There is nothing quite like a good novel to allow you to really get inside the mind of another human.

A good story with compelling characters can require us to guess at the hidden motives of characters or let us see the inner workings of their mind.

That glimpse inside the mind is quite unique to books. No other form of entertainment really allows us to be immersed in the thought process of others like a novel.

Here are three recent novels that have really great, compelling characters:

“The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak is set in 1939 Germany and features Death itself as the narrator.

The true star of the show, though, is 9-year-old Liesel Meminger, who risks everything to steal books from the Nazi Party.

She isn't the only interesting character though, as she meets and befriends an eclectic group by sharing her stolen goods with them.

While “The Book Thief” has been made into a movie only the book can really let you peek into Liesel's world.

“The Lowland” by Jhumpa Lahiri is a family saga that depicts characters with complex motivations.

This novel, set in 1960s India and America, follows two brothers who are like night and day. When one brother joins a radical movement and ends up in grave danger his family members are left to try to find their own understanding of his actions.

Lahiri's characters are incredible in their complexity and the reader is left to make sense of their actions ... or inaction.

In “The Goldfinch” by Donna Tartt the story starts out following a young boy, Theo, whose mother is killed in a terrorist bombing at an art museum.

The reader follows this boy as he grows up and tries to make sense of the act that changed the course of his life.

“The Goldfinch” is populated by eccentric characters and Theo's journey to adulthood and his reconciliation of personal tragedy is completely engrossing.

These books and more can be found at the Lake County Library.

For the month of February come check out books from the “Beneath the Surface” display at the Lake County Library in Lakeport, which has books that take a more literal look “beneath the surface,” such as books on mining, earthworms and the underground railroad.

The Lake County Library in Lakeport is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and stays open late on Wednesday from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m.

Christopher Veach is the county librarian for Lake County, Calif.