Q C Reads logo
Abington Social Library
Aldrich Free Public Library
Babcock Library
Bracken Library
Brooklyn Public Library
Canterbury Public Library
Eastford Public Library
Killingly Public Library
May Memorial Library
Pomfret Public Library
Putnam Public Library
Scotland Public Library
Thompson Public Library
West Woodstock Library
One Book 2012 Past Books Events Book Reviews About QCR

Book Reviews & Lists

Recommended reading from northeastern CT libraries. Reserve or request any title at your area library!
DECEMBER 23, 2011
Kids books I've enjoyed
This time of the year makes many of us feel like a kid again.  So I thought I’d share with you some of my favorite reads and listens for the younger set.
 
A few seasonal favorites:
Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas by Jane O'connor & Robin Preiss Glasser
How Santa Got His Job by Stephen Krensky
How Santa Lost His Job by Stephen Krensky
Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
           
A few series:
Inkheart trilogy by Cornelia Funke
Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
Percy Jackson & the Olympains by Rick Roirdan
The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott
 
A few good reads:
Ida B by Katherine Hannigan
Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Holes by Louis Sachar      
Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman

Add a comment  (0 comments) posted by Alison Boutaugh

Categories: Thompson Public LibraryJuvenile FictionAudio

-------------------------------------------------------

DECEMBER 23, 2011
Books I've heard this year

I love to listen!  Here are some books I’ve enjoyed this year in my car, the sewing room and even cleaning the house…that’s when you know it’s really good!
 
In no particular order:
Whiter than snow
by Sandra Dallas
Another great historical story from this author set in the west.

The invisible bridge by Julie Orringer
A beautifully written first novel that happens to be about the holocaust.

Lake of dreams by Kim Edwards
By the author of The Memory Keeper’s Daughter

The Athena project by Brad Thor
Not my favorite by this author, but still a good listen.

Major Pettigrew’s last stand by Helen Simonson
LOVED IT!

Book of unholy mischief by Elle Newmark
This has been re-titled and is now The chef’s apprentice

Gideon’s sword by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
The start of a new series by this powerhouse duo

Proper care & maintenance of friendship by Lisa Verge Higgins
Three women struggle with the passing of a friend and how to move on

Paris wife by Paula McLain
Hemingway’s early years through the eyes of his first wife

The Snowman by Jo Nesbo
Another Scandinavian author crosses over, love Harry Hole!

Add a comment  (0 comments) posted by Alison Boutaugh

Categories: Thompson Public LibraryAudio

-------------------------------------------------------

NOVEMBER 30, 2011
Breaking Night by Liz Murray
We cannot conceive of another’s reality, especially when we are young. Growing up in a safe household, I was insulated from the difficulties that some children, such as the author, encounter every day.  Breaking Night is an autobiographical account of Liz Murray, who was born into a severely dysfunctional family.  Her parents loved their daughters, but were consumed by an over-riding and consuming need for their drug-induced high.  Liz was so protective of her parent’s safety that as young as 5 years old she watched over them preparing their paraphernalia and made sure that they didn’t hurt themselves in their eventual euphoria.  The stress of this home life led to a life of school truancy and eventual homelessness at age 15.  Her gritty account of several years on the streets of New York led to her discovery of an alternative high school which made all of the difference in her young life.  She was able to pull herself together and begin the hard work of creating a stable life for herself and the family that remained. 
 
This book was very reminiscent of The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, not only in its basic theme of a child working through terrific difficulties,  but the forgiveness and love the child still holds for her damaged parents.

Add a comment  (0 comments) posted by Priscilla @ Putnam Public Library

Categories: Putnam Public LibraryAdult NonfictionMemoir

-------------------------------------------------------

NOVEMBER 30, 2011
Don’t Sing at the Table: Life Lessons from my Grandmothers by Adrianna Trigiani
Adrianna Trigiani writes about her grandmothers in her latest, Don’t Sing at the Table.  Both of my grandmothers were similarly born near the turn of the century, and I found myself musing about my own grandmotherly memories while reading this book.  Their generation needed to know how to do all of the domestic chores and niceties that Martha Stewart is teaching our generation, such as canning, baking, knitting, making sausages, etc.  My Nana made bread every week and I especially remember when she pinched some of the dough off at breakfast to make fried cakes with brown sugar.  Don’t Sing is full of advice, admonitions and anecdotes from Viola, her no-nonsense businesswoman grandmother; and Lucy, her gentle seamstress grandmother.  Both lost their husbands at an early age and never remarried, but lived fulfilling and long lives delighting in their grandchildren.  Trigiani used some of their characteristics in her Big Stone Gap fiction series.  Some advise from the back cover; make your own living, leave your children your values not your stuff, be bold, be direct, be different.  Trigiani specifically wrote the book for her daughter Lucia, but its universal advice spans the years and generations.
 

