Staff Favorites

Patrons often ask our staff to suggest books to read.The titles on this list were compiled by asking our staff to recommend their favorite books and describe great books they have read and enjoyed.

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General Fiction

Place Hold	44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith General Fiction Call#: F McCall Smith Delightfully witty tales of the various quirky inhabitants of an Edinburgh flat from the author of The No. 1 Ladies's Detective Agency. Submitted by Lee Alexander 09/06
Place Hold	Abide With Me by Elizabeth Strout General Fiction Call#: F Strout A quiet, meditative novel of love, loss and the search for meaning in a small New England town in the 1950s. Submitted by Joni Kohagen
Place Hold Write a Review	The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta General Fiction Call#: F Perrotta This was a good read that addresses a cultural war in our country, giving food for thought to both sides of the spectrum: evangelists and liberals. The reader is entertained by the story of single mother Ruth Ramsay, a sex education teacher, and divorced soccer coach, Tim Masson, as they deal with opposing views on the high school curriculum, and their unavoidable attraction to one another! Submitted by Winnie Kandolin 2/09
Place Hold	After This by Alice McDermott General Fiction Call#: F McDermott This lyrical novel quietly tells the story of the Keane family through a series of vignettes, that will leave the reader enthralled by the author's use of character and language. Submitted by Joni Kohagen 10/06
Place Hold Write a Review	Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin General Fiction Call#: F Benjamin This superb novel is based on the life story of the real Alice in Wonderland, Alice Liddell and her relationship with Lewis Carroll, the creator of this perennial classic. The true Alice springs to the page with every sentence and period of her long life, a book to ponder and remember from a gifted writer. Submitted by Joni Kohagen 3/10
Place Hold	Angel of Forgetfulness by Steve Stern General Fiction Call#: F Stern In 1969, a dying woman gives her 19 year old nephew an old unfinished manuscript about an angel who came to earth and fathered a child. Stern's ingenious novel, which encompasses a century, meshes heaven and earth, past and present, body and soul. Bright humor, colorful characters, strong sense of time and place, magic realism abound in this book. Submitted by Lee Alexander
Place Hold Write a Review	Angel Time by Anne Rice General Fiction Call#: F Rice A novel of great beauty and meditative prose, this venerable author is back with a new series entitled “Songs of the Seraphim”. Rich with historical insights and grand themes, the author delivers a beautiful introduction to Toby O’Dare and the Seraph Malchaiah. Submitted by Joni Kohagen 5/10
Place Hold Write a Review	Anonymous Lawyer by Jeremy Blachman Humor Call#: F Blachman A hilarious insider's look at life in a high profile law firm as blogged, ranted, and confessed by the firm's anonymous hiring partner. It's a 288 page lawyer joke that will keep you giggling and reading into the night. Submitted by LuCinda Gustavson 4/08
Place Hold Write a Review	The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein General Fiction Call#: F Stein A look at the life and struggles of a young race car driver as witnessed through the eyes of his dog, Enzo. Submitted by Cynthia Hinckley 9/08
Place Hold	The Attack by Yasmina Khadra General Fiction Call#: F Khadra Dr. Amin Jaafie, an Arab-Israeli citizen living in Tel Aviv, is only mildly concerned when his wife doesn't return when expected from visiting her grandmother. When a female suicide bomber blows up a restaurant Dr. Jaafie's life is shattered and he must question how well he knew the woman he loved. Submitted by Lee Alexander 11/06
Place Hold Write a Review	The Barbarian Nurseries by Hector Tobar General Fiction F Tobar When the affluent Los Angeles lifestyle of Scott and Maureen Torres-Thompson becomes untenable, they let the children’s Mexican nanny, and Pepe, the gardener, go. After an argument over finances, Scott leaves without telling his wife, who takes their toddler daughter and retreats to a spa. Araceli, the domestic, is left with the two boys. Not knowing where the parents are, and fearful that if she calls the police, the boys will be put into foster care, she and the boys set off to find their estranged grandfather. Araceli is a smart, strong and no nonsense protagonist whose internal dialogue, guides this story to it’s satisfying conclusion. Submitted by Lee Alexander12/11
Place Hold	Barking Goats and the Redneck Mafia by Delores J. Wilson General Fiction Call#: F Wilson Bertie Byrd (now married so she's Bertie Fortney) returns to Sweet Meadow, Georgia after a motor home honeymoon with her new hubby Arch and his precocious daughter, Petey. She has her hands full trying to keep Bertie's Garage and Towing--and her employee Linc--out of the hands of the Redneck Mafia and their barking goats. Being a very klutzy pregnant lady doesn't help matters much. Laughter abounds in this sequel to Big Hair and Flying Cows. Submitted by Ruby Cheesman 4/07
Place Hold	The Bay at Midnight by Diane Chamberlain General Fiction Call#: F Chamberlain The Bay at Midnight is a story of two families who meet every summer at their summer homes. The story goes from present day to past when Maria loses her daughter in a tragic accident. Someone is murdered and someone is wrongly convicted of the murder. It’s an interesting story with well defined characters. Submitted by Daniela Jancovic
Place Hold	The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu General Fiction Call#: F Mengestu A spare and poetic novel of the contemporary immigrant experience. After witnessing horrors in Ethiopia, and struggling for 17 years in an attempt to achieve success in Washington D.C., Sepha Stephanos can still catch glimpses of "the beautiful things that heaven bears." Title is taken from Dante's Inferno. Submitted by Lee Alexander 9/07
Place Hold Write a Review	Becky: The Life and Loves of Becky Thatcher by Lenora Hart General Fiction Call#: F Hart Becky Thatcher, now married to Sid, Tom Sawyer's cousin, sets out to write the real truth about Tom, Sid, Huck, Jim and Sammy Clemmons. Rich in historical details. Thanks to Kathleen for recommending this novel to me. Submitted by Lee Alexander 4/08
Place Hold	Bel Canto by Ann Patchett General Fiction Call#: F Patchett Roxanne Coss, opera's revered soprano, has mesmerized the international guests at Mr. Hosokowa's lavish birthday party. It is a perfect evening until armed terrorists break in and take the entire party hostage. A panicked, life-threatening scenario evolves as terrorists and hostages forge unexpected bonds. Friendship, compassion, and the chance for great love lead the characters to forget the real danger that has been set in motion and cannot be stopped. Submitted by Nanette Alderman
Place Hold Write a Review	Blue Boy by Rakesh Satyal General Fiction Call#: F Satyal Twelve-year-old Kiran Shuam is one of the most engaging narrator/protagonists in years. This spunky boy feels like an outsider in his school, his Indian community and Cleveland. He loves his Strawberry Shortcake doll, his mother's Estee Lauder cosmetics and knows he is slowly evolving into Krishna; after all, his skin is taking on a blue tinge. A sweet, funny little novel. Submitted by Lee Alexander 6/09
Place Hold	Boo Humbug by Rene Gutteridge General Fiction Call#: F Gutteridge It's Christmas time in Skary, Indiana and new theater director Lois Stephanopolis attempts to produce a horror version of The Christmas Carol. Chaos and life in a small town intervene and a miracle occurs. A funny new holiday story about miscommunication and the true meaning of Christmas. Funny and poignant at the same time. Submitted by Trish Hull 11/07
Place Hold Write a Review	The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai General Fiction F Makkai What do you do when you're a children's librarian in Hannibal, Missouri, and your favorite patron begs you to take him to his grandmother's --in another state, but he's not sure exactly which one-- to get away from his overbearing parents who are convinced their ten year-old son is going to be gay? Funny, engaging characters and a plot with so many twists and turns, you're not sure where they'll end up! Submitted by Ruby Cheesman 9/11
Place Hold	The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank by Ellen Feldman General Fiction Call#: F Feldman This novel imagines the life of Anne Frank's first love, Peter van Pels. Peter survives the Holocaust and moves to New York City where he hides his past and starts over as a successful businessman, husband, and father. Several years later, the publication and subsequent fame of Anne Frank's diary threatens to destroy his carefully constructed life. Submitted by Beth Downs
Place Hold Write a Review	Breakfast on Pluto by Pat McCabe General Fiction Call#: F McCabe Set in Ireland during the 1970s "troubles". The exploits of foundling Patrick "Pussy" Braden, an endearing, naive, but deceptively resilient young man who is searching for home. Some profanity, adult themes. Submitted by Lee Alexander 5/08
Place Hold Write a Review	The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz General Fiction Call#: F Diaz Diaz uses a fascinating combination of street voice, nerd allusions, magic realism and brutal history to tell this brilliant story of a Dominican family. Not for the faint of heart, this is an enormous contribution to the modern literary canon. Submitted by Jennifer Fay 9/08
Place Hold	Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos General Fiction Call#: F Kallos Seventy-five-year-old Margaret lives alone in a mansion filled with valuable antiques, intrusive memories and a newly diagnosed brain tumor. Margaret's life changes dramatically when her ad for a boarder is answered by Wanda, a young woman searching for a lost lover. This is a novel about redemption, substitute families and the power of love. Submitted by Marsha Leclair-Marzolf
Place Hold	The Bronte Project: A Novel of Passion, Desire and Good PR by Jennifer Vandever General Fiction Call#: F Vandever A humorous look at academia, love, the entertainment industry, friendship, finding your way in life; all told in a witty, sardonic but loving style. Submitted by Marsha Leclair-Marzolf
Place Hold Write a Review	Brothers by Hua Yu General Fiction Call#: F Yu An absurdist epic of modern China, during the Cultural Revolution and the era of modernization and capitalism. Following the fortunes of two brothers from childhood through middle age, as they pursue separate paths: one to power and wealth, the other to a materially impoverished life. The brother's relationships and conflicts form the structure of the novel, and their characters exemplify three types of love: filial, carnal and romantic. Does contain some vulgar language and sexual humor. Submitted by Lee Alexander 6/09
Place Hold	The Butterfly House by Marcia K. Preston General Fiction Call#: F Preston The Butterfly House tells the story of four women. Roberta Lee is in second grade when she meets her new friend Cincy Jaines. The young girls become immediate friends. As they grow older their friendship changes. Roberta spends more and more time with Cincy's mother, (rather than her own alcoholic mother) who is a lepidopterist and raises butterflies on her sun porch. This is gripping women's fiction. It will make you smile, laugh and cry. Submitted by Daniela Jancovic
Place Hold Write a Review	By Nightfall by Michael Cunningham General Fiction F Cunningham A sophisticated tale of a marriage in modern-day New York City, this tale swiftly catches its reader's interest and never relents. This the newest novel by Michael Cunningham who won the pulitzer Prize for The Hours. This tale too has wisps of literary history as we learn of the troubled marriage of an urbane art dealer. Read especially if you loved Death in Venice or any works by John Updike or Vladimir Nabokov. Submitted by Jamie Ward 1/11
Place Hold Write a Review	The Cailiffs of Baghdad, Georgia by Mary Helen Stefaniak General Fiction F Stefaniak Depression-era small town turned upside down by a worldly teacher. She believes in field trips, Arabian costumes, and reading aloud from her ten-volume set of The Thousand Nights and a Night. Submitted by Paula Burkhart 3/11
Place Hold	The Cairo Trilogy: Palace Walk; Palace of Desire; Sugar Street by Najib Mafuz General Fiction Call#: F Mafuz A three generation family saga, in which Egypt's struggle towards independence, and setting a course for the future, is personified in the various family members, and their inter-relationships. Richly told, the novels cover three turbulent eras; Palace Walk 1917-1919, Palace of Desire 1924-1927, and Sugar Street 1935-1944. Submitted by Lee Alexander 10/07
Place Hold Write a Review	Cape Light by Thomas Kinkade & Katherine Spencer Christian Fiction F Kinkade I enjoyed escaping into the lives of the people of Cape Light in the first book in a series based on the paintings of Thomas Kinkade. The plot involves several characters but the main focus is on the Warwick daughters and how their lives are changed by their mother's stroke, new love, and the arrival of a young woman who claims to be the baby given up for adoption 20 years before by the eldest Warwick daughter, Emily. Submitted by Samantha Hiskey 11/11
