Saturday, September 4, 2010

Adult Summer Reading

We've reached the last week of Summer Reading, 27 readers (5 of whom were new) read 95 books.  Over the course of the summer, 160 readers read 1137 books.

Book Reviews for September 4: 

Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman:  Very slow moving, story seems drawn out, interesting information (historical.)

Anatomy of Peace by the Arbinger Institute:  Interesting way to consider problems that arise.  Forces you to think deeper into the conflicts that have arisen in your own life.

Hard Truth by Nevada Barr:  Best Nevada Barr book yet.  Character Anna Pigeon does it again.

Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian:  A historical novel about the last months of WWII as a diverse group of survivors flee west towards the American lines.  Good characterization and plot keeps your interest until the end.

Leah's Way by R. Botelho:  Writing itself seems contrived, however, ti is worthy attempt to shed light on the homeless-their families, friends, and history of events leading to.

Loves music, loves to dance by Mary Higgins Clark:  Good book, couldn't put it down; the climate was very interesting, ending was good.

Black Sunshine by S. V. Date:  A hoot-fast paced-satire, mystery, and politics-good read.

Spooner by Pete Dexter:  Like a conversation with best loved friends, family-and a step father's relationship with his stepsons-from early years through the stepfather's life-pretty.

Theives Paradise by Eric Jerome Dickey:  The way "Dickey" keeps you right there on the edge of your seat is amazing!  I can't stop reading his books.

Zeitoun by Dave Eggers:  Interesting book!  Scary to think it is true.  About 2/3 of the way through the book you really get hooked and wonder how things will turn out for Zeitoun.



The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story



The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story
By Ackerman, Diane
2007-01 - BBC Audiobooks America
9780792750185 Check Our Catalog


BookPage Notable Title
When Germany invaded Poland, bombers devastated Warsaw, and the city's zoo along with it. With most of their animals dead, zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski smuggled Jews through the empty cages, saving hundreds of people from Nazi hands.
…More


It All Began in Monte Carlo



It All Began in Monte Carlo
By Adler, Elizabeth
2010-07 - St. Martin's Press
9780312385156 Check Our Catalog


Sunny's relationship with Mac is in jeopardy and Monte Carlo beckons. Soon Sunny is pulled into a web of intrigue involving a series of robberies of high-end jewelry stores. When Mac shows up, he's ready to do anything to get Sunny back, not the least of which is to solve the crimes and save her life. …More


The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict



The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict
By Arbinger Institute
2006-07 - Berrett-Koehler Publishers
9781576753347 Check Our Catalog


Written as an engaging story, this book shows how mistaken views can cause people to misread situations and exacerbate the issues they wish to improve. Arguing that it is only after they understand themselves and get their internal house in order that they can correctly confront external conflicts, the book shows what can be done to make that happen, and how to make inner peace a potent tool for achieving outer satisfaction. …More


Wild Penance



Wild Penance
By Ault, Sandi
2010-02 - Berkley Publishing Group
9780425232323 Check Our Catalog


Bureau of Land Management agent Jamaica Wild has always been fascinated by Los Penitentes, a secret, ancient religious group that reenacts Jesus' crucifixion. When a recent death she witnesses seems to be part of their rituals, she is warned not to investigate too closely. …More


A Stranger in the Family



A Stranger in the Family
By Barnard, Robert
2010-06 - Scribner Book Company
9781439176740 Check Our Catalog


Diamond Dagger award-winner Barnard--one of the deftest stylists in the field ("New York Times Book Review")--returns with an exquisitely written mystery about a man who discovers he had been abducted as a baby. …More


Hard Truth



Hard Truth
By Barr, Nevada
2005-04 - Putnam Publishing Group
9780399152412 Check Our Catalog


Park Ranger Anna Pigeon comes face-to-face with the dark side of humanity when she investigates the disappearance of three young girls in Rocky Mountain National Park. …More


Powers, Volume 12: The 25 Coolest Dead Superheroes of All Time



Powers, Volume 12: The 25 Coolest Dead Superheroes of All Time
By Bendis, Brian Michael
Illustrator Oeming, Michael Avon
2009-03 - Marvel Comics
9780785122623 Check Our Catalog


Homicide detectives Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim investigate murders specific to superhero cases, and they each have a secret: they both have superpowers. Collects "Powers" series #25-30. …More


The Sellouts



The Sellouts
By Bendis, Brian Michael
Created by Oeming, Michael Avon
2004-08 - Marvel Comics
9780785115823 Check Our Catalog


…More


Death by Hollywood



Death by Hollywood
By Bochco, Steven
2003-09 - Random House
9781588363404 Check Our Catalog


