La Rose by Louise Erdrich

A hunting accident on the Ojibwe tribal lands of North Dakota changes the lives of five year old LaRose and his family forever.   When LaRose's father, Landreaux , accidentally kills Dusty, the young son of his good friend and sister-in-law, he is overcome with guilt.  After hours in a sweat lodge, he and his wife determine that their  son, LaRose, must be given to Dusty's family in exchange for the life Landreaux has taken.   Jump to 1839 and the original LaRose, a young girl who finds herself running from an abusive situation and finds an unusual power to survive - a power that  passes from generation to generation - from LaRose to LaRose.  Using multiple back stories, a little magical realism, and  large pieces of Native American history, Erdrich explores both guilt and forgiveness in two families and multiple generations.  Hardly a sunny read but lots to talk about.

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil DeGrasse Tyson

This title should keep going to say...people in a hurry but still willing to ponder and puzzle through some pretty challenging ideas - it is still astrophysics.  The best thing is that Tyson makes feeling like such a dummy so much fun.  In the end, it is all so amazing  and wonder worthy - certainly reason enough for both star gazing and traveling long distances just to see an eclipse.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

In the decades before WW11, Korea was controlled by Japan.  They were not even allowed to speak Korean.  Strangely enough, many escaped to Japan where they lived in poor Korean communities but were able to take advantage of greater opportunities depending on how much they embraced Japanese culture.  Pachinko is a game of chance popular in casino type settings in Japan.  A ball is set in motion and its direction changed by pegs set randomly in the board.  This is a story of four generations of a Korean family whose only daughter is lured to Japan hoping for a better life for her unborn child.  But like the game, there are realities and events that alter the path she anticipates.  And so it goes generation after generation - chances and challenges - the push and pull of the culture of history and the culture of opportunity - the life of the immigrant.  An interesting look at a history I knew little about.

Grief Cottage by Gail Godwin

Marcus and his single mom have always lived close to the edge.  When she dies, he is sent to live with a reclusive great aunt on an isolated island off the coast of South Carolina.  Aunt Charlotte is an artist of some note and many of her painting are of a tumble down structure referred to by the islanders as Grief Cottage.  The family that owned the cottage, including their young son, disappeared during a hurricane and the story intrigues lonely Marcus.  As he works up the courage to explore the cottage, he believes he sees someone there - a ghostly image of a young boy.  As Charlotte sorts out some of her life demons, Marcus uses what he learns about the cottage to find his own way forward.  A good mix of mystery, great characters and thoughtful ponderings.

A Clearing in the Wild by Jane Kirkpatrick

This is the first in her "Change and Cherish" series and is based on the real historical events that led to the creation of the Aurora Colony in Oregon. New bride Emma is not willing to be a submissive silent partner to her husband Christian, a leader of the German communal colony in Bethel, Missouri.  When Christian is selected as a scout by the colonies spiritual leader, Emma refuses to stay behind when they head west to find a new location and so the challenges begin - both the difficulties of the trail and  Emma's internal questioning.  Kirkpatrick tends toward the Hallmark strong woman version of history and that is what this is.  Our book group chose this because one of the members has a family connection to the Aurora Colony but that only happens at the very end of the book.  Maybe on to book two....