The Story Sisters/Alice Hoffman/325 pages/Four December Challenges Met

The Story sisters--Elizabeth, known as Elv, Meg, and Claire--are close in age and almost identical in looks. They are extraordinarily close. Elv has developed a new language for just the three of them and fills the youngest, Claire, with stories of another world where they truly belong. Elv and Meg grow apart and each tries to win Claire over.

This is a very strange and strangely hypnotic story. It's a story of betrayal, tragedy, forgiveness and redemption. I'm not sure I can say I liked it, but I definitely will remember it. 

There are multiple trips to France where much of the story takes place. There is a marriage and wedding. There is a pregnancy and baby born. Elv works with both horses and dogs during her times of incarceration.

The Tragedy Paper/Elizabeth LaBan/312 pages/Scottish fiction?

"Enter here to be and find a friend" is the motto of the Irving School, a prestigious private high school located in New York state. Duncan gets his room assignment for his senior year and is dismayed to discover that he has the worst room on the senior boys wing. Last year, it was occupied by Tim Macbeth, an albino transfer student, who was involved in something that Duncan would rather forget. Each senior is left a "treasure" by the student who lived in that room the year before. Tim has left Duncan a set of CDs on which he has left the story of what happened the spring before. Over the course of the year, Duncan listens to the CDs while juggling his school schedule, his love life and the ever looming "Tragedy Paper", the senior thesis required for graduation.

Interesting and somewhat suspenseful. With names like Macbeth and Duncan, I'm claiming Scottish fiction. Especially since I wasted my Maeve Binchy last month! :)