Books Forever

Kappy's Picks

Murder in the Marais

by Cara Black

Like a fast paced mystery? Murder in the Marias is the first story of a half-French, half-American detective leaving in Paris who is requested to decipher a photograhp of Nazi Paris. She finds herself in the middle of a dangerous crime of current politics and old war crimes. Well done!

Weird Sisters

by Eleanor Brown

If you have had sisters (brothers) or anything related to a sibling, this is a fun read. A Shakespearean family experiences all the complexities associated with birth order. The sisters each go their different ways in life, only to find out in the end that blood is thicker than water - and we each have our own value.

Wildflower Hill

by Kimberley Freeman

Beattie and Emma, grandmother and granddaughter, narrate this sweeping romantic epic that spans the decades between 1929 and the present and takes the reader from Scotland to an Australian Sheep Station and back.

Helen's Picks

For all of you who have followed Helen around the store, you know her recommendations can't be beat for high quality books. Read, and Enjoy!

Room

by Emma Donaghue

The Queen of Palmyra

by Minrose Gwin

Bonobo Handshake: A Memoir of Love and Adventure in the Congo

by Vanessa Woods

Jerusalem Maiden

by Talia Carner

Young Esther is part of an ultra-conservative community in Jerusalem at the turn of the 20th Century. Her proscribed purpose in life is to marry young and produce children. But Esther is a talented artist who longs for self-expression and a chance to prove herself. Her struggle to reconcile her talent with her faith and culture is compelling reading.

Still Missing

by Chevy Stevens

A riveting psychological mystery that unfolds through realtor, Annie's sessions with her psychiatrist after surviving a year in captivity at the hands of a psychopath, who abducted her from an Open House.

Left Neglected

by Lisa Genova

When career-driven supermom Sarah experiences a traumatic brain injury which erases the entire left side of her world, she struggles to find peace and happiness in the strange half-life that has become her reality. The author of Still Alice and PhD in neuroscience, Lisa Genova has given us another moving novel with great insight into the workings of the human brain.

The Soldiers Wife

by Margaret Leroy

Fans of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society will enjoy this return visit to the Channel Islands during WWII. This time the war is viewed through the eyes of Vivienne de la Mare, who is forced to make serious sacrifices and difficult choices while caring for her two daughters and mother-in-law in the absence of her husband.

Marcie's Picks

Unbroken

A World War II Story of Survival, Resillience, and Redemption

by Laura Hillenbrand

Not many biographies grip you on the first page, but this one does. Laura Hillenbrand, the author of Seabiscuit, did extensive research, much of it in-person interviews, which was significant for me because the story seems so unbelievable. Louis Zamperini, delinquent son of Italian immigrants is mentored by an older brother who convinces him to stay in school and hone his natural ability to run. He qualifies for track in the 1936 Olympics and has high hopes of winning the Gold in the next Olympics when he is drafted in WW II, is shot down in the Pacific, survives 47 days on a raft fighting off sharks and starvation, only to be finally "rescued" by the Japanese. He spends the next 2 1/2 years in a POW camp, surviving terrible tortures. On returning home after the war he faces the struggle of depression and alcoholism. He emerges at the end of this dark tunnel, and travels to Japan to personally forgive his Japanese torturers. On his 81st birthday in 1998 he ran a leg in the Olympic Torch relay in Nagano, Japan. He is still alive today at the age of 94. You will not be able to put this book down.

Faith

by Jennifer Haigh

The sister of a priest accused of sexual abuse narrates this story. The search for truth reveals long-hidden family secrets, casting doubts and shattering faith in family relationships. In addition to a good story, it gives the reader insights into the everyday life of a parish priest, its stresses, politics, and loneliness.

State of Wonder

by Ann Patchett

As in Bel Canto, Ann Patchett gives us a cast of characters that are ordinary and heroic under the same skin, with luck or happenstance playing a large role in their fates. Set in the Amazon jungle, Dr. Marina Singh is sent on a mission to find a lost co-worker and an eccentric doctor who has been funded by a pharmaceutical company to research and develop a new fertility drug. The quest reveals the perils of the drug and the discovery of something wonderful and unexpected. But what is the human cost of a vaccine that could save millions from malaria? A few lives, expendable because you don't know them? Your own child? You could call it a book of unintended consequences. In addition to the human drama, the rivers and jungle of the Amazon give us snakes, spiders, and relentless insects that keep your adrenaline pumping. Ethical questions that arise will make this a good book club read.

