Staff Recommends

The Keeper of Lost Causes

2012-01-12T11:47:00.007-05:00

Jussi Adler-Olsen, 2011

This thriller is even better than the Larssen series (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). More than just one more moody Scandinavian mystery, this exceptionally good book is also a suspenseful, sometimes dryly funny start to the new Department Q detective series by Adler-Olsen.

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JS

Started Early, Took My Dog

2012-01-05T15:26:00.006-05:00

Kate Atkinson, 2011

Tracy Waterhouse's quiet existence as a retired police detective is interrupted by a chain of events that change her life forever. A mystery on the surface, this novel presents a fascinating analysis of the philosophic and emotional dimensions of its characters' lives.

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IZ

The Buddha in the Attic

2011-12-31T11:47:00.006-05:00

Julie Otsuka, 2011

The Buddha in the Attic dwells on the lives of Japanese picture brides who come to America in the 1920 and 30's. Rather than individuals telling their stories, a first-person plural chorus narrates the women's experiences from their departure from Japan until their relocation to internment camps during World War II..

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IZ

Sense of an Ending

2011-12-31T11:36:00.007-05:00

Julian Barnes, 2011

As the novel's protagonist, a man in his late 60's, recalls some events from his youth, his closest-held beliefs about what happened to him, to one of his friends and to his lover are undone in a subtly devastating way.

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IZ

This Beautiful Life

2011-12-29T14:06:00.007-05:00

Helen Schulman, 2011

With one mouse-click on his computer, 15 year old Jake changes his life and the life of his family. This is a 21st century look at problems relating to the computer age and how they relate to family dynamics and the consequences that result.

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MC

We Need to Talk About Kevin

2011-12-16T09:36:00.003-05:00

Lionel Shriver, 2003

Written in the form of letters to an estranged husband, this disturbing novel traces two years in the life of a family, wrung apart by the entrance of a difficult child.

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MC

Unmeasured Strength

2011-11-29T15:31:00.006-05:00

Lauren Manning, 2011

An inspiring story of the author's 10 year struggle after being burned in the fires of the Twin Towers. Thanks to the help and love of her family and friends, her life has finally returned to normalcy.

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CL

The Paris Wife

2011-11-21T12:16:00.008-05:00

Paula McLain, 2011

This historical novel includes the whirlwind courtship and marriage of Hadley Richardson and Ernest Hemingway and their five years living an expatriate lifestyle in 1920's Paris. Readers are treated to intimate glimpses of many of the literary giants of the era. This is an unsentimental tribute to a woman who acted with grace and strength as her marriage crumbled.

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MC

Day After Night

2011-11-20T14:53:00.006-05:00

Anita Diamant, 2009

In this work of historical fiction, Diamant writes about three months in the lives of four Jewish refugees interned at Atlit, a British detention center. The women survive by their bonds of friendship as they remember the past and hope for the future.

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MC

Unsaid

2011-10-29T14:57:00.011-04:00

Bill Abramson, 2011

Reminiscent of books such as The Art of Racing in the Rain and The Time Traveler's Wife, this first novel is a wonderful read. Veterinarian Helena Colden has died. She observes her beloved and grieving husband's attempt to bring order to their household of rescued animals. Helena watches as her attorney husband takes a compelling animal rights case to trial and uncovers a secret she had hidden from him.

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MM

A History of Mistresses

2011-10-28T14:36:00.006-04:00

Elizabeth Abbott, 2010

The"kept woman," the "fancy woman," and the "other woman." She exists as both a fictional character and as a flesh-and-blood human being. But who is she, really? Abbott's book explores the motives and morals of some of history's most infamous and fascinating women, from antiquity to today.

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MW

The Summer Without Men

2011-10-28T10:32:00.007-04:00

Siri Hustvedt, 2011

After her husband of 30 years tells her he wants to take a 'pause' from their marriage, Mia returns to her childhood home in rural Minnesota to regain her balance. This novel is an adroit take on love, men and women, and girls and women.

