Tears of Pearl

Tears of Pearl
By Tasha Alexander
Minotaur Boos, 2009. 307 pgs. Mystery.

Set in the late 19th century, the fourth book in this detective mysteries series follows Lady Emily and her new husband, Colin Hargreaves, as they travel to Constantinople for their honeymoon. When a half-English harem girl is murdered, Colin, who works for the Crown is asked to investigate. Lady Emily is asked to handle all the questioning within the harem. Lady Emily, a very independent woman for her time, bets her husband that she can solve the crime first.

I really enjoyed the detailed descriptions of historical Istanbul during the 19th century. The plot, however, was only mildly interesting to me. I also found Lady Emily to be engaging at times and grating at other times.

AJ

Supernaturally

Supernaturally
By Kiersten White
HarperTeen, 2011. 342 pgs. Young Adult

In the second book in the Paranormalcy series, Evie, living out the normal life she has always dreamed of, finds that it's not quite what she imagined. With her dreamy boyfriend Lend away at college, severely limiting their time together, Evie's actually missing her former employer, the International Paranormal Containment society. So when her former boss shows up asking her to be a contract employee, she does it, even though it means lying to Lend. Soon she's busy with mysterious paranormals who keep turning up and trying to control a rather frightening side of herself. She's also busy ruining her relationship with Lend, since she lies to him about numerous things, including intentionally neglecting to tell him that he's actually immortal. With her life spiraling out of control, Evie comes to realize that she's not exactly who she thought she was.

I have to say, I spent a large part of this book being frustrated with Evie--she's got the sweetest boyfriend and she keeps lying to him, which didn't exactly make me like her. I also though the book's resolution came way too quickly and easily. That said, I think fans of the series will really enjoy it. It is a fun book, and the twist on the paranormals still makes it a refreshing contrast to a lot of paranormal literature.

AE

The Kiss of a Stranger

The Kiss of a Stranger
By Sarah M. Eden
Covenant Communications, 2011. 252 pgs. Romance

Crispin Handle, Lord Carvatt, is not at all impressed with England's society ladies, and particularly not the bothersome Miss Bower, who seems determined to force him to court her. To settle the matter once and for all, he seizes a serving woman and kisses her quite soundly. However, she isn't a servant at all, and her formidable and abusive uncle insists that Crispin do the gentlemanly thing and marry her--immediately. And so, Crispin finds himself married to Catherine Thorndale, at least until he can negotiate an annulment. However, knowing that both their reputations will suffer, and she will likely be ruined, Crispin isn't so sure that annulment is a good option. However, a loveless marriage is hardly a better answer, is it?

I thoroughly enjoyed this Regency romance. I liked the witty banter between Crispin and Catherine and their developing romance.This is a gentle read and one that can be read it one sitting. I can't quite put my finger on what I liked so much about it, but I really liked it and hope that Covenant will soon publish some of Eden's other books.

AE

Girls in White Dresses

Girls in White Dresses
By Jennifer Close
Alfred A. Knopf, 2011. 293 pgs. Fiction

These are the adventures of Isabella, Mary, Lauren and a cast of their friends as they navigate life after college. Some of these girls are getting married and starting families while others are stuck trying to survive the dating scene. Further frustrations are felt when careers fail to move forward as well. But with a great deal of honesty and a good dose of humor, readers are treated to entertaining glimpses into the lives of girls becoming women, wives, and mothers.

At first, I didn’t love this book. The girls all seemed a little too jaded for my taste. They were funny, but I thought their attitudes were darker than they should have been having just graduated from college. It takes a few more years than that to give up on finding true love and gain that level of cynicism. However, as the book progressed, I started to love it more and more. In the end I walked away loving the lessons learned and the overarching message, which I interpreted as being: Life isn’t easy for anyone and your ‘happily ever after’ is not likely to look like you thought it would. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean it still isn’t happy.

CZ

Untold Story

Untold Story
by Monica Ali
Scribner, 2011. 259 pg. Fiction

What if Princess Diana had actually faked her own death and escaped to America? This book imagines her ten years later as Lydia, an Englishwoman who lives in a small town somewhere in the American Midwest and spends her days working at the local animal shelter, swimming, and visiting with her group of friends.

