Time travel to WW II Britain during the bombing of London--Several characters have traveled to different locations during WWII Britain begin to wonder what is wrong with their "drops" when they find they can no longer travel back to 2060 Oxford. Polly who works in a London department store, Eileen who has been caring for child evacuees on a country estate and Michael who was sent to observe the rescue of soldiers from Dunkirk to Dover by private citizens meet at the end of the book in London and come to the grim realization that they are stuck in wartime Britain. Full of wonderful characters and historical detail this book served as a reminder of the horrors of war and how much hardship people can endure. This book brings home the point that the world has seen many horrific events and somehow people endure. At the end I found that I really missed the characters. It felt like I had closed the door on old friends.

Will, the only survivor of a fire that destroyed his family's mill has been taken in by a very poor monastery. Will is a sensitive young man and finds life at the monastery difficult. While working in the forest nearby he finds a mysterious creature, a hob, caught in a steel trap. Will takes the hob to Brother Snail, one of the few monks at the monastery whom Will trusts. Will is mystified when two strangers, Master Bone and his servant, Shadlock, come to the monastery. Why would anyone seek sanctuary in such a cold, bleak place? They have come to unravel the mystery of a dead angel and need the help of Will to do so. This book was just the right mix of historical facts, believable fantasy, and excellent characterization.

Set on a genderless world, this book tells the story of a man who comes to the planet from another world. He is used as a political pawn and eventually ends up in a labor camp. Someone he distrusted eventually rescues him and the two become friends as they make a suspenseful and exciting journey across a vast frozen wasteland to safety.

This is the story of Michael Devlin, a psychiatrist who opens a Tae Kwon Do studio in inner city Baltimore. Meant to be a sanctuary, the studio draws young men from tow rival gangs. Within the studio, rivalries are put aside, but outside violence and death continue.

Sunshine is a vampire story set in a world very similar to ours, but with a history of other life-forms--vampires, goblins, werewolves, etc. Sunshine, a wonderfully depicted, strong, individualistic main character is captured by vampires. She escapes her captivity and rescues another captive who is a vampire. They develop an unusual and, unheard of in this world, relationship. They must work together to destroy their captor. This book is very well-written and has characters who will remain in your mind long after you turn the last page.

Margaret Lawrence’s characters are all shaped by the brutal circumstances of their lives in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. This story, set about twenty years after the last Hannah Trevor mystery centers around their daughter, Jennet, Hannah and Daniel's deaf daughter. We learn the details of Hannah and Daniel’s lives. Jennet is every bit as independent as her mother and is seen as mad by the members of the small community where she lives at the time of her mother's death. She joins a group of misfits and by the end of the book, at least, has found a place of safety and happiness.

Animal Dreams tells the story of two sisters who have grown up in the small town of Grace, Arizona. Cosima (Codi), the narrator, has returned to Grace to nurse her ailing father when her sister, Hallie, has travels to Nicarauga to help the Nicaraguan people. When Hallie is murdered by the Contras (funded by U.S. dollars) Codi must come to grips with the loss of her sister. Codi must also find her own place in the world and she decides it is in Grace.

This is the story of the daughter of Martha Carrie, one of the women hanged during the Salem hysteria in 1692. Extremely well written and extremely well researched it offer a fresh perspective on the witch hysteria in Salem, Massachusetts. It does not give new reasons for why it happened, but gives a very strong inside view of how such a thing could happen.

Alexis Fielding has come to the small village of Plaka on the island of Crete where her mother grew up. Alexis meets, Fotini, her mother’s childhood friend from whom Alexis begins to learn her family’s tragic history, much of which took place on the nearby island of Spinalonga which served as Greece’s leper colony from 1903 until 1957.

Excellent historical fiction set in Rhodes during the siege of 1522. The author deftly handles the conflict between the Muslim, Suleiman, and the Christian order of the Knights of St. John (Knights Hospitller) led by Philippe de L'Isle Adam. The Knights, settled on the island for close to 200 years, were using Rhodes as their base to garner wealth through piracy along the trade routes in the eastern Mediterranean. Most of the well-defined characters were based on actual historical figures. Others, such as Jean, Melina and their twins were based on legendary characters. Jean, a Knight who broke his vows of celibacy after falling in love with Melina, was killed in battle before her eyes. Fearing the fall of the city to the Turks which would mean slavery for herself and her twin daughters, Melina killed her twin daughters, dressed in Jean's battle armor, and was killed in battle with the Turks.

