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.

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The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters By Lopez, Lorraine 2008-10 - Grand Central Publishing 9780446699211 Check Our Catalog Having lost their mother, the four Gabaldon sisters consider their elderly Pueblo housekeeper as their surrogate Grandmother. As the girls grow into women, they learn the truth about their mysterious caretaker, her legacy, and a family secret. …More

Floating City By Van Lustbader, Eric Editor Zion, Claire 1994-12 - Pocket Books 9780671898571 Check Our Catalog From a bestselling author comes an unforgettable novel featuring hero Nicholas Linnear, deep in the Vietnamese jungle fighting an enemy who holds the ultimate tool of destruction. To destroy it, he must enter a world of violence and sensuality, and tread the knife's edge between good and evil, death and desire. HPL patron:  Nicholas Linnear novel-post Vietnam/Soviet story-ex American Vietnam vet "villain" in American Mafia, Japapnese criminal underworlds  vs Japanese/American endowed with "Ninja" spirit and fighting powers-lots of intrigue! …More

Crouching Vampire, Hidden Fang By MacAlister, Katie 2009-11 - Thorndike Press 9781410419828 Check Our Catalog Pia Thomasan is torn between two Dark Ones: her husband Kristoff--who doesn't trust her--and his best friend, Alec, who is MIA. So Pia goes back to her humdrum Seattle life, but fate has other plans, in this follow-up to "Zen and the Art of Vampires." Original. …More

Steamed: A Steampunk Romance By MacAlister, Katie 2010-02 - Signet Book 9780451229311 Check Our Catalog A "New York Times"-bestselling author takes on steampunk and presents an exciting new paranormal romance series set in a Victorian-era world of steampower, aether guns, corsets, and goggles. Original. HPL patron:  Great book!  Scifi and romance together. …More

The Knitting Diaries By Macomber, Debbie Author Mallery, Susan Author Skye, Christina 2011-04 - Wheeler Publishing 9781410436122 Check Our Catalog Three "New York Times"-bestselling authors deliver three original stories for this heartwarming anthology. Includes "The Twenty-First Wish", "Coming Unraveled," and "Return to Summer Island." HPL patron:  I really enjoyed this book as I love to knit. …More

Harper Lee By Madden, Kerry 2009-03 - Viking Children's Books 9780670010950 Check Our Catalog "To Kill a Mockingbird"--Nelle Harper Lee's only published book--became an instant bestseller in 1960 and won the Pulitzer Prize. It was also the basis of the 1962 Oscar-winning film. In this biography, Madden reveals Lee to be a down-to-earth Southern woman who has shunned publicity for a simpler life. Photos. HPL patron:  A wonderful book for young readers to learn about the author's (Harper Lee) motivation behind writing "To Kill a Mockingbird." …More

Already Home By Mallery, Susan 2011-03 - Mira Books 9780778329510 Check Our Catalog After nearly a decade as a sous-chef in a trendy eatery, Jenna is desperate for a change. She's supported her ex-husband's dreams for so long that she can't even remember her own. Until she sees a for-lease sign near her parents' home and envisions her very own cooking store. HPL patron:  Great! …More

The Man from Beijing By Mankell, Henning Translator Thompson, Laurie 2010-02 - Knopf Publishing Group 9780307271860 Check Our Catalog The acclaimed author of the Kurt Wallander mysteries gives listeners an electrifying thriller that takes off into a sweeping international drama. In the Swedish hamlet of Hesjovallen, 19 people have been massacred--and the only clue is a red ribbon found at the scene. HPL patron:  Good book!  Entertaining, twists and turns, complicated plot intertwines past and present to explain ruthless killingof small town's 19 people inSweden in2006. …More

The Return of the Dancing Master By Mankell, Henning Translator Thompson, Laurie 2004-02 - New Press 9781565848603 Check Our Catalog This is the new thriller from the internationally bestselling author of the Kurt Wallander mysteries. HPL patron:  Long and compliated crime fiction.  Twists and turns make thisbook interesting, also setting in Sweden.  Author enjoys historical plots, revenge, and detailed characters. …More

Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice By McCormick, Maureen 2009-09 - It Books 9780061490156 Check Our Catalog The poignant memoir of the real woman who starred as the beloved Marcia Brady on "The Brady Bunch" television show, "Here's the Story" offers a behind-the-scenes look at her time on the series and reveals what happened off-screen, and after the series ended. Two 16-page b&w photo inserts. …More

A Decadent Way to Die By McKevett, G. A. 2011-02 - Kensington Publishing Corporation 9780758238108 Check Our Catalog In her latest culinary mystery, plus-sized sleuth Savannah Reid must unearth the identity of a would-be killer whose prey is a famous and very wealthy octogenarian. …More

Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast By McKinley, Robin Illustrator McKinley, Robin 1900-01 - HarperCollins 9780060241490 Check Our Catalog Kind Beauty grows to love the Beast at whose castle she is compelled to stay and through her love releases him from the spell which had turned him from a handsome prince into an ugly beast. …More