I’ve read mixed reviews of this book, but I really liked it. You do have to be able to suspend disbelief enough to accept the premise of the book and to see Lydia as a character invented by the author, rather than trying too hard to fit everything into the story of Diana. At the same time, Ali does a great job of imagining the possibilities of an alternate reality.

JC

Faith

Faith
by Jennifer Haigh
Harper, 2011. 318 pgs. Fiction

It is the spring of 2002 and priests across Boston are being accused of sexual abuse. Although she has tried to distance herself from her family and her religion, Sheila McGann has remained close to her older brother Art, the popular, dynamic pastor of a large suburban parish. When Art is implicated in the scandal, Sheila returns to Boston, ready to fight for him and his reputation. What she discovers is more complicated than she imagined.

I really liked this book, particularly because it so thoroughly described a place and culture that is completely foreign to me. There were some aspects of the way the book is narrated that bugged me, but in general I really liked the way the author managed to sympathetically portray all sides in this complicated family drama. Although this seems like a book about religion, it is more about family and our relationships with other people.

JC

Queen of Hearts

Queen of Hearts
By Martha Brooks
Farrar Straus Giroux, 2011. 214 pgs. Young Adult

In 1940s Canada, tuberculosis rages across the country and teenage Marie-Claire’s uncle has it, unbeknownst to her family whom he is living with. Months later Marie-Claire and her two younger siblings discover they have TB as well and are sent to the local sanatorium to “chase the cure.” Marie-Claire feels angry against the many restrictions placed on her, her roommate who wants to be good friends, and the rules against visiting her siblings. She also realizes that she doesn’t even have a life anymore and is wasting her special teenage years stuck in a terrifying situation and place. Brooks does a great job evoking the many different emotions of those experiencing this horrible disease and life. Marie-Claire’s struggles are real and palpable, as is her ultimate acceptance of her new life and conditions.

MN

The Limit

The Limit
By Kristen Landon
Aladdin, 2010. 291 pgs. Young Adult

When his family exceeds its legal debt limit, thirteen-year-old Matt is sent to the Federal Debt Rehabilitation Agency workhouse, where he discovers illicit activities are being carried out using the children who have been placed there.

In the author’s dystopian world, children work to pay off their family’s debt if they go over their allotted monetary limit. When Matt begins to notice that multiple children in his workhouse are getting headaches and he isn’t able to have any contact with the outside world, he decides to figure out once and for all how to improve the living conditions at his workhouse.

This novel was fast paced and had a very intriguing story line. I’m excited to meet Kristen Landon when she comes to the Library for Teen Book Fest on November 12th!

AMM

A Bitter Truth

A Bitter Truth
By Charles Todd
William Morrow, 2011. 340 pgs. Mystery

Bess Crawford is home for Christmas, on leave from her nursing duties in France during World War I. Upon arriving to her flat in London, Bess finds a young woman huddled in the doorstep with a significant bruise on her face. Bess takes the woman in and lands herself in the middle of a family drama concerning a deceased younger sister and a lookalike child in France, along with becoming a suspect in a murder. Bess’s investigation takes her back to France and the many orphanages there, but she receives help from a handsome Australian soldier. Even though I find Todd’s Ian Rutledge series superior, fans of Bess and this series will enjoy this current entry (and the Australian soldier).

MN

Wolf Mark

Wolf Mark
By Joseph Bruchac
Tu Books, 2011. 377 pgs. Young Adult
Luke King has always been different—how could he not be when he’s grown up with a CIA agent for a father? Now, though, his mother has died and he and his father are living in a trailer, Luke attending the local high school and his father escaping his pain with drugs and alcohol. Add in the fact that Luke seems to just kill all modern electronic devices (they shut down when he’s around) and the wolf mark on his left arm, and he’s pretty different. And soon, his life becomes not only different but dangerous. First, there are the seven members of the Sunglass Mafia (Russian students living in Luke’s town), who seem to have some special skills and are keeping a close watch on Luke. Then his father goes missing, and Luke finds that he isn’t as human as he’s always believed himself to be. Now, with his father’s life on the line and Luke the next target, he has to figure out how to control the wolf within, save his family, uncover the secret plot of those who are after him, and maybe, if he can swing it, take the girl he’s had a crush on for the past couple years for a motorcycle ride.
I liked Luke’s story; it’s adventurous and interesting, but at the same time, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was reading a Twilight read-alike for guys. There was more action and less focus on the love story, but still, it was a little too Twilight-y for me to completely love it. Overall, though, it’s fun and I always like how Bruchac incorporates American Indian and other cultures.
AE

