Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward

Fifteen year old Esch is the third child and only daughter in a family of four siblings living in a mostly black rural area of coastal Mississippi. Motherless and raised by a disinterested father, the children have grown up somewhat poor and wild, but these conditions have created a strong family bond among them. Esch, an observant and thoughtful young woman, reports her family’s activities covering a twelve day period—ten days leading up to the arrival of Hurricane Katrina, the day of the hurricane and the day after. Esch makes the reader feel the humanity of each imperfect character in her family and demonstrates the difficulty people in their circumstances had in preparing for the hurricane.  Salvage the Bones was also the 2011 winner of the National Book Award for fiction, so be sure to add this one to your list!

Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult

Luke Warren lives with wolves and seems to enjoy their company more than humans.  When he suffers a traumatic brain injury after a car crash it is up to his prodigal son, Edward, to decide his fate.  Edward decides his dad wouldn’t want to live out his life in a vegetative state.  His sister Cara, who is a minor and can’t legally make the decision, wants her dad to have a chance at a miracle recovery.   Will they be able to understand each other’s point of view and repair their relationship?  Lone Wolf is another winner from Picoult. 

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

The faculty and students at Westish College (a small school on the Wisconsin edge of Lake Michigan) are all earnest and endearing. But problems arise because some of them tend to put all their eggs in one basket.  Henry, a slick-fielding shortstop, is attending Westish solely to play for its baseball team. But he loses his ability to throw the ball accurately just as major league scouts start to show an interest in him. Schwartz, the erudite but rough-around-the-edges catcher, has applied to only a few of the top law schools in the country and been rejected by all. Pella, the school President’s daughter, had quit high school to elope with an older man. Now, four years later, she flees the stifling relationship, returning to her father’s home without education or skills. And the school president himself feels compelled to put his long academic career and reputation at risk to pursue an illicit love affair. These decisions lead to a long unhappy baseball season for all, straining the love and friendship they feel for one another. But a summer of emotional and physical pain teaches them that part of The Art of Fielding requires reacting to a bad hop. Life goes on in unexpected ways.

Ape House by Sara Gruen

For scientist Isabel Duncan, bonobos Sam, Bonzi, Makena, Mbongo, Jelani, and baby Lola are her family.  Along with her fiance, Peter, the new head of the Great Ape Language Lab, she has dedicated her life to studying the apes' acquisition of language.  But after Isabel is horrifically injured in a terrorist bombing of the lab by animal rights activists claiming they 'liberated' the apes, her entire focus changes to getting the bonobos back.  Sold by the university funding her research to an unknown, private buyer, the bonobos have vanished.

John Thigpen is a reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer and was at the Great Ape Language Lab with his partner, the horrible Cat Douglas, interviewing Isabel the day before the explosion.  Isabel and the bonobos made a huge impression on him, especially after being allowed in to meet them (Cat was not - though it doesn't stop her from stealing John's story).  So when the lab is bombed, John knows this is his story, and he'll do anything to uncover who's responsible for Isabel's injuries - and the disappearance of the bonobos.

Fans of Sara Gruen's bestselling Water for Elephants will love her newest novel.  Though completely different in story, this is at its heart a book about the powerful impact animals have on our hearts, and how, sometimes, their behavior is more human than our own.  Full of amazing details and facts about bonobos and their behavior and language in great apes, check out Ape House today!

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

Emily Benedict has traveled to her mom’s childhood home in Mullaby, North Carolina to answer questions about her mother who has passed away.  She lives with her grandfather who she has never met . The town does not welcome her and she soon realizes it’s not going to be easy to figure out what happened that caused her mom to leave and never come back.  Filled with magic, misfits, and far reaching secrets, The Girl Who Chased the Moon is an enjoyable read.  I am definitely going to check out Sarah Addison Allen’s other books, including The Peach Keeper and The Sugar Queen.  Both received rave reviews when they were first published.

Mental Floss: The Book: The Greatest Lists in the History of Lists

Are you looking to quickly expand your knowledge of random facts and trivia? Maybe you just want to learn enough to beat your family in Trivial Pursuit or to prepare for a Jeopardy audition, either way Mental Floss: The Book: The Greatest Lists in the History of Lists has something for you!

Exploring everything from politics to medicine and literature to pop culture, there is something new to learn for everybody. Did you know that Back to the Future was almost called Spaceman from Pluto? Or that you could improve your performance in the pool by ingesting baking soda? Perhaps you wondered why Jello didn't come in a coffee flavor. These are just some facts that are listed, pointed out and explained.

Trivia fans, history buffs and pop culture aficionado won't want to miss Mental Floss: The Book: The Greatest Lists in the History of Lists!

Match Me If You Can by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Annabelle Granger is desperate to sign Heath Champion as a client to her matchmaking business. His high profile status as the agent for top athletes would help her business, and bring in some much needed income.

Heath Champion wants a wife, but has already hired a more successful company to help him find one. Meeting Annabelle is just a favor for one of his clients. He gives her one chance at a match. One match, and a professional relationship is born. Heath sees that Annabelle can help him with his dates, and Annabelle really needs him as a client. Of course, what starts as a professional relationship, just might be the start of something more.

Match Me If You Can is a fun, light romance that will have you laughing and rooting for the characters. The Midwestern setting will be familiar, and you will find yourself wanting to read about the other characters in the Chicago Stars series!