Place Hold	Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom by Julie Kenner General Fiction Call#: F Kenner Kate is an out of shape, retired demon hunter living in suburbia with her husband and kids. At least she is until her quiet town suddenly seems to become demon central and she is reactivated. Anyone who has handled family and work commitments will appreciate reading how Kate hostesses cocktail parties while hiding a dead demon in the pantry. Submitted by Jan Elkins Kate Connor appears to be an ordinary mother, even her husband doesn't know of her demon hunting past. When demons start cropping up in her town, she gets called out of retirement. The tone of the book is light but grounded in reality as Kate tries to keep her secret past from her current life and still protect the ones she loves. I love horror novels and this is just plain old fun. Submitted by Darlene Dineen
Place Hold Write a Review	Catfish Alley by Lynn Bryant General Fiction F Bryant A novel about friendship, endurance, and hope. If you like The Help by Kathryn Stockett, you will like this book. Submitted by Kaye S. Behling 7/11
Place Hold Write a Review	Change of Heart by Jodi Piccoult General Fiction Call#: F Piccoult Shay Bourne is a convicted killer waiting to die by lethal injection. But as his execution draws near he discovers a chance for salvation. It was interesting to read about life inside prison. Submitted by Linda Dial 5/08
Place Hold Write a Review	City of Thieves by David Benioff General Fiction Call#: F Benioff Beginning with a boy interviewing his grandfather about his survival during the siege of Leningrad during WWII, this is a survival tale during the worst of times. It is also a coming of age story with danger, luck and romance all intertwined. This is the summer's best read. Submitted by Suzanne Johnson 8/08
Place Hold Write a Review	Coffins of Little Hope by Timothy Schaffert General Fiction F Schaffert Lives are changed when Lenore, a little girl, goes missing and a popular Miranda and Desiree book series is secretly printed on the town's newspaper presses. Submitted by Kiku Kimura 7/11
Place Hold	Consequences by Penelope Lively General Fiction Call#: F Lively Award winning author Penelope Lively has written a multi-generational story with characters so authentic and appealing you wish they were real. Starting with an unconventional marriage of two soul mates just prior to World War II and ending in the late 20th century with the life of a great grandchild this saga comes full circle with a very satisfying ending. Submitted by Marsha Leclair-Marzolf 10/07
Place Hold Write a Review	Cotton by Christopher P. Wilson General Fiction Call#: F Wilson A very funny book. Lee Cotton is an endearing, resilient and triumphant protagonist who rises to overcome one near tragedy after another. Born in rural Mississippi in the 50's, he is influenced and changed by the major events of each decade, as he matures to adulthood. Outrageous humor, numerous surprises, wry dialogue and unusual characters; reminiscent of Christopher Moore or Tom Robbins novels. Submitted by Lee Alexander 4/08
Place Hold	The Cotton Queen by Pamela Morsi General Fiction Call#: F Morsi Why do some mothers try to bend their daughters to their own will? The author explores this dynamic in the mother-daughter relationship of Babs and Laney. The setting is McKinney, Texas where to be the Cotton Queen is the "be all end all". The mother, Babs, is perfect, nothing out of place. Her daughter, Laney thinks she is too critical. The chapters alternate between the mother's and daughter's point of view. Submitted by Phyllis Jones
Place Hold Write a Review	Crashers by Dana Haynes General Fiction F Haynes After an airplane crashes, a team of "Crashers" goes to the site to determine why it crashed. Usually they can take up to a year. When a plane crashes near Portland they only have hours to find the reason because the plane was brought down deliberately, and it was only a test run. Submitted by Joyce Owen 1/11
Place Hold Write a Review	Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner General Fiction Call#: F Stegner A final novel from a prize winning author takes the reader along on a life's journey that begins in Wisconsin and ends four decades later in the hills of Vermont. Two young, idealistic, and hopeful couples forge a lasting friendship in spite of their vastly different social and economic backgrounds. The foursome experiences the reality of life with heartbreak and joy. The reader will bond with polio stricken Sally, and feel a range of emotion with complex character, Charity; as they appreciate the devotion of their husbands, Larry and Sid who are dedicated educators and writers. This thought provoking human drama is a great discussion book. Submitted by Winnie Kandolin 5/09
Place Hold Write a Review	The Crow Road by Iain Banks General Fiction Call#: F Banks "It was the day my grandmother exploded. I sat in the crematorium, listening to my Uncle Hamish quietly snoring in harmony to Bach's Mass in B Minor, and I reflected that it always seemed to be death that drew me back to Gallanach." One of this year's best opening paragraphs introduces this off-beat Scottish tale of love, mortality and destiny. Submitted by Lee Alexander 12/08
Place Hold Write a Review	Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton General Fiction Call#: F Paton This novel of South Africa, first published in 1948, still has the power to grab and hold; from the gentle and beautiful, slowly cadenced opening to the sensitive and hopeful ending. The story of the terrible disruption of tribal and family life under apartheid is heartbreaking, breathtaking and timely. Submitted by Lee Alexander 2/10
Place Hold Write a Review	The Crying Tree by Naseem Rakha General Fiction Call#: F Rakha A family is shattered when their teenage son is murdered. The killer is caught and the family begins the journey to revenge and justice. Along the way, the mother learns about love, redemption, and the power of forgiveness. Submitted by Linda Worstell 8/09
Place Hold Write a Review	Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese General Fiction Call#: F Verghese Fast moving and fascinating tale of medicine, love, loss, political assassinations, and coups tempered with wonderfully developed characters and wry humor. From the surprise birth of twin boys in a mission hospital in Ethiopia to a surprise meeting in the United States, the story is totally engrossing. I did not want this novel to end. Submitted by Lee Alexander 5/10
Place Hold Write a Review	Damas, Dramas, and Ana Ruiz by Belinda Acosta General Fiction Call #: F Acosta When the family seems to be coming apart, what better way to come back together than a traditional quinceañera, complete with rituals, caterers, jewelers, make-up artists, and bakers. Submitted by Lee Alexander 7/10
Place Hold Write a Review	Dandelion Summer by Lisa Wingate General Fiction F Wingate Epiphany lives in a dysfunctional home. Her mother is in relationships with one man after another. Epiphany goes to cook and clean for an elderly man who is having dreams and thoughts of a life he can't remember much about. They become friends and help each other discover family they have mostly forgotten or have never known. Submitted by Naomi Bass 9/11
Place Hold Write a Review	Day After Night by Anita Diamant General Fiction F Diamant A novel about the true life rescue of over 200 holocaust survivors from a detention camp in Palestine. After surviving unspeakable horrors and trauma during WWII, four strong young women must face more imprisonment and uncertainty when they finally reach the Holy Land. Great characters and historical accuracy make this an important book to read and ponder. Submitted by Joni Kohagen 1/11
Place Hold Write a Review	The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted: and Other Small Acts of Liberation by Elizabeth Berg General Fiction Call#: F Berg Short vignettes, in which women rebel against convention, in a variety of ways; starting a dating service for the over-50’s, walking out of a Weight Watchers meeting, changing holiday traditions. Berg’s poignant stories of feisty women, illustrate the humorous side of difficult predicaments. Submitted by Lee Alexander 6/08
Place Hold Write a Review	The Day the Leader Was Killed by Najib Mahfouz General Fiction Call#: F Mahfouz From Nobel Prize winner, Mahfouz, this perfectly crafted novella subtly yet clearly conveys the effects of the failing political economic situation on Egypt, following the Infitah. Told through the voices of the three main characters; the grandfather who is now only an observer, and the voices of the present and future, his grandson, and the grandson's long-time fiance. Submitted by Lee Alexander 5/09
Place Hold	The Descent by Jeff Long General Fiction Call#: F Long When humans begin to explore the intricate cave systems below us, they discover a savage race of creatures intent on keeping what's theirs. I could not put this book down! Submitted by Christina Harris 02/07
Place Hold Write a Review	A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness General Fiction F Harkness Diana Bishop, a Yale historian and witch who denies her "witchy" heritage, is doing research in England and discovers an enchanted lost manuscript. The entire supernatural community has been searching for the manuscript for years because it may hold the key to their origins. Diana meets a powerful vampire who aids her in staying alive while they try to discover the secret of the manuscript. Submitted by Dawn Smith 4/11
Place Hold Write a Review	Divinely Designed by Rachel Renee Anderson General Fiction F Anderson A stubbornly independent woman relocating for a new job in interior design, meets a man along her journey who is determined to break her stubborn streak. The story will tickle your funny bone as the situations hit home. Submitted by Daena Wasson 11/11
Place Hold Write a Review	Doc by Mary Doria Russell General Fiction F Russell Doc Holliday comes to life in this splendid retelling of the storied gunman's life. The reader is taken on a rollicking ride from the cradle to his untimely death. Wonderful, compelling and interesting. --Joni A lively account of how urbane, sophisticated John Henry Holliday leaves Atlanta for Dodge City, hoping the move will relieve his tuberculosis symptoms. Instead he meets the Earp brothers, Bat Masterson, and a slew of prostitutes, gamblers, and gunfighters while unexpectedly becoming the legendary Doc Holliday. I wanted this story to go on forever. --Kiku Submitted by Joni Kohagen and Kiku Kimura 10/11
Place Hold Write a Review	A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron General Fiction F Cameron This book, told from a dog's perspective, asks the question: what is our purpose in life? The story is laugh out loud funny. More than a dog book and not just for dog lovers! Submitted by Susan Hamada 7/11
Place Hold	Dolores J. Wilson's Big Hair and Flying Cows by Dolores J. Wilson General Fiction Call#: F Wilson Bertie Byrd is the tomboy of Sweet Meadow, Georgia--complete with a tow truck, that everyone in town mistakes for a taxi. She can fix just about anything, except her love life. You'll laugh out loud at the quirky Southern characters and their antics, but have a tissue or two handy for the poignant "Mayberry" like scenes. Submitted by Ruby Cheesman
Place Hold	Dream Angus: the Celtic God of Dreams by Alexander McCall-Smith General Fiction Call#: F McCall-Smith A delightful retelling of the myth of Celtic god, Angus, the god of love, youth and beauty. Able to charm birds and bring beautiful dreams Angus effects the lives of five different men in ancient and contemporary times. Submitted by Lee Alexander 11/06
Place Hold Write a Review	Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell General Fiction Call#: F Russell Agnes Shanklin finds herself alone, a spinster and 40 years old at the beginning of the Roaring 20s. Taking advantage of her new found independence, she journeys to Egypt and encounters love and some very famous adventurers and politicos of the day. Lyrical and beautiful in scope and language. Submitted by Joni Kohagen 6/08
Place Hold	The Eight by Katherine Neville General Fiction Call#: F Neville An adventure-thriller set in 1972 and 1790 with many characters and nonstop suspense, espionage, murder and a mystifying puzzle. Catherine Velis, a computer expert is caught up in the quest for a legendary chess set thought to have been owned by Charlemagne. Submitted by Danette Hantla 4/07
Place Hold Write a Review	Eighteen Acres by Nicolle Wallace General Fiction F Wallace This is a wonderful political intrigue written by a longtime White House insider. Its descriptive detail is fascinating as well as its interesting plot involving the first female president, a female chief of staff and a female reporter whose lives intertwine in many ways. I couldn't put it down. Submitted by Trish Hull 12/10
Place Hold Write a Review	The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery General Fiction Call#: F Barbery The Elegance of the Hedgehog juxtaposes characters' outward appearances with their internal thought and knowledge. As in life, things are not always as they seem. This is a well written, thought provoking book. I loved it. Submitted by Kiku Kimura 9/09
