Friday, June 28, 2013

Woman in Red by Eileen Goudge


Alice Kessler spent nine years in prison for running down the person who killed her son.  She has missed out on her other son, Jeremy’s childhood and is determined to make up for lost time.  Jeremy is then falsely accused of rape and Alice is forced to face the fact that her son may end up in jail as well.  At the same time Alice arrives back in town, Colin McGinty returns as well, staying in the house his grandfather left him. Their paths intersect and they end up becoming very important to each other.   This book has it all: romance, suspense, mystery, and intrigue.  You’ll root for the characters.  Check it out@ the library!

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Amity and Sorrow by Peggy Riley


When fire destroys the compound of the polygamous community she belongs to, Amaranth, the first of fifty wives, puts her two daughters, Sorrow and Amity, into a car and drives as long and far as she can. After three days, she falls asleep at the wheel, runs off the road and crashes in front of an Oklahoma farm. The farmer, Bradley, a man with his own problems, is at first unwelcoming. But the women are unable to move on, so eventually his decency compels him to help. He allows them first in the yard, then on the porch, and finally in the kitchen. Amaranth and her teen-age daughters find it difficult to discard the beliefs and rules of their religion, particularly Sorrow, who had an unnaturally close relationship with the Patriarch, her father. Flashbacks reveal what brought Amaranth and many of the other wives to such an unusual way of life, mainly loneliness and uncertainty.  But leaving the cult brings even greater loneliness and uncertainty, particularly for the children who never knew another life. Amity and Sorrow cannot read and write. They have never seen a television or eaten food they have not helped to grow and prepare. They cling to the odd religious garments they have worn all their lives. They yearn for the community of women that raised them. They are afraid to walk in a field or look at a man. Amity, the younger girl, is curious about the new world she finds herself in and more adaptable, but Sorrow, beloved of her father and the Oracle of his community, plots, against her mother’s wishes, to return.  When they fled the community, Amaranth physically tied her daughters together to keep Sorrow from running away. But physical ties are not as strong as emotions and the family is irreparably torn. 

Friday, June 21, 2013

Man Up! Tales of My Delusional Self-Confidence by Ross Mathews

Growing up in a farming town in Washington State might not have been easy for a boy with a voice like a girl, who just happened to like other boys (which he didn't figure out until after some experimentation with girls). Of course, when that boy is Ross Mathews, the confidence to be himself and find his own place makes life pretty fabulous.

The only career Ross really wanted was to be a talk show host, except maybe a corporate job at Lane Bryant, however that dream was kind of derailed (chapter eight will give you the full rundown, no book spoilers here). Oprah was his guide, and Ross would do anything to be on TV, which lead to an internship at the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, which lead to his first TV appearance as Ross the Intern.

Read about Ross's fabulous life, as well as his past, his dreams and his goals for the future. Oh, and a non-book spoiler: Ross's dream is coming true this fall on the E! channel, and this reader can not wait to watch! Check out Man Up! @ the library!

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

How To Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid


The author of How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia proclaims his book to be a self-help book, although, in his own opinion, “…unless you’re writing one, a self-help book is an oxymoron. You read a self-help book so someone who isn't yourself can help you…”  And indeed, this pull-yourself-up-by- your-own-bootstraps book is of no help to anyone but the writer who is “you.” In a country that resembles Pakistan, “you” should (among other things) move to the city, get an education, avoid idealists, work for yourself, befriend a bureaucrat and have an exit strategy. In actual fact, “you” should be smart, lucky and corrupt. “You” should be male and the third child in your family. “You” should take many low-skilled jobs as a way of working “your” way up the economic ladder. Going from a job as a “non-expired-labeled expired-goods” salesman to having your own “bottled hydration” business, in which “you” sell boiled tap water in recycled bottles, enables “you” to make your fortune. To achieve success, “you” must withstand poverty, mistreatment, poor schools, rejections, extortion, threats, embezzlement, abandonment and illness. The book takes “you” from early childhood to frail old age and, despite its subject matter, is very funny and “you” are a very likeable character. 

Check out How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid!

Friday, June 14, 2013

Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan

Just in time for Father's Day, comedian Jim Gaffigan has given readers Dad is Fat. This collection of essays and reflections on being a parent is hysterical. Fans of Gaffigan, as well as those not familiar with his stand-up, will find themselves laughing at his observations, quips and one liners on the strange world that children and parents inhabit.

Share a special storytime with your family and read his essays out loud. Read "The Pharaoh and the Slave" to your friend who is months (or days) from being a first time father. For the more literary types, there is a pretty accurate analysis of children's literature in "A Critical Analysis of Children's Literature". For those who value personal space and alone time, enjoy "How to Put Five Kids to Bed in a Two-Bedroom Apartment".


It's hard to find a comic who appeals to everyone, and Gaffigan comes close. Anyone who was a child, is a parent or had a child or a parent will enjoy Dad is Fat.

Note: Jim Gaffigan is doing a book talk and signing on Saturday June 15th at Boswell Book Company. Check out Boswell's event page for more information!

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill


Victoria McQueen has the power to find things, using a covered bridge that takes her where she wants to go.  Charles Manx has a unique ability too. He takes children in his vintage Rolls Royce (license plate NOS4A2) to “Christmasland” where they remain.  Contrary to its benign sounding name, “Christmasland” is a world of horrors where the children turn into monsters and Manx becomes stronger.  Victoria and Manx’s paths cross and she may be the only one who can stop him.  This book is a nonstop thrill ride.  Joe Hill is a master of suspense and you won’t want to put down this 700 page masterpiece. Check out NOS4A2 @ the library

Friday, June 7, 2013

Unicorn Being a Jerk by C.W. Moss




This book was the perfect thing to jump-start my Friday.  When I saw a while back that a book titled Why Unicorn Drinks was coming out, I immediately thought: What a fabulous title, I have to read that!  Then I realized that there was a previous Unicorn book called Unicorn Being a Jerk so obviously I needed to read that one first.  Technically this book would probably be shelved with the graphic novels, but I like to think of this as a picture book for grown-ups.  Each two-page spread is filled with a drawing and description of Unicorn doing some jerk-y thing.  Such as:


Bringing a guitar to a party.

Or my personal favorite: 


Tearing out the last page of a library book.

His exploits range from the annoying (ignoring the item limit sign in the express line at the grocery store) to the extreme and sometimes downright crass (smoking in a car that contains a pregnant woman).  Moss's delightful watercolor pictures  will have you chuckling before you know it.  

Happy Friday, Y'all!  

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini


This multi-generational tale presents a puzzle for the reader to piece together.  Amid love and loss, Khaled Hosseini  tells a big, sprawling story that is tied up at the end.  It’s a hard book to pin down since it has so many characters that at first may seem separate but then gradually their connections become clear. Taking place in America and Europe, Afghanistan is at its heart.   Beautifully written, this book is sure to satisfy the author’s many fans and attract new ones to his work.  Check out Hosseini’s other books, The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, too.

This book was reviewed from an advanced reading copy provided by the publisher.  The publication date is May 21, 2013.