Here is what you can find on the shelves that is new next week. Come in and visit us, or put your items on hold from home! We will let you know when they are ready for you to pick up!

It has been a hard week for us.  Lots of atrocious weather and equipment malfunctions.  We are hopeful that the weekend will be sunny, warm and lovely.  And speaking of this weekend, it is Father’s Day and we want to wish a very happy one to all who are fathers out there.  We hope you know who you are. 

This week we have a piece of shared cheese,  lots cooking, a barren landscape that is both literal and figurative,  drug induced criminal activities,  Cape Cod, time travel,  Nazis, more Chicks with Bricks (they’re back!), South Africans,  Darwin and a whole new obsession.

Let us begin!

Welcome this week to first timer Thomas S.  Thomas is going to be a sophomore at UConn this fall.  He works in Materials Management and he is smart, kind and funny.  And yes, he is my son.  And yes, I made him do this. “The Telling Room:  A Tale of Love, Betrayal, Revenge and the World's Greatest Piece of Cheese by Michael Paterniti tells the account of a freelance food journalist on a journey to find the maker of what is considered to be the greatest piece of cheese in the world. The book is partly a memoir of the experience of finding the maker of the cheese while the other part is a telling of how the cheese maker in question lived his life. As one reads this they can't help but feel a connection to both the narrator and the cheese maker. The themes of entering adulthood and parenthood are discussed, and it adds to the overall humanity that is expressed in this wonderful book.”

Steph has also just finished The Telling Room by Michael Paterniti. "Though it is a good story about cheese and an even better travel memoir, this book  shines most brightly as a meditation on storytelling. It took Paterniti many years to finish this book, and much of  the book is dedicated to explaining why. He wanted so badly to tell the story that the book cover is trying to sell you; a noble Castilian rediscovers his family’s cheese and begins to make it in the traditional manner then is brutally robbed by a friend and above all by modern capitalism,and  becomes a symbol of all that’s gone wrong in society and what we’ve lost in the quest for efficiency and profit. He couldn’t write that book though, because the story is more complex than that. So he wrote this one instead. He is just a great writer—funny and honest and compassionate, with a keen eye for important detail. The only strike against this book is that Paterniti has all too ably described a delicious cheese that I will never get to eat. That is a cruelty from which most books could not recover, but The Telling Room is not most books.”

Krishna is in a decidedly summer reading mode this week.  “Firstly I read, The Girl's Guide to Love and Supper Clubs by Dana Bate. Hannah Sugarman hates her job in DC, is constantly reminded of her parents brilliant academic minds and a boyfriend that would be perfect if he wasn't so self-absorbed and maybe possibly in love with his best friend, our protagonist's catty co-worker. What she does love though is cooking but that's not a real job, well it's not one that is respected by her colleagues.  When she finds herself, homeless boy- friendless and at her wits ends she starts running an underground supper club in her new landlord's townhouse. Hilarity, self-discovery and deliciousness ensue.   I also enjoyed A Perfect Proposal by Kate Fforde because sometimes you want to read a book where you know what's going to happen.  I call this The Hallmark syndrome. The sweet unassuming girl will get to marry the rich, handsome suitor and they will all live happily ever after. Kate Fforde has an ease to her writing that is rather reminiscent of Betty Neel's sweet romances. In this tale our sweet unassuming protagonist is Sophie, a girl living in the shadow of her highly academic family, and who loves sewing,cooking and her best friends.

John is proving that no man is an island. “This week, I'm reading a book that begins with a barren woman on a barren island in the middle of an ocean.  I'm almost finished with M. L. Stedman's The Light Between Oceans and it's killing me.  It's a beautiful novel about the aforementioned woman and her husband, a lighthouse-keeper, living alone on an island at the confluence of the Indian and Pacific oceans. After multiple miscarriages, Isabelle is about to give up on having a child, and life, when a boat containing a dead man and a living infant washes ashore.  She convinces her husband to not report the incident and together they pretend the child is theirs.  But blood is thicker than water and some secrets just cannot be kept...”

