| The July 2012 Staff Picks can also be viewed or printed as a PDF Staff Picks July 2012 (530KB) |
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 MAY FEATURE
 Fooling Houdini: Magicians, Mentalists, Math
Geeks & the Hidden Powers Of the Mind by Alex Stone. Stone, a writer, editor,
physicist and - magician - reveals the hidden
world of magic and magicians in this entertaining,
provocative book. He writes about his training as a
sleight-of-hand artist and also the impact of magic on
psychology, math, neuroscience and physics. A terrific read!
~ Louise JonesThis engrossing book delves into the fascinating and secret (and sometimes silly) world of the professional magician, but really catches fire when it talks about the nature of perception and how these prestidigitators are able to pull the wool over our eyes by literally controlling our minds. ~ Erik Barnum |
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| FICTION | ||
 An Unmarked
Grave by Charles
Todd. WWI
nurse Bess Crawford
realizes that a body
awaiting burial was
murdered, not a
victim of the Spanish
flu or battle wounds.
Her investigation takes her from the
battlefields of France to the British
countryside, putting herself and those
she holds dear in danger.
~ Sarah Teunissen |
 That Deadman
Dance by Kim Scott. Scott brings
the unspoilt wilds of
19th century Western
Australia to life in this
brilliant historical novel
about the first contact
between white settlers
and Aborigines - as seen through the eyes
of a young boy. ~ Charles Bottomley |
 Ed the Happy Clown by Chester Brown. Vampires,
pygmies and fecal
matter - the ghastly reek
of 1980s underground
comix lives again in this
scatological early opus
from the celebrated
cartoonist behind Louis Riel and Paying
for It. ~ Charles Bottomley |
 The Neruda
Case by Roberto
Ampuero, translated
by Carolina de
Robertis.
A stylish mystery
in which a young
private detective is
sent on a case, which
takes him around
the world. His client is the famous
poet and hero of Chile, Pablo Neruda.
A delightful and enjoyable read, filled
with intrigue, glamorous characters and
exotic places. ~ Sarah Knight |
  Rules of Civility by
Amor Towles. The
brilliant atmosphere of
1930's New York City is
the powerful setting for
this grand story. Great
original characters, with
their unique agendas,
weave and bob through
the neighborhoods of Manhattan and
through intricate and intertwining
relationships. A splendid, smart and
intensely satisfying read. ~ Karen Frank With My Body by Nikki Gemmell. A beautiful
account of an unnamed
Australian mother's
desire to reclaim her
autonomy and sexuality
in the midst of
domesticity, carpooling
and PTA meetings. The recollection of her
first love is empowering, heart wrenching
and ultimately satisfying. I absolutely love
this book. ~ Jess Krawczyk |
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 Mansion of
Happiness: A
History of Life and
Death by Jill Lepore. Perceptive,
smooth survey of
evolving American
attitudes about
birth, life and death
during 150 years of immense scientific
advancement - and how they became
enmeshed with politics. As usual Lepore
delivers stimulating insights and her
writing sparkles. ~ Bill Lewis |
 Jerusalem:
Chronicles from the
Holy City by Guy
Delisle. Israel
without hysterics!
These wonderful
cartoons from a year
spent in the Holy City
are beautifully observed. A thoughtful,
memorable journey always alive to the
humans behind the issues.
~ Charles Bottomley |
 Memoirs of a
Revolutionary by
Victor Serge .
Serge witnessed
the curdling of the
Russian Revolution
from the inside - but
never lost his own
belief in freedom
and equality. A powerful, vivid
account from the 20th century's
ground zero. ~ Charles Bottomley |
 Cronkite by Douglas
Brinkley.
Much more than
a tell-all about an
insatiably curious
college dropout
who outworked
nearly everyone
and achieved great
success. It's also a
chronicle of a century of tumultuous
change as reported by a man with a fine
sense of what was important - and the
difference between right and wrong.
~ Bill Lewis |
 Man of War: My
Adventures in the
World of Historical
Reenactment by
Charlie Schroeder. Appalled by
his lack of historical
knowledge, Schroeder
spent a year educating himself by
becoming a reenactor, from the Roman
Legion to Vietnam. His adventures are
both laugh out loud funny, at times
sobering, but always a delight. ~ Sarah
Teunissen |
 Slaughter On
a Snowy Morn by Colin Evans. An
ambitious district
attorney sees a
grisly double
murder as his
ticket to bigger
things. Small
matter, at least to him, that the man
awaiting execution for the crime
in Sing Sing is innocent. This is a
gripping, true-life story of justice
thwarted and betrayed.
~ Alden Graves |
 Into Dust And
Fire: Five Young
Americans Who
Were First to Fight
the Nazi Army by
Rachel Cox.
The World War II
generation is fast
disappearing and
each day more stories are lost; except
when a skilled and motivated researcher
decides to ask questions. This is a
beautiful, evocative, almost wistful story
but with a careful realism that prevents
it from becoming sappy or sentimental.
~ Bill Lewis |
 Mrs. Robinson's
Disgrace: The
Private Diary of
a Victorian Lady by Kate Summerscale. In 1858, one
year after a new
act of Parliament
legalized divorce,
Henry Robinson sought to divorce his
wife after he discovered her erotic diary.
The case, especially Isabella Robinson's
sexual longings made public, shocked
the nation and revealed the true nature
of many Victorian marriages.
~ Louise Jones |
 The Blood of
Heroes: The 13-
Day Struggle for
the Alamo – and
the Sacrifice that
Forged a Nation
by James Donovan. A carefully
researched account
of the extremely
complex political situation in Texas
that led to the siege of the crumbling
Spanish mission. Donovan puts human
faces on some legendary figures,
although even they seem overshadowed
by the towering image of Texas itself.
~ Alden Graves |
 We Are Anonymous by Parmy Olson. How safe is
your password? The
incredible story of
how hackers brought
Scientology and the
CIA to their knees. A
true-life thriller that
will keep even the computer illiterate up
past their bedtime. ~ Charles Bottomley |
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 Days of
Destruction, Days
of Revolt by Chris
Hedges and Joe Sacco. In post-crash
America, slavery
thrives while the
underclass is herded
into internal colonies.
Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Hedges
and cartoonist Sacco uncover a truth far
more shocking than any science fiction.
A contemporary call to arms.
~ Charles Bottomley |
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UNUSUAL GUIDES TO IDYLLIC TRAVEL
 Meander: East to West,
Indirectly, Along a Turkish
River by Jeremy Seal. The
word meander comes from this slow,
winding river that Seal follows by
foot and canoe. An illuminating book
of travel, people and history.
~ Louise Jones Hidden Gardens of Paris: A
Guide to the Parks, Squares, and
Woodlands of the City of Light by
Susan Cahill. You'll want
to jump on the first plane to Paris
and wander the many secret green
spaces Cahill describes. A charming
book with lovely photographs and
recommended amenities near each
entry. ~ Louise Jones |
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