Saturday, January 27, 2018
Archie, Volume Two by Mark Waid and Veronica Fish, 176 pages
The all-new ARCHIE
adventure continues! Superstar writer Mark Waid teams up with the best
and brightest artists in comics to bring a modern take to the legendary
Riverdale cast of characters. The book will captures the bite and
hilarious edge of Archie's original tales in a modern, forward-looking
manner, while still retaining the character's all-ages appeal. If
classic Archie is a Saturday morning cartoon, this new series is prime
time!
It's All Relative by A.J. Jacobs, 336 pages
New York Times bestselling author of The Know-It-All and The Year of Living Biblically,
A.J. Jacobs undergoes a hilarious, heartfelt quest to understand what
constitutes family—where it begins and how far it goes—and attempts to
untangle the true meaning of the “Family of Humankind.”
A.J. Jacobs has received some strange emails over the years, but this note was perhaps the strangest: “You don’t know me, but I’m your eighth cousin. And we have over 80,000 relatives of yours in our database.”
That’s enough family members to fill Madison Square Garden four times over. Who are these people, A.J. wondered, and how do I find them? So began Jacobs’s three-year adventure to help build the biggest family tree in history.
Jacobs’s journey would take him to all seven continents. He drank beer with a US president, found himself singing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and unearthed genetic links to Hollywood actresses and real-life scoundrels. After all, we can choose our friends, but not our family.
A.J. Jacobs has received some strange emails over the years, but this note was perhaps the strangest: “You don’t know me, but I’m your eighth cousin. And we have over 80,000 relatives of yours in our database.”
That’s enough family members to fill Madison Square Garden four times over. Who are these people, A.J. wondered, and how do I find them? So began Jacobs’s three-year adventure to help build the biggest family tree in history.
Jacobs’s journey would take him to all seven continents. He drank beer with a US president, found himself singing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and unearthed genetic links to Hollywood actresses and real-life scoundrels. After all, we can choose our friends, but not our family.
Lake Wobegon Days by Garrison Keillor, 420 pages
"Filled with warmth and
humor, sadness and tenderness, songs and poems, Lake Wobegon Days is an
unforgettable portrait of small-town American life, of why 'we are what
we are' and why 'smart doesn't count for much."
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain, 268 pages
In this classic satiric
novel, published in 1889, Hank Morgan, a supervisor in a Connecticut gun
factory, falls unconscious after being whacked on the head. When he
wakes up he finds himself in Britain in 528 — where he is immediately
captured, hauled back to Camelot to be exhibited before the knights of
King Arthur's Round Table, and sentenced to death. Things are not
looking good.
But Hank is a quick-witted and enterprising fellow, and in the process of saving his life he turns himself into a celebrity of the highest magnitude. His Yankee ingenuity and knowledge of the world beyond the Dark Ages are regarded as the most powerful sorcery — winning him a position of prime minister as well as the eternal enmity of a jealous Merlin. In an effort to bring democratic principles and mechanical knowledge to the kingdom, Hank introduces newspapers, telephones, bicycles, and other modern conveniences to the Britain of the Dark Ages. But when he tries to improve the lot of the common people, chaos and war result, giving a bittersweet tone to this comic masterpiece by one of America's greatest storytellers.
But Hank is a quick-witted and enterprising fellow, and in the process of saving his life he turns himself into a celebrity of the highest magnitude. His Yankee ingenuity and knowledge of the world beyond the Dark Ages are regarded as the most powerful sorcery — winning him a position of prime minister as well as the eternal enmity of a jealous Merlin. In an effort to bring democratic principles and mechanical knowledge to the kingdom, Hank introduces newspapers, telephones, bicycles, and other modern conveniences to the Britain of the Dark Ages. But when he tries to improve the lot of the common people, chaos and war result, giving a bittersweet tone to this comic masterpiece by one of America's greatest storytellers.
