Book Reviews!
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Knit One, Kill Two
By Maggie Sefton
Review by Susan Danner, Co-Owner, Danner's
This is the first of four (soon to be five) knitting mysteries featuring CPA Kelly Flynn. Kelly's aging aunt, who lived in Fort Connor, CO. has been murdered, and Kelly has gone to Fort Connor to close her aunt's affairs.
Kelly is immediately taken in and befriended by a knitting group whose members were all friends of her aunt. Everyone including Kelly is stunned to hear that Kelly's aunt secretly cashed a huge mortgage check the day she was murdered.
A suspect is arrested for the murder, and all seems well - sort of. There's just something that isn't quite right. The knitters, Kelly, and a retired police investigator begin searching for answers and find that the man who has arrested for the murder is actually the wrong man. What was the key to this discovery? The secret was the missing family quilt.
If you like Monica Ferris's Needlework mystery series or Laura Childs's Scrapbooking mystery series, you'll like Sefton's books.
Don’t Look Down
By Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer
Review by Dottie Danner, Co-Owner, Danner’s
Lucy Armstrong, New York commercial director, has been tapped to finish directing a movie after the director has died. There are only four days of shooting left, but those four days involve a helicopter dropping someone from a bridge, making it almost impossible.
The stunt man hired to do this trick is on leave from his current assignment with the military. The plot thickens when Lucy finds out that these stunts have no relation to the film she is shooting and there is an ulterior motive with a cargo of jade to be picked up by the helicopter.
Pepper, Lucy’s five year-old niece, is a key player in all of the dramatic moments that follow. To say more would give away the ending!
Emperor of the Air
By Ethan Canin
Review by Cole Farrell, BookSeller, Danner’s
Canin wrote this collection of short stories twenty years ago, when he was a student at Harvard Medical School. Filled with deeply-realized and empathetic first-person portrayals, each one of these nine stories shines.
We Are Nighttime Travelers, a tale of a marriage in its twilight years, stands out as the most powerful. The narrator visits a local aquarium every day, watching the crowds and writing tiny little slivers of poetry along the way. At home, his wife Francine, sensing his frigidity, claims that she has seen a strange man staring in the windows.
As the story evolves, Canin’s masterful skill becomes more and more evident. We are able to experience these characters from the inside out.
Although Canin’s name is one that you have most likely never heard, Emperor of the Air will make you grateful that he put down the scalpel and picked up a pen.
Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
Review by Susan Danner, Danner’s Co-Owner
This is Brown’s first heartstopper featuring Robert Langdon, Harvard symbologist. Many feel that Angels and Demons is even better than Brown’s second Langdon, novel, The Da Vinci Code.
In this thriller Langdon is asked to come to a Swiss research facility to try to decipher a strange symbol branded into the chest of a world-renowned physicist who has been found murdered. Through careful investigation, Langdon discovers a deadly vendetta against the Catholic Church by an ancient, secret organization, the Illuminati.
The Illuminati has a plot to blow up the Vatican and all within with a huge time bomb. Langdon and a beautiful scientist, Vittoria, team up to hunt through crypts, catacombs cathedrals, and the actual ancient Illuminiti vault in hopes to crack the secrets and find the bomb before it’s too late.
I highly recommend this for mystery lovers!
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
Review by Cole Farrell, Danner’s BookSeller
I started reading this book on a flight to California. I never thought I would be so sad to land somewhere sunny and beautiful. Krauss’ ambitious prose and experimental style passionately convey the power of the written word to shape us and bring us together across oceans and through generations.
This is the fragmented tale of Leo Gursky, a man who is afraid of dying unnoticed, and Alma Singer, a young girl who is trying to hide in her own skin. While trying to tell a story of creation and redemption, of a flood and a funeral, Krauss’ fluid style is, at times, a bit difficult to follow. As the narrative threads began to unravel, however, I never could have imagined that the author would bring all the elements together in such a beautiful, heartbreaking climax.
This book was both life-affirming and devastating, an effective reminder of the power of metaphor and the ephemeral nature of life. The paperback edition of the novel, featuring four pages of blurbs, that label the book as "astonishing" and "a literary feat", prove that this is one history lesson that is not to be missed.
Key Lime Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke
Review by Dottie Danner, Danner’s Co-Owner
Hannah Swenson, owner of the Cookie Jar in Lake Eden, Minnesota has been asked to be on the judging panel for baked goods at the county fair. Hannah’s sister Andrea and Andrea’s little daughter Tracey were entered in the mother-daughter contest and her younger sister Michelle was entered in the Miss Tri-County Pageant.
All goes well. Even Hannah’s two suitors, Mike and Norman, are getting along reasonably well until Hannah is leaving the grounds after the fair closes one night and sees a burglary in process. She tries to hide and, when she does, finds the body of a fellow judge!
Willa has been bludgeoned to death with a mallet.
Of course, Hannah gets involved with the effort to find both the robber and the murderer. Or are they the same person? What is the motive for both? This is the seventh in Joanne Fluke’s Hannah Swenson series, and it is as delightful as the first six. As a bonus, there are some really good recipes included. Several I am anxious to try. This newest book will be released in March of 2007.
The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
Review by Moth, Owner, Danner’s Gift Shop
Somewhere between chain letter, creative visualization/spellcasting, and old-fashioned common sense, lies The Secret. While those with a cursory grasp of the faiths of man will find this book most certainly familiar, and possibly trite, it is undeniably a beautiful, truly lovely specimen. Publishers, please make all books look this good!
Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen
We’ve heard a lot of buzz from independent booksellers around the country about Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, which is coming out in paperback this spring.
As Craig Popelars of Algonquin says, "What’s not to love about a circus story that’s brimming with sordid characters, unexpected twists, romance, murder, and a surprise ending that’s guaranteed to knock you off the bleachers, right?"
This novel is the June 2007 selection of our Fiction Book Club.
Blood Hollow by William Kent Krueger
Review by Sherita Safer-Campbell
Blood Hollow by William Kent Krueger is a tantalizing trip through the north woods of Minnesota. Curt O’Connor is in his last term of sheriff when a girl disappears on her snowmobile after attending a party. Being the good sheriff, he joins the snowmobile posse careening across the snow, barely in front of the oncoming blizzard.
The blizzard comes, O’Connor is called back to the station, but something inside him tells him to keep on. He does and is lost, blinded by the snow, but, out of the fog, wind and dense snow, the figure of the girl appears to direct him, just for a minute. He knows she is out there, but he can’t find her and has to return before he too is lost.
Months later, when the spring thaw arrives, the missing girl’s snow mobile is found, as is her body. O’Connor is no longer the sheriff. The new sheriff arrests a young Native American boy who was in love with the girl. The boy is the son of O’Connor’s mentor, a Native American who saved O’Connor when he was young and troubled. He feels he owes it to the mentor to save the boy.
There, hidden in the north woods, in the snow and streams, a Native American reservation and the city dwellers, are the secrets of four families, each one fighting to keep all knowledge that might implicate them out of O’Connor’s investigation. The residents of the reservation want O’Connor to solve this, but not at first because Summer Moon is the bad boy of the reservation. After he witnesses a miracle, the residents of the reservation decide to give money to O’Connor to save the boy.
The city dwellers at first want the boy convicted, but as miracle after miracle occurs, they want him saved. In order to save the boy, must he prove the miracles are false? Or true? To save the boy from himself and the guilty person, O’Connor must uncover each separate secret, walk into the north woods on his own vision quest, and find that part of himself he lost long ago. But, he must do this with Summer Moon’s help. Unfortunately, he must find where Summer Moon is hiding before he can even begin.
He touches base with his Spirit, sees the jeopardy his family is in and must walk the path that was decided for him long before he was born. He rushes and searches to save his young friend, his town, the reservation residents and the trust placed on him, while having to expose the unfairness of men, who lie and cheat and obstruct his progress. Slowly he becomes stronger and sure of himself because he knows his destiny.
The Last Coach by Allen Barra
Review by Fred A. Woodress
In many ways this extensive biography of one of the greatest coaches of college football is a history of this important collegiate sport during the Alabama Crimson Tide Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant’s years at the game. Biographer Barra first describes Bryant’s early days in rural Arkansas, where he once wrestled a bear and played football for Fordyce High School.
Author Barra includes a wealth of material, statistics, etc. about all the teams Alabama played in its bowl games and during its six national championships under Bryant’s guidance. He wrote about the Bear’s days coaching in the military during World War II as well as his stints at Maryland, Kentucky, Texas A&M and finally Alabama. At each university where he coached, Bryant left his mark and created many Bear Bryant stories.
"If I ever quit coaching," he had often told friends, "I’d croak in a week." Twenty-eight days after his last football game he suffered cardiopulmonary arrest at a Tuscaloosa hospital. Bryant died on January 26, 1983. Those of us who spent time with the Bear know what a unique person he was. Readers of this well written biography will understand Coach Bryant just as well, with all his strengths and weaknesses.
The Husband by Dean Koontz
Review by Joy Winslow
This is the latest book by one of the masters of suspense. Mitchell Rafferty is a landscaper, working in the upscale neighborhoods of his Southern California community, earning a modest living while living the American dream of owning a home, having a beautiful wife, and planning for a family and their future.
One ordinary day Mitchell receives a phone call on his cell saying his wife has been kidnapped and will be released for $2 million. Now where is a gardener going to get that kind of money?
Well, the kidnappers have a plan and if Mitch wants his wife back...alive, he will delve into the depths. Family secrets are revealed and moral limits are tested.
Koontz delivers a suspense ride that will keep you turning the pages.
The Seduction of Miss Evelyn Hazen by Jane Davis Van Ryan
Review by Dottie Danner, Danner’s Co-Owner
Evelyn Hazen was a beautiful, wealthy and extremely intelligent young woman who, in 1914, entered the University of Tennessee at the tender age of 14. Her undoing came from believing in and being seduced by her fiancee, Ralph Scharringhaus. He strung her along for fifteen years until she finally took him to court for breach of promise and won. She was awarded $80,000. However, her life was ruined and she lived as a recluse, dying at the age of 87.
Jane Davis Van Ryan is a Muncie native having graduated from Southside High School. She spent many years researching the facts for this non-fiction book and has written an enjoyable book about this gutsy woman who was brave enough to follow her beliefs and what she knew was right, even in a time that would not accept her situation.
Under the Overpass by Mike Yankoski
Review by Linda Gregory, Danner's Master Knitter
What drives a young, college-aged man to leave the comforts of his middle-class life and spend nearly six months in six major U.S. cities living the life of a homeless person? It wasn’t a dare, or a lost bet, but rather a test of his Christian faith.
Mike spent several weeks with his friend Sam in West Coast cities and the nation’s capital, staying at rescue missions, sleeping on concrete benches or under the overpass as the title implies. He would open his guitar case and the two would play for their meals. Some days, not many coins fell their way, and the McDonald’s hamburgers they could afford got tiresome. Unlike some authors who have taken on the poverty challenge, these two had no back-up stash for emergencies, no phone-home cards, not even a bus ticket to the next city on their agenda unless they were able to earn the money each day.
Mike and Sam also found time to journal and their encounters are revealing to those of us who are hardly aware that there are homeless among us - all too often they are the invisible ones we pass by as we scurry through our busy lives. They met Peter, a drug addict who thought he might want to try the Christian life and Dave, a fabulous guitar player living on the streets.
And they met fellow Christians too and those encounters were the most revealing of their life in the streets. Often those closely tied to churches were the first to turn their backs on Mike and Sam or ask them to leave the premises of their churches. That was not always the case, but more often than the two expected initially.
Under the Overpass, makes the reader question his/her own values, faith and comfort level with issues such as homelessness and poverty. What happens to the hungry, the homeless, the invisible people in Muncie? What am I doing today to help those in need? If Mike and Sam had stopped at my church, how would they have been treated?
After reading this very readable book, you cannot ignore the problems of poverty and homelessness. The stories continue to haunt and prick at your consciousness.
At the end of the book, Yankoski offers a list of suggestions of how to help, and he will be coming to Muncie in early February at the invitation of the Eliminating Poverty Implementation Committee and Teamwork for Quality Living to tell his story. The least we can do is read this book, discuss it in our places of worship, and find ways to lend a hand to those who are reaching out.
Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Review by Kristie Couser, Danner’s BookSeller
At the beginning of Wilde’s classic novel, Dorian Gray is a young man with good intentions towards all around him. His irresistible beauty is captured on canvas by Basil Hallward, a painter who obsesses over Dorian’s ideal physique and perfect personality. Lord Henry Wotton, Basil’s extremely decadent, sarcastic friend, sits in the room as Dorian is painted. Wooton too finds Dorian captivating and tells him that his beauty and youth are the most important possessions. Affected by Wotton’s seductive philosophizing, Dorian outbursts with the wish that he remain eternally beautiful and instead the portrait age.
Dorian soon finds out that his desire has become a reality. As he comes under the influence of Wotton’s lifestyle of corruption and debauchery, Basil’s perfect image is tarnished, revealing an increasingly hideous portrait of an immoral man. Dorian is horrified by his image, keeping it hidden from all eyes except his own, but at moments revels in the fact that he will never have to bear the consequence for his actions. Dorian’s vile reputation certainly precedes him everywhere he wishes to go, and he soon wishes to reform into his past self. But can someone who for years has been soulless suddenly return to goodness without any complication?
Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray possesses a literary richness and dark, yet very detectable, wit that makes it impossible to put down. The evil genius of Lord Henry Wotton keeps the work alive because it’s very interesting to watch Dorian falling under his spell. Wotton’s constant spouting of epigrams is entertaining and his messages are dangerously intriguing. By comparison, today’s readers may not be shocked by all of Dorian’s actions, but Wilde’s novel still has the ability to cause one to think about the presence of the dangerous, ugly side of humanity that cannot be hidden away.
One Skein, 30 Quick Projects to Knit and Crochet by Leigh Radford
Review by Joy Winslow, Danner’s Customer
Even though it is close to the holidays, its never too late to think about what you are making for everyone on your list. Handmade presents are from the heart and mean more than a store bought gift.
This book is full of creative ideas and easy patterns. It also has great photographs of the finished projects so you can see how it will look when worn. The best part is (as the title indicates) each project only takes one skein of yarn to complete, so you can easily stay within your budget! Happy Knitting!
Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn
Review by J.W. Miller, Danner’s Customer
This book follows the fictional late-1800s life of Lady Julia Grey after her husband, Sir Edward, dies under mysterious circumstances during a dinner party at their home. Lady Julia hears whispers that her husband may have been murdered and enlists the help of a private detective that is known for his discretion to help her find the potential murderer.
The story line moves along at a trot, not dragging nor moving quickly, but it makes for a pleasant read on a quiet day at home or for when the weather turns colder and you feel the urge to stay inside the house.
Girl in a Box by Sujata Massey
Review by Dottie Danner, Danner’s Co-Owner
This fascinating mystery novel places sleuth Rei Shimura, working with the CIA, as a sales associate in a Tokyo high scale department store. She is working to uncover what might be international covert action involving a national chain of discount warehouses and Japanese investment banking.
When her cover is blown, she is in trouble! She must use all of her resources and abilities to unmask a killer.
This is Sujata’s ninth novel including The Pearl Diver. It was released in September 2006.
Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
Review by Kristie Couser, Danner’s BookSeller
Some people celebrate Christmas in July as a way to beat the heat and lift their spirits, but, as with most imitations, nothing compares to the real thing. Written with a dry, almost dark sense of humor, the six short stories of David Sedaris’ Holidays on Ice may not resemble any Christmas you’ve experienced but several of these stories are true. Sedaris provides personal accounts of his Christmas past, with both the beautiful and appalling faces of the season described with a sharp wit through his insightful observations on family and American society.
Immediately the first short story is a laugh-out-loud delight as Sedaris describes his experience working as a SantaLand elf at a Macy’s in New York City. This anecdote describes the ridiculous ins and outs, equally-ridiculous injustices, and sly, self-created perks of the job, resulting in an understanding that Sedaris believes he held the most undignified, yet somehow amusing job on the planet.
Another stand-out story is a fictional holiday letter from a suburban housewife to her extended family and friends. Sedaris’ humor continues to be dry and achieves hilarity as the unyieldingly optimistic woman describes a horrifying year in the life of her family with exclamation points marking the end of unfortunate statements. Sedaris sets this story up to feel like a guilty-pleasure as you laugh at the tragedies of the family, but the guilt certainly doesn’t last!
Christmas is just two months away and the charming Holidays on Ice can definitely provide you with some holiday spirit. However, Sedaris’ work is also satirical, so in some instances, you may want to wish that the cold season comes as late as possible.
The Italian Secretary by Caleb Carr
Review by Susan Danner, Danner’s Co-Owner
Mycroft Holmes, brother to the famous Sherlock Holmes, sends Sherlock an encoded message which is unsubtle enough even for Dr. Watson to decipher: Mycroft has become a royal advisor and close friend of the Queen. A matter concerning the safety of Queen Victoria herself calls them to Edinburgh’s Holyrood House to investigate the confounding and gruesome deaths of two young men. The victims were crushed in a manner surpassing human power. These murders, which took place when the Queen was in residence, plus recent attempts on Her Majesty’s life, raise a number of possibilities. These matters also seem strangely connected to an act of evil that took place centuries earlier - the slaying of David Rizzio.
The death of David Rizzio, music master and friend to Mary Queen of Scots, was an extraordinarily brutal and treacherous slaying - even for a time when brutality and treachery were the order of the day. Now, the ghosts of Holyrood House are being reawakened by someone with a diabolical agenda of greed, madness and terror. Holmes and Watson, with Mycroft’s help, set out to trap a killer who is eager to rewrite history in blood.
Map of Bones by James Rollins
Review by Dottie Danner, Danner’s Co-Owner
If you liked Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code or Steve Berry’s Romanov Prophecy, you must read Map of Bones.
Commander Grayson Pierce is an agent of Sigma Force, the United States Department of Defense secret research and development wing, sent forth to safeguard, acquire, or neutralize technologies vital to U.S. security.
Gray and his hand-picked team are called into action after armed intruders unleash an unknown force at a midnight mass in Cologne, Germany, killing all but one person in a raid not to steal gold, but the bones of the magi kept in the church.
Sigma Force, under Gray’s leadership, pursue this deadly mystery, following clues that lead them through sites of the Seven Wonders of the World trying to stay one step ahead of the evil plans of the group intent upon finding the secret remains that will unlock the hidden clue that will alter the future of mankind.
The Sleeping Phoenix by Patrick J. O’Brian
Review by Joy Winslow
In Patrick O’Brian’s newest novel, The Sleeping Phoenix, the mold of traditional action/adventure plots is broken. This book is a follow-up to Patrick’s 2004 novel Six Days.
A terrorist cell threatens thousands of innocent lives within a well known theme park. Muncie Police Sergeant Tim Packard is a chaperone for his daughter’s school trip to the theme park when they both witness what they think is a tragic accident. Packard is immediately contacted by one of the terrorists, who is seeking revenge against him and his fellow officers for foiling their plans a year ago, telling him the accident was no accident.
Against police policy and his better judgment, Packard calls his officers to the park in the hopes of saving lives by putting their own at risk. His only hope lies in his best officer, Clay Branson, who was trained overseas with a secretive martial arts clan making him no easy target.
An FBI agent follows Branson to the park, in what seems like no coincidence, with unclear motives which force the officers to question whether he is an ally or an adversary.
This is definitely a 'guy' book, with awesome fight scenes, gore, and intrigue.
First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung
Review by Kristie Couser, Danner’s BookSeller
Join this year’s BSU freshman class as they experience the powerful and unforgettable First They Killed My Father. Eloquently written in first person through a child’s innocent yet insightful eyes during Pol Pot’s brutal Khymer Rogue regime, this memoir is an amazing story of survival and immense love for family despite unimaginable odds.
Ung, upon the 1975 Khymer Rogue invasion of her cosmopolitan Phnom Pehn hometown, is immediately transformed from a happy, five year old daughter of a government agent’s large, affluent family to a fleeing, confused refugee. She, along with her family, is immediately placed into agrarian slave labor. Within the next four years, Ung experiences forced family separations and starvation, endures mandatory child military training, and witnesses horrific acts of genocide.
This is a tough, heart-wrenching read that will bring you to tears at times, as Ung poignantly brings you right in the middle of this holocaust where an estimated two million people were murdered in less than four years. Still, the ride is worthwhile as her courageous spirit and perseverance is contagious.
Luong Ung is now a married, college-educated American citizen living in Ohio and the National Spokesperson for the Campaign for a Landmine-Free World. She spoke at BSU in mid-September 2006.
Kafka on the Shore
by Haruki Murakami
Review by Kristie Couser, Danner’s BookSeller
Never has a tale of a runaway been so wildly imaginative as in the narrative Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. Filled with longing to find the mother and sister that abandoned him, fifteen-year-old Kafka Tamura flees his cold, distant father, and winds up at a secluded private library.
Kafka spends his days reading, befriending the library’s clerk, Oshima, a young man who is fascinated by Kafka’s arrival and provided him with everything he needs to live comfortably. Miss Saeki, the head librarian, quickly becomes Kafka’s obsession as he begins to feel that he is in love with her and believes that she is his mother - a sentiment that borders on fulfilling an oedipal prophecy his father revealed to him as a child.
Parallel to Kafka’s journey is that of Nakata, an elderly man who never recovered from a mysterious accident in his childhood. Nakata cannot read or write, but can speak to cats, predict rain showers of fish and leeches, and is an integral part of several of the novel’s supernatural occurrences. After he commits murder, he is pulled along by an unexplainable force within himself that requires that he is to complete tasks which he cannot understand, but senses that they are essential.
The plot seems to develop in several directions, with brand-new narratives introduced all the way up to the ending of this hefty novel. There is a feeling that many of these are unresolved, even the true connection between Kafka and Nakata is a little hazy, but Murakami is somehow forgiven by his ability to be so undeniably creative.
Murakami delights in fantastic elements which showcase his inventive and exciting talent as a writer, while the more serious dialogue between characters provides a captivating glimpse into his well-composed thoughts on loneliness and love.
This novel may have a teenager as its protagonist, but the audience for Murakami’s work is unlimited. Kafka on the Shore would be best appreciated by anyone who prefers a happy middle-ground between the supernatural journeys of fantasy works and the insightful, psychological layers of world classics.
One Piece, Volume 1
by Eiichiro Oda
Review by Logan Winslow
Monkey D. Luffy is a boy who is most likely in his teens (the book doesn't really give a specific age) who, as a young boy was very determined to go on one of Captain “Red-Haired” Shanks’ voyages. Shanks was a pirate who, with his crew of pirates, used Luffy’s town as a base before he left. But while he was there, Luffy really looked up to him and tried time and time again to join his crew.
One day Luffy ate a fruit out of a chest that Shanks had. This fruit gave him the power of the Gum-Gum fruit, which is one of the Devil Fruits (also known as Cursed Fruits) which gave him the power to stretch like rubber, but at a terrible cost. He can no longer swim. Just before Shanks left, he gave Luffy his straw hat and told him to keep it safe for him, and to give it back to him someday when he’s a great pirate. Then Luffy vowed he would become King of the Pirates.
Along Luffy’s adventures, Luffy meets Roronoa Zolo. A swordsman who works the three-sword style called Santoryu. Luffy and Zolo now make up Luffy’s crew so far. Then their adventures begin.
This book is in graphic novel form, or manga. So, it’s basically a big version of a comic book. This book is also rated 'T' for teens. It’s pretty violent when a fight starts up, and there is blood, some swearing, alcohol, and smoking. But it’s full of laughs and lessons on life, like how teamwork is a very important thing, especially if you’re a pirate!
Almost Friends
by Phil Gulley
Review by Dottie Danner, Danner’s Co-Owner
I was really tired and hot last week and wanted something to read that would relax me. Then Phil Gulley’s new book in the Harmony series was released, and it was just what I needed. I took it home, sat on the couch and smiled through the whole book.
Sam Gardner is in his sixth year as pastor of Harmony Friends Meeting. His father is ill and he takes a three month leave of absence to help care for him. Krista Riley is temporarily hired to fill his position and most of the Harmony Quakers fall in love with her. Then Fern Hampton overhears a conversation that makes her think Krista is not fit to lead their flock. Troublemaker that she is she, enlists Dale Hinshaw in her effort to oust Krista. Will this be the undoing of Harmony Friends Meeting?
