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What We're Reading NowMarch 2014
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Stormdancerby Jay KristoffSamurai Steampunk.
If you're anything like me, you have a hard time saying no to a quick genre mash-up. Especially when it includes the words Samurai and Steampunk.
If you like skyships that run on the sap of blood lotus; if you like samurai wielding chainsaw katanas; if you like a good coming- of-age story about a girl and her tiger griffin, then this might be a good book for you. I've read a lot of other books that didn't have any of those things at all. DS
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The sentinels of Andersonville
by Tracy Groot
While this is a work of fiction, the atrocities which occurred at Andersonville Prison actually happened. It is also the story of enemies becoming friends, of honor, and of Christian duty.
In the town of Americus most families have lost some member to the war. Do the people who live 10 miles from this prison pretend the horrific conditions do not exist? Do they believe in an eye for an eye because of the things that have happened to their loved ones? Do they practice Christianity and love their enemy?
This is the story of friendship under harsh conditions, of romance developing along with compassion and understanding, and that practicing Christian values do not come without repercussions. PB
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Since You're Leaving Anyway, Take Out the Trash
by Dixie Cash
This is an enjoyable lighthearted read taking place in Salt Lick, Texas.
The heroine along with the mortgage company owns a beauty salon where gossip abounds. Her ex-husband is the sheriff which complicates things when she investigates a murder of the nastiest woman in this small town.
The call number is ROM CAS. If you like this book you will be pleased to know the library has seven other titles by this author. PB
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Dog on it : A Chet and Bernie Mystery
by Spencer Quinn
Honest, I read lots of big heavy books full of complex ideas. Really, I do.
But lately when I’ve wanted a light, quick read, I’ve found myself in the mystery aisle grabbing the next good-hearted adventure in the Chet and Bernie series. I’m a dog lover and enjoy how these detective stories are narrated by a big, sweet-natured dog who always nails the bad guy, but rarely understands human behavior.
Light and laugh-out-loud funny. AW
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March : a novel
by Geraldine Brooks
March, the absent father in Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, takes center stage in this historical novel about a man who inadvertently leaves disaster in his wake as he struggles to live out his ideals across the brutal stage of the Civil War.
Author Geraldine Brooks never fails to provide humor, honesty, and heart-wrenching situations that stay with the reader long after the book ends. AW
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The garden of the Finzi-Continis
by Giorgio Bassani
Published (originally in Italian) in 1962, less than twenty years after World War II, this modern classic lends an almost fairy-tale aura to a doomed way of life as the story opens.
The Finzi-Contini clan of Ferrara, Italy, leads a charmed existence in their Eden-like estate and ancestral mansion. Yes, they are Jews and the Fascist regime is already evidencing ill will toward the faith. But the family’s reputation and economic status insulate them—for a time.
Narrated by a less privileged outsider brought into the family’s orbit by friendship with the wealthy landowner’s son and daughter, the story chronicles the family’s eventual fate. LS
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XV
by King's X
Widely hailed as “the musicians’ musicians”, King’s X is a band that never quite found the success their musical prowess seemed to insure.
With “XV”, (oddly their 12th album; the 15 must have some other significance), they continue their legacy of beautiful, soaring harmonies, heavy guitar riffage, and introspective lyrics.
With tracks like “Move” and “Free” as standout moments, every rock fan should give this band a listen if they haven’t already. EY
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Through the evil days : a Clare Fergusson/Russ van Alstyne mystery
by Julia Spencer-Fleming
Eighth in the popular series featuring Episcopal parish priest Clare Fergusson and Miller’s Kill, NY police chief Russ Van Alstyne, this installment blends suspense, contemporary issues, and empathetic characters.
Clare and Russ are already facing professional challenges: City Council’s ignorance about the Police Department’s value for the community; Clare’s disciplinary hearing for behavior unbecoming a priest.
Then, a suspicious fire, a missing child, and a honeymoon gone terribly wrong add to the mix.
Although this story can stand alone, I would urge readers to follow Claire and Russ’ full journey as a couple: start with In the Bleak Midwinter. LS
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Autobiography of George Muller
by George Muller
The story of a 19th century man who was known for practicing extraordinary faith.
It was his belief that he could present his needs to God alone through prayer, and that they would be met though he expressed them to no other person.
In his lifetime, he not only found his own needs were met, but he cared for over 10,000 orphaned children. He never went into debt. DS
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The wife, the maid, and the mistress
by Ariel Lawhon
In 1930, a recently appointed New York Supreme Court judge went missing. Judge Joseph Force Crater’s disappearance still has not been solved. Back in the day, this case generated sensational public interest.
Of course, theories abounded even then. Some pieces of the puzzle—Crater’s known association with gangsters, imminent hearings into corrupt political appointments—support the conclusion that he was murdered.
But by whom? Lawhon offers a fictional scenario, extrapolated from accounts of the three women closest to him. Jazz Age New York City comes to life in this colorful imagining—a novel which becomes more involving with each page you turn. LS
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Redeployment
by Phil Klay
Two great reasons to read Klay’s stunning short stories: (1) You’ll gain insights into soldiers’ and veterans’ experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan, and (2) People you know will certainly be discussing in it in the coming days.
Not for the faint of heart, Klay’s vignettes reveal facets of modern war that readers would expect: fish-out-of-water homecomings; bureaucracy; loss—along with others not on civilians’ radar screens: a chaplain’s viewpoint; the public’s ignorance about PTSD; bizarrely inappropriate manifestations of goodwill from charities.
Readers who appreciated Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried and Siobhan Fallon’s You Know When the Men are Gone should look into this impressive collection. LS
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