Here are three really good books that I think would appeal to Pilot readers.

Henry's Sisters

By Cathy Lamb

Kensington Books, 2009, $15

I read a good many books every year, and rarely does one elicit the emotions that Cathy Lamb's "Henry's Sisters" did. I laughed and cried my way through the whole thing. The Bommarito sisters have a tenuous relationship with their mother. In fact, it's pretty much a dysfunctional family.

When their mother must have surgery, the sisters gather to take care of the bakery, Grandma (who thinks she's Amelia Earhart), and brother, Henry, who is mentally handicapped. Throughout this ordeal, they all learn something about their mother, themselves and just how much family means.

Some of the language may not appeal to all readers, but I urge you to overlook it for the sake of a good story. The characters are wonderfully human.

Lamb is the author of "Julia's Chocolates," another book I really enjoyed.

Casting Off

By Nicole Dickson

NAL Accent, 2009, $15

Greensboro author Nicole Dickson scores with her debut novel.

Rebecca Moray is researching a book on Irish knitting. Her dear college friend, whose family lives on a little island off the coast of Ireland, convinces her to bring her young daughter, Rowan, and immerse herself in village life.

Rebecca has been dealing with some personal demons, and she knows seeing Sharon will bring back unwanted memories.

Upon their arrival on the island, everyone knows who Rebecca and Rowan are, why they are there and seemingly all about them through Sharon's stories.

When little Rowan befriends the cantankerous Sean Morahan, Rebecca is perturbed because she sees something of the controlling personality of Rowan's late father.

By the end of summer, both the old fisherman and Rebecca find that they can learn to forgive themselves and begin a healing process.

Nicole Dickson will be at The Country Bookshop Friday, Aug. 7, at 3 p.m. to read from and sign copies of her wonderful book.

Comfort

By Joyce Moyer Hostetter

Boyds Mill Press, 2009, $17.95

Although marketed for ages 10 and up, this story, which is a sequel to "Blue," a book about the 1944 polio epidemic, is wonderful reading for any age. (Even though it's a sequel, the book stands alone.)

Ann Fay Honeycutt has returned home from the hospital after a bout with polio. She can walk, but with braces and canes. It's tough standing out from the crowd, and then when her father's attitude starts disrupting the family, she decides the best thing she can do is head to Warm Springs, Ga., for physical therapy. It's while there that she also gains the tools she needs for life at home.

It's a delightful read about a time in our history that not everyone knows about.

Contact Faye Dasen at fdasen@thepilot.com or 693-2475.