The view from Mount Joy, by Lorna Landvik

The view from Mount Joy, by Lorna Landvik

Landvik's main character is a teenage boy, quite a change from her woman-centered novels, but this one works too. Joe works part-time in a grocery store and lusts after the luscious Kristi. By the end of the story, Joe's love of people and quirky contests have made him very successful, while Kristi becomes an evangelist.

Watchman, by Ian Rankin

This is an early Rankin, without his main character John Rebus. Miles Flint is a government spy who unravels a complex skein of events while hunting a terrorist; the trail leads close to home, even to his wife, before the mystery is solved. I love the way Rankin writes!

Little face, by Sophie Hannah

Imagine yourself a new mother with a two-week-old baby, going out for the first time and leaving the baby in charge of your husband - and when you return, he's asleep, the front door is open, and a different baby is in your baby's crib.
This is a great story, but very poorly written. Skip right to the end and save yourself some frustration.

Bones to ashes, by Kathy Reichs

Bones to ashes, by Kathy Reichs

Temperence Brennan, the forensic anthropologist, is in Montreal when an old friend from her childhood, who disappeared suddenly, comes back into her life. Don’t read this while you’re eating. Reichs goes into as much detail as Cornwell does when describing dead bodies; not very appetizing, but fascinating.

Every grain of rice

Every grain of rice: portraits of Maui’s Japanese community, by Rita Goldman

My friend Rita moved to Hawaii when she was thirty. This wonderful book gives us a view of an immigrant society who has shaped Maui in many different ways. The photographs provided by the Japanese people help to bring the words to life. Great job, Rita!