Season's Readings - 2010 by Durham County Library

Season's Readings

2010

Season's Readings 2010 A collection of reviews written by members of the Durham County Library Family

Table of Contents Friends of the Durham Library. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Fiction .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Short Stories .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Mystery .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Romance .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Science Fiction & Fantasy .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Nonfiction.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Biography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Young Adult Fiction .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Juvenile Fiction .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Juvenile Nonfiction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Easy .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Audio Books .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 CD .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Index of Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98-99 Friends Membership Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 2010 Book Sale Dates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Readings is made possible by the Friends of the Durham Library, Inc.

Award Winning Publication American Library Association Best of Show for Bibliographies and Booklists North Carolina Library Association Best of Show for Bibliographies and Booklists

Friends of the Durham Library

Dear Library Friends, The Friends of the Durham Library Board hopes you will enjoy this year’s Season’s Readings, an annual collection of book reviews by library staff and volunteers. Season’s Readings is made possible with the support of the Friends and the Durham community. As we enter the dark winter months, perhaps you will discover in these pages a book to read or to share as a gift for the holidays. Each year the Friends of the Durham Library donates funds raised from its memberships and book sales to support important library programs including Summer Reading Club, youth and teen programming and the Reading Is Fundamental books. This past year the Friends continued its scholarship fund for library staff and awarded scholarships to three library employees who are currently working towards their Master of Library Science degrees, and one scholarship to a library employee who is working towards a Master of Business Administration degree. The Friends also supplied funds to the library to purchase: • AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators), which were placed at the Main Library, East Regional Library, North Regional Library and Stanford L. Warren Library • A laptop computer for the OASIS program. OASIS (Older Adult and Shut-In Service) offers services to individuals unable to visit the library due to age, illness or physical disability • Furniture for the teen area in the Main Library • A disc repair machine that will prolong the life of the library’s CDs and DVDs. In addition, the Friends purchased vending machines and furniture to create a refreshment area at the Main Library.

Friends of the Durham Library

All Friends donations strive to expand library services offered to the Durham community while supporting the amazing and hard-working library staff. The Friends of the Durham Library primarily raises its funds through its spring and fall weekend book sales, plus year-round mini-book sales open every day at seven Durham locations: American Tobacco Campus Strickland Building, 334 Blackwell Street; East Regional Library, Main Library, North Regional Library, Southwest Regional Library, South Regional Library and Stanford L. Warren Library. This holiday season please visit one of the Friends mini-booksales. Buy books for those you love while giving to the library you love! Thank you and Happy New Year! Ann Wilder, President Friends of the Durham Library Board

About the Friends The Friends of the Durham Library is a group of volunteers that provides financial support to Durham County Library. In its 40-year history, the group has raised more than $900,000 for the library through book sales and memberships. Over 1,000 Friends contribute annually and many actively volunteer their time as well. The Friends received statewide recognition in 2005 with the Frances B. Reid Award â&#x20AC;&#x153;for outstanding service to their library and their community.â&#x20AC;? In 2009, longtime Friends volunteer, Jane Goodridge, was named volunteer of the year for Friends organizations throughout North Carolina.

d Friends of the Durham Library

SIX GREAT REASONS TO JOIN THE FRIENDS 1. Help make the difference between a good library and a great library. 2. Support library programs and services for children, teens and adults. 3. Shop early at the book sales for the best selection, open to Friends members only. 4. Receive Best of Friends, the Friends’ newsletter. 5. Receive Season’s Readings, an annual booklet of staff reading recommendations. 6. Enjoy a 10% discount at several local bookstores; just show your membership card. Join the Friends of the Durham Library today.The membership application form is on page 100.

FRIENDS BOARD SEEKS NOMINATIONS Would you like to help the Friends raise and spend money? Instructions and an application for potential members of Friends of the Durham Library Board are located on the library website at http://www.durhamcountylibrary.org/friends_board.php. Friends Board Members: • Attend monthly meetings on the second Thursday evening of each month. • Assist with book sales. • Actively participate on a Board committee. • Perform other tasks to help the library and the Friends.

Friends of the Durham Library

BOOK SALES You can find great bargains on gently used books at the Friends of the Durham Library book sales. Held in spring and fall, book sales at Main Library offer thousands of used books categorized for easy shopping, as well as audiobooks, CDs and DVDs. Paperbacks begin at 50 cents and hardcovers at $1. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Satelliteâ&#x20AC;? sales satisfy bargain-hunters year-round with a smaller selection of books, many in gift-giving condition. 2011 book sale dates and locations are listed on page 101.

DONATING BOOKS FOR THE BOOK SALE The Friends of the Durham Library welcomes donations of gently used books, audiobooks, CDs and DVDs, except for: encyclopedias, magazines, cassettes and condensed books. You may take your donation to any Durham County Library location during regular hours. Please bring large donations (more than one bag) to the Main Library garage on Tuesday morning between 9 and noon, when the Friends of the Durham Library are present and can help unload. The garage is on the far right side, closest to Holloway Street, as you face the Main Library from the parking lot. If you cannot bring your large donation on Tuesday morning, please come first to the Main Library circulation desk and let them know you have a large donation. The security guard will open the garage door so that you can unload your donation straight into the garage. If you have a question, or wish to make arrangements with the Friends for a special donation, please contact the Staff Liaison to the Friends, Anastasia Bush, at 560-0190.

Fiction

Fiction Altar of Eden by James Rollins

F ROLLINS, J.

During the fall of Baghdad, two boys observe the ransacking of a hidden laboratory in the Baghdad Zoo. Seven years later, in the midst of a hurricane, a fishing trawler wrecks on a barrier island near New Orleans. The crew is nowhere to be seen, but the cargo hold contains a number of oddly mutated animals. Veterinarian Loran Polk, with the assistance of U.S Border Patrol agent Jack Menard, attempts to discover the purpose and origins of the rescued animals. They and their friends soon find themselves in a deadly battle with a secret organization that will stop at nothing to keep its research from discovery. Rollins’ novel is a fast-paced adventure that will keep you reading. – Shelley Geyer

Amy and Isabel by Elizabeth Strout

F STROUT, E.

After reading Olive Kitteredge I knew I had to read Strout’s other titles, and I wasn’t wrong. I found I liked Amy and Isabel better than her awardwinning Olive, and I loved Olive. This mother and daughter who live in a small town in Maine epitomize the mother/daughter relationship that can often transpire during a girl’s teenage years. But Amy and Isabel is so much more than that. As you come to know the characters of this small town, you see how every action, and the events taking place in the world around you, affect others. I felt a connection with both Amy and Isabel as both a mother and daughter. – Jill Wagy

Fiction

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

F STEIN, G.

I never thought a book about auto racing written from a dog’s point of view would interest me. However, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a must for everyone who now owns, has ever owned or has ever even thought about owning a dog. Enzo, the main character of this title, reflects on his life as he knows it is time for him to move from the world of being a dog to the next plane where he will be a man. Heart-wrenching and moving, Enzo tells the story of his family and the traumatic times they endure. Pick up a box of tissues, read this story and then try not to go out and get a dog from the nearest shelter. – Jill Wagy

Baltimore, or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden

F. MIGNOLA, M.

A sea captain, a gentleman trader and an army doctor meet in a decaying city somewhere in Europe after the Great War. These men seem to have nothing in common but their summoner: Lord Henry Baltimore. As they wait for Baltimore to arrive, each man reveals the circumstances of his acquaintance with the absent host, and of his own first-hand experience with the uncanny, the horrible and the supernatural. Through these stories, the strangers realize that they share a deeper bond, that while most people would dismiss Baltimore’s warnings of a vampire-plague spreading through the continent as madness, these men have seen too much not to believe him. As with Mignola’s Hellboy and B.P.R.D. series, this book is a delightful scattering of myths, fairy tales and nightmarish visions like those of Poe or Lovecraft. Vengeful 1930s vampires, cursed Mediterranean villages, tentacle-wielding water-beasts: what more could you want? – Patrick Holt

Fiction

Be Careful What You Pray For by Kimberla Lawson Roby

F ROBY, K.

The title says it all. Alicia Black’s first marriage did not work out. Her second marriage to JT Valentine, a preacher like her father, is not any better. Alicia’s father has been married several times and has had multiple affairs. Alicia is oblivious to what her new husband is up to, but JT is even worse than her father. Finally, Alicia finds out about the lies, secrets and betrayals and she faces the truth. This time she realizes she’s got to be careful what she prays for. – Linda Guerrier

Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth

F FARNSWORTH, C.

In 1867, a murderer suffering under the delusion that he was a vampire was pardoned by President Andrew Johnson. The young man lived out the rest of his life in an insane asylum where he died in 1897. Or did he? In present-day Washington D.C., up-and-coming White House staffer Zach Barrows is dismayed to discover that instead of the promotion he was expecting, he has been assigned as the liaison between the office of the president and an agent named Nathaniel Cade. Cade, it turns out, is a vampire who has spent the last 140 years serving under a blood oath to protect the president and citizens of the United States. It seems terrorism and economic crisis are not the only things threatening the country. Soon after they are thrown together, Zach and Cade are sent to investigate a plot involving the smuggling of body parts into the United States. With an intriguing central character, Blood Oath is an exciting and fun read. – Shelley Geyer

A Change Had to Come by Gwynne Forster

F FORSTER, G.

Leticia Langley is a lucky young woman, fresh out of college, and a journalist. This story tells of her love life and her eye-opening trip to Africa. Earlier in life Leticia allowed herself to be defined by others and her circumstances. Her mother was an outcast from the family, and so was she. She is empowered to change the way she and others see her. For Leticia this was not only a physical change but a change in her state of mind. Forster

Fiction

paints a picture of carving your own niche in life and being comfortable with yourself while you do it. – Priscilla Lewis

A Country Called Home by Kim Barnes

F BARNES, K.

I grew up in southern Idaho, in the heart of potato and dairy country. If you’ve never been to, or seen pictures of, southern Idaho, it is a high, flat desert plain bisected by the Snake River. Everything about the land and its people is etched into my soul, from the smell of the sage, to the view of the Snake River Canyon out my bedroom window. I mention all of this because A Country Called Home took me home again. Barnes has written Idaho so perfectly that I was there and had to put the book down a couple times because the memories were so real. It’s more than just the landscape. It’s the dreams of solitude and empty spaces that draw men across country and hold onto their hearts. It’s a secret yearning, never spoken, as the people struggle with and against loneliness. It’s also a belief that self-sufficiency comes from deep within and is nurtured by the desert air. For many people who read this book, it will be the heartbreak of the characters that stays with you. For me, it was the setting. No matter why you read this novel, you will be glad you did. – Jennifer Lohmann

The Crazy School by Cornelia Read

F READ, C.

The Crazy School is just what the title says it is. Madeline Dare is a new teacher at the elite Santangelo Academy. Everyone there, teachers included, participates in regular and often public psychotherapy and everyone is rewarded for sharing secrets, their own and others’. Two students on disciplinary lockdown die mysteriously and Madeline is accused of the crime. She doesn’t know who she can trust but she feels compelled to try to unravel the lies and secrets at the academy, while she struggles to stay sane – and alive. – Lisa Dendy

Fiction

Deliver Us from Evil by David Baldacci

F BALDACCI, D.

Finally after two years of patient waiting, fans of author David Baldacci are being treated to another thriller—a follow up to the 2008 best seller The Whole Truth—aptly entitled Deliver Us from Evil. Utilizing Baldacci’s trademark “cloak and dagger,” “good versus evil” storylines, Deliver Us from Evil delves into the life of a ruthless Russian ex-KGB officer living under the alias of Evan Waller, who was responsible for the deaths of thousands of Jews in a World War II concentration camp. The book also weaves together the intriguing personal narratives of American secret agent Shaw and Nazi hunter Regina Campion. The characters’ interaction with each other is reminiscent of the Cold War politics between the United States, Russia and Britain. Some of the torture scenes might cause the reader to skip a few pages but Baldacci’s most recent tome is a masterful work of fiction. – Carter Cue

Eat, Drink, and Be from Mississippi by Nanci Kincaid

F KINCAID, N.

Truly and his sister Courtney grew up in rural Mississippi but have made their way to California to experience a different lifestyle. They each have more money than they ever dreamed of and houses with spectacular views, and the siblings have maintained close ties while far away from home. They also both experience disintegrating marriages and are personally miserable. Teenage Arnold does not exactly look like a savior. A troubled teenager from the streets, he is chatty, dressed like a thug and clueless. He winds up staying in Truly’s home. Truly and Courtney make Arnold their mission, introducing him to different foods, providing tutoring to complete his GED and buying him new clothes. Arnold needs a place to stay so he puts up with all that these two throw at him. Then something shocking happens that shows Arnold in a new light, and it’s no longer clear who’s been changing and teaching whom. This is an engaging and warmhearted story about love, family and finding your way home. – Kathi Sippen

Fiction

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

F BARBERY, M.

I’m not sufficiently well educated to appreciate everything in this book, but what I understood made me laugh, cry and gasp with recognition. Journalist Alison Anderson delivers an amazing translation from the French. This book is tailor-made for Francophiles, for whom philosophy is a national hobby. Renée Michel is a self-instructed philosopher masquerading as a middle-aged concierge in an upper class Paris apartment building. Paloma Josse, who also lives in the building, is twelve years old and has determined that committing suicide on her thirteenth birthday is her only chance for authenticity. These two lives converge when a Japanese businessman moves in and shakes up all the familiar patterns and structures. – Anastasia Bush

Fire in the East by Harry Sidebottom

F SIDEBOTTOM, H.

In 255 A.D. Marcus Clodius Ballista is charged with defending the city of Arete, on the easternmost edge of the Roman Empire, from the invading Sassanid Persian army. A German barbarian, who rose through the ranks of the Roman army, Ballista, with 4,000 men, must prepare the city to withstand the siege of an army of between 40,000 and 130,000. In addition to the danger outside the walls, Ballista must also contend with traitors within the city. The pace of the story, while never slow, is nonstop once the battle begins. Ballista is a fascinating character who does not shrink from making difficult decisions, but is aware that his experience in the Roman army has influenced his actions and motivations, not always positively. His occasional introspections also provide a commentary on war today: when observing the ballistae (artillery) he is thankful “that war can never be reduced to this impersonal machine-against-machine battle alone. If it could, what an inhuman business it would become.” Sidebottom, a Lecturer at Lincoln College, Oxford, who specialized in ancient warfare, fascinatingly, and occasionally gruesomely, depicts the preparations, strategies and results of siege warfare and also provides an interesting look at Rome and the cultures of the various peoples within and without the empire. – Shelley Geyer

Fiction

Fragments that Remain by Steven Corbin

F CORBIN, S.

Skylar Whyte is an African-American popular, well-respected, awardwinning actor at the height of his success (think Denzel Washington after winning the Academy Award for Glory). So, with all that talent and critical acclaim, why is he having such a difficult time shooting a scene where his character is awakened by smoke in a house fire? The reporter from Rolling Stone magazine wants to know, and we know how determined they are. He might want something else too, but Skylar is as closed off in reality as he is open on the big screen. His childhood is deeply and painfully explored to shed light on both his successful career as well as his dismal personal life. Invariably the name Evan Cabot comes up in conversation regarding the latter. Evan is Hollywood’s bright new golden boy: he has the looks, financial success and abundance of movie offers to prove it, if not the respect of the critics (think a young Brad Pitt). He’s also Skylar’s ex“roommate” to the world, but we know better, right? Unfortunately, so does that persistent Rolling Stone reporter. Sklyar and Evan are as different as well, black and white, and most of their friends can’t understand why they even tried. The animosity exhibited through their heated arguments about everything from the origin of AIDS and institutional racism, to the difference between being an actor versus a movie star is visceral. As the title suggests, the past will come back to haunt you if not dealt with properly, but sometimes that’s a necessary evil for the healing process to truly begin. This story was so realistic in its depiction of Hollywood’s handling of gay male leads that it made me wonder if in twenty years or so we’d discover it was based on fact (think Rock Hudson). – Cleo Bizzell

Friends in High Places by Marne Davis Kellogg

F KELLOGG, M.

Sometimes I choose a book by the picture on the cover and sometimes by the title. In this case I got rewarded many times over by choosing both. The main character, Kick Keswick, is a fascinating retired jewel thief and forger, a career I had not encountered before in my reading or experience. Add her husband, Sir Thomas Curtis, retired Inspector from Scotland Yard; a charming nun, Sister Immaculata; and lots of other players who contribute to the intrigue, and you have a wonderful cast of characters.

