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February 13th, 2008
03:31 pm - Staff Picks for February
Check out what we're reading, viewing and listening to!
Barbara (Main)
In the spirit of supporting free speech and free choice by reading banned books, I recommend The Golden Compass. It's always interesting to see what causes controversy. And don't assume that you have read the book if you have seen the movie.
Laurie (Main)
Barack Obama - Audacity of Hope
Linda (Beach)
Curiosity Killed the Cat-Sitter by Blaize Clement
Devastated by the sudden, accidental death of her husband and young daughter, Dixie Hemingway gives her job as sheriff's deputy and is "a mess" until she finds some satisfaction in her pet-business - walking dogs, changing litter boxes, and taking care of animals while their owners are vacationing, etc. One such owner is away when Dixie finds a dead body in the kitchen, later a friend badly beaten, and then another dead body! Her sleuthing instincts kick in, especially when an obnoxious local radio personality brings up Dixie's past and implies she is the murderer. With a great setting (Sarasota's Siesta Key), a very real "heroine," a solid plot, light humor throughout, and many vivid personalities - including the pets, this delightful "cozy" is a winner. By the way, the tit;e is not true, because this is the first in a series.
Tracey (Main)
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
I'm generally not one to jump on a bandwagon. I don't read something because everyone else is doing it. In fact, I'm probably way more likely to shy away from it if that is the case. So when 8 people told me they instantly thought of me while reading this book and that "Tracey, you HAVE to read this book!" I was skeptical, but figured I'd give it 50 pages. Well, I have to say, the first 50 pages were tough - a lot of this memoir follows the author's quest for personal well-being after her divorce. Having recently gone through that, reading a lot of what she wrote hit home (and made me see why people saw me in this book). It took a lot for me to turn to page 51 and keep going, but I saw the transition in the story happening and as she grows past the sadness and personal devastation, the book becomes more of a travelogue of her journey through Italy, and becomes a description of finding various kinds of peace in India and Indonesia from the perspective of one who, self-admittedly, doesn't travel well but sees it as her life's passion. Georgina (Countryside) The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai (Booker Prize Winner) A marvelous novel in superb imagery, lyrical prose and an interesting thematic undertone of the love-hate relationship between India and England and the reluctant admiration by the colonials of the colonists.
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August 23rd, 2007
10:56 am - Late Summer Staff Picks
Come check out what we're reading!
Linda -Beach
Match Me if You Can, by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.
Despite the popularity of computer dating there still exist people whose (pricey, exclusive) job it is to help someone find the perfect mate. Annabelle Granger has inherited such a business from her grandmother and is determined to prove to her family that this time she will not fail at her job. Her first job is to help Heath Champion, a gorgeous, high-powered sports agent who is very picky in his search for the "perfect wife." It's soon obvious that Annabelle and Heath are meant for each other; the fun is in seeing how they come to that conclusion. To add to the interest, there's a subplot involving Annabelle's fierce business competitor, who has some issues of her own. A light-hearted story by a popular romance writer.
Shadows at the Fair; Shadows on the Coast of Maine; Shadows on the Ivy; Shadows at the Spring Show by Lea Wait. In this charming set of cozies, Maggie Summer is a college professor and a dealer in antique prints. (Her business is called 'Shadows' because the prints were often a source of news and a reflection of life in the 19th century or earlier.) While the widowed Maggie solves the mysteries, her thoughts increasingly turn to the idea of adopting an older child, (possibly because the author herself has 4 adopted daughters). In addition, we learn various antique "trivia": the history of matches, all about Victorian mourning artifacts, early drawings of Santa Claus, biographies of artists, etc.
In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming
It's a bitterly cold December night in a small New York town when a newborn baby is left on the steps of an Episcopal church. Fortunately the priest (Clare Fergusson) finds the baby in time, and she and the police chief (Russ Van Alstyne) join forces to find the baby's mother, and soon, her murderer. And then there's another murder. Clare risks her life several times to help Russ solve the crimes. Despite the fact that he is married, it's obvious that there's a real attraction between these two interesting people. The first of a compelling, beautifully-written, exciting new mystery series.
Paula - Main
What am I not reading? Now that we have "Playaways" AKA Digital Books my life is complete with an array of entertainment. In the last week I've enjoyed listening to three books and am going on my fourth. These compact (fit in your back pocket) type of books are great to tag along on dog walks, the gym, commute to/from work, house projects and chores. It's addicting. I don't have to worry about downloads or my computer crashing. Just add a battery, pump up the volume and off I go!
