Charles Dickens: 200 years
In addition to all of the magical novels written by Charles Dickens, the titles below reflect books where he or his characters were inspiration for a new tale, along with a few excellent books about his life and writings.
Fiction
Barnaby Rudge : a tale of the riots of ‘eighty / by Charles Dickens
The chaos of the “No Popery” or Gordon Riots of 1780, with Lord George Gordon as a major figure.
Charles Dickens’ best stories/ edited and with an introduction by Morton Dauwen Zabel
Girl in a blue dress: a novel inspired by the life and marriage of Charles Dickens/Arnold, Gaynor
Recently widowed Dorothea Gibson examines her difficult life with a late, beloved, celebrity author during Queen Victoria’s reign in this novel based on the real-life troubled marriage of Charles Dickens.
Drood/ Simmons, Dan
Drood…is the name and nightmare that obsesses Charles Dickens for the last five years of his life. On June 9, 1865, Dickens and his mistress are secretly returning to London, when their express train hurtles over a gap in a trestle. All of the first-class carriages except the one carrying Dickens are smashed to bits in the valley below. When Dickens descends into the valley to confront the dead and dying, his life will change forever. And at the core of that ensuing five year nightmare is…Drood.
The last Dickens : a novel/ Pearl, Matthew
Boston, 1870. When news of Charles Dickens’ untimely death reaches the offices of his struggling American publisher, Fields & Osgood, partner James Osgood sends his trusted clerk Daniel Sand to await the arrival of Dickens’ unfinished novel. But when Daniel’s body is discovered by the docks and the manuscript is nowhere to be found, Osgood must embark on a transatlantic quest to unearth the novel that he hopes will save his venerable business and reveal Daniel’s killer.
Mister Pip / Lloyd Jones
On a copper-rich tropical island shattered by war, on which survival is a daily struggle, eccentric Mr. Watts, the only white man left after the other teachers flee, spends his day reading to the local children from Charles Dickens’s classic “Great Expectations.”.
Death by Dickens / edited by Anne Perry
An anthology of original mystery stories celebrates the work of Charles Dickens by bringing in some of his most famous characters, with contributions by Bill Crider, Carole Nelson Douglas, Peter Tremayne, and Anne Perry.
Mad as the Dickens: a Laura Fleming mystery / Toni L.P. Kelner
When her cousin implores her husband Richard to direct a production of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”, Laura Fleming accompanies Richard to her hometown in North Carolina, where she becomes embroiled in murder and mayhem when the man who was cast as Scrooge is viciously slain.
Non-Fiction
Charles Dicken : a life / Claire Tomalin
A biography of Charles Dickens, examining his difficult youth, his rise to hero status as an author, and virtues and vices as a writer and a human being.
Charles Dickens/ Smiley, Jane
Offers a profile of Dickens’s life, interpretations of his major works, and a study of his narrative techniques, themes, characters, and style.
What Jane Austen ate and Charles Dickens knew: from fox hunting to whist : the facts of daily life in nineteenth-century England / Daniel Pool
Essays provide a view of British life during the nineteenth century.
Becoming Dickens: the invention of a novelist / Robert Douglas-Fairhurst
Looks at Charles Dickens’ early life before, and as, he established himself as a novelist, explaining how he was uncertain as to which career path to follow and describing the many struggles he had early on.
Adult Winter Reading Club
Adult Winter Reading Club Book Reviews
Week Two:
Here are this week’s reviews from the members of the Adult Winter Reading Club:
No Greater Sacrifice by John C. Stipa
This is a book continuing the Indiana Jones/Robert Langdon vein of adventure. Archeologist Renee d’Arcadia and Professor David Arturo are summoned to the reading of a will in Rennes-le-Chateau, France. They are soon unraveling clues to a 100 year old mystery, racing around Europe, and dodging killers. At times I felt a bit lost with the leaps of logic that took place to advance the story, but overall this was a very entertaining read.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Outrage by Arnaldur Indridason
I love this series of mysteries! This is the sixth book in the Dectective Erlendur series, and even though his colleague Elinborg solves this murder, it’s still a fascinating story.
Rating: 5 out of 5
The Retribution by Val McDermid
This is part of a British mystery series featuring detective Carol Jordan and profiler Tony Hill. This story has an interesting twist from the usual murder mystery in that there are two serial killers to chase down this time. I was not familiar with the previous books in this series, but that did not detract from the thrills of this book.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Travels in the Scriptorium by Paul Auster
This is the story about Mr. Blank, an old man clueless as to his identity and location. He’s just as lost as to why he is being helped with his daily routine. As you are reading it, you continue to wonder if any of this mystery can have any logical explanation.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Adult Winter Reading Club Book Reviews Week One:
This week’s reviews from the members of the Adult Winter Reading Club: Week One
11/22/63 by Stephen King
Stephen King at his best! You will be transported to the late 1950′s – early 1960′s along with main character Jake Epping as he travels back in time to try to prevent JFK’s assassination. I did not live through this time period so it was especially interesting to get a glimpse into what it was like to experience the Cuban Missile Crisis – and how terrifying it was for Americans. I found it very suspenseful and highly recommend it – whether you’re a long time King fan or have never read his work!
Blizzard of Glass – The Halifax Explosion of 1917 by Sally M. Walker
I enjoyed reading the personal stories of those people affected by the explosion, mixed in with the factual information on the circumstances of this disaster. Fascinating and not morbid.
Rating: 3 out of 5
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
A tale of a young German girl in Nazi Germany who is sent to live with foster parents by her mother (accused of Communist leanings) for her own safety. Most of the story takes place on a small, poor German street but it is so richly written that it opens up an entire world of memorable characters. A heartbreaking tale of what it means to be brave, supportive, and neighborly during horrific times.
Everyone should read this novel – but bring a box of tissues.
Can You Get Hooked on Lip Balm? by Perry Romanowski
This is a non-fiction book which dispels many myths about cosmetics, soaps, and beauty products. I learned a lot from this book. Some of the facts are amazing, and also disturbing!
Rating 4 out of 5
Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill
This is the story of Jude Coyne, a semi-retired rock and roll star with a penchant for collecting macabre death-related artifacts. He gets more than he bargained for when he purchases a ghost from an ebay-type auction site. I haven’t been this terrified by a book in a long time! I found myself reading it in small bits and pieces, forced to put it aside when my heart was beating too fast. The suspense and terror starts early and is maintained through most of the novel. Joe Hill follows wonderfully in his father, Stephen King’s, footsteps. If you’re looking for a scare – look no further. And now a disclaimer from my husband. He would like you all to know that I’m a bit of a wimp. Agreed. But this book was still quite scary!!
Sister by Rosamund Lupton
This is a British type of mystery which slowly unfolds to reveal Bee Hemming uncovering clues that led to her sister’s (Tess) death. The story is told in a reflective mode which keeps one guessing till the end. I enjoyed the descriptions of all the characters/suspects.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Smarty Jones by Billy Valentine and “Team Smarty”
The true story about the winner of the Kentucky Derby. The ups and downs of “Smarty” and his “Team Smarty” leave you with a clear sense of what it takes to be a champion.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Step on a Crack by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge
Excellent read. I love the main character, Michel Bennet, an Irish NYPD homicide detective who was once on the Hostage Negotiation Team. The story begins with the first lady poisoned and a huge celebrity crowd attending her funeral in St. Patrick’s in NYC who are all taken hostage.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Vaclav & Lena by Haley Tanner
A very touching book. The characters are adorable. I will remember this book for a long time. I cried at the very touching ending.
Rating: 5 out of 5
We the Animals by Justin Torres
I enjoyed this book. It is a bit of an odd read, but the characters do stick with you. It’s interesting and memorable.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Friendship in Fiction
Love Walked In by Marisa De Los Santos
Harboring romantic notions about golden-age Hollywood film stars, thirty-one-year-old Philadelphia cafe manager Cornelia Brown embarks on a too-good-to-be-true relationship with the debonair Martin Grace.
A priest knows the secrets of many people in his small town but divulges none of them.
Two girls meet one summer and become best friends until one girl falls passionately in love. An exploration of choices, of friendship, love, families and having a friend too dangerous to forgive and too essential to forget.
Disregarding local gossip that pegs her as an eccentric, sixty-five-year-old Nantucket widow Nan skinny-dips in unattended pools and steals her neighbors’ flowers before her dwindling funds force her to take in boarders, a change that brings an unexpected visitor.
Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver
Hallie Nodine fights for justice in Nicaragua while her sister, Codi, returns to Arizona to confront her dying father, as myths, dreams, and flashbacks blend to examine life’s commitments.
Friendship Bread by Darien Gee
One afternoon, Julia Evarts and her five-year-old daughter, Gracie, arrive home to find an unexpected gift on the front porch : a homemade loaf of Amish Friendship Bread and a simple note : I hope you enjoy it. Also included are a bag of starter, instructions on how to make the bread, and a request to share it with others. Still reeling from a tragedy that left her estranged from the sister who was once her best friend, Julia remains at a loss as to how to move on with her life. But when Julia meets two newcomers to the small town of Avalon, Illinois, she sparks a connection by offering them her extra bread starter.
Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
Gathering for their weekly knitting club at a small yarn shop on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, a group of friends shares such challenges as raising children, navigating the ups and downs of their careers, and pursuing uncertain relationships.
Visiting Nantucket with their children during a summer vacation, three women befriend a local youth and share their struggles with such challenges as infidelity, the loss of a job under scandalous circumstances, and health problems.
A Turn in the Road by Debbie Macomber
Bethanne Hamlin takes a road trip with her daughter, Annie, and her former mother-in-law, Ruth. They’re driving to Florida for Ruth’s 50th high school reunion. A long-time widow, Ruth would like very much to reconnect with Royce, the love of her youth. Bethanne’s ex-husband, Grant, would like to reconcile, so she also has a major life decision to consider. And Annie is out to prove to her onetime boyfriend that she can live a brilliant life without him. But even the best-laid plans can take an unexpected turn– or even be completely derailed.
Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner
Popular television personality Valerie Adler turns to her long-forgotten, Illinois hometown friend Addie Downs when she runs into a bit of trouble involving betrayal and loyalty, family history and small-town secrets.
If You Like Sherlock Holmes…
Charles, Paul Sweetwater
Kennedy, while recuperating from an injury, is working on a Missing Person case when an acquaintance of his, Harry Ford, is murdered. The investigation uncovers the lives and loves and disappointments of four university friends, one of which, a Father Vincent O’Connor may also be involved in the original Mispers (Missing Persons) case.
Connelly, Michael Black Echo
A Vietnam veteran-turned-detective, Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch discovers the body of a former comrade-in-arms during an investigation and, with the help of an attractive FBI agent, hunts for the murderers on a trail leading back to Saigon.
Ginsberg, Debra The Neighbors are Watching
Set against the backdrop of the deadly 2007 wildfires that forced the evacuation of half-a-million San Diego residents, the author’s novel examines the dark side of suburbia- a place where everyone has something to hide.
Jenkins, Grant A Very Simple Crime
Assistant D.A. Leo Hewitt investigates a woman’s murder, discovering an emotionally disturbed wife, a husband who would do anything to escape his marriage, and a mentally handicapped adult son under suspicion.
Moore, Graham The Sherlockian
Literary researcher and Sherlock Holmes enthusiast Harold White is shocked when a scholar who discovered Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s missing diary is murdered, while in 1890s London, Conan Doyle hunts a serial killer to prove his superiority to his famous character.
Pepper, Andrew Kill-Devil and Water
A gripping tale of brutal murder and deception set in the back streets of Victorian London and the cane fields of Jamaica.
Pullman, Philip Ruby in the Smoke
In nineteenth-century London, sixteen-year-old Sally Lockhart, a recent orphan, becomes involved in a deadly search for a mysterious ruby.
Sheldon, Russell The Insane Train
Railroad security worker Hook Runyon and a crew of damaged World War II veterans find themselves facing murder when they escort a group of mental patients and their doctors to a new home after the Baldwin Insane Asylum burns to the ground.
Stout, Rex Hand in the Glove
Private detective Dol Bonner investigates the murder of a wealthy man, who had hired her to uncover information on an Indian guru’s extortion scheme.
Winspear, Jacqueline Birds of a Feather
When Maisie Dobbs is hired to find the missing daughter of a wealthy grocery magnate, she discovers that three of the heiress’s friends have died violently, leading her to investigate the connection between the disappearance and the murders.