Fiction

Then add that they all meet at a high-society destination wedding on the French Riviera with our heroine in disguise, and you have a most fun story. There are a number of other Kick Keswick novels if you like this one. – Joyce Sykes

Getting to Happy by Terry McMillan

F McMILLAN, T.

After fifteen years McMillan brings back the girls. Now in their 50s, the girls are getting together for a reunion. The book is full of the dysfunction, romantic entanglements and high drama that readers have come to expect. Much has changed in their lives, and even though the women are as close as ever, each acknowledges that life has intruded. It is with energy, humor, loyalty and courage that these women work through their issues. They have learned to accept and face the world at 50, with or without a man. McMillan reaffirms our belief in the healing power of friendship. See what you think. – Priscilla Lewis

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

F ALLEN, S.

The Girl Who Chased the Moon is the latest reason to pay attention to Sarah Addison Allen, one of the new darlings among North Carolina fiction writers. Her writing could be called chick lit, it might be called Southern fiction and her plot development can be compared favorably to Jodi Picoult. This latest jewel from Allen looks at power and scandal in a small town through the eyes of two teenagers drawn to each other despite the underlying animosity of their families. Heartwarming, but not fluffy. Fun, but not frivolous. – Lisa Dendy

Fiction

Glorious by Bernice McFadden

F McFADDEN B.

Leaving her Georgia home, Easter Bartlett goes north and becomes part of the Harlem Renaissance as a writer of short stories. She is betrayed by friends, and her master work is stolen by a white woman. Accepting this outrage with dignity, she eventually returns to Georgia. McFadden weaves fictional characters with historical ones, creating a vivid portrait of Harlem during this vibrant period. This is one of those stories where great evil is not punished, yet the one wronged refuses to be a victim, somehow offering the possibility of some sort of hope. – Joanne Abel

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngoz Adichie

F ADICHIE, C.

Chronicling the traumatic, bloody, experiences of Nigeria’s 1967 Civil War in which the Igbo ethnic group determined it was in their best interests to develop an independent homeland (called Biafra), Adichie’s wrenching novel Half of a Yellow Sun follows the lives connecting three unlikely people from two opposite socio-economic classes. Kainene and Olana are twin sisters who lead privileged and seemingly uneventful lives, while the third person Ugwu must contend with the trials of poverty and life as the houseboy of professor Odenigbo. As the story progresses through the conflict of a war that brings suffering and death to millions, the intersecting lives of Kainene, Olana and Ugwu come full circle. However, the tragedies, hardships and underlying human issues recounted in this book serve as a catalyst for the reader to explore his or her own humanity beyond the precipice of culture and class. On another level the author interjects into this page turning read, with its multi-faceted, complex characters and gripping plots, the political ramifications of Western imperialism. Overall, readers will find this book and Adichie’s lyrical style of prose enjoyable. – Carter Cue

Fiction

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

F STOCKETT, K.

Currently still standing on the best sellers list, Stockett takes a chance on writing about such a troubled time in American history – a bet that has paid off tremendously. Set in Mississippi in the early 1960s a young, white woman becomes interested in the plight of black maids. She writes about the mistreatment, abuse, child-rearing and heartbreaks of working in white families’ homes. This story, which takes place before the civil rights movement, grabs hold of you and won’t let you go. The theme surrounds the will of human beings to survive against all odds – the color of their skin. This book will make you laugh and cry. I recommend this book because it is one that will be talked about for years and likely made into a movie. This is the new classic novel. – Priscilla Lewis

Fiction

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

F STOCKETT, K.

I seldom have a friend advise me as forcefully as I was advised to read this book. And it definitely exceeded my expectations. The book is set in Jackson, Mississippi, in the 1960s and has a female main character, “Miss Skeeter” who has just graduated from Ole Miss and who wants to be a writer. She gets her start with her hometown newspaper as the writer of a weekly column of household cleaning hints. For her material she enlists the help of her friend Elizabeth’s black maid, Aibileen. This draws her gradually into the network of “the help” in the town and away from her childhood friends as she focuses more and more on the injustices being perpetrated on the “colored” help. Skeeter gets the idea of chronicling the experiences of the maids in town. Her first chapter gets the attention and mentoring of an editor from New York. Essentially the whole black community gets involved in the book project while theoretically keeping the author anonymous and its setting a secret. Along the way Skeeter gets romantically involved with the very eligible Stuart Whitworth but then loses him as a result of the book project. I can’t recommend this powerful book highly enough, primarily based on the strength of the characters, both black and white. Since this is Ms. Stockett’s first book, hopefully we can look for many more great ones to come. The Help still has a long list of holds at the library and is still on the New York Times Best Seller List. Pay attention to Minny’s chocolate pie and its role in the book! And thanks to my friend Margaret for insisting that I read this. – Joyce Sykes

Fiction

Holy Rollers Reshonda Tate Billingsley

F BILLINGSLEY, R.

Three life-long friends, Coco, Nita and Audra, have spent most of their lives looking for love and hoping to find well-to-do husbands, but they usually end up with failed relationships. They choose to work their magic on pro athletes. Coco spends years in an abusive relationship, Nita is always with a new man and Audra is a single mother who wants not only a good man for herself but for her child also. Now looking for a new place to seek men, Audra suggests they go to a Baptist minister’s convention. The other two are skeptical, but they decide to go. Will they find what they’re looking for? It’s interesting how the church scene is not much different than what they encountered in the streets. These women represent someone you know, or have known or possibly may have been. These characters are true to life, and I applaud Billingsley for talking about the behavior of church women. Will these women find the men of their dreams and allow God to turn their sorrow into joy and use it for his good? You will have to read this must-read novel to find out. I highly recommend this book. – Priscilla Lewis

Homer and Langley by E. L. Doctorow

F DOCTOROW E.

This bittersweet novel relates a fictionalized version of the true life Collyer Brothers story. The brothers died in 1947 and were famous for their hoarding, seclusion and the manner in which they died in their 5th Avenue home. If you want the real facts, go back and read newspaper articles from the time, however, if you want a glimpse into a romanticized version of what obsessive compulsive disorder looks like, read this book. Doctorow is a wonderful writer, and he kept me mesmerized in his telling of this fascinating story. Many of the facts are changed, including how long the brothers lived and their birth order, so don’t look to this book for the real facts. Do look to this book for a story that when you finish it you take a moment to feel both pity and love for Homer and Langley. – Jill Wagy

Fiction

How’s Your Romance? by Ethan Mordden

F MORDDEN, E.

Mordden started this series in 1985 with I’ve a Feeling We’re Not in Kansas Anymore: Tales of Gay Manhattan, and he concludes with the fourth and last installment entitled How’s Your Romance? Affectionately known as “The Gay Seinfeld,” Mordden’s alter-ego “Bud” narrates the life and times of a group of friends we’ve gotten to know over the years: Cosgrove, Dennis Savage, Carlo, J (formerly known as Little Kiwi) and introduces us to his young cousin Ken and his gym bunny friends who refer to themselves as “the Kens.” If you’ve ever read a sequel or watched one, you know how difficult it is to maintain continuity, let alone increase fervor for the franchise. Mordden set out to allow readers into this close-knit made-up family in Manhattan and to show how that family survives AIDS, closeted straight men, hot button issues like gay marriage and each other. Like most families, they don’t always get along, but you’re thankful for the opportunity to see them try to work it out, because like real life, the story never truly ends, just changes directions “boys and girls.” That’s an inside joke; read the book and find out what it means. – Cleo Bizzell

Killing Floor by Lee Child

F CHILD, L.

If you like page turning thrillers with nonstop action and have not yet discovered Lee Child, go directly to the library and get Killing Floor. The main character, Jack Reacher, is an appealing loner who wanders into one problem after another while he tries to see the country after years in the army. Child’s writing is heart-stopping and his plots twist and turn until you don’t remember which way is up, but you know you enjoyed the ride. – Jennifer Lohmann

Fiction

Leaving the World by Douglas Kennedy

F KENNEDY, D.

“I am never getting married, and I am never having children.” This is what Jane Howard announces to her parents on her 13th birthday as they continue their ongoing battle of a marriage. From that point on Jane’s life is filled with impossible relationships, gains and losses, and she eventually winds up in a mystery involving a missing girl. I loved Kennedy’s references to literature and music and when Jane starts working in a library, I felt he understood the mindset of a person who loves and wants to share books (the librarian’s credo). This is a long book, prepare yourself though, because when you get to the final section, you will not want to put it down until you finish. – Jill Wagy

Little Black Girl Lost by Keith Lee Johnson

F JOHNSON. K.

This book was recommended to me, and I was not familiar with this author but thought I would give it a try. Johnny was just 15 years old when her mother sold her virginity to an older white man. She was beautiful with long, wavy, black hair and the body of a 30-year-old. Earl had made many of the women in the neighborhood his personal property. This is the early 1950s in New Orleans. Johnny attends church, sings in the choir and plays piano. Her life will forever be changed when she ends up as a prostitute. No one anticipates that Johnny will turn this unfortunate situation to her own good. She saves all the money Earl gives her and becomes quite thrifty at investing it. She also manages to get Earl to buy her a home in an upscale black neighborhood. It’s amazing how Johnny deals with the life that was given her, though she struggles with her faith. When Johnny finds her true love, she promises the prostitution will end. But her new lover’s boss also wants Johnny, and the battle begins. Johnny’s mother is jealous of course of her daughter’s good fortune and smarts. When she attempts to blackmail one of Johnny’s clients, the head of the Ku Klux Klan, into buying her a house, things take a drastic turn. This novel is filled with drama, action, suspense and greed. It takes you back to a time when ugly things happened but were often overlooked. – Priscilla Lewis

Fiction

Mama Black Widow by Iceberg Slim (aka Robert Beck)

F ICEBERG SLIM

Proving you can’t judge a book by its cover, I read this a long time ago and loved everything about it. Its republication has a garish cover but the content still withstands the test of time. What Iceberg did for his autobiography Pimp: the Story of My Life, he does for Otis Tilson. The Tilson family, like many African-American families in the 30s (the other Depression), moved from rural Mississippi to urban Chicago seeking a better life. What they found was low-paying jobs, slums, crime, depravity and racial degradation that eventually swallowed them whole. Otis is the youngest, and we follow him through not only his family’s drama but his own personal hell as he comes to terms with his homosexuality and his desire to be a drag queen. Publishers Weekly stated, “It ain’t pretty, but Slim’s bracing ghetto melodrama and famously histrionic voice (“But she hesitated... for one hellish, destructive fragment of a pounding, torturous instant!”) capture a core of unsentimental truth not just about homosexuality in the ghetto but also about the myths and travails of masculinity itself.” I agree. Critics have often felt the Harlem Renaissance spurred the notion that to be black is good; to be black and poor is to be a saint. Iceberg Slim successfully challenges that theory without reducing his subjects to caricatures. Mama Black Widow is also being made into a film due to be released next year and starring rapper/actor Mos Def as Papa Tilson. I for one can’t wait to see this “dark world of pimpdom, crime and violence, where good is condemned and evil applauded,” brought to life on the big screen. Until then, get the jump on everyone else and read (or re-read in the case of some) this great piece of literature. – Cleo Bizzell

Fiction

Maurice by E.M. Forster

F FOSTER, E.

A British instant classic, Maurice tells of a Cambridge student awakening to his true desires amidst the turmoil of a nation between world wars. The motivations of Maurice’s love interest, Clive, hold as much fascination as Maurice’s bitter vindictiveness at the unforeseen. This may have been in danger of becoming a stereotypical story except for the superb writing style of Forster and the compelling, yet believable, twists at the end. Family members, friends and servants are introduced to offer insight into the principal parties’ behavior as well. It’s through one of these innocent glimpses that we see a very unflattering side of Maurice. I would very much like to have sympathized with him, but I could not when he demonstrated that he is such an elitist snob that he is offended when a servant deigns to speak to him by wishing him a happy birthday. He later erroneously scolds the same when he thinks the man’s trying to hold out for a bigger tip. That’s a genius touch demonstrated by Forster: real life proves over and over again that anything can happen when you’re paying attention to something else. If you like the book as much as I, watch the Merchant/Ivory movie starring Hugh Grant with James Wilby in the title role. – Cleo Bizzell

The Memory Quilt by T.D. Jakes

F JAKES, T.

This is an excellent Christmas story and present for anyone. It takes the story of the Virgin Mary and puts it into a modern-day tale. For Lela Edwards, all she wants is for her family to be happy, healthy and married. Unfortunately her husband passed away, and her daughters now live in different towns. Lela Edwards is someone everyone knows – proud, unbending at times, but a deep faith and love of family. She is expecting her daughter to visit this Christmas, but she will not be coming, and more upsetting is that she is divorcing her husband. Enter the quilt, which is made upon the marriage of anyone in the family; however Lela did not make one for her granddaughter and now it is too late. She thinks this is part of the reason for the divorce. She spends a great deal of time studying the Virgin Mary and learns what she is to take from these sessions. The lesson here is that sometimes Christmas isn’t all that we want it to be; but the key is to open our hearts. I found this book after Christmas last year, but I highly recommend it as a gift, and it’s surely one I will be giving. – Priscilla Lewis

Fiction

In My Father’s House by E. Lynn Harris

F HARRIS, E.

As many of you may know, E. Lynn Harris passed away last year. He was one of my favorite authors, especially his character Basil which his fans will know. Before his death he started what was to be a new series about Bentley, a bisexual owner of a modeling agency, whose father disowned him after he broke off a family approved engagement. Bentley chooses to construct a family of his own with his partners and friends. Even in the recession he is trying to make a go of his business. The struggles cause him to make some tough decisions both financially and personally. Bentley welcomes a new young gay man into his world as a brother and tries to steer him from the evils of the world, all the while wanting his own father’s love and acceptance. This novel shows choices, misery, love, death, disgrace and courage. A great read. – Priscilla Lewis

Nemesis by Philip Roth

F ROTH P.

This story is set in 1944 during World War II. Bucky Cantor works as a summer playground director for a school in New Jersey. Suddenly, he finds himself involved in a polio epidemic as boys and girls he works with get sickened by the disease. His fiancee, Marcie, works at a camp away from the city and tries to persuade him to accept a job there, away from the sickness and sadness. As Bucky tries to make a decision, his thoughts about the disease turn to his beliefs about God, duty and why things happen the way they do. A well-written story by a Pulitzer Prize winning author. – Donna Hausmann

Fiction

New York by Edward Rutherfund

F RUTHERFORD, E.

This historical fiction weaves the drama of New York City from a tiny fishing village called Manna hata to 9/11. It tells the story of the battle, romance and family struggles between the Master and the Van Dyck. – Rheda Epstein

Noah’s Compass by Anne Tyler

F TYLER, A.

I haven’t met an Anne Tyler book that I didn’t love, and this is yet another one I can add to my list. Liam Pennywell often reminded me of Macon Leary from Tyler’s The Accidental Tourist, a man who is surprised by the life that is happening to him and searching for a way to be present after tragedy has befallen him. After being forced into retirement from his job and having a run-in with a burglar, Liam must “reboot” his memory to recover his lost life and is looking for a compass to guide him through. Insightful as always into the quiet, desperate lives so many lead, Anne Tyler hooked me again with her quirky characters and her look into the coming to terms with what might be the final chapter of one man’s life. – Jill Wagy

The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee

LEE, J.

Englishman, Will Truesdale, arrives in Hong Kong in 1942 shortly before the Japanese invasion. There he falls in love with a beautiful, wealthy socialite who is the life of every party. But their love affair is torn apart by the invasion when Will is interned along with the other non-Chinese, and Trudy links her fate with the Japanese conquerors. Ten years later Trudy has not survived the war and Will has become a loner who has been hired as a driver by the wealthy Chen family. Claire Pendleton, a newly arrived Englishwoman, has also been hired by the Chens to teach piano to their daughter. The two become romantically involved, but Claire wonders continually about her lover’s enigmatic demeanor. This beautifully written debut novel highlights love and survival during war and the consequences of choices made under difficult circumstances. – Kathi Sippen

Fiction

Real Life & Liars by Kristina Riggle

F RIGGLE, K.

A 35th wedding anniversary celebration brings the Zielinski family together in ways never expected. Mira tries to become excited about the party her children have planned. Katya, the oldest, has gone to great lengths to make the day special for her parents, even though she has marital issues of her own. She lives in a loveless marriage with three bratty children which makes her life less than perfect. Ivan, the middle child, has tried to make a living as a songwriter, but has had trouble with women and making enough money. Lastly, there is the youngest, Irina, keeping secret a pregnancy by a much older man. However, Mira has secrets of her own as she has been diagnosed with cancer and has doubts about seeking treatment. A story of family, set in the Midwest, that will leave the reader feeling not only sympathy for these problematic characters, but also hope that life has a way of working out. – Donna Hausmann

Return of the Stardust Cowgirl by Marsha Moyer

F MOYER, M.

