The Full Cupboard of Life is written by an Alexander McCall Smith,who is a professor of medical law at Edinburgh University. He was born in Zimbabwe and taught law at the University of Botswana. He is the author of over fifty books on a wide range of subjects, concerning many aspects of daily life. The Full Cupboard of Life is his fifth novel in the internationally bestselling No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency hit series. Once again we are transported to Gaborone, capital city of Botswana, and into the world of Mma Ramotswe and her friends. Mma Ramotswe and Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni were engaged, but not hesitate to get married. Mma Ramotswe wondered when a wedding date would be fixed, but she managed to avoid putting pressure on her fiancé. For indeed he had other things on his mind — particularly a frightening request (involving a parachute jump) made by Mma Potokwani, the persuasive matron of the orphan farm. Mma Ramotswe herself had weighty matters on her mind. She had been approached by a wealthy lady to check up on several suitors. Were these men interested in her or just her money? It may be difficult to find out, but it was just the kind of case Mma Ramotswe liked and she was, as we knew, a very intuitive lady. Meanwhile, Mma Makutsi — plucky assistant detective and deputy manager of the Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors garage — was moving. Her entrepreneurial venture, the Kalahari Typing School for Men, was thriving and with this new income she had rented two rooms in a house. Her spare time was occupied by planning the move, the décor and her new life in a house with running water all to herself. In the background of all this was Botswana, a country of empty spaces and echoing skies, a country so beautiful and entrancing that it broke your heart. Mma Ramotswe had prepared the bush tea and was waiting for us to join her.

The Da Vinci Code is the one of the best books I have ever read during past 26 years. It is written by Dan Brown who is the bestselling author of Digital Fortress, Angels & Demons, and Deception Point. He lives in New England.
Symbologist Robert Langdon is thrown into a mysterious and bizarre murder. Alongside Langon is the victim’s granddaughter and cryptologist Sophie Neveu, who with Robert discovers clues within Da Vinci’s paintings. To further find the truth, Robert and Sophie travel from Paris to London, whilst crossing paths with allies and villains such as Sir Leigh Teabing and Silas. Wherever their path takes them, their discovery which is about to be revealed could shake the foundations of mankind.
It is a good story written in perfect language. I read it from beginning to the very end almost in a breath except sleeping and eating. It is really good, so good so that I would rather not put it down. You should try it yourself, I am sure you will like it.

Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them is written by Al Franken who is a five-time Emmy Award winner for writing and producing Saturday Night Live. He won Grammy Award, Best Spoken Comedy Album for Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot, in 1997. It is a must-read if you are to cast an intelligent, informed vote. Al Franken alternates between hilarity and appalling revelations. His research is impeccable, and his sources are named–unlike many stories we are being fed by a right-wing press. He lays bare the facts leading to 9/11, facts which are just now coming to light in the 9/11 Commission Hearings.
The chapter ‘Operation Ignore’ is a jaw-dropping chronology to that tragedy. He has no qualms about uncovering half-truths and misstatements, whether unintentional or intentional. It would be irreverant if it didn’t go directly to the heart of America’s illness to effect change for the better. Al is a true patriot and cares deeply what is happening to us, as I and the vast majority of Americans do. At least, please read this great book, then make up your own mind as to how we got to where we are now and where we must go from here.

It is a largely spoken word concept album based on the works of 19th century Gothic icon Edgar Allan Poe? It can only be Lou Reed, the grizzled veteran of the Velvet Underground whose hallowed status effectively allows him to follow through on whatever grandiose project takes his fancy. And grandiose is the word - The Raven consists of readings by actors such as Steve Buscemi and Willem Dafoe, interspersed with spooky instrumentals and a handful of new Reed songs including guest vocalists including David Bowie and the McGarrigle sisters. It’s a daring idea - but unfortunately it ends up falling between two stools. The updating of Poe’s language will offend literary purists, while Reed fans will almost certainly be disappointed by the kitsch nature of much of the music. That said, there are plenty of incidental pleasures here, from Dafoe’s powerful reading of the title poem to some effective Hammer Horror sound effects. And while Reed’s judgement may be erratic to say the least, his enduring sense of ambition can only be applauded. A flawed experiment - but one still worthy of investigation.

