A Bell for Adano

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I have this friend who occasionally recommends books to me. The only problem is that she’s much smarter than I am, so I tend to smile sweetly and completely ignore her suggestions, assuming that her recommendations will be completely over my head. This is the second time that I have found that reaction to be at my own peril. For months now, I have been avoiding A Bell for Adano by John Hersey, but since it was at the top of my list and I was sick of feeling guilty seeing it there, I broke down and read it, preparing to suffer through.

Of course, it was one of the funniest books I ever read. Hersey writes the story of Major Joppolo, an American soldier in charge of the Italian village of Adano after taking it back from the Germans during World War 2. Joppolo is a good man who just wants life to be better for the people of Adano, but he faces one obstacle after another. The many characters of this small village and the American military provide Hersey with plenty of comic material, as well as a story of human kindness.

Kissing Games of the World

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In Kissing Games of the World by Sandi Kahn Shelton, Harris Goddard’s death complicates things for more than just his grandson, Christopher, whom he has raised since the boy’s mother died four days after he was born. Harris’s death is extremely inconvenient for Nate, Christopher’s father, who can’t imagine fitting a 5 year-old into his workaholic lifestyle. Jamie, Harris’s housemate, is broken-hearted by the loss of her dear friend, as well as the knowledge that she and her son, Arley, will lose Christopher and will no longer be able to live in the house she’s grown to love. She’s also embarrassed by the fact that when the paramedics came, they found her in somewhat questionable circumstances.

So when Nate and Jamie meet, she thinks he’s a horrible father who is separating her from a child she loves. Nate thinks Jamie has set up a questionable living arrangement, hoping to get her hands on Harris’s money. They tolerate each other in order to survive the situation and learn some lessons along the way.

Holiday Treats

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There’s nothing better for getting in the spirit of the season than to curl up in a comfy chair with a cup of spiced cider and a holiday book. We still have a cart full of festive treasures set up next to the information desk on the first floor. Here’s a sampling of what’s waiting for you:

A Family Christmas – introduced and selected by Caroline Kennedy
Caroline Kennedy has established a reputation as an excellent anthologist. In the past she has created collections of poems and patriotic works that are respected and well loved. Here Caroline focuses her own family traditions, presenting a charming collection of favorite Christmas tales to those who love to celebrate the spirit of the holidays.

Angela and the Baby Jesus by Frank McCourt with illustrations by Loren Long
The author of the Pulitzer Prize winning Angela’s Ashes writes a story about Angela as a child, who feels sorry for the baby Jesus in the manger at her church and decides she must rescue him.

The Christmas Pig: A Fable by Kinky Friedman
Friedman tells the story of a king who decides his subjects need some cheering up and a nativity painting is just the thing to do it. Ten-year-old Benjamin, a mute boy with artistic genius is summoned for the job. Benjamin sets to work on the painting in the barn where he meets Valerie, the talking pig. Be prepared for tears in this sweet Christmas tale.

‘Tis the Season

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It is the season for holiday fiction, and The Paper Bag Christmas by Kevin Milne is a heartwarming short novel about two brothers –Aaron and Molar– who are occupied with adding toys to their Christmas wish lists when they are recruited to volunteer at a hospital in the weeks before the holiday. Though they are initially not happy with volunteering, their experiences visiting sick children are amusing and touching and the boys eventually learn the true meaning of both friendship and of Christmas. This is a sweet story that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Which First: the Book or the Movie?

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There is a long-running debate about whether it’s better to read the book first or see the movie. My opinion on this matter of the utmost importance is, without any doubt, see the movie. The book is almost always better, so you see the movie first and think “Wow, that was great!” Then read the book, and discover it’s even better. If you go the other way around, there’s an inevitable sense of disappointment about what was changed or that the actor they chose didn’t match the picture in your head at all.

The movie/book combo is my favorite way to read the classics. I tried to read Middlemarch by George Eliot several years ago and just got confused. There are so many characters and I kept getting lost. I checked the Masterpiece Theater film out from the library and realized that it’s an amazing story with love, betrayal, and hope for a better world. I then read the book and it became one of my favorites.