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
This book is about a young girl raised in South Carolina during the Civil Rights movement. Her mother was killed when she was a little girl and all she has of her mother is a photo and a Black Madonna (from Tiburon, South Carolina). She helps her "surrogate mother" Rosaleen escape from a hospital. Rosaleen had been arrested and beaten by three racist men. They head to Tiburon, South Carolina, and live with three sister beekeepers. Come to find out they knew her mother and they share in her past. This book is sad yet funny and filled with feminine bond and compassion.
The Lovely Bones A Novel by Alice Sebold
This book is about a young girl who is brutally raped and killed by the neighbor. She watches her family, friends, and investigator from heaven. Her parents and investigator have figured out who the rapist and killer is, but it's hard to prove. As she narrates, the reader has a sense of what heaven may be like and makes the reader aware that loved ones return without us knowing. She also experiences intimacy through her best friends flesh.
The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult
This book is about a young girls parents struggling through their marriage. She is raped by her ex-boyfriends who is later found dead. Evidence has the young girl connected to the crime scene, but the truth tells us otherwise. The father's past leads the girl to Alaska as she tries to escape the law.
Jen - Main
The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar
A novel set in modern India about a wealthy woman and her servant who share a strong bond of friendship.
Shannon - Main
The End of the Affair by Graham Greene.
Set against the backdrop of World War II and the Blitz in London, two lovers meet, have an affair, and unexpectedly fall in love. Beyond this standard formula, Greene throws in the question of faith: the very affair causes the woman to claim a previously non-existing faith in God, which ultimately tests the man's own atheism. Sound dry? Not So! Greene injects passion, jealousy and hatred into this unique love story. If you like the book, two movie versions have been made. The 1955 version starred Deborah Kerr, Van Johnson and Peter Cushing. A remake in 1999 starred Julianne Moore, Stephen Rea and Ralph Fiennes.
Kent - Main
Wigfield: the can-do town that just may not by Amy Sedaris, Paul Dinello, and Stephen Colbert
If you like the humor of the TV shows "The Colbert Report" and "Strangers with Candy" you'll like this satirical novel.
Try the digital audio player version (aka Playaway) performed by the authors.
Georgina - Countryside
Peony in Love by Lisa See, has turned me on to Chinese historical fiction. After reading her previous book, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, I couldn't wait to read her next. I was not disappointed. I am reading Peony's last chapter and it is a superb read. A learning experience in Chinese culture as well as a chronicled awakening of feminism in the early women poets of China, See juxtaposes her story against an opera the protagonists watch and it flows seamlessly excelling in imagery and meaningful symbolism.
Tracey - Main
Stumbling On Happiness by Daniel Gilbert
Written in the same light and engaging style as Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Blink by Malcom Gladwell, Gibert introduces the idea that what we think makes us happy really doesn't. We, as humans, spend a lot of time focusing on and preparing for some moment in the future in which we will be "happy." His thesis, that even though we engage in this activity (consciously and unconsciously), and attempt to control that future, we don't know who we will be or what we will be feeling then, so how can we prepare for and predict what will make us happy then.
An interesting and somewhat thought-provoking read.
Choke by Chuck Palahniuk
Amusing...isn't the right word, but it's the first word that comes to mind. The tale of a sex addict con artist whose daytime job is in a Colonial-period theme park and whose night job is choking in restaurants to pay for his mother's nursing home care. In typical Palahniuk style, it's at turns disturbing, insightful, interesting, funny and off-putting, but always worth reading.
Ann - Main
Our book group just read Light on Snow by Anita Shreve and we enjoyed it. This author generally includes themes of love and loss in her stories. In this she also explores family relationships, the responsibilities we have to one another through thick and thin.
A pre-teen Nicky Dillon and her father are starting a new life in rural New Hampshire following a family tragedy. As they finally settle into familiar routines, an unexpected "find" one snowy day encroaches on the natural order of their lives. When they stumble upon a newborn baby left abandoned in the woods, little do they realize the tempest that is about to follow.
Joanne - East
Metro Girl by Janet Evanovich - silly and light
6th Target by James Patterson - typical Patterson
Chasing the Dime by Michael Connelly - not finished yet
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See - Chinese foot binding, etc. Other than the foot binding, a sweet book.
Bob - Main
The Seven Daughters of Eve by Bryan Sykes also La Storia by Jerre Mangione & Ben Morreale.
