A warm and literary read

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend
by Katarina Bivald
SOURCEBOOKS Landmark
January 2016

To say this is a book about books doesn't do justice to the engaging story that Bivald offers about Sara and the small, really-small town of Broken Wheel, Iowa. This is a quiet but compelling read.

What's different about this book
The characters in Readers are well-developed and become people you care about.  The start was inauspicious for me, but after catching the rhythm of the narrative, the story became all-encompassing.  This was a book I was happy to return to, whenever I was able.  The references and allusions to so many well-known reads added to the pleasure:  Seeing Bivald's and Sara's take on books that I have read and loved took me back to moments of deep joy in reading.

What I'll do now that I've read it
Even before I finished, I was sharing this title with my reading friends.  As soon as the book is published, we will ensure that library patrons will be able access and enjoy the book as I did.  This is an intriguing book about books that will provide a warm and lovely read.

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Fun to read -- and a great lesson to boot

God's Servant Job: A Poem with a Promise
by Douglas Bond
Illustrated by Todd Shaffer
P & R Publishing
October 2015

The Biblical book of Job offers unsearchable truths - but how does one make this compelling and relevant for our children?  Author Douglas Bond collaborates with Todd Shaffer to make it so.

What's different about this book
What has been complex reading for me as an adult has in this book been made accessible and attractive both visually and audibly. Written in verse, the poem's verses don't always scan rhythmically, but the message in accessible words and rich illustrations help the reader grasp the story and understand the truths beyond the words.  This is an excellent rendering of God's truth in pictures and in words.

What I'll do now that I've read it
This rendition of the story of Job is an eminently shareable book, and I am delighted to see Presbyterian & Reformed including this gem along with its weightier tomes for adults.  We'll be adding this to both our parochial and school libraries where young readers (or listeners) can begin to grasp the meat of the Bible: the Lord God's sovereignty and care extends to all areas of our human experience. Enthusiastically recommended.

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Blood family

Bloodlines

by Lynn Lipinski
Majestic Content Los Angeles
October 2015

This dark tale of 26-year old Zane explores a life where the highs and the lows are never quite high; where family is both the best and the worst parts of Zane's life.

What's different about this book
Lipinski sets Zane's life among low points: the death of his mother by fire, the alienation of his imagined girlfriend, and the search for a lost father who might somehow move his life into better straits.  Nothing works.  At the end of Zane's story in this book, the best the reader has to cling to is the possibility of a new love interest, a continuing close connection to his younger sister, and the closure of the issue of his father.  The book ends with Zane no better off than he was at the start -- although he now knows there are no quick-save options from his father.  I missed elements of redemption and great hope.

What I'll do now that I've read it
When I finished this reading, I could find  no hook to which I would lead other readers.  No "here's how to make life better" or "here's a really good / chilling / loving / family read."  I didn't come across any compelling aspect of this book that would make this story shareable.  Not a bad read; just not a compelling one.  We'll see what comes of this work as it has more time in the sales market.

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A dependably good mystery / romance

Secret Sisters
by Jayne Ann Krentz
Penguin Group
December 2015

One of the delights of my currently busy life is a Friday night with time to read -- and a dependably good book by Krentz.  This latest book provided just what I was wanting.

What's different about this book 
One of the great draws of Krentz' writing is a trusted formula for a good mystery, a danger-fraught adventure, and a dependably perfect romance.  That formula was present in this book -- and it was great! But somehow the precise angles and corners of Krentz' formula were off, so subtly.  I found myself trying to express what was "off," and all I could articulate was polish:  same formula, same dependable story line, but somehow the winsome polish was lacking.  Since I can't describe what was different, I won't spend time telling how that difference was perceived.

What I'll do now that I've read it 
This title will be one I'm able to share and book-talk with confidence:  those who love Ms. Krentz' writing will be happy to see this one come out in December.  We'll be providing this for our mystery adventure (and romance) fans -- once again a dependably good read.

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The Scam - Great fun for the fourth time

The Scam, A Fox and O'Hare Novel (#4)

by Janet Evanovich, Goldberg Lee 
Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine  Bantam
September 2015

The story arc for this series is a fun one, not too serious, but with plenty of action.  This fourth book in the series is even more fun and the plot even more engaging.

What's different about this book
The plot in this fourth story is a little more intense, slightly more convoluted, and reveals a deepening relationship between Kate and Nick.  I wasn't always precisely sure what the con was, but I was happy to just go along for the ride. For the first time, this adventure ends on a purposeful cliff-hanger that is intended to worry the reader.  It succeeded, and I'll be a little more concerned to see the next book issued in the series.

What I'll do about this book
This is an obvious favorite for my adult patrons, and I've considered adding it to my high school libraries: There is a definite audience for clean and engaging FBI / detective / con-the-cons stories. These are pure fun.

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Secret Codes within the Classic Paintings

The Master of the Prado
by Javier Sierra
Atria Books
November 2015

For lovers of the Prado and the masters that are represented therein, this book is a delight -- perhaps as close as some can come to re-visiting an unforgettable treasure.

What's different about this book
Built in the form of a fictional autobiography, this story of Sierra meeting a mysterious master in the Prado in Madrid breathes through the reader, reanimating the times she has spent admiring the museum's works.

The key difference in this writing is the answers -- answers to questions that many Prado visitors would not expect to receive.  Sierra does a masterful job weaving fact and fiction throughout centuries of art history.  After reading, I feel an irresistible need to return to visit the Prado, this time with new eyes and listening ears.  Now I have a better understanding of what --and how-- to look at those priceless treasures. This is a thrilling book for those who love art and are familiar with the Prado and the city of Madrid. Ciudad de encanto. 

