Chanel Cleeton's "When We Left Cuba" is the continuing saga of the exiled Perez sisters of her first book, "Next Year in Havana." Unconventional Beatriz is the heroine, avenging her losses, aiding her homeland while carving out a more independent role for herself. It is the …more story of a woman's fight to reclaim her country against all odds, not matter what the cost is. Cleeton has created an unforgettable story filled with historic events, espionage, and a Kennedy-liked romance. She has included enough twist and turns to keep a reader hanging until the very last page. Her love story is one for the ages and provide the reader with one gem of a book to enjoy. (less)

In the Japanese culture and literature, cats hold an important place and appear as good luck charms capable of bringing blessings to their owners. This novel is narrated by Nana, a stray cat who, after being hit by a car, is taken in to recuperate by a young man named …more Satoru. He his provided with all he can eat, a warm bed, a friendly human and the occasional walk, He is always ready to leave but soon grows fond of his new master and, once recovered, decides to stay.

Many years later, changes in Satoru's life appear that make it necessary to find Nana a new home. Together they begin their travels in search of the cat's new home. Why Satoru has to part with his beloved friend is a mystery but soon both the reader and Nana's understanding grows to understand his predicament.

Anyone who's ever had a cat will be moved by this beautifully evoked road trip thus proofing the old adage. . . "It's not the journey that counts, but who's at your side." The author brings to the reader a powerful message about the value of friendship and solitude. It shows, above all, how acts of love, both great and small, can transform our lives. Expect this book to pull at your heartstrings – but in the best possible way, without becoming overly sentimental. This is a novel with wide appeal. (less)

Heather Harpham "s new book, "Happiness: The Crooked Little Road to Semi Ever After" is a compassionate, intelligent story of a family's story of parenting a sick child.

Heather's writing voice is full of charm and profoundly moving as the story begins with a delightful …more courtship between her, a worldly California girl, and Brian, an intellectual homebody writer who doesn't want to leave his New York lifestyle. Their magical interlude ends when she becomes pregnant and her newly acquired lover doesn't want kids, even though he says he loves her. With the help of her family and friends, she returns to California to deliver their daughter alone. Within hours of her delivery she is told her baby is perilously ill. As the child's condition continues to grow dismal, the father
reappears and together they must decide what they will risk to ensure the child will reach adulthood.

Intensely moving and intelligently written, this book covers a multitude of subjects: romance, friendships, parental passion, and abiding friendships. However, ultimately it is a story about her family search for love and happiness. (less)

An #1 Indie Next Pick, this beautifully layered novel features Paula Vauss (aka Kali Jali) who spent the first decade of her life on the road with her free-spirited mother, Kai. Her mother was a Georgia storyteller who blended Hindu mythology with southern tales to reinvent …more their family’s history. Soon the mother-daughter bond is fractured landing her mother in prison and Paula into foster care system.

As the story begins Paula is now a tough-as-nails divorce attorney with a successful practice in Atlanta. Even though she hasn’t seen her mother in fifteen years, she does continue her obligation by sending her monthly support monies until the day her last check is returned in the mail, along with a cryptic letter containing words about a final journey, death, and a new beginning when we met again.

Then Kai’s most treasured secret literally lands on Paula’s doorstep, throwing her life into chaos and transforming her from only child to older sister. Desperate to find her mother, Paula sets off on a journey of discovery that will take her back to the past and deep in her heart. With the help of an ex-lover and her newly discovered younger brother, she now has to figure out how the other missing family pieces are put back together.

I am a huge fan of Southern writers such as Jackson. In this book she delivers another one of her quirky, Southern-based, character-driven novels that combines writing with a vivid and imaginative storyline. This novel is an intense look at broken people and how they heal themselves and each other through forgiveness, love, and the power of “stories.” “The Opposite of Everyone” has been a bright spot in my last few months of leisure reading. Jackson hits both this reader’s emotional nerve and the funny bone by using evocative language and creating memorable characters to carry her story. (less)