Abraham Verghese’s second work of fiction was a long time coming but well worth the wait. It is a family saga that covers three generations of a Christian family living in Kerala which is on the southern coast of India. Each generation produces at least one individual who has a fear of water and dies from drowning. There is no escaping water in Kerala. Parallel to this saga is the life of Digby Kilgour, a Scotsman who becomes a brilliant surgeon in Madras, India and eventually becomes the director of a leper colony. Of course, Verghese eventually brings these plots together in an surprising yet heart warming way.

I adored Cutting for Stone and was afraid The Covenant of Water would be a let down. NOT AT ALL. Characters, plot and descriptions are terrific. It is the kind of book I couldn’t put down, yet didn’t want to finish.

Warning: There are many medical descriptions in The Covenant of Water-surgeries, ailments, and examinations. I found them interesting and sometimes fascinating but others may not.

Ari Shapiro has traveled the world working for NPR. He has chatted with Obama, Syrian refugees and LGBT activists. He has been in The Oval Office, sung with the international orchestra Pink Martini, performed a cabaret act with Alan Cumming and hosted National Public Radio’s All Things Considered. While relating all these stories, Shapiro tells his own tale about a gay, Jewish guy from Fargo, North Dakota who made it big time.

I have reading a lot of nonfiction lately, and while most of the books were well-written, they were also depressing. The Best Strangers in the World is a real upper. Shapiro describes individuals who represent the positivity of humanity without sounding sappy or smarmy. Every chapter introduced me to folks I’d like to meet in person.

The final novel of well-known Israeli author, A.B. Yehoshua, published posthumously describes a few weeks in the life of 12 year old Rachele Luzzato. Rachele is Jewish but is angry when her father won’t let her portray the Virgin Mary in her school’s Christmas pageant. We are introduced to her when she learns that her father is ill and will require brain surgery. The family lives in Padua, Italy but Rachele’s father will have the operation in Venice.

Rachele is an intriguing character. In some ways she is wise beyond her years, yet she tends to say whatever is on her mind, never thinking of how it will affect others. As she prepares for her bat mitzvah, issues about God, religion and ethics are brought up. The Only Daughter is not Yehoshua’s best novel, but it is a worthwhile read.

The Wager is a ship that capsized in treacherous waters off the coast of Patagonia in 1740. From sailor’s log books, their personal writings, history books about the Wager and other well researched writings, Grann presents an exciting, tragic tale of what men do when they are faced with desperate circumstances.

Although I’m usually not a fan of seafaring books, I wanted to read The Wager because I enjoyed David Grann’s other works of nonfiction. The Wager did not disappoint. It is exciting, frightening and poses complicated dilemmas. There are a number of crew members that are described at the beginning of the book. At first it was a bit difficult to keep them straight, but eventually they all are sorted out with their own jobs and personalities.

Victoria Nash is17 years old and lives on a peach farm in rural Colorado in the 1940’s. She looks after her father, brother and handicapped uncle. One day she is in town and meets Wilson Moon, a drifter who has a sunny disposition and a way with words. He is Native American, and her brother is furious when he discovers that Victoria is attracted to him. Go As a River describes the sad consequences of Wil and Victoria’s relationship and how it affects her for the next thirty years.

Debut author Shelley Read has written an interesting, well-written story. Victoria Nash is a complex character and a fine narrator. However, I found the conclusion of Go As a River a bit too predictable.

Val Welch is an artist. During the Depression he takes on a government funded job painting a mural on the walls of a post office in Dawes, Wyoming. A wealthy rancher, John Long, has offered him free room and board. John is married to Eve who has packed a lot into her short life. She has been a hobo, a night club singer and a variety of other short term jobs all over the country. One day Eve disappears, taking with her a small, valuable Renoir painting. For several reasons, John doesn’t want the law involved, so he sends Val to find her. Val’s search takes him to Seattle, Florida and San Francisco.

When I began reading The Trackers, I wasn’t sure I would like it, but the more I read, the more I enjoyed it. Frazier’s characters are interesting, and he does a good job of depicting slices of life during the Depression.

Don’t be startled by the length of Big Tree. Like many of Selznick’s works, it is mostly beautiful pictures and pages with four or five sentences. Big Tree takes place during the cretaceous period, at least 66 million years ago. It focuses on two sycamore seedlings, Merwin and Louise. They are blown away from their mother tree during a forest fire and then must search for a place with sun, water and soil, so they can grow into trees.

I usually don’t read or recommend children’s book, but Brian Selznick is a special talent. For a child who is seven years or older and is curious, sensitive and can appreciate outstanding art work, Big Tree would make a perfect gift.

It is 1922 in Indiana where D.C. Stephenson, a man who has changed his biography at least a half a dozen times, begins his rise to become head of The Ku Klux Klan in the Midwest, and then on to President of The United States. Through bribes, lies and other heinous acts, he almost reaches his goal. Fortunately, a young woman named Madge Oberholtzer is out to stop him.

Egan’s latest work of nonfiction is part true crime, part history lesson and part warning of what could happen in this country again. I can’t remember the last time I read a nonfiction book that was such a frightening page turner. A Fever in the Heartland is a fascinating, scary, timely read.

Through the lives of The Great Reclamation’s main characters, we learn of the modern day history of Singapore. Ah Boon lives with his family in a fishing village. His father, uncle, and older brother are fishermen, and although most of the village thinks he should follow in their footsteps, his mother insists he get an education. At school he meets Siok Mei, a brazen girl who lives with her uncle because her parents are Communists fighting for their country’s independence. Growing up, Ah Boon must decide if he will follow Siok Mei, the girl he loves, or work for those in power who claim they are doing what is best for Singapore.

I always enjoy reading a well-written work of fiction where I can also learn something. The Great Reclamation fits the bill. Also, Heng’s characters illustrate that often in life there is no easy, comfortable answer.

Desmond, winner of The Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction in 2017, has written a concise, easy to read, well documented and cited book about how poverty can be practically eliminated in this country. Through statistics and reports he debunks some long held myths about poverty, welfare and the poor. He describes what our government can do, what big business can do, and, most importantly, what the upper middle and upper classes can do to alleviate those living at or below the poverty level. Desmond’s solutions seem logical, but involve adjustments and sacrifices from most of us. For those who feel we haven’t done enough for the lower class in this country, Poverty, by America is a must read.