Oooh! Oooh! Oooh! What a book! It has it all: a historical thriller that doubles as a love story (actually two love stories), incredible writing, a colorful cast of characters, and a plot that is so compelling you had better order out because you won't want to stop reading to do something as mundane as make dinner for your family.

Written by Beatrix Williams, who I think is THE best living ChickLit writer, this is two seemingly disparate stories that eventually intertwine and then connect.

The first, which takes place in the early 1900s, is about Elfriede, an 18-year-old German beauty who marries a baron and suffers horribly from postpartum depression. She is summarily shipped off to a psychiatric facility in Switzerland to come to her senses. Instead, while there she meets the man who will be the love of her life.

Paralleling this is the story of Lulu, which takes place primarily in the Bahamas at the start of World War II. Lulu, who isn't all she appears to be on the surface, is sent to Nassau to write a monthly gossip column for a New York magazine—a column that is focused on the Duke and Duchess of Wales. Better known as Prince Edward and Wallis Simpson, the couple were essentially banished to the Caribbean after he abdicated the throne, and their friendship with Hitler became not only embarrassing, but also problematic to Great Britain.

While in Nassau, Lulu meets Benedict Thorpe, who is supposedly on the island as a botanist, but is really a spy, and the two fall madly in love at the most inopportune time. Add to this breathtaking plot twists of espionage and murder coupled with bravery, daring, and a kind of courage that borders on fearlessness, and the result is a captivating read.

The multilayered plot is not only juicy, but also intelligent and imaginative. Rich in historical detail, the book ingeniously alternates the two stories with each chapter ending in its own little cliffhanger. Truly, once you start reading it, you won't want to stop. This novel left me spellbound!

Tip: In the first pages of the book, reference is made to the 1890 short story "The Yellow Wallpaper," by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and it serves as a thematic anchor to Elfriede's life. I highly recommend reading this very short tale before you read "The Golden Hour."

This is an exceptional book for and about women. It's about the tragedy of rape. It's about the will to survive. It's about what women will do for one another. It's a story that left me shaking and sad, but also feeling heartened and strong.

This is a book that is character driven with only the bare bones of a plot. It's the day after Valentine's Day in 1976. A 14-year-old Mexican-American girl is brutally raped by a white man. She manages to escape her rapist in the middle of nowhere—an arid, dry, and dusty remote area of Odessa, Texas—and finds help on the front porch of a lonely farmhouse. The story cascades from there like dominoes with each chapter telling a tale from the point of view of a different woman or girl—seven characters in all. While the rape and its ugly connotations of class, race, and "boys will be boys" is the centerpiece of the story, it's not the whole story. There is also hope and solace…and maybe even redemption.

Because this extraordinary debut novel by Elizabeth Wetmore is so profoundly compelling, it's hard to stop reading, but because it's also so emotionally raw and gritty it's just as hard to keep reading. This is one of those rare literary novels that is also at its heart a really, really good story.

Bonus: The descriptions of this remote, heat-encrusted area of Texas are so vivid and realistic that I swear I felt the scorching rays of the sun and the itch of chigger bites and even caught a whiff of the odiferous oil in the oil fields as I was reading. The words were so powerful they actually engaged all my senses.

This is an extraordinary novel about love, marriage, family, and faith, and while the title makes it sound like the ultimate ChickLit book, it's not. Written by Eve Harris, this is serious literature that was longlisted for the prestigious Man Booker Prize.

The plot is pretty much nonexistent. Chani, a 19-year-old Orthodox Jew, lives with her family in an Orthodox Jewish community in a London suburb. Her world is very insular. And it's time—really, past time—for her to marry. When Baruch, a 20-year-old man she has never met and whom her family does not know, shows an interest in her, the matchmaker goes to work. After four dates, they are engaged. This is not only their story, but also the story of Chaim and Rivka, the rabbi and his wife. Married more than two decades, their relationship is hardened and fracturing. Their son commits an abominable sin that will forever stain their family. Can they find redemption and hope again?

It is the stark contrast between the two stories—of falling in love and falling away from love—that makes this book so deep and rich.