Add a comment  (0 comments) posted by Priscilla @ Putnam Public Library

Categories: Putnam Public LibraryAdult NonfictionMemoir

-------------------------------------------------------

NOVEMBER 30, 2011
Elizabeth and Hazel: Two Women of Little Rock by David Margolick

Putnam native David Margolick has made a career of chronicling our nation’s historical records through the people who lived it.  A contributing editor of Vanity Fair, Margolick has written four books, including Strange Fruit: Billie Holiday, Café Society and an Early Cry for Civil Rights about Billie Holiday and Beyond Glory: Joe Louis vs. Max SchmelingElizabeth and Hazel follows the lives of Elizabeth Eckford, one of the “Little Rock Nine”, and Hazel Bryan, who was photographed yelling racial slurs to Elizabeth on the fateful morning of September 4, 1957. Both girls were 15 years old and starting the year at Central High School in Little Rock.  The picture, which is deliberately placed on the front cover, evokes the sentiments which divided Little Rock when desegregation was mandated by Brown vs the Board of Education in 1954. Elizabeth walked alone before a crowd of children and adults who were not in favor of blacks and whites attending the same school.  Years later Hazel contacted Elizabeth to apologize, but the complications of race relations in their Southern society made the relationship difficult to sustain.  Margolick skillfully tells the stories of the two women with compassion and candor.

Add a comment  (0 comments) posted by Priscilla@ Putnam Public Library

Categories: Putnam Public LibraryAdult Nonfiction

-------------------------------------------------------

AUGUST 19, 2011
Energy Island: How one community harnesed the wind and changed their world, by Allan Drummond
The threat of global warming has never seemed clearer - with tornados, blazing hot summers and melting ice caps, we are forced to take notice.  One way to communicate this danger and the necessity for change to younger generations is to show a success story.  The beautifully illustrated children’s book Energy Island by Allan Drummond is such a tale. 
The Danish Ministry of Environment chose the island of Samsø be the first to become independent of nonrenewable energy.  One of the teachers, Søren Hermansen, was selected to lead this project and take the island on a newer and cleaner path.  He talked to everyone on the island and, after years of coaxing, the first two wind turbines were erected.  This was the beginning of a revolution, because after a particularly bad blackout in the middle of the winter, the wind turbine seemed to be the way to go.  Slowly, and over ten years, the town switched to solar panels, wind powered electric cars, and burning wood and straw instead of oil. A previously non cooperative town had banded together to really make a fantastic change in the world.
The main body of the book illustrates and tells the story of the community, while sidebars give background information about renewable and nonrenewable energy sources. It is a wonderfully accessible way to talk to children about the changing world around us, and how they can also make a difference. 

Add a comment  (0 comments) posted by Emily Colwell

Categories: Pomfret Public LibraryJuvenile NonfictionPicture Books

-------------------------------------------------------

AUGUST 15, 2011
Great summertime reads
There is never enough time to read it all, but it seems especially challenging in the summer to find reading time.  I like to make the most of things by selecting beach reading…that is, books with coastal settings.
 
I just finished reading Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews, featuring Nags Head NC.  The book I’m reading on my Nook is Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan.  The book I’m waiting to get my hands on is Beachcombers by Nancy Thayer.  I keep hearing good things about this author, it’s time I check her out. Plus, she lives on Nantucket!
 
More authors with a coastal persuasion…
Brendan Dubios with his Lewis Cole series set on the coast of New Hampshire.  The first one Dead Sand, and his new one is Deadly Cove.
 
Elin Hilderbran sets her stories on Nantucket – my favorite is Blue Bistro, her new one is Silver Girl.
 
Two more Massachusetts entries -- Richard Russo’s That old Cape Magic, and Philip Craig’s JW Johnson series placed on Martha’s Vineyard.
 
Randy Wayne White does Florida justice with his Doc Ford series. Great characters, great locations. The first book is Sanibel Flats.
 
