1. Just finished Jeff Lindsay's fourth installment in his Dexter series, Dexter by Design. When his sister is stabbed in the line of duty, our favorite serial killer tracks down the person he thinks is responsible. But this time Dexter's made a rare mistake, and somebody's out for revenge. What's a psychopathic predator to do when the tables are turned and he becomes the prey?
2. Currently wrapped up in American On Purpose, Craig Ferguson's hilarious, heartbreaking memoir of his misadventures on the road from substance-abusing Scottish punk rocker to sober comedian with his own late-night TV show - and an American citizen. Enjoying it immensely, even if I'm never up late enough to catch Craig's show!
3. Next up will be An Echo in the Bone, the long (long, long, long)-awaited next chapter in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. I can't wait to see what Claire and Jamie Fraser are up to, as the American Revolution gets closer and closer; and whatever happened to their daughter Brianna and her family, once they returned to the twentieth century? I'm not even going to peek at the last page on this one - I'd rather be surprised.
How about you? What have you read lately that you want to tell us about?
--Nora
Showing posts with label What we're reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label What we're reading. Show all posts
Monday, September 28, 2009
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Another vote for The Strain
Tammy H. has already mentioned The Strain, by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. Here's another endorsement from a library staff member:
I've just finished reading the The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan and I must say I really loved it. After I finished reading it, I realized that this is how vampires are supposed to be - SCARY! They only see humans as a means for their survival and their goal is to finally conquer the human race. Literally, they're out for blood. So much for brooding, sexy vampires with feelings!
--Greta N.
I've just finished reading the The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan and I must say I really loved it. After I finished reading it, I realized that this is how vampires are supposed to be - SCARY! They only see humans as a means for their survival and their goal is to finally conquer the human race. Literally, they're out for blood. So much for brooding, sexy vampires with feelings!
--Greta N.
Friday, June 12, 2009
(More) What I'm Reading
The Last Child, by John Hart
I've been a John Hart fan since his first novel, The King of Lies. The author recently spoke at the North Regional Branch and stated that he thought this novel was his best yet. I have to agree. If you haven't yet discovered John Hart, what are you waiting for? In Last Child, young girls are disappearing in an unnamed rural NC town and 12 year-old Johnny is determined to find his twin sister, who's among the missing. What he unearths is more sinister than anyone imagined, sending shock waves through the community and putting Johnny's own life in danger. This is an excellent read that I couldn't put down.
The Strain, by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan
Tired of sexy, sensitive vampires? Well, here's an alternative for you! From the creator of the Academy Award-winning Pan's Labyrinth, this novel reminded me of why vampires scared the heck out of me as a kid. The blurb says it all: They have always been here. Vampires. Nesting and Feeding. In secret and in darkness. Waiting. Now their time has come. In one week, Manhattan will be gone. In three months, the country. In six months -- the World. This is a great read -- it grabs you by the throat (pun intended) and doesn't let go. It's the first installment in a trilogy.
Relentless, by Dean Koontz
I've been a Koontz fan for years, but his recent novels were a disappointment. This novel reminded me why I am a fan. Relentless is a great read and fast-paced. Filled with quirky characters and a hint of the supernatural, it had me reading into the wee hours of the morning.
--Tammy H.
I've been a John Hart fan since his first novel, The King of Lies. The author recently spoke at the North Regional Branch and stated that he thought this novel was his best yet. I have to agree. If you haven't yet discovered John Hart, what are you waiting for? In Last Child, young girls are disappearing in an unnamed rural NC town and 12 year-old Johnny is determined to find his twin sister, who's among the missing. What he unearths is more sinister than anyone imagined, sending shock waves through the community and putting Johnny's own life in danger. This is an excellent read that I couldn't put down.
The Strain, by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan
Tired of sexy, sensitive vampires? Well, here's an alternative for you! From the creator of the Academy Award-winning Pan's Labyrinth, this novel reminded me of why vampires scared the heck out of me as a kid. The blurb says it all: They have always been here. Vampires. Nesting and Feeding. In secret and in darkness. Waiting. Now their time has come. In one week, Manhattan will be gone. In three months, the country. In six months -- the World. This is a great read -- it grabs you by the throat (pun intended) and doesn't let go. It's the first installment in a trilogy.
