Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: a Modest Bestiary by David Sedaris

Sedaris borrows from the traditional Aesop’s Fables format in Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk to comment on the trials and tribulations of modern life.  Each story features anthropomorphic animals who offer brutal insight and occasional moral lessons on life, society, and relationships.  The dark, sadistic humor of the fables won’t leave you feeling warm and fuzzy but the stories are certainly entertaining.  This collection may not be as good as Sedaris’ biographical essays but will still appeal to fans of humor writing.

Listen to a fun interview with Sedaris about Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk from NPR.

Kimberly

Matthew's Story: from Sinner to Saint by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins

This is the final volume in "The Jesus Chronicles," written by the authors of the blockbuster "Left Behind" series.  While not receiving the same level of publicity as that series, the books have been passed from hand to hand in many churches.  Each of the four novels recounts the story behind one of the Gospel accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus.  "Matthew's Story" begins with a terrifying account of the death of Matthew's baby brother in the Slaughter of the Innocents and follows his career as a reviled tax collector for the Romans.  Once he is called by Jesus, he begins recording everything Jesus says and does.  The narrative follows the text of the Gospel closely and lets the reader walk in Matthew's footsteps.  The full text of the Gospel is appended to the novel, so the reader can flip back and forth between the narrative and the Scripture.  The book makes for inspirational reading for those who want to learn more about the Gospel story.

Dawn

Matthew's Story

Thinner Than Thou by Kit Reed

  Health clubs replace houses of worship in this satire on our country's obsession with being thin and beautiful. This story centers around Annie Abercrombie, a teenage girl with an eating disorder. When her "secret" is discovered, her parents send her away with the Dedicated Sisters, who claim that their "cure" is 100% effective. Obviously, that's not true. And Thinner Than Thou just get darker and darker from there.

Karen

The False Friend by Myla Goldberg

Okay, here's the simple setup: two eleven-year-old girls, best friends yet fierce rivals, go into the woods. Only one comes out...
However, this novel is not simple at all. 20 years later, Celia Durst decides it's time to tell the truth about what really happened all those years ago. That is not as easy as it seems. There are many obstacles and twists and turns along the way as The False Friend slowly builds to the climax.

Karen

The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger

This literary graphic novel by the author of The Time Traveler’s Wife is the first volume of a larger series called The Library.  The novel follows the story of Alexandra who discovers a bookmobile on a deserted Chicago street late one night.  The bookmobile contains every book she’s ever read and Alexandra obsessively devotes the next several years to reading and to searching for the mysterious bookmobile.  The true gem of this novel is Niffengger’s pen and ink drawings which beautifully evoke Alexandra’s eerie and solitary world.  In my opinion, the ending was a little more somber than I would have liked, but Niffenegger tells a gripping story that both celebrates the power of the written word and warns against living our lives entirely through books.  This is a short, charming read for book-lovers.

Kimberly

The Night Bookmobile

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

  This dystopian novel, Never Let Me Go, is deceptively simple. The narrator is Kathy H., a 31-year-old "carer". She is remembering her life at Hailsham, a private school in the English countryside, where nothing is as it seems. As she reminisces about her friends Tommy & Ruth, a horrible truth is slowly revealed.

A good read-alike for this excellent novel is "The Unit" by Ninni Holmqvist.

Karen

What Good Is God? by Philip Yancey

Evangelical writer Yancey explores the topic of the church's relevance in modern society.  The book is divided into ten parts, each focusing on conditions in a place Yancey visited, followed by the text of a speech he gave.  Whether it's the compassionate response to the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting, its need to move out of its bubble and transform the world around it, its ministry to recovering alcoholics and prostitutes, its extension of forgiveness to Afrikaners or its work in communist China, the church is actively working to spread the love of God to everyone in need.  Readers will finish the book encouraged about the condition of Christianity today.

What Good Is God? by Philip Yancey

Dawn

Damage Done by Hilary Davidson

It's been a long time since I have read a book with so many plot twists and turns, and yet the puzzle in Damage Done is pieced together very slowly. Lily Moore receives a phone call while in Spain telling her that her sister, Claudia, has been found dead in her apartment in New York City. Although estranged from her drug-addicted sister for quite some time, Lily goes back to handle the arrangements. However, things go from bad to worse when, after the initial viewing and autopsy, it is determined that the body found is not that of her sister. So where is Claudia?

Karen

Looking for Free Books for Your E-reader?

Here are a couple of locations where you can download pdf’s for the e-readers.

http://www.planetpdf.com/free_pdf_ebooks.asp

http://www.pdf-search-engine.com/

These Websites were suggested by Al Ramirez - Information Technology Manager

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Librarians are always recommending books, but maybe you didn't know that we love to hear your recommendations of books for us. Maureen G. told me I must read this book and her description was so inviting that I had to have The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot right away.

