Newly Notable -- In My Father's Country

I can admit it--by and large, if it shows up on The Daily Show, I'm interested and will likely end up reading the book.  I will say, however, that this interview is very unlike Jon Stewart's typical fare...

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Click here to place a hold on the book.
Happy Reading!

Newly Notable -- Let's Pretend This Never Happened

In case you happen to be a fan of the Bloggess (and I'm convinced that the only people who aren't are the ones who haven't heard of her yet), check out the book trailer for her memoir Let's Pretend This Never Happened:



Because hey, an Elizabethan mouse? Who can resist that?  Now you KNOW you want to read it, don't you?

Newly Notable -- Between the Lines

Hey, good news, Picoult fans!
The wait this time? Not so long! Jodi Picoult's next book (a collaborative effort with her daughter--how cool is that?) Between the Lines is getting released on June 26! Anyone else smell the perfect beach read coming at us?
Here's what we know so far: Delilah, a bookish teen, finds herself drawn to a fairytale called "Between the Lines." It speaks to her--not really, not at first--she just loves it. Then, one day, the main character, Oliver, starts talking literally.
Although it's being promoted as Teen novel, I mean, come on! It's Jodi Picoult! Am I really NOT going to put a hold on it? (See what I did there? Practicing my teen-talk? Clever, no?)
Happy Reading!

Newly Notable -- And in the news....

Attention Anne Tyler fans!

Anne Tyler's newest book, The Beginner's Goodbye, which, like usual has met with universal critic-approval, gets unleashed on the world tomorrow. But if you're like me and simply. Can't. Stand. To. Wait....

There is good news: stay yourself for another 24 hours with this morning's interview on NPR's Morning Edition. Listen here. It'll be good. You'll have your fix--just enough to hold you through to tomorrow morning when you can dash into your favorite District Library and grab a copy for yourself!

Happy Reading!

Newly Notable -- The Expats

I'm not recommending The Expats--primarily because I haven't read it yet--but I'm intrigued. How often do books get almost uniformly good reviews? But if I were to recommend it prematurely, it would be because of something the author (Christ Pavone) said: "I think most people have no idea what their spouses do all day long. It's not a question of adultery I'm talking about, but just the reality that you live this life of 40, 50, 60 hours a week doing something completely divorced from your family and it's possible that it's just completely no what the other person thought it would be." Interesting, no?
With that in mind, here's the premise: Kate, married to Dexter, is the working mother of twins. Dexter thinks that Kate puts in long administrative hours. In truth, she is a CIA operative. The novel opens with Dexter getting offered a job in Luxembourg, which he accepts and will require Kate to leave her job. She is happy until she begins to settle into her new life, when she begins to question the quiet lives of those around her. Are they what they seem? Or are they pulling the same charades that she did for so long?
I'm intrigued. A psychological spy novel? Count me in!
Happy Reading!

Newly Notable -- The Flight of Gemma Hardy

I will be the first to admit that I am usually wary of retellings. I, who have never written or published a word for mass market consumption, am an unbearable snob about certain topics and this is one of them. My line of thinking usually goes like this: Really? You're trying to improve on Charlotte Bronte's work? You think that you can do Charlotte Bronte better than Charlotte Bronte did Charlotte Bronte? And then I snort at the arrogance that seems to be so inherent in human beings.
But I digress.
Here's what Margot Livesey did: she took Jane Eyre, (which, in the name of full disclosure, is one of my favorite books), moved her to the 1950s/60s in Scotland, and allowed the wise young woman to run rampant in an era of less stringent sexual taboos, wider-ranging opportunities for women, and a collective mentality of self-absorption. That may sound like a bad thing, but what happens is that the very wise Jane becomes a flawed and occasionally flighty, but more realistic woman; her evil aunt has a backstory and, while no less detestable, becomes a little more understandable (did anyone else ever wonder why Jane's loving and tender uncle married such a shrew? Livesey has a pretty good theory!); and Mr. Rochester gets some baggage that creates a whole new depth of character for one who seems to become easily obsessed and besotted.
While these enhancements won't please everyone and the setting certainly changes a great deal of the possible twists to the story, Livesey does create a likable rendition of a more modern Jane; certainly one who is more empowered and more willing to take control of her circumstances.
Happy Reading!

