Fallen Grace

Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper
Teen Zone New Fiction Main Level - HOOPER

This story takes place in 1860s London. Grace and her sister Lily are very poor, living in a boarding house in the slums. They sell watercress to make enough to pay their rent and buy something to eat. They are orphans, just trying to stay out of the workhouse and survive on their own. Grace is 15 and her sister is 17. Grace takes care of Lily, though, who is mentally challenged. Lily is constantly taken advantage of by swindlers on the streets.

Grace has her own challenges - having been taken advantage of by a man when they lived in an orphanage, she has given birth to a stillborn baby. It is indirectly through that horrible experience that Grace and Lily find employment with the Unwins, who own a funeral business. It must be the answer to their prayers! Food, lodging, steady work, and a (small) salary each and every week! What they don’t know is that Mr. Unwin saw an ad in the newspaper looking for Lily, who stands to inherit a lot of money from their deceased father (who left for the Americas before he even knew Grace was expected by their mother). He thinks that if he can adopt Lily as his own, he can claim the inheritance on her behalf.

This is a fantastic book! I love historical fiction, and this is top-notch. The characters are interesting and their plight is emotional. It has the perfect balance of description and dialogue, so it is a fast read. Highly recommended!

Hanukkah for Wee Ones

My favorite Hanukkah book for years has been Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins. I’ll happily pull it out and read it to whoever wants to listen every year. As I noted in my review, though, it’s really too wordy for very young children. This year, I was challenged to find a Hanukkah book that would appeal to two-year-olds. Here are a few I found that look good:

Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah Illustrated by Olga and Aleksey Ivanov.
Youth Holiday – Lower Level – IVA

The lyrics to the classic Hanukkah song are paired here with appealingly bright acrylic paintings featuring a modern family – grandparents, parents, two children, and a dog. The tune is written out on the first page, so those unfamiliar with (or rusty on) the song can still learn it. It’s bright, bouncy and short while covering the basics of Hanukkah – perfect for young children.

Hooray for Hanukkah by Fran Manushkin. Illustrated by Carolyn Croll.
Youth Holiday – Lower Level – MAN

Here, a menorah tells about growing brighter and brighter on each of the eight nights of Hanukkah, and what its family does to celebrate each night. While still fairly brief, this one has a sentence or two on each page, and so has room to get a little more into the holiday. The pictures show a large and happy early twentieth-century family, done in what looks to my untrained eye like watercolor with colored pencil.

Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah by Susan L. Roth
Youth Holiday – Lower Level – R

It’s the same classic Hanukkah song, and the music is still included. This smaller format book is illustrated with paper and fabric collage featuring a family of mice. This version has a sweet and clearly handmade look.

Hanukkah: A Counting Book by Emily Sper
Youth Holiday - Lower Level - SPE

This is a counting book - from one to eight, obviously - with the names of the numbers written out in English, Hebrew masculine, Hebrew feminine, and Yiddish. All of the non-English words have American phonetic pronunciation written out as well as the words being written in Hebrew letters. After the shames candle is introduced, the counting proceeds with an appropriate number of Hanukkah-related objects, from one menorah to four dreidels, six heroes, and eight nights, on one page. The facing page is all black, with the numbers in the different language and cutouts of that number of candles, so that they show up brightly against the blackness . The combination of all these elements makes for a sleek, attractive book.

Twelve Deaths of Christmas

Twelve Deaths of Christmas by Marian Babson
Adult Mysteries-Main Level - BABSON


There is a certain chill in the air this holiday season with Marian Babson’s Twelve Deaths of Christmas. The story takes place in a London boarding house filled with a wide assortment of lodgers. There is a retired Major, a foreign student from the Middle East, an American, and several others. But something is not right with one of these seemingly normal characters. One of them has taken their dislike of the constant rushing nature of the holiday too far and has lashed out fatally toward those viewed as deserving punishment. This madman, or women, is on the loose in London. The killer has been able to make his or her crimes appear to be unrelated or even accidents but Detective Knowles is not fooled. He knows that this fiend will keep striking and will get more brazen with each murder. His investigation leads him closer and closer to the boarding house where the occupants inside are preparing a Christmas feast while unaware that one of them plans for this holiday to be everyone’s last. The story is a quick read at less than two hundred pages and the reader is actually clued into the murder’s thoughts in certain chapters which helps build some tension. In all, the book would be a perfect light read for those with a little down time during the hectic holiday season.

Dreams of Joy

Dreams of Joy by Lisa See
CD Book Shelves - Main Level - SEE

Dreams of Joy by Lisa See
Adult New Book Display - Main Level - SEE

I listened to the audio version of this book, which was fantastic! The reader, Janet Song, was amazing. She captured the emotions of the characters perfectly.

This is the sequel to Shanghai Girls. It picks up with Pearl's daughter Joy, who grew up in Los Angeles, but fled to communist China to help them with the "Great Leap Forward" under Mao Zedong. She had idealist visions of communism, and was a quite disillusioned by what was actually happening when she got there. The book does not sugar-coat the famine, the violence toward village workers, or the scandalous government dealings. Joy made a few life-changing decisions that she had to find a way out of, risking death.

I loved Shanghai Girls and this book was great too. It is not for the faint of heart because it tells it as it really happened, fictionalized in a way that tears at our heart strings. We get to know the characters - some we despise and some we love - and it makes for an emotional reading experience. Highly recommended, but read Shanghai Girls first!

Ready Player One

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. Read by Wil Wheaton.
CD Book Shelves – Main Level - CLINE

It’s a dark, dystopian future. The Recession never ended, and the ongoing energy crisis has ended the era of easy travel. Most people are unemployed, living in large stacks of trailers just outside the city. Life in the real world is so grim that the vast majority of people spend all their time logged into the Oasis, an immersive on-line alternate reality. Getting on to the Oasis and its main planet are free; it sustains itself and a large portion of the overall economy by charging for on-line goods and travel to its millions of other planets. The Oasis was imagined and designed by a hard-core socially impaired geek by the name of James Halliday. When he dies without heirs, he sends out to all the millions of Oasis users an invitation to participate in a treasure hunt for three keys leading to the location of an Easter egg hidden in the game. Our hero is one Wade Watts, an orphan living in the trailer stacks who is attending his senior year of high school in the Oasis. He’s named his avatar Parzival after the Arthurian grail-seeker and is determined to find the egg himself. In addition to all the time he spends in the Oasis, he’s devoted himself to mastering the 1980s arcade, computer and role-playing games, movies and movies that were formative during Halliday’s teen years. Geek children of the 1980s, this book is for you. There are multiple clues and puzzles which you might be able to figure out before Wade if you are familiar with the right movie or game, and even if you don’t, the trip down memory lane is exciting, filled with giant robots, planets of Zork and Blade Runner, D&D brought to life, Rush, and an entire Joss Whedon galaxy. Parzival eventually owns both a DeLorian and a Firefly class space ship.

