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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Playing for Pizza By Grisham, John 2007-09 - Doubleday Books 9780385525008 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title John Grisham's comic novel, Playing For Pizza, is about a one-time American football star who moves to Italy to play for the Parma Panthers and finds himself entangled in a series of cultural misadventures. HPL patron: Loved the Italian life, food, wine, and of course, football. …More

Kingmaker the By Haig, Brian 2003-01 - Warner Books 9780446530545 Check Our Catalog When a brigadier general is charged in the worst case of treason in U.S. history, Major Sean Drummond suspects that this case is actually a chess game being played at the highest levels by the best and brightest. …More

Generation Loss By Hand, Elizabeth 2007-04 - Small Beer Press 9781931520218 Check Our Catalog Cass Neary made her name in the 1970s as a photographer in New York City. But 30 years later she is adrift, on her way down, and almost out. Out on one last gig, Cass stumbles across a decades-old mystery that is still claiming victims, and into one final shot at redemption. …More

The Big Crunch By Hautman, Pete 2011-01 - Scholastic Press 9780545240758 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title From the National Book Award winner for "Godless." Jen and Wes do not "meet cute." They do not fall in love at first sight. They do not swoon with scorching desire. They do not believe that they are instant soul mates. This is not that kind of love story. …More

Nature Girl By Hiaasen, Carl 2006-11 - Alfred A. Knopf 9780307262998 Check Our Catalog In his latest "New York Times" bestseller, Hiaasen introduces impassioned, possibly bipolar, self-proclaimed "queen of lost causes" Honey Santana, who schemes to help rid the world of irresponsibility, indifference, and dinnertime sales calls. HPL patron: A fun summer read-wacky characters, witty dialogue, and unlikely happenings made me laugh out loud. …More

The Sinister Pig By Hillerman, Tony 2003-05 - HarperLargePrint 9780060545437 Check Our Catalog The victim, well dressed but stripped of identification, is found at the edge of the vast Jicarilla Apache natural gas field just inside the jurisdiction of the Navajo Tribal Police, facing Sergeant Jim Chee with a complex puzzle. Why did the Washington office of the FBI snatch custody of this case from its local agents and call it a hunting accident? On a level nearer to Chee's heart, did the photographs Bernie Manuelito took on an exotic game ranch near the Mexican border reveal something connected with this crime? It is, finally, "Legendary Lieutenant" Joe Leap-horn, now retired, who connects the lines on a dusty old map to find the answers -- and the Sinister Pig -- among the great scimitar-horned oryx grazing on the historic old Tuttle Ranch. HPL patron: Set in Navajo country of SW USA, HIllerman weaves a tale of suspense, murder, and Indian lore as you can "see" the terrain through great "word pictures." I was saddened to know that Jim Cha and Joe Leaphorn, among others, have died with him. …More

Ravishing in Red By Hunter, Madeline 2010-07 - Thorndike Press 9781410427717 Check Our Catalog From an acclaimed "New York Times"-bestselling author comes a dazzling new tale of erotic passion, the first in a delicious quartet of Regency romances. Original. …More

Sinful in Satin By Hunter, Madeline 2010-09 - Jove Books 9780515148442 Check Our Catalog Celia's quiet life ends when her mother, a famed London courtesan, dies, leaving her a small house in town-and a darkly handsome, reputedly dangerous tenant. HPL patron: Wonderful book. Can't wait to read rest of the quartet. …More

Shiver By Jackson, Lisa 2007-02 - Zebra 9780821775783 Check Our Catalog The #1 "New York Times" bestselling author of "Fatal Burn" delivers her most powerful and terrifying novel yet. New Orleans detective Reuben Montoya returns to match wits with a twisted psychopath whose very presence makes his victims "shiver." HPL patron: Intense, compelling mystery. Great! …More

