From Shakespeare to Stephen Sondheim and Amos Oz to Joyce Carol Oates, this scholarly collection of more than 50 essays, mostly erudite literary criticism, is at times a delight to read and at other times a real slog.

Author Lorrie Moore has assembled essays in chronological order that she previously published from 1983 to 2017 in such prestigious publications as the New York Review of Books, The New York Times Book Review, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Harper's Magazine and more. In addition to literary criticism, Moore opines on such varied subjects as the movie "Titanic," Barack Obama, her first job, the best love song of the millennium, the O.J. Simpson trial, Monica Lewinsky, the TV series "The Wire" and 9/11 ten years later.

Moore has a formidable intellect and an astonishing bucket of knowledge stored in her brain. Here is one of just MANY examples: When discussing the theme of water in Alice Munro's short story collection "Runaway," she compares and contrasts it with the ancient Roman poet, Ovid: "…in Ovid water fuses a couple's sexuality; in Munro it distinguishes and separates." This is not a fact that one can easily Google. Lorrie Moore just knows it, gleaning it from her prodigious literary background, education and admirable memory (she's 61!). Her depth and breadth of knowledge is truly admirable and something of which I am, quite frankly, in awe.

Still, while most of the essays are fascinating and truly inspired me to read (and buy) the books, some are so highbrow and cluttered with intellectual--and at times perplexing--drivel they are difficult to comprehend and a chore to finish.

Bottom line: If you enjoy reading scholarly literary criticism, this book is for you. If you would rather just read the novel or short story collection, skip this.

This is a work of fiction that is masquerading as nonfiction. Beware! You will learn quite a bit of history while being utterly absorbed in a spellbinding tale. It is the literary equivalent of tricking us into eating our vegetables.

Author Ken Follett has crafted an engaging—and often absolutely gripping—story about the violent and brutal birth of Protestantism in England, France, Spain and the Netherlands in the 16th century. The book, which is the third in the Kingsbridge series and preceded by "Pillars of the Earth" and "World Without End," is peppered with real-life people who actually shaped these events, as well as fictional heroes and villains. (A helpful list at the end of the book explains who was real.)

This is a prodigiously researched historical account of a truly perilous time in European history, as kings and queens mandated their subjects' religion—and woe to those who ignored those official edicts. But faith is quite difficult to regulate. People naturally fight for their God, and that leads directly to the fierce, vicious and horribly bloody conflict that characterized the 1500s as Roman Catholics and Protestants battled one another in the belief that the two could not coexist peacefully.

What makes this book a thriller is the imaginative stories of the big and bold fictional characters—engrossing and captivating tales of romance, adventure, conniving tricks and murder—so all that history sneaks up on the reader. And that, quite simply, is the genius of Ken Follett: He is both history teacher and storyteller. (My only complaint is that the retelling of the history sometimes—but not often—gets in the way of the story. When that occasionally happens, it can be a slog to get through it. After all, this is a novel. But the slog is always worth it.)

Warning! This book isn't for the fainthearted, and beware reading it while you eat lunch. There are several absolutely gruesome descriptions of the torture methods used for interrogating and killing prisoners and enemies. It can be raw and brutal, but it is true to the facts.

This captivating story of dear Arthur Pepper, grieving widower, discombobulated father and disgruntled neighbor, is a lot like a soft, warm shawl. It will wrap its way around you, and you won't want to let it go. It is a tale about life, love and loneliness—and the inescapable fact that we are never too old to change.

This is a feel-good book. There is no profound philosophical content that attempts to change the direction of the world, but this is just the book to have on your (electronic) bookshelf when you need it. It is what it is…and enjoy it just for that.

