This book is set in a labyrinth-like palace made up of statue-filled halls and an ocean that moves in and out of rooms in shifting tides. Piranesi lives there alone, with periodic appearances by a mysterious Other, and catalogues the rooms, statues, and tides in a meticulous system of notebooks. Both Piranesi and the Other are in search of a lost form of Knowledge, and as a reader, we are also in the position of trying to figure out exactly what's going on in this dreamy, hypnotic world. Very different from her first book, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Susanne Clarke has created a beautiful, disorienting tale.

The narrator is searching for meaning and transcendence, first in the Catholic upbringing she received, then as a run-away in the drug-fueled culture of the homeless, and finally in Zen Buddhism. In each of these situations, a strong "other" (her mother, Jules, and her "Master") exert a sort of control over her. It isn't until she is able to break free of the confines of each situation that she is able to find what she has been searching for. An interesting exploration about religious dogma, guilt, and what it means to be devout.

The Chalk Man hits all the right notes for a creepy thriller. It's got death, dismemberment, ghosts, and how past decisions can come back to haunt us (sometimes literally). It's told from the alternating points of view of the protagonist, Eddie as a twelve year old and Ed the adult. Neither are completely reliable as a narrator, as they protect their own and others secrets. The plot is full of twists and turns and red herrings and I found myself racing through the pages to see how it all ended (which did not disappoint).

I loved this book! In it, the author tells her life story in a series of essays. Her essays are so well-written and so immersive, you feel like you are living out the events she describes along with her. This book will bring you to tears and make you laugh out loud, as she shares the ups and downs of life as a female in this world.

Irina Reyn has written what really could have (should have?) been two novels, one the story of a modern day
Russian art specialist and the other, the story of the early days of Catherine the Great. I am a fan of historical fiction, and often found myself wanting to hear more about Catherine and less about Tanya and her dealings with the cut-throat world of high stakes art-dealing in modern day Russia. While both women were immigrants, ambitious, and tied to ineffectual husbands, the similarities ended there. Catherine was a much more sympathetic character than the ever-hustling Tanya, but in the end there wasn't enough about either one of them that I found very appealing. This one was just "meh" for me, but might appeal to book clubs as there are definitely points for discussion (the immigrant experience, marriage, ambition, etc.).

My educational background is in clinical psychology, so I found the book's premise about memory consolidation and recovery very interesting. The book begins with the brutal rape of a teenage girl, who receives an experimental drug therapy to "erase" her memory of the traumatic event. However, she is left with the "body memory" and underlying emotions of what happened to her and is resolved to recover her suppressed memory in order to bring her attacker to justice. The book's narrator, an erudite and eloquent, if not somewhat creepy, psychiatrist has his own motives for working with this patient. If you enjoy psychological thrillers with lots of plot twists and turns and a few "red herrings" thrown in along the way, you will undoubtedly enjoy this novel by Wendy Walker.

The Well, a debut novel by author Catherine Chanter, is a beautifully written meditation on one woman's search for answers in the mysterious death of her grandchild. The author's beautiful, poetic prose makes the setting for this novel come alive in ways that feel dream-like, and yet startlingly real. Ruth and her husband have left their old lives and troubles behind in London to start over as farmers at the Well. A drought has struck the rest of the UK, but somehow the Well continues to receive rain, growing and thriving while the rest of the country crumbles to dust. This mysterious set of circumstances draws travelers, pilgrims, and the Sisters of the Rose to the Well, all in search of answers. Ruth struggles to determine whom she can trust, including herself, and what she can believe. This makes for an interesting psychological mystery, with a narrator that may or may not be entirely credible. The author incorporates themes that are as timely as they are timeless: environmental concerns, scarcity versus plenty, religious faith versus fervor, and the struggles of married life and parenthood. This book would be an excellent choice for book clubs, as there is much fodder for discussion. I look forward to more works from this talented author.

I think what makes this book so compelling is the author's incredible gift for explaining exactly what she is feeling in every moment (both good and bad), drawing you deep into her story and allowing you to experience it through her eyes. The author is a journalist on the human rights beat, a job that takes her into some of the most tumultuous areas of the world. When she witnesses a violent crime in post-earthquake Haiti, she is thrown head over heels into periods of disassociation from her own body and inexplicable emotions of terrifying fear as well as uncontrolled bouts of crying, and the loss of her old life. This book not only explores this one individual's bout with PTSD, but sheds an important light on a topic that effects millions of people each day, returning soldiers, trauma survivors, aid workers, etc. The author was fortunate enough to find a form of intensive holistic therapy and to have the love and support of friends and her fiance. Many other individuals turn to suicide when their symptoms become too much to bear. A brief word of caution, while this book is excellent and compelling, it is not an easy read. It may contain triggers for survivors of rape, trauma, or sufferers of PTSD.

