Voorheesville Readers Recommend

Recommendation from Julie

2011-02-11T11:19:00.000-08:00

The Firemaker by Peter May
Margaret Campbell, an American forensic pathologist, who has been invited to China to teach at a University, finds herself involved in a murder. She is asked to assist with the autopsy of the badly burned victim and must work with the investigator with whom she had an early, unfortunate run in upon her initial arrival in Beijing. As the investigation heats up so does the threat of danger for Campbell and the detective. This was an entertaining and exciting mystery.

Recommendations from Julie

2011-01-06T13:33:00.000-08:00

The Shadow Woman by Åke Edwardson
Chief Inspector Erik Winter is exceptionally young for a chief inspector. He is consumed by his work leaving his personal life rather void. Here he investigates the murder of a woman and the possible abduction of her daughter. This leads him to the past to a similar crime involving the victim's mother. Edwardson is another of the successful Scandinavian mystery writers and from reading this book you will know why; very exciting.

Farthing by Jo Walton
This rather unusual book is a fantasy/mystery. It takes place after WWII when the Nazis have taken over the continent but have agreed to make peace with Britain. When an important member of the British ruling party is murdered a Jew is quickly named as the murderer by the press. This book gives an interesting view of the world with this alternate history but I am glad it’s just fantasy.

Recommendations for November

2010-11-03T07:02:00.000-07:00

The Alcoholic by Jonathan Ames
Ames is the author of my favorite TV show—Bored to Death, so I wanted to read one of his books. This is a graphic novel depicting the drunken life of the fictional Jonathan A. He is a confused young man, wanting love, dealing with tragedy, looking for reasons to hope. He tells his story without apology. The graphics worked well with the writing. It was a worthwhile and memorable read.
Website for Jonathan Ames.

The Hilliker Curse by James Ellroy
I’ve read Ellroy’s fiction and find it boring. I’ve also read his memoir My Dark Places and absolutely loved it. Ellroy does not shy away from telling you the awful truths about himself. He comes off as a right wing, religious, sex crazed, crazy man. Yet it spite of that his writing style is out of this world! It is fast and exciting; it draws you in and won’t let you go. His are the best memoirs I’ve ever read so why is his fiction so dry? Ellroy is a very interesting man, like him and his fiction, or not.
Website for James Ellroy.

New Tricks by David Rosenfelt
This is my first Rosenfelt book. It was a cute, light-hearted doggy mystery. I prefer my mysteries a little more serious and a little tougher but this was okay as doggy mysteries go.
Website for David Rosenfelt.

Hold Me Tight & Tango Me Home by Maria Finn
When Maria Finn learns that her husband is having an affair she throws him out and finds herself left with heartache and doubts. She happens upon a group of tango dancers and decides that learning a new dance is just what she needs to help her reconnect with people socially. This chance event leads her to a new intellectual pursuit, a new confidence and a new source of joy in her life. This memoir was well-written, entertaining and enthusiastically portrayed the joys of tango.
Website for Maria Finn.

Nemesis by Philip Roth
During the 1940’s a neighborhood in Newark, NJ is hit particularly hard by the polio epidemic. Bucky Cantor, the playground director, finds himself in the center of the tragedy. This is a very interesting look at the effect of assuming responsibility for others in the face of overpowering odds. Roth is a thoughtful writer who forces you to look at the hard questions and decide for yourself if you agree with his characters actions.

London Boulevard by Ken Bruen
Mitchell is released from a three year stint in prison. He gets a job as handyman to an aging movie star who lives in a crumbling mansion with her butler. His old friends get him involved in many a shady deal and the butler conveniently helps him get out of these messes. Little does he realize the trap he has gotten into. This is Ken Bruen's version of Sunset Boulevard the great 1950 film but with a twist.
Website for Ken Bruen.

Good Morning, Midnight by Reginald Hill
Dalziel and Pascoe are a couple of my favorite British policemen. They have such different personalities and different styles of policing. Here they're head-to-head on a case that Dalziel insists was a suicide but Pascoe can only see the oddities in this "supposed" suicide. Colorful characters abound and lots of humor--especially when Dalziel rants about the "funny buggers" (MI-5).

2010-10-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

All the Colors of Darkness by Peter Robinson
This is in the Alan Banks series of police procedurals. Banks and Cabbot are brought in to investigate an apparent murder/suicide. Their investigation leads them into dangerous territory--MI-6. The story keeps you guessing and I never fail to enjoy the company of Banks and Cabbot.

A Bad Day for Sorry by Sophie Littlefield
Stella Hardesty is a formerly abused wife who dispatched her husband and now helps other abused wives eliminate their problems. Stella is a tough, middle aged woman with a sense of humor who gets in over her head when she follows an abusive husband who has kidnapped his wife’s son. This takes place in the Ozarks in southern Missouri where she winds up battling the Kansas City mafia. This is the first in the series and it looks like it will be a good one.

American on Purpose by Craig Ferguson
Craig Ferguson always struck me as being a really nice guy with a great sense of humor. After reading his book he still seems like a nice guy and he still has a great sense of humor. This was an entertaining, moving and fun memoir. I'm glad I read it!

A Night of Long Knives by Rebecca Cantrell
Journalist Hannah Vogel returns to Germany in this 2nd in the series. Her son Anton is kidnapped while she is sent to marry Ernst Röhm. Instead Röhm is killed in the night of long knives so Hannah sets out to find Anton and leave Germany for safety. This series takes place in the early days of Nazi Germany and although this book didn’t have the intensity of her 1st, A Trace of Smoke, it was still exciting.

The Devil by Ken Bruen
I wonder what's going on in Ken Bruen's life. This book had very few words per page--an extremely quick read. Plus he seems to be trying his hand at the supernatural craze popular today. In this novel, Jack Taylor meets up with the Devil himself. I hope he goes back to mere mortal foes and doesn't bring in the vampires in the next book.

The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard
I listened to this and don't recommend the audio--I didn't like the reader. But the story is good although it is definitely a tragedy. A man is found dead; his wife is missing and the town bad boy is blamed. He goes to prison for 23 years insisting he is innocent. When he is released the truth finally comes out. This is a story of a family, of a small town and of the consequences of keeping dark secrets.

Recommendations from Julie

2010-09-08T06:44:00.001-07:00

Havana Lunar by Robert Arellano
The cover of this book describes it as "a Cuban noir novel." That is a fitting description. It is a crime novel but even more interesting is the picture of Cuba following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The writing is stylistic and beautiful. This was a quick and enjoyable read.

In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith
The No. 1 Ladies Detective series never ceases to be enjoyable--especially on audiobook! Lisette Lecat is a wonderful reader! This book failed to have any kind of mystery to solve; it was just the daily goings on of Mme Ramotswe, Mme Makutsi and Mr. J.L.B. Matakoni. Nevertheless, the characters are so endearing and they've become such good friends that even without much plot it's still fun to read! Alexander McCall Smith's website.

A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn
Malla Nunn's first book is a true winner. Detective Emmanuel Cooper is sent to a small town to investigate the murder of a beloved Afrikaner police officer. He finds that not everything is as it seems; that the lines between the blacks, whites and the English are blurred to say the least, and the police and the Security branch don't seem to be working for the same side. This is a complex and intelligent mystery.

Modesty Blaise by Peter O’Donnell
This one is just for fun. Written in 1965, Modesty Blaise began as a comics character but several novels were written about her too. Modesty is drop dead gorgeous, smart, tough and able to survive any evil adventure that comes her way. Think female James Bond. This is a really fun read!

Recommendations from Julie

2010-08-04T11:37:00.000-07:00

Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz
Isabel is on the loose investigating her new neighbor and getting arrested numerous times; Ray runs over her best friend; Dad and Mom are taking many disappearances . . . what's going on? The Spellmans are a fun family to keep up with. The audiobook is also very good.

The Serialist by David Gordon
This book started out very funny--something I would recommend to anyone, but it turned into a dark, grisly crime novel only for the less squeamish reader. David Gordon does have a way with words though. Every once in awhile I'd come to a paragraph I would have to reread several times it was so good. I loved the talk of writing, writers and readers.

Let the Dead Lie by Malla Nunn
I loved this book. Malla Nunn is a great writer. All of the pre-apartheid stuff is fascinating--I had forgotten what South Africa was like at that time. The detective, Emmanual Cooper, is an interesting and complicated character. The people you meet in the book are all very different; different social strata, cops vs. crooks, different racial or ethnic group. I'm going to go back and read her first book now.

Recommendations from Suzanne

2010-07-23T08:10:00.000-07:00

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson
This is very British and very charming! Major Pettigrew seems like a stodgy relic of the British colonial empire when you are first introduced to him, but perhaps he’s not as bound to tradition as he seems. He even surprises himself.

Vanished Smile: The Mysterious Theft of the Mona Lisa
by R.A. Scotti
I recommend this nonfiction book to everyone who likes to read. When the Mona Lisa, the Louvre Museum’s most famous painting, disappears, the Paris police run around in circles, looking very much like Inspector Clouseau. They bring in Picasso and the poet Apollinaire for questioning. This is a romp, plus I learned a lot about da Vinci’s art and about the period in the which the crime took place. When the painting eventually turns up, the identity of the person who took the painting is a total surprise. This is a book about art that manages to be informative and funny at the same time.

Bad Things Happen by Harry Dolan
A man buys a shovel . . . and then the plot takes off and never loses its grip on you. This is one of the most original thrillers I’ve read. I literally did not know what was going to happen until the last page!

The Man from Beijing by Henning Mankell
What does the brutal massacre of 19 mostly elderly inhabitants of a small hamlet in Sweden have to do with Chinese laborers who built the U.S. transcontinental railroads in the 1800’s? What do these two plots have to do with greedy Chinese capitalists, political corruption, the legacy of European colonialism in Africa and the withering away of youthful idealism? Mankell masterfully weaves all of these elements together into a web of intrigue that manages to be both credible and suspenseful. Mankell has created a fascinating and highly original mashup of a thriller combined with historical fiction. These two plots, the investigation of the murders and the historical story, are layered with Mankell’s probing examination of contemporary Swedish society and its values.
Hemming Mankell's website.

Short Girls by Bich Minh Nguyen
We read Bich’s memoir Stealing Buddha’s Dinner for one of our potlucks. Short Girls is her first novel, and it’s a winner. It’s the story of two sisters finding their way in life and dealing with their Vietnamese immigrant family. The book is touching, realistically told and positive in outcome.

Recommendations from Julie

2010-07-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
This is one of the very best mystery series I've ever read! I'm so sorry that Larsson died so there are no more books to read. In this one, all of the creeps who have conspired to make Salander's life a living hell get their due. It is very satisfying.

Beneath the Bleeding by Val McDermid
Carol Jordan and Tony Hill are one of the mystery world's most interesting couples. In this one, Tony has been wounded by mad psychiatric patient and spends most of the book on his back in hospital. Nevertheless, with his computer he is able to uncover some truths leading to motives and means for the two crimes under investigation. If you haven't read the Tony Hill mysteries before you might want to start with an earlier title but if you already know the series, this one is a good one.

Hit and Run by Lawrence Block
This is #4 in Block's Keller series but it's the first Keller that I've read. In this one, Keller, a professional hit man, is set up for a murder he didn't commit. He escapes, travels around the country and finally settles in New Orleans where he starts a new life, with a new name. Oddly enough, you find yourself rooting for the hit man.

Waylaid by Ed Lin
This is the story of a 12 year old Chinese immigrant boy who lives with his parents at the rather sleazy hotel his parents own on the Jersey shore. This kid does well in school in spite of working practically full-time at the hotel. His life consists of school, hotel, skin magazines and other sexual paraphernalia left by customers in their room. He doesn't have a particularly close relationship to his family, and except for the one girl at school he hopes to nail, his only friends are long term hotel customers. There isn't much of a plot except that he wants to have sex before the year is out but it is a fascinating look into the lives of the working immigrant family.

The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag (audiobook)
by Alan Bradley
Flavia is in the middle of everything again. When Rupert Porson, a puppeteer, is murdered, Flavia figures out who did it long before the police who haven't seemed to discover anything in their investigations. Thank goodness Flavia's around to solve these cases! The best thing about listening to these books is the reader: Jane Entwistle does a tremendous job making the listening experience a pure pleasure.

Bangkok Tattoo by John Burdett
When a prostitute is found with a man who has been gutted and the tattoo on his back peeled off detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep must get to the bottom of the mystery. Solving a crime is very complex in Thailand where police, armies, everyone is corrupt. Though I didn't like this book as much as the first in the series, Bangkok 8, this did have a passage that I had to read aloud to friends it was just so funny!

The Ghosts of Belfast by Stuart Neville
This is Neville's first novel and it is tremendous! It is original and compelling. The characters are well-drawn and the ideas of responsibility and retribution are looked at from a totally different point of view. I'm eager to see if Neville can top this one!

Recommendations from Julie

2010-06-03T12:33:00.000-07:00

Blue Genes by Christopher Lukas
Blue = sad in this title. The author lost many members of his family to suicide. Bipolar disorder and depression ran rampant in his family. After losing his brother to suicide he wanted to both open the discussion and recognition of suicide and depression and to hopefully come to terms with the many losses he has suffered. A very sad book.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
Flavia de Luce is a precocious 11-yr. old who finds a dead body in the cucumber patch and proceeds to figure out who did it. I listened to this book and found it very entertaining.

Cut Short by Leigh Russell
D.I. Geraldine Steel has risen rapidly through the ranks and is transferred to a quiet village. Here she finds herself working for a tough-as-nails woman D.C.I. (think Jane Tennyson) on a serial killer case. This book is a good, solid police procedural.

