FICTION:
F ALBOM
Albom, Mitch, 1958-. For one more day. New York : Hyperion, c2006.
As a child, Charley was forced to choose between his mother and his father when they divorced. Now grown and with a family of his own, he leaves his mother to secretly spend time with his father. When she dies while he’s gone, he’s plagued with guilt, becomes depressed, and turns to alcohol. Attempting suicide, he’s met between this world and the next by his mother and gets to spend one last day with her. In doing so, he discovers how much he wants to live.
F ATWOOD
Atwood, Margaret Eleanor, 1939-. Moral disorder. 1st ed. New York : Nan A. Talese, c2006.
Moral Disorder is a novel broken down into ten stories that reassemble a series of moments in the lives of various characters over several decades. The settings are also varied. It includes stories entitled: The Bad News, The Art of Cooking and Serving, The Headless Horseman, My Last Duchess, The Other Place, Monopoly, Moral Disorder, The Entities, The Labrador Fiasco, and The Boys at the Lab. These funny, lyrical, incisive, tragic, earthy, shocking, and deeply personal stories celebrate Atwood’s storytelling gifts and unmistakable style.
F BAER
Baer, Robert. Blow the house down : a novel. 1st ed. New York : Crown Publishers, c2006.
CIA officer Max Waller has spent years investigating the abduction and murder of his Agency mentor, and when he finds a photograph of his top suspect standing next to Osama bin Laden, Max becomes suspicious and believes he may have finally uncovered the real reason his mentor was killed.
F BALDACCI
Baldacci, David. The collectors. 1st ed. New York : Warner Books, 2006.
The assassination of the Speaker of the House sets the members of the Camel Club in a race to prevent a silent yet bloody coup in Washington.
F BEATON MYSTERY
Beaton, M. C. Love, lies, and liquor : an Agatha Raisin mystery. 1st ed. New York : St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2006.
Agatha Raisin should have known that a seaside vacation with her ex- husband would not be fun. Not only is their destination a rundown town called Snoth-on-Sea, but a woman staying in the same hotel as they are is murdered and Agatha is pegged as the prime suspect. Unless she wants to handle all her future cases from inside a prison cell, she’ll have to solve this murder fast.
F BLOOM MYSTERY
Bloom, Elizabeth, 1969-. The mortician’s daughter. 1st ed. New York : Mysterious Press, c2006.
Suspended New York policewoman Ginny Lavoie returns to her small hometown in New England to help discover who murdered her childhood best friend’s teenage son, and must deal not only with attempts on her life, but the past she tried to hard to leave behind.
F BONILLA
Bonilla, Juan. The nubian prince : a novel. New York : Metropolitan, 2006.
Moises, a former drama student living with his dysfunctional parents in Madrid, tells the story of his strange career. During a brief stint as a documentary photographer, Moises meets a ‘model hunter’ and eventually becomes one himself. His job is to ‘rescue’ the most physically beautiful among the world’s most desperate, which includes bankrupt Argentines and Albanian refugees, and turn them into sex machines. Aware that he works for a prostitution agency, Moises tries to convince himself that he is ultimately saving lives.
F BROOKS FANTASY
Brooks, Terry. Armageddon’s children. 1st ed. New York : Del Rey, 2006.
Terry Brooks is one of a handful of writers whose work defines modern fantasy fiction. His twenty-three international bestsellers have ranged from the beloved ‘Shannara’ series to stories that tread a much darker path. Armageddon’s Children is a new creation - the perfect opportunity for readers unfamiliar with Brooks’ previous work to experience an author at the height of his considerable storytelling powers. It is a gripping chronicle of a once-familiar world now spun shockingly out of control, in which an extraordinary few struggle to salvage hope in the face of terrifying chaos. Logan Tom is doomed to remember the past and determined to rescue the future. Far behind him lies a boyhood cut violently short by his family’s slaughter, when the forces of madness and hate swept our world after decadent excesses led to civilization’s downfall. Somewhere ahead of him rests the only chance to beat back the minions of evil that are systematically killing and enslaving the last remnants of humanity. Navigating the scarred and poisoned landscape that once was America and guided by a powerful talisman, Logan has sworn an oath to seek out a remarkable being born of magic, possessed of untold abilities, and destined to lead the final fight against darkness.
F COHEN
Cohen, William S. Dragon fire. 1st ed. New York : Forge, 2006.
Former senator and POW Michael Patrick Santini is pulled from his Wall Street firm to lead the Pentagon’s investigation into the murder of the Secretary of Defense, and uncovers a terrorist plot to undermine the United States government.
F DOOGAN MYSTERY
Doogan, Mike. Lost angel : a Nik Kane Alaska mystery. New York : G. P. Putnam’s Sons, c2006.
Free after seven years in prison on a false conviction, policeman turned private investigator Nik Kane travels to a remote religious community in Alaska to search for the teenage daughter of one of the town’s leaders.
F EGAN
Egan, Jennifer. The keep. 1st ed. New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2006.
Two cousins, irreversibly changed by a childhood prank whose devastating consequences changed both their lives, reunite twenty years later to renovate a medieval castle in Eastern Europe, where the men re-enact the single event of their youth, with even more catastrophic results.
F FAULKS
Faulks, Sebastian. Human traces : a novel. 1st ed. New York : Random House, 2006.
Jacques Rebiere and Thomas Midwinter came together in an attempt to understand how the mind worked and whether insanity might one day be treatable. Their search is made urgent because of Jacques’ brother, who suffers from an as yet unnamed illness. As psychiatrists, their quest takes them from the squalor of the Victorian lunatic asylum to the crowded lecture halls of the renowned professor Charcot in Paris, to California and the plains of Africa.
F FORSYTH
Forsyth, Frederick, 1938-. The Afghan. New York : G.P. Putnam’s Sons, c2006.
Colonel Mike Martin poses as Afghan terrorist Izmat Khan in order to help American and British intelligence gain information about an impending Al Qaeda attack.
F FRANCIS MYSTERY
Francis, Dick. Under orders. New York : G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2006.
Death at the races is not uncommon. But three in one day, including the Cheltenham Gold Cup winning horse and a champion jockey, is more than enough to raise suspicions. Sid Halley finds there are several reasons why someone had set their sights on Huv Walker. Now Sid himself, a former jockey-turned detective, could be next on a killer’s to-do list.
F GIMENEZ MYSTERY
Giménez, Bartlett, Alicia. Dog day. New York, NY : Europa editions, c2006.
In this hardboiled fiction for dog lovers and lovers of dog mysteries, detective Petra Delicado and her maladroit sidekick, Garzon, investigate the murder of a tramp whose only friend is a mongrel dog named “Fright.” One murder leads to another and Delicado finds herself involved in the sordid, dangerous world of fight dogs.
F GRUEN
Gruen, Sara. Water for elephants : a novel. 1st ed. Chapel Hill, N.C. : Algonquin Books, 2006.
Ninety-year-old Jacob Jankowski finds himself haunted by memories of his past in the circus and the freaks, exotic animals, and other people he encountered as a performer.
