70. Run by Ann Patchett

Bernard Doyle has always loved politics. A lawyer, he was also Boston’s mayor and has raised his three sons to become involved in politics. One wintry evening, he encourages his two adopted African-American sons, Tip and Teddy, to join him to hear a speech by Reverend Jesse Jackson. After the speech, Tip is almost hit by an oncoming SUV, until a mystery woman throws herself in front of the car and is hit instead. Who is this woman? Why does her eleven-year old daughter, Kenya, seem to know so much about the Doyle family?

Taking place over a day when Boston is brought to a standstill because of a snow storm, this is a beautifully written and engrossing story about what makes a family. Bernard has struggled to keep his family together after the death of his wife, Bernadette, when his boys were young. His son Sullivan is lost, and after a devastating accident, has taken to wandering around Africa, until he comes to Boston on the fateful night of the accident. Although raised to be politically active, son Tip wants to study fish, and Teddy is pondering life as a priest. Kenya has grown up always watching Tip and Teddy and yet is fiercely loyal to her mother, Tennessee, who is fighting for her life in the hospital. This novel also deals with issues such as race, identity, religion (especially Catholicism) and how parents love their children, whether biological or adopted.