Relentless, by Dean Koontz
I've been a Koontz fan for years, but his recent novels were a disappointment. This novel reminded me why I am a fan. Relentless is a great read and fast-paced. Filled with quirky characters and a hint of the supernatural, it had me reading into the wee hours of the morning.
--Tammy H.
Monday, June 8, 2009
What I'm Reading
What better way to kick off the library's Summer Reading Program than a review of the things I'm currently reading? Over the weekend I finished a couple of books, one older, one new; tore through a memoir by a famous son of famous parents; and began a historical thriller.
--from 1997, Night in Eden, by Candice Proctor. Historical romance. Convicted and transported to New South Wales, Bryony Wentworth finds herself drawn to Hayden St. John, the enigmatic landowner who's arranged for her to be wet nurse to his infant son. It's been a while since I read a genre historical romance, and this one delivered on all the levels I expected it to.
--just published, Losing Mum and Pup: A Memoir. Christopher Buckley recalls the nine-month period between the deaths of his parents, William and Patricia Buckley. The author draws a very personal portrait of two complex and at times contradictory personalities. They loved each other to the end, but often didn't speak for weeks at a time. They were a glamorous couple, but Bill was "a bit of a slob," while Christopher never found Pat more beautiful than when she was gardening in jeans and an old T-shirt. You'll laugh; you'll cry. Don't miss the chapter where Christo tells his dying mother, "I forgive you."
--also just out, The Secret Speech, the follow-up novel to Tom Rob Smith's blockbuster debut Child 44. It's 1956 and the Soviet Union is beginning to loosen up just a fraction three years after the death of Stalin. Former secret policeman Leo Demidov struggles to adjust to new political and personal realities. I've just started this book (only on p. 28), but I have no doubt I'm going to relish this as much as I did Child 44.
What about you? What are you reading?
--Nora
--from 1997, Night in Eden, by Candice Proctor. Historical romance. Convicted and transported to New South Wales, Bryony Wentworth finds herself drawn to Hayden St. John, the enigmatic landowner who's arranged for her to be wet nurse to his infant son. It's been a while since I read a genre historical romance, and this one delivered on all the levels I expected it to.
--just published, Losing Mum and Pup: A Memoir. Christopher Buckley recalls the nine-month period between the deaths of his parents, William and Patricia Buckley. The author draws a very personal portrait of two complex and at times contradictory personalities. They loved each other to the end, but often didn't speak for weeks at a time. They were a glamorous couple, but Bill was "a bit of a slob," while Christopher never found Pat more beautiful than when she was gardening in jeans and an old T-shirt. You'll laugh; you'll cry. Don't miss the chapter where Christo tells his dying mother, "I forgive you."
--also just out, The Secret Speech, the follow-up novel to Tom Rob Smith's blockbuster debut Child 44. It's 1956 and the Soviet Union is beginning to loosen up just a fraction three years after the death of Stalin. Former secret policeman Leo Demidov struggles to adjust to new political and personal realities. I've just started this book (only on p. 28), but I have no doubt I'm going to relish this as much as I did Child 44.
What about you? What are you reading?
--Nora
Thursday, May 7, 2009
What I'm Reading: Michael Robotham
I just finished reading Michael Robotham’s newest novel, Shatter. This is Robotham’s fourth book, and the third to feature clinical psychologist, Joe O’Loughlin. O’Loughlin is a fascinating character, a skilled therapist with an uncanny ability to read people and discern their motives. Oh, and he has Parkinson’s Disease. “Parkinson’s is not incurable,” he says. “There is a cure; they just haven’t found it yet.” Robotham’s novels are complex and sharply plotted, resulting in thoughtful and subtle thrillers with credible three-dimensional characters.
The first book in the series is called Suspect, and in this book, Joe himself is the suspect when he is arrested for murder by London homicide inspector Vincent Ruiz. This is also when he is diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Joe is eventually cleared of the murder, and he and Ruiz become friends and collaborators.
The second book is called Lost, and in it, Detective Ruiz is hauled out of the Thames with a bullet wound in his leg and no memory of how it got there or the week preceding the shooting. He contacts Joe to help him reconstruct the missing pieces of his memory, and is aided by his partner, Alisha Barba, a young Sikh woman.