F HAMILTON
Hamilton, Steve, 1961-. A stolen season : an Alex McKnight novel. 1st ed. New York : Thomas Dunne Books, 2006.
While standing on the edge of Lake Superior waiting for the 4th of July fireworks display to start Alex McKnight and his former partner, Leon, witness an antique wooden boat run into a line of old railroad pilings. Racing to rescue the occupants, they discover three men. When the men are taken away in an ambulance Alex figures he’ll never see them again. He couldn’t be more wrong! Soon, he’ll face the darkest hour of his life and have his character tested.
F HARPER
Harper, Tom, 1977-. Knights of the cross : a novel of the Crusades. New York : Thomas Dunne Books, 2006.
As the First Crusaders are stuck in an interminable siege of Turk-held Antioch, Demetrios Askiates, a Greek assigned as scribe to the Byzantine emperor’s representative, must once again play detective. The discovery of a Norman knight with his throat slit and bearing unusual markings on his corpse threatens the shaky alliance among the varied European armies of the First Crusade. Amid battles and political intrigues, Demetrios desperately pursues the few clues he has, even as the late Norman knight’s companions, who may have joined him in promoting a new heretical sect, also turn up dead.
F JOSS
Joss, Morag. Puccini’s ghosts. Delacorte Press hardcover ed. New York : Delacorte Press, 2006.
Set in the summer of 1960, Joss’ latest book revolves around a dysfunctional rural English family with a chronically depressed mother, Flossie (or Fleur, as she pretentiously prefers), who never quite succeeded as an opera singer, though she has trouble admitting that. When Flossie’s flamboyant music-teacher brother comes to town, he decides that staging a community production of Giacomo Puccini’s opera Turandot would be the perfect thing to snap his sister out her lethargy. Amazingly, he generates community-wide enthusiasm for the effort. Unfortunately, the growing infatuation of Flossie’s 15-year-old daughter Lila with a lead singer from London triggers a disastrous chain of events. Moving back and forth in time from 1960 to the present, the narrative fills the reader with a sense of impending doom long before the characters suspect anything is wrong. Library Journal
F KLIMASEWISKI
Klimasewiski, Marshall N. The cottagers. 1st ed. New York : W.W. Norton, c2006.
Cyrus Coddington, age nineteen, suspects that he may be a genius without a calling. A year-round resident of East Sooke, Vancouver Island, he has a natural resentment for the summer cottagers who descend on its rocky beaches. When two vacationing American couples arrive, they become his obsession. The husbands are engaged in an academic collaboration that looks more like competition; the wives are old friends who have grown apart and developed a strange jealousy. Cyrus spies on the cottagers through their windows, then begins to insinuate himself into their lives. When one of the cottagers goes missing, no one will look at any of the others the same way again.—From publisher description.
F KOONTZ
Koontz, I. Michael, 1963-. Under cloak of darkness : the story of John Apparite. 1st ed. Waterville, Me. : Five Star, 2006.
After being recruited by an ultrasecret organization whose existence is known only to elite D.C. brass and whose religion “is to kill or be killed,” Apparite undergoes weeks of rigorous training that includes a practice brawl with barroom toughs and a butcher shop massacre of Mafiosi selling scandalous photos of his hero, J. Edgar Hoover. Apparite’s new boss, the inscrutable, superpatriotic “Director,” orders him to liquidate Robert Kramer, an atomic scientist living in London who possesses the secrets of rocket-firing submarines, before Kramer defects to the Soviets. Apparite soon finds himself caught up in a violent world that contrasts with the novel’s many nostalgic touches of life in the Eisenhower era. Publisher’s Weekly
F LAWHEAD FANTASY
Lawhead, Steve. Hood. Nashville, Tenn. : WestBow Press, c2006.
While living deep in the forest, Bran ap Brychan, heir to the throne of Elfael, fights against the Norman invaders who killed his father, took control of his land, and enslaved his people, and, in doing so, transforms from a selfish boy into a heroic leader.
F LECARRE
Le Carré, John, 1931-. The mission song. 1st ed. New York : Little, Brown and Co., 2006.
Bruno ‘Salvo’ Salvador, a naive young interpreter, had been abandoned by both his parents. Perhaps his longing for someone to guide his life is what caused him to fall under the influence of Mr. Anderson, of British Intelligence. Working for Anderson in a clandestine facility, he’s dispatched by Anderson to a mysterious island to interpret a secret conference. Salvo thinks he’s helping Britain bring peace to a bloody corner of the world. Then he begins to hear things not intended for his ears.
F LUSTBADER
Lustbader, Eric. The Bravo testament. 1st ed. New York : ForgeBooks/Tom Doherty Associates, 2006.
Braverman ‘Bravo’ Shaw knew his father had secrets, but it wasn’t until after his father died that Bravo discovered what they were. He had been a high-ranking member of a sect founded by followers of St. Francis of Assisi, who had preserved a cache of documents, including a long-lost Testament attributed to Christ that would shake Christianity to its foundations. Now Bravo had to protect the document from those who wished to obtain it for their own purposes and would even commit murder to get it.
F MACOMBER
Macomber, Debbie. Shirley, Goodness and Mercy. Don Mills, Ont. : MIRA Books, c1999.
Greg knows he’s made mistakes, hurt people, failed in all the ways that matter. As a young man, he fathered a child he never acknowledged. He deserted a friend in his hour of need. He abandoned his own brother, whom he hasn’t seen in years. Listlessly wandering the streets of San Francisco, Greg finds himself in a church—and whispers a simple heartfelt prayer - a prayer that wends its way to the Archangel Gabriel, who assigns his favorite angels, Shirley, Goodness and Mercy, to Greg Bennett’s case, because Gabriel knows full well that Greg’s going to need the assistance of all three!
F MCCALLSMITH MYSTERY
McCall Smith, Alexander, [R. Alexander], 1948-. The right attitude to rain. New York : Pantheon, 2006.
In this, the third installment of the Sunday Philosophy Club series, many things do not change in the world of Isabel Dalhousie. One thing in particular is her friendship with Jamie, a young musician with affection for Isabel’s niece, Cat. Cat however, is becoming involved with a young man who Isabel feels is totally wrong for her. Should she tell her? This is just one of two philosophical issues of truth-telling Isabel faces as life continues in Edinburgh.
F MCGOWAN
McGowan, Kathleen. The expected one. New York : Simon & Schuster, 2006.
Two thousand years ago, Mary Magdalene hid a set of scrolls in the rocky foothills of the French Pyrenees, a gospel that contained her own version of the events and characters of the New Testament. Protected by supernatural forces, these sacred scrolls could be uncovered only by a special seeker, one who fulfills the ancient prophecy of The Expected One. When journalist Maureen Pascal begins the research for a new book, she has no idea that she is stepping into an ancient mystery so secret, so revolutionary, that thousands have killed and died for it. Maureen’s journey takes her from the dusty streets of Jerusalem to the cathedrals of Paris—and ultimately to search for the scrolls themselves.
