Thursday, September 26, 2013

52 Weeks 52 Books ~ THE RETURNED by Jason Mott ~ Week Ending September 23, 2013

What if your dead relatives suddenly showed up on your doorstep, perfectly healthy and just as they were the day they died? What if it was your child or your mother or the family next door? Would you joyously welcome them back? Would life go back to what it was? And if they just kept coming, is there a limit to what the world of the living can accept, emotionally and physically?  A thought provoking question, and I enjoyed the personal aspects, even if the action part of the tale didn't appeal to me as much.  This book has picked up a lot of steam, and the story has been optioned by Brad Pitt's Plan B for an upcoming television series.      ~ Katherine




Harold and Lucille Hargrave's lives have been both joyful and sorrowful in the decades since their only son, Jacob, died tragically at his eighth birthday party in 1966. In their old age they've settled comfortably into life without him, their wounds tempered through the grace of time ... Until one day Jacob mysteriously appears on their doorstep—flesh and blood, their sweet, precocious child, still eight years old.

All over the world people's loved ones are returning from beyond. No one knows how or why this is happening, whether it's a miracle or a sign of the end. Not even Harold and Lucille can agree on whether the boy is real or a wondrous imitation, but one thing they know for sure: he's their son. As chaos erupts around the globe, the newly reunited Hargrave family finds itself at the center of a community on the brink of collapse, forced to navigate a mysterious new reality and a conflict that threatens to unravel the very meaning of what it is to be human.  ~ from the Publisher

Monday, September 23, 2013

Two Great Urban Fantasies from Suzanne

Silent Night Haunted Night - Nicki Styx, Bk 4
Author: Terri Garey

Another good installment of the Nicki Styx series. 

~Suzanne
 
Joe Bascombe is no stranger to desire, but when a sexy spirit begins haunting his dreams, he finds himself ensnared by dark passions. What he doesn't realize is that the devious demon and her two sisters, otherwise known as the Three Fates, are out to teach the woman he loves a lesson... 


Unwilling psychic Nicki Styx survived a near-death experience to find herself able to see and hear the dead, but she only has eyes for Joe. Together they've conquered evil spirits, saved lost souls, and beaten back the Devil himself, but they're about to learn that there are more things in Heaven and Hell than they ever imagined. As far as Nicki is concerned, Joe is the man of her dreams, but now they're at the mercy of the creature who's invaded his.


 

 
Priceless - Rylee Adamson, Bk 1
Author: Shannon Mayer

This is a new author for me and I just loved her writing. Ms. Mayer creates an interesting world of magic. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.  ~ Suzanne

"My name is Rylee, and I am a Tracker."

When children go missing, and the Humans have no leads, I'm the one they call. I am their last hope in bringing home the lost ones. I salvage what they cannot.

I'm on the FBI's wanted list. I have a werewolf for a pet, a Witch of a best friend, and I have no need for anyone else in my life.

But when a salvage starts to spin out of control, help comes from a most unexpected direction.

Friday, September 20, 2013

52 Weeks 52 Books ~ FIN AND LADY and THE KITCHEN HOUSE ~ Week Ending Sept. 16, 2013

Two very different novels with unconventional, loving, and supportive families at their core, THE KITCHEN HOUSE and FIN AND LADY are two novels you might want to put on your list to read.  ~ Katherine

THE KITCHEN HOUSE by Kathleen Grissom

"When a white servant girl violates the order of plantation society, she unleashes a tragedy that exposes the worst and best in the people she has come to call her family.
Orphaned while on board a ship from Ireland, seven-year-old Lavinia arrives on the steps of a tobacco plantation where she is to live and work with the slaves of the kitchen house. Under the care of Belle, the master's illegitimate daughter, Lavinia becomes deeply bonded to her adopted family, though she is set apart from them by her white skin. Eventually, Lavinia is accepted into the world of the big house, where the master is absent and the mistress battles opium addiction. Lavinia finds herself perilously straddling two very different worlds. When she is forced to make a choice, loyalties are brought into question, dangerous truths are laid bare, and lives are put at risk.