Barbara M. is still jet lagged so there is no Paris or Nazis this week.  Wake up Barbara!  “I am almost finished with Maya’s Notebook by Isabel Allende. Allende has done it again; written a beautifully constructed, lyrical story about a young woman’s personal journey both figuratively and literally.  The story unfolds with two narratives; one about Maya’s drug-induced criminal activities in the United States and the other on a remote island in Chile where she goes to recover. Her writing is, as usual, exquisite. I will read anything Allende writes and this book is not disappointing.”

Jeanne however is staying true to form and doing two things at once.  “I am reading Wise Men by Stuart Nadler, but this may have to end soon. I am about one third of the way through and while I find the promise of family secrets intriguing, the writing, and especially the conversation, is trite. Set mostly in a fictional Cape Cod town in the 1950s, the main character Hilton "Hilly" Wise is the teenage son of a successful, suddenly wealthy Jewish lawyer. But the book doesn't make it as a coming-of-age journey even though Hilly befriends Lem, a black man who is the Wise family's cottage "boy" and his niece, the nubile Savannah. There's not enough connection with characters, scenes or words. I want more dots connected. We'll see...   In the car I am listening to Life After Life by Kate Atkinson and read by actress Fenella Woolgar, whose lovely voice and English, but unique, way of speaking captivates me as does the story. From the very beginning, the story drew me in with the mystery of Ursula Todd's birth and life(lives) early in the 20th century. The author paints a landscape of that time period that is romantic, yet unsettling, as Ursula lives her life again and again as she is reincarnated to change past events. Not knowing that I was reading this book, someone asked me if I would rather change something about the past or travel to the future. Between this book and that question, I am thinking about the possibilities. Who says you can't go back?"

Sweet Ann is as usual reading the darkest stuff she can get her hands on.  I sometimes wonder if she has a secret life. “I am reading The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian.  This is a historical fiction novel based in Tuscany in 1943.  Italy was part of the Axis countries at this time and was occupied by the Germans who were looking to send Italian masterpieces back to Germany.  The Rosati Family lived in a beautiful villa just south of Florence.  The family became quite involved with the occupying forces.  This caused some tension for the family.  This novel also jumps ahead to 1955 where there is a serial killer who has the remaining Rosatti family members in his/her sights. This is good story that will keep you guessing until the end.  Mr. Bohjalian has written many wonderful novels and he will give you many hours of reading pleasure.

Miss Elisabeth of the CL is also exploring some darkness “This week I read the first memoir I’ve enjoyed in a long time. She Left Me The Gun – My Mother’s Life Before Me chronicles journalist Emma Brockes’ attempts to discover what her mother’s life was like before she immigrated to England in the 60’s. Emma’s mother has always been very secretive about her past. Although she has 7 half siblings whom she speaks of fondly, she never takes the family back to her native South Africa to visit them and she has a strangely cold way of referring to her stepmother by her first name. When Emma’s mother is diagnosed with cancer, she reveals a tantalizing (and horrifying) piece of her story: When she was 22, she took her father to court. All 7 of her siblings testified against him, but he successfully defended himself and was found not guilty.  After her mother’s death, this half-told story spurs Emma to undertake an emotionally taxing journey to her mother’s homeland to discover the horrifying truth of her mother’s life before her. “

Pat T. is not amused at all.  And yes, she will judge you. “ While serving on jury duty this week I thought I would take along, Anne Perry and the Murder of the Century by Peter Graham, an appropriate book to pass the time in the waiting room of a courthouse, right?! I made it through the whole crime scene and then decided I really didn't want to read any more about this case. I felt it was an evil and narcissistic act by two teenage girls, Juliet Hulme and Pauline Parker, in order to satisfy their desire to stay together as friends. However, my co-worker, Marianne, has encouraged me to continue because she felt the novel gives the reader an unbiased account of the crime and the trial, as well as a  good look at the psychological disorder of the teenage girls from the perspective of present day advances in mental health behavior. Stay tuned?!”

