Book Review: Inferno

Inferno is a great thriller that introduces the reader to the history, culture, and art of three major cities: Florence, Venice, and Istanbul. Dan Brown is a master at tickling your interest. You seldom read his novels without wanting to read more about the city he uses to perpetuate his narrative. For example, in Inferno you become fascinated with Dante's epic poem, The Divine Comedy. Dan Brown provides such enticing, accurate information on the classic poem and the artists who have used this classic as a theme, that you are going to want to revisit (or read for the first time) Dante's classic, too - which I did!!  -- Henry (Downtown)

New Year's Resolutions? We can help!

It's that time of year where everyone starts promising themselves to go to the gym, look for a new job, or finally learn a new language. Whether you have a resolution to get fit or read more, we've got great resources to help you keep your New Year's Resolutions.

Want to read more?
Quick reads, long reads, teen reads, or kid reads -- we can help. If you're looking for ideas for good books, follow us here on more than books for reviews from library staff. Just need a few ideas for WHAT book out of the thousands to pick up next, check out our book lists page. Maybe you aren't ready for lengthy novels? Head to Zinio to read current magazines on your smartphone or tablet for quick reads in a variety of magazines like mental_floss, Rolling Stone, and The Economist. Or maybe you really want to join a book club? We've got those, too. Head to our Book Clubs page to find out meeting times and book picks.

Browse our cookbooks!

Want to be healthy?
Magazines, streaming videos, DVDs, and eBooks -- if you want to get healthy and be fit, we can help! Zinio for Libraries has Runner's World, Yoga Journal and more great Health & Fitness magazines you can read on your PC, tablet or smartphone. If you're looking for videos, head to Overdrive's new Streaming Video service -- you can watch on a variety of devices, even your tablet! If you're more traditional, we have a great collection of fitness DVDs  -- give us a call or come in and we can help you find a great video at one of our libraries. Maybe your "be healthy" means eating out less? We've got you covered there, too! Zinio has a great selection of Food & Cooking magazines or you can browse our extensive cookbook collection. Don't forget to check out our great collection of Health & Fitness Axis 360 eBooks, too!

Want to learn a language?
We've got two great resources to help you learn a foreign language -- Mango Languages & Rocket Languages. With Mango, once you create a profile on their website, you can access the Mango for Libraries app on your Android or iOS smartphone to learn on the go! Mango offers over 50 foreign language courses and more than a dozen courses for ESL learners. Rocket is another great language learning resource that offers Spanish, French, Arabic, and Sign Language. Check out both and decide which one you prefer! Or if you prefer the traditional method of books & language CDs, browse the 400s next time you stop in one of your libraries.

Browse our craft books!

Want to get crafty?
Whether it's knitting, quilling, quilting, crocheting, sewing, embroidering, beading -- you name it -- we have loads of great resources available to help you get started! Plus we have great eMagazines on Zinio for all the want-to-be-crafty folks out there! You can also browse our crafty eBooks on Axis 360 like the Complete Photo Guide to Sewing and Felt It!. You can also browse our shelves at any of our libraries for thousands of craft ideas.

For more resolution ideas and info on how we can help, head to our 2014 New Year's Resolutions page.

Book Review: Joyland

Joyland is a short book (by Stephen King standards) about relationships of love and friendship. There are some supernatural aspects to the book centered around the "Joyland" amusement park, it is Stephen King after all, but they exist only to move along the real story of one transformative summer in the life of college-aged Devin Jones and his broken heart, a beautiful woman, and a dying child. As much as I love Stephen King's horror, when he notches it back a bit and tightens up a story I get reminded of why I have been reading his work since the 1970s, when he first succeeded in scaring a teenager to death with his tale of vampires in a small Maine town. - Peter (Downtown)

Staff Favorites of 2013

Why should newspapers, magazines, and websites get to have all of the best book list fun? We decided to make our own Best Books list and below you’ll find our favorite Adult Fiction titles published in 2013. Check out Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and our Book Lists page to discover even more books CPL staff loved reading over the past year.

