Top Rated Books of the Summer…6/6-6/21

Our Adult Summer Reading Participants have been super busy reading and writing reviews for their favorite books. So far, we have 105 Adults signed up and they have read a total of 211 books! Here is a list of the books that they’ve rated as deserving 5 stars*****. If you click the titles, you’ll be taken to the catalog where you can place a hold on the book, if you’d like.

Al Capone Does My Shirts By Gennifer Choldenko
Al Capone Shines My Shoes By Gennifer Choldenko
American Evita By Christopher Anderson
Angela’s Ashes By Frank Mccourt
Around My French Table By Dorie Greenspan
As You Like It By Shakespeare
This Body Of Death By Elizabeth George
Broke By Glenn Beck
Brother, I’m Dying By Edwide Danticat
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Omnibus Volume 1 By Scott Allie
Cold Sassy Tree By Olive Ann Burns
The Confession By John Grisham
Crazy Love By Francis Chan
Embassytown By China Mieville
Fall Of Giants By Ken Follett
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo By Stieg Larsson
The Glass Castle By Jeanette Walls
God Is Not Great By Christopher Hitchens
A Great Deliverance By Elizabeth George
Hellboy: Conqueror Worm By Mike Mignola
The Help By Kathryn Stockett
I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell By Tucker Max
If You Ask Me And (Of Course You Won’t) By Betty White
The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove By Susan Gregg Gilmore
Inkdeath By Cornelia Funke
Inkspell By Cornelia Funke
The Kind Diet By Alicia Silverstone
Last Song By Nicholas Sparks
The Lies We Told By Diane Chamberlain
Mists Of Avalon By Marion Zimmer Bradley
Moloka’i By Alan Brennert
Mossflower By Brian Jacques
The Murderer’s Daughters By Randy Susan Meyers
My Bread By Jim Lahey
Naked Now By Richard Rohr
Never Let Me Go By Kazuo Ishigurd
No Passengers Beyond This Point By Gennifer Choldenko
North And South By John Jakes
On Rue Tatin: Living And Cooking In A French Town By Susan Hermann Loomis
One Day By David Nichollos
Open By Andre Agassi
Oryx And Crake By Margaret Atwood
Pearl In The Sand By Tessa Afshar
Play Dead By Harlen Coben
Possum Living: How To Live Well Without A Job And With (Almost) No Money By Dolly Freed
The Postcard Killers By James Patterson
A Promise To Remember By Kathryn Cushman
The Prostitute’s Ball By Stephen Cannell
The Remains Of The Day By Kazuo Ishiguro
A River In The Sky By Elizabeth Peters
Safe Haven By Nicholas Sparks
Scorecasting By Tobias Moskowitz
Size 14 Is Not Fat Either By Mag Cabot
South Of Broad By Pat Conroy
Sputnik Sweetheart By Haruki Murakami
Strangers At The Feast By Jennifer Vanderbes
The Taste Of Home of Home Cookbook
Too Good To Be True By Kristen Higgins
True Grit By Charles Portis
The 12th Planet By Zecharia Sitchin
Twilight By Stephanie Meyers
Unbroken: A World War II Story Of Survival, Resilience, And Redemption By Laura Hillenbrand
Undead And Unreturnable By MaryJanice Davidson
Water For Elephants By Sara Gruen
Winter Solstice By Rosamunde Pilcher
Winter’s Bone By Daniel Woodrell
With The Old Breed By Eugene B. Sledge
You Are Your Own Gym By Mark Lauren

 

New Fiction – June 2011

The Adults
Alison Espach
F ESP
Emily Vidal, a smart and snarky teenager, is the center of this tale of an affluent suburban universe where neighbors commit suicide and high school teachers have suspect relationships with students.  A world where an adult and a child can be mistaken for the same thing.

All the Time in the World
E.L. Doctorow
F DOC
The noted author presents a new collection of short fiction featuring characters who are “distinct from their surroundings — people in some sort of contest with the prevailing world.”

Bel-Air Dead
Stuart Woods
F WOO
In the wealthy Bel-Air district of Los Angeles, Stone Barrington comes face-to-face with his past when he is recruited by a beautiful widow.

Binocular Vision
Edith Pearlman
F PEA
A collection of short stories by an author who has received numerous rave reviews.

Breaking the Rules
Suzanne Brockmann
F BRO
A new entry in the author’s Troubleshooters series, features Izzy Zanella and his Navy SEAL teammate’s beautiful younger sister, Eden.

Butterfly’s Child
Angela Davis-Gardner
F DAV
What happened after the ending of the story from the famous opera Madame Butterfly?

Elizabeth I
Margaret George
F GEO
The legendary and enigmatic Queen Elizabeth is depicted by a noted historical novelist who presents an answer to the question “but what was she really like?”

Emily Alone
Stewart O’Nan
F ONA
A sequel to Wish You Were Here follows Emily Maxwell, a widow whose grown children have moved away from Pittsburgh.  From an award-winning Pittsburgh author.

A Heartbeat Away
Michael Palmer
F PAL
On the night of the State of the Union address, President Allaire is forced to quarantine everyone in the Capitol building after a terrorist group unleashes a highly contagious virus.

Heartwood
Belva Plain
F PLA
The beloved author’s last novel returns to the world of Evergreen.

Learning to Swim
Sara J. Henry
F HEN
When she witnesses a small child tumbling from a ferry into Lake Champlain, Troy Chance dives in without thinking.

Live Wire
Harlan Coben
F COB
Myron Bolitar is always quick to defend his clients’ interests no matter what the cost.  When former tennis star Suzze T and her rock star husband, Lex, encounter an anonymous posting on Facebook, Lex runs off and Suzze turns to Myron for help.

The Love of My Youth
|Mary Gordon
F GOR
Miranda and Adam, high-school sweethearts, happen to meet again after more than thirty years and re-immerse themselves in their shared past.

The Mozart Conspiracy
Scott Mariani
F MAR
As the cover states: “James Bond meets Jason Bourne meets The Da Vinci Code.”

My New American Life
Francine Prose
F PRO
Lula, a 26-year-old Albanian woman living in New York City on an expiring tourist visa, hopes to make a better life for herself in America. By a noted author.

Night Road
Kristin Hannah
F HAN
For eighteen years, Jude Farraday has put her twins, Mia and Zach, ahead of herself and they are bright and happy teenagers.  Their life becomes much more difficult, however, when Lexi moves into their small-knit community.