Even if the 80s weren’t your era, the plot of the book keeps on moving. Wade may be just one of millions of gunters (as the egg hunters come to be known), but we know from the beginning that he’s the first one to find the first key. His rivals include his best friend H and the zaftig and beautiful (at least on-line) if reclusive Art3mis, but the real enemy is the giant corporation IOI. They have an army of corporate warriors bent on finding the egg to give ownership of the Oasis to IOI, so that they can then start charging monthly fees and adding more advertising to the Oasis. Can our poor, self-educated hero find the egg or help his friends get there before the evil corporation takes over the current refuge of the poor? Wil Wheaton, geek extraordinaire, gives a pitch-perfect narration here. Though this features a teen narrator, it is aimed at adults. There’s a little sexual reference (no actual sex) and some violence, mostly in the game. The language is pretty foul throughout. This is one of my very favorite books this year, and I urge fellow geeks to seek it out right now.

The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry

The Manual of Detection

Adult Mysteries
BERRY

“The Manual of Detection” is a great mystery for the reader looking for something a little… different. This is a mystery written in a place that is always raining and it is always being investigated by Detectives at The Agency. “The Manual of Detection” is the book given to our lead, Charles Unwin, when he is unexpectedly promoted from Clerk to Detective. Unwin is given little to go off of and must follow the cases he has prepared from the files of his Detective, Travis Sivart. Sivart has myteriously vanished and Unwin is starting to see that Sivart's famously solved cases might not be so....solved. There are the cases—The Oldest Murdered Man, The Man Who Stole November 12th—and the mysterious people surrounding them that Unwin must learn as much as he can about before time runs out and Sivart is never found. Fans of Kafka, Chesterton, Fforde and others will delight in this magical mystery.

The Aviary

The Aviary by Kathleen O’Dell
Youth New Book Shelves - Lower Level – O’DELL

“Together always to the last,
Our love shall hold each other fast.
Delivered from the frost and foam,
None shall fly ‘til all come home.”

The above poem plays an important role in the unique and heartwarming mystery, The Aviary by Kathleen O’Dell.

Young 11-year-old Clara Dooley lives at the turn of the 20th century with her mother, Harriet and the housekeeper, Ruby in the old and haunting Glendoveer Mansion in Lockhaven, Maine. The three women live in the mansion with the matriarch of the Glendoveer family, sickly yet kind Cenelia Glendoveer. While Clara loves her mother, Ruby, and even Mrs. Glendoveer, she is frustrated with her life. Nobody from the neighborhood ever visits, and there are frightening birds that Mrs. Glendoveer adores living in the backyard aviary. Inquisitive Clara wishes she could go to school and play with the other children in Lockhaven. Unfortunately, she has an unspecified heart condition which causes her mother to be very overprotective. Thus, young Clara’s only true outlet is reading.

One day, while Clara is looking out the window, a young girl from the neighborhood waves to her. This girl, Daphne Aspinal, is the one person who wants to be friends with Clara. However, how can Clara be friends with someone when she isn’t even allowed to leave her home? Soon after this event, the birds in the aviary start to repeat the name “Elliot.” Who is Elliot? Clara soon finds out the answer to this question which starts her on a quest to unravel the truth of the Glendoveer family mystery.

The Aviary, written by Kathleen O’Dell, is an extremely fascinating middle grade novel. The mystery of the Glendoveer family is richly told with riveting details. Clara is a strong and sweet heroine, her friendship with Daphne is precious, and the story of the Glendoveer family is touching and engrossing. The Aviary is getting buzz as a Newbery contender for 2012, and I would recommend it to those of all ages who enjoy well-written and extraordinary youth literature!

Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World

Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World
by Michael Lewis

Adult Nonfiction 330.905 L


Michael Lewis begins his new tale of economic despair by reflecting on his previous work, The Big Short, and the man he left out of that book, Kyle Bass. Kyle, like the investors Mr. Lewis chronicled in The Big Short, foresaw our 2008 economic crisis and made a fortune off of it. Lewis, in retrospect seeing how right Mr. Bass was, heads back to Dallas to ask ‘What’s next?’ His answer, that countries around the world will go bankrupt and default on their debt, sends Michael Lewis to Europe as he tries to find out why this is happening.


He begins in Iceland and finds that a country whose economy was once centered on fishing has transformed into a nation whose economic goals focused on acquiring as many foreign assets as possible. When those assets lost value, Iceland went bankrupt. He travels to Ireland to find a nation that decided to make financing real estate projects ridiculously easy. This of course led to overvalued assets, a huge bubble and eventual crash (Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?).


Lewis then makes his way to the current Ground Zero of national economic failure, Greece. It turns out that Greeks really enjoy it when their government hands out as much money to them as they can. The problem with that is a population averse to paying for any of this reckless government spending. The violation of tax law is so rampant in Greece, it is essentially ingrained into the culture. This leads him to Germany, who is now essentially in charge of fixing Europe. They aren’t innocent in this whole mess, having provided the financing for many of the failed investments across Europe.


The author finally heads back to the U.S. and details the municipalities, particularly in California, that are starting to go bankrupt. The biggest reason for these financial shortcomings? Outsized pension obligations. The author tries to end on a positive note by saying that all of these problems are solvable. While this may be true, it is unlikely that the necessary sacrifices will be made and our problems will continue to be pushed off for future generations to handle. This can only happen for so long, so the question becomes: Where does it end?