Lisa - North Greenwood
The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer
Before you say, "Yuk, another memoir about a bunch of barfly alcoholics", read this book. It was one I didn't want to end. This is the story of JR, a boy growing up fatherless in Manhasset, Long Island. He and his mother live with his dysfunctional grandparents with off and on with a house full of cousins and Uncle Charlie, a bartender at the local bar. This book poetically tells the story of JR's life, as a young boy listening to the airwaves searching for his father's voice, a DJ who left him and his mother, how JR grows older, follows his dream of going to Yale, falls in love, works as a copy boy at the New York Times, and of course, spends a lot of time with his "family" of friends at the bar...
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
A cub reporter, Camille, returns to her small Midwest Missouri hometown to cover a murder of a young girl. She stays with her mother, step-sister, and "father", while covering the story. Camille who has a history of self mutilation, faces her past, her unmotherly mother, her alien 13 year-old stepsister, twenty years her junior, who appears to be a girl scout, but is into sex, drugs, and rock and roll. While delving into the lives of her former neighbors and classmates, Camille becomes friends with a detective from outside assigned to the case. She discovers what appears to be the truth about her mother while trying to report on the case, being swept up in the past memories of her hometown and getting to know her sister and herself... A first novel by the author. I am looking forward to her second!
Laura - Main
I was just perusing my Entertainment Weekly's Fall movie preview issue, and they've made No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy into a movie. It was such an interesting book; it's exactly why I read fiction books. It set me down in the middle of this situation, and acquainted me with some terrifically compelling people. By sheer happenstance a man is running for his life from a complete psychopath, with a couple million dollars in a satchel from a drug deal gone bad in the middle of rural Texas. The story follows from the perspective of the killer, the cop trying to solve the many killings, and the guy on the run with the money. It was a fabulous book; it has the makings of a great movie too, in November (Coen brothers!) Seriously violent, but it's writing at it's best.
Nanci - Countryside
For a fun no brainer summer read , I liked Quickie, by James Patterson, it was recommended by a friend, I don't normally read him, but I did enjoy this, as it had lots of twists and turns and I had no idea where it was going. Lots of surprises and had my attention the whole time. TRY it.
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June 22nd, 2007
01:04 pm - more staff picks
On Chesil Beach - Ian McEwan On Chesil Beach is a short novel set in 1962 about a newlywed couple, Edward and Florence. On their wedding night, find they can not overcome an obstacle in their relationship and their short marriage is bitterly torn apart… This book is very different from McEwan’s other novels. One of my favorites by McEwan is Atonement. You may want to try read it too. (Lisa, North Greenwood) Anything by Charlotte Douglas is a fun, quick read. She sets her female-cop mysteries in our area, so you'll read about Harbor Oaks, and risking your life driving on US 19. Her protagonist starts as a policeman, in her second book her police department is downsized and she and her boyfriend start a PI firm. Enjoyable stuff, great for a plane trip! Pelican Bay, Holidays are Murder, Spring Break are the titles CPLS has in the series. (Laura, Main) For Golf enthusiasts only A Good Walk Spoiled by John Feinstein is the best book I've ever read on golf. (Laurie, Main) Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations--One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin Spellbinding account of climber Greg Mortenson's difficult and dangerous quest to build schools in the wildest parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan. This book is beautifully written. It begins with an account of Mortenson descending from a failed attempt to reach the peak of K2. Exhausted and disoriented, he wanders away from his companions into the most desolate area of northern Pakistan. Residents of an impoverished village nurse him back to health. While recovering, he observes children of the village scratching their lessons in the dirt with sticks. And, as they say, the rest is history! This is a perfect book group read. (Ann, Main)
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June 19th, 2007
04:33 pm
Tis that time of year again & here’s our staff picks for summer reading. Enjoy some of these hot reads! Pomegranate Soup - Marsha Mehran.
It's a fictional account of three young Iranian women, having lived during the "troubles" in Iran, they immigrate to a little town in Ireland, and open a restaurant. It's a very interesting slice of life, lots of probably pretty historically accurate events that occurred in modern-day Persia. And it includes recipes (another of those), opening each chapter. A fun read, along the lines of Chocolat. (Laura – Main) Claire Fontaine, crime fighter: a novel of life, death…and shoes - Tracey Enright.