Bold and vibrant characters are what make the novel sing. The life of an Orthodox Jew, even in 2008 when the book is set, revolves around daily attendance at synagogue, kosher meals, no touching of the opposite sex unless it's within a family, and a vast array of religious practices that determine everything from fashion to food. When young adults, who truly believe everything they have been taught all their lives, collide with a promiscuous and permissive culture, those beliefs and their strict way of life that are at the core of their being are fully tested. And it this conflict that makes the book so brilliant. While the ending was a real surprise (to me, at least), it was also perfect in its own way.

Bonus: While parts of this book are unspeakably sad, other parts are hilarious—especially Chani and Baruch's wedding night. Both have been so purposefully sheltered their entire lives that neither has any idea about the mechanics of sex or even kissing. It's funny, charming, and endearing.

Tip: Yiddish is liberally sprinkled throughout the text, making the glossary of Yiddish terms at the back of the book essential for all who are not versed in Yiddish. Even this Episcopalian learned enough Yiddish to read the second half of the book without consulting the glossary! And the Yiddish adds so much to the flavor of the book that it's worth the extra time to look up the words. (If you're reading this on a Kindle as I did, do bookmark the glossary.)

This book is not a page-turner. It is not filled with suspense. There is very little literary tension. Instead, there is an undercurrent—one that is so subtle at first that it's barely discernible but eventually grows in power — so much so that when the substance and the meaning of that undercurrent dawn on you, you won't be able to stop reading.

Ruth Plank and Dana Dickerson were born on the same day — July 4, 1949 — in the same small hospital in the same small town in New Hampshire. Ruth's mom called them "birthday sisters," but when the Dickersons moved away, the two had little contact. Oh, every once in a while, the families would meet, but it wasn't ever long enough for Ruth and Dana to become friends again, although Ruth did have eyes for Dana's handsome older brother, Ray. Chapter by chapter, the novel alternates between Ruth's story and Dana's story, both of which are told in the first person as adults looking back on their lives. And it seems as if that's all that is going on—two very different women telling their stories with little connection to the other. Just wait…just wait. Aha!

If you're paying attention, it's easy to figure out what's really going on. But here's the thing: Long after most readers have that "aha!" moment, author Joyce Maynard still doesn't confirm it. For me, that was the genius of this novel. And as the reader, you're in on the secret plot long before the characters realize what's going on.

This is a well-written, imaginative story that adeptly captures the meaning of family and the dark danger of well-kept secrets.

Sometimes history really is shaped by a single man. Or, in this case, two men. Two very different men. They both hailed from South Carolina, although they lived in different worlds. But eventually it was because of them that the Supreme Court ruled that segregated public schools are unconstitutional—and neither of them had anything to do with the 1954 case of Brown vs. the Board of Education.

Written by Richard Gergel, a South Carolina attorney and U.S. District Court judge, this book is an imminently readable slice of history you probably never knew.

What happened first: In February 1946, just three hours after Sgt. Isaac Woodard was discharged from the Army following heroic service in World War II, he was traveling home in uniform on a Greyhound bus to Winnsboro, South Carolina when he had a minor dispute with the driver. The driver kicked him off the bus and into the arms of a Batesburg, South Carolina cop, who proceeded to beat Woodard with his blackjack, blinding him in both eyes. There were many violent acts against Blacks occurring all over the South at that time, but Woodard was unusual in that he lived through it. His case made the national news, thanks to Orson Welles's radio show. Public opinion demanded that the police officer, Lynwood Shull, be tried.

What happened next: President Harry S Truman was appalled by what happened, and his actions—based almost solely on hearing about Isaac Woodard—changed the course of American history by beginning the civil rights movement.

What happened after that: Enter Judge J. Waties Waring, a Charleston blueblood, who was asked to serve as the judge for Shull's trial. Not surprisingly, the all-white jury found Shull not guilty. Quite surprisingly, Judge Waring was deeply affected by Woodard's story, and it dramatically changed his views on race. And then the good judge proceeded to influence equally dramatic changes in the laws of our land. The personal attacks and violence he endured were horrifying, but the support he received from unexpected sources was truly gratifying.

If you ever think that one person cannot make that much of a difference, then read this book to find out how Judge Waring daringly risked everything he held dear in his life to make life better for Black Americans. It's quite a story!