Patty McC. is digging into Free to Learn by Peter Gray. “I’ve only just started it but the first line of the prologue grabbed me with “GO TO HELL.”   Peter Gray studies child development from a Darwinian perspective.  The opening line of the prologue was forcefully said by his son to the principal of the school he attended at the time.  This one line changed the course of Peter Gray’s professional and personal life.  Out of concern for his son he redirected his professional career.  He began studying self-directed education, children in general and the human biological underpinnings of education.  This book is the culmination of years of research and his experience in raising his son who found school prison-like.  This is a great book for any parent who has a child struggling with “doing school” and for those who might be seeking alternative education ideas.  I can already tell you that after 7 pages in I am going to LOVE this book!  Yet another must-read education book for my shelf of sweet tasty non-fiction goodness.     “

I don’t think it's  a secret that those of us here on staff have ‘interests’ which border on the unhealthy side of obsession.  We are rather unapologetic about it and we love roping others into our fiery pit of speculation, and need for tawdry detail.  These ‘interests’ in the past have included Grey Gardens and the Edies (Big and Little), Grizzly Man (we can quote dialogue from both just ask at the Welcome Desk), the book Never Enough about the murders of the Kissell brothers (you will never look at Precious Moments figurines the same ever again) and the aforementioned Chicks with Bricks.  So imagine the squealing and excitement hearing that someone who we refer to as Our Girl Huguette was getting her very own book.  For those unfamiliar with Our Girl,  Huguette Clark was a 104 year old reclusive heiress who hid herself away from the world for decades.  She owned fabulous properties in Manhattan, California and New Canaan which she never lived in and she chose to live out her final 20 years in a hospital room.  In the book, Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell Jr., Huguette’s world comes to life.  Do I need to tell you that the woman collected antique dolls?  You know the kind I mean.  The kind with teeth.  This one is due out on September 10th.

Here is what you can find on the shelves that is new next week. Come in and visit us, or put your items on hold from home! We will let you know when they are ready for you to pick up!

Hello again!  We are back from Book Expo and our feet are blistered and beat up, but our book bags are full!  We gleaned a lot of Book Goodness for Adult Summer Reading prizes and for ourselves.  The kickoff is June 19th so make sure you join in.  Also as it promises to be a rainy, not-so-wonderful weekend, why not curl up with a wonderful book?    This week we have some flappers, meth, meth, meth, PARIS! hair straightening, some heat, The Queen, a castle, Poland and some unexpected beauty. 

Let us begin!

Intern Chantalle is wading in some book goodness.  “I am currently knee deep in Libba Bray’s The Diviners. Set in the height of the flapper era, this fast-paced read takes a mysterious turn as a slew of fanatic murders starts cropping up all over Manhattan. Our main character Evie, staying with her uncle who is the director of the Museum of the Occult, becomes involved in more ways than she ever wanted! And it’s linked to Solomon’s Comet! Just what are the Diviners? How can they stop this murderer before it’s too late?”

Steph is also knee deep in something but I don’t think that it is necessarily good. “Surprise! Dr. Feelgood: The Shocking Story of the Doctor Who May Have Changed History by Treating and Drugging JFK, Marilyn, Elvis, and Other Prominent Figures is chockablock with conspiracy theories. I know, with a title like that, who woulda thought it. Anyway, the point of this book is that everybody was doing meth like crazy, thanks to the nutty Dr. Max Jacobson and his ‘vitamin shots.’ Marilyn, JFK, Jackie, Gore Vidal, Eddie Fisher, Cecil B. DeMille, Ingrid Bergman, Spiro Agnew: meth meth meth. Jacobson and his practice are the focus of the story, whenever the story actually has a focus. I wish I could recommend it. I hate saying unkind things about books, but this is just terribly written and the structure makes no sense. It’s a shame because if half of what’s in here is true—and believe it or not, I think it is—there’s a great book waiting to be written about meth and twentieth-century history. I will wait for it patiently, and methlessly.”  I for one am surprised that a book with this much meth would have any structure at all. 

Sweet Ann has just finished Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell. “This novel takes place over a three day period in the summer of 1976 when London was actually suffering through a heat wave.  Ms. O'Farrell makes you feel the heat, not only in the temperature but in the angst of the Riordan Family.  Gretta has been married to Robert for forty years.  They have three children: Michael Francis who is having marital problems, Monica whose step children are making her life quite unhappy and Aoife,(yes you will discover how to pronounce this Gallic name if you read this book), who is now living in New York away from the anger of her sister Monica and her mother's disappointment.  Robert disappears, taking money from the bank and Gretta calls her children home in the hopes of finding her husband and their father.   This is a family filled with many secrets, hurts and misunderstandings.  Ms. O'Farrell takes us back in time when the children were younger and you start to understand the difficulties they have faced. This is quite a good story and I recommend it if you are looking for a family drama with a family that will keep you intrigued and engaged.”

