Have you ever read the glowing reviews of a book, yet when you read it you hated it and found yourself wondering what was wrong with you? Well, that’s how Divine By Blood made me feel. It’s the last book in the trilogy (first are Divine By Mistake and Divine By Choice). I loved the…
After much arguing, Kate talks her life partner Willy into having a baby by way of artificial insemination. To Kate’s surprise, she is contacted personally by a mysterious company who offers their services. After the first try, even though Kate is told she is not pregnant, she starts experiencing the symptoms of a mother in…
Poor Ann Smith is not having a good day. After transforming herself from a Plain Jane into a knockout, she drives all the way out to her boss’s secluded hideaway to seduce, ‘ahem’, drop off papers for him and she finds out he’s a werewolf. Not only that, but Jasha and his family have been…
In her first novel, The Septembers of Shiraz, Dalia Sofer examines the life of a wealthy, Jewish family living in Iran after the revolution. Isaac Amin, a gem trader, has been taken prisoner and accused of being an Israeli spy. Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of the four Amin…
This series just gets better and better! “The Wheel of Darkness” opens with both Pendergast and Constance recovering from their final battle with Pendergast’s evil brother Diogenes. They travel to Tibet, where after staying at a monastary and learning new meditation techniques from the mystical monks there, they are asked to retrieve a sinister artifact…
This is the first Simon Green book I’ve read and I thought it was absolutely brilliant! Being a huge fan since childhood of the original James Bond books, I was a little hesitant about trying a book that borrowed so liberally from that series, but Green’s wonderful writing and irreverent humor completely won me over.…
“Lucifer and the Creator have entered, yet again, into a wager they’ve made many times before, but this time, the existence of creation itself is balanced on the outcome. Born in California during the twilight years of a weary millennium, nine year old Joby Peterson dreams of blazing like a bonfire against the gathering darkness…
“The Alchemyst” is the first book in a new series called “The Secrets Of The Immortal Nicholas Flamel”, and it’s one of those Young Adult novels that will also appeal to adults. It introduces us to twins Sophie and Josh Newman who are destined to be the deciding factors in a war between “Humani” and…
Sunny’s other two books (Mona Lisa Blossoming & Mona Lisa Awakening) dealt with the Monere, who are decendants of a race of people who came to Earth after the Moon became uninhabitable. Where the Mona Lisa books were extremely similar to Anne Bishop’s “Black Jewel” series and Laurell K. Hamilton’s books, what set them apart…
If you’re looking to read something a little different, try this novel. The main character is Tessa Riley, a 12 year old girl living on a farm in Kansas. She just can’t seem to fit in. She is unusually petite, which makes her farm chores more difficult. Her family has very little use for…
“The Siren Song” picks up where the “Shadow Thieves” left off. Charlotte Mielswetzski and her cousin are still recovering from saving the world from an evil demigod named Philonecron. To make matters worse, Charlotte has been grounded by her parents and forced into therapy because she won’t tell them why she was out all night,…
An eight year old girl is abducted from a soccer field after a game. What appears to be a simple kidnapping turns out to be much more. The author of The Color of Law has written another novel that will keep you guessing and reading through the night.
