Gretchen
writes: Alan Furst writes with such authenticity
of time, place, and language that he seems to be fashioning
each of his WW II novels out of his own experience.
In his eighth book, Dark Voyage (1400060184),
Furst’s hero is the Dutch captain of a tramp steamer
that flies the flag of Spain (a neutral country in 1941’s
European war) but secretly transports intelligence equipment
for the British Royal Navy. As always with Furst’s
books, the characters are drawn so vividly that one
reads the unfolding story through many eyes. This is
a great novel! Buy it to savor now and then give it
to your favorite reader for a banner Christmas present.
Margaret Maron’s
High Country Fall (0892968087)
ushers in the season with an easygoing mystery filled
with down home southern charm. Fans of Maron’s
Deborah Knott series will enjoy the scrappy courtroom
scenes, the touch of romance, and the inevitable, mouthwatering
descriptions of grub cooked North Carolina-style. High
Country Fall is also the perfect gift for a mom or aunt
who likes her mysteries adventurous but not too violent.
Birders flocked to Martha’s
Vineyard in August to view a rarity: a red-footed falcon—blown
off-course and far from home—that delighted “twitchers”
by perching quietly on nearby posts and Aircraft-Report-to-Station
signs. And, indeed, autumn is a prime hawk-migration–viewing
season in Massachusetts. To help you identify those
birds riding the thermals overhead, we stock Hawks
in Flight (0395510228)
by Pete Dunne, David Sibley and Clay Sutton; The
Wind Masters: The Lives of North American Birds of Prey
0618340726)
by Pete Dunne and illustrated by David Sibley; and the
portable size of The Sibley Field Guide to Birds
of Eastern North America (067945120x),
written and illustrated by the redoubtable David Sibley.
Dede writes: Sometimes nothing will do but to read a
good mystery. One of my new favorites (thanks to Gretchen)
is Magdalen Nabb’s series, set in Florence, Italy
with an endearing hero, Marshal Guarnaccia. The Washington
Post says of this series: “…distinctive
mystery novels with an elegant, literate style. Her
novels glow with the warmth and charm of their Florentine
setting.” Fellow mystery novelist Donna Leon counts
Magdalen Nabb among her favorites. Check out the Donna
Leon web site, as her mysteries, set in Venice, are
equally fascinating, and we have them here at Book Ends.
It’s a jump from Florence and Venice to Philadelphia
but another solid mystery writer is Lisa Scottoline.
Her eleven books, set in Philadelphia, feature an all-women
law firm, led by the indomitable Benedetta Rosato. Her
newest book is Killer Smile (0060514957),
and we have her earlier titles in paperback.
If you are like me and
shy away from the terrifying, forensic, and, frankly,
really scary mysteries, you will find these three writers
a delight and a world away from our own daily routines.
Alice writes:
Quite honestly, I picked up Liz Ward’s
Outside Valentine (0805075984)
because she is an alumna from the same college as I,
but it turned out that her novel was more than just
a testament to my college pride. Told separately through
the eyes of three characters—an accomplice, victim
and spectator of this horrible killing spree—
Outside Valentine recounts a fictionalized version of
the eleven murders Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann
Fugate committed in 1950s Nebraska. Perhaps it’s
the midwestern setting, but, to me, this tale was reminiscent
of the same depth, detail and emotion of Capote’s
In Cold Blood. Ward draws the reader into the intense
feelings of love, dependency and urgency that carry
the characters into and out of the trail of deaths.
What adds to the “story of people torn apart by
tragedy and yet, finally, transformed by love”
is that Ward’s grandparents were two of the eleven
murdered by Starkweather.
Then, for book group, we
revert back to fiction with Mary and O’Neil
(0385333595),
and, in my opinion, one of the most brilliantly written
books from the last few years. The novel is told through
eight interconnected stories set between 1979 and the
present, chronicling the lives of Mary Olson and O’Neil
Burke. Mary and O’Neil meet as teachers and marry,
their lives connected by the pain they have suffered
individually and the healing love they share. The book
jacket declares, “Mary and O’Neil celebrates
the uncommon in common lives, and the bonds of love
that save us.” With emotional accuracy, Cronin
delves into the minds and hearts of the characters,
weaving a poignant and beautiful debut novel.
IN THE CHILDREN’S
ROOM:
Marilyn and Isabel write: We have
several new and exciting books for elementary and middle
school readers that have arrived this month. Our student
reviewers have been busy reviewing them for us, and
we thought we would share their thoughts and opinions
with you.
One of our favorite authors,
Cornelia Funke (Thief Lord, (043942089x)
Inkheart (0439531640),
and The Princess Knight (0439536308)),
has a new book, Dragon Rider (0439456959).
Student reviewer Nicole B., aged 9, writes, “Dragon
Rider is one of the best books I ever read! It was unpredictable
and filled with suspense and action…I recommend
it to people who like adventure and suspense.”
