Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult

Picoult novels never disappoint me.  In this book, issues of divorce, affair, and stigmata take center stage on trial.  I love how Picoult moves from first person to third person seamlessly, even within chapters.  This story kept and held my attention the whole way through.  I'm now only sad that I don't have any more Picoult novels here on the island to read! 

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home by Rhoda Janzen

There were several points in this book where I started laughing out loud.  Rhoda Janzen tells her story with a great blend of honesty and word play.  At one point, I was almost in tears from laughing so hard while sitting alone on my couch.  Although I had to fight through some “academia” related paragraphs, there were so many other moments of pure enjoyment that this book earns a top recommendation from me. 

The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran

More or less a sequel to Nefertiti, The Heretic Queen is another wonderful piece of historical fiction about the Queens of Egypt.  This time told as a first person account from the aspiring Queen, the main character is well developed and easy to identify with.  The story is filled with jealousy, trickery, politics, and love. 

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran

A great recommendation from my mom, Nefertiti is a wonderful piece of historical women’s fiction.  I love books about women in history, and this one hit the nail on the head.  Told from the point of view of Nefertiti’s sister, Mudnodjmet, the story of the famous Egyptian queen is revealed from start to finish.  It satisfied my love for strong women and also my enjoyment of stories that are told from start to finish.  And what’s even better is that Moran has written several books about the Queens of Egypt, so if you like this one there are more to read! 

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

This novel was my first introduction to The Tudors, and it had me hooked from the start.  I thought it was brilliant to tell the story of Anne Boleyn through her sister.  I remembered that feeling of sisterly competition, and appreciated the honesty from the main character, Mary.  I read most of the book on a 36 hour flight itinerary, and couldn’t have chosen a better time because I had the luxury of reading for hours on end.  I now realize that this book is actually #2 out of 6, and I intend to start reading the others. 

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

I had really high hopes for this novel, considering how much I loved reading The Time Traveler’s Wife.  It turns out that this was just a different kind of book.  More ghost story than love story, the twin main characters in this book have a flatness to them that made it hard to connect.  The story goes back and forth between several characters without really developing any one.  I think I had my hopes set too high to really enjoy what this book was; good for a rainy day with a hot cup of tea and nothing better to do.    

Enlightenment for Idiots by Anne Cushman

Everyone needs a little chic lit from time to time.  The main character in this book is believably dumb.  You watch her go from one bad decision to the next, all the time hoping she pulls her act together.  The book was actually longer than I expected, and in true chic-lit form has a happy ending.  It is the perfect “lounging by the pool on a hot afternoon” kind of read.