Geraldine Brooks has created a wonderful portrait of Mr. March from just a few references in "Little Women."

Lady Jane Grey is one of those historical figures like Anne Boleyn, Marie Antoinette and the Romanov family who experience a spectacular fall from a great height.

Jodi Picoult's novels usually focus on hot news topics. A Columbine-like school shooting described from a number of different viewpoints is the subject of her latest novel.

Ron McLarty's second novel, which I enjoyed even more than "The Memory of Running."

This is one of those books that it's hard to describe, like "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell." Four stories intertwine to make a whole novel. The best sections are the young composer living in France and the theater impressario who escapes from the nursing home.

Harry Dresden is the only wizard listed in the Chicago telephone book. When someone starts killing the members of the city's supernatural community, Harry is enlisted to track down the killer -- before the killer gets Harry.

God, I love Special Agent Pendergast! I want him for my own!

Conjoined twins (who used to be called Siamese twins when we were kids) named Rose and Ruby narrate the amazing stories of their lives (yes, they live distinctly separate lives). Hilarious and sad by turns, Lori Lansens has created two unforgettable characters.

Told in a series of letters to her husband, a woman talks about her life and the tragedy that tore her family apart. Although painful in many parts, I found it riveting.

Roddy Doyle returns to the heroine of "The Woman Who Walked Into Doors" to tell of her life after her abusive husband is killed while committing a robbery.

A lovely book that juxtaposes the story of a woman who survived the seige of Leningrad during WW II with the story of her later years as she slips into Alzheimer's disease.