.

Here is an absolute gem of a book! First pubished in 1988, this collection of highly opinionated personal essays on cooking and life remains an all time favorite, and it is a book that should be reread periodicially. Colwin's common sense in the kitchen, her refreshing humor and lively stories will send you back into the kitchen refreshed and challenged. Be sure to try her gingerbread recipes!

Crawford makes an interesting case for "manual competence". This skilled, hands-on labor of manufacturing and repairing is in danger of being lost to the current computer driven "knowledge revolution". He further points out that the work of builders and mechanics is secure work, that it cannot be outsourced or rendered obsolete and that such productive work engenders pride in our communities.

This is the book that Donald wrote after serving as the 14th Poet Laureate of the United States in 2006. He explores how the many places, experiences and friendships of his life were shaped by his love of poetry in this lively, richly told memoir that focuses on childhood and old age. It was in childhood that he made the intriguing discovery that would mold his life, that poetry is "secret, dangerous, wicked, and delicious." And it was in old age, "the planet of antiquity," after the loss of his beloved wife and of his mother, that he began the overwhelming task of unpacking a mountain of boxes from which memories that defined his life rose "like a smoke of moths." Unpacking the Boxes is available in both hardcover and paperback.

Local rider, writer and railroad historian, Charles Martin combined his extraordinary knowledge of New Hampshire's old railroad beds (and the trains that used to run them) with meticulous maps, photos and descriptions to create the best possible outdoor guide. Whatever the season, these Rail Trails, make getting out doors fun and interesting.

The inspiring story of Three Cups of Tea has been rewritten in a paperback edition for children third grade and up! When Greg Mortenson's life was saved by the people of a remote village in Pakistan, he returned to them with materials to build a school. So began one of the great philanthropic efforts of our time. This new young reader's edition includes maps, a glossary, Who's Who, a timeline, lots of photographs both in color and black and white, and a long interview with Greg's twelve year old daughter, Amira.

Once in a while, it is a pleasure to rediscover an old favorite! Elspeth Huxley's eloquent recollection of growing up as a European on a small farm in Kenya during the early years of the Twentieth Century is full of innocence and wonder and the joy of discovery. Once you've finished the book, enjoy the superb Masterpiece Theater video!

Strega Nona (and her pasta pot!) return in this FABULOUS pop-up edition. Tomie worked with the masters of pop-up engineering, Robert Sabuda and his team, to bring the beloved story of Strega Nona to new heights of artistic expression. Strega Nona's wise and generous spirit have enchanted generations of children. Now children of all ages will be captivated by her story and by the amazing doors, slides, spills and pop-ups that bring Strega Nona, her friends and family to life!

Colby-Sawyer Professor David Elliott's newest young adult book has the movie rights optioned by Fox - and what a movie it will make! Jeremy Cabbage is an orphan stuck (but not for long) at Harpwitch's Home for Mean Dogs, Ugly Cats, and 'Strey' Children, where the dogs are treated better than the kids. After several adoptions that don't work out so well - including one to a couple who merely want an au pair for their sick goldfish - Jeremy is taken in by Bo and Ba who want a child "to love, of course." In a totalitarian society ruled by the pompous, evil, ill tempered Baron, Bo and Ba are part of an outcast community of clowns and circus folk who face the world with laughter, fun and love. When the Baron vows to stamp them out, the adventure really begins! This is a wonderful, madcap, outlandish tale that will keep kids laughing and reading. It is recommended for kids 8-12 and as a read aloud for families of all ages!

This is the first of a twelve part series for middle school (and adult!) readers, and it is one of our all time favorite books to recommend. These are wonderful stories filled with the realistic adventures of the four Walker children and their friends as they explore England by sailboat, raft and foot. These are great books to read aloud and to share as a family!

It will come as no surprise that Big Anthony does not exactly follow Strega Nona's instructions about planting a vegetable garden! The consequences of his good hearted efforts will make you laugh - and maybe learn a lesson, as well! Tomie's vibrant, deeply colored illustrations add special pleasure to this delightful story. Tomie dedicated Strega Nona's Harvest to our good friends at Springledge Farm, our wonderful, local farmstand. You can check out Springledge (and Greg's action-packed newsletter) at springledgefarm.com. ($16.99)