Caleb's Crossing

by Geraldine Brooks

I have liked all of Geraldine Brooks' books, and was again captivated by her latest. This historical fiction set in mid-17th century is based on the life of Caleb Cheeshahteaumauk, a member of the Wopanaak tribe who lived on the island now known as Martha's Vineyard, and the first Native American to graduate from Harvard College. His "crossing" is leaving his life on the island to immerse himself in the culture of the white man in order to be educated. His ensuing struggles are considerable, from the racism of being considered a godless savage unable to learn, to his departure from life on a pristine island as the son of a chieftain to live in the squalid conditions of Cambridge where both the food and sanitation are very substandard to his life on the island. The book also portrays the plight of women to whom the doors of education were firmly closed. Bethia, a bright young woman from a Puritan family who also lives on the island is the narrator and Caleb's secret friend. Her voice is written using mid-17th century language. Words like "morning bever" (breakfast) and "handfasting" (engagement), make the reading charming as it transports you to that time in American history. A delightful and fascinating read.

Kathleen's Picks

The Blasphemer

by Nigel Farndale

A plane crash in the Galapagos, a soldier's desertion during a horrendous WWI battle, a terrorist attack in London… Can these incidents, separated by decades and distance possibly be related? This ambitious exploration of courage, cowardice, science and faith traps zoologist and dedicated atheist Daniel Kennedy in a battle to save his career and his family.

The Lotus Eaters

by Tatiana Soli

Drawn to the Vietnam War by the death of her brother, 32-year-old photojournalist, Helen Adams finds herself in a "young man's profession." But like her counterparts and Homer's Lotus Eaters, Helen becomes intoxicated by the violence of war and mesmerized by the hypnotic culture of Southeast Asia.

To The End of the Land

by David Grossman

This eloquent, powerful and moving novel gives voice to the impossible complexity, fear and intensity of life in today's Israel. It tells the story of Ora, the mother of a young soldier, who leaves home for the wilderness of Galilee, believing that if she can avoid "the notifiers" she can keep her son alive.

Henrietta Lacks

by Rebecca Skloot

This remarkable book traces the legacy of the cervical cancer cells harvested from a poor black woman at Johns Hopkins without her knowledge or consent and the scientific breakthroughs, scandals and miracles they precipitated. In a parallel narrative Skloot introduces us to the Lacks family and the immense gulf between a chronically impoverished and undereducated community and the scientific and medical establishment.

Empire of the Summer Moon

by S.C. Gwynne

By 1860, the Comanches, led by brilliant, half-breed war chief, Quanah were successfully driving white settlers from their vast territory which included much of Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma. The completion of the trans-continental railroad and the advent of the repeating rifle eventually put an end to their relentless struggle to keep their homeland. This brilliant historical biography will leave the taste of dust in your mouth and the feel of blood on your hands.

Kathi's Picks

The Language of Flowers, a debut novel

by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

What is it like to try to love if you've never been loved yourself? Victoria, the main character in the new bestseller The Language of Flowers, learns to communicate, then love, through flowers and the secret messages they convey.

Growing up in a series of foster homes, her 10-year-old self is placed briefly with a single woman on a vineyard in Northern California. It's this woman who teaches her the language of flowers, the thoughtfulness that goes into selecting just the right flowers, and ultimately provides this damaged young woman the one way she can communicate with others…without words.

Still, life does not go well for Victoria and she struggles mightily, finally emancipated from the system at the age of 18. She finds a job working for a San Francisco florist where her understanding of the language of flowers begins to blossom. Victoria's often difficult journey, told by author Vanessa Diffenbaugh, is a fascinating, unpredictable novel with scenes that weave her past and present, creating a vivid portrait of a woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others as she struggles to overcome her own troubled past.

