"The Memory Keeper's Daughter" by Kim Edwards is about a doctor who delivers his own twins in a snow storm in the 60s. While his wife is under, he discovers that one of them has Down's Syndrome and he chooses to tell his wife that this baby died. He gives the baby to the nurse and tells her to take it to an institution. Instead, she takes the baby girl home and raises it as her own. The book is about what one lie does to all the people involved.
"The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield is also about twins. A woman is sent to interview Vida Winter, an author who is known for telling tall tales. Determined to tell the truth in her story, the interviewer delves deep into the author's life and discovers a few secrets including the mystery of the thirteenth tale. This was a great gothic story complete with a mansion housing a few skeletons in its closets.
"Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen has taken the book world by storm. Jacob Jankowski joins the circus during the Great Depression and falls in love with the woman who performs with the horses. Unfortunately, she is married to the cruel owner of the circus who mistreats her. He also mistreats Rosie the elephant, the star of the book. At first I was nervous about reading this book because I don't like to read about the mistreatment of animals. If you're like me in this respect, I want you to know that --nothing happens to the dog and Rosie is triumphant in the end!
"Garden Spells" by Sarah Addison Allen was a "nice little read." It's a Southern tale about the Waverley sisters and the special garden that grows in their yard. When one sister returns home after a long absence, she brings along her daughter who falls in love with the Waverley home, including the special apple tree that grows in the yard.
All four of these books were so wonderful that I mention them to all my reading friends. Now, I'm suggesting them to you!
