Remember the story problems that we did as kids in school? Here is a story problem: If today is November 9 and there are 30 days in November and thirty one days in December and Christmas falls on December 25, how many days are left until Christmas? I never was a whiz at math, but if I cheat and look at the calendar, I can tell you that there are 46 days until Christmas, and if I divide the 46 days into weeks, it’s still OVER 6 weeks until Santa makes his appearance. Department stores and TV ads are already playing Jingle Bells and “decking the halls.” Halloween is barely out of the woods and Christmas is already making an appearance. Have I slept through the fall months? Have I already missed my most favorite of all holidays; Thanksgiving?! Gee whiz, is it fair to shortchange Turkey Day and the fall season and jump straight into winter? Time to take a break and kick back and enjoy these cool, blustery days and snuggle into the nest that will soon enough be hard to find time for, and read, read, read! Here are a few new fiction titles from your friends at JCPL that will kick start your autumn break!
Dewey Andreas is searching for peace, and hopes to find it in rural Australia. Unfortunately, the powers that he once fought against are out for revenge, and now they’ve found him, forcing him to fight for his life. On the other side of the globe in Pakistan, a radical cleric has gained power, starting an all out war with India that quickly escalates out of control. With the threat of nuclear response a high probability, the need for a cease fire is more important than ever, and there is only one man who can lead a team that can pull off the impossible task; Dewey Andreas. But can he get out of Australia alive? Find out in “Coup d’Etat” by Ben Coes.
Amelia Wilkes and Anthony Winter are high school seniors, desperately in love. Amelia’s father, Harlan, however, will not allow his daughter to date. Her mother, Kim, though, is more open minded and keeps the couple’s secret. When Harlan discovers the couple’s passion for one another via intimate pictures on Amelia’s computer, his fury turns to a lust for revenge against the young man, and Harlan turns him into local law enforcement, creating a public case that takes disturbing twists and turns in “Exposure” by Therese Fowler.
When a hostage situation arises in a television studio, former investigative journalist, Tom Pegg finds himself embroiled in the mess when the kidnapper chooses him as a go-between. Events turn chaotic and the drama reaches a fever pitch when two very different people are thrown together by the crisis, resulting in gripping and page-turning suspense in “The Blue Light Project” by Timothy Taylor.
With streets named Nutcracker Court and Sugar Plum Lane, Fairbrook is the perfect town for Christmas glitz. But the holiday season isn’t what it’s cracked up to be for all of Fairbrook’s residents, including single mom, Carly Westbrook, who is struggling to make ends meet and still provide a nice Christmas for her boys, and Grant Barrows, a formerly wealthy businessman struggling to come to grips with his shrinking bank account. Still, the local ladies group holds out hope that a Christmas miracle may come to pass in “Christmas on Nutcracker Court” by Judy Duarte.
If there are 24 hours in a day and 46 days until Christmas, that adds up to 1,104 hours. Taking time out to relax and escape into the characters and plot of a good book checked out from the Jasper County Public Library might just fit into that schedule. If you do the math, you’ll discover that I’m 100% correct!
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
"Teachable Moments" Are Within Each and Every Book You Read!
Life is full of “teachable moments.” “You learn something new every day” is my mantra. If you’re an avid reader, you know this phrase to be true. Even if what you normally read is fiction, there’s always a grain of truth and a lesson or two in each story. In a previous article, I had described a book written by Lisa Genova entitled, “Left Neglected,” using the blurb from the front of the book to explain the story. After writing it up, I decided to check the book out from the Jasper County Public Library and read it myself, and found it to be one “teachable moment” after another. The story revolves around Sarah Nickerson, a “yuppie” who has it all; a high powered job as the vice president of a human resources firm, three children, involved in sports and other recreational activities, a wonderful, supportive husband, who is also an overachiever in his chosen career, and a beautiful home in a well-to-do Boston suburb, as well as a house in Vermont. Having it all, however, comes at a price, and Sarah finds that out one rainy day while multitasking on her way to a meeting, texting and driving at 70 miles per hour straight into a line of traffic that has come to a complete stop. Totaling her car and waking up in the hospital with a traumatic brain injury, Sarah is shocked to find that the left side of everything, including her body, has literally disappeared off of her radar. She is suffering from “Left Neglect,” a syndrome that entails much physical therapy to restore the left half of everything, including things we take for granted every day; the food on the left half of her plate, anyone seated to the left of her, even the left half of her own face is devoid of makeup after she’s sure she’s covered all ground during her usual makeup routine. During her therapy and recovery, her husband, Bob, needs help with their three children and calls in Sarah’s mother. Sarah has unresolved issues with her mother, feeling neglected herself during her childhood after her only brother, Nate, drowned in a friend’s pool at a young age, leaving her mother so depressed and guilt ridden that she couldn’t bring herself to care for her remaining child and husband. Sarah’s recovery is slow, and the author does a fabulously hilarious job of describing in detail one comical misadventure after another as Sarah accepts her Left Neglect, along with the help of her mother, healing both her body and psyche as she comes to fully understand her mother’s longstanding depression and her own shortcomings as well.