Place Hold Write a Review	Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn General Fiction Call#: F Dunn Ella lives on a fictional island off the coast of South Carolina that is named after Nevin Nollop, the author of the famous pangram "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog". When the letters from the sentence start falling off a statue of Nollop, the inhabitants decree it to be a sign that they are not to use those letters anymore, and chaos ensues as they try to live with an increasingly shrinking alphabet. Told in a series of letters from Ella to her cousin, the story is clever and funny, but with a chilling undercurrent as neighbors begin to turn each other in for violating the bans. A quick but memorable read. Submitted by Stephanie Jewett 9/08
Place Hold	End of the Alphabet by C. S. Richardson General Fiction Call#: F Richardson This is a small book or novelette, that in concise language describes the memories, love and intertwined relationship of Ambrose and his wife Zipper as they travel to a different city each day in an attempt to cover a geographical alphabet of places in the month Ambrose has left before he dies. Beautifully written with memorable characters. Submitted by Marsha Leclair-Marzolf 11/07
Place Hold	Espresso Tales by Alexander McCall Smith General Fiction Call#: F McCall Smith Another set of delightfully witty tales of the various quirky inhabitants of an Edinburgh flat from the author of The No. 1 Ladies's Detective Agency. Submitted by Lee Alexander 09/06
Place Hold Write a Review	Evening is the Whole Day by Preeta Samarasan General Fiction Call#: F Samarasan Small mistakes with dreadful consequences, unexplained mysteries, and closely guarded secrets have a devastating effect on six year old Aasha, the youngest in a family of wealthy plantation owners in Malaysia. Fully realized characters provide differing perspectives in this intricately woven tale of family, race and culture. Submitted by Lee Alexander 1/09
Place Hold Write a Review	Every Last One by Anna Quindlen General Fiction Call#: F Quindlen Character-driven, fast paced read that will leave you aching for the grief and unimaginable life that Mary Beth Latham is faced with after a life-altering tragedy occurs in her once ordinary family life in the suburbs. Mary is coping with loss and questions the meaning of her life. Quindlen’s fans will not be disappointed with her once again precise and delightful writing and accuracy of family life. Submitted by Winnie Kandolin 7/10
Place Hold Write a Review	Every Now and Then by Karen Kingsbury Christian Fiction Call#: F Kingsbury Alex Brady shuts out all relationships when he loses his beloved father in the Twin Towers. Will he have the courage to open his heart to love again? Submitted by Nola Magneson 1/09
Place Hold	Everyman by Philip Roth General Fiction Call#: F Roth The story of one man, confronting loneliness and poor health with transcending dignity. Beautifully spare prose keeps this small novel, which is based on a 15th century allegorical play, from being depressing. Submitted by Lee Alexander 11/07
Place Hold Write a Review	Everything Asian by Sung J. Woo General Fiction Call#: F Woo David Kim's father has been in the U.S. for five years when twelve-year-old David, his fifteen-year-old sister and mother fly to Newark to join him. There the whole family works at East Meets West, their import shop a mall in New Jersey. David's sister is miserable, his mother unhappy and David, struggling to learn English, feels as though his father is an incomprehensible stranger. Gentle humor and irony in this small bittersweet novel. Submitted by Lee Alexander 7/09
Place Hold Write a Review	Evidence by Clair Poulson General Fiction F Poulson A boy mysteriously disappears after having a wonderful date with a beautiful girl. The search is on for the police and EVERYONE is a suspect. I never would have guessed the kidnapper! Submitted by Daena Wasson 12/10
Place Hold Write a Review	Family Planning by Karan Mahajan General Fiction Call#: F Mahajan Sixteen year old Arjun, wanting to impress a girl, wanting to become a man, and embarrassed by his parents' relentless fertility, starts a rock band. Meanwhile his father's career, as Minister of Urban Development for Delhi, is crumbling and his mother is in mourning after the death of her favorite TV character. Quick, light, tender, fun. Submitted by Lee Alexander 2/09
Place Hold Write a Review	The Family Man by Elinor Lipman General Fiction Call#: F Lipman From the author of And Then She Found Me, another slightly off beat contemporary tale, told with perception and wit. A long separated daughter and her adoptive father reconnect. As he struggles to figure out how to parent an impulsive young adult female, his former wife, the daughter's demanding biological mother, also wants to resume a relationship with him. A very contemporary, very New York City, very tender love story. Submitted by Lee Alexander 8/09
Place Hold	The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom General Fiction Call#: F Albom A beautifully sentimental look at the now and afterlife. It makes you laugh and makes you cry as well as makes you wonder who's life you may have touched or will touch on this earth. It is a fast read and I think most readers would enjoy it. Submitted by Barbara Bank
Place Hold Write a Review	Foreign Bodies by Cynthia Ozick General Fiction F Ozick It is 1952 and Bea, a middle-aged English teacher, lives in a cramped New York apartment with the large piano her composer husband left when he moved away. Her estranged brother demands that she go to Paris (from which she has just returned) to bring her nephew home. A brilliantly written, disturbing story of exile, anti-semitism, and betrayal. Submitted by Lee Alexander 3/11
Place Hold Write a Review	The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy General Fiction Call#: F Galsworthy Chronicling the lives of three generations of the well-to-do Forsyte family, The Forsyte Saga is a brilliant social satire of the acquisitiveness of an upper class in its final glory. And it is the story of Jolyon Forsyte, Irene, and others as they break away from the family preoccupation with "property". Submitted by Bonnie Bradford 8/08
Place Hold Write a Review	Freddy and Fredericka by Mark Helprin General Fiction Call#: F Helprin Freddy is the socially inept Prince of Wales, and Fredericka is his beautiful, ditzy wife. Due to serious doubts about Freddy's ability to rule as future King of England, they are both temporarily exiled to America, tasked with the job of re-conquering the "colonies". The story of their quest is by turns both hilarious and moving, as they journey across the continent in search of their destinies. Submitted by Stephanie Jewett 6/09
Place Hold Write a Review	Free Food For Millionaires by Min Jin Lee General Fiction Call#: F Lee Casey Han's parents are Korean immigrants. Casey works hard, graduates from Princeton and then wonders what to do with her life. This is a saga about Casey's discovery of herself, including relationships with boyfriends, other friends, and family. Very real and complex characters populate the book. Submitted by Linda Frederick 6/08
Place Hold	A Free Life by Ha Jin General Fiction Call#: F Jin A Chinese family's immigration to America is tenderly detailed in this novel. Coming from Communist China to a life with many choices is freeing, but difficult. Even though it is not a thriller, I had a hard time putting this one down. Submitted by Suzanne Johnson 12/07
Place Hold Write a Review	Freedom by Jonathan Franzen General Fiction F Franzen Freedom brings love, redemption and responsibility in this epic family saga of a midwestern family that is far from perfect. The novel weaves political, social, and environmental issues throughout, but it truly is a book about the human condition and one's self-discovery. Submitted by Winnie Kandolin 2/11
Place Hold Write a Review	Full Circle by Davis Bunn General Fiction Call#: F Burn A hotshot financial analyst who has lost it all and a broken-hearted world traveler work together to solve a mystery and right a wrong, while relearning everything they thought they knew about love. Submitted by Nola Magneson 1/09
Place Hold	Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen General Fiction Call#: F Allen The Waverley sisters have always had special powers or gifts that set them apart in their small southern town of Bascom, North Carolina. Full of magical realism, developing romance, and the power of family; this novel is reminiscent of Alice Hoffman's Practical Magic. Submitted by Marsha Leclair-Marzolf 11/07
Place Hold Write a Review	Gardens of Water by Alan Drew General Fiction Call#: F Drew In Turkey, the 1999 earthquake forces a Kurdish Muslim family to become dependent on outsiders, their American neighbors, for survival. The father's lost business and lessened position in the community, decreasing control of his family and loss of face, along with cultural conflicts, lead to a tragic decision. Submitted by Lee Alexander 5/08
Place Hold Write a Review	The General of the Dead Army by Ismail Kadare General Fiction Call#: F Kadare Twenty years after WWII, an Italian army officer and a priest are sent to Albania to recover the remains of soldiers killed in the war. Armed with dental records they will spend months exhuming and identifying their men; struggling in the rugged terrain and harsh weather. A subtle psychological study, well matched by the spare prose that entices the reader along. Reminiscent, in tone of Camus. Submitted by Lee Alexander 3/09
Place Hold Write a Review	Getting To Happy by Terry McMillan General Fiction F McMillan The women of Waiting to Exhale fifteen years later. A warm and funny book to enjoy in front of the fireplace. Submitted by Lee Alexander 12/10
Place Hold	Gilead by Marilynne Robinson General Fiction Call#: F Robinson A thoughtful and provocative exploration of the sacred bond between a father and son, this book explores the wonder and joy of life. I found this book revitalizing, almost a meditation. It is my favorite book of 2005. Submitted by Lee Alexander
Place Hold Write a Review	The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson General Fiction F Larsson Larsson reached his stride with this book. He balances the action with the information and you wind up with a page turner. Submitted by Jewel Nelson 10/10
Place Hold Write a Review	Gloryland by Shelton Johnson General Fiction Call#: F Johnson A novel about the life of one black family in the reconstruction era in the South. Elijah Yancy leaves the injustice and prejudice of race and death behind him and discovers freedom and beauty as a Cavalry officer in Yosemite national park in the early part of the 20th century. A beautiful, lyrical novel to savor and remember. Submitted by Joni Kohagen 7/10
Place Hold Write a Review	Gone With the Windsors by Laurie Graham General Fiction Call#: F Graham Silly and oblivious Maybell Brumby, recently widowed and wealthy, heads off to London for some fun. Here she finds that her old school chum, Wallis Warfield Simpson, armed with terrific bone structure and a few erotic tricks, has set her sights on the most eligible bachelor in the world: the Prince of Wales. Maybell, with her deep pockets, makes the perfect ally for Wallis, and her disarming dimness makes for a deliciously fun insider's take on the scandal that changed the course of British history. Submitted by Bonnie Bradford 6/09
Place Hold Write a Review	Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett General Fiction Call#: F Gaiman The world is about to end. On Saturday, in fact. But don't worry, an angel and a demon who have grown to really like the world in the past few thousand years are going to do what they can to stop the apocalypse. This book offers great fun from these two popular authors. Submitted by Stephanie Jewett 5/09
Place Hold	The Great Silent Grandmother Gathering by Sharon Mehdi General Fiction Call#: F Mehdi A very small but powerful and touching story which makes one think about the power we have to change the world. Recommended reading for everyone on the planet. Only 39 pages. Submitted by Trish Hull 10/06
Place Hold Write a Review	The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread by Don Robertson General Fiction F Robertson This is one of the best nostalgic books around; reprinted after over 40 years. Follow Morris Bird III as he pulls his red wagon, with little sister in tow, through 1944 Cleveland, and watch their world literally explode around them. Don’t miss the second and third books in the trilogy, The Sum and Total of Now and The Greatest Thing that Almost Happened. Submitted by Nancy Schmidt 10/10
Place Hold	Griffin and Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence by Nick Bantock General Fiction Call#: F Bantock This remarkable love story unfolds between the correspondence of two strangers who connect and fall in love through their artistic passions and letters. What makes this book even more special is the format--it's an adult "pop-up book" complete with handmade postcards, colorful envelopes and beautiful illustrations. It is the ultimate gift for those who are naturally curious and romantic at heart. Submitted by Tauni Everett