Caution: The description of the beating of Isaac Woodard is quite graphic, as it had to be to fully explain what happened.

In a modest barn in small-town, Wisconsin, a calf is born on Christmas Eve, and instead of the usual spots, it has the unmistakable image of Jesus Christ on its flank to which the farmer said, "Well, that's trouble." Indeed.

Harley Jackson is a quiet, unassuming man living on the land and house in which he grew up. He is not a religious man, but the calf that soon becomes known as "the Jesus cow," upends his careful, unobtrusive life in ways he could never imagine as thousands of people from every state and several countries visit the calf with the unusual birthmark.

Written by Michael Perry, this novel is a profile of rural life in America with quirky characters who embrace beloved small-town values. It's also an understated, simplistic study in religion—specifically, what it means to believe in God without all the hoopla.

It's an amusing story and a fun read even though the plot's climax is totally predictable from early on in the book.

This book made me weep. This book made me angry. This book made me frustrated. This book broke my heart. This book is also a literary masterpiece with a formidable and vital story to tell.

Expertly written by Colson Whitehead, this is the story of Elwood Curtis, a black teenager living in Tallahassee, Florida in the early 1960s. His parents deserted him years ago so he lives with his grandmother, who is raising this child right. He loves school, he takes his part-time job seriously, he wants to go to college, but sometimes he has no common sense—and that is what leads to trouble. When Elwood is sentenced to a reform school called the Nickel Academy for Boys for a crime he did not commit, his life changes in such violent, cruel, and sadistic ways that his soul is forever seared. How he survives this piece of hell on Earth is the crux of the novel with an astonishing plot twist at the end that left me physically shaking.

Elwood Curtis is a fictional character, but the Nickel Academy for Boys is solidly based on the very real Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, Florida. Whitehead honors its former students/inmates by telling this composite story. When such bloody, vicious, and deadly secrets are exposed to the light, one hopes they will never be allowed to happen again.

This book won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for a reason. With a gripping plot, bold and vibrant characters, and razor-sharp prose, the novel's underlying message is so unflinching, significant, and searing it will take your breath away.

Read it!

There is only one way to describe this book: Unputdownable. As in, once you start reading, you really will not be able to stop.

Written by Anna Jean Mayhew, this is a snapshot of August 1954 in the deep South, three months after the Supreme Court ruled to integrated public schools in Brown vs. the Board of Education. Jubie Watts lives a white, middle-class life in Charlotte, North Carolina with her (dishonest and abusive) entrepreneur father Bill, her housewife mother Paula, three siblings, and their black maid, Mary Luther. At 13 years old, Jubie is mostly concerned about seeing forbidden Marilyn Monroe movies and sneaking a peek at her older sister's diary. In August, Paula, the kids, and Mary pile into their Packard to travel to Pensacola to visit Pauly's brother. Later, they will meet Bill at Pawley's Island for a week's vacation at the beach. Although traveling with Mary is problematic as she is not welcome in restaurants or motels, they manage. But on the way to Pawley's they are in a car crash in Claxton, Georgia. No one is hurt, but the car repairs will take several days. It is here that a horrific, heartbreaking crime occurs that will forever change the family. Jubie grows up seemingly overnight, making choices that will define who she is forever.

With vividly drawn characters and a riveting plot, this captivating novel is written with such remarkable insight that it is far better than a history book when it comes to exposing the evil underbelly of racism in the deep South at the cusp of the civil rights movement. It grabbed me on page one and never let go!

This is a book about family. And friends. And lovers. It's a book about the choices we make and the choices that are seemingly thrust upon us—for better or worse. It is a book about the human condition.

