Fall is here. No more reading outdoors, which I miss. But, reading with a cat on your lap is a different kind of joy. Enjoy the colorful leaves and cooler days with these great reads.

“People of the Book” by Geraldine Brooks (2008) is another mesmerizing read from this author. Hannah Heath, an Australian rare book expert and conservator is asked to travel to Sarajevo in 1996 to analyze and conserve a famous Haggadah that was hidden away locked in a bank vault during the Bosnian war. The rare, illuminated Jewish text (used at the Passover table) is special because it was unheard of for Jewish books to be illustrated with images in the time period it was created. Hannah is thrilled to have the chance to work with this rare medieval codex and connects with the Muslim librarian who saved it in Sarajevo.
Under UN guard and ultra-high security, Hannah analyzes the Haggadah, finding tiny clues in the book. Interspersed with her work and subsequent follow-up of the clues are chapters on the life of the book from its creation in 1492 through World War II and its rescue from the Nazis (who burned all Jewish texts) to the present. We visit the historical times, meet people instrumental in creating and saving the book and thrill to their tales of loss and survival. This is a propulsive read from Spain, Venice and Vienna to modern day Boston and London as Hannah becomes part of the book’s journey.Brooks based the story on the real Sarajevo Haggadah and said, “Why did this little book always find its protectors when so many others did not?”

“Kindred” by Octavia E. Butler (1979) is a spell-binding read by the best-selling, award-winning author, who died in 2006. I’m a huge fan of time travel books (I once did a review of my favorites), although Butler has said her book is a “grim fantasy” because there is “absolutely no science in it.” It’s probably more of a sociological study. Dana, a 26-year-old black woman who is an aspiring writer but works as a temp at an agency they call the slave market, is married to Kevin, who is a white writer. They have just moved into a new home in Los Angeles in 1976 when Dana is suddenly whisked into the past and not just any past, but the antebellum south of 1815 Maryland. She saves a white, red-headed boy, Rufus, from drowning and then is just as suddenly whisked home. As Dana travels back and forward in time with no control over when and where it will happen and how long she will stay in either place, she will confront slavery, racism, sexism, brutality and a loss of connection to her own time. Dana discovers she is descended from Rufus and saving him time and again means she will be born in the future, but at what cost? On her visits to Maryland she is treated as a slave and confronts the complex relationships between slave and slave, slave and master, and herself and Rufus.

“The Accidental Bookseller” by Wendy Wax (2009). Kendall Aims is not having a good life. Her editor left Kendall’s New York publishing house and the new editor Kendall has been saddled with doesn’t like her or her books. Kendall is up for an award for her most recent novel, but if she doesn’t get it her publisher is probably going to drop her. She arrives back home early to find her husband hasn’t slept in their bed for a couple of days. And, now her contract requires her to finish her most recent book by a Dec. 1 deadline (three months away) even if the publisher won’t even support it or promote it.
Her three best friends are also authors. They met 10 years earlier at a writers’ conference and have supported each other ever since. Mallory is a New York Times best-selling author with a husband who adores her and a lavish lifestyle. Tanya is a single mother living with her alcoholic mother and two daughters and holding down two jobs in addition to writing. Faye is married to a famous televangelist preacher and writes inspirational romances. But, all are harboring secrets. Now, in meltdown mode, Kendall hasn’t even started the required book and really needs their help. How they choose to help her could up-end all their lives and careers. But, they want to help, and the book probably will barely see the light of day. So, what could go wrong?
I like Wax’s books. They boast strong female characters and solid female friendships and are quirky and funny despite the serious topics.