Forever

Forever (Wolves of Mercy Falls, book 3)
By Maggie Stiefvater
Scholastic Press, 2011. 390 pgs. Young Adult Fiction

Maggie Steifvater writes beautifully in this satisfying conclusion to the Wolves of Mercy Falls Trilogy. It’s finally Spring in Minnesota. With the warmth, Grace can transform back to a human girl. That means that Sam and Grace can finally be together again, but with Grace now shifting to a wolf they face an uncertain future together. To make matters worse, the wolves are about to be taken off the protection list after a hard campaign by Isabella’s father who wants to kill every single wolf in vengeance for the death of his son.

Talking about the plot doesn’t really explain what this book is about. Most of the book takes place inside the main characters heads as the narration jumps to the point of view of Sam, Grace, Cole, and Isabella. This book is about the inner struggle of teens who have been hurt by people they love and by their own self destructive tendencies, but ultimately ends on a note of hope.

AJ

Adrenaline

Adrenaline
By Jeff Abbott
Grand Central Pub., 2011. 400 pgs. Fiction

Sam Capra’s life is almost perfect. He has a beautiful wife he loves, a new baby on the way, and an exciting job with the CIA. However, in the blink of an eye everything is gone, his wife and child are missing, his coworkers are all dead, and the government he has served faithfully believes he has betrayed them. Desperate to rescue his family and restore his professional reputation, Sam is willing to do almost anything. And while he makes some shocking discoveries about people he has trusted in the past, his greatest shock may be the discovery of his own capacity for violence when the ones he loves are at risk.

True to its name, Adrenaline is a fast-paced piece of espionage fiction. Sam is a great character and you can’t help but root for him. The action keeps coming and there are a number of surprises along the way. This is no doubt the first book in a series featuring Capra, since the ending is left wide open for continuations. Crime and spy novel readers will enjoy this new addition to the genre.

CZ

Bucking the Sarge

Bucking the Sarge
By Christopher Paul Curtis
Wendy Lamb Books, 2004. 259 pgs. Young Adult

Fourteen-year-old Luther wants to become a philosopher someday. He already has great ideas; he just needs the college degree to go with it. To save money for college, he runs the Happy Neighbor Group Home for Men that his mother owns. The trouble is he does not like the way his mother runs the place. She is mean and cheap, always trying to find an angle to make a buck. Then one day a new resident comes to live at the home, opening Luther’s eyes to new possibilities of what life could have in store for him.

This very funny book is not for everyone, as it has a few mature themes, but it is well worth the read.

KK

So Much Closer

So Much Closer
By Susane Colasanti
Viking, 2011. 241 pgs. Young Adult

Scott Abrams is the love of Brooke's life. She knows it. But he's moving to NYC and they've never really spoken. So Brooke moves to NYC to live with her dad, runs into Scott at her new school, and vows that she's going to tell him how she feels. However, things are a little more complicated than she anticipated, since Scott has a girlfriend (at least kind of) and Brooke's new friends and teachers help push her to reach her potential, making her realize that maybe she wants more than what she originally thought.

I wasn't quite sold on some aspects of this book--including moving to NYC for a boy and just coincidentally ending up living in the same neighborhood and attending the same school--but when I suspended disbelief, I did find it to be an enjoyable read. I enjoyed seeing Brooke's growth, although was slightly irritated by her lack of growth in certain areas (such as thinking her failing friendships with the friends she left behind when she moved was all their fault, not hers). Overall, this is a better than average book, and clean, too.

AE

Thick as Thieves

Thick as Thieves
By Peter Spiegelman
Alfred A. Knopf, 2011. 295 pgs. Mystery.

