Summer Reading

Welcome to Summer Reading 2011! At the end of 6 weeks we had 365 people signed up. This week, 16 new people participated and 58 people read 137 books, which brings the totals for the summer to 154 people and 792 books.

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The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree By Albert, Susan Wittig 2010-07 - Berkley Publishing Group 9780425234457 Check Our Catalog The country may be struggling through the Great Depression, but the ladies of Darling, Alabama, are determined to keep their chins up. After a treasure trove of sterling silver is found, two of the Darling Dahlias claim ownership, which leads to some very unladylike behavior. HPL patron: This is the first book in a new series. A garden club back in the 1930's take it upon themselves to solve a mystery. The author lets you get to know each character and adds details to the story so you can imagine it all as you read. I loved this book. This is an author that I loved athrough the Beatrix Potter Cottage Tales series and am sure I will come to love this new series as well. Looking forward to the next one coming out, hopefully soon. …More

Mourning Gloria By Albert, Susan Wittig 2011-04 - Berkley Publishing Group 9780425239131 Check Our Catalog After a woman is killed in an arson-homicide, Jessica Nelson, an intern-reporter at the local paper, is assigned to cover the story. When Jessica disappears, China Bayles is determined to find her, before she becomes a headline herself. HPL patron: Entertaining mystery. …More

Sweet Jesus, I Hate Bill O'Reilly By Amann, Joseph Minton Author Breuer, Tom 2006-03 - Nation Books 9781560258810 Check Our Catalog The authors expose Bill O'Reilly as a self-righteous boob and a sham newsman. The hilariously funny book is a great read for anyone who enjoys seeing a puffed-up blowhard taken down a notch or two--whether they're an O'Reilly hater, fan, or something in between. HPL patron: Hilarious, though self-admittedly slanted, book pointing out the ridiculous fallacies and pointless rage that make up Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor." Caution: you are about to enter a no-holds (sic) barred zone. …More

Here to Stay By Anderson, Catherine 2011-03 - Center Point Large Print 9781602859890 Check Our Catalog Mandy Pajeck feels responsible for the accident that took her younger brother's sight. When she meets handsome Zach Harrigan and his mini guide horse, Mandy thinks she's found the ticket to her brother's happiness--and maybe her own. …More

Lord, Give Me a Heart for You: A Devotional Study on Having a Passion for God By Arthur, Kay 2001-07 - Waterbrook Press 9781578564200 Check Our Catalog Kay Arthur's Newest "Lord" Book Examines The Anatomy Of A Heart for God Through Paul's Eyes. Throughout his ministry the Apostle Paul was criticized, opposed, and attacked. He wrestled with his weaknesses. He struggled with fragile relationships. He was often weary, tired, and discouraged. Kay Arthur knows there are times when you can identify with Paul's experience. You feel overwhelmed by conflicts without and fears within. You yearn to experience the God of wisdom and power. You, like Paul, want deeply to be a person whose sole passion is to please God. In this study based on 2 Corinthians, Kay examines the anatomy of a heart for God. What it looks like. What it feels like. And how you can strengthen your own relationship with God. Despite the deep physical, emotional, and spiritual pain of life, Paul could rest in the God of all comfort and strength. He could walk in obedience to his calling. He could fight the good fight, finish his race, and keep the faith. And now, through this compelling, insightful, and moving Bible study, so can you. ""What does a heart for God look like when lived out in flesh and blood in the daily circumstances of life? As we walk together through 2 Corinthians, Acts, and other portions of Scripture, we'll begin to understand what it's like to have a heart like His." -Kay Arthur THE "LORD" SERIES by Kay Arthur is an insightful, warm-hearted Bible study series designed to meet you where you are-and help you discover God's answers to your deepest needs. …More

Sheisty: Triple Crown Publications Presents By Baker, T. N. Editor Jackson, Kathleen Editor Hilliard, Chloe A. 2004-02 - Vickie Stringer 9780974789590 Check Our Catalog Epiphany Wright, Keisha Moore and Shana Scott spent their teenage years as the best of friends growing up in the hood of Southside Jamaica Queens. Now as adults, their friendship is put to the test when envy, built up animosity, hidden betrayal and the bad boys in their lives cause havoc. Every day becomes a struggle to keep the clique tight. Every day something beats against the tried, tested and proven relationship. Several dramatic occurrences take the odds against the trio. When the dust settles, with all that's already riding against them, will these girls be down for one another or just plain "SHEISTY?" HPL patron: A group of friends started to grow apart because of the men in there lives. It was kind of predictable once I read it though now I'm going to read "Sheisty Part 2." …More

