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At BCPL Newsletters | Book Lists | Book Lovers' Corner | Collections | Hot Titles | Unique Critiques |
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Unique Critiques: Staff Reviews for 2011
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012
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December 2011 |
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By Shaun Tan
This ingeniously illustrated teen graphic novel contains three stories. In “The Red Tree,” a girl seems sad and separated from everyone. A small red leaf blows into her room and fills it with dead leaves. A giant fish hovers over the street, casting a dark shadow. In the end she returns to her room to find a brilliant red tree growing. A boy in “The Lost Thing” finds a large, weird contraption left on the beach. The thing seems alive and hopeful and he takes it with him to look for the owner. Eventually he finds the perfect place for it when a door opens to a strange but wonderful world, where things that don’t belong anywhere find happiness. “The Rabbits” was originally published by John Marsden. This metaphorical story shows one race taking over another’s country and the devastation that occurs. Tan is a brilliant artist with a gift for creating stories that take your imagination to new worlds. – Suzanne (CA) |
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By Jeff Guinn
The Last Gunfight is a myth-busting retelling of the story of the O.K. Corral – and how that 30-second fight has resonated in Western lore ever since. The author is a Texan historian/novelist whose way of telling the story can get a little irritating – does every break in the narrative require a cliff-hanger? But his research is thorough and his conclusions seem logical, at least to a non-specialist. I particularly like that he admits when his version of events doesn’t jibe with the common view, but he so convincingly recreates the times and events that after reading, you want to go back and watch all the Wyatt Earp movies and see what they got wrong. Or maybe that’s just me. – Bryce (CA)
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Following Atticus: Forty-Eight High Peaks, One Little Dog and an Extraordinary Friendship By Tom Ryan
Following Atticus is the true story of an overweight middle-aged newspaper editor, Tom Ryan, and an extraordinary Miniature Schnauzer. After the death of a beloved friend, Ryan decides to climb all 48 of New Hampshire’s 4,000-foot peaks twice during the winter to raise money for cancer. What appears to be an impossible feat is really only one of many tests that Tom faces in this story. As a journalist in a small New England town, he endures the challenges of local politics, comes to accept the difficult relationship he has with his father and makes many lasting friendships along the way. The print version includes wonderful photographs of this remarkable little dog, beautiful scenery and a map of the mountain peaks. I listened to it on CD and was treated to the wonderful reading by the author himself. This is more than a story of a man and his dog. It is part memoir, part adventure, but also a story of transformation and love. – Nancy (CA) |
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By Anne Patchett
Marina Singh is a physician whose work involves pharmaceutical research for the Vogel Pharmaceutical Company. She is asked by her company to go to Brazil to find out what happened to her colleague Anders Eckman. Eckman was sent to Brazil to check on the top secret project that Annick Swenson has been researching concerning the Lakashi tribe, whose women continue to bear children into their 60s and 70s. After many dramatic adventures in the jungle, Marina finally reaches Dr. Swenson’s camp. She soon realizes that there are unorthodox experiments going on which have great worldwide potential. This novel will hold your attention from beginning to end. It is a riveting adventure and it is also a thought-provoking story about moral and ethical decisions in life. – Pat (CA) |
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By Elizabeth Parr
What would happen if the Almighty decided to revamp the Holy Catholic Church? We learned that Jesus ascended into Heaven and left the church in Simon Peter’s hands. The church grew for centuries and became entrenched in volumes of Canon laws, and somewhere along the way, the spirit of the law was lost. What would happen if the Almighty decided to change the direction of the church? Needing a champion here on Earth, the Almighty finds a way to return Saint Peter to Earth to change things. He communicates His plan through a visionary, Father Martin. In Final Gift, we follow the evolution of Saint Peter through a miracle. After Peter Emanuel is elected the supreme Pontiff, he moves forward, identifying and solving the problems faced by the church. His life is a celebration of joy. Blessed with powerful visions of Simon Peter’s life, Peter Emanuel envisions Jesus’s curing of Simon’s mother-in-law, only to be faced with his own mother’s brush with death. The world wonders who this miracle is and what he will do next. In this day of horrible winters filled with ice and record-breaking snowfall, hurricanes causing homelessness, fires burning acres of land, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, unrelenting heat and violence reported daily in the news, this story of what could be is a pleasant interlude of hope and inspiration with a happy ending. – Elizabeth (retiree) |
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The Next Decade: Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going By George Friedman
This is not Republican vs. Democrat, nor Bush vs. Obama. Rather, Friedman uses facts to bolster his view that the U.S. is, in fact, an empire based on the size of our economy. He forecasts shifting alliances and goals among world leaders and then lays out his view of how this will affect our interests. He recommends that the U.S. foster a balance of power among nations, thereby reducing the likelihood of war. He suggests how our leaders, particularly our presidents, should act to protect our interests and to maintain peace. The book is both interesting and highly readable. – Peggy (CO)