Carr was recruited from the CIA into a ring of thieves by an old man who quickly takes the haunted young man under his wing. At the end of a seemingly simple job, Carr’s mentor is gunned down, leaving the crew without a leader and Carr with a pile of questions. Despite their recent losses, the thieves decide to proceed with a job, monumental in its scope, but with the potential to provide them all with a generous retirement. As the danger becomes more and more real, tension between the players mount, and Carr finds himself questioning the people he must trust with his life.

Thick as Thieves is an utterly fantastic heist novel. It has action, intrigue, and suspense in just the right quantities. Just when you think you know who to trust, the other shoe drops and you are left reeling from new discoveries and eminent danger. Very fun and very exciting!

CZ

Blood Wounds

Blood Wounds
By Susan Beth Pfeffer
Harcourt, 2011. 248 pgs. Young Adult

Willa seems to have a perfect life as a member of a loving blended family until the estranged father she barely remembers murders his wife and children, then heads toward Willa and her mother.

Like the authors other books for teens, this book is all about family. Willa loves her stepfather and stepsisters; however she has a hard time dealing with the fact that her sisters have access to many more opportunities because of their mother’s well-paying job. She handles this pain in an unhealthy way. After the tragedy brought into her life by her father’s actions, Willa learns deeply what it means to be a member of a family and how to better deal with the stresses of her life.

This book captivated me and I had a really hard time putting it down. However, since this book deals with the gritty subject of murder, I would recommend it to older teens and adults.

AMM

The Magicians

The Magicians
By Lev Grossman
Viking, 2009. 402 pgs. Fantasy.

Quentin has spent his entire life waiting for the ‘something more’ he instinctively knows is out there. Then suddenly, at the start of his senior year of high school, he is transported to a hidden school where he discovers a world of magic and possibility. The problem is that when anything is possible and troubles can be banished with a quick spell, life loses its wonder. After graduating, Quentin and his friends find they must travel beyond this world to find the adventure they crave.

This is Harry Potter for adults, complete with whiney teenagers and adults who are unnecessarily cryptic and secretive. While I didn’t love the book, I didn’t hate it either. Some of the characters are intriguing and the storyline had some merit. I think what bothered me most were how obviously the author was paying tribute to classic fantasy works like the Chronicles of Narnia and The Wizard of Oz. Everything seemed a little stolen which made me feel a bit like a guilty accomplice. But it was still crafted with skill and epic fantasy readers will probably enjoy this first book in the Magicians series.

CZ

Paradise

Paradise
By Jill S. Alexander
Feiwel and Friends, 2011. 250 pgs. Young Adult fiction

Paisley Tillery is dead set on achieving her dreams of becoming a drummer, and she'll do anything to help her band be able to play in the upcoming Texapalooza music festival--including accept new boy Gabe, a.k.a. Paradise, as their new lead singer. Paradise has a way of getting under her skin that Paisley doesn't really know how to handle. Besides dealing with all the sexual tension between her and Paradise, Paisley also has to keep the fact that she's in a band a secret from her mother, who definitely wouldn't approve. But there comes a point where Paisley is tired of hiding who she is.

If I don't let myself think about it too much, I really enjoyed the book. Paradise is pretty sexy, Paisley is pretty spunky, and the book moves well. But when I start thinking deeper, there are some things I don't like. For example, Paradise gets pretty touchy-feely pretty darn fast, despite the fact that Paisley is wearing a purity ring. While he tells her he'll respect her saying no, he's still perfectly willing to try to change her mind. Next, interspersed throughout the book, there are lyrics written by Cal, one of the fellow band members, that make it pretty clear that he's in love with Paisley, and it's kinda weird. I mean, it doesn't fully go anywhere; it's never made clear if Paisley ever realizes how he feels. The end leaves it a little open, and I think it does work, but not necessarily for all readers. And there's a twist at the end that I think just happened too late and didn't have quite enough resolution. Still, I think a lot of readers will enjoy it. The Southern charm is as strong in this one as in Alexander's first novel, The Sweetheart of Prosper County, but it's not as clean.

AE

Sex on the Moon

Sex on the Moon: The Amazing Story of the Most Audacious Heist in History
Ben Mezrich
New York : Doubleday, 2011. 308 pgs, Nonfiction

This is a really fascinating tale of a good Mormon boy gone bad. Thad Roberts hails from Syracuse, UT, from a seemingly devout but strangely rigid and unforgiving Mormon family. After being expelled from the family due to childish indiscretions he eventually makes his way to NASA. An obviously very smart, personable young man, he rises to the top of the interns and falls in love with a fellow student. The two of them and one other student decide it would be a lark to steal moon rocks. They pull off the stunt, but are caught by the FBI when they tried to re-sell them.

