Once on a Moonless Night by Dai Sijie, translated by Adrianna Hunter

This is a fascinating novel about an ancient silk scroll with a mysterious Buddhist sutra written on it. The last Chinese Emperor Puyi has inherited the silk scroll centuries later but torn it in half under Japanese occupation. The obsession with finding the lost half and translating the unknown manuscript of the scroll has led to linguist Paul d Ampere's imprisonment. The narrator, a French student studying at Beijing University, determines to search for the history and meaning of the scroll. She falls in love with the street vendor Tumchooq, since he may provide her with the "link." Her life then takes an unexpected course...

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Dan Brown has succeeded in writing another entertaining thriller. The Lost Symbol continues the adventures of Robert Langdon, the Harvard symbologist featured in The DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons. Brown sticks to the formula that worked in those two books, so The Lost Symbol is similarly fast-paced and action packed, and loaded with esoteric historical tidbits. The setting is Washington, DC this time and Langdon is once again racing against the clock to solve a mystery protected by a secret society. Yes, it's far-fetched, but it's still fun.

The Only 127 Things You Need: A Guide to Life Essentials by Donna Wilkinson

The title of this book caught my attention. The mottoes of "Less is more" and "How to life simply" seem to have flooded book stores lately.
This informative book is comprised of 3 interlocking categories - Body, Mind and Spirit and how to attain them healthfully. Wilkinson has also included expert advice, further reading and website resources for the readers to explore. I especially appreciate the subject on "It's easy to be green" (p.235). It has a tip on "Don't buy so much stuff. Buy only what you need, and when you can, buy items that can be recycled..." (p.238).
This paperback is reader friendly and covers almost every aspect of life's essentials, from getting a good night sleep to "living consciously" to having a sense of awe and wonder. It is a good book!

South of Broad by Pat Conroy

Pat Conroy, author of Prince of Tides, has turned out a wonderful novel that is well worth the long wait. South of Broad is a beautifully written, moving story of friendship and love. Set in Charleston, it tells the story of a teen-aged boy and the high school friendships that changed his life. The prose is so lovely, I could have have enjoyed the book simply for the fine writing. Happily, the characters are also interesting and, well, characters. The vivid descriptions of Charleston make me want to visit there. Savor this book.

Seen the Glory by John Hough

This is a wonderful Civil War novel about two brothers from Martha's Vineyard who join the Union Army because they oppose slavery. Luke and Thomas quickly learn that their fellow soldiers have joined for varied and different reasons, and that army life is harder than they expected. It's a novel about brotherhood, love, fighting for what you believe in, and doing what's right. Highly recommended.

The Defector by Daniel Silva

Gabriel Allon is pulled out of semi-retirement when Russian defector Gregori Bulgavov disappears from his comfortable life in London. The British are willing to believe Bulganov re-defected, but Allon knows otherwise. Once again, Allon assembles a talented team to free a friend from a seemingly impossible situation. This book is a sequel to Moscow Rules, but can stand alone. I'd recommend reading Moscow Rules first, though. Daniel Silva is the master of the spy thriller, and this one is no exception. I like the earlier Gabriel Allon books best, but as long as Silva keeps writing them, I'll keep reading them.

Wanting by Richard Flanagan

In Wanting, Flanagan draws the parallels in the lives of the Arctic explorer Sir John Franklin and writer Charles Dickens, illustrating that both reason and desire coexist in all humans.
Mathinna, the native Aboriginal girl from the Van Dieman's Land was "adopted" by the Franklins as Lady Jane, Sir John's wife, wished to transform her into a proper English woman, but her real intentions were questionable.
In 1854, when the Arctic Voyagers failed to return, Lady Jane asked Dickens to defend her husband by refuting notion of cannibalism. Dickens wrote a play about the doomed Northwest Passage, starring himself and in the process fell in love with a young actress, Ellen Ternan.
All the characters were torn between reason and desire, especially when Lady Jane visited the St. Joseph Orphanage. She could have "saved" Mathinna... There are some raw and heart-wrenching depictions in the novel that haunt me after reading it. However, Flanagan was excellent in exploring the ramifications of colonialism and the moral dilemmas we must face up to.