H is for Hawk
by Helen Macdonald

This may well end up being one of my favorite reads of 2015. H is for Hawk is a memoir woven together of three pieces: 1) the author grieving the death of her father who died suddenly while taking photographs on a street in London; 2) the author’s chronicling her decision to train a goshawk, one of the most difficult birds to train (Macdonald is a long-time falconer, but had never attempted training a goshawk); and 3) the history of author T.H. White (best known for 1958 Once and Future King) training a goshawk, which did not go all that well. These three pieces make for a rich and interesting memoir. The writing in this book is absolutely stunning—one in which I hope every reader allows him/herself the leisure of re-reading passages.

Divergent
by Veronica Roth

My family recorded the movie Divergent, based on the young adult book of the same name by Veronica Roth, and has been pestering me to watch it together for a family night movie. I’m glad to do so, but of course, I want to read the book first! I’ve just started it, but I’m hooked already! Set in the future, protagonist 16-year-old Beatrice Prior must take the test required of 16 year olds to determine in which faction she will spend her life. When Beatrice’s test results are unexpected, shehas hard choices to make and she must make them on her own, keeping her test results a secret. The feeling of this book reminds me of the Hunger Games books, although as far as I can tell, no children will be fighting to the death as they did in Hunger Games.

The Woman Who Died a Lot
by Jasper Fforde

One of my guilty reading pleasures are Jasper Fforde’s books featuring Thursday Next. The books are crime thrillers with absurdist humor set in Britain in an alternative universe. Next is a member of the Literary Detective division of Special Operations. The books are great escapist reading for anyone who loves literary illusions and hi-jinx, pseudo science, science fiction, unbridled imagination, parodies of great literature, and humor. Warning: this is the kind of book which makes you laugh so hard you snort!

Still Life with Bread Crumbs
by Anna Quindlen

Rebecca Winter’s career has stalled out. A photographer whose iconic image, Still Life with Bread Crumbs, caused feminists to embrace her work, now has money problems, aging parents, and a difficult agent who isn’t promoting her work. Rebecca sub-lets her Manhatten apartment and rents a run-down cottage in the country. Gradually, she becomes involved with the neighbors around her cottage, begins taking pictures again, starts an unconventional relationship with a local roofer, and discovers the riches of life as a sixty-something. The book is a love story, a gentle comedy, and a way to explore many issues related to fullness of life as we age.

The Invention of Wings
by Sue Monk Kidd

I’ve recommended this book before, but I want to do so again in the aftermath of the recent terrorist act at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston is the setting of this work of historical fiction. A character in the book, Denmark Vesey, was in real life one of the founders of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. I encourage reading (or re-reading) the book for a perspective on the time in which the church was founded and for insight on the important role it has played in Charleston’s history.

Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation
by Sharon Salzberg

For those wanting to incorporate meditation and mindfulness into their lives, Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation is a great place to start.

Real Happiness begins by explaining what meditation is and describing its benefits. Salzberg outlines a four week plan including a variety of meditations and mindfulness practices.

This book is very readable without being simplistic. Each section ends with FAQS, Reflections on the weekly goal, and a Takeaway. The CD, Guided Meditations, is included. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to manage stress and enjoy a greater awareness of the events and encounters that make up our days.

Delicious
by Ruth Reichl

New York. Food. Books. What else would you need in a novel? In this scrumptious book we follow Billie Breslin, a foodie and writer, to NYC where she takes a job as a Food Editor for Delicious magazine. Far away from home, she takes refuge with many of the diverse workers at the magazine. When she isn’t writing, Billie enjoys the vibrant food scene in NYC and finds a part time job working at a local Italian meat shop. Just when she settles in to her day to day routine in New York life, the Delicious magazine shuts its doors but not before Billie stumbles across letters locked in the forbidden library on the 3rd floor. It’s through these letters that she finds her next story… but does she have enough time to find the rightful owner, LuLu, and tell her story before the magazine closes? Will she be able to mend a broken relationship with her sister in the arms of an unexpected New Yorker who doesn’t fancy the same cuisine as Billie? This novel is filled with sights and sounds of New York City that will leaving you feeling full and satisfied.

The Red Notebook
by Antoine Laurain

What would you do if you found a lady’s purse lying in the middle of an alley way? Would you pick it up and search through its contents to find its owner or would you simply leave it and report it to the authorities? In this small and delightful book, Antoine Laurain writes about a bookseller who comes across such a purse, decides to search through it, and stumbles across a red notebook. While searching for the owner of the red notebook he learns she is recuperating in the hospital after being mugged and has no memory of what happened. This charming and easy read follows a relationship formed by the pages of a red notebook. The bookseller comes to find he has a lot in common with the writer and eventually they meet. It has a happy ending and is a delightful yet riveting novel.