F MELTZER
Meltzer, Brad. The book of fate. 1st ed. New York : Warner Books, 2006.
Little did Wes Holloway know that when he put the president’s oldest friend, Ron Boyle, into the presidential limousine, that they were both targets of a crazed assassin. By the end of the trip, Wes was permanently disfigured, and Boyle was dead. Or, was he? When he’s spotted alive eight years later, Wes is determined to find out what really happened that fateful day and how it was connected to Masonic history and a 200-year-old secret code invented by Thomas Jefferson.
F MICHAELS
Michaels, Fern. Fool me once. New York : Kensington Books, 2006.
Olivia Lowell has just learned that the mother she had been told by her father had died during childbirth, had only recently died, leaving her a fortune. The money, however, came with a caveat and a confession. Now, to carry out her mother’s dying wish, she’s searching for two of the woman’s college friends with the help of a handsome young lawyer. Along the way she discovers who her mother really was, and who she, too, is meant to be.
F OBRIEN
O’Brien, Edna. The light of evening. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 2006.
Dilly, 78 and widowed, lies in a Catholic hospital in rural Ireland waiting for her elder daughter, Eleanora, to arrive at her bedside. In gorgeous stream-of-consciousness from the masterful O’Brien, Dilly recalls her early years as well as decades of misunderstanding and conflict with Eleanora. Dilly’s past unfolds in fits and starts: she leaves her mother behind in a small village in Ireland to seek a better life in 1920s Brooklyn, returning after a failed affair and the death of her brother, Michael. She promptly marries the rich Cornelius; they settle at Rusheen, his dilapidated family estate, and have two children. For Eleanora’s story, O’Brien shifts to the third person: the daughter moves to England, marries an older novelist and begins a successful career as a writer before divorcing him and embarking on a series of affairs with married men, a life that Dilly both envies and scorns.
F PADURA
Padura, Leonardo. Havana black. London : Bitter Lemon, 2006.
The brutally mutilated body of Miguel Forcade is discovered washed up on a Havana beach. Head smashed in by a baseball bat, genitals cut off by a dull knife. Forcade was once responsible for the confiscation of art works from the bourgeoisie fleeing the revolution. Had he really returned from exile just to visit his ailing father? The novel evokes the disillusion of a generation, many of them veterans of the war in Angola, discovering the corruption of those who preceded them. Yet it is a eulogy of Cuba, its life of music, sex and the great friendships of the people who elected to stay and fight for survival.
F PESSL MYSTERY
Pessl, Marisha. Special topics in calamity physics. New York : Viking, 2006.
Sixteen-year-old Blue van Meer and her professor father settle into North Carolina after a decade of moves, where she becomes a part of an elite group of student intellectuals and is rocked by the suspicious death of their mentor, film studies teacher Hannah Schneider, whose murder she tries to solve.
F PITLOR
Pitlor, Heidi. The birthdays : a novel. 1st ed. New York : W.W. Norton & Co., c2006.
As the Miller family reunites to celebrate the father’s 75th birthday, it should be a happy time, especially since each of the adult children is expecting a first child. Unfortunately, the circumstances surrounding those expected children, and the fact that each adult child is at a crossroads in life, causes the event to be tense and stress- filled. Then something shattering happens from which no one will emerge the same.
F POWER MYSTERY
Power, Jo-Ann. Missing member : a me & Mr. Jones mystery. 1st ed. New York : Thomas Dunne Books, 2006.
In her hardcover debut, Power brings readers the first book in a sly and sassy mystery series featuring the gorgeous, feisty Carly Wagner, a Congresswoman from Texas with down-home smarts and political polish. The former Miss Texas beauty queen’s political career is threatened when she walks into her office one morning and finds her party’s second most powerful man dead in her office chair. She gets some help in solving the crime from a handsome man with toys like James Bond, who calls himself Mr. Jones.
F PRESSFIELD
Pressfield, Steven. The Afghan campaign. 1st ed. New York : Doubleday, c2006.
This tale told from the perspective of Matthias, an infantry soldier, relays the story of Alexander the Great’s campaign to invade and conquer Afghanistan only to find that the Afghan army will not be toppled easily. It eerily mirrors the present day conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Matthias gives readers day-to-day details about fighting a war in 331 B.C. and shows the fear, horror, and bravery of the average foot soldier, both then and now.
F REILLY
Reilly, Rick. Shanks for nothing. 1st ed. New York : Doubleday, c2006.
Raymond “Stick” Hart and his regular fivesome, the chops, enjoy the occasional, somewhat unconventional golfing wager. Now, however, their freewheeling approach to the gentlemanly game is at risk: the owner wants to sell Ponky, renowned as “America’s worst golf links,” to the blue-blood country club next door, whose members intend to turn it into a parking lot.
F SILVA
Silva, Daniel, 1960-. The messenger. New York : G.P. Putnam’s Sons, c2006.
Art restorer and spy Gabriel Allon is recovering from his last run-in with a Palestinian terrorist when he receives information that al-Qaeda is planning an attack on the Vatican, and he rushes to Rome—racing against time and an unknown enemy in an effort to head-off disaster.
F STEINHAUR
Steinhauer, Olen. Liberation movements. 1st ed. New York : St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2006.
The year is 1975, and one of the People’s Militia homicide investigators is on a plane out of the capital, bound for Istanbul. The plane is hijacked by Armenian terrorists, but before the Turkish authorities can fulfill their demands, the plane explodes in midair. Two investigators—Gavra Noukas, a secret policeman, and Katja Drdova, a homicide detective—are assigned to the case. Both believe that Brano Sev, their enigmatic superior and himself a career secret policeman, is keeping them in the dark both about the details of the case and all its players and about the true motives of their investigation, but they can’t figure out why.
F TUSSING
Tussing, Justin. The best people in the world : a novel. 1st ed. New York : HarperCollins, c2006.
Seventeen-year-old Paducah, Kentucky, resident Thomas feels trapped in his small town and longs to get away, but when he falls in love with his new history teacher, Thomas feels the world opening up as he, his teacher, and the town misfit flee for rural Vermont, where the trio creates their own community and live by their own rules.
NON-FICTION:
133.909 BLU
Blum, Deborah, 1954-. Ghost hunters : William James and the search for scientific proof of life after death. New York : Penguin Press, 2006.
At the close of the 19th century, William James, a philosopher and founder of the American Psychological Association, announced that he believed in ghosts and embarked on a pursuit of scientific evidence to prove the existence of the spiritual realm. James' research caused him to stake his reputation, his career, and even his sanity on one of the most extraordinary psychological quests ever undertaken. What they pursued, and what they found, raises questions as fascinating today as they were then.
155.9 REQ
Requarth, Margo. After a parent’s suicide : helping children heal. 1st ed. Sebastopol, CA : Healing Hearts Press, c2006.