Written by Emma Straub, this is the story of the Strick family who live in the small, picturesque town of Clapham, New York. In the opening pages, the family matriarch, 68-year-old widow Astrid Strick, is an eyewitness to a horrific accident. She watches as someone she has known almost her entire life is mowed down by a speeding school bus. Tough-as-nails, strict, and unforgiving Astrid suddenly has a change of heart, not only worrying about all the mistakes she made as a mother, but also confessing a long-held secret to her astonished grown-up children. Life is changing fast. Astrid's granddaughter, 13-year-old Cecelia who lives in New York City with her parents, has come to live with her in Clapham after a mysterious incident (with very creepy undertones) at her NYC school has left her an outcast. Meanwhile, Astrid's three children all have issues of their own: Elliot, who appears successful on the outside, is supremely miserable; at 38, Porter is unmarried and pregnant (by choice); and Nicky, a former movie star and Cecelia's father, is more lost than most adolescents. Oh, and there is sex. A lot of sex and sexual confusion and sexual revelations and sexual angst.

A novel's form determines its function. This novel's form is ChickLit through and through, so it's almost all plot-driven, and at times eyerollingly so. Had the same storyline been written by a more literary author, the psychological issues and emotional breakthroughs of the characters would have resulted in a more structurally complex novel. But it's not that kind of story. It's a breezy, easy read that is not likely to result in readers having fervent, haunting thoughts long after the book ends. Reading this book is like eating cake for dinner. Fun and sweet, but ultimately not fulfilling.

This is a treasure, a true gem of the literary world. It's short, sweet, and absolutely beautiful.

Addie Moore has been widowed for many years. So has her neighbor, Louis Waters, whom Addie knows more as an acquaintance than a friend. One day, Addie does something that some may find shocking: She asks Louis to come to her home and sleep with her every night. Sleep. Just sleep. Nothing else. Louis is surprised, but agrees to the unusual proposition. And their lives will never be the same again. Between the sheets, they tell each other about their past, their present, and their hopes and regrets. When Addie's young grandson, Jamie, comes to live with her after his parents' separation, things change even more. Meanwhile, when Addie's son figures out what's going on, he is scandalized—and angry.

This charming and astute little book by Kent Haruf is a delight to read. It offers such wisdom—and hope!—about the human condition, the mistakes we make, and the anguish we cause those we love. Most of all, it's a testament to the power of love—no matter how old we are.

Oh, this is a depressing book. Melancholy. Tragic. And bleak. The story will grab some dark place of your soul and not let go. Eventually, there is hope and redemption, but it is a deeply sorrowful read to get to that point.

That said, it really is an extraordinary book.

Written by Eleanor Henderson, this is the story of Jude, whom we meet on his 16th birthday, and Teddy, 15, who are best friends living in a small college town in Vermont in the late 1980s. They both come from tragically dysfunctional families. Teddy's father is dead; his mother disappears, leaving him all alone. Jude's parents are divorced; his mother is barely making ends meet as a glassblower artist, while his dad, who lives in New York City's crime-infested Lower East Side, is an upscale drug dealer. Both boys are into drugs and huffing. Teddy dies, which is not a spoiler because the author gives away this eventual plot line in the second sentence of the book. Jude copes by moving to New York to live with his dad and to find Teddy's half-brother, Johnny, a tattoo artist and hardcore punk musician. Jude also finds a friend in Eliza, the trust-fund daughter of his father's girlfriend. But Teddy left them all a big secret, which is revealed soon enough, and it becomes a burden that nearly destroys Jude, Johnny, and Eliza.

The setting is raw, the characters are rough, and like the music they listen to and play, the plot is hardcore.

While this could be described as a coming-of-age story, it's so much more than that because Jude had been living such a loveless life without any of the boundaries parents typically set. It's more a coming-into-the-world story as Jude learns how to live in a way that is not self-destructive.

Ultimately, the dark, melancholic story becomes one of hope and redemption, but the danger is that the journey there is so somber and truly sad that many readers will give up just to exit this gloomy and despondent place. If you start the book, do finish it. It's so worth it.

You can't judge a book by its title. This book may sound like the ultimate ChickLit, but it's not.

Yes, at its core, it is a love story, but that love story is a tightly woven, multilayered historical novel beginning in 1951 during the Korean War and continuing through nearly two decades of political and cultural strife in South Korea. It is a love story that is poisoned by the wounds of war.