This fourth in Moyer’s Lucy Hatch series finds Lucy and Ash rebuilding their life together in their quaint town of Mooney, Texas. Ash, a country singer/songwriter, is battling both alcoholism and writer’s block – winning one battle and, so far, losing the other. Lucy is in shock upon finding that Faye’s Flowers, where she has worked for years, is being sold and turned into a barbershop. Both their lives are thrown into turmoil when Denny, Ash’s newly pregnant daughter and an up and coming country singer in her own right, arrives to takes refuge from a cheating husband. Our favorite Mooney characters are as moving and delightful as always, as they face change head-on, learning when to move forward and when to hold tight. – Lynne Barnette

Fiction

Room by Emma Donoghue

F DONOGHUE E.

Room by Emma Donoghue is one of the best books I’ve read this year. If you’ve heard or read reviews of this book, don’t be intimated by them. Despite the terrifying setting revealed as the book progresses, Room is truly about familial bonds—specifically between a young mother and her son. Jack, our five-year old narrator, and his Ma, inhabit a small room, at the mercy of the person who occasionally brings them food, medicine and other needed items. Jack is believable, earnest, loving, selfish and everything else a five year old can be. His ma is frustrated, loving, fiercely protective and at her wits’ end to get out of captivity. You don’t have to love families, or moms, or kids or tragic stories to love this book. Do yourself a favor and read it. – Lisa Dendy

Snakeskin Road by James Braziel

F BRAZIEL, J.

Snakeskin Road is the sequel to Birmingham, 35 Miles. In a post-apocalyptic Alabama, Jennifer has just left her husband Mathew in the dusty clay mines to try to reach her mother in Chicago, where the air is breathable and there are jobs and food. Jennifer, early in her pregnancy, spends much of the novel trying to escape interment, where refugees have been left to die, only to end up in a brothel in Illinois. She carries with her the letters she has written to her mother, who wait for her, afraid that she will never have a chance to make things right between them. Dystopic and macabre, but fascinating. – Lisa Dendy

Sins of the Mother by Victoria Christopher Murray

F MURRAY, V.

Victoria is back with a much awaited new novel. This book continues the story of Jasmine. It is a departure from what we have seen in the past, but is truly a drama. Jasmine loses her 4-year-old daughter to a child abductor. Just when you think Jasmine will finally get her due, Murray writes a story that leaves no room for anything but compassion for her. This novel is a journey of faith. Have no fear the book is also sexy with a capital “S.” Brian

Fiction

is back and you know what that means. Read the story to find out what fires he’s putting out now. I highly recommend this book; it delivers realism without abandoning hope. – Priscilla Lewis

Sixteen Brides by Stephanie Grace Whitson

F WHITSON, S.

I picked out this book from the new book category based on both the title and the cover design, and I can heartily recommend it. In 1871 an unscrupulous businessman recruits widows in St. Louis with the promise of homestead property, and he recruits unmarried men to pay money for the privilege of marrying one of these women. Once the women arrive at the destination location in Nebraska things get dicey. The women become incensed when they find out about the deal the men made with Mr. Hamilton. The five rebellious women that the author then focuses on of course have widely differing talents, but they all have complicated pasts which strongly influences their actions and their thoughts. Led by Ella Barton, an experienced farmer, they choose a site and build their homestead including all five women. They quickly build a sod house with the help of their neighbors. The cooperation astonished them since they were still learning about prairie traditions. All five women take advantage of the romances that present themselves, with of course some jealousy between them in the process. Ella’s mother, Zita, also dispenses advice (lovelorn and otherwise) with a considerable emphasis on teachings from the Bible. I strongly recommend this book based on the strong characters and the thorough description of life on the prairie shortly after the Civil War ended. The author has written numerous other books and has been a two-time Christy award finalist. The Christy awards focus on Christian themes and world views. – Joyce Sykes

Fiction

Tell Me How Long the Train’s Been Gone by James Baldwin

F BALDWIN, J.

Baldwin once responded to what he called “America’s paranoia on the question of homosexuality.” He stated that “Love comes in very strange packages. The trick is to say yes to life.” I read everything he ever wrote, and at a point I wondered about that statement, given the demise of most of his main characters: the dissolution of David and Giovanni’s relationship leads to tragedy in Giovanni’s Room; in Another Country Vivaldo’s suppressed feelings for Rufus only surface after Rufus commits suicide and leads to a sexual encounter with Eric, Rufus’s ex-lover, when both men are supposedly in committed stable relationships; Arthur appears to achieve self-actualization but yet still manages to come to an undignified end in Just Above My Head. So, I contemplated if Mr. Baldwin was advocating the “normalcy” of homosexuality, then why did he appear incapable of delivering a piece of work that was not maudlin? Tell Me How Long the Train’s Been Gone resoundingly answered that question for me. Leo Proudhammer, the bisexual actor experiencing much theatrical fame, gives himself in body and soul to three very pivotal people in his life: his older brother Caleb, his white best friend Barbara and a young black activist named Christopher. Leo is intelligent, confident and caring. He is also very human and quite capable of exhibiting this frailty through bad choices and callous decisions, but we like him anyway. The heart attack he suffers at the beginning that forces him to re-evaluate his past does not cause for dramatic and sweeping changes, but does leave one with hopeful and optimistic thoughts for his future. That’s about all anyone can ask for. – Cleo Bizzell

They’re Watching by Gregg Hurwitz

F HURWITZ, G.

The hero in this story learns the hard way that teaching is much better than writing movies. Patrick Davis, a screenplay writer and teacher begins receiving threatening DVDs showing someone watching him in his home. Having marital issues with wife Ariana, and disagreements with the main actor in the movie of his screenplay, Keith Connor, makes Patrick wonder if one of them is involved. His teaching career is in jeopardy as he skips classes and grading assignments to try to investigate who is threatening his life and home. The plot twists and turns in this techno thriller as Patrick uncovers crooked cops, a company dealing with sonar signals and high tech

Fiction

surveillance equipment. Little does Patrick realize that a movie deal could lead to violence, and possibly death. – Donna Hausmann

The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngoz Adichie

F ADICHIE, C.

Considered by some literary pundits as the heir apparent to fellow Nigerian author Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s collected short stories explore a wide range of situations and emotions – particularly from the view of Africans who face the tribulations of moving to foreign countries including the United States. But regardless of cultural background and geographical origin, Adichie’s rich characters will resonate with most readers. As she is a Nigerian by birth and Igbo by cultural, language and worldview, stories such as “The Headstrong Historian” and “Cell of One” scale the ragged and very complicated terrain of class and social standing in Nigerian society. These complexities are known all too well by modern Nigerian nationals and those who live abroad. Adichie continues her quest to write fluidly and descriptively while telling a story that readers can relate to their own lives. A few of the short stories seem to be unfinished, which leaves you asking for greater detail, but I suppose this is due to the author being more comfortable writing the longer works of fiction she is better known for. But readers will get immense joy from these brief and captivating stories. – Carter Cue

The Transformation of Bartholomew Fortuno by Ellen Bryson

F BRYSON E.

Ever wonder about the lives of circus “curiosities?” Set in the midnineteenth century Manhattan, this work of fiction is grounded in the very real life inner workings of P.T. Barnums’s American Museum, home to people with “unique” talents. The story centers on one of the museum’s residents and his desire to carve out a different life. Be forewarned! Everything is not as it appears! – Alice Sharpe

Fiction

A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff

F WOLFF, I.

After the death of her best friend, Phoebe Swift abandons her fiancé and her high powered job as an auctioneer at Sotheby’s to pursue a long held dream of having her own vintage clothing shop. Phoebe battles her mother’s confusion over the demise of her daughter’s engagement and Phoebe’s own guilt over her friend’s death while slowly forming new bonds with those she meets through the buying and selling of the accessories of the past. The reader will find themselves caught up in not only Phoebe’s story, but also those of the side characters who help to add depth and interest to the novel. Added to the engrossing storyline is a wealth of interesting detail on the various clothes and accessories that pass through Phoebe’s shop. A definite must read for any fashionista! – Laura Broadwater

A Visitation of Spirits by Randall Kenan

F KENAN, R.

A teen-aged homosexual driven to suicide is sadly becoming common place in our society. Randall Kenan allows us a glimpse into the soul of Horace Cross, a brilliant young African-American boy, known in his small North Carolina town as a studious, upright, hard-working, if somewhat square kid. Great hopes are placed on him by his family to one day be a successful scientist and a “credit to the black community.” However, Horace is in a state of acute turmoil and can see no other respite from the pain and alienation that plague him. After the tragic event, Horace’s spirit visits the past and studies himself in various life-affirming situations. Then he gets the opportunity to answer a question most seasoned adults would be hard pressed to deliver: who are you? There’s a brilliant well-written line toward the end of the book that encapsulates Horace’s pain: “Then I remember the day I realized that I was probably not going to go home to heaven, ’cause the rules were too hard for me to keep. That I was too weak I remember me.” I remember reading this and thinking about what Dr. Adnan Houballah of the International Red Cross said, “Children are a taboo subject, sacred to all regardless of nationality or religion. Protecting children is a duty.” At the rate we are losing our young, our future, we should stay in a high-alert crisis mode until we combat this man-made disaster. Why are we here, if not for the children? I said that. – Cleo Bizzell

Fiction

Without Mercy by Lisa Jackson

F JACKSON, L.

Jules has always loved her sister, Shay, even though Shay has always been a troublemaker. Now, as a teenager, Shay has been caught stealing and is sent to Blue Rock Academy for troubled teens in northern Oregon. Hopefully, Shay will get the help she needs, or so Jules thinks until bizarre things begin to happen at the school. One of the students goes missing, and a teacher is dismissed after inappropriate behavior with a student. Jules is concerned about her sister and decides to apply for a teaching job at Blue Ridge. She is totally surprised upon accepting the position that her ex-husband, Trent, is teaching there as well. As Jules investigates behind closed files and doors, she uncovers many discrepancies that put the lives of Trent, Shay and herself in danger. A deranged killer is stalking the campus, and fear settles among the students. A real thriller sure to keep one on the edge until the very end when the killer is revealed, and the conclusion will leave the reader totally surprised. – Donna Hausmann

Wolfbreed by S. A. Swann

F SWANN, S.

In 1221 A.D. a group of werewolf young are discovered near the Carpathian Mountains by a cruel monk. Raised as beasts, they are tortured and trained to become powerful killers used by the Church in its efforts to establish control over the pagan peoples of Prussia. In 1239 one of the wolfbreeds, Lilly, escapes from her masters. Udolfo, a young Prûsan, finds an injured and apparently lost young woman in the forest and takes her home to his family. Unaware of her true nature, the family nurses her to health and attempts to protect her from the German soldiers sent by the Church to hunt her down. Their kindness leads Lilly to question her upbringing and come to terms with her own nature. Wolfbreed is both an exciting adventure tale and an emotionally powerful story of forgiveness. – Shelley Geyer

Fiction

Wolf Hall by Hillary Mantel

F MANTEL, H.

I’m a Tudor junkie! This is a fictional portrait of Thomas Cromwell’s rise to power in King Henry VIII’s turbulent court. Wolf Hall is the family home of the Seymours. Awards: 2010 Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction; Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2009; and 2009 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction. – Rheda Epstein

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood

F ATWOOD, M.

The Year of the Flood is Atwood’s irreverent, respectful, hilarious, inventive and scarily familiar dystopia follow-up to Oryx and Crake. I don’t believe she has written anything better. About her latest novel, Atwood has said: “In his book, The Art Instinct, Denis Dutton proposes that our interest in narrative is built in – selected during the very long period the human race spent in the Pleistocene – because any species with the ability to tell stories about both past and future would have an evolutionary edge. Will there be a crocodile in the river tomorrow, as there was last year? If so, better not go there. Speculative fictions about the future, like The Year of the Flood, are narratives of that kind. Where will the crocodiles be? How will we avoid them? What are our chances?” Her conclusion: our chances could be quite good. It depends on us. – Anastasia Bush

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Yesterdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Promise by Vanessa Miller

F MILLER, V.

This was a new author for me, but I was quite satisfied with this novel. The book centers on the old myth of women in the pulpit. Melinda has always felt that she was called to the ministry. Naturally when her father, pastor of Omega Christian Center, decides to step down, she thinks it only natural that she succeed him. But the bishop has other things in mind. He appoints Steven, a man who is opposed to female pastors. He is also Melindaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ex-finance. The author does a fantastic job of capturing your heart in this book. The message is one of forgiveness, second chances, just letting go and relying on God. Melinda and Steven are given a second chance at happiness, forgiving and truly relying on God. A must read. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Priscilla Lewis

Short Stories

Short Stories Crash Diet by Jill McCorkle

F McCORKLER, J.

‘Strong women falling apart and then getting it back together – mostly’ is an apt description of the stories in this book. The author is smart, funny and talented, and many of her characters exhibit at least one or two of those same traits. “Gold Mine,” the story of one couple trying to make a go of a business and a marriage, is one of my favorites in this book. The last story, “Carnival Lights” is about a young girl making surprisingly mature choices. It stayed with me long after I closed the book. McCorkle’s stories are about women, but they attain more depth and texture than Chick Lit. A good read. – Gina Rozier

Short Stories

The Devil You Know by Poppy Z. Brite

F BRITE, P.

What an interesting collection of stories about the denizens of New Orleans! The author says right up front that half the stories include an element of magic, and the other half draw a kind of magic from the more true-to-life quirks of those who make their home in this colorful city. One of my favorites is a story about a foodie coroner who cannot stomach the random killing of her favorite chef. She decides to take matters into her own hands, and the story really gets interesting. Brite’s characters are diverse in color and culture, but they’re all truly characters – fascinating and memorable. – Gina Rozier

A Million Blessings by Angela Benson, Marilynn Griffity, Tia McCollors

F BENSON, A.

Three popular novelists address sudden prosperity. We have all dreamed of what we would do if we won the lottery. In the first story “Showers of Blessings,” the Rev. Gooden has a gambling addiction. He is about to lose everything when he bets his last two dollars on a lottery ticket. When he wins he convinces his wife they should start their own ministry. When asked about their new found wealth they lie. She later learns that her husband has not stopped gambling. The second story “Second Chance,” centers on ex-football player and soonto-be-divorced Craig Richards. His ex-wife is determined to take everything he has. Defeated, Craig returns to his hometown and the aunt who raised him. Little does he know his aunt has saved all the money he has sent to her over the years and created the Craig Richards Foundation. When Craig finds out he recommits his life to Christ and discovers new opportunities. Craig’s wife realizes she made a mistake, but before she can repair her relationship with Craig she must come to terms with her relationship to God. In the third story, “A Knight in Pink Armor,” it is Dara who wins the lottery. Dara has a giving heart and wants to reach out to others, but the question is: when trouble arrives, will she still care about others? She decides to cleanse her earnings by helping out the overlooked and neglected community where she does outreach ministry. Will the evil sources take over? – Priscilla Lewis

Short Stories

Not the End of the World by Kate Atkinson

F ATKINSON, K.

Atkinson’s stories are gripping. Some funny and entertaining, others filled with somber but witty observances about life. The book itself is like a little mystery or jigsaw puzzle. Some of the characters appear later in other stories. Some of the titles of the stories are pulled from phrases and comments in previous stories. I loved “Unseen Translation,” about a little boy born to a self-centered, celebrity mother. His new nanny sees his potential as they travel the world together waiting for a rendezvous with his rock star father. Would a good nanny leave a bright and promising child to a life of being ignored and disappointed? The story is sweet and a pointed commentary on our empty celebrity culture. This was one of my favorite short story collections. – Gina Rozier

Wild Stars Seeking Midnight Suns by J. California Cooper

F COOPER, J.

This is the third short story collection I’ve read by Cooper. While it is not her strongest, it does contain some very interesting characters and story lines. The book features a variety of mostly African-American characters, young and old, some wise, but more foolish, looking for love or a seedier alternative. Some overcome tendencies toward quick and easy, and ultimately fare much better in life by working hard and deferring gratification. One of my favorite stories in the book is “The Eye of the Beholder.” Lily Bea – born “ugly” in a family of “beautiful” people – is a character you can root for and cheer on when things go her way. Cooper is a little preachy in this collection, and many of the storytelling voices sound less like fictional characters and more like Ms. Cooper herself. But the collection is entertaining and an interesting glimpse into the mindset of a well-known and well-loved author. – Gina Rozier

Mystery

Mystery A Corpse in the Koryo by James Church

MYS F CHURCH, J.

