Summer Reading

Welcome to Summer Reading 2011! At the end of 5 weeks we had 355 people signed up. This week, 11 new people participated and 48 people read 150 books, which brings the totals for the summer to 138 people and 655 books.

To sign up for this, or any of our newsletters, check out our Newsletter sign up page.

Mind Readers By Allingham, Margery 1997-01 - Amereon Limited 9780891901792 Check Our Catalog …More

Always in My Heart By Anderson, Catherine 2002-08 - Signet Book 9780451206664 Check Our Catalog Following the death of their eldest son, Ellie and Tucker Grant divorce and gradually make the transition into separate lives. But their two sons Zach and Kody are convinced that their parents are still meant to be together. The brothers hatch a plan to run away from home into the Oregon wilderness. Surely Ellie and Tucker will come to their rescue--and their senses. …More

Seventh Heaven By Anderson, Catherine 2000-09 - Avon Books 9780380799381 Check Our Catalog After being gone for ten years, Joe returns to his small Oregon town to raise his son and rekindle a passion with Marilee. But the gentle, self-assured girl is now tormented by secrets. How can she agree to marry this man when she can't even bear to tell him the truth? …More

Catalyst By Anderson, Laurie Halse 2002-09 - Viking Children's Books 9780670035663 Check Our Catalog 2009 Margaret Edwards Award Winner Kate Malone is a straight A science and math geek, minister's daughter, ace long-distance runner, unwilling family caretaker, emotional avoidance champion. Kate manages her life by compartmentalizing it, not unlike the periodic table. She can handle anything--or so she thinks. …More

Wintergirls By Anderson, Laurie Halse 2009-03 - Viking Books 9780670011100 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title Six years after Cassie and Lia resolved to become the skinniest girls in their school, Cassie dies. Unable to bear the sadness and guilt following Cassie's death, Lia spirals deeper into her own eating disorder. Elijah, the last person to see Cassie alive, helps Lia find the strength to face her own demons and enter recovery. …More

Black Friday By Ashley &. Jaquavis Author Ashley, And Jaquavis 2011-04 - Urban Books 9781601624451 Check Our Catalog Authors Ashley and JaQuavis live up to their reputations as the dynamic duo of street lit with this highly suspenseful, hood-savvy tale of a murder that changes one unlucky witness's life forever. Original. HPL patron: This book was very good. I love everything by Ashley and JaQuavis. …More

Hell's Corner By Baldacci, David 2010-11 - Grand Central Publishing 9780446195522 Check Our Catalog On the night of a State Dinner honoring the British Prime Minister, a bomb detonates in what looks like a terrorist plot. The mysterious attackers have a special target in their sights, and it's up to the Camel Club to stop them, or face the catastrophic results. HPL patron: Very good. …More

Minding Frankie By Binchy, Maeve 2011-03 - Knopf Publishing Group 9780307273567 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title Binchy is back with a tale of joy, heartbreak, and hope in a close-knit Dublin community. When Noel learns that his former flame is terminally ill and pregnant with a child she claims is his, he agrees to take care of the baby girl once she's born. But as a recovering alcoholic whose demons are barely under control, Noel can't do it alone. Luckily, he has an amazing network of family and friends who are ready to help. HPL patron: A delightful story-perfect summer reading! HPL patron: Not as good as her other books. …More

Cold Wind By Box, C. J. 2011-03 - Putnam Adult 9780399157356 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title When Earl Alden is found dead, dangling from a wind turbine, it's his wife, Missy, who is arrested. Unfortunately for Joe Pickett, Missy is his mother-in- law, a woman he dislikes heartily, and now he doesn't know what to do-especially when the early signs point to her being guilty as sin. But then things happen to make Joe wonder: Is Earl's death what it appears to be? Is Missy being set up? HPL patron: I was bored with this book. Not enough action, plot too scattered. I can't believe Lee Child recommended it. …More

Marion Zimmer Bradley's Ravens of Avalon By Paxson, Diana L. 2008-08 - Roc 9780451462114 Check Our Catalog Paxson expands Bradley's beloved Avalon series in this dramatic, bestselling installment. This sweeping epic, the prequel to "The Forest House," follows the journey of Boudica, and tells the story of the Roman conquest of Britain that precedes the return to Avalon. HPL patron: Roman conquest of Britannica-the story of Boudica-the Celtic princess who united the tribes against the Romans. Beautiful rendition-image of land and people-realistice portrayal of the devastation of armed conflict. …More

