A House Among the Trees by Julia Glass

One often thinks of the authors of books for children as the gentle characters that appear in their books.  This is children's literature as a political event.  Author Mort Lear dies and much to everyones surprise leaves his considerable estate to his assistant Tomasina Daulair known as Tommy.  It turns out that there is a history between Lear and Tommy that has nothing to do with personal connections but much to do with the reason for Lear's success.  There is no wife or children to inherit but there are many people in the literary world who were hoping to benefit from his "generosity".  While attempting to sort it all out, the grown-ups are often caught acting as naughty children all of which makes for an odd book from this National Book Award Winner.

Magic hour by Kristin Hannah

When preeminent child psychologist, Dr. Julia Cates finds herself at the wrong end of a scandal, she retreats to her small town family home in the Olympic Rain Forest where her younger sister Ellie is the chief of police.  Not much happens in the sleepy town of Rain Valley until a young girl wanders out of the dense rain forest clinging to a snarling wolf pup.  She cannot speak and there is nothing about her appearance that provides a clue to her origin.  Having arrived hoping to escape notoriety, Cates is instead throw right back into it as news travels of this "wild child."  Determined to find a way into the hidden world of the girl she calls Alice, she eventually accepts the help of  the very private Dr. Max Cerrasin.  But Julia herself has a complicated history with the town and her sister that affects her ability to gain back her reputation and her own self confidence.  The ending seemed a little too wrapped up but a good read nonetheless.

Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly

At the close of the 19th century,  Eliza Ferriday, a member of a wealthy, philanthropic New York family became a good friend of Sofya Streshnayva, cousin of the Russian czar when both families spent "the season" in Paris.  In 1914, Europe appears to be on the brink of war so these good friends retreat to their individual countries early.  The "War to end all Wars" and the Russian Revolution throw both families into turmoil.  Their stories continue through 1919 when both women find their way back to Paris: Eliza in search of Sofya and other white Russians escaping persecution and Sofya trying to locate her lost son.  Watching all of this is Eliza's daughter Caroline whose story of following the family tradition is shared in Lilac Girls.  Both novels reveal what can happen when strong, determined women are faced with the challenges of a troubled world.  As in Lilac Girls, the main characters are based on real people whose real stories are hard to believe are not fiction.

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan

The year is 1830 and 11 year old George Washington Black is a slave on a sugar plantation in Barbados owned by the Wilde family of England.  Christopher Wilde arrives with the hopes of testing his "cloud-cutter" flying machine and invites "Wash" to be his assistant when he discovers the young boy's incredible drawing skills.  "Tilch" is the first white person who has ever treated Wash as a human being and a fierce loyalty is cemented between the two.  Because of an unfortunate series of events, the two are forced to take off in the hot air balloon in the midst of a storm.   Then the adventures begin -for the next decade - from America to the frozen Arctic to Nova Scotia to Europe.  At first they are together but eventually Wash must make his own way - never letting go of the memory of the friendship that provided his life path. 
Slavery and science - sometimes hard to believe but a well written imagining.

Save Me the Plums by Ruth Reichl

From 1999 to 2009, Reichl was the editor of Gourmet magazine.  This "plum" of a job was something she never imagined to be in her reach.  This latest memoir is a close-up look at an iconic piece of foody history as she makes bold changes and then watches the internet make the magazine superfluous.  Name dropping abounds but Reichl is the same funny, practical person readers met in her earlier memoirs.  Plus - there are great recipes.

There There by Tommy Orange

Gertrude Stein wrote that when she returned home to Oakland, California where she had spent her childhood, "There was no there there."   Using multiple orators, Orange reveals that this is also the plight of the urban Native American.  As this host of characters prepares for a powwow in Oakland, we look back on all the challenges they have experienced.  Some are generic - the poverty, family disagreement.  But others provide insight into the unique sense of isolation experienced by the urban Native American.  Interspersed are narrative essays by the author which were some of my favorite parts.  It is beautifully written but hard to wrap your head around. Particularly the ending.