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MW

In the Sea There Are Crocodiles

2011-10-28T10:22:00.006-04:00

Fabio Geda, 2011

Based on a true story, Geda's novel faithfully retells the torturous life of an Afghan boy. Beginning at age 10, it follows him from one dire situation to another in hopes of finding a new life free from Taliban rule. Geda writes about the humanity of strangers and the power of family.

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MW

The Affair: A Reacher novel

2011-10-27T17:37:00.005-04:00

Lee Child, 2011

Exciting and suspenseful, with deceit, cover-ups, violence and sex, this is another great entry in Child's compelling series. Highly recommended for anyone who likes intelligent, well-written, tense thrillers.

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JS

The Lost Wife

2011-10-27T17:07:00.007-04:00

Alyson Richman, 2011

A moving portrait of two lovers in Prague who marry and then are separated by war. Tragedy and hope, love and loss, and the strength to endure are expressed through Richman's graceful writing and powerful characters, many based on actual Holocaust victims and survivors.

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JS

The Informationist

2011-09-10T15:11:00.005-04:00

Taylor Stevens, 2011

In this breathtaking thriller, the author's female protagonist evokes the spirit and intelligence of Lizbeth Salander from The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Having gained an international reputation for her ability to ferret out hidden secrets and information, Vanessa Munroe's journey into a lawless contemporary Central Africa pits her against government corruption, a former lover and secrets from her past.

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State of Wonder

2011-09-10T14:20:00.009-04:00

Ann Patchett, 2011

The reader is delivered into the primitive world of the Brazilian Amazon where ordinary people are thrown into extraordinary circumstances. Pharmacologist, Marina Singh, must face ethical dilemmas about scientific research as she interacts with fellow scientists, members of the Lakashi tribe and investigates the death of a colleague. This is a page turner.

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MC

Mudbound

2011-07-26T10:23:00.007-04:00

Hillary Jordan, 2008

Set in the Mississippi Delta, at the end of World War II, a cultivated Southern woman marries and then must adjust to life in the rural South, when her engineer husband turns to farming, his first love. Not only must she endure material deprivation, but she views firsthand the horrors of racism. The book won the 2006 Bellwether Prize for literature and social responsibility.

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Oscar Wilde and a Game Called Murder

2011-06-22T11:19:00.006-04:00

Gyles Brandreth, 2008

When the members of Wilde's Socrates Club play an innocent game called Murder, the game takes a sinister turn. Wilde and his band of amateur detectives are on the trail of a killer. This is a literary gem.

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JG

The Invisible Bridge

2011-06-22T10:52:00.007-04:00

Julie Orringer, 2010

The Invisible Bridge, the 2011 Great Neck Reads selection, takes place in pre-war Paris and wartime Budapest. It follows the life of Andras Levi, a Hungarian architectural school student, his friends, family and loves as he faces discrimination and death during the years of the Holocaust.

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MC

Iphigenia in Forest Hills: anatomy of a murder trial

2011-06-09T12:36:00.009-04:00

Janet Malcolm, 2011

The author, a staff writer at the New Yorker, chisels away at the details of a recent New York trial. A Forest Hills woman was accused of planning the shooting death of her husband in a Queens park. Malcolm gives us a memorable look at New York's legal, judiciary and social services at work.

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MM

Super Sad True Love Story

2011-06-08T14:35:00.006-04:00

Gary Shteyngart, 2010

This novel takes place in the near future when the United States is about to collapse. In a world falling into mindless chaos, can love and a little concentration bring things back from the brink? Read this acclaimed, laugh-out-loud novel and find out.

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JA

City of Falling Angels

2011-05-23T10:06:00.006-04:00

John Berendt, 2005

Berendt records the intriguing social, political, architectural, and legal details of restoring the renowned Venetian opera house, the Fenice, after it was destroyed by fire and tells tales about some of its well known residents. He is the author of the bestseller, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

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LM

Reading the OED: one man, one year, 21,730 pages

2011-05-17T15:38:00.001-04:00

Ammon Shea, 2008

An obsessive word lover provides an entertaining account of the year he spent reading the Oxford English Dictionary cover to cover, offering a colorful selection of obscure, hilarious, and offbeat vocabulary gems he discovered along the way

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MSK

So Much Pretty

2011-05-17T13:50:00.005-04:00

Cara Hoffman, 2011

In this haunting, murder mystery, Hoffman explores domestic violence and rural isolation . Her characters are quirky, yet believable. This thought-provoking page turner will stay with you long after you finish it.

