Reviews

“I came of age in the 1980’s, before diversity and multicultural awareness trickled into western Michigan.  Before ethnic was cool.  Before Thai restaurants became staples in every town.”

A plane full of teen beauty contestants crash lands on a tropical island. I was expecting either drama or fluff. What I found was satire aimed at the “ideal” female, reality tv and their sponsors, and beauty contests, with a nod toward foreign relations.

A Fine Balance equals Slumdog Millionaire minus the joyful singing and dancing at the end.

 Dina Dalal, a strong-willed widow, defies her bother by living in her dead husband’s flat and refusing to get married.

If your New Year's resolution is going to be to get in shape, try some of the titles from Helen's video reviews: New Year\'s Resolutions - Fitness

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Then, tell us about your favorites in the comments!

As a child of the British Ambassador, the author of this book grew up in 1950s Prague. Today as an accomplished journalist, he returned to discover the truth about childhood memories that have haunted him all his life.

Ceramics artist Jean Horemarsh has just spent 3 months caring for her mother who is dying of a terrible cancer. The ordeal has left her exhausted and thoughtful. After her mother dies, Jean returns to her own home and her husband, Milt who is a substitute English teacher. Jean tells Milt that she wishes she had killed her mother before she got so sick.

Dr.

In the not too distant future, overcrowded jails and a weak economy have led to a radical new punishment for criminals – their skin color is genetically altered, a different color for different crimes.  Hannah Payne, dutiful daughter and devoted church member, never thought that she would one day be a “chrome”, the term for those whose skin color has been changed.

In Crossbones, two Americans from Minneapolis’ Somali expatriate community, in search of a runaway teenager, navigate the dangerous Mogadishu – a city torn apart by civil war, criminal anarchy, and religious extremists.  One of the men, Malik, a war correspondent, is intent on unde