Summer Reading

Welcome to Summer Reading 2011!  At the end of 9 weeks we had 368 people signed up. This week, 4 new people participated and 32 people read 125 books, which brings the totals for the summer to 170 people and 1287 books.

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Black Creek Crossing By Saul, John 2004-05 - Thorndike Press 9780786265183 Check Our Catalog < b>A New York Times Bestselling Author< /b>< P>The dark history and dire secrets of a peaceful small town are summoned from the shadows of the past. Unholy forces are stirred from long slumber to monstrous new life. And two young misfits discover the chilling art of turning persecution into retribution. With these eerie ingredients, bestselling master John Saul once again works his unique brand of sinister magic to conjure an unforgettable tale of unspeakable terror. …More

Dancing with a Shadow: Make Sense of God's Silence By Schaeffer, Daniel Author Schaeffer, Dan 1995-01 - Discovery House Publishers 9780929239736 Check Our Catalog Schaeffer takes a personal look at God's providence in difficult circumstances. This insightful study takes readers through the often overlooked book of Esther, uncovering the way God moves in all our lives--silent yet active. Discussion questions and studies of the main characters in the story of Esther help readers find a practical perspective on how God moves in our daily lives. HPL patron: It was a short book, but had a big impact.  I want to buy it so I can write and underline the notes.  …More

Love Bites By Schreiber, Ellen 2010-05 - Katherine Tegen Books 9780061689420 Check Our Catalog With suspense, danger, and a fabulous vampire party, this seventh book in thebestselling Vampire Kisses series continues the exciting nocturnal romance ofRaven and Alexander. …More

Scandinavian Classic Baking By Sinclair, Pat Author Sinclair, Patricia Photographer Butkowski, Joel 2011-01 - Pelican Publishing Company 9781589808973 Check Our Catalog "From coffee breads and cakes to cookies and tarts, this gorgeous cookbook offers forty-three recipes, along with photographs, history, musings, and stories. These classic Scandinavian baking recipes are knockouts for the eye and the taste buds."  --Amazon.com. HPL patron: It was ok, but I wouldn't buy it. …More

The Dog Who Came in from the Cold: A Corduroy Mansions Novel By McCall Smith, Alexander 2011-06 - Pantheon Books 9780307379733 Check Our Catalog In the heartwarming and hilarious second installment in the Corduroy Mansions series, surprising canine hero, Pimlico terrier Freddie de la Hay--belonging to failed oenophile William French--has been recruited by MI6 to infiltrate a Russian spy ring. HPL patron:  What we have come to expect from McCall Smith:  interesting people, interesting tensions between some of the people-and a varitety of concerns over everyday ethics. …More

A Heart for Home By Snelling, Lauraine 2011-03 - Bethany House Publishers 9780764208171 Check Our Catalog Astrid and Joshua discover God's plans for them through difficult circumstances in the conclusion to this bestselling prairie romance series set in South Dakota. HPL patron: I did not realizethis was #3 of a series.  That really bugs me!  The story was enjoyable but I sometimes felt lost in the references. …More

On Hummingbird Wings By Snelling, Lauraine 2011-04 - Faithwords 9780446582117 Check Our Catalog On a mission to restore her hypochondriac mother to health, Gillian Ormsby also sets about reviving her mother's wilted garden to its former glory, enlisting the help of Adam, a handsome man who owns a family gardening business with his father. HPL patron: A novel that will inspire and uplift you.  Of human nature with keen insight and sweet honesty. HPL patron: Once again, L. Snelling has written a book about real-life situations and family values. …More

Blackstone and the New World By Spencer, Sally 2009-06 - Severn House Publishers 9780727867544 Check Our Catalog Sam Blackstone finds himself investigating the murder of Inspector O'Brien, who is famed for rooting out police corruption. But the more Blackstone searches, the more he becomes convinced that the police department doesn't really want the murder to be solved. HPL patron: Didn't care for the endingbut a suspenseful story. …More

Dangerous Games By Spencer, Sally 2007-06 - Severn House Publishers 9780727864680 Check Our Catalog When Terry Pugh's headless body is found floating in the canal, Chief Inspector Woodend believes that Pugh had merely miscalculated the amount of rope he needed to hang himself. But disturbing questions soon follow as the investigation proceeds. HPL patron: Very good suspense story. …More

The Dead Hand of History By Spencer, Sally 2009-11 - Severn House Publishers 9780727868053 Check Our Catalog It will be no easy task to fill DCI Charlie Woodend's shoes, the newly-promoted Monika Paniatowski tells herself, but, given a little time, she thinks she can grow into them. Yet, with the discovery of a severed hand, time is the one thing she does not have. HPL patron: Good suspense. …More

Death Watch By Spencer, Sally 2011-01 - Severn House Publishers 9780727878960 Check Our Catalog The new Charlie Woodend mystery - Angela Jackson has been missing for over twenty-four hours and, in the opinion of Dr Stevenson, the psychiatrist who Woodend turns to for advice, her kidnapper will first torture and then kill her. With damaging strains operating within his own team, the more the investigation proceeds the less hope Woodend can see. And he knows deep within himself that he will fail in bringing Angela back alive . . . HPL patron: Good suspense story. …More

A Dying Fall By Spencer, Sally 2008-06 - Severn House Publishers 9780727866097 Check Our Catalog A charred body is discovered in an abandoned cotton mill, and the crime scene presents DCI Charlie Woodend and his team with many questions. As Woodend attempts to solve a murder with no clues, he must also battle against a police authority blocking him at every turn. HPL patron: Good suspense story didn't care for the ending. …More