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork
Stork has written a wonderful story about a young man with asperger's syndrome trying to find his way in the real world. There are so many things to learn about and to try to understand like why people hurt each other, why they use each other, why they are dishonest. The difficulties Marcelo faces are difficult lessons for anyone, not just someone with asperger's so its very easy to relate to him and his trials and tribulations. I listened to this book and the reader really made it come alive. Highly recommended.

Shatter by Michael Robotham
Psychologist Joe O’Loughlin watches a woman jump to her death. It appears to be suicide but on further investigation it turns out to be murder. Joe is determined to find out what happened so works with the police and on his own to find the killer. This is an exciting British thriller.

Recommendations from Julie

2010-05-12T11:37:00.000-07:00

Deception by Denise Mina
A forensic psychologist at a prison for the criminally insane is accused of murdering one of her patients and his wife. The story is told by her husband who is at home, searching for proof of her innocence. This is an absorbing read with a surprise ending.

The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz
I listened to this one and it was really fun! Although it's definitely easy-to-read, chick-lit it is very amusing. The characters are quirky in an interesting way and the plot is enough to keep you going.

Still Waters by Nigel McCrery
I love flawed detectives and DCI Mark Lapslie is definitely flawed--he has a neurological condition called Synaesthesia which causes him to "taste" sounds. His condition has caused him to lose his wife and child and has put him on leave from work. He's called back though to investigate a series of murders where the victims have had their fingers cut off. This is a fascinating and exciting mystery. Did you know that lies taste like nutmeg? Interesting, huh!

March Violets
(First of 3 mysteries found in Berlin Noir by Philip Kerr)
This novel takes place in 1936 Berlin. Bernard Gunther is a tough talking private detective hired to investigate an arson/murder/theft by a wealthy industrialist. Because of the times, all investigations somehow lead to interactions with the rising Nazi party. Kerr is a great noir writer so this was lots of fun.

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
Siddhartha is a parable--an Indian (think India) parable. Not what you expect from a German writer. However, Hesse' parents were missionaries in India so he spent a lot of time there during his childhood. It is the story of a man's search for meaning in his life. I listened to this book. Having read it in high school I knew what I was in for but I still found it hard to become engrossed.

The Soul Collector by Paul Johnston
People are dying all over London: mystery writers, gang members and SAS men. Are the murders related? Were that all committed by the sister of the White Devil? There is a lot of action in this book but the characters were all caricatures, the heroes were revoltingly macho. I’m sorry I read the whole way through because it was a really stupid book.

Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin
Jason Blake is an 11-year old boy who is autistic. Every day is a struggle for him—trying to fit in to the world of “neurotypicals.” Communication is particularly hard for him except online where he writes and posts stories he has written. Author Baskin’s depiction of Jason and his struggles is presented so well that the reader feels what Jason feels. Jason is presented sensitively but not sentimentally. By the time you finish this book you will feel a much greater understanding of the difficulties faced by autistic children. I listened to this audio-book and the reader was particularly good. I highly recommend this title. (Found in the Juvenile Fiction Section.)

No Sleep Till Wonderland by Paul Tremblay
Mark Genevich, the narcoleptic detective is back for a second mystery. Genevich goes through life in a dream state, never quite sure what’s real and what’s not, nor who’s a friend and who’s an enemy. In this book he is hired for two separate cases which turn out to be connected. Genevich is a sympathetic and interesting character and the messes he finds himself in are always entertaining.

Recommendations from Julie

2010-04-09T08:29:00.000-07:00

Yellow Medicine by Anthony Neil Smith
Billy Lafitte is fired from the New Orleans police force for involvement in some shady dealings after Katrina. He is still conducting shady deals but in the icy winter of rural Minnesota where he is a deputy sheriff. When a beautiful young woman asks him to find her boyfriend, Billy finds himself facing not just small-time criminals but terrorists. This is a fast-paced, exciting noir thriller.

Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven
by Susan Jane Gilman
Two naive young women, fresh out of college, decide to backpack around the world. They start out in Hong Kong, moving on to China. This is in 1986 when China was rarely traveled by westerners. They soon find themselves in over their heads and as they travel, everything becomes more complicated, confusing and scary. This was a fascinating read--I couldn't put it down!

The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry
This is a very unusual fantasy, mystery novel. It takes place in an unknown world where it's always raining and people are frequently asleep. The mysteries are things like "the man who stole November 12." It was a fantasy award winner and has been nominated for a Hammett award but, although it is engrossing, you will most appreciate it if you like fantasy dreamworlds.

The Salon by Nick Bertozzi
This graphic novel deals with Gertrude and Leo Stein and the many artists who inhabited their salon. Someone is killing--decapitating--artists in Paris. The Steins and friends believe it is the evil mistress of Gauguin. They have learned of a particular brand of blue absinthe that allows you to go inside a painting. This evil mistress has trapped Gauguin in a painting and the artists need to rescue him so he can stop the murders. I wanted an afterword with some explanation of the artists’ salon, what was based on reality, what was made up. Without this, it seemed rather pointless to me.

Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls
This true-life novel about author Jeannette Walls' grandmother is a fun and lively read. Lily Casey is a tough, no-nonsense woman who lived during the first half of the 20th century. Breaking horses as a young girl well-prepared her for life: learning how to fall and how to get back up on the horse and ride again. I listened to this book, read by the author, and was completely entranced.

A Trace of Smoke by Rebecca Cantrell
Berlin. 1931. The Nazi party is in its early stages. A woman reporter finds her transvestite brothers’ picture on the wall in the Hall of the Unnamed Dead. She investigates. Tremendously atmospheric setting, well-drawn characters, and lots of lurking in the shadows make this a compelling read. I couldn’t put it down!

The Book Shopper by Murray Browne
Author Murray Browne is a librarian, book lover and book shopper. Although I think it is somewhat arrogant of him to think that he's the expert on what every good used bookstore should have, nevertheless, it is fun to read and see if you agree.

Suffer the Little Children by Donna Leon
Donna Leon's Guido Brunetti mysteries never disappoint. In this novel, the carabinieri break into a pediatrician's home and take his baby. Brunetto must solve the mystery of why the baby was taken and why taken by the carabinieri.

Patron Recommendations

2010-04-06T08:54:00.000-07:00

Here are three wonderful reviews by J. Strauss, a prolific reader and member of our book discussion group here at the library. Check them out!

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
This novel takes place in Jackson, Mississippi in the early years of the Civil Rights movement. The story is told by a 24-year old white woman named Skeeter and two black maids named Minnie and Aibileen. These women build a secret relationship in order to write a book that could endanger the lives of the maids and cause permanent damage to Skeeter’s reputation, social standing and future.

The characters are so richly developed that when I wasn’t reading the book, I was thinking about them constantly. I was lost in their world and their voices were permeating my thoughts. I read this book over the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, a coincidence that turned out to be a gift. The holiday meant so much more to me as his work was mentioned frequently in the book and so very instrumental in changing the segregation and injustices endured by so many, during my lifetime.

Read this book! It’s so good and you will love it!

Half Broke Horses
by Jeannette Walls
Half Broke Horses is true-life fiction, written about the life of the author’s maternal grandmother, Lily Case Smith. Lily was born and raised in the early 20th century American Southwest. Her family was in ranching and, aside from a couple brief attempts at city living, Lily spent her days in the wide, open spaces of West Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. She was a strong, gutsy and independent woman who did what was necessary to raise her family through the Depression years. Lily worked as a teacher and a rancher and was married to a good man and fellow rancher named Jim. Lily was extremely hard-working, tough and lived a colorful life.

Jeannette Walls is the author of The Glass Castle, a memoir about her unorthodox upbringing amidst her mother and father’s unconventional, neglectful and at times, unfit parenting styles. It is one of my all-time favorite books and I was very excited when Half Broke Horses came out so I could see what kind of environment Jeannette’s mother was raised in. The book gave me so much more insight into Jeannette’s mother, Rosemary Smith Walls, and why she was able to live and raise her family as she did. It also helps explain how Jeannette and two of her siblings were able to survive their upbringing, not only intact, but as successful and productive adults. They came from some strong stock!

I really liked this book and highly recommend it to anyone who has read The Glass Castle or is interested in the history of the Southwest.

Deaf Sentence by David Lodge
Deaf Sentence is a novel written about a British linguistics professor, Desmond Bates, who is in his mid-sixties and is going deaf. His hearing condition has forced him into early retirement. As a house husband, Desmond is feeling very isolated, both at home and in social settings. Additionally, he dealing with his aged father to whom he pays weekly visits and is watching slip away, both mentally and physically.

The book has a slow start as it details the mundane and depressing daily life of a man living with the challenges of severe hearing loss and aging in general. Things really start to really pick up when a young, meddlesome, female graduate student attempts to seduce Desmond into being her advisor. Throughout the story, there are some laugh-out-loud scenes, often involving Desmond’s blended family and his attempts at social interaction with his hearing impairment. A very personal encounter at the end of the story puts Desmond’s life in perspective, allowing him to appreciate what he has and really start living again.

I genuinely liked this book.

I am more informed and empathetic to the limitations, frustrations and feelings of isolation caused by hearing loss because of Desmond’s character. I would definitely recommend this book – especially to readers who have or know someone who has hearing loss.

Patron Reviews - NonFiction

2010-03-28T10:07:00.000-07:00

This Republic of Suffering by DG Faust

Non-fiction on the modes of death in the Civil War of the US from all sources: weapons, disease, and exposure.

While twice as many died from disease than injury, almost any modest injury could lead to gangrene infection & quick death due to the lack of antibiotic medicines.

She ran out of things to say in about the third chapter. This might have made a good short story or essay.

reviewed by J. Williams

Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez

I've been interested in reading about the plight of the Middle Eastern women, especially the women of Afghanistan. Thanks to Suzanne Fisher, I got about 9 books to read. As you can imagine, many of the books were historical and many full of horrible atrocities. However, "Kabul Beauty School" was uplifting and even funny at times.

The author, Deborah Rodriguez of Holland, Michigan, told of her endeavor to start a beauty school in Kabul, which was anything but easy. She not only put herself in danger at times, she also made many cultural mistakes. Her determination and tenacity are truly admirable.

I think this is a must read for anyone interested in hearing about a truly selfless woman.

reviewed by D. Luci

Recommendation from Julie

2010-03-10T13:45:00.000-08:00

Voluntary Madness: Lost and Found in the Mental Healthcare System by Norah Vincent
Vincent, who calls herself an immersive journalist, wanted to find out where one could get the best mental health care. With a history of depression herself and one hospitalization behind her, this endeavor was both personal and professional. She checked herself into three hospitals. The first was a large urban hospital, the second a semi-rural, small-town one, and the third was an experimental therapy, group-living system. She discusses the treatments, the meds, the patients, and the staff with great insight and clarity. A fascinating look at mental health care.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
by Jamie Ford
This is a bittersweet story of young love between a Chinese boy and a Japanese girl during the time of the Japanese internment. Though I found it incredulous that a love at age 12 could be so overpowering the author did make it believable. I enjoyed it.

Blood Safari by Deon Meyer
When Emma Le Roux goes looking for her long lost brother, danger follows her. When she lands in a coma her bodyguard sets out to find out what's going on and who's trying to kill her. This all takes place in South Africa involving the conservation movement.

Recommendations from Julie

2010-02-05T13:42:00.000-08:00

The Adversary by Michael Walters
Minister of security Nergui is investigating the police department looking for corrupt cops and Doripalam, the chief of police is investigating the death of a woman. Both mysteries lead to Muunokhoi, a seemingly corrupt businessman. The story takes place in Mongolia and involves nomadic people living in gers plus a brief discussion of how the fall of the USSR made some criminals very wealthy. An interesting part of the world.

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
This series, which began with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, continues to get better and more exciting. I love the character Lisbeth--she's about the most complicated character I've come across in a long time. Larsson is a great writer and I am mourning the fact that he died after this series. But I still can't wait to read the next, and final, book in the series. This is truly an outstanding series.

Winter Reading Club Recommendations

2010-01-19T11:33:00.000-08:00

Fieldwork
by Mischa Berlinski

The story is set in northern Thailand in a mythical tribe who are beset by Christian missionaries. Berlinski flips our expectations by making the Christians into the demons and the agrarian, rural natives into relatively sane folk. An outstanding first novel, good craftsman.

~Jim W.

Altar of Eden
by James Rollins.

A genetic engineering thriller. Animals from the Baghdad zoo are taken in 2003 and turn up 5 years later in New Orleans --- with weird feathers on jaguars and leather-skinned parrots. A veterinarian and endangered species activist start noticing these weirdnesses...

The bad guys are well fleshed-out, and there's enough genetics and science to occupy 20-30% of the frontal cortex so, for example, you could still watch reality TV and not miss either... I recommend it.

~Jim W.

The Leisure Seeker
by Michael Zadoorian

How does a young man understand and write so convincingly of the spirit, soul and mind of a senior citizen!? Mr. Zadoorian should win a prize for this happy/emotional/scary novel. I thoroughly enjoyed "The Leisure Seeker" by Michael Zadoorian, and was in awe of the humor, insight, and sadness he was able to convey in the wonderful book.

The minute I finished the last page I wanted to go knock on the doors of my friends that read (not everyone does!) and insist they sit right down and engross themselves in the lives of these two elderly people. The book involves a cross country trip, taken by this dear couple, who for all we know, may be on their last big adventure. Take it home with you today!

~Lois G.

A Recommendation from Julie

2010-01-13T10:54:00.000-08:00

The White Tiger
by Aravind Adiga
I listened to this book. The reader read with a Hindi accent so it felt right as a story of India. It presented a picture of India from the poor person's point of view. It felt very third world. It was entertaining, enlightening, and thought-provoking. Winner of the Man Booker prize, 2008.