Visit Quiet Corner Reads (QCR) on facebook and tell us your favorite summertime read.

Add a comment  (0 comments) posted by Alison Boutaugh

Categories: Thompson Public LibraryAdult Fiction

-------------------------------------------------------

AUGUST 15, 2011
Movie vs. Book

What’s better, the book or the movie?  This great debate will never end.  Hollywood loves to take great page turners for the big screen…The Green Mile, True Grit, Harry Potter.  Whether or not it becomes a blockbuster, well that’s another story!
 
Some great books are being turned into movies this summer…check them out!
 
Snowflower & the secret fan – in theaters July 15
The story of two childhood friends in 19th century China.
 
The Help by Kathryn Stockett – in theaters August 12
The south during the civil rights time as seen by maids and their white families.
 
For the younger set – in theaters now.
Judy Moody and the not bummer summer by Megan McDonald
Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater and Florence Atwater
 
Available on DVD…the characters come to life in these adaptations.
Jesse Stone series by Robert Parker
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

Add a comment  (0 comments) posted by Alison Boutaugh

Categories: Thompson Public LibraryAdult Fiction

-------------------------------------------------------

AUGUST 15, 2011
Crafty books
There’s a time to read and a time to craft, but its best when the two can be combined!  Here are a few of my favorite…
 
Lacemakers of Glenmara by Heather Barbieri
An American tourist meets up with a group of Irish lacemakers, no one is the same at the end!
 
Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas
Set in Depression-era Kansas, it's a story of loyalty and friendship in a women's quilting circle. This author writes some great historical novels.
 
The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club by Gil Mcneil
A widow looking for a new start takes over a yarn shop and discovers new adventures.
 
Quilt series
Marie Bostwick ~ Cobbled Court Quilt Shop  A Single Thread is the first book.
A Texas transplant sets up her dream quilt shop in Connecticut then deals with devastating health news.
 
Jennifer Chiaverinni ~ Elm Creek Quilters The Quilter's Apprentice is the first book.
The series is set in Pennsylvania and tells the stories of quilters both past and present.
 
Earlene Fowler ~ Benni Harper Fool’s Puzzle is the first book.  These are mysteries set on the California coast.

Add a comment  (0 comments) posted by Alison Boutaugh

Categories: Thompson Public LibraryAdult Fiction

-------------------------------------------------------

APRIL 8, 2011
COULDN’T KEEP IT TO MYSELF: TESTIMONIES FROM OUR IMPRISONED SISTERS

This book has been sitting on our shelf at the Putnam Library for the past 6 years and as many times as I have shelved it, I avoided reading it because it was so unlike anything Wally Lamb has ever written. Now I wished I had not judged the book by its cover. It was one of the most enlightening reads about people whose experiences in life were so different from my own. It was like visiting a foreign culture, but this one just happens to take place in our own backyard.
 
This collection of short stories was written by ten female inmates of the York Correctional Institute in Connecticut, through a writer’s workshop with the author Wally Lamb. As I read each story my eyes were opened, my heart broke at the atrocities that humans inflict on one another, but mostly it provoked my way of thinking. These testimonies were at time overwhelming to read, and except for the grace of God, I can honestly say that here is little that separates me from the women of York.
 
As I pass this book on to others, there is just one message…while most prisoners commit crimes that put them where they are, please remember, that’s not WHO they are. Many of them are wounded and damaged, and if they had been given the love, compassion and kindness that is every person’s right, perhaps their lives could have been changed.
 
Submitted by Patricia Jensen from the Putnam Public Library.

Add a comment  (0 comments) posted by Priscilla Colwell

Categories: Putnam Public LibraryAdult Nonfiction

-------------------------------------------------------

APRIL 8, 2011
The Irresistible Henry House by Lisa Grunwald

I admit it.  I’m a sucker for an intriguing book title.  This one pulled me in, even before I had read what the book was about.  Who is Henry House and why is his name alliterative?  Why is he irresistible?  A well-crafted first sentence pulls me in also. “By the time Henry House was four months old, a copy of his picture was being carried in the pocketbooks of seven different women, each of whom called him her son.”  It turns out that Henry House (as well as previous and succeeding “practice babies”) was an orphan who was used as a subject for a domestic arts child-rearing class.  He spent his first two years being cared for in shifts by a half-dozen practice mothers.  Henry learns how to make his mothers happy, but not to get too attached to any one of them.  This is a practice that follows him into his adult life, but not to his benefit.
 