Endgame: Bobby Fischer's Remarkable Rise and Fall - From America's Brightest Prodigy to the Edge of Madness By Brady, Frank 2011-02 - Crown Publishing Group (NY) 9780307463906 Check Our Catalog From an author who wrote one of the bestselling Bobby Fischer books ever and who was himself a friend of Fischer's comes an impressively researched biography that for the first time captures the complete, remarkable arc of the life of the chess master. HPL patron: Story of the rise and fall of chess prodigy Boby Fischer. Well paced and narrated, makes fascinating reading. …More

The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini By Brandon, Ruth 2003-10 - Random House Trade 9780812970425 Check Our Catalog For many performers, stage life and real life are separate identities. For master illusionist Harry Houdini, the two were inextricably linked. In this widely acclaimed biography, Ruth Brandon shows how Houdini's obsession with his own mortality drove him to create death-defying stunts that not only captivated the public but also subdued his own raging psychological demons. As Brandon relates Houdini's methods of escape, she asks: What was he trying to escape from? Her exploration of the psychic landscape of one of the most enduringly famous performers of the twentieth century makes for utterly fascinating reading. Brandon reveals much that is new: how Houdini invented a phantom son; why he wrote long daily letters to his wife, Bess, who lived one � oor below him; his combative relations with mediums and spiritualists, including Arthur Conan Doyle; and the � rst full description of his fabled death. This de� nitive biography allows readers to peer into Houdini's psyche and understand him more deeply than ever before. HPL patron: Ruth Brandon reveals much that's new including how Houdini invented a phantom son, wrote daily long letters to his wife, Bess, who lived on the floor just below him. The first details of Houdini's fabled death, fresh material on the early life of Margery, the medium who played a significant role in Houdini's liofe. …More

Scandal By Britton, Pamela 2004-07 - Warner Forever 9780446611312 Check Our Catalog To inherit his family's fortune, the rakish Duke of Wroxly must survive without his wealth and title in the meanest of London's streets for one month. Luckily, his ability to charm the ladies has never failed him, particularly when he meets aspiring inventor Anna Brooks. Original. HPL patron: Rein was banished as a teen and was refused his Dukedom when his uncle died. he was the only one in line to inherit, but first he had to live on the streets for four days (the lawyers tricked him and said one year.) There in St. Giles he met a market maid named Anna. They fell in love, but when she found out he was a duke she fled. Through a lot of help and pleading Anna came back and they got married. …More

Heaven Is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back By Burpo, Todd With Vincent, Lynn 2010-11 - Thomas Nelson Publishers 9780849946158 Check Our Catalog This is the true story of Colton Burpo, the four-year old son of a small-town Nebraska pastor who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven. …More

All-American Girl By Cabot, Meg 2008-03 - Harper Teen 9780061479892 Check Our Catalog A sophomore girl stops a presidential assassination attempt, is appointed Teen Ambassador to the United Nations, and catches the eye of the very cute First Son. …More

Glass Houses By Caine, Rachel 2006-10 - Signet Book 9780451219947 Check Our Catalog Tayshas Reading List 2008-2009 College freshman Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation. When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don't show many signs of life, but they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood. Original. HPL patron: Amazing detail, love the series. …More

Red Prophet By Card, Orson Scott Author Brown, Roland Bernard Illustrator Arlem, Renalto 2007-05 - Marvel Comics 9780785127215 Check Our Catalog Things are not always what they seem in an alternate American history where folk magic actually works, and there is certainly more than meets the eye to Lolla-Wossiky, a perpetually drunk Shaw-Nee who cannot seem to shake his addiction to whiskey. But as Lolla-Wossiky ventures north in search of his dream beast, he also is on a quest to cure the ceaseless presence of the "black noise" - a shroud of darkness inside his head created by the violent death of his father that he can only push back when he is drinking. But along the voyage, an experience in Wobbish territory will change Lolla-Wossiky's life forever, and change him from a drunken Red Man into the wise and powerful Red Prophet. Also includes a special Ender's story. …More

Seventh Son By Card, Orson Scott 1993-06 - Tor Books 9780812533057 Check Our Catalog A very special child is born into an alternate frontier America, where folk magic works. …More

