Ragazza in un giardino - The Clock Winder, by Anne Tyler (1972, USA)

The Emersons are many, although they don't live anymore with their Mum in Baltimora. She's widow, now. She's still a Lady. A sad strange lady. And the whole family is peculiar. Elizabeth arrives by mere chance, out of the blue, and becomes the new handyman. And much more than this. Fascinating, although melancholic.

Per puro caso, Ladder Of Years, by Anne Tyler (1995, USA)

Delia is a 40ish years old mother and wife, whose relatives, husband, sons and daughter don't mind at all, don't appreciate in any way. One day, without planning anything, she simply keeps walking on the beach and, as she's on the chance of a lift, she takes it: she starts and builds up her life again in another place.
What comes up the most is the pregnance of good communication. Peculiar and so involving.

P.S I Love You, by Cecelia Ahern (2004, Dublin)

Set in Dublin. Holly is a too young widow: her twin soul passed by in short time because of a cancer, but she discovers he found a way to stay for a while with her: Gerry left her ten messages, one a month, to give her month missions. That's how she can someway keep living, kind of building up her life again, helped by dear and crazy friends, other than a cheerful family. Page-turner. The reader can't help but feeling Holly's emotions.

Il grande sogno, by Matteo Pennacchi (1999, Italy)

Matteo is a young italian guy willing to travel around the world without money nor baggages, thanks only to people's generosity. He's about to enter a world record...if he can succeed in 100 days. A highly enriching travel, full of people and places. Surprising.

Morty l'apprendista - Mort, by Terry Pratchett (1987, UK)

Disk world. Morty is a young, confused guy with no specific ability. Despite his father loves him, he has to send him learning a job: Death chooses Morty to teach him being the new Death: the true Death wants some spare time to learn himself enjoying "life". But Morty doesn't accept to let a beautiful princess dying and reality gets strange.
Morty, Ysabel (Death's adopted daughter), Albert (powerful Death's servant) try and re-set pieces. Hilarious, great, awesome.

Puro genio - Simple Genius, by David Baldacci (2007, USA)

Michelle's strong, physically strong. Brave as well. But sth happened, as she was a child, that's now devastating herself. Her partner Sean is nothing less than her: they're a beautiful, smart, good team and they're detective. This case is about deaths linked to CIA, FBI and Maths research. But there's also the case on which Horatio, Sean's friend and Michelle's psychiatrist, is working: Michelle.
Page turner.

Gli artigli del diavolo - The White Rose Murders, by Paul Doherty (1991, UK)

Henry the VIII court: Margherita, who married the count of Angus after king Jack's death, hides a crucial secret. Benjamin and Shallot (who's our narrator) are asked to investigate. Deaths in strange circumstances, codes, mysteries... but finally all is understood. Intriguing.

Un cappello pieno di stelle - A Hat Full Of Sky, by Terry Pratchett (2004, UK)

Tiffany is 11, but she's stronger than people expect, she fighted and won over fairies queen. Now she's learning about witch stuff with a lovely old witch, Miss Level. Tiffany is about to face a devil that will get her body and mind... but she's not alone: the powerful Miss Weatherwax is with her. And surely the small, angry, rude but faithful Nac Mac Feegles are.
Soooo hilarious and fun, but deep as well.

Grazie dei ricordi - Thanks for the Memories, by Cecelia Ahern (2008, Dublin)

Joyce is a young woman, grown up in Dublin: her marriage is about to finish and she just lost the baby whe was pregnant of. She was saved by a blood trasfusion. Justin is american, moved to England and working in the Trinity College as well. He gave blood, although unwilling. A peculiar link grows between them, even if they yet don't know each other.
Dublin, London, Irish people, grand characters (Henry, Joyce's dad, is absolutely wonderful, a perfect irish old man), brilliant style. Definetely awesome.

La quarta mano - The Fourth Hand, by John Irving (2001, USA)

USA, end of 90s. Patrick's a handsome, playboy journalist whose left hand has been eaten by a lion in India. Doris is a determined, honest woman in love with his husband. Dr Zajac is a complicated doc who's working on hands surgery. The author takes the reader deep inside all the characters' lives, so that they can easily think as each characters does.
Peculiar and page-turner.