If you like Sherlock Holmes
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Allen, Sarah Addison The Girl Who Chased the Moon
Emily Benedict came to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew–a reclusive, real-life gentle giant–she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby; they’re a way of life.
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Childs, Laura Fiber & Brimstone
After two men who had unfriendly relationships with Jekyl Hardy wind up dead, Carmela Bertrand must put aside her monster-puppet craft project for the Halloween Monsters & Mayhem parade and find out who is framing the man she has known for years.
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Coyle, Cleo Holiday Grind
Coffeehouse manager and head barista Clare Cosi and her NYPD detective boyfriend discover the snowy body of a man dressed up in a Santa suit, and become convinced the death was more than a mugging gone awry.
Davidson, Diane Mott Fatally Flaky
Colorado caterer Goldy Schulz encounters bridezilla–and murder–when bridezilla’s fiancé is killed because he was doing research at the Gold Gulch Spa–an allegation that’s confirmed when the deceased’s best friend (Goldy’s godfather) is attacked.
Fluke, Joanne Plum Pudding Murder
When Larry Jaeger, the owner of the Crazy Elf Christmas Tree Lot, is murdered, bakery owner Hannah Swensen, during the busiest time of the year, must sift through a wealth of suspects before a murderous Scrooge strikes again.
Greenwood, Kerry Earthly Delights: A Corinna Mystery
Former accountant Corinna Chapman, has opted for the more sedate life of a baker. But with an assortment of offbeat neighbors, a drug addict dead on her doorstep, a secret admirer, and a threatening-letter writer, her new life is hardly sedate.
Gilbert-Collins, Susan M. Starting From Scratch
Withdrawing from graduate school after the death of her mother, Olivia avoids dealing with her grief by immersing herself in cooking and working for Meals on Wheels, where she stumbles upon a dark family secret.
Glass, Julia The Whole World Over
Hired as the personal chef to the governor of New Mexico, Greenie Duquette leaves behind her Greenwich Village pastry business and her husband to head west with her four-year-old son, prompting a period of upheaval and reflection for herself.
Hendricks, Judith Ryan Bread Alone
When her husband leaves her for another woman, Wynter Morrison moves to Seattle to start a new life and pursues her passion for bread making by accepting a position in a local bake shop, where she discovers the extraordinary healing power of making bread.
Melucci, Giulia I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti
“A Brooklyn-based publicist’s account of her relationships gone awry, and the food that sustained her through it all.”
Parkins, Gaile Baking Cakes in Kigali
Rendered a confidant and supportive friend for her willingness to listen to her neighbors in genocide-stricken Rwanda, baker Angel Tungaraza provides decadent confections and transforming counsel to a series of troubled customers.
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Ray, Jeanne Eat Cake
Ruth draws on her talent for concocting delectable cakes and desserts when her family begins to disintegrate around her–her husband loses his job, her mother moves in, and her long-estranged father shows up at the door with no place to go.
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Senate, Melissa Love Goddess’ Cooking School
Holly Maguire’s grandmother Camilla was the Love Goddess of Blue Crab Island, Maine–a Milanese fortune-teller who could predict the right man for you, and whose Italian cooking was rumored to save marriages. When Holly inherits Camilla’s Cucinotta, she’s determined to forget about fortunes and love and become an Italian cooking teacher worthy of her grandmother’s legacy.
Wizenberg, Molly A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes From my Kitchen Table
Author of the internationally famous blog, Orangette, Molly Wizenberg recounts a life with the kitchen at its center. From her mother’s pound cake, a staple of summer picnics during her childhood in Oklahoma, to the eggs she cooked for her father during the weeks before his death, food and memories are intimately entwined.
http://alpha2.suffolk.lib.ny.us/search~S20/?searchtype=t&searcharg=homemade+life&searchscope=20&SORT=D&extended=0&searchlimits=&searchorigarg=tin+my+mother%27s+kitchen
Book Club Books
Burpo, Todd Heaven is for Real
Presents the story of the four-year old son of a Nebraska pastor who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven.
Chevalier, Tracy Girl With a Pearl Earring
A poor seventeenth-century servant girl knows her place in the household of the painter Johannes Vermeer, but when he begins to paint her, nasty whispers and rumors circulate throughout the town.
Cleave, Chris Little Bee
Presents a tale of a precarious friendship between an illegal Nigerian refugee and a recent widow from suburban London, a story told from the alternating and disparate perspectives of both women.
Collins, Suzanne Hunger Games
In a future North America, where the rulers of Panem maintain control through an annual televised survival competition pitting young people from each of the twelve districts against one another, sixteen-year-old Katniss’s skills are put to the test when she voluntarily takes her younger sister’s place.
Diamant, Anita The Red Tent
The story of Dinah, a tragic character from the Bible whose great love, a prince, is killed by her brother, leaving her alone and pregnant. The novel traces her life from childhood to death, in the process examining sexual and religious practices of the day, and what it meant to be a woman.
Donoghue, Emma The Room
A 5-year-old narrates a story about his life growing up in a single room where his mother aims to protect him from the man who has held her prisoner for seven years since she was a teenager.
Ford, Jamie The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
When artifacts from Japanese families sent to internment camps during World War II are uncovered during renovations at a Seattle hotel, Henry Lee embarks on a quest that leads to memories of growing up Chinese in a city rife with anti-Japanese sentiment.
Gruen, Sara Water for Elephants
Ninety-something-year-old Jacob Jankowski remembers his time in the circus as a young man during the Great Depression, and his friendship with Marlena, the star of the equestrian act, and Rosie, the elephant, who gave them hope.
Hillenbrand, Laura Unbroken
On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared — Lt. Louis Zamperini … Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft and beyond, a trial even greater. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.
Kidd, Sue Monk The Secret Life of Bees
After her “stand-in mother,” a bold black woman named Rosaleen, insults the three biggest racists in town, Lily Owens joins Rosaleen on a journey to Tiburon, South Carolina, where they are taken in by three black, bee-keeping sisters.
McLain, Paula The Paris Wife
Follows the life of Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, Hadley, as she navigates 1920s Paris.
Rosnay, Tatiana de Sarah’s Key
On the sixtieth anniversary of the 1942 roundup of Jews by the French police in the Vel d’Hiv section of Paris, American journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article on this dark episode during World War II and embarks on investigation that leads her to long-hidden family secrets and to the ordeal of Sarah, a young girl caught up in the raid.
Setterfield, Diane The Thirteenth Tale
When her health begins failing, the mysterious author Vida Winter decides to let Margaret Lea, a biographer, write the truth about her life, but Margaret needs to verify the facts since Vida has a history of telling outlandish tales.
Skloot, Rebecca The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer, yet her cells–taken without her knowledge–became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer and viruses; helped lead to in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions. Her family did not learn of her “immortality” until more than twenty years after her death, when scientists began using her husband and children in research without informed consent. The story of the Lacks family is inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of.
Stockett, Kathryn The Help
Limited and persecuted by racial divides in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi, three women, including an African-American maid, her sassy and chronically unemployed friend, and a recently graduated white woman, team up for a clandestine project.
Walls, Jeannette The Glass Castle
The child of an alcoholic father and an eccentric artist mother discusses her family’s nomadic upbringing, during which she and her siblings fended for themselves while their parents outmaneuvered bill collectors and the authorities.
Verghese, A. Cutting for Stone
Twin brothers born from a secret love affair between an Indian nun and a British surgeon in Addis Ababa, Marion and Shiva Stone come of age in an Ethiopia on the brink of revolution, where their love for the same woman drives them apart.
Zusak, Markus The Book Thief
Trying to make sense of the horrors of World War II, Death relates the story of Liesel–a young German girl whose book-stealing and story-telling talents help sustain her family and the Jewish man they are hiding, as well as their neighbors.
Book Bash II
BOOK BASH II (EIA255)
Wednesday, October 5, at 7 p.m.
All booklovers will want to hear, Donna Diamond, longtime book discus-sion leader for libraries and book stores, speak about ways to enhance your reading experience and add a new spark to your book discussion group. Ms Diamond will provide book recommendations, author contacts, web sites, and ways to enliven your book discussions Everyone who came to the first Book Bash will want to attend. Refreshments will be served.
Remembering 9/11
What We Saw: The Events of September 11, 2001, in Words, Pictures, and Video
A historical record of the events of September 11 and what was learned from them is culled from the CBS News archives and includes a full-length DVD of video footage.
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City of Dust: Illness, Arrogance and 9/11
A discussion of the environmental and health aspects of the 9/11 attacks.
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Cultures of War: Pearl Harbor/Hiroshima/9/11/Iraq
A groundbreaking comparative study of the dynamics and pathologies of war in modern times.
{355.00973 Dow}
The Ground Truth: The Untold Story of American under Attack on 9/11
A senior counsel to the 9/11 Commission draws on recordings, transcripts, and recently declassified records to reveal aspects of the attacks that have not been previously disclosed, arguing that the day’s events were predictable and that the nation is still at risk.
{973.931 Far}
Dust: The Inside Story of Its Role in the September 11th Aftermath
An investigator presents his findings on the extent of the toxicity of the particulate matter released from the World Trade Center site in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks.
{363.738 Lio}
The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States
Provides the final report of the 9/11 Commission detailing their findings on the September 11 terrorist attacks.
{973.931 Nat}
Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11
Explores both the American and Arab sides of the September 11th terrorist attacks in an account of the people, ideas, events, and intelligence failures that led to the attacks.
{973.931 Wri}
102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers
Recounts the survival efforts of thousands of people who were inside the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11, in an account that also raises questions about building safety and New York’s emergency preparedness.
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Messages: Signs, Visits and Premonitions from Loved Ones Lost on 9/11
The wife of a 9/11 victim relates true stories about the spiritual and paranormal experiences–including premonitions, signs, dreams, visitations, and communications through mediums and psychics–of others who lost loved ones during the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil.
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A Journey: My Political Life
Tony Blair is a politician who defines our times. His emergence as Labour Party leader in 1994 marked a seismic shift in British politics. In this firsthand account, he describes his role in shaping our recent history, from the aftermath of Princess Diana’s death to the War on Terror. He explores the challenges of leadership, and the ramifications of standing up, clearly and forcefully, for what one believes in.
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Decision Points
Decision points is the memoir of America’s 43rd president. George W. Bush offers a candid journey through the defining decisions of his life while writing about his flaws and mistakes, as well as his accomplishments.
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Leadership
The former mayor of New York City describes the management, decision-making, and leadership skills that made him a success as a prosecutor and as mayor of New York City.
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Debunking 9/11 Myths: Why Conspiracy Theories Can’t Stand Up to the Facts
Analyzes and refutes twenty of the most predominant theories involving the United States government’s role in perpetrating the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
{973.931 Deb}
In the Shadow of No Towers by Art Spiegelman
The creator of Maus conveys experience of the September 11th tragedy in a series of drawings and text that capture the horror of the event, its impact on his own life, and the dangerous erosion of American democracy that has occurred in the aftermath of the attack.
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American Widow by Alissa Torres
Presents, in graphic novel format, the story of Alissa Torres, whose husband was killed in the September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, and her legal and psychological battles over his death.
{GN 994.7 Tor}
Fiction
Falling Man by Don DeLillo
Escaping from the World Trade Center during the September 11 attacks, Keith makes his way to the uptown apartment where his ex-wife and young son are living and considers how the day’s events have irrevocably changed his perception of the world.
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Foer
Oskar Schell, the nine-year-old son of a man killed in the World Trade Center attacks, searches the five boroughs of New York City for a lock that fits a black key his father left behind.
A Disorder Peculiar to the Country by Ken Kalfus
On September 11th, a couple in the midst of a divorce, each believing the other has been killed in the attack, discover that they both have survived and continue on with their fierce battle over assets.
The Good Life by Jay McInerney
A revelatory novel of family, love, conflict, and loss chronicles the lives of diverse characters–including Luke McGavock, a man searching for a sense of purpose in life; Corinne Calloway, a mother of twins; and her husband, Russell–whose world is forever transformed by the catastrophic events of September 11th.
