tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90047118024130917222012-01-09T14:36:41.746-05:00Paulnoreply@blogger.comBlogger711100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-70065314568941572792012-01-09T14:35:00.002-05:002012-01-09T14:36:41.757-05:00

1Q84 is the most recent novel by the acclaimed by Japanese author Haruki Murakami. The novel's main characters are Anomame and Tengo. Anomame is a physical trainer. She moonlights as an assassin. Tengo is a math instructor and inspiring novelist who is involved in a complex literary fraud. At first, there is no apparent connection between the two, but their stories eventually intersect

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-11668862874424564282011-11-05T09:45:00.000-04:002011-11-05T09:45:59.902-04:00

I came across Case Histories through Masterpiece Theater. I am really enjoying the TV program and couldn't wait to read the book that the program is based on. Private investigator Jackson Brodie has 3 cases to solve. He is an interesting detective -- a former police officer with authority issues and a childhood tragedy that still haunts him. He relates to his clients' pain and can't say no to

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-48305307654344222462011-10-15T15:25:00.002-04:002011-10-15T15:32:26.087-04:00

The Affair is another solid, exciting novel by Lee Child. In it we learn about the early days of the elite military cop Jack Reacher and how his unusual lifestyle came to be. The Affair answers many perplexing questions for Reacher fans and fills in the blanks on Reacher's past. For the growing number of fans of Lee Child, The Affair is a novel of unrelenting suspense and an intriguing murder

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-69657582427277748652011-08-31T10:03:00.002-04:002011-08-31T10:08:19.689-04:00

I finally got around to reading Stieg Larsson's mega best-seller, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. For a while it was hard to get my hands on a copy: while we have multiple copies, the book was so popular that they were always checked out. The plot revolves around two characters, a reporter and an asocial computer hacker, the eponymous tattooed "girl." The reporter is hired by a wealthy

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-684325740193978572011-08-24T12:45:00.002-04:002011-08-24T12:45:14.308-04:00

A new site called Booklamp claims to use a sophisticated software to analyze patters in a book's content. It then uses this information to match a book or author you like to other books or authors that you might like. There are many sites that claim to do this and some do it better than others. I tried a few searches and Booklamp seems to work pretty well. But it is new, so we will have to wait

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-56795963363213287842011-07-31T09:10:00.002-04:002011-07-31T09:10:01.320-04:00

John Hart's Iron House is an amazing, cleverly written novel. As soon as I finished the first paragraph I knew that it was a winner. The plot centers around two orphaned brothers who live at the decrepit Iron House, a home for boys in the mountains of North Carolina. Michael, who is the oldest, is the tough one. He protects his younger brother Julian from bullying. After a tragedy the boys are

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-67720472243321538412011-07-28T16:36:00.001-04:002011-07-28T16:37:25.418-04:00

John Williams's 1965 novel, Stoner, is the most moving work of fiction I have read in a very long time, and I am afraid that I will not be able to adequately explain why I feel that way. But I will try. On its surface, the plot of Stoner is very spare: William Stoner grows up in straightened circumstances on a midwest farm, gets a break, goes to agricultural college, falls surprisingly in love

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-24633961101362122642011-07-25T15:27:00.000-04:002011-07-25T15:27:43.928-04:00

Roland Merullo's amazing novel, The Talk-Funny Girl offers a look at a side of life not many of us have seen. The main character in the novel, Marjorie, was raised in northern New Hampshire near the Vermont border by abusive parents who deliberately isolated their family. Marjorie's isolation from society and abuse from her parents, together with her odd manner of speaking, make her a target for

Paulnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-80286997207606621682011-07-09T09:49:00.000-04:002011-07-09T09:49:49.188-04:00

Corduroy Mansions is the first novel in a new series by popular British author Alexander McCall Smith. It was a delight to read. Full of quirky characters, the story is built around an apartment building in the Pimlico area of London fondly known as Corduroy Mansion. Beginning with widower William French, wine merchant and aggravated father of a twenty-something son who refuses to move out of

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-47593735686644664022011-06-23T10:56:00.001-04:002011-06-23T10:56:00.134-04:00

Magazines love to publish summer reading lists. Here is one from O magazine. Here is one from USA Today. Enjoy! -Paul

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-72357754932593887262011-06-21T13:35:00.001-04:002011-06-22T10:59:54.030-04:00