I really enjoyed this book, but it did leave many unanswered questions. Why was Thad's family so unforgiving to him? What motivated Thad to risk his hard earned position at NASA? This story left me wanting more. Also left unanswered was the question of whether Thad was allowed to return to the University of Utah to obtain his doctorate after finishing his prison sentence. The title is rather sensational, but this book is clean.

I Rode a Horse of Milk White Jade

I Rode a Horse of Milk White Jade
Diane Lee Wilson
Orchard Books, 1998. 232 pgs. YA

Oyuna, while a toddler, had her foot crushed by a horse. In superstitious 14th century Mongolia that was a sign she was cursed by bad luck. It also meant she had been chosen by a horse. Drawn to the world of the horse, Oyuna feels strong and free from the life as a cripple whenever she rides. Her dream is to win the big race so she can return honor to her family. Her shaman grandmother foretells her success but she must "make her own luck" to succeed. The adventurous journey to the realization of her dream begins when her father allows her to pick any horse at the horse fair. Her choice of an old lame white mare dismays her father but Oyuna immediately forms a unique bond with the mare.

Oyuna is a strong positive female character who has the best intent in her heart but struggles with Mongolian traditions and her own bad luck. Her courage to persevere and love for her beloved horse, cat, and dream of honor never waver. If you love HORSES (lots of them), a smidgen of ROMANCE (arranged marriage or??) and ADVENTURE (riding in Kublai Khan's army disguised as a boy then riding across the Gobi desert as a talisman knowing death is the punishment for getting caught plus the terrifying experience of meeting Kublai Khan), this clean, extremely easy to read, coming of age novel is for you. mpb

Every Patient Tells a Story

Every Patient Tells a Story: Medical Mysteries and the Art of Diagnosis
by Lisa Sanders
Broadway Books, 2009. 276 pgs. Nonfiction

Sanders writes a column for the New York Times that describes mysterious illnesses and how they are diagnosed. Her book discusses how doctors deal with diagnostic dilemmas, both through case studies and through essays reflecting on various aspects of the diagnostic process.

I have read Sanders’ column for several years and recognized a few of the case studies in the book, so I wasn’t sure if I would get much out of reading it. However, I enjoyed this book even more than her columns because she takes an in-depth approach that not only describes the detective work involved in figuring out difficult cases, but also the psychology behind doctors’ thought processes as well as the history of modern medicine. If you like books about medicine or mysteries, or if you like to watch the show House, then you will love this book.

JC

Train Dreams

Train Dreams
by Denis Johnson
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011. 116 pgs. Fiction.

Robert Grainier was born in the West in the late 1800s to unknown parents and wound up at age six or seven with his aunt and uncle in the Idaho panhandle. A bachelor until his mid-thirties, he worked on a logging crew for the railroad, then met and married his wife Gladys whom he lost, along with an infant daughter, to a wildfire. Johnson sets Robert's story in the dreamscape of the long-gone West, and Robert's life seems something of a dream as though it were happening to him rather than undertaken with free will and intent. But Robert is hardly a cipher of a man. What he does wish for, what he sees, what he loves are discernible in him, in a life without expectation, but not without grace. Johnson, winner of the National Book Award for Tree of Smoke, a novel about ten times larger than this slim volume, is a writer's writer whose seemingly effortless prose takes one's breath away. Why Johnson chose a flyleaf picture of himself that makes him look like a convict in a cell block in a rocking chair is something of a mystery, but genius has its privileges, apparently.

LW

Seeking Persephone

Seeking Persephone
By Sarah M. Eden
Covenant Communications, 2011. 280 pgs. Romance

Adam Boyce, the Duke of Kielder, has no intention of marrying, nor does he seem a likely candidate for marriage. Despite his title and his fortune, his sour disposition, not to mention his disfigured face, make him less than the ideal potential suitor, or so he believes. However, his immensely dislikes the man set to inherit if he doesn't produce an heir, so Adam extends an offer of marriage to Persephone Lancaster, even though he's never seen her and doesn't even know her last name. What he does know is that she is impoverished and that if he's willing to support her younger siblings, she just might be willing to marry him. She does consent, and Adam, expecting a dour old maid, is astonished to find himself attached to a pretty young woman. Neither quite knows what to expect from their marriage, but as Persephone tries to be a good woman, Adam comes to realize that perhaps his pretty young wife is exactly what he needed.

