The Blood of Flowers - Anita Amirrezvani

In the fabled city of Isfahan, in seventeenth-century Persia, a young woman confronts a dismal fate: Herbeloved father has died and left her without a dowry. Forced to work as a servant in the home of her uncle, a rich rug designer in the court of the Shah, the young waman blossoms as a brilliant designer of carpets. Bue while her talent flourishes, her prospects for a happy marriage grow dim, and she finds herself faced with a daunting decision--toforsake her own dignity or to risk everything in an effort to maintain it.

Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen

As a young man, Jacob Jankowski was tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. It was the early part of the great Depression, and for Jacob, now ninety, the circus world he remembers was both his salvation and a living hell. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie.
It was there that he met Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. And he met Rosie, an untrainable elephant who was the great gray hope for this third-rate traveling show. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and, ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.