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FICTION
11/22/63 / Stephen King
BCD, FIC, LT
On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed forever.
If you had the chance to change the course of history, would you?
Would the consequences be worth it? Jake Epping is a thirty-five-year-old high school English teacher who goes back in time to stop the Kennedy assassination.
(Chris Frezza from SLC)
Among Others / Jo Walton
FIC
A teenager defeats her insane mother's magic, fleeing to a father whom she's never met. Her father sends her to boarding school, and her loneliness nearly consumes her. She seeks refuge in science fiction novels and gradually finds like-minded fans; A well-told story.
(Kristen from ROG)
A Bitter Veil / Libby Fischer Hellmann
FIC
An amazing book: part thriller, party mystery, part historical, part love story. The book opens with a knock on the door in 1970's Iran. It is the home of an Iranian and his American wife. The wife answers the door to hear that her husband has been stabbed with one of her kitchen knives. She didn't do it, who did?
(Ruth from WCV)
Busy Body: An Agatha Raisin Mystery / M. C. Beaton
FIC, LT
How unique that the author used an overdue library book in the story. The book contained a clue toward solving the mystery.
(Circulation Clerk at RSV)
The Chaperone / Laura Moriarty
FIC, LT
If you've ever wanted to hit the "restart" button in life, needed to revisit the past to move forward, and also happen to enjoy historical fiction spanning the early 20th century, this book will draw you into its world. The Chaperone explores two women's coming-of-age--the protagonist and 1920s starlet Louise Brooks (before stardom)-with unconventional results for both of their futures.
(Michelle from SCS)
The Corrections / Jonathan Franzen
FIC, LT
Outstanding book. It's amazing that the book is so good while all of the characters are so unlikable.
(Cory from CLL)
Defending Jacob / William Landay
BCD, EB, FIC, LT, PL
This is a great legal thriller with loose ends and questions. How far would you, as a parent, go to protect your child? Watch as assistant district attorney Andy Barber maneuvers the slippery slopes of the legal system and the police investigation to save his son.
(Ruth from WCV)
The Dovekeepers / Alice Hoffman
BCD, FIC, LT
I'm not a big reader of historical fiction, but certain writers make it fun to read! This was history, mysticism, suspense, family, and love all in one package. So even if the idea of reading history doesn't sit well with you-Try it!
(Kim from CHE)
Fall on Your Knees / Ann-Marie MacDonald
BCD, FIC, LT
This is a compelling, if downbeat, novel of a deeply dysfunctional Lebanese-Canadian family in the early 20th century. Beautifully written -- how could I have missed this for more than 15 years?
(Lauren from SLC)
Forbidden / Ted Dekker
EB, FIC, LT
Welcome to the world at peace. It is hell, populated by corpses animated by only one emotion: fear. Love is nothing more than an obligated loyalty. In an attempt to halt the chaos that once prevailed due to dark human passions and vices, a virus called Legion was unleashed upon humanity, creating a new race who exist in a compliant torpor numb to pain and love. Yet a rumor rises against the Order that now reigns: there exists a remnant of pure, ancient blood from the former race of true humans. Drinking brings both death and life: the taste of pain and loss, and of true love and life. Who would take the risk? The Truth is forbidden; yet four friends discover it is bound to flow through the veins of humanity once again.
(Bethany Boutin, SCS Circulation Clerk)
Fuzzy Nation / John Scalzi
FIC
Offworlder Jack Holloway discovers a rich seam of valuable jewels and offers a share of it to the local planetary corporation. However, both Jack and the Corporation are entitled to it only as long as no sentient creatures exist on the planet. Enter cute, fuzzy creatures that will change the outcome of everybody's plans.
(Kristen from ROG)
Ghost Story: A Novel of the Dresden Files / Jim Butcher
BCD, EB, FIC, LT
Just when you think you’ve seen the last of Harry Dresden, Jim Butcher brings him back as a ghost! After being killed in the last installment, the late Harry – P.I. and wizard – must now try to find out who shot him and help his friends, while dealing with malevolent shadows roaming Chicago – all without his powers. Can he pull it off or will he roam the world as a lost soul?
(Pat from RSV)
The Girl in the Blue Beret: A Novel / Bobbi Mason
EB, FIC, LT
At a loss after enforced retirement, he revisits his rescue during the war, and becomes a better man for it.
(Sue Werner, Page, CHE)
Gone Girl / Gillian Flynn
BCD, EB, FIC, LT
Fabulous book! I can't stop thinking about it. Just when you think you have all the twists and turns figured out, you realize you don't.