A Corpse in the Koryo is the first in Church’s Inspector O series of mystery novels set in North Korea. I picked up the book on a whim because a North Korean setting sounded so interesting. Then I read the first in one sitting, put the second on hold and checked out the third. When the fourth in the series showed up on the new fiction shelf, I snagged it. Church’s writing is beautifully spare and he gives personalities to the people living in North Korea who we never see or hear about. He makes them real people with poetry in their souls. He even makes clear why the clever Inspector O, who could easily defect, would stay loyal to his country. These novels read more like political thrillers because every action O makes is a political action and every word the characters utter could come back to haunt them later. The novels feel like a mix of Le Carré and a police procedural. They are fabulous! – Jennifer Lohmann

Mystery

The Devil’s Shadow by Hugh Holton

MYS F HOLTON, H.

Known as the Devil’s Shadow, or L’Ombre du Diable, the antagonist in Holton’s gritty crime epic is a seductive master thief who has managed to pull off impossible heists all over the world to the chagrin of law enforcement. In this ‘cat and mouse’ work set in locales as far reaching as Chicago, Rome and St. Thomas (Virgin Islands), protagonist Larry Cole, a Chicago police detective, goes undercover to catch L’Ombre du Diablo but instead encounters the woman Julianna Saint. Any reader who regularly views television shows replete with mobsters, con men, assassins and thieves will readily recognize and understand Holton’s many characters. Holton, himself a Chicago policeman, brings real life knowledge to this book. If you are a connoisseur of the hard-boiled detective drama, albeit fused together with a bit of glitz and flair, the eighth book in Holton’s Larry Cole series will be to your liking. – Carter Cue

Dog On It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery by Spencer Quinn

MYS F QUINN, S.

Have you ever read a book narrated by a dog? This one was a first for me! It is billed as a Chet and Bernie mystery. Chet is the more-than-100-pound mutt who is the “partner” of Bernie Little, a private investigator who’s suffering through hard times. Their adventures relate to what appears to be a simple missing person case of a 13-year old girl. It may not surprise you that the case gets complicated. It leads to both Chet and Bernie being kidnapped (separately). Chet also ends up in an animal shelter and barely gets rescued in the nick of time before being euthanized. Chet’s observations about humans and their foibles had me chuckling out loud several times. As a first-time author, Spencer Quinn captured me as a fan, and I am looking forward to reading his second book, Thereby Hangs a Tail. – Joyce Sykes

Mystery

The Weed That Strings the Hangmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bag by Alan C. Bradley

MYS F BRADLEY, A.

Flavia de Luce is eleven years old, lives with her father and her not so nice older sisters in a big old English house, and loves chemistry above all else. To her delight, she has an abandoned chemistry lab of a long dead relative in part of the house where no one else goes and can experiment all she wants. In both this book and the first Flavia title, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, Flavia uses her skills to sort out mysteries that seem to happen in her small corner of England, which unfortunately does not always make the local police officials happy. Though these books are in adult fiction, they would be enjoyed by older kids and teens. The titles have been on the Amelia Bloomer List, which notes books with feminist content, quality writing and appeal to young readers. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Carol Passmore

Romance

Romance Maid to Match by Deeanne Gist

F GIST, D.

Maid to Match is a sweet romance between two house servants at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. Many historical romances star rich, powerful characters, and it is refreshing to read about love for the rest of us. The characters are well-written with lots of emotional tension. Gist is an inspirational author. If you love inspirational romances and have not tried any of Gist’s book, read Maid to Match. If you don’t normally read inspirational romance, but like romances with unusual settings, this book is a great choice. – Jennifer Lohmann

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson

F SIMONSON, H.

Welcome to Edgecombe St. Mary, a small village in the English countryside, and meet a cast of characters both hilariously original and as familiar as the members of your own family. Among them is Major Pettigew, the unlikely hero of this debut novel. He is witty, courtly, opinionated and quite endearing. The other main character is Mrs. Jasmina Ali. Both are widowed and are drawn together by their shared love of literature and the loss of their spouses. The Major and Mrs. Ali soon find their friendship blossoming into romance, but the villagers are not ready to accept a relationship between two people of such different backgrounds. Does love conquer all? Read this delightful book and find out. – Kathi Sippen

Romance

Nice to Come Home To by Rebecca Flowers

F FLOWERS, R.

Nice to Come Home To is a sweet novel set in Washington, D.C. about Prudence Whistler. Surrounded by people settling down into marriage and parenthood, Prudence panics about never being able to have the traditional family life. Life has a way of reminding us that families are made and not born – and that sometimes they can come in unexpected places. Flowers’ debut novel is charming and will make you feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. – Jennifer Lohmann

What the Librarian Did by Karina Bliss

F BLISS, K.

As a librarian, I could not resist this book. I read it because of the irresistible cover and the silly title, but I’m recommending it because it is a Harlequin romance at its best. The romance is sweet and fun, the dialogue funny and the characters completely charming. – Jennifer Lohmann

Science Fiction & Fantasy

Science Fiction & Fantasy Bearers of the Black Staff by Terry Brooks

FANTASY F BROOKS, T.

Terry Brooks, a legend in writing fantasy stories, has brought forth the latest in the Shannara series. Legends of Shannara: Bearers of the Black Staff takes place 500 years after the demon war destroyed the United States and the world as we know it today. Five centuries ago one of the heroes of the Genesis of Shannara trilogy, Hawk, led the survivors to a valley protected by a magical barrier. The survivors consisted of mostly humans and elves; however, mutated humans known as Spiders and Lizards, created by the nuclear and diseased effects of the demon war, were also brought into the valley. Each group went their separate ways and built a new life safe from what existed beyond the valley. Now the barriers appear broken, as discovered by Sider Ament, the last known Knight of the Word. Sider patrols the barrier with his magic staff and keeps his promise to protect the valley inhabitants from the dangers outside the valley. But he may be too late. He enlists the help of two trackers to spread the word and unite against the inevitable – the end of their peaceful and secluded world. This first of a two-book series is likely trying to continue the bridging of storylines to the original Shannara series. It is a good read, and I am sure the sequel will deliver the wonderful climactic storytelling Brooks is known for. This is not necessarily a standalone series. I would suggest reading the Genesis of Shannara series first, or even going further back and starting with The Word and The Void series. – Deborah Greer

Boneshaker by Cherie Priest

FANTASY F PRIEST, C.

Steampunk, depending on who you talk to, is either the new cool thing or very old, very tired news. If you aren’t familiar, it is a genre that mixes

Science Fiction & Fantasy

alternate history with more familiar science fiction conventions, resulting in futures the Victorians might have imagined: say, Flash Gordon rocketing to the moon with a coal-powered engine. As with any genre of literature, the content can range from superficial to super-serious, and Boneshaker falls right in the middle. The book is set on the outskirts of 19th-century Seattle, after a mining disaster has left the city walled off from the outside world, the air thick with poisonous gas and the streets teeming with zombies. Briar Wilkes, widow of the mad inventor responsible for the disaster, spends each day ignoring abuses hurled at her by her co-workers and trying to keep her son, Ezekiel, in school and out of trouble. But when Ezekiel undertakes a dangerous journey into the city to learn about his father and grandfather – Briar’s father and a folk hero among Zeke’s criminal friends – Briar sets out to rescue him. Boneshaker isn’t the best: the pace is a little off, the characters’ language is inconsistent and the text sometimes feels like it needs an editor. But these details are easily forgivable because the story is a truly fun adventure with a good balance of action, character and atmosphere. For all of its flaws, Boneshaker is good fun and a great introduction to the literary potential of the well-loved and oft-derided genre of Steampunk. – Patrick Holt

The Gates by John Connelly

FANTASY F CONNELLY, J.

The Neighborhood Watch never had anything like this in mind! If Samuel Johnson hadn’t been trick-or-treating three days early, he wouldn’t have seen what happened in the basement of 666 Crowley Road. The Abernathys and the Renfields were trying to summon a demon and, thanks to a simultaneous experiment in particle physics elsewhere, they cracked open the gates of Hell and were immediately taken over by demons. This was no great loss, but the strongest demon started trying to remove the only witness (Samuel) and planning for a full scale invasion, which was a much bigger problem. Very few people believed him until the first troops came through on Halloween and the townspeople fought back with anything at hand: riding mowers, handbags, pokers, bug spray, cricket bats (excellent against flying skulls), table salt (ditto for giant slugs) and umbrellas. Then too, there are always the troops who just end up getting blind drunk on free beer. Can Samuel and his allies shut down the portal before the Great Malevolence arrives (and what does a red Aston Martin have to do with anything)? – Deb Warner

Science Fiction & Fantasy

Good Omens : The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

FANTASY F GAIMAN, N.

This came out in 1990, but I still find something new to enjoy every time I re-read it. Heaven and Hell are at war, but their top field agents, Aziraphale, an angel/rare book dealer, and Crawley, an ex-serpent, get along far better with each other than with their respective Home Offices. They are having a great time and have no intention of letting Armageddon ruin their millennium. Right from the kick-off of the AntiChrist plot Crawley does his best to bollix things up, and now that things are coming to a head, he, Aziraphale and several other players are on the move. Adding to the crowd are: Agnes herself and her charming current descendent, a dyspeptic witchfinder General and his sole recruit, who may be in love with a witch, the Four Bikers of The Apocalypse and their wannabe hangers-on and, along with his loyal friends, Alex the 11-year-old AntiChrist, who has his own opinions, including the desire that both sides would “stop messing people about.” – Deb Warner

Makers by Cory Doctorow

SCI FI F DOCTOROW, C.

Makers is difficult to describe in a brief review. The premise is this: the future of corporate America is shifting from the production of goods to the financial backing of new cottage industries. Perry and Lester, hacker geek geniuses, create a 3D printing machine (kind of a “replicator”) and an opensource Disney-type amusement park ride that spurs clones across the country. These clone-rides quickly grow a life of their own, attracting the attention of the Disney suits. There’s youth, anarchy, tech geeks, open-source, intellectual property, romance, embedded journalism, entrepreneurism, altruism and corporate greed. Doctorow also handles the characters well, developing them through crises and relationships – financial, ethical, and romantic. This is Doctorow’s best book in years. – Lisa Dendy

Monster by A. Lee Martinez

FANTASY F MARTINEZ, A.

When Judy opened the freezer door at the Food Plus Mart and discovered a yeti eating the Rocky Road, she called animal control and Monster showed

Science Fiction & Fantasy

up. He’s a bounty hunter for Cryptobiological Containment and Rescue, and he’s about to get really busy, which isn’t necessarily good news. Aside from the consequences of standing up a girlfriend, who happens to be a demon, one too many times, far too many events are connected to Judy. This is problematic for a number of reasons, not the least of which is they really can’t stand each other and not in a cutesy romantic way. Still, when a sinister cat lady (with a fire-breathing feline) kidnaps Judy, he’s got to go after her. He feels responsible and there’s that whole end of the world possibility that keeps cropping up. – Deb Warner

A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny

FANTASY F ZELAZNY, R.

Every once in a great while, the cosmos is so aligned that the Elder Gods may break through into our world. It is the role of the Openers to clear their way and the job of the Closers to hold the portal shut against them. One by one, all the players gather to prepare for that night, gather their powers and eliminate as much of the opposition as possible. The usual suspects include: Jack the Ripper and his dog Snuff (who narrates the story), Jill the witch and her cat Greymalk, the Doctor and his Monster, The Count, Larry Talbot, a werewolf and the Great Detective, who really outdoes himself in the disguise area this time. This short tale is great fun and the illustrations by Gahan Wilson add to the enjoyment. – Deb Warner

Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett

FANTASY F PRATCHETT, T.

Unseen Academicals is the latest Discworld novel of Sir Terry Pratchett. His early onset Alzheimer’s doesn’t seem to have taken much of a toll, as this novel is up to par with recent entries in the series. Unseen Academicals spotlights the wizards of Unseen University as they find themselves being drawn into a match of soccer (European football) against some of the scruffy locals, who take their sport quite seriously. Pratchett deals with class, race, and politics with a delicate touch and astonishing wit. Like almost every Discworld novel, this one deserves to be read again and again. – Lisa Dendy

Nonfiction

Nonfiction 27 Views of Hillsborough: A Southern Town in Prose & Poetry 810.809 TWEN

The town of Hillsborough, North Carolina is home to many wellknown authors and other interesting folk. This 2010 volume published in Hillsborough by Eno Publishers gathers together twenty-seven of these personalities to tell true tales of their affection for Hillsborough: Michael Malone, Jill McCorkle, Piedmont Laureate Jaki Shelton Green and Lee Smith are among them. I especially enjoyed Allan Gurganus’ “Old Houses & Young Men: Notes on Renovation & Survival,” chronicling his move from loud New York City back to his roots in serene North Carolina, his falling in love with and subsequent purchase of an old home that needed lots of TLC and his happily nesting there for over twenty years and counting. If you enjoy this paperback, you’ll be glad to hear that 27 Views, volume 2 is planned for publication with dozens more of Hillsborough’s gifted authors included within. – Susan Wright

Nonfiction

All Cakes Considered: A Year’s Worth of Weekly Recipes Tested, Tasted, and Approved by the Staff of NPR’s All Things Considered by Melissa Gray

641.865 GRAY

The first time you open this cookbook and read the recipe “The Mancatcher Sour Cream Pound Cake” you will wonder if I’m crazy for suggesting this book and you’re crazy for trying it. Gray asks you to beat in the sugar 1/2 cup at a time; for one minute each 1/2 cup. Then add the eggs one at a time and beat for a minute. It will take you a half an hour just to make the batter – then there is the 90 minutes in the oven. Don’t despair – all your hard work will be rewarded with the best sour cream pound cake you have ever tried. Ever. I’m not kidding. So you’ll make the black walnut cake and it will also be delicious and then you’ll make the naughty senator cake and then you’ll be asking your mom for a cake carrier for your birthday and, well, you get the idea. – Jennifer Lohmann

America’s Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates and Heroines by Gail Collins

305.409 COLLINS

Op-ed columnist Gail Collins presents an intriguing parade of early women from the first American colonists through those in the 1950s who accomplished great feats in the U.S.A. and who you probably did not read about in your American history textbooks. This is a real page turner. – Susan Wright

Nonfiction

Another Country: Navigating the Emotional Terrain of our Elders by Mary Pipher

306.874 PIPHER

Dr. Mary Pipher, author of Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Lives of Adolescent Girls, has moved to the realm of our aging parents and delivered the same insightful, compassionate review of that landscape. Her hard won wisdom (she wrote this book as she cared for her dying mother) is delivered in a straightforward language and format. Pipher combines case histories, research and thoughtful analysis to give us clues about what may be going wrong and how we can make it right. The result is a comforting sensation of being in a larger community facing difficult choices with dignity and kindness. – Anastasia Bush

Behind Closed Doors: At Home in Georgian England by Amanda Vickery

306.81 VICERY

A detailed and interesting book about the role of furnishings and home design in Georgian England. The lives of the Georgians come alive through their wallpaper, house leases and purchases of teapots. The many ways we leave information about our lives, though shop records, burglary trials and diaries, is astounding – like little breadcrumbs through time. At Home in Georgian England is the perfect book for anyone interested in the time period or in decorating and the history of furnishings. If you’ve ever seen the movie or read the book about the Lennox sisters (Aristocrats: Caroline, Emily, Louisa, and Sarah Lennox, 1740-1832), you will be fascinated by the world Vickery describes. – Jennifer Lohmann

Nonfiction

Bonobo Handshake by Vanessa Woods

599.884 WOODS

Woods writes a quirky memoir of her time in war-torn Congo, saving the amazing bonobo – a rare primate, as closely related to humans as the more common chimp. But unlike chimps, bonobos use sex to release tension and aggression, and they live in female dominated groups. Both the people and the bonobos Woods meets are portrayed in a lovely way, and she learns lessons about war as well as love. Woods ends up in Durham, after her now husband lands a job at Duke, and says a few stereotyped things of our city. One hopes that she has learned to appreciate Durham since completing this book. – Joanne Abel

