Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese

“Cutting for Stone” is a sweeping, emotionally riveting first novel that moves from India to Ethiopia to an inner-city hospital in New York City over decades and generations. There's a mystery, a coming-of-age story, political thriller, abundant melodrama and even more abundant medical lore in this debut novel from a doctor best known for the memoir “My Own Country”. I found the medical background fascinating; Verghese delves into fairly technical areas of human anatomy and surgical procedure; but he never overdoes it.

Irreplaceable by Stephen Lovely

While reading Irreplaceable, I felt as if I were visiting another country. It was very convenient that everyone spoke American English, but I was a tourist, experiencing lives I’d never considered. I was indeed, a stranger in a strange land. In lesser hands the subject may have been sappy or repulsive. Stephen Lovely is a master, a new master, of fiction. I really loved this novel, and had a hard time putting it down. I told my Tai Chi class that I considered cancelling the class, so I could stay home and read Irreplaceable.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet , Jamie Ford

In his impressive debut, Jamie Ford has written a tender and satisfying novel that is part of American history we would rather not face. It gives us a glimpse of the damage that is caused by war--not the sweeping damage of the battlefield, but the cold, cruel damage to the hearts and humanity of individual people. It deals with the relocation of Japanese Americans, at the beginning of WWII. This beautifully written book not only explores the age-old conflicts between father and son, it will make you think; more importantly, it will make you feel.

I was born in 1944, but this issue still affected me when I was a girl. Mrs. Odigari, the mother of a childhood friend, had been rounded up and spent the war in the horse stables at Santa Anita Racetrack; her daughter was born there. She was never bitter, and didn’t talk about it, but as a result of that terrible internment, she contracted TB, which affected her and her family for the rest of her life.

Ford sets his story in Seattle, but this happened to the entire West Coast. Read it, you’ll love it.

Beat the Reaper, Josh Bazell

Bazell’s debut novel is a must read if you like excitement and weirdness rolled into one book.  I loved it.  If you’re uptight about language, drugs, sex, pain, murder, this is not the book for you.   I read part of the first page to my husband, by way of explanation, of why he shouldn’t bother me until I finished.  The protagonist is an ex-hit man for the mob, turned ER doctor; that alone is amazing.   Read this amazing thriller, you won’t be sorry.

Life After Genuis by M. Ann Jacoby

In her debut novel, M. Ann Jacoby offers readers an extraordinary, thought-provoking, humorous plot. I found it hard to put down; it is very humorous and yet sad. People really can be cruel. The chapters are not in chronological order; they are mixed up--much like Mead's life.

Mead, the genius in the title, is an engaging character, with a wonderful sense of humor and an indomitable spirit. Other characters are also drawn well, eliciting strong responses. This is a truly moving story of a young man who is book smart, but struggling to find his way outside of the books. You'll find yourself cheering for and laughing with Mead as he struggles to find his place in the world.

This is the first time I've included a video; but I thought it gave great insight to the novel.