Emma by Alexander McCall Smith
"A Modern Retelling" of Jane Austen's classic, Emma delivers as promised. If you love Jane's version, you'll enjoy this one also. At least I did!
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
Don Tillman is a brilliant Australian genetics professor who has decided he should get married. The problem is he doesn't even have a girlfriend, so he embarks on "The Wife Project". This requires potential candidates to fill out a 16 page survey to weed out the unacceptable. Did I forget to mention Dr. Tillman has un-diagnosed Asperger's Syndrome? What follows is heartfelt and hilarious, and I loved it. Can't wait to find out what comes next in The Rosie Effect.
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Historical fiction at its best, Wolf Hall will transport you to the world of Henry VIII as seen through the eyes of Thomas Cromwell, who rose from his abusive father's blacksmith shop to be the King's closest advisor. The story continues in...
Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
In which Thomas Cromwell comes to realize just how precarious life can be in the court of Henry VIII. Both of these books were awarded the Man Booker Prize for fiction published in the UK, and they were adapted into an outstanding series on PBS' Masterpiece Theatre. I recommend reading the books before watching the show. (Mantel provides a "Cast of Characters" at the beginning of each of her books that I found myself constantly referring to, which made it easier to recognize who was who when watching.) I command you to read and watch! But I won't send you to the Tower if you disobey:)
The Sound and the Furry by Spencer Quinn
Chet and Bernie are back with a vengeance in The Sound and the Furry. (Chet being a dog and Bernie a private investigator, in case you were not aware of the fact.) Full time partners, Chet and Bernie take on a missing persons case down in Louisiana and soon find themselves in a giant mess of gumbo. Something funky is happening on the bayou, and it isn't just the scent of a giant croc named Iko. Between corrupt small-town sheriffs, ancient family feuds and the power of big oil, the good guys are going to have a hard time keeping their heads above water. Not to worry, they survive to soldier on in...
Paw and Order by Spencer Quinn
Putting the bayou in their rearview mirror was an easy decision for our two unlikely heros, but instead of heading home to Arizona Bernie decides to surprise his sometime girlfriend in Washington D.C. Suzie Sanchez is a bright and determined journalist who is hoping for a blockbuster story from a top-secret source, until that same source turns up dead. The victim's proper British father hires Bernie to find out who killed his son, but nothing is as it seems in Washington, and no one is safe. Chet and Bernie have a ruff time in our nation's capitol, but the good guys never give up!
