Cynthia Claridge
$11.96
ISBN-13: 9780307474711
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Vintage, 6/2010
I am a sucker for good love story. This one has been made into a movie which I have not seen, but I doubt the movie can capture the essence of this novel as a great deal is based on the thoughts of the two main characters. Emma and Dexter meet on their last day of college knowing they are both heading off to their unknown futures and do not want to become entangled in a long lasting romantic affair. But they see something in the other that intrigues, frustrates and entices them to remain involved with one another over the next 20 years. Nicholls' structure for the novel made it great fun to read, as you catch up with Emma and Dexter's undertakings and lives once a year on the date when they met. They don't always see one another on this fateful date, but they keep in touch through phone calls, letters, emails and periodic meetings. Theirs is one of those friendships where they know how desperately they need the other involved in their lives to keep them as balanced as possible. Both Dexter and Emma come close to completely falling off the track during their journeys but their relationship seems to pull them back from the brink. There were times when I hated the character Dexter, but I also kept cheering for him, wanting him to be the better person I knew he could be. I loved Emma but wanted her to live up to her full potential. I found this to be a very difficult book to put down. I read it one day, of course I did absolutely nothing else. Can't decide if I want to see the movie as I don't want to lose the love I have for these two characters.
$12.00
ISBN-13: 9780143118510
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Penguin (Non-Classics), 1/2011
Looking for a fun, light summer read? Deep Down True fits this description without being mind-numbing. Dana Stellgarten is a fun and realistic protagonist. A struggling, single mom of a daughter facing the dilemmas of sixth grade, a seven year- old son missing his father and a Goth teenage niece needing a neutral place to live, doesn't give Dana a lot of time to think about her own needs. She is newly divorced, trying to manage home and financial difficulties while attempting to provide a stable environment for her kids. At times, both Dana's and her entourage's antics are humorous but they are always very realistic. Dana has always been an optimist as well as someone who tends to take care of other people better than herself. Suddenly she is faced with the prospect of dating for the first time in eighteen years and the need to get a job outside of the home. In the beginning neither of these seems to be easy or entirely pleasant. As Dana strives to balance her family's needs with her own she discovers an inner strength that is "deep down true".
$4.79
ISBN-13: 9781602860049
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Weinstein Books, 9/2007
If you know of a struggling, young reader, put this book into his or her hands. This is the first book in a series of twelve with numbers 13 and fourteen due out this fall. In each book Jack travels to a different country to solve world threatening crimes. After reading the first book, the reader and can pick and choose titles which seem the most interesting. Jack is a secret agent with the "Global Protection Force" agency. All children like to feel empowered and Jack allows them the ability to image themselves as crime fighters. In the first book, the reader is introduced to all the cool gadgets Jack uses to correct the world's wrongdoings. Jack is a young boy living in England. His older brother Max was also with the GPF but now has gone missing and Jack is determined to find his brother. The first case takes Jack to New York City where a student has stolen a bone from the skeleton of an allosaurus. Jack is immediately on the case when he comes face to face with a living dinosaur.
$11.99
ISBN-13: 9780061651618
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: William Morrow Paperbacks, 7/2010
If you find elephants to be an interesting animal, you will love this book. Tom Page, the elephants' keeper, recounts his story and the history of a pair of captured elephants living in 18th century England. Poignantly told, this is the story of a friendship between two elephants and their keeper. As a teenager, Tom is on the docks in Bristol when a ship arrives carrying exotic animals from India. Tom's master is immediately fascinated with the pair of elephants as is Tom, so the elephants begin their stay at the Harrinton estate in England. As the keeper of the elephants, Tom learns to not only love these creatures but to respect and admire their intelligence and gentle manner. Many others are however fearful of this unusual and extremely large animal and cause chaos and difficulty for both Tom and the elephants. Unfortunately, after a provoked incident and the lack of understanding, the elephants are not allowed to stay at the Harrington estate. Tom always goes with his elephants as they are moved from one wealthy aristocrat to another. Believing he has a special understanding of the animals Tom feels as if he can communicate with them. I especially enjoyed the scenes where the elephants were allowed to move about and explore the countryside of England.
$5.59
ISBN-13: 9780142417751
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Puffin, 4/2011
A powerful and poignant book told in first person by Caitlin, a 10-year old girl with Asperger's syndrome, stays with you long after you have turned the final page. Brilliant academically and artistically, Caitlin suffers socially. Her main solace in life was the relationship with her older brother Devon. But tragedy strikes and Devon is no longer there to guide her through life. With the support of her school counselor, Caitlin learns the importance of making friends, the need to bring closure to the death of her brother and discovers a loving relationship with her father. Her first friendship is accidentally forged as she seeks out a lonely first grader, only to learn they have a very close tie to the tragedy that struck their lives and town. Empathy is the lesson everyone in this story needs to learn and as Caitlin strives to understand the needs of those around her, she teaches others this valuable lesson. This is a book for all ages!
$13.56
ISBN-13: 9780979974670
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Flashlight Press, 5/2011
Everyone loves playing on the beach! After building a perfect sandcastle, a little boy discovers he has a lodger, a dragon. The two of them have great fun on this sunny day at the beach flying kites, playing ball and swimming. But a skeptical family finds more logical explanations for the roar of the dragon, a dragon's feather, and the sharp teeth of the dragon. But of course the reader, boy and his new friend know the truth. The lively illustrations add creatively to this delightful story.
$11.96
ISBN-13: 9781565129771
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 1/2010
This unique, best-selling, page turner kept me wondering how it would end, up to the very last page. Set in rural Wisconsin in the winter of 1908, Goolrick's debut novel provides the reader with an incredibly tense gothic tale. The story opens with wealthy business tycoon, Ralph Truitt, waiting on a train platform for the arrival of his mail order bride. You realize quickly this is not an ordinary man, happily awaiting his new bride. There is something dark and foreboding lurking in his desire to have a "reliable wife". As we meet Catherine Land on the train, slowly bringing her to her new life, we realize she too has intentions of her own with arsenic packed in her suitcase. Whatever their schemes for the other, is rapidly changed when a frightful wagon accident leaves Ralph close to death before they even arrive home. Catherine begins to see the life of the man soon to be her husband, as she and the housekeeper, Mrs. Larsen nurses him back to health. As the story unfolds mysteries and questions are continually brought to the surface. In the end the story gives the reader a sense of hope and forgiveness. I loved the suspense of this story and found it difficult to put down. A great read for book groups with many themes for discussion.
$11.99
ISBN-13: 9781401341701
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Hyperion, 6/2011
After reading "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society", I became fascinated with the Channel Islands and my new found knowledge of their predicament during WWII. Leroy's story begins immediately prior to the invasion of the Germans and their occupation of the Channel Islands. Vivienne de la Mare, the mother of two daughters, the wife of a British soldier sent off to fight and a helpless mother-in-law finds herself in a desolate situation. Three German soldiers occupy the deserted house next to her own and one of the soldiers seeks Vivienne's attention. As the story builds the reader learns how difficult occupation can be for the islanders, but eventually islanders and soldiers are in the same predicament with dwindling food and no supplies arriving. Vivienne and the islanders want to fight against the occupation however it is with great risk to the protection of all. Both Vivienne and Gunther are drawn towards one another out of loneliness and a caring for one another as humans. Leroy does a great job of demonstrating the confusion between the couple finding one another during a war. I found her descriptive writing to lend a sense of grace as she captured the emotions of all characters involved in an arduous situation.
Cynthia Claridge
