In keeping with the theme of book reviews, I will introduce Animal Dreams, by Barbara Kingsolver. This novel is set in a fictional town named Grace, AZ. The main character, Codi, is going through an identity crisis when she returns to Grace to care for her ill, aging father who is suffering from Alzheimer's. She has a relationship that is over, she just flunked out of her residency for medical school, and her sister moved to Nicaragua to fight agricultural genocide; she's a mess!

This novel is full of beautiful and figurative prose. The relationships in the book are built and added upon to create a thick web of characters who are impossible to dislike.  There is something for all readers: mystery, environmental causes, historical and cultural references, and the process of coping with the death of a beloved sister.  

Overall, I highly recommend Animal Dreams.