This book is targeted to parents who have lost a partner to suicide. Besides sharing the poignant story of her mother’s suicide and its impact on her, Requarth summarizes current research on suicide, explores the increased risk of mental health issues for child survivors, and explains some of the prevailing assumptions about suicide cases. At the book’s heart, however, are the author’s superb explanations of how to explain suicide to children and how children grieve, how grief impacts adolescents, the natural stages of grief, funeral rituals and religious and spiritual perspectives on suicide, and how to help children return to normalcy. Library Journal
200 HAR
Harris, Sam, 1967-. The end of faith : religion, terror, and the future of reason. 1st Norton pbk. New York : W.W. Norton & Co., 2005.
Harris offers a vivid historical tour of mankind’s willingness to suspend reason in favor of religious beliefs, even when those beliefs are used to justify harmful behavior and sometimes heinous crimes. He asserts that in the shadow of weapons of mass destruction, we can no longer tolerate views that pit one true god against another. Most controversially, he argues that we cannot afford moderate lip service to religion - an accommodation that only blinds us to the real perils of fundamentalism. While warning against the encroachment of organized religion into world politics, Harris also draws on new evidence from neuroscience and insights from philosophy to explore spirituality as a biological, brain-based need. He calls on us to invoke that need in taking a secular humanistic approach to solving the problems of this world.
204 DYE
Dyer, Wayne W. Inspiration : your ultimate calling. Carlsbad, CA : Hay House, c2006.
Dyer argues that everyone on Earth has the power and capacity to choose their own destiny and life a spiritual, fulfilling life.
303.3 CAL
Callahan, David, 1965-. The moral center : how we can reclaim our country from die-hard extremists, rogue corporations, Hollywood hacks, and pretend patriots. 1st ed. Orlando : Harcourt, c2006.
In his follow-up to ‘The Cheating Culture,’ David Callahan argues that the problems for most Americans are not abortion and gay marriage, but issues that neither the Democratic or Republican Party is addressing: selfishness that is careening out of control, the effect of our violent and consumerist culture on children, and our lack of a greater purpose. Suggesting that a new vision is needed, he articulates that vision and offers insights garnered from in-depth research and interviews.
303.48 MAR
Martin, James, 1933-. The meaning of the 21st century : a vital blueprint for ensuring our future. New York : Riverhead Books, 2006.
The author argues that humanity is facing a profound transition into an era of extremes of wealth and poverty, extremes in technology, extremes in weapons, and extremes of globalism that will test man’s survival and stamina and examines the challenges these extremes present for global society.
305.8 WAL VT COLL
Walsh, Robert L. Through white eyes : color and racism in Vermont. South Burlington, Vt. : Robert L. Walsh, 2006.
'Through White Eyes' discusses the rich contributions of African Americans in Vermont and the continuing problem of racism in our communities. It discusses the nature of racism and the how teaching African American history in Vermont schools can combat the problem. Finally it discusses how some white Vermonters are combating racism and the need for elected and appointed officials to follow their lead.
306.3 DAV
Davis, David Brion. Inhuman bondage : the rise and fall of slavery in the New World. Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2006.
A comprehensive history of the institution of slavery in the United States discussing such issues as the “Amistad” trials of 1839 and 1940, the Atlantic slave trade, biblical justifications for slavery, and British and American abolitionist movements.
306.4 BRI
Britten, Rhonda. Do I look fat in this? : get over your body and on with your life. New York : Dutton, c2006.
Rhonda Britten offers women advice on how they can learn to love their bodies and accept what they look like, no matter what size they are and begin to make healthy decisions about their weight.
320.5 LIN
Linker, Damon, 1969-. The theocons : secular America under siege. 1st ed. New York : Doubleday, c2006.
Despite its alarmist subtitle, Linker’s book is a well-researched examination of an ideological movement that, he claims, forms the foundation of the current conservative religious political ascendancy. Former editor at First Things: The Journal of Religion, Culture and Public Life, Linker focuses chiefly on its founder, Richard John Neuhaus, and his cohorts Michael Novak and George Wiegel. These men were radical activists in the 1960s but gradually shifted to conservative Catholicism. Linker charts the rise of “public religiosity” through their writings, and through assessing their influence on public policy, especially in the 1990s, when Neuhaus et al. joined forces with evangelical leaders and began advising conservative senators Rick Santorum and Sam Brownback. Linker’s analysis of the impact of 9/11 on the theocon agenda is one of the highlights of the book. He writes that his intent is to expose and explain theoconservatism before the country is “thoroughly permeated by orthodox Christian piety and secular politics are driven out.” A chapter titled “Theocon Nation” provides examples of the consequences for such issues as abortion, bioethics, euthanasia, and gay marriage. Library Journal
320.520973 DEA
Dean, John W. (John Wesley), 1938-. Conservatives without conscience. New York : Viking, 2006.
Examines what the author sees as a growing conservative authoritarianism in American government, provides examples of the politics and policies resulting from authoritarian rule, and discusses the consequences of such a mind-set for the country and its constitution.
327.73009 JOF
Joffe, Josef. Überpower : the imperial temptation of America. 1st ed. New York : Norton, c2006.
An analysis of America’s international standing, presenting evidence to support the author’s claim that the U.S. has become and will remain one of history’s mightiest powers, and cautioning that the government needs to return to a more generous foreign policy in order to curb the envy and anti-American sentiment brewing in Europe and other nations.
333.79 SWE
Sweet, William. Kicking the carbon habit : global warming and the case for renewable and nuclear energy. New York : Columbia University Press, c2006.
Sweet argues that cutting oil consumption in the U.S. is an unrealistic goal and that climate change should be addressed by reducing coal use, discussing the history of coal mining and combustion in the U.S., the relationship between carbon dioxide and temperature, and currently available low-carbon and zero-carbon technologies.
355.02 CHA
Chang, Gordon G. Nuclear showdown : North Korea takes on the world. 1st ed. New York : Random House, c2006.
Examines the threat posed to the world by North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Il and his country’s burgeoning nuclear program, discusses the failure of the United States to control or influence Kim, and suggests that the U.S. begin a partial disarmament in order to spark an international movement to force Kim to give up nuclear weapons.
362.196 FOU
Fournier, Arthur M. (Arthur Michael), 1947-. The zombie curse : a doctor’s 25-year journey into the heart of the AIDS epidemic in Haiti. Washington, D.C. : Joseph Henry Press, c2006.
This memoir of a dedicated doctor battling the AIDS epidemic in Haiti does more than chronicle the story of a horrible disease. It is a moving tribute to the abundant courage, resilience, and dignity of a people beset by tragedy.It all started when Dr. Art Fournier met his first AIDS patient on an autumn afternoon in 1979. Of course, neither Fournier nor his colleagues at Miami Jackson Memorial Hospital fully understood the chilling impact of what they were seeing. They were simply confounded by the fact that the patient failed to respond to treatment and, ultimately, died.
381 FIS
Fishman, Charles, 1961-. The Wal-Mart effect : how the world’s most powerful company really works—and how it’s transforming the American economy. New York : Penguin Press, 2006.
Examines the power Wal-Mart holds in the business world, in communities, and in the American economy, discussing academic studies, interviewing former Wal-Mart executives and managers at Wal-Mart suppliers about the company’s business practices, and exploring questions the company’s unique form of success raises about future business ethics and American values.
