I've been reading a few really unusual fantasy novels lately, of which Lifelode is one. I read this lesser-known Jo Walton novel after finding a $1 copy at a used book store. I had heard of Jo Walton, but had never read any of her other books, and Lifelode left me eager to seek out this author's other work. 
 Lifelode is not a book that's at all easy to describe. It's about the family of a rural manor house in a place called Applekirk, which is situated in the mundane middle of a really odd world in which people and time change if you travel to the east or west. It centers around Taveth, who keeps house and can see people at different points in their lives, and the arrival of two strangers who disrupt life at Applekirk manor. I found it thoughtful and moving, but I can't think of a whole lot of people I know to whom I would recommend it, since it's not really aimed at a broad popular audience. 
 This is a book I would like to re-read some day.