The Kitchen House is a tragic story of page-turning suspense, exploring the meaning of family, where love and loyalty prevail." ~ from the Publisher

FIN & LADY by Cathleen Schine

"It’s 1964. Eleven-year-old Fin and his glamorous, worldly, older half sister, Lady, have just been orphaned, and Lady, whom Fin hasn’t seen in six years, is now his legal guardian and his only hope. That means Fin is uprooted from a small dairy farm in rural Connecticut to Greenwich Village, smack in the middle of the swinging ’60s. He soon learns that Lady—giddy, careless, urgent, and obsessed with being free—is as much his responsibility as he is hers.
     So begins Fin & Lady, the lively, spirited new novel by Cathleen Schine, the author of the bestselling The Three Weissmanns of Westport. Fin and Lady lead their lives against the background of the ’60s, the civil rights movement, and the Vietnam War—Lady pursued by ardent, dogged suitors, Fin determined to protect his impulsive sister from them and from herself.
     From a writer The New York Times has praised as “sparkling, crisp, clever, deft, hilarious, and deeply affecting,” Fin & Lady is a comic, romantic love story: the story of a brother and sister who must form their own unconventional family in increasingly unconventional times." ~ from the Publisher





Friday, September 13, 2013

LICENSE TO PAWN ~ A Nonfiction Review from Suzanne

License to Pawn Deals Steals and My Life at the Gold Silver
Author: Rick Harrison


I really enjoyed this look into the life of Pawn Stars Harrison family. There is so much more to this family then what you see on television. 

          ~ Suzanne

In Las Vegas, there's a family-owned business called the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, run by three generations of the Harrison family: Rick; his son, Big Hoss; and Rick's dad, the Old Man. Now License to Pawn takes readers behind the scenes of the hit History show Pawn Stars and shares the fascinating life story of its star, Rick Harrison, and the equally intriguing story behind the shop, the customers, and the items for sale.

Rick hasn't had it easy. He was a math whiz at an early age, but developed a similarly uncanny ability to find ever-deepening trouble that nearly ruined his life. With the birth of his son, he sobered up, reconnected with his dad, and they started their booming business together.

License to Pawn also offers an entertaining walk through the pawn shop's history. It's a captivating look into how the Gold & Silver works, with incredible stories about the crazy customers and the one-of-a-kind items that the shop sells. Rick isn't only a businessman; he's also a historian and keen observer of human nature. For instance, did you know that pimps wear lots of jewelry for a reason? It's because if they're arrested, jewelry doesn't get confiscated like cash does, and ready money will be available for bail. Or that WWII bomber jackets and Zippo lighters can sell for a freakishly high price in Japan? Have you ever heard that the makers of Ormolu clocks, which Rick sells for as much as $15,000 apiece, frequently died before forty thanks to the mercury in the paint?

Rick also reveals the items he loves so much he'll never sell. The shop has three Olympic bronze medals, a Patriots Super Bowl ring, a Samurai sword from 1490, and an original Iwo Jima battle plan. Each object has an incredible story behind it, of course. Rick shares them all, and so much more--there's an irresistible treasure trove of history behind both the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop and the life of Rick Harrison

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Book Discussions Tonight and Beyond

If you haven't joined a book discussion, or if you've been thinking about coming back, try one of our upcoming events.  We love new members!  Copies of books are available at the checkout desk for readers signing up for the discussion, or by request.

Tonight, at 6:30, there will be a discussion of
The Memory Palacea nonfiction  book by Mira Bartok.  When piano prodigy Norma Herr was healthy, she was the most vibrant personality in the room. But as her schizophrenic episodes became more frequent and more dangerous, she withdrew into a world that neither of her daughters could make any sense of. Next month's nonfiction book will be Drunk Tank Pink: And Other Unexpected Forces that Shape How We Think, Feel, and Behave  by Adam Alter, on Tuesday, October 8, at 6:30 p.m. Why are people named Kim, Kelly, and Ken more likely to donate to Hurricane Katrina victims than to Hurricane Rita victims? Are you really more likely to solve puzzles if you watch a light bulb illuminate? How did installing blue lights along a Japanese railway line halt rising crime and suicide rates? Drunk Tank Pink is the first detailed exploration of how our environment shapes what we think, how we feel, and the ways we behave.

Next week, our fiction group will meet and talk about the bestselling novel, The Kitchen House  by Kathleen Grissom, on Monday, September 16, at 1 p.m.  When a white servant girl violates the order of plantation society, she unleashes a tragedy that exposes the worst and best in the people she has come to call her family.The Kitchen House  is a tragic story of page-turning suspense, exploring the meaning of family, where love and loyalty prevail.  In October, we'll travel to the world of Henry VIII and discuss Bring Up the Bodies  by Hilary Mantel on Monday, October 21, at 1 p.m.  Though he battled for seven years to marry her, Henry is disenchanted with Anne Boleyn. She has failed to give him a son and her sharp intelligence and audacious will alienate his old friends and the noble families of England. When the discarded Katherine dies in exile from the court, Anne stands starkly exposed, the focus of gossip and malice.  Hilary Mantel’s Bring Up the Bodies follows the dramatic trial of the queen and her suitors for adultery and treason. To defeat the Boleyns, Cromwell must ally with his natural enemies, the papist aristocracy. What price will he pay for Anne’s head?  

