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Terry's Picks
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Vreeland, Susan Clara and Mr. Tiffany Fiction |
| When the Louis Comfort Tiffany exhibit visited the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh in 2006, the docent told us of a remarkable woman who did much behind-the-scenes designing of Tiffany lamps, while Mr. Tiffany got all the credit. Tiffany hired only unmarried women, so they would be fully dedicated to the job. This novel is the story of Tiffany's most important female employee, Clara Driscoll, as Vreeland imagines her—a woman who struggles to get ahead in a man’s world. At the turn of the twentieth century, she is ahead of her time both in what is expected of a woman in her work life, and in her relationship with men. Clara is devoted to her work. However, she also wants love, and is sometimes torn between the two. Tiffany will not let her have both. Tiffany’s company is at the forefront of decorative glass manufacture with novel designs, yet Clara struggles to get the recognition she deserves. I loved the historical setting of this story, including descriptions of the World’s Fairs where Tiffany’s new works were showcased. This is a beautiful, descriptive novel, made even better for fans of Tiffany’s art. Recommended November 2011 |
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Strout, Elizabeth Abide with Me Fiction |
| A small-town Maine minister, Tyler Caskey, grieves the death of his wife, the mother of their young children. The townspeople, however, wrapped up in their own petty concerns, are unable to give Tyler the support and love he has been hired to show them during times of crisis. Her mother's death has taken a toll on Katherine, Tyler's five-year old daughter, who has stopped talking and has been misbehaving since the loss of her mother. Meanwhile, Tyler’s mother continues to belittle him, claiming that he can do nothing right and insisting on caring for his baby daughter. This separates the two girls since she refuses to help with the ill-tempered Katherine. Tyler keeps his pain and stress bottled up inside until he has a public breakdown on the pulpit and tries to leave the town that has been central to all his problems. Will the congregation let him go? Read this novel about what lurks beneath the surface of a quaint New England town. Recommended October 2011 |
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Jackson, Joshilyn Between, Georgia Fiction |
| Nonny is by blood a Crabtree but was adopted by the Frett family. The two families have been feuding in tiny Between, Georgia, for generations, and Nonny is caught in the middle. Tension escalates when vicious dogs owned by Ona Crabtree, Nonny’s biological grandmother, attack Nonny’s adopted mother and aunt and put the women in the hospital. To get back at the Crabtrees, Nonny’s other aunt fatally shoots the dogs. Now Nonny fears that Ona will call on her trouble-making sons to come to town to get even. Meanwhile, Nonny is in the midst of divorce proceedings with her husband, but she’s not sure she wants to leave the comfort of marriage, or her apartment in nearby Athens, but the feud, her cousin’s little girl who she wants to adopt, and a new love interest keep her coming back to the town she wants to escape. If you’re looking for a light drama with a happy ending, try this novel. Recommended by Terry, September 2011 |
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Doctorow, E. L. Homer and Langley Fiction |
| This is a fictional account of two actual brothers who were born in the late nineteenth century and lived their lives in a Harlem brownstone, with a view of Central Park. Doctorow takes liberties with the facts surrounding their lives, but one thing remains true—they were hoarders. When the nation learned of the Collyer brothers in the 1940s and how they lived, they became celebrities. They wanted to avoid publicity, however, and the mental illness of one and physical afflictions of the other caused them to become recluses who left the house only to garner the necessities of life. Doctorow’s novel investigates not only the strange goings-on of the Collyer household, but explains their lifestyle with compassion by delving into the psyche of one brother through the voice and mind of the other. The characters are lovable and their tale will make you laugh out loud as well as shed a few tears. I loved this story! Recommended April 2011 |
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Gruen, Sara Ape House Fiction |
| John Thigpen is assigned to cover a story about the Great
Ape Language Lab in Des Moines. He becomes enthralled with how well
the bonobo apes communicate with each other—they even communicate
with humans using American Sign Language. He's also attracted to Isabel
Duncan, the scientist who works most closely with the apes, although
he has a wife back home. When the laboratory is bombed by protestors
who are convinced the apes are being tortured, Isabel is severely
injured. The apes are then purchased by a company run by a pornographic
movie producer, and they are broadcast on a 24/7 reality TV show!
The premise is hard to believe, the side stories among the human characters
aren’t entirely plausible either. Ape House is not the spectacular
read that Water for Elephants is. However, Gruen’s respect
and love for apes (she has worked with an ape communication center)
is obvious, and her message about the intelligence of apes is clear.
