FICTION
F ATHERTON MYSTERY
Atherton, Nancy. Aunt Dimity and the deep blue sea. New York : Viking, 2006.
With the help of Aunt Dimity, the phantom detective, Lori Shepherd begins to piece together clues about an illegal smuggling operation, unaware of the growing danger on the island.
F BAKKER FANTASY
Bakker, R. Scott. The warrior prophet. 1st ed. Wookstock, NY : Overlook Press, 2005.
Bakker presents the second of the “Prince of Nothing” trilogy centered on the sorcerer Drusas Achamian and the monk Anasurimbor Kellhus, who is on a quest to find his father amid the brewing apocalypse.
F BEATON MYSTERY
Beaton, M. C. Death of a dreamer : a Hamish MacBeth mystery. New York : Mysterious Press, 2005.
Many people came to the rugged landscape of Scotland to enjoy the simple life. Most didn’t stay. Effie Garrand was an exception. Hamish Macbeth was amazed to find her still in residence after a particularly rough winter. Unfortunately, she was also delusional, having convinced herself that local artist Jock Fleming was in love with her and would marry her. After she and Jock had a huge fight and she was found poisoned, Hamish had to find the dreamer’s killer before any more nightmares unfolded.
F BERNHARDT MYSTERY
Bernhardt, William, 1960-. Capitol murder : a novel. 1st ed. New York : Ballantine Books, c2006.
Trial attorney Ben Kincaid is uprooted from his home state of Oklahoma when he must go to Washington, D.C. after a former fellow law student and now a senior senator from Oklahoma is accused of murder. A female intern has been murdered and found in the tunnels leading from the Senate. Though the Senator insists he’s innocent, a videotape surfaces revealing that he and the intern had once had a tryst, causing Ben to weigh his doubt against his loyalty.
F BLACK MYSTERY
Black, Cara, 1951-. Murder in Montmartre. New York : Soho Press, c2006.
Intrepid Aimee Leduc strives to clear the name of a childhood friend, policewoman Laure Rousseau, who’s charged with shooting her partner to death, in Black’s chilling sixth novel to feature the Paris PI. Aimee knows the solution to proving Laure’s innocence lies somewhere in the hilltop maze of the seedy Montmartre neighborhood-perhaps with a boy who says he witnessed the murder, or an aging prostitute, or any of a number of toughs or even Corsican separatists.
F BROWNE ROMANCE
Browne, Hester. The little lady agency. Pocket Books hardcover ed. New York : Pocket Books, 2006.
Melissa Romney-Jones just can’t seem to get ahead at the office. She’s loved by her friends, but ignored by her eccentric family and her boss. When she gets fired, she reinvents herself by changing her name to Honey and opening The Little Lady Agency, which helps clueless bachelors shop, entertain, and navigate social minefields. All goes well until she meets Jonathan Riley. Soon she’s struggling to keep her two identities from colliding as she pursues a romance with him, builds her business, and plans her sister’s lavish wedding.
F CHARLES MYSTERY
Charles, Kate. Evil intent. 1st ed. Scottsdale, AZ : Poisoned Pen Press, c2005.
Callie Anson, a newly ordained Anglican minister, soon discovers that the London church scene is a world of political infighting in this mystery from British author Charles. The low-church evangelicals and the high-church Anglo-Catholics disagree on everything, except that they both oppose the ordination of women and homosexuals. In this climate, someone murders Father Jonah Adimola, a conservative priest known for his outspoken dislike of feminism. Throw in a closeted gay priest whom the queen wants to make bishop; a hard-nosed reporter willing to do anything for a story; and a hunky, single cop, and Callie’s first week on the job is anything but slow.
F COLLINS
Collins, Max Allan. Road to paradise. 1st ed. New York : Morrow, c2005.
In 1973, the life Michael Satariano built for himself after breaking his mob ties is threatened when he is framed for killing a notoriously violent gangster.
F CORNWELL
Cornwell, Bernard. The pale horseman. 1st ed. New York : HarperCollins, c2006.
After the Danish Vikings invade and occupy three of England’s four kingdoms, all that remains of the once proud country is a small piece of marshland where Alfred and his family live with a few soldiers and retainers, including Uhtred, a dispossessed English nobleman, raised by the Danes. Although a Dane at heart, when Iseult, a powerful sorceress, enters Uhtred’s life, he’s forced to consider feelings he’s never confronted before and discovers a new-found loyalty and love for his native country and ruler.
F CRAIS MYSTERY
Crais, Robert. The two minute rule. New York : Simon & Schuster, c2006.
About to be out of prison after nine years, Max Holman only wants one thing: to reconnect with his son, a policeman with the Los Angeles Police Department. The night before Max is released, his son dies in what is described as an ambush. Unable to get any information from the police, Max sets out to discover the truth for himself and avenge his son’s death. What he discovers is police corruption. Now he must trust the same person who put him in prison if he wants to stay alive.
F DAVENPORT
Davenport, Kiana. House of many gods : a novel. 1sr ed. New York : Ballantine Books, c2006.
Abandoned by her mother as a child, and raised by poor relatives in a small coastal village, Ana is the first member of her native-Hawaiian family to attend college to become a doctor. Following a hurricane on the island of Kauai, she’s tending the injured when she meets Niki, a Russian documentary filmmaker with his own turbulent past. As a relationship develops between the two, cultures collide and the redemptive power of love helps them overcome the loss of family and identity.
F DAVIES
Davies, Martin, 1965-. The conjurer’s bird : a novel. 1st ed. New York : Shaye Areheart Books, c2005.