Newly Notable -- The Next Jodi Picoult!

So...you've been waiting, too, eh?
There are those of who are die hard fans, and then the moderate fans. I have yet to meet anyone who doesn't fall in to one of those categories where Jodi Picoult is concerned.
Enough philosophy! The point of my existential rant is that is that the new Jodi Picoult, Lone Wolf, gets unleashed on the world this week Tuesday.
While the overall reviews are mixed, one thing has turned up over and over again: Picoult does an amazing job of researching and relaying wolf-lore (of the non-paranormal kind--there's a character that's a wolf expert).
Not on the waiting list yet? Click on the picture of the book at the right, or call the Reference Desk. We are always tickled to help you ferret away your free time by finding just the right book to bury your nose in.
Happy Reading!

Newly Notable -- Jodi Picoult's Next Release!

It's coming, it's coming! The new Jodi Picoult! Lone Wolf will be released on February 28, 2012!

From the publisher:
A life hanging in the balance…a family torn apart. The #1 internationally bestselling author Jodi Picoult tells an unforgettable story about family, love, and letting go.Edward Warren, twenty-four, has been living in Thailand for five years, a prodigal son who left his family after an irreparable fight with his father, Luke. But he gets a frantic phone call: His dad lies comatose, gravely injured in the same accident that has also injured his younger sister Cara.
With her father’s chances for recovery dwindling, Cara wants to wait for a miracle. But Edward wants to terminate life support and donate his father’s organs. Is he motivated by altruism, or revenge? And to what lengths will his sister go to stop him from making an irrevocable decision?
Lone Wolf explores the notion of family, and the love, protection and strength it’s meant to offer. But what if the hope that should sustain it, is the very thing that pulls it apart? Another tour de force from Jodi Picoult, Lone Wolf examines the wild and lonely terrain upon which love battles reason.

Intrigued yet? Click here to add your name to the list!

Waiting for Ann Patchett?

While all you die-hard fan-types are waiting around for your reserved copy of Ann Patchett's latest, State of Wonder, why not take a spin with some of the books that she has put on her favorite books list?

The Daily Beast is currently featuring a short article by Ann Patchett herself listing "six books I've read in the last 12 months that I wish I was still reading." Is it even possible to ask for a better book recommendation than that?

I seriously think not.

Happy Reading!

Newly Notable -- In the Garden of Beasts

Many of us met Erik Larson for the first time with his bestselling Devil in the White City, or his lesser known Thunderstruck. Larson's latest book, In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and American Family in Hitler's Berlin, is another nonfiction study of often forgotten figures in American history. This time, the focus is on William Dodd, the U.S. ambassador to Germany at the beginning of World War II, and, more specifically, his daughter Martha, who came of age and socialized in a world of soon to be infamous Nazi figures.
The advanced reviews of Garden are strong, and we're already getting calls about it. Though the book doesn't get released until Tuesday, call the reference desk at 355-3720 to put your name on the list!

Newly Notable -- One Hundred Names for Love

In case this one hasn't come across your radar yet, Diane Ackerman's One Hundred Names for Love has been making an incredible splash (including--but hardly limited to--an incredibly warm interview on NPR's The Diane Rehm Show). On the off chance that neither that or the plethora of great reviews has piqued your interest, check out this accolade, from Abraham Verghese (of Cutting for Stone fame):

This book has done what no other has for me in recent years: it has renewed my faith in the redemptive power of love, the need to give and get it unstintingly, to hold nothing back, settle for nothing less, because when flesh and being and even life fall away, love endures. This book is proof.

For more of the review, click here.