391.5 ROA
Roach, Marion. Roots of desire : the myth, meaning, and sexual power of red hair. New York : Bloomsbury : Distributed to the trade by Holtzbrinck Publishers, 2006.
Marion Roach examines the science behind hair color, the roles redheads have played throughout history, the myths, legends, stereotypes, and mysteries behind red hair and its power, and the personalities of powerful redheads from around the world.
510 PIC
Pickover, Clifford A. The Möbius strip : Dr. August Möbius’s marvelous band in mathematics, games, literature, art, technology, and cosmology. New York : [Berkeley, Calif.] : Thunder’s Mouth Press ; Distributed by Publishers Group West, c2006.
The author traces the origins of the Möbius strip, a sense-defying continuous loop with only one side and one edge, from the mid-1800s to the present, exploring how it has been used in mathematics, magic, science, art, engineering, literature, and music.
523.1 PRI
Primack, J. R. (Joel R.). The view from the center of the universe : discovering our extraordinary place in the cosmos. New York : Riverhead Books, 2006.
Primack draws on scientific research and recent discoveries in the fields of astronomy, physics, and cosmology to argue that humans are central to the universe in profound and important ways that are directly related to science.
577.27 GOR
Gore, Albert, 1948-. An inconvenient truth : the planetary emergency of global warming and what we can do about it. Emmaus, PA : Rodale, c2006.
Former Vice President Al Gore examines the climate crisis that is threatening the future of the planet, describes what the world’s governments are doing to correct the problem, and explains why the problem should be taken more seriously.
599.9 RHI
Rhine, Stanley. Bone voyage : a journey in forensic anthropology. Albuquerque, N.M. : University of New Mexico Press, c1998.
The author discusses his work as a forensic anthropologist, telling how professionals are able to identify victims, and determine the cause of death through an examination of skeletal remains.
613 WEI
Weil, Andrew. Eight weeks to optimum health : a proven program for taking full advantage of your body’s natural healing power. Rev. ed. New York : Knopf, 2006.
Andrew Weil focuses on both conventional and alternative medicine on a practical week-by-week, step-by-step plan, covering diet, exercise, lifestyle, stress, and environment - all of the aspects of daily living that affect health and well-being. And he shows how his program can be tailored to the specific needs of pregnant women, senior citizens, overweight people, and those at risk for cancer, among others. Dr. Weil has added the most up-to-date findings on such vital subjects as cholesterol, antioxidants, trans fats, toxic residues in the food supply, soy products, and vitamins and supplements, together with a greatly enhanced source list for information and supplies.
613.2 FOG
Fogel, Jared. Jared, the Subway guy : winning through losing : 13 steps for turning your life around. 1st ed. New York : St. Martin’s Press, 2006.
By now everyone must know the weight-loss success story touted by Jared Fogle, the spokesperson for the Subway(RT) sandwich franchise. What fans don’t know is how he systematically set out to turn his life around and how his particular set of motivational tips differ from anything readers have ever heard before. Now, by sharing his 13 life lessons, he offers motivation, inspiration, and some valuable advice to others who may also be looking to lose weight or undertake any big personal project.
616 SCH
Schneider, Edward L. What your doctor hasn’t told you and the health-store clerk doesn’t know : the truth about alternative treatments and what works. New York : Avery, c2006.
Alternative medicine is an $18 billion-a-year business, but most of us don’t know how to evaluate the merits of these diverse unconventional treatments. As the dean emeritus at the school of gerontology at the University of Southern California, Dr. Edward Schneider is well qualified to help readers navigate through the thickets of claims and counterclaims. Based on current research, this book discusses supplements, herbs, homeopathy, cognitive behavior therapy, acupuncture, aromatherapy, biofeedback, yoga, meditation, and more.
616.89 DUK
Dukakis, Kitty. Shock : the healing power of electroconvulsive therapy. New York, N.Y. : Penguin Group, c2006.
Depression affects millions of Americans and their families each year. For some, drug treatment or psychotherapy, does not work. That’s why an alternative treatment has become a ‘wonder treatment’ for many. It’s electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT. For more than 20 years, Kitty Dukakis, wife of former Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis, battled severe depression with unsatisfactory results: until she tried ECT. Only then did she start getting her life back. This is her story and the story of the remarkable little-known treatment that offers hope to millions.
636.7 CLO
Clothier, Suzanne. Bones would rain from the sky : deepening our relationships with dogs. New York : Warner Books, c2002.
Clothier explores the relationship between humans and dogs, discussing how it can be deepened and improved by studying the world through a canine perspective.
639.2 FAG
Fagan, Brian M. Fish on Friday : feasting, fasting, and the discovery of the New World. New York : Basic Books, c2006.
Tracing the discovery of America and the spread of Christianity, the author shows how thirteenth and fourteenth-century climate changes diminished stocks of fish, forcing the people to look farther to the West and to discover Nova Scotia.
641.5 WAY
Wayte, Annie. Keep it seasonal : soups, salads, and sandwiches. 1st ed. New York : William Morrow, c2006.
Seasonality has become something of a cliché in the restaurant world, but Wayte’s bright, imaginative recipes show what respecting the seasons can mean in the hands of an expert. She has focused on soups, salads, and sandwiches because these are what many of her customers prefer to eat, and she has organized them by category within each season: Wild Salmon, New Potato, and Asparagus Salad with Sorrel Dressing in spring, for example, or Chilled Red Pepper and Tomato Soup with Cucumber-Herb Salad in the height of summer. She also includes simple recipe ideas for the various seasonal ingredients, along with profiles of some of the farmers, growers, or other purveyors she relies on, and there are striking color photographs throughout. Library Journal
641.8 GOL
Goldstein, Joyce Esersky. Antipasti : fabulous appetizers and small plates. San Francisco : Chronicle Books, c2006.
With growing numbers of restaurants specializing in “small plates,” the antipasto is back in style. These little dishes of savory appetizers or small first courses (perfect cocktail food) whet the appetite, enticing the palate for the meal to come—and can even become the meal itself. In Antipasti, Joyce Goldstein reveals the history of antipasti and a host of very delicious recipes.
646.7 SMI
Smith, Robin L., 1962-. Lies at the altar : the truth about great marriages. 1st ed. New York : Hyperion, c2006.
Dr. Robin Smith addresses the unspoken needs, unasked questions, unrealistic expectations, and hidden agendas that often destroy a marriage and offers practical advice on how couples can avoid and overcome those problems while building a strong marriage.
658.4 GOD
Godin, Seth. Small is the new big and 183 other riffs, rants, and remarkable business ideas. New York : Portfolio, 2006.