At the heart of this 18th-century historical mystery by Davies is a passionate love story between Joseph Banks, a famous naturalist, and Mary Burnett, a gifted botanical artist. Mary was abandoned by her mother and raised without religion by her disgraced father. Owing to how English society then regarded such a situation, Mary and Joseph are prevented from marrying. Yet the intense love between the wealthy, celebrated scientist and the woman with unusual green eyes never lessens. Two hundred years later, taxidermist and university professor John Fitzgerald sets out on a mission to find the “Mysterious Bird of Ulieta,” a mounted, one-of-a-kind species that Joseph once gave Mary.
F DUNANT
Dunant, Sarah. In the company of the courtesan : a novel. 1st ed. New York : Random House, c2006.
Escaping the sack of Rome in 1527, with their stomachs churning on the jewels they have swallowed, the courtesan Fiammetta and her dwarf companion, Bucino, head for Venice. With a mix of courage and cunning they infiltrate Venetian society. Together they make the perfect partnership: the sharp-tongued, sharp-witted dwarf, and his vibrant mistress, trained from birth to charm, entertain, and satisfy men who have the money to support her. Yet as their fortunes rise, this perfect partnership comes under threat, from the searing passion of a lover who wants more than his allotted nights to the attentions of an admiring Turk in search of human novelties for his sultan’s court. But Fiammetta and Bucino’s greatest challenge comes from a young crippled woman, a blind healer who insinuates herself into their lives and hearts with devastating consequences for them all.
F EISENBERG
Eisenberg, Deborah. Twilight of the superheroes. 1st ed. New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006.
From a group of variously ambitious friends delighted to find a luxurious sublet just across from the World Trade Canter in the year 2000; to a family whose tranquility is strangely poisoned by its years spent in poor foreign lands; to the too-painful love of a brother for his schizophrenic sister, whose life embitters him to the very idea of family, Deborah Eisenberg widens her range to focus her impeccable eye on a terrifying contemporary world in which “everything that happens is out there waiting for you to come to it”. from the Publisher
F FALLON FANTASY
Fallon, Jennifer. Wolfblade. 1st U.S. ed. New York : Tor, 2006.
In the first book of a new trilogy, Marla Wolfblade, princess of Hythria, is determined to restore her family to its former power and glory. To do so, she marries Laran, Warlord of Krakandar Province, and gives birth to a son. Settling into life as the wife of a warlord, Marla believes the future of her family is secured, but there are forces in the land that do not want the house of Wolfblade restored. Can Marla protect her family and stop the conspirators?
F FERRIGNO SCIENCE FICTION
Ferrigno, Robert. Prayers for the assassin : a novel. New York : Scribner, c2006.
Thirty-five years in the future, most of the former USA has become a moderate Islamic republic and the former Bible Belt has broken away to become a secular Christian nation. New York, Washington, D.C. and Mecca have been blown away by bombs. Historian Sarah Dougan uncovers evidence that the Zionist Betrayal was not linked to Israel as suspected, but carried out by radical Muslims now poised to overtake the entire nation. With her research threatening their plan, she and her lover find themselves hunted by an assassin.
F FIELDING
Fielding, Joy. Mad River Road. 1st Atria Books hardcover ed. New York : Atria Books, 2006.
Ralph is determined to seek revenge on his former wife, whom he holds responsible for his time spent in prison. Elsewhere, Jamie Kellogg finds herself with a thrilling man who just might be her Prince Charming, and he whisks her away down a daring new path.
F GARDNER MYSTERY
Gardner, Lisa. Gone. New York : Bantam Books, 2006.
PI Pierce Quincy is frantic. His lover/partner has gone missing, though her bloodstained car has been located, and a troubled child whose case she has been handling is gone as well. Library Journal
F GOODMAN MYSTERY
Goodman, Carol. The ghost orchid : a novel. 1st ed. New York : Ballantine Books, c2006.
Novelist Ellis Brooks has come to the Bosco estate to write a book based on an event that took place there in 1893. Milo Latham had brought in a psychic medium to help his wife contact their three dead children. All anyone knew about the event was that the seance turned deadly, and Latham’s remaining child was abducted. Now as Ellis uncovers the family’s dark secrets, a series of bizarre accidents occur and the lines between the living and the dead blur.
F GREENE
Greene, Thomas Christopher, 1968-. I’ll never be long gone. 1st ed. New York : William Morrow, 2005.
When their father commits suicide, Charlie inherits the eatery while Owen gets $10,000. The brothers had been best friends until their father, as controlling in death as he was in his kitchen, tears them apart with the reading of his last wishes. Owen uses his inheritance to leave Eden and spends the next 17 years in the U.S. Merchant Marines, during which Charlie makes a nice life for himself, improving the already stellar reputation of the restaurant; marrying Owen’s old girlfriend, who shares his passion for food; and fathering a son. When Owen finally returns, will the small town of Eden be big enough for the three of them, or will some family relationships have to be severed permanently?
F GREGORY
Gregory, Philippa. The constant princess. New York : Simon & Schuster, c2005.
Katherine of Aragon married the future king of England, Prince Arthur, as a political union, but it became a passionate love match. When Arthur died, less than two years later however, her destiny was in question. That is, until Arthur’s brother declared his love for her and asked her to be his queen. Thus began a deceit that she lived with the remainder of her life, in which she remained Queen of England in spite of Henry’s new love for Anne Boleyn.
F HINTON
Hinton, J. Lynne. The arms of God : a novel. 1st ed. New York : St. Martin’s Press, 2005.
Alice is making her daughter dinner when her mother Olivia, who left her at a day care center when she was four, appears at her door. Alice has learned almost nothing about Olivia, when suddenly Olivia dies, leaving Alice to sift through her belongings. As she pieces together her mothers life, Alice learns how a woman can become so desperate that she leaves her child and so courageous that she finds her again.
F HORN
Horn, Dara, 1977-. The world to come : a novel. 1st ed. New York : W.W. Norton & Co., c2006.
