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 LAST DAYS OF SUMMER
by Steven Kluger
This is an extremely good, but unknown novel. It is an epistolary novel. (For those of you who aren’t English teachers, that means the story unfolds through letters.) World War II is the historical backdrop. A baseball player for the New York Giants befriends a Jewish kid from Brooklyn. A lot of books over the years have made me cry. A few have made me laugh out loud. This is the only one I can remember that made me do both. And it’s a fast read.
 THE BEAN TREES
by Barbara Kingsolver
I have never read a Barbara Kingsolver book that I didn’t like. This one is not as well known as The Poisonwood Bible, but this is my favorite. The protagonist is a spunky young woman with a saucy tongue and a heart as big as the great Southwest. The supporting cast is diverse and complex. Few books celebrate the value of compassion like this one.
 SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS
by David Guterson
This is not a quick read. The prose is graceful but textured. The narrative moves back and forth from a murder trial taking place in 1954 to events that occurred during and just before World War II, centering upon the incarceration of Japanese Americans. The shifting third person point of view is expertly handled. The subject matter is complex but engrossing. Among other things, an emotional love story is threaded through the book. I am told that the movie is very good, though I loved the book so much I haven't had the urge to watch the movie.
 THE KITE RUNNER
by Khaled Hosseini
This book was recommended to me a couple of times by friends whose judgment I trust. But I was a reluctant reader. I didn’t want to wade through a depressing novel filled with unpronounceable names. Fortunately, I read the book anyway. The historical backdrop is the Taliban take over of Afghanistan. Much of the novel is set in a rapidly deteriorating Kabul. Ghastly things happen. And yet the novel as a whole is a moving story of friendship, of finding onesself, of the subtleties of guilt, conscience and redemption. It’s a very moving novel. (I should note that Khaled Hosseini’s second book, A Thousand Splendid Suns, which has the same setting and many of the same themes, is equally good.)
 COLD MOUNTAIN
by Charles Frazier
This is an excellent, challenging Civil War novel. Once again, I am told that the movie is very good, though I haven’t seen it. This book also takes some time to read. The writing is beautiful but densely textured. The plot concerns a wounded Southern soldier who gives up fighting and walks hundreds of miles to get home. It’s a classic journey story. It’s got plenty of danger, a good dose of violence, some torrid romance, but most importantly a lot of intelligence and historical awareness.
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