|
|
|
Moondogs
by Alexander Yates
Moondogs is fantasy in the vein of Quentin-Tarantino-meets-Isabel-Allende. When a U.S. businessman is kidnapped in the Philippines, his son (with the help of a magically, super-powered strike-force unit) sets out to find him, and in the process uncovers the truth about his father. This is a wonderful read for people who like From Dusk to Dawn-style adventure. It’s a pulp-noir-fantasy mash-up with a vaguely South-American sensibility. Not easy, not standard fantasy, but well-worth the effort.
(Janet Lee, Lead Buyer) |
|
Prayers and Lies
by Sherri Wood Emmons
Prayers and Lies paints a portrait of a West Virginia family awash with color, depth, and perspective. The contrast between Sherri Wood Emmons’ characters leaves them exposed, flawed, and vulnerable. Some seek to escape the bad blood, while others refuse to acknowledge its existence. This is a premier novel that merits closer inspection and is recommended for adult reading groups.
(Candy Ortman, ILS Account Manager, Mid-South) |
|
When Tito Loved Clara
by Jon Michaud
Clara is a Dominican immigrant who has created a middle-class life for herself in the New Jersey suburbs. Her husband, Thomas, is a corporate librarian who had been laid off six months earlier. Apart from Thomas’s job woes, they are also struggling with Clara’s infertility and the drama of her wild and colorful family. Clara’s world is rocked further when Tito, her high school sweetheart, re-enters her life. When Tito refuses to let Clara go again, secrets are revealed with life-changing consequences. When Tito Loved Clara is a fast-moving and emotionally engaging novel that I found myself thinking about long after I’d finished reading it. The author is a librarian at The New Yorker.
(Shannan Rosa, Collection Development Librarian, Adult Materials) |
|
The Paris Wife
by Paula McLain
The Paris Wife is a stunning debut novel. It is the story of life with Ernest Hemingway as seen through the eyes of his first wife Hadley. Evocative of the bohemian spirit of life in Paris during the 1920s, this debut is also the story of Hadley’s struggles with her marriage and her sense of self. The Paris Wife showcases a new voice in fiction, and will leave the reader wanting more from author Paula McLain. If you’re a fan of Loving Frank, don’t pass up this book.
(Linda Arrington Lusk, Publisher Marketing Manager) |
|
Minding Ben
by Victoria Brown
Grace, from the island of Trinidad, emigrates to the U.S. at age 16. She’s alone, with no family to help her, and winds up working as a nanny for wealthy Manhattanites. In Minding Ben, the reader sees the familiar challenges from such stories as The Nanny Diaries of horrible employers and very hard work, with the added hassles of immigration documents (or lack of), racism, and poverty. Grace faces every obstacle with determination and optimism and is a character that readers will cheer for. Author Victoria Brown also emigrated from Trinidad at age 16 and worked as a nanny.
(Shannan Rosa, Collection Development Librarian, Adult Materials) |
|
The Dangerous Edge of Things
by Tina Whittle
Having been to Kennesaw, Georgia, this debut novel held a definite sense of place and time for me. As a suburb of Atlanta, this small town has the charm of the Old South, but fights the daily battle against urban sprawl. While visiting her brother, the new owner of a Confederate gun shop discovers the body of a woman in front of his house. Her brother is on a cruise in the Bahamas, so she becomes the lead suspect in this murder mystery. Doubts, loyalties, and determination keep Tia Randolph anchored to her shop and her brother, Eric. With the help of Trey Sever, Agent for a special security firm assigned to protect her, Tia solves the violent crime and finds love. Mystery lovers will devour The Dangerous Edge of Things and will demand more from this fresh, new voice.
(Candy Ortman, ILS Account Manager, Mid-South) |
 |
Red Wolf
by Liza Marklund
Liza Marklund’s Annika Bengtzon novels are bestsellers in Scandinavia, but in the U.S., she’s better known for having co-written The Postcard Killers with James Patterson. Red Wolf, first published in Sweden in 2003, is her fifth book in the Annika Bengtzon series. Annika is a strong female character who struggles with anxiety over her role as a mother and her job as a reporter. She searches for the truth behind a series of murders linked to people in high places while also working to uncover what she thinks is a secret her husband is keeping from her. With a storyline full of twists and turns, Red Wolf is a first-rate thriller that will appeal to fans of both Henning Mankell and James Patterson.
(Linda Arrington Lusk, Publisher Marketing Manager) |
|
The Siege of Washington: The Untold Story of the Twelve Days That Shook the Union
by John Lockwood and Charles Lockwood
The Lockwood brothers chronicle the frantic 12 days escalating to an anticipated siege of Washington following the fall of Fort Sumter in this tactically engaging Oxford University Press title. Interspersed with helpful background commentary to provide context for the general reader, and enough analytical detail to satisfy the Civil War buff and scholar, this title is recommended both for public and academic libraries alike.
(Dana Juriew, Collection Development Librarian, Adult Materials) |
 |
More Make it Fast, Cook it Slow
by Stephanie O’Dea
I love reading the blog "A Year of Slow Cooking." I was thrilled when I found out Stephanie O'Dea had a cookbook deal, and the fact that her second cookbook has just released makes me very happy. When a copy came across my desk, I was excited to find new recipes in there that I wanted to try, along with some old favorites from her Web site I'd already made more than once. The neat thing about this cookbook is that she focused on budget-friendly recipes, and there are three sections to the book: $7 and under, $10 and under, and $15 and under. While there are no pictures in the book, there are pictures on her site so I can see what her results were (always a comforting thing when I'm trying something completely new). And while I don't need to cook gluten-free for my family, I love that all of her recipes are such in case I'm ever cooking for guests and will need to keep that in mind. One thing to keep in mind though, is that her "vegetarian" dishes are not truly vegetarian. When they call for chicken broth, substitute vegetable broth if you are cooking for vegetarians. That way everyone is happy!
(Tracy Gallagher, Collection Development Manager, Youth Materials) |
|