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MM

The Year of Living Biblically

2011-05-17T07:53:00.001-04:00

A. J. Jacobs

This hilarious, quixotic, thought-provoking memoir from Jacobs, documents his quest to live one year in literal compliance with biblical rules.

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MSK

The Know-it-all

2011-05-16T11:09:00.008-04:00

A. J. Jacobs, 2004

The Know-It-All chronicles an NPR contributor's hilarious, enlightening, and seemingly impossible one year quest to read the Encyclopedia Britannica from A to Z. It recounts the unexpected and comically descriptive effects Operation Encyclopedia has on every part of Jacobs' life.

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MSK

Horoscopes for the Dead: poems

2011-05-10T12:17:00.007-04:00

Billy Collins, 2011

This new book of 50 poems by former United States and New York State poet laureate, Billy Collins, mingles poignant and lighthearted pieces. His poetry deals with themes of love and loss, life and death, youth and aging, solitude and union. Collins, a master of mischievious wisdom, is known as one of our country's most popular poets.

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MSK

Bent Road

2011-04-16T11:35:00.005-04:00

Lori Roy, 2011

In the late 1960's, Arthur Scott and his family move from Detroit to Arthur's hometown in rural Kansas. The disappearance of a young girl compels the family and the community to face long buried secrets. This is an intriguing and haunting debut novel with gothic overtones.

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CG

Clara and Mr. Tiffany

2011-04-05T14:20:00.006-04:00

Susan Vreeland, 2011

With great attention to historical detail, Vreeland uses the process of creating Tiffany glass as a backdrop to describe a woman's desire for artistic expression and the challenges a female professional faced.

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LM

A Gate at the Stairs

2011-04-01T11:30:00.006-04:00

Lorrie Moore, 2009

A midwestern college student comes of age after the 9/11 attack and faces the challenges of racism, the war on terror, cruelty and family tragedy.

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MC

Three Stages of Amazement

2011-03-30T14:39:00.007-04:00

Carol Edgarian, 2011

This book, written with great pathos and humor, deals with marriage in the 20th century. It confronts the way the privileged cope--or fail to cope--when fate turns against them. It is a well-told story with characters of great depth and complexity trying to juggle life's realities.

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FW

Breakfast with Buddha

2011-03-26T10:49:00.004-04:00

Ronald Merullo, 2007

Otto Ringling, his sister, and her spiritual teacher, a Mongolian monk, set out on a cross country road trip to the family's North Dakota farm. This low-key comedy turns into a story of spiritual awakening, as Otto embarks on a journey of self-discovery led by his strange and remarkable passenger.

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DL

The Sugar Queen

2011-03-18T13:06:00.008-04:00

Sarah Addison Allen, 2008

27 year old Josey discovers that living under her mother's thumb is not all there is to life -- sometimes taking a chance is worth the risk. This book offers a charming bit of magical realism and mystical adventures.

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JBM

TheTell-Tale Brain: a neuroscientist's quest for what makes us human

2011-03-12T10:52:00.010-05:00

V.S. Ramachandran, 2011

The author offers a fascinating explanation for the layman of cutting-edge-neurological research that deepens our understanding of the relationship between the perceptions of the mind and the workings of the brain.

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MW

The Girl Who Fell From the Sky

2011-03-12T10:30:00.006-05:00

Heidi W. Durrow, 2010

A beautifully written first novel about a biracial child, the only survivor of a family tragedy. It reads like a mystery, with layers of information unfolding, enabling the reader to understand the story of a mother's desperate act and a child's attempts to understand her past. The book was awarded the Bellwether Prize for issues of social justice.

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MC

Why Can't U Teach Me 2 Read?

2011-03-10T17:52:00.009-05:00

Beth Fertig, 2009

Although a story about public education might not seem compelling, this one certainly is. Fertig profiles three learning disabled teens, who won court challenges from the New York City School system because the system had failed them. In telling their stories, she also tells the story of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, his takeover of the school system and his attempt, through Chancellor Klein, to radically change it.