Place Hold	Hadassah: One Night With the King by Tommy Tenney with Mark Andrew Olsen General Fiction Call#: F Tenney This is the story of Esther in the Bible told from the viewpoint of a descendant of another famous person of her time. It is filled with mystery, intrigue, love and sorrow both in the past and in present-day Israel and the former Persian empire. You will weep and triumph with both heroines and their families. Submitted by Nola Magneson 6/07
Place Hold Write a Review	Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls General Fiction Call#: F Walls A fictionalized account of the author's grandmother, Lily Casey Smith. Lily was a hardworking, opinionated, stubborn and adventurous woman who lived through natural disasters, poverty, war and the Great Depression. By turns funny, sad and awe-inspiring, this is a novel to ponder and learn from. Submitted by Joni Kohagen 5/10
Place Hold Write a Review	Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy General Fiction Call#: F Binchy Again, Binchy delivers what we can count on: a warm, interestingly peopled tale of triumph over adversity, finding a new direction, the value of friendship and loyalty. In this novel, a doctor struggles with her demanding ex-husband, her two strong-willed daughters and the hospital administrator as she designs and staffs a state of the art cardiac center in Dublin. Submitted by Lee Alexander 4/09
Place Hold Write a Review	The Help by Kathryn Stockett General Fiction Call#: F Stockett This novel, set in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s, follows three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own changes a town, and the way women: mothers, daughters, caregivers, and friends, view one another. A novel of humor and hope. Submitted by Lorraine Jeffery 4/09
Place Hold Write a Review	Henry's Sisters by Cathy Lamb General Fiction Call#: F Lamb Henry has three sisters and they come from a highly dysfunctional family. They are over-the-top when it comes to anger, joy, hard work, criticism, competition and even grief. You will laugh, smile and cry with Henry's sisters. Submitted by Lorraine Jeffery 3/10
Place Hold	The Hindi-Bindi Club by Monica Pradhan General Fiction Call#: F Pradhan Humorous and heartwarming story of generational and cultural tensions between immigrant mothers and their American-born daughters. Three sets of mothers and daughters narrate and provide recipes in this novel which offers insights into a rich and diverse culture, as well as the history of the 1947 partition of India and its continuing political effects. Submitted by Lee Alexander 8/07
Place Hold	The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova General Fiction Call #: F Kostova I loved this. It is a riveting account of a young woman's quest to find the tomb of Vlad The Impaler, the basis for the Dracula legend. Submitted by Joni Kohagen Powerful descriptions of people and places. I really enjoyed how she could mix narrative with "letters". Submitted by Jewel Nelson
Place Hold	The History of Love by Nicole Krauss General Fiction Call#: F Krauss With a book-within-a-book narrative the author deals with universal themes of love, loss, abandonment, renewal and hope in a fresh manner. I was captivated with the characters, plot, wry humor, tender affections. Submitted by Lee Alexander
Place Hold Write a Review	Home Boy by H.M. Naqui General Fiction Call#: F Naqui Defining themselves as Metrostanis, AC (Ali), Jimbo (Jamshed), and Chuck (Shehzad) are bold and fun loving New York guys, working and partying their way through 2001. A few weeks post 9/11, the atmosphere changes dramatically. One of their friends, the Shaman, seems to have disappeared, so these Three Musketeers decide to drive to his home in Connecticut to check on him. On their way, Chuck comes to the realization that three brown men traveling together in a car, in a night of heightened security may not be a good idea. After being picked up as suspected terrorists, and incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center Chuck relates: “I finally got it. I understood that just like three black men were gang bangers, and three Jews were a conspiracy, three Muslims had become a sleeper cell”. A masterfully crafted tragicomic tale. Submitted by Lee Alexander 10/09
Place Hold	Home to Holly Springs; the First of the Father Tim Novels by Jan Karon General Fiction Call#: F Karon Father Tim Kavanagh has received an anonymous note saying "Come home." It's been thirty years since he fled Holly Springs; who could be asking him to return and why? Submitted by Lee Alexander 12/07
Place Hold Write a Review	Homer and Langley by E.L. Doctorow General Fiction Call#: F Doctorow Homer and Langley Collyer were well known, eccentric New York recluses; well-off, yet refusing to pay for the gas, light or water to their Fifth Avenue mansion. Doctorow has crafted a work of fiction loosely based on their lives. Langley Collyer is preoccupied with creating a single copy, one-of-kind newspaper which will capture the "signal and timeless episodes" of their generation for his blind brother, Homer. Doctorow uses this structure to illustrate pivotal events in American history; the return of a damaged Langley from WWI, the internment of their Nisei housekeepers in WWII, Prohibition, the Alabama church bombings--all through the Collyer brothers reaction to them. Submitted by Lee Alexander 2/10
Place Hold	House of Many Gods by Kiana Davenport General Fiction Call#: F Davenport Native Hawaiian and Anglo American descendent Kiana Davenport delivers a powerful story of love and forgiveness. Abandoned at 4 by her mother Ana is raised by her aunts and uncles. She is determined not to end up like cousins who are drug users or pregnant at a young age. She leaves Hawaii and becomes a physician, then falls in love with Russian filmmaker Niki. In order to save him she travels to Russia to bring him back to Hawaii and nurses him back to health. It is also a story full of Hawaiian culture and traditions. Submitted by Daniela Jancovic 12/06
Place Hold	How Elizabeth Barrett Browning Saved My Life by Mameve Medwed General Fiction Call#: F Medwed Elizabeth Barrett Browning might have written about love, but Abby Randolph has given up on all that. Then the Antiques Road Show comes to town, and Abby turns up at the crack of dawn, with a rather ordinary--and slightly squalid--porcelain artifact in hand. The moment the show airs, life comes back at Abby full force, and everything changes: friendship, family, love affairs, career, and the way she sees herself. Submitted by Bonnie Bradford 11/07
Place Hold Write a Review	How High the Moon by Susan Kring General Fiction F Kring Isabella “Teaspoon” Marlene has been a trial ever since her mother dumped her with an old boyfriend, Teddy, and ran off to Hollywood. Teaspoon wants to be better for Teddy, and agrees to take part in a “Sunshine Sister” mentorship program and is paired up with perfect Brenda Bloom. Submitted by Nanette Alderman 10/10
Place Hold Write a Review	I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith General Fiction Call#: F Smith This is about an English family--pre-World War II--who live in a beautiful abandoned castle with swans in the moat. They are destitute thanks to the father's lack of initiative, and the situation is becoming desperate. When the real owner of the castle shows up one day, things begin to change. Submitted by Geanie Roake 5/09
Place Hold	Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman General Fiction Call#: F Hoffman The ice queen of the title is the thirty-something unnamed narrator who, after a family tragedy at the age of 8, has cut herself off from all human attachment. Of course, life intervenes after the narrator is struck by lightning and begins an affair with another lightning strike survivor who's after-effect is intense body heat. Submitted by Marsha LeClair-Marzolf
Place Hold	If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things by John McGregor General Fiction Call#: F McG The story of a single day in the lives of the residents of one street in contemporary England is told from various perspectives. From the beginning we know that there has been an accident on the street but we don't know what has happened or who is involved until the end when the strands of the diverse viewpoints come together. Quiet tension builds to a satisfying ending in this Booker Prize nominee. Submitted by Lee Alexander 11/06
Place Hold Write a Review	If Sons Then Heirs by Lorene Cary General Fiction F Cary Following the violent death of King, the family patriarch, most Needham family members migrate from South Carolina to the North. King's widow, Selma, remains at the family home and, over the years, raises their children and a great grandson. When a developer threatens to take over the land, the extended family must work together to save the family's heritage. A powerful story of family, love, and long held secrets. Submitted by Lee Alexander 7/11
Place Hold Write a Review	Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon General Fiction Call#: F Pynchon Malibu, the end of the 60s, rampant land development, a kidnapping, a cynical P. I., sex n’ drugs n’ rock n’ roll . Paranoia is creeping into the idyllic life following the Manson Family murder spree, and it’s hard to tell the good guys from the bad. Thanks to Pynchon’s idiosyncratic style, this story just flies. Submitted by Lee Alexander 10/09
Place Hold Write a Review	Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea General Fiction Call#: F Urrea In a small community in Sinaloa, Mexico the men have all gone north to find work. And narcos and banditos are trying to take over the town in their absence. Nayeli, two of her girlfriends, and Tacho, the proprietor of the Limp Hand Taco Stand, having just attended a Yul Bryner movie festival at their local theater, decide to go north to the United States to find a magnificent seven of their own to protect their town. Humor, pathos, and wonderful characters. Submitted by Lee Alexander 7/09
Place Hold Write a Review	Iron House by John Hart General Fiction F Hart Dickens meets Hugo in this compelling thriller. Two boys abandoned before they are even two years old survive a frightful orphanage. Murder separates them and one becomes the adopted son of a wealthy senator; the other, the adopted son of wealthy mobster. Their paths cross later, when the mob son wants to leave the "family" for his own. Submitted by Jewel Nelson 9 /11
Place Hold Write a Review	Island Beneath The Sea by Isabel Allende General Fiction F Allende Zarite is born into slavery on the island of Santo Domingo in the late 18th century. She is sold to a French count and her life is changed forever by revolution and history combined with her own strength of spirit and hunger for freedom. A lyrical and lush read by a renowned storyteller. Submitted by Joni Kohagen 8/10
Place Hold	Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler General Fiction Call#: F Fowler Five women and one man meet once a month for a book club that centers on the works of Jane Austen. Each month brings more humor, insight and finally love,into each of their very different lives. Witty, wise and fun to read. Submitted by Joni Kohagen 09/06
Place Hold Write a Review	Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Pattillo General Fiction Call#: F Pattillo Still reeling from an unhappy ending to a happy marriage, Professor Emma Douglas is off to England to get her revenge on Jane Austen and hopefully salvage her ruined career. Since Emma Douglas is an authority on Jane Austen, the reader gains a new appreciation for the classic author. Submitted by Linda Dial 5/09
Place Hold	Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte General Fiction Call #: F Bronte This is my all-time favorite book. As a young girl it swept me off my feet and continues to do so even today. It's a novel that has stood the test of time and serves as one of the greatest romances ever written. Submitted by Judy Yaka & Ruby Cheesman
Place Hold Write a Review	Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard General Fiction Call#: F Howard Johannes Cabal is a brilliant scientist and terrible snob, and several years ago he sold his soul to gain more power. Now he wants it back, so he makes another deal with the devil (who is just bored enough these days to be willing to wager). Enlisting the help of his brother (a vampire) and a couple of zombies, he sets out with a traveling carnival to meet Satan's demand--one hundred souls in one year in exchange for his own soul back. Well-written, darkly funny, and surprisingly heart-warming. Submitted by Stephanie Jewett 4/10
Place Hold	Julia's Chocolates by Cathy Lamb General Fiction Call#: F Lamb The story has enthusiastic characters with very unique personalities. A totally a fun way of looking at life and overcoming obstacles. Submitted by Janene Alvey 8/07
Place Hold Write a Review	Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby General Fiction Call#: F Hornby For music lovers, and fans of Hornby's book (or movie), High Fidelity. Explores music, fame loneliness, and love, through the characters of Annie, her longtime boyfriend Duncan, and the reclusive musician Duncan idolizes. Submitted by Lora Koehler 3/10
Place Hold	The Keep by Jennifer Egan General Fiction Call#: F Egan This novel is a modern gothic involving estranged cousins who reunite in Eastern Europe. Danny has been paid to come help cousin Howard help fix up a castle to be used as a hotel. To reveal too much would spoil it, but if you like weird stories, this is for you. Submitted by Suzanne Johnson 10/06
