So many of us read “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet” and loved meeting Jamie Ford when he visited for our Book Festival. This new novel made me think of all of the women before me as the novel begins with Afong Moy and continues through the women of the later generations. This is a moving novel that will make you think of karma, family dramas that continue through the years, and how we each find our way through life.

I love traveling to different countries and cultures and I always read the latest by Isabel Allende. In this novel told in the format of a letter, we meet Violeta, whose passion and determination carry her through tremendous upheavals in her life, including the struggles of government rule in Chile. Travel the beautiful and remote parts of Chile in this beautiful, touching and deeply satisfying novel.

This book seems to embody the fruits of Brene Brown’s long and fruitful career in one volume. You’ll learn eighty-seven emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human and see the skills for meaningful connection. With humor, some saucy language, and authenticity, Brown teaches us to navigate the heart so we can enjoy relationships with deeper understanding, compassion, and choice.

So many of us read “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet” and loved meeting Jamie Ford when he visited for our Book Festival. This new novel made me think of all of the women before me as the novel begins with Afong Moy and continues through the women of the later generations. This is a moving novel that will make you think of karma, family dramas that continue through the years, and how we each find our way through life.

This is a beautiful fable of friendship and the universal lessons we learn with, and from, one another. British illustrator Charlie Mackesy begins the story with: ‘“What do you want to be when you grow up?’ asked the mole. ‘Kind,’ said the boy.” Add 100 color and black-and-white drawings on the endpapers and throughout, and you have a gift book that is a joy to read and a joy to give. We’ve had customers buy one, then come back for 10 more.

I’ve been picking up this cookbook now for months in anticipation of a Spice of Life culinary luncheon with Matthew Raiford. The Gullah Geechee people settled all along the southeast coast, including Amelia Island and the food traditions are rich and lasting. Raiford returned to his family’s farm in southeast Georgia after a career in the military traveling the world and training as a chef. Now, Matthew is the six-generation farmer who has shared 100 heirloom recipes in this beautiful cookbook.

Many of us Americans were raised with the values of being productive and offering something of value each and every day. Sitting still rubs against this, but intuitively we know it’s healthy to know how to rest, how to sit still. Zen Master Tich Nhat Hahn’s Mindfulness Essentials Series offers clear, simple directions and inspiration. I begin my day with a short reading and know that the wisdom has helped me learn to breathe, calm my brain, and open myself to new ways of being.

How do we pull through the most challenging times in our lives? Julia Alvarez introduces us to Antonia Vega, who, simultaneously retired from her teaching position at the university and lost her beloved husband. And that’s only the beginning. There is so much for book groups to discuss, from love and loss, where we find meaning, the role of family, immigration and teenage pregnancy. It’s in expert writing like this we find our common humanity.