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Category: Adult fiction JANUARY 30, 2017
Just Finished Reading.......
 Beatrice And Benedick by Marina Fiorato I would have to say that this book must have been a very challenging piece to write. Considering that Beatrice and Benedick are iconic characters thanks to Shakespeare. Beatrice with her fiery wit and cheek and Benedick always trying to one up her. We all know the end but we almost know nothing of the beginning other than he once did want to marry her before the events of Much Ado About Nothing. The beginning is all this book entails. Beatrice is sent to her Uncles court in Sicily and it is there that Benedick appears on a journey with a Spanish lord. Beatrice and Benedick wage their love war as only they can, with their witty remarks and comments and all the while they are falling for one another. When slander makes their love turn sour, a beside himself Benedick sails away to England, Beatrice returns home as well. Only to be bombarded with a betrothal she does not want or agree with. Benedick meanwhile comes under attack on the ship and has to fight to remain alive, Beatrice must remain fighting to stop her arranged marriage. The story does not convene again until ten years have passed and they meet again in Messina, and well, you know the story from there. I thought it was a very enthralling romance read. Certainly difficult to create a story and events out of someone elses story. And Shakespeare is a very hard to please subject. I would recommend this book solely if you wanted a romance novel on a quiet night. Next book up will be Alexander Hamilton's biography by Ron Chernow. HAPPY READING!
Categories: Adult fiction, New Materials, Classic Fiction FEBRUARY 13, 2015
Just finished reading...
 Quietly in Their Sleep by Donna Leon. If you are looking for a good, long series of detective fiction, try this one. Donna Leon, a long time American resident of Venice, writes about Commissario Brunetti, a high ranking Venetian policeman. Each book gives you insight into the complications of Italian society as well as a view of family life in this unique, historic city. The first book of the series, Murder at La Fenice, the famous opera house of Venice, is available in our ebook collection, along with many other Brunetti volumes. Ebooks can be read on IPads, IPhones, Android devices, Nook and Kindle Fire. Call the library for information on getting a library card and setting up your device.
Categories: On-line resources, Adult fiction DECEMBER 11, 2014
Just finished reading...
 Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. This book is not for everyone. If you don't know anything about English history in the16th century, you might find it a bit confusing-lots of characters, references to past events, and a setting not only foreign in location but in time. Even if you love historical novels, this one does require a little work on the part of the reader. Mantel, a prize winning novelist in the UK, has taken an actual but little known participant in the Court of Henry VIII and brought him to life. Thomas Cromwell, great grandfather to Oliver Cromwell, came from very humble roots to become a key advisor to Henry VIII during a time of great change and turmoil for the monarch. The beauty of Mantel's writing is in her being able to make us react to Thomas as a real person. Her glorious prose allows us to enter the society where Cromwell, at least for a time, flourished, and to share the company of Henry and several of his well-known wives. This book is the first in a series of three. The second volume in the series, Bring Up the Bodies, is also available in both print at the library and as an ebook.
Categories: Adult fiction, New Materials, History NOVEMBER 16, 2014
Just finished reading...
 Longbourn by Jo Baker. Fiction with a historical background has been around since Sir Walter Scott in the late 18th century, and it never goes away. This book is one of the numerous Jane Austen-based novels sought out by fans, called Janeites, who just can't get enough of their favorite. Many of these are, unfortunately, not nearly as good as their inspiration, but I liked this one very much. It is really an original story, set against the background of Austen's most popular work, Pride and Prejudice. It tells the story of the servants employed by Austen's Bennett family. The housekeeper, Mrs Hill, and her staff of two maidservants, Sara and Polly, are the central characters of the book, and Baker gives us a completely different view of the famous household. When Mr Bennet hires a drifter as a footman, the life of Longbourn is suddenly turned upside down. This book really gives Janeites a new perspective on the original novel. It can also be very entertaining for those who have never read Pride and Prejudice, but like a story set in a different place and time. The novel is now available in our ebook selection.
Categories: Adult fiction, New Materials, Current fiction NOVEMBER 6, 2014
Just finished reading...
