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Before you know Kindness by Chris Bohjalian. Bestselling author of Midwives, Bohjalian presents his most ambitious and multi-layered novel to date--examining wildly divisive issues in today's America with his trademark emotional heft and spellbinding storytelling skill. On a balmy July night in New Hampshire a shot rings out in a garden, and a man falls to the ground, terribly wounded. The wounded man is Spencer McCullough, the shot that hit him was fired "accidentally?" by his adolescent daughter Charlotte. With this shattering moment of violence, Chris Bohjalian launches the best kind of literate page-turner: suspenseful, wryly funny, and humane. (Goodreads) 429 pages 2006 Fiction  
The Martian by Andy Weir. A 2014 “Goodreads Best Book” this is a story for readers who enjoy thrillers, science fiction, non-fiction, or flat-out adventure [and] an authentic portrayal of the future of space travel.”--Associated Press. Astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next.(Goodreads) 369 pages 2014 Fiction
Redeployment by Phil Klay. 2014 National Book Award winner, Redeployment takes readers to the frontlines of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, asking us to understand what happened there, and what happened to the soldiers who returned. Interwoven with themes of brutality and faith, guilt and fear, helplessness and survival, the characters in these stories struggle to make meaning out of chaos. Written with a hard-eyed realism and stunning emotional depth, Redeployment is poised to become a classic in the tradition of war writing. . (Penguin Random House website) 291 pages March 2014 Fiction
Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam. The NY Times bestselling memoir that inspired the film October Sky, Rocket Boys is a uniquely American memoir—a powerful, luminous story of coming of age at the dawn of the 1960s, of a mother's love and a father's fears, of a group of young men who dreamed of launching rockets into outer space . . . and who made those dreams come true. With the grace of a natural storyteller, NASA engineer Homer Hickam paints a warm, vivid portrait of the harsh West Virginia mining town of his youth, evoking a time of innocence and promise, when anything was possible. (Goodreads) 368 pages 1998. Non Fiction
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Winner of the 1960 Pulitzer Prize, this is a first-person narrative recounting two years in the life of Scout Finch. To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel of personal growth, social justice (and injustice), and friendship. While the writing employs generous amounts of humor, the core of the book is essentially concerned with the problems of prejudice and cultural bias in the 1930s American South. (enotes) 323 pages 1960. Fiction
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. Sports writer Albom reconnects with a college professor who is now dying of ALS deciding to spend Tuesday afternoons with him discussing life. Their dialogue is the subject of this moving book in which Morrie Schwartz discourses on life, self-pity, regrets, aging, love and death, offering aphorisms about each e.g., "After you have wept and grieved for your physical losses, cherish the functions and the life you have left." Far from being awash in sentiment, the dying man retains a firm grasp on reality. An emotionally rich book and a deeply affecting memorial to a wise mentor. (Publisher’s Weekly) 224 pages 2006 Non Fiction