I predicted this would be one of the big books of 2011, it was on the best seller's list and is a winner of the PNBA Award.  It was also #1 on my Top Ten list for fiction in 2011.  Now it is available in paperback. Epic is far too tame a description for this ambitious novel set in a fictional Northwest town. Evison gleefully chews up the landscape from 1890 to 2006. Dreamers and drifters, entrepreneurs, scoundrels, and hardworking everyday people all had a hand in settling the Northwest. Big trees, lots of rain, and an unparalleled lushness defined the land. In the 1890’s the settlers had lots of beautiful blank canvas to sculpt their desires. Jagged peaked, majestic Olympic Mountains, windswept sea, deep lakes, and the roar of the rushing river, all stood splendidly untouched before them. By 2006 the consequences of their choices were home to roost. Evison treats his characters well, using humor and respect to drive his story forward.

Jean Patrick Nkuba’s wants to believe his father’s words, that Hutu and Tutsi can live in peace.  His father is a teacher, a man who hopes for a bright future for his children.  Death comes for his father unexpectedly, leaving the family bereft in a climate of escalating tribal tensions with the dream of peace fading fast.  Jean Patrick wants to run; he has legs that fly and hopes for Olympic Gold.  Benaron has managed the formidable accomplishment of writing a beautiful, haunting story of family, of a young boy’s coming of age, of the power of striving to be the best, and of redemption. It is a hopeful story despite the rampaging grim reaper that defiled Rwanda.  Running the Rift should be one of the big books of the year!.

Dark, mysterious, everything you could want in a great mystery.  Henry Cavendish mourns the suicide of his friend Alonzo, and tries to understand Clarissa.  Why did Alonzo jump into that cold dark water?  Why does Clarissa have a strange connection to a woman who lived 300 hundred years ago?  Time frames shift from the present day to the era of Sir Walter Raleigh when Thomas Harriot tried to bend the elements to his biding to save the woman he would love through time.

Red on Red by Edward Conlon has muscular prose and powerful storytelling, this is a fascinating look at the lives of two New York City cops. Meehan is intellectual but a bit aloof, the puzzles interest him but he has trouble connecting with people. Esposito is sensuous, impulsive, and intuitive, he touches people quickly. With Esposito there is no middle ground. They remind me a bit of Dostoevsky’s characters, I see Ivan in Meehan, with his tortured yearning to understand. And Esposito has Dimitri’s wild, passionate nature. The plot is complex and deftly brought together. A young woman’s suicide, the gangland killing of a street tough, and a predator on the loose keep the detectives moving on the mean streets of the big city.

Jo was named for a character in Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, like her namesake she has a questioning nature and a strong sense of what is right in her world. Her twin, Chris, is easier going. They are raised in a devout Christian household. Every year their Mom, Angie, runs a summer camp for Christian families. Deena was widowed young; her comfort was her son Sadiq. Their household is devout Muslim. This is a book that is right for the time and absolutely needed to be written. It is also a wonderful, life affirming, heartwarming story, it grants a spark of hope for the future. Characters will be caught up in world events that cast shadows over them and test their resolve. A secret, born of youthful indiscretion, will change their lives. Is redemption possible? Maybe? Where do our loyalties lie? With our family? With the truth? With our country? With our religion?

Witty, endearing, and way too quirky for words, Cotterill’s new series is delightful!  Jimm Jureee has left behind her promising career as a journalist in the big city to follow her rather odd but loveable family into the hinterland of Southern Thailand.  She is morosely bemoaning the loss of her career when two skeletons are found inside a Volkswagen buried in a farmer’s field.  Jimm is back in the game with a juicy scoop on a murder investigation.  The ink is barely dry on her story when an Abbott is murdered in a remote temple.  Pretty soon the whole family is helping her solve crimes.  At the beginning of each chapter we have examples of a former president’s confusion over the English language, they add a bit of comedy.

A lot is expected of a book by Eugenides, and he does not disappoint.  Have all the great loves stories already been written?  What relevance does Jane Austen or George Eliot have for today’s woman?  Set in the 1980’s, Madeline is wrestling with these questions both for her college senior thesis and as a woman fielding the attentions of two young men.  Leonard is charismatic, flawed, and tragic; of course he is of great interest to Madeline. Mitchell is a seeker, trying to figure out how he fits into the general scheme of the Universe.   He is totally smitten by Madeline.   It is a lovely story, with a cutting edge look at life a hundred years after Jane Austen.