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JBM

Let the Great World Spin

2011-03-09T11:50:00.006-05:00

Colum McCann, 2009

This book of interwoven stories, is set around the background of a tightrope walker suspended between the two World Trade Towers. It is a view of the pain, mystery and promise of New York City in the 1970's.

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MC

Russian Winter

2011-03-08T15:39:00.005-05:00

Daphne Kalotay, 2010

Called "tender, passionate and moving" by author Jenna Blum, this is a story of Nina Revskaya, a Russian prima ballerina, whose fate is intertwined with the fate of her country. At the core of the story is a mysterious jewel, which holds the key to a life-changing secret.

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IZ

Great House

2011-03-08T15:27:00.011-05:00

Nicole Krauss, 2010

This is a collection of seemingly unconnected stories told by four people. Full of insight and reflective wisdom, each one of them is a tale of loss and memory.

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IZ

A Mountain of Crumbs

2011-02-22T14:30:00.005-05:00

Elena Gorokhova, 2009

A captivating memoir of a young girl growing up in a middle class Soviet family in the 1960's, who discovers her love for the English language along with her country's political deceptions.

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MC

Unbroken

2011-02-17T11:31:00.009-05:00

Laura Hillenbrand, 2010

A biography of Louie Zamperini, the champion American runner, who goes from 1936 Olympian to a Japanese POW camp. It is a story of survival, resilience and redemption.

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MSK

Old Filth

2011-02-15T16:10:00.006-05:00

Jane Gardam, 2006

A view of the last days of the British empire as seen from a post 9-11 viewpoint. This is a book for those who treasure good fiction. It is intelligent, witty, sophisticated and adult.

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CL

Half Broke Horses

2011-02-08T16:11:00.006-05:00

Jeannette Walls, 2009

This "true life novel" tells the story of Lily Casey Smith, the author's resourceful grandmother, who grew to adulthood in the American southwest of the 1930's. The reader is offered insight into the author's own parents which she so richly describes in her memoir, The Class Castle.

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MC

Nemesis

2011-02-01T15:59:00.005-05:00

Philip Roth, 2010

Set in Newark, NJ during the polio epidemic of summer,1942, Roth describes the fears of parents and children and the young counselor who tries to fight against it.

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MC

First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria

2011-02-01T15:37:00.006-05:00

Eve Brown-Waite, 2008

You will laugh out loud at this wonderful, unconventional love story. The author joins the peace corps, falls in love with her recruiter. What follows is one adventure after another, from Ecuador to Uganda.

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CL

Skippy Dies

2011-01-21T15:47:00.004-05:00

Paul Murray, 2010

As the title reveals, Skippy has died. As this darkly comic novel comes alive, readers will meet Skippy, his classmates, teachers and administrators at a Dublin prep school.

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CG

The Imperfectionists

2011-01-21T15:40:00.006-05:00

Tom Rachman, 2010

Rachlin gives us an inside look at a struggling English language newspaper in Rome. Each chapter features a newspaper employee or reader.

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CG

Freedom

2011-01-11T11:31:00.008-05:00

Jonathan Franken, 2010

This is a highly readable tale which leaves a profound impact. Franzen's novel deals with how modern Americans approach marriage, politics, money and sex today. It tackles an enormous sweep of contemporary emotional issues and themes.

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JS

Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and A Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory

2011-01-06T12:16:00.008-05:00

Ben Macintyre, 2010

A riveting tale of espionage and retelling of the plot that succeeded in fooling Hitler, leading to the successful invasion of Sicily. A must read!

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JG

Hot Time in the Old Town: The Great Heat Wave of 1896 and the Making of Theodore Roosevelt

2011-01-06T11:58:00.007-05:00

Edward P. Kohn, 2010

This is a fascinating story about late 19th century New York and the prominent political figures, including William Jennings Bryant, William McKinley and Teddy Roosevelt who were active at the time.

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JG

The Widower's Tale

2011-01-05T11:53:00.005-05:00

Julia Glass, 2010

70 year old Percy Darling is settling into retirement when his daughter convinces him to allow a progressive pre-school use his barn. Glass weaves a captivating tale about multi-generational loyalties, rivalries, and secrets of a family, inhabitants of a complacently prosperous world where no one is immune to unexpected change.