The Guardian has just published its list of the best 100 works of non-fiction. It is (understandably) biased towards British titles, but worth a look regardless. I am embarrassed to admit that I have read only one of the books on the list. Time to get cracking I guess. -Paul

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-38770532332104809542011-06-09T14:58:00.000-04:002011-06-09T14:58:01.057-04:00

I picked up Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff based on a review of the author’s current title – just to see what her writing was like. It turned out to be a delightful contemporary story, packed with references to vintage fashions, vivid characters and a nice romance (or two) as well. It was one of those books that suddenly you are at the end, and you are surprised to discover that you are because

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-11608855317584915762011-05-31T10:00:00.089-04:002011-05-31T10:00:05.890-04:00

The Silence of the Grave is the second mystery by Arnaldur Indridason. (For a review of Jar City, the first book in this series, click here.) Police detective Erlendur is back, along with his subordinates in the department, Sigurdur Oli and Elinborg. Once again, the crime is murder. This time, however, the crime is some seventy years old and the victims have been reduced to skeletons. Using

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-88951462268195270812011-05-28T10:00:00.001-04:002011-05-28T10:00:08.060-04:00

It is always exciting to find a new author. When I happened upon Sara Gran's newest novel, Claire Dewitt and the City of the Dead, I knew I would add to my list of favorite authors. The detail in this provocative mystery is griping. Set in post-Katrina New Orleans, the author gives her protagonist a memorable role in solving an unsettling crime amidst the ravages of the hurricane damaged city.

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-63761576824879414832011-05-24T15:03:00.001-04:002011-05-24T15:04:13.233-04:00

Jill Bialosky writes a probing memoir about her younger sister’s short life and tragic suicide at the age of twenty-one. The loss of her sister took a profound toll on Bialosky and she felt the need to understand more about both her sister’s life and the mystery of suicide. Her sister Kim was abandoned by her father (Bialosky’s stepfather for a time), influenced by her mother’s bouts of

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-36317127065715300482011-05-18T16:00:00.000-04:002011-05-18T16:00:48.405-04:00

I just finished reading  Love You More by Lisa Gardner. The police are called to the home of State Trooper Tessa Leoni where they find her severely beaten, her husband shot dead, and her 6 year old daughter missing. She claims self defense from an abusive husband, and won't give any information as to where her daughter might be. This book has alot of twists and turns, and some surprises. Some

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-72825120767199463182011-05-03T16:51:00.001-04:002011-05-18T16:05:04.882-04:00

"I don't read enough mysteries. I should read more." I say this to myself each time I read a good mystery. Then I go looking for more but cannot find any that live up to what I just read. Months later I stumble upon another good one and the process repeats itself. Fortunately, I think I have overcome this tedious cycle of reader's disappointment -- at least temporarily -- for I just read Arnaldur

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-9716852631085923012011-03-19T11:15:00.001-04:002011-03-19T11:16:07.889-04:00

Ted Gup's A Secret Gift is a fascinating glimpse into depression era America. The author was given a suitcase that belonged to his grandfather. Inside he found letters written in response to an December 1933 newspaper advertisement promising a $5 cash gift to 75 families who wrote to describe their hardships. The letters were all addressed to a Mr. B. Verdot, a name unknown to Gup. At first Gup,

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-74284971378835895612011-03-01T14:59:00.002-05:002011-03-01T15:07:18.925-05:00

Nothing worth watching on television tonight? Why not learn something while also being entertained?! Borrow some of the Kelley Library's many non-fiction DVDs and enjoy them with your family. I recommend the History Channel series, How the Earth Was Made. (The series is comprised of twelve episodes on four disks.) Who knew Geology could be so fascinating?! Improvements in technology and

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-28609390627008396562011-02-09T09:19:00.002-05:002011-02-09T14:15:44.004-05:00

I loved The Red Garden. Once again, Alice Hoffman weaves a tale of small town existence and the deep ties among the people who live there as they struggle with their lives and loves. As in her other novels, Hoffman gives the reader great consolation and inspiration and shows that we all carry our own powers of restraint and forgiveness -- as well as recklessness. This is a compelling novel

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-59179786809223390382011-01-27T13:42:00.000-05:002011-01-27T13:42:59.413-05:00