Pocketful of Posies

Pocketful of Posies by Salley Mavor.
Youth New Book Shelves – Lower Level – J398.8 M

I have only this year discovered the wonderfulness that is the artwork of Salley Mavor. This is her latest effort, a collection of nursery rhymes illustrated with her signature felt and found object dioramas with the little dolls, here looking more involved yet than in her how-to book, Felt Wee Folk. It is stunning. I hauled this book around everywhere with me for three weeks, showing it off to people whenever I could pry it away from my toddler, and everyone I showed it to was sucked into exploring the details. There’s the look of exasperation on the Old Woman in the Shoe’s face, embroidered rain drops, little silver jingle bells growing on plants in Mistress Mary’s garden. There are branches used for roofs, shells and acorn caps, buttons and beads mixed in. I read that she spent a month on each page, and it’s easy to believe. Some rhymes have a whole page devoted to them, while others are grouped thematically, with illustrations flowing from one rhyme to the next. For example, one spread shows a street full of village shops and includes rhymes relating to them. The rhymes seemed to me a good mix of familiar and new, including things like “Simple Simon” and “Polly Put the Kettle on”, but also “I Eat my Peas with Honey”. The language is slightly modified from what I grew up with, but, unlike many modern nursery rhyme collections, the rhymes are not updated to fit modern values. This is now my favorite nursery rhyme collection, good both for cultural literacy and beautiful art.

Measure of the Earth

Measure of the Earth: The enlightenment Expedition That Reshaped Our World by Larrie D. Ferreiro
New Book Shelves - Upper Level - 526 F

In the 1730s, a group of scientists from France and Spain decided that they needed to measure the earth. Knowing its shape would help them navigate the oceans and map new places, giving them military and economic power. They went to Peru, a Spanish-owned country at the Equator, and literally measured a degree of latitude. This book, though non-fiction and based on real history and science, reads like an adventure novel. The scientists have weather, mountains, suspicious native people, and plenty of other hostilities to deal with in their quest. This is an exciting book about an important time in history, when Europeans learned more about South America and scientists made great strides in understanding our world.

Bride and Prejudice

Bride and Prejudice
DVD collection - Main Level - MUSICAL BRI

Like many people I know, I have a special place in my heart for Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. During the years that my sister was studying South Asian culture, she also introduced me to the joyous synthesis of squeaky-clean romance, music, dance and colorful costume changes that are Bollywood movies. Bride and Prejudice is the initially unlikely but quite successful synthesis of these two – Pride and Prejudice set in modern-day India, with lots of globe hopping. This setting translates the concerns of the original novel quite brilliantly. In modern-day India, marriage is still much more socially important than it is in the UK or America. I confess I don’t know anything about the Indian province of Amritsar, where Jaya, Lalita and their two younger sisters live, but it’s described in the film as a beautiful backwater. It has lovely cultural artifacts like the Golden Temple, but not much in the way of modernity. Lalita loves it passionately, and defends it fiercely both to American businessman Will Darcy, in town for a wedding with his best friend, and the Indian ex-pat distant cousin. The cousin is crass and wealthy and, even though he thinks America is better in so many ways, wants a nice traditional Indian girl for his wife. Very helpfully to fans of the book, while the girls’ names are changed to traditional Indian names, the men mostly have the same names as in the book. The plot is simplified and Austen's marvelous dialogue doesn't come over at all. But there’s music and dancing in plenty, both as part of regular life and when the characters sing and dance out their feelings. This isn’t true Bollywood, as it’s done by the UK team that did Bend it Like Beckham, so hard-core fans may find it lacking. However, for people like me who need to be able to fold laundry while watching a movie, having it in English was a big help. Bride and Prejudice is a delightfully fluffy movie, good for the liberal Austen fan and as an introduction to Bollywood.

Brave New Worlds

Brave New Worlds by John Joseph Adams
Adult Science Fiction-Main Level - BRAVE

The dystopian fiction genre has fascinated readers for generations. Dystopian literature often seeks to comment on contemporary society and also serves as a warning for the future. The anthology Brave News Worlds carries on this tradition and is clearly influenced by authors such as Orwell, Huxley, and Bradbury. These previous authors wrote groundbreaking works depicting terrifying visions of the future. While many of the stories in this anthology collection borrow elements from these previous works, there is enough variety of content to keep dystopian fiction fans entertained if they are looking for different spins on the genre. One advantage an anthology collection holds is the ability to skip around to different sections of the book. If a reader is not captivated by a certain story, he or she can always choose to try their luck with an offering from a different author. Anthologies are also an excellent way of sampling an unfamiliar author’s style and I know that many of these stories have made me interested in searching out further works by several of the authors.



The dystopian genre is diverse enough to satisfy many types of readers and the assortment of stories in this anthology run the gamut from sci-fi to horror. Fans of 1984 will enjoy entries such as “Ten with a Flag” and Peter Skilling.” A reader who wants less of a straightforward narrative might be interested in the bizarreness of “The Pearl Diver” or “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” a story that gives us a world that is seemingly perfect in every way except for the monstrous price only one individual has to pay. Brazil fans will feel right at home in the worlds of “Dead Space for the Unexpected” and “ ‘Repent Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman” which shows us a world fanatically devoted to the concept of being on time. Several of these stories were written decades ago but are still applicable to our society today. The mark of any great piece of literature is the ability to remain relevant for many generations and the stories in Brave New Worlds will certainly serve as cautionary tales for decades to come.

Chasing Lincoln's Killer

Chasing Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson
Teen Zone Nonfiction-Main Level - 973.7092 S

I tend to get bored with Non-Fiction books but I loved Chasing Lincoln's Killer!

8 hours before President Abraham and First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln arrive at Ford Theater, actor John Wilkes Booth learns of their evening plans and sets in motion a plan to assassinate not only the President, but the Vice President and the Secretary of State. From that point forward, James L. Swanson follows the actions of Booth, his co-conspirators, their pursuers and the parties of Lincoln, Secretary of State Seward, and then-Vice President Johnson up until the point of Booth's capture and his accomplices' prosecution and hanging.

Swanson's telling of this story is exhilarating, emotional and action-packed while staying true to historical events (the author notes in the opening notes of the book that the events described are "[...] far too incredible to have been made up.") Chasing Lincoln's Killer based on Swanson's adult book, Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, is specifically geared toward a youth and teen audience, but I didn't feel at all like I was reading a "dumbed down" version of another book at all.

The Lincoln assassination is a much more complex and interesting story than any history teacher ever told me and I walked away from this book feeling both interested in and well educated on the subject! It was definitely an interesting and worth-while read for teens and adults looking to actually have a great time learning about an important event in American history!

The House of Silk: A Sherlock Holmes Novel

The House of Silk: A Sherlock Holmes Novel
by Anthony Horowitz Main Level New Book - Horowitz

Never underestimate the power of pure blind luck. Anthony Horowitz himself could not have dreamed of the unexpected topicality of this book while writing it. Without giving the plot away, the events of the last two weeks have given sudden relevance to a book of fiction set in 1890. Arthur Conan Doyle could never have gotten this Holmes story published then, which leads to the device that Watson wrote it decades after the event, and then kept the story under lock and key for another century. Only now can the story be told...