Baudolino, by Umberto Eco (2000, Milan)

XII century. Baudolino was born nearby Milan, adopted then by chance by the emperor. He travelled wherever, creating stories and looking for legendary reigns and goblets. He saw mythological creatures and places, then he could tell all his chronicles to a wise man in Costantinopoli.
The main message among these diverse tales is that you can never trust anything, cause most things can be said as lies.

Hyperversum, Il Cavaliere del Tempo, by Cecilia Randall (2009, Florence)

Daniel finds a way to go and come back from Middle Ages, but a guy follows him without Daniel knowing it. So Ty is stuck there. Daniel and Ian have to save him but there are enemies in that place and time ... and their lives (other than their secret) are in huge danger.

Hyperversum, Il Falco e il Leone, by Cecilia Randall (2007, Florence, Italy)

Ian and Daniel can finally do to go back to Flandre, 1215, but things don't go exactly as they planned: Ian is catched by one of his old enemies' friend, and so is Daniel.
Besides, Daniel looses connection with Hyperversum.
So they're involved in the rebellion against King John, in England.
Action book, page turner.

Hyper versum, by Cecilia Randall (2006, Florence)

Daniel's an american university student. He loves playing Hyperversum, a videogame that can virtually move players to every historical and geographical location they choose. But one day, while he, his brother Martin, his girlfriend Jodie, his best friend Ian and a couple of friends are playing, sth that can't be explained happened and all of them are really moved into France of 1214, with no chance to get back.
Very particular, detailed, changing points of view and page-turner.

Perché l'amore qualche volta ha paura - Que serais-je sans toi?, by Guillaume Musso (2009, France)

Martin, 20-ish, experiences a summer in the USA. He meets Gabrielle and it's devastatingly love. But then Martin heads back to France and, as he dates her in New York, she doesn't show up. This marks Martin's life ..until, 13 years later, a complex plot makes them meeting again in San Francisco ...and a magic step's crucial too.
Although pretty involving, the plot sometimes turns out too forced and not particularly enlightening.

Ti vengo a cercare - Je reviens to chercher, by Guillaume Musso (2008, France)

Ethan grew up poor and never thinking to be able to choose His Way. Then, suddenly, he changed his life, literaly disappearing. In a few years he gets successful, rich and famous, although he's got no love, no friends, no family: he could be a father, but he neither know his daughter's living, and he left the only Love of his life, the beautiful Céline.
Then, on a 31st October, Céline shows up and so does Jessie, his unknown daughter. But nothing changes ..and at midnight he's killed. The very next morning, he wakes up on another 31st October ...and the plot gets complicated.
Really page turner and enlightening.

Il dono - The Gift, by Cecelia Ahern (2008, Dublin)

Great nowaday locations: Dublin and Howth.
Lou is a young successful business man, meeting by chance Gabe, a mysterious homeless about to change a piece of his life in a completely unexpected way, giving Lou an unusual awakening.
Fascinating, highly page turner, definetely well written.

Terrore e mistero, by Edgar Allan Poe - Joseph Sheridan LeFanu - Robert Louis Stevenson - Arthur Conan Doyle (1982, Italy)

A collection of classical, intriguing, whodunit stories; mysterious and page turner.

Gli Ultimi Guardiani - Poslednij Dozor (Last Watch), by Sergey Luk'janenko (2005, Moscow)

Anton is now a Big Wizard and he's involved in mysterious cases linked to some magical objects once created by Merlin. Different stories (set in Edinburgh and Samarcanda, other than in Moscow) linked to a peculiar and unknown group of Others, the Last Watch, and having sth to do with the sixth and seventh level of the Dusk (the ones where dead Others are) ...Anton, finds out important truths about that!
Page-turner and fascinating gothic novel.

I guardiani del crepuscolo - Sumere Nij Dozor (Dusk Watch), by Sergej Luk'janenko (2005, Moscow)

As usual, the plot is composed by different frames, finally finding the proper composition. The main character is Anton, now familiar, getting stronger, although still confused.
Everything is about the meaning of Light and Dark: they're confused, often mixed... and the danger makes them working together. Inquisition included. Zavulon and Geser, Anton with Edgar and Kostja. And, even though the enemy turns out not being that bad, the menace is big.
Acute and brilliant.

