Maybe not exactly "Tomes", but still quite a tower.
The cure for "Too Much Bad News Syndrome":
Rosamunde Pilcher.
I dug these out of the paperback cupboard, because everyone needs a little reassurance that all will be okay in the end. Enjoy with hot tea and scones:) Also, I want to move to Cornwall.
Agatha Christie. No explanation needed.
When I found Anne of Green Gables, My Daughter & Me by Lorilee Craker, I realized I hadn't read Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery since, well a long time ago. I reread it. Wow. Read it again, and you will realize what an amazing book this is. Anne is a whip-smart heroine for any modern-day book, but when put in the context of 1908 she is absolutely amazing. And the fun she had without computers and iPhones will make you pine for simpler times. Anyway, the memoir by Lorilee Craker is a heartfelt book about orphans, adoption, being left behind and finding a home, but you don't have to be an orphan to appreciate her story. You SHOULD read the original Anne first, so pour yourself some raspberry cordial and get started!
Secret Daughter and The Golden Son by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
Two the the best books I've read recently, and maybe ever!
The Golden Son is the story of Anil, the brilliant eldest son of a close-knit family in a small Indian village. Anil leaves tradition behind and follows his dream to medical school in Dallas, Texas, a place that could not have been more different from the home of his childhood. Soon dreams clash with duty, and Anil must learn to find peace with his decisions.
Secret Daughter delves into the plight of the rural poor of India, to whom male children are everything. When Kavita gives her newborn daughter to a Mumbai orphanage, she does so to save the baby's life, but the sorrow almost kills her. Adopted and brought to America, Asha eventually returns to India to seek the missing pieces of her story. It is here in Mumbai that this tale of impossible choices comes to a very satisfying conclusion.
Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman
Fredrik Backman has taken a character from My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry and given her a story of her own. Oh my goodness, Britt-Marie can be so annoying! Obsessive and unbending, she has rules for everything, especially cleaning. But hidden under that straight-laced exterior is a heart of gold, and all it takes is some scruffy soccer-playing kids, a Snicker's-loving rat and various other Somebodies to break through to her soft center. You will love this story of redemption, hope and finally, belonging.
Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld
Attention, fans of Jane Austen!! If you passionately love Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth, Mr. Bingley, et al, you will be delighted with this modern update of Pride and Prejudice. Set mostly in Cincinnati and New York City, the Bennet family is up to their usual schemes (Mrs. Bennet), and dreams (Sister Jane), with plenty of nastiness from Miss Caroline Bingley. But, when you read Eligible, first impressions will NOT deceive you, I promise:)
The Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan
If you adore Homefires on PBS Masterpiece, you will really enjoy The Chilbury Ladies' Choir. Set in a small English Village at the start of WWII, we see how the women of Chilbury survive and even thrive with the men off fighting. Weaving together the stories of five main characters, we find that hardship can bring out the best and the worst in people, but a spirit willing to fight for what's right will usually prevail. (Sounds corny, but it's true!)
In This Grave Hour by Jacqueline Winspear
Another WWII Story by one of my favorite authors.
At the very start of the war, Maisie Dobbs is enlisted to solve the mystery of the murdered Belgian refugees. But they have been living in England since the First World War, so why has death come to claim these men now? At the same time, a mysterious little girl is evacuated to Maisie's country home. No one knows who she is, and she literally isn't talking. For good or bad, this is a mystery that will go straight to Maisie's heart.
The Whole Art of Detection by Lyndsay Faye
Oh, Lyndsay Faye, my Sherlockian heart adoreth thee. Thank you for adding new gems to the Holmes Canon, and many thanks again for the wonderful Jane Steele.
Love, The Book Chick
The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George
Welcome aboard the Literary Apothecary, a barge anchored on the Seine and filled with books that Monsieur Perdu will prescribe to solve your particular troubles. You'd think someone so in tune to the ailments of others would be able to heal himself, but a twenty-one year-old broken heart is a doozy of a problem. Now, the protective walls of books he has built around himself are about to come crashing down. A long un-opened letter is about to be opened, and a river adventure is about to begin. With the help of new friends and old, M. Perdu sails south to the past he must confront in Provence. Charming and impossible to put down, I loved The Little Paris Bookshop.
Merci beaucoup, Nina George! A bientôt in The Little French Bistro:)