The characters in this Quaker Church can be found in any church and what a joy to read about them and relate each one to someone you know in your own church.
I finished the book in a much better frame of mind and recommend the whole Harmony series as great, relaxing reading - summer or winter.
Think you don’t have time to enjoy a good book. Turn off that television and either read or listen to the newest books on the market.
Don’t want to buy an audio book? Our libraries (city and county) have an excellent selection.
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Review by Kristie Couser, Danner's BookSeller
Edna Pontellier desires independence in a period of time when the identity of a woman was limited to her role as wife, mother, and social hostess. Kate Chopin's protagonist in The Awakening was controversial at the novel's debut in 1899, but today the female reader will not see Edna's assertion of her individuality and need to live out her life in a fulfilling way as anything out of the ordinary.
The novel takes place during the summer at an upper-class haven in seaside Louisiana. The men of the town work in the city during the week, leaving their wives and children at home. Mrs. Pontellier spends her days with Robert Lebrun, a younger man that engages in meaningful conversations with her, never leaving her side. Edna's interaction with and attraction to Robert spark her "awakening." She identifies her unique interests, abilities, and dreams through their friendship-desires that would defy social norms if realized, putting herself at risk of a bad reputation. Edna also discovers her deep love for Robert, but he soon leaves the country for work. Edna becomes despondent at the thought of Robert never returning to her side.
Ignoring what anyone may think of her, Edna moves into a small cottage while her husband is away in New York working and her children are having an extended stay at their grandparents' house. Her new found freedom is exciting and liberating, and her husband now has no claim on her, but Edna still craves affection. Edna's psychological state is questioned by her husband and doctor, but Edna is the happiest she has ever been in her life. Chopin provides the reader with a passionate and tragic ending as Robert returns at the tail end of the novel, one that addresses the oppression felt by Mrs. Pontellier as she struggles her way to true happiness.
The Awakening is a classic novel that should not be left out of one's library. Not only did the work discuss very progressive social behavior in its time, but it's controversial nature can still be felt through the adulterous events and Edna's neglect of her family. The liberation of women is not alarming at our point in time, but Edna's journey is still captivating. Chopin is excellent at developing the character of Edna Pontellier, with the reader understanding her desires through an eloquently written novel that justifies every feeling the protagonist holds, whether it is socially acceptable or not. This book is recommended for all that enjoy exploring classic works of literature, as well as anyone who is enthralled by love stories and tales of self-discovery.
Zatch Bell, Volume 1 by Makoto Raiku
Review by Logan Winslow
Kiyo Takamine is a junior high student who has the gift of genius and who doesn't even bother to go to school anymore because of his inflated ego, smarts, and hatred of almost everyone. His father is researching in England at a university, so Kiyo lives with his mother in Japan.
But one day Kiyo's father found a young boy, Zatch Bell, in a forest in England. Zatch was dying when Kiyo's father found him. So, to repay Mr. Takamine, Zatch vowed to help Kiyo make friends and deflate his ego. Zatch travels to Japan to start helping Kiyo.
When Kiyo gets this bizarre birthday present he doesn't know what to do. But there's a twist to little Zatch. He's actually a creature called a mamodo, who looks and acts human. But when his red book is read by Kiyo, lightning shoots out of his mouth and to top all that, Zatch has amnesia. Only Kiyo can read this book and with it, Kiyo and Zatch's adventures truly begin. To find out more about Zatch, Kiyo, and the mamodo, check out Vol 1! This book is in graphic novel form, or manga. So it's basically a big version of a comic book, it's rated "T" for teens. The book is kind of violent. It has a lot of mamodo battles in it. But it's also full of laughs and some lessons on life, like how important it is to have friends. Even if they're a little strange.
A Rare Murder in Princeton by Ann Waldron
Review by Fred Woodress
Workers at Ball State's Bracken Library Rare Books and Special Collections might go into cold sweats from Ann Waldron's newest murder mystery that takes place in Princeton's Rare Books and Special Collections Library. McLeod Dulaney, her newspaper woman heroine, finds two bodies in the library while researching, not looking for crime.
The Tallahassee newswoman gets leaves of absense to teach writing courses at Princeton. She's nosy and asks a lot of questions, learning more than the borough police. Waldron, a former Southern newswoman before writing for Princeton publications, turned to crime writing after a successful career as a biographer (Eudora Welty, Hodding Carter, Caroline Gordon) and the author of nine children's books.
In her last three Berkley crime books she killed the lady president of Princeton, two profs in the English Department and a seminary student and Dead Sea Scrolls authority in the School of Religion. Ann Waldron is one of the best new crime writers, bringing to her books lots of expertise and details learned from her days writing biography and children's books. She's a long time friend, too.
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Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
Review by Kristie Couser, Danner's BookSeller
Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood is a coming-of-age novel that widens the meaning of the term. Toru, the college-aged protagonist who prefers solitude, never comes across as rebellious or fighting to find his place in society. Instead he engages in deep, almost crippling self-examination in attempts to understand the significance of his developing maturity and what place he holds in the realm of love.
On the surface, Toru lives a fairly easy life. He lives in Tokyo, a busy and exciting city, is intelligent and attending a private college, and he even finds his assigned roommate amusing! However, Toru is involved in a rather complicated relationship with his dead best friend Kizuki’s girlfriend, Naoko, that is the source of great emotional and psychological stress. Finding herself too weak to handle her painful past and its effect on her journey into adulthood, Naoko voluntarily commits herself to a sanatorium, a hospital where the doctors live with patients in a communal lifestyle. Toru is left hanging, torn between his deep love for Naoko and the reality that he struggles to face - Naoko may never regain mental health, and more painfully, she may never truly stop loving Kizuki. Toru is also confused by the admiration he feels for a girl at his university, one who is present in his day-to-day life and willing to commit to a relationship, causing him to question what love really is.
Norwegian Wood is brilliantly written in a simplistic manner that achieves impossibly in-depth character studies. He writes succinctly, yet his style somehow opens up worlds of insight about the personalities of the work. There are many references to nature in his more descriptive paragraphs, but the work never touches on the surreal as in other works, such as his highly-acclaimed The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. This book is recommended for any college-aged person who is transitioning into the adult world, as well as anyone who can appreciate a well-crafted love story with beautiful, memorable highs and equally devastating lows.
Stitch ‘N Bitch by Debbie Stoller
Review by Joy Winslow
I started knitting Christmas Day and made the standard first project, a scarf, loving it I never looked back! I then progressed on to a sweater vest, that had more problems than correct information in the pattern. I have then tried to learn something new with each project, while trying to hone my skills. What is great about Stitch ‘N Bitch is that it has cool patterns in which your family will not be embarrassed to be seen wearing or carrying, as well as containing a plethora of reference information. A must have for any young/hip knitter wanting to expand her (or his) horizons.
Ghost Rider by Neil Peart
Review by Steve Winslow
What if you lost your daughter in a car accident and within the same year you lost your wife to cancer. For many, this loss would be too much to bear, as with the author of Ghost Rider.
Neil Peart, percussionist and lyricist for the legendary Canadian rock band Rush, suffered such a loss and was faced with endless amounts of pain and grief. He withdrew further into his introvertedness and withdrew from his friends and bandmates while he tried to heal. He told himself that the only thing that would keep him from killing himself would be to get out of the house that held all the memories and to hit the open road.
Neil jumped on his BMW motorcycle and decided to ride across Canada and up to Alaska. He knew that either he would die while on this trip or he would come back with a renewed hope and lust for life.
Through many back roads and small towns, Neil keeps us abreast of his anguish when it gets the best of him and the humorous absurdity of some of the everyday occurrences. Many times his life was on the brink of coming to an end, not by his own hands but by that of mother nature. Tales of almost falling off the side of a mountainous road or being near freezing.
Neil, also known as The Professor to Rush fans, is an ordinary man with an extraordinarily large mind. He takes the journey on the healing road and returns triumphant. Having been through a loss that no one should ever have to endure, he gives his insight and anecdotes that are a help to all, whether you have faced any form of loss or not.
After returning from this healing trip, he reunited with his bandmates, Geddy and Alex, and they put out one of their best works entitled Vapor Trails. Though Neil refuses to write any songs that are selfishly about just himself, the song Ghost Rider certainly rings with hints of this awesome journey. “Shadows on the road ahead. Sunset on the road behind. This is the second of three books that have been penned by Neil. He has a fourth book coming this fall.
Bed Rest by Sarah Bilston
Review by Joy Winslow
Quinn, 'Q', is a modern corporate woman not yet 30. She is a lawyer married to a lawyer. Like most women, Q has a list of things she hopes to accomplish before turning 30, and becoming pregnant is one of the items on her 'Modern Woman’s List of Things to Do Before 30' agenda. She finds out at her sixth month visit to the doctor that she must abruptly stop work and go on 'bed rest' for the remainder of her pregnancy. Being someone who is always busy, always moving, and working 16 hours a day six days a week, this is the kiss of death.
Finding she is left to her own devices, and daytime television, Q must find ways to entertain herself while maintaining her sanity. I think every working woman will be able to relate to this humorous look at womanhood.
S is for Silence
by Sue Grafton
Review by David Gadziola
When, nineteen novels age, Sue Grafton began the alphabetically arranged Kinsey Millhone detective novels with A is for Alibi, there was a great huzzahing in the land, for this was clearly first-water crime fiction, with the added virtue of presenting an engaging central figure, PI Kinsey Millhone, whose personal life and personal history were always at least as engaging as the problems she worked upon; indeed, at times the two became intertwined.
It’s only in the two most recent novels - R is for Ricochet and S is for Silence - that there has been some disturbance in the force of the balance of these forces. I hasten to point out that these novels are still good; they are just not as satisfying as their predecessors. Jacket copy makes it clear that the change in form was deliberate experimentation on Grafton’s part, and all power to her elbow in that regard. It just takes some getting used to, and we miss the further development of the personal life of the engaging gumshoe.
The novel, which is set in the eighties, finds Kinsey called in to shed some light on the disappearance thirty-four years earlier of Violet Sullivan, a lusty, gusty, busty, free liver (well, her other parts are pretty free too) from Serena Station, a small town with Many Secrets to Hide. (This is, of course, soap opera on the printed page, a grand and honorable PI tradition whose master was Philip MacDonald, though there’s a good deal less Freudianism here than in his work.)
The major experiment in form here is devoting a good deal of the book to flashbacks to those fateful days in early July of 1953 surrounding the disappearance of Violet. These, I think, go on too long and divert the reader’s attention in too great a measure. These chapters do, of course, add complexity to the mystery, but they also introduce a number of minor characters, not all of whom are interesting, while also contributing to the mystery and its unwinding. (There’s also the twist that the present time of the novel is, as noted above, in the eighties, so we are looking back at the eighties looking back at the fifties.)
Well, Kinsey does solve the problem of Violet’s disappearance, rest assured. But there seems to be some slack editing in the novel. In looking back at the fifties Grafton bungles some historical references and thus diminishes the verisimilitude of the work. To choose only a couple of examples, a popular household cleanser of the time is referred to as Babbo. Uh-uh; as the radio commercial of the time reminded us, it was spelled B-A-B dash O and the equally popular whiskey was Old Forester, not Old Forrester. And there are some grammatical slips with which I won’t bore you.
If you are a Kinsey Millhone fan, you won’t be put off by any of this. (I am, and I wasn’t.) If you’ve never read any of this novel’s alphabetical predecessors, you’ll find this good in its own right.
Though as far as I can tell, the problem of the lace curtains is never resolved.
Looking Backward
by Edward Bellamy
Review by Kelly Miller
Most books that take characters into the future are distopian novels. Edward Bellamy, writing in 1887, had a different view on the way the world would be in the year 2000 than other authors writing on the same subject.
In the book, Bellamy himself falls asleep and wakes up 100 years after his own time in a different world. In this world, there is no crime or war, and everyone has enough money to live comfortably. Job security is a guarantee for all since the job market is controlled by the government.
Although some may dismiss this short novel as a story praising the perks of socialism, it doesn't follow the socialist design, but instead comes up with another model altogether. This little known book is definitely a must-read, even if only for a good laugh at all the technology Bellamy imagined would be in place by this time in history.