After reading the book, I looked up “Left Neglect” and discovered that it is a real medical condition, brought on by stroke, or other injury to the brain. Want to learn more? Check out these other new fiction titles from JCPL.
John and Laura Foster are aboard a steamship headed straight for a hurricane on the Atlantic coast, and are faced with the terrifying possibility of being separated when the women and children on the ship are evacuated to another ship. “Deepest Waters” by Dan Walsh is set in a pre-Civil war era, and is based on the true-life sinking of the SS Central America, carrying a payload of gold. This character-driven novel is full of historical events as well as drama and adventure, containing subplots along with the main storyline.
Professional home stager, Sandy Sullivan, is quite an expert at taking a cluttered space in a home and turning it into a cozy and attractive living area, ripe for selling. Sandy’s career as a home stager is the easy part of her life; one she can change with a dash of paint and proper placement of furniture. Her personal life, however, is sorely lacking the same pizzazz as her work life. Living in a suburb of Boston along with a “back burner” husband and a grown son who has turned their basement into a “bat cave,” Sandy takes a job in Atlanta staging a boutique recently acquired by her best friend’s boyfriend. In “Best Staged Plans” by Claire Cook, you’ll recognize the characters to be believable enough to be your own next door neighbors, and the storyline full of not only fun twists and turns, but great tips and tricks for fixing up any humble abode.
Maybe you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but by reading these or any other of the new, fiction titles on the shelves of your local Jasper County Public Library, you’ll be sure to experience a “Confucius” moment; “You cannot open a book without learning something.”
After reading the book, I looked up “Left Neglect” and discovered that it is a real medical condition, brought on by stroke, or other injury to the brain. Want to learn more? Check out these other new fiction titles from JCPL.
John and Laura Foster are aboard a steamship headed straight for a hurricane on the Atlantic coast, and are faced with the terrifying possibility of being separated when the women and children on the ship are evacuated to another ship. “Deepest Waters” by Dan Walsh is set in a pre-Civil war era, and is based on the true-life sinking of the SS Central America, carrying a payload of gold. This character-driven novel is full of historical events as well as drama and adventure, containing subplots along with the main storyline.
Professional home stager, Sandy Sullivan, is quite an expert at taking a cluttered space in a home and turning it into a cozy and attractive living area, ripe for selling. Sandy’s career as a home stager is the easy part of her life; one she can change with a dash of paint and proper placement of furniture. Her personal life, however, is sorely lacking the same pizzazz as her work life. Living in a suburb of Boston along with a “back burner” husband and a grown son who has turned their basement into a “bat cave,” Sandy takes a job in Atlanta staging a boutique recently acquired by her best friend’s boyfriend. In “Best Staged Plans” by Claire Cook, you’ll recognize the characters to be believable enough to be your own next door neighbors, and the storyline full of not only fun twists and turns, but great tips and tricks for fixing up any humble abode.
Maybe you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but by reading these or any other of the new, fiction titles on the shelves of your local Jasper County Public Library, you’ll be sure to experience a “Confucius” moment; “You cannot open a book without learning something.”
Friday, October 14, 2011
What Does Your Future Hold? New Fiction at JCPL, of Course!