Finding himself alone after his divorce and his mother’s recent death, Ben Ziskind distracts himself with work, crafting questions for a TV quiz show. When he decides to steal a Chagall painting that once belonged to his mother, his actions shake him from his hermetic shell. Flashbacks to Ben’s past and to the lives of Chagall and his one-time novelist friend, the Hidden One, merge together. Horn deftly weaves an intricate story steeped in folklore and family secrets. Library Journal
F HUFF
Huff, Tanya. Smoke and mirrors. New York : DAW Books : Distributed by Penguin Group (USA), c2005.
After moving to Vancouver, Tony lands a job as a Production Assistant on a television show about a vampire detective, where he encounters the forces of dark magic and must call on his friend, Henry, who happens to be a vampire, for help.
F ILES
Iles, Greg. Turning angel. New York : Scribner, c2005.
LawyerPenn Cage returns to defend his best friend since childhood for the murder of a young female student, with whom his friend was intimate, at their old alma mater, St. Stephen’s Prep.
F JAMES
James, Marlon, 1970-. John Crow’s devil. 1st ed. New York : Akashic Books, c2005.
The story is of a biblical struggle in a remote Jamaican village of Gibbeah in 1957 - where certain women fly and certain men protect secrets with their lives - magic coexists with religion, and good and evil are never as they seem. There a battle is fought between two men of God. The story begins when a drunkard named Hector Bligh (the “Rum Preacher”) is dragged from his pulpit by a man calling himself “Apostle” York. Handsome and brash, York demands a fire-and-brimstone church, but sets in motion a phenomenal and deadly struggle for the soul of Gibbeah itself. As the village is overrun by strange, supernatural events, secrets rise up like bubbles in a brew: hidden histories of witchcraft, adultery, scandal, and murder.
F KAMINSKY MYSTERY
Kaminsky, Stuart M. Terror town : an Abe Lieberman mystery. 1st ed. New York : Forge, 2006.
Detective Abe Lieberman and his partner Bill Hanrahan once again walk the mean streets of Chicago, keeping the bad guys at bay while trying to maintain what passes for normal lives. When Lieberman’s faced with an aging baseball player whose career is cut short after tragedy strikes, a man who says he’s from God, and a murdered single black mother, he has some tough choices to make. If he makes the wrong choice, someone near to him could die.
F KHOURY
Khoury, Raymond. The last templar. New York : Dutton, 2006.
‘Acre, 1291 A.D.’: A small band of knights escape their burning city by ship carrying a mysterious chest. The ship vanishes without a trace. ‘New York City, present day’: Four horsemen dressed as Knights Templar storm the gala opening of a Vatican exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum and steal an arcane medieval decoder, plunging FBI agent Sean Reilly and archaeologist Tess Chaykin into a deadly game of cat and mouse as they race across three continents in search of the Falcon Temple’s final resting place.
F KING
King, Stephen, 1947-. Cell : a novel. New York : Scribner, c2006.
Civilization doesn’t end with a bang or a whimper. It ends with a call on your cell phone. What happens on the afternoon of October 1 came to be known as the Pulse, a signal sent though every operating cell phone that turns its user into something...well, something less than human. Savage, murderous, unthinking-and on a wanton rampage. Terrorist act? Cyber prank gone haywire? It really doesn’t matter, not to the people who avoided the technological attack. What matters to them is surviving the aftermath. Before long a band of them-“normies” is how they think of themselves-have gathered on the grounds of Gaiten Academy, where the headmaster and one remaining student have something awesome and terrifying to show them on the school’s moonlit soccer field. Clearly there can be no escape. The only option is to take them on.
F KLINGENBORG FANTASY
Klinkenborg, Verlyn. Timothy, or, Notes of an abject reptile. New York : Knopf : Distributed by Random House, 2006.
That it is told by a female tortoise named Timothy in no way discredits the fact that Gilbert White was indeed an 18th-century curate in the rural English town of Selborne and that a tortoise did reside in his garden. White, considered England’s first ecologist, recorded careful observations of nature that made their way into his The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne, a nature-writing classic that has remained in print since its publication in 1789. Timothy offers her own perceptive observations of life in the parish, adding an ironic and sometimes humorous twist to the assumptions humans make about life. Library Journal
F KURLAND MYSTERY
Kurland, Michael. The empress of India : a Professor Moriarty novel. 1st ed. New York : St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2006.
Sherlock Holmes vanishes down a London sewer early in Edgar-finalist Kurland’s fun fourth novel featuring the sleuth’s archenemy, James Moriarty. In 1890, a quarter-ton of gold is being shipped from Calcutta to the Bank of England via the eponymous luxury liner, whose passengers include the evil professor, fellow villain Col. Sebastian Moran, and members of the semicomical “Limehouse Coneys,” an assortment of urchins and London lowlifes under the direction of inscrutable Dr. Pin Dok Low. Escorting this treasure are 30 crack Highland Lancers commanded by Brig. Gen. Sir Edward St. Yves, who’s traveling with his comely and seductive daughter, Margaret. Chaos bordering on slapstick ensues as Moriarty and Moran try to abscond with the bejeweled statuette “Queen of Lamapoor,” which is also hidden aboard the luckless liner. Lots of Indian lore adds colorful background to this “seemingly impossible crime,” before its satisfying, if not startling, resolution. Publisher’s Weekly
F MARIAS
Marías, Javier. The man of feeling. New York : New Directions Pub. Corp., c2003.
“The Man of Feeling” is a sleek and strange tale of cosmopolitan love. An affair between a married woman and a young man just becoming an opera star (curiously helped along by the husband’s factotum) meets with adamant resistance from the implacable husband.
F MCINERNEY
McInerney, Jay. The good life. New York : Knopf, 2006.
When a tragedy strikes the town of TriBeCa, the residents must forget their own tragedies and struggles and band together to save one another and their devastated hometown.