Despite the silliness, I eagerly turned pages to find out what would
happen. I recommend this book, especially to animal lovers. Recommended January 2011 |
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Ciresi, Rita Pink Slip Fiction |
| A romantic comedy, with smart prose adding to a delightful
plot. Lisa decides to leave her rat-infested apartment in New York
City for a new job upstate. She is attracted to her supervisor, Eben
Strauss, a corporate vice president and a quiet man with good manners
who is a decade older. Two people could not be more different. They
begin to see each other, but agree to tell no one at work since it
could compromise both their careers. When their relationship starts
to become serious, Lisa struggles to keep her history hidden, including
drugs, more men than she can list on a single sheet of paper (including
a married man), and other risky behavior. Eventually she must tell
Eben of her checkered past in order to protect him, though she fears
it will destroy their relationship. Pink Slip is strongly
recommended to more than just romance fans. Recommended July 2010 |
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Soehnlein, K.M. The World of Normal Boys Fiction |
| This is a coming of age story about a New Jersey boy named
Robin, whose family becomes dysfunctional after a tragic accident.
From the start, Robin doesn’t quite fit in at high school. He is not
interested in sports or gym class, and is not the son to his father
that his brother Jackson, the jock, is. He prefers trips to New York
with his mother where he tours museums, and he's more introspective
than most boys his age. Robin's first sexual encounters are homosexual.
He finds nothing in common with anyone until he meets Scott, and everything
just clicks. When Scott moves away, Robin rides his bike to a new
town to find him. I really enjoyed this book, as much for the 1970s
setting as for the cast of colorful characters and the close inspection
of one family’s dynamics before and after a tragedy. May 2010 |
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Davidson, Diane Mott Fatally Flaky Mystery |
| Goldy Schulz is back with another tantalizing mystery,
including tantalizing recipes, in Davidson’s newest series installment.
This time, caterer extraordinaire Goldy is preparing for the wedding
of Bridezilla Billie Attenborough. Billie's changed plans again—at
the last minute adding 50 more guests and changing the venue to a
spa. Goldy has it covered. But the day before the big wedding, Doc
Finn, a beloved, retired family doctor, is found dead at the bottom
of a ravine. Was it a car accident or was it murder? Goldy puts on
her best face and goes forward with the wedding despite the tragedy,
but disaster can’t begin to describe what happens next! This book
will make you laugh out loud as well as keep you guessing, and you'll
crave a quadruple espresso and cream (or at least a full-fat smoothie). Recommended December 2009 |
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Stockton, Shreve The Daily Coyote Nonfiction |
| Shreve Stockton drove through Wyoming on her Vespa as
she traveled cross-country, and loved it so much she moved there.
Before long she became friends with a cowboy who worked protecting
farmers’ livestock by shooting coyotes. But something came over him
one day and he scooped up a newly orphaned coyote pup and took it
to Shreve. Thus began the tale of how Shreve nursed a newborn in the
seclusion of her cabin. Soon the pup called Charlie, though too young
to survive on his own in the wild, was old enough to go outside, hidden
in the confines of Shreve's yard so that no one would shoot him. Shreve,
a photographer by trade, began to email daily photos of Charlie to
friends and family. This turned into a blog, which became her source
of revenue. In the blog, which she is still publishing at http://www.dailycoyote.net,
Shreve’s photographs can be savored. The book itself is moving—Shreve
is an animal lover, living alone with Charlie and her cat Eli (who,
not surprisingly, refused to come home for several days upon Charlie’s
arrival). At first, she doesn’t fret much that her boyfriend continues
to shoot coyotes every day while she raises one. She seems at home
in a farming and hunting community, at peace with man’s domination
over animals. What is emotional about the story is Shreve’s love and
loyalty for this coyote, and her fear of how her relationship with
him may change as he grows older. She acknowledges that keeping a
coyote is of questionable judgment. She knows Charlie has wild genes.