I Kissed a Squirrel and I Liked It by North, Henderson, Chabot, & Renzi, 120 pages
The hero who refuses to
be beat celebrates 11 consecutive issues without a new #1! And she's
letting you seize the chance to be the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl in a
choose-your-own path encounter with Swarm, buzzkill made of bees! Then,
Doreen takes charge of her life -her love life, that is - and starts
dating. But just who will kiss a Squirrel and like it? Surely not...Mole
Man?! When the subterranean super villain falls deep in love, he's
willing to hold the world hostage to get Doreen's attention. Can she
save everything without becoming Mrs. Mole Man? But enough with the
hearts and the flowers and the kissing, you read this book for computer
science and super heroics (not necessarily in that order). You'll get
both - and more - in a showdown with Count Nefaria!
Saturday, January 20, 2018
Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything by Lydia Kang & Nate Pedersen, 344 pages
Discover 67
shocking-but-true medical misfires that run the gamut from bizarre to
deadly. Like when doctors prescribed morphine for crying infants. When
snorting skull moss was a cure for a bloody nose. When consuming
mail-order tapeworms was a latter-day fad diet. Or when snake oil
salesmen peddled strychnine (used in rat poison) as an aphrodisiac in
the '60s. Seamlessly combining macabre humor with hard science and
compelling storytelling, Quackery is a visually rich and
information-packed exploration of history's most outlandish cures,
experiments, and scams.
A humorous book that delves into some of the wacky but true ways that humans have looked to cure their ills. Leeches, mercury, strychnine, and lobotomies are a few of the topics that explore what lengths society has gone in the search for health.
This book was both informative and hilarious. The authors used a lot of humor for what could have been a disgusting book (in a good way.) I real a lot of history, especially odd and creepy history, yet I was pleasantly surprised to learn about odd medical quackery that I hadn't heard about before.
A humorous book that delves into some of the wacky but true ways that humans have looked to cure their ills. Leeches, mercury, strychnine, and lobotomies are a few of the topics that explore what lengths society has gone in the search for health.
This book was both informative and hilarious. The authors used a lot of humor for what could have been a disgusting book (in a good way.) I real a lot of history, especially odd and creepy history, yet I was pleasantly surprised to learn about odd medical quackery that I hadn't heard about before.
Home to Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani, 317 pages
Nestled in the lush
Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, the town of Big Stone Gap has been
home for Ave Maria Mulligan Machesney and her family for generations.
She's been married to her beloved Jack for nearly twenty years, raised
one child and buried another, and run a business that binds her
community together, all while holding her tight circle of family and
friends close.
But with her daughter, Etta, having flown the nest to enchanting Italy, Ave Maria has reached a turning point. When a friend's postcard arrives with the message "It's time to live your life for you," Ave Maria realizes that it's time to go in search of brand-new dreams. But before she can put her foot on the path, her life is turned upside down.
Ave Maria agrees to helm the town musical, a hilarious reunion of local talent past and present. A lifelong friendship collapses when a mysterious stranger comes to town and reveals a long-buried secret. An unexpected health crisis threatens her family. An old heartthrob reappears, challenging her marriage and offering a way out of her troubles. An opportunistic coal company comes to town and threatens to undermine the town's way of life and the mountain landscape Ave Maria has treasured since she was a girl. Now she has no choice but to reinvent her world, her life, and herself, whether she wants to or not.
This series was raved about in another book featuring breakup letters and love letters to books, and it sounded somewhat good so I picked up the first book. As soon as I finished each book I was eagerly placing the next one on hold. Unfortunately there aren't any more in the series now and I'm so sad.
But with her daughter, Etta, having flown the nest to enchanting Italy, Ave Maria has reached a turning point. When a friend's postcard arrives with the message "It's time to live your life for you," Ave Maria realizes that it's time to go in search of brand-new dreams. But before she can put her foot on the path, her life is turned upside down.
Ave Maria agrees to helm the town musical, a hilarious reunion of local talent past and present. A lifelong friendship collapses when a mysterious stranger comes to town and reveals a long-buried secret. An unexpected health crisis threatens her family. An old heartthrob reappears, challenging her marriage and offering a way out of her troubles. An opportunistic coal company comes to town and threatens to undermine the town's way of life and the mountain landscape Ave Maria has treasured since she was a girl. Now she has no choice but to reinvent her world, her life, and herself, whether she wants to or not.
