Thursday, July 31, 2014

The August LibraryReads List!

The latest batch of librarian favorites are here! We've included descriptions* below and you can head to the LibraryReads website to see brief reviews submitted by librarians from across the country. We'd love to hear what you think about the titles, let us know on Facebook, Twitter, or in the comments below!



One Kick by Chelsea Cain
Published: August 19, 2014

Kick Lannigan, 21, is a survivor. Abducted at age six in broad daylight, the police, the public, perhaps even her family assumed the worst had occurred. And then Kathleen Lannigan was found, alive, six years later. In the early months following her freedom, as Kick struggled with PTSD, her parents put her through a litany of therapies, but nothing helped until the detective who rescued her suggested Kick learn to fight. Before she was thirteen, Kick learned marksmanship, martial arts, boxing, archery, and knife throwing. She excelled at every one, vowing she would never be victimized again. But when two children in the Portland area go missing in the same month, Kick goes into a tailspin. Then an enigmatic man Bishop approaches her with a proposition: he is convinced Kick's experiences and expertise can be used to help rescue the abductees. Little does Kick know the case will lead directly into her terrifying past. (First in series.)

Lucky Us by Amy Bloom
Published: July 29, 2014

Disappointed by their families, Iris, the hopeful star, and Eva, the sidekick, journey across 1940s America in search of fame and fortune. Iris's ambitions take them from small-town Ohio to an unexpected and sensuous Hollywood, across the America of Reinvention in a stolen station wagon, to the jazz clubs and golden mansions of Long Island.

Heroes are My Weakness by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Published: August 26, 2014

He's a reclusive writer whose imagination creates chilling horror novels. She's a down-on-her-luck actress reduced to staging kids' puppet shows. He knows a dozen ways to kill his characters with his bare hands. She knows a dozen ways to kill an audience with laughs. But she's not laughing now. Annie Hewitt has arrived on Peregrine Island in the middle of a snowstorm and at the end of her resources. She's broke, dispirited, but not quite ready to give up. Her red suitcases hold the puppets she uses to make her living: sensible Dilly, spunky Scamp, and Leo, the baddest of bad guys. Her puppets, the romantic novels she loves, and a little bit of courage are all she has left. Annie couldn't be more ill prepared for what she finds when she reaches Moonraker Cottage or for the man who dwells in Harp House, the mysterious mansion that hovers above the cottage. When she was a teenager, he betrayed her in a way she can never forget or forgive. Now they're trapped together on a frozen island along with a lonely widow, a mute little girl, and townspeople who don't know how to mind their own business. Is he the villain she remembers, or has he changed? Her head says no. Her heart says yes.

Lock In by John Scalzi
Published: August 26, 2014

Fifteen years from now, a new virus sweeps the globe. 95% of those afflicted experience nothing worse than fever and headaches. Four percent suffer acute meningitis, creating the largest medical crisis in history. And one percent find themselves “locked in”—fully awake and aware, but unable to move or respond to stimulus. One per cent doesn't seem like a lot. But in the United States, that's 1.7 million people “locked in”...including the President's wife and daughter. Spurred by grief and the sheer magnitude of the suffering, America undertakes a massive scientific initiative. Nothing can restore the ability to control their own bodies to the locked in. But then two new technologies emerge. One is a virtual-reality environment, “The Agora,” in which the locked-in can interact with other humans, both locked-in and not. The other is the discovery that a few rare individuals have brains that are receptive to being controlled by others, meaning that from time to time, those who are locked in can “ride” these people and use their bodies as if they were their own. This skill is quickly regulated, licensed, bonded, and controlled. Nothing can go wrong. Certainly nobody would be tempted to misuse it, for murder, for political power, or worse.

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
Published: August 26, 2014

On a brisk autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt. But her new home, while splendorous, is not welcoming. Johannes is kind yet distant, always locked in his study or at his warehouse office -- leaving Nella alone with his sister, the sharp-tongued and forbidding Marin. But Nella's world changes when Johannes presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. To furnish her gift, Nella engages the services of a miniaturist -- an elusive and enigmatic artist whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in eerie and unexpected ways. Johannes' gift helps Nella to pierce the closed world of the Brandt household. But as she uncovers its unusual secrets, she begins to understand-and fear-the escalating dangers that await them all.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
Published: July 29, 2014

Pirriwee Public’s annual school Trivia Night has ended in a shocking riot. One parent is dead. The school principal is horrified. As police investigate what appears to have been a tragic accident, signs begin to indicate that this devastating death might have been cold-blooded murder.