Adult Summer Reading Club Book Reviews: Week Seven
Here are this week’s reviews from the members of the Adult Summer Reading Club:
Ghost Story by Jim Butcher
A solid follow up to his last book “Changes.” Being dead doesn’t mean main character Harry Presden can relax. Troubles still abound.
Rating: 4 out of 5
The Ledge by Jim Davidson and Kevin Vaughan
This is a well told story about what happened to Jim Davidson and Mike Price on June 21, 1992, on Mount Rainier, WA. An incredible tale of survival which definitely tested a human’s emotional and physical limits. I enjoy these kinds of reads because I would never try mountain climbing, so I can live vicariously through this book.
Rating: 3 out of 5
The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
A marine finds a picture of a girl, and his luck changes significantly in his safety and gambling. The story continues with the soldier looking for the girl in the picture once he gets home.
Rating: 4 out of 5
The Scent of Jasmine by Jude Deveraux
Another great book by Jude Deveraux. Love and adventure. Another great book.
Suddenly in the Depths of the Forest by Amos Oz
Strange, fairytale-like story. Lots of symbolism which went way over my head. I give it a low rating because it is just too odd; little is explained.
Rating: 2 out of 5
Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
I really enjoyed this book. The most interesting character is the mother. It is fascinating and engrossing to listen to the mother’s story of her time in Leningrad during WWI. I do recommend this book!
Rating: 4 out of 5
You Might Be a Zombie and Other Bad News by Cracked.com
Don’t let the title fool you. This book is filled with disturbing and disquieting historical, medical nature, and political facts, ALL TRUE. Written in a witty and comedic frame.
Rating: 5 out of 5
If You Like James Patterson…
Women’s Murder Club (Lindsay Boxer Series)
Alex Cross Series
Miscellaneous Detective Books
Other recommended books that are worth considering are:-These authors differ in many ways from Patterson and from each other, but what they share is that ability to grip the reader from page one and to keep him on the edge of his seat, as he reads the novels in one sitting.
Harlan Coben’s: Backspin
A boy is missing and presumed kidnapped. The boy’s mother is golf superstar Linda Coldren’s–and Myron Bolitar’s client. Meanwhile, Linda’s husband is trying to stage a comeback at the U. S. Open, only to be found dead in a sand trap. The family skeletons are coming out of the closet and Myron discovers just how deadly the game of golf can be.
Douglas Kennedy’s: The Big Picture
Years after giving up his dreams of becoming a photographer for law, Ben Bradford finds his perfect life falling apart when his wife begins having an affair with a neighbor, a professional photographer, and Ben is suddenly faced with a dangerous choice.
Joseph Garber’s: Vertical Run
Enjoying a satisfactory career and life, David Elliot is astounded when his boss tries to shoot him one morning, an event that triggers an inexplicable series of attempts on his life throughout the following twenty-four hours.
Fellow suspense novelist John Sandford writes both titles and series (Prey books), which feature similarly hard-edged suspense, with strong language and graphically portrayed violence. Both share mystery elements as well (Sandford’s series hero is also a police detective). Serial murder is the crime of choice for this author. Both are fast-paced, bleak stories, pervaded by a menacing atmosphere. Psychological details of the killer may be important.
Try
Rules of Prey, the first featuring series character Lucas Davenport
Greg Iles writes more elegantly than Patterson, but he tells equally complex stories of hard-edged suspense. Plot twists, contemporary settings (although he has also written suspenseful thrillers set in World War II), alternating points of view, and graphic violence.
Try Blood Memory
Additional authors you might enjoy:
Jonathan Kellerman, Alex Delaware novels
Evidence
David Baldacci:
Deliver us from evil
John Verdon:
Think Of a Number
Patricia Cornwell:
Unnatural Exposure
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, select a book by a Latino author, or about Latino culture
Hispanic Fiction
Acosta, Marta Bride of Casa Dracula
Becoming engaged to Dr. Oswald Grant of a sophisticated vampire clan, Milagro de los Santos becomes increasingly anxious in the face of a hostile vampire council and distracts herself by taking a job as a ghost-writer for a shape-shifting anthropologist.
http://alpha2.suffolk.lib.ny.us/search~S20/t?SEARCH=bride+of+casa+dracula
Allende, Isabel Island Beneath the Sea
Born into slavery on the island of Saint-Domingue, Zarite — known as Tete — is the daughter of an African mother she never knew and one of the white sailors who brought her into bondage. When twenty-year-old Toulouse Valmorain arrives on the island in 1770, he purchases young Tete for his bride.
http://alpha2.suffolk.lib.ny.us/search~S20?/tisland+beneath+the+sea/tisland+beneath+the+sea/1%2C1%2C3%2CB/frameset&FF=tisland+beneath+the+sea+a+novel&1%2C%2C3
Alvarez, Julia Saving the World
Suffering from writer’s block, Alma finds herself enamored of a story she stumbles upon which involves Isabel, director of La Casa De Expositos, who selected twenty-two orphan boys to be live carriers of the smallpox vaccine in 1803.
http://alpha2.suffolk.lib.ny.us/search~S20?/tsaving+the+world/tsaving+the+world/1%2C3%2C4%2CB/frameset&FF=tsaving+the+world&1%2C1%2C
Cisneros, Sandra Caramelo
During her family’s annual car trip from Chicago to Mexico City, Lala Reyes listens to stories about her family, including her grandmother, the descendant of a renowned dynasty of shawl makers, whose magnificent striped shawl has come into Lala’s possession.
http://alpha2.suffolk.lib.ny.us/search~S20?/tcaramelo+or+puro+cuento/tcaramelo+or+puro+cuento/1%2C1%2C1%2CB/frameset&FF=tcaramelo+or+puro+cuento+a+novel&1%2C1%2C
Diaz, Junot Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Living with an Old World mother and rebellious sister, an urban New Jersey misfit dreams of becoming the next J.R.R. Tolkien and believes that a longstanding family curse is thwarting his efforts to find love and happiness.
http://alpha2.suffolk.lib.ny.us/search~S20?/Yoscar+wao&searchscope=20&SORT=DZ/Yoscar+wao&searchscope=20&SORT=DZ&extended=0&SUBKEY=oscar%20wao/1%2C4%2C4%2CB/frameset&FF=Yoscar+wao&searchscope=20&SORT=DZ&1%2C1%2C
Garcia, Cristina Dreaming in Cuban
The story of four strong-willed women of the del Pino family of Havana and of Brooklyn who are divided by conflicting political loyalties.
http://alpha2.suffolk.lib.ny.us/search~S20/?searchtype=t&searcharg=dreaming+in+cuban&searchscope=20&SORT=DZ&extended=0&searchlimits=&searchorigarg=Yoscar+wao%26SORT%3DDZ
Garcia Marquez, Gabriel One Hundred Years of Solitude
Family saga that mirrors the history of Colombia. Like many of García Márquez’s works, it is set in the fictional town of Macondo, a place much like the author’s native Aracataca. Mixing realism and fantasy, the novel is both the story of the decay of the town and an ironic epic of human experience.
http://alpha2.suffolk.lib.ny.us/search~S20?/tone+hundred+years+of+soli/tone+hundred+years+of+soli/1%2C1%2C3%2CB/frameset&FF=tone+hundred+years+of+solitude&3%2C%2C3
Martinez, Michele The Finishing School
When two beautiful teenagers from a posh East Side girls’ school suddenly turn up dead under suspicious circumstances, it falls to Melanie Vargas, a savvy federal prosecutor, to do anything possible to get to the truth.
http://alpha2.suffolk.lib.ny.us/search~S20?/tfinishing+school/tfinishing+school/1%2C2%2C4%2CB/frameset&FF=tfinishing+school+a+novel+of+suspense&1%2C1%2C/indexsort=-
Mujica, Barbara Louise Frida: A Novel
A historical novel centered around the life of Frido Kahlo–the colorful, contentious Mexican painter who married Diego Rivera–introduces readers to Mexico in the first half of the twentieth century and the characters that shaped Kahlo’s life.
http://alpha2.suffolk.lib.ny.us/search~S20/?searchtype=t&searcharg=frida+a+novel&searchscope=20&SORT=D&extended=0&searchlimits=&searchorigarg=tfinishing+school
Smith, Martin Cruz Havana Bay
Russian detective Arkady Renko travels to Cuba to investigate the death of a comrade.
http://alpha2.suffolk.lib.ny.us/search~S20?/thavana+bay/thavana+bay/1%2C1%2C1%2CB/frameset&FF=thavana+bay+a+novel&1%2C1%2C
Valdes-Rodriguez, Alisa Dirty Girls Social Club
In the years after graduating from Boston University, six Latina friends from widely varied backgrounds meet every six months to dine, share the stories of their everyday lives, and offer advice to one another.
http://alpha2.suffolk.lib.ny.us/search~S20/?searchtype=t&searcharg=dirty+girls+social+club&searchscope=20&SORT=D&extended=0&searchlimits=&searchorigarg=thavana+bay
Big Love
Big Love – Polygamy in Fiction & Non-Fiction
With the popularity of the HBO series Big Love, and the TLC series Sister Wives, we thought you might want to read more about this controversial way of life…
Udall, Brady
The Lonely Polygamist {Udall}
Like other men in the midst of a mid-life crisis, Golden feels as though he’s drowning. His wives squabble amongst themselves, and he hardly has time for all his children — least of all the 11-year-old who’s taken a keen interest in explosives. And now his construction business is struggling. Yet even after Golden falls in love again and takes a mistress to alleviate his pain, life continues to fall short of expectations.
Solomon, Dorothy Allred
Predators, Prey and Other Kinfolk: Growing up in Polygamy {289.3092 Sol}
A woman who grew up among outlaw Utah polygamists offers a window into this secret world of religious fundamentalism and describes her own break with the group and quest for personal identity.
Wall, Elissa Stolen Innocence: My story of Growing up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free From Warren Jeffs {B Wal}
Describes the author’s childhood in the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints, her forced marriage to her abusive cousin at fourteen, how she managed to break free, and her testimony against the sect’s leader, Warren Jeffs.
Spenser, Irene
Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist’s Wife {289.3092 Spe}
A polygamous wife from an Arizona Mormon community describes the beliefs that compelled her to become one of her brother-in-law’s numerous wives, the desolate conditions endured by the family on a Mexican ranch, and her eventual escape with her children.
Ebershoff, David
The 19th Wife: A Novel {Ebe}
The story of Ann Eliza Young’s crusade against polygamy intertwines with a tale of murder involving a polygamist family in present-day Utah.
Michaels, Fern
Under the Radar
Members of the Sisterhood are contacted by Judge Pearl Barnes, who has assisted fourteen pregnant teenagers escape from a secret polygamist sect and needs the sisters’ help to keep them hidden in a secure place.
Webb, Betty
Desert Lost {Mys Webb}
When P.I. Lena Jones discovers the body of a woman connected to an infamous Arizona polygamy cult, she goes on a hunt to find the dead woman’s missing son, one of the many teenaged boys the cult rejects from its ranks to prevent competition for wives.
The Second Annual Adult Winter Reading Club
Registration Begins November 20
Thanks to everyone who made the 2010 Adult Summer Reading Club a big success. We hope to see you all, as well as some new faces, in our Second Annual Adult Winter Reading Club. Registration will begin on December 20 at the Reference Desk. Once you register, you will receive a folder with all the necessary information for membership. Members will be able to submit reviews for the books they have read from January 3 through February 7. There will be weekly drawings for prizes and a drawing for a “grand prize” at the end of the club. Please take the time to come to the library and register – Lena Domiano did and she won one of our grand prizes in the summer.
Going to the Dogs and Cats
Dogs:
Arnold, Jennifer Through a Dog’s Eye {636.7 Arn}
Understanding our dogs by understanding how they see the world.
Cameron, W. Bruce A Dog’s Purpose {Camer}
Searching for his purpose over the course of multiple canine lives, Bailey is reborn as a golden-haired puppy after a tragic death as a stray and shares a loving bond with young Ethan before he again dies and starts over.
Yancey, Richard The Highly Effective Detective Goes to the Dogs {Mys Yan}
Shut down by the state for sleuthing without a license, bumbling private detective Teddy Ruzak discovers the body of a man whom he had befriended the day before and launches a personal investigation when the police dismiss his suspicions of foul play.
Shanley, Karen Dogs of Dreamtime: a Story about Second Chances and the Power of Love {636.7 Sha}
Dog owners know the profound impact that canines can have on human lives. Many share the opinion of the author, a managing partner of a marketing and communications firm, in that particular dogs enter their lives as part of a divine plan.
