What to Read Next? Have a Ball.

What to Read Next? Have a Ball.:From Book Group Buzz:

A Toby Ball that is. Ball is a writer, activist (working for nonprofits such as The Carbon Coalition and the Crimes Against Children Research Center. Born in DC, raised in Syracuse, NY, he now lives in Durham, New Hampshire.

Ball is the author of two excellent period thrillers. Scorch City was just released at the end of August. Set in a nameless city in the U.S. just after a war that feels like WWII, it follows a police lieutenant, a journalist, a slide guitar player, and others as they become wrapped up in the investigation of the deaths of two young women. Both women were found on a stretch of river near a utopian, communist, black community, which is problematic because any connection to the crime will probably result in its destruction by the right-wing politicos who are already railing against it. The story that follows is feverishly suspenseful, featuring two different religious sects that both practice arcane rites (but on opposing sides of the conflict.)

Ball’s first book, maybe even better, was The Vaults. Set in the same city in the a time period resembling the 1930s, the book shares a few characters with Scorch City, but there really isn’t any need to read them in order. Librarians will love this book, as it concerns an underground archivist who discovers something simple: a duplicate record that shouldn’t exist. The investigation that ensues leads him, a private detective, and a journalist to uncovering dark plots happening at the city’s highest levels of political and business power. With strong dystopian themes, atmosphere thick enough to choke on, and strong characters, Ball creates a book that is both familiar and highly original.

Both books would make excellent discussion titles as Ball has a gift for finding decidedly modern controversies in historical noir story lines. Looking in my crystal, I’d say this is one Ball that is going to be very popular sometime very soon.

SF and Fantasy Flowchart of Best Reads

SF and Fantasy Flowchart of Best Reads: From Reader's Advisory for All:

This needs very little explanation, just know it is awesome.

After NPR did their list of the 100 best SF and Fantasy reads this summer, SF Signal took the results and made this amazing flowchart of all 100 titles. Navigate the chart by answering the questions and it will lead you to a reading suggestion.

From the RA standpoint, this is now an excellent resource to use with readers. From the SF and Fantasy newbie to the established fan who wants to try something new, all can benefit from using this chart.

I am going to see if we can hang this at the BPL somewhere. I think I can print it on multiple sheets of paper and tape it together. I just need to add some call numbers and properly site the folks at SF Signal, and it will be both eye-catching and extremely useful.

The fact that I am literally giddy over this chart must mean I am in the correct line of work. Right? That or I am huge dork. Probably both.

September's New Books

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

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Only Time Will Tell By Archer, Jeffrey 2011-08 - St. Martin's Press 9780312539559 Check Our Catalog From the internationally bestselling author of "Kane and Abel" and "A Prisoner of Birth" comes "Only Time Will Tell," the first in an ambitious new series that tells the story of one family across generations, across oceans, from heartbreak to triumph. …More

The Cartel 3: The Last Chapter By Ashley Author Jaquavis 2010-08 - Urban Books 9781601622570 Check Our Catalog Filled with murder, deception, and seduction, this is the highly-anticipated finale to "The Cartel" saga from the dynamic duo of street lit. …More

Other Girls By Ayres, Diane 2002-05 - Kensington Publishing Corporation 9780758201119 Check Our Catalog In this impressive debut, Ayres transports readers to picturesque Willard College, a place for young women to pursue education, and where, amidst the brick and ivy of academia, an unlikely love triangle is about to turn three lives upside down. …More

Lost Memory of Skin By Banks, Russell 2011-09 - Ecco Press 9780061857638 Check Our Catalog The acclaimed author of "The Sweet Hereafter" and "Rule of the Bone" returns with a provocative new novel that illuminates the shadowed edges of contemporary American culture with startling and unforgettable results. …More