Winter Reading Club Recommendations

2010-01-11T13:55:00.000-08:00

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society

by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.

A novel made up of letters. The characters are developed brilliantly: you know them, care for them, love them. The story takes place the year after the end of WW2 and the German occupation of this channel island. It is a love story: peoples love for one another and their book club. YES! I would recommend it, one of the best books I've read in a long time.

~Nancy M.

The Coil
by Gayle Lynds

I was trapped a couple of weeks ago at a friend's house for the weekend and picked up THE COIL, by Gayle Lynds... It was drech!

She didn't trust herself to advance plot or flesh out characters, unless somebody got killed.. As a result death and mayhem every other page...

Love the affectation with the twoYs in names...not!

Ptuuiiii!
~Jim W.

Thank you for your reviews. Keep them coming - every review is an entry for the weekly prize drawings. ~Michele

Winter Reading Club recommendations

2010-01-04T11:45:00.001-08:00

Goat Song by Brad Kessler

Mr. Kessler and his wife sought to escape the city, ending up in Vermont raising goats. Not only does he describe their daily life milking and herding, but he references pastoral images and language still used, e.g. scapegoat. I found other topics enlightening, e.g. Gandhi's goat which saved his health, bells of different tones on each goat which then identify who has wandered just by sound, a discussion of pasteurization which is not used in Europe or on the Kessler farm, and the step by step process for making goat milk cheese. The book also compares his spiritual life with that of the monks up the hill.

Review submitted by Kathy S.

~ Thanks for the great review Kathy! Your name has been entered for the weekly prize drawings. Michele

Recommendations from Julie

2009-12-18T14:25:00.000-08:00

The Storm in the Barn (graphic novel) by Matt Phelan
1937 Kansas dust bowl. 11 year old Jack is not happy. His sister has dust pneumonia. His dad is angry and depressed because of his failing farm. And Jack is the target of local bullies. But Jack sees something strange in the old Talbot barn... The story is fantasy blended with realism, done with great empathy. Phelan has done a great job of presenting this desperate time and place.

Skim (graphic novel) by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki
This is a touching story of a teenage girl struggling with issues of death, suicide, sexual preferences, friends and lifestyles.

Friend of the Devil by Peter Robinson
Alan Banks and Annie Cabbot are working on separate cases in different towns: Banks, the murder of a young woman in an area called "The Maze" and Cabbot the murder of a paraplegic in a wheelchair. The story is highly suspenseful plus Robinson's detectives have a lot of depth; you feel like you get to know them.

Push by Sapphire
Reading a book like this reminds me of what a sheltered life I have lived. Poor Precious! Her father began molesting her when she was still in diapers. She was pregnant by him at age 12 and again at age 16. Her mother beat her. She couldn't read. And if that's not enough, when her father died of aids she discovered that she too was HIV positive. Fortunately for her though, one of her persistent teachers got her to enroll in a different school which was geared to meet the needs of people just like Precious. This is a very fast, easy read that leaves you troubled but hopeful.

Dust Devils by James Reasoner
James Reasoner missed his calling--he should be writing graphic novels. This story is short and fast with little narrative and lots of action. It would make a great graphic novel. As a non-graphic novel it's short and sweet; enjoyable but lacking in lasting effects. But it would be so great with pictures!

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain
I saw Bourdain speak recently so had to read (I listened in this case) his book. It was a great listen (read by Bourdain). Lots of rough, rude and crude language, very up front about everything. I learned more than I ever knew, or wanted to know, about being a chef. This book definitely left me wanting more. I can't wait for him to pick up where this one left off so I can hear more about the TV show.

Recommendations from Julie

2009-11-27T10:55:00.000-08:00

Bringing Home the Birkin by Michael Tonello
The subtitle of this book is “My life in hot pursuit of the world’s most coveted handbag.” Of course, I had no idea what a Birkin is. Thanks to Michael Tonello I now know a lot about them—the main thing being that I’ll never own one and probably never even see one in my lifetime. The writing was very light and breezy, easy and fun to read.

Thicker Than Water by P.J. Parrish
P.J. Parrish writes quick and easy mysteries. Louis Kincaid is an engaging detective and the stories hold your attention. In this novel, a man recently released from prison is accused of murdering his lawyer.
P.J. Parrish's website.

Self’s Murder by Bernhard Schlink
The three main points of interest in this book are the time and place: Germany after the fall of the wall; and the fact that the detective is an elderly man, a former public prosecutor. The case starts out as a search for a pre-WWII bank partner but ends up a case of multiple murder. The case is multi-layered because of the state of Germany during the war, after the war and the present time. Germany has had some major events in the 20th century and it is very interesting to see the effects of these events in fiction.

Bayou by Jeremy Love
Very interesting, fantastical and sad graphic novel. It takes place in 1933 Mississippi where a black body is swinging from every tree. Lee is a little girl whose friend, a white girl, is eaten by the monster of the bayou. Lee's daddy is accused of the crime and hauled off to jail. Lee sets out to find the monster and make him give back the girl so her daddy can go free. Lee is a little girl with a lot of grit and the creatures of the bayou and of the woods are so imaginative they transport you back to childhood where there are both good and bad monsters all around us. I can't wait for vol. 2.

Recommendations from Judie

2009-10-16T13:41:00.000-07:00

It seems that I’ve been reading novels lately that start with a fatal car accident and then go off in interesting directions from there. Here are three very different but equally entertaining titles that I recently finished.

Bird in Hand by Christina Baker Kline
Alison is driving home from a friend’s book publishing party in New York City when she has an accident which leaves a boy dead. Although she didn’t cause the accident, she’s haunted by guilt and finds her husband Charlie strangely unsupportive and distant. As the novel evolves, the story of her marriage and her author friend’s marriage bounces back and forth in time, revealing a complicated past and present.

Life Without Summer by Lynne Reeves Griffin
Writer Tessa is consumed with grief when her daughter Abby, who was playing outside at her preschool, is killed by a hit and run driver. In an effort to cope with her pain, she starts meeting with a therapist whose journal entries intertwine with the ones written by Tessa and tell the parallel story of her family struggles. As the two stories evolve, the bond between the women grows and their lives become defined by the search for the guilty driver.

Blame by Michelle Huneven
History professor Patsy MacLemoore is convicted of hitting a mother and daughter in her driveway while driving drunk and is sent to jail. The book follows her struggle to come to terms with her terrible guilt and to rebuild her life after serving a 2-year sentence. The ordeal and the commitment to sobriety make Patsy a kinder and more thoughtful person who works hard to be good and create a more meaningful life.
Michelle Huneven's website.

Recommendations from Julie

2009-10-09T10:10:00.000-07:00

The Song is You by Megan Abbott
Ken Bruen calls her books "a wrenching poetic noir vision of loss and regret" and I think that's a perfect description. You get caught up with the characters weaving their way through messes possibly of their own making. They may be characters that you normally wouldn't like, but the world in the novel is so corrupt that many of the characters feel like victims, and therefore worthy of sympathy. Megan Abbott is definitely the new queen of noir.

The Blade Itself by Marcus Sakey
A former felon who has gone legit is hounded by his former partner-in-crime to do another job. Sakey grabbed me with the last paragraph of the 1st chapter and he didn't let go until I had finished the book. Very suspenseful!

Bad Chili by Joe R. Lansdale
Mark Twain meets Elmore Leonard in this folksy, funny, East Texas mystery revolving around King Arthur, king of the chili cook-offs and gay-biker infighting. The town is a little safer with Hap, his buddy Leonard and with a little help from out-of-town p.i. Jim Bob around to deal with the unsavories. A fun read!

Recommendations from Julie

2009-09-10T06:39:00.000-07:00

Helping Me Help Myself by Beth Lisick
Beth Lisick took a year in her life to investigate different inspirational self-help gurus. She learned a little something from each one of them but what makes the book enjoyable is the character of Beth Lisick. It is a joy to watch her on her self-improvement journey attempting to incorporate all of the advice into her very interesting life.

The Film Club by David Gilmour
A father allows his 16-yr. old son to drop out of school on the condition that they spend their time together, watching movies. This is a film lover's dream: to spend one's days watching films, but what really grabs you about this book is the father's love and devotion for his son.

Recommendations from Julie

2009-09-03T07:57:00.000-07:00

A Good Death by Elizabeth Ironside
1944 France. When the owner of a country estate returns home from the war he finds his home and family in tatters and a dead SS officer at his front gate. The mystery is in unraveling the events of the German occupation of the estate and the effects on the family. Very interesting.

The Photographer by Guibert/Lefèvre/Lemercier
French photographer Didier Lefèvre accompanied the Doctors Without Borders group into Afghanistan during the war with Russia. This is his photo-diary of the trip. This is an amazing graphic novel!

South by South Bronx by Abraham Rodriguez
Rodriguez has an experimental, inventive and lyrical writing style which is not the easiest to keep track of but the story does give you a general feel for and picture of the South Bronx.

Bury Me Deep by Megan Abbott
Megan Abbott is great at noir crime fiction! She ably and sympathetically describes a young woman's fall from grace: her introduction to the world of sex, drugs and alcohol followed by her enforced toughening when she has to deal with the mess in which she finds herself. This book is very well-written--you can't put it down!
Megan Abbott's website.

War Stories . . . recommended by Suzanne

2009-08-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

Wrongful Death by Robert Dugoni
Although Dugoni writes legal thrillers, this is more of an action thriller than a courtroom drama. Attorney David Sloan is hired by the widow of a National Guard soldier killed in Iraq. She wants to sue the military for his death, but the law doesn't allow suits if a soldier died in the line of duty. When the surviving members of the guardsman's unit start to die, Sloan suspects his death was not a straightforward combat death. I don't think I'm giving too much away, because Dugoni introduces this possibility early on. Although Iraqi insurgents were the soldiers' enemy, the villains in this book are evil American corporations. The book could have been more tightly plotted. There's a backstory about Sloan's childhood that was totally irrelevant. The theme of parent-child relationships (Sloan was abandoned as a child and grew up in foster homes) is rather ham-handed - some of the "tug-at-your-heartstrings" scenes (for instance the dead soldier saying goodbye to his daughter before he leaves for Iraq) made the story sag. (Robert Dugoni's website.)
Verdict: This is an intelligent and suspenseful conspiracy thriller.

The Increment by David Ignatius
Harry Pappas, working in the Iranian division of the CIA, is in charge of communicating with an Iranian scientist who contacts the agency with a cryptic message about his country's nuclear weapons program. Harry's director and the U.S. president are pig-headedly insistent that "action must be taken" immediately. In other words, they want to go to war with Iran. Charlie knows they don't have enough evidence - is the scientist trying to tell them the program is making progress, or that it is a failure? Charlie, tormented by his Marine son's (needless, as he sees it) death in Iraq, doesn't want his country to start another war in the Middle East. When his advice is ignored, Charlie feels he must look for help outside the agency. Things get very complicated when he contacts his friend in the British spy service. The book takes its title from a shadowy team of British Special Forces agents who do black ops. I'm not sure why Ignatius titled the book after them. The book is really Harry's story.
Verdict: This is a terrific spy thriller. Harry is a memorable character.

Retribution: The Battle for Japan, 1944-45 by Max Hastings
The last year of the WWII in Asia is vividly told in this long but never tedious account. Hastings keeps the story personal by alternating accounts of battles, strategy and statistics with first-hand accounts by leaders, soldiers and civilians. This is not an overview - the accounts of the horrors of Okinawa, Burma, Iwo Jima, the Japanese occupation of China are extensively and graphically described. Hastings is opinionated - he begins the book by saying that although the war in Europe has gotten more attention, the war in the Far East caused at least as much if not more suffering among combatants and civilians. American losses were 31/2 times what they were in the European theater. He writes about the mistrust between the British and the American commanders. Few of the generals and politicians, Allied or Japanese, gets a high score from Hastings. His judgments are balanced, however. While he gives MacArthur a scathing review as a military leader, he says he was an intelligent administrator of postwar occupied Japan. He disagrees with historians who conclude that the Japanese were on the verge of surrendering before the bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Recommendations from Julie

2009-07-31T13:25:00.000-07:00

Sanctuary by Ken Bruen
Jack Taylor is back, climbing on and falling off the wagon. Now he has to rescue a child and save himself from a murderous ex-nun. This book offers new developments in his life—I will definitely be reading the next Jack Taylor novel.
Ken Bruen's website.

Cracker Bling by Stephen Solomita
The main character is a kid who's just gotten out of prison & immediately falls in with some bad people. On the other side is an alcoholic cop who is physically falling apart. The two become accidental partners in the case & form a rather interesting team leading to a surprising ending. I enjoyed this one.

Firewall by Henning Mankell
Henning Mankell is a great writer! I love that he combines a great mystery, police procedural & social commentary all in one book. This one has to do with an international terrorist plot involving banks. The deaths are gruesome but Wallander & the secondary characters all evolve making for a great series. Mankells' series is the best to come out of Sweden since the great Martin Beck series by Per Wahloo & Maj Sjowall.
Henning Mankell's website.

Recommendation from Macaire

2009-07-22T06:28:00.000-07:00

Financially Ever After:
The Couples’ Guide to Managing Money
by Jeff D. Opdyke

Whether tying the knot or deciding to cohabitate, hammering out financial issues is a major part of setting up housekeeping. Opdyke, the Wall Street Journal’s Love & Money columnist, covers a broad range of topics in a plain, no nonsense fashion that is accessible even to those who have never cracked the spine of a personal finance book.

