The Help by Kathryn Stockett

This is a very good book! Set in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960's, it tells the intertwined stories of three women. Two of the women are black maids in white households and the third is a privileged white woman who recognizes the prejudice in her world and wants to write about it. Don't be intimidated by the length of this book--it reads quickly. It would make a great book club discussion book.

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

In The School of Essential Ingredients, restaurant chef and owner Lillian offered cooking classes where eight students with different walks of life gathered on Monday nights to learn the essence of cooking. Through camaraderie and awakening of the senses under Lillian's guidance, hidden memories were evoked. The students began to reevaluate their lives and came to terms with the present. If you enjoy "playing" in the kitchen or experimenting with recipes, this book is for you. I could almost taste the Mexican hot chocolate that young Lillian was preparing for her mother. Although I have no desire to crack open a live crab, detailed in the first class, this novel is a delicious read to savor.

Under the Dome by Stephen King

Under the Dome is classic Stephen King--long and suspenseful. An invisible barrier suddenly descends on the small town of Chester's Mill, cutting it off from the rest of the world. How the townspeople react to their enforced isolation and dwindling supplies is the heart of the novel. There are a lot of characters, and they are a little too neatly divided into "good" and "evil," but these are minor quibbles. The ending is a disappointment, but the build-up is worth the read. It's a page turner.

A Year of Cats and Dogs by Margaret Hawkins

After Maryanne's boy friend left, she is surrounded by their dog Bob and the cat Clement. Her job at the figurine company seems trivial to her. She is looking for meaning in life and decides to quit her job. Maryanne discovers that she has a gift for communicating with animals when she "hears" her dog talk back to her. Her friend Donna gets her into volunteering dog-walking at the shelter which changes her life altogether.

This is an enjoyable book even though it deals with death and the conflicting feelings we have about the food chain. Hawkins titles each of the chapters in her novel from the chapters in I Ching based on the Taoist philosophy. I have to ponder on the meanings at times. The author weaves in Mary Oliver's poem When Death Comes in honor of Grace, the little dog who is about to be put to sleep, which I finds most poignant. She also has several interesting recipes in the book, such as Chili for Consolation, Potato Salad for Solace, and Dog Party Pasta.

True Blue by David Baldacci

Baldacci introduces two new characters, sisters Beth and Mace Perry. Beth is the chief of police in Washington, DC and Mace is her disgraced younger sister. Mace is just out of prison and determined to prove she was framed. She also wants to solve a big case because she believes that is her ticket to being reinstated as a police officer, or "true blue." When a lawyer is found dead and stuffed in a refrigerator, Mace begins her own investigation. This is a Baldacci book, so nothing is simple, shadowy government agencies are involved, and someone powerful is corrupt. I'm sure this isn't the last we'll see of Beth and Mace Perry, and I'm glad.

War Dances by Sherman Alexie

This novel reads like a journal with a few short stories and poems throughout. The author writes with a Native perspective on life and philosophy. It is amazing how he can encompass so much in just 209 pages.
I enjoyed the short story Fearful Symmetry which alludes to William Blake's Tyger poem. Salt is another ironic and sad but comical story about an inexperienced newspaper intern taking over the deceased obituaries editor's responsibilities, and how he ends up taking a 'dip' in Soap Lake. If you crave for something different, this book is for you. The stories and poems offer a unique perspective on humanity.

Heat Wave by Richard Castle

Richard Castle is a character on the TV show Castle, played by actor Nathan Fillion. On that show, he is a best-selling author of detective stories, and his latest book is called Heat Wave. ABC apparently decided to actually publish such a book, and to credit Castle as its author, right down to the actor's picture on the back cover of the book. Who knows who actually wrote the book! I like the gimmick as it fits with the show--the characters in the show don't take themselves too seriously, and the producers obviously aren't above making fun of their own show. I like the crossover appeal that may actually spur some fans of the TV show to pick up the book and read it. As for the book itself, it's not bad. It reads like a book based on a script, but it has good pacing and dialogue. Since I have watched the TV show, I enjoyed reading the book and picturing the TV characters as the book characters, and trying to remember if the book scenes ever happened on the show. It all works and it's lots of fun.