New Book Notes

If you would like to read Book Notes from earlier dates, please contact the Reference Librarian at the library.

Click on the book jacket to go to the CLAMS catalog page for that title.

July 2010

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake By Aimee Bender.
While eating birthday cake on her ninth birthday, Rose Edelstein realizes she can taste her mother's feelings baked into the food she cooks. Because eating her mother's home cooking becomes agony for Rose, she begins filling her pockets and stashing away junk food from local vending machines.
"Bender deconstructs one of our most pleasurable activities, eating, and gives it a whole new flavor." Library Journal March 15, 2010

My Name is Memory By Ann Brashares.
Daniel is both blessed and cursed in that he is able to remember previous lives and recognize the souls of individuals he once knew. When he meets beautiful Sophie and recognizes her as his one true love, he teaches her to recognize the past as well. When Sophie learns to see the past, she and Daniel begin exploring their lives together in other centuries and on other continents.
"Rich in historical and geographical detail." Bookpage June 2010

The Anniversary Man By R.J. Ellory.
Ray Irving is an over worked, underpaid, and completely dedicated detective who has teamed-up with a local character and news reporter named John Costello. With an encyclopedic knowledge about serial killers, Costello aids Ray in the search for a killer who is imitating the crimes of some of the worst monsters society has spawned.
"Expect Ellory's name to be on every crime-fiction fan's lips in short order." Booklist May 1, 2010

Backseat Saints By Joshilyn Jackson.
Rose Mae Lolly lives under the thumb of her abusive, Gypsy husband and his domineering father. Rose's life is turned around at a tarot card reading when she is told by a mysterious woman (who turns out to be the mother who abandoned her) that if she doesn't kill her husband, he will kill her. In an attempt to free herself from her past, Rose begins a cross-country mission to escape. " Booklist April 15, 2010

Diamond Ruby By Joseph Wallace.
Ruby Thomas has unusually long arms and as a child used them successfully to catch errant squirrels. Ruby joined the circus when she was 17 and used her famed arms to throw sizzling fastballs. Eventually pitching in a women's baseball league, Ruby finds success and acceptance.
"Ruby's determined love for her family, help from some unlikely friends, and a critical throw finally give her the break she has earned." Library Journal April 1, 2010

Last month...

Eye of the Red Tsar By Sam Eastland.
Pekkala is a young recruit and respected equestrian in the Finnish Garrison when he catches the eye of Tsar Nicholas II. The young equestrian eventually becomes the tsar’s secret confidant and chief detective until the tsar and his family is murdered in 1917. Pekkala is soon exiled to a corner of Siberia until he is recruited as one of Stalin’s foremost investigators and locates the murdered tsar’s treasure trove.
"A gripping and memorial account of the Romanov assassination." Library Journal

Final Target By Steven Gore.
Cop-turned-PI Graham Gage becomes so involved in the shooting of his best friend, attorney Jack Burch, that he is unaware that federal agents are investigating Burch for conspiracy and fraud. While Burch recovers from his injuries in intensive care, there is a violent robbery at his law office where Gage discovers Ukrainian gangsters are behind it.
"Drawing on his expertise as a private investigator, Gore has written an exciting debut thriller that will educate and entertain." Library Journal

The Red Thread By Ann Hood.
The Red Thread Adoption Agency is located in Providence, Rhode Island and is run by a compassionate woman named Maya Lang. Driven by a desire to make amends for a tragic accident that happened in her youth, Maya specializes in the adoption of abandoned girls from China.
"Hood’s depiction of her characters’ hopes and fears makes for a moving story of dedication, forgivness and love." Publishers Weekly

Molly Fox’s Birthday By Deirdre Madden.
Madden’s book takes place over the course of a single day and within the confines of a small house located in Dublin. The narrator is a renowned playwright who swaps homes with a good friend. During the course of a day, and a casual examination of her friends home and belongings, the narrator reevaluates herself, her friend, and her relationships with others.
"Madden’s work soars, creating a mosaic of memories that is not only insightful and compassionate, but remarkably compelling as well." Book Page

Ilustrado By Miguel Syjuco.
After the discovery of the body of a revered Filipino writer is found floating in a muddy river in Manhattan, there is a frantic search to locate his unfinished manuscript. The biographical manuscript details his life and illuminates the corruption, in-fighting, and scandal at the heart of the Philippine Government.
"Through his vivid use of language, Syjuco has crafted a beautiful work of historical fiction that’s part mystery and part sociopolitical commentary." Library Journal