You may have noticed that there has been a certain quiet over the past few weeks.  Barbara M. was gone and traveling around her beloved France.  She is back now.  Not happy about it, but she is back with this offering. “I've just embarked on another epic journey, Paris by Edward Rutherfurd. I’m finding the dialogue stilted and the historical research too apparent but because of the subject I will continue reading it with the hope that it improves.” Welcome back Barbara.  You may not be happy, but we are happy you are back.

Just to keep us guessing Jeanne is only working on one thing this week.  “I am reading Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian author who won the Orange Prize for her brilliant Half of a Yellow Sun in 2007. I first began reading this author after I saw her in a webcast during a diversity panel. Adichie is passionate, compelling and beautiful; just like her books. Americanah is a bit sprawling, with 500 pages, but it's a huge story that she has to tell. This is a boldly written novel about a young Nigerian woman, Ifemelu, who has come to the United States to continue her studies. She begins a blog based on her experience of being an African in America. She posts on her relationships with a white American boyfriend and then a black American boyfriend, body size, hair straightening, the complexities of pan-Africanism and Barack Obama.  Over the years she thinks of Obinze, her boyfriend in Nigeria, who was not as successful as she in obtaining his green card, but who keeps her in his heart, too.”

Abby is having a royal ponder. “I've just started Mrs. Queen Takes the Train, a novel by William Kuhn and it has made me chuckle aloud a few times. Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas Queen, Defender of the Faith, and so on - is feeling a bit down. Being Queen, she can't quite follow the same course as non-royals in seeking help for her blues, so she decides to make her own fun. A spontaneous solo adventure outside the gates of the palace may be just the thing to cheer up Her Majesty. Once her household staff realizes The Queen has gone walkabout, they must figure out where she is off to, and how to discreetly bring her back inside the palace walls without alarming the public. No one could ever accuse the real Elizabeth the Second of shirking her royal duties, but this book does have me thinking about the burden of living such a public and structured life built upon duty on such a grand scale.”

Pat S. is reading Embers by Sandor Marai.  “Marianne unearthed this jewel for me and I am truly in her debt. Originally written in 1942 in Hungarian, Embers has only recently been translated and made available in English. Taking place in the decline of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Embers opens in a castle at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains. There, an aging aristocratic General waits to dine with his best friend Konrad whom he has not seen in 41 years. Over the course of dinner in one long evening, the two shall relive a chain of events involving the Generals' beloved and long dead wife-which culminated in the end of a marriage and the end of the relationship between these most trusted friends. Essentially, this is an exposition on friendship, honor, betrayal, revenge and remorse-and the ultimate weight of any of these emotions at the end of the day. This is beautifully and touchingly written, and like all masterpieces, timeless.”

Pat T. is checking out something new. “I have just finished reading the debut novel The Lullaby of Polish Girls by Dagmara Dominczyk and found it to be a good coming of age story, as well as a story of friendship among three young girls, Anna, Kamila and Justyna.  The novel is set in the present time and flashes back to their childhood and young adulthood and each character tells her story in alternating chapters. Anna immigrated to the United States from Poland with her parents as a child and returns each summer to visit her ‘Babcia’ and renew her friendship with Kamila and Justyna. As young adults, the three friends struggle with decisions they have made, how their lives are unfolding and discover their friendship sustains them through it all.”  Dagmara will be coming to speak on July 25th.  Mark the calendar!

For those keeping track, The Jen List of Wonderful for the Year is as follows, Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life, Colum McCann’s Transatlantic and now we have a new entry: A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett.  Lindhout escaped her brutal childhood by escaping into the pages of National Geographic.  She promised herself that she would see the world depicted in the glossy pages and she kept her promise.  By waitressing and bartending she was able to travel to exotic locales and in the process she found her life’s calling as a journalist.  All this comes to a crashing halt, however, when she travels to Mogadishu, Somalia where she is kidnapped on her fourth day there.  Corbett’s writing is exquisite and it brings a beauty to Lindhout’s story which is far from beautiful.  I am wild for this book which comes out in September.