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The Case of the Gasping Garbage By Michele Torrey
Drake Doyle and Nell Fossey are the best Science Detectives in the fifth grade. Join them as they solve four mysteries using detective work and science. In The Case of the Gasping Garbage (the first in the series), a neighborhood girl is convinced that a monster is living in her garbage can because the lid keeps gasping. She hires Doyle and Fossey to solve the case. Using tongue-in-cheek humor to satisfy adults and kids, Torrey creates an interesting and funny series that will suck the most reluctant reader into both reading and science. Each case wraps up in two chapters with easy-to-understand scientific explanations. After solving the cases with Doyle and Fossey, the reader is invited to try simple experiments at home to demonstrate the principles described. This series is great for the second to fifth grader who has outgrown First Chapter Books but isn’t ready or willing to dive into a thicker novel. – Diane (HE)
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Created by David Simon
Fans of David Simon’s The Wire and The Corner, either in print or on DVD, have another treat in store with the release of the HBO series Treme. This 2010 series, released on DVD this year, tells the stories of a series of characters in New Orleans immediately post-Katrina. Wendell Pierce (Detective Bunk Moreland from The Wire) reappears as Antoine Batiste, a trombone player trying to scrape together a living from his musical gigs. Clarke Peters (Detective Lester Freamon) is “Indian” Albert Lambreaux who is determined to bring back his tribe for Mardi Gras. Melissa Leo and John Goodman join the cast, she as a lawyer and he as an English professor. And then there’s the New Orleans jazz! More than a sound track, it is ever-present and infectious – good enough to have been released as a separate CD. Enjoy them both. But be warned that the theme song will get stuck in your head. – Julie (CO)
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By Daisy Goodwin
In 1893, beautiful, wealthy and smart American Cora Cash, desperate to escape through marriage her mother’s dominance, proposes to Teddy and is turned down. Cora and her parents yacht off to London, where her mother hopes she will marry into British aristocracy. Soon after arriving, Ivo, the Duke of Wareham, finds Cora unconscious in the woods after a riding accident. Love and a fabulous New York wedding follow. Once installed at Lulworth Castle, Cora finds life difficult when her American ways bring her criticism and embarrassment, her mother-in-law hates her and she realizes that Ivo has a secret past with Lady Charlotte. Cora’s maid, Bertha, adds upstairs/downstairs interest. Goodwin’s debut novel has good dialogue, strong character development and extensive background detail. Readers will be looking for her next novel. – Peggy (CO)
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A Covert Affair: Julia Child and Paul Child in the OSS By Jennet Conant
Far more than a typical biography, this is a history of World War II and its aftermath as told through the amazing life of Julia Child and her associates. Before becoming an international cooking celebrity, California-born Julia McWilliams decided to embark on a great adventure and support the war effort by joining the new Office of Strategic Services. During her first assignment in Far East, Julia began a long unrequited love affair with Paul Child, a worldly OSS artist. Their military and civilian colleagues were fascinating people, especially the charismatic and radical Jane Foster, who always teetered on the brink of disaster. Following the end of the war, the Childs, finally married and in France, and their friends were enveloped in the horrors of the McCarthy era. This thoroughly researched history chronicles OSS exploits in the Far Eastern theater, traces American and international politics and intrigues and provides in-depth character studies of incredible people functioning under impossible circumstances. – Doris (HE) |
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Directed by Peter Adair Premiering at the Castro Theater in San Francisco in 1977, Word Is Out had the simple premise of allowing a diverse group of people to tell their own stories. Having made history as the first feature-length documentary about gays and lesbians made by gay filmmakers, it was almost forgotten. Now restored and on DVD, Word Is Out, proves to still be relevant and moving. Though in some ways a historical document capturing the beginnings of the Gay Rights Movement and the experiences at its roots, the film demonstrates both how far we have come in the intervening 34 years and how far we yet have to go. This is documentary filmmaking at its best. – Robert (ES) |
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Directed by Amir Bar-Lev While many know how Pat Tillman gave up an NFL career to enlist in the Army, what they may not know is the true story of how he died. Bar- Lev’s film examines how, killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan, Tillman’s death was spun into a tale of heroism magnified by a credulous media. His family’s search for the truth, stonewalled at every level, is the thrust of the film. Both maddening and believable, The Tillman Story leaves the viewer stunned and seething for justice. In theend, this is the story of what happens when a government no longer respects the electorate and a disengaged electorate no longer demands the truth, settling instead for tidy fairytales. – Robert (ES) |
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Created by Vince Gilligan The story of Walter White, a former chemistry genius turned high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Having a wife, a son with cystic fibrosis and a new baby on the way, he sets out to provide a legacy for his family after he is gone … by producing the world’s highest quality of crystal meth. Shockingly the cancer goes into remission and he finds himself deeper and deeper in the underground drug trade while simultaneously worrying about his DEA agent brother-in-law who is in hot pursuit of a drug kingpin named Heisenberg, Walt’s self-created street name. – Justin (ES) |
