Arcadia Falls by Carol Goodman

I chose this book because it’s about a teacher, and I’m a teacher, but it turned out to be so much more.  I love it when authors are able to tell a story inside a story.  The main characters attempt to solve a mystery that happened at the boarding school years before.  A little mystery, a little magic, and a priceless read.

Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos

 The words in this book surprised me. They flowed, they danced, they made me happy. Everything about this book was delightful, it was unexpected, it worked.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

What a breath of fresh air!  There are jewels on nearly every page of this delightful mystery.  I’m always drawn to adult books written about children, and Flavia certainly did not disappoint.   I was hooked from the first page, and am so glad that this is only the first book in the series!

The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks

The fact that this was a true story was the only reason I trudged through the terrible writing. The author got caught up in the unimportant fictional details and let the beauty of the true story fall through the cracks. The Widow of the South is the true story of a woman who, unwillingly at first, gives her house over as a hospital and later a graveyard for the fallen soldiers in the Battle of Franklin.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Reading this book was a new take on an old topic. The story is told from Death’s perspective, with hand drawn pictures inserted throughout.  I enjoyed the non-traditional aspects of this novel.  The Book Thief is an intricately woven story of a German girl, an accordion player, and a hiding Jew during WWII all told from the memories of Death.  I highly recommend it.