Sunday, May 31, 2015

Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova FIC Gen


Ms. Genova has become one of my favorite authors since the publication of Still Alice which I have read twice.  The latest one didn't disappoint.  For those of you not familiar with her books, they all have a similar theme - some sort of illness which makes sense because she has a degree in biopsychology and a PhD in neuroscience.  This novel focuses on Huntington's disease which is one of the cruelest afflictions there is.  It isn't just about the 'victim' but the impact it has on a family.  In this story it is Joe who is afflicted.  He has been a cop in Boston for 24 years.   During the past seven years there have been symptoms but Joe has managed to ignore and hide them - except that his wife Rose is not fooled.  Eventually she gets him to see a neurologist and they find out the dreadful truth.  And Joe also realizes now that his mom, who was in an institution for years before she died, was not there because she was an alcoholic.  He was too young at the time to realize that what he had been told didn't make any sense.

Joe and Rosie have four grown-up children and they have to be told.  With that knowledge comes a terrible decision that has to be made.  Do they want to find out if they are carrying the gene and thus will be afflicted in middle-age?   How do you live your life if you know what your future holds?  How will you feel if you are 'lucky' and some of your siblings are not?

I love books that make me think "What would I do?" and this one certainly did.  I highly recommend it!

Her Name is Rose by Christine Breen FIC Bre


This is a debut novel.  I knew it would be a bit happily-ever-after but that is what I was in the mood for and I am glad I took a chance on it!  I have never been to Ireland (except for Shannon Airport) but I am continually drawn to novels that take place there.  I can't explain why, I just know that I find them rather soothing for some reason.  This is the story of Iris.  Her life was a good one.  She loved her husband, Luke, and they had a beautiful and talented daughter named Rose whom they had adopted when she was a baby.  Two years ago Luke died and it has been hard.  Iris has become even more involved in her gardening and writes articles for a newspaper on the subject.  Rose has gone to London to continue her studies of the violin.

And suddenly everything starts to fall apart.  She has been dismissed from the newspaper (budget problems), although they would like her presence on-line in the form of a gardening blog - no salary of course.  The same day she goes to her mammography appointment.  When she finds out that she needs to come back in for more tests her anxiety skyrockets.  Before Luke died he wanted Iris to find Rose's biological mother in case something should also happen to Iris.  There were no relatives on either side and he didn't want Rose to be alone.  Immediately Iris sets off to find the woman who gave birth to Rose almost two decades ago.   I loved the characters and the background of this book.  I will certainly keep my eyes open for Ms. Breen's second novel.

Click here to check our catalog for availability.

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Around the World in 50 Years by Albert Podell (910.4 Pod)

In his mid-20s, the author sets off with friends for a road trip across Africa, India and other countries in a Toyota 4x4, a camper and a trailer loaded with supplies.  At the end of the trip (581 days later) he is hooked on the idea of travel.  Never-the-less it would be almost 20 years later before he decided to visit all 196 established countries in the world.

When I first heard about this book I was intrigued.  Just thinking about the logistics seemed overwhelming to me.  And then there are those countries that our government warns us in no uncertain terms NOT to visit.  Cuba, for instance, and any number of other countries currently in turmoil.

Undeterred, the author describes not just the routes he took and the means he used to get visas into some countries but what he finds there.  He is intrigued by local cultures and meeting as many local people as possible.  He recommends eating local food but found some of them intimidating - such as eating monkey brains from the monkey just killed at his table (in Hong Kong, I believe) or fruit bat pie in Palau.

The author sometimes brags about his attractiveness to the opposite sex but balances those comments with thoughtful remarks on the effects that staffers from humanitarian organizations can have on the local economy.  The ability of these workers to pay $60 for a meal in a country where most people don't earn that much in a month drives prices up to the point where local residents, the very people they are there to help, can't afford them.  He worries about the effect that radical Islam is having on countries in Africa.  Global warming also receives attention as some of the island countries he visits are in danger of being covered completely within a very few years by rising water.

At 345 pages long with small print, this book seemed overwhelming.  But by page 10 I was hooked and found myself laughing, shaking my head or nodding in agreement.  And when the flight I was waiting to board was cancelled after four hours due to mechanical difficulties, I only had to start reading again to be reminded that there are much worse travel difficulties to have - such as being on a remote island with only one flight out every eight days and not able to find a way to get to the airport...