Come to the Information Desk for a list of DVDs we have that are based on books. Feel free to let me know if I have the book/movie order all wrong!

The Burning of Bridget Cleary: A True Story

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Stranger than fiction may be a cliché, but it is one that succinctly describes many of my favorite non-fiction works. No book embodies this more than Angela Bourke’s The Burning of Bridget Cleary. This true story, set in 1895, is often referred to as Ireland’s last case of witch burning, but the reality of Bridget Cleary’s horrific murder was more complex. Believed by her husband and a group of extended family members to be a changeling – a sickly double or imposter left by the fairies in place of the real Bridget – the young dressmaker was burned to death in the hearth of her own cottage in an effort to release her from her captors and destroy the evil spirit that had taken her place. Bourke describes the crime and those whose lives were altered by it with vividness and compassion, and the story is both sad and fascinating, exploring as it does the explosive mixture of traditional folk beliefs, gender roles, and the societal changes of late nineteenth-century Ireland that combined to bring about such a tragic occurrence.

Hold Tight by Harlan Coben

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Harlan Coben’s suspense fiction usually involves rapid action and dialogue revolving around ordinary people who find their lives changed by extraordinary events, and Hold Tight is no exception. Tina and Mike Baye are parents of sixteen year-old Adam, worried because Adam’s friend has recently committed suicide and Adam has become distant and secretive, then disappears. They debate the issue of their son’s privacy and install a spy program on Adam’s computer, resulting in their finding a disturbing message on the computer. The story also involves a sadistic killer and neighbors with their own problems. The various plot lines converge and the suspense continues until the last page. Coben raises many issues for parents today–how much freedom and privacy to allow our children? What lengths will we go to in order to protect them? How much information do we share with children and at what age? How much privacy are children entitled to? I found the book hard to put down and, if you have children, the questions raised by the story are ones to think about for a long time.

The Longest Trip Home: a memoir

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John Grogan’s first book, Marley and Me was a success story because of a wonderful, goofy dog that claimed our hearts. The cover art showing adorable Marley would grab the attention of any dog lover. When I read that John Grogan had another book coming out for adults I couldn’t resist seeing what else he had to share.

The Longest Trip Home: a memoir is another heartwarming story of family that draws parallels for many of us lucky enough to be part of a family. We laugh at Grogan growing up in Detroit during the baby boomer years as he discovers girls, smoking and how to annoy his teachers who are nuns in Catholic parochial schools. We struggle with him as he shares his departure from his parent’s values and the disappointment he causes them. His departure from his parent’s Catholic faith, marrying outside the faith and raising his children outside of the church all cause him guilt when he considers his parents wishes.

I found this book to be a departure from Marley and Me but a very moving tribute to how an American family loves and loses and learns how to grow together through the years.

One Child by Torey Hayden

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“Sheila was a wild, violent six-year-old lost in a world of anger and torment”—until a brilliant and caring young teacher reached out—Meet Sheila, autistic, abused and mute—her story, One Child, is Torey Hayden’s first book about working with children with special needs.

Torey will follow with the true stories of seven more children. Her titles are Somebody Else’s Kids, Murphy’s Boy, Just Another Kid, Ghost Girl, The Tiger’s Child (Sheila’s continuing story), Beautiful Child and her latest—Twilight Children.

In an interview, Torey insists that she isn’t a gifted, exceptional teacher. She wants to give credit to thousands of teachers who give their lives to children. Torey just happens to be a teacher who can also write.

She has written three fiction stories (which her fans insist are also true): The Sunflower Forest, The Very Worst Thing and The Mechanical Cat (only available in Europe).

A Friend Like Henry

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A true and touching story, A Friend Like Henry is the story of an autistic boy and a dog that helps to unlock his world. Jamie and Nuala are the proud parents of Dale, who as he grows, develops symptoms of autism. The book tells of their struggles to find help for their son, to try to find ways to communicate with him and of their tireless efforts to teach their child to lead a normal, productive life. Seeing their son’s interest in a friends’ dog, they bring home Henry, a golden retriever, who becomes an instant companion and friend to Dale. Dale’s relationship with Henry eventually allows him to develop relationships, empathy and communication with people–the bond with his dog changes his life forever. The book presents an informative look at the effects of autism on a family and of the daily struggles involved in raising a child with this condition. A Friend Like Henry is a testament to the dedication of parental love and an an inspiring story about the powerful influence of the unconditional love of a dog.

