Last year was a bummer for a lot of people. Here’s hoping 2012 is a whole lot better. And what could be nicer to start the new year than some terrific reading?

Marisa de los Santos is a bestselling author who manages to skillfully weave her ancestral homeland, the Philippines, into her novels. FALLING TOGETHER is the story of Pen Calloway and her best friends, Cat and Will. The three met the first day of college, and immediately formed a close bond. They’ve been apart six years at the start of the novel, but reunite and embark on a life changing world journey together.

Fans of Patrick Taylor’s series of books which feature Dr. Fingal Flahertie O’Reilly are delighted at the opportunity to read about his early days in A DUBLIN STUDENT DOCTOR. While the sometimes crusty doctor has become a fixture in his little village in Northern Ireland, before he came to Ballybucklebo he was a med student at Trinity College in Dublin. While the other books in the series take place in the 1960’s, this one is set in the 1930’s. The fast approaching Second World War, a passionate love, and the harsh realities of poverty and illness give depth to a character we thought we knew.

THE BROKEN LAND is the third in the series which began with “People of the Longhouse.” Together with “The Dawn Country,” these books by archeologists Kathleen O’Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear feature meticulously researched tales of life among the Iroquois. The founding of the Iroquois Confederacy was a monumental moment in history not only for Native Americans, but for the country as a whole. Parts of the U.S. Constitution were inspired by this early New York State democracy.

American history is also front and center in Steve Berry’s THE JEFFERSON KEY. What if the assassinations of four American presidents in 1865, 1881, 1901, and 1963 were all connected? Could there really be a clause in our Constitution which would shock Americans? This is the seventh book in the series which features Berry’s hero, Cotton Malone. In this case, he’s back from Denmark to take on a challenge which has him racing across the country and taking to the high seas. A wonderful page-turner for a cold winter’s day.

There’s a new Special Tenth-Anniversary Edition of Sue Monk Kidd’s international bestseller, THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES. It comes in a heavy duty box surround, and features a new introduction by the author, who reflects on the effect the success of her novel has had on her life.Translated into thirty-six languages around the world, the story of Lily Owens, a girl whose life was shaped by the murder of her mother, has touched millions. The summer afternoon in 1964 when Lily and her companion, Rosaleen, escape to a beekeeping household of strong African American women sets in motion this timeless novel.

River Jordan’s PRAYING FOR STRANGERS is subtitled “An Adventure of the Human Spirit.” In 2009, Jordan was about to send her two sons off to war, one to Iraq, the other to Afghanistan. She decided to take the focus off her own trepidations by praying for a different stranger each day. What she discovered about herself and others during the year makes for an uplifting and thoughtful experience for her audience.

Good reading for the new year, indeed!

Michall Jeffers is an accomplished Cultural Journalist and an avowed bibliophile. She writes extensively, both in print and online. Her eponymous cable TV show is syndicated throughout the tri-state area, and features celebrity interviews, reviews, and commentary. Michall is a voting member of National Book Critics Circle. www.michalljeffers.com