(Cathy Russ from TPL)
I thought I discovered it, just stumbled onto it, but it is really hot now. It is a fantastic suspense/mystery. I've heard it will be a movie, which is what I declared when I read it. I couldn't put it down.
(Jean Wilkins, Circ Supervisor, CHE)
This is a book that's hard to put down. Love the twists and turns.
(Pat from CHE)
The Great Escape / Susan Elizabeth Phillips
BCD, EB, FIC
A fun read full of romance and thrills featuring a president's daughter-Phillips has been writing sassy, witty romances for years and this one is no exception.
(Alice from SHL)
Hearts of Horses / Molly Gloss
FIC
This is a story of a young woman who breaks horses. This is a very non-traditional job for a woman even though it was during WWI. The book details how this young woman approached this job. The ending is a bit rushed - more a summation skipping over years.
(Rita from RSV)
Helsinki White / James Thompson
FIC
This is the third book in the Inspector Kari Vaara series. I have enjoyed this Nordic noir series, set in Finland, since its beginning. Each book has had something of an ominous ending, making me eager to read the next in the series as Vaara continues to develop.
(Annette from MPL)
The Language of Flowers / Vanessa Diffenbaugh
BCD, EB, FIC, LT, PL
I enjoyed the telling of the story. It was refreshingly not a pat story, but one that resonates long after the reading.
(Deanna Baird/Armada)
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand: A Novel / Helen Simonson
BCD, EB, FIC, LT
Although this is a love story I would not classify it as a romance. It takes place in England and is about two people, both widows, who come together despite convention.
(Rita from RSV)
The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint / Brady Udall
MeLCat
"When I was seven years old the mailman ran over my head. As formative events go, nothing else comes close."
(Shane from CHE)
BCD = Book on CD, BLU = Blu-ray Disc, CD = Compact Disc,
DVD = Digital Video Disc, EB = eBook, FIC = Fiction,
LT = Large Type, MeLCat = MeLCat material, NONFIC - Fiction,
PL = Playaway, PS3 = Playstation 3 Game
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FICTION
Misery Bay: An Alex McKnight Novel / Steve Hamilton
BCD, FIC, LT
PI Alex McNight returns to solve the murder/suicides of young victims in Paradise, Michigan. His descriptions of the lonely shore of Misery Bay as he walks the scene of the crime is unforgettable. Don't miss this crime series - the writing is excellent with plenty of twists and turns in the plots.
(Cindy from SCS/Librarian)
Mission to Paris / Alan Furst
BCD, FIC
Set in 1938 pre-war Paris, Hollywood film star Fredric Stahl is courted by the rising Nazi movement to make movies in Germany for the Third Reich. The film star has an agenda of his own to spy on the regime and return safely to America. Walk the streets of old Paris and Berlin along with the author's wonderful writing. Alan Furst is one of the best Cold War and World War II spy novelists!
(Cindy from SCS/Librarian)
Mr. Toppit: A Novel / Charles Elton
EB, FIC
Follows the fortunes and misfortunes of a family made famous by its late father's series of children's books, "The Hayseed Chronicles". The dysfunctional family and its hangers-on navigate the world of celebrity.
(Debbie from SHL)
Never Let Me Go / Kazuo Ishiguro
BCD, EB, FIC, LT
This book is beautiful and haunting. From the beginning you can tell that something is different about this private boarding school and its students, but the full picture of what makes them "special" unfolds gracefully. By the end of the book when the characters are adults, it is impossible not to empathize with all of them. I did not want to put
this one down and really did not want it to end.
(Lauren from TPL)
The Night Circus: A Novel / Erin Morgenstern
BCD, EB, FIC, LT, PL
This beautiful fantasy tells the story of The Night Circus whose amazing displays hide a competition between two magicians. It is a wonderful debut novel.
(Kristen from ROG)
The Odds: a love story / Stewart O'Nan
FIC
A middle aged couple take a final trip to Niagara Falls with the hopes of saving their marriage and digging themselves out of debt at the casino. Different motives, different expectations, sad and true to life.
(Debbie from SHL)
The Prophet / Michael Koryta
FIC
This author has an insight into human nature and thoughts that make it seem as if he were at least 50 years old instead of 30. I could have put it down but I really didn't want to!