Horowitz does a very good job of evoking the familiar milieu of 221B Baker Street and includes cameos from several characters from the Conan Doyle canon. He understands the dynamic of the Holmes/Watson relationship and treats Watson with respect. Serious Sherlockians will find some nits to pick, but for more casual readers this is a delightful historical read that also happens to correlate with current events through pure blind luck.

The Good Sister

The Good Sister by Drusilla Campbell
Adult Paperbacks- Main Level– CAMPBELL

Roxanne has taken care of her younger sister Simone all of her life due to an absent father and an abusive mother. Roxanne believes that she can finally have a life of her own when Simone marries a wealthy man. Roxanne was wrong though, Simone has been through multiple pregnancies desperate for the hope that she will deliver a baby boy. Between the pregnancies and suffering from postpartum depression Simone has been negligent in taking care of her 3 daughters. Even though Simone has a nanny, a maid, and her mother all on her estate to help her raise the girls she still turns to Roxanne for help. Simone believes she is doing the best she can given her circumstances and that does not change even when she is placed on trial for the attempted murder of her children. Simone and her lawyers fight hard to prove that she was insane and not in her right mind when the attempted murder happened. Roxanne tries hard throughout the sad events to stay true to herself and her husband knowing that she has done everything she could to help Simone but part of her wonders if she will ever be free of sister to live her own life. Postpartum depression is a real issue and this novel portrays what can happen to a women suffering from it and other mental conditions.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Teen Zone New Fiction - Main Level - RIGGS

Here is a creepy book for anyone who likes stories about orphans, asylums, and supernatural powers. Jacob and his father visit a remote island off Wales, once the home of Jacob's grandfather in an orphanage there. When Jacob goes to the orphanage, he finds some peculiar children, and begins to question everything he knew to be true about his grandfather's life...and his own. The book includes vintage photos collected by the author, which fit into the storyline perfectly and make it even more disturbing and eerie.

Reading with the Stars

Reading with the Stars: A Celebration of Books and Libraries by Leonard Kniffel
Adult Non-Fiction Shelves - Upper Level - 027 K

This is a fun little book in which celebrities share their love of libraries and books. Each essay is just a few pages long, but some are quite powerful. For example, Pulitzer Prize-winner David Mamet (Glengarry Glen Ross) calls the Chicago Public Library his "alma mater" because he would skip school to read there. The essays by Ken Burns, who spent a remarkable afternoon with NYPL's Vartan Gregorian, and Ralph Nader ("I really don't need another cause, but reading about the state of libraries made me blush with shame." p.114) are especially poignant. The book includes lists of titles written by and/or recommended by the celebrities. Anyone who loves reading and libraries will appreciate this little gem.

My Fair Lady

My Fair Lady
DVD Collection - Main Level - MUSICALS MY

“Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” to have glorious musicals made for movie theaters again? While it seems this genre of film isn’t as popular as it used to be, fans of musical theater and motion pictures are lucky to have the classics restored and put on DVD to enjoy again and again. One such gem is My Fairy Lady with Rex Harrison as Professor Henry Higgins and Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle.

My Fair Lady tells the story of poverty stricken flower girl Eliza Doolittle and her ascension into ladyhood. Professor Higgins, a phoeneticist, is the wealthy gentleman that takes her in and tries to teach her how to speak proper English. Of course hilarious events ensue as Miss Doolittle believes she can already speak proper English, and Mr. Higgins keeps having Eliza repeat simple words and phrases such as “The Rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain.” The recitation of this phrase begins a special turning point for Eliza because she finally pronounces her “a’s” correctly. Soon Eliza, Professor Higgins, and Colonel Pickering are dancing around the parlor room to “The Rain in Spain” which is just one of the many beloved songs in the musical.

Based upon the theater musical, the movie does not disappoint. Miss Hepburn is magical as Eliza Doolittle. She speaks with her beautiful eyes and is completely believable and delightful in her character. In addition, Mr. Harrison captures the aloof yet caring professor perfectly. Mr. Harrison originated the role on Broadway. The other actors and characters along with the gorgeous music (written by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe) are added icing to this delightful classic. If you are looking for a wonderful musical with comedy and heart then My Fair Lady is your ticket. It is a classic that will be around forever. In fact, there are talks of a My Fair Lady motion picture remake starring Colin Firth (winner of the 2011 Academy Award for Best Actor) as Henry Higgins. For now though, we can enjoy the beloved classic that won the 1964 Academy Award for Best Picture!

Eliza's Freedom Road

Eliza's Freedom Road: An Underground Railroad Diary by Jerdine Nolen
Youth New Book Shelves - Lower Level - NOLEN

This story follows Eliza on her trek toward freedom on the underground railroad. It takes place in 1854 in Alexandria, Virginia. Eliza's mother was sold away, leaving her with only a story quilt to remember her by. Eliza has the gift of storytelling, learned from her mother, and she shares them with the other slaves throughout the book. She also has the gift of being able to read and write, taught by the mistress of the house she serves. When her mistress gets very sick, Eliza becomes afraid that she, too, will be traded away by the master of the house. Harriet Tubman shows her another possibility: freedom. This is a very touching story of Eliza's journey north. She meets up with other escaped slaves, and they look out for each other as a new family. This is a well-researched book, full of history and folktales. It is an important book for most age groups, starting with children around 3rd or 4th grade. Adults will appreciate it too.

Elizabeth Zimmermann’s The Knitter’s Almanac

Elizabeth Zimmermann’s The Knitter’s Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmermann
Crafts Collection – Upper Level – 746.43 Z

I am writing this just in case there is a knitter who hasn’t heard of Elizabeth Zimmermann. Elizabeth Zimmermann’s books take homey, personality-filled writing applied to quite revolutionary ideas about making knitting just challenging enough but as easy as possible. Of course you can design your own sweater. Of course you’ll enjoy making a shawl, and you’ll naturally come up with some embellishments to make it pretty and less boring to knit along the way… that kind of thing. The Knitter’s Almanac features her thoughts and activities for each month of the year, with a selection of projects. Each is talked through in detail in the main body of the chapter, and followed with “pithy” short directions at the end of the chapter. There are some famous patterns in this book, including the Pi shawl and February’s baby sweater. The library has just purchased the new commemorative edition, which features a lovely introduction by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (aka the Yarn Harlot) and an adult-sized version of the famous baby sweater, February Lady. Never mind that at my current rate of knitting it would take me twelve years rather than twelve months to get through all the projects here – this is a book that every self-respecting knitter should read.

