Mozart's Last Aria: A Novel by Matt Rees

There has long been rumors that the great composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, was poisoned to death at the age of 35. Historians today believe that he actually died from complications of rheumatic fever. However, Mozart's Last Aria asks the question--if he indeed was murdered, who did it and why? The novel is narrated by his sister, Madame Maria Anna Berchtold. She travels to Vienna to pay her respects to Wolfgang's wife and starts asking questions about her brother's death. It turns out that one of Mozart's greatest works, The Magic Flute is full of clues and may hold the key to solving this well done mystery. Readers that enjoy a sense of place and lots of details should really enjoy this.

Karen

The Cradle: A Novel by Patrick Somerville

I found The Cradle to be an interesting but extremely odd novel. This is the story of a young couple, Matt & Marissa, who are expecting their first child. Out of the blue, Marissa tells Matt that she simply must have the cradle that she herself slept in as a child. OK, that's the first odd thing. Matt agrees with little hesitation to track this cradle down. Second odd thing. Then suddenly, a storyline with new characters start. Third oddity. The rest of the novel tells of Matt's journey to get the cradle, as well as what is happening with the lives of the other people in the adjacent storyline. The ending (you guessed it!) is as odd (besides a little creepy) as the rest. But here's the oddest thing of all - I liked it.

Karen

The Wedding Writer by Susan Schneider

The Wedding Writer is simply a fun chick-lit novel. It tells the story of four women, Lucky, Sara, Grace, and Felice that all work for a struggling bridal magazine. At the core of all this is Grace Ralston, the powerful Editor-in-Chief. When she is fired and replaced by Lucky Quinn (who happens to be her protege), well, the fireworks and claws come out. Friendships and personal lives are quickly evaporated as each woman struggles to find a niche of her own. This may be chick-lit, but I found it to be well done and intelligent.

Karen

Ameritopia by Mark Levin

The author of the best-selling treatise "Liberty and Tyranny" continues his defense of republican government in his new book.  Levin analyzes classic works of government such as Plato's "Republic," More's "Utopia," Hobbes' "Leviathan," and Marx/Engels' "The Communist Manifesto" to show how they can lead to totalitarian societies.  He then discusses works by Locke and Montesquieu and illustrates how they influenced the Founding Fathers in creating the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.  Levin posits that governments based on the principles of natural law, liberty, private property and separation of powers can best preserve the rights of their citizens and lead to prosperity. This is compelling reading for anyone who missed philosophy and political science class in college.

Dawn

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The Accidental Time Machine by Joe Haldeman

Let me start off by saying, to be fair, that I read this immediately after I read The Time Machine by H. G. Wells. So of course, if you compare the two, this is lukewarm. I believe much of this story was fashioned after the original, but of course done with a very different style and a lot more technology. The Accidental Time Machine is the story of an underachieving and mildly depressed M.I.T. grad student, Matt. He discovers that a machine he built can actually "jump" through time. After a series of experiments, Matt decides to give it a go. Off he goes into a very, very strange future, with a religious dictatorship in the U.S., dinosaurs, talking bears, and lots of A.I.s. Did I mention that there are two Jesus Christ figures in his travels?

This novel was entertaining, but I would recommend the classic if you want to travel through time.

Karen

The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman that Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

The Dressmaker of Khair Khana is a fascinating story of one woman's determination to stay alive and take care of her family during Afghanistan's Taliban rule. This was truly a dreadful time for Afghans; particularly for women. Women had almost no rights at all. They could not work, go to school, or be seen in public without a family male escort. With so many men having been killed during the war, what were widows and mothers to do? Kamela Sadiqi is one of these women. Only 19 years old, well educated but unable to use her teaching certificate, takes the very risky step of creating her own business by working at home.

This is her story.

Karen

The Time Machine by H. G. Wells

First published in 1895, The Time Machine is a true classic. For those that have not read it (and you should!) this is the story of a man, known as the Time Traveller, that meets with friends at his home to discuss a machine. This machine, he says, can travel through time. Now, the novel is set in Victorian England, so of course his friends are skeptical. However, they are proven wrong. The rest of the book recalls the Time Travellers adventures as he crosses hundreds and hundres of years. It actually turns out to be an amazing journey! And there are many things we can all learn from this.

Karen