Because she doesn’t want to confine him, she gives him as much freedom
as she can, taking him on long walks through the isolated land her
boyfriend owns. Charlie begins to snap at her, and Shreve starts to
doubt whether the two of them have a future. With beautiful images
of Wyoming landscape, this tale of love and sacrifice will hold your
interest until the very end. Recommended August 2009 |
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Trigiani, Adriana Very Valentine Fiction |
| Another Italian delight from Trigiani. Valentine goes
on a quest to save her family’s Greenwich Village shoemaking business
from disappearing among better known names like Prada. Along the way,
she falls in love with Roman Falconi. But Valentine and Roman are
so caught up in their respective businesses (he owns an Italian restaurant),
that she starts to question their relationship. Throw in a month-long
trip to Italy to buy fine leathers and fabrics for shoemaking, and
a new possible love interest born on Italian soil, and you have all
the necessary requirements for a compelling read. Trigiani describes
things so successfully, from the embellishments on a fancy shoe to
the gardens of the Italian landscape, that I didn’t want to put this
one down. Recommended May 2009 |
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Evans, Stephen The Marriage of True Minds Fiction |
| Lena and Nick were once married and ran a law firm together
in Minneapolis. When Nick asked for a dog, Lena got him a puppet dog
named Sancho instead. From then on it became apparent that something
was wrong with Nick—he thinks Sancho is real. While still having feelings
for Nick, Lena divorces him and takes over the business. After all,
how could she stay married to someone living in an altered reality?
Despite the divorce, she somehow always finds herself responsible
for supervising him; one outrageous stunt after another finds him
now on the wrong side of the law. Lena questions her decision to leave
him, as she remembers how much fun they had. In addition to Lena and
Nick, we meet Oscar, Nick’s attendant at the psychiatric ward who
works kids parties blowing up balloons on the side, and Ralph and
Alice, the couple who run the animal shelter where Nick is sentenced
to community service. This story is both comedic and tender, and all
of Nick’s companions learn that maybe his insanity is not an illness,
but a unique way of looking at life. Recommended April 2009 |
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Schieffer, Bob Bob Schieffer's America Nonfiction |
| Over the course of forty years Schieffer has hosted the
weekly CBS television program Face the Nation, occasionally
closing with short commentary. This collection contains 171 of these
essays. They are divided into chapters on such subjects as campaign
spending, journalism's role in politics, and who we really are as
Americans. He shares his political opinions with a bit of humor that
we can all relate to, whether we agree with him or not. His overall
view is nonpartisan, as he is not afraid to side with either Democrats
or Republicans, and actually declares himself to be Independent. In
addition, he certainly has a lot to say about each of the seven presidents
who have been in office during his career. Schieffer's special insights
into all aspects of journalism, politics, and even war are informative
and entertaining, and if you have even a small interest in current
events, you won't want to put this one down. Recommended by Terry, December 2008 |
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| Jones, Lloyd Mister Pip Fiction |
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| Matilda is 13 and lives on a tropical island in the 1990s.
War has broken out. School is cancelled because of the fighting, and
the natives are living with minimal resources. Mr. Watts, the last
white man on the island, decides to teach the children. They go to
the school building each day and learn about Mr. Watts’ favorite book,
Dickens’ Great Expectations. Through listening to part of the story
each day, the children are transported to another world where there
is no fighting. They live the life of Pip and travel where he travels,
learning words for things they've never seen, like “frost”. But eventually,
their imagination puts Mr. Watts and themselves in trouble with the
invading army. Even so, Jones’ tale shows that the power of imagination
can help humans thrive in unbearable conditions. Recommended October 2008 |
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O’Dell, Tawni Sister Mine Fiction |
| Western Pennsylvania author O’Dell weaves a haunting
and original tale of a woman, her sister, and the coal mining life,
set in the region she calls home. Shae-Lynn lives in Jolly Mount,
PA, home of five miners who nearly lost their lives when trapped underground
for several days. Her sister, thought to have died, returns to town,
nine months pregnant and using a fake name. Several people follow
her to Jolly Mount as her past begins to catch up with her. Shae-Lynn’s
own past is looming as well, as the father her son doesn’t know decides
to reveal his identity. Will she lose her son, the only part of her
life that has remained constant? In addition to the main storylines,
several secondary threads run through the novel. Glimpses of Shae-Lynn’s
coal mining relatives and neighbors include the details and dangers
of their jobs, the emotional and financial struggles they face, and
the affects of the mining culture on everyone in the town. O’Dell’s
characters are colorful and amazingly realistic. The novel is suspenseful
with plenty of drama, as well as O’Dell’s own brand of black humor.
