No matter where you go, chances are you'll have to do some waiting. Waiting to be called for your appointment at the doctor or dentist's office; waiting in line at the grocery, drug, or department store; wait, wait, wait. Standing in line just about anywhere I go, I can almost count on the person ahead of me needing a price check, or having a problem of some sort that's going to require LOTS of time to remedy; but my wait pales in comparison to the headline that reads, "Two sisters reunited after 18 years at checkout counter." And I thought MY wait was long! Another headline states the obvious with, "If strike isn't settled quickly, it may last awhile." Sometimes animals make headlines, and in this case, a cow on a rampage makes news with, "Enraged cow injures farmer with ax;" and while we know that some animals eat their young, humans aren't supposed to (although sometimes we wonder if we should consider it), but the headline, "Kids make nutritious snacks" makes you second guess the choices of some folks. Speaking of choices, check out these new fiction titles, and just WAIT until you read on for some really good entertainment for the "dog days of summer!"
As the country's brightest doctors race to find the cure for infections that kill thousands each year, photojournalist, Claire Shipley, is following the story, dear to her heart, because her young daughter died from a sudden illness that possibly could have been cured by this new drug called penicillin. As doctors close in on their research for the miracle drug that will change history, a researcher at the institute dies suddenly, and Claire finds herself entrenched in a battle to find the killer before it's too late in "A Fierce Radiance" by Lauren Belfer.
When Eric Shaw takes on the job of making a documentary about Alyssa Bradford's 95 year old father in law, Campbell Bradford, he travels to the older man's hometown, where its charming history turns into an eerie mystery in "So Cold the River," an intensely frightening novel by Michael Koryta that centers around an old hotel that has been restored and the dark history and long forgotten evil surrounding it.
The year is 1704, and young Elizabeth is sent to Versailles, Louisiana in search of a husband. When she is paired with the charismatic and ruthlessly ambitious soldier, Jean-Claude, she is surprised to find herself not only attracted to him, but falling in love with him as well. Auguste, as well, must manage to find happiness in a new world when he is abandoned, and then befriended by Elizabeth's husband, Jean-Claude. When both Elizabeth and Auguste are ultimately betrayed by Jean-Claude, they find themselves drawn together in unexpected ways in "Savage Lands" by Claire Clark.
Growing up as the product of professional parents in Glasgow, Scotland, Kit Philipson had every advantage. While his mother lay dying, she confessed to Kit that he is adopted, and soon after, vague memories of Kit's early life begin to plague him, sending him searching through old newspaper files that reveal Kit's true identity and the actual facts of the abduction that led him to become part of the Philipson family in "A Stranger in the Family" by Robert Barnard.
You've probably heard it said that "good things come to those who wait," but Abraham Lincoln summed it up with, "Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left behind by those who hustle." There you go; don't let the good titles be left behind; just get in your car and head to your local branch of JCPL, where every new title is an experience worth its WEIGHT in gold!
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Let JCPL Be Your Lucky Charm This August!
Reading the Southern Vampire series by Charlaine Harris, I am getting an education, learning the ins and outs of vampire life, werewolf drama and also getting the inside scoop about the lives of shape shifters. One of the most educational parts of reading this series, however, is that Sookie Stackhouse, the main character in the series, has a best friend who supplies her with a Word of the Day calendar each year, and occasionally, one of the words applies to the plot in the story. One morning, while taking breakfast orders from my three grandchildren, my two year old granddaughter requested "Chucky Arms." Hmmm...that wasn't part of the educational Word of the Day, and Sookie doesn't have kids, so the Vampire series would be no help in solving this mystery. Opening up the cabinet, I began to peruse the various foodstuffs that could translate to "Chucky Arms," and after a careful inspection, the light bulb above my head lit up and I asked her, "Do you want Lucky Charms?" BINGO! Mystery solved! And so, the breakfast mystery is solved, and our stomachs are full, so read on for some refreshing food for your mind and check out these new fiction titles from the Jasper County Public Library!
The Darling Dahlias is a Depression era, garden-club group of ladies from Darling, Alabama who welcome members from all walks of life. The ladylike behavior of the Darling Dahlias is challenged, however, when a set of sterling silver is found buried under the town's famous Cucumber Tree, and two members of the group claim ownership. The town and ladies club are further shaken by the discovery of the body of an unidentified young woman outside of town, and the mystery deepens in "The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree" by Susan Albert Wittig.
