| Fiction A to Z March 2007 |
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"Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. It is wholesome and bracing for
the mind to have its faculties kept on the stretch."
~ Augustus Hare (1834-1903), English writer
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| New and Recently Released! |
| Little Lady, Big Apple - by Hester Brown |
| Publisher: Pocket Books |
| Pub Date: 02/06/2007 |
Check library catalog |
| ISBN: 1416514937 |
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| In this 2nd appearance by Londoner Melissa Romney-Jones (aka Honey Blennerhesket) and the now-quite-successful Little Lady Agency (providing "every girlfriend service a man could need, except sex and laundry"), Melissa has taken a one-month vacation to New York to be with her American boyfriend, Jonathan. Bored while he's at work and intimidated by his ex-wife, Melissa takes on some freelancing, providing a girlfriend's point-of-view for Manhattan's needy bachelors. This does not sit well with Jonathan, and Melissa returns, alone, to her business in London. Can they overcome their problems? You'll have to read Little Lady, Big Apple to find out! | |
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| Family Tree - by Barbara Delinsky |
| Publisher: Doubleday |
| Pub Date: 02/06/2007 |
Check library catalog |
| ISBN: 038551865X |
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Blue-blooded Hugh Clarke can trace his lineage back to the Mayflower. Blue-eyed Dana Clarke knows nothing about her father. Both are thrilled by their first pregnancy, but when new-born Lizzie appears to be bi-racial, Dana's world is shattered as hidden hypocrisies come to light. Hugh pressures Dana to find out who her father was; Hugh's snooty family pressures him to find out if the child is even his. Booklist says that this thought-provoking novel, which addresses issues of race, class, identity, and family, will "stir debate and inspire self-examination." | |
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| The Dead Fathers Club - by Matt Haig |
| Publisher: Viking |
| Pub Date: 02/01/2007 |
Check library catalog |
| ISBN: 0670038334 |
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Eleven-year-old Philip Noble's father recently died in a car accident; imagine his surprise when his father's ghost informs him that his accidental death was actually murder at the hands of Philip's uncle Alan, who has designs on Philip's mother (and the family business). Dear old dad is doomed to wander unless his murder is avenged. Forget the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune: in addition to (perhaps) plotting his uncle's death, Philip must deal with the slings and arrows of being 11, complete with bullies, an odd girlfriend, and peer pressure. Allusions to Hamlet throughout pepper this "absolutely irresistible read" (Booklist). | |
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| In the Country of Men - by Hisham Matar |
| Publisher: Dial Press |
| Pub Date: 01/30/2007 |
Check library catalog |
| ISBN: 0385340427 |
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In 1979 Libya, Suleiman is only nine years old, but he is old enough to be burdened by his parents' tense relationship (an arranged marriage when Mama was only 14). Suleiman's sense of unease and confusion deepens when his best friend's father is arrested for anti-government agitation, and Mama reacts by burning her husband's papers and books--and hanging a giant portrait of Muammar Qaddafi in the living room. But this does not appease Qaddafi's harsh regime, and the day comes when Suleiman's father does not return from work... This debut has received much critical praise, and was short-listed for the 2006 Man Booker Prize. | |
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| Devotion - by Howard Norman |
| Publisher: Houghton Mifflin |
| Pub Date: 02/08/2007 |
Check library catalog |
| ISBN: 0618735410 |
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During his London honeymoon, David and his new father-in-law, William, get into a fight during which William is severely injured. The result is that David takes on William's duties as the caretaker of an elderly couple's Nova Scotia estate, the swans that inhabit it, and William himself. Meanwhile, David's wife, Maggie, refuses to speak to him, and William plans his revenge. How Maggie and David's impulsive marriage fares once the honeymoon is over--and why the fight between the two men came about in the first place--creates a "treacherous yet familiar emotional landscape" (Library Journal) sure to please fans of complex psychological tales. | |
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| Midnight Cactus - by Bella Pollen |
| Publisher: Grove Press |
| Pub Date: 02/10/2007 |
Check library catalog |
| ISBN: 0802170315 |
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Alice Coleman has brought her two children to Arizona in order to oversee the reconstruction of a ghost town into a resort. But Alice is also running away from an unfulfilling and unhappy life and marriage in London. In Temerosa, the small town's proximity to the Mexican border means that not only must Alice and her kids adapt to the arid climate and the cowboy culture, but they must also come to terms with the border politics of the area. Drawn to her handsome yet reticent contractor, Alice slowly becomes involved in the world of illegal immigrants. Entertainment Weekly calls Midnight Cactus "absorbing." | |
