Adult Summer Reading

 

We've finished week 7, only 3 more to go!  There's still time to join.

This week, we had 6 new people, 39 people read 100 books, bringing the total for the summer to 150 people and 836 books.

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Book reviews from participants Aug 12: 

Arundel by Kenneth Roberts:  Amusing was to brush up your American History and geography of New England, Nova Scotia, and Canada.  I picked this up for the name, which is similar to the main street name, Arendell St, of Morehead City, NC.  The one and only main street in this tourist/fishing town where I lived for 9 years.  About the book:  interesting situations of life in the old days.  Starvation, hunting for food to live, traveling on foot and in canoe/batteau, snow/rain/heat/cold, war spy, good guy/girl, bad guy/girl, the good and the bad, Arnold and Burr.  Bits of wisdom here and there, but I started counting the number of times a character said, "God Knows."  I give it a 5.

The Icing on the Cupcake by Jennifer Ross:  A fluffy piece.  An easy, predictable read that ends with a surprsing twist.

Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak:  Interesting, but more of a read for the older set.  Not necessarily a note-worthy book.

Raptors of North America by Noel and Helen Snyder:  Great photography!  An excellent informational text.  A must read for any bird lover.  Especially anyone interested in birds of prey.

Last Song by Nicholas Sparks:  An easy read, a very sad, but cute story, that makes you want to read more, yet it is very predictable.

Winter Lodge by Susan Wiggs:  Great author!  Suspenseful.

 

Arundel By Roberts, Kenneth Illustrator Wyeth, N. C. 1995-07 - Down East Books 9780892723645 Check Our Catalog This is the classic series from Pulitzer Prize-winning historical novelist Kenneth Roberts, all featuring characters from the town of Arundel, Maine. Arundel follows Steven Nason as he joins Benedict Arnold in his march to Quebec during the American Revolution. …More

Irish Dreams: Irish Rebel/Sullivan's Woman By Roberts, Nora 2007-02 - Silhouette Books 9780373285419 Check Our Catalog The love of the Irish continues with this second collection of previously published classics by Nora Roberts. This volume--the follow-up to "Irish Hearts," available in January 2007--includes "Irish Rebel" and "Sullivan's Woman." Reissue. …More

The Icing on the Cupcake By Ross, Jennifer 2010-04 - Ballantine Books 9780345492968 Check Our Catalog For fans of Sophie Kinsella's "Confessions of a Shopaholic" and Helen Fielding's "Bridget Jones's Diary" comes this bright and delicious story with equal helpings of fun and compassion. …More

The Hanged Man's Song By Sandford, John 2004-09 - Berkley 9780425199107 Check Our Catalog The #1 "New York Times" bestselling author brings back his popular characters Kidd and LuEllen in a electrifying novel of murder and Machiavellian intrigue. "Kidd and his pals deserve more chances to strut their stuff."--"Chicago Tribune." …More

The Night Crew By Sandford, John 1997-04 - Putnam Publishing Group 9780399142376 Check Our Catalog Anna Batory runs the night crew. Small, dark-haired, shy but tough, a Wisconsin farm girl on the streets of Los Angeles, she roams the city with her small band of video free-lancers in their truck from ten to dawn, looking for news: accidents, robberies, murders, demonstrations - anything they can shoot and sell to the local stations or the networks. It's an exhilarating life ... until the day two deaths shake their world. The first is the jumper. Five stories up, perched on the ledge of a hotel window, dark pants, white shirt, just standing there - and then he's gone, falling through the air toward their cameras. The second is Jason, one of Anna's cameramen. Strangely affected by the jumper, he quits the scene early that night, not to be seen again until his body turns up on the beach several hours later, shot in the head. The police wonder if it's drug-related, but Anna isn't so sure, and the more she looks into it on her own, the more the ghosts of the past - hers, Jason's, and finally the jumper's - begin to emerge, until her whole world turns as dark and dangerous as the night itself. …More