Looking for Mr. Goodfrog
by Laurie Graff
Review by Kelly Miller
You have to kiss a lot of frogs before finding your prince, and Karrie Kline seems to have kissed them all. She has kissed so many in fact, that she has turned her failed dating life into an Off-Broadway show.
Throughout the book, Kline recounts her miserable attempts at dating in a humorous way. From dating former co-workers, to flirting at weddings, even the lucrative world of on-line dating, Kline seems determined not to leave any lily pad unturned in her hunt for the one who won't turn out to be just another frog. Although she is older than the normal age of a chick-lit heroine at 45, chick-lit fans of any age will enjoy this irreverent look at dating in New York City.
The characters are vivid and interesting, and the reader is left wanting so badly for Kline to finally find her prince. For those who haven't found theirs yet, and for those who have been lucky enough to find a prince already, this book is a winner.
Cherry Cheesecake Murder
by Joanne Fluke
Review by Dottie Danner, Danner's Co-Owner
This is the 8th in Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swenson mystery series, and it doesn't disappoint her fans. Publication date is March 1, 2006.
Hannah still cannot make up her mind which of her two suitors she will marry, so she turns them both down. To complicate matters an old college chum, Ross Barton, arrives with a Hollywood cast, using Lake Eden as the location for a new movie.
All is going well until the demanding, cheesecake-loving director demonstrates a suicide scene with a prop gun that turns out to be real. Of course Hannah takes center stage in seeking out the murderer.
As always, Hannah's taste tempting recipes are featured with her cherry cheesecake taking top billing.
The Quiet Game
by Greg Iles
Review by Joy Winslow
In my humble opinion, Greg Iles has surpassed John Grisham in the thriller market. Though Iles' books don't tend to be legal thrillers, he is often compared to Grisham. What I like about Iles is his knack to sneak the story in on you. You are just reading along and then BAM!! you are in the thick of it unable to stop.
In this particular novel the protagonist, is a former Texas prosecutor turned author named Penn Cage. Penn and his young daughter are recovering from the loss of their wife/mother and not doing very well.
While on a trip to Disneyland, Penn decides it is time to go home to his parents in Mississippi, to allow them to help him (and Annie) through this difficult time.
Not even a day after arriving home, a local newspaper columnist, Caitlyn Masters, prints a story about Penn returning home and his views on the local state of affairs and upcoming mayoral race. While speaking with Caitlyn the subject of an unsolved 30 year old murder comes up and his views on that are printed in the article. This causes quite an uproar in the community and once again the city of Natchez becomes divided.
Coming home to get over his grief is turned into a personal quest to right a wrong done all those years ago!
I can guarantee you will not want to put this book down. I felt it delivered all the way to the end...and it has a follow up novel recently released called Turning Angel.
The Tenth Circle
by Jodi Picoult
Review by Dottie Danner, Danner's Co-Owner
Daniel Stone, stay at home father and comic artist, will go to any length to protect Trixie, his fourteen year old daughter. How could the young man that Trixie loved have drugged and then raped her? There are graphic illustrations throughout the book that portray the anguish of this family and the desperation of the father who tries to save his child.
The Tenth Circle is another of Jodi Picoult's gripping novels that leaves you anxiously awaiting the release of the next one.
The Working Poor
by David Shipler
Review by Kelly Miller
Every society has those who fall through the cracks, those people who, no matter how hard they try, cannot seem to get their heads above water long enough to start to float. This group of people in America is referred to as the working poor.
David Shipler , in his book The Working Poor, examines this group of people, whom he calls "Invisible in America." Throughout the book people living below the poverty line are profiled to show that poverty comes in many shapes, sizes, and colors. He also discovers that hard-working people are actually hindered by the government in many cases, instead of being helped to get a foot-hold to step up on.
Although slightly repetitive, the book is an eye-opening look into a way of life most people either refuse to admit exists or are just unaware is out there. It is incredibly emotional, so those who tend to care too much about other people might have a hard time dealing with all the hardships these people must go through just to survive from day to day, but overall, it is a wonderful book.
A History of the World in Six Glasses by Tom Standage
Review by David Gadziola
There are lots of faddish books about these days, focusing on one or another aspect of popular culture and this book might be regarded as merely another one of those were it not that it also gives serious, though brief, consideration to important aspects of social, political, scientific, economic, and philosophical history as well. The "six glasses" - filled respectively and chronologically with beer, wine, whiskey, coffee, tea, and soft drinks (especially Coca-Cola) - have played major roles in the development of human society. Far from being merely peripheral or diverting sidebars to human history, they have often been the foundation of human history. Beer, for example, was the first of the six to develop, perhaps 6000 years ago, and quickly became a substitute for an uncertain water supply and thus aided the development of established communities that came to replace the hunter-gatherer life. Wine was one of the important elements in the development of Greco-Roman culture, the foundation of Western culture.
Whisky, rather than tea, was, mostly in the form of rum, the beverage of choice in the American colonies, and was part of the Triangular Trade you may remember from high school history, slaves being another of the legs. Thus, whiskey was a central element in the development of perhaps the single most vexing problem of American history.
Coffee was available at the beginning mostly in coffee houses, and coffee houses, claims the author, an editor at The Economist, were the fountainhead of the Enlightenment. Tea, on the other hand (or in the other cup), was intimately involved with the development of the British Empire, which at its height claimed one-fifth of the surface of the planet.
And soft drinks? Well, beginning with the Second World War, Cocoa-Cola has frequently been identified with American culture and been suspected of being an agent of American foreign policy.
This is a charming and readable study, worth a toast in the beverage of your choice.
Death in Holy Orders by P.D. James
Review by Susan Danner, Danner’s Owner
P.D. James is one of my favorite mystery authors. Her descriptions of people and places is so realistic that you can almost smell the sea and hear the waves breaking on the shore as the residents of St. Anselm’s College go about their daily routine.
The story begins with a death of one of the students who has been found on the shore, quite dead, buried under a massive amount of sand. The student’s wealthy adoptive father wants to know if it was murder, suicide or an accident. So, he goes directly to the Yard - Scotland Yard that is - to have his questions answered. Adam Dalgliesh, who was a frequent visitor to St. Anslem’s as a child, agrees to do some quiet investigation.
Two other deaths, one originally thought to be from natural causes and the other thought to have been an accident, also come under suspicion.
James weaves throughout her story the complicated lives of the characters and how those complications have an effect on the murder investigation. As always, Dalgliesh, with the help of his detectives, solves the murder and discovers the actual cause of death of the other three.
I highly recommend all of P.D. James’ mysteries. They are superb!
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
Review by Lauren Bishop-Weidner
There is a balm in Gilead
To make the wounded whole;
There is a balm in Gilead
To heal the sin-sick soul.
I do love old hymns, especially spirituals. The poetry is exquisite, the melodies haunting, the stories gritty and real. So when I saw this title, I was intrigued. However, when I read the book flap, I was less enthusiastic. A novel-length letter from an old preacher? Yes. And within a few pages, we care.
Set in 1956 in Gilead, Iowa, the novel is the diary-style letter Rev. John Ames is writing to his seven year old son. By the end of the novel, we see this gentle man’s rigorous intellect, rich spiritual journey, deep loyalty to his friends, and staunch devotion to his family and his vocation.
Ames is a pastor who is every inch the ethical, respectable, amiable, kindly, studious, prayerful clergyman of a small town church. Yet Rev. Ames holds the world and his own flock at arm’s length, embodying the aloofness that seems universal among clerics. Though Ames is a warm, loving husband, father, and pastor, there is an almost clinical objectivity in his personality as well.
Within the confines of his restrained character, we catch occasional glimpses of history and passion. Ames’ grandfather, a fire-eating one-eyed abolitionist, moved to Kansas from Maine following a vision in which Jesus, bound in chains that had eaten his flesh to the bone, appealed to young Ames to fight the evil of slavery. And fight the man did, sheltering freedom fighters (including John Brown) in his church, one pew bearing the bloodstained evidence of one of these clandestine conflicts. A choice segment involves a town built specifically to be a station on the Underground Railroad. Unfortunately, the good folk failed to dig the tunnels deep enough, and they caved in, making way for a wonderful story to pass around and embellish.
Beyond the aftermath of the Civil War, Ames’ own life (1880-1956) encompasses two world wars, a gruesome flu epidemic, and the Great Depression. On another layer the novel tackles the inevitable friction between fathers and sons. Rev. Ames comes from a long line of preachers on both sides, and they rarely see eye to eye. Further, we have the good pastor’s namesake, the son of (you guessed it) another pastor who is Rev. Ames’ oldest and dearest friend. In the end, this rebel - whose sins are real and repugnant, whose soul is truly "sin-sick" - illuminated that pastoral aloofness mentioned earlier, forcing Ames to face his own need for balm, beyond the books he cherishes.
I truly hated to finish this book. The overall feeling is one of gentleness, tolerance, godly love. Rev. John Ames is a bemused, detached observer of the human condition, but he is also a lover of people, warts and all.
If you can’t preach like Peter,
If you can’t pray like Paul,
Just tell the love of Jesus,
And say he died for all.
Big Hair and Flying Cows
by Doloris J. Wilson
Review by Louise Head
A verse in Proverbs says that laughter doeth good like a medicine. Big Hair and Flying Cows should cure lots of ills! I laughed out loud so often, the men in my house were beginning to worry about my sanity.
Roberta Byrd, better known as Bertie, works for her father as an auto mechanic and wrecker driver. The business is Thomas Byrd and Sons’ Garage. Bertie’s two older brothers took off, leaving Bertie to fill the place of "Sons’." The ladies of the small town of Sweet Meadow, Georgia, use the wrecking service (and Bertie) as their personal limousine and errand service.
Bertie has big problems with the men in her life. Pete, her elderly landlord, escapes from the nursing home and frequently comes to visit; once in his birthday suit. Lee, her previous significant other, ran off with another woman (the sister of one of her friends). Bertie tells herself he is in a witness protection program!
Jeff, the handsome mill worker that she hopes to make her significant other, has a second job; as a male stripper. Jack the Tipper is stalking her and she doesn’t know who he is or if he is dangerous. The church choir director wants to get a bit too friendly with his soloist.
The women in her life worry about her single status. Her best friend, Mary Lou, is her cohort in her many escapades. While faithful to a fault, Mary Lou is just a bit shy of a full deck. With a nutty neighbor up in the tree and Pete’s precious precocious granddaughter to round out her companions, there’s never a dull moment. Luckily Bertie can usually laugh at herself. (Saves a lot of tears.) The title comes from Bertie’s encounter with a ceiling fan that has a cow with angel wings on the pull cord. The cow somehow gets tangled in the very tall hairdo that Mary Lou provided for Bertie to wear to another friend’s house warming party.
As with normal lives some rain must fall; but the story ends on a "happily ever after" note.
When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?
by George Carlin
Review by David Gadziola
The book I am reviewing is by George Carlin. Someone must be offended already. It is true that Carlin, the exposer of the Seven Words You Can’t Say on Television, has said them all, and often (and about 237 others, at a rough count). It is true that he has been called a worthy successor to Lenny Bruce. It is true that he is sacrilegious (from some points of view), blasphemous, profane, and not really much concerned whether he offends anyone or not. (at the outset he quotes the great S.J. Perelman: "The main obligation is to amuse yourself.") But behind all of that is a very sharp mind with keen insight into social, cultural, and linguistic absurdities in modern America. His best pieces here, all of them short and only loosely organized by topic, describe and dissect the ways in which modern America has abused language, sucking out the specific meanings that might offend someone or wound someone’s feelings.
He traces, for instance, the route by which old people become senior citizens, golden-agers, and mature adults. (The worst meaning-sucker, in this instance, may be Matt Drudge, who has created the term people of age). We have gone from home for the aged to nursing homes, rest homes, retirement homes, and long-term-care facilities, all in the interest of avoiding the awful word old and its inevitable consequence, dead.
His work is unavoidably uneven (in The Coconuts, Groucho Marx pauses after a joke, peers directly into the camera, and says, "Well, all the jokes can’t be good; you have to expect that every once in a while." So there.). But, when it’s on, it’s on, revealing our culture to us in true and startling ways. If you read the book and are not at some point offended, you haven’t been paying attention. And if you are not at some point illuminated, once again you haven’t been paying attention.
And as far as I can discover, at no point is the title question answered.
