Dede writes: Vikram
Chandra's Sacred
Games (0061130354) 
is
a gift for avid readers who have longed for a big book
in every sense
of the word. It is big - 900 pages - and it is a gift
of his shining talent as he depicts the teeming, complicated
city life of Mumbai, India. He introduces us to two men:
one a ruthless gangster and the other a Sikh policeman.
But, as our manager Beverly Bittarelli says, it is much
more than their story. Stories of people at every level
in Mumbai-rich, poor, terribly poor-crowd the pages and
come alive to the reader. Corruption at every level of
life; family strengths and weaknesses; the violent clashes
between Hindus and Muslims; the still present effects
of colonialism; the joys of food, music and films-all
of this is given to us in all its vividness and with
great compassion. Though it is a long story, the reader
lives in its pages, and this reader did not want it to
end.
Returning to the scene of The Other Boleyn Girl (0743227441), the master of historical fiction, Philippa
Gregory, again brings the women of Henry
VIII's court to life in The Boleyn Inheritance (0743272501).
Anne of Cleves is Henry's new wife. His fourth wife,
whom he instantly dislikes, fled from her small nation,
her hateful mother, and her abusive brother in the
hopes of a better life. Without family and friends,
she must battle to stay alive in a country where she
barely speaks the language. Katherine Howard, Anne's
cousin, is Henry's new object of affection. Jane Rochford
has been trading her soul for fortune and title, having
sent her husband and sister to their deaths. Narrated
in turn by these three intriguing women, Gregory has
written a tale of court politics and treachery.
From award-winning poet Marisa
de los Santos comes
a tribute to classic film and true romance, Love
Walked In (0452287898).
Cornelia Brown manages a cafe and is swept off her feet
when she meets her Cary Grant in the form of Martin Grace.
Across town, Clare Hobbes is looking for her estranged
father after her unstable mother disappears. In the Philadelphia
cafe, both of these women will change in drastic and
dramatic ways.
Alice writes:
Herself the daughter of a British father and Iranian
mother, Yasmin Crowther brings
to life the story of a family whose future and past are
defined by these different cultures. The
Saffron Kitchen (0670038113) begins when Saeed comes to live with this family after
his mother dies. His presence brings Maryam to a point
of despair that her husband and daughter have not witnessed
in the four decades she has been away from Iran. This
despair spurns her to return to the country from which
she fled as a young woman. Her daughter Sara follows
her to Iran to bring her home to the family she's had
for 40 years. Instead, Sara learns about secrets Maryam
has harbored and struggled with for years, understanding
and appreciating a history she never knew. Crowther
powerfully depicts Maryam's wrenching romantic and nationalistic
longings, exploring the potency of heritage and the pain
of exile.
Set in both the U.S. and Turkey, Elif Shafak's The Bastard of Istanbul (0670038342) is a humorous and
powerful tale about identity and colliding cultures.
The bastard of the title, Asya, lives with her family
of women in Istanbul. Armanoush was born and raised in
Arizona. As a young woman, Armanoush travels to Turkey
to better understand her heritage and her family. There
she meets and lives with family she's never known, including
Asya. When a secret is uncovered that ties the family
to the 1915 Armenian deportations and massacres, the
deep-seeded conflicts of these cultures is brought to
the forefront for these two modern families.
Next up for book group, on Tuesday, January 16th from
7-8 p.m., we will
discuss Francine Prose's Blue
Angel (0060882034). Set at a small un-Ivy
League college in Vermont, the novel follows Professor
Ted Swenson. Years past the success of his novel, we
meet him-happily married and struggling with writer's
block, glad for the paycheck from his light class load
that usually bears students of exceptional inability.
Angela Argo, a punk sophomore with the rare ability to
form great prose, knocks everything out of place for
him. She enchants him with her writing, creating an obsession
between student and teacher. A send-up of academia
and a humorous portrait of political correctness gone
awry, Prose explores middle age, university politics,
morality and gender roles. Astutely observed, I like
her descriptions of university quads, adolescent apathy
and arrogant PhDs.
FROM THE CHILDREN'S ROOM:
Pat writes:
Winter is upon us, with or without snow. There are numerous
new books for our youngest readers. Author M.