(Donna/circ)
Ready Player One / Ernest Cline
BCD, EB, FIC
This is a fast-paced scavenger hunt in a dystopian near-future where everyone spends most of their time in an online world (think “Second Life”, only much, much better). The hero of this book is the best kind: a scrappy, clever teenage nerd. My favorite part of this book is the 1980's pop culture references - it is packed full of 80's music, movies, games and television references.
(Lauren from TPL)
The Red Door / Charles Todd
EB, FIC, LT
We know little about the lasting effects of soldiers in WWI, especially England. Inspector Ian Rutledge lives with guilt, and hears its voice via the dead soldier Hamish who lives in his head. Yet he is a compassionate listener as he delves into the crimes he is charged with solving.
The Red Door is #12 in this psychological thriller series, where Rutledge from Scotland Yard tries to solve the murder of the woman lying dead behind the red door.
(Marj Murray from CLL)
The Reluctant Fundamentalist / Mohsin Hamid
BCD, EB, FIC
This tense, suspenseful novel details how the life of a Pakistani man living in America is changed by the events of 9/11.
(Ed from CHE)
The Rose Garden /Susanna Kearsley
BCD, EB, FIC
This book is about a woman who leaves her home to mourn a recent loss; she travels to a childhood vacation spot where she draws comfort from the friends she knew long ago. Soon after arriving, she discovers that she can time travel between the present and the 18th century. She meets and falls in love with a man, and faces some difficult decisions along the way. Equal parts romance and historical fiction, it is easily one of the best books I've read this year.
(Julianne from LWM)
The Sense of an Ending / Julian Barnes
BCD, EB, FIC, LT
A small book, only a 150 pages in length, The Sense of An Ending by Julian Barnes packs tremendous literary power. The novel’s narrator, Anthony Webster, explores his memories of youth and must come to terms with how one’s behavior, even in the prime of youth, can have lasting consequences in ways unimagined or unknown. As a reader, we are compelled to accompany Anthony through the many veils of memory that ultimately reveal the uncertainty of one’s dearly held beliefs and self-made myths.
(Midge Lusardi, CHE)
Snow Crash / Neal Stephenson
FIC
Excellent sci-fi read. I feel Stephenson appeals even to those who normally don't read the genre.
(Cory from CLL)
Snuff / Terry Pratchett
BCD, EB, FIC, PL
In the newest Discworld book from Terry Pratchett, Commander of the City Watch Sam Vines is on a holiday in the country with his wife Lady Sybil. For Sam, it’s not all fun and relaxation as he deals with the unfamiliar fresh air and open fields. Luckily he finds some major crime and (finally) bacon sandwiches to fill his days. For those looking for satirical fun, try the Discworld series.
(Pat from RSV)
Someone Knows My Name / Lawrence Hill
FIC
The author brings history to life in this novel about a slave and her experiences in the Colonies before and during the Revolutionary War; an engrossing story.
(Ed from CHE)
Stranger in the Room /Amanda Kyle Williams
BCD, FIC
This is an unpredictable psychological thriller. The main character, Keye Street, is flawed enough to make her real and the many twists and turns will keep the reader guessing.
(Annette from MPL)
A Study in Scarlet / Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
EB, FIC
This enjoyable novel kicks off the Sherlock Holmes saga and features a confounding murder mystery solved by Holmes' signature deductions. It is great for any mystery enthusiast.
(Jason from SHL)
The Tuesday Club Murders: A Miss Marple Mystery / Agatha Christie
BCD, FIC
Easy reading: each chapter consists of a different mystery described by a different character. The words/phrases of the English made for an educational experience.
(Penny/Clerk/RSV)
Weird Sisters / Eleanor Brown
BCD, EB, FIC, LT
This is the story of three sisters who are all very different and despite the fact that they love each other, they don't like each other. They gather around their mother who has cancer and they all live together so they can care for her. It turns out that they are all a good support system for the others.
(Rita from RSV)
Winds of Change / Anna Jacobs
FIC
I loved the cover, and had never read this author before but made an evening out of this one. It was a "you go girl" story that made me smile.
(Deanna Baird/Armada)
The Yard / Alex Grecian
FIC, LT
The Scotland Yard "Murder Squad" is under attack by an unknown assailant who leaves the detectives' bodies around London with his trademark "tailoring" clues. Set during Jack the Ripper's time frame, the plot weaves the style of forensic evidence used in 1890 as a backdrop to a terrifying series of crimes. I couldn't put this book down until the last page was read!
(Cindy from SCS/Librarian)
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