Here is what you can find on the shelves that is new next week. Come in and visit us, or put your items on hold from home! We will let you know when they are ready for you to pick up!

I am pleased to report that this week we have some of our tried and true elements back.  Also, please note that there will not be a YAWYR next week.  We are gone all week at Book Expo America or as I like to call it, Christmas in May.  This is Publishing’s big trade show for the year and it is where we learn all about what we need to be excited about for the year to come.  So while we will be quiet next week, rest assured that we are still ferreting out Book Goodness for you.  This week we have Crazy Cat Neighbor, boys and obits, WW II, some mental illness, England, and the myth of having it all.

Let us begin!

Erin is currently watching The Details with Tobey Maguire and Laura Linney.   “I am almost at a loss for words when it comes to describing this film. Jeff and Nealy have what appears to be the perfect marriage. They have just celebrated their 10th anniversary and are busy caring for their blonde, curly-haired baby. All is not as it seems to be though as Nealy has lost all sexual desire for her husband. As Jeff (Tobey Maguire) channels his energy into caring for the perfect lawn by chasing away a family of raccoons, he sets off a chain reaction of infidelity, blackmail, and all-out craziness. Laura Linney plays their crazy cat lady neighbor and her performance is hilarious and totally out-of-this-universe. I have decided once and for all though that I just do not like Tobey Maguire. Sorry!”

Jeanne is being reassuringly normal.   Two things at once.  That’s our Jeanne.  “In the car I am listening to The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout who won a Pulitzer Prize for Olive Kitteridge in 2009. So I have great hopes for this novel because I loved that short story collection. Both books are set in Maine, Strout's home state. I also want to discover why the author chose to title the book The Burgess Boys (Jim and Bob) and left out the sister (Susan) who, from the beginning seems to be integral to the story; besides being a twin. The boys, both lawyers now in New York City are called home to the small town in Maine where their sister has stayed. I am expecting some emotional sibling rivalry.  I am reading The Obituary Writer by Ann Hood, mostly because I am fascinated by reading actual obituaries and I love the circa 1920 cover photograph. Once again, JFK's life provides material for a storyline, as the modern-day main character, Claire struggles with a life-changing decision on the day of his inauguration. The story alternates between two time periods with Claire in the sixties and back to Vivien, the obituary writer, in the twenties. I like how Vivien wants to write about who a person was, rather than what they did. This is my first read of this author, but so far it is easy to keep turning pages.”

Stephanie is working on her TBR (that’s To Be Read for the Uninitiated) pile.” Finally read Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein and really liked it. It was much more complex than I had expected (that’s what I get for underestimating YA!) and refreshingly original, a hard trick to pull off in a WWII book.  It has great crossover potential, especially for readers who liked The Book Thief. I’d love to attend a book group discussion about it; we could talk about just the characters and their motives for hours, let alone the rest of it!”

Sweet Ann is reading The Illicit Happiness of Other People by Manu Joseph.  This is an intriguing novel filled with strong characters that are very well developed.  Ousep Chacko is searching once again, three years later, after his seventeen year old son, Unni, committed suicide.  He sought out Unni's friends, teachers and acquaintances when Unni first died and never discovered the reason his son did what he did.  He begins his search anew after a cartoon Unni had been working on is delivered to the house after it was lost in the mail for three years.  Doggedly he begins harassing the people who knew Unni to see if they remember anything or know about this newly found cartoon.  People dread his approach.  This is a story of a mother's breakdown, a son's love, mental illness, secrets and a family struggling to remain a family. This novel sweeps you into Southern India and the Chacko family.

Miss Elisabeth is revisiting a favorite: “This week I re-read one of my favorite children’s books, Good Night, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian. I was writing about the tv-movie adaptation for the ALSC Blog and decided to revisit an old favorite. This is a truly gorgeous read. It won the IRA Children’s Book Award in 1982, and if it didn’t have a heinously awful cover, I’m sure it would be read by many, many people. The story takes place in England at the beginning of WWII. Young William Beech is evacuated from London to the countryside with thousands of other children, and is taken in by an angry misanthrope named Thomas Oakley. Mr. Tom, as William calls him, is forced to take William as a part of the war effort, but he quickly realizes he needs William just as much as William needs him. William comes from an abusive home – his psychotically religious mother beats him with a heavy belt on a near-daily basis for his 'sins' Under the care of Mr. Tom, William slowly begins to heal. All is well for several months, until a letter arrives in the mail – William’s mother wants him to come home. This story spans the entirety of the war, and introduces you to a host of characters you want to meet again and again. I cannot recommend it highly enough. “

