GLENDA’S PICKS!

The Necklace by Cheryl Jarvis

When a group of 13 middle-aged women friends decides to buy and share a $37,000 diamond necklace, they learn more than they ever thought possible about themselves, friendship, and the power of possibility. (Truly amazing what these women do with this necklace)

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

In Jackson, Mississippi, in 1962, there are lines that are not crossed. With the civil rights movement exploding all around them, three women start a movement of their own, forever changing a town and the way women--black and white, mothers and daughters--view one another.

The Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama

Tsukiyama's classic story of love, sacrifice, and devotion. On the eve of World War II, a young Chinese man is sent to his family's summer home in Japan to recover from tuberculosis. He will rest, swim in the salubrious sea, and paint in the brilliant shoreside light. But when he meets four local residents--a beautiful Japanese girl and three older people--what ensues is a tale that readers will find at once classical yet utterly unique. A love story told in a very unique way.  (Even if you don’t like to read romance you will enjoy this book!)

CLAIRE'S CURRENT FAVORITES

THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN - Garth Stein  - Fiction This novel is written by a dog, whose owner is a race car driver in Oregon (hence, the rain).  My daughter recommended this book to me, even though I'm not big into stories written by animals, and she gets 4 stars!  It is a really sweet book with some pretty heavy issues: love, cancer, custody, loyalty.  I read it over a rainy weekend and shed a few tears at the end.  If you're looking for something uplifting and intelligent - and especially if you are a dog person - I recommend!

THE HERETICS DAUGHTER - Kathleen Kent - Fiction Anyone who knows me knows that my favorite books are historical and specifically European history, however lately I've been trying to diversify with American historical novels and this one hit the mark!  Though the premise for this book is factual - the author is the great,great,great granddaughter of the subject, who is persecuted, tried and executed during the Salem witch trials - she does take great literary freedom.  I found the book fascinating.  If you have any interest in early American history and culture as well as the ethics and daily life of the time, this book tells a wonderful story with interesting characters.

THE READER - Bernhard Schlink  -  Fiction I just finished reading this novel for the second time, mainly because it is soon to be released as a motion picture starring Kate Winslet and I love to read a novel before seeing the film. I forgot how great a book this is.  The basic premise is a 15 year old boy who has an affair with an older woman in the late 1940's Germany.  They know nothing of eachother and she believes him to be 18.  After a year she suddenly departs from his life and although he moved forward he can never forget her or the impact she had on his life and future relationships.  Their paths cross many years later, while he is in law school and is attending a war crimes trial. She is the defendant.  A surprisingly sympathetic and lovely book - I couldn't put it down the second time either!

SAME KIND OF DIFFERENT AS ME - Ron Hall & Denver Moore - Non-Fiction   My personal preference isn't for overtly religion or "preachy" material, but this book received so much acclaim I had to read it, and I'm glad that I did.  It is a true story about the lives of a modern day slave in Louisiana and a millionaire art dealer in Fort Worth, Texas.  It was just recently published and is very current and I don't want to get into much detail, but it was one book that touched me and forced me to take a look at my own life and faith.  Wonderful story!

THE 19TH WIFE: A NOVEL - David Ebershoff - Fiction  This novel is a fictionalized account of the actual "19th Wife" of Brigham Young, who was later found to be 70th, or something, and was a woman who eventually escaped her polygamist marriage with her two sons.  She filed suit against Brigham Young and was the most sensational story of the late 19th century.  This book is based upon her factual novel, "The 19th Wife", published in the 1890's and was a best seller.  Because of the her book and subsequent lecture tours across the nation the President was compelled to force an end to multiple marriages. This also began the history of the current fundamentalist sects throughout the nation - the "Firsts".  I've read the original novel and it was fascinating - but this one really pulls it all together based upon never before released documents, etc.  If you have any interest in understanding the history of Polygamy and its effect on present day society, I definitely recommend - plus, it's a really fun read!  It's not a history lesson, it is a novel that written really well.

THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY - Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows - Fiction Another Ashlie recommendation and I give this one 5 stars!!  I love, love, love it!  Halfway through I felt ashamed about how ignorant I was of the second world war and how it affected the people living through it, but this story is wonderful, full of hope and fabulous writing.  I've passed it along to all my sisters and they all loved it too.