I was curious about this biography by Bob Halloran when I discoverd  it was the basis of the movie "The Fighter" (with Mark Walberg). These sentences toward the end of Irish Thunder perfectly sum up the career of boxer Micky Ward: "It was an uncommon success story. At one point, the kid from Lowell was being promoted by a guy who couldn't promote fights in his home state, managed by a novice

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-1092478005290436082011-01-19T16:03:00.000-05:002011-01-19T16:03:25.142-05:00

The author of The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating finds unlikely companionship in the form of a snail while she is bedridden with a chronic illness.  Her friend brings her the snail in a pot of violets, and soon Bailey is intrigued by its habits and endeavors to learn more about it.  Bailey is in the right situation to observe a snail, an activity that takes much time and patience.  Being cut off

Paulnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-30986035499545755422011-01-05T11:34:00.000-05:002011-01-05T11:34:05.152-05:00

If you are like most people, you probably read within a narrow subject or genre range. If you made a New Year's resolution to get to those books you never managed to open last year, here is a list of "reading challenges" that will help to broaden your reading tastes.

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-22744264113470444962010-12-14T17:52:00.001-05:002010-12-14T17:54:37.360-05:00

I am about 1/3 of the way through John Lanchester's I Owe You: Why Everyone Owes Everyone and No One Can Pay and am enjoying it. This is an account of the recent meltdown of the world's financial system written in terms that are understandable by those among us who are not derivatives traders. We've all heard and read about credit default swaps and hedge funds and derivatives. But if you are like

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-70447877094449309232010-12-07T14:54:00.003-05:002010-12-16T19:45:48.524-05:00

If you are not afraid of the ocean, you should be. And if you read The Wave: in Pursuit of Rogues, Freaks and Giants of the Ocean by Susan Casey, you definitely will be. At the very least, you will stay out of choppy seas. Casey spends time with extreme surfers who cruise the world looking for enormous waves to surf, waves so large that they need to be towed onto them with jet skis. She

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-48909631524531768272010-11-16T18:32:00.001-05:002010-11-16T18:33:49.140-05:00

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations -- One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson has been on my to- read list for years now. I finally made the time to read it and am glad that I did: what an incredible story! Three Cups of Tea is the true story of a mountaineer's failed attempt to climb K-2 and how this failure turned into a lifelong calling to build schools

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-80601700225107266802010-10-23T13:28:00.001-04:002011-02-09T14:19:06.419-05:00

The Fall: Book Two of the Strain Trilogy is the middle book of a vampire trilogy by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan.The third book has not yet been published. Like everyone else who takes on the vampire genre, del Toro and Hogan have added their stamp to this archetypal monster, so much so that Bram Stoker would probably not even recognize the monsters in The Fall as vampires. I won't go

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-17714627991669338532010-10-18T16:34:00.001-04:002010-10-18T16:36:26.652-04:00

I just finished Linda Greenlaw's Seaworthy: a Swordfish Captain Returns to the Sea. I was surprised to see she had written a new book related to her commercial fishing career: I thought she had retired from fishing. Seaworthy recounts Greenlaw's 52-day sword-fishing trip to the Grand Banks, her first after a ten year hiatus. Just about everything that could go wrong does go wrong, from

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-37756658796171216712010-09-15T15:52:00.005-04:002010-09-15T15:56:45.551-04:00

In Tana French's debut novel In the Woods a team of Dublin murder detectives works to solve the murder of a young girl, a crime that may have connections with the 20-year old disappearance of two children. The strain of the investigation takes a huge toll on both detectives and on their friendship, and shatters the family of the murdered girl -- a family that includes more than one possible

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-77614553482263916712010-09-13T13:26:00.002-04:002010-09-13T14:08:28.964-04:00

Fahrenheit 451 by Bradbury is considered a classic. It's one of those books that you think you should have read. So I tried to read it. I really did. I got through the first 100 pages and stopped because I hated the premise. I gave it a break for a few days and decided to read the last 20 pages. I figured if I liked the ending, I'd go back and finish the book. I didn’t like the ending. The book

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-52960757329671326262010-09-02T14:04:00.003-04:002010-10-18T16:36:40.176-04:00

Star Island is my first Carl Hiaasen novel and I think I am intrigued enough to try his many others. The novel is a satirical treatment of our celebrity-crazed culture and tells the story of a talentless train wreck of a singer. When her double (who fills in when the singer is too inebriated to safely appear in public) is kidnapped by an obsessed paparazzo in a case of mistaken identity, everyone