Habitat for Humanity How to Build a House by Larry Haun

690.837 HAUN

We live in a very special time, when a convergence of factors makes us more aware of the decisions we make in creating and maintaining our habitat. The globalization phenomenon (see The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman), the climate change (see An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore), the recession we are going through, all have an impact on us as a society, as families and individuals. We are all becaming more aware of our basic habitat, which is our home and community, where we would like to make a difference. The need for decent, affordable housing is increasing day-by-day. “Live simply that others may simply live” is the epitome of Larry Haun, the author of How to Build a House. Haun began his building career at 17, when he helped to build his first house. Later he joined his older brother in a Los Angeles building boom that brought about rapid change in tools, materials and building methods. Retired now, Haun builds houses for Habitat for Humanity. The book is an accurate and comprehensive description of all the steps involved in building a basic house, presented through the lens of the Habitat for Humanity organization. The chapters are well organized, containing information on the latest trends in construction. The sealing, insulating and venting of a house are explained in understandable terms, by comparing them with sweaters, windbreakers and rain gear (not from L.L.Bean catalog). Due to the simplicity of the examples, and the wholeness of the subject, How to Build a House is a best source of learning. The knowledge derived from How to

Nonfiction

Build a House can be applied in two directions: our own houses in the present buyer’s market, planning a new design or improving the house and lot amenities, and contributing to the Habitat for Humanity effort to build or renovate homes for the less fortunate of us. Durham, our city, is a treasure of “not so big” houses that should be preserved as an architectural heritage, but in need of renovation. Maybe How to Build a House will be the inspiration towards taking action in improving our habitat. – Celia Romascanu

Have A Little Faith: A True Story by Mitch Albom

296.7 ALBOM

Mitch Albom, author of the bestselling book Tuesdays with Morrie, once again writes true and straight to the human heart. This is an intimate tale of Mr. Albom’s journey back to faith, and the love of his childhood Rabbi who led him there. Estranged from his Jewish roots, the author is asked by his lifelong Rabbi to write a eulogy for him upon his impending death. Albom decides that he must visit the Rabbi, whom he affectionately calls “Reb,” for a few months before he can write a meaningful eulogy for him. One month surprisingly turns into eight years, and during these years the author starts to find his faith through spiritual discussions and questions with the Reb. During these eight years Albom also happens to meet an African-American pastor in Detroit named Henry Covington. Mr. Covington grew up on the streets of New York and is an ex-drug addict and dealer, and former convict. The skepticism that Albom has carried for his own faith causes him to question the sincerity of Covington’s ministry. But as the author befriends and watches both men, the Reb and the pastor, he realizes their lives sincerely demonstrate their faith. They are both authentic, true to what they teach. At the closing of his touching story, Mitch Albom delivers a beautiful eulogy of his beloved Reb to the Rabbi’s devoted congregation. His praise to the Reb is also expressed when the author decides to help Mr. Covington’s ministry for the poor by writing a newspaper column about the dire state of their church building, and the need for food and clothes for the homeless population the church serves. The attention from his newspaper article causes donations to pour in. This generous funding allows the church to fix their leaking roof and provide heat, clothes and food for the poor. In the giving, Mr. Albom realizes what true faith means. His book is a tribute to the two men of different religions who opened his heart and completely changed his life. – Archie Burke

Nonfiction

Hamlet’s Blackberry: A Practical Philosophy for Building a Good Life in the Digital Age by William Powers

303.483 POWERS

William Powers takes a look back in time to see just how similar our current connectedness is to those of the past. Using the likes of Plato, Gutenberg, Hamlet and others, you will learn that while the technologies change, our need to escape from them is just as necessary as ever. This very readable book will have you looking at your family and friends and wondering just how disconnected you are by being so connected. Read this book, then unplug for a while, and you might feel a bit lighter from that information overload we all seem to be experiencing. – Jill Wagy

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

616.027 SKLOOT

Scientific writing at its best, this is the heartbreaking story of the family of Henrietta Lacks and the use and abuse they received at the hands of the medical establishment. During surgery for cervical cancer, some of Mrs. Lacks’ cells were removed for research, without her or her family’s permission. The doctors at Johns Hopkins had been looking for a line of cells that would grow out in the lab. After her death from the cancer, Mrs. Lacks’ cells continued to grow and became the basis of cell lines that led to many medical breakthroughs. However, her family didn’t find out about Mrs. Lacks’ “immortal” cells for twenty-five years. This cell line launched a multi-million dollar business, yet the family never received any compensation. To make matters more upsetting, many family members struggle to receive basic health care. Mrs. Lacks’ family members are vividly portrayed, and their resilience is almost as amazing as the HeLa cell line. This book raises many questions about medical ethics, privacy and compassion, in addition to questions concerning the role of race in the history of medical research in the United States. – Joanne Abel

Nonfiction

A Love Affair with Southern Cooking: Recipes and Recollections by Jean Anderson

641.597 ANDERSON

A wonderfully charming and informative cookbook. This collection features easy-to-follow Southern recipes by the local author. It is filled with the classics such as frogmore stew, gumbo and fried chicken with gravy, fried green tomatoes, peach country cobbler and pecan pie. Besides the mouth-watering recipes are Jean’s stories about the “South’s culinary heritage.” She also includes some interesting stories on some Southern brand names, like Krispy Kreme and Kentucky Fried Chicken. When you read her stories and try these recipes you can see why Jean fell in love with the South and its cuisine. – Deborah Greer

Real Simple Solutions: Tricks, Wisdom and Easy Ideas to Simplify Everyday by Amanda Hinnant

640.41 HINNANT

The editors of Real Simple magazine have complied lots of ideas in this book. They have great ideas on how to use little things you have around your home. This book is a wonderful choice to add to your collection. If you are an organizer, it is very helpful. There are so many ideas and tricks to simplify your life. – Linda Guerrier

Stones into Schools by Greg Mortenson

371.823 MORTENSON

If you didn’t read 3 Cups of Tea, I hope you will give this book a try. If you did read Morenson’s first book, I think you will find this one better written. Mortenson talks about his efforts to build many schools in Afghanistan and about the locals who assist him in this effort, both organizers and villagers who help with the actual construction. He detours to Pakistan for the middle section of the book to talk about assisting in relief for the 2005 earthquake, and then returns to Afghanistan to talk about some of the young women who have been able to complete their education thanks to the school building effort. You will get a different picture of Afghanistan than what you currently hear about the war efforts. – Carol Passmore

Nonfiction

When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present by Gail Collins

305.409 COLLINS

Gail Collins is at it again with an intriguing, fast read for women’s history buffs. Baby boomers like me will appreciate the humor and creativity of women in the book and of the author who chronicles lesser-known women through the ERA and beyond. Although this volume caught my eye first when it was published in 2009, you may want to start with America’s Women from 2003. When Everything Changed picks up where Collins’ previous book left off…and it’s definitely an amazing journey! – Susan Wright

Biography

Biography I Walked the Sloping Hills: A Memoir by Walter Matthew Brown

BIO BROWN, W.

Durham native Walter Brown chronicles scenes from his long, rich life in this new memoir. Dr. Brown treats readers to memories of Lyon Park School and Hillside High School; offers sketches of friends, family and colleagues including noted historian John Hope Franklin and first black Durham County manager Jack Bond; comments on the pervasiveness of racism in Durham and beyond; and delights us with pieces relating to favorite hobbies including golf and calligraphy. Some of the places Dr. Brown has lived and worked include a short stint in Harlem in the 1940s, in Washington, D.C. in Lyndon Johnsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s War on Poverty and in Durham as dean of the School of Education at North Carolina Central University. If you are interested in biography and African-American history and culture with a focus on Durham, this is a rewarding book to read. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Lynn Richardson

Biography

Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

BIO HIRSI, A.

This is a powerful autobiographical account of a woman who was raised in a strict Islamic family in Mogadishu, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and Kenya. Having been raised in an abusive home with a largely absent father, she gradually began questioning her Muslim religion, especially its view towards the treatment of women. After fleeing to the Netherlands to escape an arranged marriage, she eventually rises to become a member of the Dutch Parliament. This is a fascinating story and well worth reading with an open mind. – Janet Levy

Jenniemae and James by Brooke Newman

BIO NEWMAN, B.

James Newman was a noted mathematician who coined the word “googol,” wrote the well known book Mathematics and the Imagination, and was a friend of Einstein. He also led a somewhat unconventional life, with a fondness for women and fast cars. Jenniemae Harrington was an illiterate AfricanAmerican maid from Alabama who worked for the Newmans in D.C. She had a fondness for numbers and she played and frequently won an illegal underground lottery. Perhaps because they both loved numbers, Jenniemae and James became close friends – he taught her to read and drove her around in his Rolls, to her embarrassment. Daughter Brooke, for whom Jenniemae was a source of stability in an unsettled household, tells this story beautifully. – Carol Passmore

Biography

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Zanzer

B IO ZANZER. R.

This is a laugh out loud book that my Mennonite friends said is pretty much on the mark. Proving you can go home again, sort of, Zanzer returns to her conservative Mennonite family and community the year she turns forty. Her husband has left her to be with someone he met on an online gay dating service, and she was involved in a serious accident. Although she had left the community to become a college professor and writer, she is welcomed home with open arms. She sees why she left in the first place, but she learns to appreciate the different way of looking at the world offered by her community of origin. Given to me by a friend, this story was so funny that I had no idea it was a true until I finished it and sought more novels by the author! Her humor is never cruel and often contains gems of wisdom. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Joanne Abel

Biography

A Palette, Not a Portrait by Nathan Garrett

BIO GARRETT, N.

Nathan Garrett paints a vivid picture of his life in Durham (and elsewhere) in the days of Jim Crow and the civil rights struggle. Educated at Yale and Wayne State universities and trained as an accountant, he was comptroller of the North Carolina Fund, begun by Terry Sanford and was a model for Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty. In that capacity he worked to promote economic, political and intellectual capital gains in historically marginalized and impoverished communities across North Carolina. By demanding that all the groups funded by the North Carolina Fund keep meticulous books, he managed to help sustain some of them when the political winds changed. Written with compassion, wisdom and wit, this book offers a behind-thescenes look at a significant part of the history of Durham as well as of our changing society. Mr. Garrett’s deep wisdom and kindness is also expressed in an essay on religion at the end of the book. Also recommended is To Right These Wrongs: The North Carolina Fund and the Battle to End Poverty and Inequality in 1960s America by Robert R. Korstad and James L. Leloudis (362.58 Korstad) which includes much of Mr. Garrett’s work on the Fund. – Joanne Abel

The Short Bus: A Journey beyond Normal by Jonathan Mooney

BIO MOONEY, J.

Anyone who has someone “special” in their family knows that only “special” kids ride short school buses. Jonathan Mooney was one of those kids. As an adult, Mooney successfully graduated from college and then purchased an old yellow short bus, making it his mission to travel around the county encouraging students enrolled in special education classes that they can make a success of their lives (as he did). Particularly those who have graduated from special ed will rejoice in Jonathan Mooney’s accomplishments and his bittersweet memories of riding the short bus included in his autobiography. – Susan Wright

Biography

What I Thought I Knew by Alice Eve Cohen

BIO COHEN, A.

I read this in one evening because I couldn’t put it down. Alice Cohen finally has her life together and everything is going well – until she becomes unwell, undergoes lots of tests, is diagnosed with a tumor, gets an emergency CAT scan and learns that she is actually pregnant. How she deals with all the issues surrounding this medical misadventure and comes out with a happy ending provides exciting reading. – Carol Passmore

Yarn: Remembering the Way Home by Kyoko Mori

BIO MORI, K.

This is not a cute little book with charming little stories and knitting patterns sprinkled through it. It is a personal memoir that is intelligent without being pretentious and honest about the difficulties in her life without being flippant or self-pitying. Her mother’s suicide and the verbal and physical (although not sexual) abuse by her father and stepmother made her decision to leave Japan for college in America an easy one. Knitting reflects different stages in her life, from the mittens of her Home Ec class, as misshapen as her home life, to the “make it up as you go along” creativity of her rediscovery of knitting, to the chosen “family “of other knitters and spinners. Although patterns aren’t inserted in the text, Mori has added an appendix with full citations for the books she mentions and additional ones: books on the history of knitting, instructional books with patterns and even notes on some of the specific patterns and yarns she used. – Deb Warner

Young Adult Fiction

Young Adult Fiction Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

YAF DESSEN, S.

A smooth, quick read for me! This newest Sarah Dessen book shows the growth of a teenage girl, Auden, through the course of a summer. She faces her own demons: being judgmental, stereotyping others (especially her female peers) and her aloofness, which she believes keeps her “safe.” Romance also confronts Auden, making her look at the way she has used her intelligence in academia to keep the world at bay and herself in the driver’s seat. She opens her heart, bit by bit, as the novel progresses, and, as a result, her life heals and expands. As usual, Dessen’s characters are engaging, and the plot unpredictable. It kept me on the edge of my seat. – Archie Burke

Romiette and Julio by Sharon Draper

YAF DRAPER, S.

This book is a modern twist on the Shakespearian play Romeo and Juliette. It takes place in Chicago and tells the story of an interracial couple Romiette, who is African American, and Julio, who is Mexican. The couple is harassed by a local gang that does not approve of the relationship. Things go horribly wrong for the young couple when they, along with two other friends, decide to stop the bullying on their own. I love this book because it is broken up into Julio’s view of the story and then it switches to Romiette’s. The reader knows how Shakespeare’s play ends and is hoping, while reading this novel, that Romiette and Julio’s fates are not the same. – Jessica Corbin

Juvenile Fiction

Juvenile Fiction Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill by Maud Hart Lovelace

JF LOVELACE, M.

The book is the third in a long-lived series about three girls named Betsy, Tacy and Tib and their adventures growing up. The town where they lived, named Deep Valley, is nearly surrounded by hills, and one in particular is their play area. Although the book is set in the early 20th century, there is a timelessness about it in the way that Betsy, Tacy and Tib celebrate their birthdays, develop crushes on a celebrity – in their case, the young King of Spain – and quarrel and make up with their older sisters. There is also an international element to the story when the girls visit an area of town known as Little Syria, named for the Lebanese Christian immigrants who had come to the area. The girls make a new friend named Naifi. Their friendship culminates in Naifi being asked to receive an honor: the role of queen in a celebration. The book has a foreword by author Judy Blume, who had herself been an avid reader of the Betsy books when she was growing up. A key point for her, which I agree with, is the fact that you see the heroine growing up to womanhood, which adds to the realism of the stories. – Laurel Jones

Juvenile Fiction

Cirque Du Freak: The Saga of Darren Shan: Book 1 by Darren Shan

JF SHAN, D.

I love a good horror story. This book is it! Darren and his friend Steve purchase tickets for a freak show and get more than they paid for when Steve realizes that a performer in the show, Mr. Crepsely, is actually a vampire. Upon learning this secret and stealing a performing spider from Mr. Crepsley, Darren must make a life-altering decision in order to save Steve’s life. – Jessica Corbin

The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler

JF HOOBLER, D.

Despite the title, this is not a horror story, but an adventure tale of eighteenthcentury Japan. Young Seiki Konoike is the son of a tea merchant, but dreams of being a samurai – a warrior-poet. But when a crime is committed at the inn where he and his father are staying, he gets his chance to act as a samurai would, assisting a samurai judge investigating the crime. The two of them even travel to Edo (the capital city of Japan at the time) together. During the course of assisting the judge, Seiki learns to ride a horse, use a sword, and he becomes part of a traveling kabuki troupe while pursuing the thief. The book culminates with him starring in a true-to-life play performed before the shogun (or military ruler of Japan); which reveals a long-buried secret and brings about justice for past dishonors. As a result of his hard work and resourcefulness, Seiki is adopted by the judge as his son, thus gaining his life’s dream. The story has many twists and turns over its course. The reader is introduced to many facets of early Japan as well, which make for both educational and entertaining reading. – Laurel Jones

Juvenile Fiction

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

JF GAIMAN, N.

Could you imagine what it would be like to be raised in a graveyard by ghosts? That is exactly what happens to a young boy in England after his family is murdered. He is given the name “Nobody Owens” or “Bod” for short. He is loved by his adoptive ghost parents, Mr. and Mrs. Owens and cared for by a mysterious man named Silas who has the ability to leave the graveyard. As Bod grows up, he is taught all the secrets of the graveyard, such as haunting, fading and dream walking. With each passing year, Bod becomes curious about life outside the graveyard and wonders what happened to his original family. He slowly discovers the truth and creates friends and enemies (alive and dead) along the way. The character,s in this book are so memorable. Some of the inhabitants of the graveyard date back to when England was part of the Roman Empire. Each character’s dialogue is appropriate for when they lived, which makes this an extremely interesting read. The Graveyard Book contains mystery, adventure, suspense and comedy. I could not put it down! – Jessica Corbin

Juvenile Fiction

Magic in the Margins, A Medieval Tale of Bookmaking by W. Nikola-Lisa

JF NIKOLA-LISA, W.