F MCMAHON
McMahon, Katharine. The alchemist’s daughter : a novel. 1st ed. New York : Crown Publishers, c2006.
Emilie had been raised in almost total isolation from the world by her scientist father who believed he had molded her into an accomplished scientist who would carry on his legacy. What he neglected to consider was that a woman of 20 might long for more than a life of scientific inquiry. After a romantic interlude, Emilie becomes pregnant and marries the child’s father. Following her father’s death she returns home to unlock secrets of his past, which ultimately changes everything she knows about herself.
F MELOY
Meloy, Maile. A family daughter : a novel. New York : Scribner, c2006.
“A Family Daughter” revisits the Santerre clan from “Liars and Saints,” following them to Argentina where their lives become entwined with an uninhibited rich girl, an aging French playboy, a young Eastern European prostitute, and an orphaned child. Daughter, Abby, considers what would happen if a long-kept family secret was, in fact, fiction.
F OSHAUGHNESSY
O’Shaughnessy, Perri. Sinister shorts. New York : Delacorte Press, 2006.
This collection of crime and suspense tales, many appearing in print for the first time, takes readers from locked-room mysteries to hard- boiled cases, from psychological thrillers, to cozy whodunits, and even to a Nina Reilly tale. There are 19 stories in all that run the gamut of emotions from love and betrayal, to rage and revenge.
F PATTERSON MYSTERY
Patterson, James, 1947-. The 5th horseman. 1st ed. New York : Little, Brown and Co., 2006.
The members of the Women’s Murder Club face an unspeakable menace in this suspenseful hospital drama. As San Francisco Medical Center comes under scrutiny for unexplainable patient deaths, Lt. Lindsay Boxer and the Women’s Murder Club investigate for themselves.
F PHELAN MYSTERY
Phelan, Twist. Spurred ambition : a Pinnacle Peak mystery. 1st ed. Scottsdale, AZ : Poisoned Pen Press, c2006.
Hannah Dain, an Arizona attorney has left her job at a boutique law firm to work for a local Indian reservation. Part of the attraction is her new boss, Tony Soto, a passionate activist whose happens to be pretty easy on the eyes. Hannah and Tony’s second kiss is interrupted by kidnappers. Hannah escapes, but three men clad in blue vanish with Tony. Was Tony kidnapped because he was involved in a money laundering scheme? In addition to getting to the bottom of the abduction, Hannah has to steer through a thicket of family drama. She’s recently learned that, nine months before her own birth, her mother had an affair, and the distant but doting man whom she’s always called dad is not, in fact, her biological father.
F REILLY FANTASY
Reilly, Matthew. 7 deadly wonders : a novel. New York : Simon & Schuster, c2006.
Once, a golden capstone perched atop the Great Pyramid at Giza offered protection from the global flooding and scorching sun that occurred every 4,500 years by the Tartarus Rotation solar event. But then Alexander the Great broke the Capstone into seven pieces, placing a piece in each of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Now, in 2006, with the Rotation about to come again, everyone wants to find the pieces and replace the Capstone. Whoever does so will gain absolute earthly power for the next 1,000 years.
F ROBERTS
Roberts, Gregory David. Shantaram : a novel. 1st U.S. ed. New York : St. Martin’s Press, 2004, c2003.
Presents a novel based upon the life of the author about Lin, an escaped convict who disappears into the dark side of Bombay’s streets and enters into a life of murder and betrayal, prison and torture, and war.
F ROBOTHAM MYSTERY
Robotham, Michael, 1960-. Lost : a novel. 1st ed. New York : Doubleday, 2006.
Detective Vincent Ruiz has no memory of how he ended up in the Thames with a bullet in his leg, or where the photo of a kidnapped seven-year- old girl came from that was found in his pocket. After a bloody boat is discovered nearby, it’s clear that Ruiz was not the only casualty. Under investigation by his colleagues and accused of faking amnesia, Ruiz turns to Joe O’Loughlin, hoping the psychologist can help unlock his memory.
F ROIPHE
Roiphe, Anne Richardson, 1935-. An imperfect lens : a novel. 1st ed. New York : Shaye Areheart Books, c2006.
In 1883, cholera swept through Egypt, prompting biologist Louis Pasteur to send a team of scientists headed by Louis Thuillier to Alexandria in search of the microbe responsible for the deadly disease. Novelist Roiphe sheds light on a less well-known chapter in the history of medicine in this complex, multilayered tale. The natural history, gruesome symptoms, and seemingly indifferent nature of cholera are described in painstaking detail. As the disease sweeps through the city, Thuillier and his team harvest samples, design experiments, and pore over endless slides. As if this material weren’t thrilling enough, Roiphe adds a poignant love story that pairs the pragmatic Thuillier with the poetry-dazzled Este Malina, who serves as the French team’s lab assistant. Subplots involving class, religion, and colonialism, round out the narrative. Library Journal
F ROYAL MYSTERY
Royal, Priscilla J. Sorrow without end. 1st ed. Scottsdale, Ariz. : Poisoned Pen Press, 2006.
As the autumn storms of 1271 ravage the East Anglian coast, Crowner Ralf finds the corpse of a brutally murdered soldier in the woods near Tyndal Priory. The dagger in the man’s chest is engraved with a strange, cursive design, and the body is wrapped in a crusader’s cloak. Was this the act of a member of the Assassin sect or was the weapon meant to mislead him in finding the killer.
F SAVARIN
Savarin, Julian Jay. Seasons of change. Sutton : Severn House, 2005.
Hauptkommissar Jens Muller, a wealthy, titled young man who drives a customized Porsche and wears his hair in a ponytail, and his deputy, the chubby, chain-smoking and defiantly working-class Sergeant Pappenheim (Pappi to his friends), remain hard at work keeping the New Germany safe for democracy. A threat from the secret fascist group known as Semper shifts the action from Europe to Australia, allowing Muller and his ace female colleague, American CIA agent Carey Bloomfield, to see action in some interesting new territory. Back in Berlin, Pappi and electronics expert Hedi Meyer do most of the heavy brainwork.