Characters and world building. Those two devices drive Anne Bishop’s remarkable dark fantasy trilogy. But if picking up an oversized paperback comprised of over 1200 pages seems a bit daunting, don’t worry; you can still enjoy the trilogy, novel by novel. Start with Daughter of the Blood – you’ll immediately find yourself in a complex…
Let us introduce you to our new monthly feature. Marie’s Monthly Minutes. Why minutes? Because it just takes a minute to recommend a few great books. What will you find in these posts? Just straight ahead fiction – no vampires, aliens, or other worlds here. Marie likes a lot of historical fiction, literary fiction and…
” Laura Lippman writes mostly about private investigator Tess Monaghan. Monaghan is a made-up name and what she does is a matter of fiction. But when Lippman puts Baltimore on the page, she’s got to get it right.” Fans of Lippman’s novels will want to read or listen to this piece on the setting for…
Stephenie Meyer’s Eclipse. We waited patiently for it. We read it as soon as we could get our hands on it. ta calmly enjoyed it; kimb8 was quietly dismayed; and inkonvellum wanted to throw it across the room. Here is a collection of thoughts on the third installment in Stephenie Meyer’s best-selling young adult series……
“Those who have an orphan’s sense of history love history. And my voice has become that of an orphan. Perhaps it was the unknown life of my mother, her barely drawn portrait, that made me an archivist, a historian. Because if you do not plunder the past, the absence feeds on you.” That is the…
I was very excited to discover this author. He has written a very suspenseful legal thriller about a lawyer that puts his highly successful career and affluent lifestyle on the line to defend a black prostitute. She has been accused of murdering the son of a prominent Senator who is considering a run for the White…
In Sansom’s second Mobile Library Mystery, we find our hero, Israel Armstrong, BA (Hons), in another ridiculous predicament. Our beloved underachiever has just finished his mobile-library-sponsored five-panel display on the history of the Dixon and Pickering’s department store, when he is apprehended for the robbery and kidnapping of Mr. Dixon. Sansom’s characters are wonderful and…
It’s been ten years since we were first introduced to Harry and his friends, and what an amazing ride it’s been! I must admit it was with a fair bit of trepidation that I opened the cover and started reading the last book, in part because I feared being disappointed. After all, how could this…
A fictionalized account of the life of Marie Antoinette, this novel begins with Marie as a fourteen year old girl who marries the heir to the French throne. In rich detail, we follow her journey from a much-loved queen to her eventual death at the guillotine. I found this as equally engrossing as Naslund’s AHAB’S…
Fans of William Martin will love his newest. If you haven’t read any, this is is a good one to start with. Historical fiction is intermingled with a present-day quest for an annotated draft of the Constitution that has been lost/stolen for many years. Popular venues of the New England States are highlighted in this…
You might want to check out this new feature on the NPR website. So, what is Book Tour? “Each week, we present leading contemporary authors of both fiction and nonfiction as they read from, and discuss, their current work.” Recent guests have included: Walter Isaacson (Einstein) Mathew Sharpe (Jamestown) Atul Gawande (Better) Kiran Desai (Inheritance…
Here’s the cool thing about Red Handed – besides the fact that it was really quite good – it’s a young adult novel that has an adult counterpart. But before I delve into that, a bit about Red Handed {via B&N.com}: “Phoenix Germaine has been trying to earn back her mother’s trust after going into…
This book was a pleasure to read. Widow, Maggie McElroy, heads off to China to settle a matter that has come up regarding her late husband’s estate. While there she has agreed to interview, Sam Liang an American-born chef with a ties to some of China’s finest, imperial chefs. What Maggie ends up getting is…
Fear not! Laurell K Hamilton – and, therefore, Anita Blake – is getting back to her roots. Let there be rejoicing! But not too much; Jean-Claude isn’t in The Harlequin nearly enough. Ah, but let me backtrack a bit. First off, if you will, a synopsis: “Anita Blake is about to face the challenge of…
Maggie and Jem seem like opposites. She is the quick-witted, city girl and he is the slow, steady country boy who has just moved to London. With the help of their new friend, Mr. William Blake, they find that they might have more in common than it would seem. As with Chevalier’s other novels, the…
Zoe Redbird is not having one of her better days. She’s trying to break up with her boyfriend, her best friend is driving her crazy, and then, a vampyre Marks her. Zoe enters The House of Night where, as she undergoes the change, she will train to become an adult vampyre. Of course not everyone…
You don’t have to have read Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, nor do you have to have seen the BBC adaptation starring Colin Firth, to read Shannon Hale’s Austenland. Either way, the ending will still leave you sighing. And, hey, it may tempt you to do one of the above! {Cough*WatchColinFirth*Cough} Anyway, here’s a synopsis:…
As usual NPR has several stories on summer reading. Here are links to a few of their recommended lists. We would love to hear what you are reading so feel free to leave us a comment with your picks for the summer. Booksellers’ Picks for the Beach — or the Backyard “NPR Special Correspondent Susan…
Once a pharaoh beloved by his people, but betrayed by someone close to him, Adrian King has awakened thousands of years later as a vampire. Now the owner of the Royal Palace in Vegas, he is falling in love with Egyptologist Christine Day. But, someone else has awakened who will not rest until Adrian is…
Ok, so this is one of inkonvellum’s favorite books, so how can I begin to review it? Gaiman’s premise that immigrants to America bring their gods with them was quite interesting. He also deals with the psychology of gods – their need to be worshiped and what they do to survive in the changing face…
This is another fun novel from the author of The Love Letter. Her characters all live in the same neighborhood in New York City. They are introduced one by one and soon their lives become intertwined and their relationships defined by the dogs in their lives.