Beginning with Section One “Money Matters Before Marriage,” Opdyke outlines the ten questions every couple must ask, and why. These cover everything from discussing each partner’s financial history and aspirations to who needs a prenup and who buys the engagement ring. Section Two covers "Money Matters After Marriage," including budgets, debts and savings. Opdyke gives a lot of space to the topic of money and emotions, the big sticking point in many relationships.

Overall, this is a good primer and starting point for conversations that are important to have whether you are merging households for the first time or the fifth.

Great Books for Summer . . . reviewed by Suzanne

2009-07-01T07:58:00.000-07:00

Here are two excellent and satisfyingly chunky books. They are available in paperback editions you can take with you whether you read at the beach, in Paris, or in your backyard.

PART TWO: Nonfiction

Gandhi and Churchill
by Arthur Herman
This fascinating history made me painfully aware of my almost total ignorance about India’s history. Herman has written an excellent revisionist account of the lives of these two mythic individuals. Reading this, they became considerably less mythic. Gandhi was a racist (while in South Africa he tried to convince the British to give Indians the same status as whites, but he considered black Africans not their equals), and Churchill had a giant ego and refused to acknowledge his mistakes (including the disastrous Gallipolli campaign of WWI). Don’t let the length of the book dismay you. It’s well worth the investment in time it takes to read.
Read the Commentary Magazine review.

The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals by Jane Mayer
Unless you are a fan of Dick Cheney, this book will raise your hackles. If you are a Cheney devotee, you might want to skip it, since he does not come off very well in this account of the methods used to pursue the “war on terror”. I learned that there was much more to the horrors and abuses of "enhanced interrogation" at Guantanamo and the "black sites" overseas than the news accounts covered. This is a tragic book; it made me very sad to learn the extent to which individuals in the government, military and CIA lied and covered up to subvert the constitution. There's so much evil in the story; however it was heartening to learn about the heroic efforts of some lawyers, military people, and FBI agents who protested the use of torture and tried to get it stopped. This is a superb choice for anyone interested in politics.
Read the New York Times review.

Recommendations from Macaire

2009-06-24T12:23:00.000-07:00

The Smoke and
Spectres in the Smoke by Tony Broadbent
Having survived the war, Jethro the cat burglar is hard at work trying to survive the peace by relieving the wealthy of their remaining treasures when he attracts some unwanted attention. His Majesty’s Secret Service gives him the option of pulling a few jobs for MI5 or going to jail.

In The Smoke, Jethro is asked to break into the Soviet Embassy. Simple enough on the surface, but nothing is as it seems when you are playing spy games. With London’s crime bosses and MI5’s special operatives looking on, the talented Cockney creeper has his work cut out for him.

In Spectres in the Smoke, Jethro is once again called upon to help defuse political threats, this time by retrieving letters and photographs that could prove embarrassing to certain members of the Royal Family and other VIPs. When the caper requires that he impersonate a wealthy, upper crust businessman at a country estate, Jethro receives a little coaching from none other than Ian Fleming and David Niven. Putting real people in fiction is always tricky, but the cameo appearances are well done and add a nice dimension to the story.

Jethro’s adventures in espionage in post-War London are suspenseful and entertaining. The author creates a likeable character and wonderful atmosphere, effectively evoking the time period with details of everyday life. The city of London, or “the Smoke” in Cockney slang, is a brooding, seething backdrop to a society going through tremendous change, and traveling through it with Jethro as he dodges both good guys and bad guys in turn is tremendous fun.
Tony Broadbent's website.

Great Books for Summer . . . reviewed by Suzanne

2009-06-17T08:17:00.000-07:00

For reading on lengthy and lazy summer days, I look for a book I can linger over. Here are two long novels. What held my interest--and I would have gone on reading if they had been twice as long--were the richly drawn characters and the detailed way the characters’ lives are described.

PART ONE: Fiction

Cutting for Stone
by Abraham Verghese
Verghese is a physician. I read his excellent nonfiction book My Own Country years ago. This, his first novel, is human in scale, humane in message, and a wonderfully told story.

Two brothers, born conjoined in a clinic in Ethiopia to a young pious nun from India. Their father, or so everyone thinks, is an American physician working at the clinic. I can’t tell you more plot details without giving too much away.

After their birth, the boys are separated in a difficult operation. They grow up in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where they are raised by the loving clinic staff. One of the brothers leaves Africa to do his medical training in America. That’s not the only reason he leaves, but again, I won’t give the story away.

The characters are unforgettable, especially Dr. Ghosh, who will long remain one of my favorites. Love, politics, betrayal, revolution, family, illness and healing are all ingredients that Verghese weaves together into a beautiful, tender story. There’s nothing stylistically or thematically innovative about this novel; it’s plain good storytelling.
Abraham Verghese’s website.

The Help
by Kathryn Stockett
Abileen, one of three narrators, describes her daily and weekly tasks--polishing the silver, ironing the dress with dozens of pleats, cooking for the weekly bridge club--in detail. The two other narrators are Minny, Abileen’s irrepressible friend, who has trouble staying employed because she is “sassy”, and Miss Skeeter, a 22-year-old white woman who aspires to be a writer but still lives at home where she is bossed around by her mother. How and why the three women become friends is the core of the story.

“Help” is, of course, a euphemism for domestics, or as my mother called them “maids.” I grew up in Virginia around the time period in which Stockett’s novel is set. We had a “maid”, and, like the white characters in the book, she arrived on the bus, wore a uniform, worked all day at the duties my mother set out for her, and then returned home. That my mother had a “maid” is a huge irony. Raised on a tobacco farm in North Carolina, where she and her 10 siblings worked from and early age at chores around the house and on the farm, my mother did not belong to the Junior League, the women’s group at the church (she was an agnostic) or own a silver service that required polishing. I wonder in retrospect if she had a woman come in to do housework because it was the thing to do. And, since our house had only one bathroom, the “maid” used it as well as the family. One of the themes in the novel is the insistence by some of the white women that their houses have separate “facilities” for the “help.”

I cringed at the meanness of the hoity-toity, backbiting white socialites and thought their characters were stereotyped and exaggerated, but who am I to say? I’m sure there were white women like that in the South (and elsewhere) in the sixties.

I do know about the reality of Jim Crow laws. Like the white characters in the book who know nothing about the personal lives, joys and sorrows of their domestics, I doubt if my mother knew much about her “maid’s” life. She was one of the black women and men who traveled to the white neighborhoods to work, but who could not live there. There were no African-Americans in the public schools I attended.

Although Stockett describes the characters listening to news accounts of sit-ins at lunch counters and James Meredith integrating the university, this is not political commentary. It’s a book about loyalty, generosity and about smart, proud and determined women with grit. The women are the strength of the book, and I loved them.

I would characterize this as fiction that would be of interest almost exclusively to women. I can’t imagine many male readers picking this up. Read the New York Times review.
Kathryn Stockett’s website.

Recommendations from Julie

2009-06-05T11:31:00.000-07:00

The Little Sleep by Paul Tremblay
This was a fascinating detective story! The detective has narcolepsy which makes getting a case and solving it very hard. I can’t wait to read Tremblay’s next book!

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale
It was very interesting to look at the beginnings of detective fiction by looking at a true crime that took place in Victorian times. It's rather amazing that one case could have the impact on a society to create in the imaginations of writers an entire genre of fiction.

Fashion Victim . . . reviewed by Suzanne

2009-05-08T12:37:00.000-07:00

Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution by Caroline Weber
Before Michelle Obama and Carla Bruni Sarkhozy, before Princess Di, there was Marie Antoinette. The Austrian princess was married at age 14 to the heir to the French throne in order to improve relations between their two countries. Initially unpopular with the French people because of her foreignness, her situation remained tenuous for years because she remained childless (not her fault!).

The blond-haired, porcelain-skinned, blue-eyed beauty learned to exercise power over people through her appearance and her clothes. As the author says, Marie Antoinette used fashion as a “high stakes political game.” In a court where the king’s wife traditionally remained subservient and in the background, she became famous - and sometimes infamous - for the outrageous styles she flaunted. She wore pants and rode astride instead of sidesaddle, she refused to put on the restrictive corset royal women were expected to wear and she adopted the "pouf", a construction of fake and real hair, horsehair, scaffolding and decorations that could tower as high as 3 feet above the wearer's head. Her outfits, accessories and hairstyles were copied by women of the nobility and bourgeoisie, sometimes driving their husbands into bankruptcy.

Her styles evolved during her years at court. When her husband completed the small palace, the Petit Trianon, for her as a retreat from the formal court life at Versailles, she adopted simple clothing - white gauzy dresses and straw hats decorated with ribbons and flowers.

By 1774 France was in a perilous economic state - huge deficits amassed to pay for costly wars meant crushing taxes on the middle and lower classes. Bread riots, unrest and criticism of the monarchy became increasingly frequent and violent. The queen's enormous clothing and jewelry bills (she consistently overspent her allowance) added to the economic woes and added fuel to the people's rage (the press mockingly labeled her “Madame Déficit”).

During the ferment of the revolution, she continued to express herself through her clothing. She initially, though reluctantly, wore red, white and blue, the colors that indicated solidarity with the political and social changes that were taking place. Later, she gave them up and defiantly took to wearing white, black and green - royalist colors.

Her last fashion statement, made in preparation for her final public appearance to meet Madame Guillotine, was carefully calculated to create a dramatic last impression.
And so, shedding the ragged black dress in which she had faced her accusers, Marie Antoinette slipped into her plum-black shoes, a fresh white underskirt, and her pristine white chemise. To complete the ensemble, she put on the white déshabilé dress Madame Élisabeth had sent her from the Temple and wrapped the prettiest of her muslin fichus around her neck. She even removed the dangling black ribbons from her makeshift widow’s coif: the result was a pared-down, ruffled linen bonnet as colorless as her hair. Paler than ever…, the Queen became a figure of pure, radiant white.

Queen of Fashion combines two topics I love the most: clothes and French history. The author, an academic historian, managed to make the book both informative and immensely entertaining.

Dogs and Fast Cars . . . reviewed by Judie

2009-05-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

The Art of Racing in the Rain
by Garth Stein
I greatly enjoyed this book narrated by Enzo, the dog and best friend of Denny Swift. Denny is an avid race car driver who brings Enzo home as a puppy and gradually expands their family to include a wife and daughter, a house and a sports car. As their lives take some difficult turns, Denny’s strength is tested. Enzo listens and encourages him wordlessly as he observes the many human complications and despairs about his inability to speak and his lack of opposable thumbs, which he longs for and looks forward to having in his next incarnation as a man. Recommended for all of us who love dogs and fast cars!
Garth Stein's website.

Suspenseful Books . . . reviewed by Suzanne

2009-04-17T09:25:00.000-07:00

Tsar by Ted Bell
Alex Hawke is an updated James Bond. Wine, women and danger are his metiers. Although he’s a British special forces veteran, he does special jobs for the CIA and the U.S. president. Hawke is wonderfully colorful. His father was a British lord, and his mother American. One of his ancestors was a pirate. The “Hawke” books are long and rather rambling, with several plots going on at once. You have to be patient and let yourself enjoy the stories and the quirky characters. As Tsar opens, Hawke is in Bermuda recovering from his last assignment. He meets a beautiful Russian artist with whom he has an affair, but has to leave her when he gets called back into action to foil a plot by a mad Russian who threatens to destroy the world. Not with Hawke and his team around! Ted Bell's website.

Now You See Him by Eli Gottlieb
The unraveling of the lives of two men who grew up in a small upstate New York town is the subject of this suspenseful novel. It’s told in 1st person by Nick, who learns of the murder-suicide of his best friend Rob and his girlfriend in New York City. Nick struggles to understand what could have happened to the handsome, talented Rob to make him end his life this way. In the meantime, Nick’s marriage is falling apart. It’s a story of secrets and lies. Eli Gottlieb's website.

The Ties That Bind: Family and the Shaping of a Woman’s Identity . . . reviewed by Gail

2009-04-08T11:58:00.000-07:00

“The role of daughter, sister, and/or mother dramatically shapes who and what a woman will become and how she will live her life.”

“A woman’s experiences with the female relationships within her nuclear family determine who she will be today and tomorrow. “

“The close personal relationships (both positive and negative) and female bonding within the intimacies of family prepare women for the rigors of life and the complex relationships that will ensue.”

As a daughter raised primarily by a single mother, a sister to two older female siblings, and a mother of two daughters (who are sisters to one another), I can affirm with absolute certainty that these relationships have indeed made me the woman I am today and will continue to shape my identity.

What We Keep by Elizabeth Berg, I See You Everywhere by Julia Glass, and Things I Want My Daughters to Know by Elizabeth Noble capture the essence of the beauty, fragility, competitiveness, heartache, and solidarity of the bonds between mothers and daughters and sisters.

What We Keep by Elizabeth Berg
Two sisters growing up in the 1950s share a multifaceted love/hate relationship. One night, Ginny and Sharla overhear their distraught mother screaming at their father about her unhappiness and telling him that she is miserable and never wanted children. Their mother leaves, only to return a few months later to explain that she is never coming back. Although both girls tacitly agree not to forgive their mother, Sharla, the older of the two girls, is more stalwart in her position, while Ginny harbors romantic delusions of who her mother was. Sharla is furious with her mother, yet Ginny is heartbroken and always seems to make excuses for their mother’s erratic behavior. Over the years, the two sisters maintain a loving, yet distant relationship. Thirty-five years after their mother’s abandonment, Sharla calls Ginny to explain that she is awaiting the results of a cancer test and perhaps it is time to reconcile with their mother, with whom they have had no contact. In flashbacks, the author revisits the sisters’ childhood and examines the impact their mother’s leaving has had on them. Domestic details, the duality (strength and fragility) of the bond between sisters, and the inescapable tie that exists between a mother and her children are accurately and vividly portrayed. Berg pointedly examines the roles and relationships of mother and daughters and sisters and shows how forgiveness and reconciliation are possible. Elizabeth Berg's website.

