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February 2010
The Ghostway by Tony Hillerman
(Reviewed by Jasmina)
F HIL (adult fiction)
The story starts with a shootout in a parking lot between Albert Gorman and an L.A. hit man. Gorman manages to escape, badly wounded. Navajo tribal detective Jim Chee finds himself on the case. His search for Gorman leads him to the residence of Hosteen Began, Gorman’s grandfather. Instead of finding answers, Chee finds Gorman dead and laid out in the proper ceremonial way. Hosteen Begay is nowhere to be found. Chee must use his knowledge of the Navajo way to solve the crime, even as it takes unexpected twists and turns. This book will keep the reader’s interests and has a satisfying end.
Come hear Anne Hillerman (Tony Hillerman’s daughter) discuss her new book Tony Hillerman’s Landscape: On the Road With Chee and Leaphorn. For more information click here.
Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean
(Reviewed by Heather)
F DEA (adult fiction)
Marina Buriakov, 82, is presently preparing for her granddaughter's wedding. She is also battling Alzheimer's. Marina is struggling to remember present day, but she does remember her youth as a docent for the Hermitage Museum as the siege of Leningrad began. The Hermitage's collection is packed away and sent to a safe hiding place. Meanwhile, museum staff and their families remain in the basement to avoid bombs and soldiers. Past and present are woven together. The reader gets a history lesson and can sympathize with Marina’s battle against Alzheimer’s.
Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
(Reviewed by Heather)
F JAC (adult fiction)
In the first book of this series, you meet a cast of female characters who meet weekly at Manhattan yarn shop, Walker & Daughter. Georgia Walker, shop owner, is a single mom raising a 12-year-old daughter, Dakota. When Dakota's father reappears the drama begins. Knitting club members are there for support but have dramas of their own to deal with. If you enjoy this book, read Knit Two and Knit the Season.
The golden spruce : a true story of myth, madness, and greed by John Valliant
(Reviewed by Pam)
333 VAI (adult non-fiction)
An engrossing story of a spruce tree in the forest of British Columbia's Charlotte Islands. This tree is a puzzle to scientists and is sacred to the Haida, a seafaring tribe based there. Vaillant recounts the history of logging in the area and the mystery of a shocking act of protest and what it means to the people there. Includes several pages of photographs.
Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs
(Reviewed by Heather)
F JAC (adult fiction)
Forty-nine year old chef, Augusta Simpson, hosts her own TV show, Cooking with Gusto! Suddenly a co-host is forced upon her, YouTube star Carmen Vega. Carmen is young, hot and very tight with the boss. Things aren’t working out, so the two are packed off to a corporate team-building weekend, complete with a New Age guide. When the chef doesn’t show up, Augusta gets to show her stuff and attracts some male attention of her own. For fans of chick-lit: this is a light read.
January 2010
Baking cakes in Kigali : a novel by Gaile Parkin
(Reviewed by Linda)
F PARKIN (adult fiction)
In this engaging novel Angel Tungaraza bakes and sells cakes from her apartment in Rwanda. Through her story and those of her clients the reader gains insight into the struggles faced by this country. Readers who enjoy the Alexander McCall Smith "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series will appreciate Angel’s insights and advice to her family, friends and customers.
Last night in twisted river : a novel by John Irving
(Reviewed by Pam)
F IRVING (adult fiction)
In the logging camp of a northern New Hampshire settlement in 1954, a 12yr old boy mistakes the local constable's girlfriend for a bear. Both the boy and his father become fugitives and are forced to live on the run. Their only protector is a river driver logger who befriends them and remains a constant in their lives. The story runs until the present time, covering many of the changes and upheavals of the last 50 years in America. Many sub- plots that will hold your interest.
Into the porcupine cave and other odysseys : adventures of an occasional naturalist by William W. Warner
(Reviewed by Pam)
508 WAR (adult non-fiction)
A born naturalist, Warner's adventures have taken him from the southernmost point of South America to North America's permanent Inuit community. Starting with the porcupine adventure as a child, he relates stories from the Guatemalan rain forest, the Florida Keys, a Maine lighthouse, some islands in the Pacific, and more. They all include animals and the natural areas they inhabit, and as the book jacket says: "Warner doesn't look at things, he looks into them."
The Vagrants : a novel by Yiyun Li
(Reviewed by Brianna)
F Li (adult fiction)
Set in 1979 Communist China, The Vagrants centers on the execution of counterrevolutionary Gu Shan. Her actions as a Red Guard and the controversy surrounding her death affect nearly everyone in her hometown of Muddy River. Yiyun Li creates a beautifully written story that has the reader feeling loss, hope, happiness and despair alongside each of the characters.
The Husband Habit by Alisa Valdez-Rodriguez
(Reviewed by Heather)
F VAL (adult fiction)
Vanessa, a talented chef in Albuquerque, New Mexico has a habit of falling in love with married men- at least she doesn’t know that they are married. She promises her sister that she will quit dating for awhile to figure out why she attracts the wrong men. Then along comes Paul, an Iraq War veteran, living right next door to Vanessa’s mother’s home. Sparks fly and Vanessa must decide what kind of relationship she wants with Paul. This book is a fun, light read. However, it does bring up some difficult issues, such as fighting in a war you aren’t sure you believe in and alcoholic parents.
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