The Reader's Shelf From Library Journal

Elegiac Ink:  Death in Graphic Novels

Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? By Gaiman, Neil Illustrator Kubert, Andy Illustrator Bisley, Simon 2009-07 - DC Comics 9781401223038 Check Our Catalog Spotlighting the tale Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?, Gaiman joins artists Kubert and Williams for a story that shines a new light on the Batman mythos. …More

Jimmy Corrigan: Or, the Smartest Kid on Earth By Ware, Chris Illustrator Ware, Chris 2000-09 - Pantheon Books 9780375404535 Check Our Catalog This first book from Chicago author Chris Ware is a pleasantly-decorated view at a lonely and emotionally-impaired "everyman" (Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth), who is provided, at age 36, the opportunity to meet his father for the first time. An improvisatory romance which gingerly deports itself between 1890's Chicago and 1980's small town Michigan, the reader is helped along by thousands of colored illustrations and diagrams, which, when read rapidly in sequence, provide a convincing illusion of life and movement. The bulk of the work is supported by fold-out instructions, an index, paper cut-outs, and a brief apology, all of which concrete to form a rich portrait of a man stunted by a paralyzing fear of being disliked. …More

Stitches By Small, David 2009-09 - W. W. Norton & Company 9780393068573 Check Our Catalog 2010 Alex Award Winner 2010 Michigan Notable Book Praise for Stitches: "David Small presents us with a profound and moving gift of graphic literature that has the look of a movie and reads like a poem. . . . We know that we are in the hands of a master."-Jules Feiffer, Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist "David Small's Stitches is aptly named. With surgical precision, the author pierces into the past and, with great artistry, seals the wound inflicted on a small child by cruel and unloving parents. Stitches is as intensely dramatic as a woodcut novel of the silent movie era and as fluid as a contemporary Japanese manga. It breaks new ground for graphic novels."-Francoise Mouly, art editor, The New Yorker, and editorial director, TOON Books "David Small evokes the mad scientific world of the 1950s beautifully. Small is an innocent lamb, a sensitive boy, caught in a nightmare situation. Capturing body language and facial expressions subtly, Stitches becomes in Small's skillful hands a powerful story, an emotionally charged autobiography."-Robert Crumb, author of The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb "In Stitches, David Small, one of our most gifted storytellers, exposes the deepest part of a painful youth-as cathartic and disturbing as memoirs get. This one will resonate long after you put it down."-Harry Bliss, cover artist for The New Yorker "Add David Small's book to the illustrated bible of artists who have had to will themselves-invent themselves-and ultimately seize success as the only way to keep the gritty, dark beginning of a home life from snuffing them out altogether."-Jack Gantos, author of Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, finalist for the National Book Award …More

Novels by Raymond Briggs (Study Guide): The Snowman, Fungus the Bogeyman, When the Wind Blows, Ethel and Ernest, Father Christmas, the Man By Books, LLC Created by Books, LLC 2010-09 - Books LLC 9781158530595 Check Our Catalog …More

The Fountain By Aronofsky, Darren Illustrator Williams, Kent 2006-10 - Vertigo 9781401200589 Check Our Catalog The Fountain crisscrosses through three distinct time periods: 1535, during an ancient Mayan war; the present day, following one doctor's desperate search for the cure for cancer; and the far future through the vast exotic reaches of space. Interweaving these three periods, The Fountain follows Tomas �— warrior, doctor, explorer �— as he feverishly tries to beat death and prolong the life of the woman he loves. …More

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic By Bechdel, Alison 2007-06 - Mariner Books 9780618871711 Check Our Catalog Through narrative that is alternately heartbreaking and funny, readers are drawn into a daughters complex yearning for her father. Apart from assigned stints dusting caskets at the family-owned "fun home," the relationship achieves its most intimate expression through the shared code of books. …More

Laika By Abadzis, Nick Illustrator Sycamore, Hilary 2007-09 - First Second 9781596431010 Check Our Catalog 2008 Great Great Novel Laika was the abandoned puppy destined to become Earths first space traveler in the Soviets Sputnik program. Abadzis masterfully blends fiction and fact in the intertwined stories of three compelling lives, giving life to a pivotal moment in modern history. …More

HPL's New Books

Below is a partial list of our new books. To see the full list, download the Excel file for: 2013.  To see new books from other years try:  2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, or 2006.

Want to see all the staff picks?  In Encore (our catalog) search for HPL Staff Picks. To sign up for this, or any of our newsletters, check out our Newsletter sign up page.