 In the Woods by Tana French. If you like detective fiction and are looking for a new series, here's a good one. The Dublin Murder Squad series begins with a riveting murder case which falls to the expertise of sharp Irish detectives Rob Ryan and Cassie Maddox. Their unique relationship has allowed them to be friends as well as partners, and although young, their boss agrees to let them take on the high profile murder of a child. Unfortunately, Rob has a secret in his past that should keep him off the case-as a young boy, he was involved in a similar case which took place in the exact location of the recent murder. With Cassie's agreement, he does not reveal his true identity, and as they investigate, memories of his own experience begin to resurface. French is a masterful writer of prose which puts you squarely into the mind of the character. She has a great eye for detail, and although I thought some parts of the book were dragged out a bit, I would still recommend it as a pretty good page turner. Other books in the Dublin Murder Squad Series are also available at the library.
Categories: Current fiction, Adult fiction NOVEMBER 21, 2011
Just finished reading...
 The Magician King by Lev Grossman. A writer and critic for Time magazine, Grossman has certainly got a way with language. This fantasy for adults has been compared to The Chronicals of Narnia and The Harry Potter Series, and it does deal with themes common to both. Quentin Coldwater, the main character of Grossman's previous novel, The Magicians, returns. He has become a King of Fillory, the imaginary land made real, when Quentin discovered that he had magical powers. But things are beginning to go wrong in Fillory, and needing a change of scene, Quentin sets out on a sea voyage which leads him not only back to Earth, but also to the End of the World. To me, this second installment seemed much more cohesive as a novel. It switches between Quentin's point of view and a flashback to the amazing journey of Julia, a friend from high school who was originally refused admittance to the magic school, Brakebills. Her struggle to find her way in the world of magic without much assistance is interesting and well-conceived. Quentin, however, remains the focus, and we can only hope that he will return for more adventures.
Categories: Adult fiction, Current fiction, New Materials OCTOBER 13, 2011
Just finished reading...
 The Devil's Star by Jo Nesbo. In this novel, Nesbo's Norwegian detective, Harry Hole, is crumbling under the stress of not being able to resolve the murder of his partner. A series of new murders, by what appears to be a serial killer, may be Harry's last case, as his drinking and absence from work may leave him with out a job. In spite of all his faults, however, Harry is still a character we want to succeed. Nesbo is a very effective writer, and his complex but fast moving plot makes you want to keep reading. Try this amazing series from one of the newest stars in the detective genre.
Categories: Adult fiction, Current fiction SEPTEMBER 6, 2011
Just finished reading...
 Embassytown by China Mieville. Humans on a strange planet in the far distant future have forged a sort of alliance with the indigenous population, called Ariekei. In order to communicate with the creatures, pairs of Ambassadors have to be matched and trained to speak the Ariekei's unusual language. As you may have guessed this is science fiction, but it is also a book which challenges the reader to look at speech, communication, and writing in new ways. Mieville has created a world that takes a few chapters to absorb, but once you're there, the story effectively carries you along, and you find yourself rooting for his compelling heroine Avice to save her planet from destruction. Want something different? This novel is definitely that.
Categories: Adult fiction, New Materials, Current fiction AUGUST 20, 2011
Just finished reading...
 Once Upon a River by Bonnie Jo Campbell. The sentimental title of this novel is rather deceptive, although Campbell has managed to create a sort of fairy tale world set along an imaginary tributary of the Kalamazoo River in southwestern Michigan. The novel's focus, a teenager named Margo Crane, has grown up with the river as her companion. She is more in touch with its moods than with any of the people around her. A series of family disturbances forces Margo to leave home and search for a new place to center herself. She is determined to live off the land, and as a crack shot with a rifle or a shotgun, that may just be possible. The voice of the narrator, as it speaks from Margo's viewpoint, is filled with the essence of the river and those who live along it. Some critics have compared Margo to Huck Finn, and there are some similarities, but make no mistake, this is a book about modern times, even though the characters sometimes seem as though they are in another world. Campbell has won several awards for her fiction, and I'm sure we'll be hearing more from her.
Categories: New Materials, Adult fiction, Current fiction AUGUST 11, 2011
Just finished reading...