When Claire Fontaine (sexy, single, glamorous and rich) gets a job as assistant to Harry Bennett, a (fat and sloppy) P.I., there are bound to be clashes. The two investigate the murder of a young woman (a probable victim of a serial killer) and visit everything from luxurious homes to the most disreputable of Los Angeles “dives.” While Claire’s questions frequently irritate Harry, she often comes up with good observations and gets more information by bonding with some of the people they question. Much as Claire wants to solve the murder, she also wants to become really involved with her handsome but mysterious neighbor. A stylish, humorous mystery with some dark edges. (Linda – Beach) Stormbreaker – Anthony Horowitz
After his kind & loving but somewhat mysterious uncle/guardian is killed, Alex Ryder, age 14, is recruited to follow in the man’s footsteps - as a spy! His first job is to find out why a wealthy man wants to give a magnificent computer, Stormbreaker, to every secondary school in England, and he risks his life over and over to find out the answer. At one point he thinks, “Whoever these people were, they had tried to run him down, to cut him in half, and to incinerate him. He had to find a way out before things really got serious.” But Alex does have some “high-tech” devices to help him, including zit cream a yo-yo, and a Game Boy that masquerade as something else. An exciting, action-filled, fun book, especially for boys. The first in a series. (Linda – Beach) The god of animals: a novel - Aryn Kyle. I really enjoyed this book. It is about a young girl who is growing up on a horse ranch. The relationships with family and people who pass though her life. (Nanci – Countryside) Riding lessons - by Sara Gruen. Annemarie Zimmer was a champion equestrian and Olympic contender until a tragic accident destroyed both her riding career and her beloved horse, Harry. Twenty years later, after losing her job and facing a divorce, she retreats (with her teenage daughter) to her parents’ horse farm. There she must deal with many issues: her father, dying from ALS; the rebellion of her troubled daughter; the difficulties in running the farm; the discovery (&subsequent obsession) of a horse that looks just like Harry; and the possible rekindling of a long-ago romance. Sequel: Flying changes (Linda – Beach) Neuromancer – William Gibson
One of the first in the cyberpunk genre, and often considered the archetypical cyberpunk work, this new classic follows Case, a drug-addicted, self-destructive, unemployed computer hacker. Having cheated a former employer who retaliated by damaging his nervous system, Case is no unable to use the tools needed to effectively hack – specifically the direct computer/brain interface. Case is “saved” from his destruction by Molly, who forcibly recruits him for an unknown mission, for a basically unknown employer, Armitage. Gripping and interesting, Neuromancer is one book you can’t put down. (Tracey – Main)
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April 7th, 2007
11:15 am - more Staff Picks
If you loved Harry Potter and just can't wait for volume 7 to arrive in July, you might want to fill in the time with some similar reads. I have two series I would like to recommend. The "Bartimaeus Trilogy" by Jonathan Stroud includes The Amulet of Samarkand. The Golem's Eye, and Ptolemy's Gate. With lots of magic and intrigue, not to mention a djinni, it will keep you reading. Christopher Paolini's first two books, Eragon and Eldest, have the lure of dragons. Don't worry that they are classified Youth. The best fantasy usually is. - Barbara P.
I just finished American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang the Printz award winner for this year. What's unusual about it is that it's a graphic novel. I'm too much of an old foof to really enjoy a graphic novel because I enjoy the writer's choice of words, but the story is interesting and has a surprise at the end. It's been told before (the poor Chinese immigrant picked on by the insensitive Americans) and I don't see that the graphic element adds much (I will admit the fart was interestingly handled), but it's a quick read (three lunch breaks) and could open the eyes of some young adult readers. - Larry H.
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April 5th, 2007
06:44 pm - Spring Staff Picks
Check out these great books that CPLS staff are reading!
The book of lost things, by John Connolly
It's a story about a 12 year old kid who's mother has just died. His father remarries, a World War is going on around them (this takes place in the British countryside), and he takes refuge in reading fairytale stories. When the books start whispering to him is when he enters into his very own fairytale, where the stories come to life, and he must deal with real (?) monsters. A great find, from an author whose previous works are mostly thrillers. You'll read this in a couple of nights! - Laura D.
Funny Boy and Swimming in the Monsoon Sea by Shyam Selvadurai
They both recount the lives of a boy coming of age in 1980's Sri Lanka. The boy eventually realizes that he is gay. This self-realization is difficult enough to deal with but life is difficult anyway due to the civil unrest that is taking place in Sri Lanka between the Tamil group and the Sinhala group. Funny Boy, the author's first book, is quite political and is a nice sociological study of Sri Lanka, but there is a romance between the protagonist and a schoolmate. Swimming in the Monsoon Sea, which is billed as a Young Adult novel, is a bit less political, but the threat of riots is always in the background. I enjoyed them both very much. - David L.
