A chance encounter with former tutor Kiran Thrash enables Jane, a college dropout, to fulfill a promise to her beloved late Aunt Magnolia—accept an invitation to the mysterious Thrash estate, Tu Reviens. During her visit, Jane reaches a moment in time where one action will take her into different futures. Each choice presents a different path for Jane taking her beyond her previous life. An ambitious, complex offering with diverse characters.

Who better to find a missing child than one who escaped abduction? Denfeld offers a nuanced treatment of a difficult subject. The narrative switches between the voice of the missing child and the Child Finder, Naomi, as she searches. As she searches for the missing child we see her move toward resolution. Additionally, the glimpse into the mind of the missing child, is fascinating.

Imagine a future where a tick infestation has driven humanity to live in a series of safe zones. A group of wealthy individuals take an extreme adventure trip that ends poorly. In chapters written from their viewpoints, the reader comes to learn the motivations of these people. A story involving hostages, drug smuggling & the search for a solution to the bug problem, the novel raises the question of what we are willing to sacrifice for safety.

Ford excels at historical fiction, especially set in the PacNorthwest. In this tale, the reader meets Ernest Young, experiencing early 1900s Seattle. He is raffled off in the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exhibition. The story then follows adult Ernest as the 1962 Seattle World‘s Fair opens. Rich with historical detail & touching on a time period not widely known (the wilds of Seattle‘s early days), this moving story comes together & draws the reader in.

Meet Samuel Hawley, a man in constant struggle with his violent past, doing the best he can to raise his daughter, Loo, a girl with an obscure past & an uncertain future, on the cusp of adulthood. Now meet Lily, the dead woman who connects them both. In this finely woven novel, the past & present illuminate the story of a man‘s life through the bullet wounds he carries with him making readers consider what it is to be both good & evil.

3 German women‘s lives are abruptly changed when their husbands are executed for their part in an attempt to assassinate Hitler. They band together in a crumbling estate to raise their children & keep each other standing. Told in turn by each of the women, giving us a clear understanding of their sense of loss, inner strength & the love they have for each other, this story examines the human side of war, blurring lines between hero & victim.

A private space exploration company is mounting a manned mission to Mars. To prepare for the actual event, the company plans an elaborate training program to match the conditions & potential problems the team might face. The ordeal, though simulated, is no less dramatic for the astronauts, their families, & the crew. Lines cross between fiction & reality & none of the participants is left unchanged. Part literary fiction, part sci-fi, all amazing.

Tea discovers she has a power separating her from other witches in her village & incites their hatred. She is a “bone witch” who can raise the dead. Aware that trouble is coming, Tea agrees to leave home to learn to save the people who hate her. Her training includes the courtly arts of singing & dancing & combat. Tea reflects on her life, revealing her path to becoming a fierce warrior. A cliff-hanger ending will make readers eager for a sequel.

Hanna is a young woman, like any other in the world, except for one thing: she is part of a polygamist community & has just been told, at eighteen, she must marry a man who is her father‘s age & has four other wives. Hanna must make the confusing & heartbreaking decision about where her future lies. Should she stay at home & be obedient to the only family she has ever known, or will she choose her own love & life? A gripping story for book clubs!

Imagine Little House on the Prairie from the viewpoint of Laura Ingalls‘ mother, Caroline. In 1870, Caroline, Charles, & their two daughters leave their Wisconsin home, traveling over 600 miles to Kansas by covered wagon. A fresh, deeper look at a beloved story. 5-year-old Mary & 3-year-old Laura will still delight Little House fans. The relationship & personalities of Caroline & Charles are more complex, making for a wonderful reading experience.

The daughter of two renowned narcissistic psychologists, Lizzie‘s problem has always been overthinking everything. George, raised in a very adoring family, comes into Lizzie‘s life with one goal – love her completely & forever. Can Lizzie relinquish the past to move toward the happiness that could be hers in the future? Relationships, good and bad, past and present, all come together to make a wonderful tale of the struggles of everyday life.

A book a book group will love makes the March 2017 list. “In the summer of 1962, popular Jonathan & social outcast, Nelson, are friends. The only thing they seem to have in common is they spend a few weeks of one summer at Camp Chippewa in Wisconsin. Over time, their lives & the lives of loved ones are fiercely intertwined. This wonderful novel reveals layers of male friendship & shows what loyalty, compassion, & selflessness looks like."

“Whimsical and different, this novel‘s humor hooked me. Vivian is an eccentric, living in Dublin and searching for a place where she can feel she belongs. How can you help but love a character who checks every wardrobe for Narnia and every yellow road for an Emerald City? This novel movingly explores the outcasts and the different among us, showing that they are only hoping to fit in and find a friend.”
Linda Quinn, Fairfield Public Library

A gripping read for the March 2017 list. “Fans of crime fiction & domestic drama will find much to love here. Judge Scott Sampson is a devoted family man thrown into a parent‘s worst nightmare: his 6-year-old twins are kidnapped & the kidnappers blackmail Scott into immoral legal decisions. Cue marital meltdown, ethical dilemmas & paranoia. A great choice for fans of Coben & Hurwitz.”
Donna Matturri, Pickerington Public Library

For the introvert in all of us. A March 2017 pick. “There are three types of hermits in the world: protesters, pilgrims, & pursuers. But Christopher Knight doesn‘t seem to fit any of these categories. So why, at 20, did he drive into a forest & disappear for 27 years, his only human interaction a single ‘hi‘ with a passing hiker? An incredible true story of 'the last true hermit.' Explore themes of solitude, introversion and the meaning of life.”

Book Group fave Lisa See makes the March 2017 list. "Li-Yan & her family devote their lives to farming tea. Li-Yan is being groomed to become a midwife in her Chinese village. She yearns for more & attends school. When Li-Yan finds herself alone & pregnant, she leaves her baby at an orphanage. Adopted by a California couple, Lu-Yan's child is fascinated by tea. A sweeping tale of ancient & modern China."
Catherine Coyne, Mansfield Public Library

We're like Casey Kasem, but with books. A Top 10 March '17 pick! “High school music teacher, Beth, & tattooed auto mechanic, Sam, are set up by friends, but neither sees a relationship developing. Disinterest quickly turns into friendship and then develops into much more. Just as their romantic relationship begins, Beth‘s controlling mother & Sam‘s hidden past threaten to pull them apart. It‘s impossible not to fall in love with her characters.”