Seven year old Lavinia was orphaned on her journey to America from Ireland, and arrives on the steps of a tobacco plantation, working in the plantation's kitchen under the tutelage of Belle, the master's illegitimate daughter. As time goes on, Lavinia is accepted into the fold of the family in the Big House, but finds herself straddling two very different worlds in "The Kitchen House" by Kathleen Grissom.
The birth of a new baby daughter should be a happy occasion, but in a remote Indiana village where only sons are favored, the birth of a daughter is a tragedy. In "Secret Daughter" by Shilpi Somaya Gowder, Kavita and her husband struggle with the decision to give their newborn daughter, Asha, away. The decision to give the baby up haunts both parents, even after the birth of their son, but placing her in an orphanage is the only way to save her life. Meanwhile, across the globe, American doctor, Somer, and her husband, Krishnon, desperately want a child, but cannot have one of their own, and when they see a photo of baby Asha, decide to adopt the child. "Secret Daughter" weaves the lives and cultures of two families together, exploring the issues of culture and belonging, dramatically comparing the lives and cultures of two families who have the common goal of wanting only to be happy.
When nine year old Rose Edelstein bites into the lemon-chocolate cake prepared by her mother for her birthday, she discovers a magical gift; she can actually taste the emotions of her mother with every bite she takes. The gift, however, is not welcome when Rose discovers that the mother she has always seen as happy and cheerful is truly unhappy, desperate and full of despair. "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake" by Aimee Bender brings to light the enormous burden of knowing too much and loving those closest to you anyway.
Sookie's Word of the Day in "Dead to the World," the fourth in the Southern Vampire Series, was "farrago," which the dictionary defines as "a jumble," and Sookie describes as "a confused mess." I'm not sure how I would use it in a sentence, but it could be a good replacement word for what's on the menu at our house for breakfast; Chucky Arms.
The Darling Dahlias is a Depression era, garden-club group of ladies from Darling, Alabama who welcome members from all walks of life. The ladylike behavior of the Darling Dahlias is challenged, however, when a set of sterling silver is found buried under the town's famous Cucumber Tree, and two members of the group claim ownership. The town and ladies club are further shaken by the discovery of the body of an unidentified young woman outside of town, and the mystery deepens in "The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree" by Susan Albert Wittig.
Seven year old Lavinia was orphaned on her journey to America from Ireland, and arrives on the steps of a tobacco plantation, working in the plantation's kitchen under the tutelage of Belle, the master's illegitimate daughter. As time goes on, Lavinia is accepted into the fold of the family in the Big House, but finds herself straddling two very different worlds in "The Kitchen House" by Kathleen Grissom.
The birth of a new baby daughter should be a happy occasion, but in a remote Indiana village where only sons are favored, the birth of a daughter is a tragedy. In "Secret Daughter" by Shilpi Somaya Gowder, Kavita and her husband struggle with the decision to give their newborn daughter, Asha, away. The decision to give the baby up haunts both parents, even after the birth of their son, but placing her in an orphanage is the only way to save her life. Meanwhile, across the globe, American doctor, Somer, and her husband, Krishnon, desperately want a child, but cannot have one of their own, and when they see a photo of baby Asha, decide to adopt the child. "Secret Daughter" weaves the lives and cultures of two families together, exploring the issues of culture and belonging, dramatically comparing the lives and cultures of two families who have the common goal of wanting only to be happy.
When nine year old Rose Edelstein bites into the lemon-chocolate cake prepared by her mother for her birthday, she discovers a magical gift; she can actually taste the emotions of her mother with every bite she takes. The gift, however, is not welcome when Rose discovers that the mother she has always seen as happy and cheerful is truly unhappy, desperate and full of despair. "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake" by Aimee Bender brings to light the enormous burden of knowing too much and loving those closest to you anyway.
Sookie's Word of the Day in "Dead to the World," the fourth in the Southern Vampire Series, was "farrago," which the dictionary defines as "a jumble," and Sookie describes as "a confused mess." I'm not sure how I would use it in a sentence, but it could be a good replacement word for what's on the menu at our house for breakfast; Chucky Arms.
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