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-65213262869631405562010-08-04T11:18:00.001-04:002010-08-04T11:19:20.093-04:00

I just listened to Sizzling Sixteen,  Janet Evanovich's latest installment in the Stephanie Plum series. As usual it was very fun to listen to! Bounty huntress, Stephanie Plum is at it again. This time she must rescue her boss Vinnie from the mobsters who have kidnapped him because of a $1.3 million debt. In their attempt to raise the funds, Stephanie, Connie and Lula will keep you laughing with

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-35879207797594886152010-07-26T16:36:00.001-04:002010-07-26T16:50:12.824-04:00

Iain Pear's latest novel, Stones' Fall, is a murder mystery and historical novel with a satisfyingly complex plot. Three narrators provide us with the portions of the story that concern them, gradually building to a revelation that I did not see coming. Set in England, France and Italy, Stone's Fall unfolds over the course of approximately fifty years. It begins in London in 1909 where we are

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-79735414457429558482010-07-19T13:33:00.000-04:002010-07-19T13:33:51.712-04:00

Occasionally, when I cannot decide what work of fiction to read next, I will look at a ranked list of books and let the list decide for me. I find this technique more successful in cases where the list is compiled by a jury rather than by popular vote. For this reason, I tend to ignore best seller lists -- at least most of the time. Works that stand the test of time tend to be solidly written

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-45080973550937015812010-07-12T11:12:00.003-04:002010-07-12T13:29:10.376-04:00

Justin Cronin's The Passage is this summer's must-read blockbuster. For some reason I never seem to read must-read books, but I read this one. The novel is divided in two sections. The first is set in the very near future and describes the destruction of civilization following the escape of vampire-like creatures that are the result of a military project gone bad. The second half skips ahead 100

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-19813741714914409572010-07-10T12:50:00.006-04:002010-07-12T12:20:15.655-04:00

Overboard: a True Bluewater Odyssey of Disaster and Survival by Michael Tougias recounts the 2005 Coast Guard rescue of two sailboat crews trapped in a raging Atlantic storm. If you liked Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm, you will enjoy Overboard as well. Tougias has written several books on maritime disasters and he is good at it. In Overboard he recounts a complicated rescue effort

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-68215470908854564292010-07-07T15:52:00.001-04:002010-07-08T20:35:22.292-04:00

Naturalist and New Hampshire resident Sy Montgomery’s new book, Birdology, is subtitled “adventures with a pack of hens, a peck of pigeons, cantankerous crows, fierce falcons, hip hop parrots, baby hummingbirds, and one murderously big living dinosaur.”  There is a chapter on each of these birds, the titles of which reflect “seven essential truths about birds.”  For example, the chapter on

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-43364825868339824902010-07-06T13:44:00.002-04:002010-07-06T13:46:00.157-04:00

I am the Cheese by Robert Cormier is a book I have seen on school summer reading lists here at the library year after year.  This year it's my son's turn to do his required summer reading and I brought I am the Cheese home to try to motivate him. Frankly, I was judging the book by its title: I am the cheese?! -- it's got to appeal to an adolescent boy's sense of humor.  Of course, my son wasn't

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-71827709689037836122010-05-21T15:00:00.001-04:002010-05-21T15:00:39.165-04:00

I just finished Elizabeth Peter's A River in the Sky. She never disappoints. I've been reading her Amelia Peabody mysteries for almost 20 years.  Her characters feel like family and I love getting caught up on what they've been up to. A River in the Sky takes place in Egypt in the 1920s and 1930s. Amelia and her husband Emerson are archaeologists who manage to get caught up in the politics of

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-65539272698235623522010-05-21T14:25:00.003-04:002010-07-07T16:01:50.203-04:00

The Lunatic Express is an account of travel writer Carl Hoffman's rather bizarre quest to circumnavigate the globe using those modes of transportation most likely to get him killed -- or at least make him as uncomfortable as possible while trying. He does not die, but is often uncomfortable. Plagued with wander lust and a some dissatisfaction on the domestic front, he sets off by bus to Toronto

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-89928329302385036162010-04-20T11:25:00.002-04:002010-09-15T16:00:10.425-04:00

Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History is an account of the 2003 robbery of the Diamond Center building in Antwerp. It was the largest jewel heist in history and, most likely, the largest robbery of any sort ever committed. Experts estimate that as much as $500 million in diamonds, cash, gold and other precious items was stolen when thieves broke into a state of the art -- and

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-91518286304705447512010-03-30T15:05:00.004-04:002010-03-30T15:12:00.570-04:00

I just finished listening to The Help written by Kathryn Stockett and performed by Jenna Lamia, Bahni Turpin, Octavia Spencer and Cassandra Campbell. It is a wonderfully written and performed first novel. Ms. Stockett set her book in Jackson, Mississippi at the beginning of a very difficult time in our history. The stories of two African-American maids and one white socialite were touching,

Paulnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-20232524541123864102010-03-23T16:40:00.001-04:002010-03-23T16:44:18.558-04:00

I just finished the Wildwater Walking Club. by Claire Cook.  (It was recommended to me by my mother.)  It is the first book by Clair Cook that  I have  read.  The main character takes a buyout at work and tries to figure out what to do next with her life.  She starts walking everyday and finally meets her neighbors who quickly become her friends and create the walking club together.  Its

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-37732457409627255882010-03-19T16:46:00.007-04:002010-07-12T12:13:03.649-04:00

I am working my way through Antony Beevor's fascinating D-Day: the Battle for Normandy. I am generally not a reader of military histories but was attracted to this by good reviews and a lingering guilt that I should know more about the largest and most impressive -- not to mention, significant -- military invasion in history. I have not been disappointed. D-Day is constructed as a straight

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-71399771689461549082010-02-01T10:28:00.000-05:002010-02-01T10:28:59.181-05:00

I just finished Linda Howard's Up Close and Dangerous. This is the first Linda Howard book I have read and I enjoyed it.  It was an adventure/thriller/romance.  When a small plane crash lands in the wilderness, the main characters have to make their way out.  I enjoyed the author's description of the wilderness and the hardships endured by her characters. I also liked how the how characters use

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-53314495207970737322010-01-25T15:42:00.000-05:002010-01-25T15:42:01.440-05:00

Barbara Delinksy has written some great fiction, so it is no surprise that Not My Daughter follows suit. Not My Daughter is told from the point of view of a mother and daughter who are dealing with teenage pregnancy. Three best friends have made a pact to get pregnant and have and raise their babies together. They do not realize what kind of trouble this will cause for everyone else. Best friends

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-58378066203498417532010-01-25T11:09:00.000-05:002010-01-25T11:09:32.939-05:00

Although Patricia Brigg's Moon Called features the same supernatural elements that have made authors like Anne Rice, Stephanie Meyer, Laurel K. Hamilton millions, her view on the supernatural, and her lightness of tone really set her apart. Unlike many romance authors who choose to present their heroines as drop-dead gorgeous vamps, sweet and passive homemakers, or bewildered little girls in need

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-47038731175424842872009-12-24T08:55:00.000-05:002009-12-24T08:55:00.052-05:00

For those who enjoy reading true crime drama, Casey Sherman's Bad Blood: Freedom and Death in the White Mountains is a fair, but gritty account of events that took place in May 2007 here in New Hampshire. When three very different men came together on a country road in Franconia a violent series of events played out leaving two men dead, one a policeman, the other a young man from a well known

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-14029964672309128112009-12-23T09:44:00.003-05:002010-01-25T15:53:16.635-05:00

The Lexicographer's Dilemma by Jack Lynch is a readable and informative work on the evolution of the English language and the age-old feud between prescriptavist grammarians --  those who argue that there is a correct and proper form of the language that should be upheld as the standard -- and the descriptivist grammarians -- those who believe language is constantly shifting in form and style and

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-61038622276962220882009-12-21T13:15:00.000-05:002009-12-21T13:15:23.412-05:00

I just finished Kathy Reichs's new book - 206 Bones.  I always enjoy her mysteries.  Kathy Reichs is one of the few forensic anthropologists in the country and she does a wonderful job of blending her actual work experience into the plots of her stories.   When the novel's protagonist -- forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan -- regains consciousness she finds herself bound and confined in a

Paulnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-54234646717508686732009-11-30T12:00:00.001-05:002009-12-02T16:39:14.558-05:00

Richard Dawkins' most recent work The Greatest Show on Earth: the Evidence for Evolution is an engaging and clearly written walk through the scientific evidence supporting evolution. Dawkins is an insightful scientist and a superbly entertaining writer -- a rare combination indeed. Highly recommended.