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MC

I Remember Nothing

2010-12-22T20:10:00.009-05:00

Nora Ephron, 2010

Light and humorous with a lot of insight, a good measure of self deprecation and a pinch of sadness, here is a new fun read from Nora Ephron.

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IZ

Squirrel Seeks Chipmonk

2010-12-21T11:26:00.011-05:00

David Sedaris, 2010

What's wrong with humans? Answers to this question can be found in Squirrel Meets Chipmonk, a "quirky little book" (Booklist) by David Sedaris. Animals are the main characters in these funny and sad morality tales.

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IZ

Even Silence Has An End

2010-12-21T09:56:00.005-05:00

Ingrid Betancourt, 2010

Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt recounts her six and one half harrowing years in the Colombian jungle as a captive of the revolutionary group FARC.

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RM

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

2010-12-09T17:36:00.008-05:00

Stieg Larsson, 2008

This is the first book in Swedish author Stieg Larsson's Millenium trilogy of crime fiction which centers on computer hacker, Lisbeth Salander and magazine investigative reporter, Mikael Blomkvist. This title, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest are fast-paced mysteries which keep the reader fully engrossed.

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MC

Little Bee

2010-11-29T11:17:00.008-05:00

Chris Cleave, 2008

A young Nigerian refugee released from a British immigration detention center seeks out the only English person she knows. The two women represent two worlds -- the Western world contrasted with the realities of third world war-torn Africa.

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MC

The False Friend

2010-11-16T10:39:00.007-05:00

Myla Goldberg, 2010

Two young girls go into the woods. Only one comes out... Subtle and perceptive, this new novel by Myla Goldberg explores intricacies of memory and complexities of moral judgment.

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IZ

Bound

2010-11-15T16:07:00.007-05:00

Antonya Nelson, 2010

When Catherine Desplaines' long forgotten school friend dies in a car accident, Catherine learns that she is the namesake and now guardian of a missing teenage girl.

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IZ

Cutting for Stone

2010-11-08T20:17:00.007-05:00

Abraham Verghese, 2009

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is the backdrop for this exceptional novel which traces the lives of twin brothers born to an Indian nun and a British surgeon. The two boys, with a shared connection and fascination with medicine, come of age as Ethiopia hovers on the edge of revolution. It is a story of love, betrayal, medicine and medical miracles.

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MC

The Spare Room

2010-11-03T10:15:00.009-04:00

Helen Garner, 2009

Offering a spare bedroom to a friend who is undergoing treatment for cancer, Helen sets out to be a compassionate caregiver. The emotional and physical drain of caretaking her bossy, opinionated and selfish friend soon depletes her. The novel, although discussing a sad subject, is written with great skill and humor.

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The Room

2010-11-02T17:36:00.008-04:00

Emma Donoghue, 2010

This critically acclaimed novel tells the story of Jack and Ma. Jack and his mom share their "ROOM". It is the entire world to five year old Jack. To his mother, it is her prison. Told entirely in the language of the energetic Jack, ROOM is a celebration of love and resilience. It is a profound and wonderful novel.

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MM

Brilliant: the evolution of artificial light

2010-10-12T15:34:00.006-04:00

Jane Brox, 2010

The author gives us a well-researched social history of technology, examining our relationship with light, our attempts to harness it to brighten places we cannot see and its impact on American psychology and culture.

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MT

Intelligence

2010-10-12T14:28:00.005-04:00

Susan Hasler, 2010

Written by a former CIA counter-terrorism analyst, this debut novel which takes place post 9-11, straddles the line between comic thriller and mainstream espionage novel.

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MT

Let's Take the Long Way Home: a memoir

2010-09-22T16:56:00.008-04:00

Gail Caldwell, 2010

This is a memoir about friendship and loss. Caldwell does a beautiful job of explaining her painful grieving process after the death of her friend and fellow writer, Caroline Knapp. She writes, "It's an old, old story: I had a friend and we shared everything, and then she died and so we shared that, too.''