The War Bride's Scrapbook by Caroline Preston, 221 pages
A World War II
love story, narrated through a new bride’s dazzling array of vintage
postcards, newspaper clippings, photographs, and more
Lila Jerome has never been very lucky in love, and has always been more interested in studying architecture and, more recently, supporting the war bond effort on the home front. But in the fall of 1943, a chance spark with a boarder in her apartment sets Lila on a course that shakes up all of her ideas about romance.
Lila is intoxicated by Perry Weld, the charismatic army engineer who’s about to ship out to the European front, and it isn’t long before she discovers that the feeling is mutual. After just a few weeks together, caught up in the dramatic spirit of the times and with Perry’s departure date fast approaching, the two decide to elope. In a stunning kaleidoscope of vibrant ephemera, Lila boldly attempts to redefine her life in America as she navigates the heartache and longing of a marriage separated by ocean and war.
In her second scrapbook novel after the lauded Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt, Caroline Preston has once again pulled from her own extraordinary collection of vintage memorabilia, transporting us back to the lively, tumultuous 1940s and introducing us to an unforgettable, ambitious heroine who must learn to reconcile a wartime marriage with a newfound self-confidence.
This is a great read. I totally loved seeing the vintage items, and the author did a great job bringing this time period alive and really made me forget it was fiction at times.
Lila Jerome has never been very lucky in love, and has always been more interested in studying architecture and, more recently, supporting the war bond effort on the home front. But in the fall of 1943, a chance spark with a boarder in her apartment sets Lila on a course that shakes up all of her ideas about romance.
Lila is intoxicated by Perry Weld, the charismatic army engineer who’s about to ship out to the European front, and it isn’t long before she discovers that the feeling is mutual. After just a few weeks together, caught up in the dramatic spirit of the times and with Perry’s departure date fast approaching, the two decide to elope. In a stunning kaleidoscope of vibrant ephemera, Lila boldly attempts to redefine her life in America as she navigates the heartache and longing of a marriage separated by ocean and war.
In her second scrapbook novel after the lauded Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt, Caroline Preston has once again pulled from her own extraordinary collection of vintage memorabilia, transporting us back to the lively, tumultuous 1940s and introducing us to an unforgettable, ambitious heroine who must learn to reconcile a wartime marriage with a newfound self-confidence.
This is a great read. I totally loved seeing the vintage items, and the author did a great job bringing this time period alive and really made me forget it was fiction at times.
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
The Last Suppers by Mandy Mikulencak, 278 pages
Many children have grown
up in the shadow of Louisiana’s Greenmount State Penitentiary. Most of
them—sons and daughters of corrections officers and staff—left the place
as soon as they could. Yet Ginny Polk chose to come back to work as a
prison cook. She knows the harsh reality of life within those walls—the
cries of men being beaten, the lines of shuffling inmates chained
together. Yet she has never seen them as monsters, not even the ones
sentenced to execution. That’s why, among her duties, Ginny has taken on
a special responsibility: preparing their last meals.
Pot roast or red beans and rice, coconut cake with seven-minute frosting or pork neck stew . . . whatever the men ask for Ginny prepares, even meeting with their heartbroken relatives to get each recipe just right. It’s her way of honoring their humanity, showing some compassion in their final hours. The prison board frowns upon the ritual, as does Roscoe Simms, Greenmount’s Warden. Her daddy’s best friend before he was murdered, Roscoe has always watched out for Ginny, and their friendship has evolved into something deep and unexpected. But when Ginny stumbles upon information about the man executed for killing her father, it leads to a series of dark and painful revelations.
Truth, justice, mercy—none of these are as simple as Ginny once believed. And the most shocking crimes may not be the ones committed out of anger or greed, but the sacrifices we make for love.