The title and premise of this book really intrigued me and promised to be interesting reading. It was not a riveting read, but did keep my interest. This is a fictionalized account of an actual bookmobile that delivers books via camel to a community in Kenya. The focus is on several characters and their…
Have you ever been daunted by great works of literature? If you’ve always wanted to read Don Quixote but were afraid to take on the challenge, Tilting at Windmills is your ultimate Don Quixote support group. It’s an online discussion group with links, lots of background info on the book and a few fun things,…
“ It seems to me that there’s frequently neither rhyme nor reason to which books garner tons of readers and which are read by only a few, devoted as they may be. Somehow, books in the latter category don’t seem to register on the radar of public awareness. This is a shame, because in this…
This is a children’s book, but there was so much buzz about it, that I decided to read it. It was fantastic. The illustrations are gorgeous. The book is designed to be like a movie, with black and white drawings that start far away and then zoom in on an object. The story centers around…
One day, ta and inkonvellum discovered that they were reading the same book: Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass. Several days of rather, er, interesting discussions ensued. A sample: inkonvellum: “I don’t know if I like the bear. He’s kinda crabby.” ta: “But he’s so cool afterwards.” inkonvellum: “Yeah, well…” ta: “Well I think Mrs. Coulter…
Fantastic! Not just for kids. Excellent writing. He finds Atlantis! Dave
Here’s a list of Favorites from Fran our Reader’s Advisory Guru: Broken for You / Stephanie Kallos The Kite Runner / Khalad Hosseini In the Country of the Young / Lisa Carey Set on a fictional island in Maine, this novel encompasses Irish history, folklore, and fantasy to weave its tale. As the characters come…
jmcg is a staff member who, with insistent prompting from ta and inkonvellum, will hopefully be providing more recommendations for Read This! She may even be tempted to write a profile! But for now, this is what she’s got for you… Television Without Pity: 752 Things We Love to Hate (and Hate to Love) About…
For a book that centers on signs of the zodiac with “superheroes” attached to each one, this a surprisingly dark fantasy in which there is no guaranteed happy ending. The story’s heroine, Joanna Archer, (can you guess what her sign is?) has survived a brutal attack at age 16 and has spent the last few…
I don’t normally read mysteries, but how could I pass up a book about a Jewish, vegetarian, bookmobile librarian in Northern Ireland? Israel Armstrong spends countless hours travelling to Tumdrum and District, Co. Antrim, to start his new position as librarian only to find that the library has been “shut.” He later learns that his…
Technically, The Dead Girls’ Dance is considered a young adult novel. But don’t let that put you off. Rachel Caine knows how to tell a good story and she creates wonderful characters. If you’re a fan of either of those concepts (and you don’t mind vampires) give her Morganville Vampire series a shot. (In case…
Novel Reflections: The American Dream, a special presentation of PBS’s American Masters series begins tonight. This episode examines seven novels that typifiy the theme of the American Dream: The Grapes of Wrath, Sister Carrie, The Great Gatsby, House of Mirth, Seize the Day, The Street and Typical American. Click here to hear Gish Jen, author…
During the 1527 sack of Rome, the well-known courtesan Fiammetta Bianchini and her business partner Bucino escape to Venice, but not without battle scars. In the business of beauty, nothing less than perfection will do and it takes some time and ingenuity for the two to rebuild. Discussion of the “profession” is frank, but not…
Marie says this is a “Very Good” read, but not exceptional. This is another starred review in Publisher’s Weekly: “See’s engrossing novel set in remote 19th-century China details the deeply affecting story of lifelong, intimate friends (laotong, or “old sames”) Lily and Snow Flower, their imprisonment by rigid codes of conduct for women and their…