Henry is a handsome, charismatic young man with a special talent for drawing that lands him animation jobs in the 1960s with Walt Disney and the Beatle’s Yellow Submarine movie.  The reader follows the history of the time with Henry, and agonizes over his inability to develop relationships with his adopted mother and other women. The author used the historical record of Cornell University’s “practice babies” to create a life that was influenced by Henry’s past, but not defined by it as he matured. Irresistible?
You’ll have to find that out for yourself!

Add a comment  (0 comments) posted by Priscilla Colwell

Categories: Adult FictionPutnam Public LibraryNovel

-------------------------------------------------------

APRIL 8, 2011
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
This mystery novel is the first in a series by Atkinson. I had heard about it several times before I put a request in our interlibrary loan system to read it. The book doesn’t follow a typical mystery novel structure where a death occurs and the detective puts the clues together and solves the case. It feels more like a novel that has mysterious undertones.  Retired policeman Jackson Brody is at the center of three very disparate cases that do not seem to be related in any way.  Case #1:  Thirty years before the book began young Olivia Land went missing and was never seen again.  Her sisters enlist Brodie’s help after their father’s death to figure out what happened to their sister. Case #2: Theo’s daughter Laura was killed in an office shooting fifteen years before.  He calls upon Brodie to find the killer so that he can start to heal emotionally.  Case #3:  Michelle makes a fatal mistake and jeopardizes her infant’s life.  Where is she after all of these years?  Brodie follows up on the clues and finds that the cases are more entangled than he thought.  I liked the frank realism of Brodie’s thoughts, and was intrigued enough to order rest of the series, One Good Turn and When Will There Be Good News?  I love being able to read through a series, but when you’re done you have to wait another year for the next one!

Add a comment  (0 comments) posted by Priscilla Colwell

Categories: Mystery/DetectivePutnam Public LibraryAdult Fiction

-------------------------------------------------------

MARCH 30, 2011
Books I read last month
Some months I read little, some months I read lots…last month was an average one.  Here’s what I read…all were good reads I’d recommend.
 
The Confession by John Grisham (audio)
Another legal thriller from the master, this time death row is the theme.

 Informationist by Taylor Stevens
Along the lines of The Girl Who series by Steig Larsson, but better.  A great twist at the end. 

 Inner Circle by Brad Meltzer (audio)                                                                       
A political thriller with historical conspiracy theories – and it happens at the National Archives….nothing wrong with any of that!

 Live Wire by Harlan Coben  
I love Myron Bolitar and the rest of the team, but wonder if this will be the last we hear from him?
 
The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen                                                  
Another great read by the author of Garden Spells.

 Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party by Alexander McCall Smith
The latest No. 1 Ladies Detective story, always enjoyed.
 
Union Quilter by Jennifer Chiaverini                                                                        
Set in the Civil War era as the men go off to fight and the women of Elm Creek Valley support the Union troops.

 The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown                                                           
The story of three sisters finding their way in adulthood.

Add a comment  (0 comments) posted by Alison Boutaugh

Categories: Thompson Public LibraryAdult Fiction

-------------------------------------------------------

MARCH 30, 2011
Books I’m reading now
Ten years ago I read one book at a time, and did not listen to audio at all.  Now, I have multiple books going at all times.  Sometimes plots cross, but now I have a much better chance of reading all the books!
 
Audio in the car 
The forgotten man by Robert Crais.   I’m really liking this series with Elvis Cole & Joe Pike.
 
Audio in the sewing room
Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson.  People have told me this is a great book… so far so good.
 
On the Kindle
Little Bee by Chris Cleave.  The story of a young Nigerian immigrant has piqued my interest.
 
Book 1
New Mercies by Sandra Dallas.  I thought I had read all of hers, but missed this one. Set in Natchez, Mississippi, in 1933 a new widow learns of an inheritance from an unknown aunt.
 
Book 2
Clara & Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland.  Started this on audio, but think I’ll do better with the book…it happens sometimes!

Add a comment  (0 comments) posted by Alison Boutaugh

Categories: Thompson Public LibraryAdult Fiction

-------------------------------------------------------

MARCH 30, 2011
Books about food
I hate reading cookie cutter books, ones that tell the same stories over and over.  These titles serve up a fresh batch of reading enjoyment.
 
