What Are We Reading? July 28, 2014
Check out what we read recently.
- Virginia:
- Cop Town by Karin Slaughter (Fiction). “Atlanta 1974 : A cop killer is on the loose in the city. This brutal book is not for the squeamish. Two police women try to deal with the hostility & derision of the male police force as they attempt to hunt down the killer.”
- Redeeming the Dream by David Boies and Ted Olson (Nonfiction). “Brilliant lawyers Boies & Olson team up to describe the 4 year 7 month mission to overturn California’s Prop 8, eventually arguing the case before the Supreme Court to find for marriage equality.”
- Indefensible by Lee Goodman (Fiction). “Prosecutor Nick Davis is involved in 4 murders when he suddenly realizes that he could be the chief suspect in one of them, Wracked by paranoia, he decides that it is up to him to solve the murders to protect himself & his family. Very well written.”
- The Devil in the Marshalsea by Antonia Hodgson (Fiction). “Set in London in 1727 : Tom Hawkins is thrown into the Marshalsea debtors prison & finds that he must solve the murder of one of the prisoners if he is ever going to find his way out of the brutal gaol. A vivid description based on fact of the inhumanity of the 18th century penal system. This is the debut novel by an editor of Little Brown UK.”
- Louise:
- “I am just finishing Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson. This audio book (also available in book form) is a hoot! Ms. Lawson, The Bloggess, has a very zany sense of humor. She writes about her life growing up in Wall, Texas, which had an estimated population of 200 in 2000. Growing up in small town Texas with a taxidermist father and very little money is actually very funny when looked at through Ms. Lawson’s eyes.”
- “I just finished reading We Are Water by Wally Lamb. This is a very good novel. Do not read this if you are looking for a light beach read. Do pick this up if you like: psychological fiction, a New England setting, and some dramatic twists and turns.”
- “I recently listened to the audio book Truth And Beauty: A Friendship by Ann Patchett.
Fans of Ms. Patchett will enjoy the fact that she is the reader of the audiobook. This moving and sad memoir about Patchett’s friendship with Lucy Grealy, was gripping from start to finish. This book is worth reading in conjunction with Grealy’s Autobiography of a Face, a title that several of our staff have read and enjoyed. Grealy, a talented writer, struggled with Ewing’s sarcoma, and surgeries that left her physically and emotionally scarred.”
- Jan: “I just finished The Race Underground: Boston, New York, and the Incredible Rivalry That Built America’s First Subway by Doug Most. If you’re tired of the old Red Sox/ Yankees rivalry, here’s a fascinating new one for you to pick sides on.”
- Pat A.: Pat has just finished The Unexpected Waltz by Kim Wright and is currently reading A Long Time Gone by Karen S. White.
- Laura:
- I Don’t Care if We Never Get Back: 30 Games in 30 Days on the Best Worst Baseball Road Trip Ever by Ben Blatt and Eric Brewster. “Ben Blatt, a recent Harvard graduate, loves baseball. His friend, Eric Brewster, hates it. Somehow, though, Eric finds himself riding along with Ben after the latter works out an algorithm which allows them to see 30 full baseball games at every major league stadium in the United States (and Canada). Coming up against rainouts, time zone problems, and each other’s clashing personalities, the two embark on a very long yet extremely rushed road trip. The baseball games are nothing more than a side note in this funny memoir, as two friends become closer and simultaneously annoyed with one another. I personally have a goal to hit every major league stadium, though I prefer to reach it a little more leisurely than these two! Baseball stadium loving fans will appreciate this book, but the book is accessible to those who don’t know the differences between OBP, OPS, Batting Average, and ERA.”
- Landline by Rainbow Rowell. “Georgie McCool, the owner of the best name ever, is excited that she and her television writing partner, Seth, are finally getting their sitcom picked up by a network. The problem is that they must turn in scripts around the Christmas holidays and she had made plans to go to Nebraska with her husband, Neal, and two daughters to visit Neal’s mother. She explains the situation to Neal, angrily who leaves for Nebraska with the two girls and not Georgie. Georgie, unsure if her marriage is over, takes solace at her mother’s house, and is unable to get in touch with Neal on his cell phone. She ends up using her mother’s landline and calls his mother’s landline, only to find out that she’s talking to a version of Neal from the days leading up to their engagement. As she continues her conversations with the Neal of the past and recalls the early days of their relationship, Georige learns more about herself and Neal. The premise does not do this book justice. It was a fun, quick read. Rowell writes in a very pleasant style while also taking a realistic look at marriage. It’s hopefully not giving away too much of a spoiler to state that all ends well, but not all is tied up in a neat bow, which is the case in real life. Rowell, who started out as an adult novelist, has made quite a splash recently with her Young Adult novels, Eleanor and Park and Fangirl, and she continues to delight with this adult novel.”