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The Foundling’s Tale: Factotum By D.M. Cornish In the first two books of The Foundling’s Tale, D.M. Cornish established a distinct fantasy world, filled with monsters, mercenaries, pistoleers, swordsman and gritty adventure. In his third installment, Factotum, Cornish seems so distracted by the minutiae of his world that he loses a bit of the adventure. The characters, though still engaging in themselves, are more meandering than driven. The distinct slang that added flavor to the earlier books here becomes distracting. When the lazhar teratologist reaches for her spither to withdraw a nicker’s blood for her next cruorpunxes, the reader spends more time in the glossary than the chapter. Despite some of the misfires, the story of young Rossamund Bookchild, an orphan turned reluctant monster hunter, remains more entertaining than not. The series, as a whole, is a good recommendation for young adults who enjoy dark fantasy with just a few hints of steampunk. – Tyler (ES)
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Wonder Woman: Who Is Wonder Woman? Illustrator Terry Dodson The artwork in this graphic novel is phenomenal! I have seen other artists’ interpretations of Wonder Woman, but Terry Dodson does it best. He composes an image which celebrates Wonder Woman’s strength, prowess and beauty. Being new to Wonder Woman comics, I enjoyed the story too, but the artwork is the real attraction. – April (ES) |
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By William Lychack I love short stories, and I enjoyed reading William Lychack’s Architect of Flowers. The stories deal with the inevitable distance between people in a loving relationship and observe the overlooked moments of everyday life, finding hope in very dark situations. The stories are lovely and poetic and some unbearably painful. A small-town policeman brings himself to shoot a family’s injured dog; an old woman secretly trains a crow to steal for her. These tales portray life’s humiliations as well as its hard jolts. – EJ (PA)
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By Alice LaPlante Dr. Jennifer White is a brilliant, retired orthopedic hand surgeon who becomes the prime suspect in her closest friend’s bizarre murder. Amanda’s body is found with the fingers of one hand expertly amputated, yet Jennifer can barely remember her friend, much less any involvement in her murder. In this astonishing fiction debut, Alice LaPlante leads the reader through the labyrinth of a disintegrating mind ravaged by Alzheimer’s. What makes this novel extraordinary is that it is told entirely, and most convincingly, from Jennifer’s point of view. The story unfolds as a stream of consciousness narrative in which Jennifer struggles to make sense of her reality. As the novel progresses, she experiences increasing confusion and hallucinations, challenging the reader along the way. Through Jennifer’s eyes, we are introduced to other pivotal characters, notably her son and daughter. The murder mystery is secondary to LaPlante’s thoroughly believable character study of a woman’s descent through the stages of dementia. Although Jennifer’s memory is elusive, the reader is privy to moments of clarity that help fill in gaps like pieces of a puzzle. The outcome is at once gripping and heartbreaking, with twists along the way and an ending that is sure to haunt the reader. This complex, thought-provoking novel would make an excellent choice for book club discussions. – Yvette (PA) |
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By S.J. Watson What if you lost your memory every time you woke up? Christine Lucas has a rare type of amnesia that makes her unable to remember anything about her life, and every night when she goes to sleep she once again forgets everything from the day before. She is dependent on her husband, Ben, and a caring doctor to explain what her life was like, what happened to her son and what was the cause of the dreadful accident that caused this condition. As she begins recording her daily memories and occasionally having brief vivid moments of clarity of people and events, the various explanations she is given are often inconsistent and impossible to confirm. Before I Go to Sleep is a suspenseful and eerie thriller that makes the reader wonder until the very end who is trustworthy and who is lying and why no one is willing to tell Christine about the car accident or the violent assault that caused her memory loss. S.J. Watson’s debut novel creates a character who makes you feel her confusion and determination as she takes tentative steps to regain her health, rebuild her life and find out the truth. The ending is unexpected and the title will provoke a lot of discussion. – Eileen (PA) |
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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot Did you know that most Americans have their tissue on file somewhere? When you go to the doctor for a routine blood test or to have a mole removed or for any kind of ectomy, the stuff you leave behind doesn’t always get thrown out. Doctors, hospitals and laboratories keep it, often indefinitely. In 1951, an African American woman, Henrietta Lacks, was dying of ovarian cancer. She was the mother of five children and lived in Turner Station, Baltimore, Maryland. Doctor George Gey, head of tissue culture research at Johns Hopkins, developed the techniques used to grow cells from Henrietta’s cancer tissue in his lab. Normal cells die, but Henrietta’s proved to be immortal. The cells were known as HeLa cells (the first two letters of Henrietta’s first and last name). These cells were used by many scientists without the consent and knowledge of Henrietta or her family. In 1952, HeLa cells became the first living cells shipped via postal mail. Also in 1952, scientists used HeLa cells to help develop the polio vaccine. They were sold and could be found in any laboratory in the world, yet no one knew where these cells came from. Not until 1971, in a tribute to Dr. Gey, was Henrietta Lacks correctly identified in print as the source of HeLa, and in 1973, the Lacks family learned for the first time that Henrietta’s cells were still alive. This book is about Henrietta and her family. You will learn some fascinating facts about cell research but most important of all, you will meet Henrietta and her family. The author relies heavily on interviews with her family, friends and neighbors. One such friend is Courtney Speed, who is trying to build a museum in honor of Henrietta Lacks. Courtney Speed still resides in Turner Station and is a customer of the North Point Branch. This is a fascinating story and a must-read. In the end, I felt sad for Henrietta’s descendants (and she has many). Hopefully, science in some way can make amends for its actions to pay respect to this family and to Henrietta’s contribution to mankind. Rebecca Skloot, the author, honors Henrietta and her family with this book, and I’m grateful to her. – Poli (NO) |