Stein, Garth Art of racing in the Rain {Ste}
Nearing the end of his life, Enzo, a dog with a philosopher’s soul, tries to bring together the family, pulled apart by a three year custody battle between daughter Zoe’s maternal grandparents and her father Denny, a race car driver.
Bain, Terry You are a Dog: Life through the Eyes of Man’s Best Friend {636.7 Bai}
A collection of vignettes offers a dog’s-eye view of life and the world around as it shares the canine perspective on such items as the toilet, the sofa, the vacuum, and the baby.
Wroblewski, David Story of Edgar Sawtelle {SAW}
A tale reminiscent of “Hamlet” that also celebrates the alliance between humans and dogs follows speech-disabled Wisconsin youth Edgar, who bonds with three yearling canines and struggles to prove that his sinister uncle is responsible for his father’s death.
CATS
Brown, Rita Mae Cat’s Eyewitness {Mys Bro}
The peaceful town of Crozet, Virginia, is turned upside down by a statue of the Virgin Mary that begins to cry tears of real blood, as Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen and her sleuthing pets search for the truth about a local unsolved mystery.
Myron, Vicki Dewey: the Small-Town Library Cat who Touched the World {636.8092 Myr}
Dewey was left abandoned as a kitten on the coldest night of the year stuffed in the returned book slot at the Spencer Public Library in Iowa. He won the heart of Vicki Myron, the librarian who found him, and for the next 19 years he charmed the people of Spencer.
Morris, Willie My Cat Spit McGee {813.54 Mor}
The author describes life with a strong-willed cat named Spit McGee, exploring the dramatic ways that Spit has transformed his household and offering a close-up look at cats and their behavior, resourcefulness, and character.
Myron, Vicki Dewey’s nine lives : the legacy of the small-town library cat who inspired millions {636.8092}
This volume contains inspiring, funny, and heartwarming stories about cats told from the perspective of Dewey’s Mom, librarian Myron. It includes never-before-told stories about Dewey.
Douglas, Carol Nelson Cat in an Ultra Marine Scheme {Mys Dou}
Preparing to launch a high-risk Las Vegas mob museum and casino, publicist Temple Barr uncovers a buried safe and a recently murdered body during a live event and finds herself turning to Midnight Louie’s cat posse to stave off mafia threats on her life.
Murphy, Shirley Rousseau Cat deck the halls : a Joe Grey mystery {Mys Mur}
In the aftermath of a traumatized girl’s witness to a holiday-season shooting, feline sleuth Joe Grey, his girlfriend Dulcie, and their tortoise-shell companion Kit endeavor to track down a killer and assist an investigation by stumped human police.
The Aughts – A Decade in Books
2000
Lahiri, Jhumpa Interpreter of Maladies
A debut collection of short fiction blends elements of Indian traditions with the complexities of American culture in such tales as “A Temporary Matter,” in which a young Indian-American couple confronts their grief over the loss of a child, while their Boston neighborhood copes with a nightly blackout.
Smith, Zadie White Teeth
Set in post-war London, this novel of the racial, political, and social upheaval of the last half-century follows two families–the Joneses and the Iqbals, both outsiders from within the former British empire–as they make their way in modern England.
Satrapi, Marjane Persepolis
The great-granddaughter of Iran’s last emperor and the daughter of ardent Marxists describes growing up in Tehran in a country plagued by political upheaval and vast contradictions between public and private life.
Chabon, Michael The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
In 1939 New York City, Joe Kavalier, a refugee from Hitler’s Prague, joins forces with his Brooklyn-born cousin, Sammy Clay, to create comic-book superheroes inspired by their own fantasies, fears, and dreams.
2001
McEwan, Ian Atonement
Three children lost their innocence–as the sweltering summer heat bears down on the hottest day in 1935–and their lives are changed forever.
Three children lost their innocence–as the sweltering summer heat bears down on the hottest day in 1935–and their lives are changed forever.
Franzen, Jonathan The Corrections
What appears as a typical Midwestern family is anything but as preparations are made for an ideal family holiday. Alfred, the father is losing his fight to control Parkinson’s disease and dementia. His wife, Enid is no longer in control of her household and feels her choices slipping away. Their three grown children are struggling with their own lives. But for this Christmas, Enid is determined to bring them together for the perfect family holiday.
Schlosser, Eric Fast Food Nation
A journalist explores the homogenization of American culture and the impact of the fast food industry on modern-day health, economy, politics, popular culture, entertainment, and food production.
Eggers, Dave A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
A respected magazine editor and founder, a onetime spokesman for Generation X, offers a satiric, eloquent, and thoroughly tradition shattering memoir that discusses deaths of his parents from cancer, his raising of his younger brother, and more..
2002
Powers, Samantha A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide
Discusses America’s political stance during the holocausts of the past fifty years, presenting moral arguments for why the United States should change its non-engagement policies to become involved in conflicts involving genocide..
Pamuk, Orhan My Name is Red
In sixteenth-century Istanbul, a furor erupts when the Sultan hires a group of artists to illuminate a great book in the European style at a time in which all figurative art is considered Islamic heresy, but the situation becomes worse when one of the miniaturists vanishes.
Martel, Yann The Life of Pi
Possessing encyclopedia-like intelligence, unusual zookeeper’s son Pi Patel sets sail for America, but when the ship sinks, he escapes on a life boat and is lost at sea with a dwindling number of animals until only he and a hungry Bengal tiger remain.
Gawande, Atul Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science
Gently dismantling the myth of medical infallibility, Dr. Atul Gawande’s Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science is essential reading for anyone involved in medicine–on either end of the stethoscope.
2003
Brown, Dan Da Vinci Code
Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon and French cryptologist Sophie Neveu work to solve the murder of an elderly curator of the Louvre, a case which leads to clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci and a centuries-old secret society.
Lethem, Jonathan Fortress of Solitude
Their friendship compromised by the belief systems of the racially charged 1970s, Dylan Ebdus and Mingus Rude share a series of misadventures based on their mutual obsession with comic book heroes.
Jones, Edward P. The Known World
Their friendship compromised by the belief systems of the racially charged 1970s, Dylan Ebdus and Mingus Rude share a series of misadventures based on their mutual obsession with comic book heroes.
2004
Robinson, Marilynne Gilead
As the Reverend John Ames approaches the hour of his own death, he writes a letter to his son chronicling three previous generations of his family, a story that stretches back to the Civil War and reveals uncomfortable family secrets.
The 9/11 Commission Report
Provides the final report of the 9/11 Commission detailing their findings on the September 11 terrorist attacks.
2005
Meyer, Stephenie Twilight
When seventeen-year-old Bella leaves Phoenix to live with her father in Forks, Washington, she meets an exquisitely handsome boy at school for whom she feels an overwhelming attraction and who she comes to realize is not wholly human.
Zusak, Markus Book Thief
Trying to make sense of the horrors of World War II, Death relates the story of Liesel–a young German girl whose book-stealing and story-telling talents help sustain her family and the Jewish man they are hiding, as well as their neighbors.
Dideon, Joan The Year of Magical Thinking
An autobiographical portrait of marriage and motherhood by the acclaimed author details her struggle to come to terms with life and death, illness, sanity, personal upheaval, and grief.
Levitt, Steven Freakonomics
The author offers his view of how the economy really works, examining issues from cheating and crime to sports and child-rearing, offering a very different view on what drives the economy.
2006
McCarthy, Cormac The Road
In a novel set in an indefinite, futuristic, post-apocalyptic world, a father and his young son make their way through the ruins of a devastated American landscape, struggling to survive and preserve the last remnants of their own humanity.
Pollan, Michael Omnivore’s Dilemma
A natural history of four meals.
Truss, Lynne Eats, Shoots & Leaves : the zero tolerance approach to punctuation
This is a book forpeople who love punctuation and get upset when it is mishandled. From the invention of the question mark in the time of Charlemagne to George Orwell shunning the semicolon, this lively history makes a powerful case for the preservation of a system of printing conventions that is much too subtle to be mucked about with.
2007
Bolano, Roberto Savage Detectives
Chronicles the strange journey of two Latin American poets, Arturo Belano and Ulises Lima, as seen through the eyes of the people whose paths they cross in Central America, Europe, Israel, and West Africa.
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Burdened with the dark, dangerous, and seemingly impossible task of locating and destroying Voldemort’s remaining Horcruxes, Harry, feeling alone and uncertain about his future, struggles to find the inner strength he needs to follow the path set out before him..
2008
Gladwell, Malcolm Outliers: the Story of Success
Identifies the qualities of successful people, posing theories about the cultural, family, and idiosyncratic factors that shape high achievers, in a resource that covers such topics as the secrets of software billionaires and why the Beatles earned their fame.
Garner, Helen The Spare Room
Offering a room to an old friend who is undergoing treatment for cancer, Helen finds her advice disregarded in the face of her friend’s faith in alternative medicine, a situation that turns both of their lives upside-down.
Doctorow, Cory Little Brother
After being interrogated for days by the Department of Homeland Security in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco, California, seventeen-year-old Marcus, released into what is now a police state, decides to use his expertise in computer hacking to set things right.
2009
Mantel, Hilary Wolf Hall
Assuming the power recently lost by the disgraced Cardinal Wolsey, Thomas Cromwell counsels a mercurial Henry VIII on the latter’s efforts to marry Anne Boleyn against the wishes of Rome, a successful endeavor that comes with a dangerous price.
Kamkwamba, William The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
Assuming the power recently lost by the disgraced Cardinal Wolsey, Thomas Cromwell counsels a mercurial Henry VIII on the latter’s efforts to marry Anne Boleyn against the wishes of Rome, a successful endeavor that comes with a dangerous price.
2010
Donoghue, Emma The Room
A 5-year-old narrates a riveting story about his life growing up in a single room where his mother aims to protect him from the man who has held her prisoner for seven years since she was a teenager.
Krauss, Nilole Great House
The lives of four strangers are thrown into chaos over an enormous, stolen desk, including an antique dealer in Jerusalem, a man in London, and an American novelist who inherited it from a poet and victim of Pinochet’s secret police.
Smith, Patti Just Kids
In this memoir, singer-songwriter Patti Smith shares tales of New York City : the denizens of Max’s Kansas City, the Hotel Chelsea, Scribner’s, Brentano’s and Strand bookstores and her new life in Brooklyn with a young man named Robert Mapplethorpe–the man who changed her life with his love, friendship, and genius.
Awesome African-American Authors
Gaines, Ernest A Lesson Before Dying
A young illiterate African American man witnesses two black robbers kill a white store owner in Louisana in the late 1940s, and he is the one convicted.
Southgate, Martha Third Girl from the Left
Three generations of African-American women–Tamara, her mother Angela, and her grandmother Mildred–find their lives and destinies linked across time by the power and influence of the movies, from the 1920s to the present day.
Marshall, Paule Fisher King
Fifty years after jazz pianist Sonny-Rett Payne fled family disapproval in the U.S. for life as a superstar in Paris, his eight-year-old grandson returns to Sonny-Rett’s old Brooklyn neighborhood to attend a memorial concert in his honor.
Jones, Edward P. The Known World
When a plantation proprietor and former slave–now possessing slaves of his own–dies, his household falls apart in the wake of a slave rebellion and corrupt underpaid patrollers who enable free black people to be sold into slavery.
Cleage, Pearl I Wish I Had a Red Dress
Joyce Mitchell is a young widow with a life filled with work, family, and friends, but as the all-girl group she founded runs into problems, she feels an increasing desire to treat herself to something, or someone, special.
Golden, Marita Migrations of the Heart: An Autobiography
In her classic memoir, distinguished author, television executive, and activist Marita Golden beautifully recounts an astounding journey to Africa and back.
Walker, Alice Color Purple
Two African American sisters, one a missionary in Africa and the other a child-wife living in the South, support each other through their correspondence, beginning in the 1920s.
Morrison Toni Song of Solomon
Macon Dead, Jr., called Milkman, son of the richest Negro in town, moves from childhood into early manhood, searching, among the disparate, mysterious members of his family, for his life and reality.
Ellison, Ralph Invisible Man
The narrator traces his life from college and into Harlem where he becomes invisible like other African Americans.
