Crow Lake by Mary Lawson

A disaster hits, and two teenage brothers take responsibility for raising two much younger sisters in a small rural Canadian community. The narrator is the older sister who many years later is contemplating returning to join her family in celebrating a nephew's 18th birthday. She is now a college professor and worries about "flaunting" unintentionally her success and that of her partner who is also an academic. She recalls life growing up, the struggles, as well as the pleasures, yet also feels guilt over the sacrifices her brothers made to keep the family together. A sweet poignant story.

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

I just read this wonderful book.  Wow! In verse, the narrator tells about his life playing on his high school basketball team along with his twin brother. Both star players, sons of a retired great player, they play different positions and are close buddies until one gets a girlfriend.  I am not a sports enthusiast but I was totally absorbed in this story so evocatively descriptive of a young boy excelling academically and in his chosen sport but struggling with his emotions.  Outstanding!

Foreign Correspondence by Geraldine Brooks

A lovely memoir of a young Australian girl growing up in a stable family environment but yearning to adventure into the larger World. She solicits penpals, and through her correspondence experiences some places far from home, and then grows up to become a foreign correspondent. The second part of this memoir takes up her life years later when she endeavors to find her penpals. Really enjoyed reading this book.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Major Pettigrew is a character of depth and interest and kept this reader absorbed for the entire story. Life in a small English village can be fraught with the gossip and judgment of neighbors but the Major is principled and handles actions and reactions with aplomb, and learns and adjusts when he on occasion stumbles. I really enjoyed this book.

The Wonder of Birds by Jim Robbins

A fascinating exploration of birds, their incredible diversity and their many wonderful and unique characteristics including demonstrable intelligence. Truly inspiring to learn about the many people studying and interacting with birds, and poignant to read about people whose psyches have been healed through their connection with birds. This is a paean to birds that excites the reader to care about birds and perhaps even work to ensure their future thriving in an increasingly human-dominated world. There was one little chapter that made me uncomfortable that described the author's pleasure in hunting pheasants, although my husband pointed out that often hunters are in the forefront of conservation of wild animals. Otherwise, I think this book is an important contribution to the literature about wildlife that is both accessible and informative.

The Fortunate Ones by Ellen Umansky

Wow. What a story! Children sent by their desperate parents to England to be raised by strangers all to escape Hitler's genocide. Two Austrian Jewish siblings reside with different families, separated from each other, their parents, their country of origin. Rose endures loneliness and loss over the many years of the war, and after the war upon learning that her parents died likely in a Concentration camp becomes absorbed with tracking down a painting her mother loved, and she remembers so well from their home.

The Last Days of Cafe Leila by Donia Bijan

A wonderful book, filled with characters I enjoyed meeting and getting to know. I want to enter the Cafe Leila, and share a meal with the many regulars who come seeking the conviviality and companionship of each other. This terrific book provides a heartfelt exploration of the human connections that make life meaningful.