The Outlander
By Adamson, Gil
"Outlander is a breathlessly told tale of a mysterious murderess widow who flees into the mountain wilderness, pursued by her vengeance-seeking brothers-in-law. As she makes her hapless way, she meets up with an entertainingly odd series of characters who propel her on her journey, their eccentricities mirroring her sometimes faltering mind. Hermit, dwarf, Indian, Preacher, and a pack of miners all contribute to this marvellous adventure in the early nineteen-hundreds North American West." -- Kathleen Johnson, Prairie Lights Books, Iowa City, IA

The White Tiger
By Adiga, Aravind
"The very talented Aravind Adiga's debut novel of chauffer Balram Halwai and his dark rise in society left me just too amazed for words. I knew something of India from other books I have read, but never has any other writer captured the way of life as well as Adiga does in this book, nor conveyed it in such a strong voice." -- Ellie Joubert, Bear Pond Books of Montpelier, Montpelier, VT
 

Child 44
By Smith, Tom Rob
"The remarkable achievement of CHILD 44 is its invocation of a paranoid, brutal Orwellian domain in which society's moral compass is spinning like a Roulette wheel. This snowy, bitter world is realized with cinematic vividness, and the plot maintains a nerve-wracking tension throughout. CHILD 44 is a great thriller for people who don't always read this genre." -- Ken A. White, SFSU Bookstore, San Francisco, CA

So Brave, Young, and Handsome
By Enger, Leif
"Enger again explores the often transparent line between good and bad, focusing his story on characters who fall in the gray in-between. Failed novelist Monte Becket accompanies his friend, Glendon Hale, a former outlaw, to Mexico to find Hale's estranged wife. Their adventures along the way, and the surprising end of their journey, make for an exciting and thought-provoking read." -- Erica Caldwell, Present Tense, Batavia, NY

The God of War
By Silver, Marisa
"Marisa Silver's story of 12-year-old Ares Ramirez, living with his mother and younger brother in a trailer at the edge of the Salton Sea, tells us unvarnished truths about those who are different, whether physically, emotionally, or by virtue of circumstance. The result is a novel that is as true to life as it is unforgettable." -- Betsy Burton, The King's English Bookshop, Salt Lake City, UT

The Girl With No Shadow
By Harris, Joanne
"Take a handful of magic, flavor it with Paris, mix in a large splash of folklore, cover it with chocolate and you've got a fool-proof, deeply satisfying recipe for a rich, absorbing tale that will keep you reading late into the night. This sequel to Chocolat is, quite simply, extraordinary." -- Debbi Burton, The Rediscovered Bookshop, Boise, ID

The Gift of Rain
By Eng, Tan Twan
"Set in Malaya over several decades, the book opens in 1939, when Philip, a half-Chinese, half-British teenager becomes the student and guide for a Japanese diplomat who becomes his Sensei master. It is only after the Japanese invade Malaya that the boy realizes that his teacher, to whom he has proudly shown and told so much, is a Japanese spy. Intrigue, love, politics, and war are intricately woven together in this story of complex and fascinating characters."-- Elaine Petrocelli, Book Passage, Corte Madera, CA

The Host
By Meyer, Stephenie
"Earth's population is slowly being taken over by an alien species who implant themselves in host bodies to stop humanity from destroying itself. One of them finds herself in the body of a rebellious young woman named Melanie, who is determined to reunite with her young brother and her boyfriend at all costs. This multifaceted story that keeps you turning pages until the exciting conclusion." -- Holly Frakes, Schuler Books & Music, Inc., Lansing, MI

The Plague of Doves
By Erdrich, Louise
"Louise Erdrich's complex history of the families in a North Dakota, mixed-blood reservation town reveals its secrets slowly through the unique voices of the community. These characters require us to pay attention and to move from psychological and philosophical musing to delightful storytelling full of magic and intrigue. Thoroughly enjoyable." -- Kathleen Costello, Maria's Bookshop, Durango, CO

Peace
By Bausch, Richard
"This short novel set in Italy in WWII follows a small band of soldiers step by brutal step through one horrendous night. They struggle with torturous elements, an awful ethical dilemma and an unseen enemy. Bleak and relentless, Peace is an excellent novel about the moment to moment awful reality of war." -- Stan Hynds, Northshire Bookstore, Manchester Center, VT