This received a “good” rating by one of our patrons. It also got a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly: “Brooks’s luminous second novel, after 2001’s acclaimed Year of Wonders, imagines the Civil War experiences of Mr. March, the absent father in Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. An idealistic Concord cleric, March becomes a Union chaplain…
“The death of history teacher Craig Foster devastated his young wife, who’d sent him off to work that morning with a lovingly packed lunch. It shocked his colleagues at the Upper West Side private school. And as for the ten-year-old girls who found him in his classroom in a pool of bodily fluids, they may…
Erin Hart’s second book the award winning Lake of Sorrows is equally as satisfying as her first. The story brings us back to the unique setting of the Irish bogs. Once again an ancient body has been discovered this time by local peat workers. He appears to have fallen victim of a sacrificial death. Evidence…
Erin Hart’s debut fiction Haunted Ground is a fascinating read. I literally could not put it down. You know, the kind where it doesn’t matter where you are even if you’re sitting in your car in the driveway you just have to read…one…more…page. Anyway, interestingly, the story is a unique combination of archeological finds and…
As you probably already know, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be released on Saturday July 21, 2007. For more on the story click here. What do you think? Will J.K. Rowling kill off her beloved main character?
If you’re looking for a pleasant distraction, try Krentz’s White Lies. The publisher has apparently decided to name the books that involve parasensitives as Arcane Society Novels, so while the series name may be newish, the themes are not. White Lies was a very enjoyable romantic suspense novel with paranormal tendencies. Here’s a synopsis from…
A patron loved David Baldacci’s The Collectors. Here’s a synopsis from Amazon: “People are dropping dead in Washington, D.C. First the Speaker of the House falls victim to a hitman in a carefully orchestrated murder in front of dozens of the city’s power elite. Next, the director of the Library of Congress’s Rare Books Room…
The Mystery Writers of America have announced the 2007 nominees for the Edgar award. (See them all here!) Aren’t familiar with the Edgar’s? The MWA has a whole page dedicated to explaining the award and the judging process (and here it is.) They also have a list of past winners on the site. How about…
Jim Butcher’s highly entertaining wizard P.I. series was optioned by the SciFi channel to become a t.v. series. In fact, it premiered last night, and as an avid reader/fan of the books, I have to say, they did an excellent job. (Even though it didn’t stay true to Butcher’s story.) However, the books are…
Rachel Caine knows how to write books that you can’t (or are unwilling) to put down. Great characters, fantastic premise – it’s all here! This is a series and it is necessary to read them in order, but once you do, you’ll be consuming the others at a fast rate. Here’s info (from B&N) on…
A Patron just came in and sayed she loved this book. She said it made her cry, but in a good way. “In this conclusion to “The Circle trilogy,” one vampire dares to stand against Lilith and her minions, using his love for the newly-crowned queen of Geall to finally complete the circle of six…
This is the latest selection for the Tuesday Morning Book Group here at the library. I have read this myself and it was a great book, but not for the faint of heart. It is about post-apartheid South Africa after all. This book won the 1999 Booker Prize. Click here for the Reading Group Guide.…
A patron recommends Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child’s The Cabinet of Curiosities. She got so wrapped up in it, she finished it in two days! “In an ancient tunnel underneath New York City a charnel house is discovered. Inside are thirty-six bodies — all murdered and mutilated more than a century ago. While FBI agent…
From the author of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, comes this new collection of short stories. Only one of the stories features Jonathan Strange, but the rest of the stories feel like they take place in the same world. Clarke conjures up a version of 19th century England where magic and Faerie are historical subjects.…