Pot roast or red beans and rice, coconut cake with seven-minute frosting or pork neck stew . . . whatever the men ask for Ginny prepares, even meeting with their heartbroken relatives to get each recipe just right. It’s her way of honoring their humanity, showing some compassion in their final hours. The prison board frowns upon the ritual, as does Roscoe Simms, Greenmount’s Warden. Her daddy’s best friend before he was murdered, Roscoe has always watched out for Ginny, and their friendship has evolved into something deep and unexpected. But when Ginny stumbles upon information about the man executed for killing her father, it leads to a series of dark and painful revelations.
Truth, justice, mercy—none of these are as simple as Ginny once believed. And the most shocking crimes may not be the ones committed out of anger or greed, but the sacrifices we make for love.
And Eternity by Piers Anthony, 378 pages
In Pursuit of the
Ultimate GoodAfter an overwhelming succession of tragedies, life has
finally, mercifully ended for Orlene, once-mortal daughter of Gaea.
Joined in Afterlife by Jolie -- her protector and the sometime consort of Satan himself -- together they seek out a third: Vita, a very contemporary mortal with troubles, attractions, and an unsettling moral code uniquely her own.
An extraordinary triumvirate, they embark on a great quest to reawaken the Incarnation of Good in a world where evil reigns -- facing challenges that will test the very fiber of their beings with trials as numerous, as mysterious, and as devastating as the Incarnations themselves.
Joined in Afterlife by Jolie -- her protector and the sometime consort of Satan himself -- together they seek out a third: Vita, a very contemporary mortal with troubles, attractions, and an unsettling moral code uniquely her own.
An extraordinary triumvirate, they embark on a great quest to reawaken the Incarnation of Good in a world where evil reigns -- facing challenges that will test the very fiber of their beings with trials as numerous, as mysterious, and as devastating as the Incarnations themselves.
The Body in the Casket by Katherine Hall Page, 238 pages
The inimitable Faith
Fairchild returns in a chilling New England whodunit, inspired by the
best Agatha Christie mysteries and with hints of the timeless board game
Clue
For most of her adult life, resourceful caterer Faith Fairchild has called the sleepy Massachusetts village of Aleford home. While the native New Yorker has come to know the region well, she isn’t familiar with Havencrest, a privileged enclave, until the owner of Rowan House, a secluded sprawling Arts & Crafts mansion, calls her about catering a weekend house party.
Producer/director of a string of hit musicals, Max Dane—a Broadway legend—is throwing a lavish party to celebrate his seventieth birthday. At the house as they discuss the event, Faith’s client makes a startling confession. “I didn’t hire you for your cooking skills, fine as they may be; but for your sleuthing ability. You see, one of the guests wants to kill me.”
Faith’s only clue is an ominous birthday gift the man received the week before—an empty casket sent anonymously containing a 20-year-old Playbill from Max’s last, and only failed, production—Heaven Or Hell. Consequently, Max has drawn his guest list for the party from the cast and crew. As the guests begin to arrive one by one, and an ice storm brews overhead, Faith must keep one eye on the menu and the other on her host to prevent his birthday bash from becoming his final curtain.
Full of delectable recipes, brooding atmosphere, and Faith’s signature biting wit, The Body in The Casket is a delightful thriller that echoes the beloved mysteries of Agatha Christie and classic films such as Murder by Death and Deathtrap.
For most of her adult life, resourceful caterer Faith Fairchild has called the sleepy Massachusetts village of Aleford home. While the native New Yorker has come to know the region well, she isn’t familiar with Havencrest, a privileged enclave, until the owner of Rowan House, a secluded sprawling Arts & Crafts mansion, calls her about catering a weekend house party.
Producer/director of a string of hit musicals, Max Dane—a Broadway legend—is throwing a lavish party to celebrate his seventieth birthday. At the house as they discuss the event, Faith’s client makes a startling confession. “I didn’t hire you for your cooking skills, fine as they may be; but for your sleuthing ability. You see, one of the guests wants to kill me.”
Faith’s only clue is an ominous birthday gift the man received the week before—an empty casket sent anonymously containing a 20-year-old Playbill from Max’s last, and only failed, production—Heaven Or Hell. Consequently, Max has drawn his guest list for the party from the cast and crew. As the guests begin to arrive one by one, and an ice storm brews overhead, Faith must keep one eye on the menu and the other on her host to prevent his birthday bash from becoming his final curtain.
