Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford. Ballantine Books, c2009

The American poet, John Greenleaf Whitter, wrote, “For of all sad words of tongue and pen, The saddest are these, 'It might have been'.”

The Panama Hotel is the vehicle that ties the two ends of this novel together. Although the characters are fictional, the hotel and its history are very real. Henry, son of a Chinese immigrant family, befrends Keiko, daughter of a Japanese family, when they are assigned to cafeteria duty in an otherwise all-white middle school in Seattle. Henry's family in particular is very much opposed to the friendship. In fact, his father spends all his free time monitoring news stories about the Sino-Japanese war and later, the Second World War.

In the late 40s, all the Japanese families were sent to internment camps. Keiko's family is uprooted from Nihonmachi, the Japantown of Seattle. Although Henry tries to keep in touch with her, the letters cease coming after a couple of years, and he reluctantly accepts that he needs to move on with his life.

In the 1980s, we re-join Henry, now a widower, as he and his son Marty experience the discovery of belongings from nearly 40 families preserved in the basement of the Panama Hotel.

The story of the complex relationships between Henry and his parents, between Henry and Keiko, between Marty and Henry, and between Henry and his late wife bring a shameful period of American history to vibrant life. I couldn't put it down.

The Pirate's Daughter, by Margaret Cezair-Thompson. Unbridled Books, 2007

This is the story of Ida, a fictional Jamaican girl, her relationship with Erroll Flynn and their illigitimate daughter, May. It is set in Port Antonio, Jamaica, where Flynn lived in the '50s while trying to rebuild his reputation as an actor. I picked it up because the author is Jamaican, and because I have visited many of the places where the book's action takes place.

Critics have faulted Cezair-Thompson for changing the viewpoint of the book in the middle from that of Ida, the mother, to that of May, the daughter, saying it interrupted the energy and potential power of the narrative. And certainly Ida is a very strong and vibrant character in the first half, who becomes just a part of the background noise in the second half.

I freely admit I wasn't reading this book for the story, but instead, for the local details and history. About 3 years ago, I revisited Port Antonio with my Jamaican cousin and re-learned some of the history of the area. The details of place and person were delightful; the Jamaican dialect brought back memories of the two summers my family spent there as kids; and the vicarious view into the life of Flynn and his impact on the economy of Port Antonio made me want to learn more about both. So, for me, the novel was a success.

The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan. Hyperion Books for Children, 2005.

This is the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, and it has fired the imaginations of teens for the last year or more! It's been called "the next Harry Potter", and there are still dozens of holds in the queue. I read it shortly after Gaiman's American Gods, which has a similar premise: that ancient gods and Olympians are alive and unrecognized in America except by special individuals. And they still fight and cause trouble.

Percy, age 12, has been expelled from six schools in six years for causing serious trouble. In desperation, his mother has finally decided to enroll him in a summer camp for exceptional children. She's been putting it off in order to keep him close to her for a little longer. On the way, their car explodes and his mother is killed by a monster who has been following them. Percy barely manages to hike the rest of the way into camp.

He learns that all the campers including himself - are sons and daughters of one or another of the Olympians and a human parent. He also learns that Zeus's master thunderbolt has been stolen, and a war is brewing between the Olympian factions. Because his father is implicated, Percy is sent on a quest to find and restore the thunderbolt.

Foreshadowing and hints liberally placed throughout the text, while maybe a little obvious to an adult reader, make the younger reader feel pretty smart for figuring out the allusions and guessing plot twists. The prose is spare, descriptive, and contemporary. I can understand why readers are still lining up to read the rest of the series.

Carter Beats the Devil, by Glen David Gold. Hyperion, 2001

Part biography, part fantasy, this novel invites readers to suspend belief for a few hours as Carter's story unfolds. From his childhood, he's been interested in magic, and works hard on the carnival circuit to become a master magician, ultimately winning enough recognition to mount his own shows. He has challengers, notably the mysterious Mysterioso, and there are a couple of romantic interests. Gold liberally spreads references to contemporary magicians, including Houdini, and detailed accounts of historical events throughout the novel. Like the best magicians, who depend on misdirection for the success of their illusions, the author skillfully "directs" the reader's attention in ways that continually surprise, right up to the suspenseful climax and conclusion.