The First Cracks in the Glass Ceiling

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It has been quite the revolutionary year in politics for women. Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin have both made great strides in affecting how U.S. citizens think of a woman in our presidential role. But we shouldn’t neglect those who came before them.

In 1884 Belva Lockwood, an educator, lawyer and advocate for women’s rights became the first woman formally nominated for the U.S. presidency. This was five years after she was the first woman admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme court.

You can read her fascinating story in Jill Norgren’s Belva Lockwood: the woman who would be president

Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos

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How can anyone resist a book with such a cute cover? I picked up Marisa de los Santos’ first book Love Walked In for the great cover and quickly discovered a delightful story. Belong to Me is a follow-up, although I really think it would make sense without having read the first book.
Cornelia Brown and her husband have moved to the suburbs of Philadelphia while hoping to start a family. She is shocked by how difficult it is to make friends in the tightly closed community of suburban life. She meets “queen bee” Piper Truitt, who wastes no time establishing the pecking order. Then she stumbles across Lake, a waitress that seems like a breath of fresh air. Cornelia struggles to find her place in the community while still remaining true to herself. Belong to Me is a story about how friendship and family can come from the most unlikely places.

Slave by Mende Nazer

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Her fate is a domestic prison in an alien world

In Slave, Mende Nazer has written a straightforward, harrowing memoir. Born into the Karko tribe in the Nuba mountains of northern Sudan, her story first concentrates on Nazer’s idyllic childhood. In 1994, Mende, age 12, was snatched by Arab raiders, raped and shipped to the nation’s capital, Khartoum, where she was installed as a maid for a wealthy suburban family.

She’d never seen a spoon, a mirror or a sink, much less a televison or a phone. The pampered housewife, affluent, petty and cruel, beat her frequently and dehumanized her in dozens of ways. After seven years, Nazer accompanied the family, as a “maid” to Great Britian. She was able to contact other Sudanese and eventually escaped to freedom. Her book is a profound meditation on the human ability to survive virtually any circumstances.

Slavery still exists today and needs to be stamped out

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

> Like vampires? I have series for you: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.

The Twilight Saga, a vampire-themed series, is not only a huge success, but something more—People dress up like her characters, and write their own stories about the books and post them on the Internet. There are Twilight themed rock bands—The four books in the saga, Twilight (2005), New Moon (2006), Eclipse (2007) and Breaking Dawn, 2008 have, collectively, sold a reportedly 10 million copies. Her books have been praised for their exclusion of violence, drugs and sex. A fan club has been organized at Twilighters.org. A film is scheduled for release in December 2008.

Political Intrigue on CD

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While we are deep into the current political scene and after you have done your research and made your choices, why not enjoy a novel of political intrigue. I found the hours just evaporated along with the miles as I listened to the audio book Dead Watch by John Sandford on a recent road trip to Colorado. This is not his most current book, but the story couldn’t be more timely with it’s political scandals and time bombs. A former Virginia senator is missing and the current governor and political rival may have a hand in his disappearance. Or did he?

If political scandal is a little too close to home, why not try one of our other audio books. Some of our new titles are:

Fiction
Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry, Sail by James Patterson and Howard Roughan, Plague Ship by Clive Cussler, Swan Peak by James Lee Burke, Faces of Fear by John Saul, Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs, Forbidden by Elizabeth Lowell, The Gypsy Morph by Terry Brooks.

Non-Fiction
The Places In Between by Rory Stewart, (an interesting addition to our One Book/ One Community reading list of Central Asia titles) and The post-American World by Fareed Zakaria.

Another option is to download an audio book to your computer through our website and burn it to cd’s or load it onto your IPod or mp3 player. Use the following link to get started.

We all lead busy lives but technology is helping us enjoy reading while on the go.