If you would have told me a few years ago that I would be driving a mini-van someday, I would have told you that you’re wrong. No way would I drive a “bus.” My vehicles have always been compact; after all, I’m only 4’11” tall. So now, in my driveway, sits a red van, and every time I walk through my living room and see that “bus” out in my driveway, I wonder who is visiting, because, mentally, I still have not adjusted to the large capacity vehicle that is sitting where my little Toyota should be. I tote around 4 grandkids quite frequently, and buckling them into safety seats was getting way too cramped, hence the decision to buy a van. According to Carter, the character in the book I’m currently reading, buying a van is an inevitable consequence of getting older; everyone is doing it. In the story, he arrives at a party, driving a van, and when the hostess spies his new ride, she asks, “What is that?” “That,” Carter replies, is your future. You laugh now, but no one can escape the minivan. It’s like wrinkles and nursing homes.” Ouch…I had to learn from a character in “Finny” by Justin Kramon just how OLD I am. “Finny,” by the way, is one of the best, character driven novels I’ve read in awhile. At the beginning of the book, the main character, Finny Short, is fourteen years old, and a defiant teenager she is. Her parents are so exasperated with her antics that they send her to boarding school, where Finny must slightly readjust to her new surroundings. Her precociousness prevails, however, and Finny moves into adulthood after much mischief in a remarkable adventure, with no shortage of charm as she recklessly seeks happiness and true love.
This new title on the shelves of the Jasper County Public Library is one you won’t want to miss; and for the upcoming cooler weather, don’t miss these new titles either!
When John and Irene got married, they were each certain of one thing; this would never work. When their daughter, Sadie, came along, the pair of them at least had one thing in common. Sadie was the center of their lives, and each of them held their daughter in their hearts as only parents can treasure their child. When John and Irene divorced, Sadie stayed the one common denominator in their lives, even though they lived across the country from each other. At eighteen, Sadie was like most teenagers, and began testing her strength and freedom, but when she dared to strike out on her own, going behind her parent’s backs to meet the boy of her dreams, Sadie found herself in deep trouble. John and Irene were then forced to meet once again, but this time under circumstances that neither of them ever expected in “Once Upon a Time, There Was You” by Elizabeth Berg.
Realizing that her days of lucid thinking are numbered because of early onset dementia, Ann Biddle desperately tries to resolve issues and hurts that have plagued her for decades, with the tragic death of her young daughter being the most difficult cross to bear. Blessed with Ellie, the eight year old granddaughter that she dearly loves, Ann finds common ground with her daughter in law, struggling to help the young mother unwind her tightly wound protectiveness toward Ellie in “The Bird House” by Kelly Simmons.
Taking an online test called, “What kind of car are you,” I discovered that beneath it all, I am really a VW Beetle, stuck in a red van’s body. What kind of car are you, and what does your future hold? Only one answer comes to mind for that question; that is a trip to JCPL, where the only thing you can really count on for your near future is lots of great, new fiction!
This new title on the shelves of the Jasper County Public Library is one you won’t want to miss; and for the upcoming cooler weather, don’t miss these new titles either!
When John and Irene got married, they were each certain of one thing; this would never work. When their daughter, Sadie, came along, the pair of them at least had one thing in common. Sadie was the center of their lives, and each of them held their daughter in their hearts as only parents can treasure their child. When John and Irene divorced, Sadie stayed the one common denominator in their lives, even though they lived across the country from each other. At eighteen, Sadie was like most teenagers, and began testing her strength and freedom, but when she dared to strike out on her own, going behind her parent’s backs to meet the boy of her dreams, Sadie found herself in deep trouble. John and Irene were then forced to meet once again, but this time under circumstances that neither of them ever expected in “Once Upon a Time, There Was You” by Elizabeth Berg.
Realizing that her days of lucid thinking are numbered because of early onset dementia, Ann Biddle desperately tries to resolve issues and hurts that have plagued her for decades, with the tragic death of her young daughter being the most difficult cross to bear. Blessed with Ellie, the eight year old granddaughter that she dearly loves, Ann finds common ground with her daughter in law, struggling to help the young mother unwind her tightly wound protectiveness toward Ellie in “The Bird House” by Kelly Simmons.
Taking an online test called, “What kind of car are you,” I discovered that beneath it all, I am really a VW Beetle, stuck in a red van’s body. What kind of car are you, and what does your future hold? Only one answer comes to mind for that question; that is a trip to JCPL, where the only thing you can really count on for your near future is lots of great, new fiction!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Ageless, Timeless Fiction at JCPL!