In what’s likely to be the next in a string of bestselling marketing guides (after Purple Cow), Godin compiles entries from his popular blog. Many are only a few paragraphs long, though he also adds longer entries, from his Fast Company column, to the mix. The pieces are arranged alphabetically by title rather than chronologically, leading to occasional choppiness, but Godin’s ability to hone in on key issues remains intact. Following up on the themes of his earlier books, he reminds readers that the first key to successful marketing is to produce something remarkable and let it grow. “If your idea is great, people will find you,” he advises. “[I]f your target audience isn’t listening, it’s not their fault, it’s yours.” He urges people to take control of their creative lives by taking responsibility for tough decisions and pushing themselves to make bolder choices. (His advice to McDonald’s, for example, includes free wireless Web access at every restaurant.) The appendix contains two lengthy essays on Web design and blogs that were previously distributed as e-books. Publisher’s Weekly
690 OBO
Obolensky, Kira. Good house, cheap house : adventures in creating an extraordinary home at an ordinary price. Newtown, CT : Taunton Press, c2005.
The 27 homes in ‘Good House Cheap House’ prove that good design doesn’t have to cost a fortune. What goes into making a good, cheap house? As writer Kira Obolensky discovers, there are three main ingredients: adventuresome homeowners who are actively involved; cutting-edge architects and designers who can solve tough design challenges; and an array of innovative uses of materials. Industrial bridge washers make for gorgeous mantelpiece rosettes, old concrete subflooring is given new life with rich-hued stain, and glass sliding doors make for windows that are oversized and affordable. From a Texas farmhouse to a loft in St. Paul, to a prefab cabin on the Wisconsin prairie, these houses, in which anyone would feel at home, display a wonderful mix of design smarts and budget savvy.
745.5 HER
Herter, Caroline. Photocraft : cool things to do with the pictures you love. 1st ed. New York : Bulfinch Press, 2005.
The easy availability of digital photo images has given rise to the concept of photos as practical raw materials in craft projects. This book of projects using photos on everything from tissue boxes to plant stands has a good introductory section on the latest digital cameras, scanners, printers, and papers for photocrafters of any level. The authors are professional designers and photographers and their projects are clever and uncomplicated. Library Journal
745.5 MAC
Macfarlane, David, 1965-. Beyond the basics : gourd art. New York, NY : Sterling Pub. Co., c2006.
A common wild gourd becomes a thing of beauty in the hands of 25 top artisans who specialize in exploring, expressing—and teaching—their handiwork. Magnificent projects shown in illuminating full-color photos and practical skills introduce you to a diversity of ways to turn gourds into works of art. You use simple media such as staining, stenciling, carving, and pyrography, which are all clearly explained. Projects include an elaborate teapot with a metallic finish; carved oak and maple leaf bowls; “Path to Harmony” gourd with mother of pearl, abalone and turquoise inlay; carved gourd lamps; hand painted and decorated masks; gourd birdhouse with pyrographed Celtic design; lizard and broken pottery designs; and “Baby’s New Shoes” with carved, pyrographed, painted finish.
746.43 CAR
Carron, Cathy. Hip knit hats : 40 fabulous designs. 1st ed. New York : Lark Books, c2005.
Presents patterns for making forty different knitted hats, each in two sizes with variations, and includes information on hat construction and knitting techniques, felting, and finishing.
747 VIL
Viladas, Pilar. Domesticities : at home with the New York times magazine. 1st ed. New York : Bulfinch Press, 2005.
The houses and apartments that have appeared in The New York Times Magazine represent the foremost work of today’s best architects and interior designers. For the first time in decades, a selection of the most outstanding of these residences is featured in one volume. ‘Domesticities’ presents more than twenty-five homes from the cutting edge of contemporary design.
782.42166 GRU
Gruen, Bob. John Lennon : the New York years. New York : Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2005.
An illustrated photographic profile of John Lennon’s New York years from 1971 to 1980 that shares some of his personal stories including the birth of his son, Sean.
796.357 PRA
Prager, Joshua. The echoing green : the untold story of Bobby Thomson, Ralph Branca, and the shot heard round the world. New York : Pantheon Books, 2006.
October 3, 1951, 3:58 p.m., Polo Grounds, New York City: “Branca throws. There’s a long drive. It’s gonna be, I believe-the Giants win the pennant!” That’s the way New York Giants’ announcer Russ Hodges described what is arguably the greatest moment in American sports, the shot “heard round the world,” as the Giants defeated the Dodgers to win the National League pennant. Prager, a senior special writer at the Wall Street Journal, has written a brilliant narrative not only about the most famous homerun in baseball history but also about the mystery that haunts it. Publisher’s Weekly
797.2 COX
Cox, Lynne, 1957-. Grayson. 1st ed. New York : A.A. Knopf, 2006.
The author describes how, while training for a long-distance swim off the coast of California, she encountered a baby gray whale that had become separated from its mother and had been following her instead, and her efforts to find the baby’s mother.
808.3 EVA
Evanovich, Janet. How I write : secrets of a bestselling author. 1st ed. New York : St. Martin’s Griffin, 2006.
Bestselling author Janet Evanovich shares her writing secrets. Learn how she creates remarkable characters such as Stephanie Plum and Grandma Mazur, chooses the perfect name, sets masterful plots, and finds out insider details. Also learn about the life of a fulltime writer and the inside scoop on the publishing industry.
917.43 VT COLL
Fish, Charles. In the land of the wild onion : travels along Vermont’s Winooski River. Burlington : Hanover : University of Vermont Press ; University Press of New England, c2006.
Charles Fish sets off on a journey down Vermont’s Winooski River, from the headwaters in Cabot to river’s end at Lake Champlain, in order to rediscover the river valley of his youth and to consider the power of place in all our lives. Recounting travels by foot, car, and canoe, In the Land of the Wild Onion offers engaging and often humorous tales of adventures along the river, of impenetrable thickets and backbreaking portages, of battles with a recalcitrant canoe, of nights camping out among the mosquitoes.
920 CAR
Carr, Howie. The brothers Bulger : how they terrorized and corrupted Boston for a quarter century. 1st ed. New York : Warner Books, 2006.
Carr offers a portrait of Boston’s infamous Bulger brothers, Whitey and Billy—one as the city’s most feared mobster, the other as a power in the Massachusetts State Senate.
920 EIS
Eisenstein, Bernice, 1949-. I was a child of Holocaust survivors. New York : Riverhead Books, 2006.
Through artwork and writing, Bernice Eisenstein reflects on how her parents’ experiences during the Holocaust impacted her own life in Canada and shaped who she is.
921 BERLUSCONI
Stille, Alexander. The sack of Rome : how a beautiful European country with a fabled history and a storied culture was taken over by a man named Silvio Berlusconi. New York : Penguin Press, 2006.
In this astute analysis of contemporary Italian political culture under Berlusconi, Stille intricately yet seamlessly traces the prime minister’s rise from Milan real estate developer to international political phenomenon. “A troubling avant-garde figure, a kind of Citizen Kane on steroids,” Berlusconi has and will continue to have an impact that far outreaches his political career, Stille argues. A calculating master of the Italian proverb, “Se non e vero, e ben trovato” (“If it’s not true, it’s well said”), Berlusconi is a global archetype rather than a particularly Italian anomaly. Stille has exquisitely analyzed not only contemporary Italian political culture but the ominous rise of an international political culture in which figures such as Berlusconi can flourish (though the recent election leaves his political future in doubt). Publisher’s Weekly
921 EARNHARDT
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. : making a legend of his own. St. Paul, MN : MotorBooks, 2005.