Christina Butler has written another story about the little hedgehog
from One Snowy Night (1561484520). In One
Winter's Day (1561485322), when the little hedgehog's
home blows away, he bundles himself up with his hat,
scarf and mittens to go stay with his friend, Badger.
On his way, he meets many animals to whom he gives his
warm winter clothing. After the storm, Hedgehog and Badger
go to see what was left of Hedgehog's house. Hedgehog's
concern that his house of twigs and leaves had blown
away is replaced with gratitude as all the animals to
which he loaned clothing are now helping to rebuild his
shelter. This is a good story for the preschool though
first grade child.
So Sleepy Story (0374370311) by Uri Shulevitz is a new book in the same quiet bedtime mood as Margaret
Wise Brown's Goodnight Moon (0060775858).
The story begins in a sleepy house where everything inside
is sleeping. Pictured in night-time blues and grays,
Shulevitz depicts sleepy chairs and sleepy tables, sleepy
pictures on sleepy walls. A boy sleeps in a sleepy bed
until the soft music drifting through the windows begins
to get louder and louder. Soon the whole house is awake,
swaying and dancing. Movement and color change with the
ebb and flow of the music; this is a perfect book for
bedtime.
A new poetry book for the early reader, Jack Prelutsky's It's Snowing, It's Snowing (0060537159),
is a book of winter poems. A popular children's poet,
Prelutsky's new book
is small (with just 16 poems) but perfect for young readers.
With "December Days are Short," "I Am Freezing" and "The
Snowman's Lament," he captures the feeling of the season,
and the lively colorful illustrations make it a fun read.
Judy H. writes: Eoin
McNamee's new novel, The Navigator (0375839100),
is an adventure-filled story about a young boy,
Owen, who must save the world
from the Harsh. With chilling wintry and icy imagery,
McNamee narrates the story of the Harsh and the
Resistors, archenemies who are battling to control
time. As
the story opens, the Harsh, a group who freeze
Resistors' bodies and souls, is in control of the
Puissance,
the Great
Time Machine. They are running time backwards,
making all life nonexistent. However, the one surviving
human, Owen, is caught in the battle. He is a Navigator,
one who will guide the Resistors to the Great Time
Machine and get time moving forward again. Upper
elementary and middle school-aged boys will enjoy
this exciting tale.
Marilyn
writes: Student
reviewer Elsa tells us, "The Killing Sea (1416911650) by Richard
Lewis is a heartwarming story about two teenagers' journey
after the tsunami in Indonesia. During the story,
you will meet Ruslan and Sarah. Ruslan is a native
of Indonesia, who loves to draw and sketch, even
though it is considered a sacrilege. Sarah is an
American on vacation, whose primary concern throughout
the story is to take care of her now sick brother.
Whether you're looking for tragedy or romance, The
Killing Sea is a must-read for everyone." Recommended
for ages 12 and up.
Britta,
aged 11, reviewed the latest book in the Princess Diaries
series for us. She writes, "I loved the book Princess
on the Brink (0060724560) by Meg Cabot.
This book was almost addicting. I couldn't put it down." Mia
is, at last, a junior at Albert Einstein High School and
free of her responsibilities as student body president.
Everything should be going really well, but somehow everything
is going terribly wrong-academically and romantically.
How will Mia avoid disaster? Recommended for girls aged
12 and up.
Zoe,
aged 11, tells us that she "enjoyed the Cupid
Chronicles (1416908676) by Coleen Murtagh
Paratore a lot.
I would recommend this book for girls 11 to 12. The
book is about a girl named Willa who loves to read
books. When Willa finds out the town library is closing,
she wants to try to earn money to keep the library.
But during all of this, Willa's first kiss, Joseph,
moves back to town. Willa has to deal with Joseph and
the library. Read this book and see what happens." The
author's previous book, The Wedding Planner's
Daughter (0689873409) was a popular choice for mother-daughter book groups.
Fans of the Warriors series by Erin Hunter will be pleased to see the newest volume in this
continuing saga, Sunset (0060827696). Soon after the cats reached their new home
by the lake, ThunderClan's medicine cat received an ominous
warning from StarClan. As the Clan recovers from a devastating
badger attack, Leafpool wonders if her prophetic dreams
mean that even worse dangers lie ahead. This is a series
that appeals to boys and girls aged 10 and up. While
it has elements of fantasy, it will also interest readers
who enjoy action/adventure stories.