Eat, Pray, Love By Elizabeth Gilbert
A thirty something, newly divorced women leaves her job on a 12 month hiatus. First she spends three months in Italy learning the language she has always loved, while eating every kind of Italian delicacy she desires to help heal her heart and soul. She then ventures to India on a spiritual journey, culminating her year in Bali where she falls in love. The book gives unique looks into each country traveled as well as the journey of a woman who learns to finally follow her heart. - Lisa K.
Carpe Demon by Julie Kenner
Kate Connor, a retired demon Hunter, is kept busy with the activities of her teenage daughter, toddler son, and a husband who’s running for political office. Then an old man/demon crashes through her kitchen window, and she’s “back in business.” Between carpooling, hosting play-dates, and quickly arranging dinner parties, she’s trying to find out what the evil Goramesh wants so she can stop him, all the while concealing her activities from her family (who don’t know of her past life). Great fun, with a blend of horror, fantasy, domesticity and humor. - Linda H.
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
An entertaining and enlightening look into "the underbelly" of the restaurant industry from an insider with a passion for food and a no nonsense narrative writing style, Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential is a must read if you love food and want to know more about all sides of the culinary world.
Storm Front (Dresden Files) by Jim Butcher
Harry Dresden is a private investigator, police consultant and modern day wizard who helps the "real" world deal with the supernatural world of vampires, werewolves, and ghost, amongst others of the Nevernever. Storm Front, the first book in the Dresden Files series, is a quirky and fun mix of fantasy and detective genres with Harry trying to solve the mysterious murders of a gangster and his mistress, walking a thin line between the police, the criminal underworld, and the supernatural. Just remember, he doesn't do love potions.
Also catch the Dresden Files on the SciFi Channel Sunday nights at 9:00 PM. - Ed T.
Nineteen minutes:a novel by Jodi Picoult
I love this author - another great read. An eye opener about high school today and what our kids live daily. As always with Picoult, a twist you won't believe. - Nanci C.
Anything by Ted Bell, including: Pirate Hawke, Assassin or Nick of Time
Great writer in the way of Clive Cussler and Patterson! - Mike R.
For fans of the historical fiction of England:
I recommend The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory. Her latest is about two of Henry VIII's six wives, Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard. As usual Gregory excels in making history fun. She so shines at historical character development one almost feels sorry for Lady Rochford, whose sworn testimony sent both her husband and his sister Ann to their death.
And just it just so happens... that Carolly Erickson also just published The Last Wife of Henry VIII, perfect timing for the chronologically inclined aficionado of historical fiction. Her account of the life of Catherine Parr is as enjoyable as it is disturbing. Being a woman in the 1500's was not fun even when one survived the beheader. - Georgina A.
Good Faith by Jane Smiley
Anyone who has worked with a real estate agent will appreciate this story of Joe Stratford, an agent who made his living selling nice houses to nice people. In the early 1980s, he begins, almost against his will, to ride the early wave of the real estate boom, when all the rules changed. He gets caught up in the decadence of the times: land speculation, an affair with his business mentor’s (married) daughter, and all the miscellany that goes with that. Like all of Smiley’s books, the sharp wit and outstanding character development and description will make you feel like you know the characters and are part of the story. - Tracey R.
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December 5th, 2006
01:26 pm - 2 more staff picks...
We're big readers around here and 2 more staff have put in their picks:
Georgina (Countryside Library)
The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Setterfield
Dickensian depictions and Austenite astuteness meld in a 20th century Gothic, where twins bond and surprises stun. What a scrumptious treat! Best book I have read since The Kite Runner.
Linda (Beach Library)
Until proven guilty - J.A. Jance
J.P. Beaumont, a Seattle homicide detective, is the “star” in a number of mysteries, but what happens in this book will change his life forever: he meets a beautiful woman, falls in love with and marries her, and then is forced to kill her – all in the space of one week.
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December 2nd, 2006
10:07 am - hot staff picks
Tis the season to read so check out the stuff we're checking out...