The Crackle of the Frost By Mattotti, Lorenzo Author Zentner, Jorge 2012-09 - Fantagraphics Books 9781606995433 Check Our Catalog …More

Unusual Uses for Olive Oil: A Professor Dr Von Igelfeld Entertainment Novel (4) By McCall Smith, Alexander 2013-01 - Anchor Books 9780307279897 Check Our Catalog The "New York Times"-bestselling author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency brings back his bumbling but beloved character, Professor Dr. Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld, for a charming new installment. …More

What Kind of Fool By McKnight, Rhonda 2012-02 - Urban Books 9781601628183 Check Our Catalog McKnight perfects her edgy brand of Christian fiction with this emotionally gripping novel about an estranged couple who must turn to their faith to save them before an enemy from their past destroys their marriage forever. …More

The Fifth Assassin By Meltzer, Brad 2013-01 - Grand Central Publishing 9780446553971 Check Our Catalog From John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald, there have been 14 assassination attempts on the President of the United States. Four have been successful. But now, Beecher White--the hero of the #1 bestseller "The Inner Circle"--discovers a killer in Washington, D.C., who's meticulously recreating the crimes of the world's most famous assassins. …More

Blood Safari By Meyer, Deon Translator Seegers, K. L. 2010-09 - Grove Press 9780802145062 Check Our Catalog "Blood Safari" is a harrowing novel from internationally acclaimed thriller writer Deon Meyer, an expert storyteller whose wickedly fast narratives reveal the heart of his enthralling country. "In Blood Safari," Emma Le Roux, a beautiful young woman in Cape Town, sees her brother named on the television news as the prime suspect in the killing of four poachers and a witch doctor. But it can't be possible: Emma's brother is supposed to be dead, having disappeared twenty years ago in Kruger National Park. Emma tries to find out more but is attacked and barely escapes. So she hires Lemmer, a personal security expert, and sets out into the country in search of the truth. A complicated man with a dishonorable past, Lemmer just wants to do his job and avoid getting personally involved. But as he and Emma search for answers from the rural police, they encounter racial and political tensions, greed, corruption, and violence unlike anything they have ever known. …More

Real Wifeys: Hustle Hard: An Urban Tale By Mink, Meesha 2013-01 - Touchstone Books 9781451688979 Check Our Catalog The third and most explosive installment in a fierce, gritty series from one of today's boldest voices in street lit teems with crime, sex, and betrayal as Sophie "Suga" Alvarez confronts the demons of her past and gets pulled into a dangerous criminal lifestyle. …More

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel By Moggach, Deborah 2012-03 - Random House Trade 9780812982428 Check Our Catalog Ravi Kapoor, an overworked London doctor, reaches the breaking point with his difficult father-in-law. Ravi's entrepreneurial cousin sets up a retirement home in India, hoping to re-create in Bangalore an elegant lost corner of England. Now a major motion picture starring Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Billy Nighy, and Dev Patel. …More

Baby Girl By Moore, Shavon 2009-06 - Triple Crown Publications 9780982099650 Check Our Catalog …More

Baby Girl II By Moore, Shavon 2009-06 - Triple Crown Publications 9780982099674 Check Our Catalog Is this what love has finally driven me to? These were the last words the beautiful and notorious Kyla Brown spoke before swallowing a lethal dose of prescription medication in Baby Girl. Driven to the edge of her sanity by memories of the sins and crimes she has committed with the handsome but dangerous Shard Phaylon, Kyla finds herself searching desperately for a reason to live. Her saving grace comes in the form of her unborn childa child who shares both hers and Shard's blood. When Shard is forced to flee St. Louis to avoid capture and legal prosecution, Kyla is left behind with only a solemn promise that he will return. Alone and with child, Kyla must now return to the family that she abandoned for Shard. It is only when a dramatic reunion with Shard unravels his intricate web of secrets and lies that "Baby Girl" finally finds the courage and strength to come into her true womanhood. …More

The Retreat 2 By Moss, Dijorn 2012-10 - Urban Books 9781601627377 Check Our Catalog …More

The Bughouse Affair: A Carpenter and Quincannon Mystery By Muller, Marcia Author Pronzini, Bill 2013-01 - Forge 9780765331748 Check Our Catalog In this first of a lighthearted historical mystery series set in 1890s San Francisco, a former Pinkerton operative and an ex-Secret Service agent connect in surprising fashion, but not before two murders and assorted other felonies complicate matters even further. And not before the two sleuths are exasperated by the bughouse Sherlock Holmes. …More

When Solomon Sings By Norman-Bellamy, Kendra 2012-08 - Thorndike Press 9781410447999 Check Our Catalog From a #1 "ESSENCE]"-bestselling author comes the inspirational tale of a manwith an anointed voice and the desperate choices he makes for love. …More