Full of delectable recipes, brooding atmosphere, and Faith’s signature biting wit, The Body in The Casket is a delightful thriller that echoes the beloved mysteries of Agatha Christie and classic films such as Murder by Death and Deathtrap.
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman, 354 pages
A hidden book. A found cipher. A game begins . . . .
Twelve-year-old Emily is on the move again. Her family is relocating to San Francisco, home of her literary idol: Garrison Griswold, creator of the online sensation Book Scavenger, a game where books are hidden all over the country and clues to find them are revealed through puzzles. But Emily soon learns that Griswold has been attacked and is in a coma, and no one knows anything about the epic new game he had been poised to launch. Then Emily and her new friend James discover an odd book, which they come to believe is from Griswold and leads to a valuable prize. But there are others on the hunt for this book, and Emily and James must race to solve the puzzles Griswold left behind before Griswold's attackers make them their next target.
Twelve-year-old Emily is on the move again. Her family is relocating to San Francisco, home of her literary idol: Garrison Griswold, creator of the online sensation Book Scavenger, a game where books are hidden all over the country and clues to find them are revealed through puzzles. But Emily soon learns that Griswold has been attacked and is in a coma, and no one knows anything about the epic new game he had been poised to launch. Then Emily and her new friend James discover an odd book, which they come to believe is from Griswold and leads to a valuable prize. But there are others on the hunt for this book, and Emily and James must race to solve the puzzles Griswold left behind before Griswold's attackers make them their next target.
Milk Glass Moon by Adriana Trigiani, 256 pages
Transporting us from Ave
Maria's home in the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Italian Alps, from New
York City to the Tuscan countryside, Milk Glass Moon is
the story of a shifting mother-daughter relationship, of a daughter's
first love and a mother's heartbreak, of an enduring marriage that
contains its own ongoing challenges, and of a community faced with
seismic change.
All of Trigiani's beloved characters are back: Jack Mac, Ave Maria's true love, who is willing to gamble security for the unknown; her best friend and confidant, bandleader Theodore Tip-ton, who begins a new life in New York City; librarian and sexpert Iva Lou Wade Makin, who faces a life-or-death crisis. Meanwhile, surprises emerge in the blossoming of crusty cashier Fleeta Mullins, the maturing of mountain girl turned savvy businesswoman Pearl Grimes, and the return of Pete Rutledge, the handsome stranger who turned Ave Maria's world upside down in Big Cherry Holler.
In this rollicking hayride of upheaval and change, Ave Maria is led to places she never dreamed she would go, and to people who enter her life and rock its foundation. As Ave Maria reaches into the past to find answers to the present, readers will stay with her every step of the way, rooting for the onetime town spinster who embraced love and made a family. Milk Glass Moon is about the power of love and its abiding truth, and captures Trigiani at her most lyrical and heartfelt.
All of Trigiani's beloved characters are back: Jack Mac, Ave Maria's true love, who is willing to gamble security for the unknown; her best friend and confidant, bandleader Theodore Tip-ton, who begins a new life in New York City; librarian and sexpert Iva Lou Wade Makin, who faces a life-or-death crisis. Meanwhile, surprises emerge in the blossoming of crusty cashier Fleeta Mullins, the maturing of mountain girl turned savvy businesswoman Pearl Grimes, and the return of Pete Rutledge, the handsome stranger who turned Ave Maria's world upside down in Big Cherry Holler.
In this rollicking hayride of upheaval and change, Ave Maria is led to places she never dreamed she would go, and to people who enter her life and rock its foundation. As Ave Maria reaches into the past to find answers to the present, readers will stay with her every step of the way, rooting for the onetime town spinster who embraced love and made a family. Milk Glass Moon is about the power of love and its abiding truth, and captures Trigiani at her most lyrical and heartfelt.
It Came From Ohio... by James Renner, 111 pages
An investigative reporter looks into 13 tales of mysterious, creepy, and unexplained events in the Buckeye State, including:
• The giant, spark-emitting Loveland Frog
• The bloodthirsty Melon Heads of Kirtland
• The lumber-wielding Werewolf of Defiance
• The Mothman of the Ohio River
• The UFO that inspired "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"
• and more!