Pacific Glory
P.T. Deutermann
F DEU
An old-fashioned military adventure that features three inseparable friends during their Naval Academy years and whose lives are forever changed by the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941.

The Peach Keeper
Sarah Addison Allen
F ALL
The author of The Girl Who Chased the Moon welcomes you to a new locale: Walls of Water, North Carolina, where the secrets are as thick as the fog from the town’s famous waterfalls.

Please Look After Mom
Kyung-Sook Shin
F SIN
A Korean bestseller, a moving story of a family’s search for their mother, who goes missing one afternoon amid the crowds of the Seoul Station subway.

The Silver Boat
Luanne Rice
F RIC
A heartwarming portrait of three far-flung sisters who come to Martha’s Vineyard one last time to say good-bye to the family beach house.

Slow Dancing on Price’s Pier
Lisa Dale
F DAL
Fifteen yeas ago, Garret Sorensen’s family, trust, and heart were destroyed when Thea Celik married his brother.  Now that her marriage is ending in divorce, perhaps Garret can put the past behind him.

This Vacant Paradise
Victoria Patterson
F PAT
The 1990’s—Newport Beach, California.  Esther Wilson has the looks to marry well, but things aren’t going as planned.

Tiger Hills
Sarita Mandanna
F MAN
As the first girl to be born into the Nachimanda family in over sixty years, the beautiful Devi is the object of adoration of her entire family.  This is her story.  Starred reviews accompany this first novel.

The Trinity Six
Charles Cumming
F CUM
The 1930’s five-member Cambridge spy ring comprised the most notorious Russian spies in history.  But what if there were a sixth man, a member of the ring whose identity was never revealed?

The Uncoupling
Meg Wolitzer
F WOL
The author of The Ten-Year Nap returns with a story of the strange consequences that occur to a high school community  after a new drama teacher chooses Lysistrata as the school play.

The Watery Part of the World
Michael Parker
F PAR
A haunting story that spans over one hundred years of life on a barrier island off the coast of North Carolina.  It all begins in 1813 when Theodosia Burr, en route to New York to meet her father, Aaron Burr, disappears.

New Fiction – April 2011

Agent X 
Noah Boyd
F BOY
FBI-agent-turned-bricklayer Steve Vail once helped solve a brilliant extortion plot.  But now the FBI has another unsolvable problem and it has Vail’s name written all over it.

Cleaning Nabokov’s House
Leslie Daniels
F DAN
When Barb Barrett walks out of her loveless marriage she doesn’t realize she will lose everything.  As she begins to collect the scattered pieces of her life, she moves into a house once occupied by Vladimir Nabokov.

Destiny and Desire
Carlos Fuentes
F FUE
Passion, magic and desire in modern Mexico from an acclaimed author.

A Discovery of Witches
Deborah Harkness
F HAR
A centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch and a mysterious manuscript found in Oxford’s Bodleian Library are bound together in this intriguing novel.

Emily and Einstein
Linda Francis Lee
F LEE
After her husband is killed in a tragic accident, Emily is forced to find out who her husband really was.  She finds comfort in a scruffy dog named Einstein.

The Fates Will Find Their Way
Hannah Pittard
F PIT
Sixteen-year-old Nora Lindell is missing.  And the neighborhood boys she’s left behind are caught forever in the mystery of her absence.

Gideon’s Sword    
Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
F PRE
A thriller introducing Gideon Crew: trickster, prodigy, and master thief,  from a pair of well-known authors.

Gideon’s War     
Howard Gordon
F GOR
Gideon Davis has just 48 hours to bring his rogue agent brother in — before a twisted global conspiracy turns deadly.  A fiction debut by the producer of the TV series 24.

I Think I Love You
Allison Pearson
F PEA
The author of I Don’t Know How She Does It returns with a story of first love and how that ardor of youth can ignite an adult life. What happens when your 13-year-old fan obsession is realized when you’re pushing forty?

In Office Hours
Lucy Kellaway
F KEL
Stella and Bella are two intelligent working women who each fall for impossible lovers—at work.  The excitement and absurdity of office romance.

The Informationist
Taylor Stevens
F STE
Vanessa Munroe deals in information—expensive information—for corporations, and anyone else who can pay for her unique brand of expertise.   Starred reviews for a debut author.  Thriller, anyone?

Journal of a UFO Investigator
David Halperin
F HAL
Danny Shapiro is an isolated teenager who creates a reality of his own that blends seamlessly with his day-to-day life.  What is real? What is imagined?  A heartfelt debut from a promising author.

The Matchmaker of Kenmare
Frank Delaney
F DEL
An Irish story of friendship and sacrifice during the years of World War II.

Minding Frankie
Maeve Binchy
F MIN
Joy, heartbreak and hope abound in this tale of a motherless girl who is being raised by a close-knit Dublin community.

Night Vision
Randy Wayne White
F WHI
Doc Ford finds himself on another suspenseful ride when he discovers that a lot is going on in the Red Citrus trailer park.  Vintage suspense from a master of the genre.

Now You See Her
Joy Fielding
F FIE
Fifty-year-old Marcy Taggart is newly divorced, following the presumed death of her daughter Devon.  Attempting to heal her heartache, she finds herself on a desperate search hoping that her daughter is still alive.

The Old Romantic
Louise Dean
F DEA
Nick and his long-estranged family discover that blood is indeed thicker than water in a hilarious, yet moving, domestic comedy. British humor, anyone?

The Paris Wife
Paula McLain
F MCL
A remarkable place and time features Ernest Hemingway and his first wife Hadley Richardson as they are swept up with the “lost generation” of Paris in the 1920’s.

Portraits of a Marriage
Sándor Márai
F MAR
A rediscovered novel by the noted Hungarian author of Embers is an exploration of a triangle of entanglement during the years between the two World Wars.

Three Stages of Amazement
Carol Edgarian
F EDG
Charlie and Lena grew up in San Francisco believing they could have it all, but now, in early middle age, life has delivered surprises and tests.

The Tiger’s Wife
Téa Obreht
F OBR
In a Balkan country mending from years of conflict, Natalia, a young doctor, arrives on a mission of mercy at an orphanage.  Soon she has a feeling that age-old superstitions and secrets are gathering  around her.

The Weird Sisters
Eleanor Brown
F BRO
Unlucky in work, love, and life, the Andreas sisters return to their childhood home.  And each has a secret she’s unwilling to share.  Starred reviews.