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By Reginald Hill Wolf Hadda started his life in rural Cumbria as the son of a woodcutter. His life changes when he meets Imogen Ulphinstone, and he becomes determined to win her heart. He disappears for several years and returns as a businessman, wealthy and refined, and marries the woman of his dreams. Life takes a sudden turn as the financial bubble bursts and serious charges are laid against him. He is imprisoned and forced to meet with a prison psychiatrist. He protests his innocence as he writes his story to Alva Ozigbo, who remains clinically skeptical of his protestations but still desires to treat her new patient. Finally Wolf is released and returns to Cumbria and his childhood home. Here his quest for vengeance begins as he becomes determined to find the person or persons responsible for framing him. Can Alva Ozigbo reach her patient before he does something he will live to regret? This thriller from Reginald Hill will not disappoint. Strong character development, an intricate plotline and suspenseful story will make this a great pick for late summer reading. – Doug (NO) |
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By John Sandford Virgil Flowers joined the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension three years ago after being promised “to only get the hard stuff.” Sent to Bluestem to investigate the three-week-old gruesome murder of Dr. Gleason and his wife, he comes upon a house on fire. Found inside is the body of Bill Judd, Sr. Flowers discovers not many people liked Judd, Sr. and his murder may be connected to the Gleason murder, with more murders to come. With Judd, Sr.’s past involving sex parties, a scam that put many farmers out of business, a religious guy who’s considered a nutcase and an out-of-wedlock daughter, Flowers has a lot of suspects to consider. Could Judd, Sr.’s aunt, now living in a nursing home and remembering the past better than the present, hold the key to it all? What did she mean when she said, “It was the man in the moon”? Flowers thinks he’s getting close when he realizes the next victim may be him. – Linda (NO) |
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Oogy: The Dog Only a Family Could Love By Larry Levin This story is about a dog who survived the worst abuse possible: being used as bait in a dog fighting ring. Discovered during a drug raid, Oogy, on the brink of death, is taken to a local animal hospital. Through the love of the staff and his own quiet strength, he survives. Oogy never once shows aggression or fear from what has been done to him. While Oogy is recovering from his many surgeries at the animal hospital, the Levin family comes in with its ailing cat, and a special love is formed. Oogy’s story is one of unconditional love, the power of redemption and animals and people alike overcoming the greatest of all odds. – Maria (PE) |
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By David Small This graphic novel chronicles the early life of David Small, famed illustrator of many award winning books authored by his wife, Sarah Stewart (The Gardener, The Library). David claims that for years he wanted to tell his story, but that writing an adult biography just didn’t work for him. When the graphic novel was born, he realized that it was the perfect medium. Wow! He was right! This is the most powerful “biography” I’ve ever “read.” His story is at once tragic and heroic. His family was grossly dysfunctional and he overcame enormous odds to become the man he is today. I guarantee that if you read it, you will be telling everyone about it. – Lynn (PE) |
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The Love Goddess’ Cooking School By Melissa Senate This book is a delicious tale of friendship, romance, a pinch of magic and a lot of Italian cooking. If you love good food, wonderful characters and happy endings, this novel is for you! A few recipes are included in the back of the book. – Darcy (PE) |
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Tales from Grace Chapel Inn Series – Back Home Again By Various authors This Christian series recounts events in the livesof Jane, Alice and Louise, three middle-aged sisters who turned their family home into a bed and breakfast in the quiet town of Acorn Hill, PA. These books are wonderful, gentle reads for fans of Karen Kingsbury or many of the Amish fiction authors. You don’t need to read the series in order (and the order is hard to figure out as the titles are being republished), but it’s best to start with the first one, Back Home Again. – Rose (PE) |
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I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness, to The Blind Side and Beyond By Michael Oher with Don Yaeger Michael professes a three-fold purpose for this book: to correct some misconceptions portrayed in the book and movie The Blind Side, to inspire and give hope to children in the foster care system and to inspire more adults to become involved in the system. I think he nailed all three. What amazes me is, given Michael’s reticence portrayed in The Blind Side and often expressed in this book, that he shared his story at all. He recalls his heartbreaking childhood of neglect during which he and his siblings would often come home to find the house locked and their mother nowhere to be found, or days when there was no food in the refrigerator. Everyone in his family loved each other, but meals and bedtime were an every-man-for-himself fight for food and bed space. Michael expects this book to be read by children in the foster care system, and he directly addresses those readers frequently, sharing the tools he used for helping himself as well as giving credit to the many people who also made his new life possible. He also challenges his adult readers to open themselves to being mentors, foster parents or just providing for the needs of foster children. I found this to be a very inspiring book, and it gave me a much better picture of the real Michael Oher. – Rose (PE) |