F SCOTT
Scott, Manda. Boudica : dreaming the hound. New York : Delacorte Press, 2006.
Scott, in the third installment of her projected four-book epic on Celtic warrior queen Boudicca (referred to as Breaca in the series) FollowS the events in “Boudica: Dreaming the Bull”, as Breaca struggles to find an effective way to stand against the Roman incursion given the heavy restrictions placed upon her tribe’s way of life. Her children have become strangers to her and seem terribly vulnerable in spite of their bravery and intellect. Furthermore, Breaca is still reeling from the loss of her adored husband, Caradoc. In the meantime, Breaca’s estranged brother, Valerius, must come to terms with the dual sides of his heritage; he is both warrior and dreamer, tribesman and Roman. Even the two gods in whom he believes, Nemain and Mithras, are at odds.
F SWAINSTON SCIENCE FICTION
Swainston, Steph. The year of our war. 1st U.S. ed. New York : Eos, c2005.
Jant Comet, messenger of the Emperor of San, inadvertently learns the secret of the invading monstrous Insects, and must help stem the crushing tide of destruction they wreak on his people’s world.
F SWAINSTON SCIENCE FICTION
Swainston, Steph. No present like time. 1st U.S. ed. New York : EOS, [2006?].
The war between humans of the Fourlands and the insectoid armies continues, with the enemy making inroads toward human settlements, which rouses the Emperor’s forces to action. When a new land is discovered, the Emperor sends his winged messenger, Jant Comet, on a naval expedition despite Comet’s drug addictions and fear of ships and the sea. The sequel to “The Year of Our War” takes place in a fantasy universe spiced with modern devices and features intrigue, swordplay, and a host of unusual creatures. Library Journal
F THAYER
Thayer, Nancy, 1943-. The Hot Flash Club strikes again : a novel. 1st ed. New York : Ballantine, c2005.
Polly, Beth, Carolyn, and Julia depend on friends, wine, and chocolate for support when forced to deal with a wealth of family problems, including Polly’s new daughter-in-law, the ever-present ex-girlfriend of Beth’s new beau, Carolyn’s late-in-life pregnancy and her father’s marriage to a younger woman, and the manipulative child of Julia’s widowed boyfriend.
F THOMAS MYSTERY
Thomas, Scarlett. Seaside : a Lily Pascale mystery. 1st U.S. ed. Boston : Lanham, Md. : Kate’s Mystery Books ; Distributed by National Book Network, 2005.
Smart, wilfull, incautious and nearly terminally curious, Lily Pascale-university lecturer and part-time sleuth-faces her most baffling case in Seaside, when one-half of a pair of identical twins turns up dead.
F VAITE
Vaite, Célestine Hitiura, 1966-. Frangipani : a novel. 1st U.S. ed. New York : Back Bay Books, 2006.
It’s a well-known fact that in Tahiti women are the wisest. Materena definitely is the wisest and a good listener. Unfortunately, her daughter Leilani doesn’t seem to think so. Raising her daughter has been a challenge, one that has tested the bonds of their love. When Leilani meets Hotu, a heartbreaker, Materena must decide what’s best for her daughter.
F WEBER
Weber, Carl. So you call yourself a man. New York : London : Dafina ; Turnaround [distributor], 2006.
James Robinson’s marriage had weathered some tough times, but lately, things had been better, and hotter, than ever. Then the not-so-distant past caught up with him when a woman he’d had a brief affair with showed up with a toddler in tow. Now he had to decide whether to tell his wife the truth, or keep the affair a secret. The choice wouldn’t be so tough if he wasn’t falling in love with his newfound son.
F WRIGHT
Wright, Stephen, 1946-. The Amalgamation Polka. 1st ed. New York : Alfred A. Knopf, p2006.
Born in 1844 in bucolic upstate New York, Liberty Fish is the son of fervent abolitionists as well as the grandson of Carolina slaveholders even more dedicated to their cause. Thus follows a childhood limned with fugitive slaves moving through hidden passageways in the house, his Uncle Potter’s free-soil adventure stories whose remarkable violence sets the tone of the mounting national crisis, and the inevitable distress that befalls his mother whenever letters arrive from her parents—a conflict that ultimately costs her her life and compels Liberty, in hopes of reconciling the familial disunion, to escape first into the cauldron of war and then into a bedlam more disturbing still.
NON-FICTION
028 COR
Corrigan, Maureen. Leave me alone, I’m reading : finding and losing myself in books. 1st ed. New York : Random House, c2005.
Book reviewer and author Maureen Corrigan shares her life-long love of books, exploring how certain books influenced her life.
133.5 BOB
Bobrick, Benson, 1947-. The fated sky : astrology in history. New York : Simon & Schuster, c2005.
Presents six thousand years of astrology history, examines the influence of the stars on the ancient Babylonians and other cultures, describes the great thinkers and writers of Rome, Greece, Egypt and Persia, and traces astrology through Western thought.
155.7 RID
Ridley, Matt. The agile gene : how nature turns on nurture. 1stPerennial ed. New York : Perennial, 2004.
Ridley recounts the hundred years’ war between the partisans of nature and nurture to explain how this paradoxical creature, the human being, can be simultaneously free-willed and motivated by instinct and culture. With the decoding of the human genome, we now know that genes not only predetermine the broad structure of the brain, they also absorb formative experiences, react to social cues, and even run memory. They are consequences as well as causes of the will.
179 CAR
Carlomagno, Mary. Give it up : my year of learning to live better with less. New York : W. Morrow, 2006.