Chandler Public Library Staff Favorites

Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman -- Check out our review.
Vatican Waltz by Roland Merullo

Breaking Point by C.J. Box -- More adventures of our intrepid Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett! If you haven't read them before start at the beginning with Open Season so you can get to know Joe.

Inferno by Dan Brown
Joyland by Stephen King

The Circle by Dave Eggers -- If you do use social media and think about who has access to your information, this book will scare the heck out of you!! Who is tracking your information and habits every time you search for something, or comment online? How can that information be used? While some may think this book is unrealistic, others will realize that many of the "stories" in the book are already actually happening. - Rosanna

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Longbourn by Jo Baker -- Check out our review.

The Partner Track by Helen Wan -- Debut novel about the inner workings of a prestigious Wall Street firm. Ingrid Yung, a brilliant and attractive associate is on the fast track to becoming a partner, but must decide if she is willing to sacrifice her core values to make it to the top. - Saren

Fin & Lady by Cathleen Schine -- Check out our review.
The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes --I loved this book, especially the story of Sophie during WWI in her German-occupied village in France. I thought that the modern day story of Liv slowed down the momentum a bit. Sophie was so strong, her story was engrossing, and I cared about what happened to her, but Liv's character was lacking something...Or maybe it was because her story seemed a little disjointed. However, the use of alternating stories/time periods worked well in my opinion. So very good -- highly recommend it! - Marybeth

Ladies' Night by Mary Kay Andrews
The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud

Llama of Death by Betty Webb -- The third installment of the Gunn Zoo mystery series by Arizona author Betty Webb. Innocent animals accused of murder but our zookeeper Teddy Bentley is on the case. Filled with crazy characters and a good mystery!

Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole
The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton -- A welcome return for Grafton's female private detective hero Kinsey Milhone. Two seemingly unrelated deaths intersect with Kinsey's past and present. Engaging characters and a complex mystery make this a perfect rainy day read. - Lucy

Want more Best Books of 2013 lists? We’ve linked to a few lists from around the web below and you can find even more of our favorites on our Book Lists page and on our Pinterest boards.

• Publishers Weekly
• Entertainment Weekly -- Fiction | Nonfiction
• NPR -- Book Concierge
• Washington Post
• New York Times

Book Review: What Doctors Feel

What does it feel like to mess up on the job - or to simply be afraid you might? How does it feel to work under crushing stress, or when the people you work with are stubborn, difficult, or even frightening? What if those people are your patients and a mistake might cost them their lives?

What Doctors Feel is an eye-opening account of what it feels like to work under these conditions. Danielle Ofri interviews many doctors about the most stressful, frightening, and shameful incidents of their medical careers, interspersing their stories with many of her own from her long career as a physician at Bellevue. She writes about freezing up as an intern handling a code for the first time, struggling with negative feelings that interfere with caring for difficult or drug-addicted patients, and the long and heartbreaking process of treating a slowly dying woman. What Doctors Feel is a fascinating look at a world many of us have never seen, and might make us look at our doctors in a new light. - Michelle (Sunset)

Book Review: Life After Life

My first instinct when I got to the end of Life After Life, a novel set in the Pine Haven retirement center, was to throw it across the room. But since I read a digital ARC (advance reading copy), I thought better of it. I wanted to throw the book, not my iPad. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED this book. McCorkle made me feel real emotions. REAL, ya'll.

While the events of the book only cover a couple of days, you get each character's story. You love some, you despise some, and some you want to hug. And in the end you realize that life isn't always easy, but it goes on. We lose people around us, but they live on in our memory.

While I felt like some stories weren't finished, we got a snapshot of life (and death) in and near Pine Haven. The more you read, the more heartbreaking each story becomes, but also hopeful because there was someone with them: Joanna. Great book.

(And if you think...life in a retirement village? Why would I want to read about that? This book is so much more than that. SO MUCH MORE.) - Melissa (Downtown)

Tumbleweed Tree and the Parade of Lights

Join us in Downtown Chandler for holiday festivities! The Tumbleweed Tree lighting ceremony will be held Saturday, December 7, culminating in the Parade of Lights and the lighting of the 57th Tumbleweed Tree.