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DL

The Cellist of Sarajevo

2010-09-22T16:41:00.009-04:00

Steven Galloway, 2008

A cellist vows to sit in a Sarajevo square where an actual massacre occurred and play his cello in memory of each victim. Elsewhere in the city, Galloway chronicles the lives of three individuals. Through them, he delivers a creative story showing the strength and generosity of the human spirit while their city is falling apart.

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DL

Spies of the Balkans

2010-09-14T15:38:00.011-04:00

Alan Furst, 2010

This richly researched World War II novel offers a compelling portrait of Salonika, Greece, its relationship to its Balkan neighbors and the coming Nazi occupation. The main character, a police officer and fascinating hero, helps a refugee underground devoted to getting Jews from Germany to safety in Turkey.

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JS

A Fierce Radiance

2010-09-10T10:49:00.012-04:00

Lauren Belfer, 2010

An ambitious photojournalist during World War II finds herself involved with one of the most important stories of the era -- the development of penicillin. A love interest, murder and intrigue in the pharmaceutical industry add up to some interesting reading.

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LM

The Courtyard of Dreams

2010-09-10T10:36:00.012-04:00

Anna Monardo, 1993

After graduating from high school, a three month visit to Italy gives Guilia a chance for independence. The author gives a satisfying portrait of the often complex transition from child to independent adult and the complications of cultural heritage. An excellent first novel.

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Bay of Noon

2010-09-07T14:43:00.007-04:00

Shirley Hazzard, 1970

Naples, in all its paradox of baroque extravagance and squalor, is the main character of this book. However, the story is built around Jenny who has come to Naples from London in flight from a personal drama.

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IZ

Crossing

2010-08-12T15:38:00.009-04:00

Andrew Xia Fukada, 2010

A Chinese high school student is the only Asian male in his American school. When students begin to disappear, fear and mistrust invade a formerly quiet town. This novel is a page turner.

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MT

Stuff: compulsive hoarding and the meaning of things

2010-08-12T15:30:00.009-04:00

Randy O. Frost and Gail Steketee, 2010

This book offers several different perspectives on why people accumulate clutter and what they can do about it. The authors, two psychologists, examine the fine line between collecting and hoarding.

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MT

Some Girls: My Life in a Harem

2010-08-12T15:23:00.007-04:00

Jillian Lauren, 2010

An aspiring 18 year old actress tells the story of her recruitment and lifestyle makeover, when she is hired by Prince Jefri Bolkaih, the younger brother of the Sultan of Brunei, and leaves the East Village for a life of opulence in the prince's harem. She finds that being an object in someone's collection has its drawbacks.

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MT

The Hundred-Foot Journey

2010-08-12T15:12:00.007-04:00

Richard C. Morais, 2010

This novel examines the culinary world from Mumbai to Paris. It chronicles a teenager's culinary success to become a Michelin 5-star chef and owner of a Parisian restaurant. This book is a great read, filled with vivid food imagery.

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MT

The Blood of Lorraine

2010-08-05T11:12:00.007-04:00

Barbara Corrado Pope, 2010

Lorraine, France, 1894 -- a time of religious bigotry caused in part by the trial of Captain Alfred Dreyfus for treason. Magistrate Bernard Martin tries to balance racial tensions and politics within the courthouse after the murder of a Jewish infant, and tensions within his own home. This is an historical mystery which will be especially enjoyed by those interested in French and Jewish history.

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MC

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

2010-08-04T16:47:00.013-04:00

Helen Simonson, 2010

Major Ernest Pettigrew's life in an English country village is stirred up when his friendship with a neighbor begins to blossom into romance. What begins as a seemingly cozy novel, grows into a compelling story of love, family and the challenges of societal pressures.

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CG

Every Last One

2010-07-20T17:21:00.011-04:00

Quindlen, Anna. 2010

In this stirring novel, the author portrays the complexities of family dynamics. She writes about the emotions of ordinary people caught in tragic circumstances and the struggle to cope. A vivid portrait of a happy family, a dedicated mother and wife affected by tragedy, courage and eventual healing.

