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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Rescue By Shreve, Anita 2010-11 - Little Brown and Company 9780316020725 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title Nineteen years after inexplicably leaving her family, Sheila returns, bringing long-buried questions to the surface. Shreve's tale of trespass and forgiveness, secrets and the seismic force of the truth portray a family trying to understand its fractured past to begin again. HPL patron: A touching story about love found in all the wrong and unexpected places, loss, and the ability to give up your vices for loe. "Tough love" to the greatest extent is explored here, as well as forgiveness and true effortto function as a family after loss of trust. …More

Unwind By Shusterman, Neal 2007-11 - Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing 9781416912040 Check Our Catalog Winner 2011 Nutmeg Teen Award 2008 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers Top Teen In this futuristic thriller, Neal Shusterman creates a world that blurs the line between life and death and challenges ideas about what it means to be alive. HPL patron: This book was a great twiston what could happen in the future of the pro-life vs pro-choice debate. You could really get into the charactersand feel the fear for survival as they did. …More

The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party: The New No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Novel By McCall Smith, Alexander 2011-03 - Pantheon Books 9780307378392 Check Our Catalog One of Phuti Radiphuti's apprentices has gotten a girl pregnant and, under pressure to marry her, has run away. Naturally, it is up to Precious Ramotswe and Grace Makutsi to help the couple work things out. In other developments, Mma Ramotswe investigates a case of rural jealousy in which cattle are being poisoned, in this 12th installment of the beloved, bestselling series. HPL patron: I have never read anything by this author. I like detective novels. This was uninteresting to me just not my cup of tea, I guess. HPL patron: I love all the books in this series. What a gentle way of life. …More

Alice at Heart By Smith, Deborah 2002-01 - BelleBooks 9780967303529 Check Our Catalog Among the sultry society of coastal Georgia, the Vonavendier family at Sainte's Point Island is considered mysterious, notorious, and extremely odd. Now, simple, plain Alice Riley, an outcast who is far more extraordinary than she ever imagined, is about to find love, kinship, and adventure in the family's amazing world. HPL patron: More fanciful than her other books-a sea myth-tactile and visually rich. …More

Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet By Smith, Sherri L. 2008-02 - Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers 9780385734172 Check Our Catalog Ana Shen has what her social studies teacher calls a "marvelously biracial, multicultural family" but what Ana simply calls a Chinese American father and an African American mother. And on eighth-grade graduation day, that's a recipe for disaster. Both sets of grandparents are in town to celebrate, and Ana's best friend has convinced her to invite Jamie Tabata-the cutest boy in school-for a home-cooked meal. Now Ana and her family have four hours to prepare their favorite dishes for dinner, and Grandma White and Nai Nai can't agree on anything. Ana is tired of feeling caught between her grandparents and wishes she knew whose side she was supposed to be on. But when they all sit down for their hot, sour, salty, and sweet meal, Ana comes to understand how each of these different flavors, like family, fit perfectly together. …More

Midnight: A Gangster Love Story By Sister Souljah 2008-11 - Atria Books 9781416545187 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title Sister Souljah, renowned hip-hop artist, political activist, and bestselling author, delivers a powerful story about love and loyalty, strength and survival, in this follow-up to her riveting masterpiece, "The Coldest Winter Ever." HPL patron: Excellent read! Great story about a young male stepping up to take care of his family and falling in love at the same time. I recommend this to others! …More

Malice By Steel, Danielle 1996-04 - Delacorte Press 9780385306041 Check Our Catalog In her 37th novel, Danielle Steel tells the compelling story of a woman who must struggle to overcome a shattering betrayal--and the cruelest kind of malice. Sexually abused on the night of her mother's funeral, 17-year-old Grace Adams surprises everyone when she will not reveal the identity of her attacker. Years later, after a lifetime of being a victim, Grace has happiness within her grasp, but a vicious tabloid and an enemy from her past threaten to destroy everything she has struggled to gain. HPL patron: Awesome read from start tofinish. It was hard to put down! I readthe entire book in just a couple of days! Very, very good reading! …More

Cold Shot to the Heart By Stroby, Wallace 2011-01 - Minotaur Books 9780312560256 Check Our Catalog Crissa Stones mentor and lover is up for parole and needs some money. There's an illegal card game set. Desperate, Crissa slaps a plan together. It's robbery, not murder. Then one of her crew shoots a player, a man with connections to hitman Eddie the Saint. HPL patron: Good plot, action, and dialogue. Suspensful and entertaining. This is a new author for me and I like his writing as much as I do Lee Child's writing. …More

Gone 'Til November By Stroby, Wallace 2010-01 - Minotaur Books 9780312560249 Check Our Catalog The acclaimed author of "The Barbed-Wire Kiss" introduces Florida Sheriff Deputy Sara Cross, who must decide if her former partner--and lover--is a killer. HPL patron: I like Wallace Stroby. Good plot, good action. Drama throughout book. Good writing from start to finish. …More