What if the Twin Towers had been in Baghdad? 11/9/2001 Christian fundamentalists hijack four jetliners and slam them into the World Trade Centers in Baghdad. In 2009 Homeland Security is dealing with suicide bombers while the Marines are trying to subdue the insurgents wrecking havoc in Virginia. Yet there are nebulous hints that this world is all a mirage. Bold, brash and brilliant, Mirage turns the world upside down and gives it a good shake.

Haunting and beautiful, The Snow Child, updates the Russian fairytale to 1920’s Alaska. Mabel and Jack have tried to come to terms with being childless. They left their boisterous family behind on the east coast for the quiet loneliness of remote Alaska. Creating a farm out of this unforgiving land is a tough job for the young; it is hard, weary going for middle aged Mabel and Jack. Grasping for a moment of joy out of the first snowfall of the year, they build a snow girl in the yard. The next morning the snow is gone, but a blond girl, like a snow sprite, is glimpsed near the trees. They come to love the young girl as their own child, but you know fairy tales are not without danger.

The latest Spellman saga is a hum dinger with a dizzyingly delicious variety of plot twists. Izzy’s hands are full investigating them all; the strange occurrences on the home front and the troubling clients. Sister Rae and brother David are feuding, what is up with that? They have always been tight as a pair of ticks. Mom’s calendar is so full of hobbies she doesn’t have a moment to spare, so totally out of character. What could she be up to? Dad is about to drop a bombshell announcement on the Spellman clan. And Izzy is pretty sure her latest client is not to be trusted. Lisa Lutz’s writing is so refreshingly original and funny, the Spellman series is great fun. Be sure to read all the Spellman cases, you will not be disappointed.

It is 1845, New York is just starting its first police department, the Irish potato famine is dumping thousands of poor, starving refugees on the overwhelmed city, and a blazing inferno is about to change Timothy Wilde’s life for the second time. Orphaned in a fire as a child, history has repeated and again fire leaves him homeless, without funds, and scarred. With few options Timothy accepts the job his brother engineers for him in the police force. Returning to his new apartment one night a little girl wearing a night gown covered in blood runs smack into him. He takes the terrified child in to be comforted by his landlady. Making the frightened little girl talk quickly gains importance when a little boy is found dead. She tells of a brothel where child prostitutes go missing when a hooded man comes in the night. She tells of a grave that holds dozens of throw away children. Timothy is new at policing and not at all sure it is a good fit, but he knows these children deserve justice and he is willing to put everything on the line for them. Brilliant writing and is a real page turner to boot. If you like historical fiction, this one rocks.

Lynch showed he has the magic with his brilliant first book, The Highest Tide, a heartwarming coming of age story set in Olympia Washington about a boy most at home on the water in his kayak. His second book, Border Songs, about a rather, large, unusual border patrol agent with a penchant for bird watching, tackled timely issues with the changing nature of community and borders. I enjoyed them both and highly recommend them. Now Jim Lynch has given us something truly wonderful; Truth Like The Sun is magnificent. Seattle is one of the world’s most beautiful cities and Truth Like The Sun reads like a love song to the spectacular, jaw dropping beauty, the vitality, the over the top outrageous glory of the place. The 1962 World’s Fair put the spotlight on Seattle, a city so overwhelmed by staggering natural beauty it dazzles no matter which direction you look. Roger is in love with this glorious city, the World’s Fair is his creation. He hangs out with Elvis, greets Prince Phillip, and chats up LBJ. Roger is an idea man, a promoter, bursting with dreams for his city and the energy to make them come true. Fast forward to 2001 and Roger is still in love with his city, but he knows it could be so much more! He is tired of being behind the scenes, being the power behind the throne; he steps out front and center in a run for mayor. Helen was hired by the Seattle PI, the Pulitzer fuels her daydreams. Taking down charismatic Roger just might be her ticket to the big time. You cannot stay active in city politics and back room deals for forty years and stay clean. Roger’s closets have to house a few skeletons and Helen intends to find them, in whatever sorry form available. Lynch has written this entertaining and thought provoking book like a celebration of a city. Seattle truly is that beautiful with white capped mountains in every direction you look, lots of blue water bedazzled by diamonds in the sun, and seductively lush green gardens that bloom in a riot of color come spring. Roger is a pretty cool guy, hang out with him at the fair for a while and revisit the past, it is closer than you think