Jennifer (Main Library)
Escape from Memory - Margaret Peterson Haddix
Haddix is the queen of suspence youth novels. She also wrote the Shadow Children series. When this book begins, Kira has been hypnotized by her friends at a sleepover. Under hypnosis, she reveals to them about escaping with her Mother from a war and she speaks to them in a foreign language. Kira and her Mother are from California, as far as everyone knows... However, when Kira starts questioning her Mother about the memory that the hypnosis has brought to the surface, her Mother refuses to speak about it and tells Kira that she must never be hypnotized again. The next day Kira's Mother disappears and a stranger named Aunt Memory comes and kidnaps Kira and takes her real home, a place called Crythe. Is Aunt Memory a liberator or just crazy? And what has happened to Kira's Mother? Read Escape from Memory and find out!
Evanly Bodies - Rhys Bowen
This is the latest in the Evan Evans series. Evans is a police detective in Wales. The bodies? There are three of them in this book - they just keep turning up. Is it the work of Muslim extremists or a serial killer? Evan just wants to sort it all out and go home to his new bride, a Welsh school teacher named Bronwen. Quick, charming mysteries and you get to learn a bit of Welsh, as well.
Lisa (Main Library)
The Glass Castle - Jeanette Walls
A touching memoir about a family who despite a multitude of problems (alcoholism, poverty, moving to new cities and towns) still end up with bonds that can not be broken and childhood dreams that can not be crushed. An almost unbelievable story about relationships, enduring love, and hope.
Candy (Main Library)
The Hannah Swensen mysteries by JoAnn Fluke.</b>She is the owner of a shop called the Cookie Jar and keeps discovering dead bodies everywhere she goes it seems. She is into amateur sleuthing. They are quite mild but entertaining.
David (North Greenwood Library)
Driving Home: My Unforgettable Super Bowl Run - Jerome Bettis.
Bettis is a former Pittsburgh Steelers running back and it's a detailed biography of his life on-and-off the football field, mainly covering his final season that finished with a SuperBowl championship fairytale ending.
Kent (Main Library)
Imperium - Robert Harris
A fictionalized account of the early career of the great Roman orator and politician M. Tullius Cicero, as told by his slave/secretary Tiro.
Vividly depicts the corrupt politics of the late Roman Republic.
Barbara (Main Library)
Eldest - Christopher Paolini
The second book in the Inheritance Series. Eragon is the first title and the movie will be out soon. Don’t be put off by the fact that this book is in the Young Adult area. This series will be a classic for Dragon and Fantasy lovers!
Nanci (Countryside Library)
Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen
Refreshing and not a repetitive fictional read about circus life.
Ann (East Library)
If you like British mysteries, try one of the Alan Banks series by Peter Robinson. I'm reading A Dedicated Man at the moment, the second in this gritty police procedural series. Chief Inspector Alan Banks is investigating the death of a wealthy retired professor. Unfortunately he was well-liked and Banks can't find any motives for his killing. Another villager has gone missing, this time a young teen girl. Does her disappearance have a connection with his death? I'm not telling!
Daise (Main Library)
Los ojos the mi princesa - Carlos Cauautemoc Sanchez
Winner of the Youth Literature National Award. Besides being one of the most beautiful love stories I have read, this book is a wonderful guide to facing difficult, as well as happy situations in life. It is a masterpiece in helping adolescents to cope with all their physical changes, and most of the challenging situations they have to face during this crucial stage of their lives.
Artur (East Library)
Pompeii: A novel - Robert Harris
A great fiction book about one of the most horrible catastrophes in history. Venture back into the past and relive the great days of the Roman Empire!
Linda (Beach Library)
SAHM I am - Meredith Efken
Six stay-at-home-moms (SAHMs) living in the U.S. give advice & use their Christian faith to help each other with various problems (a traveling husband, a child’s health, difficulty in conceiving, etc.). Despite the fact that this story is told entirely through e-mails, each of the characters comes alive on the page. It’s interesting how the self-righteous leader of the group (extremely irritating to the other women and to us) gains sympathy as it’s shown how her own sister treats her.
Jen (Main Library)
Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
A teen fantasy story about a new girl in town who falls head over heels in love with a boy only to discover that he is no ordinary boy...he is a vampire.
Tracey (Main Library)
Sweetness In the Belly - Camilla Gibb
Orphaned in Africa by her wandering parents, white, British-born Lilly is raised Muslim in a Moroccan shrine. As a teen, she makes a pilgrimage to Ethopia, where most of the story takes place. Told in flashbacks from London, where Lilly moved after being forced to leave Africa, the times of drought, famine and political unrest are beautifully illustrated and we not only see the story of the destruction of a country through the eyes of a foreigner, but also the turmoil of love and desire for the unattainable.
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