From the acclaimed co-creator of "Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, and "NYPD Blue, "Death by Hollywood is a suspenseful, shocking, and darkly comic crime novel about a screenwriter, a billionaire's wife, a murder, and, of course, a cop.
""There used to be a writer by the name of Merle Miller, who wrote that people in Hollywood are always touching you - not because they like you, but because they want to see how soft you are before they eat you alive"
So begins this seductive and surprising novel by two-time Edgar Award-winning writer Steven Bochco, in which a down-on-his-luck screenwriter named Bobby Newman tries to turn a brutal murder into his next movie payday.
One day, while spying on his Hollywood Hills neighbors through his $4,000 Bushnell XR90 electronic telescope, Bobby sees a beautiful woman making love to a handsome Latin actor named Ramon. When their pillow talk takes a turn for the ugly, Bobby watches in horror as the woman bludgeons her lover to death with his own acting trophy. Deciding to write about it instead of reporting it to the cops, Bobby insinuates himself into Detective Dennis Farentino's murder investigation, forging an unusual friendship with the cop that turns out to be more complex than either of them had bargained for. Before long, Bobby has dragged the detective, his estranged wife, his lover, and his agent into a Hollywood funhouse hall of mirrors, where only the most manipulative player will survive.
Savvy, funny, sexy, and streetwise, "Death By Hollywood is the tale Steven Bochco couldn't tell on television. It is the work of an ingenious storyteller, certain to enthrall readers from beginning to end.
…More


The Double Bind





The Double Bind
By Bohjalian, Chris A.
2007-02 - Shaye Areheart Books
9781400047468 Check Our Catalog


From the bestselling author of "Midwives" and "Before You Know Kindness" comes a psychological novel of obsession and consequences. When college sophomore Laural Estabook is attacked while riding her bike through Vermont's back roads, her life is forever changed. 12 photos. …More


Skeletons at the Feast





Skeletons at the Feast
By Bohjalian, Chris A.
2009-02 - Three Rivers Press (CA)
9780307394965 Check Our Catalog


In January 1945, in the waning months of World War II, a small group of people begin the longest journey of their lives: an attempt to cross the remnants of the Third Reich to reach the British and American lines, in this richly crafted novel that puts a face on one of the 20th century's greatest tragedies. …More


Leah's Way



Leah's Way
By Botelho, Richard
2004-01 - Windstream Publishing Company
9780964392687 Check Our Catalog


A testament to the irrepressible will of the human spirit and a tribute to an indomitable faith that guides the soul homeward. …More


212

Browse Inside



212
By Burke, Alafair
2010-04 - Harper
9780061561221 Check Our Catalog


The plot of an Alafair Burke thriller doesn't just rip from the headlines. She's one step ahead of them. "212" scares you and keeps you turning the pages into the wee hours.--Harlan Coben. …More


Our Red Hot Romance Is Leaving Me Blue

Browse Inside



Our Red Hot Romance Is Leaving Me Blue
By Cash, Dixie
2010-06 - Avon Books
9780061434396 Check Our Catalog


The Domestic Equalizers are back, in a hilarious new Southern tale from the ever-popular author of "Curing the Blues with a New Pair of Shoes." …More


The Rehearsal



The Rehearsal
By Catton, Eleanor
2010-05 - Reagan Arthur Books
9780316074339 Check Our Catalog


In the aftermath of a high-school sex scandal caused by a teacher's affair with an underaged student, a group of teenage girls becomes the focus of public scrutiny. After a local drama school decides to turn the scandal into a play, the boundaries between private and public, and fact and fiction, begin to dissolve. …More


61 Hours





61 Hours
By Child, Lee
2010-05 - Delacorte Press
9780385340588 Check Our Catalog
BookPage Notable Title

"New York Times"-bestselling author Lee Child's latest thriller is a ticking time bomb of suspense that builds electric tension on every page. A bus accident lands Jack Reacher in a small South Dakota town, where a single witness is the only hope police have to convict a brutal crime ring. Reacher is enlisted to protect the witness against all comers. …More


Loves Music, Loves to Dance



Loves Music, Loves to Dance
By Clark, Mary Higgins
1995-04 - Pocket Books
9780671758899 Check Our Catalog


New York's trendy magazines are a source of peril when a killer enacts a bizarre dance of death, using the personal ads to lure his victims. And if the killer has his way, decorator Darcy Scott will be his next "date." "Full of characters like people we know, in situations that suddenly, grippingly, get turned inside out."--Cosmopolitan. …More


Poor Little Bitch Girl



Poor Little Bitch Girl
By Collins, Jackie
2010-02 - St. Martin's Press
9780312567453 Check Our Catalog


