The Other

David Guterson

I've previously read Guterson's Snow Falling on Cedars, and decided that this novel required reading. For all the Twilight saga fans out there, you'll recognize the are in which this novel takes place. It most of Olympic National Park and frequently mentions Forks, Washington and the Hoh Indian Reservation. The two main characters in this novel form a friendship and explain their theories on life as they hike the surrounding mountain range. Hiking and camping is their outlet through which they cope with the outside world and come to grips with the separate lives they lead.

Two young high school boys meet by chance and become friends despite economic differences. The friendship they maintain will change the course both of their lives forever. When one of the friends decides to retreat into the forest permanently, he asks his friend for help. That decision is met with tragic consequences.

This book is also full of quotes from classic and renowned novelists and poets. It mentions over 20 novels and authors that could be used as a list to follow for those who love literature.

Similar Novels: Desolation Angels by Jack Kerouac The Shack by William P. Young

Length: 272 pages

Copyright: June 2009

The Third Angel

By Alice Hoffman

As you well know by now, Alice Hoffman is one of my favorite authors. She has been ever since I read two of her books in high school. I waited for this new novel for months and then had to reserve it at the library because it was never in! Hoffman didn't let me down, although she did take a new approach in her writing style with this novel. Hoffman actually divided this novel into three separate stories that are so intermingled, it's hard to tell where one starts and the other begins.

One of the main characters in the novel is a doctor who believes there are three angels that watch over humanity. One is the angel of death and another is the angel of life. Both of these angels he has a chance to view frequently in his career. He explains to his daughter that there is another angel that accompanies us through life. This angel isn't as visible as the other two and could even be disguised as humans among us. This angel could be the beggar on the street corner or the lonely widow living next door. The purpose of this angel is to remind us of the connection in life we all share.

Similar Novels: Second Glance by Jodi Picoult and Turtle Moon by Alice Hoffman

Length: 304 pages

Copyright: March 2009