Another new fantasy novel,
this one by Jason Hightman, also features dragons. Student
reviewer Camille, aged 11, writes, “The
Saint of Dragons (0060540117)
is a wonderful adventure-packed book. It is about a
boy named Simon St. George…” As you might
guess, Simon is related to the famous St. George of
dragon killing fame, and the dragons of this story are
not nice at all. Camille gives this book a 9 star rating!
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Last
winter The Amulet of Samarkand, Book
One of Jonathan Stroud’s Bartimaeus Trilogy, was
one of our most popular fantasy titles for middle-school
readers. This is now available in paperback (0786852550),
and the sequel, The Golem’s Eye (0786818603,
hardcover) has just arrived. Student reviewer Yoann writes,
“I loved the second book in the trilogy as much
as I loved the first one…I recommend it to people
that liked The Amulet of Samakand! I can’t wait
for the third one to come out.”
Children of The Lamp
(Book One The Akhenaten Advenure, 0439670195)
is the first children’s novel by P.B. Kerr, known
in the adult publishing world as Phillip Kerr. Student
reviewers Nicole B. and Julian P. both recommend this
book. Julian, aged 13, writes, “I enjoyed reading
this book very much. It was engrossing and excellently
written. The settings were very vivid and interesting
and the same holds true for the characters. I would
recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy stories
or is interested in ancient Egypt. I can’t wait
to read the sequel.”
Not every new title in our young adult section is in
the fantasy genre. Bindi Babes (0385731779)
by Narinder Dhami is about three sisters with a reputation
for being the coolest, best-dressed girls at their school,
until their lives are turned upside down by the arrival
of their auntie from India. Student reviewer Carina,
aged 11 ¾, writes, “This book…you
can only describe it in a series of words. Amazing.
Spectacular. Wonderful. Marvelous.”
Indigo Star (0689865635)
, a new book by Hilary McKay, author of Saffy’s
Angel (0689865635)
shows another side of the Casson family. The story follows
Indigo, Saffy’s brother, who has just recovered
from mono and is going back to school after missing
an entire semester. He’s not looking forward to
going back—though the school bullies are eagerly
awaiting his return. Student reviewer Camille, aged
11, gave this book 8 stars and wrote, “I guarantee
you will love this book.”
Camille also reviewed Becoming Naomi Leon (0439269695),
by Pam Munoz Ryan (author of Esperanza Rising
043912042x).
This is a wonderful, touching story about a girl who
is part Mexican and part Oklahoman who lives with her
brother and great-grandmother. Their lives change when
her mother returns after being gone for years.
Camille gives the book 9 stars and writes,
“This is a fantastic book about love, hate and
finding your strong inner voice! I really recommend
this book to anybody who is looking for a quick easy-read.
I could not put this book down because it was so exciting!”
Fans of M.E. Rabb’s Missing Persons series (#1
The Rose Queen 0142500410
and #2 The Chocolate Lover 0142500429)
will be thrilled to learn that the third book in the
series, The Venetian Policeman (0142500437),
is now available. This series is about two teenage sisters,
ages 15 and 17, who are on the run after their parents
have died. They move from New York to Indiana, change
their identities and take up solving missing persons
cases while making sure that no one finds out who they
really are. Allison F., aged 12, rated the first book
a 9 and the second one a 10 out of 10. Alexis Z., aged
10, writes that the first book in the series was “one
of the best books I’ve read…I enjoyed this
book because it is about two independent girls who solve
a mystery. If you like mysteries or books with adventures,
I think you will like this book.” Alexis think
the second book is “a great equal” to the
first one. We highly recommend this series to middle
school readers.
Middle school readers will be pleased to learn that
Meg Cabot (author of the Princess Diaries series) has
just released her latest book, Teen
Idol (0060096160).
Student reviewer Valerie B., aged 13, writes, “This
book was really good. I liked how it shows how teen
stars can be grounded and act like real people. Meg
Cabot reenacted real high school issues flawlessly.
I liked the fact that Jen, the main character, could
be absolutely anyone – an adolescent girl who
is simply oblivious to her own power and surroundings.
I would give this book 5 stars out of 5.”
Kara, aged 15, writes The
Alison Rules by Catherine Clark (0060559802)
is a book that kept me engrossed the whole time I was
reading it. Alison is a girl that is not very successfully
dealing with her mother, her mother’s new friend
Patrick, her best friend Laurie, and her brother and
dad. The reader will be sucked into the story so much
that they will feel bad for Alison, a girl that has
had to deal with more than her share of hardships…I
suggest this book for anyone looking for a good read.”
Perry, aged 12 ½,
has this to say about Peter and The Starcatchers
by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (0786854456),
“I thought this was a great book, although a tiny
bit young for me. The cool thing is that it’s
actually the prequel to Peter Pan…If you ever
wondered where Peter met Captain Hook, or where he found
tinker Bell, or how he can fly, here’s a great
tale, full of danger and mystery.”
In addition to all these
great books for older readers, we have many new books
for our younger readers as well. Going to school—whether
for the first time or after a long summer off—is
probably foremost on most children’s minds. We
have many books to help ease the transition, including
our all time favorite, The Kissing Hand,
by Audrey Penn (0878685855).
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