Annotation:The hardworking, Bible-quoting, comically Job-like Tevye (made famous in the 1960s and ’70s by the Broadway and film versions of “Fiddler on the Roof”) was created a century ago by Aleichem, aiming to personalize the disintegration of traditional Eastern European shtetl life. (A shtetl was a Jewish village or ghetto.) In three of the early stories, Tevye’s headstrong and much-adored daughters challenge him with their marital preferences--each preference a rejection of Tevye’s beloved world of tradition. Other tales show us how shtetl life fostered humor and hope amidst oppression and squalor. Aleichem’s Tevye is perhaps less charming and less memorable than Zero Mostel’s or Topol’s. But he remains one of the great voices in fiction, and his creator is understandably considered the Jewish Mark Twain. (Jeff B., Reader’s Services)

Annotation:Playful, ludicrous, and sophisticated, Don Barthelme’s stories are both bizarre and wonderfully accessible. His surreal style has been widely imitated (for example by Dave Eggers, who wrote the introduction to this re-publication) but never matched. With hilarious absurdities that somehow make enormous sense, he can (in the words of the Wall Street Journal) sound like Hugo one minute and Groucho the next. In “Conversations with Goethe,” Barthelme mocks the genius in a way that the genius himself would have appreciated. Even the titles are inspired. Who can resist “Some of Us Had Been Threatening Our Friend Colby”? Or “Porcupines at the University”? (Jeff B., Reader’s Services)

Annotation:Jack, age 5, has lived in Room all his life. He was born on the floor, and with Ma he plays and eats and naps and learns. At night Ma shuts him in Wardrobe. He must stay there in case Old Nick visits. Sooner than Jack, we learn that he and Ma are Old Nick’s captives and she is a sex slave. Through resolve and ingenuity, Ma has created a cheerful life for Jack. But she knows that at 5 Jack needs to get out as she herself does. Against the odds, they escape. They begin to build a life “in the world.” This proves to be almost as heartbreaking, to the reader, as their life in Room—which was a hellhole for Ma but Edenic for her innocent son. Narrated by the buoyant but often perplexed Jack, Room illuminates the unshakable bond between mother and child. By the end of the book I was in tears and felt something close to love for them both. (Jeff B., Reader’s Services)

Annotation:Haunted by memories of her best friend’s disappearance when they were both just eleven years old, and guilt-ridden over what part she played, Celia returns twenty years later to her hometown to confess. No one believes her. In rediscovering her past, she finds that the repercussions of intensely competitive and often cruel female friendships are lasting and terrifying. This suspenseful and meticulously crafted psychological drama brings to mind Margaret Atwood’s classic, Cat’s Eye, with its brilliant and painful portrayal of girl-bullying. (Susan R., Reader’s Services)

Annotation:Mara Harris is not like the other military wives. She likes to dress-up, sing with the volume turned up, sew beautiful things out of scraps, and paint her front door (shut) turquoise blue. She is also increasingly tired, teary and overwhelmed by the demands of family life, yet her free spirited 8-year-old daughter, Tillie adores her. When Colonel Harris takes a Pentagon job and moves the family to Washington, Mara suddenly disappears and Tillie is left more than miserable, confused and suspicious of her father's motives. Told from Tillie's perspective, I was hooked from the beginning of this intelligent, compassionate and immensely satisfying first novel. (Susan R., Reader's Services)

Annotation:If you have ever passed by a so-called haunted house and wondered how it came to be so, ever speculated about who lives in that raggedy, broken-down house at the end of the street with the overlong grass in the front yard, ever wondered about the strange shapes lurking just behind the always-closed curtains in the windows and questioned who lights that lamp deep inside the house each night, then this book may offer some sour sort of answer to your queries. Something awful happened in the Blackwood house some years back. The better part of the family was killed one night at dinner, poisoned at their own table. There was no evidence to convict anyone of the murders, and only three survivors. In the aftermath of the poisoning and the scandals, rumors, and accusations that followed, the surviving Blackwoods shut themselves up in their fenced-in wooded estate, seldom to be seen again. Now pale, eggshell-fragile, chef-extraordinaire and suspected murderess Constance, little-sister, hellraiser, amateur-magic-practitioner, and protectress Merricat, and elderly, enfeebled, mentally fractured Uncle Julian who survived the poisoning and has spent the years since in an obsessive quest to find out the truth behind the murders, live solitary (though not joyless) lives secluded in their home. Merricat is the only member of the Blackwood family to have left the estate since the crime, and it is through her eyes that we view the family and all its knotty history, the town and the townspeople that fear and despise the Blackwoods, and the hazily described murders that have come to define all of their lives. Merricat is a spectacularly unreliable narrator, highly intelligent, obsessed with nature, magic and death. It is sometimes tough to get a read on her—is she a precocious child? A stunted adult? Is she dangerous, crazy, or just having fun? Whether Merricat is wishing death on her neighbors or conversing with her cat and constant companion Jonas, there is a playfulness, but also a darkness at work here. When a distant relative, Cousin Charles, arrives unannounced to stay with the family for awhile, Merricat begins to slowly twist into fits inside, certain that this envoy from the outside world will shatter the comfortably encapsulated life which Merricat, Constance and Uncle Julian have grown dependent upon. In subtly discomfiting ways Charles begins to seep into the life of the house, his unvoiced motives for insinuating himself into their world crashing sharply into Merricat’s single-minded quest to keep the family safe and whole. By the time the villagers have arrived at the Blackwood gates you will be mesmerized by this strange and uncomfortable book, unable to put it out of your mind. As with much of Shirley Jackson’s fiction, We Have Always Lived in the Castle leaves you feeling like your sanity is on shaky footing. This book will have readers questioning who is sane and who is insane among the characters, the author, and even the readers themselves. (Andy R., Reader’s Services)