When the Killing’s Done
T.C. Boyle
F BOY
Alma Boyd Takesue is a National Park Service biologist who is hoping to save the native species of the Channel Islands from invasive species, such as rats and feral pigs.  Her antagonist, Dave LaJoy, is fiercely opposed to the killing of any species.  An engrossing story with great reviews.

The Whisperers
John Connolly
F CON
Charlie Parker is faced with sinister events in the vast Great North Woods along the border of Maine and Canada. A dangerous smuggling operation is being run by disenchanted former soldiers and is more terrifying than anyone can imagine.

The Year of the Hare
Arto Paasilinna
F PAA
A comic novel by a Finnish author who has been amusing Finns for thirty years and world-wide readers in twenty-five languages.

New Biographies – April 2011

Against All Odds: My Life of Hardship, Fast Breaks and Second Chances
Scott Brown
B BROWN
The extraordinary life journey of the current U.S. Senator from Massachusetts.

All That Is Bitter and Sweet
Ashley Judd
B JUDD
The author explains why she opted out of a successful Hollywood career to find her true calling: as a humanitarian and advocate for those suffering in neglected parts of the world.

Amelia Earhart: The Turbulent Life of an American Icon
Kathleen C. Winters
B WINTERS
When Amelia Earhart vanished over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 during an attempted around the world flight, she was at the height of her fame.  A fascinating portrait of a complex woman.

American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare, The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee
Karen Abbott
B LEE
The extraordinary life of Gypsy Rose Lee and the world she survived and conquered.

And Furthermore
Judi Dench
B DENCH
The life story of the famed British actress, Dame Dench, in her own words.

And I Shall Have Some Peace There: Trading in the Fast Lane for My Own Dirt Road
Margaret Roach
B ROACH
The author left her big-city life, including her work as an editorial director for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, to seek an entirely different reward.

Bird Cloud
Annie Proulx
B PROULX
Bird Cloud is the name Annie Proulx gave to the 640 acres of Wyoming wetlands and prairie that she calls home.

Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef
Gabrielle Hamilton
B HAMILTON
Before the author opened her acclaimed New York restaurant Prune, she spent twenty hard-living years trying to find purpose and meaning in her life.

A Box of Darkness: The Story of a Marriage
Sally Ryder Brady
B BRADY
Upton and Sally Brady were cultivated and elegant, living a life of literary glamour and high expectations. The author looks back on her marriage of forty-six years and the discoveries that she made following her husband’s death.

Branch Rickey
Jimmy Breslin
B BRESLIN
In 1947, as president and general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Branch Rickey defied racism on and off the field to bring Jackie Robinson into the major leagues.

Day of Honey: A Memoir of Food, Love and War
Annia Ciezadlo
B CIEZADLO
In the fall of 2003, the author spent her honeymoon in Baghdad.  Over the next six years, while living in Baghdad and Beirut, she finds the rituals of food and friendship sustaining in a time of war.

The Elephant to Hollywood
Michael Caine
B CAINE
The acclaimed actor tells the story of his transformation from Maurice Micklewhite to Sir Michael Caine.

The Foremost Good Fortune
Susan Conley
B CONLEY
When her family says good-bye to family and friends in Maine for two-years in Beijing, China, that have little concept of just how much their lives will change.

Galileo
J.L. Heilbron
B GALILEO
The hero and martyr of science is captured through a wide-angled lens that takes in the wide spectrum of culture, religion, science, theology and politics of late Renaissance Italy.

I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness to The Blind Side and Beyond
Michael Oher
B OHER
An account of the  Baltimore Ravens football player who is at the center of the book and the movie, The Blind Side. Here’s his own story.

I Love a Broad Margin to My Life
Maxine Hong Kingston
B KINGSTON
Reflections related in flowing verse lines explore the author’s thoughts as she turns sixty-five.

I’m Over All That: and Other Confessions
Shirley MacLaine
B MACLAINE
The author has reached the time in her life when she realizes what is truly important and what just doesn’t matter any more.

Jackie as Editor: The Literary Life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Greg Lawrence
B ONASSIS
A chronicle of an important part of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’s life—her nineteen-year editorial career.

J.D. Salinger: A Life
Kenneth Slawenski
B SALINGER
The mysterious and reclusive author of The Catcher in the Rye is revealed in this examination of his life.

Known and Unknown: A Memoir
Donald Rumsfeld
B RUMSFELD
A memoir of the controversial Secretary of Defense and his half-century career in public service.

The Memory Palace: A Memoir
B BARTOK
Mira Bartók
“A disturbing, mesmerizing personal narrative about growing up with a brilliant but schizophrenic mother…. Richly textured, compassionate, and heartbreaking.” Kirkus Reviews.

My Thoughts Be Bloody: The Bitter Rivalry Between Edwin and John Wilkes Booth that Led to an American Tragedy
Nora Titone
B BOOTH
A penetrating look a the personal stories of the Booth family and the background rivalry that was integral to the assassin’s motivation.

Poser: My Life in Twenty-Three Yoga Poses
Claire Dederer
B DEDERER
After throwing out her back ten years ago, the author turned to yoga and soon fell in love with the practice, both physically and spiritually.

Tough Without a Gun: The Life and Extraordinary Afterlife of Humphrey Bogart
Stefan Kanfer
B BOGART
A look at one of the great movie icons of the 20th century and an appraisal of the actor’s singular legacy.

Townie: A Memoir
Andre Dubus III
B DUBUS
After their parents divorced in the 1970s, the author and his three siblings grew up with their working mother in a town where drugs and violence were an everyday occurrence. On Sundays his father, a college professor, took the kids to a totally different world.

Wait for Me! Memoirs
Deborah Mitford, Duchess of Devonshire
B DEVONSHIRE
The remarkable life story of the youngest of the famous Mitford family, from her eccentric childhood to her residence at the noted historic home of Chatsworth.

A Widow’s Story: A Memoir
Joyce Carol Oates
B OATES
The noted author unveils a poignant memoir about the unexpected death of her husband of forty-six years and its wrenching aftermath.

