In the genre of Sacred Boy and Shantaram, Chandra take us through the epic odyssey of a young boy coming up in the Mafia underbelly of Bombay where everything comes at a cost. Told with wonderful and deep descriptions and from different characters’ lives — this is a modern masterpiece — just set some time aside to pick up the pace and get to know who’s who.

This a quirky New England read about a bumbling idiot who accidentally kills two people when he burns down the Emily Dickinson House. After serving 10 years in prison and rebuilding his life after incarceration — other famous writer’s homes begin to burn. The police are after Sam and in the spirit of Confederacy of Dunces — he just can’t seem to do the right thing. Very different — very enjoyable.

As many of you know, Perez-Reverte is my current favorite novelist. I have read all of his translated works and this latest is wonderful. A retiring war photojournalist haunted by bad memories has enclosed himself in a tower to paint his artistic visual interpretation of battle. But, a man shows up he has only seen once before — when he took his picture for a Pulitzer-winning battle photograph many years before in Croatia. Asking the soldier of his purpose, the man replies “because I’m going to kill you…” Thus begins an amazing novel.

No sophomore slump for Hosseini — after the stunning success of Kite Runner I was worried his second book might fail to please. No worries — this is also a moving, well written, sad, and wonderful novel examining life in Afghastan from the female point of view. Not to be missed!