Millie Fleur Saves the Night

By Christy Mandin

With her sweet-smelling moon garden, little Millie Fleur gets the residents of the over-illuminated town of Garden Glen to turn off their lights and love the night with its unique creatures and mood.  A clever story with charming illustrations, Millie Fleur Saves the Night is a perfect read for a child who fears the dark.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold

By Toshikazu Kawaguchi

There is a café in Tokyo, where, if you sit in a specific chair, you can go back in time.  You must follow a number of rules. Most importantly, you must return to the present before your coffee grows cold. The novel chronicles four café customers who time travel.  Part of a genre I call Asian Café lit, it explores loneliness, regret and things left undone and unsaid.

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

Unabashedly sentimental, Theo of Golden is an exposition of how goodness can radiate from one man and impact a community.  Theo comes to a small town and sees a series of portraits hanging in a coffee shop.  He purchases the portraits and sets about uniting them with their subjects.   This leads to an ever-deepening set of relationships with his neighbors. One of the most moving and enjoyable novels I have read.

The latest by Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout, this compelling novel explores the complex inner lives of folks in Crosby, Maine as they deal with aging, death, and love.  Bob Burgess is one of the most compelling and honorable characters I have come across in a long time.