Category: Fiction

by Alexander McCall Smith, 2002 A rival detective agency run by a man, The Satisfaction Guaranteed Detective Agency, opens up. Mma Ramotswe is visited by a man who has deep regrets about 2 things he did as a young man: got a girl pregnant and stole a radio to sell so she would have an […]

by Joseph Conrad, 1900 Jim, English sailor, on board a steamship bearing 800 pilgrims to Mecca. Ship runs over something, is bound to sink and storm rolling in. Jim jumps. Never forgives himself. Stands trial. His certificate is taken away. Befriends Marlowe, an old sea captain gentleman. Marlowe narrates most of the story. Jim finally […]

by Jane Austen, 1815 “Courtship Fiction” Emma, spoiled little rich girl, befriends illegitimate Harriet Smith, prevents her from marrying Robert Martin, a gentleman farmer, who truly loves Harriet and instead set her up to marry Mr. Elton, a rich-boy wanna-be who would never consider marrying Harriet. Then comes Frank Churchill, a very rich boy, who […]

by M. M. Kaye, 1985 Murder mystery set in the Andamans, tropical islands in the Bay of Bengal off Burma. Copper visiting her friend Valerie on the tiny island of Ross. They go for a picnic on the bigger island, South Andaman, on Mount Harriet. While there, a hurricane blows in and they barely make […]

by Leif Enger, 2008 Monte Becket, a postman in Minnesota circa 1910, writes a best0selling novel, Martin Bligh, and then tries to write another one. He starts 7 novels, doesn’t finish any of them. He and his wife, Susannah, a painter, and son, Redstart, live by a river. One day out of the mist rows […]

by C. S. Lewis, 1956 I LOVED THE NARNIA BOOKS!!! Here, in order of most favorite to least: A Horse and His Boy Voyage of the Dawn Treader (very close second to A Horse and His Boy) The Silver Chair The Last Battle The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe The Magician’s Nephew Prince Caspian […]

by C.S. Lewis, 1951 Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie find themselves pulled back to Narnia, but it is thousands of ears later. Cair Paravel is almost completely grown over. They save a dwarf and he takes them to the place where Prince Caspian is battling his evil Uncle Miraz. He was the latest King […]

by C. S. Lewis, 1950 Lucy enters the wardrobe first to Narnia, then Edmund does but he meets the witch. She gives him Turkish Delight and promises him more if he’ll bring back his 3 siblings, Peter, Susan, and Lucy. Edmund believes the witch, not Aslan, but she really just wants the 4 of them […]

by C.S. Lewis, 1955 Read to Wayne in car on the way home from New Mexico road trip. Digory and Polly discover Narnia at its creation by Aslan. He sang it into existence. Beautiful! Digory overcomes temptation and brings apple home to his Mom, cures her. Evil Witch, Queen Jadis – they brought her from […]

by Stephanie Barron, 1997 Jane and her family go to Lyme – on the sea. First, a commoner is hung. Then later, Captain Fielding is shot, with Geoffrey Sidmouth’s horseshoes stamped in the dirt. Jane solves the crime. It’s not Geoffrey, but Mr. Crawford, the guy who digs for fossils. Lots of the book had […]

by Barbara Kingsolver, 2000 Moth Love – Lusa & Cole Widener – Cole is a farmer, falls in love and marries Lusa, a bug scientist, loves moths. Cole dies in trucking accident. Lusa stays on farm, raises goats, comes to love and accept Cole’s family and Cole’s family comes to love and accept her. Predators […]

by Anita Diamant, 2007 Story of Dinah, only totally different from the Bible, only the names are the same. Dinah is not raped. Her brothers murder her beloved. She flees to Egypt, mostly about women having periods, babies. Most men are despicable. A few are wonderful. The God of Jacob is only Jacob’s God. Mush […]

by Rosamunde Pilcher, 1987 Story of Penelope and her three children, Olivia, Nancy, Noel, and their lives. Penelope’s Dad, Lawrence Stern, was a painter and The Shell Seekers was one of his paintings – three children on the beach. Penelope joined WREN and met Ambrose got pregnant – married – went home to Cornwall – […]