1. West of Here by Jonathan Evison is set in a fictional town on the Olympic Peninsula. 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. He captures the landscape as only someone who loves it can understand this gorgeous wild piece of the northwest. West of Here is a winner of the PNBA Award.

3. The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obreht is a stunning debut novel. Natalia’s beloved Grandfather took her often to the zoo, to visit the tiger and hear the story of the Tiger’s Wife. He carried with him a well worn copy of The Jungle Book by Kipling. Natalia followed in her Grandfather’s footsteps, becoming a doctor. She is on her way to inoculate the children of a poverty stricken Balkan village when she learns her Grandfather has died miles from home in a remote village.

5. The Marriage Plot by Jeffery Eugenides. 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 thesis and as a woman fielding the attentions of two suitors. 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 and totally smitten by Madeline. It is a lovely story, with a cutting edge look at life a hundred years after Jane Austen.

7. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami is a challenging, wonderfully absorbing epic that is hard to put down. Aomame enters a strange parallel world when she ditches her cab stuck in traffic and climbs down an emergency exit. Tengo is given the opportunity to re-write a work fiction by a rather odd 17 year old. The story twists, turns, and meanders as it takes you on the trip of a lifetime.

9. Shards by Ismet Prcic is gritty and bold, two young men try to survive in war torn Bosnia. Ismet escapes through Scotland on into the US. Mustafa is drafted into the military. What I found most compelling, is the way the everyday lives of the people were blown apart. Families living normal lives, visiting the country on the weekend, browsing the shops, going to dinner, never expecting that violence and hatred were going to destroy their lives. They are just like us, then one day they are not. How do you feed the family pet when you are starving? This is a unique, disturbing, insightful novel. Shards is a winner of the PNBA Award.