Do you like to read but also enjoy beautiful black and white illustrations? Have you made your acquaintance with the graphic novel? The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a Caldecott Award winning hybrid of text and graphic illustration and a wonderful introduction to this rapidly growing and increasingly important literary influence.

This lovely book combines text, silent movie stills and black and white graphic representations to tell the story of Hugo, an orphaned boy living in Paris in the 1930's, who serrupticiously inherits the clock keeping responsibilities for the Paris Metro. Although the story is fiction, it incorporates Georges Melies, the first silent movie director to have included science fiction in his work. His famous movie A Trip to the Moon plays a crucial role as do other important silents. Mechanical automata also play a part. Through an unpleasant but ultimately fortunate encounter with a toy shop owner and an odd but book loving young girl, our illicit young hero comes to terms with his sad past, his precarious present and a portentious future.

Although a children's book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret may also appeal to teens and adults. Like The Wizard of Oz and the Harry Potter books it will stimulate the imagination in its own unique and luminous fashion. In addition, reading skills both textual and graphic are sure to get a delightful workout!  

Amid the backdrop of the turbulent 1960's, five women living in Palo Alto forge lifetime friendships throughout the political, social, and cultural changes, as well as their own personal struggles and triumphs.  Their friendships begin in the neighborhood park, where they eventually move from pleasant banter about husbands, homes, and children to discovering mutual interests, shared visions, and individual desires.

Linda has the look of the quintessential California girl, but it is her Connecticut Yankee bravado that provides the catalyst leading to these women becoming "The Wednesday Sisters," a writing group the women form.  Frankie (Mary Frances) O'Mara, settles into her new home with her engineer husband Danny and two children, ready to live the American Dream, only to discover the dreams she left behind will not rest.  On the day Bobby Kennedy is shot, quiet Ally emerges from the shadow of her home, believing she can hide her insecurities and longings in light of this national tragedy.  Southern Belle Kath, always ready with a turn of phrase and bless-your-heart smile, faces the shattering of her perfect family picture and "Brainy" Brett's enigmatic character, personified by the wearing of white gloves, blends her talent and intellect to create the "write mix" for her novel.

Through miscarriages and births, illness and infidelity, "The Wednesday Sisters" write their way through the changing role of feminism and discover each other and themselves.  Meg Waite Clayton captures in literature the essence of the lyrics Helen Reddy made famous during this era.  You too may be singing "Oh, yes Ii am wise but it's wisdom for the pain; yes, I've paid the price, but look how much I've gained" by the end of the novel.

If you have a daughter, encourage her to read this book so she may glimpse how far we've come and how far she may go!  Also, a great read for "Mars" who may truly want to understand "Venus" a bit better.

JT Maroney, 52, is river guide on the Colorado River and completed 125 tours during the course of his career. His latest tour group of twelve includes a couple in their 70’s, an obese teenager named Amy, a young family of four and history know-it-all Mitchell, who wants to upstage JT.

The author gives the reader a glimpse into the thoughts of JT and the group members.  Excerpts from Amy’s journal open selected chapters, and the narrative flashes back to the elderly couple's experiences on the rapids throughout their marriage.  Husband Lloyd is suffering from dementia and his wife Ruth decided to make this trip one last time.  JT’s history on the river provides knowledge of the Colorado River’s rapids and dangers.

Then there is history buff Mitchell, who paddled the same route as the 1869 historic expedition of John Wesley Powell except for the last stretch.  The group's tour covers the remaining portion of the historic route, and Mitchell plans to write a book about his experiences. Add to the mix a stray dog that the young family loves. Mitchell fears the stray, and Ruth is injured when one of the children lets the dog escape from a leash.  JT feels it is his responsibility to find a hiker or group to return the dog to civilization.

In addition to the dynamics of personal conflict, the hardships of camping and the thrills and threats of the rapids, there is an exhilaration of adventure. The narrative uses the landscape to convey mood changes. Some of the views are scary, “the oldest black rock you would ever see…where the rivers got serious..unforgiving, where the walls closed in before you could say goodbye to the sky…ghosts in the water and ghosts in the rock”. Havusu Creek is described as, “turquoise waters and tropical flowers… like…ancient botanical gardens of a long-gone culture”.  This novel will whet the appetite of the outdoor enthusiast and open the imagination of the armchair tourist.
 

Author Ivan Doig takes readers on a fascinating voyage through two years of World War II, as seen through the eyes of Ben Reinking, quarterback of Treasure State University's undefeated "Supreme Team".  As Ben follows in the footsteps of his 10 teammates reporting on their adventures, triumphs and loss, he searches for purpose in his life, always wondering what might happen to that life if the odds don't go his way.

Although the action occurs during WWII, this book is not about the war.  This story is one of strong men and women struggling against events that do not bend to individual will.  You will root for each character as you follow their life from that glorious time on the gridiron to what awaits on the battlefields of WWII.  This intriguing read will bind readers to their chair until the last page is turned and the book is closed.

The body of a young man suffocated with sand is found on the Navajo Reservation in the Four Corners area of Arizona. Sightings of a witch who becomes a wolf are reported. Two archeologists disappear and sheep housed in a secure pen are mysteriously killed. Lt. Joe Leaphorn, a tribal policeman, must use his knowledge of native beliefs as well as his police training to solve the crimes. Though he is Navajo and was raised on the Reservation, he is considered a "Blue Uniform" and is not always trusted by the Navajo People. This is the first in a series of award winning Native American mysteries.

Hillerman has found ways to respectfully interweave native folklore and beliefs into his stories and characters. The confused dual identity of a people losing their native culture through inter-marriages between different tribes and the de-valuing of Native American traditions is heart rending. Leaphorn is able to travel in both worlds while many others are lost to violence and alcohol in the grey spaces between cultures. Hillerman's death last year makes his writing more poignant because his voice is now silent.

Virginia Kate left the mountains of West Virginia when she was a girl- sent away with her brothers to live with her well-intentioned father and new stepmom. She grew up, but the whispers of her mountain never left her heart.
So when her mother needs her again years later, Virginia Kate returns, bringing the ghosts of her childhood with her. She struggles to understand why her mother gave her up and to retain hope that her mother ever loved her. 
Virginia Kate relives the humorous, the heartbreaking, and the joyous as she reconciles her childish understanding with wisdom. 
TENDER GRACES feels like walking down a new path with an old friend, and the characters are believable and immediately engaging. The dialogue is so real that you feel like an eavesdropper, the scenery is beautiful without being overwhelming. You'll shut this book with a tear in your eye and a smile on your lips. Really.