A quick reminder to get your recommendations in for next year's book club. Email them to me at KLHLarson@comcast.net by March 30th.

This is what I have so far:

Jan said, "I thoroughly enjoyed Waiting, by Ha Jin.
I know some are tired of 'Chinese' themes, but I think this is more
about human nature and love than anything Chinese. This comes from
the back of the paperback:

"The demands of human longing contend with the weight of centuries of
custom in acclaimed author ha Jin's Waiting, a novel of unexpected
richness and universal resonance. Every summer Lin Kong, a doctor in
the Chinese Army, returns to his village to end his loveless arranged
marriage with the humble and touchingly loyal Shuyu. But each time
Lin must return to the city to tell Manna Wu, the educated, modern
nurse he loves, that they will have to postpone their engagement once
again. Caught between the conflicting claims of these two utterly
different women and trapped by a culture in which adultery can ruin
lives and careers, Lin has been waiting for eighteen years. This
year, he promises, will be different."


Karen K. recommends Little Pink House by Jeff Benedict. Karen said, "I saw a review of this book on C-Span and after a few minutes of listening to the author, I wondered if he was Mormon. This is a true story about a woman in the little pink house who held out against 'imminent domain' back east. The author says he wrote it more about the personalities and motivation of the people in taking this house--it included the local government and the Pfizer Corporation and it has been described as a real page turner." He is also the author of How Mormons Do Business.

Karen also suggests Eve's Daughters by Lynn Austin. This is a multi-generational book starting in Germany before World War 1 with a little girl who marries a man who brings her to the U.S. The book begins with the daughter and flahses back to the grandmother and mother. It's a sweet, well-written book about love between wives and husbands as well as mothers and daughters.

There will be two votes for sure (mine and Karen K) for Markus Zusak's The Book Thief. The library's summary of this book says, "Trying to make sense of the horrors of World War II, Death relates the story of Liesel--a young German girl whose book-stealing and story-telling talents help sustain her family and the Jewish man they are hiding, as well as their neighbors."

All of these books are available at the library. Keep checking in and letting me know what your book suggestions are for the upcoming year!