Bhima, a domestic servant in the household of Sera Dubash, an upper-class Parsi housewife, develops a bond with her employer over the course of many years as they both suffer through abusive marriages, loss, and disappointments, but their friendship still cannot overcome the restrictions of class and money.

Liz says:

“A novel written with both a lyrical cadence and a pragmatic straight-forwardness, this is a story of two women, one a servant and the other the employer. Their relationship with each other, their husbands and their children reveal much about Indian culture specifically as well as the human spirit universally. This can be easily paired with The Help by Stockett and Sister of my Heart by Divakaruni.”

Rare book expert Hanna Heath discovers a number of tiny artifacts hidden within the binding of a fifteenth-century Hebrew manuscript and begins to unravel the mysteries behind its past.

Liz says:

“Historically fascinating and beautifully written! We unanimously loved this book but some of us would have preferred a different ending.”

Skeeter returns home to Mississippi from college in 1962 and begins to write stories about the African-American women that are found working in white households, which includes Aibileen, who grieves for the loss of her son while caring for her seventeenth white child, and Minny, Aibileen’s sassy friend, the hired cook for a secretive woman who is new to town.

Liz says:

“This is one of the best books I’ve ever read. I cannot recommend it more highly. It is thought-provoking and entertaining. A must, must, must read!”

Thirteen-year-old Anna, conceived specifically to provide blood and bone marrow for her sister Kate who was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia at the age of two, decides to sue her parents for control of her body when her mother wants her to donate a kidney to Kate.

Liz says:

“I selected this as our first book because everyone was raving about it. The group, for the most part, seemed to really enjoy it. I, however, did not. The premise is interesting enough but the characters are not well-drawn and the ending is contrived.”

The rise and fall, birth and death of the mythical town of Macondo as told through the history of the Buendia family.

Liz says:

“O.K., I have to admit it, I DID NOT like this book. However, I do appreciate the literary value and complexity of the story. Many people love this book and I’m thinking they must have read it in an English course with the benefit of having a professor to analyze and discuss the symbolism that abounds in this story. By the way only 2 of us were able to get through this and the other book group member felt the same way.”

Mary Boleyn comes to the court of King Henry VIII, where she falls for the dashing king, and begins to enjoy her growing role as unofficial queen, however, she soon realizes she is merely a pawn in her family’s ambitious plots as the king’s interest begins to turn towards her best friend and rival, her sister, Anne.

Liz says:

“The court of King Henry VIII is the perfect setting for scandal and intrigue, romance and lurid affairs. If you like a good soap opera, you’ll love this.”

Recreates the slaying of the Clutter family of Kansas, and the capture, trial, and execution of their murderers.

Liz says:

“This groundbreaking book could be called a documentary novel or a work of creative non-fiction. It absolutely raises the level of crime reportage to literary genius as it is written with gripping details, masterful pacing and multi-dimensional characters. You will feel deep sorrow, fear and anger.”

Anju and Sudha, cousins in an upper-caste Calcutta family, grow up together, bonded by fate and heart, but their lives take opposite turns when they are urged into arranged marriages, until tragedy brings them back together again.

Liz says:

“Beautifully written book about family, loyalty, and cultural pressures. This is one of the group’s favorites”

Rachel Kalama, forcibly removed from her idyllic Honolulu home in the 1890s when it is discovered she has leprosy, grows up in the isolated leper colony on the island of Moloka’i where she forms a family of friends, and meets the man who will one day become her husband.

Liz says:

“This is the only book I was not able to read with the group due to being uncomfortably pregnant with my 3rd child. I have to read it at some point because it is almost unanimously the favorite book of the group.”