Station Eleven
by Emily St. John Mandel 

I can see why this book has been on the bestseller list for so long! The setting of the book is Earth in the aftermath of a flu epidemic comparable to the Plague of the 1300s in Europe. While this sounds very dark and dystopian-ish (ok, it sounds downright depressing), it’s such a great work of characters! One of the threads in the book is about a traveling band of musicians/actors. Their company’s tagline is “Because survival is insufficient.” I may have swooned upon reading that. (Kudos to anyone who knows that that line was originally used in Star Trek). Don’t shy away from this book if you don’t read sci-fi or dystopian novels—you don’t want to miss this book filled with great characters and great writing!

Watch a video about Station Eleven

Bottomland
by Michelle Hoover

I’ve been looking forward to reading Bottomland ever since I spent an evening with author Michelle Hoover last fall. I so enjoyed our time together! Michelle showed me the family picture that sparked the idea for Bottomland. The family picture includes two of Michelle’s great aunts, who later disappeared. The older of the two looked like the sort of person who might run away; the younger looked very unlikely to run away. It was the first who returned home and the second who never did. This family story intrigued Michelle and she crafted the novel Bottomland. This book is one of the Book Retreat selections, so I’m anxious to discuss it with other Retreaters!

The two runaways are seated on either side of their father on the front row.

As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust
by Alan Bradley

This book is the seventh in a series featuring Flavia DeLuce, an eleven year old self-taught chemist living in a shabby manor house in England during the 50’s. Flavia’s mother is mysteriously missing, her father is bereft, her older sisters are maddeningly intolerant, so Flavia goes her own way—which includes involvement in local murders. The series is character driven, and the characters are wonderful! I was careless in taking this book on vacation without reading #6. In that book, some questions about Flavia’s mother were apparently answered and #7 starts with Flavia being shipped off to her mother’s old boarding school in Canada. (I really have to read #6 so it will all make sense.) Because Flavia is Flavia, the boarding school is eerie and a dead body soon appears. It was a delightful read, even if I was confused about some of the details. Start with #1, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie  to avoid confusion. I predict you’ll be hooked.

Lila
by Marilynne Robinson

In this book, Robinson returns to Gilead Iowa, the scene of her beloved book Gilead. In that book, she tells the story of Rev. Ames, an elderly minister writing to the young son he fears he won’t live to see grow up. In Lila, Robinson’s attention turns to Lila, the mother of the boy. I generally read fast, but it’s not possible to do that when reading one of Robinson’s books. However, I’m always content to read her books slowly, savoring both the language and the story.

The Japanese Lover
by Isabel Allende

It’s Poland in 1939, and Alma’s parents send the young girl to San Francisco to live with an aunt and uncle. They remain behind, and become victims of the Holocaust. The book is both a sweeping epic and a tender and very personal story. As a child, Alma makes friends with the son of her aunt and uncle’s Japanese gardener. This friendship endures into old age, even as Alma and the boy are separated when his family is sent to a concentration group within the United States, and later, when both marry other people. The book is full of well-drawn, unique characters and Alma is a stunning example of someone who lives life on her own terms.

Salt to the Sea
by Ruta Sepetys

As World War II drew to an end, thousands of refugees were fleeing to escape as the Russians closed in on Germany. Salt to the Sea tells the story of four teenagers whose goal is to escape by sea. As the story unfolds, readers learn the stories and secrets of these characters as well as their hopes and dreams. Their lives are a heartbreaking reminder of the effects of war on young and old alike. The teens end up gaining passage aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff, a ship whose name becomes synonymous with one of the world's greatest, though little known, maritime tragedies. If you are a fan of historical fiction, you won't want to miss this amazing book.

One Wild Bird at a Time 
by Bernd Heinrich

I may be an engineer, but I do read books other than engineering texts and Sci-Fi. I have a certain dedication to wild birds, so I was interested in this book when Sally brought it home for me. I’ve been known to shovel a path to our feeders and fill them, in a snow storm, before attacking the front walk. Most bird books tend to be on the technical side with lots of statistics and art work/photos and charts but this one has lots of sketches, personal stories, and observations. I was hooked by the third page when Heinrich talked about a pair of flickers (they’re from the woodpecker family) making a hole for their new home in the side of his cabin.  He got out his chain saw and cut an opening on the inside of the cabin so he could build a platform for the flickers so they wouldn’t fall down between the studs (and he also makes a little observation opening for himself). This is my kind of wacked-out bird guy! How do I get you to read his book? How about if I steer you toward a couple of key story-starter phrases from some chapters. Luring a barred owl with a dead shrew warmed on his wood stove (unsuccessfully), or a pet starling bathing in his kitchen sink, or birth control in vireos, or snow bathing red polls from the artic or (my personal favorite) the “grouse scat clock.” Even the causal birder will find this an informative and fun book. The book will be released mid-April.

Funny in Farsi
by Firoozah Diemas

This is a laugh out loud book about an Iranian family moving to America. The author has a knack for taking even ordinary stories and finding a humorous side to them. We also hear about the not so funny way Iranian Americans were treated during the Iranian hostage crisis, which strikes a chord as we confront Syrian refugees today. Reading this book is a great way to learn about another culture.

Does This Beach Make Me Look Fat?
by Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella  

Lisa Scottoline is well known for her mystery writing, and  I discovered she and her daughter Francesca are a very funny writing team. They write about ordinary happenings in their lives with a humorous twist. This book is fun reading and will be released in paperback in June.

Little Paris Bookshop
by Nina George

Monsieur Jean Purdue calls himself a literary apothecary. From his floating bookstore in a barge on the River Seine, he prescribes novels for the hardships of life. The only person he can't seem to heal is himself. Finally he pulls up anchor and heads down the river along with some interesting characters. The back of the book includes cooking recipes and the emergency literary pharmacy to be taken in easy doses: 5 to 50 pages!

The Portable Veblen
by Elizabeth McKenzie

She communes with squirrels. He tries to trap squirrels because they annoy him. She works as a temp and loves her funky little house. He's a physician, doing research on his invention for punching holes in skulls to release pressure due to head injury. He's experimenting on injured vets, and excited that his work will allow him to buy a big house soon. They get engaged. Will they get married? Should they? It's a fascinating, often funny, exploration.

Housekeeping
by Marilynne Robinson

This is the first novel by the author of Gilead. Robinson writes so beautifully! She brings her lovingly crafted characters vividly to life. In this case, two sisters are raised by increasingly erratic relatives in a small Western town. Before they were born, their grandfather died in a train that fell from a bridge into the nearby lake, and no bodies were ever recovered. It's a haunting tale.

The Invention of Wings
Sue Monk Kidd

This novel, set in the early 1800s, is based upon the life of Sarah Grimke, one of the first female abolitionists, and her slave, Hetty. Sarah Grimke was born to a very wealthy southern family, and received Hetty, as her own personal maid, as eleventh birthday gift.  As you can imagine, their relationship is both very close and very complex. The story does a wonderful job in depicting their relationship, as well as how it may have influenced Sarah Grimke’s stand on slavery later on in life. I highly recommend this book, as the story is captivating as well as educational!