Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia
by Elizabeth Gilbert (Paperback - Jan 30, 2007)

This beautifully written, heartfelt memoir touched a nerve among both readers and reviewers. Elizabeth Gilbert tells how she made the difficult choice to leave behind all the trappings of modern American success (marriage, house in the country, career) and find, instead, what she truly wanted from life. Setting out for a year to study three different aspects of her nature amid three different cultures, Gilbert explored the art of pleasure in Italy and the art of devotion in India, and then a balance between the two on the Indonesian island of Bali. By turns rapturous and rueful, this wise and funny author (whom Booklist calls Anne Lamott’s hip, yoga- practicing, footloose younger sister) is poised to garner yet more adoring fans.

Life of Pi
by Yann Martel (Paperback - May 01, 2003)

Sixteen-year-old Pi Patel finds himself shipwrecked in the middle of the ocean- alone. Well, not exactly. There’s an orangutan, a zebra, a hyena, and a very hungry Bengal tiger with him. This is the story of how he survived. And, this is also his other story of how he lived through it all. Which do you believe?

The Purpose Driven Life
by Rick Warren (Hardcover - Sep 20, 2002)

The #1 international bestseller! This 40-day spiritual journey will help you understand why you are alive and God's amazing plan for you both now and for eternity. Winner of the Gold Medallion Book Award and Christian Book of the Year Award.

Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality
by Donald Miller (Paperback - Jul 17, 2003)

I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn't resolve. . . . I used to not like God because God didn't resolve. But that was before any of this happened. In Donald Miller's early years, he was vaguely familiar with a distant God. But when he came to know Jesus Christ, he pursued the Christian life with great zeal. Within a few years he had a successful ministry that ultimately left him feeling empty, burned out, and, once again, far away from God. In this intimate, soul-searching account, Miller describes his remarkable journey back to a culturally relevant, infinitely loving God.

If God Were Real: A Journey into a Faith That Matters
by John Avant (Paperback - Jul 07, 2009)

Adventure--everyone seeks some adventure in life. This book affirms that there is no greater adventure than to allow God to live in every aspect of your life. • Believe that God will influence your relationships with friends and family. • Discover the difference you will see in your marriage. • Move your faith beyond a mere more... intellectual pursuit and into the real world!

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (Oprah's Book Club)
by Carson McCullers (Paperback - Apr 21, 2004)

With the publication of her first novel, THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER, Carson McCullers, all of twenty-three, became a literary sensation. With its profound sense of moral isolation and its compassionate glimpses into its characters' inner lives, the novel is considered McCullers' finest work, an enduring masterpiece first published by Houghton Mifflin in 1940. At its center is the deaf-mute John Singer, who becomes the confidant for all various types of misfits in a Georgia mill town during the 1930s. Each one yearns for escape from small town life. When Singer's mute companion goes insane, Singer moves into the Kelly house, where Mick Kelly, the book's heroine (and loosely based on McCullers), finds solace in her music.

Wonderfully attune to the spiritual isolation that underlies the human condition, and with a deft sense for racial tensions in the South, McCullers spins a haunting, unforgettable story that gives voice to the rejected, the forgotten, and the mistreated -- and, through Mick Kelly, gives voice to the quiet, intensely personal search for beauty. Richard Wright praised Carson McCullers for her ability to rise above the pressures of her environment and embrace white and black humanity in one sweep of apprehension and tenderness. She writes with a sweep and certainty that are overwhelming, said the NEW YORK TIMES. McCullers became an overnight literary sensation, but her novel has endured, just as timely and powerful today as when it was first published. THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER is Carson McCullers at her most compassionate, endearing best.

Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
by Jared M. Diamond (Paperback - Apr 01, 1999)

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize. In this artful, informative, and delightful (William H. McNeill, New York Review of Books) book, Jared Diamond convincingly argues that geographical and environmental factors shaped the modern world. Societies that had had a head start in food production advanced beyond the hunter-gatherer stage, and then developed more... religion --as well as nasty germs and potent weapons of war --and adventured on sea and land to conquer and decimate preliterate cultures. A major advance in our understanding of human societies, Guns, Germs, and Steel chronicles the way that the modern world came to be and stunningly dismantles racially based theories of human history. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science, the Rhone-Poulenc Prize, and the Commonwealth club of California's Gold Medal.

This House of Sky: Landscapes of a Western Mind
by Ivan Doig (Paperback - Feb 19, 1980)

This work introduced a major modern author to the reading public. Doig’s life was formed among the sheepherders and other denizens of small-town saloons and valley ranches as he wandered beside his restless father.

The Glass Castle: A Memoir
by Jeannette Walls (Paperback - Jan 09, 2006)

Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an excitement addict. Cooking a meal that would be consumed in fifteen minutes had no appeal when she could make a painting that might last forever. Later, when the money ran out, or the romance of the wandering life faded, the Walls retreated to the dismal West Virginia mining town -- and the family -- Rex Walls had done everything he could to escape. He drank. He stole the grocery money and disappeared for days. As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents' betrayals and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home. What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity. Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms. For two decades, Jeannette Walls hid her roots. Now she tells her own story. A regular contributor to MSNBC.com, she lives in New York and Long Island and is married to the writer John Taylor.