Virgin River By Carr, Robyn 2010-05 - Mira Books 9780778329787 Check Our Catalog When recently widowed Melinda Monroe sees an ad for a midwife-nurse practitioner, she quickly decides that the remote mountain town of Virgin River might be the perfect place to escape her heartache. Instead, she finds a home in this first novel of a new trilogy. Original. HPL patron: Mel was scared of LA after her husband was murdered, so she took a job as a midwife in Virgin River. She hated the town and house when she got there, but a baby was dropped onher steps, so she stayed in Virgin River for a while that turned into a lifetime! She met Jack who captured her heart along with the town. She fills her life delivering babies and having one of her own. …More

Her Mother's Shadow By Chamberlain, Diane 2004-02 - Mira Books 9780778320173 Check Our Catalog With her signature poignancy, Chamberlain tells the story of a woman who rebuilds her life after witnessing the murder of her mother as a teenager. Years later, when the murderer is about to be released on parole, Lacey O'Neill's thoughts return to that tragic episode and to the mother she never really knew. HPL patron: Outer banks of N. Carolina-an insightful book about overcoming tragedy, youthful rebellion, and subsequent impact-teenage pregnancy-acts of passion and consequence. Public vs. private morality. …More

One Shot By Child, Lee 2005-06 - Delacorte Press 9780385336680 Check Our Catalog This astonishing new thriller takes Jack Reacher on his most relentless quest for justice yet. The case isn't what it seems; lives are tangled in baffling ways; and the killer missed one shot--giving Reacher one shot at the truth. HPL patron: A great Reacher! …More

Latitudes of Melt By Clark, Joan 2002-01 - Soho Press 9781569472675 Check Our Catalog In the year 1912, a fisherman discovers an infant adrift on an ice floe in the North Atlantic. Back in the Newfoundland village of Drook she's considered a changeling, with her white hair and eyes of different colors. Her very survival shows that her life is charmed. Named Aurora, after the dawn of her rescue from the sea, she exhibits a singular nature as she grows to womanhood amid the austere beauty of the Newfoundland coast. She marries and has two children, but it is only after they are grown, and she is an old woman, that the mystery of Aurora's origins is solved. HPL patron: 1912-Titanic survivor-Newfoundland through 2000-a lighthouse keeper-exquisitly rendered-far north. …More

To Have and to Kill By Clark, Mary Jane 2010-12 - William Morrow & Company 9780061995545 Check Our Catalog "New York Times"-bestselling author Clark's brand-new Wedding Cake Mystery series gets off to delicious start with this first installment. …More

Summer Reading

Welcome to Summer Reading 2011!  At the end of 4 weeks we had 342 people signed up. This week, 25 new people participated and 55 people read 175 books, which brings the totals for the summer to 127 people and 505 books.

To sign up for this, or any of our newsletters, check out our Newsletter sign up page.

I'm Still Wifey By Swinson, Ki Ki 2005-11 - Melodrama Publishing 9780971702158 Check Our Catalog While Kira's husband Ricky is behind bars serving federal time, she clings onto the hope that one day she?ll get a taste of sweet revenge for Russ?the nigga who played her! In the mix of all the drama, Kira unintentionally falls for a new ?hood rich cat who has it all. Money, good looks, and a girl back home in Jersey! This time around Kira plans to play by a different set of rules! Although, Ricky is locked down in a Virginia federal prison, it doesn?t stop his reign of terror. He gets wind of everything that went down with Kira and gives her a life altering ultimatum. Nevertheless, Kira refuses to adhere to his demand and Ricky has no choice but to suit up his street team. The question is: How will it end this time? HPL  patron: Brings you into the drama of Kira and her hustler husband life.  Very interesting. …More

Veiled Pleasures By Taylor, Tawny Author Winston, Samantha 2008-06 - Ellora's Cave 9781419957680 Check Our Catalog …More

A Match Made in Dry Creek By Tronstad, Janet 2007-04 - Steeple Hill 9780373813056 Check Our Catalog Twenty-five years ago, a fender bender tore high school sweethearts Doris June Hargrove and Curt Nelson from each other's arms on the night they were planning to elope. And they hadn't spoken since. Now their widowed parents want to rematch the pair-but how? Doris June agreed to return home and help her mother put together Mother's Day baskets of pansies for the women of Dry Creek. However, she "didn't" agree to see or talk to Curt. It would take much more than some pansies for her to open her heart to Curt again. But never underestimate the power of a matchmaking mother. …More

