Author: Nancy Horan  
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Year: 2008
Price: About $14.95

Nancy Horan’s first novel “Loving Frank” proves to be pure chick lit perfection.  However it’s not only appealing to its target female audience.   “Loving Frank” chronicles the long-term love affair between architect Frank Lloyd Wright and his mistress Mamah Borthwick. Based on Wright's autobiography, old newspaper clippings, census reports, and letters from Mamah to Ellen Key, Horan has created a multifaceted portrait of a feminist trailblazer.

Author: Stephenie Meyer               
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Year: 2005
Price: About $24.95

Stephenie Meyer has described herself as being "anti-human" in response to critics accusing her Twilight stories of being anti-feminist, just short of misogynistic, behind a glittery group of vampires that seems to take up everyone's attention. After writing The Host, Meyer might want to change her tune.   If you’re not into Sci-Fi or into Stephnie Meyer’s previous works, “The Host” might not be the best choice for you.

Author: Harlan Coben                
Publisher: Dutton Adult 
Year: 2008
Price: About $26.95

Harlan Coben specializes in writing intricate and suspenseful mysteries that keep you turning pages late into the night. His first standalone murder mystery was "Tell No One". Since then he has written several more novels which have been increasingly similar in plot. I was pleasantly surprised that "Hold Tight" marks a departure in formula, in that it doesn't center on an ancient murder case or the long ago disappearance of a family member. While this does mean that the book struggles a little to find its own momentum, at least Coben is trying something different instead of giving us more of the same.

Author: Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow
Publisher: Hyperion
Year: 2008
Price: About $21.95

Even though author Randy Pausch has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, with “The Last Lecture” he has written a poignant, witty, positive and sincere book that should be an inspiration to many people, especially college students who are still finding their place in the world. Pausch's message is an important reminder that there is more to life than some of the small details that we become too focused on. The message in the book is that life's brick walls are there to separate you from others who want the same thing you do. If you want something badly enough, you will be persistent and determined to reach it.