Annotation:In this epic novel of ancient China, readers are transported to a time and place of great beauty, harsh cruelties, and complicated political machinations. Set during the reign of the fictitious Emperor Taizu of the 9th Peacock Dynasty, author Kay spins an engrossing tale of one Shen Tai, a second son, who chooses to honor the memory of his recently deceased father, the honored General Shen Gao, by burying the vast numbers of slain soldiers abandoned on a battlefield shared by Kitai (i.e., China) and its former enemy and neighbor Tagur. This great service of honoring the dead brings him a gift from a Taguran princess of 250 Sardian horses, splendid animals that rival the mounts of every other empire. This is a gift of unimaginable value, and it means either assured death, or guaranteed survival for Shen Tai. On the arduous and adventurous journey Shen Tai makes with his Kanlin guard to advise his emperor of the gift, there are many changes of scene, new characters, and treacherous situations. Side stories evolve and capture our attention fully until the main plot reasserts itself. Kay skillfully evokes the court intrigues of the mandarins and ministers, the sub rosa plottings of concubines and house stewards, and the rivalries and diplomatic dueling of the royal family. Kay is a gifted writer--there’s a touch of poetry in his lush descriptions of this ancient land; his knack for dialogue blends natural prose with the courtly language of diplomacy upon which a character’s fate may turn. This is grand saga about one man caught up in a quest for power, revenge, love, and honor--a thoroughly enjoyable selection to add to your winter reading list. (Barbara L., Reader’s Services)

Annotation:Mini-Shopaholic is the latest in the laugh-out-loud series of Becky (Bloomwood) Brandon’s madcap adventures. The title refers to Becky and Luke’s two-year-old, Minnie, who is accustomed to taking cabs, shopping at boutiques, and whose favorite word is “Mine!” This novel is simply wonderful and, in my opinion, much better than Kinsella’s last couple of books. In Mini-Shopaholic the author has hit her comic stride. Do we feel a little sorry for Becky when Minnie has a meltdown in an elegant shop or accidentally orders 16 designer coats online—when Becky promised Luke that she’s trimming expenses? Only a little, because the scenes are so funny. Then Becky plans to throw a surprise party for Luke on a shoestring budget (an impossible idea!), which creates many other humorous situations. My personal favorites are the scenes with the babysitter and Nanny Sue, the educational expert and TV host. (Shira S., Reader’s Services)

Annotation:In an effort to console herself after the love of her life marries her best friend, an intoxicated Savannah Leone buys a six-thousand dollar Slovakian German Shepherd off the internet. With a premise like that, one would expect this book to be filled with over-the-top antics, yet Stay was much different. On the surface it appeared to be a cute chick-lit novel: Girl meets boy, girl loses boy, girl makes peace and learns about herself. To dismiss this book so easily, however, takes away its depth. Stay was quirky, sweet, and honest, and much more about family and friendships than about inventing outrageous humorous moments. I couldn’t put this book down. Even though some parts were predictable, Allie Larkin created characters who were imperfect and interesting, and after I finished the book, I found myself wondering if Savannah and friends needed me to drop by with some bagels. (Juliette S., Reference)

Annotation:How about an Irish Christmas play this holiday season, one that stars the devil himself? This riveting play by Conor McPherson is set on the outskirts of Dublin in a phlegm-soiled basement apartment on Christmas Eve and in the wee hours of Christmas Day. It’s the story of Sharky and blind Richard, middle-aged, hard-drinking brothers leading foul, destitute lives, and the night before Christmas when they host a few friends (and enemies) over for some poker. The congregation begins innocently enough until one of the men, who may or may not be the devil, reveals to Sharky that he’s there to collect a debt, one that’s been long simmering for years. This is a masterfully constructed play full of thrilling flights of dialogue, a stunning monologue (you’ll know the one when you read it), and more drinking than you’ll ever read about in one sitting. It’s a story that burns slowly into a staggering, hallucinatory inferno of primal fear that’s both eerie and beautiful. (Jarrett D., The Loft)