Sideways by Rex Pickett
Review by Joy Winslow
Yes, the award-winning movie was first a book! Even though the movie was good, it goes without saying (though I will anyway) that the book is better.
Two friends, Jack and Miles, go on a week long excursion to the California wine country to celebrate the upcoming nuptials of Jack. For Jack it is a week to party and put his wild side to rest, while for Miles it is a week to evaluate who he is and who he wants to be. Jack and Miles make it a last hurrah they will both never forget.
This book is for anyone who has wondered if the grass is greener on the other side.
Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger
Review by Kelly Miller
Weisberger, who wrote the best-seller The Devil Wears Prada, returns to the literary world with the new release Everyone Worth Knowing. Knowing follows the life of Bette, who is thrust into the world of New York public relations and finds that her job, her friends, and her relationships will never be the same again.
Bette has just quit her dead-end job at an investment company when a chance encounter with a stranger puts her smack-dab in the middle of a life she never would have imagined for herself. Working for the hippest PR firm in New York City, Bette discovers very quickly that partying is an essential part of her job, and that winding up in the gossip columns could earn her a raise. In her new life filled with men, drinking, and dancing, Bette must figure out how she fits in while trying to find true love with another person in the scene who isn’t quite sure he belongs there.
The book is an extremely well-written piece of chick-lit. Weisberger has found a wonderful character in Bette with her reluctant attitude and love of trashy romance novels. Anyone who is a fan of Prada or the TV show Sex and the City should thoroughly enjoy this novel.
Bell, Book, and Scandal by Jill Churchill
Review by Susan Danner, Danner’s Owner
This delightful mystery features neighbors and best friends Jane Jeffry and Shelley Nowak. Being a budding mystery writer, Jane is excited that she and Shelley are going to get to attend the mystery writers’ convention right in their area. Jane will get to mingle with writers, publishers and fans as well as learn more about how to get her book published. Shelley will get to pursue her favorite pastime - shopping!
All goes well until there is an attack on a book reviewer and an agent is poisoned, but not fatally. Of course Jane can’t rest until the crime is solved.
The convention reminded me of our local Magna Cum Murder convention. I guess the characters in fiction are not that far from their real life counterparts.
Death’s Dance by Linda Fairstein
Review by Dottie Danner, Danner’s Co-Owner
This number eight in the Alexandra Cooper suspense novels is due out in January 2006. Although I have not read any of the other seven books, I had no trouble relating to the characters in Death Dance.
Alex, who is Manhattan’s deputy prosecutor, and her long time friends and colleagues Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace team up, to investigate the murder of world famous dancer Natalya Galinova.
In their search for her murderer, they are confronted with the ruthless power brokers who control the stars in the glamorous but sordid inner sanctums of Manhattan’s theatrical community.
As this case builds to its climax they are also matching wits with a doctor who uses his availability of drugs to lure and trap unsuspecting women to his apartment before assaulting them.
This is a spellbinding thriller which also is full of the history of New York theater and its buildings.
Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk
Review by Joy Winslow
This collection of short stories comes from the famed author of Fight Club. If you read Fight Club you will remember his raw storytelling with an in your face attitude, and he does not disappoint with his newest.
Twenty-three, yes I said twenty-three, stories woven into one ongoing story leaves your skin crawling, stomach retching, and mind pondering how we choose to live in society today and treat others.
Amazing Grace by Megan Shull
Review by Kelly Miller
Life being rich and famous isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. This is what Grace Kincaid discovers early on in Amazing Grace. Grace is the youngest professional tennis player in the world, and she also happens to be extremely good at what she does. This is why it comes as a shock to her family and to herself when she decides to quit playing tennis.
Grace has to transform herself into Emily O’Brian and move to Alaska in order to hide from the press who would hound her mercilessly if she stayed in Los Angeles after her withdrawal from tennis. While in Alaska, she must discover who she really is while finding true love and genuine friendship for the first time in her life. However, also while in Alaska she must learn how to survive an encounter with a moose, chop enough firewood for what seems like the entire town, and the glory of a cold shower.
This book is a wonderful read for any girl in high school. Since the main character is in that age group, young women will directly identify with her struggle. Also, Shull’s unconventional writing style makes the book so easy to read, it doesn’t even feel like reading sometimes. Her words leap off the page as if the reader is engaged in an actual conversation with the characters.
Dysfunction by Patrick J. O’Brian
Review by Joy Winslow
In Northern New York, a serial killer comes to a rural community seeking the means to complete his deadly scheme. A former investigator with the New York State Police has returned home, ready to begin a new life with the family he left behind.
When asked to investigate several other murder scenes that seem linked to a local abduction, Terry Levine hesitates. He has his own personal demons to overcome, but realizes he may be the one person standing between a deranged serial killer and the lives of four innocent people.
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Review by Morgan Moncada
The year is 2070. Earth is threatened to be destroyed by alien creatures known as the “buggers.” It is up to the International Federation, I.F., to find and train child geniuses in a space center known as Battle School. There, one game is played and determines who will be the best suited to command the army. The I.F. now depends on one boy, Ender Wiggin, undefeated champion of the Game, to command the army and crush the imminent menace. This book is a wonderful story about the trial of a boy put under a great deal of pressure and it also shows humanity’s fight for survival.
To the Power of Three by Laura Lippman
Review by Dean Burton
An intense and vivid tale that should put Laura Lippman on top of bestseller lists for a long time. Her incredible mastery of human emotions, and the ability to thrust those feelings home, will have readers cheering.
Hunting Unicorns by Bella Pollen
Review by Joy Winslow
This is a delightful end of summer read! I found this book to be so much fun I could not put it down! Maggie Munroe is an American journalist sent to England to document the aristocracy on its decline. Upon arriving she meets Rory Jones, their guide to the Stately Homes of England, and immediately they clash like oil and water. Forced to spend time together they make the best of it by pointing out the dislikes each has for the other’s cultural differences. Conflict arises when Maggie discovers a deep secret that spells scandal for one of the families she has become quite fond of and she must choose between hurting her career or hurting the livelihood of others.
You will find yourself cheering for the characters to make the right decisions.
The Burnt Orange Sunrise by David Handler
Review by Linda Gregory
This mystery novel, David Handler’s latest in the Berger/Mitry series, reminds me of the locked-room puzzle or Ten Little Indians. The prologue presents a conversation between a man and woman who want to get rid of an old woman. We don’t get many clues as to their identity or their victim’s.
Several guests, including couples, are invited to a dinner at a mansion near the Connecticut Long Island Sound, The mansion is also a local bed and breakfast, run by the daughter of a famous movie director, 94-year-old Ada Geiger. Ada’s life is about to be celebrated by many Hollywood types scheduled to arrive at the inn in a few days.
Unfortunately, the dinner guests arrive during a howling ice and snowstorm that produces conditions not unlike what Muncie experienced in January. The descriptions of trees falling and crashing were all too familiar.
The fallen trees block the roads, the power goes out, and the guests are stuck - but there are plenty of bedrooms, it’s an inn after all. The next morning they all awake to find Norma, the daughter and innkeeper, dead of an apparent heart attack. Within hours, another death, not so natural, throws suspicion on Norma’s demise.
Luckily, two of the guests, movie critic Mitch Berger and his squeeze, Des Mitry are on hand to take control, after a fashion. With more deaths and enough clues to make everyone seem guilty, the pair eventually solve the crimes, and we learn which couple was plotting in the first chapter.
The End of Faith, Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason by Sam Harris
Review by David Gadziola
When Bertrand Russell was old and almost impossibly distinguished, he was asked by a guest at a dinner party, “Lord Russell, if when you die, you discover that Heaven and Hell are real and God exists, what will you say to Him?” With a twinkle in his eye and his voice, Russell replied, “I will say to Him, ‘God, you gave us insufficient evidence!’” That is one of the core ideas in Harris’s book: in a scientific and rational age, when we know far more than we did centuries ago, we simply do not have enough evidence to support religious systems. Though he does not claim to be an atheist (for, after all, what is atheism but a strong belief that religious systems make false claims?), he does suggest not deciding on a set of beliefs until we have some strong empirical evidence.
Why does he bring all of this up again? Because he sees the modern world at a point of crisis: if we do not bring an end to religious faith soon, we may slide into chaos. He cites the emergence of Islamic militance as the cause for concern of a sort not seen in several centuries, since Christianity calmed down. His larger view is that religion has been the greatest single cause of warfare, murder, rape, slavery, imprisonment, robbery, etc. in all of human history, that there is no such thing as moderate and relatively benign faith, and that if we don’t do away with it all, and that rapidly, we are doomed. Although he regards all religious faith as a source of evil, his insistence, backed by extensive citations from the Koran and the hadith (the sayings of Muhammad), that Islam is clearly the most brutal, backward, vicious, and violent major religion, and the current supreme danger to all of civilization.
Strong words. But he does not leave us resourceless. He believes in a shift in consciousness away from faith and toward spirituality or mysticism (he doesn’t like either word, but says we have nothing better in English) much on the model of Eastern practices - notably Buddhism - in order to find a firm ground.
Many people will not like this book: its condemnation of religious faith, its indictment of Islam, its argument following that of Alan Dershowitz) that the use of torture against terrorists may in certain circumstances be justified do not amount to a summer beach read. But the book is not afraid to challenge attitudes and conventional pieties and makes us - whether we eventually agree with it or not - think!
Inamorata by Joseph Gangemi
Review by Joy Winslow
Martin Finch is a young Harvard grad student of the 1920s who has been given the opportunity of his life. He has been asked to join the Scientific American investigative team whose purpose is to determine if there is actual proof of an afterlife. Scientific American has a $5000 prize to anyone who has "conclusive evidence of psychic phenomena".
Martin quickly proves the first two mediums as frauds earning him the respect of his mentor and allowing him to spearhead the third seance. It is at this third seance that Martin meets the lovely Mina Crawley. Mina was personally recommended by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle adding some credibility to her talent which makes it all the more difficult to figure out if she is indeed the real thing.
This is a period piece that is not dreary and shows great talent for this debut novelist.
To the Power of Three by Laura Lippman
Review by Dean Burton
An intense and vivid tale that should put Laura Lippman on the top of the best seller list for a long time. Her incredible mastery of human emotions, and the ability to thrust those feelings home will have readers cheering.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Review by Dottie Danner, Danner's Co-Owner
The Kite Runner, set in Afghanistan in the 1970s, depicts the country in its pre-revolution days. It’s customs and culture are intertwined so skillfully into the story that you feel drawn to this mid-eastern section of the world.
The story of two boys shows the caste system vividly. Amir is the son of wealthy merchant, Baba and Hassan is the son of Ali, Baba’s servant. The boys do everything together, but there is always that separation as an undercurrent.
When the revolution comes, all of their lives are turned upside down. Baba and Amir finally come to America and reconstruct their lives.
The Kite Runner has been a best seller for many months and this is a most deserved honor. It is a memorable novel and a must read.
Devil’s Corner by Lisa Scottoline
Review by Sharon Schumacher
Set in Philadelphia’s Devil’s Corner, assistant U.S. Attorney Vicki Allegretti and her partner Bob Morton, an ATF agent, have an appointment to meet with a confidential informant on a seemingly routine matter. The next thing you know she has a nine millimeter Glock pointed at her head by a scared teenager. Her partner Mort walks in on the scene and is immediately shot down by the teen’s partner in crime.
The confidential informant is dead, an officer is dead, and a very shaken Vicki is left to pick up the pieces in this fast paced legal thriller. And that’s only the first seven pages. There are enough plot twists to keep the reader interested and just when you think you have all the characters straight, another plot twist comes into play. Vicki is a determined young lawyer who is trying to seek justice even if it costs her her career, or possibly her life.
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
Review by Dottie Danner, Danner's Co-Owner
Mary Boleyn was an unknown to me as I know she is to many of us who are not too knowledgeable about this period of English history. Thus I found this novel not only fascinating to read, but I learned a great deal about the King Henry VIII era.
Henry took a liking to Mary and she became his mistress. But when Anne returned from France, his interest in Mary waned and the family decided Anne was a likelier candidate to displace Katherine and become Henry’s wife and queen. Katherine had not given Henry a son and the son he had by Mary was illegitimate.