Black Ice By Stuart, Anne 2005-05 - Mira Books 9780778321712 Check Our Catalog American Chloe Underwood is translating for entrepreneurs at their conference outside Paris. But the meeting is in fact a cover-up for a group of terrorists. When she's threatened, Chloe is taken to Paris by undercover operative Bastien Toussaint. During a freak snowstorm, the chase is on. …More

Hoax By Tanenbaum, Robert K. 2004-08 - Atria Books 9780743452885 Check Our Catalog In his 16th novel featuring the indomitable prosecutor Butch Karp, Tanenbaum blends real-life headlines into exciting plotlines, brilliantly combining the seedy underworld of rap and the scandal-plagued Catholic Church into a fascinating tale of betrayal and bloodshed. HPL patron: This author needs a new editor...490 pages, c'mon. There are good pieces of action, plot, good and bad characters--it's a long comic book without pictures. …More

Resolved By Tanenbaum, Robert K. 2003-08 - Atria Books 9780743467629 Check Our Catalog The fifteenth installment in Robert K. Tanenbaum's "New York Times" bestselling series is the most engrossing to date. As inventive and thrilling as his previous novels, "Resolved" is a must for readers rewing up the action, taking Karp and his wife, the fearless private detective Marlene Ciampi, through Unexplored obstacles."Included in Super Bestseller and Full Standing Order Plans. HPL patron: An unusual family, fights crime unconventionally, featuring terrorists and sadistic killers there is plenty of plot and action. However, too much inunbelievalbe and this isjust an average book. …More

Texas Blue By Thomas, Jodi 2011-04 - Berkley 9780425240472 Check Our Catalog Thomas, the Queen of Texas Romance ("Romantic Times"), delivers her latest Whispering Mountain novel which introduces a gambling man who's about to discover that finding love in the Wild West takes both determination and a little luck. Original. …More

The First Commandment: A Thriller By Thor, Brad 2007-07 - Atria Books 9781416543794 Check Our Catalog The "New York Times"-bestselling author of "Takedown" delivers an explosive new political thriller starring former Navy SEAL Scot Harvath, who is now an operative with Homeland Security. …More

The Apostle By Thor, Brad 2009-06 - Atria Books 9781416586579 Check Our Catalog In the latest pulse-pounding thriller from "New York Times"-bestselling author Thor, Navy SEAL-turned-covert-Homeland Security-operative Scot Harvath must find the kidnapped daughter of a politically connected family. …More

Enter Night: A Biography of Metallica By Wall, Mick 2011-05 - St. Martin's Press 9780312649890 Check Our Catalog Wall--who has known the members of Metallica for 25 years--delivers the definitive biography of the biggest heavy metal band in the world. HPL patron: Great read. …More

The Choir Director By Weber, Carl 2011-02 - Kensington Publishing Corporation 9780758231840 Check Our Catalog The "New York Times"-bestselling author of "Big Girls Do Cry" takes readers back to church, where it's time for some hard-earned lessons in love, brotherhood, and betrayal. …More

Marrying Daisy Bellamy By Wiggs, Susan 2011-02 - Center Point Large Print 9781602859715 Check Our Catalog Daisy Bellamy has struggled for years to choose between two men -- one honorable and steady, one wild and untethered. And then, one fateful day, the decision is made for her. HPL patron: Interesting. …More

Remembering Dale Earnhardt: Wonderful Stories Celebrating the Life of Racing's Greatest Driver By Wolfe, Rich 2001-06 - Triumph Books 9781572434493 Check Our Catalog HPL patron: Great read. …More

Driftwood Cottage By Woods, Sherryl 2011-03 - Mira Books 9780778329473 Check Our Catalog Presenting the first book in a new trilogy, "New York Times"-bestselling author Woods again brings her signature heartwarming style to the community of Chesapeake Shores. Original. HPL patron: Great story. …More

Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church By Wright, N. T. 2008-02 - HarperOne 9780061551826 Check Our Catalog For years Christians have been asking, 'If you died tonight, do you know where you would go?' It turns out Christians have been giving the wrong answer. It is not heaven. One of today's premier Bible scholars and award-winning author N.T. Wright outlines the present confusion about a Christian's future hope and shows how it is deeply intertwined with how we live today. Wright shows that Christianity's most distinctive idea is bodily resurrection. First, he provides a magisterial defense of a literal resurrection of Jesus himself. This became the cornerstone for the Christian community's hope in the bodily resurrection of all people at the end of the age. Next Wright explores our expectation of 'new heavens and new earth,' showing what happens to the dead until then and what will happen with the 'second coming' of Jesus. For many, including many Christians, all this will come as a great surprise. Wright convincingly argues that what we believe about life after death directly affects what we believe about life before death. For if God intends to renew the whole creation - and if this has already begun in Jesus's resurrection - the church cannot stop at 'saving souls' but must anticipate the eventual renewal by working for God's kingdom in the wider world, bringing healing and hope in the present life. Lively and accessible, this book will surprise and excite all who are interested in the meaning of life, not only after death but, before it. HPL patron: One of the most thought provoking I have read. I ordered it so that I could slowly read it and mark it up. A great book on the Christian's hope. …More