Fatal Error By Jance, J. A. 2011-02 - Touchstone Books 9781416563815 Check Our Catalog Ali Reynolds returns in the newest adventure in the "New York Times" bestselling series by J.A. Jance. HPL patron: When a cyber stalker with too many fiances ends up dead (in a satisfyingly cold and grisly way), two fascinating detectives join forces to unravel the crime. Great plotting and characterization by a best-selling author who churns them out by the dozen. I can forgive wordiness and monotonous sentence structure [?] are making money. HPL patron: She writes very good stories. …More

Fatal Tide By Johansen, Iris 2004-08 - Bantam 9780553584394 Check Our Catalog A high-stakes treasure hunt...A twisted trail of murder...A secret one woman may die to discover... Number one "New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen last electrified readers with Dead Aim and No One to Trust. Now she offers a new pulse-pounding thriller that takes suspense writing to an all-new level: deep below the surface, where a ruthless killer strikes without warning, without mercy...and with the deadliest intent. Melis Nemid is treading in dangerous waters--and she's about to be dragged under. As a marine researcher, Melis knows all too well the dangers that can lurk under even the calmest surfaces. But not even she can guess how deep the darkness runs. Only one oceanographer ever came close to discovering the deadly mystery that lies beneath the sea--and he seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth. Now Melis is the last one who knows the truth. And someone is determined that the truth will die with her. For what Melis knows about the deep-sea mystery is only part of a nightmarish past torn by violence. She thought she had put that past behind her when she arrived at her Caribbean island home to research dolphin behavior. But her peace--and her life--is about to be shattered by the arrival of a savage killer. Someone--for reasons unknown even to Melis--is cutting a path of destruction and death that leads directly to her.Only one man can save her--a man who claims to be a fellow oceanographer. He will seek to gain Melis's trust, getting close to her secret and her life. But what this enigmatic man really wants, Melis may not discover until it's too late. Because whoever is after her knows her nightmares intimately, and soon she will be forced torelive them all over again. Except for the final nightmare. The one she can't possibly survive. HPL patron: Oceanographers search for lost city (not Atlantis) with dangerous international bad guys also on the trail. Rather run-of-the-mill suspense story. Interesting inter-action with dolphins, however. …More

Arrest Sitting Bull By Jones, Douglas C. 2011-09 - ibooks 9781596874121 Check Our Catalog In 1890, at the camps of the Teton Sioux, frenzied braves perform the Ghost Dance. The aged, venerated Sitting Bull is their leader in this, their last, most desperate attempt to oust the white man from their land. Panic-stricken white ranchers and farmers call upon the Indian Agent to maintain the peace he has patiently established. Relations have improved between the two races under his careful supervision - but will officials in the East let the trouble be settled peaceably? Or will their soldiers march in to enforce the power of the mighty against the vanquished? HPL patron: I love every book he writes-historical fiction at its best. Great writing. Characters are so real! …More

The Girl Who Disappeared Twice By Kane, Andrea 2011-05 - Mira Books 9780778329848 Check Our Catalog A "New York Times"-bestselling author delivers the first novel in a new series centered on a team of unconventional private investigators called Forensic Instincts. HPL patron: Excellent, exciting to very end. HPL patron: Many twist, turns, and false leads creates a great plot in this book. I enjoyed the mix of character personalities. Great mystery and excellent ending. …More

Twisted By Kane, Andrea 2009-07 - Avon Books 9780061236792 Check Our Catalog The acclaimed author of "Dark Room" is back with the first novel in a brilliant new series of romantic thrillers that takes readers inside the FBI and the life of a hostage negotiator. Andrea Kane sets new standards for suspense.--Lisa Gardner. HPL patron: Twisted is an excellent title-this book has a twisted plot and a twisted villian. So glad the protagonists untwisted it by the end of the book. …More

The Girl's Guide to Homelessness By Karp, Brianna 2011-04 - Harlequin 9780373892358 Check Our Catalog Karp delivers a heartwrenching and darkly funny memoir about her experience becoming homeless after losing her corporate job in the Great Recession. HPL patron: Title is somewhat misleading. The book has very little to do with helping the homeless and more of a memoir of her life while she's homeless. A good book, though. …More

