The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Just a fascinating book following the history of HeLa cells and how the donor's family was impacted by it all. The author conducted massive amounts of interviews and extensive research in the writing of this book. So many ethical questions were raised. I'm looking forward to the discussion at my book group on this one. And some of the real-life characters in the book..... well, let's just say they are real unique characters. -June

Paris Wife by Paula McClain.

Historical fiction narrated by Hemingway's first wife. Fascinating. I want to read his books again after reading it. -DS

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

I'm a little behind in my reading.... obviously. This was the "book of the moment" about 3 years ago, but I'm finally getting around to reading it. And I picked it up reluctantly. Several friends swore it was one of the best books they'd ever read, while others said they didn't like it at all. As for me... I loved it. It's beautifully written, and the characters are very well developed. And the dogs!! Loved all the dogs references! Yes, the ending is hard to read, but it truly does follow the Hamlet storyline, so you know it will end tragically. But it's definitely a book that I'll remember for a long time. -June

Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff

I never realized how much I didn't know about Cleopatra!! Was I sleeping when we learned about her in school? Maybe she wasn't covered in my Western Civilization class, or if she was, we certainly didn't learn about all her love interests. I'm sure I would have remembered that! This was a book on my book club list, and although I learned a great deal, I didn't enjoy reading the book. I felt like it was a textbook and not something I'd choose for enjoyment. The authors style is to include as many long, difficult words as possible, and I felt that there was too much detail given when a nice summary would be just fine. -June

Friend of the Family by Lauren Grodstein

I do believe this was recommended by Sister BT, and I think she found a good read here. There are many secrets kept from the reader as the narrator weaves his story. The plot revolves around the narrator and his family and the family of his best friend. As the book jumps around in time, we realize that the main character is in trouble, and we're left to try to understand why. It's very well written, and the story-line keeps you reading. I will admit that I was somewhat let down by the ending. I wanted answers to all the questions even if I didn't like them. I'm OK with the fact that the relationship with his son was shattered, but the accusations made against him were never cleared, and I wanted that resolved. - June