Dede
writes: If you are pining for a fat,
juicy historical novel, we have one for you in a
new paperback edition. Karleen Koen’s Through
a Glass Darkly (1402200447) 
spent a lot of time on bestseller lists a few years
ago when it was first published in hardcover. Set
in the 18th Century in the splendid and
decadent royal courts of England and France, this
novel is rich in historical detail. All of the opulence
and artistry of the time is contrasted with the
terrifying spread of small pox and the sudden financial
losses when the South Sea Bubble comes to naught.
The young and winsome Lady Barbara Adderley is,
to all intents and purposes, “sold” to the much
older and sophisticated Earl Devane, and they travel
to live with the French court. Scandal and treachery
abound, but Barbara prevails, with the guidance
of her grandmother, the Duchess Alice.
In
September, the prequel to Through a Glass Darkly
will be published in hardcover. Dark Angels
(0307339912)
follows the life of Barbara’s grandmother, who
grew up to be the imposing dowager, Duchess Alice.
As a very young girl she is sent from England
to the French court as companion to the French
Queen of England, Henrietta Marie, wife of Charles
II. A born courtier and blessed with uncommon
common sense, young Alice survives treacherous
plots, poisonings and intrigues, managing to captivate
the elderly Duke of Balmoral and the young military
hero, Richard Adderley. The character of Alice
as an old woman in Koen’s first novel almost steals
the show, so it is satisfying to learn about her
past during the early years of the 18th
Century.
For
historical fiction from the more recent past,
I’d choose Eva Rice’s The Lost Art
of Keeping Secrets (0525949313)
. Set in London in the 1950’s and 60’s, the novel
follows young people who had known nothing but
bombing and war during their lives until they
wake up to a new life during peacetime. A little
bit of Wodehouse and a little bit of rock n’roll
kept me entertained reading this old-fashioned
but sprightly novel by the daughter of Tim Rice.
Anna
writes: Haruki Murakami's
latest novel Kafka on the Shore
(1400079276)
was quite a read. With talking cats, a magical
forest, things falling from the sky and more,
Murakami's novel never fails to entertain. Each
chapter focuses on either Kafka—a boy who runs
away from home to find himself—or Nakata—an old
man who, while lacking the skills to read and
write, is able to talk with cats and find complete
enjoyment in his life. As the book continues,
a connection between Nakata and Kafka develops,
and their destinies become intertwined. Hard
to put down, Murakami builds the suspense well
as you discover how everyone is connected.
While browsing my high school reading list for
my senior year humanities class, I groaned to
see that I was reading the massive nonfiction
book, King Leopold’s Ghost (0618001905)
by Adam Hochschild, depicting the horrors
of the Belgian Congo under ruler King Leopold. Typically
a fan of fiction, I was surprised to find how
much I enjoyed this book. Driven by the imperialist
spirit seizing Europe in the 19th century, King
Leopold hoped to find a colony of his own. He
saw his opportunity in the vast uncharted
territory in the middle of Africa, soon to be
called the Congo. I was shocked by Leopold’s ability
to masquerade the inhumane acts and selfish goals
in the Congo with a great anti-slavery movement
and clever media manipulation. The overwhelming
desire for ivory, and eventually rubber, meant
that traders were willing to commit horrific acts
to make a profit. The atrocities Hochschild depicts
in the Congo linger with the reader long after
the book ends.
Alice
writes: just discovered Eliza Minot,
sister of respected author Susan Minot who wrote
Monkeys (0375708367)
. Eliza’s new book, The Brambles (1400042690)
, is a family story in the same vein as her sister’s
books and reminiscent of Franzen’s The Corrections
(0312421273)
. Lyrical and funny, the novel follows the three
Bramble children: Margaret, a suburban mom; Edie,
an angst-ridden single in NYC and Max, a new father
challenged by his responsibilities. Minot captures,
with humor and emotional poignancy, the miscommunications
and allegiances of a family headed into the maelstrom
of a long held secret.
Next
up, on Tuesday, August 8th at 7
p.m., we will discuss A. Manette Ansay’s
Blue Water (0380732882)
. This book begins one December morning
when a drunk driver careens into another car,
instantly killing a six-year-old boy and leaving
his mother filled with guilt, rage and incredible
sorrow. Complicating this accident more is that
the drunk driver is this mother’s best friend
from childhood and closely connected to her brother.
The award-winning author of Vinegar Hill,
Ansay introduces readers to the couple left behind
after the accident, a mother and father crippled
by sadness and anger as they set sail on the Atlantic
to heal their wounds. Leaving behind a civil suit
and a web of family connections and complications,
Meg and Rex Van Dorn set off on an allegorical
voyage across the wild sea. Along the way, they
meet others who have taken to the rolling ocean
in an attempt to heal their wounds. Compelling
and engaging, the novel probes into loss and suffering
as the couple take a cathartic journey away from
Fox Harbor, Wisconsin and into a frontier of people
struggling with their own losses. I enjoyed her
style—lyrical and almost stream-of-consciousness,
casual but poetic.