Pasquale Tursi has taken over his late father’s dream of turning their sleepy little inn into a tourist destination for Americans. Nestled at the edge of the Cinque Terre, his village is tiny, remote, and difficult to reach. His farfetched dreams seem to be coming true when a beautiful blond movie actress arrives. It is 1962 and two Titans are setting the world aflame with their passion while portraying another pair of doomed lovers, Anthony and Cleopatra. Pasquale’s blond might douse the flames of Burton and Taylor’s red hot love affair. Fast forward to present day Hollywood where a young screenwriter is trying to pitch a storyline to legendary producer Michael Deane’s beautiful assistant. But Deane’s past is about to catch up with him as Pasquale travels from Italy to Hollywood in search of the blond actress who changed everything so long ago. Jess Walter is pitch perfect in this beguiling story that spans decades and continents. He uses his settings brilliantly, from Italy to Scotland to Sandpoint Idaho. The characters are well developed, often surprising, and always entertaining. Great writing marries a lively story in this beautiful book. Jess Walter’s talent is High Octane.

Diabolically devious plotting and engaging writing will keep you guessing. Amy disappears on her 5th wedding anniversary, leaving her handsome husband with his slow southern charm to face the suspicions of police and media. Amy was a beautiful woman, bright and charming. She hated the move from New York to Missouri but times are tough and Nick insisted on returning to his small hometown to help his sister with their ailing parents. Now lovely Amy is gone and the story Nick tells just does not ring true. Can this handsome southern gentleman be a wife killer? Gillian Flynn is a master at taking the reader down unexpected lanes!

This lovely coming of age story is told through the perspective of 14 year old June. A shy girl with a rich imagination, she adores her Uncle Finn. On Sundays June travels with her mother and older sister Grace to Finn’s apartment where their talented uncle works on painting his nieces as he waits for AIDS to claim his life. June’s mother has never come to terms with her brother being gay or his illness. In her rigidity and disapproval, she has denied her daughters any contact with or knowledge of her brother’s life partner, Toby. After the funeral, Toby contacts June, beginning a journey for the teen to greater understanding of her mother, herself, and her talented uncle. As this family comes to terms with the grief of losing a loved one, they also grow closer.

Evangeline and her sister Lizzie are on their way to the Silk Road and Kashgar as lady missionaries under the supervision of Millicent, a zealous woman intent on converting the locals. Evangeline has brought along her bicycle, a novelty in 1923. While Lizzie is a true believer, Evangeline is more interested in seeing the world. Soon the women run afoul of local custom and law. In current day Frieda is confused by a letter informing her she is the sole heir of a stranger. She has one week to clean out the mystery person’s flat. Aided by Tayeb, a homeless refugee, she delves into the accumulation of a lifetime looking for a connection. This lively story has strong female characters; it is an interesting look at the sometimes volatile intersection of differing cultures

In a remote village in northern India a young girl, beaten and tied to a bed, is found in a smoldering house with the murdered bodies of thirteen relatives. The local police want quick closure and believe they have their culprit; it would be so easy to convict the young girl. Simran, a social worker, is not at all sure the girl is to blame. She left the same village for Delhi years ago, now she comes back to interview the girl and seek the truth. Desai’s gives a powerful indictment of the outrages committed against women while also telling a tightly plotted, intricate mystery. Outstanding writing and a compelling story make this a winner.

Told through the perspective of 7 year old Raami, the story begins by introducing a Cambodia rich with fragrant flowers, a lush beautiful place. Raami lives on a sumptuous estate, her father a minor prince and respected poet. The family is lovely, attractive and affectionate. If not for the brace on her leg from childhood polio Raami’s young life seems charmed. But it is 1975 in Cambodia and young Raami’s life is far from charmed, it will become a living nightmare. Khmer Rouge overtake the country, emptying the city, forcing people from their homes, driving them into the countryside. To be educated is dangerous, to be a prince, even a minor prince, is deadly. Yet in this bleak and frightening time, there are moments of grace. Raami’s story is very similar to the experiences of the author as she survived the killing fields of Cambodia. She tells not only of the horror of the Khmer Rouge, but also the beauty of her country, and the kindness of its people.

Evil thrives in dark and secret places, spots where the world has turned away and forgotten. In 1915 there were many distractions, a world war was raging. While attention was focused elsewhere, the Turks unleashed horrific cruelty and death on the Armenians. A young American, Elizabeth Endicott, travels to Aleppo, Syria to work with Armenian refugees. Her life will never be the same. Armen has lost everything a man holds dear, his family destroyed in the Genocide. He befriends the young American, moved by her zest for life and commitment to helping his people. In 2012 Laura Petrosian, a novelist, begins to research her Armenian heritage. These are characters you will root for, full of spirit and a desire to make a difference. Epic in scope, this is on my list of favorites for the year!

