Judy H. writes Peter Beherens’ The Law of Dreams (1585421174) is a novel that as author Malachy McCourt says, “takes us into the hearts of savages, rapacious English landlords posing as gentleman in Ireland and shows us how the failure of one simple crop, the potato, led to the deaths, the despair and the diaspora of millions of poor Irish.” In The Law of Dreams, Fergus Carmichael makes his “Homeric passage,” during the Great Potato Famine, from Ireland to Boston. In a fight for survival along his journey, he loses his innocence, almost committing acts he thought beyond his conscience, meets betrayal and eventually receives kindness. Along with presenting the conditions in Ireland during that catastrophic period, the novel also gives a glimpse into what people must do to survive in this world.

Alice writes: Just released, Chris Bohjalian’s The Double Bind (1400047463) is a compelling novel in the same vein as his past books. In his latest story, again set in Vermont, we meet a young social worker who was attacked six years earlier during a bike ride away from the UVM campus. Originally from East Egg, Long Island (neighboring the fictitious home of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Gatsby), Laurel becomes obsessed with a box of photographs that belonged to a deceased homeless man, Bobbie Crocker, whose collection includes both shots of her hometown and the stretch of road in Vermont where she was attacked. An amateur photographer herself, Laurel begins to research how Crocker came to possess such high-quality photos, pictures with subjects so closely linked to her own life. As she devotes more and more time to the project, her friends and family become concerned about her. Delving into topics as disparate as the American Dream and the human psyche, Bohjalian has written another story that would appeal to the same fans as Jodi Picoult and Anne Tyler.

Stealing Buddha’s Dinner (0670038326) by Bich Minh Nguyen is a food-oriented memoir about growing up Vietnamese in the ‘80s. She was just eight months old when her father fled Vietnam in 1975 with her and her sister. They settled in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a bastion of “All-American-ness.” In her grandmother’s bedroom was a shrine to her ancestors where, beneath a statue of Buddha, fruits were laid as a sacrifice. Wrestling with conflicting desires for her grandmother's native cooking and American junk food, Nguyen has served up a coming-of-age tale about struggling to fit in. Funny and engaging, she narrates a tale of the immigrant experience while reflecting on American identity and how identity is often shaped by the things for which we long.

In The Post-Birthday World (0061187844), Lionel Shriver delivers a story that is (perhaps) one step above chick lit. The Orange Prize-winning author of We Need to Talk about Kevin (006112429X), she is a gifted storyteller whose precise and succinct prose goes directly to the very thoughts and concerns we all have. In alternating chapters, Shriver follows the “what-if” of Irina McGovern’s life. A children's book illustrator in London, she has lived for nearly a decade with her partner, Lawrence Trainer, a think tank consultant. Friends with a professional snooker player (Ramsey Action), she comes close one night to turning their friendship into an affair. Shriver, in alternating chapters, portrays what Irina imagines would have happened if she had given in to temptation and what happens when Irina stays with Lawrence while fantasizing about Ramsey. Snooker tournaments and international terrorism, passionate lovemaking and passionless sex, ambition and longing—Shriver has written a lengthy novel about whom we choose to love and the consequences of routine or spontaneity.

Next up for book group, on Tuesday, March 13^th from 7-8 p.m., we will discuss Jill Ciment’s The Tattoo Artist (140007844X). The novel follows the life of a New York surrealist artist who was born at the turn of the century and lived on a South Pacific island for three decades. The daughter of Jewish immigrants, Sara Ehrenreich sails to the South Seas with her Marxist lover to search for native art. Following a storm, she and Philip are marooned on the island of Tu'un'uu. Ciment fictionalizes the real tattooing culture of the Marquesas Islands as Sara turns her artistic talents on her body rather than on a canvas. When a Life reporter tracks her down 30 years later, Sara returns to a nearly unrecognizable New York. Her history is carved into her skin, but it’s a history that hasn’t recorded what the Western world has seen and discovered. Poignant and anthropologically fascinating, Ciment has carved out a tale about time and change, about the significance of art and the will to survive. Narrated in vivid and starkly moving prose, The Tattoo Artist creatively reveals the unforeseeable forces that shape each human life.

Dede writes: We hope you like our new display table for current paperbacks—both fiction and nonfiction. The selection is updated almost daily. This is a good place to browse, as is the book group case nearby. We know you will find something great to read! Just out in paperback, here are 3 of my fiction suggestions…

Love and Other Impossible Pursuits (1400095131) by Ayelet Waldman is a satiric, ironic and, finally, sympathetic picture of a beautiful, spoiled and selfish young woman. Her journey towards love and maturity is aided by a little boy—her stepson—who is both impossible and wonderful. The scenes of Manhattan as well as the characters ring true to life.

