A most unusual, and rather difficult book, but well worth the effort.

Pears, the author of An Instance of the Fingerpost, has written an historical novel, but one which takes place at three different times, with three different casts of characters: a 5th-century bishop, writer of the neo-Plantonic text, "The Dream of Scipio", an 11th-century scholar and troubador, and an early 20th-century scholar who, studying the troubador, rediscovers the text.

The questions it raises (What is the obligation of the individual in a society under siege? What is the role of learning when civilization itself is threatened, whether by acts of man or nature? Does virtue lie more in engagement or in neutrality?) are relevant today.

Highly recommended.

What is the origin of the Shroud of Turin? Why do Jews eat Chinese food on Christmas? Where does the word "judo" come from? What does the "H" in "Jesus H. Christ" stand for? The answers to these, and many more questions, are revealed in this book.

Quite funny, but also thoughtful and instructive. The question of where Jesus' teachings might have come from has been much debated. One school has it that he travelled and came into contact with Eastern religions. This book takes off from that idea, with Jesus seeking out each of the Magi in turn, for "son of God" lessons. (At the age of thirteen, he and Biff, both in love with Mary of Magdalen, decide to skip her wedding to the town bully, and find the Magi.)

Familiarity with the Synoptic gospels will aid in the appreciation of "Lamb".

What if you disappeared occasionally, to another time and place, spontaneously, randomly? What if you were married to a man to whom that happened? This is the story of Henry deTamble, who suffers from Chromo-Displacement Disorder, and his wife, Clare, who first met him when she was six and he 36, and married him when she was 23 and he 31, and their attempts to lead a normal life while always expecting the unexpected.

What an amazing book! Niffenegger grabs you and holds you for 500+ pages. I read this in 3 days, the writing is so compelling. I don't ordinarily like books that are written in the present tense, but in this book, narrated by both Henry and Clare, it is absolutely right.

For me, the book carried the added attraction of referencing people and places I know about, including the mention of an organization to which I belong. A good part of the book takes place at the Newberry Library, one of my favorite places. (One error that could have been avoided if the author shared her character's disorder: the two guys who sold libretti at the Opera House retired, and by the time of the episode in this book had been succeeded by two young women.)

If you don't like science fiction and so are avoiding this book because you've heard it's about time travel, pick it up and read it. It's not science fiction, it's not fantasy, it's a finely crafted piece of literature about life and love, about dealing with crisis and with day-to-day living. You really all need to read this book.

Hearn again draws, with understanding and affection, on the world of medieval Japan for her inspiration. Though it's not quite as good as Across the Nightingale Floor, that book was so good that it really doesn't matter! The struggles Kaede and Takeo undergo to achieve their goals matures them, and this unfolds gradually and naturally. This series has made me a huge fan of Hearn!

A beautifully written evocation of ancient Japan, its clan wars, its social structure, its arts, its religion, this book mixes straightforward fiction with a touch of magic. Adults should not let the "young adult" label deter them from the experience of reading this book.

The first sentence hooked me: "I still remember the day my father took me to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books for the first time."

We are in Barcelona, 1945, and 10-year-old Daniel Sampere has just chosen a book to protect, one that will have special meaning for him. It is The Shadow of the Wind, by Julián Carax, and once Daniel reads it, he will begin a search for Carax's other work. But he will discover that someone else is also engaged in that search, and is systematically destroying every copy of Carax's books that can be found.

A tightly-woven and intricate plot, realistic and psychologically complex characters, beautiful language, romance, passion, and mystery all add up to a book that is difficult to put down.