Heroes Proved By North, Oliver 2012-11 - Threshold Editions 9781476706313 Check Our Catalog In the year 2032, America is supposedly safe from terror, Iranian nuclear weaponry is no longer a threat, and the United Nations' treaties and technologies are keeping the peace. Then a suicide bomber targets Houston, Texas and a famous physicist is kidnapped. The ensuing search by a decorated U.S. Marine war hero and veteran of special ops, not only places the physicist's family in grave danger, but exposes an even more ominous threat to the country, more so than any threat in its history. …More

Daddy Love By Oates, Joyce Carol 2013-01 - Mysterious Press 9780802120991 Check Our Catalog Dinah has a loving and successful husband, and a smart, precocious young son named Robbie. One day, their worlds are shattered when Dinah is attacked and Robbie is taken in a mall parking lot. An injured Dinah attempts to follow, but is run over by the kidnapper's van, mangling her body nearly beyond repair. …More

The Death of Bees By O'Donnell, Lisa 2013-01 - Harper 9780062209849 Check Our Catalog A riveting, brilliantly written debut novelDa coming-of-age story with the strong voice and powerful resonance of "Swamplandia!" and "The Secret Life of Bees"--in which two young sisters attempt to hold the world at bay after the mysterious death of their parents. …More

Fighting for the Dead By Oldham, Nick 2012-12 - Severn House Publishers 9780727882134 Check Our Catalog Detective Superintendent Henry Christie is in the middle of a case involving the horrific murder of a teenage girl when he is called in to investigate the drowning of Jennifer Sunderland, wife of local businessman Harry Sunderland. Henry's curiosity is soon aroused when things don't add up - and when a gun is pointed at his head by a masked man. As Henry starts to dig a simple case of drowning turns into a complex web of deceit, theft, murder and a criminal conspiracy stretching all the way from the UK to Eastern Europe. …More

Private London By Patterson, James Author Pearson, Mark 2012-12 - Grand Central Publishing 9781455528158 Check Our Catalog For a beautiful young American student, a nightmare began eight years ago in Los Angeles, when the owner of the world's most exclusive detective agency saved her from a horrific death. She has fled her country, but can't flee her past. The terror has followed her to London. …More

Deja Vu By Perkins, Suzetta 2010-07 - Strebor Books 9781593092603 Check Our Catalog As the former mistress of a notorious crime boss, Angelica Barnes struggles to lead a normal life-- but it seems that every avenue she takes is filled with pain, mayhem, and danger. Angelica Barnes has been released from prison in Raleigh, North Carolina, having served a five-year sentence as an accomplice in the illegal activities of her ex-boyfriend, Robert Santiago. She's a convicted felon, and integrating back into society hasn't been easy--that is, until she accepts an offer she can't refuse and moves to New York City. But her hopeful dreams of a better future are shattered when she must fall back on her former life to make ends meet. Unbeknownst to Angelica, an old foe sits in the shadows, waiting to reel her back into his grasp. Unable to defend herself, Angelica becomes a prisoner of her past, but with the help of a friend, she executes a daring plan to escape her enemy forever. But will she ever "really "be free? …More

Gimme an O! By Perrin, Kayla 2005-01 - William Morrow & Company 9780060587093 Check Our Catalog The "Essence" bestselling author of "Tell Me You Love Me" and "Say You Need Me" presents a novel that is sure to leave fans cheering. "A fine storytelling talent."--"Toronto Star." HPL patron:  Outrageous and funny; loved it! …More

To Honor and Trust By Peterson, Tracie Author Miller, Judith 2013-01 - Bethany House Publishers 9780764210754 Check Our Catalog Recently jilted and accused of theft, governess Callie DeBoyer is tempted by the African mission field. Would she be following God's call or deserting life and love? …More

The Lady Most Willing...: A Novel in Three Parts By Quinn, Julia Author James, Eloisa Author Brockway, Connie 2012-12 - Avon Books 9780062107381 Check Our Catalog Three "New York Times"- and "USA Today"-bestselling authorsNJulia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Connie BrockwayNjoin forces once again for this winning sequel to their bestselling hit "The Lady Most Likely . . . " Original. …More

Standing in Another Man's Grave By Rankin, Ian 2013-01 - Reagan Arthur Books 9780316224581 Check Our Catalog It's every parent's nightmare: a 15-year-old girl has disappeared. She was last seen hitchhiking along a scenic highway in rural Scotland, and the only other clue is a photograph sent from her phone. Two detectives learn that there may be other victims out there, stretching back a decade. …More

My Husband's Girlfriend By Rax, Cydney 2006-11 - Three Rivers Press (CA) 9781400082193 Check Our Catalog Beginning with a tantalizing premise, this provocative novel about modern sexual and relationship mores among the black middle class provides a deeper, nuanced, and engaging look at sex, monogamy, and marriage. …More