- We Were Liars by E. Lockart. “This seems to be the It Young Adult Book for 2014, having received much press from the publisher and various review sources well before the publication date. In late April Library Reads listed it as the number 1 book published in May being discussed by librarians. Since I’m the former Young Adult (YA) librarian (and current Young Adult book selector) for the library, and a lover of YA books, I was pretty curious and downloaded the e-book version. Cadence Sinclair Eastman, “Cady”, is a scion of the extremely wealthy Massachusetts based Sinclair family (think a smaller version of the Kennedys). Every year, the extended family gathers on Beachwood, the small island owned by Cady’s grandparents. Through the years, Cady becomes closer with her two cousins, Johnny and Mirren, and Johnny’s not quite step cousin, Gat (the nephew of his mother’s long term boyfriend). In Cady’s fifteenth summer on the island, she falls in love with Gat, and has a mysterious accident that leaves her partly amnesiac. Two years later, Cady reconvenes with her relatives on Beachwood as she tries to piece together what happened. It’s obvious from the beginning that Cady is an unreliable narrator, and as the reader moves through the haunting and eerie story, it’s on her to separate the truth from fantasy. This book is a good suggestion for those who liked The Sixth Sense, Fight Club, Shutter Island, and most of Jodi Picoult’s titles mainly for the twist endings. Others may also enjoy the literary allusions sprinkled throughout the novel, with references to classic fairy tales and a subtle reference to Shakespeare’s King Lear
- Maureen:
- “I am currently reading An Invisible Thread : The True Story of an 11-year-old Panhandler, a Busy Sales Executive, and an Unlikely Meeting with Destiny by Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski. An easy read that shows how one person can make a difference in this world.”
- I recently read The Farm by Tom Rob Smith. . A thriller with dark conspiracy at its heart,I read it in two days. Keeps you guessing to the end.”
- I recently read the e-book The Hurricane Sisters by Dorothea Benton Frank. A light beach read that takes place in magical South Carolina Lowcountry involving 3 generation of women and touches upon South Carolina’s serious problem with domestic abuse.”
- I am currently listening to The Leopard by Jo Nesbo. An international crime thriller involving serial killers and bizarre and elaborate murder methods. Setting is in Norway and Hong Kong, sure to keep you listening!”
- Nancy W.: “I just finished Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler. Very good book, but a tearjerker.”
- Doreen: Doreen just finished reading Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline and is listening to The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. “Both excellent!”
- Gerry C.:
- “I am currently reading Blossom Street Brides by Debbie Macomber. This is her latest book in the Blossom Street Series.”
- “Currently listening to The Innocent by Harlan Coben. Another of his suspenseful, stand alone mysteries. I am never disappointed in This author’s stand alone books.”
- Mary V.: Mary is reading The Fire Dance by Helene Thurston.
- Lisa: “I have started the 1st Diary of a Wimpy Kid book (by Jeff Kinney). An excerpt from the newest upcoming one was so funny that I figured I’d see what I’d been missing.”
- Bela: Bela has just started the book A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierly. “It seems very interesting.”
- Pat O.: Pat is reading The Pink Suit by Nicole Mary Kelby. “It’s historical fiction about a young seamstress who designed clothing for First Lady Jackie Kennedy.” Pat also enjoyed North of Boston by Elizaeth Elo.
- Marialice:
- The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings
- The Possibilities by Kaui Hart Hemmings
- Now I See You by Nicole C. Kear. “An autobiography of a woman slowly going blind”
- Man on the Run: Paul McCartney in the 1970s by Tom Doyle
- Jeanette:
- “We are currently watching the old TV series Northern Exposure. Didn’t watch it back in the early 90’s when it was originally aired. Enjoying the residents and situations they get into in Cicely Alaska!”
- Children’s book Peep Leap by Elizabeth Verdick ; illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello. “Nine wood ducks hatch in a hollow tree and one by one they make the big jump to the water below…the tenth duck doesn’t quite want to participate. A good book about counting.”
- Children’s book Hurry Up and Slow Down by Layn Marlow. “Tortoise and the Hare revisited. Hare hurries through the day…encouraging Tortoise to hurry up! When bedtime comes and Tortoise reads a bedtime story the tables are switched.”
- Children’s book Tiny Rabbit’s Big Wish by Margarita Engle ; illustrated by David Walker. “A small rabbit learns sometimes being tiny is juuuuuust right!”
- Straw Bale Gardens : the Breakthrough Method for Growing Vegetables Anywhere, Earlier, and with No Weeding by Joel Karsten. “With my brown thumb this sounds interesting for possible gardening adventures in the future.”
- “I read and enjoyed the photos in this book Daily Calm : 365 Days of Serenity. This is a book put together by National Geographic. It combines spectacular photos with inspirational quotes by many famous and maybe not so famous people. Great book for meditating and pondering!”
- “I enjoyed listening to Callahan Garrity and her band of cleaning ladies as they solved mysteries and crimes in…Irish Eyes by Mary Kay Andrews (writing as Kathy Hogan Trocheck) and Midnight Clear by Mary Kay Andrews (writing as Kathy Hogan Trocheck)“.
- “I like the characters Stone Barrington and his right hand man, Dino Bacchetti,
so as usual enjoyed following their exploits in yet another book: D. C. dead [sound recording] by Stuart Woods“. - A couple of books I started but couldn’t get into were: The Blackbird by Richard Stark:
1 disc in I found this book too dated – espionage/CIA type story is not for me; Goldfinch by Donna Tartt: got thru 4 discs and didn’t care enough to continue thru 22 more discs!
I felt bad that I couldn’t get into this book, as it is so popular. May give it another try when I absolutely have nothing to read.
- Todd:
- “I’m reading NOS4A2 by Joe Hill . It has a little bit of everything- horror, suspense, fantasy, and adventure.”
- “This weekend, I’m going to watch Big Ass Spider! I’m pretty sure that this will be an entertaining horror film.”
- Kate: “I’ve been on a YA dystopia kick, reading the high school’s summer book, Ready Player One (Ernest Cline), and Suzanne Collins now classic The Hunger Games. Very enjoyable!”