| The October 2012 Staff Picks can also be viewed or printed as a PDF Staff Picks October 2012 (685KB) |
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| FICTION | ||
| NEW HARDCOVER | ||
 Garment of
Shadows: A
Novel of Suspense
Featuring Mary
Russell and
Sherlock Holmes by Laurie King. Mary wakes
in Morocco with bloodstained
hands and amnesia. With few clues,
she must rely on her wits to survive.
Holmes, on his own mission to
quell a revolt, begins investigating
her disappearance. Fans of this series
will not be disappointed! ~ Sarah
Teunissen |
 Shout Her Lovely
Name by Natalie
Serber. A
family negotiates a
daughter's anorexia;
a single mother and
daughter grow up
together, entwined,
raging, inseparable;
a woman questions her place as
her husband and son get tattoos. A
perfect set of stories about imperfect
people. ~ Amy Palmer |
 Memoirs of an
Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks. In this
novel narrated
by the imaginary
friend of an eight
year-old boy, who is
somewhere on the autism spectrum,
Dicks spins a terrific tale of a child
in peril, expertly navigating real
and imagined worlds while creating
suspense that had me turning pages
furiously to the end. ~ Stan Hynds |
 The Unlikely
Pilgrimage of
Harold Fry by
Rachel Joyce.
An unfulfilled
man on a strange
journey may not be
anything new, but in
Joyce's hands it becomes something
remarkable. Her warmth fills every
perfect line and a tale of goodness
is masterfully told. Quite simply
wonderful! ~ Charles Bottomley |
 Ancient Light by John Banville. Banville's
extraordinary writing,
sensory and sensuous,
makes this intricate
novel about an aging
actor, calling recent
and long-ago events, a joy to read.
The real protagonist is memory –
how it inhabits and forms our lives.
~ Louise Jones |
 Mrs. Queen Takes
The Train by William
Kuhn.
This is a light and
friendly look at
the personality of
Queen Elizabeth II.
The author sends
her on "walkabout" where she interacts
with her subjects in amusing
and sometimes poignant situations.
Great fun and gently insightful.
~ Karen Frank |
NEW PAPERBACK  Life and Death Are
Wearing Me Out by
Mo Yan. As
his family is buffeted
by the transformation
of China over
half a century, their
patriarch is reincarnated
as a series of barnyard animals.
Wicked and heartbreaking, this is a
zesty, unforgettable saga from one of
the world's great storytellers.
~ Charles Bottomley |
 A Sunless Sea by
Anne Perry.
A woman is found
slaughtered on the
London docks.
Clues suggest she
was a high-end
prostitute, but
Superintendent Monk thinks
differently. His investigation
exposes secrets best left buried
and a desperate killer who will do
anything to make sure they stay that
way. ~ Sarah Teunissen |
 Goodbye For Now by Laurie Frankel. The creation
of a successful algorithm
to find the
love of your life leads
a software designer
to create computer
simulations of DLOs (dead loved
ones), allowing conversation with
the departed. A clever, timely novel,
with great characters, that compels
consideration of the ethical and
emotional price of technology.
~ Karen Frank |
 I Married You
for Happiness by
Lily Tuck. An
intimate, honest,
brave portrayal of a
40-year imperfect
marriage. Original,
poetic, stunning,
radiant, nothing
short of genius, but not for the weak
of heart. ~ Nancy Scheemaker |
 The Constant
Heart by Craig
Nova. An
astronomer
describes his
relationship
with his father
in this beautiful
novel, with two
compassionate and honorable men
(unusual in contemporary fiction),
stunning evocation of the natural
world and a suspenseful plot driven
by an irresistible woman.
~ Louise Jones |
 Phantom by Jo Nesbo. A sober
Harry Hole returns
to Oslo when his surrogate
son, Oleg, is
accused of murdering
a drug dealer and,
no longer on the
police force, begins his own investigation.
Did I mention Hole tries to slit
his throat while sitting at a bar?
Nesbo's best yet. ~ Sarah Knight |
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| NEW HARDCOVER | NEW PAPERBACK |
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 The Founders
and Finance:
How Hamilton,
Gallatin, and
Other Immigrants
Forged a New
Economy by
Thomas K.
McCraw.
At last: a clearly written study of
early American finances, when
economic calamity threatened the
young republic. For all of their skills
and virtues, the native-born leaders
of American affairs were woefully
deficient in financial matters–unlike
the brilliant "foreigners" who saved
the day. Superb history. ~ Bill Lewis |
 A Wilderness of
Error: The Trials of
Jeffrey MacDonald by Errol Morris. Did a Green
Beret really kill his
entire family in
1970? Part detective,
part philosopher, Morris reopens the
Fatal Vision case and discovers our
justice system is more interested in
sustaining fictions than discovering
the truth. Compulsive and
compelling. ~ Charles Bottomley |
 Talking Heads' Fear of Music (33
⅓) by Jonathan Lethem. To
Lethem's ears, Talking Heads' 1979
album is where Andy Warhol meets
The Twilight Zone. Track by track,
The Fortress of Solitude novelist gives
a master class in close listening. ~ Charles Bottomley |
 The End of Your
Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe. An extraordinary
memoir, a
testament to the
author's mother,
underscoring the
enduring bond reading and sharing
books can give any two, or more,
people. I finished this book with
reluctance - it gave me so much to
think about and aspire to.
~ Mary Allen |
 Shooting Victoria:
Madness,
Mayhem, and
the Rebirth of the
British Monarchy by Paul Thomas
Murphy.
A rich journey
into Victorian
England that recounts the multiple
attempts to harm Queen Victoria.
Each unsuccessful assault served
to strengthen the bond between
the monarch and her subjects
and had great impact on evolving
legal procedures regarding
insanity defenses, punishment and
rehabilitation. Fascinating.
~ Bill Lewis |
 Looking for Transwonderland:
Travels in Nigeria by Noo Saro-
Wiwa. The daughter of
a slain civil rights activist, Saro-
Wiwa tries to make peace with her
Nigerian homeland. This fascinating
travelogue shows us an Africa that
is as much a part of the future as of
our past. ~ Charles Bottomley |
 I'm Your Man:
The Life of Leonard
Cohen by
Sylvie Simmons. Poet,
monk, clown, lover,
song and dance
man - Cohen is
also an enigma.
Drawing on her own encounters and
Cohen's circle, one of the best music
writers today elucidates his lifelong
spiritual quest and staggering body
of song. ~ Charles Bottomley |
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 The Rocks Don't
Lie: A Geologist
Investigates Noah's
Flood by David
R. Montgomery. A comparison
of flood stories
from around the
world shows how
science, theology, mythology and
folklore intersect. The writing is
smooth and engrossing, the research
impeccable. A fascinating, well-reasoned
exploration of how humans
explain the natural world.
~ Louise Jones |
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