Aftermath By Turnbull, Peter 2011-02 - Severn House Publishers 9780727869692 Check Our Catalog The latest Hennessey and Yellich mystery - When five corpses in various states of decomposition are found chained to the walls of a kitchen garden, Hennessey and Yellich quickly begin their investigation. The recently deceased owner of the house was housebound for the last twenty-five years, and so would have had no idea of the appalling crimes taking place yards away. At first, there doesn't seem to be much to go on - the victims appear to have little in common - but Hennessey and Yellich know that the dead must hold the clues they need . . . HPL  patron:  Well-done-but chilling and probably somewhat trite.  Had to finish it tho'. …More

Gunpowder Empire By Turtledove, Harry 2003-12 - Tor Classics 9780765306937 Check Our Catalog Gunpowder Empire" is the launch of an exciting new series of parallel-world adventure set during the reign of the Roman Empire. …More

Around the Way Girls By Joseph, Dwayne S. Author Hunt, LaJill Author Glenn, Roy 2007-07 - Urban Books 9781601620088 Check Our Catalog HPL  patron:  I love all the books that go with this series around the way girls.  All the books tell storys of three girls and somehow they all connect to each other, but I love these books because the stuff the chacks go through happens to people every day. …More

Ragman By Wangerin, Walter, Jr. 1994-09 - HarperOne 9780060692292 Check Our Catalog Now in paperback, a treasure trove of 26 eloquent and deeply moving stories by the American Book Award-winning author of The Book of the Dun Cow and The Book of Sorrows. "These are stories of human lives, of grit, of determination, of righteousness and self-righteousness, of peace, joy and love".--Provident Book Finder. HPL  patron:  Very inspirational and good for the soul! …More

Hand of Fate By Wiehl, Lis With Henry, April 2010-04 - Thomas Nelson Publishers 9781595547064 Check Our Catalog When the host of a popular conservative radio talk show dies, the Triple Threat Club must narrow down the lengthy list of people who wished him dead. "Hand of Fate" begins with a suspected terrorist attack, when outspoken radio talk show host Jim Fate is killed by poisonous gas while his show, "The Hand of Fate" is on the air. In the ensuing panic, downtown Portland is evacuated and FBI Special Agent Nicole Hedges is trapped in a high-rise building. Crime reporter Cassidy Shaw is the only journalist brave enough to report from the scene as chaos overtakes the streets. And federal prosecutor Allison Pierce ends up rescuing a toddler separated from her family and taking her to one of the city's overwhelmed hospitals. In the days following Fate's murder, the three colleagues and friends team up to uncover the secrets behind it - and reveal a few secrets of their own. HPL  patron:  A sort of thriller finding out who killed the radio guy.  I thought I had it figured out but it took a twist. …More

The Goodbye Quilt By Wiggs, Susan 2011-03 - Mira Books 9780778329961 Check Our Catalog As her only child Molly readies for college, local fabric shop owner Linda Davis shares one last adventure with her daughter--a cross-country road trip to move Molly into her dorm. As they make their way through the heart of the country, Linda pieces together the scraps that make up Molly's young life. …More

Cut Throat By Williams, K. Roland 2008-03 - Triple Crown Publications 9780979951732 Check Our Catalog Quincy Underwood is a well known local celebrity in his hood. He's street smart, handsome, and the talented lead vocalist for Taboo, the hottest Neo Soul R&B band on the East Coast. Quincy's deepest desire is to live the lifestyle that he knows he deserves: a life of luxury far removed from the concrete jungle and poverty he was raised in. HPL  patron:  This book keeps you interested with all the twist and turns the dirty gangsters and dirty cops.  The book keeps readers wanting more and wanting to know how it all goes down in the end. …More

Grimey: The Sequel to Blinded: Triple Crown Publications Presents By Williams, KaShamba Editor Jackson, Kathleen 2004-02 - Vickie Stringer 9780974789514 Check Our Catalog HPL  patron:  I read the book and I thought it was great had a lot of suspense.  When I finished reading the book I found uot it was a sequel to a book I never read. …More

A Lesson in Secrets: A Maisie Dobbs Novel By Winspear, Jacqueline 2011-03 - Harper 9780061727672 Check Our Catalog Maisie Dobbs' first assignment for the British Secret Service takes her undercover to Cambridge as a professor, and leads to the investigation of a murderous web of activities being conducted by the up-and-coming Nazi party. HPL  patron:  Brilliant British secret service professor undercover leads to investiation of mob activities in Nazi party. …More