Recommended September 2008 |
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Franks, Lucinda My Father's Secret War Nonfiction |
| FFrom a small child who felt safe and important in Daddy’s
arms, to the adolescent and young adult of the 1960s who protested
his conservative ways, Lucinda Franks always had strong emotions regarding
her father, Tom Franks. As a middle-aged woman and parent, Cindy becomes
a caregiver for Tom—something she tries to avoid for a period. When
sorting through her father's belongings, she learns that not only
was he overseas during the war, he was a secret agent sent to spy
on the Nazis—something he never talked about and continued to deny
after being confronted. In learning about some of his activities during
the war, including a visit to a newly discovered concentration camp,
she realizes why her father grew apart from her mother during the
first years of their marriage, and why he held certain beliefs. She
gathers information from research, as her father does not freely give
up the details of his service. Caring for him in his final years as
his mind begins to fail, she finds the love she felt for him as a
child. This poignant memoir is written straight from the heart. The
author was also the first female recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for
national reporting. Recommended by Terry, August 2008 |
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Miller, Sue The Senator’s Wife Fiction |
| Newlyweds Meri and Nathan buy the house on the other
side of the wall from Delia Naughton, wife of the former senator,
Tom Naughton. They soon learn that Tom doesn’t actually live there,
but he visits from time to time, sometimes spending the night. Delia,
on the other hand, goes to Paris alone for part of the year. Intrigued
by this seemingly odd marriage arrangement, Meri finds herself searching
through Delia’s personal items, including letters from Tom, while
she housesits for her. She feels a longing to know who Delia really
is inside, as she offers very little of the details of her life to
her new neighbors. What Meri learns about Tom and Delia’s marriage
from those letters shocks her. How could a woman keep forgiving a
man like Tom? During Delia’s next trip to Paris, Tom has a stroke,
and Delia agrees to come home and take care of him despite the protests
of their formidable daughter. Delia is happy now at finally having
Tom as she always wanted him--hers and hers alone--despite his compromised
state. But can this new arrangement really be what Delia wants? Recommended by Terry, May 2008 |
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Levy, Andrea Fruit of the Lemon Fiction |
| A young woman of Jamaican descent, Faith Jackson, grows
up in England. She has spent her entire life around white people,
even living with white friends, and never learned anything about her
heritage. Faith starts to become depressed about the racism she begins
to realize is all around her, although she never seemed to notice
it before. Hoping to bring her out of her depression by illuminating
the family’s past, her Jamaican-born parents send her to their homeland
to visit. Levy’s story about Faith and her family is heartfelt and
warm and she paints each character colorfully and lovingly. As Faith
learns to fit together the branches of her family tree, she sees how
rich her heritage is with ancestors from all over the globe and realizes
their hopes and desires are universal to all, regardless of ethnicity.
The storytelling is generous and detailed. I couldn’t wait for each
new character to be introduced. Recommended March 2008 |
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Shreve, Anita All He Ever Wanted Fiction |
| Nicholas Van Tassel sees Etna Bliss for the first time
by chance. At that moment he decides he wants to marry her. But does
she feel the same? This book is about a fateful meeting and how it
changes the course of two lives. The story is written from the point
of view of Nicholas, 15 years after they met, while riding on a train
to Florida. It is about love and obsession and secrets and desires.
I became so enamored with these two characters, their interactions,
and their private wants and needs, I couldn't wait to see what would
happen next. This story begins innocently, but many surprises are
in store. Recommended by Terry, November 2007 |
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Kellerman, Jesse Trouble Fiction |
| Jonah is just a medical student trying to get home in
New York, when he hears a woman scream. In an attempt to save the
woman from the man attacking her, Jonah inadvertently kills him. This
is only the start of Jonah's problems in this thriller involving murder,
sex, and deception. He ends up having a sexual affair with Eve, the
woman he saved, but she’s not the woman she appears to be. Complicating
matters further, Jonah also feels obligated to help take care of his
former girlfriend who is now mentally ill. From vivid descriptions
of operating room endeavors to the dark accounts of Eve’s sadistic
desires, this chilling novel of suspense is sure to make Jesse Kellerman
a novelist to watch-- a writer with his own bold, contemporary style.
Recommended by Terry, September 2007 |
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McCall Smith, Alexander The Good Husband of Zebra Drive Mysteries |
| This is the latest installment in the No. 1 Ladies Detective
Agency series. Precious finds herself investigating the mystery of
three suspicious deaths, her assistant resigns, and her husband decides
to do some investigating of his own. In addition, Charlie, the garage
assistant, embarks on his own taxi business. Finally, Mr. J. L. B.
Matekoni begins to wonder if he is exciting enough for his wife. For
those looking for the brand of humor and warmth in his characters
only McCall Smith can dream up, this addition to the series does not
disappoint. Recommended by Terry, June 2007 |
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Bayard, Louis The Pale Blue Eye Mysteries |
| Set at West Point in 1830, this unique mystery features
as one of its main characters, none other than Edgar Allan Poe. When
a murder and mutilation of a young cadet occurs, a retired police
officer, Gus Landor, is summoned from his cottage to do the detective
work. He drafts the young Poe, who is also a cadet, as his assistant,
and together they try to solve not one murder, but eventually two.