 The Preacher by Camilla Lackberg. I picked this up in error as it is actually the second book in the series, but can easily be read on its own. Lackberg is another in the windfall of Scandinavian crime writers being translated into English these days. While not as cerebral a writer as Nesbo, as bleak as Mankell's Wallander, or as violent as Larsson's Millenium Series, Lackberg's prose is interesting and engaging to read. Her detective, Patrick Hedstrom, is a young policeman, about to become a father in this volume. When three bodies are found in a popular tourist area, Patrick is put in charge of the case, but he is plagued by a heatwave, a family feud, and a bunch of unwanted visitors at home. The translation of this novel seems a bit more straightforward and easier to read than some of the other writers in the genre. Try it, or choose the first in the series, The Ice Princess, also available at the library.
Categories: New Materials, Adult fiction AUGUST 8, 2011
Wishes granted
 Thanks to a grant from the Schuylkill Area Community Foundation, the library will be expanding its audio book collection. A grant of award of $500 will be used to purchase 19 new audio books on CD with cases. These include favorites like Michael Connelly, James Patterson, and Debbie Macomber. Popular titles such as Twilight, The Kite Runner, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are also included. Audio books add a new dimension to the activity of reading, and a popular with commuters, those with impaired sight, and other who, like me, enjoy the opportunity to listen to a book while driving, walking, or even lying in bed. These new additions should all be ready for borrowing by the end of August.
Categories: New Materials, Adult fiction, From the Librarian AUGUST 4, 2011
Just finished reading...
 Nemesis by Jo Nesbo. In this second Harry Hole novel, Harry is caught up in two cases-a bank robbery ending in murder, and the mysterious death of an old girlfriend. Unfortunately, Harry was probably the last person to see the woman alive! As he tries to reconcile his grief for his lost partner, a disturbing period of amnesia, and the pleasures and pains of a new relationship, Harry is once again forced to make his own rules to solve the crimes, much to the dismay of his superiors. These books are like potato chips-you can't read just one! Try them now before they get even more popular, and you'll have to be on the waiting list.
Categories: Adult fiction, New Materials AUGUST 1, 2011
Just finished reading...
 .........The Wood Beyond by Reginald Hill. I read this Dalziel and Pascoe series mystery while I was on vacation. I found it very fitting, as I was in Belgium and in this story Yorkshire policeman Peter Pascoe is taken back in time and place to that very country. After his grandmother's funeral, he finds himself left with the job of distributing her ashes as requested in the will. This task leads him to information about his great-grandfather, a soldier who served in Belgium during the first World War. Hill's mysteries are always complex, and he likes to blend the intricacies of the case with the everyday events in the lives of the detectives. An attack on a research company by a group of animal activists, soon connects with Pascoe's personal research into his family history, You can find this book in paperback at the library, and we also have several other selections in this long-standing detective series.
Categories: Classic Fiction, New Materials, Adult fiction JULY 5, 2011
Just finished reading...
 Tigerlily's Orchids by Ruth Rendell. In Rendell's latest psychological thriller, she examines a group of dwellers in a suburban neighborhood. Stuart Font has just inherited a bit of money, and he uses it to buy a flat. He invites his neighbors to a party- a trio of college girls who share a flat, a woman who is trying to drink herself to death, a middle-aged bachelor, and even the building's handyman. The party is soon interrupted, however , by a man with a cudgel, who breaks Stuart's arm and threatens further damage. As the tenants begin to learn more about each other, secrets are revealed which soon lead to more frightening events in the housing complex. Dark and sinister, like all of Rendell's work, this novel deals with a familiar theme-seemingly ordinary people who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances. You can find this and more of her work at the library.
Categories: Current fiction, New Materials, Adult fiction JUNE 27, 2011
I Spy
 Since the end of the Cold War, the spy novel has been struggling to evolve as a genre. While there are a few secret agents out there still flourishing-Daniel Silva's Gabriel Allon is one I can think of-readers don't seem so interested in spying these days. I recently had the pleasure of rewatching the first parts of John LeCarre's masterful A Perfect Spy, dramatized back in 1987 by the BBC, and available on Netflix. I was reminded of the pure pleasure of reading the wonderful book from which it was adapted. LeCarre's creation, Magnus Pym, is indeed perfectly portrayed, along with his con-man father, Rick and the refugee friend whom he betrays, Axel. It may be getting old, but it is still worth a read, if you are missing those golden days of the British spy.
