Want to Curl Up with a Good Book?

Here’s a list from resident reader Julie Gerstenblatt of her top five fiction picks for January.  Let us know what you’re reading. Send in your comments below:

Little Bee by Chris Cleave
An amazing tale narrated by two women whose lives are both forever changed by an incident on a Nigerian beach.  Compelling and poignant, Little Bee is an unforgettable character who gives a voice to refugees everywhere.  Without giving too much away, the story provides rich topics for book group discussions.

Nanny Returns by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
This sequel to The Nanny Diaries is set 12 years after the first book.  Nan is married to her Harvard Hottie and has moved back to NYC after many years abroad.  One night, she finds a drunk and angst-ridden, now 16-year old Grayer on her Harlem doorstep.  What to do?  This social satire is almost as satisfying as the original. 

City of Thieves by David Benioff
An exciting page-turner based on the author’s grandfather’s stories about surviving World War II in Russia.  Another great book group pick.

Love Walked In by Marisa De Los Santos
When someone dynamic walks into 30-year old Cornelia Brown’s life, it causes her to take notice and make some actual, grown-up decisions instead of just coasting as she usually does.  Through narrators Cornelia and 11-year old Clare, layers of relationships are revealed, tested and interwoven in this nicely written, lovely book, that shows how love can walk in (or out) on just about anyone.

This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
Comic novelist (and Westchester resident) Tropper has written an engaging tale of what happens when you have to spend a lot of time with your dysfunctional, Jewish family during a week-long shiva.  We follow protagonist Judd Foxman -- recently separated, newly jobless, and feeling more than sorry for himself – as he mourns the loss of his father and deals with a true cast of characters, from the old neighbors and old flames of his hometown, to each of his three flawed siblings, to his breast-augmented, child psychiatrist mother.  Oy!