We really do listen when you (our customers) tell us about a ‘must read’ book. We may not always get around to reading it, but we are listening. When three separate customers mentioned they had read and loved The Help by Kathryn Stockett, I listened.

Set in the early 1960’s in Jackson Mississippi, the novel follows the lives of three women. The first voice we hear is of Aibileen, a woman in her 50’s who has spent her life raising the children and taking care of the homes of white families in Jackson. She is currently working for Miss Leefolt, a woman who does not seem to have the heart to raise her daughter Mae Mobley. Seeing the mother’s neglect, Aibileen finishes her days telling the child she is smart and she is beautiful -- each and every day.

Minny’s is the next voice we hear. She is also one of “the help” and has the reputation of being a terrific cook as well as a smart aleck. When she loses one more job, she is certain no one in Jackson is going to hire her. And no one would have because Miss Hilly, a would-be political wife, spread her lies that Minny is a thief. But someone new moves into a mansion on the outskirts of town and, not knowing the community gossip, they hire Minny.

And finally, we hear from Skeeter. She has just graduated from Ole Miss with a degree in journalism and ideas about making a living as a writer despite her mother’s aspirations for her young Southern daughter. But Skeeter checks the mail everyday hoping to hear about a possible position in New York City with the publisher Harper and Row. However, instead of a job offer, one of Harper’s editors tells Skeeter that she is pretty nervy to apply for such a high-level position straight out of college and with no actual writing experience. Then she makes Skeeter an offer.

The Help is a novel about these three exceptional women and the turbulent times in which they lived. It contains moments of such poignancy and magic, I couldn’t put it down. It seems that once a year I come upon a ‘feel-good’ book that I can recommend without hesitation. The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Barrows; The Hearts of Horses by Gloss; The Whistling Season by Doig; and this year it is The Help by Stockett. Thank you readers for your suggestion! ~Patti

Colm Tobin’s novel Brooklyn tells a seemingly simple tale of a young girl’s immigration from Ireland to New York with quiet eloquence. Eilis Lacey lives with her widowed mother and glamorous older sister Rose in a small town in Ireland where jobs, opportunities, and eligible men are scarce. With help from a priest and encouragement from her sister, Eilis leaves all she knows and travels to “a part of America that is just like Ireland” - Brooklyn. Although overwhelmed by the unfamiliar Eilis manages to find a job, a room in a boarding house, enroll in school and fall in love with an earnest young Italian man. Just as she’s settling into her new life a family crisis calls her back to Ireland where she must she must choose which place to call home.
With sensitivity and subtly Toibin portrays the immigrant experience and the complexities of what finally makes a place home. ~Anne

When Hurricane Katrina met New Orleans and caused the ocean to breach its levees and destroy its homes, Abdulrahman Zeitoun was busy becoming my newest hero. I just didn’t realize it until I read Dave Eggers’ most recent book, which tells the true story of Zeitoun’s life and, primarily, his experience in a New Orleans changed in the aftermath of its worst storm to date.

The book blends a fascinating nonfiction subject with the kind of emotional power present in great fiction, a singular story of the prosperous, Syrian-born Zeitoun and his family, the inspiring dynamic and love between him and his wife, Kathy—a former Southern Baptist and divorcee who converted to Islam prior to meeting Zeitoun—and the quagmire that was (and may still be) U.S. post-storm policy. While his family leaves the city for safer ground, Zeitoun stays behind to look after his jobsites and properties. But in the days after the storm, he instead finds himself paddling the quiet streets of New Orleans in an aluminum canoe, helping stranded and injured residents to safety, feeding abandoned dogs, and bringing water and supplies to folks who chose to stay in their homes. The more people he helps, the better he feels, and as a professional contractor and a generally hopeful man, he sees the storm’s damage as an opportunity to rebuild. But his story takes a horrifying turn when he is suddenly arrested and placed into a poorly-devised post-storm prison system, where the legal process does not exist.

Eggers works as a journalist with this book. He uses no literary tricks to tell Zeitoun’s story, to the point where you forget there’s even an author, and you are able to watch it all unfold without interruption. This is an illuminating, heartbreaking, and inspiring story, and it’s easily my favorite book so far this year. ~Jared

In a deep forest, in some vague agrarian time period of horse carts and superstition, Peter and his father, Tomas, are woodcutters in a new town. Their simple lives are interrupted both by a series of strange deaths and by a group of gypsies who know something about Tomas’ past.

This slim novel, aimed at Young Adults, is the best vampire book I’ve read. It’s completely different from those other teen vampire books that are really more about identity, romance, and belonging. This feels like a folk tale that might have been passed around small communities in Central Europe. Based on research and imagination it feels almost like a companion to The Historian. It gave me goose bumps. (New in paperback.) ~Lillian

I looked forward to Pat Conroy’s new book South of Broad with all the eager anticipation I normally reserve for a long-awaited vacation to a favorite destination. A familiar locale that I haven’t visited in a while, a spot that feeds the soul and provides much needed inspiration. But I wondered if the new book would meet my expectations. What if his writing has changed? Can he possibly match the depth and richness of The Great Santini or Beach Music?