“Giving It Up” approaches the self-improvement, makeover trends from a new angle: improving ourselves from the inside out. For one month each, Mary Carlomagno gives up alcohol, shopping, elevators, newspapers, cell phones, dining out, television, taxis, coffee, cursing, chocolate, and multi-tasking. In doing so, she gains a deeper appreciation for what she has, and for the world around her. “Giving It Up” is a wake up call to think, to understand, and to enjoy the lives that we live.
270 STA
Stark, Rodney. The victory of reason : how Christianity led to freedom, capitalism, and Western success. 1st ed. New York : Random House, c2005.
Presents the author’s view of how Christianity shaped the development of the Western world, suggesting that Christianity—with rational thought and its related institutions—was directly responsible for the important intellectual, political, and scientific breakthroughs in history.
302 SIE
Siegel, Marc. False alarm : the truth about the epidemic of fear. Hoboken, NJ : John Wiley & Sons, c2005.
Examines the culture of fear, focusing on how the government, the media, and drug makers have created a society living in fear of illness, attack, and government regulation, and recounting some of the most sensational false alarms of the past few years.
305.42 JON
Jones, Star. Shine! : a physical, emotional, and spiritual journey to finding love. 1st ed. New York : Collins, c2006.
Television personality Star Jones Reynolds shares how she overcame depression, obesity, and a bleak love life to build the life she has always dreamed of having, and offers advice to others who are unhappy with their health, career, or relationships.
306.84 SAV
Savage, Dan. The commitment : love, sex, marriage, and my family. New York : Dutton, c2004.
Dan Savage recounts his family’s campaign to convince him and his boyfriend, Terry, to get married, and explores how his family’s attitudes towards gay marriage reflect those of contemporary American society.
306.872 MEA
Mead-Ferro, Muffy. Confessions of a slacker wife. 1st Da CapoPress ed. Cambridge, MA : Da Capo Lifelong Books, 2005.
Mead-Ferro offers this collection of observations on what it means to be a wife in 21st-century America. Naturally, her commentaries frequently size up the role of the modern-day husband and father and whether or how far feminism has carried both sexes in terms of their daily interactions and responsibilities in the family. With her background in advertising, the author also imparts her insight into what’s really behind our obsession with cleanliness, female beauty, and Martha Stewart-style entertaining.
324.2734 HAC
Hacker, Jacob S. Off center : the Republican revolution and the erosion of American democracy. New Haven : Yale University Press, c2005.
Reelected by a narrow margin, President Bush has refashioned the conservative agenda into extreme policies that are not popular with the majority of the electorate or even with the shrinking number of moderate conservative legislators, claim Hacker and Pierson. The disconnect between the Bush administration and voters is illuminated in this investigation, which concludes that the electorate has not become more conservative, but the President and Congress have. Tax cuts that favor the rich and proposals to privatize social security are unpopular but remain cornerstones of the conservative agenda because Far Right members of Congress, who are guaranteed reelection in their safe districts, are in control. Staunch conservatives now overwhelmingly represent the South, once the legislative home base of moderate congressional Democrats. This dramatic shift has been critical to the radical Right’s dominance. The authors say that correcting this political imbalance will require a revitalized labor movement, a larger middle class, and public demand for accountability from elected officials.
324.973 MOR
Morris, Dick. Condi vs. Hillary : the next great presidential race. 1st ed. New York : ReganBooks, c2005.
The author speculates on the possibility of a 2008 Presidential race between former First Lady and New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and maintains that of the two, Rice is the only one with the credentials and the credibility to lead the country.
330.973 PRI
Prins, Nomi. Other people’s money : the corporate mugging of America. New York : New Press : distributed by W.W. Norton & Co., 2004.
Until she quit in 2002, Prins (a senior fellow with the public policy center Demos) saw the sinister nexus of banking, large corporations, and politics from the inside as an upper-level manager at Goldman Sachs and other large finance firms. In this work she draws on that experience to expose the systemic corruption governing these relationships. Her main concern throughout the work is how years of banking deregulation pushed through Congress by pliant politicians have allowed such corruption to flourish, even if a few malefactors occasionally wind up serving jail sentences.
332.1 PAR
Parks, Tim. Medici money : banking, metaphysics, and art in fifteenth-century Florence. 1st ed. New York : Norton, c2005.
Presents an overview of the history of the Medici family, Florentine bankers and one of Europe’s great dynasties, including information on how they built a fortune in banking by lending money at interest.
332.63 GRE
Greenblatt, Joel. The little book that beats the market. Hoboken, N.J. : Wiley, c2006.
This is a short and simple book that convincingly explains how anyone can use a ‘magic formula’ to more than double the stock market’s return. The formula is new, unique, simple - encapsulating the best of Buffett. The incredibly robust results are a clear breakthrough in both the academic and professional world. The simple aspect is the key. As improbable as it may seem, all readers will learn to ‘beat the market’. First, readers will learn a magic formula . The formula is simple, makes perfect sense, and with it, they can beat the market, the professionals and the academics by a wide margin. And they can do it with low risk. The formula has worked for many decades and will continue to work even after everyone knows it.
363.32 DER
Dershowitz, Alan M. Preemption : a knife that cuts both ways. 1st ed. New York : W.W. Norton, c2006.
Second in the publisher’s challenging new “Issues of Our Times” series, this work by the ever-ready Dershowitz questions our move (particularly noticeable post-9/11) toward preventive action in the sociopolitical arena. Library Journal
363.738 FLA
Flannery, Tim F. (Tim Fridtjof), 1956-. The weather makers : how man is changing the climate and what it means for life on Earth. 1st American ed. New York : Atlantic Monthly Press, c2005.
Flannery offers an urgent warning and a call to arms regarding what he describes as a global climatic tipping point. He outlines the history of climate change, how it will unfold over the next century, and what we can do to prevent a cataclysmic future. Along with a history of how climate change has shaped our planet’s evolution, he offers specific suggestions for action for both lawmakers and individuals.