Three twenty-something women, one hot rich guy, two mega movie stars, and a devastating murder: this new, sexy, and explosive novel from perennial bestseller Collins has it all. …More


Cure



Cure
By Cook, Robin
2010-08 - Putnam Adult
9780399156625 Check Our Catalog


With her son's illness in remission, New York City medical examiner Laurie Montgomery returns to work to face the case of her career: the mysterious death of a CIA agent. While her coworkers doubt her assassination theory, Laurie's determination wins over her husband, fellow medical examiner Jack Stapleton, and together they race to connect the dots before they are consumed in a dangerous game of biotech espionage. …More


Black Sunshine



Black Sunshine
By Date, S. V.
2003-09 - Berkley Trade Pub
9780425192160 Check Our Catalog


"A rogue's gallery of characters whose vices ring all too true.--"Booklist" (starred review). …More


Watchlist: Two Serial Thrillers in One Killer Book



Watchlist: Two Serial Thrillers in One Killer Book
By Deaver, Jeffery
Author Barnes, Linda
Author Battles, Brett
2010-12 - Vanguard Press
9781593155902 Check Our Catalog


Twenty-nine international thriller writers collaborate to create two serial novels in one major suspenseful package, from an idea by "New York Times"-bestselling author Deaver. …More


Spooner



Spooner
By Dexter, Pete
2009-09 - Grand Central Publishing
9780446540728 Check Our Catalog


This is the story of the lifelong tie between former naval officer Calmer Ottosson and his step son, Warren Spooner--a troubled adolescent-turned-violent-adult, whom Calmer will never understand. …More


Thieves' Paradise



Thieves' Paradise
By Dickey, Eric Jerome
2004-04 - New American Library
9780451211453 Check Our Catalog


The sensational "New York Times" bestselling author of "Between Lovers, Liar's Game," and "Cheaters" returns with an irresistible novel about grifters and con artists, brothers and sisters, looking for love and making ends meet-on the wrong side of the law. …More


Zeitoun



Zeitoun
By Eggers, Dave
2009-07 - McSweeney's Books
9781934781630 Check Our Catalog


"This is a beautiful book. "Zeitoun" is a poignant, haunting, ethereal story about New Orleans in peril. Eggers has bottled up the feeling of post- Katrina despair better than anyone else. This is a simple story with a lingering
radiance. My admiration for the humanist spirit of Eggers knows no bounds."
-- Douglas Brinkley, author of "The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast"
""Zeitoun" is an American epic. The post-Katrina trials of Abdulrahman
Zeitoun would have baffled even Kafka's Joseph K. Though Zeitoun's story could have been a source of cynicism or despair, Dave Eggers's clear and elegant prose manages to deftly capture many of the signature shortcomings of American life while holding onto the innate optimism and endless drive to more closely match our ideals that Zeitoun and his adopted land share. Juggling these contradictions, Eggers captures the puzzle of America." -- Billy Sothern, author of "Down in New Orleans"
""Zeitoun" is a gripping and amazing story that highlights so much about the tragedy of Katrina, post-9/11 life for Arabs and Muslims, and the beautiful nature of American multi-cultural society."
-- Yousef Munayyer, policy analyst, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
""Zeitoun" is an instant American classic carved from fierce eloquence and a haunting moral sensibility. By wrestling with the demons of xenophobia and racial profiling that converged in the swirling vortex of Hurricane Katrina and post-9/11 America, Eggers lets loose the angels of wisdom and courage that hover over the lives of the beleaguered, but miraculously unbroken, Abdulrahman and Kathy Zeitoun. This is a major work full of fire and wit by one of our most important writers."
-- Michael Eric Dyson, author of "Come Hell or High Water"
…More


Inside Out





Inside Out
By Eisler, Barry
2010-06 - Ballantine Books
9780345505101 Check Our Catalog


Marooned in a Manila jail after a bar fight fatality, black ops soldier Ben Treven gets a visit from his former commander, Colonel Scott Horton, who explains the price of Ben's release: Find and eliminate Daniel Larison, a rogue operator from Ben's unit who has stolen ninety-two torture tapes from the CIA and is using them to blackmail the U.S. government. But other players are after the tapes, too, and to find Larison, Ben will have to survive CIA hit teams, Blackwater mercenaries, and the long reach of the White House. He'll also have to find a way to handle Paula Lanier, a smart, sexy FBI agent who has her own reasons for wanting the tapes and is determined to get them before Ben does. With the stakes this high, everyone has an angle--everyone but Ben, who will have to find the right alliance if he wants to stay alive. …More

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