Pat T. is taking a look at some new feminist thought.” I have just finished reading Lean In:  Women Work and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg and I would highly recommend this to every woman, young and old, as well as the men in their lives. The author writes about women in the workplace and how we have not made significant enough strides and changes in the workforce for women. Some of the reasons for this is women undermine their abilities, lack self-confidence and attempt unattainable goals of ‘having it all’. A woman's significant other needs to be a partner in all aspects of life- from child rearing to household tasks, as well as supporting each other's professional goals. One other interesting point the author makes is that woman should not focus on climbing the corporate ladder, but rather view their professional development as a jungle gym, sometimes making lateral moves to attain their ultimate goals.”

Here is what you can find on the shelves that is new next week. Come in and visit us, or put your items on hold from home! We will let you know when they are ready for you to pick up!

Again this week we have some missing elements.  I offer no excuses or explanations. I know it’s disconcerting, but yes, this is still You Are What You Read.  This week we have some Chinese, action figures, a castle, a mash-up that has no business existing but we are not judging, anarchy, good books, a bad man, Everest, and a Southern Sojourn. 

Let us begin.

Alan is reading pretty true to type here. “I’ve just read The Shanghai Factor by Charles McCarry. It’s very much in the same line as many of his other well-written, intelligent, good-with-the-little-details spy novels. In this one, a young agent is undercover in China, is targeted (or is he?) by the Chinese intelligence services, and soon finds himself with a very attractive girlfriend, an interesting job, and lots of enigmatic leads. He’s pulled back to the US and recruited for a deep cover assignment, mentored by a legendary spy. Soon he finds himself caught in the cross-currents, trying to keep his head (at least once, literally) above water. There’s some interesting tradecraft, wheels within wheels, and maybe things get settled up at the end a little too fast, but overall, a very satisfying book.”

Miss Kiera of the CL is reading Doll Bones by Holly Black.  “This is one of the 2013 Booktalking Selections for fourth and fifth grade. Each year the children's librarians create lists of our very favorite new books for each grade. We visit every classroom in Darien to tell kids about the books and get them excited for Summer Reading. Doll Bones is one of my personal favorites this year. It's dark, creepy, and well-crafted. It's the story of three friends: Zach, Alice, and Poppy, who have been playing together since they were little. Using action figures and a rather scary-looking old porcelain doll, they have created an elaborate fantasy world in which they make-believe daring adventures. When Zach's dad tells him he's too old to play with dolls, things begin to unravel. Just as Zach decides to abandon their games forever, Poppy reveals that the doll is haunted by the spirit of a girl who was killed long ago and the three friends embark on a real-life quest to return the haunted doll to her grave. So much more than a terrific ghost story, Doll Bones is also a story about growing up, about friends drifting apart and finding each other again.”

The Amazing Amanda is back to finish the Graceling series by Kristin Cashore that she reviewed a few weeks ago. “Bitterblue is the sequel to Graceling. Set eight years later, we follow the adventures of the Princess Bitterblue who was rescued by the Gracelings Katsa and Prince Po from the previous book. At eighteen, Bitterblue has spent the last eight years in her tower signing off on land treaties and other boring paperwork. She hardly knows the layout of her own castle, let alone a thing about the daily lives of her people. Feeling restless, she begins sneaking out at night to explore her city. In the city’s underbelly, she discovers a group of people who want to bring to the light the atrocities committed under her father’s reign. These truth-seekers are being killed by others who want to keep their past crimes hidden. Bitterblue is suspected as the one behind the murders even though her new companions have no idea of her real identity. In a kingdom where everyone is determined to keep silent, can Bitterblue right the wrongs without losing everything?  Other readers on Goodreads left negative reviews of this book as they were expecting a heroine like Katsa. Bitterblue is in a difficult situation and I find this book refreshing. While other authors may have left Bitterblue to sort out her country without looking into the process, I enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at her struggle. I skipped the second book in the series, Fire, on the recommendation that it had very little to do with the current story. “

John has a request this week. “I'm decompressing from my last read with A Discovery of Witches.  It's sort of a Twilight-meets-Dan-Brown.  To be honest, I have no idea why I'm reading it, but it's entertaining and I'm caught up in the story now.  Don't judge me.”  John, we don’t judge.  At least not out loud.