The third book is The Night Ferry, and it features Ali (recovering from an injury sustained in Lost) and her partner, Detective Inspector Vincent Ruiz. In this story, an old college friend of Ali’s contacts her, claiming that she’s in trouble and needs Ali’s help. Before the visibly pregnant friend can explain, she and her husband are killed in a hit-and-run, then it’s discovered that the pregnancy was faked. Ali and Ruiz end up in Amsterdam, on the trail of an international baby-selling conspiracy.
In "Shatter," Joe is back, and he and his family have moved to Somerset. Joe is teaching part-time at the University of Bath when he’s asked to help talk a potential suicide out of jumping. He fails, but then discovers that the “suicide” is not what it seems. Joe enlists the help of the now-retired Vincent Ruiz, and they go up against a twisted, ex-military interrogator who uses psychological techniques to destroy people.
--Sana M
The first book in the series is called Suspect, and in this book, Joe himself is the suspect when he is arrested for murder by London homicide inspector Vincent Ruiz. This is also when he is diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Joe is eventually cleared of the murder, and he and Ruiz become friends and collaborators.
The second book is called Lost, and in it, Detective Ruiz is hauled out of the Thames with a bullet wound in his leg and no memory of how it got there or the week preceding the shooting. He contacts Joe to help him reconstruct the missing pieces of his memory, and is aided by his partner, Alisha Barba, a young Sikh woman.
The third book is The Night Ferry, and it features Ali (recovering from an injury sustained in Lost) and her partner, Detective Inspector Vincent Ruiz. In this story, an old college friend of Ali’s contacts her, claiming that she’s in trouble and needs Ali’s help. Before the visibly pregnant friend can explain, she and her husband are killed in a hit-and-run, then it’s discovered that the pregnancy was faked. Ali and Ruiz end up in Amsterdam, on the trail of an international baby-selling conspiracy.
In "Shatter," Joe is back, and he and his family have moved to Somerset. Joe is teaching part-time at the University of Bath when he’s asked to help talk a potential suicide out of jumping. He fails, but then discovers that the “suicide” is not what it seems. Joe enlists the help of the now-retired Vincent Ruiz, and they go up against a twisted, ex-military interrogator who uses psychological techniques to destroy people.
--Sana M
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
New Arrival: The Servants' Quarters
Over the weekend I read a book we’d just received, The Servants’ Quarters, by Lynn Freed. It’s a cross between a coming-of-age novel, a retelling of Beauty and the beast, and (in an odd way) Gigi. I’ve had time to think about it and I’m still not sure what to make of this book.
In the decade after World War II, ten-year-old Cressida lives with her family in reduced circumstances. Her father’s in a coma following an accident on the golf course, her socially ambitious mother is trying to ingratiate herself with the local version of the upper crust, and her older, not-too-bright sister finds herself in a precarious position. Her corner of South Africa is far from Europe, but Cressida becomes obsessed with the Holocaust, which she learns about in a couple of her father’s books; the family is Jewish, and she’s convinced that the Germans are coming to get her.
Enter George Harding, the mysterious former RAF pilot who lives up the hill and goes to great lengths to hide the scars he got in a terrible wartime plane crash. Mr. Harding invites the family to come live on his estate, in the empty carriage house. At first Cressida fears him almost as much as she does her imaginary German pursuers, but she soon becomes accustomed to him. She’s supposed to be a playmate to Mr. Harding’s nephew Edgar, but Edgar is not nearly as interesting as his uncle. For his part, the estate owner recognizes a special quality in Cressida, one that her grasping mother can’t, and he begins a gradual process of grooming the child, now teen, now young woman. But to what end?
It’s a quick read. The story moves along at a pretty brisk pace. In addition to Cressida and Mr. Harding, there are a number of wonderful characters: Phineas, the Zulu manservant; Miranda, Cressida’s hapless sister; old Mrs. Harding, George’s dotty mother who’s not quite as senile as she lets on. And then there’s Cressida’s mother, a social climber of the worst sort, unctuous and insinuating. In some ways she reminded me of Mrs. Bennett from Pride and Prejudice, only slightly less stupid and way more unpleasant. I enjoyed the South African setting, at once exotic and somewhat familiar (it reminded me of another recent book set in 1950s South Africa, the mystery A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn).