Anne succeeded in becoming queen, but could not produce a son and is displaced by a younger woman whose family gained the power that the Boleyn’s fought so hard to obtain. Mary and George, their brother, become Anne’s only allies and of course we know the outcome. Mary marries for love and her husband, William, protects her during Anne’s trial. Mary and William leave the court to live in the country with their family.
Gregory says in her notes that everything that deals with feelings and motivations are creative work, but they are based on events which actually happened. This book will hold your interest even though you know the outcome. I highly recommend it.
Ireland, A Novel by Frank Delaney
Review by David Gadziola
James Joyce once wrote bitterly, "Ireland is the old sow that eats her young." Joyce left Ireland but could never escape it. Frank Delaney, Irish-born journalist, is in another camp altogether. Though he now lives in New York, his view of Ireland is religious, mystical and deep. He writes with a love of the land and its people that elevates both to the sacred.
The novel combines two basic strands: the one consists of tales from Irish history, prehistory, myth and legend. The other is the more modern story of Young Ronan O’Mara, who at the age of nine becomes enthralled by those tales as told by the Storyteller, a wanderer who moves throughout Ireland telling tales and gathering new ones. Fired by the genius of his imagination, these tales become a catalogue of Irish life and character, defining and illuminating the bond between land and people.
Some reviewers have objected that the account of the O’Mara’s is a falling-off from the vaster sweep of legend and history, but that view misses the point that the two strands are ultimately one, each illuminating the other and giving deeper pathos to the union of land and people. It is true that the O’Mara story seems at times a wee drawn out; it is also true that you will probably see the kicker/shocker in the plot coming many pages before it actually appears. No matter. The novel seeks always to remind the reader of what Delaney believes is the central and vital role played by Ireland in world history: so small a land plays, in his view, a mighty role on the world stage. It does in the fictional mode what a recent book, How the Irish Saved Civilization, did in the historic-didactic mode. It makes Ireland clearer (and perhaps dearer) for those without a molecule of Celtic blood in them.
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Review by Maci Stephens
I would like to recommend Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix. This book is about a third child named Luke. In his country, it is illegal to have more than two children in a family. Luke accidently sees another shadow child named Jen. Jen is coming out of hiding and starting a rally against the government. She asks Luke to come out of hiding and to go with her. Will he have the courage to go? It is so well written that you wonder what will happen next. This is the first book in a series of four. You must read this book!
The Murder Room by P.D. James
Review by Joy Winslow
P.D. James has done it again! Commander Adam Dalgliesh is called in to investigate a mysterious death at the Dupayne Museum, a museum featuring Endland during the interwar years. When a second body is found, coincidences appear between the murders and the museum's main exhibit: The Murder Room. Could it be a copycat? And why?
James also shows a personal side of Dalgliesh, a side not shown to us before.
State of Fear by Michael Crichton
Review by Susan Danner, Danner's Owner
Never having read a Michael Crichton book, I decided that I really should. One of my favorite old movies is The Andromeda Strain which is based on Crichton's book of the same name.
State of Fear begins with seemingly unrelated events happening around the world. There is the death of a graduate physics student in Paris. The student was studying wave mechanics in the oceans - tsunamis. There is the Canadian field geologist who travels to Malaysia to purchase cavitation machines which are available in Canada. There is the sale of 500 small rockets and miles of fine metal wire.
Crichton takes us to the glaciers of Iceland, the volcanoes of Antarctica, the deserts of Arizona, the jungles of the Solomon Islands and the beaches of Los Angeles. Interwoven through all of this is the multi-millionaire George Morton, his attorney Peter Evans, his assistant Sarah, and his friend John Kenner and Kenner's side kick Sanjong.
The plot revolves around an environmental group called NERF, National Environmental Resource Fund, to which George Morton is a major contributor. NERF is involved in a law suit against the Environmental Protection Agency. NERF is also preparing for a global conference on sudden climate changes caused by global warming.
Eventually all of the plots and sub-plots come together is a race against the clock to stop environmental terrorists.
The novel is very technical in some respects, but very fast paced. There are extensive footnotes and a huge bibliography. But, even if you do not understand all of the technical aspects of the novel, it is still very good, and I would recomment it to those of you who love a good suspense thriller.
The Red Hat Club Rides Again by Haywood Smith
Review by an Anonymous Customer
Even though this Red Hat Club convenes monthly at the Sawn Coach House in Atlanta, there are plenty of ways a Hoosier woman in her 50s and 60s can identify with them, and not just with the urge to wear purple dresses and red hats. This book glorifies the value of maintaining those long-standing friendships "sisters' have, often dating back to their teen years.
Smith's first novel, The Red Hat Club, was actually a better book, as is often the case, but this sequel has its share of humor (the consequences of inserting three measly quarters in a Vegas slot machine whenyou're trying to be unobtrusive and clandestine come to mind).
The novel is told in a first-person format by one of the Red Hatters and centers on a mission to rescue a former sixth member of their group who has relapsed into drugs and is in danger of losing her life, if not to her dealers, then to the drugs themselves. Money is no object in their efforts to help Pru, thanks to Teeny who managed to squirrel away zillions (see the first book), so the ladies find themselves on a charter flight to Las Vegas and later on a month-long surgical cruise that fixes their physical and emotional faults.
Sprinkled throughout the book are the group's Twelve Traditions, rules formed when they were pledges for the Mademoiselles in their high school days. It's shorthand for their conversations and the bedrock of their friendship, with Tradition 8 being the theme of this book. No beating ourselves or each other up when we blow it.
These ladies and their Red Hat adventures are pure fun.
St. Dale by Sharyn McCrumb
Review by an Anonymous Customer
Long-time readers of Sharyn McCrumb will know her strength lies in her ability to bring to life the traditions and flavors of her Kentucky-Tennessee-Carolina characters. This book is true to that style, but it's a departure from her prior books which focused on the life in those mountain regions.
This novel is a bus-tour pilgrimage along the NASCAR circuit, beginning in Bristol and ending in Daytona. ONly 11 persons make the trip because the tour company could only get 13 tickets for Bristol (Who knew you had to get those durn tickets so far in advance?). Harley Claymore, a washed up driver trying to get a ride, leads the gorup from track to track as each passenger takes a turn placing a wreath somewhere at the track in honor on No. 3, Dale Earnhardt.
Each passenger's tale is told, from the young couple who wed at the Bristol track, to the young New Hampshire boy, who lost his father to a truck accident and is extremely ill himself, accompained by a minister who knows nothing about racing. The latter's lack of insider racing data allows McCrumb through tour guideClaymore to explain all of the racing and Intimidator history required for the story. There's a good deal of racing trivia included.
Each person on the trip, including Harley, has his or her life changed as they visit the tracks and encounter St. Dale and the NASCAR world.
A Taint in the Blood
by Dana Stabenow
Review by Carol Love
Private investigator Kate Shugak is asked to free a woman who was imprisoned for murdering her son 20 years ago. In the process, she must uncover 20 years of secrets in one of Alaska’s most powerful families.
Kate continues to explore a relationship with trooper Jim Chopin while she keeps an eye on Johnny, her dead lover’s son. Stabenow continues to be one of the best in the business!
At Risk
by Stella Rimington
Review by Carol Love
Carlyle, Liz Carlyle. Carlyle is an operative for Britain’s Security Service, MI5. She does not drive expensive cars while in exotic climes, but she does excel at the real work of intelligence - examining and interpreting data. So when the announcement is made that: “The opposition may be about to deploy an invisible.” Carlyle goes into high gear. An invisible is MI5 speak for a terrorist who is an ethnic native of the target country and who can therefore cross its borders unchecked, move around the country unquestioned, and go unnoticed while setting up the foundation for monstrous harm.
To find the entry point, identify the invisible and the target, Carlyle must work with local police officials and a sexist member of MI6, the other British intelligence operation. Is MI6 a competitor or a partner of MI5?
While Carlyle uses her intuitive skills and information from her agents to identify the entry point, she must continue to search out the identity and the intended target. With each passing hour, the danger increases. Can she succeed in time to avert a disaster?
This story moves at a fast, believable clip made even more intriguing by the fact that the author, Stella Rimington, is the former and first woman director general of MI5. A good read.
Skeleton Man
by Tony Hillerman
Review by Carol Love
Once again, master storyteller Tony Hillerman, weaves a story of suspense in Navajo country. Legendary Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn and Sergeant Jim Chee join to investigate what seems to be a simple trading post robbery but of course, with Hillerman, it’s never that simple.
Fifty years ago two airliners collided over the Grand Canyon killing 172 people. One passenger had hand-cuffed to his wrist an attache case filled with a fortune in diamonds - one of which turns up in a trading post robbery. When Chee’s friend, Cowboy Dashee, learns that his mentally disabled cousin is implicated in the robbery, Chee is honor bound to assist in the investigation.
While Chee, Dashee and Chee’s fiance, Bernie Manuelito, descend into the Grand Canyon to a site near the Hopi sacred shrine of the Salt Trail, the daughter of the dead diamond courier is also seeking the source of the diamonds and her father’s body. She, in turn, is being followed by a very unpleasant fellow who is determined to prevent her from finding the diamonds and her father’s arm so as to prevent her from gaining control of the diamonds and her dead father’s massive inheritance. These tales collide deep in the canyon at a place where an old man is trying to build a cult reviving reverence for the Hopi guardian of the underworld. It’s a race to the finish in a thunderous monsoon to see who will survive, who will be brought to justice and who will unearth the Skeleton Man.
Filled with stock Hillerman characters, this book shares Hopi spiritual tales along with a good mystery.
Whiteout
by Ken Follett
Review by Carol Love
The nineteenth-century house built as a Scottish holiday home for a Victorian millionaire is now the home of a research facility where work is focused on finding a drug to fight the ebola virus. In the middle of a fierce Christmas Eve blizzard, Toni Gallo, security director for the research firm, discovers that a cannister of the deadly virus is missing and a lab technician is found dead. Has the deadly virus been set loose upon the world? Will Gallo find the villains in time? Who has the virus now?
The family of the research director has gathered for a Christmas holiday in this raging blizzard. Family relationships begin to unravel under the stress of the holiday, and the arrival of a very strange trio supposedly caught by the weather. Things turn messy and violent as Gallo attempts to find the virus, keep her job and protect the research director from a zealous TV reporter notorious for bending the facts to suit his own purpose.
Follett tells a gripping story with a ring of modern times in it. Is this an act of sabotage by a rival firm? Are Arab terrorists involved? Are militia members from Montana the culprits? You will be on the edge of your seat while you follow Follett as he tells this tale. The next time snow flakes begin to fall, pour yourself a cup of hot tea and snuggle up with Whiteout.
The Broker
by John Grisham
Review by Dottie Danner, Danner's Co-Owner
John Grisham’s latest, The Broker, was released January 11, 2005 and has debuted as #1 on the Book Sense best seller list this week. I agree that it is one of his better books. The suspense stays until it all unfolds in the final chapters.
Joel Backman, a former Washington power broker, has been issued a last minute pardon by the out going president after serving six years of his twenty year sentence in a federal prison.
The CIA believes that Backman has secrets that will neutralize the world’s super satellite surveillance system. Their plan is to leak his whereabouts to the Israelis, The Russians, the Chinese and the Saudis. Then they will sit back and wait to see which one will go after Backman. It is not a question of his surviving, but of who will kill him.
In the Moon of Red Ponies
by James Lee Burke
Review by Carol Love
Is Johnny American Horse, a young Native American, an ecoterrorist as the government contends, or an activist for land preservation and Native American rights as he maintains.
Billy Bob Holland, late of the Texas Rangers, but currently a lawyer in Missoula, Montana, finds quite a web of intrigue when he represents Johnny American Horse on charges of murder leveled by the district attorney.
Johnny isn’t the only intriguing character in this book. There’s Darrel McComb, a Missoula police detective, who is obsessed with Johnny’s girlfriend and ultimately becomes a target of his peers.
What is Seth Masterson, a government agent, doing in town? What role does Wyatt Dixon, a recently released convict who once buried Billy Bob’s wife alive, play in this tangled story? Is any one in Missoula honest and forthright?
Burke carefully untangles the story but not without a pretty high body count and complications which threaten Johnny’s wife and son. A good read which strikes a note of truth about the power of wealth and position wielded against the downtrodden.
