Friday, April 20, 2007

Books and Stuff

Non Fiction

Organic Lawn Care Manual: a natural, low-maintenance system for a beautiful, safe lawn by Paul Tukey. "Just say no to lawns on drugs." Wipe out weeds, beat the pests, start a new lawn or improve the existing one, pick and maintain grass varieties.

Colon Cancer: What you need to know - NOW by the American Cancer Society.

Nurturing the Shy Child by Barbara G. Markway and Gregory P. Markway. "Latest information and practical tools to help shy and socially anxious kids."

Twinkie Deconstructed by Steve Ettlinger. "From phosphate mines in Idaho to cornfields in Iowa...to demystify some of America's most common processed food ingredients - where they come from, how they are made, how they are used - and why."

Lost Life of Eva Braun by Angela Lambert. Eva Braun died at 33 with little known about her. The former convent girl was Hitler's mistress for over 13 years. A formerly middle-class Catholic girl who was despised by other high-ranking wives and publicly humilitated by Hitler. Her ordinariness brings to mind the "banality of evil" that other Germans were guilty of.

Lincoln and Chief Justice Taney: Slavery, secession, and the President's war powers by James F. Simon. President Lincoln and Chief Justice Taney were at ends ever since Taney's 1957 Dred Scott decision that revoked the rights of black people. Their odds over slavery, the legality of Southern secession, and the legal authority of the president during war still resonate.

Fiction

Fifth Vial by Michael Palmer. A scientist, a medical student and a private eye are connected by a blood vial. A thriller.

Ministry of Special Cases by Nathan Englander. Novel set during Argenitna's Dirty War against it's citizens. A father tries to find his missing son.

Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith. New novel in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series.

Large Print

Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs. Knitting club members in a Manhattan yarn shop start to share their lives with one another.

Queen of Broken Hearts by Cassandra King. Lady divorce therapist Clare is newly divorced and does not want a new guy around. When "a burly sea captain" [I'm not kidding, that's a quote from the cover] moves to town to run the marina Clare finds herself competing for his attention.

Dead Room by Heather Graham. Archeologist Leslie survives an explosion and has a new ability to see ghosts. With information from her dead fiance's ghost, Leslie tries to solve a conspiracy and has conflicted feelings for her ghost and the ghost's very live cousin.

DVD

Last King of Scotland starring Forest Whitaker, James McAvor and Gillian Anderson. Fictional telling of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin and his Scottish doctor. My parents have a family friend who met Idi Amin; he got the hell out of there as soon as possible. The same guy also knew Dr. Marcus Foster, the Superintendent of Schools in Oakland who was murdered by the Symbionese Liberation Army terrorist group.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

New Fiction and a Non Fiction

Fiction

Laced by Carol Higgins Clark. "A Regan Reilly Mystery" Regan is newly married to NYC police detective Jack and on honeymoon in Western Ireland. The castle hotel they stay at has a fire and a theft by notorious jewel thieves Jack has been chasing for a over a year.

The River Knows by Amanda Quick. Romantic fiction set in Victorian London.

Simple Genius by David Baldacci. Suspense novel set at two secret Army and CIA facilities in Virginia.

The Marriage Game by Fern Michaels. We have the large print version of this. Gal returns from honeymoon to be served with divorce papers. She finds out she is one of many of her husband's ex-wives.

Non Fiction

Intimacy After Infidelity: How to Rebuild And Affair-Proof Your Marriage by Steven D., Solomon and Lorie J. Teagno. The three types of intimacy and the three types of infidelity. "Practical exercises that can heal emotional wounds and enable you to recover your ability to trust."

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Fiction, Large Print, and One NonFiction

Fiction

Body Surfing by Anita Shreve. Twenty-nine year old Sydney is once divorced and once widowed. After starting a summer job as a live-in tutor on the New Hampshire coast Syndey feels like her life is rebuilding. When the family's two grown, and competitive, sons come for an extended vacation their rivalry extends to Sydney. Involved in a love triangle, Syndey worries the relationships will permanently damage the family and her rebuilding life.

Camel Bookmobile by Masha Hamilton. Fiona Sweeney leaves New York City for rural Kenya to work as a traveling librarian. Using camels as transportation Fiona's library has strict rules about it's limited collection: if any book goes missing all library visits cease. Fiona's and the Bushman's cultures clash over issues of modernization and literacy.

Quilter's Homecoming by Jennifer Chiaverini. Why did I buy this? It must have been a request. Oh, there! The author is from Madison. Elizabeth and her new husband, Henry, leave Pennsylvania for their newly purchased ranch in California. When Elizabeth and Henry arrive in California they find they have been swindled. Taking laborer jobs at the ranch they thought they bought Elizabeth continues work on her quilting and forges relationships with the other women there.

Set Sail for Murder by Carolyn Hart. Henrietta helps a former boyfriend trying to protect his wife from her greedy relatives during a Baltic cruise.

Large Print

No! I Don't Want to Join a Book Club: Diary of a 60th Year by Virginia Ironside. "A funny, and often poignant, diary of an older woman a little past her prime, but happy enough to leave it behind her and see what the future has in store. So don't tell Mary Sharp to take a gourmet cooking class - and whatever you do, don't tell her to join a book club."

Past Perfect by Susan Isaacs. We have the regular sized type version of this. Look below for description.

Deeper Sleep by Dama Stabenow. We have this in regular sized type as well.

Non Fiction

Walking on Egg Shells: Navigating the Relationship Between Adult Children and Parents by Jane Isay. Advice to both grown-children and their parents. "Real-life wisdom and advice on how to stay together without falling apart."