Place Hold	Kerplunk! by Patrick F. McManus General Fiction Call#: F McManus If you are into hunting or fishing or know someone who is, Patrick McMaunus's Kerplunk tells gently comic tales about outdoor life. Submitted by Joan Christiansen 12/07
Place Hold	Kissing Your Ex by Brooke Stevens General Fiction Call#: F Stevens It has been three years since Maddy has seen or heard from her divorced soul mate, Jack. Now she has a new life, is in love and engaged to her boss. Her new found happiness is dramatically interrupted when Maddy receives a package from Jack containing photographs , a postcard and a note "I love you still and miss you and I now know something that I didn't before. The closeness that we shared together for all those years is far too precious to lose." When Jack also invites her to meet him in the Caribbean, even though she is days away from her wedding, Maddy is torn between her past love and her future one. A novel of self discovery and how we often hurt the ones we love the most. Submitted by Marsha Leclair-Marzolf
Place Hold Write a Review	The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey by Walter Mosley General Fiction F Mosley Ninety-one year old Ptolemy Grey is mentally and physically frail. He is often confused, but knows that he has unfinished business. To regain his lucidity, and take care of business, he sells his body to the devil, a physician, who will provide him with a course of experimental drugs. Submitted by Lee Alexander 3/11
Place Hold Write a Review	The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl General Fiction Call#: F Pearl A novel that centers around the unfinished, final novel by Charles Dickens, The Mystery of Edwin Drood. The author combines history, sublime characterization, a tightly woven plot and deep humanity for his subject matter. Submitted by Joni Kohagen 7/09
Place Hold Write a Review	Ledfeather by Stephen Graham Jones General Fiction F Jones A masterfully woven exploration of the effects the decision made by an Indian Agent in 1883 had on the people of the Blackfeet Reservation throughout subsequent generations. Why is Doby Saxon standing in the road in the middle of the night, waiting for whatever comes barreling at him out of the dark? Why didn't the agent, Francis Dalimpere, send the many letters he composed to his wife in 1883? The weight of one decision; the inevitability of the outcome. Submitted by Lee Alexander 10/11
Place Hold Write a Review	Life Among the Lutherans by Garrison Keillor General Fiction Call#: F Keillor Tales from Lake Wobegon “where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average”. Keillor reminds us that no matter what your religious affiliation, being Lutheran can be a common state of mind; though it might help if you’ve experienced pot-luck suppers, committee work, chaperoning school bus trips, terrible potato salad, or sung in a choir. Submitted by Lee Alexander 9/09
Place Hold	Like Trees, Walking by Ravi Howard General Fiction Call#: F Howard A gripping fictionalized account of the 1981 lynching of a Mobile, Alabama high school student. On a March morning Paul and Roy Deacon's friend was found hanging from a tree. On the eve of his 40th birthday Roy reflects on how his strongly traditional family tried to cope in the aftermath this tragedy. Submitted by Lee Alexander 6/07
Place Hold	Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel General Fiction Call#: F Esquivel Romance and chocolate in the same book? What could be better? This earthy, magical and and charming book is the perfect romantic read. Submitted by Janell Pearce-Mattheus
Place Hold Write a Review	The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall General Fiction F Udall What initially seems to be a jokey novel, about a regional phenomenon, develops into a warmly human novel, in which the characters develop dimensions, historical antecedents come to haunt generations, and nearly slapstick humor leavens tragedy. Submitted by Lee Alexander 9/10
Place Hold	A Long Way Down: A Novel by Nick Hornby General Fiction Call#: F Hornby Only Nick Hornby, author of About a Boy and High Fidelity could pull off this novel without resorting to sentimentality as he writes about four strangers who meet on a roof top New Year's Eve with the intention of jumping and the subsequent dysfunctional and hilariously funny non-suicide gang they form. Submitted by Marsha Leclair-Marzolf
Place Hold Write a Review	Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore General Fiction Call#: F Gilmore This is a marvelous first novel about a young girl who dreams all of her life of leaving her sleepy Georgia town for a bigger city, experiences and opportunities. She realizes her dream of leaving, only to find that her real dreams were in front of her all the time. Filled with humor, pathos and memorable characters, this is a good summer read. Submitted by Joni Kohagen 7/08
Place Hold Write a Review	The Lost Garden by Helen Humphreys General Fiction Call#: F Humphreys The great gardens on the country estate in Devon have fallen into chaos. By 1941, half the male gardeners in England have been sent to war. A retiring thirty-two-year-old horticulturist, Gwen, applies to supervise a group of Land Girls in reclaiming the gardens, so they will again produce food. When Gwen discovers a hidden garden, divided into three sections, each containing a stone marker bearing a word (Longing, Loss, and Faith), she becomes fascinated with the mystery of this garden of love and of the gardener who created it. Beautifully and delicately sensual. A The Secret Garden for adults. Submitted by Lee Alexander 8/09
Place Hold	Love Over Scotland by Alexander McCall Smith General Fiction Call#: F McCall Smith More delightfully satirical tales of the residents of 44 Scotland Street, from the author of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. Humorous, light and de-stressing reading. Submitted by Lee Alexander 12/07
Place Hold Write a Review	Lowboy by John Wray General Fiction Call#: F Wray John Wray goes into the minds of a paranoid schizophrenic runaway teen and the missing-persons specialist who tracks him down in this fast-paced literary thriller. Set in the underground world of the New York City subway system, this novel is a fearless and flawless exploration of mental illness. Submitted by Jennifer Fay 10/09
Place Hold Write a Review	The Madonnas of Echo Park by Brando Skyhorse General Fiction F Horse A gripping pean to Echo Park in Los Angeles, this is a powerful and compelling first novel told in the various voices of the neighborhood. In sixth grade Skyhorse made a hurtful comment to a girl in his class. Unable to apologize at the time, this book is his attempt to make up for it. The author has fashioned well developed characters, each one telling his or her story, to coalesce into a powerful little novel. Submitted by Lee Alexander 7/10
Place Hold	Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean General Fiction Call#: F Dean In the fall of 1941 Marina, a tour guide at the Hermitage Museum in war-ravaged Leningrad, helped to remove the priceless masterpieces for safekeeping. As the planes dropped bombs and people lived in underground shelters Marina burned to memory each work of art and stored them in her "memory palace". In her mind she could tour each room in the collection and picture each work in exquisite detail. Now eighty years old, living in the northwestern U.S. and suffering from senile dementia she slips back and forth between the present and her "memory palace". This book is a treat for the senses of anyone interested in art. Submitted by Lee Alexander 08/06
Place Hold	The Magic of Ordinary Days by Ann Howard Creel General Fiction Call#: F Creel Livvy Dunne, scholarly and ambitious, in a rash moment in WWII Colorado becomes pregnant by a dashing officer and is forced into a marriage of convenience by her puritanical father. Livvy finds herself on a remote farm with a devoted husband she knows nothing about. An ideal book to read while sipping lemonade on the porch swing this summer. Submitted by Bonnie Bradford 6/07
Place Hold Write a Review	Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan General Fiction F Sullivan The dysfunctional Kelleher family meets at their summer cottage, Briarwood, for perhaps the last time. Secrets are shared and old wounds reopened. A compassionate, insightful look at the Kelleher's individual actions, no matter the consequences. Submitted by Kiku Kimura 10/11
Place Hold	Maps for Lost Lovers by Nadeem Aslam General Fiction Call#: F Aslam In a Pakistani community in England the tensions between the older and the younger immigrants, contemporary mores and Islamic strictures play out with beauty and tragedy. I love a well written book which gives me insight into other cultures. Submitted by Lee Alexander
Place Hold	March by Geraldine Brooks General Fiction Call#: F Brooks Brooks writes the story of Mr. March, father of Louisa May Alcott’s little women, as he leaves his wife and family to serve as a chaplain in the Civil War. This intricately woven tale of war, race relations, marriage and family transports the reader to another place and time. The intellectual atmosphere and ideals of New England leave March unprepared for the ravages and horrors of war in the South and after a debilitating illness he begins the challenging physical and mental journey back to civilized society and his family. Submitted by Danette Hantla and Joni Kohagen
Place Hold Write a Review	The Marriage Artist by Andrew Winer General Fiction F Winer When New York art critic Daniel Lichtmann's wife falls to her death, the body of her suspected lover, Benjamin Wind, is next to her. In grief and anger, Daniel searches for the truth and solve the puzzle of their deaths, and discovers events set in motion years earlier in Vienna. Submitted by Lee Alexander 7/11
Place Hold Write a Review	The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides General Fiction F Eugenides It’s the 1980s, when Madeleine, and Mitchell and Leonard, who are both in love with Madeleine, graduate from college and head down divergent paths into the world, to become their ultimate selves; Leonard, through science, Mitchell, via religion, and Madeleine, within literature. What ensues makes for a big, guilty pleasure of a read. Submitted by Lee Alexander 12/11
Place Hold Write a Review	A Mercy by Toni Morrison General Fiction Call#: F Morrison Morrison's thoughtful prose details the story of a slave, who has given her daughter away in order to save her, and her daughter's lifelong search for the love she has lost. Submitted by Lee Alexander 2/09
Place Hold Write a Review	Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides General Fiction Call#: F Eugenides With an original and witty voice, Eugenides gives us a fascinating look at the intricacies of love, family, and identity, spanning generations. Laugh-out-loud, thought-provoking, tear-jerking, and brilliantly written. Submitted by Jennifer Fay 7/09
Place Hold	The Milagro Beanfield War by John Nichols General Fiction Call#: F Nichols A humorous political novel of the Southwest. Submitted by Lee Alexander 09/06
Place Hold	Mirror Mirror: A Novel by Gregory Maguire General Fiction Call#: F Maguire This unusual story is set in 16th century Italy. The author's writing is magical as he interweaves the characters into Snow White and the Dwarfs but with an abundance of creativity that surprises the reader. Historical figures become part of the narrative that is brilliantly executed. (some adult themes) Submitted by Madalene Cuglietta 10/06
Place Hold Write a Review	Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones General Fiction Call#: F Jones This appealing coming-of-age story is set on an island in the early 1990s. The young narrator is involved in a raging civil war, but also in a war for her soul, between her fiercely religious mother and the man who introduces her to Dickens--the only white man on the island. Submitted by Lorraine Jeffery 6/08
Place Hold Write a Review	Model Home by Eric Puchner General Fiction Call#: F Puchner A fast moving train wreck of a tragic-comedic novel, featuring a typically middle class family as it implodes while in pursuit of the American dream of greater prosperity. Submitted by Lee Alexander 4/10
Place Hold Write a Review	A Modest Proposal by Michele Ashman Bell General Fiction Call#: F Bell Six high school friends. One tragic and mysterious car accident. One box full of special memories and secrets. Meet the Butterfly girls: Lauryn, Emma, Andrea, Chloe and Jocelyn. Fashion designer Lauryn longs to design modest evening wear and fall in love before her 30th birthday. Or else. Or else she'll be forced to marry her long lost high school boyfriend, Jace. That would be bad, wouldn't it? Or would it? Submitted by Natalie Giauque and Ruby Cheesman 1/09
Place Hold Write a Review	A Month in the Country by J. L. Carr General Fiction F Carr In 1920, shell shocked WWI veteran, Tom Birkin, is summoned to a small village in Yorkshire to restore a medieval wall painting in the Anglican church. As the artistry of the painting emerges, Tom slowly recovers his sense of beauty and happiness. Submitted by Lee Alexander 5/11
Place Hold Write a Review	My Heart Remembers by Kim Vogel Sawyer Christian Fiction Call#: F Sawyer Orphaned in a tenement fire, three Irish immigrants are sent to Missouri to be adopted on the orphan train. Maelle desperately searches for her siblings who were separated from her seventeen years before. Submitted by Nola Magneson 1/09