Hailey, Alex Roots
Captured in Africa, Kunta Kinte, a tribal prince, becomes a slave, and eventually generations of his family survive to become free again.
Wesley, Valerie The Devil Riding
Darnella Desmond is disturbed to learn that her former roommate has been murdered by a serial killer who is stalking Atlantic City’s runaway population, but when her mother hires Tamara Hayle to catch the murderer, she uncovers extremely perverse truths about the deceased’s family.
Shange, Ntozake Some Sing, Some Cry
The story of emancipated slave Elizabeth Mayfield traces her rise as the matriarch of a family of musically gifted Southern women who overcome brutal obstacles while witnessing key moments in American history.
Mosley, Walter Little Scarlet
When a man who fled the 1965 Watts riots is suspected of killing a woman in a nearby apartment building, Easy Rawlins begins a murder investigation and learns that the case has sobering racial origins..
Mcmillan, Terry Waiting to Exhale
Four African-American women console and support one another in a complex friendship that helps each of them face the middle of their lives as single women.
Romance Novels You Might Have Missed
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
Tita, a young girl growing up on a ranch under the iron fisted will of her mother Elena in turn-of-the-century Mexico, cooks for the family, under the watchful eye of the head cook Nacha. Denied her true love, Pedro, who marries one of Tita’s sisters, her heartbreak turns to inconsolable sorrow and as an outlet; she pours her emotions into her unique and remarkable recipes that inspire love, longing, passion and sorrow in all who consume them. Combining the earthy and mystical, exciting, vibrant characters, succulent recipes and a tragic tale of the denial of true love and its consequences; this is a spellbinding story that is both quirky and compelling.
Tell Me Lies by Jennifer Crusie
Divorce, adultery, and murder are just a few of the scandals that shock the small town of Frog Point, Ohio, and its inhabitants, especially Maddie Faraday. Viewed as the “nice girl” in high school, Maddie’s adult life has enough spice in it to single-handedly turn Frog Point’s gossip mill. Although she is misled by her best friend, betrayed by her husband, and talked about by the entire town, Maddie manages to discover the painful truths about her life, the strength to protect her eight-year-old daughter, and comfort in the arms of another man.
The Looking Glass by Richard Paul Evans
This is the story of Hunter Bell, a Presbyterian minister turned gambler, and the founder of the mining camp Bethel. Venturing into a blizzard to chase away wolves, beautiful young Quaye McGandley meets Hunter Bell outside of his cabin. She is an Irishwoman, sold into marital slavery, and brought to America against her will. Hunter nurses her back to health and the story of their love begins. Get out the hankies you will need them
On Mystic Lake by Kristin Hannah
Annie Colwater, a 39-year-old wife and mother, must redefine her self-identity after her husband informs her that he’s in love with a younger woman the same day their only child leaves for school abroad. Alone, she returns to her childhood home in Mystic, Washington, where she is reunited with her fist love, Nick Delacroix. Annie is able to heal her own life by caring for Nick and his six-year-old daughter, Izzy, who are both grieving over the death of Nick’s wife. As Annie and Nick heal, their old romance rekindles, but a sudden turn of events leaves Annie faced with the painful decision of going back to her old life or remaining in Mystic.
Laurie Aitken, Islip Public Library
A Song for Summer by Eva Ibbotson
Ellen Carr’s militantly suffragette family is appalled at her love for the domestic arts. But while these talents earn her the position as housekeeper in an eccentric Austrian boarding school, it is her kindness and warmth that earn her the devotion of the neglected students and oddball staff except for Marek, the mysterious groundskeeper. But Marek is himself hiding a dangerous secret; and as the Nazi shadow falls, even love may not be enough. Lyrical charm, drenched with atmosphere, and leavened by a wicked wit.
Kill and Tell by Linda Howard
Karen Whitlaw’s life is changed when her father was found murdered in the streets of New Orleans. Her Dad had left her family years before; Karen barely knew the man, yet now it seems that Karen’s life is in danger too. With the help of New Orleans detective Marc Chastain, Karen learns the secrets of her father’s past; and together they find the people behind his murder. This is sensual romantic suspense, and will be enjoyed by people who like spice to their romance. It is definitely explicit.
Perfect Partners by Jayne Anne Krentz
Naive and somewhat frumpy, Letitia Thornquist leaves her library position in the Midwest and heads for Seattle to oversee her newly inherited sporting goods company much to the dismay of the current CEO, Joel Blackstone. Sparks and tempers fly as these two clash, but the results are predictably funny and passionate as Joel, in the process of trying to “show Letitia a thing or two,” discovers that there is a lot he can learn from her.
The Bride and the Beast by Teresa Medeiros
In the misty Highlands of 1761 Scotland, the guilt-ridden villagers of Ballybliss are terrorized by a Dragon, a curse brought on by their betrayal of their laird fifteen years earlier. Only sensible, plump Gwendolyn Wilder dismisses their superstition; yet it is she who is condemned to be sacrificed to the beast. Captivated by her warmth and beauty, an all-too-human Dragon takes her captive in pampered comfort. Yet the revelation of the Dragon’s identity, and his deadly obsession with revenge, threatens the passion that begins to burn between them. A sensual reworking of the classic fairy tale, drenched in dark passions and sparkling with wit.
The Wild Child by Mary Jo Putney
Identical twin brothers; a wealthy mad heiress; dark secrets and deceptions abound, as romance blooms and honor dies. Kyle Reinborne bribes his twin brother, Dominic, to take his place at Warfield Manor, where he is to pay court to his intended bride, Lady Meriel Grahame. The deception was only for a few weeks, and the mad Lady Meriel would never notice the difference; but Dominic faces complications he never dreamed of.
In this quickly paced light read with a clever sense of humor, Charlotte Arkendale has been supporting herself and her sister in Regency England by investigating the suitors of women who have recently come into money. When one of her clients is killed, she becomes worried that one of the rejected suitors was the killer. She hires Baxter St. Ives as her man-of-affairs to help her investigate. What she does not realize is that Baxter is not what he seems. As they explore the mystery at hand, Baxter and Charlotte discover a deep passion for one another.
Mystique by Amanda Quick
Sir Hugh the Relentless arrives at the castle of Lady Alice’s uncle and, impressed by her appearance and ability to run a household, finds himself offering marriage to the feisty beauty that holds the secret to his missing family heirloom. Desperate to escape her rotten-to-the-core uncle, she agrees to form a business partnership with Hugh, in order to obtain an education for her brother and a dowry to live out her own life studying “natural philosophy”. Their mutual respect and desire soon bring them together, but they face the greatest challenge of all, as they must break an ancient curse, find a murderer and destroy a villain from the past before he destroys them.
A Price for Everything by Mary Sheepshanks
Sonia, Lady Dunstan, dreams of restoring the crumbling Dunstan house to its former glory. Her philandering husband Archie opposes her plans, so Sonia plots to get help from the Heritage At Risk Association. Things don’t go exactly as Sonia plans her four children seem to be growing up overnight, her mother-in-law descends on the household for an unwelcome visit, her put-on-hold art career takes off, and Sonia finds herself falling in love with the Association’s handsome director Simon. A crisis awakens Sonia’s realization that there is a price for everything and that she must choose wisely.
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
Noah Calhoun is back from World War II, living in and renovating a 200-year-old Southern mansion. At night he reads Walt Whitman and strums his guitar on his porch with his dog, reminiscing about the summer he spent with the girl of his dreams so many years ago. That girl, Allison Nelson, lives in another town and is now engaged to a prominent lawyer, ready to settle down into a life of comfort and contentment. When Allison sees a newspaper article about Noah, she decides to visit him to either rekindle the romance of a lifetime or seek the closure they never had. Will Allison remain with her boring but wealthy fiancé or risk it all on true love?
The Hellion by LaVyrle Spencer
Set in the modern-day South, two teen lovers are reunited after twenty five years of separation. The woman is a successful business person, the man a rich playboy with hidden potential. Deliciously lightweight stuff, this is the author you should seek when contemplating an indulgent few hours in a bubble bath with a box of chocolates on the side.
<a href="“>Thief of Hearts by Katherine Stone
Heart surgeon Caitlyn Taylor, her honorary brother and fellow surgeon Patrick Falconer, his mysterious evil twin Jesse, and psychiatrist Amanda Prentice, all become intertwined in a suspenseful plot, characters who are beautiful, as well as rich and famous, settings in a large L.A. hospital and a remote estate on Maui, mixed with dark secrets from everyone’s past. An enjoyable contemporary romance by a popular physician/author.
The Hearts and Lives of Men by Fay Weldon
Helen Lally, the stunning 22-year-old daughter of an impoverished artist, has caught the eye of Clifford Wexford, an ambitious, eligible, devil-may-care art dealer. In the space of nine months in swinging London of the 60s, they meet, fall instantly in love, and produce a beautiful daughter Nell. Then the wicked world intrudes. Clifford falls prey to Angie, the scheming heiress, who fills his ear with lies about Helen (gullibility being so important to soap opera and romance); the perfect marriage ends in divorce; and little Nell, due to her parents’ recklessness and other character flaws out of which they will have to mature, is lost. Engaging, wicked, and very very witty.
The annotations were compiled by the Reader’s Advisory Committee of the Reference and Adult Services Division of the Suffolk County Library Association.
Irish Fiction
The Princes of Ireland / Edward Rutherfurd
A fictional account of the history of Ireland recreates such events as the mission of Saint Patrick, the Viking invasion, and the trickery of Henry II that led to England’s establishment in Ireland.
Ireland: a Novel by Frank Delaney An epic tale-within-a-tale based on the history of Ireland finds a traditional wandering storyteller revealing his life experiences while forging a poignant new relationship in the home of an eight-year-old boy.
For the Love of Ireland: a literary companion for readers and travelers / edited by Susan Cahill
Susan Cahill pairs more than 60 writings (by over 40 authors) with geographic, sociological, literary, cultural and practical information.
Ireland: selected stories / William Trevor
A collection of nineteen stories explores the complexities of rural and middle-class Irish life, capturing the people and their love, faith, duty, and survival in a culture that blends transformation with tradition.
The Brightest Star in the Sky / Marian Keyes
Seven neighbors in a Dublin townhouse find their lives entangled by the visitation of a sassy and prescient spirit that causes them to rethink their relationships, careers and values.
Brendan / Morgan Llywelyn
This is the story of Saint Brendan the Navigator, whose legendary quest to find the Isle of the Blessed is one of the most remarkable and enduring of early Christian tales.
The Dead Republic / Roddy Doyle
Irish rebel Henry Smart unsuccessfully collaborates with a legendary director before taking work as a caretaker at a Dublin boys’ school, where he meets a woman who may be his long-lost wife.
Faithful Place / Tana French
Detective Frank Mackey finds himself straight back in the dark tangle of relationships he left behind twenty-two years ago when the suitcase belonging to his first love, Rosie Daly, shows up behind a fireplace in a derelict house on Faithful Place.
The Ghosts of Belfast / Stuart Neville
Fegan has been a “hard man,” an IRA killer in Northern Ireland. Now that peace has come, he is being haunted day and night by twelve ghosts: a mother and infant, a schoolboy, a butcher, an RUC constable, and seven other of his innocent victims. In order to appease them, he’s going to have to kill the men who gave him orders.
The Walking People / Mary Beth Keane
Greta Cahill never believed she would leave her village in the west of Ireland until she found herself on a ship bound for New York. Labeled a “softheaded goose” by her family, Greta discovers that in America she can fall in love, raise her own family, and earn a living. Though she longs to return and show her family what she has made of herself, her decision to spare her children knowledge of a secret in her past forces her to keep her life in New York separate from the life she once loved in Ireland, and tears her apart from the people she is closest to. Even fifty years later, when the Ireland of her memory bears little resemblance to that of present day, she fears that it is still possible to lose all when she discovers that her children–with the best of intentions–have conspired to unite the worlds she’s so carefully kept separate for decades.
Heart and Soul / Maeve Binchy
Given the difficult task of building an underfunded clinic in an Irish community caught between the past and present, Dr. Clara Casey finds her task complicated by her problematic personal life, her colorful and diverse staff, and the difficult patients they serve.
The Light of Evening / Edna O’Brien
From her Dublin hospital bed, an ailing elderly woman recalls the important events and people of her life, from her emigration to America in the 1920s, to her Irish marriage, to motherhood, as she awaits a visit from her estranged daughter, Eleanora.
