To be perfectly honest, I was not prepared to like this book. It seemed it was to be a light read, one fraught with probable missteps – a white woman writing from the perspective of the black daughter of a mid-century housemaid in South Africa's remote Karoo. But from the start, the writing was delightful, the characters true and sympathetic, and the story simply engaging. Stylistically, I noticed none of the awkward prose commonly seen in first novels. Quite the contrary, Barbara Mutch seems a born writer who, if justice exists, must certainly have a successful career ahead of her. I was happy to have spent a few days at her emotional mercy, immersed in her sweet, sometimes heartbreaking story about the true definition of family.

Strikingly original and beautifully written, The Headmaster’s Wager is a brilliant and heartbreaking first novel. Percival Chen, the imperfect, barely likeable protagonist, is often frustratingly blind to his own circumstances as he attempts to navigate his way along the quiet edges of the Vietnam War. Vincent Lam, as a master of story, makes sure that Percival pays for each misstep he makes, and the reader cannot help but to ache along with him at every consequence he reaps. This is a book that keeps the reader engaged, with well-timed twists and surprises the entire way through. More than that, however, Lam has created characters that feel real and that, in the end, I care deeply about.

What a find! Sacré Bleu is a highly-entertaining and smartly-written romp through the late 19th Century art scene in Montmartre and beyond. The book is infused with sharp wit and is cleverly spiced with well-researched historical characters and details. The result is a funny, sexy story that grabs the reader immediately and holds on throughout the wild ride that follows. Filled with likeable characters and highly imaginative plot turns, Sacré Bleu is a thoroughly-satisfying read. I, for one, will never look at Toulouse- Lautrec the same way again. Merci Christopher Moore!

There is an art to writing a short novel; every word and every character must matter. Unfortunately, the FACE THIEF is filled with characters that are undeveloped and with language that is inelegant, often clumsy. The protagonists do not inspire sympathy or empathy from the reader, and they often act or speak in ways that are just not believable. Most importantly, the promise of a first-rate mystery is never fulfilled. Instead, the story line merely feels disjointed, vague, and unprovocative. The novel reads like a first draft that, with a strong editorial hand, could have been developed into something more interesting.

This memoir is a touching and personal portrait of Tibet and Tibetans through three generations of women, whose story, though long on the periphery of my knowledge, I never really knew. This family history, lovingly told by the granddaughter, Yangzom Brauen, and deftly translated by Katy Derbyshire, paints a vivid picture of life in traditional Tibet, up to and beyond the point where it is disrupted by Chinese incursion. Brauen’s grandmother, a Buddhist nun, is a central figure of archetypal stature who anchors the family for the full extent of the tumultuous 20th Century and beyond, from the homeland bravely onward into exile. History is nothing more than the accumulation of individual narratives, and ACROSS MANY MOUNTAINS is a worthy addition to the grand and tragic historical narrative of Tibet.