The author writes herself into this nonfiction book by telling the story through her ten-year-long research process. Rebecca Skloot documents the story of how scientists took cells from an unsuspecting descendant of freed slaves and created a human cell line that has been kept alive indefinitely, enabling discoveries in such areas as cancer research, in vitro fertilization, and gene mapping. We also learn about how the discovery of the source of those cells affected her family for generations.

As Maureen said, "We all owe Henrietta Lacks a debt of gratitude."
Thanks Maureen!

Leona

Spoken From the Heart by Laura Bush

Former First Lady Laura Bush's memoirs were an instant best seller.  As a former teacher and librarian, she is well versed in the art of writing, which lends a distinct literary quality to her book.  She covers the expected topics of her life growing up in West Texas and how the "Old Maid of Midland" married the "Most Eligible Bachelor" of Midland.  She also provides insight into the 2000 election and the war on terror and talks with candor about her trips to Africa and the Mideast to reach out to the oppressed women of the Third World.  Librarians and non-librarians alike will appreciate the insight into what life was like in the White House before, during and after 9/11.

Spoken from the Heart by Laura Bush

Dawn

The Disappearance by Bentley Little

Attention horror readers! Bentley Little, in my opinion the very best horror writer, has a new book out. "The Disappearance" is not for the squeamish! The story revolves around four typical college students whose lives are about to change drastically when one of them disappears. Not only disappears, but is literally wiped off the face of the earth. No enrollment records, no facebook account; nothing! The police seem unwilling to help, even when there is a murder on campus. Is the disappearance and the murder connected?

Karen

Jonathan Franzen Freedom

The long-awaited follow-up to Franzen’s novel The Corrections does not disappoint. While it nears 600 pages, Freedom’s well-drawn conflicts and long stretches of inspired dialogue make it unlikely to become a doorstop. The book tells the story of Walter and Patty Berglund, an idealistic couple living in Saint Paul, Minnesota, who find their marriage strained by their son Joey’s decision to divorce them in favor of a shockingly different family next door and the encroachment of Richard Katz, a purposely obscure rock musician and longtime friend of Walter’s, on their relationship.

John

Top Romance Fiction

Looking for new Romance Fiction? Booklist from September 15, 2010 published a list of top romance fiction that I would like to make available to you.

Barely a Lady by Eileen Dreyer
Down River by Karen Harper
Last Night's Scandal by Loretta Chase
The Lone Texan by Jodi Thomas
Secrets of a Scandalous Bride by Sophia Nash
Steamed by Katie MacAlsiter
The Wicked Wyckerly by Patricia Rice

Leona

The Drowning River: A Mystery in Florence by Christobel Kent

Sandro Chellini is a retired policeman turned private investigator in this new mystery series set in contemporary Florence, Italy. This is a classic mystery with a complex leading character who has a simple philosophy - find the truth.

Carol

Hold Tight by Harlan Coben

In the wake of his friend's suicide, Adam's parents install a spy program on his computer. When a strange message appears, Adam disappears and his parents become frantic. Readers looking for a gripping thriller will not be disappointed with Hold Tight by Harlan Coben.

Karen

The Passage by Justin Cronin

Set in the near future, a U.S. government experiment gone wrong results in horrific consequences - the creation of superhuman vampire-like creatures. This dark, apocalyptic novel is receiving plenty of buzz and is proposed to be the first in a trilogy.
MA

The Recessionistas

Even if you don't know a thing about the global economy, you will enjoy The Recessionistas. This tongue-in-cheek view of the decline and fall of New York's investment banking industry in 2008. The novel focuses on how the wives of these big time players handle the financial reality and how they must sacrifice life's necessities, such as nannies, drivers, and personal trainers. Should we feel sorry for them? Hmm...

Karen

The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Set in post World War I Barcelona The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon is a novel steeped in magic, ambition, and romantic obsession. Young novelist David Martin is visited by a mysterious stranger who commissions a book for which “people will live and die.” In return, he will receive untold wealth and more. A secret library of lost books, betrayal by friend and lover, and the political turmoil of 1920’s Spain come together in a story reminiscent of the great social and moral epics of Stendhal, Flaubert, and others. I hated to have it end!
CAS

Thin, Rich, and Pretty by Beth Harbison

Holly and Nicola. outsiders at camp twenty years ago, are still trying to find their places in the world. These childhood friends get reacquainted in spite of their lingering insecurities and try to make things right in this light summer read. Reserve a copy of Thin, Rich, Pretty by Beth Harbison. The audiobook is particularly fun!

"It's really good!" Karen

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

This fiction best-seller will be a sure-fire winner for book club discussions. Taking a look at recent history in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1962, readers visit the lines that are not crossed as the civil rights movement explodes all around the main characters. Three women find the courage to start a movement of their own changing the way people view one another. Place a hold on The Help by Kathryn Stockett today!
LR