I guardiani del giorno - Dnevnoj dozer (Day Watch), by Sergei Luk'janenko (1998, Moscow)

The point of view now is different: the main character is Edgar, a dark wizard bound to Praga, where the Inquisition is going to bring an action between Igor, a Light wizard, and the Day Watch. This trial reveals to be the crux of the previous dark stories. Although a mystery remains about the global plot, Anton, Sveta, Alisa, Igor and some other characters' roles begins to get clear.
Intriguing.

I guarduani della notte - Nocnoj Dozor (Night Watch), by Sergej Luk'janenko (2004, Moscow)

Anton has got magical powers and is being trained as wizard by the Night Watch, the light corporation of modern knights secretely fighting in Moscow to protect people from the Dark, the Day Watch.
Despite at the beginning the plot doesn't look that turning and twisting, it's really page turner and the final is unexpected.
Fascinating.

Racconti - Tales, by Edgar Allan Poe (1845, USA)

Considering we're in XIX century, these short novels are amazingly gothic and mysterious. Really good.

Racconti d'amore di follia e di morte - Cuentos de amor de locura y de muerte + El salvaje, by Horacio Quiroga (1920, Buenos Aires)

Despite only novels, they can catch the reader and make them inside Argentina life, both wild and urban.

Insolito e crudele - Cruel And Unusual, by Patricia Cornwell (1993, USA)

Mark died in a bomb attack in London and Kay's still struggling to get a certain emotional stability. A series of crimes seem to be interlinked and strangely connected to Ronnie Joe Waddell, who's been killed by electrified chair in jail. And somebody's trying to let Kay appear linked to those crimes.
Marino, Wesley and Lucy play an important role in clearifying the situation...that cover a previous scandal of a powerful politician.
Turn pager as usual.

Quel che rimane - All That Remains, by Patricia Cornwell (1992, USA)

Mark and Kay just split up, she's going on working in Richmond and a new case comes up: the daughter of an important politician is killed. And so her boyfriend. They're found months later. A killer's been killing couples for some years and bodies are found only months later: Kay can find really few over their skeletons. This time sth is different: Pat Harvey (the politician) does all she can to avenge her daughter. Maybe CIA and FBI are involved too, although their role isn't clear. Besides, a journalist, Abby, Kay's friend, plays an unclear role too.
Page turner.

Oggetti di reato - Body Of Evidence, by Patricia Cornwell (1991, USA)

Beryl Madison is a young beautiful writer. Sb begins and persecute her, until she's finally nastily killed ..and, after her, other people she used to know die as well.
Kay and Marino look for the solution of the mystery between Richmond and Key West, Kay even bumps into an old lover of hers, who isn't anymore who he looks like. Then Kay gets persecuted as well.
Nice.

Il venditore di storie - Sirkusdirektorens datter, by Jostein Gaarder (2001, Norway)

Petter is born in Oslo at half XIX century and, since very very young shows an extremely lush creativity. While growing, this peculiar ability of his turns into a clever way to have a beautiful life: first at school and then as an adult. Until sth comes up..
The idea of the novel is definetely brilliant, although sometimes the rythm gets a little too slow.

I ragazzi di Anansi - Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman (2005, UK)

Charles has a normal life, although not very successful: he lives in London, working in a company and he's going to marry his girlfriend Rosie. Then sth happens: he's got to go in Florida for his father's funeral. Since that moment, many events happen to turn upside down his life... his father turns out to be a god, Charlie's brother comes around and everything get different and troubled.
Interesting, very well written (meaningful unusual style), great.

Il palazzo della mezzanotte - El Palacio De La Medianoche, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (1994, Spain)

Calcutta, 1910s. Ben and Sheere are a couple of twins born by the so called Princess of The Light, who's killed as they come to the world. They're saved by a fire ghost who, they suppose, killed their father and wants to destroy them too. Their grandma divides them to protect them, so that Ben grows up in an orphanage, surrounded by great friends, the Chowbar Society. But when they're 16, the nightmare comes back ...and the plot begins twisting and turning.
Kind of guys novel.

