Recommended by Colleen in Outreach Services…

Colleen’s synopsis:
Sixteen year old Jason heads off to Wales to find out the truth about the home that his grandfather grew up in. His grandfather had filled Jason’s head with all sorts of weird monsters and peculiar children. Now he is left to sort out what is real and what is fantasy.

She says:
If you have ever wondered where the side-show people come from read this highly entertaining and fanciful story. The beginning of the book has you believing that the monsters Jason’s grandfather tells him about are the Nazis in the 1940′s, but as Jason discovers truth is stranger then fiction. I enjoyed all the twists and turns of this story and Jason’s quirky narrative.

Recommended by Jeff in Technical Services…

Jeff’s synopsis:
Although he edits travel and adventure magazine for a living and is married to a Peruvian, Mark Adams was more comfortable with hotels and beds rather than tents and sleeping bags and hardly ever traveled outside of Lima while in Peru. But that didn’t stop him from hooking up with one of the best travel guides in South America, a Peruvian mule driver, a cook, a half-dozen mules and a couple of guys to drive them to follow the footsteps of the man who was once known as the discoverer of Machu Picchu, Hiram Bingham.

He says:
Besides being a history of Machu Picchu in Inca times and in Hiram Bingham’s time of discovery, this also gives a fascinating view of Peruvian life and culture which includes the concept of Peruvian time which usually means a few hours or days later than expected and exaggerated stories of siphoned fat from murder victims sold to cosmetic companies. These hilarious stories offset the serious history lessons and the grueling trek across the various climate and terrain of Peru to possibly rediscover the lost city of the Incas.

Recommended by Soon Har in Adult Services…

Soon Har’s synopsis:
A witty mix of romance, history and social commentary set in America and England, this is a delicious read with a feisty heroine, a “girl that every woman in Newport envied and every man desired.” Based on the lives of rich Americans seeking titled Europeans at the turn of the century, the book is filled with outrageous details of what excessive wealth can buy, sharp observations of late-20th century social customs, and a good-old-fashioned love story.

She says:
This author’s light-hearted tone makes this a fun read while the historical details keep it from being frothy. The glimpse into the lives of the rich and famous then reminds us that socially, we haven’t come very far!

Recommended by Jeff in Technical Services…

Jeff’s synopsis:
A group of “picture brides” from Japan sail to California after WWI to meet up with their prospective husbands. With dreams and promises of a new and better life, they soon realize that everything is not as it seems as the men are not always who they claim to be and life in America is not what they thought it would be. They do their best to survive by raising their families until they are once again uprooted, this time to internment camps after the start of WWII.

He says:
This is a short novel without a main character or dialogue, but the words flow and the story is compelling because of the author’s minimal technique but very descriptive passages. Using a collective voice for the woman makes me think about what it would have been like for them emigrate leaving everything familiar and comfortable behind.

Recommended by Colleen in Outreach Services…

Colleen’s synopsis:
This is a story of a 17 year old Jewish boy left on his own in Leningrad during WWII. After being arrested for looting, he is sent, along with a 20 year old army deserter, on a “mission” to get a dozen eggs for a Russian General. In less then a week he goes from being a boy to being a man.

She says:
This book is wonderfully written. The author is able to grab your interest from the first sentence and keep you engaged with the characters to the very end of the story.

Even if you feel that you have read too many war books give this one a try!

Recommended by Jeff in Technical Services…

Jeff’s synopsis:
After a rapture-like event named the Sudden Departure, the people of the suburban town of Mapleton try to deal with and find answers for their loss while deciding where to go and if they even have a future. Kevin Garvey, newly elected mayor, is trying to get the town back to some form of normalcy while his wife leaves him to join a group called the Guilty Remnant and his family falls apart.

He says:
To me this is quite a departure from the author’s previous novels being more serious and not as laugh out loud funny however it does have its dark humorous moments.
I also like that he offers no explanations or answers to what happened but just keeps us interested with what is going on with the people as they try to keep on living.

Recommended by Jeff in Technical Services…

Jeff’s synopsis:
Henry Dampier is on the road spreading the word of God by selling Bibles that he gets for free from different churches and religious organizations. While traveling, he meets Preston Clearwater, a car thief posing as an FBI agent who offers Henry a job. Henry likes the idea of serving the Lord and working undercover. However, this leads Henry into actually reading the Bible, questioning its contents, and into possibly more adventures than he bargained for.

He says:
This is a funny story about conflicts such as Henry serving God but selling Bibles he gets for free and Preston being a criminal posing as a FBI agent. Henry starts questioning what he reads in the Bible; however he also justifies his actions because of what he reads as he tries to lead a dual life for God and J Edgar Hoover or so he thinks.

Recommended by Jeff in Technical Services…

Jeff’s synopsis:
Nik Worth never quite made it as an artist and musician and is a bartender as he turns 50. He leads the bands the Demonics and the Fakes. He does side projects and solo works such as the 20-CD series: The Ontology of Worth. He even  wrote the Chronicles, which is a series of scrapbooks documenting his life and work. Denise is his younger sister who has a daughter in New York. She struggles with her mother’s onset of dementia, her brother’s lack of responsibility, and her own depressive reactions to news of world events.

He says:
I like the idea of outsider artists that still create their art no matter if they become famous or wealthy from it. Nik even mentions Henry Darger who was a Chicago janitor who was found, after his death, to have written and painted a great deal of work. Nik is this type of character. It seems like Denise, his sister, remains his biggest fan even though she is no longer willing yo loan him money for rent or agree with the way he lives. This is a great book about brother/sister relationships, mother/daughter relationships and the success and failure people find in their families and friendships.

Recommended by Karyn in Youth Services…

Karyn’s synopsis:
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway – a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love – a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands. True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead. Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.

She says:
This is magical realism at its best. I instantly got swept away by the world created within the striped black and white tents. Such beautiful imagery!

Jeff’s synopsis:
Glen Bauer, who lives with his wife Liz and daughter Sara in a New Jersey suburb, runs a small accounting business out of his home which allows him to spend his afternoons with Sara while Liz has a successful career and an hour-long commute. After picking up Sara from school one day, a seemingly series of unrelated events cause Glen to cause a traffic accident which starts a downward spiral of deception, bad decisions, blame and guilt.

He says:
This short novel gets you to think about how seemingly random events can lead to one bad decision and how that decision can affect the rest of your life. It also effects a number of other people’s lives also including your family and other people you don’t even know.