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.
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
Recommended by Colleen in Outreach Services…
Colleen’s synopsis:
In the late 1970s, Larry and Silas were boyhood pals. Larry was the child of lower-middle-class white parents, and Silas, the son of a poor, single black mother. Yet the boys shared a special bond. But then tragedy struck, Larry took a girl on a date and she was never heard from again. She was never found and Larry never confessed, but all eyes rested on him as the culprit. The incident shook the county – and perhaps Silas most of all. Silas left town. More than twenty years later Larry, a mechanic, lives a solitary existence, never able to rise above the whispers of suspicion. Silas returns as a constable. He and Larry have no reason to cross paths until another girl disappears and Larry is blamed again. Now the two men are forced to confront the past.
She says:
This is a very well written suspense book. I found the characters to be engaging and the plot very well paced. I like good mysteries and this is a good mystery.
Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks
Recommended by Asra in Adult Services…
Asra’s synopsis:
Set in Noepe (current day Martha’s Vineyard) during the 1600s, Bethia Mayfield is the brilliant daughter of a minister. As she comes of age, propriety requires that she forgo any hopes of a formal education and instead pursue qualities that are more becoming of a woman and homemaker. Still, Bethia maintains her scholarly interests by eavesdropping on her less erudite brother’s lessons and finds contentment. While foraging the seashore for clams one day, she meets Cheeshahteaumauck, an impressive young native she renames Caleb, and they quickly form a bond. Keeping their friendship secret, Caleb soon joins Bethia’s family and becomes her father’s prized student. Little does Bethia know that their lives will intertwine and that Caleb will be instrumental in her access to education.
She says:
I can’t remember the last time I sympathized so greatly with characters as much as I did with Bethia and Caleb. Their challenges were authentic, and because they faced their lot in life admirably and with grace it was impossible not to root for their well-being. I give credit to Brooks for introducing Caleb Cheeshahteaumauck to the mainstream. I will not be surprised if my thoughts return to this story from time to time, particularly to Caleb. I would love to learn what his experiences truly were and hope that a biographical account appears one day.
I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive by Steve Earle
Recommended by Jeff in Technical Services…
Jeff’s synopsis:
Doc Ebersole, is haunted by the ghost of Hank Williams a decade after giving Hank a shot of morphine that possibly ended his life. Doc finds himself alone in San Antonio tending to the down on their luck misfits, dealers, illegal’s and prostitutes that inhabit the Yellow Rose and the neighborhood surrounding it. A girl named Graciela comes into his life and has a healing effect on him and others in the neighborhood.
He says:
This novel by singer, songwriter Steve Earle is dark and depressing but also has a positive side of beauty and redemption. If you’re interested in what life may be like on the other side of the tracks this is a very good, quick read.
The Summer Guest by Justin Cronin
Recommended by Colleen in Outreach Services…
Colleen’s synopsis:
This is the story of a fishing camp in Maine that has a lasting effect on all the characters in the book. Whether it is the generations of the Crosby family who own the camp, or the generations of the Wainwright family who have been spending part of the summer there for 30 years, or the young man who is the lonely care taker; everyone feels connected to this simple place.
She says:
This was a story told by many voices and from many different perspectives. I found it very interesting and enjoyed all the points of view. If you have ever stayed at a camp and slept in rustic cabins you will feel right at home in this book.