Miss Elisabeth of the CL is taking suggestions!  “This week I'm reading a dystopian science-fiction novel our own Alan Gray recommended, S.M. Stirling's Dies the Fire. At the start of the book, something awful happens. There is a flash of white in the sky, and all mechanical and electrical things on earth stop working. Planes fall out of the sky. Cars run off the road. Submarines sink to the bottom of the ocean. And humanity is instantly plunged back to a lifestyle not seen for a thousand years. With no cars, no electricity, no guns, and no way to ship food anywhere in the world, society quickly devolves into anarchy. Government collapses, and in its place, loose groups of like-minded citizens try to make their way in this strange new world. Juniper Mackenzie and her coven quickly retreat to her grandfather's farm in the Oregon Mountains where they hope to farm peacefully, while Mike Havel, a former Ranger, tries to lead his growing clan to safe land. With a medieval history professor bent on setting up a violent fiefdom in Portland and citizens all over resorting to cannibalism, Dies the Fire asks an uncomfortable question: What would you do if the lights went out for good?”

Erin is listening to The End of Your Life Book Club on audio. “When Will Schwalbe’s mother is diagnosed with an advanced stage of pancreatic cancer, he spendst a lot of time accompanying her to chemo visits. Because they are both huge readers, they start to informally discuss the books they’re reading which leads to some overlap. This memoir is an ode to good books, family, and to use a cliché: the ties that bind. Will Schwalbe will be here June 5!”  I for one am most excited about Will’s visit.  I loved this book.

Stephanie is showing her dark side.  Again. “I treasure books like The Good Nurse, by Charles Graeber, and the way they are invested in finding answers to human depravity without melodrama, because while I love me some Law & Order, it’s always over the top. This is true crime so gruesome I don’t think Law & Order has even attempted an inspired-by episode: about Charles Cullen, known as ‘The Angel of Death.’ It would need to be a multi-part episode. Cullen was a nurse who skipped from hospital to hospital in the tri-state area for years, killing vulnerable patients with drug cocktails so haphazardly that he doesn’t even remember all of them, for reasons he can’t really define. On Law & Order, this could go one of two ways: a twisted mercy killer, or a sadistic sociopath. The truth is much more complicated. And Graeber, with the help of many previously unknown resources, including interviews with the informant who was the linchpin of Cullen’s trial, does an amazing job of unraveling the truth of the matter, as well as anybody can in this circumstance. Cullen is clearly a bad man, but Graeber is not interested in the morality play of scolding him. He is interested in understanding him. He gets pretty close to doing so. And that’s why this book is completely chilling and great.”

Lois has just finished Above All Things by Tanis Rideout.  “This is a historical fiction novel of 3-time Everest climber George Mallory during his last and fatal attempt to reach the summit in 1924.  After 2 dangerous and unsuccessful attempts, George has promised his wife, Ruth that he will not leave her and their 3 small children again.  But he is haunted by those failures, as well as his perceived failures during his service in WWI, and when the opportunity presents itself to try again, George accepts without consulting Ruth.  The book beautifully blends Ruth’s world, her unconditional love for George, and her anger and fear with George’s unrelenting need for glory and redemption.  It pulled me into both realties and I couldn’t put it down. “

I am preparing for an upcoming trip to North Carolina by reading Lookaway, Lookaway by Wilton Bernhardt.  Although, I am pretty sure that my traveling companion would not want this to be my initial impression.  Yeah.  Actually I am positive that this is the case. The chapter on pledging Greek at Chapel Hill pretty much cinches that.  Anyway, Jerene Jarvis Johnston is the matriarch of a proud upper class family and despite her best efforts her carefully constructed world is beginning to unravel.  Bernhardt’s writing style reminds me a lot of Tom Wolfe (think Bonfire of the Vanities).  This one is due out in August.

Here is what you can find on the shelves that is new next week. Come in and visit us, or put your items on hold from home! We will let you know when they are ready for you to pick up!