It has been one year to the day since Arthur Pepper's wife, Miriam, died. He has tasked himself with finally going through her things, and in so doing he finds a mysterious 18-carat gold charm bracelet that he has never before seen. But what do the eight charms—ranging from an elephant decorated with an emerald to a paint palette engraved with the initials SY—mean, if anything? Peering closely at the elephant, Arthur sees a telephone number engraved on it. So it calls the number…and it is answered by a physician in India. As far as he knows, his wife has never been to India. Or has she? Herein is the plot of the book as Arthur, so set in his ways and obstinately devoted to his daily routine, disrupts his life to find out the meaning behind each of the charms. As he takes on this strange, twisted and quite unusual journey, Arthur discovers much about Miriam's apparently secret life before their marriage—including something so utterly shocking to him that it has the potential (if he lets it) to destroy everything he cherished about her. And along the way, Arthur also discovers something else: Himself.

Beautifully written by Phaedra Patrick, this book offers a true appreciation of the human condition in all its foibles and frailties, and the double entendre of the title is just plain fun. It is a delight to be treasured.

Bonus: The ending is perfect. Just perfect.

This is a masterpiece—an original, imaginative, inspired masterpiece. That is the only way to describe this extraordinary Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Geraldine Brooks.

Published 137 years after Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women," this is the story of Mr. March, who was largely absent from Alcott's timeless classic as he was serving as a chaplain in the Civil War. The first part is written from Mr. March's point of view, while the second part is written initially from his wife's point of view when she is in Washington caring for her extremely ill husband and then switches back to him. (You will see a new and somewhat shocking side of Marmee!)

While Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy learn how to become kind, caring ladies while living in their small New England village—visiting the poor, mending their bonnets, taking walks, writing letters and playing small, harmless pranks on each other—their father is sent to Virginia to serve as a war chaplain where he witnesses horrific and gruesome brutality that will forever change who he is and how he views the world. This, along with some of his actions, will threaten his and Marmee's marriage in surprising ways no innocent reader of "Little Women" could imagine.

The contrast between the two books—"Little Women" and "March"—could not be more extreme. The one shows us sweet, genteel, mannerly girls who love greatly and seek to do good as they learn how to live moral, upright lives. The latter shows us the other side of life that is occurring at the exact same time but one that is brutal, dark, violent, cruel, vicious and evil.

And here is the sheer genius of "March": Brooks writes in the style and language of the 19th century, even though she is a 21st century author.

A Reading Recommendation: This is very much a companion book to "Little Women," albeit one that Louisa May Alcott never envisioned. I highly encourage you to read (or more likely reread) "Little Women" before reading "March." There are numerous nuances, details and references to the little women living in New England that will have far greater meaning for you as a reader of "March" if "Little Women" is fresh in your mind.

This is a creative and philosophical masterpiece. And it is also a really good book—as in sometimes it's hard to do anything but read.

Author extraordinaire Joyce Carol Oates has done the seemingly impossible: She has written a book about abortion from both sides of this volatile issue without denigrating either position. The characters are presented as fully human—well-meaning, basically good people who feel vehemently about this discordant issue. But this agonizing story is SO SO SO much more than a fictionalized account of the abortion debate. It is primarily a heartbreaking saga of two broken families, who are in many ways the ultimate victims.

Luther Dunphy believes Jesus has commissioned him to kill "abortionist-murderer" Dr. Gus Voorhees. He does so, shooting him point blank in the face in cold blood. That is not a spoiler. It is the basis of the entire plot. The genius of this book is not in the action, but rather in the emotionally-charged stories of Dunphy and Voorhees's wives and their children—especially two of the daughters, Dawn Dunphy and Naomi Voorhees—who are horrifically damaged by what happened. Most of the book focuses on how they pick up the pieces (or not) after this gruesome, violent act so they can continue living.

Eventually, Dawn and Naomi meet. And it is done in such a way as only Joyce Carol Oates could ever conceive. It is not only brilliant, but also highly disturbing—and considering the characters, it makes total sense.

The ending is flawless, thought-provoking and powerful far beyond the simple action that occurs.

Told from multiple points of view, this provocative narrative is sympathetic, realistic, utterly engaging—and very intense. This book will demand your full attention. This book will break your heart. This book will open your eyes. This book is truly a book for our times.

Genius. Pure genius. I will only say that once (well, twice). Because if I don't make that pledge now, I will pepper my review of this extraordinary literary fiction masterpiece with the word "genius." (Okay, three times.)