I See You Everywhere
by Julia Glass
Louisa and Clem Jardine are as opposite as two sisters can possibly be. Louisa, the older sister and conscientious student eventually seeks marriage, children, and classic domestic sensibility, while Clem is lured by wild pursuits in both her career path and her love life. Told through alternating voices, the sisters recount very different versions of their lives from 1980 to 2005. The Jardine sisters share a complex bond always trying to outdo the other while simultaneously seeking approval from the sister they supposedly abhor. Glass’s well-drawn female characters embody the true meaning of sisterhood and the two-sided nature of the sister’s relationship makes for a compelling read. This is an engaging, intelligent, funny, and thoughtful novel with a surprising conclusion. Despite the Jardine sister’s differences, the ties that bind the two cannot be severed and, in the end, the love they share for one another can never be denied.

Things I Want My Daughters to Know by Elizabeth Noble
Four sisters, ranging in age from fifteen to thirty-eight, struggle to construct meaning from their mother’s demise as they comb through the letters and journal their mother left after her death from terminal cancer. Noble’s tearjerker novel will resonate with all mothers, daughters, and sisters, who recognize the importance of these female relationships within the intimacies of the nuclear family. Through their bereavement and soul-searching, the four sisters come to understand how their individual relationships with their mother and each of the sisters have shaped the women they have become. Without each other, they would not be the women they are. This novel provides a nice harmony among sadness, humor, regret, forgiveness, reconciliation, and hope. Things I Want My Daughters to Know is a fast-pace satisfying read. Elizabeth Noble's website.

Historical Fiction – War Stories . . . reviewed by Suzanne

2009-03-25T08:14:00.000-07:00

The Piano Teacher
by Janice Y.K. Lee
This is a stylistically conventional story, but very well told, about British and Chinese people in Hong Kong during WWII and about how they survive (or not) during the Japanese occupation. The story flips back and forth from the wartime setting to 1952 and ‘53 and the survivors of the war. Stories begin to be told about who did what during the war and accusations of collaboration rear their ugly heads. Several characters bridge both stories; the main one is Will Truelove (hmmm!), who after the war works as a chauffeur for Victor and Melody Chen. Before the war he was in love with Trudy Liang, a Eurasian woman who refused to evacuate before the Japanese arrived, and who has a tough time of it during the war. There's also a subplot about art treasures claimed by the Chinese and the British that were hidden during the war and that the Japanese command wanted to get their hands on. The novel reminds me of those '50s movies about doomed lovers in wartime that my mother used to love to watch and cry over. Janice Y.K. Lee's website.

Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas
Rennie Stroud is 14 and living in Ellis, Colorado, when the Japanese arrive. They're actually Japanese-Americans, but because they're deemed a "security risk" they are forced to live at the camp built for them in nearby Tallgrass. The Strouds are a close-knit, loving family and refuse to participate in the racism and hatred of their neighbors. Mr. Stroud hires some of the young men from the camp to harvest beets, a move that angers many of the townspeople. This is a heartwarming book about decent folks who do the right thing.

Life Class by Pat Barker
Pat Barker is the author of the Regeneration trilogy, which has become a modern classic about WWI. She returns to the Great War in this heartbreaking story (is there any story about WWI that is not heartbreaking?) about a group of young art students in London. Their hopeful lives are ripped apart by the war. Read the New York Times review.

Recommendation from Julie

2009-03-04T13:54:00.000-08:00

The Small Boat of Great Sorrows by Dan Fesperman
When an exiled policeman from Sarajevo is called in to work with the International War Crimes Tribunal to find an ex-Nazi collaborator he finds himself drawn into a world of espionage, intrigue and family secrets in postwar Bosnia and post-cold war Europe. Exciting! Dan Fesperman's Website

Mysteries: Noir, Historical and Detective. . . reviewed by Julie

2009-02-11T17:30:00.000-08:00

South of Hell by P.J. Parrish
This is my second Louis Kincaid novel and I enjoyed this one as much as the first. I love the way the author has parallel plots going on with different characters at the same time. This was a quick, easy and fun read.
P.J. Parrish's Website

The Color of Blood by Declan Hughes
This took me awhile to get into it but once I did I was hooked. The plot was exciting and that is what kept you going. Ed Loy is an interesting detective but I didn't really learn much about him. The Irish Catholic elements I found very interesting.

The Barbarous Coast by Ross MacDonald
I love Ross MacDonald—he's a classic noir writer in the style of Raymond Chandler. He is great at providing a sense of moral decay in L.A. and always has a misguided, troubled daughter to rescue.

A Paragon of Virtue by Christian Von Ditfurth
As members of a wealthy real estate family in Hamburg, Germany are murdered, the police are led to believe that the motive can be found in the past—during the Nazi regime. Stachelmann, a history professor who specializes in Nazi Germany becomes involved and through both research and footwork solves the crime. This is the first of a series and was absolutely fascinating.

Expand Your World, Read International Literature . . . from Suzanne

2009-02-06T07:55:00.000-08:00

A friend came into the library recently and asked me for book recommendations. She’s a former language teacher, has traveled widely, and particularly likes books with foreign settings. The first books that came to mind were some of my stand-by favorites. These included:

The Seven Sisters by Margaret Drabble, set in England, plus in the course of the novel the narrator takes some friends on a trip to Greece, I believe.
Heat Wave by Penelope Lively, set in the English countryside.
Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson, set in Norway.
The Sixteen Pleasures by Robert Hellenga, set in Florence, Italy.

Since then I’ve been making a list of other books to recommend to her and other readers who like to travel through books, and specifically about books translated from other languages. Two of them are:

Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Spain, Barcelona specifically)
Night Train to Lisbon by Pascal Mercier

Thoughts on International Literature

The most dramatic change in fiction publishing over the past 5 years, in my opinion, is the proliferation of contemporary fiction titles from abroad that are translated into English. I’ve read in various journals, including Publisher’s Weekly, about the challenges faced by foreign publishers because of the expense of translations, with no assurance that books that have been best sellers in Europe are going to make it big in the U.S. market. In fact, two books whose U.S. publication I anticipated for a long time, both blockbusters in Europe, have not had huge sales here. These are:

Cathedral of the Sea by Ildefonso Falcones de Sierra (Spain). This book is an 811-page saga of a Catalan family whose story is told in the context of the building of the Church of Santa Maria in Barcelona over an 80-year period. It’s long and rambling, and not as melodramatic as Ken Follett’s medieval soap operas, but better, if you have the patience.
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. I read this book last month, and it immediately became one of my favorite novels of the year. Rather than write a review, I’ll put you on to Michael Dirda’s Review, which sums up the loveliness of this book.

For all of you who, like me, love to “expand your borders” through books I have some recommendations and some websites. You’ll notice that a lot of these are by French authors, and that’s because I’m an ardent Francophile.

Nada by Carmen Laforet (Spain)
The Theory of Clouds by Stephane Audeguy (France)
The Yacoubian Building by Alaa al Aswany (Egypt)
The Mystery Guest by Gregoire Bouillier (France)
Hotel Crystal by Olivier Rolin (France)
The Waitress was New by Dominique Fabre (France)
The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante (Italy)

Websites with Book News and Reviews

Two excellent websites for information about literature in translation, literary prizes, essays and stories are:

Words Without Borders
Man Asian Prize

I found a great list of translated books nominated for the “Best Translated Book 2008” award from Three Percent, a resource for international literature at the University of Rochester.

Three Percent

Thrillers Again . . . reviewed by Suzanne

2009-01-16T11:03:00.000-08:00

The Black Tower by Louis Bayard
The only son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, the guillotined king and queen of France, was locked in the Temple Prison where he languished for years, an innocent victim of the revolutionaries' hatred of the French monarchy. History tells us he died there . . . or did he? In this historical thriller, Dr. Hector Carpentier is contacted by the great Vidocq, former convict, police spy and "scourge of criminals". Carpentier's name and address were found on the body ("Never let your name be found in a dead man's trousers.") of a murder victim. The story is told by Hector and through the entries in his late father, Dr. Hector Carpentier's, journal. The older physician recounts how he treated a young patient in the Temple Prison when Hector Jr. was just a child. The tone is witty, and there is just the right amount of pathos in the appropriate places. The characters travel around 19th century Paris, which is dirty, dangerous and rat-infested, not the City of Light it is today. Great fun and a book with heart!
Louis Bayard's Web Site

The Legal Limit by Martin Clark
Mason and Gates Hunt are brothers. While Mason went to law school, married and went on to a successful law career, Gates drank too much, did drugs and was eventually arrested and convicted for selling them. Instead of taking a plea, Gates insisted on going to trial, where he lied on the stand. Even after years in prison, he continues to cast blame, not on himself, but on his brother, who he insists could "pull strings" and shorten his sentence if he tried. Flash back to their youth, while Mason was in law school and long before Gates's conviction, when an event occurred that Mason thinks is long behind them. One night, during a confrontation with a rival over a woman, a drunken Gates killed a man. It was senseless and indefensible act of brutality. Mason helped his brother cover up the crime, and neither of them has mentioned it since that night. Now it comes back to threaten Mason. This is a top-notch legal thriller. I recommend it for fans of James Lee Burke.
Martin Clark's Web Site

The Last Patriot by Brad Thor
"At the end of the day, Harvath always did the right thing." In spite of his bravery and dedication, Scott Harvath, the hero of Thor's series, lacks the humor of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher and the sex appeal of Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon. The attempt to create a love life for Harvath is not convincing. He's just too serious to have fun! I’m convinced Scott would rather sleep with his gun. The books are competently written, and this one has an interesting story that hinges on a discovery about the Koran made by Thomas Jefferson. The good guys (Harvath & Co.) are trying to find an unknown document that will shed a new light on Islam, and the bad guys (Islamic extremists) are trying to find it and destroy it. I liked that this book had less graphic violence than some of the other books in the series. And it has a satisfying twist at the end. Recommended for thriller fans.
Brad Thor's Web Site

Le Crime by Peter Steiner
I picked up a copy of this book in my local independent bookstore because it's a thriller and it's set in France. The protagonist is a former CIA operative who left the agency in disgrace years previously. He also left his wife and children. When the book opens, he's living in a small town in France. One morning, sitting on his patio eating his croissant, he sees a body in his front yard. He interprets this as a warning that he is targeted for assassination. I liked that the narrator describes himself as an "old man" and contemplates his aging and sagging body in unflattering terms. There's a flashback to a pilgrimage he took through France, which is how he found the village he lives in. The plotline is thin, the reason he's being pursued by bad guys is - if I understood it correctly - ridiculous, and there are some details about other murders that were not cleared up, unless I missed something. Still and all, I was drawn to the narrator and his French comrades-in-arms, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and I'll pick up the sequel, "L'Assassin" when I get a chance.

Reviewed by Suzanne

Favorites of the Library’s Nonfiction Book Group

2009-01-03T08:00:00.000-08:00

The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan
John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath told of the Okies who fled the Dust Bowl. Timothy Egan recounts the stories of those who stuck out the hard times, refusing to leave their land. He begins with the history of the settlement of an area one explorer called “a desolate waste of uninhabited solitude.” Real estate speculators enticed settlers to fictitious towns. Settlers came to this area called No Man’s Land for lack of a better place to live, because they had hope and because they believed the soil could never be used up. A combination of natural and man-made disasters - hailstorms, plagues of locusts, severe cold and heat, and worst of all the “moving earth”, the dust storms that blackened the sky—made their lives a day-to-day struggle.

Supercapitalism by Robert Reich
“Of all the nations of the world, America is assumed to best exemplify the idea that capitalism and democracy go hand in hand,” Reich says in the introduction. He also believes that rampant free-market capitalism has become bloated and has weakened our democratic system. Why do consumers expect corporations to be socially responsible, Reich asks, when they purchase the cheapest goods, regardless of where or under what conditions they were produced? Corporations do not exist to be socially responsible; they are in business to increase stockholder profits. Reich’s suggestions for strengthening democracy include the elimination of the corporate income tax and removing corporate cash from politics.
Robert Reich's Blog

Nixon and Mao: The Week that Changed the World by Margaret Macmillan
In 1972, traveling to China was “like going to the moon.” President Nixon’s decision to go to China posed several risks. Conservative Republicans opposed any diplomatic overtures by Americans to that steadfastly Communist country. Furthermore, Nixon would be humiliated if Mao refused to meet with him. Kissinger was dispatched on a secret advance trip, which even the State Department did not know about, to appraise the receptiveness of the Chinese. This is a fascinating look behind the scenes at the banquets, the competing egos of the Chinese and American officials, and the wrangling over the wording of the final joint communiqué.

Reviewed by Suzanne

Good Books for Nonfiction Book Discussion Groups —Suzanne

2009-01-02T17:00:00.001-08:00

Playing the Enemy by John Carlin
I've admired Nelson Mandela for a long time. Without his leadership, South Africa's transition to majority rule would probably have been a lot more violent than it was. This book cemented my admiration for the man—and taught me a bit about rugby, which is like American football but without the protective equipment. I watched a YouTube video of the 1995 World Cup match and one of the Springbok players singing the South African national anthem. This is a truly inspiring book. It’s also timely, since Barack Obama has said he wants to be president of the entire US and bring people together. If you think this is an unrealistic hope, read Carlin’s account of what Mandela did for his country. Obama would do well to take some lessons from Mandela, who consistently made the effort to learn about his political opponents, to get inside their heads and hearts, and to appeal to the best in them.