Place Hold Write a Review	My New American Life by Francine Prose General Fiction F Prose Albanian immigrant, Lula, is an absolutely delightful protagonist. Living in New Jersey as a nanny to a seventeen year old boy (he's only eleven years younger than she is), Lula uses wit, charm and ingenuity in her effort to become a U.S. citizen. A light, funny and charming story. Submitted by Lee Alexander 9/11
Place Hold	Necessary Beggar by Susan Palwick General Fiction, Fantasy Call#: F Palwick Winner of the Alex Award as one of the top 10 adult books for teens, this lyrical and magical novel explores the timeliness of love and the bonds of family as the reader follows a family exiled from their Utopian world of Gandiffri to a refugee center in Nevada. Submitted by Marsha Leclair-Marzolf
Place Hold Write a Review	Need by Carrie Jones General Fiction Call#: YF Jones Too soon after her father's death Zara's mom ships her off to Grandma Beth's in frigid Maine. Zara and her friends begin to uncover a secret that is killing young men in the area. The Pixie king is looking for a mate and he has chosen Zara. This novel is a must for all the Twilight fans. Engaging writing, a little romance, a little suspense, were-wolves, evil Pixies, do I need to say more? The heroine is strong and spunky and will not leave readers disappointed. Submitted by Allison Madsen 3/09
Place Hold Write a Review	Nemesis by Philip Roth General Fiction F Roth Roth is at his very strongest with this compact novel. It's the 1940s, and polio is the personal nemesis of children. One man struggles to keep the young people under his charge safe and healthy. What happens to a good man, when his actions are in conflict with his moral center? Submitted by Lee Alexander 1/11
Place Hold Write a Review	Netherland by Joseph O'Neill General Fiction Call#: F O'Neill "New York is not what most people imagine it to be. Just as marriage, family, friendship and manhood are not. Netherland is suspenseful, artful, psychologically pitch-perfect, and a wonderful read. But more than any of that, it's revelatory. Joseph O'Neill has managed to paint the most famous city in the world, and the most familiar concept in the world (love) in an entirely new way." --Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Everything is Illuminated Submitted by Suzanne Johnson 2/09
Place Hold	New Mercies by Sandra Dallas General Fiction Call#: F Dallas Sandra Dallas goes South to tell a story of inheritance, intrigue, and curiosity about plantation life in the 1920s. A great twist with her usual "quilt, and murder-- who done it?" theme. Great for a book group. Submitted by Bev Dusserre 09/06
Place Hold Write a Review	The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern General Fiction F Morgenstern Magic, mystery, and mayhem abound in this dreamlike novel. A "contest" has been declared, but only 4 people know about it. And of those, the two players who are at the heart of this game do not understand what the rules are, or when it will ever end. Submitted by Jewel Nelson 11/11
Place Hold Write a Review	Noah's Compass by Anne Tyler General Fiction Call#: F Tyler Sixty-one year old Liam Pennywell was forced into early retirement from teaching, due to budget cuts, and suffers from amnesia after an assailant breaks into his apartment and knocks him over the head. In an attempt to remember what happened he begins the process of remembering his life's journey from past to present and comes to terms with the changes in his life. This engaging and revealing novel deals with family dynamics, personal relationships, and the human condition that Tyler always does so well. Submitted by Winnie Kandolin 2/10
Place Hold	North River by Pete Hamill General Fiction Call#: F Hamill Dr. James Delaney, a doctor to the poor in his tenement neighborhood in New York City during the depression finds his life changed forever when his daughter Grace, leaves her two-year-old son in his foyer. A quiet romance with the boy's nanny, mob threats, an FBI investigation, the pall of the depression, and strong well-developed characters all add depth and breadth to this poignant story. Submitted by Marsha Leclair-Marzolf 11/07
Place Hold	The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks General Fiction Call#: F Sparks In this story of star-crossed lovers, two young southern teenagers--Noah and Allie--from opposite parts of town fall in love and never forget one another. In this charming story, nothing can keep them apart and in their later years Noah reads the notebook, filled with sketches of their life together, to Allie who resides in a home for patients with Alzheimer's. Submitted by Joni Kohagen
Place Hold Write a Review	Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout General Fiction Call#: F Strout In a series of interwoven stories about Olive Kittredge, the reader sees her in many roles, moods and stages of life. One comes away from reading this Pulitzer Prize winner with a sense of deep satisfaction for a story well told and a character to hold in your memory. Submitted by Joni Kohagen and Lee Alexander 6/09
Place Hold Write a Review	On Account of Conspicuous Women by Dawn Shamp General Fiction Call#: F Shamp A story of strong southern women at the time of the women's suffrage movement. Four very different young women come together in this entertaining "New Arrival" to the County Library System. Submitted by Jenny McDonald 9/08
Place Hold	On Agate Hill by Lee Smith General Fiction Call#: F Smith The story set in post Civil War times portrays a strong woman character, Molly Petree. The plot is written as a diary which Molly begins on her 13th birthday. She grows from an abused orphan girl to an educated, fancy woman. Submitted by Daniela Jancovic 6/07
Place Hold Write a Review	Our Lady of Greenwich Village by Dermot McEnvoy General Fiction Call#: F McEnvoy Did the Virgin really appear in support of the GOP congressman? A contemporary tale of political in-fighting, a rowdy tavern, and a clever Irishman. Submitted by Lee Alexander 2/09
Place Hold	Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson General Fiction Call#: F Petterson Set in forested northeast Norway, alternating between the 1940s and the present time, this is a story of the bond between father and son, the tragedy of a pivotal unguarded moment, and unlikely friendship. The intensely lyrical sense of place is reminiscent of Norman Macleans' A River Runs Through It. Submitted by Lee Alexander 3/08
Place Hold	Outlander by Diana Gabaldon General Fiction Call#: F Gabaldon With a simple touch to an ancient stone, Claire is transported through time to face the superstitions, violence and romance of 18th century Scotland. Submitted by Marsha LeClair-Marzolf & Susan Hamada
Place Hold Write a Review	The Pale King by David Foster Wallace General Fiction F Wallace This is an absorbing and remarkable novel. It is unfinished because the author died before he completed it. Even so, it is a book that examines many important themes in humanity, including everyday life, boredom, and loneliness. Wallace writes in a way that is compelling and unique. It is hard to put down and is a must read for any fan of David Foster Wallace and postmodern fiction; even unfinished it is a satisfying read. Submitted by Jamie Ward 7/11
Place Hold Write a Review	A Palace in the Old Village by Tahare Ben Jelloun General Fiction F Jelloun Upon retirement Mohammed, who has been working in France for forty years, returns home to Morocco to build a large home in which his family will live together in the old way. Submitted by Lee Alexander 5/11
Place Hold Write a Review	The Paris Wife by Paula McLain General Fiction F McLain A novel of the courtship and marriage of Ernest and Hadley Hemingway, the famous author's first wife. The writer takes one into the inner working of their marriage, the history of the 1920s and the excitement of living and working in Paris in such an interesting time period. Submitted by Joni Kohagen 8/11
Place Hold Write a Review	Peace Like a River by Leif Enger General Fiction Call#: F Enger The lyrical story of eleven-year-old Reuben Land, a boy with asthma, who along with his story-writing sister, Swede, and his miracle-performing father, embarks on an unforgettable journey to find his fugitive older brother. Set against the formidable landscape of the Dakota Badlands, this story of family love and commitment takes on legendary proportions. Submitted by Holly Whistler 9/08
Place Hold Write a Review	The Peacemaker by Lori Copeland General Fiction Call#: F Copeland Wynn is out to seek revenge on her ex-fiance because he left her at the alter and took her money. On her way, she is rescued from some carriage robbers by two good Samaritans. They take her home so she can get some money. She soon discovers that they are the family of her ex-fiance. She is now on the run, but who is following? Submitted by Daena Wasson 4/09
Place Hold Write a Review	The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich General Fiction Call#: F Erdrich The brutal murder of a family in 1911 rural North Dakota, and the subsequent lynching of innocent men, has effects that reverberate through each generation of their descendants. Erdrich's mythical storytelling of intersecting lives, jealousies, love and lusts, is quite complex and very rewarding. Submitted by Lee Alexander 6/08
Place Hold Write a Review	Please Look After Mom by Kyung-sook Shin General Fiction F Shin Bestselling South Korean novelist, Shin, weaves a beautiful tale of a family's secrets, regrets and guilt. In a crowded Seoul subway station, illiterate Park So-nyo, becomes separated from her husband, and doesn’t board the train to return home. As her family frantically searches for her, each member recalls different aspects of their mother and wife, and come to realize that this quiet woman was the central force in the family. Very hard to put down, this is a quiet story with a perfectly crafted ending. Submitted by Lee Alexander 10/11
Place Hold	PocketFul of Names: A Novel by Joe Coomer General Fiction Call#: F Coomer Hannah is the sole occupant of a small island in Maine who devotes her life and her time to painting while relishing her isolation and independence. When a dog washes ashore, he is a harbinger of more intrusions that will invade her personal isolation and prove that 'no man/woman is an island'. Submitted by Marsha Leclair-Marzolf
Place Hold Write a Review	Point Omega by Don DeLillo General Fiction Call#: F DeLillo A quietly mysterious three character novella, with an engaging opening chapter, powerful dialogue, and an ambiguous denouement. Submitted by Lee Alexander 7/10
Place Hold	The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver General Fiction Call#: F Kingsolver A missionary takes his wife and four daughters to the Belgian Congo in 1959, a country on the verge of independence. This epic story of prejudice, injustice and religious self righteousness is told through the voices of the five women, each courageously meeting the challenges of life in her own particular way. Submitted by Laura J. Berube 08/06
Place Hold	Possession: A Romance by A. S. Byatt General Fiction Call#:F Byatt Interwoven with love letters, myths, legends, diaries and scholarly accounts, this literary tour de force recounts the tale of two young academics as they uncover a clandestine love affair between two long-dead Victorian poets and discover their own personal truths and pasts. Submitted by Holly Whistler
Place Hold	Prep by Cutis Sittenfeld General Fiction Call#: F Sittenfeld A perceptive, achingly funny novel featuring a middle class Midwestern teenager trying to fit in at an elite East Coast boarding school. Prep is also a brilliant dissection of class, race, and gender with adolescent angst and ambition. Submitted by Linda Frederick
Place Hold	Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozii Adichie General Fiction Call#: F Adichie Very well written coming of age story of a sister and brother raised in a wealthy religiously fanatical home in the midst of political unrest in Nigeria. I didn't want to put this one down once I started it. Submitted by Lee Alexander
Place Hold Write a Review	Ready Player One by Ernest Cline General Fiction F Cline Ready Player One is a terrific book for those who want a little dive into '80s nostalgia. Set in 2044, James Halliday, co-creator of an online universe known as the OASIS, dies, leaving his billions to the one who can find the hidden Easter egg. Players must be familiar with Halliday's favorite movies, music, and games from when he grew up in the 1980s. Great fun! Submitted by Darin Butler 11/11
Place Hold Write a Review	Recapitulation by Wallace Stegner General Fiction F Stegner A novel of coming home again to Salt Lake City after an absence of 45 years. Bruce Mason comes to ostensibly bury his aunt but rediscovers his past and what made him the person he is now. The author has written a novel of longing, nostalgia and deep respect for the city he adopted as his own home town. Beautiful and unforgettable. Submitted by Joni Kohagen 3/11
Place Hold	The Redemption of Sarah Cain by Beverly Lewis General Fiction Call#: F Lewis Sarah, a beautiful, single Oregon newspaper columnist is content with her life until she receives a call saying her Amish sister has died and named her as legal guardian of her five children. While trying to decide what to do, she also finds herself doing some real soul searching in terms of a prior troubling experience and a lost love. Submitted by Annie Eastmond 3/08