Click here to check our catalog for availability.


Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Postcards from the Past by Marcia Willett FIC Wil


I first discovered Ms. Willett 12 years ago when I read a paperback by her and I have been a big fan ever since.  Her books are similar in tone to those by Maeve Binchy.  In her books it is all about the characters.  (She even brings in some characters from an earlier book - it took me a while to figure out why this one character seemed so familiar!!!).

Billa and her younger brother, Ed, enjoyed a happy childhood until the sudden loss of their father.  Soon afterward an older boy by the name of Dom came to spend time with his grandma not far away.  Come to find out there is a reason Dom reminds them of their father!  But the three of them become very close.  When Ed and Billa's mother remarries it is hard for them to accept their stepfather, Anthony.  He might have been bearable if it were not for his mean son, Tristan.

But fifty years have passed since then.  Ed and Billa have ended up in their childhood home and Dom has come back to the area and lives close.  They are as content as can be until they start receiving .......can you guess???..... Yes!  postcards from the past!!!   They are signed by Tristan and the way they are written makes Billa relive the worse time of her life.  I loved the book because I loved reading about the characters and the charm of Cornwall.  (AND it has a great cover!!)

Click here to check our catalog for availability.

Monday, May 18, 2015

The Secrets of Midwives by Sally Hepworth FIC Hep

This was a fast-read and very entertaining.  It is actually a story of three generations of women who happen to be midwives.   As with any good book about family the secrets are deep and go back decades.  Floss is the oldest of the three.  She arrived in this country with her baby, Grace, and her training as a midwife.  Grace grew up to be a midwife also.  So it is no surprise that her daughter Neva is the third.  Neva is actually quite far a long in her own pregnancy.  You would think she would want Grace to be part of this process but she hadn't even shared the news - until it is revealed by accident.  This book goes back and forth revealing the stories from all three generations - and of course the secrets!

An added bonus of the story is the look into the world of midwifery.  I think it will keep you involved from beginning to end.  You won't always admire the women but the themes of love and motherhood are universal.

Click here to check our catalog for availability.

Sunday, May 17, 2015

A Desperate Fortune by Susanna Kearsley (FIC Kea)

Two intertwined stories across several centuries with two young women who must take steps forward and face questions about themselves.

In the modern day, Sara is hired to decipher the journal of Mary Dundas, a young woman living in France in 1732 and the daughter of Jacobite exiles.  Sara has Aspergers and finds the work of breaking the cipher to be exactly the kind of isolated work that suits her best.  Taking up residence in a home near where Mary lived Sara must decide if she is able to surmount the walls that she has built around herself in order to cope with her disorder.  Can she trust what she is feeling?  Can she find a way to fit into this family that wants to include her?

Mary, raised by her aunt and uncle after her mother dies and her father and brothers follow the court of the exiled King James VIII, is excited when her oldest brother comes for her and takes her to live with him and his family.  Her excitement turns to disappointment when she learns that he didn't really want her to live with him but, rather, wanted her to provide cover for a man wanted by the English but with very important information for the exiled king.  As the weeks progress, Mary learns that all is not as it appears and that "home" is not necessarily where you think it is.

Since reading Outlander by Diana Gabaldon when it first came out I have been fascinated by Scotland and the Jacobites.  This book presents another side of that story - that of the exiles in France and what they went through in trying to further their cause from afar.  I was intrigued by the description of Mary's travels in a time when traveling was difficult.  And that one of companions made me think of Jamie Fraser (from Outlander) made it all the more fun to read.  Sara's story, too, was interesting and not a distraction from the other story.

I enjoyed this book about two strong women who face obstacles, learn from them and move forward.

Click here to check our catalog for availability.