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| Adventures in...Real Estate? |
| High Maintenance - by Jennifer Belle |
| Publisher: Riverhead Books |
| Pub Date: 07/01/2002 |
Check library catalog |
| ISBN: 157322930X |
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Liv Kellerman has just separated from her cheating husband--which means that she's now living in a tiny apartment featuring a shower in the kitchen rather than a luxurious penthouse with all the trimmings. In order to support herself, Liv gets a real estate license, and turns out to be surprisingly good at her new career. As she traipses from one upscale Manhattan apartment to the next, she manages to learn a little bit about herself in the process. Not to mention keeping an eye out for an apartment upgrade. "Hugely funny," says the New York Daily News. | |
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| House of Sand and Fog - by Andre Dubus III |
| Publisher: Norton |
| Pub Date: 02/01/1999 |
Check library catalog |
| ISBN: 0393046974 |
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A small house in the San Francisco suburbs represents a struggling immigrant's chance to provide for his family when he is able to buy it cheaply at a public auction. But the house is at auction due to an administrative error, and the evicted owner, recovering addict Kathy, is friendless and penniless and must fight for her own survival until the county recognizes its error. Kathy wants the house she inherited from her father, not compensation, but the new owner refuses to sell. Misunderstanding and cultural insensitivity lead to desperation and tragedy in a story where a house is a whole lot more than just a roof and walls. "A page-turner with a beating heart," says the Boston Globe. | |
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| Rattled - by Debra Galant |
| Publisher: St. Martin's Press |
| Pub Date: 02/21/2006 |
Check library catalog |
| ISBN: 0312349319 |
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Galapagos Estates (formerly fertile New Jersey farmland that's now covered with McMansions) is the site of the all-around self-centered and manipulative Heather Peters' new home. Heather ignores her husband and is rude to long-time locals who don't share her views, so intent is she on climbing the social ladder. But as she pours all her energy into perfecting her dream home, she is challenged by a sleazy real estate developer, a band of soccer moms, some animal rights activists, and a rattlesnake murder that leads to her arrest. If you like social satire, this "wincingly funny" (Kirkus Reviews) tale is sure to please. | |
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| Closing Costs - by Seth Margolis |
| Publisher: St. Martin's Press |
| Pub Date: 08/08/2006 |
Check library catalog |
| ISBN: 0312353685 |
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| Lily Grantham's Wall Street investor husband has fled the country in the wake of an embezzlement scam, forcing Lily to sell their Park Avenue penthouse and move in with her parents--who have just sold their apartment to the (hopefully) upwardly mobile Pierces. The Pierces, whose financial outlook gets bleaker and bleaker by the day, are represented by super-realtor Lucinda Wells who also happens to represent Lily's parents--and Lily herself. Fascinated by the ups and downs of real estate, marriages, and careers? Closing Costs has it all. | |
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| The Tavern on Maple Street - by Sharon Owens |
| Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons |
| Pub Date: 02/02/2006 |
Check library catalog |
| ISBN: 0399153438 |
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Jack and Lily Beaumont run a quiet little pub at the end of a historic street in Belfast, Ireland; well-loved by its regulars, it claims loyalty, if not profit, from its patrons. But when a developer wants to tear it down in favor of a shopping mall, Jack and Lily must make their bar profitable in a hurry--or at least make the most of the time they have left. When Lily hires four attractive barmaids (the better to lure a new, young, and male clientele), modern Belfast starts coming to their door and turns their insular world on its ear. "Charming," says Booklist. | |
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| Lapham Rising: A Novel - by Roger Rosenblatt |
| Publisher: Ecco |
| Pub Date: 02/01/2006 |
Check library catalog |
| ISBN: 0060833610 |
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Eccentric writer Harry March has a problem--his reclusive lifestyle is being invaded by the self-important Hamptons multimillionaire building a grotesque new beachfront mansion (the House of Lapham) right in front of Harry's more humble home. This bitingly satirical novel takes on the excesses of modern America, from the monstrous size of Lapham's house to the extravagancies he fills it with (bidets carved out a single piece of pink Norwegian marble). If you've ever rolled your eyes at the latest "must-have" item, you're sure to enjoy this laugh-out-loud social critique. | |
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| Still looking for the right book? Contact your librarian. |
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