The Truth about Leo by Katie MacAlister
Published: August 5, 2014

Dagmar Marie Sophie is a poverty-stricken Danish princess whose annoying royal cousin is about to have her stuffed away in a convent. When she finds a wounded man unconscious in her garden, she sees a way out of her desperate situation. Leopold Ernst George Mortimer, seventh earl of March, and spy in the service of the king, finds himself on the wrong end of a saber and left for dead. He wakes up not remembering what happened...in the care of a beautiful woman who says she is his wife. Back in London, Leo-with the help of his old friends the eccentric Britton family-sets out to unravel what he's forgotten... Is Dagmar truly the wonderful, irrepressible woman who makes his heart sing, or is she a dangerous enigma bent on his destruction?

An Unwilling Accomplice by Charles Todd
Published: August 12, 2014

Home on leave, Bess Crawford is asked to accompany a wounded soldier confined to a wheelchair to Buckingham Palace, where he’s to be decorated by the King. The next morning when Bess goes to collect Wilkins, he has vanished. Both the Army and the nursing service hold Bess negligent for losing the war hero, and there will be an inquiry. Then comes disturbing word from the Shropshire police, complicating the already difficult situation: Wilkins has been spotted, and he’s killed a man. If Bess is to save her own reputation, she must find Wilkins and uncover the truth. (Sixth in series.)

The Magicians's Land by Lev Grossman
Published: August 5, 2014

Quentin Coldwater has been cast out of Fillory, the secret magical land of his childhood dreams. With nothing left to lose he returns to where his story be­gan, the Brakebills Preparatory College of Magic. But he can’t hide from his past, and it’s not long before it comes looking for him. Along with Plum, a brilliant young undergraduate with a dark secret of her own, Quentin sets out on a crooked path through a magical demi­monde of gray magic and desperate characters. But all roads lead back to Fillory, and his new life takes him to old haunts, like Antarctica, and to buried secrets and old friends he thought were lost for­ever. He uncovers the key to a sorcery masterwork, a spell that could create magical utopia, a new Fillory -- but casting it will set in motion a chain of events that will bring Earth and Fillory crashing together. To save them he will have to risk sacrificing everything. (Third in series.)

The Story Hour by Thrity Umrigar
Published: August 19, 2014

An experienced psychologist, Maggie carefully maintains emotional distance from her patients. But when she meets a young Indian woman who tried to kill herself, her professional detachment disintegrates. Cut off from her family in India, Lakshmi is desperately lonely and trapped in a loveless marriage to a domineering man who limits her world to their small restaurant and grocery store. Moved by her plight, Maggie treats Lakshmi in her home office for free, quickly realizing that the despondent woman doesn't need a shrink; she needs a friend. Determined to empower Lakshmi as a woman who feels valued in her own right, Maggie abandons protocol, and soon doctor and patient have become close friends. But while their relationship is deeply affectionate, it is also warped by conflicting expectations. When Maggie and Lakshmi open up and share long-buried secrets, the revelations will jeopardize their close bond, shake their faith in each other, and force them to confront painful choices.

Which one will you read first?

If you need help placing a hold with your Chandler Public Library card, give us a call at 480-782-2800. 

If you'd like more book recommendations, browse our Book Lists page or check out the previous LibraryReads lists.

*Book descriptions from the publisher.

Monday, July 28, 2014

Book Review: Legends in Exile

I'm not a reader of graphic novels, but I think it's just because I hadn't discovered the right one for me. FABLES is IT. It's a much grittier version of ABC's Once Upon a Time (and FABLES came first).

I love what Willingham & Co have done with twisting the characters we're all so familiar with (or maybe some we've forgotten -- I mean, who is Rose Red?). Snow White's discussion with Beauty & the Beast is a great introduction to how this world is turned upside down from what we know -- B&B have problems, Snow White & Charming are divorced -- because how ARE these characters supposed to make their love last for centuries?

The central mystery of Legends in Exile is about the disappearance/possible murder of Rose Red, Snow's estranged sister. I wasn't crazy about this aspect, but it's a great introduction into the world of Fabletown. - Melissa (Downtown)

Monday, July 21, 2014

Finding books while the catalog is down

 
The Chandler Library catalog is currently down for a database conversion to a new and improved catalog. How do you find books in the meantime?

Books are always available to browse on the shelf, and you'll be able to check out at the information desk if you have your library card with you. Come in to the library and ask staff to help you find the right shelves to browse. (We just can't tell you if a specific book is checked in or not, or place holds. These services will be available again on July 23.)

How to find subjects and authors? Chandler Library uses the Dewey Decimal System to arrange our nonfiction books, and you can check this guide for some common Dewey call numbers. (Or if you're really curious, you can check this page for a more detailed list of all the call numbers!)

