[bksvol-discuss] Fw: Fiction A to Z August 2008
- From: "Amber Wallenstein" <amber.wallens@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:19:12 -0400
"The only books that influence us are those for which we are ready, and which
have gone a little farther down our particular path than we have yet got
ourselves."
~ E. M. Forster (1879-1970), English novelist
New and Recently Released!
Queen of Babble Gets Hitched - by Meg Cabot
Publisher: William Morrow
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 7/1/2008
ISBN: 9780060852023
ISBN-10: 006085202X
In this 3rd installment of the Queen of Babble series, wedding dress restorer
and designer Lizzie Nichols is in a tizzy--although she's accepted an engagement
ring from boyfriend Luke de Villier, she can't keep her mind off his best
friend, Chaz, with whom she shared a memorable make-out session during a break
from Luke. Planning the wedding (at the de Villier chateau in France) is
rapidly becoming a nightmare just as her professional career is taking off.
Surrounded
by good friends and some intriguingly wacky customers, Lizzie's got to decide
what she truly wants in life. This light-hearted read is perfect for an
afternoon
by the pool.
First Chapter
The Legal Limit - by Martin Clark
Publisher: Knopf
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 7/1/2008
ISBN: 9780307268358
ISBN-10: 0307268357
Mason Hunt grew up with an abusive father, a weak mother, and a deadbeat but
protective older brother, Gates, who is now in prison. In contrast, Mason is
a successful attorney in their home state of Virginia and yet despite their
differences, the brothers are close. But when Mason refuses to pull strings
to get Gates out of prison, Gates retaliates in a manner that not only
estranges the brothers but may destroy Mason's hard-won career. Though The Legal
Limit, which is based on one of the author's real-life cases, will certainly
appeal to readers of crime novels and legal thrillers, it is also a
thought-provoking
take on the bonds of family and a close-up look at a small Southern community.
First Chapter
My Sister, My Love: The Intimate Story of Skylar Rampike - by Joyce Carol Oates
Publisher: HarperCollins
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 7/1/2008
ISBN: 9780061547485
ISBN-10: 0061547484
For her latest book, the prolific Joyce Carol Oates has fictionalized the case
of JonBenet Ramsey, the six-year-old beauty pageant contestant whose 1996
murder was heavily covered in the media. In My Sister, My Love, narrated by the
murder victim's older and less-successful brother, Skylar, we are treated
to a satirical look at social-climbing and marital discord in the middle class.
If poor Skylar thought it was hard to watch younger sister Edna Louise
be manipulated into becoming the glittery Bliss (and their mother's entree into
society), her murder and the subsequent destruction of his already dysfunctional
family is far worse. His story is a "bold and astute tragedy of fatal
ambition," says Booklist.
Dirty Girls on Top - by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 7/8/2008
ISBN: 9780312349677
ISBN-10: 031234967X
In this sequel to The Dirty Girls Social Club, the six Latina best friends, now
all in their mid-30s, are still battling major problems at home, at work,
and even with each other. Journalist Lauren is fighting low self-esteem, which
manifests itself in bulimia and a truly awful boyfriend, while Usnavys seems
to have a great life--but has lost her lust for her husband. Then there's
Elizabeth, Rebecca, Sara, and Cuicatl (formerly known as Amber), who are dealing
with fertility issues, parenting problems, racism, and a murderous estranged
husband, among other things. A nice fast read, this is an enjoyable look at
friendships--and life's ups and downs.
Focus on: Debuts of 2008
Beautiful Children: A Novel - by Charles Bock
Publisher: Random House
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 1/22/2008
ISBN: 9781400066506
ISBN-10: 1400066506
One night in Las Vegas, 12-year-old Newell Ewing goes out with a friend and
doesn't come home. In the aftermath of his disappearance, his distraught parents
grow apart. But as the Ewings try to understand their son's disappearance, the
events of that night reverberate through the lives of seemingly disconnected
strangers, including a comic-book illustrator in town for a weekend of
debauchery; a painfully shy and possibly disturbed young artist; a stripper; and
a band of misfit runaways. From the varied reviews of this bleak and sometimes
disturbing book, it seems that readers either love it or hate it; best read
the first chapter to see what category you might fall into.
First Chapter
Blood Kin - by Ceridwen Dovey
Publisher: Viking
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 2/28/2008
ISBN: 9780670018567
ISBN-10: 0670018562
This highly praised debut takes place in a nameless country that is undergoing
some rather severe political turmoil. When the president is overthrown in
a military coup, three men who worked for him now must serve the same roles for
the unnamed Commander who takes his place. The barber, the chef, and the
portrait painter (and the women they love) share the narration of this story,
each aware of the power they hold, the power they serve, and the seductive
and corrupting nature of power itself. Blood Kin is "eloquent, subversive, and
likely the beginning of an illustrious literary career," says Booklist.