Each chapter, which advances the story in leaps of one or two years, is told from the point of view of one of the characters. Haemi is a feisty 16-year-old when the book opens, caring for her sickly little brother and widowed mother as they live in a refugee camp, barely subsiding. Military forces from what would become North Korea invaded their home and so they fled south to the seaside city of Busan to safety and crushing poverty. They became refugees in their country. Haemi's best friend since childhood, Kyunghwan, is equally poor. But he is the one she truly loves. Kyunghwan's cousin, the wealthier Jisoo-hyung is besotted with the spirited Haemi. Since he (and his money) is the key to the family's survival, she marries him. But theirs is a loveless marriage, fraught with anger, violence, and betrayal, and Haemi's response to this life—her profound unhappiness, bitterness, and resentment—will set in motion a swirl of events that quickly catapults out of her control, forever altering their lives.

Just know this before you begin reading: This is a desperately sad book.

Beautifully written by Crystal Hana Kim with vivid descriptions and colorful characters, this book will transport you to a Korea that is poised between two worlds—the steadfast and traditional that is being shattered by contemporary forces of change. Still, at its core, it is a love story—passionate, fiery, and forbidden—that will break your heart just as it broke theirs.

Oh, this book! And it's all because of the writing. Exquisite. Eloquent. Exceptional. This stunningly beautiful novel is very short, but I found myself taking longer to read it than the page count would indicate simply because I reread so many (many!) passages just to savor the sheer poetry of the words.

Masterfully written by Jacqueline Woodson, this is a multigenerational story of a Black family living in Brooklyn, New York. Iris, a good Catholic girl from a stable, upstanding family, is 15 when she gets pregnant with Melody. It's a classic tale of an unintended teenage pregnancy and the ripple-like effect it has on so many lives, but in Woodson's hands this is a tale you've never heard before. It is uplifting and heartbreaking. It is realistic and fantastical. It is beautiful and dangerous. It is prose and poetry.

This succinct novel has it all: a solid, emotionally-charged plot, vibrant characters, superb pacing, and most of all lyrical prose that transforms a simple story into a masterpiece. This novel is nearly perfect.

I am smitten with Louise Penny. And that's saying a lot because I am not enamored of murder mysteries. But her mysteries are another thing all together. Her books are expertly written with not only a compelling whodunit plot, but also extraordinary, entirely human characters that are so real they pop off the page.

Louise Penny's novels—there are 16 of them now—all "star" the brilliant and loveable Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, who is repeatedly sent to the tiny and picturesque Canadian village of Three Pines to solve the latest murder. (Other than the extremely high rate of murder, this would be an idyllic place to live!)

In this, the second of the series, Chief Inspector Gamache is called to Three Pines to investigate the murder of a woman named C.C. de Poitiers, who was inexplicably electrocuted—and not by accident—on Boxing Day while sitting in a chair on a frozen pond watching a community game of curling. Taking place from December 23 through New Year's Day, the book also has several subplots, including a murder of a homeless bag lady on the streets of Montreal, as well as the fractious interactions of some of the detectives and the delightful interactions of the Three Pines residents. Enough clues to the murderer's identity are given so the particularly astute reader stands a chance of figuring it out before the last page (surprisingly, I did), but the plot has enough twists and turns to keep even those astute readers riveted.

Louise Penny's books are highly intelligent, and that's what I enjoy the most about them. She peppers the story with numerous cultural references—literary, poetic, musical, and historical—which truly engaged my mind. I loved asking my Amazon Echo to play the Tchaikovsky violin piece she cites, and I eagerly Googled some of the history she discusses because I wanted to know more. So here we have the ultimate entertainment book, but it's also educational!

This is a multilayered, literary mystery that is perceptive and smart. Wonderful!

This book had me riveted. It's the rarest of nonfiction tomes in that I couldn't stop reading. Just a few more pages…just a few more pages.

That said, it is emotionally exhausting to read. Even if you yourself are not financially squeezed, chances are pretty good you know people who are. Finding out what must go on behind their closed doors is heartbreaking—and frightening.

Written by Alissa Quart, this is a well-researched and spot-on explanation of why and how the middle class in the United States is being squeezed out of existence. And this isn't happening only to high school dropouts and people who may have loafed through college. It's happening to college professors with doctoral degrees, attorneys, journalists, and teachers, among others.