Malice of Fortune by Michael Ennis is a moody, tantalizing mystery set in Italy during the days of the Borgias, Niccolo Machiavelli, and Leonardo da Vinci. If you like rich complicated mysteries populated with some of the most fascinating figures in history, this is just the ticket: body parts found in odd places; mysterious victims; Caesar Borgia on the cusp of a deal with the Florentines; crimes that muddle with political maneuvering. It all makes for a fascinating, elegant page turner that keeps you guessing to the very end. A Most Beautiful Deception by Michael Ennis is not to be missed.

Rusty spends his first six years being tormented by his obnoxious cousins while living with his aunt in Arizona. Rusty’s origins are a bit murky. His father is charismatic Tom Harry, a bar tender par excellent in Gros Vetre Montana. But the only thing Rusty knows about his Mom is that she is gone. Tom rescues Rusty from his spiteful cousins and he settles into a bachelor’s life with his dad in a big old house behind the bar in the remote Montana town. It is a pretty good life, uncomplicated and harmonious, father and son looking out for each other. All goes swimmingly until Rusty turns twelve and Proxy, an old flame of Tom’s, hits town with her teenage daughter. Is the daughter Rusty’s sister? And what will happen now to Rusty’s idyllic life with Tom? Ivan Doig’s lyrical prose, wry humor, and rich storytelling are a treasure. You go Ivan!

Chabon is able to keep a dozen intricate plot elements in the air as gracefully as a gifted juggler, bringing them all home safely in the end. Archy and Nat run a record shop on Telegraph Avenue, a place the community stops to swap tales. They have fallen on hard times as the economy in general and music in particular have taken a nose dive with big chain stores ruling the day. Their wives, Gwen and Aviva, are partners too, midwives in great demand for their superior care and skill. Archy and Nat’s record shop is in imminent peril from the new Dogpile megastore being opened down the street by former NFL superstar Gibson Goode. Just when things are looking dark for the guys, a delivery goes terribly awry for their wives. Archy has a few added complications; his father is the unreliable, recovering addict, and former kung fu movie star, Luther Stallings. Oh, and Archy and Gwen are expecting their first child. All this comes together in the most entertaining and satisfying bouillabaisse of stories, many ingredients and a fine flavor. Just reading a sentence from Chabon is a real treat.

A rollicking, ambitious novel, the story follows the fortunes of a brother and sister, Richie Sheperd, an over the hill rock star and Bec, his scientist sister. Richie has succumbed to the charms of a younger woman, way too much younger. Not only would his family life be ruined if the truth came out, but jail would be a distinct possibility. He justifies the situation by telling himself the girl was well experienced and worldly far before she started pursuing Richie. Okay, so he didn’t run too fast and was easy prey, as long as he keeps it secret from his family who is he hurting? Richie has a very flexible conscience. Bec is a serious lass, she wants to make a difference, she is researching malaria and using herself as a test subject. Bec is willing to break the rules if it means saving millions from malaria. Each of these characters decides their version of truth is the right course of action. Throw in a rather demented, right wing, vengeful journalist, and an assortment of quirky characters and you have a fantastic story of love, betrayal, and the oddities of life that will hold you spellbound, make you laugh, and keep you thinking.

Dellarobia’s future was settled in high school; teen age hormones and an unplanned pregnancy cut short her plans for college. Cub did the right thing, manned up, married Dellarobia, and took her home to the family farm. He is a faithful, good hearted husband, but cowed by his parents, reluctant to stand up for himself, happy to spend his evenings in front of the TV. A decade later Dellarobia has two children she adores and a life that feels wrong. Bowed down by poverty and the disapproving oversight of her in-laws, she relieves her yearning with flirtations, something to get the pulse racing. Everything changes when a sky of golden orange covers the hillside; millions of Monarch butterflies are carpeting the forest in orange flame. It is a sight that evokes wonder and awe, a moment of grace. Their arrival is claimed by the church as an act of God, by the scientist who arrives to study them as a cataclysmic disaster, and by her father in-law as an inconvenience to his plans on clear cutting the hillside. Entertaining and gorgeously written, the story illustrates timely themes as everyone reacts to the butterflies through the filter of their station in life, scientist, religion, and the poor hill people more invested in staying afloat themselves.