Il deserto e altri racconti - El desierto, Mas Alla, by Horacio Quiroga (1935, Argentina)

A very diverse collection of Argentina set novels: from the psychological novel to the surreal one. Some sadness as a backdraw of each. Some real life in each.
Despite they're brief, they can very easily let the reader enter them. Interesting.

I ragazzi di Charleston - South Of Broad, by Pat Conroy (2009, USA)

Charleston, half of XXth century; Leo is the teenage son of her school principal. His brother made suicide and he had got various troubles after that, but he's stronger than we can expect and he saves his own life and his new friends' ones: Sheba and Trevor, Starla and Niles, Ike and Betty, Molly, Fraser and Chad.. As they're adult, their friendship's still strong, but Trevor's in trouble. Various dramas are waiting for all of them, but they get through them, although not uninjured.
Conroy's clever style doesn't disappoint: he can be ironical although talking over dramatic events. Deeply introspective.

E' nata una star - Not A Star, by Nick Hornby (2006, London)

Two days told by Lynn, 49 years old, Mark's mum. One of her neighbours makes her find out her son is a porn-star. Through shock, irony, discussions to, finally, easily, a new pretty fine normality: there are miles deeper troubles than this one!
Nice.

Che fine ha fatto Mister Y - The End Of Mr. Y, by Scarlett Thomas (2006, UK)

Ariel is a MSc student writing a thesis on mind experiments and ability to travel by thought.
She accidentally bumps into an ancient book, The End Of Mr. Y, by the author she's studying, Lumas: it's one of a kind and said to be cursed... and it leads Ariel to a vitally dangerous adventure that will completely change not only her life, but even her perspective on world, on time and place link ..and perhaps the all world.
Complex character and kind of philopsophically interesting novel, mind opening.

La mano sinistra di Dio - The Left Hand Of God, by Paul Hoffman (2010, UK)

1000ish years have gone since the Redentor's been killed. The Redentors that follow him are, now, preparing the end of the world educating children to fight, terrorising and torturing them. Cale, Kleist and Henri can do to escape and they end up in Menphis, the biggest city in the area. Cale’s huge ability in fighting and killing brings them in the army and, at the end, to protect the most precious object for those people: Arbell, the most beautiful girl ever. But the final battle with the Redentors will be reach in big surprises…
Really intriguing and turn pager, although the plot is not that deep.

La rabbia e l'orgoglio, by Oriana Fallaci (2001, Milano)

11th September 2001. Oriana Fallaci is in New York and she can't help but writing down all she feels and thinks of what happened, of the responsibles but also of Europe and Italy and many important people she met in the past, of her relatives and parents that had important roles in Italian history.
It's a sermon, sometimes very sensible, sometimes very irrational. Her style is dynamic and colourful and it would be easy to agree with her. Nevertheless she chose really carefully the episodes to tell. It's crucial to remember there's another face of the medal to consider.

Buongiorno Los Angeles - Bright Shiny Morning, by James Frey (2008, USA)

Using pieces of many diverse people and pieces of its history, the author tells what Los Angeles is, how it's born, grown up, changed.
Old Man Joe is a good and kind of wise homeless, Dylan and Maddie escaped from violent families and try and survive being happy, Esperanza is a young brilliant girl that ends up having a hope, Amberton is a famous actor secretely gay. Everybody tries and be happy.
It's effective. A true complex picture of LA can be painted.

Ulisse - Ulysses, by James Joyce (1922, Paris)

Bianca come il latte rossa come il sangue, by Alessandro D'avenia (2010, Milan)

L'ombra del vento - La Sombra Del Viento, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (2001, Spain)

Lo strano caso del dottor Jekyll e del signor Hyde - The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson (1886, London)

I fiori del male - Les Fleures Du Mal, by Charles Baudelaire (1857, France)

Marina, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (2004, Spain)

Il gusto proibito dello zenzero - Hotel In The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet, by Jamie Ford (2008, USA)

Il gioco dell'angelo - El Juego Del Angel, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (2008, Spain)

La dama delle camelie, by Alexandre Dumas figlio (1848, France)