Knife of Never Letting Go

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Teen Zone Fiction - Main Level - NESS

Prentisstown was invaded by the Spackles, an alien race that spread a germ causing "Noise" among the men of the town. Suddenly, all the men could hear each other's thoughts. The women, it was said, all died from the spread of the germ.

Todd Hewitt finds himself forced out of Prentisstown, on the run from evil Prentisstown men. While on the run through the swamp, he meets Viola. Her family has died in their spaceship: a scouting expedition for their people who had hoped to settle on New World (the planet on which Prentisstown is located). Todd and Viola team up and flee together, meeting people and various settlements along the way - and learning more and more about the dreaded Prentisstown's real history. They are headed to Haven, the most technologically advanced settlement on New World, hoping to find a cure for the Noise and a way to contact Viola's people.

This is an action-packed, unique story of coming of age, friendship, adventure, and loyalty. It is recommended for older teens and adults interested in dystopia and science fiction.

Cleaning Nabokov’s House

Cleaning Nabokov’s House by Leslie Daniels.
Adult New Books – Main Level - Daniels

Barb has left her controlling husband. Now she’s stranded in upstate New York in a town where everyone knows and loves her experson and could care less about her. She’s lost custody of her children. She’s jobless and homeless and holding on to sanity with a very tenuous grip. This could be the beginning of a serious work of Women’s Fiction, the kind that Oprah would want to talk about and which would require boxes of tissues. Instead, Barb’s journey to pulling her life together and getting her children back is hilarious. It’s still women’s fiction, just not the depressing kind. Barb’s first step towards getting her footing back is selling her reliable car (keeping the unreliable one) to make a down payment on a small house which turns out to have belonged to Nabokov. In this house, wedged behind a drawer, she finds a manuscript which might or might not have been written by Nabokov. Her efforts to get this published start pushing her back towards sanity, making her friends in the process. She also comes up with a scheme to make enough money to win her children back, a scheme that I totally did not see coming and which gives the book both its silliest and most serious moments, a scheme to make more of the women of the small town where she now lives happy. It’s sexy without being explicit, and Barb’s feelings run true even as the plot runs towards the unbelievable comedic. It made for excellent distraction reading during a somewhat stressful time for me, but I’m hoping that you, dear reader, can enjoy it under more pleasant circumstances.

Bink and Gollie

Bink and Gollie by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee
Youth Early Chapter Books - Lower Level - Bink & Gollie

This is a very short, but cute and easy chapter book. There is not much text on each page, and the real stars of the book are often the illustrations and humorous plots.

Bink and Gollie by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee stars Bink (the short blonde girl) and Gollie (the taller brunette) as they share their daily adventures together which are told in three short stories. They are incredibly different best friends. Bink is more of a dreamer, and Gollie is more of a realist. However, they always seem to bond over pancakes and roller skates.

I expect there to be more books about Bink and Gollie in the future. They seem to be good choices for children who are just learning to enjoy chapter books. Since some of the humor and words are sophisticated, I would recommend this to a child who is young, but is more mature. Still even those who don't grasp all the humor or words will probably really enjoy reading about two unique best friends in a beautifully illustrated book. In fact, this book is the winner of the 2011 Geisel Award which is an honor given to the most notable early chapter book of the year.

The Silver Bowl

The Silver Bowl by Diane Stanley.
Youth New Book Shelves – Lower Level – STANLEY

Molly was only seven when her rough father decided she was too much trouble to take care of anymore. He got her a job as a scullery maid at the castle. During their brief farewell, Molly’s room-bound mother gave her the lovely silver necklace her father had given her and told her to wear it, but keep it hidden. It’s a small link to the family heritage of seeing visions that Molly has just found out that she and her mother share. It takes some quick learning to fit in at the castle, but knowing she has nowhere else to go, Molly is motivated. She makes friends with another lowly castle employee, Tobias, the donkey boy. After a few years as a scullery maid, she is taken by Thomas, the silver master, to help with the silver polishing. There she is given the job of polishing the great silver bowl, used by the royal family for washing hands before meals. It’s filled with intricate designs, and every time Molly polishes it, it grows warm in her hands and draws her into visions. Through these she learns that the bowl is filled with curses aimed at the royal family, which the visions want her to break. As she pieces together what a person of her lowly position might be able to do about this, the plot heats up until the life of the prince and the fate of the entire kingdom are resting in her hands. This is a lovely below-the-stairs medieval fantasy, with class playing an important part. Even when Molly and Prince Alaric are put in a position where they have to talk to each other, there’s great consciousness that this is not the normal order of things. Earlier on, her efforts to stop things going wrong in the first place are seriously hampered by her position as a young serving girl, as well as her unorthodox methods of knowing things. Though this is definitely a fantasy, Molly’s visions aren’t something that anybody else in her world could be expected to believe. There’s some second-hand gore here, so while most of this is suitable for middle grade students, those highly sensitive or on the lower end of the age range might want to avoid it. The writing holds up beautifully for readers of the intended age and up.

Diane Stanley is a prolific and diverse author whose work includes picture books, fairy tale retellings, biographies, and novels for youth. Some other books of hers that I have enjoyed include:


The Giant and the Beanstalk
Petrosinella: a Neapolitan Rapunzel

Cinnamon Baby

Cinnamon Baby by Nicola Winstanley. Illustrated by Janice Nadeau
Youth New Book Shelves – Lower Level - WIN

Miriam is a baker. She sings and bakes every morning in her bakery, all different kinds of delicious bread, always finishing with her favorite cinnamon bread. One day, Sebastian rides by on his bicycle. Lured in by the smell and Miriam’s sweet voice, he buys bread from her every day for a year. Then, they marry and have a baby. Though it’s not noted in the text, Sebastian is dark-skinned and Miriam pale; their baby comes out the color of cinnamon. After a few blissful days, the baby starts crying. Nothing either Miriam or Sebastian can do soothes it. Finally, Miriam wakes the exhausted Sebastian early in the morning to bring the baby with her to the bakery. When the sweet smell of cinnamon and the sound of its mother’s voice fill the air, the baby is finally soothed. The thin and swirly watercolor lines of the art add a vintage Paris kind of feel, as well as expanding on the story told in the text. The sweet story and beautiful art combine to make this a book to be savored.