The Springboks, South Africa’s rugby team, were banned from international competition as a result of worldwide condemnation of the country’s apartheid regime. Because the team members were predominantly white Afrikaners, the team was a recognizable and hated symbol of apartheid to blacks. Nelson Mandela, president of the African National Congress, whose efforts were instrumental in ending apartheid, represented everything white South Africans feared. After majority rule was instituted and Mandela became the country’s first black president they worried that their rights would be curtailed. Carlin tells the surprising and moving story of how Mandela and the Springboks players united to bring all South Africans together through sports.

I plan to use this book in my nonfiction book group. Carlin provides enough background about South African history and about Mandela’s life to make the story comprehensible. The book should launch a good discussion about political and moral leadership.

Reviewed by Suzanne

For readers who like suspense!

2008-12-19T18:00:00.000-08:00

The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly
"Do you think he did it?" Mickey Haller's investigator Cisco asks about a client, a Hollywood studio mogul accused of murdering his wife and her lover. "Probably," Mickey answers, "but it doesn't matter." Mickey first appeared in "The Lincoln Lawyer." Now he's back in court, defending clients who are usually guilty. He has no qualms about what he does - it's the American justice system, after all, and he plays an important role. Besides, it's a living, and he stands to earn a quarter of a million representing the movie guy. Connelly's writing is smooth, and it's great to see Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch, the L.A. detective who's left retirement and re-joined the force, as characters in the same book. They are on different sides of a case, and so are at each other at the beginning, each one trying to trip up and psych out the other. They eventually come to a somewhat amicable working arrangement. This is an outstanding legal thriller. There are several surprises at the end. Are you wondering what a "brass verdict" is? You'll find out - at the end of the book.
Michael Connelly's Web Site

Rules of Deception by Christopher Reich
Jonathan Ransom, a doctor working for Doctors without Borders, is drawn into a dangerous situation after his wife dies in a skiing accident in Switzerland. She receives a mysterious communication, which he pursues. He is shocked to discover that she was not who he thought she was. There is a plot involving a terrorist group who has invented a tiny device disguised as a butterfly that can perform sophisticated surveillance work. When the engineer who designed the device is murdered, the Swiss counterterrorism agency investigates. I have to give this one a mixed review. I liked the characters of Ransom and the Swiss counterterrorism expert. Although the pace is good and the various plots move along, the book is too long. There are a lot of characters, and I didn't necessarily want to know the life story of each and every one of them. There are some surprising plot twists I enjoyed. In general, I would recommend this to thriller fans, in spite of its shortcomings.
New York Times Review

Exit Music by Ian Rankin
Is John Rebus really retiring from the Edinburgh police force? What will Rebus fans do if this is the last Rebus mystery? I suspect (and hope) it isn’t. In this book. Rebus is trying to clear out his files, but is distracted by the murder of a Russian poet in what looks like a random robbery. When there’s a 2nd death in a suspicious fire, Rebus suspects the 2 death are related. He also sees his last chance to get the best of his arch-enemy, gangster “Big Ger” Cafferty. The relationship between Rebus and his partner Clarke is well done. I'm very fond of Rebus, and I like this series a lot!
Ian Rankin's Web Site

The Bad News Bible by Anna Blundy
Faith Zanetti, tough-talking foul-mouthed foreign correspondent for a British newspaper, has been posted to Jerusalem. She swears a lot and drinks too much, but her toughness is the shell she uses to cover up her vulnerability, hurt and distress at the horrors she's seen in the places she's been posted. I like Faith - she's funny and has a good heart.
Faith Zanetti's Web Site

Reviewed by Suzanne

Two thrillers, an audiobook and a haunting memoir

2008-12-15T09:30:00.000-08:00

Hurry Down Sunshine by Michael Greenberg
“On July 5, 1996, my daughter was struck mad.” This is the first line of Greenberg’s memoir recording the events of his daughter’s summer of psychosis. He deals with the illness, its effect on his daughter and the effect on his family. A touching read.

Trigger City by Sean Chercover
This mystery takes place in the gritty underbelly of Chicago. P.I. Ray Dudgeon is not afraid to take on the biggest, baddest, most corrupt bad guys and bring them down. I look forward to reading more of Sean Chercover.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (on audiobook)
This is a really fun book to listen to. There are several readers doing the voices and their rendition is perfect! Very enjoyable!

The Treatment by Mo Hayder
In this sequel to Birdman, British police inspector Jack Caffery is on the trail of a totally sick, psycho child killer. This is a great thriller but is not for the faint of heart.

Reviewed by Julie

"It's the economy, stupid!"-Help for your financial woes

2008-12-05T14:14:00.000-08:00

So – the stock market is tumbling, businesses are failing, and our (financial) sky is just falling in general. What to do? Time to get back to basics: getting organized, figuring out what you really need, and revisiting Budgeting 101. There seems to be financial advice everywhere you look – where should you start? The following four books are great basic “how to” guides for getting your financial life in order.

Easy Money by Liz Pulliam Weston
One of the internet’s most widely read personal finance writers has put together an easy to follow primer on money management. Covers the basics well, but does an even better job outlining how to simplify your financial life and avoid costly, stupid mistakes. Good for the personal finance beginner or those who want a refresher on certain topics.

Kiplinger’s Money Smart Women by Janet Bodnar
Basic, no nonsense advice for every stage of a woman’s life from the Deputy Editor of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine.Bodnar spells out the differences between men’s and women’s financial needs and money management styles. Covers budgeting, credit, mortgages, retirement saving, investing, caring for children and elderly parents, and more. Contains easy to use worksheets,straightforward examples and lists of other resources.

Money Can Buy Happiness by M.P. Dunleavey
MSN columnist Dunleavey examines the disconnect between how we spend our time and money and which things truly make us happy. Contains simple exercises to help you figure out whether your spending is in line with your values, as well as some very basic financial advice. This is full of good reminders not to get lost in the minutiae of money management before figuring out what you are trying to manage to begin with.

On My Own Two Feet by Manish Thakor & Sharon Kedar
Good primer on money management for young women. Covers saving, budgeting, insurance needs, investing, and the financial ramifications of some major life events. Easy to follow, good charts and examples, and conversational tone. Great for recent grads and those who need a quick brush-up on their personalfinance skills.

Reviewed by Macaire

Some top-notch mystery writers

2008-11-24T09:00:00.000-08:00

Ross Macdonald
Ross Macdonald is one of the best of the classic American private eye writers. He writes in the style of Raymond Chandler, that is, wealthy Los Angeles, full of sin and corruption; very atmospheric. “Most mystery writers merely write about crime. Ross Macdonald writes about sin.”—The Atlantic Monthly

The Barbarous Coast
In this novel detective “Lew Archer navigates through the watery, violent world of wealth and privilege, in this electrifying story of obsession gone mad.”
The Doomsters
Lew Archer is hired to investigate the suspicious deaths of a senator and his wife. He runs into a history of double-crossing and dirty-dealing. Now someone has it in for the senators’ family and Archer has to find out who before another body winds up on a slab.

P.J. Parrish
Author of the successful Louis Kincaid series is similar to author Dennis Lehane because of her ability to create “sympathetic main and secondary characters and through her skill at creating suspense and sustaining a mood.” Her first Louis Kincaid novel An Unquiet Grave was fantastic!

South of Hell
This novel finds “Louis Kincaid and his lover, female detective Joe Frye, …team[ing] up to find out what happened to Jean Brandt, who was reported missing by her husband from their Michigan farmhouse in 1981.” Lee Child says: "Crime fiction at its finest. Beautifully written, beautifully imagined and packed with raw power."

Hard Case Crime books are always good if you’re looking for an old-time hard-boiled mystery. They include both classic mysteries as well as new noir novels. And best of all the covers are in the grand pulp style. They’re easy to identify so grab one today!

Max Allan Collin
Collins has many books in the Hard Case Crime series. He’s “violent and volatile and packed with sexuality…classic pulp fiction.”—USA Today
The First Quarry
Quarry was the first hit man to star in his own series of crime novels. This is the prequel to the popular novel The Last Quarry. See Quarry in his first job: “infiltrating a college town and eliminating a professor whose affair with one of his beautiful, young students is the least of his sins…”

Stan Jones

Frozen Sun
This title is in the Nathan Active series. Active is an Inupiaq State Trooper in Alaska, Inupiat by birth but raised by adoptive parents in Anchorage. This background allows for an exploration and investigation of the fault lines between Alaska’s various peoples, through the lens of crime fiction. In this novel he is in pursuit of a young woman who went missing years before. The search takes him to Anchorage and an island fishing camp. He creates a vivid portrait of the area using native language devices.

Reviewed by Julie

Mystery Mini-Reviews from Julie

2008-11-19T14:19:00.000-08:00

In the Heat by Ian Vasquez
Miles Young, an over-the-hill boxer, is hired to find the daughter of a wealthy woman in this mystery set in the country of Belize. This is Vasquez’s first novel and it’s a good one.

Birdman by Mo Hayder
Detective Jack Caffery is on the trail of a truly sick & twisted killer. Hayder is a terrific writer: the characters are fully developed & the plot is full of unexpected twists & turns. This is a creepy but exciting read!

The Shadow Walker by Michael Walters
In modern day Mongolia, in a series of brutal killings, an Englishman is killed. To help in the investigation a British policeman is sent to Mongolia to work with the police & the head of national security to find the killer. This is a very interesting, well written & exciting mystery.

Reviewed by Julie

More Good Mysteries from Julie

2008-09-30T12:16:00.000-07:00

Mark of the Lion by Suzanne Arruda
Jade Del Cameron, an adventurous, independent young woman, explores post WWI Africa in search of her dead fiancés half-brother. If you like Amelia Peabody, you’ll love Jade Del Cameron! Very entertaining!

The Marshal and the Murderer by Magdalen Nabb
Marshal Guarnaccia, a Florence policeman, may look like he’s asleep on his feet but his brain is always working to figure out who done it.An easy and entertaining read.

Ammunition by Ken Bruen
Ammunition in this book is what you know about someone that gives you power over them. This is a rather cynical look at a police department but is an entertaining and fast read.

The Lemur by Benjamin Black
This is a creepy mystery where nothing seems or feels right. A writer hires a researcher who is then murdered, but murdered in exactly the same way as a death in the past. Is it a coincidence or did the same killer do both jobs?

Reviewed by Julie

A Few Good Mysteries and Thrillers

2008-09-12T11:07:00.001-07:00

Severance Package by Duane Swierczynski
"His name was Paul Lewis.... ....and he didn't know he had seven minutes to live." This is a book that is in fast forward-the action never stops or even slows down! Once you start it, you can't stop!

Disco for the Departed by Colin Cotterill
This is a Dr. Siri Paiboun mystery set in Laos. Dr. Siri and his nurse Dtui investigate the mysterious case of a body found encased in a rock .too complicated to explain. These are fun, easy to read books. Siri and Dtui are a hoot! With lots of Laotian atmosphere (ghostly atmosphere at that!)

Reviewed by Julie

Killing Rommel bySteven Pressfield
This outstanding military thriller is based on the real life story of the Long Range Desert Group, an elite WWII BritishSpecial Forces unit whose mission was to destroy Rommel’s Afrika Korps. Pressfield captures the adrenaline and fear of battle and the camaraderie of the brave men whose mission was so dangerous they knew many of them would die so realistically I kept forgetting it’s fiction. The historical background is accurate and some of the characters are real. The fictional characters are so well imagined, and the action so detailed, you feel you are there. Pressfield's previous books are military historical fiction about Thermopylae and Alexander the Great. This is his first set in the modern era. His website has a 10-minute documentary about Rommel, "the greatest fighting general of WWII", desert warfare tactics, the Battle of El Alamein and about how the Long Range Desert Group were able to break the back of the Africa Korps. There's also an hour-long interview with Pressfield.
Steven Pressfield's website

Collision by Jeff Abbott
Abbott’s characters are often ordinary, intelligent people who are unwittingly caught up in dangerous situations and become victims. This one takes a while to jell as the various plots are laid out, but stick with it, it’s worthwhile! Ben Forsberg, who is grieving his wife’s murder 2 years previoucly, becomes the target of a secret government agency. Lots of action, crosses and double-crosses, and the ending is a stunner!

Assassin byTed Bell
Alex Hawke is everything a thriller hero must be - strong, fearless, determined and resourceful. In this one, a personal tragedy derails him briefly, but he’s soon back in the thick of the action, pursuing evil-doers and seeking revenge, supported by a cast of colorful and likeable comrades. The book is long; there's too much time spent on the villain's backstory, and the action is over the top. That said, the Hawke series is action-packed with well-drawn characters, and I'm now a confirmed Hawke fan.

The Whole Truth by David Baldacci
A fantastic thriller! A Shaw (no first name, just A) is a contract terrorist hunter and hitman for a shadowy government agency. He’s trying to get out of his dangerous profession and settle down with the woman he loves. But nothing is simple in the world of international terrorism. Baldacci's most popular books are his "Camel Club" series.

Reviewed by Suzanne

A miscellany of mysteries & a graphic novel

2008-08-18T15:14:00.000-07:00

How the Dead Live by Derek Raymond
This was a bit slow starting out but once you get used to his writing style he’s great! I love the way he says so much in so few words:
It’s the capacity of knowing that’s the real agony of existence; maybe we would all of us be more honest without knowledge.
I’m looking forward to reading more of him. He died in 1994 and there are only 5 in this series so I might actually get to read all of them.