That said, this is a challenging book to read on several levels. Not only is the subject matter horrific in quite a few places and just plain heartbreaking in others, but also the writing, albeit it brilliant and even poetic at times, is dense. Very dense. Translation: It's slow going. But it is so worth the time, effort and emotional energy you as a reader must devote to this book. (Just don't take it to the beach.)

Written by Stephen Markley, the book takes place on a single summer night in 2013 when two men and two women from the New Canaan (Ohio) High School classes of 2003 and 2004 come home for a visit. This isn't a planned reunion. Just a coincidence. Their past lives collide with their present lives in ways that are emotionally charged to the point of almost being explosive. New Canaan is a fictional town, but the problems these kids are facing are not: a recession that stole jobs and closed down the big employers, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the debilitating opioid epidemic.

In some ways "Ohio" reminds me of a modern-day version of "American Graffiti"—without the soundtrack. The action takes place one evening/night in the heat of summer, but unlike the seemingly minor worries of 1950s teenagers, these 20-something millennials have stories to tell that are bruising, anguished and dark. Oh, so very dark. As a reader, I sometimes wanted to close my eyes from the wreck some of them made of their lives, but at the same time I was irresistibly drawn to it.

This structurally complex book is nearly perfect with a bold, imaginative plot and vividly-drawn characters whose lives will haunt my soul long after I read the last page.

What is ordinary, everyday time? How do our memories of the past shape our reality of the present? Author Julian Barnes explores these and other existential questions in this Man Booker Prize-winning two-chapter novel that is short enough to be read in one sitting, but was way too intense for me to attempt doing that.

Anthony Webster considers himself to be average in almost every way. Now in his 60s, he is amicably divorced (he still has lunch occasionally with the ex) and retired. Suddenly—and in a rather bizarre fashion—his first girlfriend, Veronica, comes roaring back into his life 40 years later in a confusing and confounding way. Her sudden appearance causes him to philosophize about his past and present and reconsider who he is—and who he was.

Concise though it may be, the book is laden with great philosophical topics, arguments and points. The plot, such as it is, is there as a pretty frame to surround the author's erudite theories of life, love and death that are the real crux of the book. But it works! I found myself rereading many paragraphs because they were so insightful, complex and thought-provoking.

Remember how "Seinfeld" was the sitcom about nothing? That also describes this book. Sometimes, I thought I could hear Jerry or George or Elaine in the dialogue. And just like the writers of "Seinfeld" imaginatively did, Julian Barnes also brilliantly accomplishes: It turns out that "nothing" can be a very powerful and profound something.

Is love alone enough to heal a fractured family? That is the essential question of this truly magnificent novel by Fatima Farheen Mirza that unerringly examines the joys and sorrows children and their parents wrest upon one another—intentionally or not. It is a timeless story of all families. Also, just be forewarned: This is a powerful, intense story that will require quiet reading time to fully appreciate.

Rafiq and Layla are Indian Muslims. They marry in an arranged marriage, and Layla moves from Hyderabad, India to San Francisco to be with her husband. They have three children, and Layla becomes a devoted and loving stay-at-home mom. Hadia is the overachieving, first-born who does all she can to please (and never disappoint) her strict and stern father. Huda is the complacent, sweet second child. And then Amar, the only boy, tries so hard to belong but always feels like an outsider—even (and perhaps, especially) within his own family. Led by the parents, the family is devoutly religious, which serves as both a rock of resilience and hope, as well as a wedge that tears them apart.

This is also a book about American culture. Mirza deftly places the reader so firmly inside this family that we bond with them and feel great sympathy for them. That makes it all the more poignant when they experience the ugliness perpetrated against Muslims immediately following and in the years after 9/11. And that is the real power of great literature! No matter your race or religion, once you are inside this story, you will feel the psychic and physical pain of being treated and viewed as the outsider in your own country.

While the book begins on Hadia's wedding day, it quickly slips back to the deep past and then the near past and then back again to the present. I'm not even sure there is a word that describes the chronology of this story, but the author handles it deftly and expertly so it is never jarring or jerky. In fact, it is nearly perfect.