New Fiction – Winter 2011

The Accident By Ismail Kadare – “A psychological thriller of twisted passions, dual identities, and political subterfuge.”
American Assassin By Vince Flynn – Mitch Rapp takes on his first assignment, in the wake of the Pan Am Lockerbie terrorist attack.  The story of how it all began.
The Athena Project By Brad Thor – The world’s most elite counterterrorism unit has just taken its game to an entirely new level — and not a moment too soon.
Being Polite to Hitler By Robb Forman Dew – At age fifty-four, Agnes Scofield realizes that she is tired of the routine of her life.  Family drama in post-World War II America.
The Book of Tomorrow By Cecelia Ahern – What if we knew what tomorrow would bring? Would we fix it? Could we?
The Brave By Nicholas Evans – The author of The Horse Whisperer relates the story of one man’s struggle to save his son—and himself—from the mistakes of the past.
Clara and Mr. Tiffany By Susan Vreeland – Who was the woman who designed nearly all of the iconic leaded-glass lamps for which Tiffany is now remembered?  From the author of Luncheon of the Boating Party.
The Cypress House By Michael Koryta – A journey to Florida’s coast becomes an inescapable nightmare in this supernatural thriller.
Dead or Alive By Tom Clancy – After almost a decade, Tom Clancy returns.  Need we say more?
Dead Spy Running By Jon Stock – Daniel Marchant, a suspended M16 officer, is running the London Marathon.  He is also running out of time.
Dead Zero By Stephen Hunter – The latest mission for veteran sniper Bob Lee Swagger who may have met the only man who can outshoot him.
The Death Instinct By Jed Rubenfeld – Set against the backdrop of the devastating Wall Street bombing of September 1920 is the story of a tumultuous time following WWI.
Eighteen Acres By Nicolle Wallace – To the world it is known as the White House.  To the staff that works twelve to fifteen hours a day there, it’s the “Eighteen Acres.”
The Final Reckoning By Sam Bourne – Tom Byrne, once an idealistic young lawyer, uncovers a clandestine brotherhood and a sixty-year-old secret — the last great mystery of World War II.
The Golden Mean By Annabel Lyon – An intriguing re-imagining of the relationship between the philosopher Aristotle and his most famous pupil, the young Alexander the Great.
Great House By Nicole Krauss – A desk of many drawers exerts a power over those who possess it or have given it away.  A meaningful series of interconnected stories that has received wonderful reviews
Hell’s Corner By David Baldacci – John Carr, aka Oliver Stone, has been requested by the president to serve his country on another high-risk, covert mission.  A Camel Club thriller.
I Still Dream About You By Fannie Flagg – The popular author is back with another southern charmer full of mystery and hilarity.
The Illumination By Kevin Brockmeier – In the aftermath of a fatal car accident, a private journal of love notes written by a husband to his wife passes into the keeping of a hospital patient, and from there through the hands of five other suffering people, touching each of them uniquely.
In the Company of Others By Jan Karon – Episocopal priest Tim Kavanaugh has used every excuse to not leave his parish in Mitford, but now that he’s retired, he decides on a trip to the land of his Irish ancestors.
Judas Gate By Jack Higgins – A disturbing audiotape from an ambush in Afghanistan seems to suggest that some of the Taliban voices have a British accent.  Sean Dillon is in charge of hunting the traitors, but as he is going to war — the war is coming to him.
Khan: Empire of Silver By Conn Iggulden – The author presents the latest title in his epic series of the life and times of the infamous Genghis Khan.
The Lake of Dreams By Kim Edwards – Remember The Memory Keeper’s Daughter?  Back with her second book, the author recounts the story of Lucy Jarrett who returns  to upstate New York to find herself haunted by her father’s death.
Left Neglected By Lisa Genova – The author of Still Alice, relates the story supermom, Sarah Nickerson, whose jam-packed life comes to a screeching halt when an accident causes a traumatic brain injury.
Lord of Misrule By Jaimy Gordon – A look at the rock-bottom characters who inhabit the world of cheap horse racing at Indian Mound Downs, downriver from Wheeling, West Virginia.
Luka and the Fire of Life By Salman Rushdie – The author revisits the magical world he first brought to life in Haroun and the Sea of Stories.  Luka, Haroun’s younger brother, must save his father from certain doom.
Midsummer Night By Freda Warrington – A story of the world of Aetherials—the fair folk—and their encounters with the inhabitants of a remote British estate.  Magic.
Moonlight Mile By Dennis Lehane – Investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro return in this thriller that once again finds them searching for a missing Amanda McCready.
An Object of Beauty By Steve Martin – The well-known entertainer and author has garnered great reviews in this latest book featuring the art world of New York City.
Of Love and Evil By Anne Rice – Following his introduction in Angel Time, Toby O’Dare travels to the world of fifteenth-century Rome.  Once again, the angel Malchiah needs him to solve a terrible crime.
The Orchid Affair By Lauren Willig – A new heroine is introduced in this historical suspense series featuring the mysterious spy known as the Pink Carnation. Laura Grey trades in her life as a governess to join the Selwick Spy School.
Our Kind of Traitor By John le Carré – Lehman Brothers has collapsed and Britain is on the brink of economic collapse. A young English couple, vacationing in Antigua, has a fateful encounter with Dima, a Russian money launderer.
The Passages of H.M.: A Novel of Herman Melville By Jay Parini – From the author of The Last Station, the story of the adventurous life and tragic literary career of Herman Melville.
The Poison Tree By Erin Kelly – A psychological thriller about the secrets that remain when a bohemian summer of excess turns deadly.  Intriguing characters and a shocker of an ending.
The Radleys By Matt Haig “The Radleys is, first and foremost, the remarkable story of a family, born of denial and deceit, learning to tell the truth.  That the family in question happens to be undead is secondary…”  Vampires.
Redback by Kirk Russell – June, 1989. U.S.-Mexico border.  A DEA undercover operation goes horribly wrong and informant Billy Takado is killed.  The fallout costs Special Agent John Marques his career.  Eighteen years later, the past returns.
The Red Garden By Alice Hoffman – The noted author presents the haunting world of Blackwell, Massachusetts with its glimpse of small-town America and three hundred years of passion, dark secrets, loyalty, and redemption.
Rescue By Anita Shreve – “A rookie paramedic pulls a young woman from her totaled car, a first rescue that begins a lifelong tangle of love and wreckage.”
The Secret Soldier By Alex Berenson – John Wells may have left the CIA, but he hasn’t left the high-stakes world of espionage, where hidden battles determine the fate of nations.
Separate Beds By Elizabeth Buchan – A story of economic breakdown and romantic recovery from the author of the Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman.
Strategic Moves By Stuart Woods – Stone Barrington is enjoying his usual dinner at Elaine’s when his boss at Woodman & Weld begins to talk about a partnership.
Sunset Park By Paul Auster – Contemporary America is illuminated in the stories of a wide range of characters who are brought together by the mysterious Miles Heller during the months of the 2008 economic collapse.
Swamplandia! By Karen Russell – In the swamps of the Florida Everglades, we are introduced to Ava Bigtree, an unforgettable young heroine, who finds herself managing a gator-wrestling theme park. Great reviews!
Three Seconds By Anders Roslund and Börge Hellström – Piet Hoffman is the Swedish police’s most valuable undercover agent.  He is working inside the Polish mafia that is trying to take over amphetamine distribution within Sweden’s prison system.  Scandinavian crime!
The Trials of Zion By Alan M. Dershowitz – An act of terrorism brings the tensions of the Middle East to a boiling point.  In the midst of this turmoil, a young Jewish, American lawyer joins the legal team of a possibly innocent Palestinian.
The Twelfth Imam By Joel C. Rosenberg – A Mideast thriller “ripped from the headlines.”
Valley Forge: George Washington and the Crucible of Victory By Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen – During the winter of 1777, Washington’s battered, demoralized army retreats from Philadelphia to face the deadly winter at Valley Forge.
The Wake of Forgiveness By Bruce Machart – In the winter of 1910 a Texan boy, Karel, rides in an ultimate high-stakes race against a Spanish patriarch and his alluring daughters.  Hanging in the balance are his father’s fortune, his brothers’ futures and his own fate.
What the Night Knows By Dean Koontz – Chilling suspense in a ghost story unlike any you may have ever read.
The Weekend By Bernhard Schlink – The author of The Reader returns with the story of old friends and lovers who reunite for a weekend after spending decades apart. But the reminiscences are not at all typical of the usual ones about old times.
West of Here By Jonathan Evison – In 1889, the rugged alpine wilderness of the Olympic Peninsula remained America’s last frontier.  At the foot of the Elwha River, the outpost of Port Bonita is about to become a boom town.
The Winter Ghosts By Kate Mosse – The author of Labyrinth returns with a haunting tale of two lives who are touched by war, but are transformed by courage.
The Wolves of Andover By Kathleen Kent – From the author of The Heretic’s Daughter comes a story of love and intrigue set in the harsh wilderness of colonial Massachusetts.