1984, by George Orwell (1948, UK)

Io uccido, by Giorgio Faletti (2002, Milan)

Senza guardarsi indietro - Never Look Back, by Lesley Pearse (2000, USA)

La guerra degli elfi - Faerie Wars, by Herbie Brennan (2003, Dublin)

Dracula, by Bram Stiker (1897, Dublin)

L'uomo che sorrideva - Mannen som log, by Henning Mankell (1994, Stockholm)

La traccia - Trace, by Patricia Cornwell (2004, USA)

Cronache del mondo emerso, by Licia Troisi (2005, Milan)

American Gods, by Neil Gaiman (2001, USA)

Kay Scarpetta, by Patricia Cornwell (2008, USA)

Coraline, by Neil Gaiman (2002, UK)

Casa dolce casa - No Place Like Home, by Mary Higgins Clark (2005, USA)

Wild Animus, by Rich Shapero (2004, USA)

Nel nome del padre, by Gianni Biondillo (2009, Parma)

Il simbolo perduto - The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown (2009, USA)

Due bambine in blu - Two Little Girls In Blue, by Mary Higgins Clark (2006, USA)

Cimitero senza lapidi e altre storie nere - M Is For Magic, by Neil Gaiman (2007, USA)

Le guerre del mondo emerso, by Licia Troisi (2007, Milan)

Il tristo mietitore - Reaper Man, by Terry Pratchett (1991, UK)

Stardust, by Neil Gaiman (1999, UK)

Nessun dove - Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman (1996, UK)

Eric, by Terry Pratchett (1990, UK)

Il colore della magia - The Colour Of Magic, by Terry Pratchett (1983, UK)

Postmortem, by Patricia Cornwell (1990, USA)

Sweet As - Personaggi a zonzo nella Lunga Nuvola Bianca, by Alice Bresciani (2007, Milano)

Un nuovo battito - Change Of Heart, by Jodi Picoult (2008, USA)

Dimmi dove sei - Where are you now?, by Mary Higgins clark (2008, USA)

La casa degli angeli - Angel Puss, by Colleen McCoullough (2004, Australia)

L'eleganza del riccio - L'élègance du hérisson, by Muriel Barbery (2006, Paris)

Il migliore amico dell'orso - Rovasti Huuskosen Petomainen, bye Arto Paasilinna (Helsinki, 1995)

The Collected Stories, by Amy Hempel (2007, USA)

Il silenzio dei rapiti - A Maiden's Grave, by Jeffery Deaver (1995, USA)

L'età dei sogni, by Anna Gavalda (2008, France)

Lazzaro, vieni fuori, by Andrea G. Pinketts (1992, Milano)

Angela's Ashes, by Frank McCourt (1996, USA)

Fever Pitch, by Nick Hornby (1992, UK)

Una bambina sbagliata, by Cynthia Collu (2009, Milan)

The Brutal Art, by Jesse Kellerman (2008, USA)

L'alba di avalon, di Marion Zimmer Bradley con Diana L. Paxson (2004, USA)

La sposa degli dei, di Kossi Komla-Ebri (2005, Bologna)

RastAfrica, di Gerry Aldridge (2008, Milano)

Brida, di Paulo Coelho (1990, Rio de Janeiro)

Autobiografia di Malcolm X, con la collaborazione di Alex Haley (1964, New York)

La solitudine dei numeri primi, di Paolo Giordano (2008, Milano)

Il tempo delle parole sottovoce, di Anne-Lise Grobéty (2001, France)

Nelle terre estreme, di Jon Krakauer (1996, USA)

Via da casa, di Carmen Martìn Gaite (1998, Spagna)

Quattrocento, di Susana Fortes (2007, Spagna)

Il visitatore, di Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt (2008, Bruxelles)

Piccoli suicidi tra amici, di Arto Paasilinna (1990, Finlandia)

Denti bianchi, di Zadie Smith (2000, UK)

Brooklyn senza madre, di Jonathan Lethem (1999, USA)

Memorie di una Geisha, di Arthur Golden (1997, USA)

Ragazza con paesaggio, di Jonathan Lethem (1998, USA)