The Reader's Shelf

From Library Journal

Now Voyager:  Book a Journey of the Imagination

Little Bee By Cleave, Chris 2010-02 - Simon & Schuster 9781416589648 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title The publishers of Cleave's new novel don't want to spoil the story by revealing too much about it. They will say that the beach scene is brutal, and that it braids the fates of a 16-year-old Nigerian orphan and a well-off British couple. …More

The Outermost House: A Year of Life on the Great Beach of Cape Cod By Beston, Henry Introduction by Finch, Robert 2003-07 - Owl Books (NY) 9780805073683 Check Our Catalog A chronicle of a solitary year spent on a Cape Cod beach, "The Outermost House" has long been recognized as a classic of American nature writing and is now available in a 75th anniversary edition. Illustration & map. …More

The Little Book By Edwards, Selden 2009-05 - Plume Books 9780452295513 Check Our Catalog An irresistible triumph of the imagination more than 30 years in the making, "The Little Book" is a breathtaking love story that spans generations, ranging from fin-de-sicle Vienna through the pivotal moments of the 20th century. …More

Encore Provence: New Adventures in the South of France By Mayle, Peter 2000-04 - Vintage Books USA 9780679762690 Check Our Catalog In his most delightful foray into the wonders of Provençal life, Peter Mayle returns to France and puts behind him cholesterol worries, shopping by phone, California wines, and other concerns that plagued him after too much time away. In Encore Provence, Mayle gives us a glimpse into the secrets of the truffle trade, a "parfumerie lesson on the delicacies of scent, an exploration of the genetic effects of 2,000 years of foie gras, and a small-town murder mystery that reads like the best fiction. Here, too, are Mayle's latest tips on where to find the best honey, cheese, or "chambre d'hite the region has to offer. Lyric, insightful, sparkling with detail, Encore Provence brings us a land where the smell of thyme in the fields or the glory of a leisurely lunch is no less than inspiring. …More

The Accidental Tourist By Tyler, Anne 2002-04 - Ballantine Books 9780345452009 Check Our Catalog "POIGNANT . . . FUNNY . . . "THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST IS ONE OF HER BEST. . . . [TYLER] HAS NEVER BEEN STRONGER." -"The New York Times Macon Leary is a travel writer who hates both travel and anything out of the ordinary. He is grounded by loneliness and an unwillingness to compromise his creature comforts when he meets Muriel, a deliciously peculiar dog-obedience trainer who up-ends Macon's insular world-and thrusts him headlong into a remarkable engagement with life. "BITTERSWEET . . . EVOCATIVE . . . It's easy to forget this is the warm lull of fiction; you half-expect to run into her characters at the dry cleaners . . . Tyler [is] a writer of great compassion." -"The "Boston Globe "Tyler has given us an endlessly diverting book whose strength gathers gradually to become a genuinely thrilling one." -"Los Angeles Times "A DELIGHT . . . A GRACEFUL COMIC NOVEL ABOUT GETTING THROUGH LIFE." -"The Wall Street Journal …More

Never a City So Real: A Walk in Chicago By Kotlowitz, Alex 2004-07 - Crown Publishing Group (NY) 9781400046218 Check Our Catalog The acclaimed author of There Are No Children Here takes us into the heart of Chicago by introducing us to some of the city's most interesting, if not always celebrated, people. Chicago is one of America's most iconic, historic, and fascinating cities, as well as a major travel destination. For Alex Kotlowitz, an accidental Chicagoan, it is the perfect perch from which to peer into America's heart. It's a place, as one historian has said, of "messy vitalities," a stew of contradictions: coarse yet gentle, idealistic yet restrained, grappling with its promise, alternately sure and unsure of itself. Chicago, like America, is a kind of refuge for outsiders. It's probably why Alex Kotlowitz found comfort there. He's drawn to people on the outside who are trying to clean up--or at least make sense of--the mess on the inside. Perspective doesn't come easy if you're standing in the center. As with There Are No Children Here, Never a City So Real is not so much a tour of a place as a chronicle of its soul, its lifeblood. It is a tour of the people of Chicago, who have been the author's guides into this city's--and in a broader sense, this country's--heart. …More

On Whale Island: Notes from a Place I Never Meant to Leave By Hays, Daniel 2002-05 - Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill 9781565123458 Check Our Catalog When the author of the bestselling memoir "My Old Man and the Sea" takes his family to their new home on a desolate island off the coast of Nova Scotia, their idyllic escape from civilization becomes a warped version of Walden. …More