New Biographies – End of 2010

Angelina By Andrew Morton – B JOLIE
As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto: Food, Friendship and the Making of a Masterpiece By Joan Reardon, ed. – B CHILD
At Home in Japan: A Foreign Woman’s Journey of Discovery By Rebecca Otowa – B OTOWA
Autobiography of Mark Twain—Volume 1 By Mark Twain – B TWAIN
Beautiful: The Life of Hedy Lamarr By Stephen Michael Shearer – B LAMARR
Becoming Queen Victoria: The Tragic Death of Princess Charlotte and the Unexpected Rise of Britain’s Greatest Monarch By Kate Williams – B VICTORIA
Bob Dylan in America By Sean Wilentz – B DYLAN
Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard By Liz Murray – B MURRAY
Cakewalk: A Memoir By Kate Moses – B MOSES
Choosing to See: A Journey of Struggle and Hope By Mary Beth Chapman – B CHAPMAN
Chords of Strength: A Memoir of of Soul, Song, and the Power of Perseverance By David Archuleta – B ARCHULETA
Cleopatra: A Life By Stacy Schiff – B CLEOPATRA
Colonel Roosevelt By Edmund Morris – B ROOSEVELT
Coming Back Stronger: Unleashing the Hidden Power of Adversity By Drew Brees – B BREES
Decision Points By George Bush – B BUSH
Double Death: The True Story of Pryce Lewis, The Civil War’s Most Daring Spy By Gavin Mortimer – B LEWIS
Edward Kennedy: An Intimate Biography By Burton Hersh – B KENNEDY
Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family By Condoleeza Rice – B RICE
First Family: Abigail and John Adams By Joseph J. Ellis – B ADAMS
The Flight of the Century: Charles Lindbergh and the Rise of American Aviation By Thomas Kessner – B LINDBERGH
Frank: The Voice By James Kaplan – B SINATRA
Giving It All Away: The Doris Buffett Story By Michael Zitz – B BUFFETT
Going Home to Glory: A Memoir of Life with Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1961-1969 By David Eisenhower – B EISENHOWER
The Grace of Silence: A Memoir By Michele Norris – B NORRIS
Hardcourt Confidential: Tales from Twenty Years in the Pro Tennis Trenches By Patrick McEnroe – B McENROE
The Hare with Amber Eyes: A Family’s Century of Art and Loss By Edmund de Waal – B EPHRUSSI
Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia By Michael Korda – B LAWRENCE
Hoda: How I Survived War Zones, Bad Hair, Cancer, and Kathie Lee By Hoda Kotb – B KOTB
Hollywood: A Third Memoir By Larry McMurtry – B MCMURTRY
In a Heartbeat By Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy – B TUOHY
Jimmy Carter By Julian E. Zelizer – B CARTER
Joe Louis: Hard Times Man By Randy Roberts – B LOUIS
A Journey: My Political Life By Tony Blair – B BLAIR
Just Like Someone Without Mental Illness Only More So By Mark Vonnegut – B VONNEGUT
The Killing of Crazy Horse By Thomas Powers – B CRAZY HORSE
The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America’s Childhood By Jane Leavy – B MANTLE
Late, Late at Night By Rick Springfield – B SPRINGFIELD
Learning to Die in Miami: Confessions of a Refugee Boy By Carlos Eire – B EIRE
Let’s Take the Long Way Home By Gail Caldwell – B CALWELL
Life By Keith Richards – B RICHARDS
The Lost Cyclist: The Epic Tale of an American Adventurer and His Mysterious Disappearance By David V. Herlihy – B LENZ
Louisa May Alcott: A Personal Biography By Susan Cheever – B ALCOTT
Lyndon B. Johnson By Charles Peters – B JOHNSON
The Man Who Invented the Computer: The Biography of John Atanasoff, Digital Pioneer By Jane Smiley – B ATANASOFF
Mary Tudor: Princess, Bastard, Queen By Anna Whitelock – B MARY
Must You Go? My Life with Harold Pinter By Antonia Fraser – B PINTER
Pearl Buck in China: Journey to The Good Earth By Hilary Spurling – B BUCK
Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man By Bill Clegg – B CLEGG
Possessed: The Life of Joan Crawford By Donald Spoto – B CRAWFORD
Robert Morris: Financier of the American Revolution By Charles Rappleye – B MORRIS
Sarah: The Life of Sarah Bernhardt By Robert Gottlieb – B BERNHARDT
Sinatra: Hollywood His Way By Timothy Knight – B SINATRA
Steve McQueen: The Life and Legend of a Hollywood Icon By Marshall Terrill – B McQUEEN
Talking to Girls About Duran Duran: One Young Man’s Quest for True Love and a Cooler Haircut By Rob Sheffield – B SHEFFIELD
Uncharted Territori By Tori Spelling – B SPELLING
William and Harry: Behind the Palace Walls By Katie Nicholl – B WILLIAM