Told in a unique and unforgettable voice, this book tells the story of an 11-year-old girl living in the rural south. When her mother dies and her father drinks himself to death Ellen Foster is bounced from home to home until she finds a place where she is truly loved.

This is a beautifully written fictionalized biography of Mary Stuart. The author paints a sympathetic portrait of the Queen, but is also realistic in pointing out her faults. Thorough research and attention to detail makes for an educational, as well as entertaining, read. Even though Mary’s fate is well-known, I found myself wishing her story could have had a happier ending.

In 1176 Adelia Aguilar, who is now content with her life in England, is called on by her patron, King Henry II, to travel with his 10-year-old daughter, Joanna, from England to Palermo where Joanna will marry William II of Sicily. To ensure Adelia's return to England Henry takes her daughter into his household to be overseen by Eleanor who has been imprisoned by Henry for fomenting rebellion amongst his sons. Adelia’s unconventional ways soon draws unwanted attention to her from members of the royal procession. And, someone traveling with them is trying to murder her. Adelia must use her considerable wits to outsmart her foes. The cliffhanger ending leaves the reader wanting more, and soon!

Alec and Seregil must journey into hostile Plenimaran territory to locate and destroy the books that tell how to make rhekaros. As always there are plenty of andventures along the way.

This story of two middle-aged unemployed men in Dublin who buy a fish and chip van and go into business for themselves will have you howling with laughter. Both funny and heart-warming, The Van chronicles the lives of the two friends as they live their dream of owning their own business. But, as the business begins to drive a wedge in their relationship, they must discover what is more important—their dream or their friendship.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world, this is the story of Loup, the daughter of a genetically engineered father who has hidden her unusual abilities all her life. When her half brother, Tommy, is killed in a rigged boxing match by another genetically altered human, she embarks on a mission to expose the scandal by training to box the man who killed her brother even though it means she will be discovered and taken into custody. Along the way she falls in love with Pilar Echevarria. Pilar knows, in the end, she will lose Loup so she eventually pushes her away for a more conventional life with a local man. Can Loup avenge her brother’s death? What will become of her is she does? Read this excellent book to find out.

Full of memorable characters and lots of adventure, this book is set in a fictional country, Terre D’Ange. Phedre no Delaunay is freed from her bondage as a courtesan by Anafiel Delaunay who then trains her as a spy. Hired to protect her, Joscelin Verreuil, a member of the Cassaline Brothers, disapproves of Phedre’s lifestyle, but must protect her nevertheless. As Phedre becomes more deeply involved in court intrigue, she and Joscelin are eventually tricked by Phedre’s lover and rival, Melisande Shahrizai, and are sold into slavery to the Skaldians.

Ms. Benson has created an intriguing juxtaposition of two parallel stories--one set in the Middle Ages at the height of the Bubonic Plague, the other set in the early 21st century after the collapse of modern medicine brought on by the failure of antibiotics. Both stories are compelling and are only loosely connected.

This excellent book tells the story of Grace Marks (b. 1826) the notorious Canadian woman accused of murdering her wealthy employer, Mr. Thomas Kinnear and Nancy Montgomery. There is no way to determine exactly what Grace's role actually was, but the author portrays her as an intelligent woman who was not capable of such atrocities.

Soon to be released as an HBO series, this is one of my all-time favorite books. It is a fantasy set in a medieval world where court intrigue is rife, plot twists are numerous and unexpected, and the characters are complex and all too human. When the Hand of the King, Jon Arryn, dies suddenly, Ned Stark is called to take his place by the man, now King, who was his boyhood friend. Ned suspects there was more to the Hand’s death than a sudden illness and he begins to retrace Arryn’s steps in his last days, he becomes even more convinced there was foul play involved. The other three books in the series, A Song of Ice and Fire, as yet unfinished, are almost as good.