“The Scarecrow”

Jack McEvoy is forced to take a buyout from The Los Angeles Times. Once a hotshot reporter, he is now training his replacement and looking for one last story that will define his career.

He starts looking deeper into the story of a 16-year-old drug dealer who is accused of a brutal murder.  He soon finds out that the boy’s confession is bogus and the hunt for the real murderer begins.

But the real murderer knows he is coming and Jack quickly learns just how cunning and brutal he really is.

Michael Connelly is a former journalist and knows the newspaper business.  The mix of the newspaper business with intricacies of computer hacking made for a compelling story. It’s not great literature but it’s a fun read.

Jan

“Traveling with Pomegranates”

Sue Monk Kidd, author of “The Secret Life of Bees” and her daughter Ann Kidd Taylor take turns in this book exploring their inner selves and their relationship with each other. Monk Kidd writes about the growing awareness of her own mortality as she struggles with menopause and its physical and emotional effects. Kidd Taylor struggles with depression and her confusion about what she wants to do with her life.  Both are working to forge a new relationship with each other.  Traveling to Greece and France provides them with many opportunities for reflection and inspiration.

Jan

Mike Sheppard’s gallery talk

Join us on Thursday, November 18 at 6:00 p.m. to hear local graphic artist Michael Sheppard talk about his latest exhibit of computer generated fine art giclee prints which is currently on display in the library’s art gallery. The exhibit will be on display until the end of November.

Book Discussion

A reminder that our adult book discussion group will be meeting tomorrow evening (Wednesday, November 18) at 7:00 p.m. to talk about Malcolm Gladwell’s “Blink.”

Hope you can join us. If you can’t come to the library feel free to leave any comments here and I will share them with the group.

Jan

“Year of Wonders”

Geraldine Brooks’  “Year of Wonders” explores an English village in the year of the plague 1666 as its townsfolk quarantine their village to limit the spread of the disease.  Through the eyes of Anna Frith, a housemaid in the village, we see a village transformed by tragedy, madness, hatred and hope.  This was Brooks’  first novel and it is absorbing. It is a great work of historical fiction. -  Jan

“The Forever War”

Dexter Filkins, a foreign correspondent for The New York Times, wrote this book based upon his experiences in Afghanistan and Irag reporting from the front lines.  And I do mean front lines. While reading this I was shocked that he would put himself in so many dangerous situations and utterly amazed that he survived to write this book. It’s an eye-opening account of the people, politics and culture of these two countries. – Jan

Artist Talk

On Saturday, October 17 at 11:00 am Jan Kelly will be here to talk about her latest art exhibit which is currently on display in the library art gallery. Her talk is called “Mysteries of Water.” Her artwork which consists of acrylics, watercolors, ink & pastels, and aquarelles can be viewed during normal library hours during the month of October.

The talk is free and open to the public.

Jan

Book sales are down

Maybe they’re going to the library instead!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/08/books/08book.html

“The Lost Symbol”

Dan Brown’s eagerly anticipated new novel returns with Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon exploring the mysteries of the Freemasons. Langdon is called to Washington D.C. to deliver a lecture but he arrives to find that his close friend has been kidnapped and in order to save his life Langdon must cooperate with the kidnapper to solve an ancient mystery.

This book kept me up until 1 a.m. on a work night, which is extremely rare for me. I was fascinated with the history, the architecture, the symbols, the science, – everything. The plot was not what was most important to me. It was everything else that Brown uncovered in his research that was most fascinating.

Brown has hit the jackpot again. Look for a movie in the future and increased tourism in Washington D.C.

Highly recommended!

“West of Washoe”

It’s 1864 in Virginia City, Nevada Territory. Statehood is in the future for Nevada and Gil Ross is sent by the government to inspect the potential wealth of the region. Ross, a former magazine writer and now a mine inspector quickly becomes embroiled in the violence and treachery of the region.

Between armed holdups, duels, torching of the newspaper office , befriending Samuel Clemens, and being left to die in a mine there’s so much going on in this short novel.  And there’s so much interesting historical detail here about life in the Washoe region, I couldn’t put it down.

Jan