'Not-to-be-missed' books ready for readers

All the books below are of the absolutely not-to-be-missed variety. And there is much variety in the stories and voices they contain; put your name on the reserve list if you have to; they are all worth waiting for.

The Sweet In-between, by Sheri Reynolds: “Kenny” has grown up in a family that’s not really hers. Her mother died of cancer when Kenny was very young and “Aunt” Glo is her daddy’s girlfriend, who took her in when her father was sent to jail for drug trafficking. When the senseless murder of a college student occurs in their run-down coastal town, Kenny becomes obsessed with thoughts of the dead girl and with her own fears that she will be alone in the world when she turns 18. She makes it her mission to become indispensable to Aunt Glo in the hopes that she can win the older woman’s love, despite their not being bound by blood. And as Kenny searches for some element of truth in the girl's tragic death, she finally finds the meaning and redemption that has long escaped her own life.

The Boat, by Nam Le, is a stunningly imaginative, deeply moving fiction debut with seven perfect stories that take us from the slums of Colombia to the streets of Tehran; from New York City to Iowa City; from a tiny fishing village in Australia to a foundering vessel in the South China Sea, in a masterly display of literary genius and feeling. Le demonstrates brilliant risk-taking in the way he develops his characters, showing a jaw-dropping flexibility of voice and point of view.

A Reliable Wife, by Robert Goolrick, is set in rural Wisconsin, 1909. In the bitter cold, Ralph Truitt, a successful businessman, stands alone on a train platform waiting for the woman who answered his newspaper advertisement for "a reliable wife." But when Catherine Land steps off the train from Chicago, she's not the "simple, honest woman" that Ralph is expecting. She is complex and devious, haunted by a terrible past and motivated by greed. Isolated on a remote estate and imprisoned by relentless snow, the story of Ralph and Catherine unfolds in unimaginable ways.

Handle with Care, by Jodi Picoult: Every expectant parent will tell you that they don't want a perfect baby, just a healthy one. Charlotte and Sean O'Keefe would have asked for a healthy baby, too, if they'd been given the choice. Instead, their lives are made up of sleepless nights, mounting bills, the pitying stares of "luckier" parents and maybe worst of all, the what-ifs. What if their child had been born healthy? But it's all worth it because Willow is, well, funny as it seems, perfect. She's smart as a whip, on her way to being as pretty as her mother, kind, brave, and for a five-year-old an unexpectedly deep source of wisdom. Written with the grace and wisdom she's become famous for, Picoult offers us an unforgettable novel about the fragility of life and the lengths we will go to protect it.

Moloka’i, by Alan Brennert: Set in Hawai'i more than a century ago, this is a richly imagined story of a little-known time and place and a deeply moving demonstration of the resiliency of the human spirit. Rachel Kalama, a spirited 7-year-old Hawaiian girl, dreams of visiting far-off lands like her father, a merchant seaman. Then one day, a rose-colored mark appears on her skin and those dreams are stolen from her. Taken from her home and family, Rachel is sent to Kalaupapa, the quarantined leprosy settlement on the island of Moloka'i. Here her life is supposed to end, but instead she discovers it is only just beginning.

Life Sentences, by Laura Lippman: Author Cassandra Fallows has achieved remarkable success by revealing her life on the printed page. Her two widely popular memoirs continue to sell briskly, acclaimed for their brutal, uncensored truthfulness about friends, family, lovers, and herself. But after a singularly unsuccessful stab at fiction, Cassandra believes she may have found "the" story that will enable her triumphant return to nonfiction. However, her homecoming and latest journey into the past will not be welcomed by everyone, especially by her former friends, who are unimpressed with Cassandra's success and are insistent on their own version of their shared history.