Victoria's dictionary of flowers in included at the end of the book. In an author note Diffenbaugh states that she owned only one flower dictionary, The Floral Offering: A Token of Affection and Esteem; Comprising Language and Poetry of Flowers, written in 1851 by Henrietta Dumont. Anyone have a copy?

A video of Ms. Diffenbaugh discussing her novel can be found at here.

Lindsay's Picks

The Art of Racing in the Rain

by Libba Bray

I had no intention of reading this book. I was going to flip through the pages and gather the minimum amount of information I would need for a project I was assigned in English class. The first chapter made me cry. I decided at that point that maybe I would read the book and see if it made the pit placed in my stomach by the first chapter go away.

I am a person who is easily disillusioned by the false world which society has made so important. I traumatize myself worrying about little insignificant details of life, and I let the stress in my life take over. Reading The Art of Racing in the Rain brought me back to reality. It made me realize that how we choose to react to events in our lives is what creates reality. I will never be able to tell myself that I cannot handle a situation without thinking of this book and remembering that it is my own choice to handle things from a position of strength.

I don't like racing and I don't like dog books, but the meaning that this book provided was beyond both of these simple categories.

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

by Beth Hoffman

When my life felt stressful and sad and overwhelming, I decided that I wanted to read a book that would make me smile. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt got the job done. This novel had a plot interesting enough to catch my attention, but never required me to come to any terrifying philosophical conclusion that would further my confusion of life. CeeCee is brought to Savannah, Georgia by her colorful great aunt after her mother is taken from her. For an entire summer, she is entertained by women. The women are passionate about life, showing CeeCee a kind of love that she has never received. This is a novel I would recommend as a breather between more intellectual books, a break from the gloomier realities of life.

Kellie's Picks

(Young Adult)

Enjoying a break from college, HearthFire is happy to have Kellie around!

One Day

By: David Nicholls

A realistic and moving love story between two friends. Beginning as undergrads, the story peeks into the lives of its two characters on July 15th of every year. Across 20 years, this day paints a detailed picture of each character's stage in life and the tragic relationship evolving between them. Read it before you see the movie!

A Stolen Life

By: Jaycee Lee Dugard

A painfully truthful memoir, Jaycee Dugard describes her experience as a kidnapped child who was held prisoner by her assailants for 18 years. Narrated in a matter-of-fact way, Dugard reveals the horrific and fascinating details of her abduction without dwelling on its most painful moments. Instead, the quick read shines light on Jaycee's growth and the joy she finds in her daughters, pets, and reunited family.

Little Bird of Heaven

By: Joyce Carol Oates

When local singer, wife, and mother Zoe Kruller is murdered in Sparta, NY,
the suspected include the woman's estranged husband and her former lover. Little Bird of Heaven is narrated from the perspective of two children: Aaron, Zoe's Native American son, and Krista, the suburban-raised daughter of Kruller's accused lover, who become inexplicably bonded by the ordeal. This murder-mystery does not seek to solve the death of Zoe Kruller, but to focus on how the children of the accused are affected.

Katie Ann's Picks

(4 - 7 years)

From the mouth's of Babe's! Katie Ann can help with suggestions for the young ones.

Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots?

by Carmela LaVigna Coyle, Theresa Howell, Mike Gordon

Yes, I'm a princess, but yes, I love to hike, swim, play soccer and run, run, run! Carmela Coyle lives in Denver and comes to visit HearthFire sometimes - in fact, we had a fun, fun, fun princess party here! Join us next time!

Olivia Goes to Venice

by Ian Falconer

Olivia ROCKS! Have you seen our Olivia Zoobies? I love snuggling with Olivia and reading all her books!

Lucy's (the store cat) Picks

(animal friendly)

Lucy, the store cat, has taken up reading (something to do when she is not eating or sleeping - which isn't too often)

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World

By Vicki Myron, Bret Witter, Bret Witter

Heck, I just thought this was just a good looking cat, like me!

The Daily Coyote: A Story of Love, Survival, and Trust in the Wilds of Wyoming

By Shreve Stockton

Bad Kitty

By Nick Bruel