Place Hold	Returning to Earth by Jim Harrison General Fiction Call#: F Harrison In the aftermath of a Chippewa-Finnish man's death from Lou Gehrig's disease, his wife, daughter, and brother-in-law read the family history he has left behind, study his philosophies about death, and struggle to redeem their own pasts.(From Novelist) Submitted by Beverly Dusserre 4/07
Place Hold Write a Review	Rhino Ranch by Larry McMurtry General Fiction Call#: F McMurtry In Northern Texas, land that was cattle country has been turned into the Rhino Ranch; a 120,000 acre preserve for the endangered African Black Rhinoceros. The entrepreneur is a woman billionaire from out of state, and the locals do not care for outsiders. Garrulous Billy Bob and taciturn Boyd share the ranch's north guard tower and whiskey; Duane Moore’s wife leaves him and he becomes briefly involved with a porno actress; a 2000 pound rhino, Double Aught, mauls a Texas Ranger’s car, disappears and becomes a legend. Character and dialogue driven, this small novel delivers a respectful tribute to the ethos of a fading breed of cattlemen. Wildly funny and sweetly sad, this fifth and last installment in McMurtry’s Thalia Texas series is the best yet, and works well as a stand alone novel. Submitted by Lee Alexander 9/09
Place Hold Write a Review	Rich in Love by Josephine Humphreys General Fiction Call#: F Humphreys A smart and compassionate seventeen-year-old narrates her family's unraveling and subsequent reconstitution. A very sweet story that made me laugh and cry. Submitted by Feeny Watt 4/10
Place Hold Write a Review	Sandstorm by James Rollins General Fiction F Rollins Try the eAudio format for thrill a minute escapes and cross country adventures that take the listener from China to Britain to Yemen. Hunt for the lost city of Ubar with our team of Sigma Force favorites. Submitted by Jewel Nelson 11/11
Place Hold	Saturday by Ian McEwan General Fiction Call#: F McEwan Henry Perone's Saturdays are usually quite routine, but this particular Saturday is laced with ominous events. He wakes to the sight of an early morning plane crash, becomes involved in a minor traffic accident with unforeseen consequences, and finally must make a wrenching decision to save his family or his ideals. This thoughtful novel contemplates the virtues of modern life, war and peace, revenge and forgiveness; leaving the reader wondering about their own ideals in a complex world. Submitted by LuCinda Gustavson
Place Hold Write a Review	Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman General Fiction Call#: F Hoffman Tragedy turns to delight for twelve-year-old CeeCee Honeycutt after she moves in with her great aunt Tootie in Savannah. Powerful, independent women full of southern charm provide wise guidance and acceptance as they offer love, entertainment and opportunities for CeeCee. Fans of Secret Life of Bees will not be disappointed in this great story that deals well with serious issues of racism and the destructive consequences of mental illness. Wonderful first novel by Hoffman! Submitted by Winnie Kandolin 3/10
Place Hold Write a Review	The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister General Fiction Call#: F Bauermeister Eight students, with eight different stories, meet each Monday evening at Lillian's Restaurant for a cooking lesson. Each student may, unknowingly, be looking for that one essential ingredient missing in his or her life. Sensual descriptions of the subtlety of a spice, the velvety blending of mascarpone and ricotta, the butter melting on the perfect warm tortilla. Submitted by Lee Alexander 3/09
Place Hold	Second Nature by Alice Hoffman General Fiction Call#: F Hoffman Robin Moore is in the midst of a messy divorce when she impulsively rescues a man from a locked room who was literally raised by wolves. This beautifully written novel explores what it means to be truly human. Submitted by Bobbie Pyron 09/06
Place Hold Write a Review	Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda General Fiction F Gowda A heart rending story of international adoption and two very different cultures. Submitted by Darlene Dineen 1/11
Place Hold Write a Review	The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd General Fiction Call#: F Kidd An interesting look at life in a rural southern community in the mid-1960s. A young girl confronts the mysterious past of her mother, encounters racial tensions, and experiences the strength and love of the beekeeping women who take her in. Submitted by Jenny McDonald 5/08
Place Hold Write a Review	Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal General Fiction F Kowal At 28, Jane Ellsworth, knows that her chances of marrying are slim and she spends her time developing her glamour into an art form. This does not prevent her from envying her younger sister when she is being wooed by suitors. Submitted by Cherie Bitter 6 /11
Place Hold	She May Not Leave by Fay Weldon General Fiction Call#: F Weldon The power of the perfect nanny. Plot twists, surprises and humor. Submitted by Lee Alexander 10/06
Place Hold Write a Review	Short Girls by Bich Minh Nguyen General Fiction Call#: F Nguyen Second generation Vietnamese-Americans, sisters Van and Linh have been immersed in sibling rivalry for years. Now, not quite in their thirties, they’re experiencing major losses. Immigration attorney Van, has lost a case, a pregnancy, and her marriage is shaky. Linh, a strongly independent single woman, is involved with a married man, who probably has an Asian fetish. When they are called home to help throw a celebration party for their widowed father’s naturalization ceremony, old and new conflicts arise. Chick Lit with real substance. Submitted by Lee Alexander 10/09
Place Hold Write a Review	A Single Thread by Marie Bostwick General Fiction Call#: F Bostwick In the tradition of Debbie Macomber and Kate Jacobs, Marie Bostwick's A Single Thread brings four women together through quilting to find the single thread that binds us all. Submitted by Joan Christensen 12/08
Place Hold	Skinner's Drift by Lisa Fugard General Fiction Call#: F Fugard When Eva is called back to South Africa from New York to be with her dying father she is given her mother’s diaries chronicling her experiences on the family farm as an English woman married to an Afrikaner in a harsh land. Having fled to the United States following her mother’s accidental death, Eva has no desire to return to Africa or her family home. A vivid portrait of the land and the struggles and conflicts there both during and post-apartheid Africa make fascinating reading. Submitted by Lee Alexander
Place Hold Write a Review	Skippy Dies by Paul Murray General Fiction F Murray A novel of betrayal, and the need for the heroic redemptive act, written with great breadth and depth; it is darkly comic, haunting and heartbreaking. Don't let the unattractive cover and tell-all title keep you from the transcendent story. Submitted by Lee Alexander 9/11
Place Hold	Small Change: The Secret Life of Penny Burford by J. Belinda Yandell General Fiction Call#: F Yandell Penny Burford is an ordinary housewife who finds some loose change on her husband's dresser one day and decides to do something with it. What she does changes the course of her life and that of many others in extraordinary ways, showing that even simple acts of charity can have far-reaching effects. Submitted by Jane Cooper
Place Hold Write a Review	Solar by Ian McEwan General Fiction Call#: F McEwan A deadly funny tale of climate change, academic pretension, cuckoldry, and philandering, featuring an Id driven theoretical physicist. Suspend critical judgment and enjoy. Submitted by Lee Alexander 5/10
Place Hold Write a Review	Sonata for Miriam by Linda Olsson General Fiction Call#: F Olsson This lyrical book deals with the psychological aspects of family relationships and loss. It is a quick, gentle read and emphasizes the importance of communication, forgiveness ,and understanding. Submitted by Lorraine Jeffery 10/09
Place Hold Write a Review	Spooner by Pete Dexter General Fiction F Dexter When strong, placid Calmer becomes the step-father of wild, self-destructive Spooner, he doesn't understand the boy or know how to raise him. In this thought-provoking, hilarious, touching, and occasionally disgusting story, the two men grow up and grow old together, forming a bond that becomes the heart of both their lives. Submitted by Jennifer Fay 6/11
Place Hold Write a Review	A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon General Fiction YF Beagle The perfect summer read from the author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Newly retired, George, who doesn't like to be a bother, fears the bump on his hip is a deadly cancer. A possibly ill-advised marriage is being planned for his argumentative daughter, his son is in turmoil over the status of his long-term relationship, and his loving wife is having an affair. DIY surgery, though not wise, seems logical to George. Submitted by Lee Alexander 8/11
Place Hold Write a Review	State of Wonder by Ann Patchett General Fiction F Patchett For readers who liked Patchett's earlier masterpiece Bel Canto, State of Wonder will satisfy you. It's a mesmerizing tale steeped in the harsh beauty of the Amazon. The story revolves around women's fertility and medical technology, issues of loyalty and friendship told in Patchett's creatively magical thinking. Submitted by Risa Ashment 11/11
Place Hold	The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue General Fiction Call#: F Donohue A consuming tale about the ancient legend of the changeling. Told in the alternating voices of a young boy and the changeling that stole his would-have-been life, Donohue weaves a magical tale of life, love and identity. Submitted by Mindy Whipple 08/06
Place Hold	A Story Like the Wind by Laurens Van der Post General Fiction Call#: F Van Hauntingly beautiful and moving story of Africa seen through the eyes of a young English boy growing up among natives near Kalahari. The story continues in an action packed sequel, A Far Off Place. This is a book I have read over and over. Submitted by Tammy Laitinen 08/06
Place Hold Write a Review	The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski General Fiction Call#: F Wroblewski The poignant and disturbing story of young Edgar, who is born unable to speak, but forms an unusual bond with the dogs the family breeds. Part coming-of-age story, and part quest and road novel, this new author will keep the reader's interest to the very last page. A current Oprah pick. Submitted by Joni Kohagen 11/08
Place Hold Write a Review	The Submission by Amy Waldman General Fiction F Waldman When a Muslim American architect's submission to design the Ground Zero Memorial, is chosen from all the anonymous entries, an explosion of conflicting viewpoints results in controversy and tragedy. Tightly written, with strong character development, and almost impossible to put down. One of the best novels of 2011. Submitted by Lee Alexander 11/11
Place Hold Write a Review	The Sunflower by Richard Paul Evans General Fiction Call#: F Evans A wonderful story about a group who goes on a trip to the Amazon to give some humanitarian aid to some orphaned children. It has action, love, and a good message as well. The book is based on a real life experience. Submitted by Daena Wasson 7/08
Place Hold Write a Review	Swan Song by Robert R. McCammon General Fiction Call#: F McCammon After the earth is ravaged by a nuclear war, the last survivors must fight to protect Swan, a young girl that will help rid the world of an ancient evil and help save humanity. The number of pages in the book intimidated me, but by the end, I wanted more. Submitted by Angela Rawlings 4/08
Place Hold Write a Review	The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova General Fiction F Kostova When a painter, Robert Oliver, attacks a painting of Leda and the Swan in the National Gallery of Art, psychologist Andrew Marlowe takes him on as a patient. As Marlowe tries to discover the object of Robert’s obsession and the identity of the woman who haunts him, he unravels a mystery that takes him through time to the late nineteenth century and the heart of the French Impressionist movement. Submitted by Holly Whistler 8/10
Place Hold Write a Review	The Sweet By and By by Todd Johnson General Fiction Call#: F Johnson Told from the points of view of four different characters, this delightful novel takes place in a nursing home in North Carolina, where Margaret and Bernice reside; Lorraine is an LPN and Rhonda comes once a week to do their hair. A guaranteed "can't put it down" book that will make you laugh and cry and lament the fact that we'll all be there someday. Submitted by Ruby Cheesman 9/09
Place Hold Write a Review	Tabloid City by Peter Hamill General Fiction F Hamill As longtime staffers mourn the demise of the print edition of the daily tabloid, The World, vicious murders at an exclusive address shock New Yorkers, and a young terrorist plans an attack. A tragedy of Shakespearian depth, Hamill's terse, gritty, fast-paced tale of contemporary New York City is a page turner. Submitted by Lee Alexander 8/11