Hemlock at Vespers: Fifteen Sister Fidelma Mysteries / Peter Tremayne
A collection of short stories featuring Sister Fidelma, a nun of the Celtic Church and advocate of Ireland’s ancient Brehon law courts, offers background details of her life in seventh-century Ireland.
The Black Book: an Inspector Rebus Novel / Ian Rankin
Rebus returns in a plot involving a dangerous “ghost” from his past and an attack on a close colleague, and ultimately realizes he must defend his life at all costs–even if it means breaking the law.
Slammerkin / Emma Donoghue
Born to poverty in eighteenth-century London, Mary Saunders’ love of fine clothes and a dream of a better life take her from the world of prostitution to life as a household seamstress in Monmouth to a search for true freedom.
Irish Gold / Andrew M. Greeley
Dermot Coyne goes to Dublin to investigate his parents’ departure from Ireland during the Time
of Troubles in 1922 and learns much about his Irish heritage from Nuala Anne McGrail.
Authors Reading and Writing
My Reading life / Pat Conroy (813.54 CON)
Bestselling author Pat Conroy acknowledges the books that have shaped him and celebrates the
profound effect reading has had on his life.
The Writing Life / Annie Dillard (818.5409 DIL)
A best-selling, Pulitzer Prize-winning author looks at her craft and, in a series of illuminating metaphors
and anecdotes, paints a picture of a demanding, unpredictable, and sometimes absurd existence.
On Writing : a memoir of the craft / Stephen King ( B KING)
The author shares his insights into the craft of writing and offers a humorous perspective on his own
experience as a writer.
The Faith of a Writer : life, craft, art / Joyce Carol Oates (813.54 OAT)
The author offers insight into the creative process, sharing the life lessons she has learned through her
career about language, the inspiration of ideas, and the contributions of life experiences to writing.
Reading Like a Writer : a guide for people who love books and for those who want to write them /
Francine Prose (808.02 PRO)
An insider’s report on how professionals read and write instructs aspiring writers on the methods
employed by such literary figures as Kafka, Austen, and Dickens, in a resource that draws on key
examples to demonstrate the essentials of good plot and character development.
The Reading List. Contemporary Fiction : a critical guide to the complete works of 110 authors / edited
by David Rubel (016.8083 REA)
Booknotes: America’s Finest Authors on Reading, Writing, and the Power of Ideas / Brian Lamb
(810.9 LAM)
Book Lust: recommended reading for every mood, moment, and reason / Nancy Pearl (011.73 PEA)
1001 Books for Every Mood / Hallie Ephron (011.73 EPH)
The Book that Changed My Life: 71 remarkable writers celebrate the books that matter most to them
/ edited by Roxanne J. Coady and Joy Johannessen (028.8 BOO)
Sixty-five concise and lively essays by some of today’s most successful writers identify the books that
proved pivotal to the shaping of their careers, in a volume that includes Harold Bloom on “Little, Big,”
Nelson DeMille on “Atlas Shrugged,” and Sebastian Junger on “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.”.
The book that changed My Life: Interviews with National Book Award Winners and Finalists / edited
by Diane Osen (810.9005 BOO)
In a collection of interviews, fifteen National Book Award winners and finalists examine the profound
relationship between reading and writing and describe the book that has had the most influence on his
or her life.
Reading Jackie: her autobiography in books / William Kuhn (B ONASSIS)
Draws on archives and interviews with authors, colleagues, and friends to examine Jacqueline Kennedy
Onassis’ time as an editor, revealing both the serious and the mischievous woman underneath the glamorous
public image.
So Many Books, So Little Time: a year of passionate reading / Sara Nelson ( 028.9 NEL )
A publishing correspondent chronicles a year’s worth of reading to show how the world of books
intermingled with her relationships as she discovered that the books chose her as much as she chose
them, recognized the intimacy of the written word, and learned to recognize emotional responses to
literary themes.
Our Authors, Our Advocates
Motherhood in Fiction
My Hollywood
By: Mona Simpson
Struggling with her television writer husband’s long hours and her own lack of childcare experience, composer and new mother Claire hires Lola, a Filipino mother of five seeking to finance her children’s education back in the Philippines, who becomes privately devoted to her employers.
Not Ready for Mom Jeans
By: Maureen Lipinski
Event planner and famous blogger Clare Finnegan expected to go back to work after her daughter was born. But when she’s left so exhausted that she can’t remember her ATM card’s pin number … and another meeting runs late, forcing her to miss another one of her daughter’s milestones, Clare allows herself to examine an alternate choice: staying home. A laugh-out-loud novel about motherhood, life, and the quest for eight hours of sleep.
This Little Mommy Stayed Home
By: Samantha Wilde
New mom Joy McGuire hasn’t changed her sweatpants since her baby was born. Of course she’s crazy about her newborn son; it’s her distracted, work-obsessed husband and his impossible mother she can’t stand. With no support from her mom forthcoming, she counts on a little sleep, sanity, and chocolate to fix all her problems — until her old college boyfriend shows up at their ten-year reunion, a sexy yoga instructor turns her insides aflutter, and her husband goes missing! Motherhood’s wonderful, but why does it have to be one hilarious crisis after another?
The Atlas of Love
By: Laurie Frankel
After Jill becomes both pregnant and single in grad school, she moves in with her two closest friends, as the three of them attempt to share parenting Jill’s baby, Atlas, all while juggling classes and adjusting to their chaotic living situation.
Not My Daughter
By: Barbara Delinsky
A pregnancy pact between three teenage girls puts their mothers’ love to the ultimate test in this emotionally wrenching story of love and forgiveness.
As Husbands Go
By: Susan Isaacs
Astonished when her seemingly devoted husband is found murdered in a prostitute’s apartment, Susie, a mother of four-year-old triplets, bristles at her neighbors’ mixed reactions and tackles everyone from her husband’s partners to the DA to restore her family’s honor.
Heart of the Matter
By: Emily Giffin
Meeting by chance when a fateful accident sends a six-year-old boy to an upscale Boston hospital, the child’s mother and the doctor’s stay-at-home wife find their lives changing in unexpected ways.
So Happy Together
By: Maryann McFadden
Set in the lush, rolling hills of northern New Jersey and the romantic, windswept dunes of Cape Cod, this is the story of three generations of women who find their lives, and dreams, suddenly transformed in ways they never could have imagined; and the journey of one woman who comes to realize that when you’re a mother, or a daughter, you are never truly free.
Slummy Mummy
By: Fionna Neill
Follows the misadventures of stay-at-home mom Lucy Sweeney, who struggles between the chaos of caring for three young boys and her ideals as inspired by a perfectionist reality-television style program.
Kissing Games of the World
By: Sandi Kahn Shelton
Sharing a house with an elderly man and his young grandson in order to make ends meet, single mother Jamie McClintock finds her life thrown into turmoil by the old man’s sudden death and the return of his estranged son, Nate, to reclaim the house and his son.
The Almost Archer Sisters
By: Lisa Gabriele
Georgia “Peachy” Archer thought she was happy with her choices in life: quitting college, marrying young, raising two boys in the same town where she grew up. But, just as Peachy’s life is beginning to settle into a careful routine, her sister’s life begins to dangerously unravel.
Mrs. Perfect
By: Jane Porter
Having achieved her dream of a family that includes a successful husband, three children, and a wardrobe to die for, mom Taylor Young is horrified when her bohemian rival rises above her as a school activities coordinator, a situation that is further complicated by a discovery of her husband’s secret unemployment.
Nanny Diaries
By: Emma McLaughlin
A satirical glimpse into Manhattan’s upper class follows Nanny, a struggling NYU student who takes a position caring for the son of the rich X family, as she learns how to juggle various tasks so that a Park Avenue wife never has to lift a well-manicured finger.
The Deep End of the Ocean
By: Jacquelyn Mitchard
Nine years after three-year-old Ben Cappadora’s kidnapping, a twelve-year-old boy knocks at the door of the Cappadora house, looking for yard work.
The Good Mother
By: Sue Miller
Waging a custody battle for her four-year-old daughter Molly, Anna Dunlap finds herself caught in a conflict arising from her former husband’s and in-laws’ self-righteous definition of a good mother and her own sexual needs.
<a href="http://alpha2.suffolk.lib.ny.us/search~S20?/ti+don%27t+know+how+she+does+it/ti+dont+know+how+she+does+it/1%2C2%2C2%2CB/frameset&FF=ti+dont+know+how+she+does+it+the+life+of+kate+reddy+working+mother&1%2C1%2C/indexsort=- “>I don’t Know How She Does It
By: Allison Pearson
Kate Reddy, a hedge fund manager and mother of two, struggles to juggle her professional and personal lives and to balance–often unsuccessfully–on the tightrope of work and home.
E-Books at East Islip Library
Coming…Free E-Books for the Kindle
Later in 2011, Amazon has agreed to allow e-books from the library’s
collection to be viewed on the Kindle. We do not have a firm date for
when this will become available, but we will keep you informed.
Read more on this topic… http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/content-and-e-books/article/46930-kindle-teams-with-overdrive-to-lend-library-books.html
What Were They Reading in 1961?
Advise and Consent By: Allen Drury
Complex study of the events and reasons that govern the Senators’ decisions when they must confirm the President’s choice for Secretary of State.
Fate is the Hunter By: Ernest K. Gann
A biography detailing the experiences of the American novelist, including his time as an air pilot in World War II.
China Court By: Rumer Godden
When Tracy, a young girl, returns to China Court, the family home in England, at the death of her grandmother, the five generations who lived in the house come alive to her.
Burnt-Out Case By: Graham Greene
Querry, a world famous architect, is the victim of a terrible attack of indifference: he no longer finds meaning in art or pleasure in life. Arriving anonymously at a Congo leper village, he is diagnosed as the mental equivalent of a ‘burnt-out case’, a leper who has gone through a stage of mutilation.
Profiles in Courage By: John F. Kennedy
Profiles eight historical figures who demonstrated particular integrity in the face of opposition, including John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, Thomas Hart Benton, and Robert A. Taft.
To Kill a Mockingbird By: Harper Lee
Scout’s father defends a black man accused of raping a white woman in a small Alabama town during the 1930s.
Hawaii By: James Michener
Hawaii’s prehistory and history appears through the eyes of its natives and the missionaries and Asians who came to influence it.
Tropic of Cancer By: Henry Miller
Presents the original 1934 text, which was banned in the United States until 1961, and follows the author’s often scathing prose, punctuated with graphic sexual observations, in which he criticizes moral hypocrisy and conformist behaviors.
Franny and Zooey By: J.D. Salinger
Two children of the Glass family appear in separate stories laid in twentieth-century New York.
Last of the Just By: Andre Schwarz-Bart
The Levy family produces a just man onto whom each generation pours the grief of the world from the pogrom in York, England, in 1185, to Auschwitz and its gas chambers in the 20th century.
Rise and Fall of the Third BY: William L. Shirer
The classic history of Adolph Hitler’s rise to power and his dramatic defeat.
The Agony and the Ecstacy By: Irving Stone
A dramatization of the struggle behind the painting of the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling by Michelangelo.
Winter of our Discontent By: John Steinbeck
A New Englander learns the bitter lesson that it is not possible to be a little dishonest.
Mila 18 By: Leon Uris
From their command post at Mila 18, several Warsaw Jews fight off the Germans in the ghetto with homemade weapons.
Daughter of Silence By: Morris West
The inhabitants of a small Italian town reexamine their moral beliefs after a young girl avenges her mother’s death by killing the mayor.
New Summer Titles to Read at Your Leisure
Andrews, Mary Kay Summer Rental
Ellis questions everything she believed after losing an all-consuming job, while Julia struggles with insecurities that threaten a loving relationship and Dorie confronts a maelstrom of problems after a shocking betrayal.
Cloyed, Deborah The Summer we Came to Life
After their best friend Mina loses her battle with cancer, Samantha, Isabel and Kendra, best friends since they were seven years old, find themselves lost, and using Mina’s journal as a guide, they embark on a journey that strengthens their bonds of friendship and teaches them to follow their hearts.
Cook, Claire Best Staged Plans
A professional home stager in the Boston suburbs, Sandy Sullivan, after reading her family the riot act, takes a job staging a boutique hotel in Atlanta where she becomes immersed in other people’s lives while trying to fix up her own.