• The giant, spark-emitting Loveland Frog
• The bloodthirsty Melon Heads of Kirtland
• The lumber-wielding Werewolf of Defiance
• The Mothman of the Ohio River
• The UFO that inspired "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"
• and more!
Lumberjanes A Bird's-Eye View, 112 pages
All Lumberjanes are on deck when the High Council comes to camp for inspection!
The High Council is coming to camp and counselor Jen is determined to make everything perfect, even though a storm is brewing and kittens from the boys’ camp are manifesting magical powers. It’s every Lumberjane on deck as the girls do their best to prep the grounds for inspection . . . but there are some storms no one can prepare for.
This New York Times bestseller and multiple Eisner Award-winning series is a story of friendship, hardcore lady-types, and kicking a lot of butt.
The High Council is coming to camp and counselor Jen is determined to make everything perfect, even though a storm is brewing and kittens from the boys’ camp are manifesting magical powers. It’s every Lumberjane on deck as the girls do their best to prep the grounds for inspection . . . but there are some storms no one can prepare for.
This New York Times bestseller and multiple Eisner Award-winning series is a story of friendship, hardcore lady-types, and kicking a lot of butt.
For Love of Evil by Piers Anthony, 330 pages
The Man Who Would Be Satan
Parry was a gifted musician and an apprentice in the arts of White Magic. But his life of sweet promise went disastrously awry following the sudden, violent death of his beloved Jolie.
Led down the twisted path of wickedness and depravity by Lilah the harlot demoness, Parry thrived--first as a sorcerer, then as a monk, and finally as a feared inquisitor.
But it wasn't until his mortal flame was extinguished that Parry found his true calling--as the Incarnation of Evil. And, at the gates of Hell, he prepared to wage war on the master himself--Lucifer, the dark lord - with dominion over the infernal realms the ultimate prize!
Parry was a gifted musician and an apprentice in the arts of White Magic. But his life of sweet promise went disastrously awry following the sudden, violent death of his beloved Jolie.
Led down the twisted path of wickedness and depravity by Lilah the harlot demoness, Parry thrived--first as a sorcerer, then as a monk, and finally as a feared inquisitor.
But it wasn't until his mortal flame was extinguished that Parry found his true calling--as the Incarnation of Evil. And, at the gates of Hell, he prepared to wage war on the master himself--Lucifer, the dark lord - with dominion over the infernal realms the ultimate prize!
Weird History 101 by John Richard Stephens, 321 pages
f you've ever wondered
what it was really like on the sinking Titanic, or how it felt to be
shipped across the Atlantic on a slave ship, or how easy it was to sell
CIA secrets to the KGB, then this is your chance to find out! Wierd History 101
contains dozens of new twists on dusty old histories, including: The
flip side of "official" history! Experience the true stories behind the
history you learned in school:
Native American witnesses's bloody descriptions of Custer's Last
Stand
The destruction of The White House by foreign invaders
Actual government documents revealed! See how close we've come to
nuclear annihilation:
In 1957, the U.S. Air Force accidentally dropped a hydrogen bomb on
Arizona!
Official government pamphlets that claim a nuclear attack wouldn't
ruin your whole day!
Bizarre medical remedies! Discover hair-raising treatments including:
Taking "mummy powder" for migraines
Eating live millipedes to aid the digestion
Weird History 101 is the ultimate historical reference, bursting
with fascinating, entertaining, and sometimes bloodcurdling tales from
around the world. Imagine learning this in school: Unbelievable tales
of animal prosecutions!
Learn how a French lawyer successfully defended a group of rats
Witness a Church's excommunication of a swarm of insects
Houdini's secrets revealed! Read how the greatest escape artist of
all time:
Survived being buried alive
Escaped being submerged under water for 93 minutes
You'll wish this book had been your history class textbook!
