The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta
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.
The Bible Salesman by Clyde Edgerton
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.
Stone Arabia by Dana Spiotta
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.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.
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!
Long Drive Home by Will Allison
Recommended by Jeff in Technical Services…
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.