Friday, May 15, 2015

Someone is Watching by Joy Fielding FIC Fie





I have been a big fan of Ms. Fielding since the beginning.  This one was okay but certainly not my favorite.  I think I figured out why.  On the back of the book it says "Look for the next thrilling book in the Bailey Carpenter series".  Bailey is the main character in this book and obviously she is being set up for this series.  So looking back I think a lot of things were put in this story to be used in future adventures!  Bailey is an investigator.  She works for a large firm of lawyers and she enjoys her job - until the night she is on a stake out and is attacked and raped.   She tries to regain her sense of security by hiding out in her high-rise apartment.  But paranoia causes her to carry scissors with her all of the time and check everywhere several times a day.   Her brother, Heath, has tried to help out.  (With his life style he is not the most dependable person.)  She has step-brothers and a step-sister and they all show up to 'offer support' too.  Of course Bailey is actually in the midst of a lawsuit with all of the steps - they think they should get some of the money left by the deceased father they all shared.   Every time Bailey leaves her four walls she begins to see the man who attack her.  Eventually the police are not so eager to listen to what she has to say.

It was entertaining and I will check out the next installment of this series.

Click here to check our catalog for availability.

Thursday, May 14, 2015

The Real Doctor Will See You Shortly by Matt McCarthy 610.71 McC

This book was very entertaining.  This book was very scary.  And I am afraid that this book was very honest.  I have read other books with the same theme - first year interns - but this one had a great balance of humor and drama.  A bit unsettling for sure.  As a first-year teacher I felt like a fraud.  There was a lot of stuff I was supposed to know how to do that I hadn't learned in a classroom.  Of course no one was going to die as I learned how to really teach and I wasn't doing it in a 30 hour stretch!   It is a little different in a hospital.  This book was very readable.  Parts of it were funny, parts were sad and parts were appalling.  You will never be bored.  You will never look at your doctor in the same way.

Click here to check our catalog for availability.

Monday, May 11, 2015

The Years by Nicholas Delbanco FIC Del


I really enjoyed this book. Why?  Well probably because I am in my 60's with a love from the 1960's that I will never forget.   When this book begins Lawrence and Hermia are in their 60's.  They are both alone on a cruise.  And it is there that they reconnect for the first time since college.  The story moves around a lot.  Part of it recounts their romance in college.  There are also the stories of what was going on all of these years they were apart - the marriages and the children.

It is not a simplistic story of old flames reuniting.  There was a lot of baggage they were each carrying.  It wasn't easy to decide to reunite.  The end of the book was rather depressing - but any happy ending wouldn't have seemed right.   I liked the characters in the story and I felt that they were believable.   It is not a fast read but for me it was worth it!

Click here to check our catalog for availability.

Thursday, May 7, 2015

A Good Place To Hide by Peter Grose 940.5336 Gro

   
The subtitle for this book is "How One French Community Saved Thousands of Lives During World War II."  And that sums up this book.  I love books about history, particularly during the WWII era and if it takes place in France it is even better!  I don't remember reading anything else about this central-eastern pocket of France where thousands of people (mostly Jews) were hidden and helped.  How did they manage to do this?  In the author's words "Nobody asked questions, nobody demanded money. Villagers lied, covered up, procrastinated and concealed, but most importantly they welcomed."

Even though this is a serious book it read quickly.  The stories of many people are told throughout the book.  I really appreciated the "Whatever happened to......?"  section at the end of the book.  After reading about what these people went through I was glad to know the rest of the story.  It is a book of inspiration and wonder.

And as always I wonder if I could have been nearly as brave and unselfish as these ordinary people.

Click here to check our catalog for availability.

Sunday, May 3, 2015

The Daughter by Jane Shemilt FIC She

I really liked this book (which is a debut novel).   It is told from the point-of-view of Jenny, a successful doctor, who is married to Ted (also a successful doctor) and mother to Theo, Ed and Naomi.  The story resolves around a date - it is the night that 15 year-old Naomi did not come home after the second night of a play she was in.  Part of the story is before and the rest is after.  A year after that night Naomi is still missing.  Jenny's family has fallen apart.  As she tries to find out what Naomi had been up to she mostly finds out that she didn't know her daughter at all.  That was hard enough to discover - but Naomi wasn't the only one in the house with secrets. Jenny has given up her career and is obsessed with finding her daughter.

I liked the way the truth was revealed little by little and I couldn't wait to find out what really happened to Naomi.  I will say that none of the characters were that endearing - with one exception.  His name was Bertie and he has four legs and a tail.  Bertie never judged anyone and gave his affection whenever and wherever it was needed.   More than I can say for any of the humans!

Click here to check our catalog for availability.