In the Middle Ages, men called monks toiled away their hours by painstakingly copying bibles and other books by hand. The artists among them then illustrated the margins of the pages with water colors and colored ink. This was called illumination. Nikola-Lisa creates a young boy named Simon as an apprentice to the monks. He has the drawing skills necessary to illuminate pages of a book someday, but the Catholic priest in charge of the monastery tells him he must study the mice that plague the building and capture them. Simon does everything he can think of to capture the mice, but falls woefully short of his goal. When the priest tells him to use his imagination, Simon finally figures out that he must capture the mice with his imagination, instead of traps. Laboring long into the night by candlelight, the young boy produces whimsical drawings of mice as knights, monks, artists and angels. When he eagerly shows his work to the priest, he is told that he can now join the other monks in illuminating his first book. This book is wonderful. The margins of the pages are filled with imaginative artwork and detailed illumination, as if they were done in the Eleventh century. Bonnie Christensen illustrates each page with the detail and imagination worthy of a medieval monk. This book is a must read for any child who likes to draw. – Tom Czaplinski

The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo

JF DiCAMILLO, K.

Since I collect elephants, I couldn’t resist this book, based on its title.Then I was further intrigued by the story of Peter Augustus Duchene, a ten-year-old orphan who was told by a fortuneteller that an elephant would help him find his lost (and presumably dead) sister. Add to this a wonderful cast of characters, such as a very competent and empathetic policeman, a helpful nun, an aggrieved noblewoman and her manservant, a beggar, a dog and a small, bent-over man and you have a rich and absorbing tale. The story also has a message, which is summed up near the end of the book, indicating that “Each person has a hold of the other . . . their heads held at such an angle that it seems as if they are looking into a bright light.” And then the crowning touch to the book is the wonderful black and white illustrations done by Yoko Tanaka. Enjoy! – Joyce Sykes

Juvenile Fiction

The Witch’s Guide to Cooking with Children by Keith McGowan

JF McGOWAN, K.

Do you like scary books? And did you know the witch from Hansel and Gretel is still around – her name is Fay Holaderry and she drives a car now, not a broom. And she still likes children because they are very tasty. Sol and his younger sister Connie are suspicious of her after they see her dog with a bone that looks like, well, like a human bone. They look her up on the internet, and then they are even more suspicious. Find out how dangerous life can be when you live in a neighborhood with a witch. And I promise you that while the children’s librarian in the book is a witch’s helper, none of the librarians at the Durham County Library would ever consider helping a witch! – Carol Passmore

Juvenile Nonfiction

Juvenile Nonfiction Almost Astronauts : 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone

J 629.45 STONE

Almost Astronauts is the story of thirteen women pioneers of the space age. When America created NASA in 1958, there was an unspoken rule: you had to be a man to be an astronaut. Jerrie Cobb and 12 other women proved that they were not only as tough as any male astronaut but brave enough to challenge the government. They were blocked by prejudice, jealousy and the scrawled note of one of the most powerful men in Washington. Although the Mercury 13 women did not make it into space, their example empowered young women to take their place in the sky, piloting jets and commanding space capsules. Awards: 2010 Sibert Medal Award Winner; YALSA 2010 Excellence in Nonfiction Honor; 2010 Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor; and Smithsonian Magazine Best Books of 2009. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Rheda Epstein

Juvenile Nonfiction

The Butterfly Alphabet by Kjell Sandved

J 595.789 SANDVED

Imagine spending 25 years of your life traveling around the world taking pictures of letters of the alphabet on the wings of different butterflies. That’s exactly what Kjell Sandved did to fill the pages of this book. All the pictures are extreme close-ups of butterfly wings. Study them closely. In some of them, you can see the individual scales that form the colors on butterfly wings. The entire alphabet, from A to Z, can be found on the butterfly wings in this book. After reading it, you’ll never take butterflies for granted again. You may even want to study one closely to see what letters you can find on the wings. –Tom Czaplinski

Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman

JB DARWIN, C.

One knows of Charles Darwin as a naturalist, but this biography reveals the love story between Emma Wedgwood and Charles Darwin. Their successful marriage lasted despite fundamental philosophical and religious differences. Emma, strong in her religious faith, shapes her husband’s theories of evolution. This book received many awards and honors. It was the first ever winner of YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults (2010). It also was a 2010 National Book Award finalist, 2010 Michael L. Printz Honor book and Oprah’s Book Club 2010 Kid’s Reading List: 12 and up. –Rheda Epstein

Juvenile Nonfiction

Claudette Colvin: Twice Towards Justice by Phillip Hoose

JB COLVIN, C.

History lauds Rosa Parks for refusing to give up her seat to a white woman on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Nine months earlier Claudette Colvin did the exact same thing. Through interviews with Claudette Colvin, informative narrative and archival photos gives new immediacy to one of the civil rights movement’s monumental achievements: the Montgomery bus boycott. Awards: YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist; National Book Awards - Winner; Newbery Honor Book; NYPL Book for Reading and Sharing; Booklist Top 10 Biographies for Youth; and Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Books of the Year; Robert F. Sibert Award – Honor. – Rheda Epstein

Drumbeat in Our Feet by Patricia Keeler

J793.319 KEELER

Drumbeat in Our Feet is the story of the Batoto Yetu [Our Children] African dance troupe out of Harlem, New York. The story is split into two panels: one is a description of African Dance, the other is a story about the children who are in the dance troupe. For contrast, the descriptions of African dance are drawn in brown and white, and the stories of the Batoto Yetu dancers are drawn in many colors. The descriptions cover many elements of African dance: the origins of African dance itself, the types involved, the instruments used and the types of dances. The story begins by introducing the children of the area to African dance and culminates in a dance performance with bright costumes and body paint. The book ends with a history of Batoto Yetu and the life story of the director Julio Leitao. The ‘drumbeat in our feet’ of the title refers to the rhythms that are part of African dance and all that it means as presented by Mr. Leitao, who is himself of the Luba tribe of Angola. The story is both a history lesson and a story for young children on a rare subject. – Laurel Jones

Juvenile Nonfiction

The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau by Dan Yaccarino

JB COUSTEAU, J.

Jacques Cousteau began life as a frail child. To build up his strength, he swam in the ocean. It soon became his best friend, and a lifelong companion and teacher. His curious mind tried to find ways to study the mysteries of the sea. Did you know that Cousteau and a friend invented the first aqualung? Before this invention, divers wore heavy, clumsy suits with weighted boots. On their heads, they wore metal helmets, with air hoses attached to a ship floating on the waves above them. Cousteau gave divers freedom they never had before to explore the ocean. His curiosity helped him pioneer underwater photography, and his film, The Silent World, introduced his wonderful ocean world to everyone. This biography is packed with facts and colorful pictures. Parents and teachers should encourage all curious children to read this book. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Tom Czaplinski

Juvenile Nonfiction

Mammolina, A Story about Maria Montessori by Barbara O’Connor

JB MONTESSORI, M.

Most of you have at least passed a Montessori school and probably wondered what’s different about it. You might also have wondered where it got the unusual name. This is a well-written book describing Maria Montessori’s life, how she developed her schools and their considerably widening success, including expansion to many countries. Although it’s targeted as a children’s biography, it certainly can provide valuable perspective for adults as well. Maria Montessori was born in Italy in 1870. Her parents, Renilde and Alessandro, were both well educated. Her mother in particular encouraged her to do things not usually done by women at that time. With this encouragement Maria first attended technical school and graduated as an engineer in 1890. She then set her sights on becoming a doctor. In 1896, in spite of the vigorous disapproval of her father, Maria received her medical degree and the title of dottoressa (female doctor) with her father clapping and smiling in the audience. She immediately started practicing medicine, focusing on pediatric patients. She started working with children in asylums, concluding that what they needed was schools for children with special needs rather than hospitals. Maria focused on having the children learn with their senses – seeing, feeling, hearing and smelling – before they learned with their minds. During this period, Maria was working with Dr. Giuseppe Montesano and had a child named Mario Montessori by him but kept the child a secret, never married the father and put the child in foster care. When he grew up he told Maria that he knew she was his mother; from that time he worked with Maria but she still could not publicly acknowledge him as her son until her death. Although Maria continued to practice medicine, she devoted more of her attention to reforming the schools of Italy. Her methods spread to other European countries and then also to the United States. She died in 1952, leaving her mark on both peace and education all over the world. There are Montessori schools in Durham if you wish to learn more about them. – Joyce Sykes

Juvenile Nonfiction

Dr. Ernest Drake’s Monsterology: The Complete Book of Monstrous Beasts by Dr. Ernest Drake

J398.45 DRAKE

This beautifully crafted book contains basic information about numerous monsters and beasts throughout time. There is a pull-out map that shows where these creatures were thought to have been located. Characteristics of unicorns, Yeti, the Kracken, the Loch Ness Monster, the Griffin and many others are described in this book. Monsterology also contains ashes from a Phoenix, hairs from a unicorn, a book of riddles and a shadow box at the end that contain other materials that Dr. Drake found on his adventures. There is also an empty spot for you to place your next monster discovery! – Jessica Corbin

Mythology: The Gods, Heroes, & Monsters of Ancient Greece by Lady Hestia Evans

J292.13 EVANS

If you are interested in Greek mythology, this is the book for you. Mythology provides a good beginning for those who are just starting to learn about Ancient Greece. It starts with the creation of the gods and how Zeus came to be their king. There is also a section on various mythological beasts and monsters. It also details the creation of mankind and describes the attributes of the major Greek deities. Mythology recounts the tales of Greek heroes and the Trojan War. My favorite part of this book is the little “extras” that come with it. There are 12 flash cards giving facts about the gods. There is a piece of the “golden fleece” which was returned to Greece by the hero Jason. This book also contains pull-out maps, family trees, examples of Greek coins and pop-up materials. – Jessica Corbin

Easy

Easy Amazing Grace by Mary Elizabeth Hoffman

E HOFFMAN, M.

The “Grace” of the title is a young girl who loves stories of all kinds. Whenever she hears a story, her favorite thing to do is act out the parts afterward. She has been Joan of Arc, Hiawatha, Aladdin, a pirate and an explorer. When her class at school puts on the play Peter Pan, Grace knows exactly what character she wants to play. However, her classmates aren’t exactly supportive…they claim that she cannot be Peter Pan because she is a girl and African American. But her mother and grandmother reassure her saying “A girl can be Peter Pan if she wants to,” and that “You can be anything you want Grace, if you put your mind to it.” (The character of Peter Pan has in fact been portrayed by women in the movies, most notably by Mary Martin in 1960.) In order to emphasize her point, her grandmother takes Grace to see the ballet Romeo and Juliet. The star of the show is an African-American ballerina! Now feeling confident, Grace tries out for the role and not only wins the part, but is a resounding success! The story is an excellent example of feminism, having confidence and choosing to be what you wish to be. This book has been chosen as a Bookof-the-Month-Club selection and been featured in the television series Reading Rainbow. – Laurel Jones

Easy

Aunt Flossie’s Hats and Crab Cakes Later by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard

E HOWARD, E.

This book is a dramatization of one of the author’s favorite memories: visiting her great-aunt Flossie with her sister Sarah on Sunday afternoons when she was growing up. Her great aunt had a large collection of hats, and each hat had a memory to go with it, she told the two children. Flossie shares two of the memories: one about a hat she had worn during a “big fire” [the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904] and one about a hat specially made for the return of an all-black fighting unit at the end of “the Great War” [World War I]. But the girls favorite story is about a family outing where Aunt Flossie wore her “favorite best Sunday hat” and it blew into a river! The hat is eventually retrieved by a friendly dog and everyone goes out for their favorite treat: crab cakes. The book is a fine example of the wisdom of the elders passed on to the younger generation, with a sprinkling of black history from the 20th century added to it. While today’s children may have to have the reference to the “Great War” explained to them, it still makes for a good story to share. –Laurel Jones

Easy

Chicken Soup by Jean Van Leeuwen

E VAN LEEUWEN, J.

Every year I find a book that makes me go awww. It is what I fondly refer to as the awww factor and this book has it! The book starts off with barn-yard gossip that the farmer’s wife is about to make chicken soup and so the warning goes out for all the chickens to hide. Most times gossip has no basis but this time it’s really true; the farmer’s wife is making chicken soup and has sent her husband to find Little Chickie (a baby chick) for the soup. To make matters worse, Little Chickie isn’t feeling well. Her sneezing and aah-chooing keeps giving the chickens’ hiding places away, and so they all run from one hide-out to the next, trying to avoid the farmer’s pot. All the animals try to help hide Little Chickie, but that darn sneezing keeps giving her away. “You’d better stop that sneezing, the farmer’s on your tail!” warns the pig. In the end it is every chicken for herself. With a final sniffle that sends Little Chickie into a somersaulting “A-C-H-O-O!” she is captured by the farmer and taken to the kitchen for supper. Is this the end for Little Chickie? Of course not, this is a children’s book after all. The soup is made for Little Chicken, not of Little Chicken. The farmer’s wife has made vegetable soup for her poor little Chickie in hopes of making her cold all better, awww! This book is a winner! The illustrations are great, and the text is nice and bold, with only a few words per page, which makes it a perfect pick for preschoolers. – Anna Cromwell

Easy

Cock-A-Doodle-Hoooooo! by Mick Manning

E MANNING, M.

A lost and lonely little owl searches for a warm place to spend the night and finds just that when he squeezes through a hole in a shed on a rainy night. Warm and cozy, he soon falls asleep, only to be rudely awakened in the morning by squawking, nipping and pinching. It seems he has wandered into a hen house. But these aren’t your friendly chickens from childhood tales. To tell the truth, these chickens are a little bit fowl. They want Little Owl gone and they waste no time telling him just that. Chickens are fickle, however, and lucky for Little Owl the chickens are in need of a barnyard rooster. Thus, they are willing to give him a chance at applying for the job. A speckled hen takes him under her wing and promises to teach him all he needs to know, but can he do it? On the day of his big debut, Little Owl is really quite impressive, marching up and down, guarding the hen house, puffing out his chest and feathers. Yes, all was going well, until one chicken asked for a-cock-a-doodle-doo. Try as he might all he could manage was a pitiful hooo, hooo! Finally, Little Owl had enough, “I’m an owl not a fowl!” he exclaims. Just as he was about to tell those uppity hens off, a cry of “RAT, RAT!” sounds through-out the barnyard. Without thinking Little Owl flies into action, catching the egg-stealing rat and gobbling him up. Needless to say, the chickens changed their tune. They now love Little Owl; in fact he is the toast of the barnyard, to his delight and the farmer’s confusion. This is a great book, which teaches children to be themselves. The illustrations are wonderful and the text is very preschool friendly. For the adults reading this book to their child, there’s an extra little plus. Speech bubbles are scattered throughout that add a bit of sarcasm to the tale, which they may or may not choose to share with their little one. – Anna Cromwell

Easy

The Cow That Laid an Egg by Andy Cutbill

E CUTBILL, A.

If you’re like me, there are those days when you just feel ordinary, so-so, mediocre and not very special. That’s how Marjorie the cow is feeling as she watches her friends showing off their many talents, doing handstands and riding bikes. Marjorie wishes she could be special too. That night her friends, the hens, cluck out a plan to end her blues. In the morning, an egg has mysteriously materialized in her stall. “I laid an egg!” yelled Marjorie. (The illustrations truly make this story; you have got to see Marjorie’s face when she discovers the egg!) Everybody comes running to see Marjorie’s cow-spotted egg. With all the hoopla, what’s a farmer to do? Call the local paper of course! Lights, cameras and people came from miles around to see the egg-laying cow. Meanwhile, back in the barn, there’s a lot of egg-envy going on, as the other cows think that something f-o-w-l is ahoof. They are certain those sneaky chickens are behind it. “Cows don’t lay eggs, chickens do!” said the cows. “Prove it!” said the chickens. “Hatch it!” said the cows. And so, Marjorie sets to hatching her egg. She waits and waits and waits some more, but nothing happens. Then one day the egg starts to tap, tap, tap, all of a sudden, the egg cracks open and out hops…., a baby chick. “We told you,” said the other cows. “It’s a chicken!” But Marjorie doesn’t care; her facial expression says it all. Her heart is full of love for the little cowchicken, and when he opens his beak and to everyone’s surprise lets out a resounding moooooo!, her heart overflows. I’m not sure which I like more, the story or the illustrations. You decide; check out the Cow That Laid an Egg. This book will definitely m-o-o-ve you. – Anna Cromwell

Easy

Dinosaur Mountain, Digging into the Jurassic Age by Deborah Kogan Ray

E RAY, D.