Jane and the Canterbury Tale: Being a Jane Austen Mystery By Barron, Stephanie 2011-08 - Bantam 9780553386714 Check Our Catalog Three years after news of her scandalous husband's death, Adelaide Fiske is at the altar again, her groom a soldier on the Marquis of Wellington's staff. The prospects seem bright for one of the most notorious women in Kent--until Jane Austen discovers a corpse on the ancient Pilgrim's Way that runs through her brother Edward's estate. As First Magistrate for Canterbury, Edward is forced to investigate, with Jane as his reluctant assistant. But she rises to the challenge and leaves no stone unturned, discovering mysteries deeper than she could have anticipated. It seems that Adelaide's previous husband has returned for the new couple's nuptials--only this time, genuinely, profoundly dead. But when a second corpse appears beside the ancient Pilgrim's Way, Jane has no choice but to confront a murderer, lest the next corpse be her own. …More

All about Eva By Berry, Deidre 2010-04 - Dafina Books 9780758238344 Check Our Catalog Berry dazzles with this witty and down-to-earth novel brimming with eccentric characters and the hijinks that ensue when a pampered woman's lifestyle is dramatically changed. …More

Where Heaven Begins By Bittner, Roseanne Author Bittner, Rosanne 2011-05 - Severn House Publishers 9780727880000 Check Our Catalog A truly inspiring adventure set in the Alaskan gold rush - 1890. Elizabeth Breckenridge sets sail for Alaska in search of her missing brother; but when disaster strikes and she falls overboard, it is a man very unlike her minister brother who comes to the rescue... Clint Brady is a cynical bounty hunter who shoots to kill, but together he and Elizabeth will have to put aside their differences in order to survive the beautiful yet unforgiving Alaskan frontier. However, we soon learn that the past would prove a much more sinister enemy to the pair than any harsh terrain. …More

Luke By Blake, Jennifer 2011-06 - Severn House Publishers 9780727880086 Check Our Catalog Luke Benedict figures he's the only one in Turn-Coupe, Louisiana, who can save novelist April Halstead from someone intent on revenge. If only he could get April to cooperate. Years ago, Luke had let April down -- in the worst possible way. She's never been able to forgive him and she still doesn't want anything to do with the man she once loved. But that's not about to stop Luke. He'd never turn his back on a friend -- especially one whose life is in danger. And if he's got to kidnap a woman who despises him to keep her safe, he will. 'Cause down in Louisiana, this man will do whatever it takes.... …More

Keyshia and Clyde By Blue, Treasure E. 2008-08 - One World 9780345493293 Check Our Catalog The "Essence"-bestselling author of "A Street Girl Named Desire" returns with a heartbreaking tale of two star-crossed lovers up against the dirtiest dealer Harlem has ever seen. …More

Naughty in Nice By Bowen, Rhys 2011-09 - Berkley Publishing Group 9780425243497 Check Our Catalog Lady Georgiana Rannoch has once again been called into service by Her Majesty the Queen. This time she's sent to Nice on a secret assignment that's nothing to sneeze at-recover the Queen's stolen snuff box. …More

Winterkill By Box, C. J. 2004-07 - Berkley 9780425195956 Check Our Catalog Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett pursues a killer through the rugged-forest edging of Blue Mountain. But the chase takes a horrifying turn when Joe's beloved foster daughter is kidnapped. Now it's personal. …More

Lethal By Brown, Sandra 2011-09 - Grand Central Publishing 9781455504138 Check Our Catalog When her four year old daughter informs her a sick man is in their yard, Honor Gillette rushes out to help him. But that "sick" man turns out to be Lee Coburn, the man accused of murdering seven people the night before. Dangerous, desperate, and armed, he promises Honor that she and her daughter won't be hurt as long as she does everything he asks. She has no choice but to accept him at his word. But Honor soon discovers that even those close to her can't be trusted. Coburn claims that her beloved late husband possessed something extremely valuable that places Honor and her daughter in grave danger. Coburn is there to retrieve it -- at any cost. From FBI offices in Washington, D.C., to a rundown shrimp boat in coastal Louisiana, Coburn and Honor run for their lives from the very people sworn to protect them, and unravel a web of corruption and depravity that threatens not only them, but the fabric of our society …More