Find out:
• Why having a baby may place a middle-class couple in a financial downward spiral from which they may never recover;

• Why your child's geometry teacher may be grading tests and planning the next day's lessons between his trips driving for Uber;

• Why some day care centers now offer care 24 hours a day;

• Why so many people are drowning in student loan debt.

• Why you may lose your job to a robot.

With each of the reasons why families are being squeezed, Quart attempts to offer solutions. Some are more tenable than others. I don't fault her in this because the solutions to most of these problems are far bigger than something she can conjure. Rather, they go to the heart of who we are as a country—and what we intend to do about it.

This book is shocking, heartbreaking, and an absolute must-read for everyone.

This is a very special book. And while I absolutely loved it, I know it's not for everyone.

Written by Pulitzer Prize-winner Geraldine Brooks, the story takes place in the mid-1600s in Massachusetts in Cambridge and on what we now know as Martha's Vineyard. Bethia Mayfield lives a happy, albeit incredibly hard, life with her English Puritan parents and siblings as new settlers on a beautiful island. Her father is a Calvinist minister who views his life's work as preaching to the wild Wampanoag, who also live on the land. As a girl of 9, Bethia befriends a boy in the tribe that she names Caleb. Their secret friendship—were it known, it would be scandalous—brings her much joy as she teaches Caleb English and her catechism. Caleb is brilliant, kind, and honorable in contrast to many of the white settlers. Eventually he is offered admission to Harvard, the fledgling new college in Cambridge. Bethia doesn't fit the mold of women for her time, and her curious, vibrant, and independent spirit takes her places she otherwise would never go, but it also sparks trouble. The story is framed by questions of religious belief, awakening sexual passion, and the sense of right and wrong in a strict and stilted society.

While this book is totally fictional, Caleb was a real person, who was the first Native American graduate of Harvard College. The title of the book reflects his "crossing" from his native culture and life to that of a scholar in English society.

What makes this book so special is its style and tenor. Brilliantly written in Bethia's first-person voice, the rather slow-paced story reads much like it would if it had been written in the 17th century, including judicious use of some archaic words. (The Kindle dictionary was VERY helpful!) While it takes a few pages to adjust to that tone, what requires a bigger adjustment is the occasional use of words in Wampanaontoaonk, the language of the Wampanoag—and these words are never defined. That said, by paying close attention (Google isn't much help), the discerning reader can figure out what they mean.

Most of all, this is an extraordinary writing achievement, and I was utterly enthralled!

This is a book that is steeped in white male privilege…and the white male who has all this privilege is only 14 years old. But that is the point. Ben, the privileged white teenager, is coming into his first realization of who he is, all he has, and all he could lose.

Written by Alexander Tilney, the novel takes place in the 1990s at St. James School, a posh and storied boarding school in New Hampshire. As Ben enters as a third-former (translation: ninth grade), he is following in the footsteps not only of his brother, father, and uncle, but also generations of his family who have matriculated here. However, all does not go as expected. Ben's randomly-assigned roommate, the fabulously wealthy Ahmad, has brown skin and no sense of how he should act among all these wealthy American boys. It's embarrassing to Ben! But trouble at home soon finds its way to St. James, and Ben quickly realizes his first semester at St. James could be his last. It is only then that he starts to appreciate all he has and mourn what he could lose.

If you can get past all the white male privilege, there is a tender and moving story of adolescence, emotional insecurity, and the pain and travails of growing up. It is a book—as the title says—about expectations: the expectations that Ben has for his new life at St. James, the expectations that the adults have for him, and the expectations of all the rules, written and unwritten. Most of all, it is about expectations unmet and unrealized…expectations that cause great disappointment.

But still…the book presented an obstacle I just couldn't surmount: Ben and the other characters are so (so!) wealthy and have had so (so!) many advantages in life, it was hard for me to feel much empathy for their trials and tribulations. And if I, as the reader, can't feel empathy for the characters, much of the story's meaning gets lost.

This book. This book is gripping. This book is provocative. This book is haunting. This book is intense. This book is genius.