Bel-Air Dead By Woods, Stuart 2011-04 - Putnam Adult 9780399157363 Check Our Catalog In the newest addition to the "New York Times"-bestselling series, Stone Barrington is contacted by his ex-girlfriend--the mother of his son--and soon finds himself dragged into a surprisingly deadly web of intrigue. HPL  patron:  Very good book.  Makes you want to turn next page not stop reading. …More

Lucid Intervals By Woods, Stuart 2010-04 - Putnam Adult 9780399156441 Check Our Catalog From the master of the genre ("Los Angeles Times") comes his new page-turningStone Barrington novel. HPL  patron:  Fast paced, humorous and exciting. …More

Santa Fe Edge By Woods, Stuart 2010-09 - Putnam Adult 9780399156915 Check Our Catalog Ed Eagle, a six-feet-six, take-no-prisoners, Santa Fe attorney, has recovered from his encounters with Mexican organized crime and--more treacherously--his ex-wife, Barbara. Now a mysterious new client has come his way, who may shed light into some dark corners of Ed's past and put him in danger once more. …More

Honey Flava By Zane 2008-05 - Atria Books 9781416548850 Check Our Catalog "Honey Flava" features an erotic feast of short stories with enough Asian flava to ignite fireworks. With an African American and Asian mix of sexy characters, Zane picks the most clever and bold male and female writers to deliver a collection like no other. Stories like "Geisha Girl" and "Pins and Needles" give tea and acupuncture a whole new meaning, and the word "Master" is a term of endearment in "The Meaning of Zhuren." In tantalizing portraits of some of the hottest -- and sweetest -- scenes you'll ever want to experience, Honey Flava will take you to a sensual paradise of no return. Zane delivers a new and special taste, proving that passion and sensuality have truly universal meaning. HPL  patron:  The characters in this book was very exotic. I loved reading this book.  I could relate to some of the things they were going through.  I did not want to put the book down. …More

What's In Common Dietary Supplements?

What's In Common Dietary Supplements?: From the USA.gov Blog: "By the Specialized Information Services Division of the National Library of Medicine
If you’ve ever wondered what’s in a certain dietary supplement, like over-the-counter vitamins and minerals, or if a certain product is safe for you to take, the Dietary Supplements Labels Database can help you find the answers.

The database has information about the ingredients in several thousand selected brands of dietary supplements. Those ingredients might be vitamins, minerals, herbs/plants, amino acids, or enzymes. Information is also given on any product claims made by a supplement’s manufacturer. The database can help you find answers to questions such as:

• What are the ingredients shown on the label of a supplement?
• How much of the daily recommended allowance for a nutrient is in a specific product?
• Can I compare the amount of a specific nutrient between products?
• What are the inactive ingredients in a product?
• Which products do not contain animal products?
• Can I find studies that indicate the proven medical benefits of specific ingredients?
• Can I find information on the toxicity of specific ingredients?
• Who manufactures a specific product? How do I contact this manufacturer?

Ingredients in the Dietary Supplements Labels Database are linked to other National Library of Medicine databases such as MedlinePlus and PubMed that provide more information about the ingredients, such as the results of research studies on possible health effects of the ingredients.

Research includes:

• How the ingredients are used in humans
• Any adverse effects
• Mechanisms of action

You can search the database by brand names, uses noted on product labels, specific active ingredients, and manufacturers.
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Encourage Kids to Read This Summer

Encourage Kids to Read This Summer: From the USA.gov Blog: "The U.S. Department of Education launched their annual summer campaign, Let’s Read, Let’s Move. The campaign encourages children to participate in summer reading programs and parents to read to their children more often.
Through summer reading, kids may discover a favorite author that sparks a lifelong love of reading. Summer reading can also prevent learning loss and help prepare a child for the next academic year.

Check out a few reading resources for kids:

• Classic Books Online — Explore time-honored tales, available from the Library of Congress.
• Locate a Public Library — Find reading programs and borrow—rather than buy—books.
• Strong Minds Project — Volunteer to help kids read during the summer.
• Reading and Writing, Grades K-5 and Language Arts, Grades 6-8 — Find a variety of resources on Kids.gov.

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