Celebutantes - by Amanda Goldberg and Ruthanna Khalighi Hopper
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 2/5/2008
ISBN: 9780312362294
ISBN-10: 0312362293
In this glitzy, breezy debut, Lola Santisi, daughter of Hollywood royalty, is
trying desperately to turn her love for fashion into an actual job--dressing
celebrities for events like the Academy Awards. But life during the glitter,
glamour, and hype of Oscar week is tougher than they thought it would be for
Lola and her friends Kate, a Hollywood talent agent, and Cricket, a struggling
model and actress. This frothy tale is perfect for star-watchers and
fashionistas.
And like their star Lola, the authors are Hollywood princesses--Amanda Goldberg
is the daughter of producer Leonard Goldberg, and Ruthanna Khalighi Hopper
is the daughter of actor Dennis Hopper.
First Chapter
The Monsters of Templeton - by Lauren Groff
Publisher: Voice/Hyperion
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 2/5/2008
ISBN: 9781401322250
ISBN-10: 1401322255
After an affair with a married professor goes scandalously awry (and leaves her
pregnant), 28-year old Willie Upton returns in disgrace to her mother's
home in Templeton, NY. There, based on the slightest of clues, Willie embarks
on a search for her father, whose name her free-spirited mother will not
share--but who is apparently a dignified local man, and not an unknown hippie
as her mother had always claimed. Readers of James Fenimore Cooper's The
Pioneers will recognize much from that novel, including Judge Marmaduke Temple,
from whom Willie's father is apparently descended, and Templeton itself,
a disguised version of Cooper's (and author Lauren Groff's) hometown of
Cooperstown, NY.
Table of Contents
Focus on: Shared Living
Broken for You - by Stephanie Kallos
Publisher: Grove Press
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 8/9/2005
ISBN: 9780802142108
ISBN-10: 0802142109
Wealthy, reclusive septuagenarian Margaret Hughes, who lives alone in a Seattle
mansion with a vast collection of priceless antiques, has just been diagnosed
with a brain tumor. Wanting to shake up her life, she decides to bring in a
boarder. Enter Wanda Schultz, a brokenhearted young woman in search of her
wayward boyfriend. Unexpectedly, Margaret and Wanda's emotional connection
allows them both to heal old wounds. Reminiscent of books by Anne Tyler "in
its bittersweet humor and well-drawn characters" (Library Journal), Broken for
You is just the thing for devotees of her work.
First Chapter
Every Last Cuckoo: A Novel - by Kate Maloy
Publisher: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 1/22/2008
ISBN: 9781565125414
ISBN-10: 156512541X
After a long and happy marriage (which we get a taste of in the first part of
the book), 75-year-old Sarah Lucas finds herself a widow after a hiking accident
causes the death of her husband Charles. With two fully grown children, her
house is empty--but not for long. Soon, a friend has moved into a cabin on
her property to write, but he's followed by her rebellious granddaughter
(Lottie can't take one more day living with her parents), then by some of
Lottie's
friends...and then by some strangers in need. As her house fills up and she
discovers hidden talents, Sarah finds that life does go on after the loss of
a loved one.
Espresso Tales - by Alexander McCall Smith; illustrations by Iain McIntosh
Publisher: Anchor Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 7/11/2006
ISBN: 9780307275974
ISBN-10: 0307275973
In this sequel to 44 Scotland Street, six-year-old Bertie is still being forced
by his mother to play the sax, learn Italian, and so on--and he's acting
out by scrawling graffiti (in Italian) on his nursery school wall. The other
residents of the Edinburgh townhouse are also up to their old tricks, including
tedious bore Ramsey Dunbarton, whose memoirs are so dull that they put his own
wife to sleep, and Pat MacGregor, who has been invited to a nudist picnic.
The exploits of the varied characters found in these pages are lively, silly,
and sharp; Kirkus Reviews calls Espresso Tales "a winning human comedy."
First Chapter
The Ladies of Covington Send Their Love - by Joan Medlicott
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 5/1/2001
ISBN: 9780312979454
ISBN-10: 0312979452
Grace, Amelia, and Hannah all live in a dreary Pennsylvania retirement boarding
house, but when Amelia inherits a broken-down old farmhouse in North Carolina,
they make the astounding decision to move there and renovate the place
together. Needless to say, their children think they're nuts, but as they
rebuild
the house and make a home for themselves, they also develop new skills, defeat
old fears, and build new lives. Comforting and cozy, this 1st in the Ladies
of Covington series is an excellent choice for fans of gentle reads.
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