The Magic Room

The Magic Room: A Story About The Love We Wish For Our Daughters, by Jeffrey Zaslow. When I first drove up to Becker's Bridal, I was aware only that the store was a popular stop for brides-to-be from central Michigan. I didn't know its history. I knew nothing about the family...

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The Lake of Dreams

The Lake of Dreams, by Kim Edwards. My name is Lucy Jarrett, and before I knew about the girl in the window, before I went home and stumbled on the fragments and began to piece the story back together, I found myself living in a village near the sea in Japan. It had been a...

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Restoration

Restoration, by Olaf Olafsson. Later, when she lay in the clinic at San Martino, listening to the cicada singing outside the window and watching Melchiorre's shadow by the door, it occurred to her that she had begun to change that evening. It took a long time; there was more...

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The World We Found

The World We Found, by Thrity Umrigar. She made a face. "I was the ugly duckling of the group, I'm afraid." "Are you kidding me? My God, Mom, you're still beautiful. Jeez, have you seen how Dad looks at you, still? Like he - like he could just inhale you or something." Diane...

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The Best of Me

The Best of Me, by Nicholas Sparks. Neither one of them was able to move or speak as surprise gradually turned to recognition. Dawson's first thought was how much more vivid she was in person than in his memories of her. Her blond hair caught the late afternoon light like burnished...

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1 Dead in Attic

1 Dead in Attic, by Chris Rose. This is no environment for a wuss like me. We reporters go to other places to cover wars and disasters and pestilence and famine. There's no manual to tell you how to do this when it's your own city. And I'm telling you: it's hard. It's hard...

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