I’m not one of those women who hate to admit their age. I don’t advertise it, but if I it happens to come up in conversation, I’ll admit how old I am. I have, however, been known to be wrong about how old I really am. An honest mistake, so to speak. One year, as my birthday got closer, a friend of ours was visiting, and the fact that my birthday was a month away was mentioned. When asked how old my upcoming birthday would make me, I answered, “I’ll be thirty eight.” Several beats went by, and finally, my friend said, “I could be wrong, but haven’t you been thirty eight for an awfully long time now?” Hmmm…Maybe the age thing is more of an issue than I thought. When it comes to that subject, I guess I’m sort of on the same page with India Bishop, a thirty eight (really forty three) year old woman who has literally reinvented herself and then falls for a wealthy older man named Marcus Croft. The only thing missing from her life now is a baby, and when her attempts at pregnancy fail, she turns to technology, her life intersecting with the lives of Jules Strauss and Annie Barrow, leading readers into the hearts of women’s lives in unforgettable and tender ways in “Then Came You” by Jennifer Weiner.
I could describe this book as “not old” at the Jasper County Public Library. In fact, it’s NEW, and so are the following titles! Read on!
Banished from New York to the balmy seaside resort of Port Fontaine, Florida due to political fallout, forensic pathologist, Dr. Edward Jenner hopes that the change of scenery will do him good. Jenner’s hopes are dashed, however, when he finds himself embroiled in another death investigation, this one hitting close to home, because the corpse belongs to his former mentor, Dr. Martin Roburn. Putting the pieces together gets a little dicey when four more corpses turn up, seemingly tied to the murder of Roburn and an up and coming drug trade, common in the sleepy little town in “A Hard Death,” the sequel to “Precious Blood” by Jonathan Hayes.
With prominent canines, an uncommon affinity for plants like blood-wart and Dracula orchid, Vlad Servan dresses entirely in black and hails from Romania. Could it be that this friend of Abby Knight’s fiancé is truly a vampire? When a local woman’s corpse is found drained of blood, the search for a killer is on. With Vlad as suspect #1, Abby and her fiancé, Marco, must race against time to prove him innocent in “Night of the Living Dandelion: A Flower Shop Mystery” by Kate Collins.
Retired American schoolteacher, Dorothy Martin has chosen to live out her retirement enjoying the English countryside. Invited to celebrate Guy Fawkes Night at the fully restored Branston Abbey, a major storm blows through, dimming the festive nature of the party. When a tree blows over, revealing a human skeleton tangled within its roots, intrigue follows in “A Dark and Stormy Night” by Jeanne M. Dams.
These “not old” books from JCPL would be great ways to celebrate, say, your 38th birthday. Mark Twain had it right when he quipped, “There is no cure for the common birthday.” Not your 38th birthday? Mine, either, but I still plan to make a trip to JCPL, where the new fiction on the shelves are as ageless as we all are, because, after all, age is just a number, and you can never have enough to read, no matter how old you are!
I could describe this book as “not old” at the Jasper County Public Library. In fact, it’s NEW, and so are the following titles! Read on!
Banished from New York to the balmy seaside resort of Port Fontaine, Florida due to political fallout, forensic pathologist, Dr. Edward Jenner hopes that the change of scenery will do him good. Jenner’s hopes are dashed, however, when he finds himself embroiled in another death investigation, this one hitting close to home, because the corpse belongs to his former mentor, Dr. Martin Roburn. Putting the pieces together gets a little dicey when four more corpses turn up, seemingly tied to the murder of Roburn and an up and coming drug trade, common in the sleepy little town in “A Hard Death,” the sequel to “Precious Blood” by Jonathan Hayes.
With prominent canines, an uncommon affinity for plants like blood-wart and Dracula orchid, Vlad Servan dresses entirely in black and hails from Romania. Could it be that this friend of Abby Knight’s fiancé is truly a vampire? When a local woman’s corpse is found drained of blood, the search for a killer is on. With Vlad as suspect #1, Abby and her fiancé, Marco, must race against time to prove him innocent in “Night of the Living Dandelion: A Flower Shop Mystery” by Kate Collins.