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-1358794510410241882009-11-30T10:09:00.000-05:002009-11-30T10:09:12.526-05:00

I am an occasional sports fan (think Olympics, World Series, and the Kentucky Derby if I am home and remember it).  However, I find stories about sportsmen (and women) very compelling.  I found When the Game Was Ours by Larry Bird, Earvin Magic Johnson, and Jackie MacMullan to be compulsive reading and a darn tootin' good story!  Unlike even the most casual of basketball fans I did not know that

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-46798975091831833492009-11-24T15:17:00.007-05:002009-11-24T15:45:18.853-05:00

In Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman, Jon Krakauer shows a great deal of respect for his subject, while exposing the heartbreaking mistakes of the U.S. military that led to Tillman’s death. The book is similar to Krakauer’s Into the Wild in its account of an idealistic young man who met a tragic end because he was inspired to make a huge life change motivated by pure intentions. 

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-36305822689093038592009-11-21T09:03:00.002-05:002009-11-24T15:43:54.918-05:00

If you're looking for something light, fun and fast, I just finished Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella.  It was a fun read. The main character wakes up with amnesia and discovers that she doesn't remember the past three years of her life. She can't imagine how her life has evolved the way it has. At first glance she thinks her life is wonderful, but after digging deeper she realizes how much she is

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-84289175720366983792009-11-12T17:45:00.003-05:002009-11-30T09:51:26.219-05:00

Last week I listened to the unabridged audio book The Christmas List by Richard Paul Evans. It has taken me a week to wrap my mind around it enough to be able write a review. I had my doubts about this book at first because after listening to the first couple of chapters, I had it written off as another spoof off of the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol, but I urged myself to read on. The

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-64097055545548915892009-10-21T11:01:00.003-04:002009-10-21T13:02:22.426-04:00

I just finished reading Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen. It has been a while since I picked up one of her books and I forgot how much I enjoy her writing. Bone Garden is a suspense thriller.  The protagonist discovers buried bones on the old Boston farmhouse she has purchased to renovate. The mystery switches from the present day to 19th century. The historical details pulled me right in.

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-19477520498087745862009-10-20T15:01:00.001-04:002009-10-20T15:21:34.414-04:00

The title of Kathy Griffin’s new book, Official Book Club Selection, is an allusion to Oprah Winfrey’s popular book club. This book brings the laughs, but it also makes for a good memoir.  You’ll want to read it if you are a fan of Griffin’s brand of comedy. The book is in the same shameless vein as Griffin’s comedy CD For Your Consideration, which lobbied for a Grammy award and did in fact

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-158353071279658812009-10-20T14:46:00.002-04:002009-10-20T15:16:37.893-04:00

Water’s Edge is another good mystery from the Norwegian author Karin Fossum. The novel finds the police investigating the death of one young boy and the disappearance of another.  The Norwegian setting makes a nice change from the standard American or English procedurals, but the book could have been set anywhere.  Similar to other Scandinavian mysteries, the mood is a bit melancholy, but not

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-74596249789991267712009-10-08T20:31:00.002-04:002009-10-08T20:38:40.330-04:00

I recently read Dan Brown's new thriller, The Lost Symbol. It was very enjoyable and exciting. The action moves rather fast, so I found it a relatively quick read -- although sometimes I had to flip back to reread a particular part when a twist in the action made me think, "Wait...what just happened?" As in The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, this novel's hero is Robert Langdon. The

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-14264440400005246402009-10-07T09:35:00.005-04:002009-10-08T20:38:10.356-04:00

Saturday a patron mentioned this book, so of course I had to snatch it up for a look. Chosen By a Horse: a Memoir by Susan Richards was amazing!  This memoir opens with a heart-breaking scene at the SPCA, where Susan has been called by a friend to foster one of the forty horses seized from a home. A specific horse, Lay Me Down (along with her foal) have been chosen for placement at her farm. Lay

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-32031425043462002182009-10-07T09:04:00.002-04:002009-10-07T14:13:19.963-04:00

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County is a remarkable and unforgettable first novel by Tiffany Baker. Anyone raised by a single parent, or familiar with the loneliness of losing a parent will certainly relate to the main character. The plot of this novel draws the reader in quickly with the pain, disappointment and joy of a harsh life. The second novel by Tiffany Baker cannot be published quickly