Judy
H writes: If you are looking for
a more “stimulating” beach book, Sea
Music (0743482131)
by Sara MacDonald is a great choice. Set
on the Cornish coast of England, the novel centers
around three generations of the Tremain family. Each
member of the Tremain family is affected by a
family secret which involves the Warsaw ghetto
and the Holocaust. The painful truth of this family’s
past gives each member a sense of peace and a
better understanding of each other. Sea Music is my favorite read of the summer.
FROM
THE CHILDREN’S ROOM:
Eric
writes: It’s
finally time for the task all seniors dread: writing
the college essay. Fortunately, you can get help
with this formidable task. The Fiske
Guide: Real College Essays That Work (1402201648)
is one book that
greatly assisted me. This guide contains
not only hints on how to start, write and edit
your college essay but also 109 actual essays
by a wide variety of students on many topics. These
sample essays are a great tool for understanding
what colleges expect. I highly recommend this
book for all seniors.
Anna
writes: Tallulah Falls
(1582346623)
by Christine Fletcher follows troubled
17-year-old Tallulah as she ditches her life in
Oregon to go save her friend Maeve in Florida. Tallulah,
finding herself broke and without a car by the
time she reaches Tennessee, works at the local
vet for a few weeks in order to get money. At
first resistant to the people she meets, Tallulah
soon comes to appreciate them. With each
challenge she faces, she perseveres. It is
a delight to watch Tallulah grow and learn throughout
the novel. Smart, quick, and stubborn, Tallulah
captivates the reader.
Marilyn
writes: In Peter and the Shadow
Thieves (078683787X)
, Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
have created a thrilling sequel to Peter
and the Starcatchers (078684907X).
A powerful member of The Others, the dark and
mysterious Lord Ombra is searching for the magical
starstuff we learned of in Peter’s first adventure.
Lord Ombra doesn’t find it on Mollusk Island,
Peter’s new home, but he does learn that it has
been brought back to London. It’s up to Peter,
with less than enthusiastic aid from Tinker Bell,
to follow Lord Ombra and his pirate crew back
to the treacherous streets of London where he
must find and warn Molly and her father, Lord
Aster, of the danger they face. This exciting
adventure is recommended for readers aged 10 and
up.
In
Meg Cabot’s newest novel, How To
Be Popular (0060880120)
, Steph Landry, who may just be the most unpopular
girl in her high school, discovers what she thinks
may be the cure to her woes…a book on how to be
popular. To her surprise, it actually works, but
staying popular is not so easy. Student reviewers
Katelyn, Britta, and Meaghan enjoyed this story
of one girl’s attempt to change her life and the
choices she has to make between her old friends
and her new ones. Recommended for middle school
readers.
Pat
writes: Tomorrow, When the War Began
(0439829100)
is a recently reprinted book by John Marsden,
one of Australia’s most popular authors for young
adults. The first in the series “Tomorrow,” this
riveting novel is about a group of high school
friends who go out into the bush for a week of
camping before school begins. Written in the voice
of Ellie, who is keeping a journal of their experience,
the group discovers that their country has been
invaded while they were away. Ellie and the other
survivors face an impossible decision: They can
flee for the mountains, surrender to the enemy—whomever
they me be—or fight to help their family and friends
who have been taken captive. This book captures
your interest from the very start and is a perfect
paperback for high school students looking for
summer reading.
A
local author from Somerville, Ann Downer
has just published the sequel to Hatching Magic
(1416905359)
. The Dragon of Never-Was (0689855710)
is once again filled with unbelievable dragons,
magic spells, a cast of unusual characters and
the heroine, Theodora Oglethorpe, who finds herself
transported from her home in Cambridge to the
Scottish island of Scornsay where her father was
sent to study a scale believed to be from a previously
unknown species. A nice relaxing vacation turns
into one with dragons, wizards and more trouble
than Theodora could have imagined. A good read
for grades 4 to 7.
September
is coming, and the beginning of school is near.
We have many books for all ages to help students
from preschool through college look forward to
the coming year with pleasure and anticipation.
From the series Are you Ready for Pre-K
(1579125492)
to The Middle School Survival Guide
(080276574)
and two titles especially for girls, Middle
School: How to Deal (0811844978)
written by five real girls and A Smart Girl’s
Guide to Starting Middle School (158485877X)
published by American Girl. For the college bound,
two of the titles we have are The College
Dorm Survival Guide (0761526749)
by Julia Devillers and My Freshman
Year (0143037471)
Rebekah Nathan. We also have books for
the parents left behind! There are plenty of “just
for fun” back-to-school books as well.
