This book follows Elizabeth and Mr Darcy's daughters through their first London season. Lizzy and Mr Darcy are abroad and their daughters are staying in London with Mr. Fitzwilliam and his wife.
This novel takes place entirely within the confines of a Burmese Prison. The main character, Teza, is a political prisoner. He has been sentenced to 20 years of solitary confinement, but finds ways to free his mind and spirit through small and powerful means. The writing is very well done and one gets such a good sense of the political situation in Burma. The author does a wonderful job of pointing out beauty in what would seem to be a beauty-free environment. It is a tribute to the human soul and all that is good about people. The back cover says, "The Lizard Cage is an urgent, necessary addition to the canon of fiction about political oppression . . . the novel tells the story of the friendship between a Burmese political prisoner and a young orphan boy. Set entirely in a prison called the Lizard Cage, it is a gripping exploration of how human connection can liberate one's spirit despite unimaginably, cruel circumstances, as seen through the eyes of an idealistic revolutionary who inspires in a child the bravery to escape a life of confinement." It is a powerful story, and a book I think everyone should read.
I am a huge fan of Nick Hornby. I loved High Fidelity, and About A Boy. Hornby writes about below average humans and makes you like unlikeable people. And sometimes he even gives his characters some redemption. This book is no different. It is told from the point of view of four different Londoners. All meet up on a rooftop, New Years Eve, where they were all planning to take their lives. There is an older woman who has been taking care of her son who has been in a vegetative state for twenty odd years, a punk totally messed up teenage girl, a washed up tabloid-fodder talk show host, and a musician who has never been able to get his career going. Anyway, they decide to help each other want to live instead of killing themselves. Hornby doesn't go for feel good solutions and keeps things starkly realistic. It is darkly humorous, and surprisingly touching, just as all his books are. (Hornby also uses the F-word a lot, so if that bugs, don't read this book or any of his others).
I really enjoyed this book. My library has a "readers choice" section and that is where I picked it up. This is the story of Dr. Delaney, a WWI veteran who lives in the Village during the depression. Then, it was an enclave of immigrants and mobsters. He is a doctor, who has been abandoned by his wife and daughter. In many ways he is damaged goods, until his daughter abandons her son on his front step bringing life, love, and happiness back into Dr. Delaney's life. One of my favorite characters in this book is the depresion era New York City Pete Hamill brings to life. It was a good story.
The book starts three months after the end of Peter and the Starcatchers.[3] Slank returns to the island wit
h more of the Others, including a certain Lord Ombra, to reclaim the trunk of starstuff lost in the previous book. When they learn that the Starcatchers have taken the trunk back to England, they set sail for London. Peter follows, fearing for Molly's safety, and with Tinker Bell's help conceals himself on their ship.
Once in London, Peter does not know where to find Molly. After unpleasant encounters with beggars, traders and the police, Peter finally gets directions from J. M. Barrie to Lord Aster's house, and rescues Molly from Lord Ombra in the nick of time. However, Louise Aster -Molly's mother- has been kidnapped by the Others, and the children must find Lord Aster who is guarding the starstuff.
Meanwhile, back on the island, the pirates are hunting the Lost Boys. They capture the boys to use as bait for Peter, not knowing he is not on the island. (from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_and_the_Shadow_Thieves)
Written by the same author as Year of Wonders (which I loved), this story follows the fictional journey of the real Sarajevo Haggadah from 14th century Spain to modern-day Sarajevo through a series of clues found in the ancient book's binding. A hair, a splash of water, the wing of an insect - all spark the curiosity of a book restorer, who attempts to put together the story of how this remarkable book survived 500 years of Jewish exile and persecution. It is a fun book to read! The writing is okay - it bugged me that the author didn't really change the voice through the different eras of history, but it was obviously well-researched. I especially liked the idea that people of Muslim, Jew & Christian faiths all had a hand in the miracle of the book's survival -- "there were people who could see that what united us was more than what divided us." 
My Grandma recommended I read this book, and now I second her recommendation, and will tell you basically what she told me. This certainly isn't fine literature, or deep material, but it is a good story and I loved the relationship between the young son, Ralph, and his Father. It is the story of the authors childhood. His family, for health reasons, left New England and made a go at a life as ranchers outside of Denver in the early 20th century. Ralph is in love with his new cowboy life and gets into lots of mischief, but is always guided by his fathers wisdom, love, and goodness. The writing is somewhat abrupt and not terribly refined, but the story and narration kept me going. I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the sequels.
This is an amazing book, which I think should be required reading for anyone who claims American citizenship. John Adams was an eyewitness and participant in the founding of our country and this book is taken from his letters to his wife Abigail, and her letters to him. It is a wonderful read and you will have a serious appreciation for John Adams and the other founding fathers after reading this book. Fascinating. (I believe they just made an HBO series based on this book. I'd love to see it).