Love reading mysteries and thrillers? Join Book 'Em!  Our next book is The Poacher’s Son  by Paul Doiron, to be discussed on Monday, September 23, at 12:30 p.m. Set in the wilds of Maine, this is an explosive tale of an estranged son thrust into the hunt for a murderous fugitive--his own father. This is the first in Doiron's award winning series featuring game warden Mike Bowditch.  Next month we'll travel back in time and discuss Maisie Dobbs  by Jacqueline Winspear, on Monday, October 28, at 12:30 p.m.  Maisie Dobbs isn’t just any young housemaid. Through her own natural intelligence and the patronage of her benevolent employers, she works her way into college at Cambridge. When World War I breaks out, Maisie goes to the front as a nurse. It is there that she learns that coincidences are meaningful and the truth elusive. After the War, Maisie sets up on her own as a private investigator. But her very first assignment, seemingly an ordinary infidelity case, soon reveals a much deeper, darker web of secrets, which will force Maisie to revisit the horrors of the Great War and the love she left behind.










Monday, September 09, 2013

52 Weeks 52 Books ~ AMY FALLS DOWN ~ Week Ending September 9, 2013

It is said that most librarians have a secret desire to be a writer.  Not me--I'm happy just being a reader.  But I've had a lot of fun reading two of Jincy Willet's books, The Writing Class  and the just published sequel, Amy Falls Down, a witty satire of authors, wannabe authors, and the literary and publishing world. I just want to know how much of Amy Gallup is Jincy Willett?  Her website says, "Who the #@%? is Jincy? An aging, bitter, unpleasant woman living in Escondido, California, who spends her days parsing the sentences of total strangers and her nights teaching and writing. Sometimes, late at night, in the dark, she laughs inappropriately.." 
 thoroughly enjoyed listening to this audio book, read by Amy McFadden. 
                                                                ~ Katherine                

AMY FALLS DOWN by Jincy Willett.


"Willett's hilarious follow-up to The Writing Class pulls no punches when it comes to current literary trends. Amy Gallup was once heralded as a fresh voice in fiction, but with her novels now long out of print, she's content with a quiet, anonymous life of leading workshops, keeping lists of great-sounding titles for stories she'll never write, and maintaining her sporadically updated blog. One afternoon, however, while working in her garden, Amy trips and cold-cocks herself on a birdbath. Still reeling from the head injury hours later, she gives a loopy interview to a reporter working on a series of local author profiles. The result goes viral, and suddenly Amy is a hot commodity on the literary pundit trail. She couldn't care less about being relevant or famous, which lends a refreshingly brutal honesty to her commentary on the radio, television, and lecture circuit. But her newfound notoriety also pushes Amy out of her comfort zone, forcing her to confront years of neuroses and an unexamined postwriting life. Willett uses her charmingly filterless heroine as a mouthpiece to slam a parade of thinly veiled literati and media personalities with riotous accuracy, but she balances the snark with moments of poignancy." 

 ~ From a review in Publishers Weekly, May 6, 2013.

Tuesday, September 03, 2013

52 Weeks 52 Books ~ THE VIEW FROM PENTHOUSE B ~ Week Ending September 2, 2013

Elinor Lipman is always a pleasure to read. The author always delivers witty writing and great narrative, and her characters are lovable but usually a bit down trodden and uncomfortable with life changes that have come their way--but they generally manage to adjust and thrive. While THE VIEW FROM PENTHOUSE B might not be my favorite Lipman book, it still was an entertaining read.  ~ Katherine

"Unexpectedly widowed Gwen-Laura Schmidt is still mourning her husband, Edwin, when her older sister Margot invites her to join forces as roommates in Margot's luxurious Village apartment. For Margot, divorced amid scandal (hint: her husband was a fertility doctor) and then made Ponzi-poor, it's a chance to shake Gwen out of her grief and help make ends meet. To further this effort she enlists a third boarder, the handsome, cupcake-baking Anthony.

As the three swap money-making schemes and timid Gwen ventures back out into the dating world, the arrival of Margot's paroled ex in the efficiency apartment downstairs creates not just complications but the chance for all sorts of unexpected forgiveness. A sister story about love, loneliness, and new life in middle age, this is a cracklingly witty, deeply sweet novel from one of our finest comic writers." ~ from the Publisher