Epileptic by David B.
This is my very favorite graphic novel! It is an incredible story of growing up with an epileptic brother, plus a look at the medical crazes in France of the 70’s. It is complete fascinating!

A Grave in Gaza by Matt Beynon Rees
Teacher Omar Yussef is working with the UN to investigate the imprisonment of a UN teacher in this, the 2nd in the series. As well as a great mystery, Beynon Rees teaches you so much about Arab culture and customs. This is a great series!

Lie in the Dark by Dan Fesperman
This is a mystery story that takes place in Sarajevo at the height of the war. Our police detective, Vlado, investigates a case of stolen artwork which involves entanglements with the government, the UN and the military. Very exciting!

Little Girl Lost by Richard Aleas
Detective John Blake investigates the murder of his high school girlfriend which leads him into the world of strip clubs and mobsters. Nominated for an Edgar and Shamus award for best first novel.

Above Ground by Don Easton
Jack Taggart (Cpl. in the RCMP) seeks vengeance after an innocent man with his name is killed & his infant child is paralyzed by a vicious drug dealer. This is a satisfying, tough read full of danger and which questions “what is justice?”

Reviewed by Julie

Good Eats!

2008-08-11T15:10:00.000-07:00

The Organic Food Shopper’s Guide by Jeff Cox

If Michael Pollan’s books In Defense of Food and The Omnivore’s Dilemma inspired you to change your eating habits, you will find that this book is a good resource to have. Cox starts out with a chapter called “Why Buy Organic Food?” in which he spells out the benefits of organic versus conventionally produced food. Then it’s on to chapters devoted to groups of foods, further broken down by individual type. For each type of food Cox provides information on growing season, varieties, how to determine freshness, tips for storage and preparation, and some simple recipes. He winds it up with a chapter at the end called “Kitchen Staples,” where he discusses such items as coffee, chocolate, and cooking oils. Cox also provides resources for learning about and locating organic foods. This is a good primer for those just venturing into organic foods and a handy reference for the more experienced shopper.

Reviewed by Macaire

Spies and a thriller

2008-07-31T14:14:00.000-07:00

The Spies of Warsaw by Alan Furst
Alan Furst and I share an obsession with the Spanish Civil War. His last two books are set in the late ‘30’s, when the Spanish Republic was desperately hanging on in the fight against Franco and his Fascists, a fight the republicans eventually lost. But Furst’s books The Spies of Warsaw and The Foreign Correspondent are not about that war. In both of them the protagonists are resisting the Fascist threat that is menacing all of Europe, not just Spain. They are fighting the good fight, risking their lives trying to subvert the Nazis, which as we all know was a futile effort in the end. Nonetheless, they are heroic in the manner of true heroes. They are ordinary people putting their lives on the line to fight evil. Furst writes intelligent and compelling spy fiction. His characters are thoughtful and very human, with human failings. He mixes in just the right amount of romance, creating relationships that are believable but that don’t swamp the plot.
Alan Furst's website

City of Thieves by David Benioff
Kolya is the grandson of a Cossack who likes to quote passages from Russian literature and Lev is the son of a Jewish poet who was taken from his home by the secret police and never heard from again. They are an unlikely pair. They meet when they are arrested in wartime Leningrad, Kolya for desertion from the army and Lev for plundering. The NKVD colonel in charge who can order their execution, gives them a reprieve, offering to trade their lives for a dozen eggs, needed for his daughter’s wedding cake. This would seem to be a simple task, but for the fact that the city is under siege by the German army, and the inhabitants are starving and turning to cannibalism. As Kolya and Lev search the city and beyond for the eggs, they are affected by the horrors of war they witness and those they hear about. In spite of the cold and the hardships and the seeming impossibility of their task, Kolya never loses his optimism and his sense of humor. This is a book with a lot of heart. Benioff has created a memorable character in Kolya.
Interview with David Benioff

Christopher’s Ghosts by Charles McCarry
I picked up this book because it was described as a spy thriller. When I started reading it, it seemed to be something different, and at first I was disappointed at the lack of action. I almost abandoned it, but I’m glad I didn’t, because I was irresistibly drawn into the lives of the characters and the horror of their situation. In 1939 16-year-old Paul Christopher, son of a German mother and an American father, is living in Berlin with his parents. SS officer Stutzer, who has an obsession with Paul’s mother, harasses the boy and his girlfriend, harassment that ultimately ends in a sadistic act. The second part of the book is a traditional spy thriller, which has Christopher sneaking around East Berlin. I enjoyed this part, also, more so because he so carefully set up the situation and the relationships in the first part.

Reviewed by Suzanne

Crime and Something Completely Different

2008-07-24T14:50:00.000-07:00

Songs of Innocence by Richard Aleas
An ex-detective investigates the suicide of a friend. This is fast-paced hard case crime with a surprise ending. Exciting!

Cross by Ken Bruen
Many of the characters in this story have heavy crosses to bear including our hero Jack Taylor. Bruen is always good and this one’s no exception!

Big City, Bad Blood by Sean Chercover
Chicago P.I. Ray Dudgeon has been hired by Hollywood to protect a locations scout who happened to see something he shouldn’t have. Winner of many awards, this book has a great sense of place, fully developed characters and is very suspenseful. This one’s truly a winner!
Sean Chercover's website

Deadly Beloved by Max Allan Collins
This is the first Ms. Tree novel ever, before this she was a comic book heroine. This book is as incredible, as short and as entertaining as a comic book. A quick, fun read!

What Burns Within by Sandra Ruttan

I knew this book would be good because she dedicated it to Ken Bruen.
Buildings are burning down, little girls going missing and women getting raped all at the same time, literally. It’s a tough case but the RCMP (this is Canadian after all) solves the puzzle. This is one you can’t put down!

And now for something completely different…

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

A melodrama in the best sense of the word this novel is full of tragic stories, grandiose emotions and star- crossed lovers. Not my kind of thing normally but I did get into this one.

Reviewed by Julie

A Reader Recommends a Favorite Author

2008-07-10T12:13:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to get through the many books I have bought and have stacked up around my house! I finally got to Can't Wait to Get To Heaven by Fannie Flagg, and I'm sorry it took me so long! Fannie's writing style is easy, her dialogue is real, and there were parts that made me laugh out loud. Her characters are real and believable and you can easily picture each person and situation. I fell in love with Aunt Elner and all the other characters. I think the characters are so believable because we probably know someone just like each one.

This is the story of what happens when elderly, feisty Aunt Elner who insists on living in her own house independently climbs up the ladder to pick figs one morning despite her niece's nagging that she not do this anymore. She suffers a mishap that takes Aunt Elner, her family, and the whole town as well as the reader on quite a journey.

This is a fun, easy, nice read. It's not deep but it's just a fun book with a sweet story.

Reviewed by Patty

The New James Bond and other thrillers

2008-06-21T08:33:00.000-07:00

Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks
Bond is back! I was intrigued by this book because I'm a James Bond fan, though of the movies, not the books, and because Faulks is a fine writer. His novel Birdsong is one of the best WWI novels around, and my book discussion group read On Green Dolphin Street which is set in the Cold War period. There are aspects of that book that still haunt me.
I couldn’t wait to find out what Faulks would do with the popular hero, and he does Bond proud. Thriller readers may find it a little slow to start, but once the action takes off, it's terrific. I loved his characterization of Bond, and the ending left me smiling with satisfaction.
I read in the Times of London that a lot of diehard Bond fans are disappointed by the book, but my advice would be to lighten up and enjoy it!
Interview with Sebastian Faulks in the London Sunday Times

In the Woods by Tana French

Dublin detective Rob Ryan & his partner investigate the disappearance
& murder of a 12-year-old girl. Twenty years earlier, Ryan and two friends
disappeared in the same woods. Ryan reappeared days later with blood
in his shoes and no memory of what happened. No trace of his friends
was ever found. Ryan is certain the cases are linked. This is an excellent
police thriller. Some parts of it were so creepy that when I was at home alone reading it I found myself looking over my shoulder. French won the Edgar Award for the best first novel for this book.
The Likeness, the sequel to In the Woods is due out in July ’08.
Edgar Award Nominees and Winners

The Accident Man by Tom Cain
Samuel Carver is a hired assassin (but he only kills REALLY BAD people!) who contracts for a hit on (he thinks) a terrorist. He later finds out he was set up, and his actions caused the accident that killed Princess Diana.
This is a fair to middling thriller. It's departs from the thriller model by having bad things happen to the hero, who at the end is pretty much a mess. I think perhaps the author left the hero in such a bad state because he's planning a sequel. The book definitely came through with exciting action, although there was too much sappy romance for my taste. I will happily read the sequel, if there is one, because I want to find out how the protagonist gets his revenge.

The Book of Air and Shadows by Michael Gruber
This quirky novel belongs to that genre called "literary thrillers" and is cram-jammed full of sub-plots, deceptions, stories within
stories, double crosses, movie lore, Russian mobsters, Jewish gangsters, an
ex-con priest, forgeries...it’s dizzying but fun. Jake Mishkin, who narrates, is a
philandering but charming intellectual property lawyer. The plot revolves
around the search for the manuscript of a lost Shakespeare play – written
in the bard’s own hand. It’s incredibly complicated and silly at times and totally addictive. Gruber's latest is The Forgery of Venus.

A travel book, noir crime fiction & something completely different

2008-05-29T11:45:00.000-07:00

Long After Midnight at the Niño Bien by Brian Winter
The author spent 4 years in Argentina during which time he fell in love both with the country & with the tango. He made me fall in love too. What better could you ask from a travel writer?!

Priest by Ken Bruen
Bruen’s way with words is exceptional. In addition to the wonderful first line is another great one: “My existence had become so haphazard, the odd had become the norm.” Bruen’s great!

Queenpin by Megan Abbott
Winner of the 2008 Edgar for best paperback original, Abbott’s Queenpin is a return to the noir fiction of the 50’s but with a feminine twist. She has truly nailed the atmosphere and speech of the early noirs. Lots of fun to read!
http://www.meganabbott.com/

Cruel Poetry by Vicki Hendricks
A reviewer classified this as “Florida noir erotica” which is a very good description of the book: lots of sex and a great crime tale. It is addictively engrossing!
http://www.vickihendricks.com/

The Blonde by Duane Swierczynski
The plot is rather incredible but the book keeps up a relentless pace. It’s a fun ride!
http://secretdead.blogspot.com/

And now for something completely different… I will listen to books that I normally wouldn’t read so I listened to My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult. I wanted to see what her books were like because she is very popular right now. I’m glad I listened though instead of reading this book because, in my 15 min. trips to and from work it’s hard to work up a good cry. Reading this book has to be a real cry fest. The story is incredibly sad but it is also thought provoking. The audiobook is very easy to listen to and keeps you hanging on to every word.

Reviewed by Julie

Follett's Long-Awaited Sequel

2008-05-11T14:15:00.000-07:00

World Without End by Ken Follett

Don't expect to finish this in an afternoon as it is a tome of 1000 pages and too heavy to carry to the beach. It is, however, a novel that will engross you. This is, finally, the sequel to Follett's successful Pillars of the Earth which outlined the tribulations of Jack the Builder in his quest to design and erect Knightsbridge Priory in medieval England. Obviously extensively researched, both books offer fascinating facts about medieval life, of knights and serfs, tavern owners and market sellers, royalty, religion and guilds. World details the love story of Merithin, the poor boy who becomes a wealthy architect, and his childhood friend Caris, the wool merchant's daughter who becomes the prioress of Knightsbridge. Rich with intrigue and diabolical characters, touching on Edward III's never-ending war with France and the Great Plague as well as details of everyday life, it will keep you on edge until the very end. And, you won't want it to.
Reviewed by Barbara

Julie's Favorite First Lines

2008-05-05T14:52:00.000-07:00

There have been some memorable first lines in my reading history. In college I read lots of mysteries, particularly of the hard-boiled kind. The first line that grabbed me then was from Mickey Spillane’s Vengeance Is Mine:

THE GUY WAS DEAD AS HELL. He lay on the floor in his pajamas with his brains scattered all over the rug and my gun was in his hand.

I was a big fan of Mickey Spillane. I think that I read all of his books but that was by far the best, most memorable first line. It has stuck with me to this day. Maybe now that I’ve written it down I can finally forget about it.

Of course, I was an English major in college so I read a lot of the classics too. Mickey was just for fun. So on the more serious side the best first line was that from Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way . . .

This is recognized as the most famous first line and it’s deserving of its fame. It is a great one.

While in graduate school I took a break from studying to read some modern classics. It makes sense, as an undergrad I read from the very high, the classics, and the very low, Mickey Spillane. As a graduate student I suppose I had graduated to more modern fiction where maybe the high and the low are a little less distinguishable. Here the book that most grabbed me, from beginning to end, was Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita. The first line of this book has to be one of the most seductive ever written:

Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta.

How could you not read on after that? Nabokov is a true poet. I love it.

Now as a middle-aged geezer my reading tastes are still all over the place. For the most part I’ve done with the classics and am back to reading for fun. Still many mysteries, some travel literature and occasionally something completely different. My latest author discovery is Ken Bruen, the Irish noir writer. Here is a great first line from his book Calibre:

Shit from Shinola. You have to hand it to the goddamn Yanks, they have great verbals, man. I love they way they cuss.

You can certainly tell from this that Ken Bruen owes more to Mickey Spillane that to my other favorites. You can also tell where my brain is these days, unfortunately. Oh well…

So I looked at the first line of the book I’m currently reading. It’s another Ken Bruen, Priest, another good first line:

What I remember most about the mental hospital
The madhouse
The loony bin
The home for the bewildered
is a black man may have saved my life.

I’m still working on the complete works of Ken Bruen and I’m looking forward to every one of them. I hope you’ll read this and give him a try too.

