Huntington Public Library Adult Reading Challenge

  Ella, a single mother of twins, begins a long distance penpal relationship with her brother's friend and army buddy, Becket, while he is away fighting for our country. They develop a strong bond with their letters and then tragedy strikes and they are brought together. This was an emotional story, both heart-warming and heart-wrenching at times. Very well done and kept me captivated from page one until the very end.

  Puts your own life and parenting into perspective, regardless of politics i think every parent should read this book and take a second look at how we react to our children’s behavior. I'm very impressed by what this man overcame.

  Easy to read + a good love story! All about first impressions, actual handwritten letters. Story also addresses more serious topics like organ donation, anxiety + abounding love of family + friends. Quick to read in a couple of days!

Libyan born Author Matar has a fascination with the art and artists of 14th, 15th, and 16th Century Siena, Italy. He craves seeing these paintings...visits every museum's galleries to study This art period. Along the way we learn a bit about Libya, the repressive politics, military government. It is art history--so know before you start to read it. NO plot.

 This historical fiction novel is based on a true story. The timeline, which flips back and forth between WWII and 60 years later, follows the life of Eva Traube. She is a young Jewish woman living in Paris France, fleeing from the Nazis and then becoming a forger of papers to help others flee and cross the border into Switzerland. The older Eva is now a semi-retired librarian, who comes across a story in the newspaper about a book, saved from Nazi destruction, that contains a secret code which represents the true identities of the adults and children she helped to save. The story is one of bravery and resilience in the face of horrific danger.

  We learn in this book how important - and necessary - sometimes, to retreat and rest. Learning the importance of going within, and learning how to be peaceful with it are tools we all need. The author related our needs to the needs of the natural world, and how it is not giving up, but growing stronger to take some time to rest, so that we can grow taller and stronger.

 I have always been a big fan of Lorrie Moore. She publishes infrequently, though. Her last book published was a best seller, A gate at the Stairs. An excellent rendition of a small town's after effects suffered after 9/11. But this book -- a zombie!!?? whose ex-husband takes her cross country??!! Horrible book, bad premise!!

  Caroline Shelby returns to Oysterville, WA after her career as a fashion designer ends in catastrophe. There she reunites with family and friends to put the pieces of her life back together. This story is a wonderful tale of redemption and the strength you can find from the people in you life. A beautiful story.

This may be a preteen/young teen book, but it is definitely worth reading. Is Aviva seeing the ghost of her deceased father? Excellent bit of diversity since the main character is an Orthodox Jewish girl, living within an Orthodox community.