Written by S.M. Hulse, this masterpiece novel takes place in the tiny mountain town of Prospect, Montana. The two mines that once offered employment and prosperity—Eden and Gethsemane—have long been shuttered, leaving a dying town in their wake. Josephine Faber and her older brother, Samuel, have lived together—just the two of them—for years. Their father was killed when the Gethsemane mine collapsed. Their mother was horrifically murdered in front of them by an ex-boyfriend, and when the carnage was over, Jo, who was still a little girl at the time, was shot in the spine and paralyzed from the waist down. But Samuel became her beloved guardian and protector. He was her everything--until the day he did the unthinkable: set off a bomb at a courthouse that gravely injured a little girl, the daughter of the pastor whose church across the street was inadvertently caught in the blast. Samuel thought he could get away with it, but a surveillance camera captures his image. The FBI hounds Jo for any information, while agents search for Samuel, who has seemingly disappeared. Or has he? Meanwhile, Jo befriends a most unlikely man, someone who slowly brings out the story of her past and her terrors of the present.

This is a multilayered psychological novel that is so intricately and tightly woven it will leave you reeling. Shrouded in extraordinary biblical symbolism, the story examines the meaning of faith, the importance of family, and the heartbreak that only those we love the most can cause.

Even though the plot is well-developed, the novel's strength is in the finely-wrought characters. The story slowly unfolds but in such a tantalizing way that it pulls in the reader bit by bit by bit. The writing is absolutely beautiful with stunning language and astonishing descriptions of seemingly minor details. Brilliant imagery of light and dark, earth and sky, and love and evil cement the novel as true literature.

This book is genius.

What a delightful and richly imaginative book! Author Alice Hoffman has perfected the genre of magical realism, telling tales that are captivating and intelligent with just a sprinkle of magic.

This is the first of a three-book series, and while it's not as strong as other Hoffman novels—the writing feels rushed somehow—it is still wonderful.

The Owens siblings—Franny, Jet, and Vincent—were brought up to think they were normal, but they know better. Birds alight on Franny's hands, Jet can read people's minds, and everyone who sees Vincent falls in love with him. When Franny turns 17, she follows family tradition and traipses from her New York City home to her aunt's old house in Massachusetts. Jet and Vincent accompany her, and the three of them spend a memorable summer with Aunt Isabelle, who helps them realize the obvious: They are witches. In addition to learning spells and potions, they learn about their bloodline, which extends to the Salem witch trials. They also learn about the Owens family curse that dates to 1620: If they fall in love, the object of their desire will fall to great harm. The book is the riveting story of their lives—and loves—and how they live with such a curse hanging over them. What is the remedy for this curse? What is the remedy for being fully human?

The real magic of this novel isn't the hocus-pocus. It's the words of wisdom about life and fate, love and loss, and death and dying. Enchanting storytelling combined with complex characters equals a novel that is a true pleasure to read and is perfect for those cool, bewitching autumn evenings.

Bonus: The three rules of magic espoused in the novel are also ideal rules for living a happy, good life.

This is a short novel that is eloquently written, but it's a very slow, almost abstract read. It is a deeply profound and philosophical book that tackles the big questions, such as the meaning of life, the importance of love and family, the significance of God, the impact of the Christian church in our daily lives, especially through the sacraments of Holy Baptism and the Holy Eucharist, and the grief we humans suffer.

While parts of it are absolutely mesmerizing, much of it is rambling and sluggish. There are no chapter breaks; instead, it is a single, long narrative.

Translation: This isn't a book for everyone.

It's the 1950s, and the Rev. John Ames is dying. He 76 years old with a wife in her early 40s and a seven-year-old son. John is the minister at the congregational church in the fictional town of Gilead, Iowa. The book is a letter he is writing to his young son. In addition to stories about his life, he offers life lessons—those things he would have shared with and taught the boy had John lived to see his son become an adult. He also explains to him what John calls his son's "begats"; that is, the family history, which goes back 100 years to John's rather eccentric grandfather, who served as a chaplain for the Union forces in the Civil War.

While this highly original book by Marilynne Robinson feels like a prayer in parts, it is just as much the theological inquiry of a man who spent his life in the Lord's service as he considers and deeply probes what it all means.

This is an intelligent and accomplished literary achievement. Read it because it is a masterpiece, but don't expect a compelling, page-turner of a story.