Turning the Tide: How a small band of allied sailors defeated the u-boats and won the Battle of the Atlantic

Turning the Tide: How a small band of allied sailors defeated the u-boats and won the Battle of the Atlantic
by Ed Offley Adult Nonfiction – Upper Level 940.545 O

The Battle of the Atlantic often receives short shrift in histories of WWII. There are a couple of reasons for this. First of all, it lasted the entire duration of the European war, from 1939 to 1945. Secondly and more importantly, few people who weren't fighting actually saw it. There were no Edward R. Murrows or William L. Shirers broadcasting live from the scene of u-boat attacks. There was no Bill Mauldins drawing cartoons of weary sailors fighting both seasickness and the enemy. Only the sailors along with a few aviators killing or being killed in the middle of a vast ocean.

In Turning the Tide Ed Offley makes a convincing case that this oft-ignored front was in fact the most important in the European Theater. Losing this battle would have forced Britain into starvation and surrender, and without a threat keeping Nazi troops in the west, Russia may have lost or made a deal with Hitler. In any case the results of the war would have been very different.

Rather than cover the entire Battle of the Atlantic, Offley focuses on a few convoys in the spring of 1943 where the allies finally managed to take the iniative and put the u-boats on the defensive for the duration of the war. Offley writes clearly and well; while the names of boats and sailors can get confusing, the main narrative is a real page-turner.

Crab Cab

Crab Cab by Yukiko Kido
Youth New Book Shelves – Lower Level - FLI

Discerning parents and children might notice that the better you can read, the more books there are at your level. It’s not that librarians don’t look, but there are just not as many books published for very beginning readers. Those that out there, alas, are often boring, at least to my beginning reader. This book, part of the Flip-a-Word series, tries and I think succeeds in filling in that gap. Each book focuses on about three “sound families”, or words that use similar sounds. In this book, it was groups of short rhyming words, ending with “ot” and “ab”. Each section begins with a few words, one to a page – “hot”, “snot”, “pot”, “tot”. The pages are die-cut to make it more obvious that most of the word stays the same from page to page, and Kido makes us of die cuts in the illustrations, too, for a bit of extra fun. Then the words are combined to make silly, mostly two-word phrases – “snot pot” and “crab cab”. The illustrations are appealing bright, rounded cartoon-style illustrations. Easy words for new readers, no plot to keep up with, still fun.

Other books in this series include:
Pig Wig
Wet Pet
Quack Shack
Snow Bow

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale
Adult Nonfiction - Upper Level - 364.1523 S



People who like history and true crime books will definitely enjoy The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher. This non-fiction book by Kate Summerscale is about the murder of a young boy at an English estate in 1860 and the detective, Mr. Whicher, sent from Scotland Yard to investigate. Mr. Whicher immediately believes it was someone in the family who killed the boy. However, people cannot fathom this and therefore refuse to believe it. Everyone, from regular townspeople to newspaper editors all over the country, have their own opinions about why Mr. Whicher is wrong and who the actual killer is. Summerscale does an excellent job of re-creating the case, including presenting details about all the family members of the victim. She also provides a lot of interesting information about the emergence of the new field of detective work during this time period. For example, she writes about how authors such as Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins incorporated detectives into their books. Overall, this is an entertaining, well-written, and thoroughly researched book about a historical crime and a country’s fascination with all aspects of it.

Smile

Smile by Raina Telgemeier
Teen Graphic Novels – Main Level - SMI

Smile is a true story of a girl navigating middle and high school with the dreaded braces. Already somewhat insecure, Raina is horrified when two of her front teeth get knocked out. The solution is oral surgery, braces, and even headgear at night. How can she even have a chance at looking cool? Along the way, she deals with band, an earthquake, starts to get interested in boys, and navigates the decidedly treacherous waters of friendship. Though it’s solidly set in San Francisco in the early 1990s, anyone who’s experienced middle or high school will find common ground with Raina. Here, the graphic novel format really helped the setting stay in the background while the characters stood out. This is a disarmingly honest story of a journey from insecurity to self-discovery, with braces. It is well deserving of its recent Eisner award.

Just After Sunset: Stories

Just After Sunset: Stories
by Stephen King
Adult Fiction Shelves--Main Level--King

I have been reading a lot of Stephen King this summer. This may be because his work has provided good escape from the reading required during the final semester of my Master’s degree. I also find that King's short stories are often easier to read than his lengthy novels.

Just After Sunset is an exceptional collection of stories that explore the various aspects of death and near death experiences. The stories are exciting, often shocking, and most of all—creepy. While I enjoyed nearly every story, a few stuck out among the rest. “N” explores the potentially dangerous power obsessive compulsive disorders can have over some, while adding a supernatural twist. “Willa” and “The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates” explore the possibilities of life after death. Finally, “The Ginger Bread Girl,” “The Rest Stop,” and “A Very Tight Place” play on the basic fear that completely commonplace settings and events can turn horrible.

Many of these stories scared me, in a good way, and kept me thinking long after I was done with the book. In my opinion, this collection is proof that King is a modern master of the short story.

I also highly recommend King’s most recent collection of short stories: Full Dark, No Stars

The Gingerbread Boy

The Gingerbread Boy by Paul Galdone
Picture Book Shelves - Lower Level - GAL

“Catch him, catch him if you can!” In this delightful folktale, a mischievous gingerbread boy runs away from just about everyone!

Once upon a time a very lonely old woman and man decide to make a gingerbread boy to keep them company. Unfortunately, as soon as he is baked, he jumps up and runs as far from them as possible. Along the way, he comes across a cow, a horse, and other people who would be very delighted to eat him. As the gingerbread boy taunts them that they can’t catch him, he grows surer of himself until he meets his match—the wily fox.

Told in rhyming, lyrical, and repetitious language, The Gingerbread Boy is the perfect book to read to little ones. Furthermore, it has a great universal lesson. Mr. Galdone’s version is well known. However, there are many other variations of this tale including The Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett and The Gingerbread Cowboy by Janet Squires. If you are looking to expose your young child to a delightful folktale, The Gingerbread Boy is a great option!