Retired American schoolteacher, Dorothy Martin has chosen to live out her retirement enjoying the English countryside. Invited to celebrate Guy Fawkes Night at the fully restored Branston Abbey, a major storm blows through, dimming the festive nature of the party. When a tree blows over, revealing a human skeleton tangled within its roots, intrigue follows in “A Dark and Stormy Night” by Jeanne M. Dams.
These “not old” books from JCPL would be great ways to celebrate, say, your 38th birthday. Mark Twain had it right when he quipped, “There is no cure for the common birthday.” Not your 38th birthday? Mine, either, but I still plan to make a trip to JCPL, where the new fiction on the shelves are as ageless as we all are, because, after all, age is just a number, and you can never have enough to read, no matter how old you are!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
You'll "Go Bananas" Over These New Non-Fiction Titles!
In the English language there are lots of ways to get your point across. Newspaper articles often recount escapades of people, just like you and me. Upon reading those stories, you might be inclined to say we’ve “gone bananas,” “lost our marbles,” “didn’t have both oars in the water,” were “loony tunes,” “totally bizarre,” or, as the famous candy bar commercial claimed in the 1970’s, “Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t.”
Funny that someone would use this popular jingle as a title for her memoir. In “Sometimes I Feel Like a Nut: Essays and Observations,” Jill Kargman offers funny, insightful slices of life that entertain readers, tackling issues big and small with wit and laugh out loud humor. In this collection, she shares her experiences of life, love, hate, kids, work, school, and adventures in New York City from a wickedly funny perspective.
This new non-fiction title from the shelves of the Jasper County Public Library uses zany humor to keep you turning pages. Read on for more, great, new titles!
Living, as the author puts it, “a ridiculously good life” is what Nick Vujicic imparts with his new book, “Life Without Limits: Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life.” Vujicic, born without limbs but for a tiny foot, has learned to be a shining light of help and hope for others, inspiring family and friends by overcoming his disabilities and sharing his faith with others, living independently and becoming a model for anyone who is struggling for true happiness in life.
After a blistering hot summer, fall is making an appearance. If the cooler weather brings more of an appetite for “comfort food” to you and your family, check out “Semi-Homemade Comfort Food” by Sandra Lee. You’ll rejoice in this money saving, easy, breezy cookbook that is perfect for seasoned cooks and novices alike, featuring over 125 delicious recipes for everything from casseroles to side dishes and soups to desserts. Easy to prepare and pocketbook friendly recipes make this cookbook a winner!
The abortion debate has brought about more than a little controversy over the years, and with that debate, violence has escalated throughout history, particularly on the sites of many women’s health care clinics. On May 31, 2009, Scott Roeder took the law into his own hands and fatally wounded abortion provider, Dr. George Tiller. “The Wichita Divide: The Murder of Dr. George Tiller” by Stephen Singular presents the portrait of a violent act that was borne out of the war against late term abortions, a war that has been raging for decades where the key battleground is Kansas, home to Brown vs. Board of Education and some of the bloodiest conflicts of the Civil War.
Social networking is not just for the younger population. Believe it or not, people over 55 are the fastest growing user group on Facebook and becoming Twitter bugs, as well. Seniors (and I use that term loosely, being of the over 50 age group myself) can jump on the social networking bandwagon quickly and easily after reading “Facebook and Twitter for Seniors for Dummies” by Marsha Collier. This easy to use guide explains step by step how to use these forums in a user friendly style, supplying everything seniors need to function on Facebook with confidence.
So, “go bonkers,” “go gaga,” “go crazy” or “go bananas” if you need to, but, by all means, while you’re on the way, go to JCPL, where all of the new titles on the shelves will be “the WAY to go!”
Funny that someone would use this popular jingle as a title for her memoir. In “Sometimes I Feel Like a Nut: Essays and Observations,” Jill Kargman offers funny, insightful slices of life that entertain readers, tackling issues big and small with wit and laugh out loud humor. In this collection, she shares her experiences of life, love, hate, kids, work, school, and adventures in New York City from a wickedly funny perspective.
This new non-fiction title from the shelves of the Jasper County Public Library uses zany humor to keep you turning pages. Read on for more, great, new titles!
Living, as the author puts it, “a ridiculously good life” is what Nick Vujicic imparts with his new book, “Life Without Limits: Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life.” Vujicic, born without limbs but for a tiny foot, has learned to be a shining light of help and hope for others, inspiring family and friends by overcoming his disabilities and sharing his faith with others, living independently and becoming a model for anyone who is struggling for true happiness in life.