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MC

FDR's Funeral Train: A Betrayed Widow, a Soviet Spy, and a Presidency in the Balance

2010-07-14T14:23:00.007-04:00

Robert Klara, 2010

Klara takes us into the minds and hearts of people both famous and not-so-famous who were on the train journey that takes Roosevelt’s remains from Warm Springs, GA to his final resting place at Hyde Park. We see the President’s mistress, Lucy Rutherford, the grace and calm of the First Lady, and the new President, overwhelmed and frightened by the responsibilities of his new position. They are just three of the many interesting characters contained in this short, insightful book.

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JBM

A Reliable Wife

2010-07-14T14:10:00.007-04:00

Robert Goolrick, 2009

A wealthy businessman, his mail-order bride and her unknown past, all lead to intrigue in this novel set in rural Wisconsin in the early 1900's. It is a story of love, madness, passion and murder.

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MC

Falling Palace: a romance of Naples

2010-07-07T15:37:00.010-04:00

Dan Hofstadter, 2005

In this guide to Naples, Dan Hofstadter captures the allure and sorrow of this Italian city and its people. His infatuation with this beautiful, noisy and often dangerous place brings the author to Naples again and again and makes him fall deeply in love with both the city and one of its inhabitants.

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IZ

This Body of Death

2010-06-18T10:53:00.006-04:00

Elizabeth George, 2010

A multi-layered jigsaw puzzle of a story, this sixteenth Inspector Lynley novel may be George's smartest and most impassioned mystery yet. Just back from leave after the tragic murder of his wife, Lynley joins a former colleague in a high profile and densely-plotted investigation. Also available in Large Print.

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JS

Why the Dreyfus Affair Matters

2010-06-14T12:41:00.013-04:00

Louis Begley, 2009

Abuse of power, judicial corruption and treason set the stage for the conviction of an innocent man. This is the true story of Captain Alfred Dreyfus. The book reads like a stunning work of modern fiction.

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CL

Shadow Tag

2010-05-27T15:28:00.008-04:00

Louise Erdrich, 2010

When Irene discovers her artist husband has been reading her diary, she adds entries to manipulate him, and begins a second notebook recording the truth about her life and marriage. Although the novel starts slowly, it continues to grow, exploring the complex nature of love and a family's struggle for survival.

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MC

My Wife's Affair

2010-05-12T15:49:00.014-04:00

Nancy Woodruff, 2010

Journalist Peter Martin is transferred to London, bringing a fresh start to his stale marriage. Their move to London indicates a happy new beginning for the couple. This well-written and absorbing novel chronicles the dissolution of a marriage and a family.

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MM

Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime

2010-05-12T15:23:00.006-04:00

John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, 2010

A fascinating insider’s view of the pivotal race between Obama and Clinton, and then between Obama and McCain. The book reads like a novel with a fascinating plot unfolding that you might not believe if you didn’t already know it was fact. From the upheaval in the Clinton camp to the story of the infamous Palin wardrobe, every juicy detail is included.

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JBM

Acqua Alta

2010-05-10T19:28:00.008-04:00

Donna Leon, 1996

Charming Guido Brunetti, the Venetian commissioner of police, continues to confront corruption in his fifth adventure. He wends his way around Venice and accumulates information, not all obtained entirely honestly. He also deals with his superiors, his wife and teenage daughter, all the while remaining the thoughtful, sensitive sleuth readers have come to expect.

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SG

The Hand that First Held Mine

2010-05-04T10:36:00.004-04:00

Maggie O'Farrell, 2010

This novel weaves two stories of love. Ennis and Lexie meet in post-war England and begin a life together in London. Their story alternates with that of present-day Londoners, Ted and Elina, new parents trying to adjust to a newborn. Sleep deprived and lonely, Elina misses her work. The plot intertwines the lives of these four people in a very satisfying way. It’s a book to hurry home to.

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What I Thought I knew: A Memoir

2010-04-24T16:50:00.007-04:00

Alice Eve Cohen, 2009

Told with humor, intimacy and brutal honesty, this memoir about motherhood reads like a thriller. Cohen writes grippingly of surviving a personal catastrophe in a moving book you can't put down.