What I'll do now that I've read it
The full-color illustrations and the stories Sierra weaves through historical fact and fiction make a compelling resource for library patrons.  I'll be sharing this resource with friends and patrons beyond the regular readers.  The art aficionados will love this and my reading patrons will as well.

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An excellent historical fiction series from WWII

Mrs. Roosevelt's Confidante, A Maggie Hope Mystery

by Susan Elia MacNeal
Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Bantam 

The longevity of this series is a testament to a compelling plot, an engaging heroine, and a tightly cohesive story of historical events.  Book 5, Mrs. Roosevelt's Confidante, extends and enlarges on the original -- much to the delight of Maggie Hope's readers.

What's different about this book
The story arc of the series follows Maggie Hope as she first appears: a young and naive American caught in London at the start of World War II.  Maggie's character development of is well done. Author MacNeal realistically and engagingly develops Maggie into an experienced and competent spy, still with her faults but with a much wiser understanding of the world around her.  I was sometimes impatient with her younger, ingenuous character, but Maggie is coming into her own with this fifth title.  A particular treasure of this book and the series itself is the exceptional look at a complex and compelling time in history and its remarkable heroes (and villains).  Ms. MacNeal is careful to characterize her books as fiction, but there is a wonderful interweaving of historicity with that fiction.

What I'll do now that I've read it
Being a compulsive series reader, I couldn't begin book 5 until I had read through the preceding four titles.  And I was pleasantly entertained, not by any single book but by the collective story.  However this fifth title is perhaps the strongest of the series.  As I have been reading, I have mentally enumerated the historical fiction readers who will want to read these -- along with those who want to see the growth of a feminist perspective grounded in a historical setting. This series will fill a great niche for our library patrons.

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Caution: A completely absorbing experience lies ahead

The Scorpion Rules
by Erin Bow
Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Margaret K. McElderry Books
September 2015

The book's title doesn't tell it.  The less-than-alluring cover hides it.  The truth is, this tale is the most compelling story I remember reading: I read this every minute I could -- I broke away only because I had to, and I returned as quickly as I was able. There is no warning visible that would alert the reader to what is coming.

What's different about this book. 
It's a young adult title, and while these titles can be great, they are seldom enthralling.  The characters and the plot line explore amazingly huge concepts: love, life, intelligence, same-sex attraction, death, free will, pain, loss, torture.  And the reader is completely absorbed through it all.

What I'll do now that I've read it
This book may be the silver bullet answer for every reader's advisory question I receive:  I need something interesting. Check.  I want something with action.  Check.  Oh, I prefer something with romance. Double check. Well, I need something significant that explores serious issues. Check!  Oh, I only read adult literature. Check!  I regret that I can't begin to share this book until September.  That's hundreds of reader questions away!

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Gritty, suspenseful, and satisfying

Make Me, A Jack Reacher Novel (#20)
 by Lee Child
Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Delacorte Press 
September 2015

One thing I can count on in all the Jack Reacher novels -- he never loses a fight.  But in this twentieth book, he does get pretty badly hurt.

What's different about this book
Make Me follows the best of Lee Child's Reacher series:  Jack always wins, the case is always a compelling one, and there are significant relationships that make the story all the better.  This latest release, however, seemed more gritty, the crime Reacher solves more violent and evil than I remember from previous books.  But there were some particularly good aspects: the scene where Jack and his ally snag some drug money and some needed firepower; the journalist that joins them and makes the action all the more interesting.  I appreciated the way Reacher was a touch more vulnerable, a touch more reachable, and all the good guys walk away at the end. This will be a hit for Reacher fans -- and will win the author more followers.

What I'll do now that I've read it
Definitely to be shared with my adult friends and library patrons, but I may wait to have this requested by my older high school readers.  Those that like the Jack Reacher series will come asking for the latest, and I'll be happy to oblige.

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An wholly entertaing (and endearing) mystery series

Scents and Sensibility, A Chet and Bernie Mystery
by Spencer Quinn
Atria Books
July 2015

One of life's recent consistent pleasures has been the Chet and Bernie series.  Book 8 expands that wonderful combination of full engagement between story, characters, and the reader who regrets reaching the end of the latest story.

What's different about this book
The initial novelty of having a dog narrate the story of his work with a private eye has not worn off, even 6 years after the publication of the first book.  The humor, as well as the pathos, of Chet's voice is magically able to tell a story so much more effectively than many human dialogs and descriptions.  I appreciate that Quinn allows the characters and the relationships among them to continue to grow over the years and to deepen the story line.  In this latest release, Chet and Bernie's relationship is all the more poignant as the mortality of them both is touched upon and developed powerfully.  This book is just a great read that keeps me reviewing books -- I know eventually another episode of Chet and Bernie's adventures will come along, and I won't be able to wait for the retail market to catch up.

What I'll do now that I've read it
There is no library or reading / listening patron I serve that would not be enthralled with this series (at least for readers who have made the move to stories about adults and evil-doers, of course).  We are adding this book to each of our libraries, and we'll be avidly book-talking and sharing Scents and Sensibility, along with the previous released in the wonderful story line of Chet and Bernie. Often the series' catchy titles are the first to attract new readers -- they are superbly clever.  If you don't know this investigative pair, you have a large treat in store for you!

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