Summer Reading

Welcome to Summer Reading 2011!  At the end of 6 weeks we had 365 people signed up. This week, 16 new people participated and 58 people read 137 books, which brings the totals for the summer to 154 people and 792 books.

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At the City's Edge By Sakey, Marcus 2008-01 - Minotaur Books 9780312360320 Check Our Catalog Home from Iraq and still reeling from his discharge, Jason Palmer plans to spend his summer drinking and chasing girls. But when his brother is brutally murdered, Jason is all that stands between his eight-year-old nephew and a pair of ruthless killers. …More

The Kid By Sapphire 2011-07 - Penguin Press 9781594203046 Check Our Catalog In a generational story that moves with the speed of thought from a Mississippi dirt farm to Harlem in its heyday; from a troubled Catholic orphanage to downtown artist's lofts, "The Kid" tells of a young 21st-century man's fight to find a way toward the future. HPL patron: This book wasn't as good as PUSH.  It didn't hold my interest. …More

You Don't Look Like Anyone I Know By Sellers, Heather 2010-10 - Riverhead Books 9781594487736 Check Our Catalog Sellers has prosopagnosia, a rare neurological condition that prevents her from reliably recognizing people's faces. As she came at last to trust her own perceptions, she learned the gift of perspective: that embracing the past as it is allows us to let it go. HPL patron: Heather tells a story of her tortured family and her personal struggles with face blindness.  What she tells is gripping, humorouse, sad, and hopeful.  She is a strong, caring person who has had and is still on an amazing journey. …More

Fallen By Slaughter, Karin 2011-06 - Delacorte Press 9780345528209 Check Our Catalog Will Trent and Sara Linton, the beloved characters from Slaughter's two acclaimed series (and the bestseller "Broken"), are back on the case in this electrifying thriller about how far a woman, a cop, and a daughter will go. …More

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn By Smith, Betty Foreword by Quindlen, Anna 2005-02 - Harper Perennial 9780060736262 Check Our Catalog A true American classic first published in 1943, this is the tale of a little girl living in the slums of Brooklyn, who dreamily watches out her window as a tree struggles to reach the sky. HPL patron: Memories of times passsed by. …More

La's Orchestra Saves the World By McCall Smith, Alexander 2009-12 - Pantheon Books 9780307378385 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title From the bestselling author of The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series: a delightful and moving story that celebrates the healing powers of friendship and music. La escapes World War II-ravaged London and a shattered marriage and relocates to a small African village. But can she really escape her past--or create a new life? HPL patron:  Great book, a joy to read.  Really llike McCall Smith.  I was introduced to him by the Ladies #1 Detective Agency books. HPL patron: Novel about the beginning of WWII in England, and how events affected inhabitants of a country village.  Mildly interesting. …More

The Beginner's Guide to Edible Herbs: 26 Herbs Everyone Should Grow & Enjoy By Smith, Charles W. G. Photographer Holt, Saxon Introduction by Smith, Edward C. 2010-04 - Storey Publishing 9781603425285 Check Our Catalog This useful guide helps vegetable gardeners realize the pleasures of becoming an herb gardener. Readers will find complete information on growing, harvesting, preserving, and using 26 of the most popular kitchen herbs, from basil to thyme. Illustrated. HPL patron: I found this book very enjoyable.  Not only were there growing instructions for herbs, there were also recipes to use these herbs in. …More

True Believer By Sparks, Nicholas 2006-04 - Warner Books 9780446696517 Check Our Catalog As a science journalist with a regular column, Jeremy Marsh specializes in debunking the supernatural--until he falls in love with the granddaughter of the town psychic. Nicholas Sparks' unforgettable bestseller explores the deepest mysteries of all--those of the heart. …More

The Temptress: The Scandalous Life of Alice de Janze and the Mysterious Death of Lord Erroll By Spicer, Paul 2010-07 - St. Martin's Press 9780312379704 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title Using personal letters and extensive research, Spicer examines the fascinating life of femme fatale and gorgeous Chicago heiress, Alice de Janz, offering a solution to the decades-old murder of Joss Hay, the Lord Erroll. …More

Country Living 150 Ways to Dress Your Windows: A Decorating Guide to Curtains, Sheers & Shades By Hearst Books 2011-04 - Hearst Books 9781588165466 Check Our Catalog Sure to inspire, this beautifully photographed book showcases a multitude of drapes, shades, and window treatments, delving into the nuances of styles, fabrics, colors, and finishing touches. Both classic and innovative treatments are on display, helping home designers learn about the many types of window styles, why to choose one over the other, and how to integrate them into their decor. HPL patron: A nice collection of varying styles of window treatments.  I also enjoyed the layouts of the rooms on each page.  Many aspects of the decor can be used for personal inspiration. …More

The Silent Speaker By Stout, Rex 1994-01 - Crimeline 9780553234978 Check Our Catalog When a powerful government official turns up dead, the great Nero Wolfe takes notice. On the edge of financial ruin, the orchid-loving detective grudgingly accepts the case. Soon another victim is found, a stenographer's tape disappears, and the dead man speaks -- after a fashion. As the business world clamors for a solution, Wolfe patiently lays a trap. …More

The Fellowship of the Ring: The Lord of the Rings--Part One By Tolkien, J. R. R. 1986-08 - Del Rey Books 9780345339706 Check Our Catalog THE GREATEST FANTASY EPIC OF OUR TIME The dark, fearsome Ringwraiths were searching for a hobbit. Frodo Baggins knew they were seeking him and the Ring he bore -- the Ring of Power that would enable evil Sauron to destroy all that was good in Middle-earth. Now it is up to Frodo and his faithful servant, Sam, with a small band of companions, to carry the Ring to the one place it could be destroyed -- Mount Doom, in the very center of Sauron's dark kingdom. THUS BEGINS J.R.R. TOLKIEN'S CLASSIC THE LORD OF THE RINGS, WHICH CONTINUES IN THE TWO TOWERS AND THE RETURN OF THE KING. …More