After a blistering hot summer, fall is making an appearance. If the cooler weather brings more of an appetite for “comfort food” to you and your family, check out “Semi-Homemade Comfort Food” by Sandra Lee. You’ll rejoice in this money saving, easy, breezy cookbook that is perfect for seasoned cooks and novices alike, featuring over 125 delicious recipes for everything from casseroles to side dishes and soups to desserts. Easy to prepare and pocketbook friendly recipes make this cookbook a winner!
The abortion debate has brought about more than a little controversy over the years, and with that debate, violence has escalated throughout history, particularly on the sites of many women’s health care clinics. On May 31, 2009, Scott Roeder took the law into his own hands and fatally wounded abortion provider, Dr. George Tiller. “The Wichita Divide: The Murder of Dr. George Tiller” by Stephen Singular presents the portrait of a violent act that was borne out of the war against late term abortions, a war that has been raging for decades where the key battleground is Kansas, home to Brown vs. Board of Education and some of the bloodiest conflicts of the Civil War.
Social networking is not just for the younger population. Believe it or not, people over 55 are the fastest growing user group on Facebook and becoming Twitter bugs, as well. Seniors (and I use that term loosely, being of the over 50 age group myself) can jump on the social networking bandwagon quickly and easily after reading “Facebook and Twitter for Seniors for Dummies” by Marsha Collier. This easy to use guide explains step by step how to use these forums in a user friendly style, supplying everything seniors need to function on Facebook with confidence.
So, “go bonkers,” “go gaga,” “go crazy” or “go bananas” if you need to, but, by all means, while you’re on the way, go to JCPL, where all of the new titles on the shelves will be “the WAY to go!”
Thursday, August 25, 2011
A Perfect Plethora of Printed Books, Presented by JCPL
I hate making mistakes, and what I hate even more is having to admit to making them. “Nobody is perfect,” “To err is human,” and to quote the famous Benjamin Franklin, “Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.” Everyone has bad days, and makes boo boos from time to time. This correction in the Arizona Republican verifies that: “The Jumble puzzle which appeared on page D1 of Thursday’s edition actually was the puzzle scheduled to appear today. The Jumble originally scheduled to appear Thursday, as well as the answers to Wednesday’s puzzle are on page E1 today. The answers to the puzzle published today appeared Thursday and the answers to the puzzle published Thursday will appear Saturday.” Published puzzles seem to be puzzling even to the publishers of the printed puzzles, don’t you think? Maybe the puzzle publisher who printed the puzzles could have used a guardian angel to help them avoid such puzzlement. Don’t you wonder sometimes what a guardian angel would have to say if they recorded their thoughts in a journal every day? “The Guardian Angel’s Journal” by Carolyn Jess-Cooke tells the tale of a Margot Delacroix, a woman who has returned to earth as a guardian angel named Ruth. Sent back to life as her very own guardian angel, Ruth follows herself throughout her life, from birth through a troubled childhood, and all of the events of her adult life, as sort of a second chance to re-experience the biggest mistakes that led to her deepest regrets, eventually learning to love herself as unconditionally as she should have the first time around.
This new fiction title is just one in a long line of books, new to the Jasper County Public Library. Read on for more!
If you love Robin Cook, Michael Palmer and Patricia Cornwell and the pageturning medical drama that they bring to their novels, “Public Anatomy” by A. Scott Pearson, with its intriguing characters and high octane medical drama will be just what the doctor ordered. In this medical thriller, you’ll meet Doctor Eli Branch, a surgeon with a hand injury who is approached by two FBI agents investigating the subsequent deaths of two people who have undergone routine, but robotic, surgeries. Plot twist after plot twist lead Branch on a kaleidoscope of adventures as he seeks the truth, enlisting the help of forensic pathologist, Meg Daily in this thought-provoking novel.
Case closed turns out NOT to be the case for Nina Reilly in “Dreams of the Dead” by Perri O’Shaughnessy. The setting is South Lake Tahoe, California and the characters range from adventurers to criminals to lawyers. When disaster walks into a Lake Tahoe Ski Resort in the form of Jim Strong, a sociopath who Nina defended two years before against murder charges, Nina must expose the secrets of someone very close to her to prove that the dead cannot destroy the living. Written with a breakneck pace and plenty of twists and turns, this novel outlines human drama, establishing its right at the top of legal thriller genre.