I quite enjoyed this light-hearted romance. My one quibble was that Adam said he was marrying for an heir but then goes nowhere near Persephone. While that does make for a clean romance, I didn't feel that his abrupt change of plans was explained quite well enough. That's probably a flaw that most readers will be willing to overlook, though, and fans of historical romance won't be disappointed.

AE

Trapped: How the World Rescued 33 Miners from 2,000 Feet below the Chilean Desert

Trapped: How the World Rescued 33 Miners from 2,000 Feet below the Chilean Desert
By Marc Aronson
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2011. 134 pgs. Young Adult Nonfiction

On August 5, 2010, a collapse in the San José mine in Chile trapped thirty-three miners underground, attracting the world's attention. For the next seventeen days, drillers and mining experts from around the world worked with native Chileans to try to reach the miners and determine if anyone had survived. Miraculously, they all had, but it took several more weeks, and more international assistance, to extract the miners from 2,300 feet below the earth.

Aronson's book is interesting in that it focuses not so much on the miners and their families but on the people who were anxiously trying to get them out--from the nine drill teams working to establish first contact, to the three teams that later were working toward getting the miners out. At the beginning, Aronson also provides some background theories about the tectonic plates and how the Chile is earthquake prone, as well as information about mining, venturing off into a discussion about Hephaestus and how, like the Greek god, miners are often under-respected. I enjoyed the background information about Chile and mining; the Greek tangent didn't quite work for me. Overall, though, I liked this concise account of what happened in Chile and the people who worked to make rescue possible.

AE

Declaring Spinsterhood

Declaring Spinsterhood
By Jamie Lynn Braziel
AmazonEncore, 2010. 227 pgs. Romance

Tired of the dating scene and being nagged by her mother about getting married, Emma Bailey decides she will never marry, but her resolve to remain single hits a snag when she realizes that she's falling in love with her best friend Brian.

I enjoyed this fun, yet predictable book. Emma’s mother and uncle are infuriating with their constant comments about her single status. Brian is of course charming and both Emma and Brian hide their feelings for each other up until the very end. All in all a nice light read!

AMM

Wrapped

Wrapped
By Jennifer Bradbury
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2011. 309 pgs. Young Adult

Agnes Wilkins loves to read and learn languages, which isn’t too common for a young woman in Regency England. However it is the time for her debut and her mother wants her to stop pursuing these pursuits in order to find a suitable husband. Invited to a mummy unwrapping party, Agnes gains more than she bargains for that evening. The host of the evening, a very eligible bachelor, singles Agnes out and many of the guests, including Agnes, become the recipients of the mummy’s curse. Agnes realizes more is at stake than a curse and with the help of a handsome young museum worker begins unraveling the mummy’s curse. Although predictable, this was a quick and enjoyable read and Agnes’ struggles against her traditional place in this male-oriented society made her adventures more heartfelt.

MN

The Girl in the Gatehouse

The Girl in the Gatehouse
By Julie Klassen
Bethany House, 2010. 391 pgs. Historical fiction

Miss Mariah Aubrey, banished after a scandal, hides herself away in a long-abandoned gatehouse on the far edge of a distant relative's estate. There, she supports herself and her loyal servant the only way she knows how: by writing novels in secret. Captain Matthew Bryant, returning to England successful and wealthy after the Napoleonic wars, leases an impressive estate, determined to win back the woman who once rejected him. When he discovers an old gatehouse on the property, he is immediately intrigued by its striking young inhabitant and sets out to uncover her identity and her past.

I listened to the audiobook version of this, and though it was a bit predictable, it was still a pleasant story. While the romance is the main element of the story, it is suspended against an interesting cast of characters with their own stories of triumphs and tragedies, and even the gatehouse itself has a mysterious past. This is Christian fiction, but the religious themes are lightly worked in and will appeal to readers both interested in and wary of Christian fiction.