School of essential ingredients by Erica Bauermeister is one of my top 10 favorite books.  The stories of those attending Monday night cooking classes are told.  Well written, a great read.
 
Particular sadness of lemon cake by Aimee Bender.  A young girl can taste the emotions of those preparing her food, and struggles with coming to terms with this gift.
 
Joanne Fluke series features Hannah Swenson, owner of The Cookie Jar in Lake Eden, Minnesota.  First book is Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder.  Recipes are included too.
 
Bread alone by Judith Ryan Hendricks.  Wynter Morrison reclaims her life with a move to Seattle and a job at a local bakery.
 
Eat Cake by Jeanne Ray.  A woman copes with all the trials and tribulations of life by baking cakes.
 
Blue bistro by Elin Hilderbrand tells the story of those working at a restaurant on Nantucket.

Add a comment  (0 comments) posted by Alison Boutaugh

Categories: Thompson Public LibraryAdult Fiction

-------------------------------------------------------

MARCH 30, 2011
Books about books
Obviously, I love books.  I even love reading books about books.  Here are a few of my favorites:
 
Angry housewives eating bon bons by Lorna Landvik follows the lives of members of a book club, their ups and downs over three decades. All her books are great.
 
The Burglar series by Lawrence Block -- Bernie Rhodenbarr is a burglar and bookseller living in New York City.  The first book is Burglars can’t be choosers.
 
The Collectors by David Baldacci (part of the Camel Club series) features a murder at the Library of Congress…good stuff!
 
Grand complication by Allen Kurzweil is the perfect mystery for true bibliophiles, and it features Marie Antoinette too!
 
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke is written for the younger crowd, but enjoyed by many adults.  This may sound familiar, as it was made into a movie.  A young girl discovers that her mother is stuck in a story, great adventures follow.
 
John Dunning writes a great series featuring Cliff Janeway, a cop and rare book expert, in Denver, Colorado.  The first is Booked to die.

Add a comment  (0 comments) posted by Alison Boutaugh

Categories: Thompson Public LibraryAdult Fiction

-------------------------------------------------------

DECEMBER 10, 2010
Holiday Hub-bub!
     Having trouble navigating the holiday hub-bub? The following books will restore your love, joy and peace on earth.
     In Hundred Dollar Holiday, Bill McKibben frees us from the tyranny of Christmas present by taking a look at celebrations from Christmas’ past, and suggests a more creative Christmas by setting self-imposed limits on what you will spend during the holidays. Unplug the Christmas Machine by Jo Robinson & Jean Coppok Staeheli is a workbook for combating holiday commercialism. It includes Q & A sections and chapter-end exercises that will help you understand your own values regarding the holidays, sort through the competing possibilities and establish family traditions accordingly.
      Startling Joy, by James Calvin Schaap is a collection of short stories, each with a moment of Christmas epiphany, where love and light are revealed in odd ways to odd people in odd places. My favorite may be the woman pondering her daughter’s unplanned pregnancy while enduring a presentation on how to make the perfect present with used panty hose and empty Kleenex boxes.
      Perhaps the best Christmas story ever is The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. In this classic by Barbara Robinson, the incorrigible Herdman children take over the church Christmas pageant - Imogene (Mary) smokes cigars in the girls room, Ralph (Joseph) wants to burn down the inn, Gladys (Gabriel) shouts “Shazam!” and Leroy (a Wise Man) shows up with a ham instead of frankincense. You’ll want to make this hilarious and unorthodox but completely authentic retelling of the Christmas story a part of your own family traditions.
 
Submitted by Laurie Bell, Pomfret Public Library

Add a comment  (0 comments) posted by Laurie @ Pomfret Public Library

Categories: Pomfret Public LibraryAdult NonfictionJuvenile Fiction

-------------------------------------------------------

DECEMBER 10, 2010
Beautiful Assassin by Michael White
    A novel of love, loyalty and intrigue set in the early days of World War II from the author of Soul Catcher and currently a professor in residence for the MFA writing program at Fairfield University. Mr. White introduces us to Tat'yana Levchenko, a fetching Russian sniper, who has killed 300 Germans since the war began in Europe. When her prowess with a rifle reaches Washington, President Roosevelt and Eleanor wish to meet this formidable woman. Little does she know that Russian plans for her include spying on the First Couple and garnering support for the opening of  much needed second front in Europe. As the novel moves forward, Tat'yana realizes that she has become a pawn in a battle for information and she is forced to question the motivations of everyone she knows and trusts, including the American captain assigned to her as her translator. But as she quickly rises to fame, Tat'yana vanishes. Defection? Assassination? Only decades later is the truth revealed. Michael White has written a powerful tale that readers will not soon forget.