Kids who love dinosaurs know more about these prehistoric beasts than most adults. What they probably don’t know is that Earl Douglas was one of the greatest dinosaur bone hunters in the history of paleontology. The story of his arduous work is what this book is about. In 1909, Earl Douglas dug up the almost complete skeleton of Apatosaurus in Utah. Every aspect of digging for dinosaur bones is covered in the fascinating book. Dinosaur lovers will learn about the tools these scientists used, and the extreme care and patience required to find and unearth the bones of these prehistoric beasts. He withstood extreme weather conditions and a danger-filled work environment to uncover the bones that people enjoy when they see dinosaur exhibits in museums. The text is meticulous and so are the detailed illustrations that fill the book. This picture book is a must-read for all dinosaur fans. –Tom Czaplinski

Farmer Joe and the Music Show by Tony Mitton

E MITTON, T.

The animals on Farmer Joe’s farm are in a funk, and Joe tries to think of something to cheer everyone up. Music is the answer! As he plays throughout the farm, other animals join him with their instruments. The illustrations are bright and colorful. My favorite parts of this book are the rhyming text and numerous onomatopoeas, which make it perfect for storytelling. –Jessica Corbin

Easy

Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

E HENKES, K.

This Caldecott Medal winner is a perfect story for young children wondering about the moon in the night sky. A kitten looks up at the white moon and thinks it is a bowl of milk. The story shows how he tries to get to the moon, but is constantly frustrated. Climbing a tree, he looks down and sees the moon reflected in a pond below. He leaps into the pond, only to get soaked for his effort. Poor kitten. Cold, hungry and wet, he trudges home. On the porch, a surprise awaits him: a bowl of milk. The story is simple, but highly engaging. Instead of muted colors, the artist painted the kitten’s night adventure in shades of gray, black and white. Kevin Henkes book is a winner. –Tom Czaplinski

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems

E WILLEMS, M.

Have you ever tried to tell someone something really, really important but you were unable to…speak? This is the problem for little Trixie in this book. Trixie and her favorite stuffed animal, Knuffle Bunny, go to the laundromat with her Daddy. Everything is going fine, until they leave and Trixie realizes that something is missing. She tries and tries to tell her daddy what is wrong, but all that comes out are words like “flabble, klabble and snurp.” Her father cannot soothe her. By the time they get home, Daddy is just as unhappy as Trixie. It is her mother that notices that the favorite toy is missing. They race back to the laundromat. Daddy eventually saves the day by finding “Knuffle Bunny,” and Trixie says her first words. This book is a favorite of mine because the family is illustrated while the background is live action shots. The expressions on the father’s and Trixie’s faces are hilarious and help tell this story in a way that the written word cannot. It is a classic that every parent and child can relate to. –Jessica Corbin

Easy

The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

E PINKNEY, J.

The 2010 Caldecott Medal winner is a retelling of an Aesop fable about the relationship between a mighty, imposing lion and a small, submissive mouse. It has sparse text and is set in the African Serengeti of Tanzania and Kenya. The detailed watercolor illustrations are primarily done in green, brown, tan, orange and yellow. This book became part of my personal collection in December 2009. Jerry Pinkey signed my 1st edition copy at the 2009 American Library Association annual conference. Any child (and a few adults) would love to own to this book. – Rheda Epstein

Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I don’t) by Barbara Bottner

E BOTTNER, B.

This is the story of a very reluctant reader named Missy. Missy’s class is assigned a project for book week by the ever-enthused librarian, Miss Brooks. Missy tells Miss Brooks, “I’ll never love a book the way you do.” Miss Brooks takes it upon herself to find Missy a book that she will in fact love. She sends home stacks of books with Missy, who turns down book after book. Finally, it is Missy’s mother who inadvertently helps her daughter find a book that she will love forever. It all started with the statement, “You are as stubborn as a wart.” This book has a very happy ending and shows readers how the library has something for everyone…even if it is kind of gross. –Jessica Corbin

Easy

The Monkey with a Bright Blue Bottom by Steve Smallman

E SMALLMAN, S.

Can you imagine a world where every animal is bland, maybe a brown, a gray or a tan? Well, monkey lives in such a world and he is just plain tired of it. He looks at the beautiful, colorful birds and wonders, “Why can’t the animals join in the fun?” One day when all the animals are fast asleep, monkey happens upon a box of paints and decides to solve the problem himself. He adds a bit of yellow and spots to leopard, a few stripes for the lemur, lots of stripes for the zebra, brown squares for the giraffe and a little white for the skunk and panda. Voila, his work is done. However, the animals’ work is about to begin, as they awake to find themselves totally transformed. Turnabout is only fair-play, as the animals set to work creating a masterpiece out of what used to be a monkey. The end result is what appears to be the makings of the world’s first baboon. The text is presented in rhyme and the illustrations are hilarious. Children will love this book. It will evoke such laughter, that they’ll make monkeys out of themselves, minus the bright blue bottom of course. – Anna Cromwell

Easy

Night Running, How James Escaped with the Help of His Faithful Dog: Based on a True Story by Elisa Carbone

E CARBONE, E.

This book was featured as part of the Black History Month display at North Regional, and it caught my eye because the cover picture featured a black teenager hugging a beagle – and my dog is a beagle. When the teenager, James, decided to escape from Master Graham’s farm, he told his dog, Zeus, that the dog couldn’t go with him. Fortunately for James, Zeus didn’t obey. Zeus saved James from numerous hazards on his trip north, including rescuing him from slave catchers that his “friend” Levi had sold him out to. Zeus also saved James when he almost drowned while crossing the Ohio River. When a Friend (Quaker) helped James out on the Ohio side of the river, the farmer tried to shoo away the “mangy mutt,” and James insisted that he would leave if his dog couldn’t stay. The farmer then recognized that the dog was “mighty special,” and James of course agreed. The book is a very poignant true story of a slave escape and of the wonderful value a dog can be. Many of us think our dogs are special, and it’s heart-warming to read the story of Zeus and his master. – Joyce Sykes

Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle

E CARLE, E.

This is a fanciful tale about a little girl who wants to play with the moon. So, she asks her father to get it for her. Her father uses the tallest ladder in the world to get the moon for his daughter. And artist Eric Carle helps, with pages that fold outward to show the huge ladder. The pages then fold upward as the father climbs to the moon. When the full moon shrinks down to a smaller sliver of a moon, the father brings it down to his daughter. The girl plays with the moon until it disappears. When she looks up in the night sky again, there is the moon again, and it grows and grows until it is full. Simply by showing the moon waxing and waning, Eric Carle reveals the phases of the moon to his young readers. –Tom Czaplinski

Easy

Saving Sweetness by Dianne Stanley

E STANLEY, D.

The “Sweetness” of the title is an Old West orphan who runs away from the abusive matron of the home she lives in. The matron, Mrs. Sump, tells the sheriff, who chases after Sweetness for fear of her running into a local bandit, Coyote Pete. But the sheriff neglects to prepare for the journey and is bailed out twice by Sweetness herself, even while the sheriff continues to believe he is saving her. But Sweetness refuses to stay saved if it means remaining an orphan. So after they do meet up with Coyote Pete and with Sweetness’s help he is taken down, the sheriff adopts Sweetness and all of the other orphans in town. The story is written in a rare first-person account and while the sheriff is portrayed as a “lovable bumbler,” it flows smoothly to a happy ending for all except Coyote Pete. – Laurel Jones

Time to Sleep Sheep the Sheep! by Mo Willems

E WILLEMS, M.

I absolutely love Mo Willem’s illustrations. Each page in this book generally has only eight words, but the illustrations are what tell the story. Cat is going around and making sure that all the other animals know it is time to go to bed, until she meets an owl, who wants to play checkers. – Jessica Corbin

Easy

Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano

E SILVANO, W.

Ok, this is it! This is my guaranteed, bonafide, can’t miss, promise to get a laugh every time, book of the year! Even if children can’t read, the illustrations alone will leave them rolling on the floor, gasping for air, in stitches of laughter! The story starts with Turkey’s realization that Thanksgiving is just around the corner and, thus, he’s in trouble because he is sure to be the main course. After looking around the barnyard at the other animals, all of whom seem content without a worry, Turkey comes up with a solution to solve his problem. If he looked like another animal he could blend in and hide out until Thanksgiving is over. Sounds like a good plan and it probably would have worked if Turkey were any good at disguises. Instead, each costume is more ridiculous than the next, as Turkey transforms himself into a horse, a cow, a pig and then a sheep. The animals of course think the disguises are hilarious. (You have got to see the expressions on the animal’s faces each time Turkey reveals his new garb; it is to die for!) Each time the animals recognize him, Turkey asks “How’d you know it was me?” looking just like a turkey in a ridiculous get-up. Finally as rooster points out the problems with his last over-the-top outfit. Turkey gets an idea, “I already sort of look like a rooster, so that will be my final disguise.” Surprisingly enough the rooster’s costume is pretty good and Turkey does kinda, sorta look like a rooster. His disguise is at least good enough to fool the farmer, who soon grows tired of looking for the turkey, who is standing right next to him with a red rubber glove clamped on his head. Turkey is sure he is safe now, until he overhears the farmer tell his wife, “I can’t find that turkey anywhere, I guess we could always eat the rooster.” Oh no! Not to worry, however, the rooster has one last disguise in his bag of tricks. On Thanksgiving Day and just in time for dinner, he shows up on the farmer’s doorstep dressed as, what else, a pizza delivery guy of course. It was the best Thanksgiving ever, at least for Turkey! This book is a winner! From the first page to the last it will have you doubled over in laughter. The illustrations are so funny that they alone could tell the story, but coupled with the text it is a zany, hilarious and magical combination. I loved this book! – Anna Cromwell

Easy

Walter the Farting Dog by William Kotzwinkle

E KOTZWINKLE, W.

Betty and Billy are a brother and sister who adopt a very special dog from the pound. His name is Walter. Walter has an interesting problem: he cannot stop farting. They try giving him a bath, taking him to a vet and changing his dog food. They even try to give him cat food. Nothing will stop Walter’s problem. Betty and Billy’s mom and dad think it would be best to get rid of Walter because of his smell. Until one night when a pair of burglars break into Betty and Billy’s house. It is Walter’s gas that sends the burglars out of the house and right into the headlights of a police car. Betty and Billy’s parents are so pleased; they decide that they will keep Walter, even if he farts all the time. I loved this story. The pictures had me laughing each time I turned the page. It was first recommended to me by a 3-year-old, and it is now becoming one of my favorites. – Jessica Corbin

Yoko by Rosemary Wells

E WELLS, R.

Yoko is a Japanese-American female cat who is just starting first grade. Her mother packs all her favorite things for lunch just as she asked: sushi with cucumber, shrimp, seaweed and tuna as well as red bean ice cream. But when everyone unpacks their lunches, four of the children make fun of what she brought. In order to counter this, the teacher organizes an “International Food Day” where everyone is asked to bring a dish from a foreign country. But in spite of the teacher’s maxim to “try everything,” no one is interested in the crab cone sushi Yoko brought. Until her classmate Timothy, who is still hungry, tries some. He finds them delicious and shares some of his own treats – coconut crisps – with her. The two of them become friends who delight in sharing food. The story captures many of the nuances of a school day and combines them with multiculturalism and friendship. – Laurel Jones

DVDs

DVDs The Blind Side FEATURE BLIN

This is basically a mediocre sports movie with one great performance. Sandra Bullock gives an amazing and revelatory effort here. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always known that she was cute and that she could be funny, but who knew she could actually act? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Charles Ebert

DVDs

The Book of Eli FEATURE BOOK

After watching its trailer, I thought this was going to be another predictable sci-fi action movie full of bad one-liners and fancy explosions. I was very wrong: The Book of Eli is overall a thoughtful and quiet film, punctuated with moments of sharp violence that are mostly necessary to the storyline. Briefly, Eli (Denzel Washington) is traveling across the country some years after a war has apparently destroyed all of American civilization. The central conflict arises when Eli comes to a town ruthlessly overseen by a man named Carnegie (Gary Oldman) whose ambitions hinge on collecting books, particularly one that Eli possesses. While Eli only wants to be left alone to his travels, Carnegie’s desire is so great that he is willing to put all his resources into play and risk everything to own the book. The Book of Eli is subtle but not simple, and complex but not complicated. It drops hints about possible connections between this future and our present through conversation and environmental details but skillfully avoids any kind of “how we got here” exposition. It frankly acknowledges the bleakness and danger faced by its characters without relishing the resulting violence. It contains both religious and secular themes but avoids heavy-handed lessons for either. Even its plot twists are handled gently enough that knowing the story’s “secrets” wouldn’t ruin multiple viewings. Along with works like The Road (the book, not the film) and Children of Men (the film, not the book) The Book of Eli is among my favorite post-apocalyptic stories, and I highly recommend it. – Patrick Holt

Coraline FEATURE CORA

Coraline is a dark bit of weirdness from Neil Gaiman’s fertile imagination. A lonely girl moves into a gloomy boarding house with her distracted parents and discovers a hidden world that seems to offer her everything she ever wanted. Of course there is a price. Like a lot of Gaiman’s work the ideas are better than the execution. Still it’s watchable. – Charles Ebert

DVDs

Crazy Heart FEATURE CRAZ

Apparently we are running out of real life self-destructive musicians to make movies about because in Crazy Heart director and screenwriter Scott Cooper gives us a fictional one. Bad Blake, played by Jeff Bridges looking like a low rent Kris Kristofferson on a bad day, is at the tail end of his career. He’s had a few minor hits but the profits from them are long gone, spent on booze. Now he travels the southwest in an old van, playing bowling alleys and small bars. A gifted songwriter in his early years, he’s all but given up trying to write. He has fans who remember him fondly and who come out to see him, but mostly he sees himself on a downward arc. That is until a reporter named Jean Craddick played by Maggie Gyllenhaal comes along to do a story on him. She stays, becoming his muse as he works on one last great song. Any film that covers the process of someone drinking themselves to death needs at its heart a great performance and Crazy Heart has one. Jeff Bridges shows us that brilliant mix of vulnerability and inner strength we like in our flawed heroes. His Bad Blake is, well bad. He misbehaves and is unable to take responsibility for his life. Jeff Bridges’ craggy face shows us every devastating loss he’s had to the alcohol and his itinerant lifestyle. It’s a bold performance by an actor who’s given us nothing but solid work over the years. He even has a decent singing voice when he handles the songs on the soundtrack. Most of them are by T-Bone Burnett, and they are pretty good. THE song, the one Bad works on throughout the last half of the film, “The Weary Kind” is by Ryan Bingham, and it should be a minor classic. Unfortunately Jeff Bridges is the only person taking chances in this film. The story around this great performance is pretty much standard issue. It never ventures very far from the formula that dominates the genre. The dialogue doesn’t really sparkle. And the other performances are merely adequate. Maggie Gyllenhaal doesn’t really stretch herself, and even the great Robert Duval seems to be phoning it in. This is one of those films you see at Oscar time every year that has a great performance in a mediocre movie. In this case the supporting structure is good enough. It could have been better, though. – Charles Ebert

DVDs

Departures FOREIGN FEATURE DEPA

When the orchestra for which he plays the cello disbands, Daigo Kobayashi decides to move back to his home village. Desperate to find work, he applies for a job “assisting with departures,” which he thinks is with a travel agency. Instead he learns that he is to assist with “encoffinment,” not a job that meets with the approval of his wife or friends. However, Diago and eventually his family and friends, learn the value and beauty of ritual in the passage from this life to the next. This film has a deeply spiritual message and I found it to be both beautiful and moving. – Carol Passmore

The Hurt Locker FEATURE HURT

This is director Kathryn Bigelow’s meditation on the addictive qualities of war. It follows a bomb disposal squad as it plays out the last days of its tour in Iraq. There’s no patriotism here, no sense of duty or even purpose, only the hope of survival, or in the case of SSG William James, played by Jeremy Renner, the attempt to feel alive by flirting with death. It is a subtle and gripping examination of life during war. – Charles Ebert