BHG

The Warrior Heir

The Warrior Heir
By Cinda Williams Chima
Hyperion Books for Children, 2006. 426 pgs. Young Adult

Jack’s ordinary life turns quite extraordinary when his aunt Linda takes him and two friends on a road trip to research some genealogy. Attacked by men with strange powers, Jack fights back and discovers he has his own special powers. After this skirmish, Linda tells Jack that he is a Warrior Heir, one of the Weirlind who possesses magical powers. Originally Jack was born a wizard, but due to a defect, he has become a warrior and is being hunted by a wizard faction. Jack receives proper training for his skills, but realizes more is at stake than his abilities.

Fans of fantasy will enjoy this one, especially teenage boys. Jack is a relatable character and his struggles, while mostly magical, are familiar. My one quibble is the amount of background information; while it is needed, there is so much and it bogs the story down. However, I look forward to Chima’s visit here on September 20th.

MN

The Keeper of Lost Causes

The Keeper of Lost Causes
by Jussi Adler-Olsen, translated from the Danish by Lisa Hartford
Dutton, 2011. 396 pgs. Mystery.

When Carl Mørck and two of his friends from the police force are ambushed during a murder investigation, Carl is wounded, one of the other officers is killed, and one is paralyzed. Carl loses all interest in his career and when he is assigned as the head of a new department (of one) to investigate cold cases, he figures to hunker down in his basement office and do a lot of nothing until he can retire. But he requests an assistant and along comes Assad, a Syrian (maybe) who has been granted asylum in Denmark and who has certain skills that go well beyond his custodial and secretarial duties. Assad nudges Carl into action and they take on the case of Merete Lynggaard, a prominent political figure who disappeared five years earlier on a trip with her brain-damaged brother across the North Sea to Germany. What the reader knows that Carl and Assad don't is that Merete did not drown--pushed overboard by person or persons unknown--but is the captive of a truly evil triumvirate (two man and a woman in a wheelchair) who have imprisoned her under the direst conditions with no hint of a motive. Suspense builds almost unbearably as Carl and Assad assemble the pieces of this deeply complex case and and try to put them together before it is too late for the woman who is, unbelievably, still alive, but not for long.

LW

The Man in the Rockefeller Suit

The Man in the Rockefeller Suit: The Astonishing Rise and Spectacular Fall of a Serial Impostor
by Mark Seal
Viking, 2011. 323 pgs. Nonfiction

When the story of a parental kidnapping in Boston went out over the newswires in 2008, it seemed initially like a routine family tragedy. But it took strange twists as time passed. The father, wealthy businessman Clark Rockefeller, was not who he seemed to be. In fact, no one at all knew who he was. This episode ended the long career of professional imposter and con man Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, originally from the tiny German village of Bergen. His ambition to emigrate to America and become a filmmaker took him from Boston to California and back. Charm, arrogance, and a wickedly sharp mind helped him create his personae but also enabled him to maintain his lifestyle by stealing, swindling…and maybe worse.

I remember reading bits and pieces of the story of Clark Rockefeller a few years ago when the story first broke, but I’d always wanted to know more. This book lays out the entire chronology of his life, particularly focusing on his years of deception in America. The author interviews a number of people who interacted with “Rockefeller”, and describes testimony at his trial in order to try and understand why he did what he did. The story really was as exciting as I thought it would be, and it made me wonder whether I would be deceived by someone like this guy.

JC

In the Shadow of the Lamp

In the Shadow of the Lamp
By Susanne Dunlap
Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2011. 293 pgs. Young Adult

After Molly is wrongfully accused of stealing and fired from her job as a parlormaid, she hears that Florence Nightingale is looking for nurses to go to Turkey to help take care of soldiers wounded in the Crimean war. Molly doesn't have any real nursing experience, but she's determined to take advantage of this opportunity and manages to trick her way into the group of nurses. As much as she loves nursing, she finds it slightly hard to obey all of the rules, especially the one about not fraternizing with any men. There's a handsome young doctor who seems interested in her, but then a friend from England (who actually helped her make it to Turkey) follows her to Turkey, enlisting in the army in order to be near her. With her heart drawn to both men, and her job as well, Molly has to figure out what she truly wants from life.