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By Jo Walton At 15, Morwenna Phelps flees Wales and a half mad, abusive mother to seek refuge with the British father she has never known. Half lame, mourning the recent death of her twin sister, she clings to the magic that has pervaded her life since childhood and immerses herself in reading because she “can bear anything as long as there are books.” Banished to an English boarding school, picked on, patronized, alienated, she stands her ground, telling herself: “Let them fear me as long as they leave me alone.” Piercing and poignant, this moving fantastical memoir and riveting coming-of-age story reveals the inner life of a magical girl left to cope on her own. Morwenna struggles to find her own meaning among others in this beautifully written account that compels the reader to reexamine the nature of reality. – Cheryl (PI)
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Locke & Key, Vol 1: Welcome to Lovecraft By Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez This series revolves around the Locke family, who following the tragic slaying of its family patriarch, moves into the family’s ancestral home, Keyhouse, in New England. There, while trying to move on from their loss, the family members discover a series of unique doors and keys with mystical properties. Unfortunately they also find a malevolent spirit, or something worse, that has been trapped for many years, waiting for a chance to escape and begin to look for the key to open the most terrible door of them all. This phantom being, even while trapped, is able to set into motion a plan which may bring its freedom while doing untold damage to the Locke family. The team of Hill and Rodriguez has done a masterful job so far on this series, with superb art, story and pacing. Hill, who has previously written horror novels (Heart-Shaped Box), has done an impressive job with the story and evolving plot of the series while being mindful of the challenges of the format over a novel. The flow of the series and the nature of little hints dropped throughout have you going back through prior volumes as each new one is released. If you have never tried a graphic novel before and want something with a compelling story and an easyon- the-eyes art style, you might want to try it. With volumes one through three currently on our shelves and the fourth on order, now is one of the best times to try the series. The series has been optioned by Fox and may make it to a channel near you in the fall. – Chris (PI) |
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Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World Mongols: marauders, pillagers, barbarians? Not so: paper currency, code of laws, religious tolerance, trade networks, medicine, cartography and written records. Weatherford takes the reader from Temujin’s birth and family struggles, through his uniting of the Mongol clans, taking of the name Genghis (pronounced “CHINGgis”) Khan, establishment of a court system, to creating the world’s largest contiguous empire. The later chapters deal with the aftermath of Genghis’s death and how his feuding heirs were unable to govern. Weatherford goes into things military (Genghis excelled in psychological warfare and perfected siege techniques), but sheds much light on the Mongolian Empire’s bureaucratic side: it was ruled largely by women (male Mongols were away expanding the territory), was multiethnic and multilingual had free public education and depended heavily upon civil servants to process the constant influx of goods. Weatherford makes this contribution to world history engaging and entertaining. – Jarrett (PI) |
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By Haywood Smith Haywood Smith’s newest book, Waking Up in Dixie, is a departure from her “Red Hat Club” books. Her story focuses on the upper-class Whittington family of Whittington, Georgia. The Whittingtons have long been the royalty of Greenville, but they have many skeletons in their closet. Can the meanest and richest man in town, Howe, fight back from a debilitating medical crisis? Can his wife, Elizabeth, let go of feeling ashamed of her roots? Will she ever be able to let down her hair and stop feeling so repressed? How can their children be so different? One so giving and one so spoiled. Will Augusta Whittington, the grand patriarch, give up her position on the Altar Guild? Waking Up in Dixie is an enjoyable read for a jawdropping, good comeuppance and a story of second chances. – Erika (RA) |
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If you liked the movie Gosford Park, an English country house murder mystery set in the 1930s, you are sure to like Downton Abbey (DVD Series D). This story, which recently appeared on the PBS Masterpiece Classic television series, was written by British actor and writer, Julian Fellowes, who also wrote the screenplay for Gosford Park. Both are filled with period details, beautiful costumes and breathtaking scenes of the British countryside. Like Gosford Park, Downton has an “upstairs/ downstairs” feel, as the story focuses both on the aristocratic family of the Earl of Grantham and on the lives of the servants who are employed at the manor. The story begins with the sinking of the Titanic, which results in the loss of the presumed heir to the Earldom, and continues up to the beginning of World War I, or the Great War, as it was then known. Because of the popularity of the series, a second season is now in production. Downton Abbey has a star-studded cast, including Dame Maggie Smith, (who also appeared in Gosford Park in a similar role as a formidable dowager), Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Brendan Coyle and Dan Stevens. Viewers who are familiar with Masterpiece Theater will recognize several minor characters who have appeared in other Masterpiece productions. – Becky (RA) |