Jane Smiley is the author of more than ten novels, as well as four works of nonfiction. She is the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize, and in 2001 was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She received the PEN USA Lifetime Achievement Award for Literature in 2006. Ms. Smiley lives in Northern California. Ten Days in the Hill is her eleventh novel, and welcomed by most of people.
The novel begins as Max, a middle-aged film director, and his girlfriend, Elena, the author of Here’s How: To Do Everything Correctly!, have been trying, and failing, to make love. (Elena worries Iraq is affecting Max’s potency.) No matter; they arise to find that visitors are descending on Max’s sprawling home. Among them: Max’s ”pop icon and sex goddess” ex-wife, Zoe, and her yogi boyfriend, Paul; Max and Zoe’s grown daughter, Isabel; Isabel’s longtime secret lover, Stoney, who also happens to be Max’s agent; and Elena’s 20-year-old son, Simon, who has come to town to play the part of a penis in an experimental film — a role he happily carries over to the house party. Max’s childhood buddy Charlie, a prig from New Jersey, also turns up, apparently just to irritate everyone with his defense of the Bush administration. For the next 10 days, these characters float ”far out in a sea of languor,” sipping wine, watching movies, cooking, and, above all, talking and making love.

Christine Falls is written by Benjamin Black which is the pen name of acclaimed author John Banville, who was born in Wexford, Ireland, in 1945. His novels have won numerous awards, most recently the Man Booker Prize in 2005 for The Sea. He lives in Dublin.
The hero of Christine Falls, Quirke, is a surly pathologist living in 1950s Dublin. One night, after having a few drinks at a party, he returns to the morgue to find his brother-in-law tampering with the records on a young woman’s corpse. The next morning, when his hangover has worn off, Quirke reluctantly begins looking into the woman’s history. He discovers a plot that spans two continents, implicates the Catholic Church, and may just involve members of his own family. He is warned–first subtly, then with violence–to lay off, but Quirke is a stubborn man. The first novel in the Quirke series brings all the vividness and psychological insight of John Banville’s writing to the dark, menacing atmosphere of a first-class thriller.
Publishers Weekly says ’Dalton uses all his pacing and vocal skills and his wonderful, deep Welsh tones to keep listeners engaged and on edge through this mystery set in 1950s Dublin and Boston.’ While Booklist gives the reviews as’ Benjamin Black is really Booker Prize winner John Banville, and Christine Falls is his inaugural volume in a crime series starring Quirke, a lonely, hard-drinking Dublin pathologist. An orphan, Quirke was raised by a socially prominent Catholic judge, and his brother-in-law is Malachy Griffin, Dublin’s most prominent obstetrician.’ It is really a good book that you should read.

New York Times bestselling author, Joseph Wambaugh invented the modern police procedural thriller. Now in his long-awaited return to the LAPD, he deploys his bone-deep understanding of cops’ lives – and a lethal sense of humor – in a stunning new novel-Hollywood Station.
For a cop, a night on the job means killing time and trying not to get killed. If you’re in Hollywood Division, it also means dealing with some of the most desperate criminals anywhere. Now the violent robbery of a Hollywood jewelry store quickly connects to a Russian nightclub and an undercover operation gone wrong, and the sergeant they call the Oracle and his squad of quirky cops have to make sense of it all. From a detective who never shuts up about the movies, to a single mother packing a breast pump, to partners who’d rather be surfing, they’ll take you on a raucous ride through a gritty city where no one is safe, especially not the cops.
This Novel exposes the life and inner world of an average cop, who is not intended to draw your special attention. The author is talented to find such a small person, and show us a world that is not familiar to common people. Read it, and you will find it rather interesting.