Place Hold Write a Review	Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas General Fiction Call#: F Dallas This is the story of a farm family during World War II and how their lives are changed forever by the events of the time. Sandra Dallas captures the historical time and builds the suspense of the story, making this a page turner. Submitted by Susan Hamada 6/09
Place Hold Write a Review	That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo General Fiction Call#: F Russo Pulitzer Prize-winning author Russo tells a good story about Griffin, who is experiencing a mid-life crisis. He examines life's journey and the ties that bind. As Griffin reflects on his past and ponders his future, he hears the constant voice of his mother, either on the cell or in his head! The setting of Cape Cod and Maine add to the enjoyment of the story. Submitted by Winnie Kandolin 10/09
Place Hold	The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield General Fiction Call#: F Setterfield Rare bookseller Margaret Lea is commissioned by the mysterious and reclusive author Vida Winter to write her long awaited biography. In this gothic, yet poignantly written story within a story, both characters face and learn to live, or die, with the past. Submitted by Laura Berube, Judy Yaka and Marrissa Hagen 12/06
Place Hold Write a Review	These Is My Words by Nancy Turner General Fiction F Turner Written as a diary, this is a book about a pioneer woman in the late 1800s. There were many hardships and sorrows in her life along with loving experiences as her family traveled from Arizona to Texas, then back to Arizona to build a tree farm and horse ranch. Submitted by Naomi Bass 7/11
Place Hold Write a Review	This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper General Fiction F Tropper Wildly and bawdily humorous. A dysfunctional family sits shiva for a father, while one couple tries to conceive, and another's marriage falls apart. Submitted by Lee Alexander 1/11
Place Hold	Tim by Colleen McCullough General Fiction Call#: F McCullough Mary Horton is content with her comfortable, solitary existence...until she meets Tim, a beautiful young man with the mind of a child. He will shatter the lonely, middle-aged spinster's respectable, ordered life with friendship, then love. Submitted by Bonnie Bradford 08/06
Place Hold	Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger General Fiction Call #: F Niffenegger A wonderfully written fantasy about a time traveling librarian named Henry who falls in love with, and stays in love with time bound Clare. Henry, suffering from a rare case of "Chrono-Displaced Person Syndrome," visits Clare during many stages of her life, from a little girl to an aged widow. This love story reveals the timelessness of genuine love. Submitted by Jim Cooper
Place Hold Write a Review	The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise by Julia Stuart General Fiction F Stuart Balthazar Jones lives in the Tower of London with his wife, Hebe, and his 120-year-old pet tortoise. That's right, he is a Beefeater (they really do live there). It's no easy job living and working in a tourist attraction in modern London. When Balthazar is tasked with setting up a menagerie within the Tower walls housing the exotic animals gifted to the Queen, life at the Tower gets all the more interesting. This book is filled with delightful British humor, quirky characters, and a minor mystery. Enjoy! Submitted by Bonnie Bradford 2/11
Place Hold Write a Review	Train Dreams by Denis Johnson General Fiction F Johnson A lyrical compact novella of the Rocky Mountains. Through the experiences of Robert Grainer, at various times a railroader, logger, or bridge builder, we see America changing during the era of western expansion. A quiet book of the land and western American history. Submitted by Lee Alexander 10/11
Place Hold	Tyrannosaur Canyon by Douglas Preston General Fiction This action packed adventure story is driven by the love of a husband for his wife, and the lengths they go to be reunited. It is a true romantic adventure. Submitted by Jewel Nelson
Place Hold Write a Review	The Ultimate Gift by Jim Stovall General Fiction Call#: F Stovall After Red Stevens dies, his estate is distributed to all of his heirs but one. Jason is not given an outright bequest, but is put through a series of tests, or gifts, about life and living to determine if he is worthy of his inheritance. This book takes the reader through Jason's progress with the twelve gifts that lead to The Ultimate Gift. It reminds me of Spencer Johnson's works (The Present; Who Moved My Cheese) in that it gives a lot of good ideas on improving one's life and relationships with others. Submitted by Joyce Owen 9/08
Place Hold Write a Review	Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri General Fiction/Short Stories Call#: F Lahiri Pulitzer Prize winner Lahiri has written eight nearly perfect short stories, dealing with identity and exile. These character driven tales, illustrate the family dynamics, and the divisions between immigrant parents and their American raised children. Submitted by Lee Alexander 6/08
Place Hold Write a Review	The Unbearable Lightness of Scones by Alexander McCall-Smith General Fiction Call#: F McCall-Smith The fifth installment of happenings on 44 Scotland Street, in which Bertie has a new psychotherapist, Matthew and Elspeth honeymoon in Australia, there is an incident on the historical stairs leading to big Lou's coffee shop, Cyril, the gold-toothed canine, complicates Angus' life, and a valuable painting may have surfaced. Fresh and fun. Submitted by Lee Alexander 4/10
Place Hold	The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett General Fiction Call#: F Bennett Queen Elizabeth II discovers a bookmobile and the pleasures of reading novels; something she hadn't done previously. How this changes the monarch's behavior doesn't sit well with her prime minister. As usual with playwright Bennett, there is a delicious twist at the end. This witty novella offers a treat for the book lover or word collector. Submitted by Lee Alexander 12/07
Place Hold Write a Review	The Uncoupling by Meg Wolitzer General Fiction F Wolitzer When Aristophanes' Lysistrata, is chosen for the high school's annual play, it's spell effect the libidos of all the women involved with the school play. Submitted by Lee Alexander 5/11
Place Hold	The View From Castle Rock: Stories by Alice Munro General Fiction Call#: F Munro This collection of inter-related short stories is so perfectly crafted it is difficult to put down. Loosely based on the author's family of origin, beginning with a very colorful early 17th century Scotsman and continuing to present time Canada. Submitted by Lee Alexander 03/07
Place Hold Write a Review	Waiting for Columbus by Thomas Trofimuk General Fiction Call#: F Trofimuk An Interpole agent is assigned to search for a man who keeps showing up and then disappearing in various areas of France and Spain. A man has washed up on a beach in Spain; claiming he is Christopher Columbus, and is taken to a psychiatric hospital in Seville. While in the midst of the Spanish Inquisition, Columbus is pleading his case for ships and funding to lead an exploration of the unknown world. The artful time-blending makes for a page-turner. Submitted by Lee Alexander 10/09
Place Hold	Walking Across Egypt by Clyde Edgerton General Fiction Call#: F Edgerton Mattie Rigsbee has slowed down a bit for 78 years old, until a stray dog and a teenage delinquent find their way into her life and heart. Southern humor at its best. Submitted by Joni Kohagen 08/06
Place Hold	The Way the Crow Flies by Ann-Marie MacDonald General Fiction Call#: F Macdonald A 9-year-old girl named Madeleine, who has grown up with a father who is in the Canadian Air Force, confronts racism, bullying and a shocking murder in this powerful coming of age story. Lyrical writing and strong characterization makes this a memorable read to ponder. Submitted by Joni Kohagen 8/07
Place Hold	Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies General Fiction Call#: F Davies The lives of a young Welsh girl, a German prisoner of war and a German-Jewish interrogator cross paths and intermesh in this novel that strongly portrays WWII from the point of view of it's real life believable characters. Submitted by Marsha Leclair-Marzolf 11/07
Place Hold Write a Review	What is the What: the Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng Dave Eggers General Fiction Call#: F Eggers An amazing story of the triumph of the human spirit, told through a gripping first-person narrative. This is a powerful, moving and at times humorous account based on the experiences of Valentino Achak Deng, one of the 40,00 lost boys of Sudan. I truly could not put it down. Submitted by Lee Alexander 7/08
Place Hold	When Madeleine Was Young by Jane Hamilton General Fiction Call#: F Hamilton A novel that follows the Maciver family through four decades of life, tragedy and the triumph of unconditional love. Submitted by Joni Kohagen 11/06
Place Hold	When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka General Fiction Call#: F Otsuka A very moving story about a Japanese-American family forced to leave their home in California during World War II and relocate to an internment camp in the Utah desert. The haunting chapters are told in spare, lyrical prose from the point of view of the mother, son, daughter, and finally the father, as they struggle with the prejudice that has infected their world. Submitted by Jane Cooper
Place Hold	Where Mercy Flows by Karen Harter General Fiction Call#: F Harter A daughter comes home with her young son after seven years of estrangement from her family. Broke and ill, she learns about healing relationships and forgiveness. I loved the characters and couldn't put this book down! Submitted by Linda Broussard
Place Hold	The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig General Fiction Call#: F Doig A Montana widower and his three sons advertise for a housekeeper. To their surprise they get one who can't cook and who brings her brother with her. Delightfully quirky characters and plot. Submitted by Annie Eastmond 10/06
Place Hold Write a Review	The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga General Fiction Call#: F Adiga A fictional guide to entrepreneurial success, set in modern India. Contemporary prose, very dark humor, and a unique narrative voice. Submitted by Lee Alexander 2/09
Place Hold Write a Review	The Whole Truth by James Scott Bell General Fiction Call#: F Bell Steve's brother was kidnapped from their bedroom when he was five years old. Thirty years later, as an attorney, he represents a notorious criminal and discovers information that will blow his world apart. Submitted by Nola Magneson 1/09
Place Hold Write a Review	The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse General Fiction F Mosse Freddie has lost his beloved brother in the Great War. He travels through Europe, trying to find himself and ease the pain. He happens upon the town of Nulle, a celebration feast that he thinks must be a reenactment, and a lovely woman who asks him to find her and her family. Submitted by Jewel Nelson 4/11
Place Hold Write a Review	Winter in the Blood by James Welch General Fiction Call#: F Welch Having carried guilt over the death of his older brother, when they were twelve and fourteen years old, the adult unnamed narrator, finds a sense of peace and redemption in an act he doesn't wish to perform. A quiet novella which will remain in the reader's thoughts long after it is finished. Submitted by Lee Alexander 8/08
Place Hold Write a Review	A Winter Morning's Sun by Robert Goble General Fiction Call#: F Goble A fascinating story of a 12-year-old boy, Broadie who is bullied at school and isn't happy at home, because of his alcoholic father and flighty mother. He is forced to grow up quickly when his father is arrested for abusing his mother. He lives with his grandparents and his younger brother, Davie and his baby sister, Alisha. Many terrible things happen in his young life through the choices of his mother and his anger at his situation. The one thing that helps him is his friendship with a girl, January, who is his age and lives next door. An excellent read for youth and adults. Submitted by Bonnie Bradford 8/09
Place Hold	Work of Wolves by Kent Meyers General Fiction Call #: F Meyers Carson Fielding is hired to train horses for the rich landowner Magnus Yarborough. As Carson becomes disaffected with the power-hungry Magnus, he grows more and more attracted to Rebecca, Magnus's young wife. It is their growing involvement that sets off a cruel act of revenge and counter acts of rebellion. This is a vividly described novel about relationships, the meaning of love, cruelty, family and history as reflected through the lives of an assortment of unique and strong characters. A thought provoking novel and great book discussion read. Submitted by Marsha Leclair-Marzolf 12/05
Place Hold	The World to Come by Dara Horn General Fiction Call#: F Horn Horn uses the theft of a valuable Chagall painting and the sometimes tragic history of a Jewish family to explore the life of artist Marc Chagall and other Russian artists and novelists. The unlikely thief (a former child prodigy who now writes questions for a TV trivia game show) and his family are at the center of this intriguing tale of mystery, spirituality and redemption. Submitted by Danette Hantla 6/07