Damaged By Kava, Alex 2010-07 - Doubleday Books 9780385531993 Check Our Catalog "New York Times"-bestselling author Kava ratchets up the suspense a notch by sending Special Agent Maggie O'Dell into the eye of an impending monster hurricane to track down a killer. …More

The Love Dare Day by Day: A Year of Devotions for Couples By Kendrick, Stephen Author Kendrick, Alex 2009-12 - B&H Publishing Group 9781433668234 Check Our Catalog "The Love Dare Day by Day" encourages and challenges couples toward new steps in faith and love with 365 marital encouragements, reminders, and action points worth repeating year after year. HPL patron: This could save your marriage. …More

Full Dark, No Stars By King, Stephen 2010-11 - Scribner Book Company 9781439192566 Check Our Catalog 2010 Bram Stoker Award Winner-Collection BookPage Notable Title Following on the heels of his stunning #1 bestseller "Under the Dome," Stephen King delivers a new collection of four original never-before-published stories, all linked by the common theme of retribution. HPL patron: Great read. Stephen does it again. HPL patron: Four stories explore scariest issues in the lives of otherwise ordinary people. Suppose you murder mom and drop her down a well? Or you suddenly discover your husband of 27 years is a serial killer? Life (and death) is funny that way. …More

The Long Walk By King, Stephen Author Bachman, Stephen Author Bachman, Richard 2001-01 - Turtleback Books 9780613173506 Check Our Catalog On the first day of May, 100 teenage boys meet for an event known throughout the country as "The Long Walk." If you break the rules, you get three warnings. If you exceed your limit, what happens is absolutely terrifying. Reissue. HPL patron: Who likes to walk, well this book will have you looking at walking in a whole new light. Mile after mile friendships are made at the same time knowing at any minute that same friend could be shot. In the end only 1 will win. …More

The Stand By King, Stephen 2011-06 - Anchor Books 9780307743688 Check Our Catalog When a man escapes from a biological testing facility, he sets in motion a deadly domino effect, spreading a mutated strain of the flu that will wipe out 99 percent of humanity within a few weeks. The survivors who remain are scared, bewildered, and in need of a leader. Two emerge--Mother Abagail, the benevolent 108-year-old woman who urges them to build a community in Boulder, Colorado; and Randall Flagg, the nefarious "Dark Man," who delights in chaos and violence. HPL patron: Like an end of day's story, The Stand does not disappoint. It is full of love, hate, scandal, hope, and more. If you have the time this is a must read. …More

Under the Dome By King, Stephen 2009-11 - Scribner Book Company 9781439148501 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title On a beautiful fall day, the town of Chester's Mill, Maine, is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. No one knows what this barrier is and when--or if--it will go away. …More

Learning By Kingsbury, Karen 2011-06 - Zondervan 9780310276364 Check Our Catalog Learning, book two in The Bailey Flanigan series, picks up where Leaving ended. Bailey Flanigan and Cody Coleman are not only separated by physical distance, they are also faced with great emotional distance. Bailey grows closer to her dream to be an actress and dancer in New York, while Cody coaches a small high school football team ... on and off the field. But neither feels complete without the chance to share their dreams with one other. Can distance truly make the heart grow fonder? Or will Cody learn to turn to others to share in his happiness? And when tragedy strikes? Who will be there to provide comfort in the face of loss? As Cody's past catches up with him, he must learn to reach out for help or risk withdrawing permanently inside himself. Both Bailey and Cody find themselves learning significant life lessons in this poignant love story, featuring members from Karen Kingsbury's popular Baxter family. …More

A Thousand Tomorrows By Kingsbury, Karen 2006-04 - Center Street 9781931722803 Check Our Catalog The bestselling author of The Red Gloves series and The Treasury of Miracles series delivers a major new novel about a young couple whose powerful love must face the ultimate challenge. HPL patron: Another great Kingsbury novel! …More