Citizen Girl
by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
Review by Heidi Hartter
When I picked up Citizen Girl to read, I was looking forward to reading it because I enjoyed their first novel, The Nanny Diaries. As I started to read I realized it was nothing like the first book.
The more I read, the more I disliked this book. It didn’t have much plot, the characters weren’t engaging, and it was slow in places. It took me a month to finish. I will be somewhat hesitant to read a third book by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus.
(Note: Heidi is leaving Danner’s and Muncie to move to Virginia to be married. We all wish her the very best!)
Becoming Naomi Leon
by Pam Munoz Ryan
Review by Carol Love
Naomi Soledad Leon Outlaw! What a name! Her name is only the beginning of Naomi Soledad Leon Outlaw’s problems. She is living, along with her physically challenged brother, with their great-grandmother in a trailer park bordered by an avocado grove near San Diego.
The mother who abandoned them years ago suddenly reappears in their lives. Will she gain custody or will the children stay with Gram? What do the children want? Does it matter? A somewhat predictable book about this topic, but beautiful language expresses the heroine’s feelings very effectively.
Cold
by John Smolens
Review by Amy Filak
Set in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, this intriguing story begins in a blizzard. Out of the snow comes an escaped prisoner, looking to right the wrongs in his past.
Smolens assembled a colorful and realistic cast of characters that fascinate and disgust you at the same time. As the escapee delves deeper into his past the web of deception and lies becomes more evident, and you will become hooked, emotionally invested.
Smolens writing is akin to Dan Brown. He tells his story in snapshots and keeps you desperate for more.
Brotherhood
by Patrick J. O’Brian
Review by Joy Winslow
An arsonist is loose in Carvers Grove putting a wedge between the new volunteer fire department and the paid city fire department. The Sheridan family, three generations of firefighters, are struggling to keep their family together after the untimely death of their father.
Mike Sheridan, the middle son, has everything a young man could want until events spiral downward changing who he is and what he is.
This book is full of surprises that keep coming up until the very end. I think this has a phenomenal ending!
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (HP#6) by J.K. Rowling Danner’s Books is currently taking pre-orders for the sixth book in the Harry Potter series which is due to be released on July 16th. The book retails for $29.99 plus sales tax. Only pre-paid orders are being accepted.
Jan Karon’s Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader
by Jan Karon
Review by Carol Love
Do you want to live in Mitford? I do! Now, we can come really close thanks to Jan Karon’s newest book. This book is stuffed full of more than 150 recipes interspersed with scenes from the Mitford book which features that particular dish. So, you get the pleasure of drooling over the food while enjoying, again, scenes from Mitford.
Whether you want, as Father Tim would say, the usual...I’m baking a ham or Puny’s Apple Pie or Cynthia's Raspberry Tea or the famous Orange Marmalade Cake of Esther Bolick. This book includes lovely sidebars from Jan Karon, cookin’ tips from Puny and information about Jan Karon’s cooking history.
A fabulous book to give to fans of the Mitford books and to all cookbook fanatics. This book also includes the information that the next book in the series, Light from Heaven, will be the last. So, add the cookbook to your collection for the day when you are in Mitford withdrawal and will need a bite of Esther’s Orange Marmalade Cake to get you through.
A Redbird Christmas
by Fannie Flagg
Review by Joy Winslow
Oswald Campbell is advised by his doctor to leave the harsh Chicago winter as soon as possible. Armed with only a miniscule pension and an outdated brochure for a community in Alabama, Oswald heads South.
What a feel-good book this is with its colorful characters and wish-you-could- find town! A great pick-you- up book for the holiday blahs.
Gideon’s Gift
by Karen Kingsbury
Review by Heidi Hartter
Earl Badgett has given up all hope since he lost his wife and daughter five years ago. He sleeps in alleys and eats food from garbage cans. The last thing he wants is for someone to care. But, that’s exactly what Gideon does - a little eight year old girl who is suffering from leukemia. She certainly never imagined that her gift to him at the mission dinner would lead him to a heart-wrenching re-awakening.
An Unfinished Life
by Mark Spragg
Review by Carol Love
In prose as rich and complex as the Wyoming Bighorn Mountains of the location, this is a story of love, hatred and redemption. Jean Gilkyson with her ten year old daughter, Griff, runs away from her most recent abusive boyfriend to Ishawood, Wyoming. Not happy to be back in the tiny town she grew up in, Jean has no where to turn but to her taciturn father-in-law who blames her for the death of his only son years ago.
Einar Gilkyson chooses to live only because his best friend depends upon his care to survive. Griff is entranced to discover a grandfather of whom she knew nothing and even more fascinated by the seriously injured cowboy in the bunk house.
Spragg weaves all of the relationships in a realistic way that makes the love between grandfather and granddaughter, friend and friend, mother and daughter believable and poignant. A movie based on this book opens December 24th, starring Robert Redford and Morgan Freeman. I’ll be first in line!
The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Holidays
by Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht
Review by Amy Filak
The holidays can be a stressful time. And no matter how well you plan, something always goes wrong. Well, here’s a book that helps. The Worst-Case Scenario provides practical advice like how to keep your tree from toppling over, and fun stuff like creative uses for superfluous fruitcake. This book is both helpful and hilarious. And, it may just help reduce your holiday stress level.
Dearest Dorothy, Are We There Yet?
by Carlene Ann Baumbich
Review by Mary Jo Klingerman
The setting is Partonville, a small town in southern Illinois. Dorothy Jean and friends, members of the Happy Hookers (rug) Club, were introduced in Dorothy Dearest, Slow Down, You’re Wearing Us Out. Back again to share with the reader the solving of the problems, and enjoying the good times of the group. Again proving that life in a small town are never dull. Dorothy is trying to decide about selling her farm to a developer: May Belle is dealing with constant concern for her mentally challenged son; and most exciting, Kate Durbin is coming from Chicago to settle her aunt’s estate. And when things get a bit beyond them they all know that they can always ask or tell the Lord to step in.
A light inspirational read.
Northern Lights
by Nora Roberts
Review by Carol Love
Lunacy, Alaska has a population of 506, and someone is determined to reduce the population through murder. Nate Burke, the new police chief, is trying to find solace in small town Alaska, after watching his partner gunned down while serving as a cop in Baltimore. Lunacy appears to be a quiet non-violent little town until an avalanche exposes a body with an axe in his chest.
Is the murder too old to solve? Is the subsequent death a suicide or the act of a murderer afraid of being discovered? The villagers who live in Lunacy are stock Roberts characters, including the gorgeous blonde who wears red and flies a red airplane all over the Alaskan bush. At 562 pages this is a LONG book and perhaps not one of Roberts best.
If you really want to read about Alaska, try Dana Stabenow’s Kate Shugak mystery series - fabulous!
Arthur’s Thanksgiving
by Marc Brown
Review by Joy Winslow
This lovable aardvark finds out how thankful he is to have family and friends, when chosen to direct the school’s Thanksgiving play. Who will be brave enough to be the most important roll...The Turkey?!
Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
by Charles Schulz
Review by Joy Winslow
Everyone has decided to spend Thanksgiving at Charlie Brown’s house, and he is not even going to be there. How can he make dinner for his seven friends and still make it to Grandma’s? And the true burning question, is Snoopy a good cook?
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
by Mark Haddon
Review by Heidi Hartter
Christopher John Francis Boone wants to find out who killed Wellington, Mrs. Shear’s dog. He writes his story in his journal using only prime numbers as chapter breaks. Through the course of his investigation, he discovers shocking news about his father and his mother. Does Christopher find out who killed Wellington and does he get a grade A on his A-level math exam?
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Eventide
by Kent Haruf
Review by Carol Love
A National Book Award finalist for Plainsong, Kent Haruf picks up the strands of the lives of the inhabitants of Holt, Colorado. Not only does he revisit the McPheron brothers and Victoria Roubideaux, but he introduces us to new members of the community: DJ, who lives with his grandfather and shoulders responsibilities beyond his years; Joy Rae and Richie, children of disabled parents, who endure the taunts of classmates as well as abuse from an uncle; Rose Tyler, a social worker in touch with a side of the community most people choose not to see. Haruf makes regular, everyday life engrossing and profoundly moving.
Septimus Heap Book One: Magyk
by Angie Sage
Review by Susan Danner, Danner's Owner
This was an advance reading copy from the publisher, HarperCollins, that just happened to catch my eye. Now you all know what an avid Harry Potter fan I am, and that I’ve been looking for books to satisfy my HPD (Harry Potter Deprivation). Well, I’ve found a book that does just that.
Septimus Heap is the seventh son of a seventh son. Anyone who knows anything about magic knows that Septimus birth order just had to make him magic. The only problem is that EVERYONE knows this.
Shortly after his birth, Septimus mysteriously dies and is whisked away by the midwife. Within a few days his father happens upon a tiny babe, warmly wrapped by the side of a forest path. Seeing no one around, he takes the baby home to his family and she becomes one of the Heaps - the only girl in a family of six boys.
As the story progresses you learn that the forces of the dark are plotting to take over the entire kingdom and that everyone who is not on their side is in danger.
The Heap family makes for the home of an aunt on an island in the marshlands. They do arrive, but not without many horrible incidents. All’s well that ends well, but my what an interesting trail of suspense and magic there is to get to the end.
This book will be released in March 2005.
I have had a couple of my friends who are also avid Harry fans read this and we all agree - MOVE OVER HARRY! J.K. Rowling has met her match. This book is just as good if not better than Harry. It is geared for fifth grade and up, just like Harry, and is over 500 pages long.
So, in March while we’re all waiting for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to be released by Scholastic, remember this book and give it a read. I think you’ll be surprised and very glad you did!
No, we do not know when Harry #VI will be released. We and everyone else are guessing the summer of 2005. Yes, we will have another huge party for the book’s release. As soon as we know the date, we’ll start selling the book. Last time the public knew the release date before we did. Keep watching and listening and checking out the websites.
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Cranberry Thanksgiving
by Wende and Harry Devlin
Review by Amy Filak
As a young girl I read this book every Thanksgiving. When I got older, I read it to my little brother and sister every year. In fact Grandma’s copy was pretty tattered, a sure sign of a great book.
This classic tale takes place on a cranberry farm and illustrates a lesson of good will. The illustrations are cozy and the story is great for children of all ages.
The book even comes with a recipe for Grandmother’s Famous Cranberry Bread, a treat for the whole family!
The Gift of You
by Dr. Bill McCord
Review by John Malzahn
Why do you always start singing when you hear a certain song on the radio? What is there about that old wooden ladder in the garage that makes you think of your father with a lump in the throat? Why can’t you pass up a Salvation Army kettle at Christmas time without making a contribution?
From questions like these to the background behind major life decisions like why you work at the job you do or how you met your spouse, Dr. Bill McCord’s intriguing book, The Gift of You, is a wonderful experience in self-discovery. Then, moving beyond self-discovery, McCord’s central theme is how to pass on a legacy of the heart, not just an inheritance of money or property, to those you love.
Endorsed by the late Mr. Rogers and with a forward by best-selling author, Dr. Bernie Siegel, The Gift of You, helps you clarify and articulate what really matters to you and why you live the way you do. Coming out of the author’s own experience of grieving the loss of a significant relationship without really knowing the deceased’s inner story, this volume will touch you with more real life stories., practical suggestions and non-threatening strategies to celebrate and pass on your greatest legacy, your life story, the gift of you!
The Salem Witch Trials:An Unsolved Mystery from History
by Jane Yolen and Heidi Yolen Stemple
Review by Joy Winslow
It’s Halloween, time to think about ghouls, goblins and witches. This story is told through detective style notes accompanying the story of Salem Village, Massachusetts in 1692 and its alleged cases of witchcraft.
Various scenarios are given at the end of the book for the young reader to draw conclusions.
I found this book both insightful and thought-provoking. Websites are given to encourage the reader to learn more.
Wicked
by Gregory Maguire
Review by Heidi Hartter
Elphaba, the wicked witch of the west in E. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz, tells her side of the story in Wicked by Gregory Maguire.
Elphaba wasn’t born evil. She was just misunderstood by everyone - through school, college and boyfriends. She becomes wicked because of jealousy of her sister, the good witch. When Dorothy comes to kill her, she demands that Dorothy give her the red shoes ... Dorothy doesn’t want to kill her. What really happens?
