The Forger's Spell

As riveting as a World War II thriller, this book is the true story of three men and an extraordinary deception: the revered artist Johannes Vermeer, the small time Dutch painter who dared to impersonate him years later and the con man's mark, Hermann Goering, the fanatical art collector and one of Nazi Germany's most reviled leaders.

The Labyrinth of Solitude by Octavio Paz

This book is beautifully written. It is a deeply felt discourse on Mexico's quest for identity. It gives us an unequaled look at the country hidden behind the mask.

The Piano Lesson by August Wilson

At the heart of this Pulitzer Prize winning play stands the ornately carved upright piano that has been gathering dust in the parlor of Berniece Charles's Pittsburgh home. When Boy Willie, her exuberant brother, bursts into her life with his dream of buying the same Mississippi land that their family had worked on as slaves, he plans to sell their antique piano for the cash he needs to stake his future. Berniece refuses to sell, clinging to the piano as a reminder of the history that is their family legacy.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

This book tells the story of the rise and fall, birth and death of the mythical town of Macondo through the history of the Buendia family. Inventive, amusing, magnetic, sad and alive with unforgettable men and women, brimming with truth, compassion and a lyrical magic that strikes the soul.