Looking for the author of a fiction book? Do what we do when we can't access our catalog or can't find an author there - search Amazon! Fiction is shelved alphabetically by the author's name.

You can also access our ebook collections, provided you have your library card and it's currently in good standing. (Cards issued between July 18 - 22 will not be able to access ebooks.)

Our new catalog will be up on Wednesday, July 23. We think you'll like this new library system, which will offer a more seamless interface and direct access to our new 3M ebooks. Thank you for your patience!

Monday, July 14, 2014

Book Review: Don't Ever Get Old

Buck Schatz is a retired Memphis cop and a World War II veteran. He doesn't understand computers, he's annoyed by his chatterbox grandson, and he doesn't like the prospect of moving into a nursing home when his memory begins to fail and his wife sustains a fall. He certainly doesn't expect to be following the trail of a murderer at the age of 87. But when a fellow veteran makes a deathbed confession, revealing a treasure trove of Nazi gold, Buck starts getting a lot of attention from people expecting the former detective to track down the gold and give them a share. And he really starts getting attention when the bodies of some of those people start piling up.

Don't Ever Get Old is the first in a new mystery series featuring the crochety, foul-mouthed, and very funny Buck Schatz. He turns his caustic narrative to both crime and the aging process, and manages to struggle through both despite it all. The second title in the series, Don't Ever Look Back, came out earlier this summer. - Michelle (Sunset)

Friday, July 11, 2014

Books en Pointe

Astonish Me by Maggie Shipstead is a sophisticated tale of desire, betrayal, secrets and artistic sacrifice set in the glamorous New York ballet world during the 1970’s. Joan is an undistinguished ballerina who’s defining moment comes when she helps a magnetic Baryshnikov-like Russian dancer defect to the US. The repercussions of her decision trickle down the years eventually affecting her marriage and family, her friendships and, most painfully, her career. With beautifully restrained prose and fascinating characters Astonish Me is a passionate ode to ballet and finding balance in a creative life.

If you like reading about ballet these following novels are also about dancers:


The Cranes Dance by Meg Howrey – This is the tale of Kate Crane, a soloist in a celebrated New York City ballet company who is struggling to keep her place in a very demanding world. At every turn she is haunted by her close relationship with her younger sister, Gwen, a fellow company dancer whose career quickly surpassed Kate’s, but who has recently suffered a breakdown and returned home.

Dancer by Colum McCann – Taking his inspiration from biographical facts, novelist Colum McCann tells the erotically charged story of the Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev through the cast of those who knew him.

Dancing for Degas by Kathryn Wagner – An ambitious and enterprising farm girl, Alexandrie joins the prestigious Paris Opera ballet with hopes of securing not only her place in society but her family's financial future. Her plan is soon derailed, however, when she falls in love with the enigmatic Impressionist artist Edgar Degas.

The Master’s Muse by Varley O’Connor – A fictional account of the marriage of ballet master George Balanchine and Tanaquil Le Clercq describes how polio ended Tanny's dancing career, the rehabilitation that deepened their relationship, and how Balanchine's return to ballet tested their marriage.

The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan РIn belle ̩poque Paris, the Van Goethem sisters struggle for survival after the sudden death of their father, a situation that prompts young Marie's ballet training and her introduction to a genius painter.

Monday, July 7, 2014

Staff Picks: Fantasy and Science Fiction

Every month, staff at our Downtown branch read books in a specific fiction genre or nonfiction subject, to familiarize themselves with titles they might not have discovered otherwise. For June, they read Fantasy, Science Fiction, and graphic novels. Here's what everyone read and what they had to say about it:

The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magic, by Emily Barker
Big epic fantasy with some romance. Fans of Outlander and A Discovery of Witches should check this one out. 5 stars

The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss
A big epic coming-of-age story about a young magician. A little bit like Harry Potter for adults. George R.R. Martin fans would love this book. 5 stars

Dark Witch, by Nora Roberts
Roberts' diehard fans hated this book, but I thought it was ok, decent writing, ok story line, typical romance novel. 3 ½ stars

Newsflesh trilogy, by Mira Grant
Fun Zombie series. 5 stars

Fables Vol. 1: Legends in Exile, by Bill Willingham
Once upon a time before Once Upon a Time came to television. Very fun. 5 stars

The Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell
This book haunts you, it is beautifully written, very emotional. I've never read anything like it. 5 stars

Saga, by Brian Vaughan
A futuristic version of Romeo and Juliet but they live to have a child. 5 stars