510 ACZ
Aczel, Amir D. Descartes’ secret notebook : a true tale of mathematics, mysticism, and a quest to understand the universe. New York : Broadway Books, c2005.
Explores the mysterious work of seventeenth-century French philosopher and mathematician Rene Descartes, and examines his mathematical theories and his understanding of the order and mystery of the cosmos.
612.8 AND
Andreasen, Nancy C. The creating brain : the neuroscience of genius. New York : Dana Press, c2005.
Scientist’s increasing understanding of the brain’s plasticity suggests even more possibilities for nurturing the creative drive, and Andreasen looks ahead to exciting implications for child-rearing and education. “The Creating Brain” presents an inspiring vision for a future where everyone—not just artists or writers—can fulfill their creative capacity.
614.5 TAY
Tayman, John. The Colony. New York : Scribner, c2006.
Tayman presents the true story of the American leprosy colony on the Hawaiian island of Molokai during the mid-1800s and of the people who managed to survive under very hard circumstances.
616.89 SCU
Scull, Andrew T. Madhouse : a tragic tale of megalomania and modern medicine. New Haven [Conn.] : Yale University Press, c2005.
Recounts early-twentieth-century American psychiatrist Henry Cotton’s campaign to eliminate psychosis, which he believed was caused by chronic infections, by removing people’s teeth, tonsils, stomachs, spleens, colons, and uteruses.
636.5 DAV
Davis, Mike, 1946-. The monster at our door : the global threat of avian flu. New York : New Press : Distributed by W.W. Norton, 2005.
Traces the scientific and political history of avian flu, describing how, in 1918, a pandemic strain of avian flu killed more than forty million people in less than three months, and revealing how another strain could threaten the world in the future.
641.5945 PUP
Pupella, Eufemia Azzolina. Sicilian cookery. Florence, Italy : Casa Editrice Bonechi, c1998.
An original portrait that includes 212 illustrated regional recipes that range from appetizers to fantastic fish dishes and refined desserts. While writing this book the author checked through all recipes paying the utmost attention to clarity of instruction. Moreover the recipes are richly illustrated with splendid pictures, specially taken, to guide you through the great Sicilian cookery tradition. Many annotations, variations and suggestions together with brief historical notes about the dishes’ origin complete this culinary dream. From the Publisher
711 MCG
McGregor, James H. (James Harvey), 1946-. Rome from the ground up. Cambridge, Mass. : Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2005.
Examines the architectural, historical, political, and social background of the city of Rome from its ancient beginnings, and discusses the many changes it has undergone over the centuries.
786.7 ART
The art of digital music : 56 visionary artists & insiders reveal their creative secrets. San Francisco : Backbeat Books, c2005.
Through practical, hands-on production tips, case studies, extensive graphics, and in-depth interviews, the authors explore the creative freedom new digital technology tools afford the art of music. In addition to artist interviews, this volume features discussions with technological pioneers - the producers, engineers, software wizards, and Internet visionaries who are shaping the sound of the future. In addition to audio examples, the accompanying DVD features tours of artists’ studios.
795.412 GRO
Grotenstein, Jonathan, 1970-. All in : the (almost) entirely true story of the World Series of Poker. 1st ed. New York : Thomas Dunne Books, 2005.
The game of poker has become a national obsession to the point of even having a World Series championship game. The 2005 tournament was covered by reporters from around the world and televised on ‘ESPN’. In this exciting history, the authors use first-hand interviews and written accounts to offer an entertaining story of the greatest tournament in the world, from its humble beginnings as a second-tier casino’s publicity stunt in 1970, to the most coveted crown in a game that’s swept the planet.
920 MAN
Manseau, Peter. Vows : the story of a priest, a nun, and their son. New York : Free Press, c2005.
Peter Manseau chronicles his parents’ relationship, explaining how, in 1969, his father, a Catholic priest, married his mother, a former nun, and explores how their decision to marry despite strict Church rules impacted his own spirituality.
921 ALEXANDER
Radzinski„i, …Edvard. Alexander II : the last great tsar. New York : Free Press, c2005.
The author presents a biography of Alexander II, Tsar of Russia from 1855 to 1881, describing his childhood, his education, and his political and military career.
921 DELLA ROVERE
Murphy, Caroline, 1969-. The pope’s daughter. Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2005.
Caroline Murphy chronicles the life of Filice Della Rovere, the illegitimate daughter of Pope Julius II, focusing on how she became one of the most powerful and accomplished women of the Italian Renaissance.
921 JUDD
Judd, Wynonna, 1964-. Coming home to myself. New York : New American Library, c2005.
“Coming Home to Myself” is the result of Wynonna’s emotional journey to personal discovery that taught her to love not just what she does, but who she is. It’s a candid memoir of professional triumph, heartbreak, and personal victory in her private search for harmony and a very public rise to fame. Hers is an empowering message certain to resonate with those who have dreamed of finding themselves, and who only need the courage and inspiration to begin their own journey.
921 PETERSON
Rocha, Sharon. For Laci. 1st ed. New York : Crown Publishers, c2006.
At the time of her disappearance, Laci was twenty-seven years old, seven and a half months pregnant, and a vibrant presence in the lives of everyone who knew her. How, Sharon wondered, could Laci so suddenly become a missing person? That very word missing seemed premature, somehow suspect. From that first moment, Sharon knew with a mother’s instinct that something—beyond the alarming news itself—was terribly wrong. As the world now knows, she was right. Nearly two years after that night, a jury in the State of California found Scott Peterson guilty of the murder of his wife and their unborn son, Conner.
921 SMITH
Smith, Mary-Ann Tirone, 1944-. Girls of tender age : a memoir. New York : Free Press, c2006.
Mary-Ann Tirone Smith chronicles her French-Italian family’s struggle to survive in a housing project in Hartford, Connecticut, in the years following World War II.