As I said up at the top of the page, though, I’m still not sure what to make of this book. The climax unfolds somewhat abruptly, and the coda struck me as just a little rushed, to the point that I wasn’t quite sure why Cressida, whom I thought I’d gotten to know over the course of the novel, would do the things she did. But that’s a minor quibble, considering how much I liked everything that came before. I’m betting this will be a great title for a book club!
If you enjoy coming-of-age novels, if you’d like reading about a different part of the world, or if you’re interested in characters who learn to look beyond what they see to find the beauty in each other, I would recommend The Servants’ Quarters to you. Call or go online to our catalog to reserve your copy today.
--Nora
In the decade after World War II, ten-year-old Cressida lives with her family in reduced circumstances. Her father’s in a coma following an accident on the golf course, her socially ambitious mother is trying to ingratiate herself with the local version of the upper crust, and her older, not-too-bright sister finds herself in a precarious position. Her corner of South Africa is far from Europe, but Cressida becomes obsessed with the Holocaust, which she learns about in a couple of her father’s books; the family is Jewish, and she’s convinced that the Germans are coming to get her.
Enter George Harding, the mysterious former RAF pilot who lives up the hill and goes to great lengths to hide the scars he got in a terrible wartime plane crash. Mr. Harding invites the family to come live on his estate, in the empty carriage house. At first Cressida fears him almost as much as she does her imaginary German pursuers, but she soon becomes accustomed to him. She’s supposed to be a playmate to Mr. Harding’s nephew Edgar, but Edgar is not nearly as interesting as his uncle. For his part, the estate owner recognizes a special quality in Cressida, one that her grasping mother can’t, and he begins a gradual process of grooming the child, now teen, now young woman. But to what end?
It’s a quick read. The story moves along at a pretty brisk pace. In addition to Cressida and Mr. Harding, there are a number of wonderful characters: Phineas, the Zulu manservant; Miranda, Cressida’s hapless sister; old Mrs. Harding, George’s dotty mother who’s not quite as senile as she lets on. And then there’s Cressida’s mother, a social climber of the worst sort, unctuous and insinuating. In some ways she reminded me of Mrs. Bennett from Pride and Prejudice, only slightly less stupid and way more unpleasant. I enjoyed the South African setting, at once exotic and somewhat familiar (it reminded me of another recent book set in 1950s South Africa, the mystery A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn).
As I said up at the top of the page, though, I’m still not sure what to make of this book. The climax unfolds somewhat abruptly, and the coda struck me as just a little rushed, to the point that I wasn’t quite sure why Cressida, whom I thought I’d gotten to know over the course of the novel, would do the things she did. But that’s a minor quibble, considering how much I liked everything that came before. I’m betting this will be a great title for a book club!
If you enjoy coming-of-age novels, if you’d like reading about a different part of the world, or if you’re interested in characters who learn to look beyond what they see to find the beauty in each other, I would recommend The Servants’ Quarters to you. Call or go online to our catalog to reserve your copy today.
--Nora
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
What I’m reading right now
I just finished reading a pre-publication copy of I’m down, a bittersweet memoir by Mishna Wollf. Growing up, the author had a hard time fitting in anywhere, at home or at school. Her dad refused to accept the fact that he was white and insisted that the family live in one of Seattle’s predominantly black neighborhoods. To make matters worse, Mishna was one of the only poor students at the elite school she attended. The book is hilarious and heartbreaking, often on the same page. Look for it at the library in June.
Returned today: an inspirational novel, The Passion of Mary-Margaret by Lisa Samson. The title character, an orphan living on the Maryland coast, is just about to take her final vows as a religious sister, when Jesus pays her a visit to tell her He’s got something else in mind for her. How she makes the adjustment, submits to God’s will, and learns about herself and those around her, added up to an enjoyable read for me.
How about you? What book is currently holding your attention?
--Nora
Returned today: an inspirational novel, The Passion of Mary-Margaret by Lisa Samson. The title character, an orphan living on the Maryland coast, is just about to take her final vows as a religious sister, when Jesus pays her a visit to tell her He’s got something else in mind for her. How she makes the adjustment, submits to God’s will, and learns about herself and those around her, added up to an enjoyable read for me.
How about you? What book is currently holding your attention?
--Nora
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