Submitted by Peter Ciparelli, Killingly Public Library
Villager Papers, December 10, 2010

Add a comment  (0 comments) posted by Peter @ Killingly Public Library

Categories: Killingly Public LibraryAdult FictionThriller

-------------------------------------------------------

DECEMBER 10, 2010
Mysteries from the female persuasion
My previous entry featured books by male authors.  It’s only fair that I share with you my five favorite mystery series by women authors too! I enjoy reading these as they are light on violence and language; I’m not one for the gory details.
  • Susan Wittig Albert – First book…Thyme of Death. Features China Bayles, an herbalist and former attorney, in Pecan Springs, Texas.
  • Margaret Maron – First book… Bootlegger’s Daughter. Features Deborah Knott, a district judge in North Carolina, along with her colorful extended family. 
  • Donna Leon – First book… Death at La Fenice. Features Guido Brunetti, a police commissario in Venice, Italy. 
  • JA Jance – First book… Until Proven Guilty. Features J.P. Beaumont, homicide detective in Seattle, Washington.  She writes another series worth checking out also: Joanna Brady, a deputy sheriff's widow, now elected sheriff in Cochise County, Arizona.  First book…Desert Heat. 
  • Lisa Scottoline – First book… Everywhere That Mary Went. Features the staff of Rosato & Associates, an all-women law firm in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
  • Bonus…Series written by a man featuring a woman: Thomas Perry writes about Jane Whitefield, a Native American guide who helps people disappear, based in Deganawida, New York.  First book…Vanishing Act.
Submitted by Alison Boutaugh, Thompson Public Library
Villager Papers, December 3, 2010

Add a comment  (0 comments) posted by Alison @ Thompson Public Library

Categories: Thompson Public LibraryAdult FictionMystery/Detective

-------------------------------------------------------

DECEMBER 10, 2010
Five on the Lighter Side
The holidays can be stressful.  Why not escape into a good book that makes you laugh out loud?! Here are my five favorite funny reads…
  • Spellman files by Lisa Lutz.  First in a series featuring Isabele “Izzy” Spellman, a 28-year old sleuth working for her parents’ private investigation firm, in San Francisco, California.  This family has issues. 
  • Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella.  It all begins with Confessions of a Shopaholic.  You don’t know money troubles until you read about Rebecca’s troubles!  Her standalone books are pretty good too.
  • Alexander McCall Smith, author of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency books has written a series featuring Professor Dr Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld, it begins with Portuguese Irregular Verbs  - enough said!
  • Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich (One for the money is the first).  Features Stephanie Plum, a bounty hunter in Trenton, New Jersey.  My favorite thing about these books is folks of all ages read them!
  • I love all of Mary Kay Andrews books, but am particular to the Savannah series, set in Georgia and featuring Eloise "Weezie" Foley.  These books are: Savannah Blues, Blue Christmas, and Savannah Breeze.
 Submitted by Alison Boutaugh, Thompson Public Library
Villager Papers, November 26, 2010

Add a comment  (0 comments) posted by Alison @ Thompson Public library

Categories: Thompson Public LibraryAdult FictionMystery/Detective

-------------------------------------------------------

DECEMBER 10, 2010
Mrs. Darcy and the Blue-Eyed Stranger by Lee Smith
    Once in a while a collection of short stories jumps out at me. Mrs. Darcy and the Blue-eyed Stranger initially pulled me in because I though it would be related to Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, (which it wasn't!) but it redeemed itself because every story was a little gem of its own. The settings were southern, exotic to this northerner, with a variety of ages and locales. Seven of the 14 stories were new for this volume and seven had been published before in other collections. I felt like these stories placed me in the middle of a tight-knit community and treated me like family.

Submitted by Priscilla Colwell, Putnam Public Library
Villager Papers, November 19, 2010

Add a comment  (0 comments) posted by Priscilla @ Putnam Public Library

Categories: Putnam Public LibraryAdult FictionShort stories

-------------------------------------------------------

Subscribe via RSS
Search