921 SPRINGSTEEN
Guterman, Jimmy. Runaway American dream : listening to Bruce Springsteen. 1st Da Capo Press ed. Cambridge, MA : Da Capo Press, 2005.
Guterman presents an overview of the music career of Bruce Springsteen, providing interpretations of his songs and context on his influence on music culture at large.
921 STEWART
Allen, Lloyd. Being Martha : the inside story of Martha Stewart. Hoboken, NJ : Wiley, c2006.
Allen, a longstanding friend and former neighbor of Martha Stewart, offers unprecedented insider access and interviews that reveal the other side of one of the world’s most controversial icons. Following the media coverage of Martha’s recent misfortune, Allen did not recognize the woman they portrayed as a cold-hearted social climber with an out-of-control temper. The Martha Stewart he knew was generous, fun, and down-to-earth. With”Being Martha,” he sets the record straight, sharing never-before told stories, observations, and details about the’real’ Martha Stewart.
921 TWAIN
Powers, Ron. Mark Twain : a life. New York : Free Press, c2005.
Presents a biography of nineteenth-century American writer and humorist, Mark Twain, and chronicles his personal and professional life, including information on the landscape and events of his day, describing Twain as he lived.
938 HAN
Hanson, Victor Davis. A war like no other : how the Athenians and Spartans fought the Peloponnesian War. New York : Random House, c2005.
The author examines the twenty-seven-year Peloponnesian War that ended with the collapse of Athens to Sparta during the fifth century B.C., and describes the political background of the time, strategies and tactics imposed by both sides, and the parallels between the Peloponnesian War and modern-day conflicts.
956.9405 MIL
Miller, Jen. Inheriting the Holy Land : an American’s search for hope in the Middle East. 1st ed. New York : Ballantine, c2005.
The author describes her experiences working with young Palestinians, Israelis, Egyptians, and Jordanians and their views concerning on ongoing Middle Eastern crisis.
973.7 WIC VT COLL
Wickman, Donald H. (Donald Harvey), 1953-. We are coming Father Abra’am : the history of the 9th Vermont volunteer infantry. Lynchburg, VA : Schroeder Publications, c2005.
Though the 9th Vermont did not belong to the renowned ‘Vermont Brigade´or the 2nd Vermont Brigade made famous in blunting Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg on July 3, 1863, the regiment still has a noteworthy history. Through the use of many primary source documents, the story of the regiment is told. It is not limited to a tale of the unit, but the 1,878 men who served in the ranks and experienced the soldier’s life as it became one of the most traveled Federal infantry regiments.
MEDIA
CD LOV
Lovelace, Delos Wheeler, 1894-1967. King Kong. Special Blackstone collector’s ed. Ashland, Oregon : Blackstone Audiobooks, p2005.
Rudnicki provides his melodious baritone to this novelization of the classic movie, King Kong, which is pretty much the 1933 screenplay, scene for scene. Rudnicki presents the story in a straightforward, no-nonsense manner. He keeps his characterizations diverse but restrained, even when dealing with the natives on Skull Island and their 1930s fabricated language. He maintains a solid, respectful tone for the somewhat dated and melodramatic prose and provides a fine, laid-back performance. Even more enjoyable are the commentaries found on disc five. Of the commentators presenting their thoughts on the film, Ray Bradbury and Ray Harryhausen give the most reverent testimonies, crediting their viewing of the original King Kong as a life-changing event. In contrast, Orson Scott Card states that he just doesn’t get all the hubbub. For him, the film, with its primitive-by-today’s-standards animation, is “a complete bust.” With curmudgeonly charm, the most humorous commentary goes to Harlan Ellison, who praises the original 1933 film and vilifies those who would seek to remake it. The other commentators (including Larry Niven, Catherine Asaro, Jack Williamson, Marc Scott Zicree) offer various insights to Kong, but most tend to be fond tributes to this ultimate tale of the beast and his beauty. Publisher’s Weekly
CD ROB
Roberts, Nora. Blue smoke. Unabridged. Grand Haven, MI : Brilliance Audio, p2005. Read by Joyce Bean.
The blaze that night at her family’s pizzeria changed young Reena Hale’s life. Now as a fire investigator, she tries desperately to trace the origins of the taunting phone calls she’s receiving, the fires, and the hatred aimed in her direction. In doing so, she will step into the worst inferno she has ever faced.
CD ROW
Rowe, Sean. Fever : a novel. [Old Saybrook, CT] : Tantor Media,
p2005.
Read by William Dufris. Matt “Loose Cannon” Shannon is an ex-FBI agent turned head of security for the world’s largest cruise line. It’s a career move that owes more to his predilection for the bottle and a few well hidden skeletons than his fondness for the Miami sun. Fever is the story of Shannon’s race to unravel the deadly labyrinth. With the help of a mysterious woman and his own instincts, he finds the one path that might allow him to survive.
CD SMI
Smith, Betty, 1896-1972. A tree grows in Brooklyn. Unabridged.
[Ashland, Or.] : Blackstone Audiobooks, p2005.
Read by Anna Fields. Young Francie Nolan, having inherited both her father’s romantic and her mother’s practical nature, struggles to survive and thrive growing up in the slums of Brooklyn in the early twentieth century.
CD SWA
Swarup, Vikas. Q & A : a novel. Auburn, CA: Audio Partners
Publishing Corp., 2005.
Read by Kerry Shale. Ram Mohammad Thomas may be in jail, but he is not a criminal. A penniless 18-year-old waiter from the slums of India, Ram appeared to be on the path to wealth when he correctly answered 12 questions on the TV show “Who Wants to Win a Billion? The show’s producers bribe the police to arrest him for cheating, and as Ram’s lawyer rescues him from prison, he also extracts Ram’s amazing life-story and a captivating portrait of 21st-century India.