Told with candor and compassion from the points of view of various family members, this profound book reveals not only all that is good and solid and loving in any family, but also those things big and small that can be so hurtful and continue to hurt for years. It will break your heart for all that could have been but wasn't, and it will make you wonder in awe at the healing power of love.

When it comes to historical fiction, I do think the most fascinating time period is the reign of King Henry VIII during the first half of the 16th century. Why? It was such a soap opera! Everything was done to excess—eating, drinking, gossiping, playing and most of all extraordinarily bad behavior. This book, part of the Plantagenet and Tudor Novels series by Philippa Gregory, tells the story of the fourth and fifth wives of old King Henry.

No. 4 was Anne of Cleaves, the only one of his six wives to escape the marriage with her life intact. Henry despised her for many reasons, and only months after what he quickly considered a sham marriage, he caught the eye of 15-year-old Katherine Howard, portrayed in this book as a ditzy, greedy, vain and vapid little girl.

While this fictional story that is faithful to the historical facts may read like a soap opera in the extreme, Philippa Gregory has written this book with a touch of literary genius. Each chapter is told in the first person by one of three people: Anne of Cleaves, Katherine Howard or Jane Boleyn, who served both Anne and Katherine as a lady-in-waiting and was the sister-in-law of the doomed Anne Boleyn. Gregory so deftly and vividly distinguishes each of these three women's personalities and voices that chapter titles are almost not needed. Read a few sentences, and you will know who is the narrator. It is an extraordinary writing feat that adds abundant richness to an already gripping narrative. And face it, that's tough to do when anyone who studied European history in high school already knows the tragic, gruesome and terror-filled ending.

A valuable lesson to learn from this period of history: King Henry VIII may have received the crown humbly in 1509, but he turned into a tyrannical monarch who assumed he had the right to absolute power. He truly believed that whatever he did, no matter how horrific, violent or cruel, was the will of God. There were no checks and balances on his power. To silence his enemies, he killed them—thousands and thousands of them. He stole. He lied (a lot). He was duplicitous. He terrified an entire country. He proved that absolute power absolutely corrupts.

The best way I can describe this book by Rahna Reiko Rizzuto is emotionally searing. It is profound, deeply moving and it will break your heart. That said, I also think this may very well be great literature.

Ingeniously plotted, this structurally complex book is essentially three, interlocking stories of three women told over three time periods. Lillie is haunted by demons unleashed when she narrowly misses being killed by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, and she cannot help but impart some of those demons on her identical twin daughters, Hanako and Keiko. Once they were so melded into seemingly one being that the girls shared a nickname, Koko. Inevitably, their spirits separate—but in a cruel, monstrous and violent way. Can they ever regain their trust and love for one another? This is a book about the power of memory, the power of our personal stories and the power of love.

Here is an interesting dichotomy for the reader: This book is so intense and emotionally charged, it is often difficult to keep reading, but at the same time, this haunting and engrossing story is told in such a captivating way that it's hard to stop reading. The book penetrated my heart, and I know I will be thinking about it for a long time to come.

She was America's sweetheart. She was living the perfect life. And that perfect life suddenly cracked open like a rotten egg when Meghan Fitzmaurice, the lead anchor of America's top-rated morning talk show didn't realize her mic was on and said two words that one must never, ever say on television.

That's the premise of this superb book by Anna Quindlen. But it is the author's genius and creativity that turn what would probably be just another ChickLit classic into something so much more: The story is told in the first person from the point of view of Meghan Fitzmaurice's younger sister, Bridget, who is a social worker in New York City's worst housing projects. So while it is Meghan's stunning fall from grace that forms the primary plot, it is Bridget's story that is the spirit and soul of this multilayered and imaginative book. Each of the characters—from major to minor—is vividly imagined and seems so real and so true.

Perhaps most of all, this book is about the fictions, big and small, we tell ourselves and others about the lives we live. What is real? What are we portraying to others that is merely a well-erected façade and nothing like the truth? And is there one person on this Earth who knows difference?