Phantom Prey By Sandford, John 2008-05 - G. P. Putnam's Sons 9780399155000 Check Our Catalog Lucas Davenport has had disturbing cases before, but never one quite like this. Filled with his brilliant trademark suspense, "Phantom Prey" is the shocking new novel from the #1 "New York Times"-bestselling author. …More

Flower Net By See, Lisa 2007-12 - Random House Trade 9780812978681 Check Our Catalog The first body was found in ice: the U.S. ambassador's son, entombed in a frozen lake outside Beijing's Forbidden City. Thousands of miles away, in the heat-baked hold of a Chinese smuggling ship, another corpse is uncovered, this one a red Prince, a scion of China's political elite. Suspecting the deaths are linked, the American and Chinese governments pair ambitious attorney David Stark and brilliant detective Liu Hulan to uncover a killer and a conspiracy. From the teeming streets of Beijing to Los Angeles and back, David and Hulan are caught in a perilous net of politics, organized crime, family loyalties, and their own passion. As, one by one, those close to the investigation are killed, David and Hulan face a firestorm of evil, while the killer they seek is as close as the secrets they keep from each other. …More

The Interior By See, Lisa 2007-12 - Random House Trade 9780812978698 Check Our Catalog Beijing police detective Liu Hulan sets out to find the truth about the suicide death of her friend's daughter. The case takes Hulan into her own buried past, and into the heart of a dangerous mystery--and brings her and her American lover, attorney David Stark, closer than they ever imagined. …More

The Forty Rules of Love: A Novel of Rumi By Shafak, Elif 2010-02 - Viking Books 9780670021451 Check Our Catalog In this lyrical, exuberant follow-up to "The Bastard of Istanbul," acclaimed Turkish author Shafak unfolds two tantalizing parallel narratives--one contemporary and the other set in the 13th century--that together incarnate the poet Rumi's timeless message of love. …More

Raptors of North America: Natural History and Conservation By Snyder, Noel Author Snyder, Helen 2006-10 - Voyageur Press (MN) 9780760325827 Check Our Catalog "This is the perfect book for anyone who not only wants to learn more about raptors but is ready to appreciate the efforts and rewards in sharing one's life with a fabulous group of birds and the places they live." --Mark Martell, Director of Bird Conservation, Audubon Minnesota From majestic Bald Eagles to tiny Elf Owls, raptors are nature's most fascinating and powerful birds. Based largely on firsthand research in the field, Raptors of North America" presents a comprehensive introduction to the 53 nocturnal and diurnal raptor species that breed in North America. With 10 percent of these birds threatened or endangered, research and conservation are as important as ever. Predators with wide-ranging habitats and food sources, raptors serve as litmus tests for the health of their ecosystems. To preserve a species such as the Spotted Owl or Everglade Kite is to ensure the survival of many other creatures. A fascinating and fact-filled journey through the world of raptors, Raptors of North America" will awaken your curiosity and inspire your appreciation for these magnificent birds. …More

The Last Song By Sparks, Nicholas 2009-09 - Grand Central Publishing 9780446547567 Check Our Catalog Seventeen-year-old Veronica Miller's life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wilmington, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alienated from her parents, until her mother sends her to spend the summer with him. The film adaptation of this novel will star Miley Cyrus. …More

The Help By Stockett, Kathryn 2009-02 - Amy Einhorn Books 9780399155345 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title In Jackson, Mississippi, in 1962, there are lines that are not crossed. With the civil rights movement exploding all around them, three women start a movement of their own, forever changing a town and the way women--black and white, mothers and daughters--view one another. …More

Very Valentine By Trigiani, Adriana 2009-02 - Harper 9780061257056 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title This first novel in a new trilogy from bestselling author Trigiani offers a heartwarming and hilarious story of Valentine Roncalli and the decades-old family business she struggles to save, finding love and the life she wants along the way. …More