A Promise Made: Heartbreak of the Past Draws a Couple Together in This Historical Novel By Barton, Janet Lee 2008-12 - Thorndike Press 9781410411457 Check Our Catalog …More

Emily's Place: A Heart Adrift Finds a Place to Dwell in This Romantic Story By Bateman, Tracey V. 2008-10 - Thorndike Press 9781410408587 Check Our Catalog …More

It's Called a Breakup Because It's Broken: The Smart Girl's Break-Up Buddy By Behrendt, Greg Author Ruotola-Behrendt, Amiira 2006-09 - Broadway Books 9780767921961 Check Our Catalog When Greg Behrendt-comedian and consultant to "Sex and the City-laid out the truth about men's "mixed signals" (the truth being that there's no such thing), millions of women found themselves liberated. But knowing a guy's not that into her doesn't mean a woman is not going to be hurt. Now, for every woman who's had her heart broken, Greg and his coauthor-wife, Amiira, offer "It's Called a Breakup Because It's Broken-a must-have survival guide for getting over Mr. Wrong and reclaiming your inner SuperFox. This hilarious and helpful book covers everything from how to pull the plug on a relationship and make it stick, to proven remedies for uncontrollable crying, to how to act the first time you see him with another woman. Divided into two parts-Get Over It and Get On with It-chapters include: - There Are No New Messages, so stop checking your machine-and his!-every five minutes - He's Not Hiding at the Bottom of That Pint of Ice Cream - What's He Thinking? Who cares? But Greg and Amiira respect the need to obsess, so here's a chapter of indulgence - If It Was So Great, You'd Still Be Together: seeing the reality for what it was - Revenge Is a Dish Best Served HOT! So get out of your pajamas, start taking care of yourself, and find your way back to an even more rocking you Plus: an essential workbook, so you can put the crazy stuff down on paper instead of inflicting it on the world. Before finding each other, Greg and Amiira had been there, too, and found their way out of the darkness. Now they've come back with a flashlight and a helping hand. "It's Called a Breakup Because It's Broken is more than the ultimatereference guide to the dissolution of a relationship. It's the voice of encouragement that you need to turn your breakup into a break-over, and get a jump on the brighter romantic future that awaits. …More

Heart of Gold By Bird, Jessica 2003-05 - Ivy Books 9780804119894 Check Our Catalog Digging on a mountain where a party of Revolutionary War minutemen lost their lives--and the gold they carried--archaeologist Carter Wessex refuses to let the mountain's owner, Nick Farrell, rattle her, even though she's all too aware of his sexy yet sardonic presence. Original. …More

Murder in Passy By Black, Cara 2011-03 - Soho Crime 9781569478820 Check Our Catalog The wealthy Parisian neighborhood of Passy is the last place one would expect a murder. But when Aimee Leduc's godfather asks her to check on his girlfriend at her home there, that's exactly what Aimee finds. …More

White Cat By Black, Holly 2010-05 - Margaret K. McElderry Books 9781416963967 Check Our Catalog "The White Cat" introduces Holly Black's new world! Cassel has always known he killed Lila, but now the pieces are starting not to fit. …More

Can't Think Straight: A Memoir of Mixed-Up Love By Blakeley, Kiri 2011-01 - Citadel Press 9780806533308 Check Our Catalog After realizing her 10-year relationship with her fiance was built on lies, Blakeley embarked on a deeply emotional and physical journey from disbelief and debauchery to independence and insight. …More

Flyboys: A True Story of Courage By Bradley, James 2003-09 - Little Brown and Company 9780316105842 Check Our Catalog A BookPage Notable Title From the author of the #1 bestselling "Flags of Our Fathers" comes a harrowing true story of World War II heroism and of a secret that has been held for nearly 60 years. of photos. …More

The Mists of Avalon By Bradley, Marion Zimmer 1987-05 - Del Rey Books 9780345350497 Check Our Catalog A Literary Guild Featured Alternate Here is the magical legend of King Arthur, vividly retold through the eyes and lives of the women who wielded power from behind the throne. A spellbinding novel, an extraordinary literary achievement, THE MISTS OF AVALON will stay with you for a long time to come.... …More