This book chronicles the racing career of Dale Earnhardt, Jr., from a series of articles from “Stock Car Racing” and “Circle Track” magazines, and features over 250 full-color photos.
921 EICHMAN
Cesarani, David. Becoming Eichmann : rethinking the life, crimes, and trial of a “desk murderer” 1st Da Capo Press ed. Cambridge, MA : Da Capo Press, 2006.
Here is the first account of Eichmann’s life to appear since the aftermath of his famous trial in 1961 and his subsequent execution in Jerusalem a year later. It reveals that the depiction of Eichmann as a loser who drifted into the ranks of the SS is a fabrication that conceals Eichmann’s considerable abilities and his early political development. Drawing on recently unearthed documents, David Cesarani shows how Eichmann became the Reich’s “expert” on Jewish matters and reveals his initially cordial working relationship with Zionist Jews in Germany, despite his intense anti-Semitism. Cesarani explains how the massive ethnic cleansing Eichmann conducted in Poland in 1939-40 was the crucial bridge to his later role in the mass deportation of the Jews. And Cesarani argues controversially that Eichmann was not necessarily predisposed to mass murder, exploring the remarkable, largely unknown period in Eichmann’s early career when he first learned how to become an administrator of genocide.
921 FRANZEN
Franzen, Jonathan. The discomfort zone : a personal history. 1st ed. New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006.
Fiction author Jonathan Franzen offers an intimate memoir of his growth from a ‘small and fundamentally ridiculous person,’ through adolescence both excruciating and strangely happy, into an adult with embarrassing and unexpected passions. It’s a portrait of a middle-class family weathering the turbulence of the 1970s, and a personal history of the decades in which America turned away from its mid-century idealism and became a more polarized society.
921 HATCHER
Hatcher, Teri. Burnt toast : and other philosophies of life. 1st ed. New York : Hyperion, c2006.
Actress Teri Hatcher draws from childhood experiences, her divorce, single motherhood, career problems, and turning forty to explain how she learned to love herself and expect success rather than plan to fail.
921 KIMMEL
Kimmel, Haven, 1965-. She got up off the couch : and other heroic acts from Moorehead, Indiana. New York : Free Press, c2006.
Kimmel presents a first-hand account of growing up in Mooreland, Indiana in the 1960s and 1970s, remembering her eventful family life and championing her mother’s accomplishments with fondness.
921 MANHEIN
Manhein, Mary H. (Mary Huffman). The bone lady : life as a forensic anthropologist. Baton Rouge : New York, : Louisiana State University Press, Penguin, 2000, c1999.
When a skeleton is all that’s left to tell the story of a crime, Mary H. Manhein, otherwise known as “the bone lady,” is called in. For almost two decades, Manhein has used her expertise in forensic pathology to help law enforcement agents—locally, nationally, and internationally—solve their most perplexing mysteries. She shares the extraordinary details of the often high-profile cases on which she works, and the science underlying her analyses. Here are Civil War skeletons, cases of alleged voodoo and witchcraft, crimes of political intrigue, and the before-and-after of facial reconstruction.
921 ROVE
Moore, James, 1951-. The architect : Karl Rove and the master plan for absolute power. 1st ed. New York : Crown Publishers, c2006.
It’s no secret that Republican strategist Karl Rove’s goal is to ensure that Republicans control U.S. politics and policy for at least the next 30 years. Former TV news correspondent Moore and political writer Slater describe in detail how Rove maneuvers to accomplish his goal. They attempt to cast light on the more cynical elements of Rove’s strategies. For example, Rove admits he does not value religious conservatives because their beliefs enrich public policy-instead, it’s because their cohesion enables his politics. Wedge issues such as gay marriage and medical malpractice reform figure strongly in his strategies and, according to the authors, expose how Rove manipulates and mobilizes “the base,” which allows a candidate to forget about “the middle.” A few chapters are devoted to Rove’s stumbles in recent months (e.g., Valerie Plame), but the authors make clear that Rove is still an active force in American politics whose influence will probably be felt for some time. Library Journal
921 WHITE
White, Edmund, 1940-. My lives. New York : Ecco, c2006.
Author Edmund White chronicles his experiences growing up as a homosexual in Middle America in the 1950s and 1960s, describing how he came to understand his sexuality and the impact it had on his relationships with his family, school experiences, and accomplishments.
942.04092 CAS
Castor, Helen. Blood and roses : one family’s struggle and triumph during England’s tumultuous war of the roses. 1st ed. New York : HarperCollins, 2006.
Helen Castor reconstructs the lives of the Paston family, who managed to work their way up from farmers to landed gentry in the fifteenth century.
956.7044 GOR
Gordon, Michael R., 1951-. Cobra 2 : the inside story of the invasion and occupation of Iraq. 1st ed. New York : Pantheon Books, 2006.
The author draws on secret documents, interviews, and military reports to offer a comprehensive chronology of America’s invasion and occupation of Iraq and includes a detailed account of how Saddam Hussein and his high command developed their own war strategy.
956.7044 RIC
Ricks, Thomas E. Fiasco : the American military adventure in Iraq. New York : Penguin Press, 2006.
“Fiasco” is a chronicle of unsurpassed tactical success combined with unsurpassed strategic failure of the American military invasion and occupation of Iraq. In this revealing book, renowned military reporter Thomas Ricks shares the thoughts and opinions of many in the military ranks on America’s plan for replacing the fallen regime with a new one and other pent-up fury on the war, the price America has paid both financially and in loss of life, etc.
956.7044 STE
Stewart, Rory. The prince of the marshes : and other occupational hazards of a year in Iraq. 1st ed. Orlando : Harcourt, Inc., c2006.
Rory Stewart recounts the experiences he had during the eleven months he served as deputy governor of two provinces in the remote, impoverished marsh regions of southern Iraq.
973.1 SCH
Schneider, Paul, 1962-. Brutal journey : the epic story of the first crossing of North America. 1st ed. New York : Holt, 2006.
Here are the experiences of four explorers, three Spaniards and a black Moroccan, who arrived in the New World nearly 300 years before Lewis and Clark to explore the wilderness of North America.
MEDIA:
CD ADA
Adams, Douglas, 1952-2001. The hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy : the quandary phase. Auburn, CA : Audio Partners/BBC Audiobooks, p2005.Simon Jones, Geoffrey McGivern, Stephen Moore, Jane Horrocks.
The Earth has miraculously reappeared and, even more miraculously, Arthur Dent has found it. Returning to his cottage after ages, he falls in love with the girl of his dreams. But Ford Prefect is on to something which might well burst Arthur’s bubble. There is, after all, something very fishy about his girlfriend’s feet, and what has happened to the dolphins? Perhaps, at last, all will be revealed in God’s Last Message to His Creation...
CD DOY
Doyle, Arthur Conan, Sir, 1859-1930. Sherlock Holmes : a Baker Street dozen. Minneapolis, Minn. : Highbridge, [2006], c1996. Sir John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, and Orson Welles.