The Old Man and the Sea led to numerous accolades for Hemingway, including the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. He also earned the Award of Merit Medal for the Novel from the American Academy of Letters that same year. Most prestigiously, the Nobel Prize in Literature came in 1954, “for his mastery of the art of narrative, most recently demonstrated in The Old Man and the Sea, and for the influence that he has exerted on contemporary style.
The Old Man and the Sea tells a story of an old fish man who had gone through bad luck for a long time and led a poor life. One day, when he go out to fish again, he caught a very big one after a tight fight deciding who will live and who will die. He was totally exhausted but he must try to go back to the bank. But god seems to hate him, a strong storm occurred. Then sharks came to rob of his big fish. The old man never gave up. He fight against the storm, beat the sharks. But it turns out that he lost all the meat of the fish, only the bones remained.
It is a good novel you should read. Read it, and you will not be disappointed.

Pride and Prejudice is a classical work written by female talented writer Jane Austen. No one can ever doubt her gift for writing. Pride and Prejudice is just her most stylish work which is popular and welcomed by the people all over the world, especially young fellows.
The protagonist of the book, Elizabeth Bennett was a strong-willed and sensible young woman in a well-off but lower class family. She was fond of reading and likely to stay in the nature world. She had four sisters, a wise and humorous father and a mother who was always eager to marry them to wealthy young gentlemen. At a local ball, Elizabeth encountered one such wealthy young and handsome man, Mr. Darcy who could earn 10,000 pounds per year. But as Mr. Darcy was arrogant, cold and rude, she hated him at first sight. Soon as her older sister Jane fell in love with Mr. Darcy’s best friend Mr. Bingley, Lizzie found herself fighting off the attentions of the ugly and boring Mr. Collins who was going to inherit the treasure of her father’s according to the law. Elizabeth succeeded in blowing off Mr. Collins with her father’s promise, and then she took interest in a charming officer, Mr. Wickham - who also happened to be an enemy of Mr. Darcy. Wickham told a lie on how Mr. Darcy treated him badly, which made Elizabeth hate him more. Moreover, as Mr. Bingley left their town for London that winter, her sister Jane fell into deep sorrow. And once again Elizabeth blamed Mr. Darcy. But what a surprise to her was that Mr. Darcy fell in love with her. Of course she rejected the proposal he made coldly and angrily, blaming what he had done to Mr. Wickham and her sister. Soon a letter from Mr. Darcy explained everything, and Elizabeth came to understand that maybe he was wrong. Then she pay a visit to Darcy’s home, where she found it beautiful with a big pond and a lot of trees and flowers. Even she was informed by the servants what a kind man Darcy is and how he treat them well. She began to know more about Darcy, and the misunderstandings are cleared. After Darcy helped her family found Lydia who eloped away with Wickham to save the honor of her family. She found that he still loved her and she loved him too. Finally the two lovers walked together and got married, then they lived a happy life.

Sam’s Letters to Jennifer is a good book you need to read, because you will find something useful to you just as I do. It tells a painful story, but pain is not the only thing you can feel, something more important is behind the pains waiting for you to discover. The story line is like this: Chicago, Jennifer was locked out of their apartment by her boyfriend on a freezing night when a jogger Danny saw her crying. He brought her a hot coffee, and then they fell in love soon, married, and had child. However, Danny and the baby die in an accident before long. A year and a half after the tragedy that has left Jennifer struggling to live, John Farley calls to tell her that her best friend, Grandmother Sam, is in a coma. Jennifer heads to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin to be with her beloved grandma. In Sam’s lakefront house, Jennifer finds letters written to her by her grandma. In the letters, Sam writes that her late husband Charles was not the love of her life, but that she lived a wonderful existence as she found her love buddy. Meanwhile, at Lakeland Medical where Sam lies comatose, Jennifer meets Brendan, who she knew as an older brother when she was a child. He begins to bring her back to life even as she continues to read the gift of love that her grandmother has given her.
Sam’s Letters to Jennifer is an uplifting tale with a deep inspirational message that one must overcome the inevitability of the mortality of loved ones as life is too precious not to live it to the fullest even at its darkest moments. You should read if you are just in the dark time of life. Hope is always not far away from you. Look for it and seize it, and your life will be completely different. Trust me. You can do it.