Touch by Alexi Zentner

Touch

Adult New Fiction Zentner

“Touch” by Alexi Zentner is a novel about Stephen, a clergyman who has returned to his hometown of Sawgamet, a secluded town in Northern Canada, for the death of his mother. In the days before his mother’s death, Stephen recalls the stories of his Grandfather, Jeannot, and his father, Pierre. Stephen recalls the mysticism and magic his father and Grandfather believed in but he, as a Christian, has a hard time understanding. Through the discovery of Stephen's tragic loss of his sister, Marie, and father, Pierre in his childhood, we see the harsh conditions the townspeople faced during the harsh Canadian winters. This loss, combined with the stories of the gold rush, flourishes in Jeannot's embellishments of how he and a dog who loses his bark, come to Sawgamet and build a thriving logging town.

Zentner does a lovely job of fusing magical realism with the everyday life of the loggers. Life in the town is hard and it is easy to understand how in the dark by candlelight one believes there are voices in the wind calling. With sparkling details about encounters with magical creatures as well as a vivid description of one particularly smelly ghost,“Touch” keeps you wondering what the conclusion to its many stories will be. Why is Jeannot so convinced he can bring his dead wife back from the dead? Why is Jeannot haunted by a dead man’s bones? And, what is the real secret of the Sawgamet woods? These questions, and more, are elegantly told by Stephen who recounts how his Grandfather, father, and stepfather all have imparted their history to him as both a child and a man.

“Touch” is a lovely debut novel that will haunt you days after you read it. It is the perfect short novel to get you through a rainy day. The stories of Stephen’s father and Grandfather are told in an eerie and intimate way that makes the reader feel a little sad they are not true but very glad they were written by Zentner’s skilled hand.

Handle With Care

Handle With Care by Jodi Pilcoult
Cd Book Shelves-Main Level - PICOULT

Regular print edition
Adult Fiction Shelves--Main Level - PICOULT

Large Print edition
Adult Large Print--Main Level

This is an emotional read. I love Jodi Picoult. There are always layers in her stories, and sometimes metaphors that you don't "get" until you finish the book. This is about a girl born with osteogenesis imperfecta - brittle bones. Her mother decides to sue her best friend (who was unfortunately her obstetrician) for wrongful birth. The story is told from the perspectives of each character: the mother, her husband, the sister, and the best friend. The girl's sister has a particularly interesting story. She feels unloved, craves attention from her parents, and develops an eating disorder. The other interesting piece of the story is that the husband and wife disagree on the lawsuit, and testify on opposite sides. I listened to this on audio, which was done by a full cast of performers for each character.

Rush and Philosophy

Rush and Philosophy: Heart and Mind United
edited by Jim Berti and Durrell Bowman
New Book Shelves-Upper Level - 100 P

I’m a big Rush fan. Huge, actually. One of the best things about Rush, besides the mind-blowing musicianship of it all, is the lyrics and the messages within the songs. Whether you agree with their ideals or not, Rush songs are interesting. There are political and religious messages in their lyrics, and commentary on humanity. Their songs are smart.

I haven’t read it cover to cover, but that’s one of the best things about this book (and this kind of book in general): it is a compilation of essays written by philosophers, philosophy professors, and other “big thinkers.” You can open at random and read any essay independently.

One of my favorites so far is called “A Heart and Mind United.” It’s about the album Hemipsheres from 1978, and specifically the song “Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres”. The song is about the two sides of man: the practical and the passionate, and how human nature strives to balance the two. The essay compares the story told in the song to a philosophical idea called “the hard problem.” The hard problem talks about two sides of man too: we’re made of physical “stuff,” but unlike robots, we can experience and feel – and explain those feelings.

Of course, there’s a lot more to the essay and the principle than I have time or space for here…so read the book! It’s not dense or overly academic. The essays definitely require attention and thought, but some of them are kind of funny and the authors have injected personality – and their love of Rush – into them.

Empire State: A Love Story (Or Not)

Empire State: A Love Story (Or Not) by Jason Shiga
Adult Graphic Novels - Main Level - EMP

Jimmy and Sara are best friends. When she decides to move to New York to take an internship in the publishing industry, Jimmy is distraught. He has a crush on her, and can't imagine life in California without her. He is very sheltered and naive, and doesn't understand why she needs to spread her wings and move on.

He finally decides to visit her in New York to proclaim his love for her. The book is funny - Jimmy mails Sara a letter telling her to meet him on the observation deck of the Empire State building (ala Sleepless in Seattle). She never gets the letter, so she doesn't expect him when he finally gives up and shows up on her doorstep. Jimmy meets Sara's new boyfriend, Mark. He's sophisticated and worldly, and knows much more about technology than Jimmy does. Jimmy is embarrassed because he thought he could get a job in the dot-com industry in New York, making web sites. It is clear that he barely knows what he's doing once Mark steps in.

So, readers have to get all the way to the end before they find out if Sara and Jimmy can ever be together as more than friends. Maybe they are becoming just too different, growing apart. Or maybe their reunion makes them realize how much they mean to each other. This is a cute, fast read with quirky, funny characters and comedic timing.

Put 'Em Up!

Put 'Em Up!: A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide for the Creative Cook, from Drying and Freezing to Canning and Pickling by Sherri Brooks Vinton
New Book Shelves Upper Level - Cook 641.4 V

I've never canned anything, but my garden is looking pretty good and I want to give it a try. I've been looking through lots of books on the subject, but so far this is my favorite. It's organized nicely by ingredient (want bean recipes? Look under beans!), and has an excellent chapter on technique where there are step-by-step procedures on things like cold-pack canning and hot-pack canning. It also has color pictures throughout. The author goes through equipment needs, and is very practical about what pieces are absolutely necessary vs. what is "nice to have." I'll be making pickles, pickled peppers, salsa, and tomato sauce. I think, with the help of this book, that I can do this!

The Storm of War: A New History of the Second World War

The Storm of War: A New History of the Second World War
by Andrew Roberts Adult Nonfiction – Upper Level 940.54 R

Single-volume histories of major events often get bogged down in the "what" "when" and "who" without devoting much attention to the "why". Andrew Roberts in "Storm of War" devotes much of his attention to the "why" in his history and analysis of World War II. He relates events clearly and concisely, but the most interesting parts of the book are his explanations of the reasons behind the decisions made. (Hint: Nazi ideology was a double-edged sword.)

One Caveat: Pacific theater buffs may prefer to pass on this book. Roberts is an Englishman who pays only cursory attention to the fight against Japan. He tells readers what happened but does not interpret it, to the extent that Japan is mentioned only twice in his conclusive analysis.

