Colette recommends "I Married You for Happiness" by Lily Tuck

I Married You for Happiness by Lily Tuck

Based upon what could really be a depressing premise:  sitting by your husband’s bedside where he has unexpectedly died after arriving home from work and going up to rest.  Nina sits vigil through the night and remembers snippets and memories of a long-term marriage:  the joys, deceptions, intimacies and trust that make up the life they shared.  “A rare and elegant affirmation of the transcendence of love.” 

Lily Tuck is a National Book Award winner known for her spare and lean writing. It is a tender look that draws you into someone else’s life from which you emerge feeling surprisingly hopeful and content.  It is not romance ‘genre’, nor is it corny or maudlin; it is literary fiction of a lovely sentiment.  Exceptional.

Recommend for adults.

Jeanne recommends "Farishta"

Farishta is the story of an American diplomat stationed in northern Afghanistan.  For the last twenty years or so, Angela Morgan found herself struggling to move beyond personal tragedy.  In 1983, Angela’s husband was killed and she lost her baby in the Beirut embassy bombing.  She accepts the posting in Afghanistan to hopefully resurrect her career.  The only woman at her post, Angela is at odds with other officers and cultural attitudes toward women in Afghanistan.  The book provides fascinating insight into Afghanistan and the men and women who are called into public service in foreign lands and sometimes hostile environments.  The novel was the debut-winner of the 2010 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.

Grace recommends "Desserts from the famous Loveless Cafe: simple Southern pies, puddings, cakes, and cobblers from Nashville's landmark restaurant"

Now that the new year is well under way and most of our resolutions have fallen by the wayside, here’s a tempting array of delicious Southern treats from a Nashville favorite.  Renowned for its down home charm, the Loveless Cafe in Nashville,Tennessee, is the domain of pastry chef Alisa Hunstman whose Blackberry Jam Cake, Bourbon Peach Shortcake, and Blueberry Skillet Cobbler are just a sample of the more than 100 luscious recipes in this delightful cookbook.  Fun and easy to make with full color photos.

Recommended for adults and young adults.