De la Cruz, Melissa Witches of East End
Engaged to Bran, the heir to Fair Haven and Gardiners Island, Freya, a bartender and witch who has a potion to cure every kind of heartache, finds her life spiraling out of control when a young girl goes missing after taking one of her irresistible cocktails.
D’Alessandro, Summer at Seaside Cove
After Janie Newman’s half sister Laurel steals her boyfriend, Jamie leaves New York and the humiliation behind for the island of Seaside Cove, North Carolina. But the cozy cottage she booked turns out to be a rundown bungalow. And she’s not alone. Her drama-prone mother, angst-ridden niece and newly dumped Laurel all follow her down. With a cottage this crowded, will she ever have a chance at finding love again?
Ganek, Danielle The Summer We Read Gatsby
-sisters Cassie and Peck could not be more different. Cassie is a journalist with her feet firmly planted on the ground; Peck is an actress with her head in the clouds. In fact, the only thing they seem to have in common is their inheritance: their aunt’s dilapidated house in the Hamptons. Since they can’t afford to live in the house, they must agree on what to do with it over the course of a life-changing summer.
Holton, Cathy Summer in the South
Visiting old friend Will from college only to find him much more attractive and confident than she remembers, Ava becomes immersed in Will’s Southern community and wonders if the local secrets she uncovers will estrange her from Will or strengthen their bond.
Jio, Sarah Violets of March
A heartbroken woman stumbled upon a diary and steps into the life of its anonymous author.
Lynch, Sarah-Kate Dolci di Love, or, the Sweetheart Cantucci
Corporate star Lily Turner abandons the boardrooms of Manhattan for the steep streets of Montevedova when she discovers her “perfect” husband, Daniel, has another family tucked away in the hills of Tuscany. Once there, her plight attracts the attention of the Secret League of Widowed Darners, an all-but-invisible army pulling strings behind the scenes to create happy endings. Soon founding members, Violetta and Luciana, are scheming to mend Lily’s broken heart-and to enlist her help for their struggling pasticceria.
http://alpha2.suffolk.lib.ny.us/search~S20/?searchtype=t&searcharg=dolci+di+love&searchscope=20&sortdropdown=-&SORT=D&extended=0&searchlimits=&searchorigarg=tviolets+of+March
Mallery, Susan Already Home
Recovering from her failed marriage and opening her own cooking store, Jenna finds her new life upended by the arrival of her aging hippie birth parents as she struggles to reconcile her past with the present.
Thayer, Nancy Heat Wave
After Carley has an affair with her carpenter, her husband ends up dead in a hotel room with her best friend; then her best friend comes begging for help.
Woods, Sherryl Beach Lane
“In the close-knit community of Chesapeake Shores, Maryland, Susie O’Brien and Mack Franklin’s ‘not dating’ claim befuddles everyone, especially since the two spend every spare minute together. Susie’s thrilled when their friendship finally heats up. Then, just when happily-ever-after seems within reach, Mack loses the job he loves and Susie faces a devastating diagnosis. But O’Briens always unite in a crisis. Even her cousin Jess, Susie’s rival for most of their lives, becomes her staunchest supporter–especially when Mack’s former lover comes to town. The stakes are higher than ever before, but Susie’s definitely up to the challenge…as long as Mack’s right there by her side.”
Adult Summer Reading Club Book Reviews- week 1
Week One:
Here are this week’s reviews from the members of the Adult Summer Reading Club:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
A good read – a little slow-moving at first but the last 3/5 of the book more than make up for that. Can’t wait to read the other two books in the series.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Bobblehead Dad: 25 Life Lessons I Forgot I Knew by Jim Higley
This memoir reflects what happens when one man is confronted with a cancer diagnosis and what he learns during the summer of his recovery from surgery. Written in an engaging manner with some basic truths (live for today, keep it simple, etc.). I really enjoyed the wholesome stories of his childhood.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Live From New York by Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller
A fascinating history of the TV show Saturday Night Live as told by its stars, writers, and guests. This book takes an unapologetic look back at the show’s history and legend. While many of the stories recounted are funny, there are also tales of heartbreak, of the ups and downs of working in show business, of the drama associated with being a part of the SNL family. I loved reading the behind the scenes workings of how the show is produced each week as well as the true story of what it was like to work with some of its biggest legends and stars. It was very emotional to read of the loss felt by those who worked most closely with and loved the stars that have passed away, most notably Gilda Radner, Phil Hartman, Jim Belushi, and Chris Farley.
This is a must read for anyone who considers him or herself a fan of SNL. I highly recommend and give it Rating: 4.5 out of 5
The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain
The Paleo Diet describes what we ate only 333 generations ago. Basically what we could hunt and gather. It was a way of life for all humans. Although a little unrealistic for modern times, it does make an excellent point that we’ve strayed so far from natural foods that we rely on fast food and junk food to feed our families.
Rating: 4 out of 5
A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
The story takes place in the 1900’s. A lonely, wealthy man places an ad for a reliable wife. A con-artist disguises herself as a plain, simple, and honest woman with a plan on poisoning him slowly and taking all his wealth.
I enjoyed this book and will definitely read another written by this author.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Mr. Bonelli’s Review
Colonel Roosevelt by Edmund Morris
The third and last book in Morris’s trilogy on the life of Theodore Roosevelt, this entry deals with the last ten years of the great man’s life. Although he only lived to be 60, Roosevelt used his time wisely – in this volume alone he runs one of the most successful (but ultimately doomed) third-party campaigns for the presidency, gets shot during an assassination attempt (and then immediately proceeds to give an hour-long speech, despite bleeding profusely), clashes with Woodrow Wilson over our initial isolationist stance in World War I, writes countless articles and books on several different subjects, and barely survives an expedition through the Amazon’s perilous River of Doubt. My only complaint is that a lot of the book is devoted to describing the events leading up to World War I, which can be pretty confusing to an amateur historian like me. A fascinating glimpse into the life of one of the most intriguing figures in the history of our country.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Adult Summer Reading Club Reviews: week 2
Here are this week’s reviews from the members of the Adult Summer Reading Club:
Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto
This book tells the love story of Shelly and Max, but it’s not your typical romance. The tale unfolds during a flight to the Philippines as the widow Shelly tells her step-grandson how she met Max during a European tour that traveled through England, France, Austria, and Italy. I especially enjoyed the bits of supernatural woven into the storyline.
Rating: 4 out of 5
The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
I really enjoyed this book – stayed up until 2 AM not once but twice to finish it. The story is suspenseful, action-packed, and the twists in the plot will keep you guessing.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Grey Sky by Tammy Snow
Sky Griffin’s mother suddenly disappears during her visit in the Seattle, WA area. Sky uses her Private Investigator background and goes undercover in the Salt Lake City area to solve the mystery. The story dragged on at times and the conclusion seemed anti-climatic.
Rating: 2 out of 5
Louder than Words by Jenny McCarthy
Empowering and emotional book about Jenny McCarthy’s journey. Her son was diagnosed with autism. Her firsthand maternal instincts and faith. Never give up!
Please Look After Mom by Kyung-Sook Shin
This book really affected me. The story is told from the point of view of a son, daughter, husband, and the mom herself – after she becomes lost in a crowded train station. After (and while) reading this book, you will want to telephone your own mother, just to tell her you love her and appreciate(d) all she does (did).
Rating: 4 out of 5
Room by Emma Donoghue
I had heard a lot of hype about this book prior to reading it. I think that might have contributed to my slight disappointment in it. Having said that, the author should be commended for writing such a believable story entirely from the perspective of a five year old boy. It truly had an authentic “voice” and that has to be a difficult feat. It can’t be easy to write with such honesty from that perspective. It also brought to mind recent events surrounding Jaycee Dugard – a real life case of a child kidnapped and held captive for years. I found myself thinking of her and her story as I read this book. I felt the ending was a little anticlimactic. I also sometimes found the 5 year old perspective frustrating. I’m a mom and I know that as a mom there are things I would shield or hide from my children. While reading the book I kept thinking that I wouldn’t get the entire story. How could a 5 year old tell me the entire story when there are things that I’m sure are hidden from him. I did find that I had questions that were never answered.
Overall, not a bad read. Well-written but sometimes frustrating.
3.5 out of 5 stars
A Singular Woman: The Untold Story of Barack Obama’s Mother by Janny Scott
The author, a New York Times reporter, pieced the life story of Obama’s mother Stanley Ann Dunham, anthropologist, together beautifully. She even references the chapters detailing and listing her sources. Plenty of photos to enjoy.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Mr. Bonelli’s Review:
Not Dead & Not For Sale: The Earthling Papers by Scott Weiland
Scott Weiland came from a broken home, experienced many personal tragedies and setbacks, was the frontman for two incredibly successful bands, and struggled with addition, yet couldn’t find a way to make any of this into an interesting book. I would recommend this only to hardcore fans of his music.
Rating: 2 out of 5
Adult Summer Reading Club Book Reviews: Week Three
Here are this week’s reviews from the members of the Adult Summer Reading Club. Please note that the following reviews do not reflect the opinions of the staff of the East Islip Library:
Bed of Roses by Nora Roberts
A sweet book about a young girl named Emma, who grows up and has her dream career. Her life becomes complete when she falls in love. Organizing and arranging flowers for other people’s weddings fills her with happiness. When she falls in love, life is truly blissful.
Buried Secrets by Joseph Finder
Boston P.I. Nick Heller is hired to find his friend’s kidnapped daughter. This read was full of intrigue and action – never a dull moment! Good for fans of Robert Parker’s “Spencer” books.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama
I read this book after reading A Singular Woman, the life story of Barack’s mother.
I found this book extremely boring and a struggle to read. I thought Obama would be writing about what his life would be like if his father was in it. He idolizes a black father who deserted him, and ignores his white mother and white grandparents responsible for his greatness (he only met his father once when he was eleven years old).
He points out too many “white man rules” all through his book. He seems to forget he is half white.
Rating: 1 out of 5
The Eighty-Dollar Champion: Snowman, the Horse that Inspired a Nation by Elizabeth Letts
This book tells the real story of Harry Deleyer, a Dutch horseman, and how he rescues an old plow horse, Snowman, and makes him into a champion jumper. Written in an informative but captivating style. I especially enjoyed the Long Island references. Reminiscent of “Seabiscuit” by Laura Hillenbrand.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Learning to Swim by Sara J. Henry
This book starts out very gripping and with huge excitement – it really pulls you in. Then, the story continues and it’s all downhill from there. The main character’s actions are totally unbelievable; she sets out to solve a murder and a kidnapping on her own. Come on, really? Everything gets solved and wrapped up succinctly – how utterly convenient.
Rating: 2 out of 5
Adult Summer Reading Club Book Reviews : Week Four
Here are this week’s reviews from the members of the Adult Summer Reading Club:
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua
I enjoyed this book a great deal. I don’t understand what all the fuss was about when this book was first released. The author’s love for her kids is evident. I am not a strict parent with my child, but I agree with a lot of what Ms. Chua states in this book.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Cross by James Patterson
This story takes place ten years after the murder of Alex Cross’s wife. In this page turner, you are dealing with the deadliest psychopathic killer, the “Butcher,” and the mob. There are so many twists and turns till the end of the book.
Excellent read, and not too graphic in detailing the murders.
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Cross Roads by Fern Michaels
The sisterhood continues Fern Michaels style…Fast paced, swift and sweet. Alphabet City will never be the same again.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Daughters-In-Law by Joanna Trollope
Slow read, too many details.
Rating: 2 out of 5
Déjà Vu by Fern Michaels
The sisterhood rises again with Mr. Henry “Call Me Hank” Jellicoe.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Ghost in Trouble by Carolyn Hart
Amusing and interesting. Kay is visited by Bailey, a ghost. Bailey helps Kay solve the mystery of Jack’s death in order to protect Kay. Kay doesn’t quite believe Bailey is a ghost, but rather he is subconscious. My first time reading a book by Carolyn Hart.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
This book was an awesome grand finale to the 3-book series, although I was expecting more of an action-packed revenge on the bad guys. Loose ends were wrapped up neatly with a court case…I wanted Lisbeth to kick some more butt!
