This book left me speechless. At the same time, it made me feel a whole lot. I’m not sure I can find words to describe it, but I’ll try. I made a list of adjectives: sad, angry, profane, funny, shocking, relatable. Alexie is a genius with language, and I could feel his pain coming so…
Every year I dedicate the month of December to reading Christmas books, and to watching a lot of Hallmark Christmas movies. It's the time of year when sentimentality is just what the doctor ordered. So here's my annual list of Christmas reads. Join me in devouring some holiday fiction! Last Christmas in Paris: A Novel of…
Every month, the members of our Popular Services department get together for a “genre study” discussion. We go through book genres, like crime or historical fiction, pick representative authors, and then discuss their books. It’s not like a staff book club, though: we review the books with an eye toward recommending them to our patrons.…
Bluebird, Bluebird took me to a place that is completely unfamiliar to me: East Texas. Apparently it is its own little world; Wikipedia says "East Texas is a distinct cultural, geographic and ecological area in the state" and "is often considered the westernmost extension of the Deep South." Lark, Texas, the fictional heart of the…
Like many of you, I love crime fiction. Last week I got to go to mystery nirvana -- I attended Bouchercon, THE annual conference for mystery authors and fans. I discovered new authors, learned about trends in crime fiction, and picked up trivia about some of the most popular writers. Nothing too juicy, of course,…
Thirteen-year-old Jojo lives with his grandparents, mother, and three-year-old sister Kayla in a small town in southern Mississippi. His drug-addicted mother, Leonie, is frequently absent, and when she is around, struggles to give her children the care and affection they need. Jojo’s grandparents, Mam and Pop, are really raising the two children. When their father,…
Gabrielle Zevin Most of us probably remember Monica Lewinsky, and if you’re like me, you probably cringe just reading the name. Nothing good came of that scandal. But how many of us thought about it from Monica’s point of view? Young Jane Young allows us to do that – not with Monica, of course, but…
Earlier this year, I was obsessed with one of the most popular shows on Netflix, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. Having finished all three seasons – with no more on the horizon – I decided to get my fix by reading mysteries set in the same time period. Of course the first place to start is…
Private investigator Nils Shapiro is not happy. He’s trying (unsuccessfully) to get over his ex-wife; he doesn’t have a steady job; he hates his house. Not to mention that it’s a freezing Minneapolis winter. So when he gets a call from the Edina Police Department to help solve a bizarre murder, he realizes he’s about…
In this book, Peter Heller has created one of my favorite literary heroines. Celine Watkins is a 69-year-old private investigator, born into East Coast money, fluent in French, educated at prep school and Sarah Lawrence College. Still reeling from the loss of both of her sisters and the destruction of the Twin Towers, she is…
