Murder, passion, mystery, humor, history, beauty, and magic: something for everyone, but too much for some. Profanity, addiction, fornication and other debaucheries abound (but so do reproductions of great masterpieces). The outrageous bits have the benefit of good context, aren’t gratuitous and are usually funny, if not hilarious.

Sacré Bleu was my very ADULT forklift out of a funk. Although reality meets impossibility along the way, turning the last page leaves little doubt that wanting more Christopher Moore is no fiction.

Anna Michaels succeeds in weaving a basket of colorful, distinctive voices in her first novel, The Tender Mercy of Roses. Hardscrabble country, rodeo and law enforcement life in Alabama set the stage for prejudice, envy and tangled relationships that twist this murder mystery-love story-spiritual journey to its conclusion. Native American magic and thought mingles with the sudden splendor, fragrance and abundance of Cherokee Roses as the author sends flashes of bittersweet loveliness into unfolding events, but be ready to walk away from this tale feeling some well-targeted thorn pricks to the heart.

The unremarkable lives surrounding a suburban family tumble out of control as small decisions cascade into a landslide of unanticipated consequences for the characters in Stash. Readers tour the many reasons and substances often used to seek pleasure and numb pain while traversing a plot idea with promise. Despite a decent sprint toward inevitable negative outcomes, the results fail to deliver just desserts. With a stronger ending, it could have been a good read, instead of just average.

I began this selection with anticipation because I especially enjoy historical fiction. A strong, unique female protagonist driven amidst events of war and intrigue held great promise.

Eastern Jewel seemed not to reach its potential. I was ultimately unable to overcome a feeling of watching myself read, rather than losing myself in the novel: a sign of predictability in my reading (e.g., repeated dream sequences and tedious sexual encounters). That said, I’d try another effort by the same author. I think Maureen Lindley has more and better ahead.

The Toss of a Lemon is a swim through southern Indian culture, religion, politics and social change in the early to mid-20th century. The lifelong experiences and relationships of Sivakami, a teenaged Tamil Brahmin widow, her extended family and servants depict in detail the hardships and comforts of a rigid, yet evolving system of expectations, limitations, privileges and taboos. The embedded history lesson is considerable.

The characters are well developed as a fine blend of strengths and weaknesses whose complexity is believable, and provides impetus past a few stalls in the book's pace. Viswanathan’s imagery is lovely, even haunting.

Having a modest understanding of India, I wonder if a glossary would help a less familiar reader? The more one knows of India, the richer the novel becomes. Nevertheless, for anyone who enjoys the depth of a well-spun tale of life in another place and time, this is an excellent choice.

The story of Aminata Diallo chronicles not only her capture as a child in Africa, but also her subsequent search for freedom in many unforeseen places and circumstances. As events unfold, Hill highlights a little known chapter of American and Canadian history inspired by The Book of Negroes: a real document describing blacks who, as a reward for their service to the King, retreated from the Thirteen Colonies to Nova Scotia after the Revolutionary War.

Although the characters are fictional, they have tangible roots in research that provide an intensely personal, sometimes visceral, look at real events. As a result, the fates of Aminata, her family and friends become increasingly important. Balancing the inevitable cruelties of slavery are the courage, will, compassion, and humor that breathe life into the tale. Too graphic for younger readers, the unflinching truths of the book seem both appropriate and compelling for anyone who is old enough to digest the evening news and survive to watch again. I finished the book quickly to discover the final circumstances of an indomitable woman and was not disappointed. When I read the last words, I closed the book with a thump and a smile