Anna Quindlen is a keen observer of real life with an incredible insight into the human psyche, making this engaging book a five-star read.

The plot premise of this book is truly the stuff of nightmares and, tragically, real news headlines: What if a ravaging, uncontrollable wildfire burned not only everything you own, but also destroyed your entire town?

It is 1947. Gene and Grace Holland live a simple life in a simple house in Hunts Beach on the coast of Maine. Her mother is present but distant, and her mother-in-law despises her. Claire is two, Tom is nine months old, and Grace is pregnant. Their marriage is as brittle and dry as the drought that shrouds this idyllic land by the sea. When a wildfire breaks out up and down the coast of Maine, Gene and most of the other men band together to try to fight it. Left alone, Grace does something truly extraordinary to save her life, her children's lives and those of her best friend and her kids, who live next door. But when the fire is finally snuffed out, there is nothing left—nothing!—and Gene is missing. But just as fire does in nature, using this catastrophic force for rebirth and eventual regrowth, Grace musters all her inner strength and courage to also rebuild the shards of her life. And then everything comes crashing in again.

This is a story about the untapped strength and power of one woman's spirit.

The book is a fast and captivating read that is so much more than mere plot. Author Anita Shreve has created characters who will reach into your soul. The descriptions are so vivid and bold that I could almost feel the heat of the flames and the chill of the ocean. Best of all, the twists and turns of the story, especially at the end, are how really good books are written.

Sadly, Anita Shreve died on March 29, 2018, but I will always be in awe of the legacy she has left us.

This is so much more than a memoir. It is also a sermon of sorts--but the good kind of preaching that doesn't shout, scold and threaten, but rather the kind that warmly draws you in and offers extraordinary hope, real optimism and awestruck inspiration.

Written with candor and compassion by Michelle Obama, "Becoming" is not only her biographical story, but also a guidebook for life. By turns charming, heartbreaking and hilarious, this is one of those rare nonfiction books that will grab you and not let go.

The former first lady is many things, and one of them is a gifted storyteller. Her candid tales of growing up on Chicago's South Side, her experiences at Princeton as a black woman, the challenges and joys of her various jobs, meeting and falling in love with Barack Obama, becoming a mother and eventually living in the White House are so colorful and compelling that they could compete with any novel for their ability to captivate readers.

Bonus: The story of how Barack proposed to Michelle is alone worth the price of the book. And hint to men everywhere: Don't do what he did! It will likely backfire. Actually, it's kind of crazy that it worked for him. And aren't we all glad it did!

This is a daring, audacious and imminently readable retelling of the story of the goddess Circe from her own point of view. While she was a relatively minor character in Greek mythology, her tale of life, love and redemption becomes something much larger in the talented hands of author Madeline Miller: a ferociously feminist tale.

Circe, who is the daughter of the god of the sun, Helios, is more than a goddess. She is also a witch, capable of creating powerful spells that she can cast on both gods and mortals. As she is just becoming aware of her powers as a witch, she casts two spells that lead Zeus to banish her forever on the deserted island of Aiaia. And "forever" is a really, really long time for a goddess, since she will never die. While Circe is stuck here, she is not living her millennia in solitude. She has visitors! Lots of them. Some are good and some are evil, but none is boring. And the parade of mortals and gods who come to Aiaia is a supremely entertaining tour through the best of the myths.

The book, like all Greek mythology, can be read on two levels. While the intriguing stories of gods and goddesses, monsters and leviathans, unspeakable violence and extreme danger, and witches and spells are fun and fascinating, they tell a deeper tale of what it means to be fully human and what it means to be fully alive.

Deftly written and ingeniously plotted with a cast of characters steeped in storytelling lore, this is a truly imaginative book to be treasured.

Oh, this is a wonderful, wonderful book! This is a 10-star book in a five-star world.