And who is stealing hearts from the bodies? Landor and Poe form a
bond of friendship because of their mutual intellect (and their love
of alcohol) but soon questions arise between them and distrust threatens
to destroy their alliance. Poe is a wonderful character and the best
part of this book, although the mystery itself is inventive and will
keep you guessing. But Poe's personality is just as you would imagine
a dark poet's to be. He continually mourns for his mother who died
when he was just a young child, and he falls in love with the sister
of a fellow cadet (this cadet, by the way, seems to be the prime suspect
in the case), lamenting that he'd rather die than live without her.
Bayard's beautiful language only adds to the Gothic quality of the
work. Recommended by Terry, April 2007 |
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Crichton, Michael Next Fiction |
| This was a frightening book. Imagine a world where a
university can own your cells, and, therefore, those of your offspring.
Also, ocean creatures are genetically engineered to have corporate
logos on them. There are transgenic creatures such as humanzees that
think and talk like humans, but are aggressive like chimpanzees. Parrots
can carry on a conversation and do math, and wild orangutans can curse
at observers in Dutch. Through several story-lines, Crichton presents
these and other possibilities, and the ethical questions that surround
them. He has done lots of research in the field of genetic engineering,
so his stories are not creepy because they are only science fiction,
but because they are real extrapolations of science today. Anyone
who reads this book will realize that we are just a stone's throw
away from such frightening realities, and that we must address such
topics now, before we really do find ourselves in such a world. Recommended by Terry, March 2007 |
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Nevada Barr Track of the Cat Mystery |
| Anna Pigeon, a Law Enforcement Ranger in national lands
near El Paso, stumbles upon the body of another ranger in a remote
area of the park. Evidence at the scene makes it appear the ranger
was killed by a mountain lion. After other "accidents" occur in the
park Anna realizes that not all the evidence in the death of the ranger
fits a cat attack. Anna begins to piece clues together and, because
of her investigation, soon finds that her world of peaceful tranquility
in the wilderness has become more violent than the old life she left
behind. Recommended by Terry, February 2006 |
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Koontz, Dean Velocity Horror |
| Bartender Billy Wiles leads a fairly reclusive life,
spending spare time only by himself and with his fiance who lies in
a nursing home in a coma. That is, until he finds a note on his windshield:
If you don't take this note to the police and get them involved, I
will kill a lovely blond schoolteacher somewhere in Napa County. If
you do take this note to the police, I will instead kill an elderly
woman active in charity work. You have six hours to decide. The choice
is yours. While not sure whether or not it is a joke, he does confide
in a friend. But the next day a schoolteacher is found murdered. Then
his friend is murdered. When Billy receives a second note, he realizes
he cannot go to the police because evidence of the murders has been
planted in his house. For the next few days, Billy finds himself doing
things he never imagined doing-- breaking into houses, hiding corpses,
destroying evidence, and stalking a killer that keeps souveneirs of
his murders in formaldehyde in glass jars. But can he find the killer
before the killer murders his fiance, the only person that makes him
want to be alive? Velocity is a fast-paced thriller that keeps the
reader guessing until the end. Recommended by Terry, November 2005 |
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Schlosser, Eric Fast Food Nation NonFiction |
| If the low wages of restaurant workers, anti-Union practices
of fast food corporations, dangerous slaughterhouse conditions, and
government lobbies for big business don't make you want to stop eating
fast food, certainly the descriptions of how dirty our meat supply
is will. Although the book begins with a brief history of the fast
food industry and a description of how it became such an integral
part of American culture, it then points out "the dark side of the
all-American meal". After reading this you will never look at McDonald's
the same way again, and you will understand the true "price" of a
fast food hamburger. Recommended by Terry, July 2005 |
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Evanovich, Janet Metro Girl Fiction |
| Alexandra Barnaby's life is hum-drum until her brother
calls her long-distance and a woman screams in the background. Then
he disappears and Alex's (Barney's) life becomes anything but ordinary.
She travels to the Florida Keys to find him and finds herself caught
up in a mystery of international intrigue. With Hooker, aka Nascar
guy, Barney sets offshore into Cuban territory to save her brother's
life, dodging angry Cuban gold seekers and cops along the way. The
novel is classic Evanovich with loads of mystery, laughs in the style
of sexual innuendo, and a bit of romance. I thoroughly enjoyed this
new set of characters even though I'm already addicted to the Stephanie
Plum crew of Evanovich's most popular previous books. Recommended by Terry, January 2005 |
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