Hide, by Lisa Gardner

When I read Lisa Gardner’s book Hide I was amazed. Once I finished, I wanted to read more. I highly recommend this book. The best book I’ve ever read, no doubt.

RATING: * * * * * One of the best books I’ve read
Reviewed by: Cassi

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(See an earlier review on the blog here.)

Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich themselves at Government Expense (and Stick You with the Bill), by David Cay Johnston

Subsides, tax preferences, protective regulations, eminent domain–this book delivers just what the title says, and if you’re not part of Johnston’s “wealthiest,” it’s likely to make you mad. A Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter, Johnston’s contention is that the important political dichotomy is not between Republicans and Democrats, but between Washington “corporatists” and those few politicians, investigators and whistle-blowers who look out for the public interest. A follow-up to his earlier tales of greed, Perfectly Legal: The Covert Campaign to Rig Our Tax System to Benefit the Super-Rich–and Cheat Everyone Else.

Rating:  * * * A good read
Reviewed by:  stc

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The Secret River, by Kate Grenville

Like many American readers, I’m more familiar with the history of colonization in North America, so I found this historical novel of Australian settlement–inspired by author Kate Grenville’s own ancestry–fascinating. 

In 1806 London, William Thornhill, a bargeman on the Thames, is powerless and desperate enough that he has to steal to survive. Jailed and then deported to the New South Wales colony with his family, he strives to make the new land his own, and find a place for himself as a trader on the Hawkesbury River. How he achieves the power to do so, in a land of Aboriginal settlers and exiled convicts, is a story both violent and heartbreaking. Winner of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2006.

Rating:  * * * * Very, very good
Reviewed by:  stc

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Suite Francaise, by Irene Nemirovsky

Writing as it was happening, Nemirovsky created a remarkable novel about the German occupation of France, but was deported to Auschwitz before she could finish her “suite.” Full of humor and character detail, two parts survive, both focusing on daily life amid the foreboding of what war will bring: “Storm in June” tells interconnected stories of the chaos as Parisians flee the city on the eve of the Nazi invasion, and “Dolce” portrays life in a German-occupied provincial farming village.

Rating: * * * * Very, very good
Reviewed by: stc

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Monique and the Mango Rains: Two Years with a Midwife in Mali, by Kris Holloway

A memoir of the two years Kris Holloway spent as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mali, a nation with one of the highest maternal death rates in the world.  The story of her work with Monique Dembele, an overburdened and courageous midwife, creates a fascinating glimpse into the day-to-day life of another culture, and a beautiful portrait of cross-cultural friendship.

RATING: * * * * Very, very good
Reviewed by: stc

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J. K. Rowling Goes to Harvard

OK, so you can’t expect a children’s book author to talk about the Marshall Plan.  Nonetheless, J. K. Rowling gave a wonderful speech at Harvard’s Commencement this past Thursday, titled “The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination.”  Harvard Magazine has the full text and video of the speech.

Or, if you just want more Harry Potter, you have many choices at the library.  We have the books in the children’s, young adult, adult, paperback, and large print collections, and translations in Russian, Chinese, Hebrew, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Latin.  They’re also available on CD and cassette, and don’t forget the movies!  We also have related items, such as books on the meaning of Harry Potter, a leadership book based on Harry Potter, and even a knitting book (Charmed Knits).  Just search the catalog under author for Rowling, J. K., or under keyword for “Harry Potter” (in quotes).  

The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow

No doubt you’ve read about Professor Pausch in the newspaper or seen segments of his “last lecture” on TV or the whole lecture on YouTube, but it is worth sitting down and reading this book cover to cover.    When you finish you’ll reflect on what is important and quite frankly what may seem important but isn’t really after all.

RATING: * * * * * One of the best books I’ve read
Reviewed by: Nancy J.

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