Good news readers, South of Broad is Conroy at his best. He returns his readers to his favorite locale, the South. In this case, it’s Charleston, South Carolina which plays such a significant part in the book you might consider it a major character. Conroy sure-handedly depicts the city so that you can almost feel the racial and social tensions. He weaves themes of Catholicism, complicated family relations and the power of deep-rooted friendships throughout the book.

South of Broad offers up 500+ delicious pages of Pat Conroy, a master of compelling storytelling and exceptional writing. He gathers a wildly eclectic cast led by Leopold Bloom King whose father is the Great Santini’s opposite—a kind hearted man who cares for his son with tender and empathetic concern. His mother, on the other hand, is a former nun, principal of Leo’s high school, an expert in James Joyce (hence her son’s name) and about as brittle as a woman can be. That’s just the beginning. Leo is tortured by his older brother’s suicide, a reality that affects his every decision. His loneliness ends as he gathers a group of high school friends that become the rock of his life. South of Broad follows this group as they individually and collectively confront life alternating between 1969, as the friends embark on their senior year of high school, and 1989 as their lives have become increasingly complicated by among other things, Hollywood stardom, life-threatening illness, and social and racial prejudice. The pleasure in the book comes from the full development of Leo, known to his friends as Toad, whose moral compass never falters and who, through his strength of character, holds the group together. I hope we don’t have to wait another 14 years to hear from Pat Conroy, but if we must, I will rest comfortably with South of Broad for years to come. ~Wendee

As I was thinking about writing a review for Richard Russo’s newest novel, I kept thinking about Saturday by Ian McEwan; not Russo’s Empire Falls or The Bridge of Sighs as you might expect. It finally occurred to me why. Jack, in That Old Cape Magic, is filled with the same kind of thoughtful introspection and occasional obliviousness demonstrated by Henry, McEwan’s character.

The novel spans two summers and two weddings but uses flashbacks to tell the story of Jack and Joy Griffin’s life together. We first learn about Jack’s parents, Midwest university professors who always yearned for Ivy League status. Every summer they would leave their hated droll existence for Cape Cod, instilling in their young son an almost mythic appreciation for the Cape. Jack and Joy ended up spending their honeymoon on Cape Cod where they planned out their future and, except for some minor detours, they lived the life they dreamed. But over the course of the novel’s two summers, their somewhat staid life together begins to unravel.

One of the great strengths of That Old Cape Magic is that it seems so familiar -- the stories that make up Jack’s life are the same stories around us all. Living in a marriage that resembles a roller coaster -- one day up and the next day down. Watching your child grow up, experiencing heartache and hopefully finding a lasting love. Learning to cope with the failings of parents -- perhaps a problematic marriage, their aging and finally their deaths. The stories of life, if you’re paying attention, and obviously Richard Russo is a master at paying attention. ~Patti

Take a pinch of Agatha Christie, a dollop of “Clue” (the movie), and a hint of the recent NJ mayors scandal, then a healthy seasoning of Bollywood romance and drama. Simmer for over 400 pages, and you have Six Suspects, the latest novel by the author of Q & A the book on which “Slumdog Millionaire” was based.

Corrupt, dishonorable, over-privileged and despicable Vicky Rai-- playboy, businessman, and son of a prominent Indian government official-- has been murdered at a party he threw himself to celebrate his acquittal in what should have been a clear-cut case of murder. After Rai’s death, six people on the grounds are found with weapons, means, and motive. The book sweeps through India following the stories of each of the six suspects: “the bureaucrat,” Mohan Kumar, recently retired from the government, and even more recently- and hilariously- possessed by the spirit of Gandhi; “the actress,” the sexy, ambitious Bollywood star Shabnam Sexena (whose sections are diary entries); “the American,” a slow-witted but romantic Texan who comes to India to marry his pen pal but also happens to share a name with one of Google’s founders and a tendency to mingle unknowingly with terrorists; “the tribal,” a sweet and fascinating man from the Onge tribal reserve on a quest to retrieve a sacred object; “the thief,” a dashing young man who steals mobile phones to support his mother and adopted sister but dares to dream big (and dangerously); and lastly, “the politician,” Viky Rai’s father, a vile and ruthless politician whose sections are written as phone transcripts.

This is an ambitious and entertaining novel. Swarup explores different strata of Indian society and experiments with very different voices and methods of storytelling. I must confess that I had some problems with the American’s sections, as they were told in a very folksy Texan first person that sometimes allowed Britishisms to slip in and ruin the effect for me, but even Larry Page’s story kept me turning the pages. If you’re in the mood for an international mystery that will take you on a whirlwind tour of India and its people, this book is just the ticket. ~Tegan