Annotation:The cover of this book should have been designed in an edgier style using the dramatic primary colors of Frida Kahlo’s paintings. With a more serious cover, the book would get the literary audience it deserves. Instead, the cover portrays a model-thin female and a yellow lab. Let me start by saying that this book, starring main character Elena Alvarez, and big bear of a dog, Alvin (part Chow, part St. Bernard, but definitely huge, orange, and furry), cannot be confined to the genre “chick lit”—what the cover seems to imply. It’s actually a very different book. It is, instead, a book about the haunting feelings of childhood loss that drive Elena’s decisions. With a touch of magical realism, ghosts move in and out of Elena’s world, sometimes guiding her but never truly letting her live. After I read so many books for the RTRs project, this book seemed dramatically different. Reminders of Ana Castillo’s Peel my Love like an Onion, or the Albuquerque food scene described in the fun but lighter Husband Habit by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, resonate in this book. Although it does have romantic elements as well as the focus on self discovery, it is less heavy-handed than Hungry Woman in Paris by Josefina Lopez. The Lost Recipe for Happiness won a RITA for Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements. (Juliette S., Reader’s Services)

Annotation:Yes, there is a rose on the cover of this book. And yes, the title and the author’s name are written in flowery calligraphy. But don’t discount Julia Quinn. Time didn’t, and as I laughed through What Happens in London, I realized that I couldn’t ignore her either. The image on the cover suggested gravity and sensuality. My assumption, however, was not correct. Although the chemistry between the characters was enjoyable, the plot and dialogue were funny, light and genuine. The book even made fun of itself as serious characters fell in love with the “trashy” romance novel of the day. (Juliette S., Reader’s Services)

Annotation:Major Ernest Pettigrew (Ret.) is an old-fashioned, by-the-rules English gentleman with a modern sensibility. A widower weighed down by a strained relationship with his son and the recent death of his brother, the major finds a friend in Jasmina Ali, a Pakistani widow who runs the village grocery and who has her own family problems. Culturally, the major and Mrs. Ali are worlds apart, but in the area of human feelings they are simpatico. When their relationship becomes known in the village, some ugly prejudices surface. Are the Major and Mrs. Ali self-assured enough to overcome small minds and follow their hearts? Helen Simonson handles difficult issues with a light and humorous touch in her delightful debut novel. (Mary B., Reader’s Services)

Annotation:How, I ask you, could I pass up a book with such a marvelous title? Before I even cracked open the cover to read the book flap, I had conjured up a wealth of possibilities for it. Were I a writer, I just might have taken that title and run with it. As it happens, the story written by Stern is quite wonderful so you are spared my amateurish attempt at novel-writing. In 1889, Rebbe Eliezer ben Zephyr, the “tzaddik” (righteous man) of Boibicz, due to a habit of letting his soul wander to get closer to God, gets himself flash frozen during a sudden ice storm. Don’t ask how this soul-wandering trick works, but because of it he is not technically dead. When the block of ice is discovered by a peasant, the rebbe becomes a family legacy, handed down from generation to generation for safe albeit frozen keeping. Of course, along the way the family’s destiny becomes very connected to the cold storage business, and Rebbe Eliezer ends up in the bottom tray of the basement freezer belonging to the Karp family, successful appliance retailers, in Memphis, Tennessee. The rebbe’s journey to America, as well as the trials, tribulations, and escapades of the colorful family members who care for him is a rollicking tale of the immigrant experience in turn-of-the-century New York, post-World War II Israel, and middle-class suburbia. The rebbe’s saga shares the limelight in alternating chapters with that of young Bernie Karp. In 1999, 15-year old Bernie--spotty, overweight couch potato par excellence--deep in the throes of teenage nerd-dom and sexual angst, is home alone during a lengthy power failure resulting in the rebbe’s rebirth. The rebbe, delighted to be thawed, is a fast learner and thrives in the care of the hapless Bernie, learning all he needs to know about how to make it big in late-20th century America by watching daytime TV. Bernie’s life takes off in a direction almost beyond belief as he discovers his inner thin, deeply spiritual, cute guy self. Stern’s skill at spinning this story entails a fair amount of Jewish magic realism blended with philosophizing, mysticism, Kabbalah, and New Age hucksterism, and it will entertain, amuse, and maybe, just maybe, clear up a few questions about the meaning of life. (Barbara L., Reader’s Services)

Annotation:After responding to a newspaper ad seeking “gifted children for special opportunities,” four bright orphans are dispatched by Mr. Benedict on an undercover mission testing their teamwork as well as their individual talents. At stake are the minds of everyone on the planet. Led by the clever and considerate Reynie Muldoon, the Society includes the nervously brilliant Sticky Washington, the resourceful Kate Weatherhill, and the cranky Constance Contraire, all unique and appealing. It’s a team with a healthy mix of trust and friction. They’re up against a fearmongering, mindreading opponent, whose scheme doubles (for older readers) as deft social commentary. Stewart aims slightly over the average young reader’s head, with sophisticated vocabulary, convoluted plot, clever brain teasers, and characterizations with depth. This is the first in what promises to be an excellent series. (Jeff B., Reader’s Services)