Written in a similar style as "The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper" and (to some extent) "Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine," this heartwarming—but not sappy!—book by Elizabeth Berg is honey for the soul. It's a feel-good, but realistic, story. And considering the sometimes dark and scary real world in which we now live, we need more novels like this. (Good news! There is a sequel.)

Arthur Moses is 85 and recently widowed. He lives alone in his house with his cat, Gordon. He has a lunch date every day with his deceased wife, Nola. With a bagged lunch and folding chair, Arthur takes the bus every day to the cemetery where he and Nola have a nice chat while he munches on his sandwich. One day, Arthur notices a teenage girl sitting against a nearby tree. Maddy is lonely. Not only did her mother die when Maddy was two weeks old, but also her father barely acknowledges her existence. And worst of all, she is bullied at school. While it doesn't happen immediately, Arthur and Maddy strike up an unusual friendship—one that saves them both. And then there is his neighbor, Lucille, an elderly widow who experiences her own rejuvenation when her high school boyfriend shows up in her life and changes everything—almost.

This is truly an enchanting book with rich and diverse characters who show us the possibilities for love, laughter and joy. Read it to feel good!

This is the best way to describe how I feel about this book: Shock and awe!

Author Tara Westover's life in the mountains of Idaho as the youngest child of a Mormon survivalist who shunned formal education—be it in a public school or homeschooling—shocked and angered me. And that isn't the only abuse Tara suffered. This little girl did a man's work in a junkyard under horrifically unsafe conditions. In addition, her older brother physically and painfully abused her for years, and their parents turned a blind eye to the violence in their own home. But score one for the human psyche. Somehow, Tara rose above all this and did the seemingly impossible at age 17: She went to college. On a scholarship. And with dogged determination she earned a Ph.D. from Cambridge University. But in changing her life so drastically, Tara was forced to make a choice no one should ever have to make: Education or a loving place in her family?

Tara Westover's shocking life story is nothing short of awe-inspiring. All of this is not a spoiler because WHAT happens is only secondary to how Tara responds to it. That is the real story and what makes this book so worth reading.

It's a good thing this is nonfiction because it would be absolutely unbelievable as a novel. It will grab your attention (and likely your heart) and not let go. This book is an absolutely riveting, all-consuming read that is beautifully written with intelligence and sympathy.

I gave this book five stars for one simple reason: It's really, really good. That said, this is not great literature. But so what? It's a gripping, captivating story, and even the snobbiest (er, most selective) readers occasionally need a totally plot-driven, page-turning book that makes them read past their bedtime. And that is this book.

This powerful psychological thriller by A.J. Finn tells the story of Anna Fox, a child psychologist who developed agoraphobia (fear of leaving home) triggered by a horrific event in her life that happened 10 months earlier. Without much to do besides watch old black-and-white movies, play online chess and drink (way too much) merlot, Anna spends more time than she probably should staring out the windows of her four-story home in Harlem. Apparently, no one in the neighborhood has blinds, curtains or shades because Anna is highly entertained by what she sees going on in her neighbors' houses…until one day, what she sees strikes terror in her heart. And no one believes her.

Finn creatively tells the main story—that would be the page-turning psychological thriller part—while interspersing the more drawn-out story of why Anna, an alcoholic who is also clinically depressed, is the way she is. Yes, this slows down the plot, but the rewards are many, including fascinating information on agoraphobia.

This is a long book, but a very fast read, mostly because, as Stephen King wrote in a review, it's "unputdownable." Indeed!

This is an extraordinary book that will transport you to a time and place of which you probably have little or no knowledge: rural Georgia at the start of the Great Depression. You will feel it. You will smell it. You will taste it. Yes, that is how exceptionally well this book is written.

That said, it is also a very difficult book to read for two reasons: the subject matter, some of which is graphically violent, and the density of the narrative. This is not a story that readers will sail through easily. While it is emotionally difficult reading—primarily because the characters have such tragic lives—it is a vitally important look at the not-so-distant past and some of its ugliest undertones.

