F/DALLAS
Dallas, SandraThe Diary of Mattie Spenser1997

In 1865, newlywed Mattie Spenser leaves her home in Iowa to travel in a covered wagon to the Colorado frontier with her husband Luke. In her private journal entries, Mattie records the joys and hardships of the journey and the life she finds at her new home.

F/DE BERNIERES
De Bernieres, LouisCorelli’s Mandolin1994

During World War II, Captain Corelli is in command of the Italian soldiers who occupy the home of Dr. Iannis on the Greek Island of Cephallonia. Corelli wins the heart of Pelagia, Dr. Iannis’s daughter and must rely on the Iannis’ help to escape from Cephallonia when it falls under German control.

F/DIAMANT
Diamant, AnitaThe Red Tent1997

Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah in the Old Testament, is given a voice and brings a new perspec-
tive to familiar passages from the Bible. When Dinah reaches puberty she enters the Red Tent (the place women go to give birth or have their monthly periods), and she learns to preserve the traditions and stories of her heritage.

F/GOLDEN
Golden, ArthurMemoirs of a Geisha1997

When her mother dies, nine-year-old Chiyo is sold to a Kyoto geisha house. She begins her training to be-come a geisha, but she endures harsh treatment from Hatsumomo, the ranking geisha in the house. By chance she meets the Chairman who takes an interest in her and, without her knowledge, guides her destiny.

F/HARUF
Haruf, KentPlainsong1999

The lives of the characters from the small town of Holt, Colorado, intersect as they reach out to help each other deal with life’s problems. Even though separately their lives appear to be dysfunctional, together they form a strong bond held together by sincere caring and concern for one other.

F/IRVING
Irving, JohnA Widow for One Year: A Novel1998

Ruth Cole’s story is told during three crucial times in her life: as a four-year-old shuffled between her separ-ated parents; at thirty-five when she is successful in her literary career but not in her personal life; and at forty as a widow and mother discovering love for the first time.

F/JIN
Jin, HaWaiting1999

Chinese army doctor Lin Kong is trapped in an arranged, loveless marriage. His wife, Shuya, is an uneducated countrywoman and an embarrassment to Lin. When he falls in love with a nurse at his hospital, regulations forbid him to divorce his wife without her consent. Year after year Lin asks Shuya for a divorce and must wait to see if she will grant him his freedom.

F/KINGSOLVER
Kingsolver, BarbaraThe Poisonwood Bible1998

In 1959, Baptist preacher Nathan Price takes his wife and four daughters to a remote place in the Belgian Congo to spread the Word. They are unprepared for the primitive living conditions, political upheaval as the country fights for independence, and the natives’ hostility towards Nathan’s message of salvation.

F/O’BRIEN
O’Brien, TimIn the Lake of the Woods1994

After an information leak reveals that John Wade was involved in the My Lai massacre in Vietnam, he loses a primary bid for the U.S. Senate. John and his wife Kathy retreat to their house in the woods of Minne-sota. Shortly after, Kathy disappears without a trace.

SF/F /RUSSELL
Russell, Mary DoriaThe Sparrow1996 408p.

In 2059, a Jesuit priest is found on Alpha Centauri, (the star system four light years from Earth) a physically and spiritually broken man. What went wrong with the mission’s attempt to understand the alien civilization on the planet Rakhat?

F/SILKO
Silko, Leslie MarmonGardens in the Dunes1999

In the early 1900’s, two sisters who are the last of the Sand Lizard Indians are separated and held against their will by authorities. Both sisters have different experiences living in the white man’s world, and have a strong desire to return to their garden home and live the way their grandmother taught them.

F/WELLS
Wells, RebeccaDivine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood1996

Theatre director Siddalee Walker is estranged from her mother Vivi, after she is quoted in an article accusing her mother of being a “tap-dancing child abuser.” It causes Siddalee to put her life on hold and retreat to Washington state. The Ya-Yas, a group of Vivi’s lifelong girlfriends, try to help by persuading Vivi to send her an album of Ya-Ya mementos and memories.

Prepared by Marianne Trautvetter, December 2001