Novels Now

Catherine Grace Cline was 6 years old on the hot summer day that her mama went to pick berries, fell into the river, and died. The indelible influence of growing up in a small town without a mother makes Catherine long for the day that she can leave Ringgold, Georgia behind her.
When I received the [...]

For those of us living in the United States, the suffering that goes on in other parts of the world is unimaginable. Darfur is one of the places where such suffering takes place. Genocide is occurring there and military power is constantly shifting. The reasons for this are complicated. However, this book contains an appendix [...]

I found this to be a very interesting story of the complexity of family relationships. It deftly illustrates how no decision we make is without repercussions for our family members.
Deborah chooses to shoulder the responsibility for Grace’s actions and inadvertently touches off a chain reaction of events that leads to family confessions about pressure, expectations [...]

I had a love-hate relationship with this book. I loved the fact that we see Tully and Kate from a young age and we get a sense of what makes each girl tick.
I hate the fact that Tully is such a selfish jerk and I find it hard to believe that anyone could maintain a [...]

I read The Tea Rose last year and when I heard that there was a continuation in the series, I couldn’t wait to read it.
I was glad to see Fiona and Joe Bristow make a reappearance in this book. After all the angst and drama they suffered through in The Tea Rose, they deserve to [...]

I have read one other book by Geraldine Brooks, Year of Wonders, which I liked, so I had high expectations for this book.
When I first started reading People of the Book I was sure it was on track to be one of my top reads of the year. There were places where I stopped to [...]

Janice Erlbaum spent a couple of months in a homeless shelter when she was a teenager. It turned out to be an event that put her on the path to a successful and happy life. Twenty years later, she decided that it was time to give back and she begins volunteering her time to the [...]

This was an absolutely wonderful way to start the new year. This is one of those books that leaves you feeling slightly melancholy that it has ended.
The story opens with Grace in a nursing home reflecting on her past. We know from the beginning that she has held secrets and regrets close to her heart [...]