Feast Day of Fools By Burke, James Lee 2011-09 - Simon & Schuster 9781451643114 Check Our Catalog Hackberry Holland's third appearance, and Burke's 30th, brings back sociopathic killer Preacher Jack Collins, but this time surrounds him with so many seriously bad guys that he can scarcely get the sheriff to take his phone calls. …More

Hoodwinked By Carter, Quentin 2005-09 - Triple Crown Publications 9780976234968 Check Our Catalog Drug-dealing blood-brothers Keith and Kevin Banks are sitting on top of the world with enough dough and honeys to last them for sure. Just when everything seems to be going their way, jealousy secretly takes hold of their close friend, Tee. Knowing that women are Keith's weakness and downfall, Tee goes out of his way to bring Keith's success to a devastating halt by using the stunning, sexy Selina to set him up. But his plan falls short when Selina and Keith fall for each other. Keith's down chick/baby's mama, Tukey, attempts to regain Keith's love by taking a case for him and ending up behind bars, only for Keith to marry the home-wrecking Selina. Baffled, envious and full of rage, Tukey plans and carries out a plot so vicious, all the money in the world can't help Keith recover. "Hoodwinked "is followed by its sequel, "In Cahootz." …More

In Cahootz: Sequel to Hoodwinked By Carter, Quentin 2006-10 - Triple Crown Publications 9780977880430 Check Our Catalog Three years after orchestrating the demise of her baby's daddy and his crew, Tukey Tosh resurfaces with the opening of No Draws - a club that sells everything from sex to X. In an attempt to conquer Kansas City's Ex industry, Tukey uses money, sex and blackmail to get "In Cahootz "with Police Sergeant Cody Brown. Together they form a murderous, robbing Drug Task Force - The D-Unit - whose objective is to attack rival dealers on her command. With the cops and hustlers on the same side, who could stop them? "In Cahootz "is the sequel to "Hoodwinked." …More

Canyons of Night: Book Three of the Looking Glass Trilogy By Castle, Jayne 2011-08 - Jove Books 9780515149883 Check Our Catalog The island of Rainshadow is home to the mysterious, privately-owned woods known only as the Preserve. Now, after fifteen years away, both Charlotte Enright and her teen crush, Slade Attridge, have returned. But will their psi talents and Slade's dust bunny companion be enough to keep them from getting drawn into the darkness at the heart of the Preserve? …More

Whitewing: An Indian Story By Chamberlin, Mary Jane 2010-03 - Nabu Press 9781147340129 Check Our Catalog This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. …More

The Fires Within By Clark, Beverly 2007-08 - Genesis Press (MS) 9781585712441 Check Our Catalog Sparks fly in the boardroom and the bedroom in Clarks sizzling battle-of-the-sexes romance. …More

Payback Is a Mutha By Clark, Wahida 2006-04 - Dafina Books 9780758212535 Check Our Catalog The author of the "New York Times" bestseller "Every Thug Needs a Lady" tells the story of a woman who thinks she has everything, but who really has everything to lose--starting with her best friend and ending with her life. …More

Sleeping with the Enemy By Clark, Wahida Author Swinson, Kiki 2008-08 - Dafina Books 9780758212573 Check Our Catalog Two "Essence"-bestselling authors and reigning stars of urban lit team up to deliver a duo of scintillating drama-filled tales about life on the streets. This two-in-one volume includes Clark's "Enemy in My Bed" and Swanson's "Keeping My Enemies Close." …More

Thug Matrimony By Clark, Wahida 2007-04 - Dafina Books 9780758212559 Check Our Catalog Angel, Jaz, Tasha, and Kyra are four girlfriends pulling themselves out of the ghetto--and trying to bring their hearts up to higher ground with them. But when an unwanted guest crashes Angel's wedding, all the rage and bloodlust from the Uhood comes bustin' out. …More

