Title: Mornings in Jenin
Title: Susan Abulhawa
Call #: ABU
The story of a Palestinian family’s struggle to survive after they are driven from their ancestral lands following the end of World War II and the formation of the modern state of Israel. Heart-wrenching.
Recommended by: Bobbie
Posted in General Fiction
Tagged Character-Centered, Historical, lyrical, Recommended by Bobbie
Title: The Virtures of War
Author: Steven Pressfield
Call #: PRE
This first-person memoir of Alexander the Great brings to the reader a highly-researched and historically accurate reckoning of the ancient past. Most enjoyable of all, is the impressive way in which the personal character and thinking of Alexander is presented. What kind of a person would think that he could conquer the world? What kind of a person would want to? Alexander was the best military thinker of his or any age. The charismatic arrogance and visionary brilliance of the man come across in wonderful battle scenes, colorful legends, and brutal facts of history. This is one of the best Alexander novels ever written.
Recommended by: John
Posted in General Fiction
Tagged Character-Centered, Explicitly Violent, Fast Paced, Historical, Recommended by John
Title: Binocular vision: New and Selected Stories
Author: Edith Pearlman
Call #: PEA
I had never heard of Edith Pearlman, and read this collection based on its introduction by Ann Patchett, herself a writer of beautiful and lyrical prose, and I agree with her – Edith Pearlman is a gift: treat yourself.
Recommended by: Bobbie
Posted in Short Stories
Tagged Character-Centered, haunting, Recommended by Bobbie, witty
Title: Chew: The Omnivore Edition
Author: John Layman
Illustrator: Rob Guillory
Call #: G LAY
Welcome to a near future dystopia where a horrible bird flu has killed millions of people and chicken as a food source has been completely outlawed for our safety. Tony Chu, a cibopath, which means he can get a psychic impression from whatever he eats and it also means that if he is willing to eat corpses, he can solve just about any case. His job is to stop illegal chicken consumption. This is a dark, character driven story with cliff hangers, but it is not for the weak stomached.
Recommended by: Becky
Posted in Graphic Novel
Tagged Award Winner, Character-Centered, Fast Paced, offbeat, Recommended by Becky
Title: Ines of My Soul
Author: Isabel Allende
Call#: ALLENDE
This historically accurate novel fictionalizes the story of the Spanish conquerors of Chile in the 1500s. Ines Suarez narrates the book in her old age looking back on her life that began as a seamstress in Spain, but wound up with her becoming the first Gobernadora of Chile. Ines relates the trials and jubilation, the hard times and the wonderful moments of establishing Santiago, Chile. Most of the novel is taken up with the story of Ines and her lover, Pedro Valdivia, the war hero, and their bloody struggles with the indigenous people of Chile. This is the story of Ines’ life, a chronicle of the founding of Chile, a comment on the price of “discovering” the New World, and a tale of the power of love.
Recommended by: Becky
Posted in General Fiction
Tagged Award Winner, Character-Centered, dramatic, Historical, lyrical, Recommended by Becky
Title: The Maid
Author: Kimberly Cutter
Call #: CUT
A novelization of the story of Joan of Arc, the illiterate French peasant who, guided by visions of saints, led an army and overthrew the English invaders – only to be betrayed, condemned as a heretic, and burned at the stake.
Recommended by: Bobbie
Posted in General Fiction
Tagged Character-Centered, Compelling, dramatic, Explicitly Violent, Historical
Title: The Magus
Author: John Fowles
Call #: FOW
A disillusioned young college graduate wanders upon the estate of a wealthy recluse on an island in Greece. He finds himself gradually drawn into the strange goings on taking place on the premises as well as the older man’s paradoxical views on life. The deep, often amazing revelations of the book set against the striking backdrop of the Greek islands make this book nothing less than a wrote.
Recommended by: John
Posted in General Fiction
Tagged Character-Centered, Disturbing, intricate, Recommended by John
Title: The Paris Wife
Author: Paula McLain
Call #: MCL
Hadley Richardson, a quiet, naïve young woman, met Ernest Hemingway and fell in love with him almost immediately. They married and moved to Paris where they quickly became part of the hard drinking, fast living “lost generation.” Hadley is a decent woman who found herself in a society where she really didn’t fit. For a more complete picture of this time period, I recommend also reading “A Moveable Feast,” by Ernest Hemingway.
Recommended by: Betty
Posted in General Fiction
Title: The T
ower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise
Author: Julia Stuart
Call #: STU
A sweet, odd story about a yeoman warder (Beefeater) and his wife who live in the Tower of London. The plot isn’t as important as the characters’ relationships; these are people who are not one dimensional. If you want a story that makes you smile at the same time it makes you feel sad, give this a try.
Recommended by: Betty
Title: The Optimist’s Daughter
Author: Eudora Welty
Call #: WELTY
This book, with great poignancy and sly humor, tells about a young woman who comes back to her Southern hometown to deal with her father’s death and the silly, uncaring woman he married. Confronting the past and dealing with the present at the same time is never easy, but Eudora Welty is a master at presenting all aspects of humanity – comedy as well as tragedy.
Recommended by: Betty
Posted in General Fiction
Tagged Character-Centered, Classic, Humorous, Recommended by Betty
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