Rating: 4 out of 5
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Read at least once a year. Every time I do, some other part of the book seems new. A classic that is set on Long Island. “They smash up things and have others clean up their mess and they revert back to their money.”
Rating: 5 out of 5
Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain by David Eagleman
An interesting and sometimes disturbing look into how our brains work.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Late Edition by Fern Michaels
The Golden Girls strike again.
Rating: 5 out of 5
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Good fantasy tale. A little “Harry Potter”-ish, with the story of a young man on his way to become a wizard, but still a good read.
Rating: 4 out of 5
The River of Doubt by Candice Millard
I loved this book about Teddy Roosevelt’s journey into the Brazilian Rain Forest and exploring firsthand the River of Doubt.
Rating: 5+
Stationary Bike by Stephen King
Stephen King twist on the current overweight crisis and what might happen when you try to correct it.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America by Jeff Ryan
This is a non-fiction read about Nintendo (which means “leave luck to heaven”) and actually offers a good retrospective about videogames. Interesting look at pop culture and the gaming industry. I especially enjoyed channeling my “inner geek” for this book!
Rating: 3 out of 5
UR by Stephen King
Contemporary Stephen King puts his twist on the Kindle as a source of horror.
Rating: 4 out of 5
World and Town by Gish Jen
I really enjoyed this book. Although, at times, the main character’s ramblings are just a little bit hard to follow, it is still an interesting story. It is a story about one woman, growing older in a town, and the people in her life (new and old), and how they inter-mingle. I would definitely recommend this book!
Rating: 3 out of 5
Mr. Bonelli’s Review
All Your Base Are Belong to Us: How Fifty Years of Videogames Conquered Popular Culture by Harold Goldberg
As a child of the 80s, I, like many in my generation, wasted a good chunk of my wonder years sitting in front of the TV playing videogames in a semi-comatose state. Although I now wish I had spent all that time doing something more productive, I am also a slave to nostalgia, and have a soft spot in my heart for the games of yesteryear. I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of this book, which dealt with the development and early history of video games, but I got bored once the author arrived at the mid-nineties, which is when my interest in gaming started to wane. Additionally, my personal favorite system, ColecoVision, was barely mentioned. If you are currently a big gamer, then you will probably like this book a lot more than I did.
In case you were wondering, the title of the book refers to infamously mistranslated dialogue from the American version of the game “Zero Wing.”
Rating: 2 out of 5
Dan Brown Read-Alikes
Da Vinci Code Angels & Demons Lost Symbol
Berry, Steve Templar Legacy
Attorney and novelist Steve Berry brings a love of history and meticulous research to his thrillers, which frequently involve conspiracies spanning the globe. With well-drawn characters, fast-paced narratives, vivid descriptions and integration of historical events, Berry’s novels – whether series or stand-alone – crackle with page-turning excitement. His series protagonist, Cotton Malone, a former federal agent, and a recurring cast of characters develop over a series of novels. Start with: The Templar Legacy.
Caldwell, Ian Rule of Four
Ian Caldwell is a Princeton graduate who capitalized on the lifestyle at Princeton and the popularity of scholars as protagonists in suspense stories. He has written a historical mystery with a touch of friendship and love. Start with: The Rule of Four.
Case, John Genesis Code
As John Case, Jim and Carolyn Hougan write complex and intricately plotted stand-alone thrillers. These intriguing, character-centered dramas feature amateurs caught up in deadly investigations, sometimes with the fate of the world at stake. The sympathetically-portrayed protagonists contrast sharply with the nefarious villains, and their often violent conflicts play out in breathlessly paced and frighteningly plausible plots that frequently involve scientific experiments and disasters. The dark, disturbing tone underlines the intense and suspenseful story lines, as conspiracies and deadly secrets propel readers to the satisfying conclusion. Start with: The Genesis Code.
Eco, Umberto Name of the Rose
Italian Umberto Eco has wide and deep intellectual interests, primarily in the study/use of symbols. His fiction uses humorous, well-crafted prose to consider a range of themes and topics; gem-like descriptions are embedded in his engrossing narratives. He skillfully plays with language to provoke thought and to make a point, and this language play remains clear even in translation. Eco always tells an engaging story. His popular nonfiction examines topics such as popular culture, literature, the arts, aesthetics, and history. Start with: The Name of the Rose.
Khoury, Raymond Last Templar
Raymond Khoury’s adventure novels feel as if they are ripped from movie screens. With tight plotting, action set pieces, brief exposition scenes and a quick pace, Khoury’s works are page-turners. Combining ancient and contemporary conflicts, intrigue, heroics and believable villainy, Khoury’s stories, while similar to other contemporary works, distinguish themselves with their cinematic vigor. Start with: The Last Templar.
Meltzer, Brad Book of Fate
Brad Meltzer’s fast-paced, suspenseful thrillers are set in carefully researched legal, financial, and political arenas. His genuine, often naive heroes find themselves fighting against dangerous and power-obsessed, paranoid forces after making one bad choice; their efforts to extricate themselves (and others) from the webs of conspiracy and corruption they’re caught in make for page-turning intrigues with surprisingly little violence. Along with likable heroes and tons of insider detail, moral and ethical issues figure prominently. Start with: The Zero Game.
Mosse, Kate Labyrinth
Kate Mosse is the author of the # 1 International bestseller LABYRINTH, and a presenter for BBC television and radio in London. Born in 1961, she grew up in West Sussex, England, she read English at Oxford and holds honorary MAs from Oxford and Chichester Universities. A publisher for seven years, she is the Co-Founder & Honorary Director of the Orange Prize for Fiction and the Orange Award for New Writers, the prestigious annual literary awards celebrating international writing in English by women.
McGowan, Kathleen The Expected One
Van Lustbader, Eric The Testament
Adult Summer Reading Club Book Reviews: Week Five
Here are this week’s reviews from the members of the Adult Summer Reading Club:
Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson
Christine wakes up every day next to a stranger. Due to an “accident” she has a rare form of amnesia. Every day she wakes up with no memory of the days, weeks, months, years that came before. She recalls herself as a 20 something year old and is stunned each morning to wake up and find herself to be a middle aged married woman with years of her life lost. Then she begins working with Dr. Nash, who encourages her to start a journal. He also gives her a cell phone – that her husband Ben is unaware of – and calls her each morning to tell her about the journal and where it is hidden. Writing in the journal helps her to unlock her memories and unravel who she is, and what happened to her. But this book starts with a chill. Christine opens the journal to see she has written “DON’T TRUST BEN.”
I couldn’t put this book down. A fascinating story not only because of the mystery involved, but because of the examination of memory and how our memories build the foundation of our lives. And what happens when that foundation crumbles and falls away. I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it! Great summer read!!
Betrayal by Fern Michaels
Wow!! Keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Rating: 5 +++
The Circle of Fire by Justina R. Page
This is the true story of how the author became a burn survivor (rather than a victim) following a fire that inflicted a huge amount of physical and emotional trauma for her and her family in Houston, Texas. Although the book became a bit “preachy” for me at times, I enjoyed the personal anecdotes about her family.
Rating: 2 out of 5
A Good Yarn by Debbie Macomber
Storytelling at its best. Making your heart smile. Kudos 2 U.
Rating: 5 out of 5
The Mistress’s Revenge by Tamar Cohen
This book was basically “a romance fone wrong” written as a personal journal by the mistress Sally Islip. At times the writing was very self indulgent but captures the depth of depression following the end of the affair. I kept expecting the main character to get crazier than she did and maybe she did by British standards.
Rating: 3 out of 5
The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber
Friendships at their best. Pack up your suitcase on a trip to Seattle. Heartwarming!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Sideways by Rex Pickett
If you like wine you will like this book. The book was made into a movie. The book goes into more “wine details.” The movie was a better interpretation of the book.
Rating: 4 out of 5 (Movie: 5 out of 5)
Susannah’s Garden by Debbie Macomber
Real women, small town, lives entangle. Heartwarming.
Rating: 5 out of 5
This Year It Will Be Different (And Other Stories) – A Christmas Treasury by Maeve Binchy
This book of short stories was okay – it is from 1996 and seemed even more dated than that…But still, a nice read if you are looking for a “light” book of short stories.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Truly Madly Manhattan by Nora Roberts
Two romance stories that truly make your heart smile! Love, honor, and cherish Roberts at her best!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Where Are You Now? By Mary Higgins Clark
A girl begins to search for her brother who has been missing for ten years. This mystery of “who done it” has plenty of twists and turns trying to figure out if the brother is a victim or a serial killer.
Excellent read, with very short chapters. I will definitely be reading more books by Mary Higgins Clark.
Rating: 5+
Whitethorn Woods by Maeve Binchy
This book was a nice “feel-good,” light read. The story moves really quickly. In some sections, the story moves forward via first-person perspective, from many different characters’ points of view.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Mr. Bonelli’s Review
Killing the President: Assassinations, Attempts, and Rumored Attempts on U.S. Commanders-In-Chief by Willard M. Oliver and Nancy E. Marion
Although this book serves as an adequate introduction to presidential assassinations and assassination attempts, the writing is pretty dull and lifeless, turning an incredible interesting topic into a chore to read. If you’re really curious, I would recommend that you check out Sarah Vowell’s wonderful “Assassination Vacation” instead.
Rating: 2 out of 5
Adult Summer Reading Club Book Reviews: Week Six
Here are this week’s reviews from the members of the Adult Summer Reading Club:
Back on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber
Real women, real problems. Hometown USA. Let’s pack up and go!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Family Affair by Debbie Macomber
Love, marriage, and a cat named “Dog.” Cute, quick read.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Hannah’s List by Debbie Macomber
Only Debbie Macomber can make a wish come true. Bring the hankies.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Joy for Beginners by Erica Bauermeister
The book begins with Kate – a cancer survivor – having a dinner party with her closest friends to celebrate kicking cancer’s butt…during the course of the party she assigns each of her friends a task to conquer one’s fears. Caroline had to finally say goodbye to holding onto her husband, Marion finally gad the nerve to get a tattoo she always wanted, Dana learned the patience to make bread and learned to love a special man. Sara learned to put her needs before her husband and children. She learned it was ok to have a hobby and to make time for herself. Kate goes on a white water raft trip with her daughter through the Grand Canyon. Each character overcomes their challenge, and becomes a stronger woman.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
Enjoyable memoir of the author’s time in Savannah, Georgia, and the eccentric group of characters he met. Makes you want to visit Savannah.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Now You See Her by James Patterson
Another James Patterson thriller. Always fast paced, always wanting more. Great summer suspenseful drama. Kudos 2 u!
Rating: 5 +++
The Reef by Nora Roberts
Definite page-turner. Great summer read. Let’s get snorkeling and treasure hunting!
Rating: 5 +++
Shadows on the Sand by Gayle Roper
Carrie’s Café, located on the jersey Shore, is the setting for this Christian romance with a murder mystery on the side. A gentle, easy read.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Summer on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber
As Debbie Macomber states it best: when life gets difficult, your friends can always help. Kudos to you!
Rating: 5 out of 5
The Third Wave: A Volunteer Story by Alison Thompson
The “Third Wave” refers to the volunteers who came to help after the 2 Asian tsunami waves of December 26, 2004. This book tells the story of Alison Thompson, who volunteered her help following disasters (9/11, Sri Lanka after the Asian tsunami, and the 2010 Haiti earthquake). The descriptions of the disasters and recovery efforts were vivid and definitely made me admire Ms. Thompson’s altruism and bravery.
Rating: 3 out of 5
The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks
This is a follow-up of “The Notebook.” The son-in-law tells the story of how the romance left his marriage after thirty years and what he does to prove his love to his wife. The story also blends in the couple from “The Notebook,” with the surviving spouse and many memories throughout the book.
The book starts off slow, but it is a very nice story.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Mr. Bonelli’s Review
Wicked Bugs: The Louse that Conquered Napoleon and Other Diabolical Insects by Amy Stewart
Before reading this book, the only “bugs” that I was afraid of were brown recluse spiders and bedbugs. After reading this book, I can add a few dozen species of insects, arachnids, and tapeworms to that list. There are even types of caterpillars that can potentially kill you! Author Amy Stewart offers descriptions of several disgusting, destructive, and/or deadly creepy-crawlers – most of which (thankfully) do not live on the east coast of the United States. I found this book to be informative and fun, but it is definitely not for the squeamish.
Rating: 5 out of 5
