The Dinner by Herman Koch

This novel is dark and disturbing, yet a delightfully addictive read. An international best seller, The Dinner has been called the "European Gone Girl."

On a summer night in Amsterdam two couples, Paul and Claire and Serge and Babette meet in a chic restaurant to talk about their children. Each has a fifteen-year old son, and together the teens commit an unspeakable crime. Between entrees we learn that Paul, the father of Michel, has a dark past. Paul's disturbing secrets slowly unfold, chilling this reader to the bone. Serge, the father of the other boy is a prominent politician soon to become the Netherlands' prime minister. The mothers of the teens, Claire and Babette, have their own ideas of how to deal with the situation.

What's a parent to do? What would you do if you loved someone who committed a horrific crime?

Alan Bradley’s first novel introduces us to 11 year old Flavia de Luce.  Living in a run-down English estate in the 1950’s with her father and two sisters, Flavia fancies herself a detective.  She has a well-equipped chemistry lab to aid in her investigation.  Here she also loves to experiment with poisons, dreaming up ways to retaliate against the older sisters who torment her.  When a dead bird with a stamp on its beak appears on the family’s doorstep and a stranger is found murdered in the cucumber patch, Flavia sets out to investigate.  When it appears that Flavia’s stamp-collecting father may be involved, Flavia tries even harder to solve this case, despite resistance from the local police.  

Flavia is an endearing, intelligent character.  Author Bradley has received numerous awards for this book including the Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger Award.  There are currently 5 books in this series with a sixth due out in January.

Angels at the Table by Debbie Macomber

 

Angels at the Table is the latest in the Angel Series.  Shirley, Goodness and Mercy are back with an apprentice angel, Will.

Shirley, Goodness, Mercy, and Will are God’s prayer ambassadors.  They have come down to Earth even though it is forbidden.  Their presence on Earth causes some mishaps.

In this novel, Lucie and Aren meet in Times Square on New Year’s Eve with the help of the angels, Shirley, Goodness, Mercy, and Will.  Lucie is a chef who has recently opened a restaurant, Heavenly Delights.  Aren is an anonymous food critic for the New York Gazette newspaper.  Their relationship hits a bump in the road.  The angels feel it is their duty to help them get back together.  Instead they cause more problems, sometimes with funny results.  Eventually, their efforts to reunite Lucie and Aren are successful.

This book is for anyone who enjoys a warm hearted story with a happy ending.

 

 

 

Ken Follett's historical epic entitled The Century Trilogy:

 
The first book of the trilogy, Fall of Giants, takes place at the time of WWI, the Russian Revolution, and the fight for women’s suffrage.  Five families from different countries, interconnected through relationships, become embroiled in the national causes of their countries.  Often members are on opposing sides of the issues and even of the battles of war.  Winter of the World, the second book in the trilogy picks up right where the first book left off, as its five interrelated families—American, German, Russian, English, Welsh—enter a time of enormous social, political, and economic turmoil, beginning with the rise of the Third Reich, through the Spanish Civil War and the great dramas of World War II, up to the explosions of the American and Soviet atomic bombs. The third book, due out in 2014 and provisionally titled Edge of Eternity, will be about the next generation during the Cold War.

Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

 

Abandoned as a baby, Victoria has spent her entire childhood in foster care. Her bad behavior and mistrust of people makes it difficult for her to stay anywhere for too long. Her social worker has lost patience with her but is willing to place her in one more foster home before she gives up and places Victoria in a group home where she will stay until she turns eighteen. Victoria is nine when she moves in with Elizabeth, an expert with plants and flowers. Victoria learns about the meanings of plants and flowers and begins to relate to the world through this knowledge. Things go pretty well until Victoria learns that Elizabeth has some very dark secrets from her past.

 

The Garden Color Book

As the end of a dreary winter approaches, it’s time to look forward to spring planting. Perhaps you want an ornamental garden, but don’t know which plants can live together harmoniously. You might know your plants but have difficulty coming up with pleasing combinations. The Garden Book of Color can assist you with all of this. Pages are divided into three sections that flip individually like flashcards. Each page displays a tic- tac- toe of plants grouped by color and height. You can flip the page sections to match them up with a myriad of others displaying annuals, perennials and shrubs of different shapes and colors. On the opposing page you will find concise information on size, light/moisture requirements, hardiness and bloom times. Also included are suitable companion plants, along with maintenance and propagation tips. If you need a little extra help, the back section of the book contains “planting recipes” for colorful, enticing gardens. This is a very practical book, with lush, seductive photography. It’s a must read for any garden enthusiast, even apartment dwellers looking for a good fantasy.

 

The Diviners by Libba Bray

 

Evie is a girl with a penchant for trouble—which she uses to cover the sadness at the loss of her good-guy of a brother in the war.  She’s such trouble, in fact, that her actions get her into MAJOR trouble with the local rich kid’s family. The situation left Evie tipsy and out of control of her weird talent: psychically reading objects to find out about the owner’s life. As a result, Evie’s parents send her away for a while to live with her uncle in New York City.  Uncle Will (aka Unk) runs The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition and the Occult and is an expert on the topic. Beside him is his lurching assistant Jericho, who despite being pretty animatronic, actually isn’t a bad guy.  Together they embark on the strange and fantastic journey to get to the bottom of the unsolved crimes of ghost Naughty John.   

I was just over the moon listening to this title because the setting is so rich and vivid.  The 1920s envelope you from beginning to end.  I always worry when I read a story from this time period; it's a particular favorite of mine and so few authors do it justice. The setting, however, feels simply jake...the lingo, the bustle of New York and the vastness that is the Ohio plain are all spot on. The characters in this story are richly painted in their entirety as completely imperfect; there is not a hero or heroine without a temptable, dark side. The darkest moments could not make you feel any more creeped out. The audio on this was spot on; the voices sang like the Jazz Age and the speaker crossed color lines and gender roles flawlessly. I cannot wait to see where this series goes next. I love, love Libba Bray. She just gives me a full serving of amazing every time she writes.