Annotation:At the age of nine, gentle Rose Edelstein discovers she has a gift which will lead her to be an outcast. She can taste the feelings and uncover the secrets of the person who cooks any food she eats. Eating becomes a handicap and Rose life’s is greatly comprised by her gift. Using elements of fantasy, Bender writes a haunting coming-of-age story.

Annotation:This book's title comes from the three witches in Macbeth .The three daughters of a Shakespeare scholar, Rosalind (Rose), Bianca (Bean), and Cordelia (Cordy) are fated to play certain roles in their family. I was drawn to this novel because I have sisters and I see how we are fated to play the roles our families assign to us when we are growing up. Besides, how could I not love a book that says: "There is no problem that a library card can't solve."

Annotation:Set in the small fishing outpost of Paradise Cove, Crummey presents the story of the Sellers and the Divine families. The story has much to offer: unrequited love, revenge, local myth and history, and ribald Newfoundland humour. Connecting these narrative elements, is the story of Lazarus, a man found in the belly of a whale. Magic realism Newfoundland style.

Annotation:While caring for her dying mother, 30-year-old Sophie Walker becomes acquainted with the keeper of a nearby safari park. Sophie is fascinated by a group of elephants living at the park and can't help but compare their exemplary behaviour patterns to those of humans.A beautiful and thoughtful novel.

Annotation:Octogenarian detectives Arthur Bryant and John May of the Peculiar Crimes Unit mystery series, reminisce about their first case which took place during the London Blitz. They use witches’ lore, psychics, and even mummified cats as well as forensics in solving the crime. If you want a great escape to a darkly funny London populated by eccentrics, this is the book and the mystery series for you.

Annotation:This inventive novel is about a young woman, Dr. Diana Bishop - descendant of a long line of witches, who refuses to use her powers. While doing research at the Bodleian Library, Diana uncovers a long-lost manuscript. This discovery threatens to spark a war between the world of supernatural beings and mankind. Compulsively readable, a Discovery of Witches has been described as Twilight for adults.

Annotation:In the year 2027, humans have lost the ability to reproduce and society is in chaos. When a young immigrant woman, Kee, reveals that she is pregnant, many forces struggle for control of what will be the first recorded human birth in 18 years. An underground group of activists known as "The Fishes" act as Kee's guardians and attempt to escort her to safety.

Annotation:Musician Gram Parsons, lived a short life, but has had a profound influence on popular music. Ironically, Parsons himself saw little success during his brief career. Though considered the father of country-rock, his efforts merely paved the way for countless other bands to follow. Twenty Thousand Roads is not the first book about Gram Parsons, but it’s the best.

Annotation:When Natalie arrives in an unnamed Balkan country to provide medical aid, she encounters an atmosphere of secrecy beneath her warm welcome. Secrecy might well be the operative word in Obreht’s debut novel. Not just the secret history of past atrocities during times of conflict, but personal, family secrets as well. When Natalie’s grandfather suddenly dies, a mystery arises that forces Natalie to examine some of these secrets – especially one family legend concerning a tiger.

Annotation:The death of a young First nations Man, Hector Penniac, in the cargo hold of a merchant ship sets-off this tragic story. The media and the tribal council blame a loner in their community, Roger Savage. many years later, a boy who observed the events, Markus Paul, has joined the police force and struggles to resolve the mystery surrounding Hector's death. Highly recommended.

Annotation:This is a well written and deeply moving fictionalized account of the 1942 Paris round ups and deportations of Jewish families by the Paris police. It follows the story of Sarah and Julia. Sarah, the 10-year-old daughter of a Jewish family who were taken that fateful night, and Julia is an American journalist and wife of a Parisian man, assigned to cover the 60th anniversary of the roundups.

Annotation:Patti Smith offers a tender memoir about her early days in New York City and her relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe. As well as a fascinating account of the life and development of an artist, Smith paints an unblinking portrait of New York from a much grittier era. The book is a must read for music and poetry fans.

Annotation:Abraham Lincoln’s murder set off the greatest manhunt in American history. Assisted by family and others taken with his legendary charisma, John Wilkes Booth relied on guile and luck to elude the best detectives, military officers and local police the federal government could muster. With this book, Swanson has successfully streamlined the assassination's aftermath into a gripping hour by hour account. As a result, Manhunt reads like a tightly scripted crime drama that is impossible to put down."

Annotation:This wonderful story is about the childhood of an intersex child growing up in rural Labrador. Born in 1968 and raised as a boy named Wayne Blake, the child does not fit into the hunting and fishing culture of Croyden Harbour. As Wayne matures into adulthood, the pull of a “shadow self” he calls Annabel becomes stronger and stronger. If you are a fan of Jeffrey Eugenidies Middlesex you will like this beautifully written novel.