The Madonnas of Leningrad (0060825316) by Debra Dean was one of our favorites when it was published in hardcover and received outstanding reviews. Set in 1941 at the Hermitage Museum during the terrible siege of Leningrad, Marina, a docent at the famed museum, survives horror and privation by building a “palace of memory,” memorizing all the works of art and their placement in each room. Many years later, as an old woman in the United States, her memories of the past serve her well as she drifts into the ravages of age. This is a beautiful book.

Mameve Medwed’s How Elizabeth Barrett Browning Saved My Life (0060831200) is a comedy of manners set in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Wry and funny, this local author is always a treat to read. If you watch “Antiques Roadshow,” this book is for you.

 From the Children’s Room

Judy H. writes: The Invention of Hugo Cabret (0439813786) by Brian Selznick is an innovative novel for older elementary and middle school aged readers. Almost half of the 544 pages are pencil illustrations, making the novel one that is told with both narrative and pictures. The story is about Hugo, a 12-year-old orphan who lives in a train station in Paris. Hugo rediscovers a robot his deceased father, a clock maker, had found in a museum. Using his father’s notebook on the workings of the robot, Hugo attempts to fix this unusual automaton. Adding intrigue to the story is the mysterious toy maker who has a store in the train station. Hugo becomes involved with this man who has a connection to the robot. By the end of the book, the toy maker’s secret identity is revealed. This book is a great choice for any 9-12 year-old reader; however, it is especially amenable to the reluctant reader.

Pat writes: Colorful and fun, Skippyjon Jones—the little cat with a BIG imagination—has made his way into board books that are just right for the really young ones. Skippyjon Jones Up & Down (0525478078) and Skippyjon Jones Color Crazy (0525477829) are the newest by Judy Schachner. Skippyjon’s lively personality can’t be hidden in two new concept books—one of opposites and one of colors.

On the Night You Were Born (0312346069) is a great gift for a new baby…or maybe a not-so-new baby. In this wonderful and beautiful addition to a newborn’s library, Nancy Tillman begins with, “On the night you were born, the moon smiled with such wonder because there had never been anyone like you….”  With her lyrical prose and rich, colorful illustrations, this is a story every new baby would love to hear again and again.

Alphabet Explosion: Search and Count from Alien to Zebra (0375835989) by John Nickle is not your typical alphabet book for young preschoolers. Each page is an explosion of colorful things to find. At the bottom of each page, readers are given the number of pictures for which to search. Fortunately there is a key at the back of the book to help so that you don’t miss a thing. Don’t be fooled; finding the hidden pictures is not an easy accomplishment.

Marilyn writes: Swordbird (0061130990) by Nancy Yi Fan was written when the author was in 5^th grade. She was inspired by a vivid dream, as well as her feelings about terrorism and September 11^th.  Student reviewer Brendan writes, “In Stone Run Forest, there is a battle between the Cardinals and Bluejays. But when they find out that there is evil in Stone Run Forest, they must team up...to summon Swordbird and save the Stone Run Forest from being taken over by the evil Turnatt. This book is a good book because of all the action, emotions, peace, freedom and creativity. I would recommend this book to people ages 9 and up.”

Emily has just read Trouble According to Humphrey (0399245057) by Betty G. Birney and writes, “I think this is a very great book! I think it would be good for grades 4^th, 5^th and 6^th. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes adventures. In the book, Humphrey and his friends get into lots of trouble because Humphrey has a lock that doesn’t lock and it’s up to Humphrey to fix it. Humphrey also gets blamed for getting Mandy Payne’s family sick. Will Humphrey have to leave room 26 or will he get to stay? Read this wonderful book to find out all the crazy adventures.” This is Birney’s third book about the big-hearted hamster of Longfellow School’s Room 26.

In 1944, two spies parachute into Nazi-occupied Holland to provide support for the Dutch resistance movement. A half-century later, 15-year-old Tamar inherits a box from the grandfather whose name she shares, containing clues and coded messages from his days as a leader in the resistance. Deciphering these messages will change her life. Mal Peet’s Carnegie Medal-winning novel is a story of violence and resistance, love and deception, loyalty and betrayal. Tamar: A Novel of Espionage, Passion and Betrayal (0763634883) is recommended for mature readers aged 16 and up.