Future Savvy : identifying trends to make better decisions, manage uncertainty, and profit from change, by Adam Gordon. American Management Association, 2009.

Illuminating study of forecasts and how individuals and organizations spin them for their own benefit. Most interesting to me were the chapters on instigating changes vs. adapting to changes. Instigators spin the forecast to influence others to create or adopt the change; adapters take the forecast and create several alternate plans so they can be in the best possible position, whichever scenario unfolds. The work ends with a condensed list of questions to ask of any forecast, and a reference to the web site: http://futuresavvy.net/.

Virtually Dead by Peter May. Poisoned Pen, 2010

Taking place both in Second Life (SL) and Real Life (RL), a series of brutal murders of real people and their SL avatars creates a mystery on several levels.

Michael Kapinsky has been grieving the death of his wife for too long, and has recently returned to work as a forensic crime photographer. His therapist invites him to participate in group therapy sessions in Second Life. He joins and creates his avatar, Chas Chesnokov, a Brad Pitt look-alike. Although the learning curve is steep, he makes some SL friends and immediately and involuntarily becomes involved with the Twist of Fate Detective Agency. A series of bizarre murders puzzles everyone: an SL avatar is killed by three shots to the chest, and the RL "owner" of the avatar is killed at the same time, in the same way - all people Michael knows. Who can it be? And how did all traces of the "dead" avatars' existence on the Linden Lab servers get removed, and their SL money get deposited to other accounts?

The writing is unremarkable and the plot is predictable; however the venue is novel.

The big switch : rewiring the world, from Edison to Google , by Nicholas Carr. W. W. Norton & Co., c2008.

My brother recommended I read this, saying it might apply to what I do at work. It's a comparison of the development of the Internet and World Wide Web with the development of the electric grid, from individual water wheels and generators to electricity plants that provide power for everyone. When presented that way, social networking, cloud computing and Google's stated plans for the future sure look like they're moving in that direction! Instead of every business and individual having their own servers, they will rent server space from computing utilities, who can provide it cheaply using the economy of scale. The Internet will be the server, and we will all tap into the World Wide Computer with thin clients. (Come to think of it, I was thinking of this very thing when I bought the Dell Mini 9 - of using Slideshare and Google Docs instead of the hard drive.)

Can't wait to get to heaven : a novel by Fannie Flagg. Random House, 2006.

I'd been reading a number of dark books recently, and decided it was time to read something lighter. This was the "lightest" on the list from which we chose our next book club discussion title.

Aunt Elner, of indeterminate age because the family Bible had gone missing, but certainly in her late 80s, has decided to make fig jam, and climbs a ladder into her fig tree. She is attacked by a swarm of wasps, falls from the ladder and dies.

Then we watch as small-town politics, families, and communication channels all gear up to handle this unexpected occurrance, from niece to trucker, from hospital attorney to neighbor, from radio station to newspaper. Through their eyes, we see Aunt Elner's life and the positive effects she's had on pretty much everyone in her town. Neighbors clean her house, take care of her cat, wash her laundry - and discover a loaded pistol in the bottom of her laundry hamper!

As it turns out the doctors were wrong - Aunt Elner is, in fact, alive, despite being sent to the hospital's morgue, and returns home after a stay in the Intensive Care Unit. This gives everyone a "second chance" to examine their lives and their relationships with each other. What was billed as "pathos," "side-splitting," and "serio-comic" turns out to be a parable, forcing not only the characters, but also readers to ask, "Why are we here? Are we living our lives in the best way we can for others and for ourselves? What is heaven?"

As for the mystery of the gun, ...