Taking place in rural Cotton County, Georgia in the 1930s, this is primarily the story of white sharecropper Juke Jesup and his daughter, Elma, in a world where nearly everyone is poor and racism is boiling over. While Juke and Elma are at the center of the book, the cast of characters—black and white, rich and poor, male and female, child and adult—is extensive. Juke and Elma's world is turned upside-down when Elma, who isn't married, gets pregnant. She has twins—one is white and one is black. Horrific family secrets, gruesome lies and startling innuendoes unravel—slowly and then ever more quickly—while the ugliness and hate that are buried so close to the surface are shockingly revealed. This is not a book for the fainthearted!

Author Eleanor Henderson employs a fascinating literary technique. She spins the tale, and when a new character is introduced, off she goes with a long, involved and always fascinating story about that person. Then she comes back to the original plot…and wham! Off she goes on another character tangent. But here's the thing: It works! The plot stays fresh, and the characters are so real they almost jump off the page.

This absolutely compelling book is beautifully written with such empathy and wisdom that just by reading the words you will feel the scorching heat of Georgia in July, you'll see the dust that rises up in a drought and you'll (almost) taste the acrid moonshine the men so enjoy drinking.

For Americans, the idea that the government would mandate that couples could have only one child is the stuff of dystopian novels. It is not real life. But in 1980, the Chinese government did just that, and in the sweep of a pen created a law that dizzyingly overturned hundreds of years of Chinese culture: Large families not only provide economic sustenance now, but also care for the elderly later.

Written by Mei Fong, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for the Wall Street Journal who was born in China and lived much of her life there, this book looks at the unforeseen consequences of this Orwellian policy—ramifications so severe, so dire and so ominous that China has reversed the one-child policy and now allows (many) couples to have two children. (Of course, they first have to apply to the government for permission.)

The book is rife with horror stories about the human impact of the one-child policy:
• Find out how China enforces the one-child policy by paying someone in the neighborhood to keep track of who has a child and if there is an "out-of-plan pregnancy."
• Find out the truly horrific and violent ways the one-child policy was enforced.
• Find out why "out-of-plan" children—and there are some 13 million people in China who fit this description--are denied a lifetime of public services, including education and health care.
• Find out why "birth planning" officials, as well as physicians, were paid bonuses for the number of abortions and sterilizations they achieved.
• Find out why there was a rash of infanticide and gendercide in a culture that values males over females.
• And if the girl babies are aborted or killed/abandoned at birth, who will all those boy babies marry one day? Find out the effect of a nation where the boys are so spoiled they are nicknamed "Little Emperors" and then grow up to be lonely bachelors.
• When a couple's only child dies, they are grief-stricken, of course. But find out the horrible and inhumane things that then happen to them, courtesy of the Chinese government, because they have no offspring.
• Find out why China's very future as a country could be at risk.
• And here is the ultimate irony: The vast majority of China's young couples today truly think that one child is just fine and have no desire for more. Find out the not-so-surprising reason why.

This book is imminently readable and sprinkled throughout with the author's first-hand observations and poignant stories of the sometimes tragic effect on real people of the one-child policy. Highly recommended.

If all you do is read the plot summary of this book—in an unnamed South American country, terrorists storm the birthday party of a Japanese electronics executive in a botched attempt to kidnap that country's president—you would never know that this exceptional book by Ann Patchett is actually about friendship and love.

Katsumi Hosokawa is turning 53, not a particularly notable birthday, and in a bald-faced attempt to entice him to build a factory in this backwater country, the government throws him a lavish birthday party at the opulent home of the vice president. The only reason Hosokawa agrees to attend is that the evening's entertainment is his favorite opera singer, the world-renowned Roxane Coss. But terror and fear reign when armed gunmen storm the house and take hostage well over 100 people from a myriad of countries, who speak a myriad of languages. The standoff lasts for months, and during that time the hostages and their captors eventually form what could be described as a near utopia.

Magnificently written with vividly drawn characters, this book is pure genius. The prose is so breathtaking in spots that it is almost poetic, while the storytelling—told individually from many characters' point of view—is absolutely superb. This book is a real treasure.

Bonus: The epilogue qualifies as a surprise ending—but one that also makes total sense.