Thursday, January 4, 2018
Big Cherry Holler by Adriana Trigiani, 272 pages
BIG CHERRY HOLLER is the story of a marriage, revealing the deep secrets, the power struggle, the betrayal and the unmet expectations that exist between husband and wife. It is the story of a community that must reinvent itself as it comes to grips with the decline of the coal mining industry. It is the story of an extended family, the people of Big Stone Gap, who are there for one another especially when times are tough—including bookmobile librarian and sexpert Iva Lou Wade Makin, savvy businesswoman Pearl Grimes, crusty cashier Fleeta Mullins, and Rescue Squad captain Spec Broadwater, who faces the complications of his double life. Ave Maria’s best friend Theodore Tipton, now band director at the University of Tennessee, continues to be her chief counselor and conscience as he reaches the pinnacle of marching band success.
When Ave Maria takes her daughter to Italy for the summer, she meets a handsome stranger who offers her a life beyond the Blue Ridge Mountains. Ave Maria is forced to confront what is truly important: to her, to her marriage, and to her family. Brimming with humor, wisdom, honesty, and the drama and local color of mountain life from Virginia to Italy, BIG CHERRY HOLLER is a deeply felt, brilliantly evoked story of two lovers who have lost their way and their struggle to find one another again.
Memoirs Of a Bow Street Runner The Thief Taker by T. F. Banks, 276 pages
June 1815. When Henry
Morton is called to the scene at Portman House in Claridge Square, the
Bow Street constable finds a man dead in a hackney coach--ostensibly of
asphyxiation. He was Halbert Glendinning, a gentleman of unsullied
character. Then why was he seen frequenting one of London’s most
notorious dens of iniquity? And why has the driver of the coach vanished
into the night?
While Sir Nathaniel Conant, the chief magistrate at Number 4 Bow Street, accepts the official verdict of accidental death, Morton is certain that Glendinning was a victim of foul play. With the help of actress Arabella Malibrant, one of London’s most celebrated beauties, he embarks on his own discreet inquiry. And as the upper circles of London society close ranks against him, Morton races to unmask a killer whose motives are as complex and unfathomable as the passions that rule the human heart.
While Sir Nathaniel Conant, the chief magistrate at Number 4 Bow Street, accepts the official verdict of accidental death, Morton is certain that Glendinning was a victim of foul play. With the help of actress Arabella Malibrant, one of London’s most celebrated beauties, he embarks on his own discreet inquiry. And as the upper circles of London society close ranks against him, Morton races to unmask a killer whose motives are as complex and unfathomable as the passions that rule the human heart.
Monday, January 1, 2018
Big Stone Gap by Adrianea Trigiani, 272 pages
Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, the tiny town of Big Stone Gap
is home to some of the most charming eccentrics in the state. Ave Maria
Mulligan is the town's self-proclaimed spinster, a thirty-five year old
pharmacist with a "mountain girl's body and a flat behind." She lives
an amiable life with good friends and lots of hobbies until the fateful
day in 1978 when she suddenly discovers that she's not who she always
thought she was. Before she can blink, Ave's fielding marriage
proposals, fighting off greedy family members, organizing a celebration
for visiting celebrities, and planning the trip of a lifetime-a trip
that could change her view of the world and her own place in it forever.
I really enjoyed this book. It was sweet and entertaining, and book 2 is already on my shelf ready to be read.
I really enjoyed this book. It was sweet and entertaining, and book 2 is already on my shelf ready to be read.
Of Love and Other Demons by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 147 pages
From the Nobel
Prize-winning author of Love in the Time of Cholera, a startling new
novel — the story of a doomed love affair between an unruly
copper-haired girl and the bookish priest sent to oversee her exorcism.
Of Love and Other Demons is set in a South American seaport in the colonial era, a time of viceroys and bishops, enlightened men and Inquisitors, saints and lepers and pirates. Sierva Maria, only child of a decaying noble family, has been raised in the slaves' courtyard of her father's cobwebbed mansion while her mother succumbs to fermented honey and cacao on a faraway plantation. On her twelfth birthday the girl is bitten by a rabid dog, and even as the wound is healing she is made to endure therapies indistinguishable from tortures. Believed, finally, to be possessed, she is brought to a convent for observation. And into her cell stumbles Father Cayetano Delaura, the Bishop's protege, who has already dreamed about a girl with hair trailing after her like a bridal train; who is already moved by this kicking, spitting, emaciated creature strapped to a stone bed. As he tends to her with holy water and sacramental oils, Delaura feels "something immense and irreparable" happening to him. It is love, "the most terrible demon of all." And it is not long before Sierra Maria joins him in his fevered misery.