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By Victoria Thompson Take early 19th century NYC, and mix in a heroine from the upper crust who is a precursor to the feminist era and a grouchy NYC policeman. Stir in the privileged class, the poor, the mansions and the slums and you have the makings of a fascinating mystery series. These historical cozies transport you back to the time when Theodore Roosevelt was commissioner of police in NYC and life was not easy if you were not part of the “nobility” of NYC’s Knickerbocker families. Sara Brandt, a descendant of wealth, works as a midwife delivering babies to any woman in need. These encounters help populate these books with a wide assortment of interesting characters and provide a sense of what life was like during that time period. The mysteries are well crafted and keep the pages turning. Victoria Thompson has written twelve mysteries in this series. I would recommend reading them in the order they were written so that you may fully appreciate the development of the characters. – Barbara (RA) |
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Matt Haig The Radleys are just an ordinary family. Dad Peter is a doctor in their small English town, vaguely bored and dissatisfied with his current life. Mom Helen, devoted wife and mother, seems lately to be just going through the motions, not really happy, not really unhappy. Teenagers Rowan and Clara are suffering through adolescence in typical fashion: Rowan, plagued by a sun-sensitive skin condition, is mooning over a new girl at school, while Clara is devoted to her causes, adopting a vegan lifestyle while fighting bouts of weakness and becoming alarmingly pale. Life becomes much more complicated the night Clara comes home covered in blood after an altercation with a classmate that ends quite badly, and Peter and Helen are forced to disclose the closely guarded family secret to their children: they are a family of vampires who have chosen to deny their biological imperative and live the life of “Abstainers.” Rowan and Clara react differently to the news. Clara is newly energized, posture straight, hair gleaming, able to see clearly with no need of glasses, feet barely needing to touch the ground as she walks. Rowan feels angry, betrayed and lied to. The family is forced to take desperate measures to continue hiding their vampire identity, enlisting the help of Peter’s wildly non-abstaining brother, Will. As the plot unfolds they are all forced to make a choice: continue the abstaining lifestyle, living an existence of constant weakness and denial, or, like Peter’s brother, join the widespread underground world of passionate, blooddrinking vampire life. – Jana (RA) |
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Ellen Potter Otto, Lucia and Max are the Hardscrabble siblings from the town of Little Tunks. They have been ostracized by their peers and neighbors because they are under suspicion regarding the circumstances of their missing mother. It is generally believed that Otto, the oldest at 13, murdered her, but the children seemingly don’t know what has happened to her. When their father leaves on a business trip and the arrangements he has made for their care fall through, they go off in search of their great Aunt Haddie with the intent to find answers to the family mystery. Upon arriving in the town of Snoring on the Sea (Potter’s imaginative names of people and places rival those of JK!), the trio is also confronted with the mystery of the Kneebone Boy. This charming and compelling tale manages to combine suspense, fantasy and adventure into a modern story with a gothic feel. The author owes a debt to Lemony Snicket in her narrative style, but still manages to be fresh and distinctive. The quirky characters are precocious, funny and sympathetic – I hope we will see more of them. This is a wonderful book to recommend to fans of the Series of Unfortunate Events. – M’Lissa (RA) |
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By Doug TenNapel This engaging graphic novel for teens follows the story of what happens when a ghost hunter accidentally sends a living boy into the underworld. Frank Gallows, employed by the Supernatural Immigration Task Force, and Garth Hale, a boy with an incurable disease, share hero status in this tale about the balance between the living and the dead. When Garth finds himself stranded in the spirit world, he befriends a skeleton horse and the ghost of his own grandfather while discovering strange powers inside himself. Meanwhile, Frank is working with his ghost girlfriend to find a way to get Garth back to the land of the living. Excellent illustrations and a storyline at once familiar and unique make this a perfect read for those who loved Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book. Watch for the forthcoming film adaptation. – Melissa (RE) |
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By Linda Castillo The quiet town of Painters Mill, OH is the backdrop for the grisly murder of an entire Amish family. In this fast-paced psychological thriller, readers follow the formerly Amish police chief Kate Burkholder through her investigation. As the story progresses, Kate tirelessly runs through a list of suspects, and the ending, although not entirely unpredictable, is certainly eventful and keeps readers guessing. Kate’s sometime love interest John Tomasetti, an investigator with a tragic past, helps draw out Kate’s own secrets while he assists her with the investigation. A good recommendation for anyone looking for a darker murder mystery complete with character development and relationship battles, but be forewarned, there are disturbing descriptions of the murder scene and victims. This book is the second in the Kate Burkholder series, following Castillo’s successful Sworn to Silence. – Melanie (RE) |