Goddess of Vengeance By Collins, Jackie 2011-09 - St. Martin's Press 9780312567460 Check Our Catalog Jackie Collins' fierce and wildly beautiful heroine Lucky Santangelo is back with a vengeance--in a novel full of power, passion, revenge, and the raging family dynamics of the Santangelo clan--and, as always, Lucky comes out on top. …More

The Race By Cussler, Clive Author Scott, Justin 2011-09 - Putnam Adult 9780399157813 Check Our Catalog It is 1910, the age of flying machines is still in its infancy, and newspaper publisher Preston Whiteway is offering $50,000 for the first daring aviator to cross America in less than fifty days. He is even sponsoring one of the prime candidates-an intrepid woman named Josephine Frost-and that's where Bell, chief investigator for the Van Dorn Detective Agency, comes in. …More

Readers Shelf

The Reader's Shelf From Library Journal Adventures in Reading:  Bibliomemoirs

Howards End Is on the Landing: A Year of Reading from Home By Hill, Susan 2010-10 - Profile Books(GB) 9781846682667 Check Our Catalog Best-selling author Susan Hill rediscovers the joy of reading as she explores her extensive book collection. …More

Books: A Memoir By McMurtry, Larry 2009-07 - Simon & Schuster 9781416583356 Check Our Catalog In this work of extraordinary charm and good humor, McMurtry recounts his life as both a reader and a writer, how the countless books he has read worked to form his literary tastes, while giving readers a lively look at the eccentrics who collect, sell, or simply lust after rare volumes. …More

The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared By Ozma, Alice Foreword by Brozina, Jim 2011-05 - Grand Central Publishing 9780446583770 Check Our Catalog

Last post for Summer Reading!

Welcome to Summer Reading 2011!  At the end of 10 weeks we had 368 people signed up. This week, 3 new people participated and 31 people read 138 books, which brings the totals for the summer to 173 people and 1438 books.  A banner year!

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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. HPL patron: Best book I've read in a long time.  Love it. HPL patron: Four stars.  Quite  a look at our history. HPL patron: Loved this book, a true aspect of the past.  …More

The Secrets of People Who Never Get Sick By Stone, Gene 2010-10 - Workman Publishing 9780761158141 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title A bestselling health-savvy journalist who's investigated, firsthand, virtually every form of regimen, diagnostic test, therapy, and fad, tells the stories of 25 people who each possess a different secret of excellent health--and shows how anyone can all use these insights to change his or her life for the better. …More

Beautiful Lies By Unger, Lisa 2006-12 - Three Rivers Press (CA) 9780307336828 Check Our Catalog In this sexy, fast-paced literary thriller, Unger takes readers on a breathtaking ride in which a young New York writer's good deed has terrible consequences and leaves her running for her life. …More

Jericho Cay By Wall, Kathryn R. 2011-04 - Minotaur Books 9780312601850 Check Our Catalog While restoring her Hilton Head home after a brush with a hurricane, P.I. Bay Tanner must unravel a suspicious death and even more suspicious disappearances from a secluded private island. …More

Best Friends Forever By Weiner, Jennifer 2010-05 - Washington Square Press 9780743294300 Check Our Catalog With incomparable humor and heart, Weiner presents her latest novel, which depicts the nuances of female friendship. …More

The List By Whitlow, Robert 2000-02 - Thomas Nelson Publishers 9780849916403 Check Our Catalog As a struggling young attorney fresh out of law school, Renny Jacobson was pining for the day he could afford the fast cars and sprawling homes of the partners in his Charlotte firm. And with news of his father's death and an ancient, secret inheritance, Renny's life was sure to change forever. But the inheritance and membership in the clandestine society which provided it soon threatens to change him in more ways than one. Renny's life -- and the life of the woman he loves -- depends on supernatural deliverance from the curse of "The List." HPL patron:  It was refreshing to read a mystery that was clean- no bed jumping, no swearing-just an interesting mystery-that took very few twists.  More of that would have been a better mystery. …More