The Return of the King: The Lord of the Rings--Part Three By Tolkien, J. R. R. 1986-07 - Del Rey Books 9780345339737 Check Our Catalog THE GREATEST FANTASY EPIG OF OUR TIME While the evil might of the Dark Lord Sauron swarmed out to conquer all Middle-earth, Frodo and Sam struggled deep into Mordor, seat of Sauron's power. To defeat the Dark Lord, the accursed Ring of Power had to be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom. But the way was impossibly hard, and Frodo was weakening. Weighed down by the compulsion of the Ring, he began finally to despair. THE AWESOME CONCLUSION OF J.R.R. TOLKIEN'S THE LORD OF THE RINGS, BELOVED BY MILLIONS OF READERS AROUND THE WORLD. …More

The Two Towers: The Lord of the Rings--Part Two By Tolkien, J. R. R. 1986-08 - Del Rey Books 9780345339713 Check Our Catalog THE GREATEST FANTASY EPIC OF OUR TIME The Fellowship was scattered. Some were bracing hopelessly for war against the ancient evil of Sauron. Some were contending with the treachery of the wizard Saruman. Only Frodo and Sam were left to take the accursed Ring of Power to be destroyed in Mordor -- the dark Kingdom where Sauron was supreme. Their guide was Gollum, deceitful and lust-filled, slave to the corruption of the Ring. THUS CONTINUES THE MAGNIFICENT, BESTSELLING TALE OF ADVENTURE BEGUN IN THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, WHICH REACHES ITS SOUL-STIRRING CLIMAX IN THE RETURN OF THE KING. …More

Daughters-In-Law By Trollope, Joanna 2011-05 - Center Point Large Print 9781611730395 Check Our Catalog After her youngest son, and last one to marry, brings home his wife, Rachel feels her role of family matriarch slipping away and must deal with the loss that comes with it, while maintaining the relationships she holds dear. …More

The Twisted Sisterhood: Unraveling the Dark Legacy of Female Friendships By Valen, Kelly 2010-10 - Ballantine Books 9780345520517 Check Our Catalog Based on unique research and interviews with more than 3,000 women, "The Twisted Sisterhood" is a vivid account of the hidden fallout of female cruelties, and an incisive exploration of what we might do differently. …More

Lighten Up: Love What You Have, Have What You Need, Be Happier with Less By Walsh, Peter 2010-12 - Free Press 9781439155141 Check Our Catalog "Lighten Up" offers a road map to creating a less-is-more life, and teaches readers how a life of less can actually be a life of great abundance. …More

Gone with a Handsomer Man By West, Michael Lee 2011-04 - Minotaur Books 9780312571221 Check Our Catalog Take one out-of-work pastry chef . . . Teeny Templeton believes that her life is finally on track. She's getting married, she's baking her own wedding cake, and she's leaving her troubled past behind. And then? She finds her fiance playing naked badminton with a couple of gorgeous, skanky chicks. Add a whole lot of trouble . . . Needless to say, the wedding is off. Adding insult to injury, her fiance slaps a restraining order on her. When he's found dead a few days later, all fingers point to Teeny. And stir like crazy! Her only hope is through an old boyfriend-turned-lawyer, the guy who broke her heart a decade ago. But dredging up the past brings more than skeletons out of the closet, and Teeny doesn't know who she can trust. With evidence mounting and the heat turning up, Teeny must also figure out where to live, how to support herself, how to clear her name, and how to protect her heart. ""Gone with a Handsomer Man" is fun, funny, and fabulous!"---Janet Evanovich …More

To Account for Murder By Whitbeck, William 2010-11 - Permanent Press 9781579622060 Check Our Catalog To Account for Murder demands our attention as much as any great work of literature. It offers a complicated, compelling, and honest vision of the past while maintaining a tight pace and proffering memorable characters. Equal parts thriller and historical novel, it s a page-turner with an eye for the nuances of all that makes us human. In other words, it s a stunning debut. --New York Journal of Books …More

Night Vision By White, Randy Wayne 2011-02 - G. P. Putnam's Sons 9780399157059 Check Our Catalog Doc Ford is on a collision course with death in this extraordinary new novel from the "New York Times" bestselling author. Alot is going on in the trailer park known as Little Guadalajara, inhabited principally by illegal laborers. The park manager is the hired gun of a financial syndicate that wants to develop the property, and he's prepared to do whatever it takes-but he can't figure out what to do about the teenage girl, the one the laborers believe has some sort of gift. When she witnesses him killing a man, though, and runs, there's nothing left to figure: He's got to find her fast and shut her up good. Her only hope for survival: a marine biologist (and sometimes more) named Doc Ford, who along with his friend Tomlinson, must undertake a search through an underground, invisible nation...and just hope he reaches her first. …More

That's What She Said: The Most Versatile Joke on Earth By Wishne, Justin Author Nicolas, Bryan 2011-05 - Plume Books 9780452297142 Check Our Catalog In a book exploding with laughs, Wishne and Nicolas, founders of TWSSstories.com, bring together hundreds of screamingly hilarious moments from fans, choice historical and celebrity quotes, an introduction from "she," as well as a brief history of the phrase. HPL patron: I found this joke book not very amusing.  Perhaps if the jokes were about different topics it might be funny, but the whole book, although tiny, was all on the same subject, all-in-all, for a joke book, I had few laughs from it. …More