Unsettling and indelible, Of Love and Other Demons haunts us with its evocation of an exotic world while it treats, majestically the most universal experiences known to woman and man.
Ugh, this was not a read I would ever repeat and I don't plan on reading more by this author. It was dark, unenjoyable, and just depressing.
Of Love and Other Demons is set in a South American seaport in the colonial era, a time of viceroys and bishops, enlightened men and Inquisitors, saints and lepers and pirates. Sierva Maria, only child of a decaying noble family, has been raised in the slaves' courtyard of her father's cobwebbed mansion while her mother succumbs to fermented honey and cacao on a faraway plantation. On her twelfth birthday the girl is bitten by a rabid dog, and even as the wound is healing she is made to endure therapies indistinguishable from tortures. Believed, finally, to be possessed, she is brought to a convent for observation. And into her cell stumbles Father Cayetano Delaura, the Bishop's protege, who has already dreamed about a girl with hair trailing after her like a bridal train; who is already moved by this kicking, spitting, emaciated creature strapped to a stone bed. As he tends to her with holy water and sacramental oils, Delaura feels "something immense and irreparable" happening to him. It is love, "the most terrible demon of all." And it is not long before Sierra Maria joins him in his fevered misery.
Unsettling and indelible, Of Love and Other Demons haunts us with its evocation of an exotic world while it treats, majestically the most universal experiences known to woman and man.
Ugh, this was not a read I would ever repeat and I don't plan on reading more by this author. It was dark, unenjoyable, and just depressing.
X Marks the Scot by Kaitlyn Dunnett, 278 pages
The old Chadwick
mansion on the edge of Moosetookalook, Maine, has been shrouded in
mystery for generations—until Scottish Emporium owner Liss MacCrimmon
uncovers a forgotten family secret. But she never imagined that a little
curiosity would lead her into such deadly territory . . .
While perusing auction items from the Chadwick estate, Liss purchases a painting of a bagpiper to add to her collection. Her interest shifts from art to sleuthing upon a strange discovery—what appears to be a treasure map tucked behind the canvas. She’s even more intrigued when she links the scroll to an early Chadwick who smuggled goods across the Canadian border.
So during a business trip to Canada, Liss arranges a meeting with an archivist in hopes of pinning down the truth about the map and the Chadwick bloodline. Before her quest moves forward, however, she finds the archivist’s murdered body at a local genealogical society. One thing is certain—Liss isn’t alone on this treasure hunt . . .
Liss returns to Moosetookalook, terrified that the killer may have followed her home. With her life in real peril and the map at risk of being stolen, she launches into full-scale investigation mode. But as she deciphers clues and inches toward the dangerous culprit, Liss quickly realizes she’s only a step away from ending up like the Chadwick clan—permanently wiped out
While perusing auction items from the Chadwick estate, Liss purchases a painting of a bagpiper to add to her collection. Her interest shifts from art to sleuthing upon a strange discovery—what appears to be a treasure map tucked behind the canvas. She’s even more intrigued when she links the scroll to an early Chadwick who smuggled goods across the Canadian border.
So during a business trip to Canada, Liss arranges a meeting with an archivist in hopes of pinning down the truth about the map and the Chadwick bloodline. Before her quest moves forward, however, she finds the archivist’s murdered body at a local genealogical society. One thing is certain—Liss isn’t alone on this treasure hunt . . .
Liss returns to Moosetookalook, terrified that the killer may have followed her home. With her life in real peril and the map at risk of being stolen, she launches into full-scale investigation mode. But as she deciphers clues and inches toward the dangerous culprit, Liss quickly realizes she’s only a step away from ending up like the Chadwick clan—permanently wiped out
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