New Mysteries – Summer 2010

The Black Cat

Martha Grimes

M GRI

Blood Vines

Erica Spindler

M SPI

The Bohemian Girl

Kenneth Cameron

M CAM

Broken

Karin Slaughter

M SLA

The Broken Blue Line

Connie Dial

M DIA

Buy Back

Brian M. Wiprud

M WIP

Caper

Parnell Hall

M HAL

The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing

Tarquin Hall

M HAL

City of Veils

Zoë Ferraris

M FER

Cook the Books

Jessica Conant-Park and Susan Conant

M CON

A Curtain Falls

Stefanie Pintoff

M PIN

The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree

Susan Wittig Albert

M ALB

Death Watch

Jim Kelly

M KEL

Devil Amongst the Lawyers

Sharyn McCrumb

M MCR

Faithful Place

Tana French

M FRE

False Mermaid

Erin Hart

M HAR

Freeze Frame

Peter May

M MAY

The Glass Rainbow

James Lee Burke

M BUR

The Good Thief’s Guide to Vegas

Chris Ewan

M EWA

Hangman

Faye Kellerman

M KEL

Ice Cold

Tess Gerritsen

M GER

In Harm’s Way

Ridley Pearson

M PEA

Infamous

Ace Atkins

M AT

The Last Lie

Stephen White

M WH

The Liar’s Lullaby

Meg Gardiner

M GAR

Mist Over the Water

Alys Clare

M CLA

A Murder of Crows

P.F. Chisholm

M CHI

The Ninth Step

Gabriel Cohen

M COH

Random Violence

Jassy Mackenzie

M MAC

Silencing Sam

Julie Kramer

M  KRA

Spider Bones

Kathy Reichs

M REI

The Third Rail

Michael Harvey

M HAR

Tom Wasp and the Newgate Knocker

Amy Myers

M MYE

The Unquiet Bones: The First Chronicle of Hugh de Singleton, Surgeon

Melvin R. Starr

M STA

Wanting Sheila Dead

Jane Haddam

M HAD

New Mystery Books – May 2010

Among Thieves David Hosp, M HOS – In the early hours of March 18, 1990, two men entered Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, tied up the guards, and escaped with 500 million dollars’ worth of paintings.  Based on a true story.

 

 

Apple Turnover Murder Joanne Fluke, M FLU – It’s June in Lake Eden, and for Hannah Swensen, that means bridal showers galore, a massive fundraising event and a killer who never learned that charity begins at home.

 

 

Death at the Alma Mater G.M. Malliet, M MAL – Detective St. Just is called in when the glamorous—and despised—Lexy Laurant is found strangled on the grounds of St. Michael’s College, Cambridge during a fundraising weekend.

 

 

Diary of a Confessions Queen Kathy Carmichael, M CAR – Seven years ago, Amy Crosby’s husband disappeared.  She presumes he’s dead, but when she begins legal proceedings to have him declared deceased, things take a chaotic turn.

 

 

The Double Comfort Safari Club Alexander McCall Smith, M MCCA – A wonderful new installment in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series.  Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi are traveling to a safari camp to carry out a delicate mission.

 

 

Drink the Tea Thomas Kaufman, M KAU – Street-kid Willis Gidney grows up to become a private investigator on the gritty streets of Washington, D.C.   Unfortunately, while investigating a missing person, he is accused of murder.

 

 

Eye of the Red Tsar Sam Eastland, M EAS – A decade after the assassinations of the Romanov family, former secret agent Pekkala is now Prisoner 4745-P and banished to a forest on the outskirts of humanity.

 

 

The God of the Hive Laurie R. King, M KIN – Shocking events force Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes to separate and go on the run, wanted by the police and pursued across the Continent by a ruthless enemy.

 

 

Haunt Me Still Jennifer Lee Carrell, M CAR – The author of Interred with Their Bones returns with a tale of an ancient web of murder that surrounds Shakespeare’s Macbeth,

 

 

Hazard Gardiner Harris, M HAR – Inspector Will Harris is sent to investigate a mining accident and told to clear things up quickly.  But Will senses something suspicious, and decides to follow through, whatever the cost.

 

 

Holly Blues Susan Wittig Albert, M ALB – Ex-lawyer and herbalist Chian Bayles finds that an unwelcome holiday guest creates a very thorny situation for her and her husband.

 

 

If the Dead Rise Not Philip Kerr, M KER – International corruption and dangerous double-dealing involve Bernie Gunther as he is caught in the tense atmosphere surrounding the German 1936 Olympics.

 

 

The Inheritance Simon Tolkien, M TOL – When a famed Oxford historian is found dead in his study one night, all the evidence points to his son, Stephen.

 

 

Known to Eviln Walter Mosley, M MOS – Leonid McGill knows something suspicious is going on as soon as the phone rings.  Alphone Rinaldo, New York’s ultimate fixer has a problem, and he is not someone that a private investigator can say no to.

 

 

Laughed ‘Til He Died Carolyn Hart, M HAR – Intrigue and foul play are no strangers to the  South Carolina sea island of Broward’s Rock.  Mystery bookstore owner Annie Darling and her husband Max are plunged into a web of danger and deceit.

 

 

A Murderous Procession Ariana Franklin, M FRA – The fourth installment of the Mistress of the Art of Death series finds Adelia Aguilar traveling with the King Henry II’s ten-year-old daughter to Palermo, Sicily for her wedding.

 

 

Naked Moon Domenic Stansberry, M STA – Before Dante Mancuso became a San Francisco private investigator, he worked for a secret corporate security firm.  When Dante left, it was not on good terms, buthis past is not quite over.