The Paris Wife By McLain, Paula 2011-02 - Ballantine Books 9780345521309 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title A deeply evocative story of ambition and betrayal, "The Paris Wife" captures a remarkable period of time and a love affair between two unforgettable people: Ernest Hemingway and his wife Hadley. HPL patron:  After a recent trip to Paris, this book caught my eye.  I knew nothing about Hemingway's time in Paris but wanted to draw a connection tomy recent sight-seeing excursions and one of America's reknowned authors.  This "historical fiction" novel was fun to see a wife's perspective of events, very true to nonfiction accounts. …More

The Last Chance Cafe By Miller, Linda Lael 2002-04 - Atria Books 9780671042509 Check Our Catalog Linda Lael Miller treats millions of fans to an enchanting, contemporary romance starring the descendants of the bestselling Primrose Creek series. HPL patron:  Hallie lost her stepfather and found out her ex-husband was involved  in murder  and drugs.  So she ran with her two kids to Primrose Creek.  There she started a new life and found love, but her ex-husband Joel found her and tried to kill her, but her boyfriend Chance killed him and Chance landed in the hospital.  Hallie went back to Arizone, but came to her senses and married Chance and had a baby boy Trace. …More

Now You See Her By Mitchard, Jacquelyn 2007-03 - Harperteen 9780061116834 Check Our Catalog In her first novel for teens, national bestselling author Mitchard offers a story about a girl with everything who fakes her own abduction. …More

At the Altar of Speed: The Fast Life and Tragic Death of Dale Earnhardt By Montville, Leigh 2001-10 - Doubleday Books 0385503636 Check Our Catalog From a veteran sports reporter who has unique access to Dale Earnhardt's circle comes a thrilling ride through the legendary life of NASCAR's unmatched superstar. 8-page full-color photo insert. HPL patron:  Great read. …More

The Dream By Morris, Gilbert 2006-08 - Zondervan Publishing Company 9780310252337 Check Our Catalog Lanie Freeman's life changed swiftly and irrevocably with the death of her mother and the imprisonment of her father. She struggles to hold together her family, pursue her dreams, and follow her heart. Then the new preacher arrives---and Lanie's world is turned upside down! Book Two in the Singing River series. …More

The Distant Hours By Morton, Kate 2010-11 - Atria Books 9781439152782 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title The bestselling author of "The House At Riverton" and "The Forgotten Garden" offers another unforgettable tale weaving together history and mystery. …More

The Inspector and Silence By Nesser, Hakan Translator Thompson, Laurie 2011-06 - Pantheon Books 9780375425233 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title A secretive and dubious religious sect comes under investigation when a young girl is found dead. Inspector Van Veeteren and the other detectives on the case are mystified and infuriated when the members of the Pure Life--led by a charismatic but unnervingly guarded messiah figure--choose to remain silent about the incident rather than defend themselves. …More

The Time Traveler's Wife By Niffenegger, Audrey 2010-11 - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) 9780547119793 Check Our Catalog A dazzling novel in the most untraditional fashion, this is the remarkable story of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who travels involuntarily through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. Henry and Clare's passionate love affair endures across a sea of time and captures the two lovers in an impossibly romantic trap, and it is Audrey Niffenegger's cinematic storytelling that makes the novel's unconventional chronology so vibrantly triumphant. An enchanting debut and a spellbinding tale of fate and belief in the bonds of love, "The Time Traveler's Wife "is destined to captivate readers for years to come. …More

Thug-A-Licious: An Urban Erotic Tale By Noire 2006-08 - One World 9780345486912 Check Our Catalog Combining erotica and street lit, #1 "Essence" bestselling author Noire has crafted an urban, erotic masterpiece--a sexy, authentic tale of the price to be paid for unchecked ambition. (Erotica) HPL patron:  Didn't really like this book but it was sad.  Don't really like the author. …More

His Majesty's Dragon By Novik, Naomi 2006-03 - Del Rey Books 9780345481283 Check Our Catalog This first adventure of a new fantasy series introduces the remarkable dragon Temeraire and his heroic captain, Will Laurence, who are thrust into the world of the Aerial Corps, offering aerial support to the British during the Napoleonic Wars. Original. …More

Saveur New American Comfort Food By Oseland, James 2011-04 - Chronicle Books (CA) 9780811878012 Check Our Catalog From the pages of Saveur magazine, one of the world's premier food publications, comes a celebration of the enormous range of regional American and international dishes that have shaped the classic comfort foods of today. A steaming bowl of udon noodles, a bubbling serving of macaroni and cheese, a hearty helping of huevos rancheros, a perfectly browned grilled cheese sandwich these are just some of the 100 mouthwatering recipes in this extraordinary volume that highlights the pleasures of comfort food in all its diversity. Brimming with more than 200 stunning photographs and memorable sidebars that present the people, ingredients, and techniques involved in the recipes, Saveur The New Comfort Food is an unforgettable journey behind the scenes of our favorite heartwarming dishes. HPL patron:  This book was ok.  I would not buy it. …More