Kelly's Picks

Alice Hoffman's finest book (and that is coming from a HUGE fan.) A mesmerizing tale from the perspectives of 4 women forced together at the Roman defeat of the Jews at Masada. Magical, as always, but in a historical setting the magic weaves a deeper, richer tale.

This smart & engrossing debut by a McSweeney's award winner is a story about the stories we tell ourselves. 16 year old Nora disappears from her upscale community one Halloween and a group of boys who knew her spend their lives haunted and affected by what may have happened to her. Reminded me of The Virgin Suicides.

Super cute! A bird opens a school for his new friend Rocket and sparks his interest in "the wondrous, mighty, gorgeous alphabet." Rocket practices with spelling and reading all winter and when the bird returns in the spring, Rocket can read! My kids love spelling along with the practice words and putting letters together for fun words like "grrrrrr".

This family has the same joys, desires, and problems as your own--they just have 4 wives and 28 children. A wonderfully crafted story of the family with a little dark comedy. The chapters narrated by the 12 year old boy are heartbreaking and touching. I couldn't put it down!

A woman answers a newspaper advertisement for "a reliable wife" in early 20th century rural Wisconsin. Who is she? Who is this wealthy, lonely, troubled man who placed the ad? A page-turning, literary tale with echoes of classic tales like Wuthering Heights and Rebecca.

Alice Hoffman is one of my favorite contemporary authors. Her books Turtle Moon and Practical Magic turned me into a fan of magical realism, only then making me able to graduate to the masters like Garcia Marquez. This new novel is her best in years. Three sisters (the Storys) spend a childhood emersed in their own imaginary world and language. As the sisters grow up, each must meet her own destiny without the comfort of one another or their imaginary world. It is a moving tale of love and forgiveness. Heartbreaking, really, but Hoffman's prose is, as always, mesmerizing.

A debut novel about the colliding worlds of missionaries, hill tribes, and anthropologists in northern Thailand. It begins as a murder mystery and is told almost entirely in back story by the author - who is the fictional narrator.

Maybe you've read this--maybe you think it's too old fashioned. NO! It's like chick-lit you can feel good about. I longed for more, more Austen after I re-read this. Funny, oh-so witty.