I see you everywhere by Julia Glass

  This is a book, I think, for sisters.  That was the push at BEA (she would send a free copy to your sister if you gave an address) anyway.  It's the story of two sisters as they move through life, each chapter is a different year with a story about them told by one of the sisters.  Clem is the wild adventurous one, Louisa the steady one, though both are effected greatly by the other.  The ending is sad, which was predictable (every novel I've read in the past five years that deals seriously with the sibling relationship ends sad, it's either a trend in fiction right now, or a easy way to make sure that protagonists realize how much they mean to each other.  Gag.)  I liked the characters, and it was occasionally funny, even if I knew what was going to happen by the second chapter.  I think it would be easier to appreciate it if I had a sister with whom I had ever been close, but this book dealt with a bond I have no first hand experience with.  So I moved on to Christopher Moore's A Dirty Job, where the main character finds out he is a merchant of death, and hilarity ensues.   At least I can understand a warped sense of humor. 

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

This book took me forever to finish, but I'm glad I did.  It won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and I have the book she wrote after it, called Home.  John Ames, the preacher in Gilead Iowa is the narrator, and the entire book is an open letter to his young son which he writes as his health fails.  It's a lovely book, I really enjoyed it, though it was hard to get into, and difficult to finish.  But then, I get distracted easily.  John is a great narrator, telling the story of his life and beliefs through a series of stories and thoughts.  I'll let you know if I ever get to Home.