So what are your favorite lines? Take a look at the book you’re reading right now. How does its first line compare to these? Send your comments…Let’s see who can find the best first lines.

Submitted by Julie Stump

Book Recommendations: Mystery and Memoir

2008-05-02T09:17:00.000-07:00

Silence of the Grave
Arnaldur Indriđason
This is an excellent Icelandic police procedural. A corpse is found
buried on a hillside. This is a very cold case; it's been buried for 40 some years. This is a quick read with intelligent characters and deals with some timely and touching subjects.

Sleeping Arrangements
Laura Shaine Cunningham
Cunningham is a writer who had a rather interesting life being raised by her O.B. (old bachelor) uncles. Her memoir is funny, quirky and completely enjoyable.

Girls of Tender Age
Mary-Ann Tirone Smith (Book on CD)
In this touching memoir the author uncovers the repressed memory of the
murder of a childhood friend in a working class Hartford, CT
neighborhood. Read by the author, it is an unforgettable story.

Recommended by Julie

Chick Lit Grows Up

2008-05-01T09:33:00.000-07:00

Nice to Come Home To
By Rebecca Flowers

Pru Whistler has always been a planner, with a life that is neat, tidy, organized, and dependable. So imagine her dismay when, ten days after losing her job, she looks up and sees “the woman she was supposed to be by now.” And who is that? An attractive young urban matron – wardrobe by J. Jill, condo in an upscale neighborhood furnished by Pottery Barn, and successful husband and adorable children straight out of Central Casting – with a busy fulfilling life that she manages effortlessly. Instead, Pru is unemployed, recently dumped, and essentially rudderless. Pru’s efforts to find her way in the world without a plan are both funny and touching. Tossing away her preconceived notions along with her Daytimer, Pru sets out to reinvent her life with the help of an odd collection of friends and family. Nice to Come Home To is a very satisfying and entertaining story; anyone who has ever had to make a major decision about where their life is headed will be able to relate to it. This is author Rebecca Flowers first book, and I am really hoping there will be more to follow.
Rebecca Flowers website.

Reviewed by Macaire

Just Because You're Paranoid....

2008-04-29T12:20:00.000-07:00

...doesn't mean no one will try to frame you for murder.

BAD MOVE
by Linwood Barclay

Sci-fi writer Zach Walker is a character. Paranoid about safety and security issues, he drives his family nuts. To teach his wife a lesson about supermarket security, he “steals” her unattended purse from the shopping cart, then realizes he has taken the wrong woman’s purse. When that woman turns up murdered, Zach is in trouble up to his eyeballs, and enlists the aid of his neighbors, who turn out to have secrets of their own. Despite the dead bodies turning up, this has the feel of an amusing romp and Zach is a funny, self-deprecating anti-hero.

Visit Linwood Barclay's website

Reviewed by Barbara

Jhumpa Lahiri's Newest is a Winner

2008-04-25T13:19:00.000-07:00

I just read Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri, and it was one of those books which had me savoring every word and feeling sad when I finished it. These are short stories which are almost the length of novellas. I am, in fact, still thinking about the last set of stories entitled Hema and Kaushik.

She writes beautifully. Her style is spare and you read it slowly because you don’t want to miss one word. She has a gift for picking just the right moment to capture in the lives of her characters and of ending in a way that is different than one would expect.

I highly recommend it.
Reviewed by Gail
Slate review of Unaccustomed Earth

In Defense of Food

2008-04-23T10:22:00.000-07:00

In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

Pollan’s follow up to The Omnivore’s Dilemma examines the issue of what we eat by looking at the modern Western diet as a product of what he calls “nutritionism.” According to Pollan, nutritionism is an ideology which states that “Foods are essentially the sum of their nutrient parts.” He argues that by taking the nutrients out of the context of the foods in which they naturally occur, and by taking food out of the context of culture, we are destroying relationships that have developed over centuries. This, combined with the industrialization of food production at all levels, has resulted in a host of diseases that currently plague Western nations. Pollan’s solution to this problem is what he calls the “Eater’s Manifesto,” which states “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly vegetables.” Easier said than done. The author spends that latter part of the book laying out a loose plan that will enable the average person to live according to the Manifesto. For example, if your grandmother wouldn’t recognize it as food, don’t eat it. He offers many other bits of advice as well, covering everything from where our food should be grown (locally, if possible) to how we should eat it (not alone, and certainly not in the car.)
Though very well researched and thoroughly footnoted, In Defense of Food is very readable. Pollan’s common sense examination of nutrition fads (oat bran bagel, anyone?) points out the ridiculous extremes we now go to in order to satisfy “scientific” requirements that may be proven baseless by the very next study to come along. He makes a strong argument for completely changing our current relationship with food. His presentation is both entertaining and informative, and I would recommend this book to anyone interested in diet, health, or our current food culture.
Reviewed by Macaire
Michael Pollan's website

Looking for good mysteries?

2008-04-21T08:16:00.000-07:00

Julie reads more mysteries than anyone I know, and she likes to discover new authors. Try these two she recommends.

An Unquiet Grave by P.J. Parrish
Mystery, suspense, thrills, chills.this book has it all! When a cemetery connected to a deserted sanitarium is dug up for relocation and one of the caskets contains rocks, Louis Kincaid steps in to investigate. Winner of the Thriller and the Shamus awards, An Unquiet Grave is not for the squeamish but it's one that once you start it, you just can't put it down! I know I'll be reading more of P.J. Parrish.
See P.J. Parrish's website for more information.

The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin
This historical mystery takes place in 1830 Istanbul, the Ottoman Empire.
Our detective is Investigator Yashim, one of the court eunuchs. Yashim leads us on a tour of the city, introducing us to the culture, charms and treachery of that particular place and time while solving the mystery of 4 murdered soldiers. This was a fascinating and exotic read and the winner of the Edgar Award best novel.
Jason Goodwin's website

Follow Your Bliss!

2008-03-21T09:01:00.000-07:00

The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner

The author, an NPR correspondent, set off on a trip around the world searching for answers to what makes people happy and where they are the happiest. Armed with information compiled by serious researchers, he visited happy countries like Iceland (yes Iceland!) and unhappy ones like Moldova, where distrust and lack of hope have left people certifiably miserable. Interviewing and observing as he went, Eric discovered a world of different attitudes and perspectives but many common themes to achieving a blissful existence. This was an enjoyable and enlightening book; reading it was truly a happy experience!

Eric Weiner's website
Interview with Eric Weiner

Reviewed by Judie

Try these mysteries

2008-03-14T11:01:00.000-07:00

Wife of Moon by Margaret Coel

Murders on the Arapaho reservation in Colorado stemming from a murder 100 yrs. before, solved by a lawyer and a priest. Exciting, with sympathetic characters.

Summer of the Big Bachi by Naomi Hirahara

Bachi: “when you snap…at your wife, and then trip…on a rock in the driveway.” Sins from 1945 in Hiroshima come back to haunt a group of Japanese living in L.A. With sympathetic and complex characters.

Slip of the Knife by Denise Mina

The ex-boyfriend of a Glaswegian journalist is murdered. It looks like an IRA execution, but is it? Confronting numerous roadblocks, Paddy Meehan investigates while trying to keep her son from danger. A complex and exciting read.

Julie

First Lines

2008-03-01T11:04:00.000-08:00

I love opening a book and finding a first sentence that startles me or makes me smile. The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff begins with this line: “The day I returned to Templeton steeped in disgrace, the fifty-foot corpse of a monster surfaced in Lake Glimmerglass.” Doesn’t that make you want to know who is speaking, why he or she has been disgraced and what happened to the monster? Templeton is modeled on Cooperstown, NY, the author’s home town. I’ve been to Cooperstown, which is on a lake - Otsego, not Glimmerglass, although the state park across the lake from Cooperstown is called Glimmerglass. There is a legend that a monster lurks in the depths!
Read this delightful interview with Lauren Groff.
Another favorite first line is this one from This is not Civilization by Robert Rosenberg: “The idea of using porn films to encourage the dairy cows to breed was a poor one.” The idea was the brainstorm of Anarbek Tashtanaliev, manager of a cheese factory that makes no cheese in a village in Kyrgyzstan. Anarbek is one of the most endearing fictional characters I have met. When Peace Corps worker Jeff Hartig is posted to Anarbek’s village, he is overwhelmed with hospitality. Jeff later moves on to work in Istanbul, where Anarbek travels there to ask a favor from the American. This is a sweet and melancholy novel about cultural alienation, responsibility, compassion and good intentions gone awry.

Do you have a favorite first line? Share it by writing a comment.
Suzanne

Down River by John Hart

2008-02-11T09:14:00.000-08:00

If you’ve read all of James Lee Burke’s Dave Robicheaux novels
try Down River by John Hart

I listened to the excellent audio version of Down River on compact disk read by Scott Sowers. It’s a knotty thriller about family misunderstandings, betrayal and deception. The story is told in the first person by Adam Chase, who’s returned to his home town in North Carolina after five years in exile in New York City. He left his home after being acquitted of capitol murder in the death of a high school classmate and has returned only because a friend contacted him asking for help. Now that friend has disappeared. Everyone in town remembers him, and not favorably. Most of them shun him because they think he was guilty of the murder and got off because of family influence. Chase is estranged from his family, and his re-entry into their lives is complicated and uncomfortable. The plot is complex and has a touch of the Southern gothic about it. It’s Hart’s second novel, and he’s a promising writer. I was struck by how much the voice of the book’s narrator is like James Lee Burke’s protagonist Dave Robicheaux. I don’t mean to make Hart sound like he’s copying Burke; he’s written an original story with an appealing and complicated main character. Sowers’ narration is excellent. I grew up in the South, and he gets the accents just right.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

2008-02-04T11:30:00.000-08:00

I saw the movie The Diving Bell and the Butterfly this past weekend. The film is based on the memoir by Jean-Dominique Bauby, who at age 42 was paralyzed by a stroke. As a result of brain damage, he could move only one eyelid. The movie is the account of how he dictated his book. The book is the basis for this film. It’s a surprising and complex movie. It’s not about limitations, about being physically incapacitated. It’s about learning to live after a huge loss and about the relationships that sustain us. The tenderness between Bauby and his aging father is particularly well-portrayed, as is that between him and his young son. At one of the major turning points in the movie, Bauby says in spite of his lost faculties, he has two things left. I won’t tell you what they are; you’ll have to see the movie. I plan to read the book, and maybe see the movie again – it’s that good! Julian Schnabel, who directed the movie, is a kind of Renaissance man and an artist, and his artistry and imagination are evident in the movie. How many people could make a riveting movie about a man who can do nothing except blink one eye?
Suzanne

Watch the movie trailer

Favorites of the Library’s Nonfiction Book Group

2008-01-02T17:05:00.000-08:00

The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan
John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath told of the Okies who fled the Dust Bowl. Timothy Egan recounts the stories of those who stuck out the hard times, refusing to leave their land. He begins with the history of the settlement of an area one explorer called “a desolate waste of uninhabited solitude.” Real estate speculators enticed settlers to fictitious towns. Settlers came to this area called No Man’s Land for lack of a better place to live, because they had hope and because they believed the soil could never be used up. A combination of natural and man-made disasters - hailstorms, plagues of locusts, severe cold and heat, and worst of all the “moving earth”, the dust storms that blackened the sky—made their lives a day-to-day struggle.

Supercapitalism by Robert Reich
“Of all the nations of the world, America is assumed to best exemplify the idea that capitalism and democracy go hand in hand,” Reich says in the introduction. He also believes that rampant free-market capitalism has become bloated and has weakened our democratic system. Why do consumers expect corporations to be socially responsible, Reich asks, when they purchase the cheapest goods, regardless of where or under what conditions they were produced? Corporations do not exist to be socially responsible; they are in business to increase stockholder profits. Reich’s suggestions for strengthening democracy include the elimination of the corporate income tax and removing corporate cash from politics.

Nixon and Mao: The Week that Changed the World by Margaret Macmillan
In 1972, traveling to China was “like going to the moon.” President Nixon’s decision to go to China posed several risks. Conservative Republicans opposed any diplomatic overtures by Americans to that steadfastly Communist country. Furthermore, Nixon would be humiliated if Mao refused to meet with him. Kissinger was dispatched on a secret advance trip, which even the State Department did not know about, to appraise the receptiveness of the Chinese. This is a fascinating look behind the scenes at the banquets, the competing egos of the Chinese and American officials, and the wrangling over the wording of the final joint communiqué.

Welcome to Our Reading Cafe Blog

2007-12-31T10:17:00.000-08:00

This is the new space where readers and staff can post book recommendations or booklists. We hope many of you will participate by sharing good books you have read or movies you have watched by sending us comments.

The first book I want to recommend is Atonement by Ian McEwan. Part of the reason I want to feature Atonement is because I saw the movie recently, and of course I compared the film with the book. McEwan is a master of the English language, and Atonement is his masterpiece to date. The novel is a love story and a war story. McEwan did extensive research before writing the section of the book describing the evacuation of the British and French soldiers from Dunkirk, and the filmmakers have translated it into a harrowing scene. The movie is true to the book in the pacing and conveys the class divisions in English society of the time that are a major theme of the novel. The friend with whom I saw the movie was struck by how well the movie captures the beauty of McEwan’s language. I wondered how the movie was going to deal with the plot twists that make Atonement a startling and original novel, and I’m pleased to say the filmmakers did a good job with them.

There’s an interesting video interview with McEwan about the filming of his novel on his website , but if you haven’t read the book, be advised that the interview gives away the major plot twist.

Suzanne Fisher
Librarian