Categories: Classic Fiction, Adult fiction JUNE 20, 2011
Just finished reading...
 The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo. O'blah mentioned this new author in her post a few weeks ago, and I got a chance to read the first book in the series. Well, it isn't really, but it is the first that's been translated into English from the original Norwegian. Nesbo's detective, Harry Hole, can be compared to many other work-obsessed detectives with lonely, troubled personal lives like Connelly's Harry Bosch or Wingfield's Jack Frost, but the similarities don't make him any less appealing. Nesbo has been acclaimed as the next Stieg Larsson, author of the Millenium Series, but Nesbo is actually a much better writer. The plot of this book is very complex and will definitely keep you guessing, but it is the wonderful characters that capture your attention. The library has five of the Harry Hole series just waiting for you to try.
Categories: New Materials, Adult fiction, Current fiction MARCH 25, 2011
Just finished listening to...
 The Help by Kathryn Stockett. What a thoughtful, delightful, inspiring book this is! And how meaningful to those of the baby-boomer generation. In 1960's Jackson, Mississippi, Eugenia Phelan, also known as Skeeter, has just returned from college. She is looking to make a place for herself in the world, preferably not under the thumb of her overbearing mother, Charlotte. But Skeeter's old friends, Hilly Holbrook and Elizabeth Leefolt are interested only in the Junior League, their ambitious husbands, and having children. Pursuing her interest in writing with a purpose, Skeeter seeks the help of two unlikely partners-Aibileen Clark and Minny Jackson, two black maids who agree to tell Skeeter what it is really like to serve the privileged ladies of white Jackson society. This partnership results in real change for Skeeter, her friends, and for the black women who agree to tell their stories. The book is filled with references to the early Sixties and the news and cultural events that marked the decade-the Kennedy assassination, integration in Mississippi, Bob Dylan, and mini-skirts all make an appearance. I would venture to say that everyone who has read or listened to this book, whether staff or patron, has enjoyed and recommended it to others. We have both the book and the audiobook versions. The latter uses different voices for the main characters and is very well done. Read this soon-the film comes out in August, 2011!
Categories: Adult fiction, Audio Books, Just for Seniors MARCH 6, 2011
Books on Tape
 If you still have a cassette player, you might be interested in a book on tape currently available in our rotating collection. P. D. James wrote her first mystery novel when she was forty. Until that time, she was employed in the British Civil Service. Too bad she didn't start to write sooner, for her work is excellent. Cover Her Face was the first of her acclaimed Inspector Dalgliesh series, and it is detective fiction of the classic kind. A cozy country house, a tightly knit family group, a brazen interloper-this novel has all the elements of a good English mystery. The character of the detective is not yet quite developed-we are just getting to know Dalgliesh, and his backstory is only partially revealed. Once you get a taste of P. D. James, you will most probably want more.
Categories: Adult fiction, Classic Fiction, Audio Books JANUARY 11, 2011
Just finished listening to...
 Angel's Flight by Michael Connelly. In my efforts to entice more people to try some of our audio books, I sampled one of America's most popular authors of police detective fiction to tell you about. Connelly's Detective Harry Bosch finds himself pulled from his regular Hollywood beat in order to investigate the murder of influential civil rights attorney, Howard Elias. Almost at once, Bosch realizes that something isn't quite right, and that he and his team are being put into the middle of a tense situation pitting police against mobs of angry citizens. Harry is an irresistible guy-tough, rough around the edges, but loyal to his friends and capable of great depth of feeling. He is surround by a wealth of interesting characters, and placed into a plot which keeps you guessing to the end. This particular novel is available in hardcover as well as on tape, but Dick Hill's reading on the audio version is superb. Other Bosch adventures, some on CD, are also in the library's collection.
Categories: Classic Fiction, Adult fiction  Search
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