It
by Stephen King
Review by Amy Filak
The first time I read this book, I had to call for my father to turn out my light. I was certain that It was under my bed, waiting for an appendage to grab.
That was back in sixth grade, but I still hold my breath when I read this book. King’s expert use of description paints horrific images that you simply can’t let go of. This thick novel is not for the faint of heart. It is raunchy, violent and bloody. But what better to read for Halloween? I hope you don’t like clowns, because this book will cure you of that!
The Trophy Hunt
by C.J. Box
Review by Carol Love
Wyoming game warden, Joe Pickett, finds a mutilated moose in the meadow while returning from a quiet fishing trip with his two young daughters. Next come mutilated cows, a cowboy and a ground water specialist. Is Jack the Ripper on the loose in the Bighorn Mountains of northern Wyoming or is a rogue grizzly who has wandered out of Yellowstone the villain?
Author C.J. Box addresses some of the environmental issues being raised by methane gas drilling in the arid northeastern Wyoming area while unraveling the mystery behind the mutilations.
Intertwined within the mystery is the story of Joe’s relationship with his wife Marybeth and his daughters Sheridan and Lucy.
Author C.J. Box, a native of Wyoming, has written four other books in the Joe Pickett series. While each is a well written independent mystery, all the books in the series are recommended.
By a Spider’s Thread
by Laura Lippman
Review by Barb Garringer
By a Spider’s Web is a mystery involving a Jewish family, weaving a complex web of family members. The plot involves how the family members relate to money, personal family life, marriage and each other with a plot that covers four generation. A quick mystery read for an evening.
Moneyball
by Michael Lewis
Review by Dr. Vince Filak
Moneyball Michael Lewis provides readers with a geek’s-eye view of baseball. Lewis’ deft writing outlines a fascinating paradox: how a sport so dominated by statistics can remain so illiterate in understanding which ones matter? Moneyball tells the story of Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane, a once-great prospect who washed out under the weight of unrealistic expections. Beane runs a club that is consistently outspent by the majority of other teams and yet manages to remain a playoff contender. Lewis’ use of historical background, colorful characters and common sense allows the reader to experience a logical awakening of his or her own: that Beane’s approach to baseball makes sense. This book is a must for baseball fans, especially those who hate the Yankees’ 'buy every player' approach to the game.
The Passion of Artemisia
by Susan Vreeland
Review by Amy Filak
Imagine living in the 1600’s, being a female painter and being raped by your father’s business partner. How can you reconcile this within yourself as well as your community? How can you promote yourself as a painter when a false reputation precedes you? This novel addresses these questions in a fictional representation of Artemisia Gentileschi, friend of Galileo and master painter. Although this account is fictional the fascinating story is based on documented facts. This book is not brand new, but it is beautifully written and not to be missed.
Skinny Dip
by Carl Hiaasen
Review by Dottie Danner, Danner's Co-Owner
Chaz Perrone is fearful that his wife will expose his lack of knowledge in marine science and the fact that he is only in it to make a killing. On a cruise to celebrate their second anniversary, he throws her overboard.
However, Joey doesn’t die. She is plucked from the water by former cop Mick Strehan. Together they plot to haunt Chaz until he finally gives.
If you want a few hours of pure escape, this is the book for you. It is a bit risque, but you will find yourself rooting for Joey to give it to Chaz and his cohorts.
I thoroughly enjoyed Skinny Dip and hope that you will, too.
Moth Gift Shop
Review by Joy Winslow
My recommendation this month is not a book to read, but fun ways to express yourself. We have journals in different styles for different tastes to fill with your memoirs or possibly a diary, or even just an address book.
Moth Gift Shop has fun ink pens to use with your journals, as well as unique jewelry to wear to school (or office), and one-of-a-kind items to decorate your new dorm room or apartment Come check us out for back to school!
Founding Mothers
by Cokie Roberts
Review by Lisa D. Anderson
This is a fascinating book as well as a look at the women who had a hand in the forming of our nation during the 1700’s. It begins with Deborah Read Franklin and goes to Martha Washington’s days as the first First Lady of the United States. It is organized into periods of events and the years they took place. It is a public and private text regarding the rewards and trials of the wives of the founding fathers as they sacrificed their husbands for public service. Unlike many in-depth biographies of those of the Revolutionary period, Cokie Roberts’ book is not overwhelming.
If you are a history buff and a fan of this particular historical time in United States history, you should not be disappointed.
Sam’s Letters to Jennifer
by James Patterson
Review by Lisa D. Anderson
This book is a little different than the usual literary fare of James Patterson as I understand it. Patterson asks in the book’s jacket introduction: Have you ever gotten a letter that changed your life completely? In this book, the main character, Jennifer, is summoned back to her childhood town after her grandma has suffered a fall that caused her to be hospitalized for an extended time period. Her grandma’sname is 'Sam' which is short for Samantha so for those who initially thought 'Sam' is a male writing love letters, you are in for a nice surprise even though now it is no longer one. Sam has written Jennifer a series of letters that are pieces of the story of Sam’s life that will completely change Jennifer’s life. This book is actually an intertwining of two love stories full of unending pain, hope and emotions. Try it if you want a good 'escape' kind of read.
Indigo’s Star
by Hilary McKay
Review by Louise Head
The Casson family live a very different life. Both parents are artists. Dad lives in London and comes home occasionally. Mom has a studio in the shed at the end of the walk behind the house where she lives with the children.
The children’s names have been chosen from Mom’s color chart that hangs in the kitchen. The oldest is Cadmium, better known as Caddy.
She is nineteen and is attending college in London. Next is Saffron, who is actually a cousin who was adopted when her mother died. She is fourteen and has a best friend Sarah who spends much of her time at the Casson house. The hero of the story is Indigo, a thirteen year old boy, who is just recovering from a bout of mono and returning to school for the final term before the summer holidays. The youngest is Rose, eight years old and an artist in her own right. Her current project is a mural on the kitchen wall that includes all the family members and close friends. (Dad is represented by a shark.)
Indigo has been the victim of the school’s gang of bullies for the past year. Now, they have found a new victim. Tom likes to tell tall tales bout his parents and his life in the States. According to Tom, his father is an astronaut and his mother is a park ranger caring for the bears at Yellowstone. Indigo and Tom team up for protection and Tom is welcomed as a member of the Casson household, especially by a very enamored Rose.
Tom learns the true meaning of family while Indigo learns to deal with his fears. Rose keeps things lively while trying to get 'Darling Daddy' to come home by writing letters about terrible things that she thinks might bring him home.
This is a delightful story that looks at the problems faced by children growing up in divided families.
The Protector
by Dee Henderson
Review by Barb Gill
This is book four in the O’Malley series. The O’Malley series centers around seven orphans that formed their own family. All the O’Malleys are professionals and all are unique in their personalities. Jack O’Malley is the brother that is always ready with a joke and can add levity to any situation. He is a firefighter by profession. He is fearless when it comes to fighting fires. He becomes rattled, though, when a co-worker, Cassie is severely injured in a fire. Her faith in God leaves Jack wondering how a fair God can cause such pain. There is an arsonist loose in Jack’s district. The threat becomes real when he becomes part of the target. The thought that the fires might be set by another fireman adds stress and suspicion to the firefighters’ lives.
Dee Henderson teases you with possibilities of who the arsonist might be. If you are not familiar with a firefighter’s life or lingo, Dee Henderson’s research into the subject of firefighting adds realism to the novel and educates the reader in the life and lingo of a firefighter. As with her other novels, it is difficult to guess the outcome. She also brings into the novel the other O’Malleys, which connects this book with the others. However, each of the O’Malley books can be enjoyed alone or in the series.
Sins of the Father by Patrick J. O’Brian
Review by Joy Winslow
This is book three of the West Baden Murders trilogy. Paul Clouse is faced with another Halloween, surviving the last by the skin of his teeth.
Hoping beyond all hope that his nightmare is over, Clouse looks ahead to the future. His look ahead is cut short as the killings begin again, striking an even more personal chord with Clouse this time. The killer knows everything about Clouse and where he goes.
The full history of the West Baden Hotel holds the key to stopping this lunatic and the madness surrounding the hotel. The story wraps up with quite a surprise you won’t see coming.
The Queen of the Big Time
by Adriana Trigiani
Review by Dottie Danner, Danner's Co-Owner
The Castellucas family joined their neighbors in a mass migration from Italy to the United States in the late 1800s. They create Roseto, Pennsylvania, a prototype of their former home. The big celebration each year is in honor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, or the Big Time, as called by the young ladies who compete to be Queen of the Big Time.
In 1924 Nella, the middle daughter of five Castellucas is chosen to further her education in Roseto. She longs for a life in town, away from the farm life of her hard working parents. After a year in town, her father has an accident which requires her to return home and work with her family to maintain the farm.
Nella has met Renato Lanzara, a handsome older poet who sweeps her off her feet. She is sure this romance will lead to marriage but that is not to be when Renato disappears without an explanation. He suddenly returns on the eve of Nella’s marriage to Franco Zallerano four years later. Renato has chosen a most unexpected future, and they are forced to live and work in Roseta with their past hanging over them.
Trigiani weaves a story of the life of a strong, determined woman that is compelling and moving.
Everyday Matters
by Danny Gregory
Review by Kelly Gammon
Danny Gregory was just an ordinary guy living and working in New York City. A few months after their son was born, his wife was hit by a subway train and paralyzed from the waist down.
Two years later, still struggling to come to terms with the multitude of changes thrust upon him and his family by that event, he took up drawing as a way to cope.
Everyday Matters is part-sketchbook, part-journal and chronicles how he begins to make sense of his life again. It’s both simple and substantial at the same time.
The title refers to that fact that he draws the ba sic elements of his everyday life (e.g. medicine cabinet, ceiling light) and through his drawing finds the importance of every day in the everyday. His story is very moving and how he relates it is very inspirational yet his sense of humor keeps things light. It’s a short book and an easy read, but one that’s bound to make an impression
The Time Traveler’s Wife
by Audrey Niffenegger
Review by an Anonymous Customer
This is a wonderful, but not too mushy, love story with deeper themes intermingled. The story is told as a narrative by Henry (the time traveler) and his wife Clare. Henry has no control over when he will vanish and travel into a different time. When he arrives, he is always naked and usually hungry. He has learned to borrow (or steal) what is needed to survive. He never stays in the place he has traveled to for very long, and when he returns he is again naked and hungry.
The reader follows Clare’s life as she grows and matures. She first meets Henry in a meadow near her house. She is six years old and Henry is 36. At that age, in her childlike naivete, she accepts that Henry can travel in time. She has no idea that she will meet him in her future and will marry him.
Henry, at times, seems omniscient. Because he travels from his present to the past but remains the age he was when he left, he retains his memory of his past and seems to know all. This, at times, frustrates Clare. On rare occasion he travels to the future. This experience bothers him more.
The characters are well developed and the story is compelling. I found the book one that I could put down. This could be a good thing, though, when you’re life beckons you to other deeds. But when I picked it back up again, I found myself immersed in the life of Clare and Henry.
At the end of the book, the author has included some thought provoking questions for independent consideration or group discussion. It is well worth the read on a lazy summer day.
Digital Fortress
by Dan Brown
Review by Susan Danner, Danner's Co-Owner
Just as good as Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. I couldn’t put it down.
Art of Mending
by Elizabeth Berg
Review by Joy Winslow
Every family has its secrets. Laura thought she knew everything
about her family and took it all at face value.
When Laura (now middle-aged with a family of her own) goes back
home for her annual family get together, she is confronted by her
younger sister, Caroline, about truths unseen by herself and her
brother, Steve. Laura must decide how to mend all that has come
undone in the family structure she thought had been so solid.
I find this novel to hit very close to home for a lot of readers,
and is well worth the read!
Just One Look
by Harlan Coben
Review by Dottie Danner, Danner's Co-Owner
Grace Lawson picks up a set of family photos from the Photomat,
wanting to look at them right away, but needing to pick up Emma
and Max at school. She doesn't find time until she arrives home
and sees inserted among the pictures one that obviously does not belong.
When her husband, Jack, saw the picture he reacted very strangely.
Later he left without telling her where he was going, and the mystery begins.
Eighteen years ago, Grace had been badly injured in a stampede at a
rock concert. While recovering she went to France to paint. There she
met Jack. They returned to the United States and li