 

 

Off Track Clare Curzon, M CUR – Superintendent Mike Yeadings is confronted with the aftermath of a vicious and mistaken attack.  During his investigation, grim secrets of national importance begin to emerge.

 

 

Question of Belief Donna Leon, M LEO – The 19th Guido Brunetti mystery finds the stellar commissario longing for a vacation in the mountains, but forced to bake in the Venetian heat as a violent crime puts his vacation plans on hold.

 

 

Requiem In Vienna J. Sydney Jones, M JON – After a singer is killed during rehearsals at Vienna’s Court Opera, the evidence suggests something even more sinister: someone may be trying to murder the famous composer, Gustav Mahler.

 

 

The Shadow of Your Smile Mary Higgins Clark, M CLA – As the last of her line, Olivia Morrow knows that she faces a momentous choice: expose a long-held family secret, or it take it with her to the grave.

 

 

The Spellmans Strike Again Lisa Lutz, M LUT – The latest in the zany world of the Spellmans.  Former wild child Isabel has finally agreed to take over the family business.

 

 

The Spies of Sobeck P.C. Doherty, M DOH – It’s 1477 B.C. and treacherous forces are on the rise in Egypt.  Queen Hatusu’s Chief Judge Amerotke must confront murder and treason.

 

 

This Body of Death Elizabeth George, M GEO – On compassionate leave after the murder of his wife, Thomas Lynley is called back to Scotland Yard when the body of a woman is found stabbed in an isolated London cemetery.

 

 

The Tulip Virus Daniëlle Hermans, M HER – A fast-paced mystery that revolves around real-life events surrounding the economic collapse of the tulip bubble in 17th century Holland.  Much later, in 2007, a murder seems to mirror an earlier one centuries before.

 

 

The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag Alan Bradley, M BRA – Flavia de Luce who was featured in The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie returns to untangle two deaths — separated by time, but linked by the unlikeliest of threads.

New Fiction Books – May 2010

American Taliban Pearl Abraham, F ABR – How does a young American man find himself drawn into an extreme form of Islam?

Arcadia Falls Carol Goodman, F GOO – Meg Rosenthal is driving toward the next chapter in her life. A fresh start at a boarding school in Arcadia Falls, New York, may not have the happy outcome she is hoping for.

The Barbary Pirates William Dietrich, F DIE – Swashbuckling American explorer and ladies’ man, Ethan Gage, finds himself in a desperate race with the Barbary Pirates for an ancient secret super weapon, the mirror of Archimedes.

Bone Fire Mark Spragg, F SPR – Ishawooa, Wyoming, is far from bucolic nowadays.  Sheriff Crance Carlson doesn’t need a reminder, but gets one anyway when he finds a young man murdered in a meth lab.

Born Under a Million Shadows Andrea Busfield, F BUS – Eleven-year-old Fawad, a charming Afghan boy has known more grief than most.  Ever the optimist, his hope for a better life is realized as his mother becomes a housekeeper for three western women.  Star reviews.

The Bradshaw Variations Rachel Cusk, F CUS – How do our choices, our loves and the family life we build, be an echo—a variation—of a theme played out in our own childhood?

Caught Harlan Coben, F COB – The story of a missing girl, the community stunned by her loss, the predator who may have taken her, and the reporter who suddenly realizes that she can’t trust her own instincts.

The Chester Chronicles Kermit Moyer, F MOY – Chet Patterson is an Army brat who grows up during the fifties and sixties.  A look at a time and place through the life of an astute observer.  Great reviews.

Claude and Camille: A Novel of Monet Stephanie Cowell, F COW – The story of the great impressionist painter and the love of his life.

Down to the Wire David Rosenfelt, F ROS – Chris Turley, reporter for a small paper, has several important scoops.  Soon, it seems that his luck at being at the right place at the right time is not a coincidence.

Every Last One Anna Quindlen, F QUI – Mary Beth Latham is a happily married woman with three teenage children.  When a shocking act of violence blindsides her, she must face those things that we fear the most.

Fragile Beasts Tawni O’Dell, F ODE – When their hard-drinking, but loving, father dies in a car accident, teenage brothers Kyle and Klint Hayes face a bleak future, but Candace Jack, their Pennsylvania town’s eccentric matriarch, offers them a home.

The Girl Who Chased the Moon Sarah Addison Allen, F ALL – When Emily Benedict arrives in Mullaby, North Carolina, she finds that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re a way of life.

The Line Olga Grushin, F GRU – The line begins to form on the whispered rumor that a famous exiled composer is returning to Russia to conduct his last symphony at an unknown date.  As a whole year progresses, the anonymous souls in the line become actual individuals.  Based on a true story.

Losing Charlotte Heather Clay, F CLA – Sisters Charlotte and Knox Bolling grew up intimately connected, but their bond frayed as one of them rebelled from their Kentucky upbringing.

Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War Karl Marlantes, F MAR – Young Second Lieutenant Waino Mellas is dropped into an isolated, anonymous hill, dubbed the Matterhorn, between Laos and the DMZ to lead a rifle platoon of forty Marines.  The year: 1969.

Men and Dogs Katie Crouch, F CRO – In the spring of 1985, Hannah Legare’s much loved father disappears during a fishing trip.  Still haunted by his loss twenty years later, Hannah returns home to find out what really happened.

One Amazing Thing Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, F DIV – An earthquake rips through a passport and visa office in an unnamed American city, trapping nine assorted people.  As they struggle to survive, each one tells a tale from their life, that “one amazing thing.”

Pearl of China Anchee Min, F MIN – Based on the life of Pearl S. Buck and the story of  the friendship of a lifetime.

The Room  and the Chair Lorraine Adams, F ADA – Today’s dangerous world is portrayed through the portraits of the people involved in America’s global war.

The Sheen on the Silk Anne Perry, F PER – Arriving in ancient Constantinople in the year 1273, Anna Zarides has only one mission: to prove the innocence of her twin brother, Justinian who has been exiled to the desert

. Solar Ian McEwan, F MCE – The noted author examines Michael Beard, a renowned physicist who has begun to coast on his laurels, but who finds his personal life in shambles.

Think Twice Lisa Scottoline, F SCO – As identical twins, Bennie and Alice are very different.  At least that is what Bennie believes, until she is pushed to the extreme edge when Alice steals Bennie’s life and her identity.