Haunted Baseball: Ghosts, Curses, Legends, and Eerie Events By Bradley, Mickey Author Gordon, Dan 2007-08 - Lyons Press 9781599210223 Check Our Catalog Baseball and ghost stories are as American as apple pie. Haunted Baseball combines both in this fun and freaky collection of otherworldly yarns. Assembled from baseball players, stadium personnel, umpires, front-office folks, and fans, the tales told here explore the spooky connection between baseball and the paranormal. We learn of the Curse of the Billy Goat that still haunts the Chicago Cubs, of hidden passageways within the depths of Dodger Stadium, and of the spirits of legendary stars that inspire modern-day players at Yankee Stadium. We hear why Johnny Damon believes in ghosts and how the memories of a 9/11 hero inspired Ken Griffey Jr. to hit a home run against the Phillies--a team against which he'd never even gotten a hit! There are the stories of how Sam Rice settled a decades-old baseball controversy with a message from beyond the grave and how the late Roberto Clemente had premonitions of his own death in a plane crash. With a wealth of anecdotes that have never before been told, the authors present an entertaining and eerie look at our national pastime. HPL patron: A compendium of baseball ghosts, superstitions, and curses, including the Cubs billy goat curse, and Boston's "Curse of the Bambino." Interesting for baseball fans. …More

Official Secrets By Breitman, Richard 2003-06 - Hill & Wang 9780809001842 Check Our Catalog An important new work based on newly declassified archives. As defeat loomed over the Third Reich in 1945, its officials tried to destroy the physical and documentary evidence about the Nazis' monstrous crimes, about their murder of millions. Great Britain already had some of the evidence, however, for its intelligence services had for years been intercepting, decoding, and analyzing German police radio messages and SS ones, too. Yet these important papers were sealed away as "Most Secret," "Never to Be Removed from This Office"-and they have only now reappeared.Integrating this new evidence with other sources, Richard Breitman reconsiders how Germany's leaders brought about the Holocaust-and when-and reassesses Britain's and America's suppression of information about the Nazi killings. His absorbing account of the tensions between the two powers and the consequences of keeping this information secret for so long shows us the danger of continued government secrecy, which serves none of us well, and the failure to punish many known war criminals. …More

The Weird Sisters By Brown, Eleanor 2011-01 - Amy Einhorn Books 9780399157226 Check Our Catalog A major new talent tackles the complicated terrain of sisters, the power of books, and the places we decide to call home. "There is no problem that a library card can't solve. " The Andreas family is one of readers. Their father, a renowned Shakespeare professor who speaks almost entirely in verse, has named his three daughters after famous Shakespearean women. When the sisters return to their childhood home, ostensibly to care for their ailing mother, but really to lick their wounds and bury their secrets, they are horrified to find the others there. "See, we love each other. We just don't happen to like each other very much." But the sisters soon discover that everything they've been running from-one another, their small hometown, and themselves-might offer more than they ever expected. HPL patron: 3 sisters raised in a small town with a father who is an expert on Shakespeare. One stays in town and 2 move away only to come home to find themselves. …More

Hate List By Brown, Jennifer 2009-09 - Little, Brown Books for Young Readers 9780316041447 Check Our Catalog After Valerie Leftman's boyfriend, Nick, opens fire on their school cafeteria, Val is shot trying to stop him, but is implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. Now, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year. …More

White Lines By Brown, Tracy 2007-01 - St. Martin's Griffin 9780312336486 Check Our Catalog An "Essence" bestselling author takes readers into the urban jungle with this unforgettable love story where addiction, betrayal, and redemption are just the beginning. HPL patron: Excellent read! Great storyline; I couldn't put this book down from the time I started reading it. …More

Long Gone By Burke, Alafair 2011-06 - Harper 9780061999185 Check Our Catalog The acclaimed author's first stand-alone book is a gripping thriller in which an art gallery manager is thrust into a mystery after finding her boss dead and the gallery stripped bare. HPL patron: Suspenseful, riveting, thrilling, and well-written. …More

Rain Gods By Burke, James Lee 2011-06 - Pocket Books 9781451648454 Check Our Catalog "America's best novelist" ("The Denver Post ") brings back one of his most fascinating characters-- Texas sheriff Hackberry Holland, cousin to lawman Billy Bob Holland--in this heart-pounding bestseller. In a heat-cracked border town, the bodies of nine illegal aliens--women and girls, killed execution-style--are unearthed in a shallow grave. Haunted by a past he can't shake and his own private demons, Hack attempts to untangle the grisly case, which may lead to more bloodshed. Damaged young Iraq vet Pete Flores, who saw too much before fleeing the crime scene, and his girlfriend, Vikki Gaddis, are running for their lives. Sorting through the lowlifes who are hunting down Pete, and with Preacher Jack Collins, a Godfearing serial killer for hire, in the mix, Hack is caught up in a terrifying race for survival--for Pete, Vikki, and himself. HPL patron: Twisted by thrilling …More

Jinx By Cabot, Meg 2009-05 - Harper Teen 9780060837662 Check Our Catalog From the #1 bestselling author of the Princess Diaries books comes a spooky, funny, and addictive supernatural novel about a girl named Jinx, so named for her persistent bad luck. Could she actually be a witch? …More