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By Maira Kalman On January 29, 2009, Maira Kalman began a visual blog, which would take her—and her readers—through 12 months and numerous joyous encounters with the American system of democracy. In October of last year, the blog was released as a beautiful book. Each chapter, beginning with the inauguration of Mr. Obama in January and ending with George Washington and happiness in December, represents a month of the author’s yearlong observations on the workings of the democratic system, from the sanitation department of New York, to the gardens of Jefferson’s Monticello and the Edible Schoolyard in California. Each chapter is glorious, with facts, illustrations, and even photographs accompanying Kalman’s handwritten text. History mixes with fact and emotion as she tells us of the soldiers at Fort Campbell, KY, training for deployment, of her crush on Abraham Lincoln and of her meeting at the Supreme Court with Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Kalman, a well-known author and illustrator of children’s books, has created a stunning and moving visual journey of which I felt privileged to take part. This is a lovely book, one which can be devoured over an hour or enjoyed over several sittings. It is also available through the New York Times at http://kalman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/the-inauguration-at-last/. – Debbie (RE) |
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By Steve Hamilton Mike lives through the traumatic event of having both of his parents die when he is eight years old. He hasn’t spoken since then. Uncle Lito, a bachelor, takes him in and tries to help him to speak again by taking him to specialists who try to unlock the mystery of his muteness. Bored, Mike spends much of his time learning how to open locks and safes. Being adept at picking locks, and not speaking, seems to lead Michael down a bad path. The story goes back and forth in time as Michael learns to deal with love, loss and the struggle of finding his voice. This is definitely a quick-reading coming of age novel that will keep you intrigued. – Sharon (RE) |
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By Sharon M. Draper Melody’s head is like a video camera that is always recording and does not have a delete button. She can watch a movie one time and remember all the scenes and tell you all thelines of all the characters. She is one of the smartest people in her school … but no one knows because, of the 11 years that Melody has been on this earth, she has never spoken a word. Born with cerebral palsy, Melody is unable to do more than grunts and make weird sounds because her words just can’t come out. One day, when Melody obtains a device that allows her to speak her mind, it makes you wonder if, after all this time, anyone, including her family, will listen to her. I will admit that I never thought that a person might only be physically challenged, while having a mind in perfect shape. Hearing Melody’s story, albeit fiction, my mental model of those physically handicapped has changed. Sharon Draper paints a beautiful picture by having the reader see life through the eyes of Melody. It makes one realize that the individuals who cannot speak have the most to say and, in the same light, might be the most brilliant. – Danielle (RO) |
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By Emma Donoghue Room is told from the perspective of Jack, a five-year-old boy whose entire world consists of Room and his mother. Fortunately, they are able to learn, play and exercise thanks to Ma’s creative use of the objects in Room. Jack is happy, but Ma is desperate to escape from her captivity in Room and must use Jack to find a way out. The story of their escape and adjustment to life in the outside world is gripping and will stay with you long after you finish reading this book. – Elizabeth (RO) |
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By Lisa Lutz This is a fast, entertaining read. It is about a young woman, Izzy Spellman, who works for her family’s private investigation business. Izzy’s experiences of working on cases and her experiences with various romantic relationships are woven throughout the book. She has had difficulty with dates not understanding the nature of her work. Finally, it becomes clear that only someone who has a special connection to, or who works in a similar field, would understand. Izzy wants out of the business, but first her parents put her on an unsolved mystery from years ago. To tell the ending would give away the mystery, but there are some laughs along the way to make this an enjoyable read. As the nature of the Alex Award implies, this is adult fiction that has crossover appeal to young adults. – Kathleen (RO) |
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The Moment of Psycho: How Alfred Hitchcock Taught America to Love Murder By David Thomson 2010 marks the 50th anniversary of the release of Alfred Hitchock's now-classic film, Psycho. Author David Thomson has taken a loving retrospective look at Psycho, analyzed Hitchock's intentions, the meaning of the film, its influence on subsequent filmmakers and why people enjoy subjecting themselves to frightening images on screen. The book also touches on other Hitchcock films, their similarities and differences from Psycho and the director's lasting impact on world-wide cinema. Another excellent book on this subject is The Girl in Alfred Hitchcock's Shower, by Robert Graysmith. I actually liked this one a bit better, as Thomson's book is a bit more academic in tone, reading somewhat like a college dissertation; the Graysmith book is more readable. – Stefan (RO) |
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By Michael Chabon A book of essays that isn't boring. Especially nice as an audio book read by the author. Topics include being a dad, Columbia, MD, being a nerd, Judaism and Chabon's marriage to novelist Ayelet Waldman. – Miriam (RO) |
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Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps By Dave Isay I heard Dave Isay, founder of StoryCorps, which is a radio archive of people being interviewed by their loved ones, speak at ALA. He played several stories and, to use a cliché, I laughed, I cried. This anthology would be a good present and is varied and surprising. – Miriam (RO)
