Things are falling apart. The scene is set in England in the 1520’s and if the king passes away without a male heir, the country could be decimated by civil war. Henry VIII is in love with Anne Boleyn and wants to end his marriage of 20 years. No one is in Henry VIII’s favor, especially the pope. But here steps Thomas Cromwell right into the middle of this mess. How will Cromwell help Henry stand up to the opposition to get his way?

Abraham Verghese tells us the story of Marion and Shiva Stone, twin brothers who were conceived from a secret affair between an Indian nun and a British surgeon. Marion and Shiva become orphans when their mother passes and their father disappears. But, they are forever tied together by their miraculous connection and their love of medicine. Marion and Shiva grow up and come of age in Ethiopia as revolution hangs in the air.

Toni Morrison beautifully tells us the story of Sethe, who was born a slave and escaped to Ohio, but eighteen years later is still not free. Sethe has been traumatized by Sweet Home, the farm where so many tragedies took place. Her new home is haunted by the spirit of her baby, who died without a name and whose gravestone is engraved with just one word: Beloved. This book is poetic and suspenseful enough to keep you on the edge of your seat. A must read.

Mamah Borthwick Cheney tells us her story of love and desire. Mamah desperately wants to be with Frank Lloyd Wright and hopes to justify their affair by writing about it in her diary. She and her husband hired Wright four years previously to design a home for them, and, during the creation of it, a magnetic attraction pulls Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah together. Loving Frank is the tale of their torrid affair and the aftermath of it—how it changes both their and their loved ones’ lives for good.

The Round House, by Louise Erdich is a beautifully crafted story of a boy on the verge of adulthood who is in search of justice and closure after he and his family are put through a horrendous crime that changes everything.

Marie-Laure and her father live together in Paris near the Museum of Natural History where he works. When Marie-Laure is a mere 12, the Nazis arrive and she and her father escape Paris and run to Saint-Malo to live with her great uncle, taking with them the museum’s most valuable, yet dangerous jewel.

Werner Pfennig, an orphan, grows up with his younger sister in a mining town in Germany. He is fascinated by a radio he and his sister discover together that brings them stories from strange and exciting places. Werner learns how to build and fix up these important, new tools and is recruited to use his skills to find the resistance.

Anthony Doerr weaves these two characters’ lives together beautifully and, shows us how, even in times of struggle, people do try their best to be kind to one another.

Paris, my favorite city in the world. I’ve been a dozen or more times, yet learned much from this book, especially the fascinating details of the building of the Eifel Tower.