Gardens of Water, Alan Drew

This book has been chosen by the City of Pasadena as this years One City One Story selection. It takes place in the area around Istanbul, beginning just prior to the devastating earthquake in 1999. It is about the peoples struggle for survival, but also the doomed love story about a Kurdish girl and her American boy friend, and the toll the relationship took on the families of both. It details the clash of two cultures, Islam vs Christianity, and describes life in the aftermath of a natural disaster. I hope I will be able to go and hear the author speak.

U is for Undertow; Sue Grafton

Another really engaging Kinsey Milhone mystery. According to the liner notes, Ms. Grafton has recently been named a Grand Master, by the Mystery Writers of America. A terrific series.