I liked the historical setting of this novel and found Molly to be a fun character--spunky and determined. I will say that I'm a bit tired of the love triangle theme, and the ending was a little bit more vague than I would have liked, but overall, I did enjoy the book and will definitely read other books by this author.

AE

Under a Red Sky

Under a Red Sky
By Haya Leah Molnar
Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2010. 302 pgs. Young Adult Nonfiction

Living in Communist Romania after WWII, life wasn't much better for the Jews than it was during the war. Eva, however, who is a child living with her parents, grandparents, and two uncles, and a an aunt, didn't know that she was Jewish. She did know that her family didn't agree with the Communist government and that their dream was to emigrate to Israel, where they wouldn't all have to live in one small apartment and where they'd be able to find better jobs and speak freely. Once she became aware of her status as a Jew, she still doesn't understand what it means to be Jewish, only that it's dangerous.

I enjoyed reading Eva's story, since Communist Romania isn't a topic I know much about. I think Eva's family dynamics were particularly interesting. I was a little disappointed with the ending; this, as indicated in the title, is the story only of Eva's life in Communist Romania, but since her family was able to move to Israel when she was ten, there's still much about Eva's life that we don't get to see, and for me, it just felt like it ended a little too soon.

AE

The Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace

The Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace
By Gary D. Chapman
Northfield Publishing, 2011. 272 pages. Nonfiction.

Gary Chapman along with Paul White adapt the Five Love Languages for the workplace. The authors explain that the goal of this book is to bring a higher level of job satisfaction and reduce burnout for individual employees and to improve the quality/quantity of work being produce. This book is written to teach both managers and co-workers how to effectively communicate appreciation in a work environment. In the workplace, your primary love language may be different than in your personal relationships.

Though I didn’t really feel like any new ground was covered than in the original Five Love Languages book, I did appreciate the examples given for the work environment. I am also much more aware of what I can do to show appreciation to my co-workers (I certainly appreciate them, but probably have never communicated that very well). I think this would be an excellent read for all managers and for anyone who does feel unhappy in their job situation.

AJ

The Language of Flowers

The Language of Flowers
By Vanessa Diffenbaugh
Ballantine Books, 2011. 322 pages. Fiction.

Does anyone every really change? Can we forgive ourselves for the mistakes of our past? Is loving someone too much to risk? These are just a few of the questions brought up in this breathtaking debut novel by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. Victoria Jones’s only passion is the old Victorian language of flowers which was used to express romantic feelings. But for Victoria she uses it to communicate her mistrust, solitude, and hate for the world. After a childhood spent mostly in state homes for girls, she is prickly and hates human touch.

Now at eighteen, Victoria is on her own. With no real education and no job experience, Victoria quickly finds herself homeless. In desperation, she seeks work at a local flower shop where she discovers a talent for helping others through the language of flowers. But when she unexpectedly meets someone from her past, Victoria is forced to confront what she has been running from for 8 years.

This book had everything I could ask for; a compelling story, beautiful language, heart-wrenching themes, and fascinating characters. I would highly recommend you pick up this book as soon as possible.

AJ

The American Heiress

The American Heiress
By Daisy Goodwin
St. Martin's Press, 2011. 468 pgs. Fiction

Cora Cash has been groomed since birth to be the ultimate American heiress. She has the beauty, the wealth (as the only heir to a flour fortune), and the spirit. The only thing Cora lacks is a title. Within days of her debut, and a near engagement to a friend, Cora’s mother whisks her to Europe on a tour of the continent and eligible, titled young men. A fortuitous riding accident in England lands Cora at the home of the Duke of Wareham, a handsome young man who does not have a wife. As Cora develops a relationship with Ivo, she finds her beauty and wealth do not give her an automatic in to his affections and English society. As she learns to become a proper English lady, Cora makes mistakes and discovers secrets that threaten her happiness.

I could not put down this well-written guilty pleasure. Cora is not the most sympathetic character, but I could understand her confusion and frustration with her new life. The descriptions of dresses, food, and such were delicious. The romance was tasteful and the secrets lurking in the pages were enticing. Adult fans of the young adult Luxe series will find this a worthy successor.

MN