Fatal Quest: Woodend's First Case By Spencer, Sally 2008-12 - Severn House Publishers 9780727866820 Check Our Catalog A Charlie Woodend Mystery his first . . - DS Charlie Woodend has a murder to solve. Trouble is, nobody seems to want him to solve it not Eddie, a Liverpudlian thug sent to threaten him; not DCI Bentley; not Deputy Commissioner Naylor, whose word is law in Scotland Yard; not even the dead girl's mother herself. But Woodend cares. He will find the murderer, he promises himself, even if that means putting his career and perhaps even his own life on the line. HPL patron: Real good story. …More

Still Missing By Stevens, Chevy 2010-07 - St. Martin's Press 9780312595678 Check Our Catalog On the day she was abducted, Annie O'Sullivan, a thirty-two year old realtor, had three goals--sell a house, forget about a recent argument with her mother, and be on time for dinner with her ever- patient boyfriend. The open house is slow, but when her last visitor pulls up in a van as she's about to leave, Annie thinks it just might be her lucky day after all. Interwoven with the story of the year Annie spent as the captive of psychopath in a remote mountain cabin, which unfolds through sessions with her psychiatrist, is a second narrative recounting events following her escape--her struggle to piece her shattered life back together and the ongoing police investigation into the identity of her captor. The truth doesn't always set you free. "Still Missing" is that rare debut find--a shocking, visceral, brutal and beautifully crafted debut novel. …More

Dirtier Than Ever By Stringer, Vickie M. 2010-02 - Atria Books 9781439166116 Check Our Catalog Stringer, whose work has been featured in "The New York Times, Newsweek, Essence," and "Black Enterprise," presents her latest romance novel. HPL patron: Stringer came through with it in all  three books about "Red".  Loved it! …More

Dirty Red By Stringer, Vickie M. 2006-07 - Atria Books 9780743493482 Check Our Catalog A scorching new novel from the celebrated urban fiction author of "Let That Be the Reason" and "Imagine This." Stringer tells the provocative tale of love, lies, loss and the indomitable spirit of a woman called Red. HPL patron: Dirty Red makes you want to be right there watching "Red" as she handles her game on any, and every, one.  Red is a forceto be careful of.  Can't wait to read "Still Dirty." …More

Kindred Spirits By Strohmeyer, Sarah 2011-06 - Dutton Books 9780525952220 Check Our Catalog When life gives you lemons, call your best girlfriends and whip up some lemon martinis. Such is the mantra for the Ladies' Society for the Conservation of Martinis, which is established after one fateful PTA meeting, when four young mothers discover they have more in common than they ever thought possible. …More

The Candy Shop By Swinson, Kiki 2010-01 - Dafina Books 9780758238917 Check Our Catalog In this drama-filled page-turner, an "Essence"-bestselling author presents the raw tale of one woman's struggle with her demons, and the depths she will go to feed her addiction to street candy. HPL patron: Kiki tells all about how Faith loses it all because of a drug addiction.  I had hoped it would have a happy ending, but Kiki had a dose of reality for you.  Not all stories have good endings. …More

Outrage By Tanenbaum, Robert K. 2011-06 - Gallery Press 9781439149256 Check Our Catalog In this latest installment of the bestselling series from Tanenbaum, a killer senses Marlene Ciampi closing in on him, and he'll do anything to avoid the death penalty. …More

Wonder Girl: The Magnificent Sporting Life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias By Van Natta, Don, Jr. 2011-06 - Little Brown and Company 9780316056991 Check Our Catalog This is the extraordinary story of a nearly forgotten American superstar athlete. A rollicking saga, stretching across the first half of the 20th century, "Wonder Girl" is as fresh, heartfelt, and graceful as Babe Didrikson Zaharias herself. HPL patron: Tells the story of the life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias, perhaps the greatest female athlete ever.  Very readable for  both sports fans  and non-sports fans. …More

Clara and Mr. Tiffany By Vreeland, Susan 2011-01 - Random House 9781400068166 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title The "New York Times"-bestselling author of "The Girl in Hyacinth Blue"creates a dynamic portrait of Clara Driscoll: lead designer for Louis Comfort Tiffany (famous for Tiffany lamps) and a woman conflicted between her desires for artistic recognition and romantic love. …More

The Fiddler in the Subway: The True Story of What Happened When a World-Class Violinist Played for Handouts... and Other Virtuoso Performances by By Weingarten, Gene 2010-07 - Simon & Schuster 9781439181591 Check Our Catalog GENE WEINGARTEN IS THE O. HENRY OF AMERICAN JOURNALISM Simply the best storyteller around, Weingarten describes the world as you think it is before revealing how it actually is--in narratives that are by turns hilarious, heartwarming, and provocative, but always memorable. Millions of people know the title piece about violinist Joshua Bell, which originally began as a stunt: What would happen if you put a world-class musician outside a Washington, D.C., subway station to play for spare change? Would anyone even notice? The answer was no. Weingarten's story went viral, becoming a widely referenced lesson about life lived too quickly. Other classic stories--the one about "The Great Zucchini," a wildly popular but personally flawed children's entertainer; the search for the official "Armpit of America"; a profile of the typical American nonvoter--all of them reveal as much about their readers as they do their subjects. HPL patron: Excellent book.  A wonderful collection of feature writing.  Serious, oddball, intelligent, deft touches of humor-above all, always interesting commentaries on a great range of subjects.  I'm recommending this  to several friends and relatives. …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