This collection of Sherlock Holmes mysteries includes 12 classics performed as radio theater and linked by violin music interludes. They feature Sir John Gielgud as the sleuth, with Ralph Richardson as Dr. Watson, and Orson Welles as Professor Moriarty. The episodes include: ‘The Blue Carbuncle, Charles August Milverton, The Final Problem, The Norwood Builder, The Second Stain, The Solitary Cyclist,’ and six others.
CD GRU
Gruen, Sara. Water for elephants : [a novel]. Minneapolis, MN : Prince Frederick, MD : HighBridge ; Audio Adventures/Landmark Audiobooks, pc2006. Read by David LeDoux and John Randolph Jones.
Gruen offers a novel of star-crossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932. When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, grifters, and misfits, a second-rate circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night stands in town after endless town. A veterinary student who almost earned his degree, Jacob is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It is there that he meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, who is married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her.
CD HOM
Homes, A. M. This book will save your life. New York : Penguin Audio and BBC Audiobooks America, p2006. Narrated by Scott Brick.
For all practical purposes, the wealthy, divorced, stocks and bonds trader Richard Novak, is a recluse. He never leaves his home. Everything’s brought to him by employees, including food. Then, an attack of unbelievable pain lands him in the emergency room, and a large sinkhole begins to open up near his home. Both events finally help him step out of himself and back into the world where he becomes a hero of sorts to some, including an abused housewife, a kidnapped woman, and an actor.
CD KEN
Kenyon, Sherrilyn, 1965-. Dark side of the moon. Unabridged. North Kingstown, RI : BBC Audiobooks America, p2006. Narrated by Carrington MacDuffie.
Susan Michaels’ promising career as a journalist was cut short by a scandal that ruined her life, but when she gets a lead on a breaking story, Susan feels it may be a chance to salvage her career and sets out on an investigation that may cost her life.
CD KIN
King, Stephen, 1947-. Stationary bike. New York : Simon & Schuster Audio, p2006. Read by Ron McLarty.
When commercial artist Richard Sifkitz, alarmed by his high cholesterol level, buys a stationary bike and paints a scenic wall mural on the wall opposite it, the bike transports him to places he has no intention of going to.
CD WIN
Winston, Lolly. Happiness sold separately. New York : Hachette Audio, p2006. Read by Melinda Wade.
Elinor Mackey has led an orderly life: until now. Now the 30- something’s life is falling apart. After discovering that she and her husband can’t have children, she withdraws into her own world filled with heartbreak and anger. Her husband begins an affair with a woman with a child and soon finds himself in the difficult position of being in love with two women. Meanwhile, danger lurks in the form of the mistress’s jealous ex-boyfriend, a charming alcoholic with a mean streak.
CD 973.931 PAL
Palast, Greg. Armed madhouse : [who’s afraid of Osama Wolf?, China floats, Bush sinks, the scheme to steal ‘08, no child’s behind left, and other dispatches from the front lines of the class war]. New York : Simon & Schuster Audio, p2006. Read by the author with various other performers.
Palast delivers some hard-to-refute facts about the contemporary political scene from the fraudulent elections of 2000 and 2004 to advance economic schemes of the haves to virtually enslave the have-nots to the war in Iraq and the obsession of oil. Palast questions the authority of the leaders of this “armed madhouse,” often using their words, documents and resources to bring to light some rather disconcerting truths. As narrator, Palast keeps the pace consistent, taking his time with the more complicated passages, while surging forward on the straightforward parts. His ironic and even deadpan tone provides laughs for his listeners. This audiobook employs a host of cameo voices, including Ed Asner, Janeane Garofalo and Larry David for various quotes. Asner proves engaging with a raspy deep voice that could easily land him a career in audiobooks. Harry Shearer’s commentary on gambling and homeland security is also very entertaining. Publisher’s Weekly
DVD SIM
The Simpsons : the complete first season. Collector’s ed. [Beverly Hills, CA] : Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, c2001. Voices of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Yeardley Smith, Nancy Cartwright.
Evolving from a crudely drawn, recurring vignette on The Tracey Ullman Show to a cultural icon (appearing now in the dictionary: "D'oh!"), The Simpsons easily ranks among the greatest programs in TV history. The first animated series to become a prime-time ratings powerhouse, the show remains the litmus test for offerings in that genre. After the series pilot -- a 1989 Christmas special, also included here -- proved a hit for the fledgling Fox Broadcast Network, the series officially launched on January 14, 1990, and underground comic book artist Matt Groening was soon well above ground. The premiere episode, "Bart the Genius," found Bart cheating on an IQ test, leading parents Homer and Marge to enroll him in a school for gifted children. Naturally, his oft-ignored and truly gifted sister Lisa was peeved. Absurdist yet very human and grounded in traditional family values, The Simpsons drew lots of fans and a bit of controversy.
Note: the library also purchased seasons two to six!
DVD 530 NEW
Newton’s dark secrets. [Boston] : WGBH Boston Video, c2005. Narrated by F. Murray Abraham. Isaac Newton portrayed by Scott Handy.
With vivid docudrama scenes, Nova recreates the climate of late 17th-century England, where a newfound fascination with science and mathematics coexisted with extreme views on religious doctrine. Unknown to most, Newton shared both obsessions, leading to experiments in alchemy along with his ground-breaking work in physics.
DVD 530.11 EIN
Einstein’s big idea. Boston : WGBH Boston Video, c2005. Narrator, John Lithgow; cast, Aidan McArdle, Shirley Henderson.
Einstein arrived at his 1905 discovery that the realms of matter and energy are linked. This reveals the roots of this breakthrough in the human stories of scientists Michael Farady, Antoine Lavoisier, and Lise Meitner, whose innovative thinking helped lead to E=mc2’s, and ultimately unleashed the power of the atom.
DVD 551.31 DES
Descent into the ice. [United States] : WGBH, 2004.
Follow a team of daring ‘glacionauts’ as they descend into a labyrinth of unexplored ice caves in Mount Blanc to find trapped flood water that menaces the populated valleys below.
DVD 629.45 MAR
Mars : dead or alive. [Boston] : WGBH, [2004]. Narrated by Neil Ross.
In January 2004, two spacecraft (named Spirit and Opportunity) carrying identical robotic explorers touched down on the surface of Mars. Take a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the design, testing, and launch of the mission, then join the quest for signs of life on the red planet.
DVD 941.082 CHU
The Churchills. [Boston] : WGBH Boston Video, [2003]. Narrated by Ian Holm; Featuring the voices of Robert Hardy, Ronald Pickup and Harriet Walter.
Spanning two centuries and three generations, ‘The Churchills’ chronicles the public and private lives of one of Britain’s most celebrated political dynasties and the 20th-century statesman whose remarkable achievements brought glory to his nation and family name.
Please note: Some of the book descriptions have been excerpted from Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com. They are most often based on Publisher's descriptions. Sources such as Booklist, the New York Times Book Reviews, Publisher's Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus and others are specifically id