Usually the weirder the better for me, when it comes to fiction my taste is pretty eclectic. But this one just didn't do it for me. The supernatural elements of the story just never really went anywhere. Someone else described this novel as having a sort of Twin Peaks-like atmosphere, and I think that sums it up nicely. Weird things happen, not sure why, or how they relate to the narrative as a whole. The characters were interesting enough to keep me reading, but overall they weren't people I particularly cared about or wanted to know better. Maybe this story lost something in translation?

I enjoyed this book, and the expansion of the character of Juliet's nurse and her back story. The author was exceptionally skilled at breathing new life and motivation into these well-known characters, and I enjoyed finding the "Easter eggs" (familiar quotes from Shakespeare's play) sprinkled throughout the narrative. Lovers of "Romeo and Juliet" and fans of historical fiction will enjoy this book.

This medical thriller takes the reader inside the world of chief surgical resident Steven Mitchell at University Hospital. Steven has the stereotypical arrogance of the gifted surgeon, which leads him to make some questionable decisions both medically and personally (flying solo on a difficult surgery when instructed to wait for help, defying hospital protocol, hacking, and cheating on his wife with a beautiful medical student). While he is not a very likeable character, as a reader you can certainly empathize with the predicament he finds himself in. More character development and less plot contrivances would have made this a better thriller. Readers who enjoy ER and Grey's Anatomy will likely enjoy this book.

Amy Gallup is a reclusive curmudgeon of a former writer who now makes her living teaching on-line writing classes and very much enjoys her solitary life. When she falls and hits her head on the birdbath in her yard, as they say, "hi-jinx ensue". In the aftermath of the fall, a likely concussed Amy gives an interview that thrusts her into the world of Internet celebrity, to both her horror and amusement. This book is funny, yet poignant, as Amy realizes that she does in fact wish to know and be known. For lovers of reading and writing, social satire and wicked wordplay.

This is one of those books that starts kind of slow, but then the psychological tension builds and builds until you find yourself staying up late to finish the book. Almost Hitchcock-ian (is that a word?) in the way it makes you question the heroine's sanity as the story twists and turns and then there is this unexpected jolt at the end. Great escapist reading...I can see someone enjoying this on a beach, drink in hand.

Although this is a deeply sad book, I did enjoy it. It reminded me, in a way, of "The Kite Runner" in that it offered insight into the lives of individuals living under a brutal, repressive regime in the Middle East. The only thing lacking in this book was a sense of what life was like prior to the beatings, imprisonments, torture and death, so we know what the revolutionaries were fighting for. I would recommend this book to book clubs, particularly those with an interest in other cultures or historical fiction.

For lovers of historical fiction, The Bloodletter's Daughter provides a fascinating glimpse into life in the late 16th early 17th century Bohemia during the reign of the Hapsburg family. Alternating between the melancholy Emperor Rudolf, his mad eldest son Don Julius, and the ambitious brother of the Emperor, soldier Matthias, the author sets the stage for the story of Marketa Pichlerova, the intelligent daughter of the village barber surgeon. Due to her gender and beauty, it is assumed that Marketa will join her mother in business at their bathhouse, providing a good soak and "little something extra" to the local businessmen and travelers. Marketa rebels against this future, yearning to become a physician. I found that her ambition and insight somewhat stretched the bounds of credibility, for example, as she explains to her mother that someday science will explain the mysteries of illness, etc. It is unlikely that girls in her remote village, without the benefit of formal education, and under the sway of the Catholic Church would have much to say about science, let alone expressing views that would challenge the status quo in such a way. A little too much of a "bodice ripper" at times, this book did hold my attention and I wanted to see what happened next. I would give it 3.5 stars.

Sunny is a woman I would love to know. On the surface she appears to have it all together, but underneath (her wig) she is just as big a mess as the rest of us. This novel deftly and humorously explores the difference between the face we choose to put on for the world and the richer, lunar landscape of the interior self.

Debut author Grace McCleen has written a beautiful, thought-provoking book that will appeal to many book clubs, particularly those who enjoy discussions of the nature of faith. Judith is a young girl whose strong faith in God makes her and her father outsiders in their community, but is also the source of her ability to do miracles. Or is it? Discussions regarding faith, imagination, coincidence, and the power of love will surely ensue.