The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd

This is a book of longings indeed: the longing of a young woman to write down her words, her longing for a man to love her, and an almost ironically opposite longing for a woman's lot in society to be more than her husband's vessel to have children. It's a book of her brother's longing for his country to be rid of the Roman oppression. And it's a book of her husband's longing for God.

At this point it's pertinent to mention that I'm a Catholic. When I first heard about this book, I wasn't sure I'd be able to read it, because the heroine of the story is Ana, the wife of Jesus (wait, what? bristled quite a large part of me); and her brother just happens to be Judas Iscariot. 

The author handles the topic with skill. The copious historical research that must have gone into the making of this novel is woven so skilfully into the fabric of the plot, I felt like I'd travelled back in time two thousand years and in space all the way to Nazareth. It was an emotional rife and well worth it. The Book of Longings is one of the best books I've read in years.

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

I fell in love with Kristin Hannah's voice in The Great Alone, and in her latest novel - The Four Winds - the author employs the same beautiful prose to draw us into the world of farming, dust winds and the Great Depression.

It looks like a big book, but because it's so immensely readable, you'll plough through it all too quickly. Plot-wise, the beats resemble the story arc of The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck), but that doesn't detract from this book's appeal. You fall in love with the characters on page one, and on page 448 you can't wait for the sequel. Sadly, the author indicated in her post-release interview that a sequel wasn't on the cards.

Issues that you will think about while reading include the love of he land (think Gone with the Wind), the role of women in the early-20th century society, thirst for knowledge (Educated?), American patriotism and politics, man-induced ecological disasters, parental love as a shaping force... there is a lot to choose from, and it's all good.