No 1. Ladies’ Detective Agency FEATURE NO

This cable TV series is based on Alexander McCall Smith’s novels of the same name. The story focuses on Precious Ramotswe (played by Jill Scott) who moves to Botswana after her father’s funeral to open a detective agency. With the help of her assistant, Grace Makutsi, and friends, mechanic J.L.B. and salon owner BK, she manages to solve a myriad of problems and mysteries such as a missing child or a philandering husband with grace, charm and wit. Some danger, excitement and humor will greet you if you can patiently get through the first half hour. The actors portraying the main characters do a good job of captivating you throughout the series. You will also enjoy a wonderful learning experience about this interesting African country and its people. If you enjoyed the novels, you are sure to find the series entertaining as well. – Deborah Greer

DVDs

The Princess and the Frog FEATURE PRIN

This is a middle of the pack Disney ink and paint offering. As you would expect, the animation is fluid and imaginative, although the color palette is a little subdued. The voice work is excellent and Randy Newman’s songs, inspired by his beloved New Orleans are terrific. It serves up the standard Disney themes about dreams, love and family and is genuinely funny in places. It’s worth checking out. – Charles Ebert

Recount FEATURE RECO

Have you ever known HBO to shy away from controversy? Recount, starring Kevin Spacey, covers the events that unfolded during the final days of the November 2000 presidential election. Follow the drama of election night when one of the candidates was just seconds away from delivering his conciliatory speech before receiving information that caused him to postpone the inevitable, propelling the country into unknown territory. The movie will take you on a rollercoaster ride, packed with strategists and other memorable characters, that starts in the state of Florida and ends in Washington D.C. on the steps of the United States Supreme Court. I don’t think the movie is Oscar material and one might come away with a good idea of which way the film makers voted, but that doesn’t take away from the drama or intensity of the behind-the-scenes events surrounding the dispute that tested the very foundation of our democratic process. – De Lois Cue

The Secret of Kells FEATURE SECR

The conceit of this film is actually pretty clever. Design the characters in the style of medieval illuminated manuscripts and animate them. The movement is pretty limited and the story is standard fare, but there is a mood to the film that draws you in. – Charles Ebert

DVDs

A Serious Man FEATURE SERI

A Serious Man could be described as a darkly comic adaptation of the Book of Job, only without the happy ending. As with all black comedies, you laugh but you can’t get too involved with the characters because they’re either going to do something bad or something bad is going to happen to them. I enjoyed it more than I expected. – Charles Ebert

DVDs

A Single Man FEATURE SING

A Single Man is the story of George played by Colin Firth, a repressed gay Englishman living in Los Angeles in 1962. Because this is the early 1960s George must remain deeply closeted, which is difficult because eight months before his lover was killed in a car wreck. He cannot grieve openly for fear of being discovered, which would ruin his career. The family would not even let him attend the funeral, and it seems he cannot grieve at all because that would crack his veneer of perfection. The only thing keeping him together is his daily routine. He is a portrait of quiet desperation. The film follows George as he goes through what he intends to be his last day, starting out in the morning as he dresses and grooms himself impeccably. His perfect appearance is obviously a shield and a mask for the outside world. At the same time, the ritual of obtaining this perfection creates a wall between himself and the whirlwind of emotions that he must be feeling. Thus protected he goes to work where he teaches Huxley to a literature class at a local college. That night he gets together with his closest remaining friend in the world a woman named Charley, played by Julianne Moore, a fellow ex-Brit who drinks heavily and with whom he once had an unsuccessful and unsatisfying affair. That is all I can tell you about the plot of director Tom Ford’s first film based on the novel by Christopher Isherwood. Let’s get the most obvious thing out of the way first: Colin Firth is terrific in this. He has your sympathy from the first frame to the last, even though the character is a very controlled and pessimistic man. The way he can convey intense emotion with a face that is tightly closed is just amazing. Firth has always been one of our better actors but with A Single Man he moves into the top tier of leading men. Director Tom Ford is a fashion designer who apparently took Gucci from the brink of bankruptcy and turned it into a profitable company. His only other film credits are that he was in the costume department for A Quantum of Solace and he had a cameo as himself in Zoolander. It’s amazing that he could direct a film this good with so sparse a background. He uses that background to make a very good looking film. Every shot looks like a fashion layout from an old Look magazine you might find in your parents’ attic. At the beginning the color is bleached out giving the film almost a sepia tone. But as George’s mood improves color saturates the frame. The effect is a bit heavy-handed but startling as well.

DVDs

This trick with the color is not the only place where Ford hits us over the head. Symbolism in both dialogue and image pour over you like a flood. Ford’s main theme is the masks that hidden and oppressed minorities like gay people need to wear to function in regular society but there is also a scene in a lecture hall where George goes off on a tangent about fear. It speaks to today’s issues but it doesn’t really fit in and it kind of jarred me out of the story. Also the end of the story was a little too patly ironic. But the film succeeds in spite of these caveats, and you have to see it for Colin Firth alone. A Single Man is one of the best looking and best acted films of last year. – Charles Ebert

The Time Traveler’s Wife FEATURE TIME

You think commuter marriages are tough to hold together? Imagine your spouse as a time traveler: there one minute and gone the next without any idea of when they’ll return and how old or young they’ll be the next time you’re together. This really takes commitment and patience on the part of both partners. The movie adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger’s best-selling 2003 novel focuses totally on the love story between lead characters Clare Abshire and Henry DeTamble and their (un)tiring efforts to hold their relationship together through courtship, marriage and child rearing despite Henry’s frequent, unannounced absences. I really liked this movie and recommend it for anyone who wants to watch a timeless or, shall we say, time-filled love story. If science fiction is more your taste, you’ll probably want to choose a story that focuses more on the process of time travel and less on the love relationship. But this is a great chick flick! – Susan Wright

Audio Books

Audio Books Atlantis Found by Clive Cussler

BOOKS ON DISC CUSSLER, C.

This is a Dirk Pitt adventure story and similar to most of the National Underwater and Marine Agency epics involving Mr. Pitt. It is typical of Cussler’s general tendency to deal with scientific questions that border on the bizarre and yet, are somehow believable. This book deals with the possibility of there having been an advanced civilization years prior to the discovery of America. The mystery has a complicated storyline and the author, as is sometimes his custom, actually writes himself into the story. It is a good book to listen to, too. – Melanie B. Sabins

The Chase by Clive Cussler

BOOKS ON DISC CUSSLER, C.

How do a railroad locomotive and some attached passenger cars wind up at the bottom of the largest fresh water lake west of the Mississippi? Leave it to Mr. Cussler to put them there and then proceed to tell the intriguing story of just exactly how they got there! The story deals with bankers, bank robbers, sociopaths and railroad locomotives. It is an interesting, informative blend of the history of railroads in the west at the turn of the twentieth century and is further enhanced when all of the key players get caught up in the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. Listen to this story and see how the bad guy and his sister almost got away. – Melanie B. Sabins

Audio Books

Polar Shift by Clive Cussler

BOOKS ON DISC CUSSLER, C.

One hundred foot tall waves happening in a calm ocean start a story that once again pushes the edge of reality, but still seems possible. Cussler once again writes himself into the story to help save the hero in a moment of need. Cussler seems to be infatuated with the idea of prehistoric cultures that were more civilized and advanced than the cultures of today. It’s a very interesting story that takes place as is usual for Cussler on three fronts and different points in time. – Melanie B. Sabins

The Lincolns by Daniel Mark Epstein

BOOKS ON DISC EPSTEIN, D.

This is a fascinating story of Abe Lincoln and his wife Mary. The story is told from a very unusual perspective that I have never seen used with this famous president. It tells of his trip outside of Illinois to take part in a duel, his use of mercury pills to forestall a social disease that he is sure he has contracted and of the deals he struck to finally get himself installed in Congress. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to hear a slightly unusual biography of this famous man and the relationship he shared with his wife. – Melanie B. Sabins

Double Shot by Diane Mott Davidson

BOOKS ON DISC DAVIDSON, D.

Goldy has finally found a perfect spot to purchase that will accommodate her and the supplies she needs for catering affairs in her own establishment. As she prepares to host a luncheon she is attacked, the place is ransacked, filled with old garbage and mice are turned loose. She then proceeds to accuse her ex-husband of the dirty deed and an argument ensues. There is reasonable cause for suspicion of Goldy's involvement when he is then found dead. This is Davidson's usual light-hearted gum shoe type of mystery with lots of recipes for the listeners. – Melanie B. Sabins

Audio Books

Fatally Flaky by Diane Mott Davidson

BOOKS ON DISC DAVIDSON, D.

Goldy contracts to cater a wedding with a very difficult bride. The wedding is on, then it is off, the bride wants totally different entrées and then decides on something else. Then the murder occurs and of course Goldy is right in the middle of it. Light-hearted, yet you will never guess who the murderer is. The book is up to her usual standards. – Melanie B. Sabins

Killer Pancake by Diane Mott Davidson

BOOKS ON DISC DAVIDSON, D.

Goldy caters a luncheon for a cosmetics company that is being picketed by animal rights activists. As she is unloading her van she witnesses a hit and run. A blue rose laying by the body turns out to be a vital clue as she meanders through the clues and down some false trails. It is a very good mystery. – Melanie B. Sabins

Sticks and Scones by Diane Mott Davidson

BOOKS ON TAPE DAVIDSON D.

Goldy takes on a gig in a castle and, due to someone targeting her house, winds up moving into the castle for a while. The castle is complete with skeletons in the closets, secret pathways and of course a murder. This one borders on a little strange for the amateur sleuth. Listen closely and figure out the secret of the boarded up room that is full of toys. Does it hold the secret information needed to solve the mystery? – Melanie B. Sabins

Audio Books

Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen

BOOKS ON DISC HIAASEN, C.

See how a bale of pot, a beautiful woman and a retired policeman combine to outwit and defeat a water biologist on the take. The story has some pretty believable scenes, including the woman breaking into her own home in an attempt to drive the husband who tried to murder her crazy. It is funny in some spots and tragic in others. The mystery plot is a good one, and it ends like the reader. – Melanie B. Sabins

Chasing the Bear by Robert B. Parker

BOOKS ON DISC PARKER, R.

Chasing the Bear is a prelude to the Spencer series. Many of us have heard the Spencer series and had to wonder just where he came from and what his past was. This book tells the story with plenty of intrigue that includes saving a young girl from her father and a boat trip down a river that nearly ends the Spencer series before it ever gets started. It is a great introduction in reverse to Spencer’s unique past. – Melanie B. Sabins

CD Dream Attic by Richard Thompson

POP/ROCK THOM

When his fans kept telling him how much more they liked the live versions of his songs, Richard Thompson, the great British guitarist and singer songwriter, figured that he would bypass the process of recording a studio album and create a live disc of new material. Dream Attic was recorded during a series of dates in California last year. It is not the best collection of songs from Thompson but it does capture some of the energy and intensity of his live show. Highlights include “Haul Me Up,” a gospel-tinged plea for help, “Demons in her Dancing Shoes,” “Crimescene,” as bleak a song as ever written by a man who’s composed some pretty bleak songs, and “Sidney Wells” a modern murder ballad, which really shows off Thompson’s mastery of electric guitar solos. – Charles Ebert

Contributors

Index of Contributors Joanne Abel Adult Programming and Humanities Coordinator, Marketing and Development.....16, 50, 52, 57, 58 Lynne Barnette Manager, Southwest Regional Library............................................................................................ 26 Cleo Bizzell Adult Services, Main Library..............................................................................14, 20, 22, 23, 29, 31 Laura Broadwater Adult Services, South Regional Library........................................................................................... 32 Archie Burke Adult Services, East Regional Library........................................................................................ 51, 60 Anastasia Bush Grant Writer, Marketing and Development..........................................................................13, 33, 49 Jessica Corbin Children’s Services, Main Library...................................................... 60, 62, 63, 71, 77, 78, 79, 82, 84 Anna Cromwell Children’s Services, Main Library............................................................................. 74, 75, 76, 80, 83 Carter Cue Adult Services, Stanford L. Warren Library.....................................................................12, 16, 30, 39 De Lois Cue Adult Services, Southwest Regional Library.................................................................................... 89 Tom Czaplinski Children’s Services, Main Library....................................................................... 64, 67, 69, 77, 78, 81 Lisa Dendy Technical Services, Main Library............................................................................... 11, 15, 27,45,46 Charles Ebert Technical Services, Main Library............................................................ 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 97 Rheda Epstein Administrative Librarian, Technical Services..................................................... 25, 33, 66, 67, 68, 79 Shelley Geyer Adult Services, North Regional Library........................................................................... 8, 10, 13, 32 Deborah Greer Technical Services, Main Library......................................................................................... 43, 53, 88 Linda Guerrier Circulation Manager, Southwest Regional Library.................................................................... 10, 53

Contributors

Donna Hausmann Technical Services, Main Library................................................................................... 24, 26, 29, 32 Patrick Holt Circulation, Southwest Regional Library............................................................................... 9, 43, 86 Laurel Jones Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Services, Main Library.................................................................. 61, 62, 68, 72, 73, 82, 84 Janet Levy Youth Services, Main Library.......................................................................................................... 56 Priscilla Lewis Interim Director......................................................................... 10, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 24, 27, 34, 36 Jennifer Lohmann Adult Services, Southwest Regional Library................................................. 11, 20, 38, 41, 42, 48, 49 Carol Passmore Manager, East Regional Library.........................................................................40, 53, 56, 59, 65, 88 Lynn Richardson Adult Services, Main Library........................................................................................................... 55 Celia Romascanu Circulation, North Regional Library................................................................................................ 50 Gina Rozier Manager, Marketing and Development...............................................................................35, 36, 37 Melanie Sabins Technical Services, Main Library................................................................................... 93, 94, 95, 96 Alice Sharpe Development Officer, Marketing and Development........................................................................ 30 Kathi Sippen Outreach Services, Main Library......................................................................................... 12, 25, 41 Joyce Sykes Board of Trustees......................................................................................... 14, 18, 28, 39, 64, 70, 81 Jill Wagy Webmaster, Marketing and Development............................................................ 8, 9, 19, 21, 25, 52 Deb Warner Adult Services, Main Library..........................................................................................44, 45, 46, 59 Susan Wright Manager, North Regional Library............................................................................47, 48, 54, 58, 92

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Friends Membership Application

Membership Application Join the Friends of the Durham Library or renew your membership today! NAME: _______________________________________________ ADDRESS: _____________________________________________ CITY, STATE, ZIP: ________________________________________ PHONE: ______________________________________________ EMAIL: _______________________________________________

Membership Type (check one)  Family — $25  Individual — $15  Youth (up to age 18) — $5  Senior (age 65 & up) — $10  Sustaining — $50  Patron — $100  Life — $300  Additional gift of $______

Financial information about this organization and a copy of its license are available from the State Solicitation Licensing Branch at 1-888-830-4989. The license is not an endorsement by the State.

Memberships expire in one year (except Life memberships). Make checks payable and mail to: Friends of the Durham Library, Inc. PO Box 3809 Durham, NC 27702 Questions? Call (919) 560-0190

Friends 2011 Book Sales

Friends of the Durham Library 2011 Book Sales

SPRING BOOK SALE Friday, April 8, 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. Friends members only – join at the door! Saturday, April 9, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Everyone welcome. Sunday, April 10, 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. Everyone welcome. $7 Bag Sale.

FALL BOOK SALE

Friday, October 14, 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. Friends members only – join at the door! Saturday, October 15, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Everyone welcome. Sunday, October 16, 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. Everyone welcome. $7 Bag Sale. LOCATION Main Library, 300 N. Roxboro St., Durham, NC 27701 MINI-BOOKSALES EVERY DAY AT SEVEN LOCATIONS: • American Tobacco Campus Strickland Building, 334 Blackwell St., 27701 • East Regional, 211 Lick Creek Ln., 27703 • Main Library, 300 N. Roxboro St., 27701 • North Regional, 221 Milton Rd., 27712 • South Regional, 4505 S. Alston Ave., 27713 • Southwest Regional, 3605 Shannon Rd., 27707 • Stanford L. Warren Branch, 1201 Fayetteville St., 27707

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A special thank you to all of our contributors and to the following people for their assistance in the production of Season’s Readings: Durham County Library Board of Trustees member, Joyce Sykes Reference Services, Main Library, Deb Warner

Season’s Readings is produced by the Durham County Library’s Marketing and Development Division: Manager, Gina Rozier Graphic Designer, Hitoko Burke Grant Writer, Anastasia Bush Adult Programming and Humanities Coordinator, Joanne Abel Webmaster, Jill Wagy Development Officer, Alice Sharpe Intern, Megan Lawson Durham Library Foundation Assistant, Patrick Holt

If you have questions or comments regarding this publication, please contact Hitoko Burke: 560-0150 or huburke@durhamcountync.gov

P.O. Box 3809 Durham, NC 27702 www.durhamcountylibrary.org