I highly recommend not only a few favorite titles below, but other books by all three of these talented authors.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
When Nora Seed’s life becomes unbearable to the point of suicide, she finds herself between life and death in a mysterious library that allows her to revisit her regrets. Each book transports Nora to what may have been, had she chosen a different path. Will she find the one that offers happiness and fulfillment? Short, approachable and thought-provoking, this story of parallel universes may cause a shift in your own life perspective.
The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
Young-sook and Mi-ja grow up together in the matriarchal society
of Korea’s Jeju Island, where female deep-sea divers provide for their families. Over time, the friends are torn apart by love, loss, betrayal and war. Multigenerational characters give this heart-wrenching saga depth, and hope. Well-researched with rich details, The Island of Sea Women is a great choice for book groups.
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Despite his sentence to a life of house arrest in the attic of an elegant Moscow hotel in the 1920s, count Alexander Rostov maintains his gracious manners, charm and refined taste. He befriends Nina, a bureaucrat’s young daughter, and endears himself to restaurant staff, living a full life inside the confines of the hotel. The writing is as beautiful as the cast of brilliant characters. You’ll get lost in this novel and won’t want it to end.
Karen Mackey is an adult services librarian at Wescott Library in Eagan. Read more at dakotacounty.us/library.
