Something borrowed, something new!

For avid readers, there is no greater moment than finding out that one of our favorite authors has written a new book. In my wonderful library, there is a section that looks like a bookstore where all the new "best sellers" are displayed, shiny and ready to borrow. They can be taken out for a week only, which is more than most of us need to read a book we love. You will not find me borrowing crime novels or romance, which seem to be the REAL best sellers. When our library held its book sale this weekend, certain authors like John Grisham and Danielle Steele even had their own sections! But I was content to browse the crowded fiction tables and hope I had missed some older novel by one of my favorite authors. I hadn't, of course. Still, a few of them have been hard at work, and here are some wonderful new books to enjoy.

"Every Last One", by Anna Quindlan. You may remember the touching film made of her novel "One True Thing", with Meryl Streep as the mom and Renee Zellweger as the daughter. This new novel has the same layers of depth. I found myself racing to finish it while being sorry I was racing. I strongly urge you not to read the description on the dust jacket, or any reviews. This is the kind of story about which a reader should have no expectations. I think Diane Lane would be wonderful as the mom, when they make the film.

"The Lake Shore Limited", by Sue Miller. Miller never seems to strike a wrong note, and in this, her latest, she gives us complex characters and weaves in the horror of 9/11. I love Miller's descriptions of homes, rooms, restaurants, even bouquets of flowers. She gives us flawed people, but people we want to know.

"The Last Time I Saw You", by Elizabeth Berg. I had told some of my friends about this one, because it concerns a group of people attending their 40th high school reunion, which many of us will be doing in October. I think of Berg as a very accessible author, warm, friendly, and fun to read.

"A Change in Altitude", by Anita Shreve. Do you remember the first book you read by Anita Shreve? Do you remember how late you stayed up because you absolutely had to finish it THAT NIGHT; your eyes all red and scratchy the next day? I have not found her last few books as compelling as many of her earlier ones, but in this one, she gives us rich characters, an absolutely amazing setting, and a frightening challenge. I found it as wonderful as her earliest books and I am glad she has given her readers a new location.

"Remarkable Creatures", by Tracy Chevalier. Chevalier has brought history to life in
"Girl With a Pearl Earring", which was a beautiful film as well. (Although I have yet to see Colin Firth in anything I didn't love. I hope you didn't miss "Easy Virtue". If you did, get the DVD). This time, Chevalier tackles fossils. Her heroines are both fossil hunters, separated by class, but united in their passion for discovery.

"Secrets of Eden", by Chris Bohjalian. I am so happy to see Bohjalian return to New England and this century. I appreciate that many people enjoyed "Skeletons at the Feast", but I thought it lacked the drama and difficult questions his other books address so beautifully. His latest is about religion, domestic violence, and some very unlikely angels.

So, there are a half dozen wonderful new reads. If you haven't been to the library lately, walk, bike or drive to the closest one and ask for one of these books. Librarians aim to please.