The Rent Collector
by Cameron Wright

I heartily recommend this book as a great discussion book for book clubs. This book of fiction is based on a remarkable true story.  Survival for Ki Lim and Sang Ly is a daily battle at the largest waste dump in Cambodia. They make their living scavenging recyclables from the trash. Just when things seem the worst, Sang Ly learns a secret about the bad-tempered rent collector-a secret that will change the life of everyone it sweeps past. This is a story of hope—even in a dump in Cambodia everyone deserves a second chance.

The Forgotten Garden
by Kate Morton

Heart of a Samurai
by Margi Preus

A children's story about the very first Japanese man to come to North America. Great for adults too.

And I Shall Have Some Peace There:
Trading in the Fast Lane for My Own Dirt Road
by Margaret Roach

Round House
by Louise Erdrich

Not Just a One-Night Stand:
Ministry with the Homeless
by John Flowers

Empire of the Summer Moon:
Quanah Parker and the Commanchees
by S.C. Gwynne

Holiday Inn
by Kevin Kling

Little Wolves
by Thomas Maltman

Little Wolves, which will be released this month, is set in southwestern Minnesota in the 1980’s. It tells the intertwined stories of a father searching for answers after his son commits a murder, and a young woman who moved to the town hoping to find answers about her past, as well as a number of other characters. Maltman is a Minnesota writer.

A Fatal Grace
by Louise Penny

This is the second book in the series of mysteries featuring Chief Inspector Gamache, and the third or fourth which I’ve read. I love the character development in this series. It probably would be best to read the books in order, but I’ve picked them up as I’ve found them and it’s working for me. (The audio books have an incredible narrator with a French accent)

White Truffles in Winter
by N.M. Kelby
Now out in paperback.

I’ve never read a book quite like this. It’s fiction, loosely based on the life of Auguste Escoffier, the famous French chef who changed the way we eat. The dishes Escoffier created were lush and decadent, as is this story of his life and the women he loved.

38 Nooses:
Lincoln, Little Crow, and the Beginning of the Frontier's End
by Scott R. Berg.

I'm loving this book about the Dakota War of 1862! I know all the place names, so it makes the history that much more accessible. The author tells the story of this war from a number of different viewpoints: a white woman who was captured by the Native Americans, several Native Americans (most prominently Little Crow), state leaders, federal agents, and even President Lincoln. Reading the history from different perspectives gives it a lot of depth. The book also contains a number of photos, which I enjoy when reading history.

Universe in a Single Atom:
The Convergence of Science and Spirituality
by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.  

I'm surprised and impressed by the Dalai Lama's interest in science! He had been advised to avoid science if he wanted to remain a devout Buddhist, but he's chosen to open his mind to science. This is the Women's Book Group pick for January.

A Red Herring Without Mustard
by Alan Bradley
On audio

This is the third Flavia de Luce book I've listened to on audio and I LOVE the reader! Flavia is a precocious self-taught chemist (and oh, she's 11 years old). These books are set in England in the 1950s. Fun mysteries!

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed
by Jared Diamond.

This is the Current Events book club pick for January and February. (The author also wrote the much-acclaimed Guns, Germs, and Steel and The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies?) This is a book to be consumed in small doses. I'm looking forward to what other Current Events book club participants have to say! (Released December 31.)

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
by Rick Riordan. 

This book for young adults is the first of a series that mixes classic Greek mythology with modern adventure. After learning he is a demigod, Percy Jackson is sent to a summer camp on Long Island, where he meets the father he never knew--Poseidon, god of the sea. It’s a great book, entertaining for adults as well as younger readers.

Inkheart
by Cornelia Funke

Inkheart is also for young readers. One cruel night, Meggie's father reads aloud from a book called "Inkheart," and an evil ruler escapes the boundaries of fiction and lands in their living room. Suddenly, Meggie is smack in the middle of the kind of adventure she has only read about in books. I first read this book several years ago, and now am reading the entire series: Inkheart, Inkspell, and Inkdeath.