Ordinary Grace
by William Kent Krueger

Ordinary Grace is no stranger to the shelves and readers of the Park Rapids area, was the choice for my hometown book club June. Finally having a chance to sit down and read about all of the “buzz” surrounding William Kent Krueger, I see what the fuss is all about. Although I’m not a dedicated mystery reader, this book had me turning page after page. First Krueger writes about recognizable Minnesota places, events, and activities such as the Twins, and ice-cold root beer. The characters are well developed and follow along a light mystery path. We follow Frank, who relates the events of a fateful summer forty years later. That summer, Frank was pre-occupied with being a teenager when tragedy strikes his family leaving his Methodist minister father, mother and little brother Jake wondering what might have happened to his sister Ariel. I simply kept turning pages to eventually find closure in that most eventful summer.

A Path Appears 
by Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn

Did you have any idea that there are over a million non-profit organizations in the world?   With stories and facts, this book answers questions such as: Are we making any headway?  Should we donate locally or abroad? Should we donate to colleges or pre-schools? This is a great book to have on your shelf as a reference and for some great reading.

In Reach
by Pamela Carter Joern

The author has written two novels that were favorites with book club members. This book is a collection of short stories about Reach, Nebraska. The author's colorful and beautiful descriptions of the land and the people makes this area come alive. It's interesting to watch how characters from one story suddenly appear in another.

Spymistress
by Jennifer Chiaverini

Elizabeth Van Lew was devastated when Virginia seceded from the union in 1861. Lizzy, a Quaker, was surrounded by Confederates in her city of Richmond.  She gained permission to bring food to the union prisoners at the infamous Libby Prison. She also organized a spy ring that included clerks in the confederate war department and in the home of confederate president, Jefferson Davis. This is a thrilling historical novel about a real heroine of the civil war.

My Struggle: Book One
Karl Ove Knausgaard

There are six books in all: so far four have been translated into English. I heard about this series from NPR and friends who are tuned into the literary buzz. Knausgaard is being compared to Proust because of the depth of the way he examines his own life in the novel, but I find My Struggle much more readable than Proust. I don't know if I'll read all six books. I've heard that Book Two is more challenging, but I'm really glad to have experienced Book One.

High Fidelity
by Nick Hornby

I didn't realize the movie, staring John Cusiak, was based on a book. The book is just as entertaining, although the music industry has changed so much that some aspects are now a bit quaint.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
J. K. Rowling

I recently broke my ankle, and sometimes when you’re having a hard time an old friend is a great comfort. When in pain, a simple book works wonders.

Still Life
Louise Penny

And now as I’m recuperating, the Inspector Armand Gamache series will keep me company for a long time~

The House of Power, Book 1 in the Atherton series
by Patrick Carman

The House of Power follows Edgar, an eleven year old boy who works in the fig orchard on Atherton, a mysterious tiered island. One day, Edgar decided to climb the cliffs to the highest tier of Atherton. There he meets Samuel, who will lead him on the adventure of a lifetime. A great young adult read!

Bootstrapper
by Mardi Jo Link

I'm loving Bootstrapper. It's a memoir, and covers the period in the author's life just after a divorce, as she tries to raise her three sons and maintain a 6-acre hobby farm by herself with very meager means. The story is by turns poignant and humorous as the author struggles to figure it out. Although I have been a struggling single mom and can really relate to this book, you wouldn't have to have been one to enjoy it.

Blood Lyrics
by Katie Ford

Blood Lyrics is a gorgeous, heart-rending poetry collection.  In the first half of the book, Ford writes about her daughter's very premature birth and the weeks after, watching her teeter on the edge of survival. The language is so gorgeous it cracks open your heart, even as it's being broken by the subject matter. All parents, whether they have had a child in critical danger or not, will relate to the tender feelings, fears, and heartaches of those early days with the most fragile of human beings. In the second half of the book, Ford carries that sensitivity and beautiful language into poems that question war and violence. Most mothers, I think, find themselves horrified by violence in a way they may not have been before they had children. Suddenly we know, in a way we didn't before, that those soldiers, those victims, and even those victors, have a mother somewhere, and that her fears and hopes for her child are not very different from our own. Blood Lyrics is the first selection of the Poetry Group.