The Little Prince
by (Paperback - May 15, 2000)

Translated by Richard Howard, Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s classic tale is re-introduced to a whole new readership. A stranded pilot meets a little prince who recounts his travels from planet to planet and the various characters he’s met along the way. “The Little Prince” is a favorite among adults and children alike with its simple yet profound story.

Nothing to Fear
by Jackie French Koller (Paperback - Aug 27, 1993)

New York City youngster Daniel Garvey is around 11 when the Depression begins. At first he doesn't notice it much, but as the years go by, he sees the toll first in his neighborhood, as friends' families are evicted, and then in his own family. His father, out of work, takes to the road to find employment, and Daniel is left in charge of his expecting, ailing mother and his baby sister. Things go from bad to worse, until the family is rescued by someone who, at first blush, appears to be worse off than they. This differs from Pieter Van Raven's A Time of Troubles (Scribners, 1990) in that it deals with an eastern metropolitan population, not migrant workers. Less derivative than Van Raven's book, it also presents a view of the Depression that, if no less desperate, is less bleak. Daniel is an engaging protagonist who goesthrough numerous rites of passage familiar to young teens--first girlfriend, shaving, and the sudden realization that he is taller than his mother. He must also come to terms with his father's death and mother's remarriage. If it all works out a trifle too smoothly, the story still imparts the flavor of the time, and the strong plot line and numerous interesting supporting characters will hold readers' attention.

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (Book 1)
by Alexander McCall Smith (Paperback - Feb 06, 2003)

Precious Ramotswe knew starting her own business was going to be tough but she also knew she wanted to help people. And that’s the premise for “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency”- the first in a series that is part mystery, part love letter to Botswana, and completely satisfying. There are plenty of cases that keep her busy but it is the simple human elements that make the book so engrossing.

Readers might want to check out the television series based on Alexander McCall Smith’s light myseries.

The Da Vinci Code
by Dan Brown (Paperback - Mar 28, 2006)

Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon returns in this sequel to “Angels & Demons”. A murder in the Louvre sets off an international mystery involving hidden messages in Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpieces and a secret that someone would kill to keep hidden. Fast-paced and exciting, readers are in for a page-turner with The Da Vinci Code.

Fans might also want to check out the movie of the same name starring Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon.

Bones (Alex Delaware, No. 23)
by Jonathan Kellerman (Mass Market Paperback - Feb 24, 2009)

The anonymous caller has an ominous tone and an unnerving message about something “real dead . . . buried in your marsh.” The eco-volunteer on the other end of the phone thinks it’s a prank, but when a young woman’s body turns up in L.A.’s Bird Marsh preserve no one’s laughing. And when the bones of more victims surface, homicide detective Milo Sturgis realizes the city’s under siege to an insidious killer. Milo’s first move: calling in psychologist Alex Delaware.

The murdered women are prostitutes–except the most recent victim; a brilliant young musician from the East Coast, employed by a wealthy family to tutor a musical prodigy, Selena Bass seems out of place in the marsh’s grim tableau.

Conveniently–perhaps ominously–Selena’s blueblood employers are nowhere to be found, and their estate’s jittery caretaker raises hackles. But Milo’s instincts and Alex’s insight are too well-honed to settle for easy answers, even given the dark secrets in this troubled man’s past. Their investigation unearths disturbing layers–about victims, potential victims, and suspects alike–plunging even deeper into the murky marsh’s enigmatic depths.

Bizarre details of the crimes suggest a devilish serial killer prowling L.A.’s gritty streets. But when a new murder deviates from the pattern, derailing a possible profile, Alex and Milo must look beyond the suspicion of madness and consider an even more sinister mind at work. Answers don’t come easy, but the darkest of drives and desires may fuel the most devious of foes.

Bones is classic Kellerman–relentlessly peeling back the skin and psyches of its characters and revealing the shadows and sins of the souls beneath. With jolt after jolt of galvanizing suspense, it drives the reader through its twists and turns toward a climax as satisfying as it is shattering.

A Murder for Her Majesty
by Beth Hilgartner (Paperback - Jan 20, 1992)

Having witnessed the murder of her father, Alice Tuckfield flees to York in search of a family friend. There she is befriended by some members of the York Minster Boys' Choir, who disguise her as a boy and sneak her into the choir. Alice's new identity becomes more than a joke when she discovers that her father's murderers are searching for her and that one of the priests at the cathedral was also involved in the murder plot.

This page-turner will attract readers; it may even entice some to go on to read other historical novels. It is among the books recommended in The Reading Connection: Bringing Parents, Teachers, and Librarians Together by Elizabeth Knowles.

Jass (Valentin St. Cyr Mysteries)
by David Fulmer (Paperback - Jan 09, 2006)

In the rowdy red-light district of Storyville, four players of the new music they call jass have turned up dead. When Creole detective Valentin St. Cyr begins to investigate, he discovers that every one of the victims once played in the same band, and the only one left alive has gone into hiding.

As he digs deeper, Valentin becomes convinced that a more... shadowy woman is the key to the mystery. His efforts to find her touch nerves, and soon Tom Anderson, known as the King of Storyville, police lieutenant J. Picot, and even the mayor of New Orleans want him off the case. It's all the proof Valentin needs that there is something even larger and darker at the heart of this sordid business.

Seductively told, expertly plotted, and terrifically concluded, Jass is the perfect encore to Fulmer's first novel in the Valentin St. Cyr series.