Katherine Vaz has written an epical love story spanning an ocean, continents and nearly eight decades that is intertwined within an historical fiction account of two refugee children who in the 1840s are forced to flee their Portuguese island of Madeira because of religious intolerances. Reunited many years later in Springfield, Illinois, their love is ignited only to be thwarted by countless religious and familial obstacles, racial stereotypes, societal betrayals, and even complications of military duties during the Civil War. Yet the author drives the reader forward with vivid historical references and a sustained hope for their love story.

With prose that is both stunning and lyrical, the author totally captivates the reader as she weaves the various subplots and supporting characters into her storyline to produce this fabulous page-turner. The only shortcoming is that too many of these characters lived well into their 80s and 90s, which was quite unusual and not supported by actuarial data for this time period. Nevertheless, this novel is not to be missed, as Vaz is a new and exciting, long-awaited voice of Portuguese-Americans. I look forward to reading more from her.

Sylvia Beach's English-language bookstore in Paris, "Shakespeare and Company", comes alive in this historical fiction account of the years between the two world wars. As the nucleus for Parisian literary life, the bookstore allows Beach to befriend and promote expatriate writers and their work. The plot is driven by her vision and determination to overstep boundaries and become the first publisher of James Joyce's Ulysses, previously banned in the US.

Although Maher presents a fabulous portrayal of the struggles and dreams of Sylvia Beach while living amidst the optimism of Paris in the 1920s and 1930s, I think the author got caught up with extensive descriptions of her personal relationship with her lover, Adrienne Monnier. Similarly, the flow of the story often was impeded with details of too many literary figures, rather than concentrating on just a few characters who visited the bookstore. Nevertheless, I think this historical book will appeal to those who are fascinated with the Paris literary scene of the 1920s.

What is a library and what role does it play within its township? Freya Sampson addresses these questions in The Last Chance Library when a small village library faces permanent closure by vote of the city council. As the local community rallies to show their library is far more than a repository for books, an introverted librarian caught in the shadow of her late mother's former job emerges. Despite her extreme social anxieties, the young librarian discovers her own voice via her pen, and most importantly, finds her friendships amongst the eclectic cast of library patrons are truer and more reliable than the characters in the well-worn pages of her beloved novels.

Although this heart-warming story is a quick, easy read with a predictable storyline, the author deftly shows the many important roles a library plays within its community. Librarians, book lovers, and anyone who has found safety and/or comfort in their public library will enjoy this book.

Contemporary London and its 18th century counterpart collide in this historical mystery of a back-alley female apothecary who secretly distributes toxins to women to avenge the men who have betrayed, hurt, and abused them. Intertwining the two timelines with three female characters, Sarah Penner depicts these women struggling with betrayal and loss as they sever the bonds imposed on them by the men in their lives. With its dark side of vengeance along with timely themes of hope and women finding their voices and resilience to unite and support each other, I think feminists and book clubs will enjoy discussing this book.

Poverty is the underlying challenge of Jaquira Diaz's broken childhood – a childhood that is plagued with parental neglect and addiction, verbal and physical abuse, rejection, hunger, and utter chaos. Living in public housing projects in Puerto Rico and Miami Beach, Diaz relates her struggles with unrepressed anger, depression, suicide, and sexual identity while clinging to a core group of troubled girlfriends like herself. Many will compare this book to Tara Westover's "Educated", because both women relate an escape story from abusive families, but their journeys are very different. Once Westover fled from her parents' isolated home in Idaho, her memoir reflects a fairly linear, forward journey with some minor bumps. In contrast, Diaz's escape mirrors her convoluted route, but her omission of the detailed process along with her disjointed, non-linear writing style make it difficult to follow. Nevertheless, Diaz's story is not to be missed.

In Vox, Christine Dalcher has crafted a mind-blowing dystopia that is shockingly sexist, and yet it is filled with cultural, religious, and political elements of credibility that bring her distorted environment to the present day. Accurate clinical depictions of neurological and linguistic disorders further heighten the reality and suspense of this page-turning novel. Written in the vein of Margaret Atwood's A Handmaid's Tale, this thought-provoking novel remains with the reader long after and serves to remind each of us to embrace and value the diversity and rights of all people.

In this sweet but somewhat contrived novel Elizabeth Berg intertwines the lives of three unrelated, lonely people – an aged spinster, a dejected, bullied teenage girl, and an 80-year old recent widower. With themes of depression, marginalization, rejection, tolerance, and friendship, the author develops a righteous story of acceptance and love as the major components for what becomes a very unorthodox family. Although the characters of the spinster and widower are well developed and authentic, the circumstances and portrayal of the teenage girl seem quite forced and unrealistic. Nevertheless, the author has written a heartwarming story that promises to bring a handful of tears too.