Howl at the Moon By Warren, Christine 2007-10 - St. Martin's Press 9780312947903 Check Our Catalog "Bestselling author Christine Warren returns to the mesmerizing world of The Others, a place of dangerous passions and persuasions..." " " A WHITE LIE COVERED IN DARKNESS Noah Baker never wanted to betray The Others. But if his military commanders want him to covertly investigate a Lupine scientist--whose extraordinary research on sensory perception in werewolves could be used to develop werewolf-sharp senses in human soldiers--Noah must oblige. Even if it means deceiving the woman he desires the most. IS ABOUT TO COME FULL CIRCLE... Samantha Carstairs is the personal assistant to the Alpha of the Silverback Clan, and as best friend to the Lupine community's most brilliant scientist, she is privy to its most dangerous secret. Noah knows that Sam will never leak the scientific research...so he must find another way to get it, while keeping Sam close. But someone else" "is after Sam's secret. Who is the "other "spy infiltrating The Others? If their genetic secrets get into the wrong hands, all hell could break loose. Now Noah's true loyalty is put to the test as he fights to protect The Others--and his beloved Sam--and find the imposter...before it's too late. "HOWL AT THE MOON""" "[A] sexy, engaging world...that draws you in, never lets you go, and will leave you begging for more!"--"USA" "Today" bestselling author Cheyenne McCray …More

In Her Shoes By Weiner, Jennifer 2002-09 - Atria Books 9780743418195 Check Our Catalog As she did in "Good in Bed, " Weiner has created a story that is by turns poignant and comical as she unfolds the tale of how three women who have nothing in common but their shoe size find each other--and themselves. …More

Little Earthquakes By Weiner, Jennifer 2005-01 - Thorndike Press 9780786271641 Check Our Catalog From the "New York Times" bestselling author of "In Her Shoes" comes a hilarious and warmhearted story of three young women who find friendship against the background of new motherhood. …More

The Winter Lodge By Wiggs, Susan 2007-03 - Center Point Large Print 9781585479238 Check Our Catalog Camp Kioga is the ideal setting for that most loving of family gatherings a 50th wedding anniversary celebration. Since the camp has been in the Bellamy family for generations, it's the obvious choice for the big event. Though camp has fallen to ruin, granddaughter Olivia Bellamy is uniquely qualified to do the renovations. Consider this your invitation to Camp Kioga, a place where dreams still live and breathe, where you can dive into the crystalline waters of a pristine lake, hike to a mountaintop and lift your eyes to heaven, gaze into the brightly glowing embers of a campfire at night, and imagine all that life has in store for you. …More

Kisser By Woods, Stuart 2010-01 - Putnam Adult 9780399156113 Check Our Catalog A fetching Broadway actress has a pout to die for, a past to hide from--and Stone Barrington on her case. Available in a tall Premium Edition. …More

Lucid Intervals By Woods, Stuart 2010-04 - Putnam Adult 9780399156441 Check Our Catalog From the master of the genre ("Los Angeles Times") comes his new page-turningStone Barrington novel. …More

Searching for Dragons By Wrede, Patricia C. 2002-11 - Harcourt Brace and Company 9780152045654 Check Our Catalog Cimorene, the princess who refuses to be proper, meets her match in the not-quite-kingly Mendanbar. With the aid of a broken-down magic carpet and a leaky magical sword, the two tackle a series of dragon-nappings. An ALA Best Book for Young Adults. …More

The Birth of Blue Satan By Wynn, Patricia 2001-03 - Pemberley Press 9780970272706 Check Our Catalog In the turbulent reign of George I in England, Gideon Viscount St. Mars is accused of murdering his own father. Having no friends in the courts, he must escape to avoid being hanged. With the help of Hester Kean, the only person who believes in his innocence, he assumes the guise of highwayman "Blue Satan" to investigate the political intrigue that caused his father's death in a swashbuckling tale of romance and adventure.