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-40572102538116565502009-10-05T16:14:00.004-04:002009-10-07T09:40:27.548-04:00

I just finished Twenty Chickens for a Saddle: the Story of an African Childhood by Robin Scott. I really enjoyed it. For someone like me with a typical middle class American upbringing, Scott's account of her childhood in Africa was quite fascinating. Scott's parents -- educated and loving, but eccentric -- moved their family to Botswana when she was 7 years old. Her father was a bush doctor who

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-84610716090807579602009-09-29T14:06:00.002-04:002009-10-20T16:25:18.641-04:00

Since I like to read books set in modern-day China, I picked up A Tiger’s Heart: The Story of a Modern Chinese Woman, an engrossing memoir by Aisling Juanjuan Shen.  She is not kidding when she says that she had already lived a few lifetimes by the time she reached her mid-20s.  She goes from dirt-poor villager to college student, teacher, secretary, and translator, moving around as the

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-6630129001675770982009-09-24T15:56:00.010-04:002009-12-23T09:49:13.283-05:00

OK, so this is not precisely a book review, but it is close: it's a review of book reviews. I was flipping through a copy of National Geographic Traveler and came across a link to a service they offer called The Ultimate Travel Library, an online review of books organized by the countries they are set in (or, in the case of non-fiction, by the countries described). So if you are planning a trip

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-25996349260022669322009-09-24T13:49:00.007-04:002009-09-24T15:05:24.389-04:00

With a daily drive to and from work, I take great advantage of the audio book collection at Kelley Library. I just finished listening to Kingdom of Silence by British author Lee Wood. Another in the Kingdom series (along with Kingdom of Lies) of Detective Keen Dunliffe mysteries set in Yorkshire, England. The crime procedural format of the books is realistic, and both plotlines and dialogue

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-39180705244305732752009-09-23T14:55:00.004-04:002009-10-20T16:25:35.277-04:00

Pete Tarslaw, the protagonist of How I Became a Famous Novelist, by Steve Hely, wants to ditch his job fabricating college entry essays for rich applicants. He also wants to upstage his ex-girlfriend at her wedding. In his endeavor to become a novelist, “my ambitions were simple: to learn the con, make money, impress women, and get out.” In writing his completely over-the-top novel, The Tornado

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-65793496070449529272009-09-23T09:45:00.006-04:002009-10-07T09:10:26.596-04:00

The Penny Pinchers' Club by Sarah Strohmeyer is about a woman who spends quite freely, until she finds out that her husband is planning on leaving her. After discovering that they are several thousand dollars in debt, and afraid of being left destitute, she decides to take drastic measures and joins the Penny Pinchers' Club. The novel is a little bit funny, a little bit sad, with a few helpful

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-65579796434116847952009-09-16T15:01:00.004-04:002009-09-25T08:46:18.591-04:00

I just finished reading Yes Man by Danny Wallace. The book inspired the movie by the same title. After reading our Director's recommendation on her blog, I decided to try it. I loved it and parts are laugh out loud funny. I've even been retelling bits to family. I highly recommend it. The books describes (in hilarious fashion) what happens to its author when he decides to say "yes" to everything

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-87368853879018966712009-09-16T11:40:00.005-04:002009-10-07T09:13:46.820-04:00

If you like mysteries, police dramas, art history, and international intrigue, you will love Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art by Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo. From the mid 1980s to 1990s a con man and pathological liar named John Drewe, together with the initially unsuspecting artist John Myatt, flooded the art market with hundreds of fake works of modern

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-59046637929496162009-09-16T11:38:00.000-04:002009-09-16T13:14:34.683-04:00

The Best Music You've Never Heard Of by Nigel Williamson (and others) is not necessarily something you will want to sit down and read cover to cover, but if you are a music fan, you will be well rewarded by flipping through it. (Though now that I say that, I guess that I did read it cover to cover for the most part.)Williamson arranges his entries by genre, then alphabetically by author within

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004711802413091722.post-35685582274614258852009-09-16T11:36:00.002-04:002009-09-16T11:39:57.636-04:00

Welcome to our newest blog. Here we will be highlighting books the staff are reading. We hope you will visit for ideas and to make comments. We have pretty diverse reading preferences, so we hope you will find some useful suggestions.

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0