City Girl By Wick, Lori 2008-03 - Harvest House Publishers 9780736922425 Check Our Catalog City girl Reagan Sullivan may know her way around New York City, but when the gentle rancher Cash Rawlings comes into her life, Reagan finds herself intrigued with the man and his faith, but love and commitment are adventures this city girl has vowed never to embark upon. …More

Every Little Thing about You By Wick, Lori 2008-03 - Harvest House Publishers 9780736922401 Check Our Catalog Acting deputy of Shotgun, Texas, Liberty Drake is drawn to Slater Rawlings, a former Texas Ranger. Can Liberty give up her position when so many townspeople have come to rely on her? …More

A Texas Sky By Wick, Lori 2008-03 - Harvest House Publishers 9780736922418 Check Our Catalog Texas ranger Dakota Rawlings is unprepared for the seemingly easy task of escorting Miss Darvi Wingate to the town of Stillwater and on to Aurora. When Darvi becomes a pawn in one of the biggest rackets in town, she wonders if even a Texas Ranger can get her out of this one. …More

Robopocalypse By Wilson, Daniel H. 2011-06 - Doubleday Books 9780385533850 Check Our Catalog In the near future, at a moment that no one will notice, all the dazzling technology that runs our world will unite and turn against us. "Robopocalypse" is a brilliantly conceived action-filled epic, a terrifying story with heart-stopping implications for the real technology all around us. …More

A Thousand Voices By Wingate, Lisa 2008-01 - Center Point Large Print 9781602851085 Check Our Catalog Dell Jordan sets off on a journey into Oklahomas Kiamichi Mountains, drawn bythe only remaining link to her origins--a fathers Native American name on herbirth certificate. In the voices of her Choctaw ancestors, shell discover thekeys to a future she could have only imagined. HPL patron:  Good …More

Is It Hot in Here? or Is It Me? the Complete Guide to Menopause By Kantrowitz, Barbara Author Wingert Kelly, Pat 2006-01 - Workman Publishing 9780761138082 Check Our Catalog At last, a deeply optimistic guide to all the long, often mysterious years of menopause - the role of hormones and the controversy over hormone therapy - the truth about hot flashes . . . and how to deal with one in the middle of a meeting - the impact on sexuality and how to counteract that wavering libido. There are chapters on memory (how to protect it), moods (how to ride them out), and sleep (how to get what you need). And finally, why this period can be a natural springboard to staying healthy, feeling great, and looking beautiful for that next act in your life. HPL patron:  "Is it hot in here or is it me?'  This is a book I wanted to read the first time I asked myself that question. …More

The Uncoupling By Wolitzer, Meg 2011-04 - Riverhead Books 9781594487880 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title From the "New York Times"-bestselling author of "The Ten-Year Nap" comes a funny, provocative, revealing novel about female desire. …More

Driftwood Cottage By Woods, Sherryl 2011-03 - Mira Books 9780778329473 Check Our Catalog Presenting the first book in a new trilogy, "New York Times"-bestselling author Woods again brings her signature heartwarming style to the community of Chesapeake Shores. Original. HPL patron: Great story. …More

Moonlight Cove By Woods, Sherryl 2011-04 - Mira Books 9780778329794 Check Our Catalog Jess O'Brien has overcome a lot, and her friends persuade her to join a dating service--but she gets no takers! Which is fine with her childhood friend, psychologist Will Lincoln, who's already chosen the perfect man for Jess--himself. Original. …More

The Cheapskate Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of Americans Living Happily Below Their Means By Yeager, Jeff 2010-06 - Broadway Books 9780767931328 Check Our Catalog He's at it again, but this time he's not alone. America's Ultimate Cheapskate is back with all new secrets for how to live happily "below" your means, a la cheapskate. …More