Leviathan

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Teen Zone Fiction – Main Level - Westerfeld

Australian YA author Westerfeld of Uglies fame takes a turn toward a steampunk alternate history with this first in a trilogy. The year is 1914. Prince Alek, son of the Archduke Ferdinand, is woken in the middle of the night by his tutor, who takes him for what he thinks is a midnight training ride in one of the two-legged walkers that Austria-Hungary is becoming famous for. Except that it turns out not to be training. His parents have just been assassinated, his people have turned against him, and Alek must run for his life. Meanwhile, Deryn Sharp is posing as a boy so that she can join the British Air Service, where genetically engineered ecosystems of animals create large dirigible-like ships that float through the air. Unlike Jacky Faber, Deryn finds the constant jockeying for position among the midshipmen wearing, but she is already experienced in the air, brilliant and courageous. She ends up serving on the Leviathan, a very large airship that is carrying Dr. Nora Darwin Barlow and some precious cargo on an urgent diplomatic mission to the Ottoman Empire. The world is on the brink of war between the Darwinists and the Clankers – can two young people from opposite sides prevent it? The action is non-stop, the characters a delight, and the technology intriguing. We have it in teen, but so far I haven’t seen anything in to make it inappropriate for middle graders (no sexual situations and minimal, considered violence), while it’s deep enough to work for adults as well. I’ve already devoured the second book, Behemoth, as well, and am now waiting for book three to come out in September.

The Plymouth Library owns Leviathan in print, audio cd, e-audio and ebook.

Exclusive

Exclusive by Sandra Brown
Adult Fiction- Main Level– BROWN

Barrie Travis is a TV journalist with a shaky tract record of news stories. Barrie was surprised when she received a phone call from the First Lady of the United States Vanessa Merritt inviting her to lunch. Barrie is perplexed by this; the lunch is awkward especially when the death of Mrs. Merritt’s baby is brought up. Robert Rushton Merritt was only 3 months old when he died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Vanessa was very distraught during the lunch and Barrie was unsure what made Vanessa reach out to her. After the lunch Barrie had the idea to do a news series on SIDS and Vanessa agreed to be interviewed. During the interview Vanessa seemed very controlled, not at all the like distraught upset mother she was a few weeks ago during the initial lunch. Barrie took Vanessa’s change in demeanor to mean that Vanessa did not believe that her son died of SIDS but was actually murdered. Barrie decided to look further in baby Merritt’s death. She called her source at the local hospital and discovered that there was never an autopsy done on little Robert. What was even more concerning, her source seemed to disappear: she left her job and her apartment with no forwarding address. Barrie immediately realized she was on a hot story. She tried to set up another interview with the First Lady but Vanessa went into seclusion and Barrie was denied access. Barrie decided to follow another course of action; she tracked down Gray Bondurant in Wyoming. It was rumored that Gray and Vanessa has a secret affair and he was really the father of her child. Gray follows Barrie back to Washington DC only to discover that the story is bigger than they thought. Barrie’s townhouse is fire-bombed and they are being followed. Barrie and Gray are taking on the White House. Will they ever prove the baby Robert was murdered and by whom? They are in a race against time to get the truth out and save Vanessa and themselves from the same fate that poor Robert experienced.

Alice Bliss

Alice Bliss By Laura Harrington

Adult New Fiction Harrington


In this beautiful coming-of-age novel, we learn that Matt Bliss is “somebody who knows how to be happy.” He has a loving wife and two young daughters, left his engineering career to become a carpenter, and grows the best vegetables in town. He is worshiped by his eldest, Alice, who accompanies him on roofing jobs and working in the garden.

Matt is also in the National Guard and his unit has been called up for deployment to Iraq. Angie, his wife, has a desperately hard time without him there and her already-uncomfortable relationship with Alice just grows more distant. Angie pretty much abdicates care of the family to Alice. Alice is having a hard time focusing on anything besides her father’s absence. She wears an unwashed shirt of his for weeks.

This family does not exist in a vacuum, though. They have the loving support of just about everyone around them. Angie’s brother Eddie takes over Matt’s role in the family as best he can, teaching Alice to drive and taking Angie out for dinner and dancing. Henry, Alice’s best friend since birth, tries to be there in any way he can for Alice. Ellie, Alice’s precocious young sister, offers Alice the opportunity to be needed and focus on something outside herself and her misery. And Gram holds the whole clan together.

The best of small-town America is reflected in this novel. In uncertain times, these people struggle and support one another. Hearts break and everything changes, but ultimately life does go on.

This is a magnificent debut novel. I can’t wait to see more from Laura Harrington.

Korgi

Korgi. Book One. by Christian Slade
Youth Graphic Novels – Lower Level - KOR

Korgi is a sparkling graphic novel, wordless except for the introduction, nicely all ages. Hidden in the forest live the small magical people called the Mollies, with their helpful fox-like Korgis. One day, a little girl named Ivy gets lost, and she and her Korgi must outwit the monsters who are trying to trap them in order to get back home. The pen and ink illustrations are beautiful and expressive. The cover made me wonder about it being too girly of a book for my gender-conscious boy, but not to worry – there was quite enough straight-up adventure to hold his attention, as well as the occasional touch of humor. This has been added to our personal library and we’re now giving it as kid birthday presents. There are two more books in the series now available.

I'd Know You Anywhere

I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman
Adult New Book Display - Main Level - Mystery Lippman

I picked up a Laura Lippman book because it was on the “new” shelf at the library (and because it’s on my summer reading list). I liked the cover and I liked the title, and I remembered reading some reviews of it in the review journals. I had never read a book by her before, but I most definitely will read more of them now!

I’d Know You Anywhere is about the 1985 kidnapping of Elizabeth Lerner. It’s also about Eliza Bennett, the only person kidnapped by Walter Bowman to live to tell. Elizabeth and Eliza are the same person – she changed her name to Eliza so that she could start over and not live under the drama and the “story” of Elizabeth Lerner the rest of her life. All these years later, Eliza is married with children. She is perfectly content with her life and her anonymity. Her husband knows what happened and her parents and sister know what happened to her, but her children and her neighbors and friends have no idea.

That’s why her world is turned upside down when Walter contacts her out of the blue. He is scheduled to be executed in two weeks, and wants to talk to her before that.

There is so much going on in this book – I don’t want to write a four page review or summary of the whole plot, so I’ll just say this: pick up this book and do not stop reading until you have finished! Find out what Walter really wants. Find out if Eliza will agree to see him. Find out if he is executed.

Read this book!