Crime solving, 1970’s style, laced with a plucky police detective named Monika Paniatowski, offers readers pageturning police procedural drama when a murder case is reopened after the deathbed confession of the convicted killer of a thirteen year old girl becomes a declaration of his innocence for the crime. The last confession of accused rapist and killer, Fred Howard, is one that declares his innocence to the Priest performing the last rites for the convicted killer just before his death. Enter Detective Chief Inspector Tom Hall and Chief Constable George Baxter, along with Monika, the complex details begin to unravel as cobwebs of clue after clue build to a satisfying conclusion.
Are you puzzled? Well, from my “experience,” being puzzled is not so bad if you have a good distraction, so postpone your puzzle on purpose and pore over the plethora of pristine printed books in the Jasper County Public Library within your proximity; you’ll be pleased, we promise!
This new fiction title is just one in a long line of books, new to the Jasper County Public Library. Read on for more!
If you love Robin Cook, Michael Palmer and Patricia Cornwell and the pageturning medical drama that they bring to their novels, “Public Anatomy” by A. Scott Pearson, with its intriguing characters and high octane medical drama will be just what the doctor ordered. In this medical thriller, you’ll meet Doctor Eli Branch, a surgeon with a hand injury who is approached by two FBI agents investigating the subsequent deaths of two people who have undergone routine, but robotic, surgeries. Plot twist after plot twist lead Branch on a kaleidoscope of adventures as he seeks the truth, enlisting the help of forensic pathologist, Meg Daily in this thought-provoking novel.
Case closed turns out NOT to be the case for Nina Reilly in “Dreams of the Dead” by Perri O’Shaughnessy. The setting is South Lake Tahoe, California and the characters range from adventurers to criminals to lawyers. When disaster walks into a Lake Tahoe Ski Resort in the form of Jim Strong, a sociopath who Nina defended two years before against murder charges, Nina must expose the secrets of someone very close to her to prove that the dead cannot destroy the living. Written with a breakneck pace and plenty of twists and turns, this novel outlines human drama, establishing its right at the top of legal thriller genre.
Crime solving, 1970’s style, laced with a plucky police detective named Monika Paniatowski, offers readers pageturning police procedural drama when a murder case is reopened after the deathbed confession of the convicted killer of a thirteen year old girl becomes a declaration of his innocence for the crime. The last confession of accused rapist and killer, Fred Howard, is one that declares his innocence to the Priest performing the last rites for the convicted killer just before his death. Enter Detective Chief Inspector Tom Hall and Chief Constable George Baxter, along with Monika, the complex details begin to unravel as cobwebs of clue after clue build to a satisfying conclusion.
Are you puzzled? Well, from my “experience,” being puzzled is not so bad if you have a good distraction, so postpone your puzzle on purpose and pore over the plethora of pristine printed books in the Jasper County Public Library within your proximity; you’ll be pleased, we promise!
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Come Into JCPL to Get Your New Fiction Before It's Going, Going, Gone!
Going, going, gone; that is the rule of thumb for our electricity this summer. The louder the thunder gets, the better the chances that the electricity will be "gone with the wind." I've got it down to a science by now. Candles and flashlights ready to pick up the slack for the lights we won't have for hours to come, and NIPSCO on speed dial, right up there with friends and family. A trusty oil lamp sits nearby, ready to light my way and maybe even help me to finish the book I'm reading. I'd just gotten to the good part; almost to the end of the story when the lights went out. It was one of those books that draws you in, with characters so real that you cheer them on in some parts, and try to talk them out of something they are about to do in others. "Night Road" by Krisin Hannah is the story of one family's struggle to find a new way to be "normal" after tragedy strikes. In it, you'll meet Jude and Miles Farraday, the parents of Mia and Zach, twins who have been inseparable from the time they were born. Zach is the "golden child" with looks, personality and popularity, while Mia is a beautiful but unique girl whose tastes in clothes are anything but trendy. When Mia meets Lexi, the new girl in school, they form a fast friendship and Lexi grows to love the Farraday family until she makes a mistake that changes all of their lives forever. "Night Road" is the first in a long line of new fiction just waiting to be checked out from the shelves of the Jasper County Public Library. Read on for more!