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JS

The Man from Beijing

2010-04-15T15:37:00.008-04:00

Henning Mankell, 2010

With a similarity of tone and setting to the novels of Stieg Larsson, this compelling story by the author of the Kurt Wallander series of thrillers is highly readable. Birgitta Roslin, a Swedish judge, unravels a labyrinthian history of crime and murder that takes the reader to 19th-century China and America, to Europe, Africa and China today.

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JS

Imperfect Birds

2010-04-15T15:25:00.005-04:00

Anne Lamott, 2010

Seventeen year old Rosie is a stellar student, a good athlete and the apple of her parents' eye. As her drug and alcohol abuse causes increasing harm to her physical and mental health, her efforts to keep it secret from her parents threatens to tear her family apart.

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CG

The Thing Around Your Neck

2010-04-06T11:23:00.004-04:00

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi, 2009

This book of 12 stories is Adichi's most personal work to date. She explores the ties that bind men and women, parents and children, Africa and the United States. Intense and insightful, shaded in splendor, sadness, and yearning, this collection confirms Adichie’s amazing storytelling and writing abilities, which have been compared to the likes of Jhumpa Lahiri and Ch’inua Ach’ebe.

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The Glass Room

2010-03-29T16:42:00.013-04:00

Simon Mawer, 2009

The Glass Room is a story about people caught in the violent confluence of political upheaval. Eerily erotic and tremendously exciting, it unfolds over eight decades and spans the glamorous 1920's and 30's, the war torn 40's and the reflective post-Communist 1990's.

IZ

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Pictures At An Exhibition

2010-03-12T12:27:00.006-05:00

Sara Houghteling, 2009

Set in Paris at the time of World War II, this novel follows a son's quest to recover his family's lost art masterpieces. Weaving a fictitious Jewish family into historical figures of the Paris art world of the 1930s and 1940s, Houghteling describes the Nazis systematic looting of France's art treasures.

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MC

Just Kids

2010-03-11T16:22:00.005-05:00

Patti Smith, 2010

This memoir focuses on the author's relationship with photographer, Robert Maplethorpe and their journey to become artists in New York City in the late sixties and seventies. A great read for anyone interested in the creative spirit in all of us.

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DL

The Swan Thieves

2010-03-02T10:50:00.006-05:00

Elizabeth Costova, 2010

An imaginative mystery, an old-fashioned love story and a new romance all at the same time, The Swan Thieves is a richly-detailed and lengthy historical novel. With many layers,overlapping plot lines and time periods, this novel offers fascinating insights into the worlds of contemporary and impressionist art. Also available in Large Print.

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JS

Every Man Dies Alone

2010-02-18T15:15:00.007-05:00

Hans Fallada, 2009

The story focuses on a seemingly insignificant German couple who lose their son to war and seek justice by carrying out small, personal acts of opposition to Nazism. Based on real events, this is a recently translated and reissued work by a daring writer who saw his life torn apart when he refused to join the Nazi Party.

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Goldengrove

2010-02-18T15:10:00.013-05:00

Francine Prose, 2008

Thirteen year old Nico idolizes her older sister. When tragedy strikes, she is forced to grow up quickly. Nico must cope with her parents' sorrow, her sister's legacy and her own impulses and feelings. In Prose's trademark style, characters are drawn through spare, probing descriptions and keenly written dialog.

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JA

Ester and Ruzya

2010-02-16T14:47:00.015-05:00

Marsha Gessen, 2002

This is an extraordinary memoir from Masha Gessen, a well known journalist, who emigrated from the Soviet Union in 1982 at the age of fourteen. The author writes about her grandmothers who survived Stalin's purges of the 1930s, World War II and post war, state-sponsored anti-semitism.

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The Little Stranger

2010-02-16T12:32:00.012-05:00

Sarah Waters, 2009

The times they are a-changin' in this atmospheric, gothic-like novel of post-war country life in England. It is 1947 and a tweedy country doctor with a lot of time on his hands, narrates this story of a falling-down mansion and the patrician family living there.

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MM

Blame

2010-02-16T12:22:00.010-05:00

Michelle Huneven, 2009

A college professor with a drinking problem goes to prison on a DWI charge. After completing her sentence, she attempts to lead an exemplary life. The writing is beautiful, with an unexpected plot turn.

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MM