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Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter By Tom Franklin Silas Jones and Larry Ott are friends … when no one else is around. At school, Silas ignores Larry and Larry does the same. After school, in the woods on Larry’s family property, they hunt, read, draw comic books and share all of the pains of growing from boys into men. Then one Friday night a girl goes missing. Larry was the last one to see her alive, and he is suspected in the crime. Silas knows he did not do it, but instead of trying to help Larry he flees. You see, Silas is black and the missing girl is white, and this is rural Mississippi. Twenty years later, Silas is back in town as the constable. Larry still lives here, alone and ostracized by the community. He was never formally charged since the girl’s body was never found, but everyone “knows” he did it. Now another young girl is missing. Is history about to repeat itself? Tom Franklin pushes deep into the issues of racism, family violence, loneliness and just how far a man would go to help, or hurt, a friend. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter is a page-turner that keeps you riveted as each layer of the mystery is peeled away. – Sam (TO) |
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By Stephen White Stephen White is a clinical psychologist and his novels reflect his experience in this field. I started reading his books out of order with Kill Me, which involves the issue of assisted suicide with a twist. After reading this novel I was hooked and went on to read many of his others. Kill Me is part of Stephen White’s popular series about a clinical psychologist Dr. Alan Gregory. The Siege, however, is a standalone novel. The action takes place on the Yale campus. Unidentified attackers quietly take over a building belonging to one of Yale's secret societies and they transform it into a fortress holding an unknown number of student hostages. As officials become aware of what has happened the response escalates, but these hostage takers are completely unpredictable. They make no demands, agree to no negotiations and execute or release hostages as they choose. This is a sophisticated thriller and page-turner that will keep you involved and wondering to the last page. – Kim (TO) |
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By Andrea Beaty Like Captain Underpants for a slightly older crowd. Or like Friday the 13th for a slightly younger, slightly less bloodthirsty crowd. Like the Lunch Lady graphic novels but with giant omnivorous telepathic alien bunnies as the bad guys instead of librarians, substitute teachers or children's book authors. Light and fluffy, fast-paced and full of kooky details, kids will find it exceptionally weird, and they will like it. Terrific illustrations by Dan Santat pep up an already peppy tale. Try it for second, third, fourth and fifth graders. – Paula (TO) |
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By Amber Kizer Meridian has been surrounded by death since she was born. As she has gotten older, the creatures have become bigger until she reaches her 16th birthday. An accident happens outside her home and she is able to feel the pain of those who die as it rips through her. It is with this event that her parents send her away to her namesake, her great aunt. While there, she learns that she is a Fenestra – the light and the window that helps the dying souls pass through to the afterlife. Without Fenestras, souls would be trapped on Earth and would reincarnate until they can pass through to the light on the other side. However, where there is light there must also be darkness. While the Fenestras are the instruments of the Creators, the Aternocti are the darkness working for the Destroyers to seek out vulnerable souls and bring them to the chaos of the darkness. Meridian must come to learn her purpose in the world with the help of her Auntie and her Protector, Tens, and learn how to survive when the Aternocti are trying to destroy all the Fenestras and tumble the world into chaos. – Christina (TO) |
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By John Vaillant The story of a tiger that deliberately kills the one man who wronged him seems like spectacular fiction; that it is a true story makes it all the more fascinating. Vaillant’s The Tiger is a brilliant and meticulous account. At the center of the story is Markov, a lone hunter living a survivalist life in the Far East, who crosses paths with a vengeful Amur tiger, and Yuri Trush, the tiger hunter who pursues the murderous animal. The reader follows a circuitous route – like a wandering tiger might – to flesh out all facets of the story, including the lives of Markov’s friends in the bitter cold tundra, the history of Southeast Russia and the biology and mythology of tigers. Some of the tiger’s behaviors, though true, are downright unbelievable. A chilling climax awaits the reader. Not for the faint of heart, The Tiger is an excellent match for thriller fans with patience for detail. – Elizabeth (TO) |
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by Andrea Levy I enjoy the author Andrea Levy and adored her Orange Prize-winner Small Island. I received my copy of her Booker shortlisted The Long Song with great anticipation. Levy’s parents immigrated to London from Jamaica and while Levy is British, her Jamaican roots heavily influence her writing. She does a masterful job of exploring race relations between British whites and Jamaicans with insight and wit. The Long Song is the story of a Jamaican slave, July, who is now in her 80s and living with her adult son whom she gave up to be raised by whites when he was a boy. Her son, a publisher, urges her to write her life’s history. Beginning in the early 19th century, July relates her birth as the child of a slave mother and overseer father and her upbringing working as a ladies’ maid to the plantation mistress and follows her life through historical events such as the Baptist War and the eventual end of slavery in Jamaica. Harsh, sad, pointed and often humorous, The Long Song is an interesting and well-written choice. – Lori (TO) |
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