Living in an upscale apartment on the Upper West side, Emily and Sandy Portman are a busy, happily married couple who seem to have it all. When Sandy dies in a tragic accident one night, however, reality hits Emily squarely in the face, and she discovers that her whole marriage and life with Sandy was a sham. Before the funeral is even over, Emily finds that she is on the verge of being evicted from her home, and one after another, more unwelcome surprises await her. When a scruffy dog named Einstein enters her life, Emily finds his presence oddly comforting. But is Einstein's determination and good nature enough to help Emily move on in her future? Find out in "Emily and Einstein" by Linda Francis Lee.
The absence of the men in their lives and the constant fear that their husbands will be the next casualty of war is the focus of "You Know When the Men Are Gone" by Siobhan Fallon. This collection of stories begins with "You Know When the Men Are Gone," in which a war bride from Serbia decides that she just can't cope with the loneliness of being a military wife and finds her own way out. The collection continues with "Inside the Break," featuring a military wife who is confronted with the possibility that her husband is being unfaithful to her with a female soldier. "Remission" is the story of a cancer patient awaiting the results of a crucial test who becomes devastated by the behavior of her teenage daughter, depicting the sensitive nature of the relationship between military parents and their children. Each story in this collection is woven tightly together with the next, zeroing in on military families living in Fort Hood Texas, connecting each through the special bond shared by only those familiar with the military way of life.
Santa Claus is a magical character known to children far and wide. Adults, too, feel the magic of Christmas because of the inspiring story of Old Saint Nick and the memories of their own childhoods. "The Christmas Chronicles: The Legend of Santa Claus" by Tim Slover brings the story of Santa Claus to an adult level, weaving various popular Christmas tales together, entertaining the reader with a marvelous, magical novel about the Santa Claus that we all know and love and the magic that he brings to the holiday season for all of us.
Thinking of Christmas in these dog days of summer may cool you off a bit. Just think of it as "Christmas in July, JCPL style," so hitch up the sleigh, make a list, check it twice and visit your local branch of JCPL before all of these new books are "going, going, gone!"
Living in an upscale apartment on the Upper West side, Emily and Sandy Portman are a busy, happily married couple who seem to have it all. When Sandy dies in a tragic accident one night, however, reality hits Emily squarely in the face, and she discovers that her whole marriage and life with Sandy was a sham. Before the funeral is even over, Emily finds that she is on the verge of being evicted from her home, and one after another, more unwelcome surprises await her. When a scruffy dog named Einstein enters her life, Emily finds his presence oddly comforting. But is Einstein's determination and good nature enough to help Emily move on in her future? Find out in "Emily and Einstein" by Linda Francis Lee.
The absence of the men in their lives and the constant fear that their husbands will be the next casualty of war is the focus of "You Know When the Men Are Gone" by Siobhan Fallon. This collection of stories begins with "You Know When the Men Are Gone," in which a war bride from Serbia decides that she just can't cope with the loneliness of being a military wife and finds her own way out. The collection continues with "Inside the Break," featuring a military wife who is confronted with the possibility that her husband is being unfaithful to her with a female soldier. "Remission" is the story of a cancer patient awaiting the results of a crucial test who becomes devastated by the behavior of her teenage daughter, depicting the sensitive nature of the relationship between military parents and their children. Each story in this collection is woven tightly together with the next, zeroing in on military families living in Fort Hood Texas, connecting each through the special bond shared by only those familiar with the military way of life.
Santa Claus is a magical character known to children far and wide. Adults, too, feel the magic of Christmas because of the inspiring story of Old Saint Nick and the memories of their own childhoods. "The Christmas Chronicles: The Legend of Santa Claus" by Tim Slover brings the story of Santa Claus to an adult level, weaving various popular Christmas tales together, entertaining the reader with a marvelous, magical novel about the Santa Claus that we all know and love and the magic that he brings to the holiday season for all of us.
Thinking of Christmas in these dog days of summer may cool you off a bit. Just think of it as "Christmas in July, JCPL style," so hitch up the sleigh, make a list, check it twice and visit your local branch of JCPL before all of these new books are "going, going, gone!"
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