A Week in December Sebastian Faulks, F FAU – London, the week before Christmas, 2007.  Over seven very eventful days, the author follows the lives of seven major characters.  By the author of Charlotte Gray.

Wild Ride Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer, F CRU – An entertaining paranormal novel that shows why the wildest ride at the Dreamland Amusement Park isn’t the roller coaster.

The Winter Thief Jenny White, F WHI – Istanbul, January 1888.  Magistrate Kamil Pasha tries to discover who’s behind the smuggled guns in the city’s port and why a bomb exploded in the Imperial Ottoman Bank.  Intrigue and spies abound during that waning days of the Ottoman Empire.

New Nonfiction Books – April 2010

Ancient Greece: A History in Eleven Cities Paul Cartledge, 938 CAR 2009 – Ancient Greek civilization was defined by the city—around 1,000 cities then existed. This is its most enduring legacy along with the concepts of aristocracy, oligarchy, tyranny and democracy.

As If an Enemy’s Country: The British Occupation of Boston and the Origins of Revolution Richard Archer, 973.3 ARC 2010 – On October 1, 1768, British troops landed in Boston and occupied the city for seventeen months.  The presence of these troops caused a symbolic and psychological shift of profound consequence.

The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine Michael Lewis, 330.973 LEW 2010 – When the crash of the U.S. Stock market became public knowledge in the fall of 2008, it was already old news.  The real crash had already taken place in the bond and real estate derivative markets.

Blood, Iron, and Gold: How the Railroads Transformed the World Christian Wolmar, 385.09 WOL 2010 – The railroad truly marked the dawn of a new age.  The birth of the railroads changed the face of the world and the way people lived.

Chasing the White Dog: An Amateur Outlaw’s Adventures in Moonshine Max Watman, 363.41 WAT 2010 – A lively look at the characters who make up white whiskey’s lore throughout American history.  The story begins in Monongahela, PA where drunk and armed outlaws gathered in the summer of 1794.

Country Driving: A Journey Through China from Farm to Factory Peter Hessler, 951.96 HES 2010 – A look at the new China as the automobile and new roads are transforming the nation.  Over a period of years, the author drove 7,000 miles through cities and rural areas.  Fascinating.

The Devil and Sherlock Holmes David Grann, 814.6 GRA 2010 – The author of The Lost City of Z relates his attemps to solve a dozen real-life mysteries.

Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History Scott Andrew Selby and Greg Campbell, 364.162 SEL 2010 – The Antwerp Diamond Center was one of the most secure buildings in the world.  On February 15, 2003, Italian thieves made off with at least half a billion dollars in diamonds, cash and valuables.

For the Soul of France: Culture Wars in the Age of Dreyfus Frederick Brown, 944.081 BRO 2010 – A look at the twilight years of the nineteenth century and the decades-long struggle in France, following its defeat by Prussia in 1871.

Freefall: America, Free Markets, and the Sinking of the World Economy Joseph Stiglitz, 330.973 STI 2010 – The Nobel Prize-winning author traces the origins of the Great Recession and demolishes the contention that America needs more bailouts.   A look ahead at choices that can make a difference.

The Hidden Brain: How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wage Wars, and Save Our Lives Shankar Vedantam, 154.2 VED 2010 – What if our actions are driven, not by our conscious values and beliefs, but by hidden motivations we are not even aware of?

Jane’s Fame: How Jane Austen Conquered the World Claire Harman, 823.7 HAR 2010 – A look at the wondrous world of Jane Austen.

Making Rounds with Oscar:  The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat David Rosa, 636.8 DOS 2010 – It seemed that Oscar was an ordinary cat when he arrived at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Rhode Island.  But he possesses an extraordinary gift.

Manufacturing Depression: The Secret History of a Modern Disease Gary Greenberg, 362.25 GRE 2010 – Many people ask themselves if their unhappiness is a disease that can, and should, be treated by medication. The author presents an insightful look at this question based on his experiences as a psychotherapist and as a depression patient.

Megadisasters: The Science of Predicting the Next Catastrophe Florin Diacu,904.5 DIA 2010 – Catastrophes catch us by surprise.  Here’s a look at the groundbreaking science behind the efforts to forecast major disasters and minimize their destruction.

No Apology: The Case for American Greatness Mitt Romney, 320.6 ROM 2010 – The former Massachusetts governor outlines his ideas for a renewed America.

No One Would Listen: A True Financial Thriller  Harry Markopolos, 364.16 MAR 2010 – For ten years, the author and his investigative team tried to warn the government, the financial industry and the press that the largest hedge fund in history was a total fraud.  He warned that Bernie Madoff was a crook, but could find no one who would listen.

The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York Deborah Blum, 614.13 BLU 2010 – In early-twentieth-century New York, poisons offered an easy path to the perfect crime. The appointment of chief medical examiner Charles Norris in 1918 was the beginning of  the discipline of forensics.

Storms of My Grandchildren: The Truth About the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity James Hansen,363.738 HAN 2009 – A leading scientist states that climate change is happening more rapidly than previously acknowledged.

That Crumpled Paper Was Due Last Week:  Helping Disorganized and Distracted Boys Succeed in School and Life Ana Homayoun, 649.132 HOM 2010 – The author, an academic counselor who has helped unfocused boys learn how to consistently meet their personal and academic challenges, explains how to get back to the basics.

The Tudors: The Complete Story of England’s Most Notorious Dynasty G. J. Meyer, 942.05 MEY 2010 – The reality, in all its wild excesses, of the young Henry Tudor, who claimed the throne in 1485 and his descendants, including the notorious Henry VIII and the remarkable Elizabeth I.

The Vikings: A History Robert Ferguson, 948.022 FER 2009 – Legend and fact from the distant age of the mysterious and violent Scandinavian Vikings.

Voodoo Histories: The Role of the Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History David Aaronovitch, 909.826 AAR 2010 – An insightful examination of a dozen modern-day conspiracies.  Read this one along with American Conspiracies by Jesse Ventura.

Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization Steven Solomon, 333.91 SOL 2010 – The control of water wealth throughout history has been pivotal to the rise and fall of great powers, the achievements of civilization and the quality of  the lives of ordinary people.

You Say More Than You Think: A 7-Day Plan for Using the New Body Language to Get What You Want Janine Driver with Mariska Van Aalst, 153.69 DRI 2010 – What does your body say to the outside world?  How do your actions help, or hurt, you?