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"Handle a book as a bee does a flower, extract its sweetness but do not damage it." ~ John Muir (1838-1914), Scottish-American naturalist
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New and Recently Released!
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| An Unnecessary Woman: A Novel by Rabih AlameddineAt 72, Aaliya Sobhi has been alone for most of her life -- divorced and childless, she's considered "unnecessary" by both her family and her Lebanese culture. But she has her books and an almost obsessive desire to translate her favorite novels into Arabic, which she then stores in her apartment, sharing them with no one. Set during a single day, and composed almost entirely of Aaliya's own thoughts, memories, and discourses on literature, this is a book for book lovers. "Dip into it, make a reading list from it, or simply bask in its sharp, smart prose," suggests Booklist. |
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| The Bear: A Novel by Claire CameronAfter a black bear attacks their campsite, killing their parents, five-year-old Anna must lead her toddler brother, Stick, to safety and civilization. Anna doesn't really understand that her parents are dead, but she knows that she must be brave and protect her brother, even when he's annoying. As in Emma Donoghue's Room, author Claire Cameron successfully captures the perspective of a child facing unknown dangers. Intense and emotionally riveting, The Bear is a novel you won't soon forget. |
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| Dept. of Speculation by Jenny OffillThe unnamed narrator of this novel writes in short vignettes, starting with odd facts, memories of boys she loved, and recollections from her travels. But as a whole the book itself is a moving portrait of a marriage and a relationship, from early days filled with possibilities to recent difficulties and fears. Though similar in structure to David Levithan's witty The Lover's Dictionary, author Jenny Offill's Dept. of Speculation is more wide-ranging and speculative, focusing on the role of a wife and mother. |
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| Bread and Butter by Michelle WildgenBrothers Britt and Leo run a popular restaurant in their small Pennsylvania town -- and it's finally making a profit. Their brother Harry, also a foodie, has never settled into a career. But when he returns home and announces his plan to open a competing restaurant, all three brothers may get more than they bargained for. Soon Leo and Britt have lost their talented pastry chef to Harry, and the rules they've long lived by -- don't date employees or customers -- are bending and breaking one by one. Family drama and a feast for discerning eaters make Bread and Butter a mouthwatering read. |
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| Little Bee by Chris CleaveIn an effort to revive their flagging marriage, British couple Sarah and Andrew O'Rourke traveled to Nigeria for a beach vacation, never expecting the machete-wielding rebels who appeared, threatening the lives of two young local girls. Years later, Little Bee, one of the two girls that Andrew and Sarah encountered that night, has entered England illegally, pinning her hopes for the future on Sarah and Andrew. A precarious friendship forms between Sarah and Little Bee; their moving and tension-filled stories are told from the alternating and disparate perspectives of both women. Insightful and provocative, Little Bee also offers "plenty of moral dilemmas [that] add up to a satisfying, emotional read" (Library Journal). |
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| Bee Season: A Novel by Myla GoldbergNine-year-old Eliza Naumann is an indifferent student ignored by her father, a brilliant scholar of Jewish mysticism, in favor of her "gifted and talented" older brother, Aaron. All that changes when she starts winning spelling bees. As their father starts spending more time with Eliza, grilling her for the next level of competition and seeing in her a pathway to God, Aaron looks for fulfillment elsewhere, and finds it with the Hare Krishnas. Meanwhile, breadwinner mom Miriam is losing her grip on reality, and is breaking into other people's houses as a way to give her life meaning. This touching debut was made into a movie in 2005, and starred Richard Gere and Juliette Binoche. |
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| Telling the Bees by Peggy HeskethFor more than 80 years, narrator Albert Honig has lived in the same house, keeping bees and following the same routines for much of his life. Though it begins with the day that Albert discovered the bodies of his neighbors -- two sisters he'd known since childhood -- this leisurely paced story expands to include the long friendship he'd had with one of the sisters, Claire, and the secrecy and hidden resentments that may have led to their estrangement. Bee lore mixes well with Albert's reminiscences, which eventually allow him to truly understand -- perhaps for the first time -- Claire's life and choices. |
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| The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk KiddFor ten years, motherless Lily Owens has lived alone with her mean-spirited father on his rural South Carolina peach farm. On Lily's 14th birthday, which occurs in the summer of 1964, days after the Civil Rights Act is passed, Lily and Rosaleen, her African-American stand-in mother, walk into town, where Rosaleen plans to register to vote. An altercation with three racists lands Lily and Rosaleen in the back of a police car, and ultimately on the lam, as they journey to Tiburon, South Carolina where three African-American beekeeping sisters, who have a connection to Lily's mother, take them in. |
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| The Death of Bees: A Novel by Lisa O'DonnellAfter finding their parents dead, 15-year-old Marnie and 12-year-old Nelly buried their bodies in their backyard, determined to keep their deaths secret for fear of being placed in foster care. Though their parents were neglectful, abusive drug addicts, the story that they're on vacation will only hold off suspicion for so long. One neighbor, labeled a pervert by those who fear gay men, offers them stability and shelter, but despite their resiliency and his help, the two girls face multiple challenges, including an unkind grandfather who's appeared out of nowhere, a dog's discovery of the bones, and the more mundane trials of peer pressure, nightmares, and, at least in Marnie's case, her awakening sexuality. Set in Glasgow, Scotland, this debut may appeal to fans of Stephen May's Life! Death! Prizes!, which offers a different take on an orphaned teen who becomes his sibling's guardian. |
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| Of Bees and Mist by Erick SetiawanWith a setting drenched in fantastical and magical happenings (like mists that steal hats, mirrors that reflect other lands, bees that spy, and a woman who grows herbs in her skin), this debut novel "reads like a fairy tale for adults" (Library Journal). It concerns the story of Meridia, who grows up in a cold, lonely house and falls in love at 16. The young couple elopes, but Daniel turns out to have a spiteful, vicious mother who likes to pit her daughters -- and Meridia -- against each other. The battle rages for decades, until Meridia is forced to decide whether her marriage or her sanity is more important. Readers who enjoy reading of realistic relationships set against colorful, imaginative settings will enjoy Of Bees and Mist. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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If you are having trouble unsubscribing to this newsletter, please contact The Urbandale Public Library at 515-331-4488, 3520 86th St., Urbandale, IA 50322 |
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