Tailspin/Sandra Brown/424 pgs

Most pilots avoid flying in extreme or bad weather, but not Rye Mallett.  This pilot agrees to fly on Thanksgiving in heavy fog that has closed nearly every airport in the Atlanta region.  The cargo, unknown to him, is time sensitive and has an anxious recipient.  However, the person meeting the plane, Brynn O'Neal, has other ideas for the cargo.  Mallett's landing is compromised when someone shines a laser at the plane blinding him as he attempts landing.  Climbing from the wreckage, he unexpectedly meets Brynn and they head to the airport office to find out what happened.  There they find the air traffic controller of the small, rural airport injured and unconscious.  The situation gets heated when Brynn and Rye Mallett realize that they are in danger and must run to protect themselves and the "cargo."  This is a good thriller worth reading.

The Disagreement/Nick Taylor/360 pages

An engrossing novel about a young man who didn't fight in the American Civil War. Most Civil War novels seem to center around either soldiers during the Civil War or the women folk they left behind. But this novel covers men of soldier age who went to college instead and how the war affected them.

Synopsis 
John Muro is the son of a successful Virginia woolery owner. When Virginia joins its Southern counterparts in voting to secede from the union, Muro's life is changed forever. His father gifts him with the opportunity to study medicine at the University of Virginia. John goers through the passage rites of most young man -- love, social affairs, and studies -- cocooned at the university as the war rages on. But the impacts of the war are felt on John, his family, and friends as he works at a hospital where he saves the life of a Union officer and they become friends.  Eventually, the war envelopes the university and John is forced to make decisions that will forever impact his life.

Analysis
This is the author's debut novel and it is wonderful. Unlike too many Civil War novels with wooden stereotyped characters, Taylor's characters have real depth and become like personal acquaintances to the reader. The plot is written from the viewpoint of Muro as he looks backward on the events of his life. This allows the author to give context to many of the events that occur in the book that would otherwise be lost. While obviously historical fiction, the prose can also be considered literary. The book is an easy read with a plot line that flows nicely, but the strength of the novel is its poignant depiction of the emotions and inner workings of its characters. The wonders of young love are experienced by the reader just as poignantly as the shock of wartime injury and destruction. The novel also deals deftly with social issues of the time -- slavery, social class and gender relationships.

I recommend this book for all readers high school and up, especially those interested in the homefront during the Civil War. While pleasingly light on sexual content and gore, the subject matter in the book may still be too adult for many children younger than ninth grade. A nice addition to the Civil War fiction canon
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