I was on the phone with my mother last night asking her if she's come across any good books (she volunteers at the library so she's in the know). She sent me an e-mail with suggestions:
.....The name of the book I am about to finish is A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell. Her website has a list of recommended books which are as follows:
David Sosnowski
Vamped
Rapture
Wonderful comic novels -- I often give these books as gifts, particularly to American ex-pats. Vamped is what you'd get if you put Anne Rice in a Mel Brooks blender, and then added grand observational humor about contemporary American life.
Karen Joy Fowler
The Jane Austen Book Club
Sweetheart Season
The Jane Austen Book Club hit the NY Times bestseller list last year, and it's about timet, Karen Fowler is getting the attention and sales (and I hope the money) she deserves. She incapable of writing an infelicitous sentence. Wry, sly, subversive stories. She's written more, but start with these two.
Chieh Chieng
A Long Stay in a Distant Land
A wonderfully funny portrait of a very American Chinese family. The chapter called "Melvin's Aphorisms" on page 222 made me laugh so hard, my dog started barking at me.
Simon Mawer
The Gospel of Judas
Mendel's Dwarf
If you read The DaVinci Code to see what the fuss was about and were underwhelmed by flatfooted prose and bad pacing, try The Gospel of Judas, about similar issues but beautifully written and an infinitely better book. And I loved Mendel's Dwarf, which deals with the ethics of genetic research in a fascinating and deeply personal way.
Mark Helprin
****I love Mark Helprin's books and read every one that comes out. (personal recommendation from Mermaid here)****
A Soldier of the Great War
Another writer whose work leaves me breathless with admiration. This is my favorite, but you can't go wrong with Helprin.