Entertainment begins at 4:30, and the parade begins at 7:00. Admission is free. See this map for parking, and note that Arizona Avenue and other streets in the Downtown area will be closed. For more information about the evening's events, including a detailed schedule, a list of performers, and road closure information, visit the City's website.

Want to see more of the Tumbleweed Tree? Find photos of the tree through the years on the Chandler Museum's Chandlerpedia website. Chandlerpedia also hosts archives of the Chandler Arizonan newspaper, where you can take a look at some historical Christmas celebrations.

The December 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. We'd love to hear what you think about the titles, so if you love it or hate it be sure to let us know on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or in the comments below!

No Good Duke Goes Unpunished: The Third Rule of Scoundrels by Sarah MacLean
Published: November 26, 2013
When her brother gets deep in debt to Temple, a disgraced duke who now owns an exclusive casino, Mara Lowe agrees to come forward and clear Temple, who has been accused of her murder, if he will forgive what her brother owes him. The first two books in the series are A Rogue by Any Other Name and One Good Earl Deserves a Lover.

The Yellow Eyes of Crocodiles by Katherine Pancol
Published: December 31, 2013
When her chronically unemployed husband runs off to start a crocodile farm in Kenya with his mistress, Joséphine Cortès is left in an unhappy state of affairs. The mother of two—confident, beautiful teenage Hortense and shy, babyish Zoé—is forced to maintain a stable family life while making ends meet on her meager salary as a medieval history scholar. Meanwhile, Joséphine’s charismatic sister Iris seems to have it all—a wealthy husband, gorgeous looks, and a très chic Paris address—but she dreams of bringing meaning back into her life. When Iris charms a famous publisher into offering her a lucrative deal for a twelfth-century romance, she offers her sister a deal of her own: Joséphine will write the novel and pocket all the proceeds, but the book will be published under Iris’s name. All is well—that is, until the book becomes the literary sensation of the season. If you liked Le Divorce or The Elegance of the Hedgehog, definitely check this one out!

Vatican Waltz by Roland Merullo
Published: December 3, 2013
Cynthia Piantedosi lives a quiet, unassuming life with her elderly father just outside of Boston. When she loses her beloved grandmother as a child, her faith takes a turn for the devout, and she begins experiencing what she describes as "spells"-moments of such intense prayer that she loses herself. Uninterested in boys and a social life, she develops a deep friendship with the parish priest, whose ideas are often seen as too provocative by his congregation but who encourages her to explore her "spells." When he dies in a suspicious hit-and-run accident, the "spells" intensify and their message begins to take shape: God is asking her to be the first female Catholic priest. She reaches out to other unreceptive officials within the Catholic establishment and is met with ridicule. Unable to tune out the divine messages, she leaves behind all that she knows, letting the power of her unswerving faith drive her all the way to the Vatican in pursuit of a destiny she doesn't fully understand-and a turn of events that will rock the Church to its foundation.

How to Run with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper
Published: December 31, 2013
Anna Moder has just witnessed a shooting, seen her car pulverized, and rescued a wounded stranger only to discover he's really a werewolf. And by her recent standards, things are actually looking up. Lycanthropes don't faze Anna. Doctoring a wolf pack outside Grundy, Alaska, is the closest thing to home life she's known in years. But hitching a ride to Anchorage with long-absent pack member Caleb Graham--that's a risk. Part of her itches to whack his nose with a newspaper. The rest is trying unsuccessfully to keep her own paws off every delicious inch of him. The problem is--Caleb employs his lupine tracking abilities as a notquite- legal bounty hunter, and Anna is suspicious of both him and his profession. On the run from her past, with old problems closing in, she'd like to stay far, far away from anybody with connections to the law. Caleb, however, seems determined to keep her close. Are his intentions noble, or is he working a more predatory angle? Anna's been dreaming of returning to a semi-normal life, but now she's experiencing a strange new urge to join Caleb in running with the wolves.

The Supreme Macaroni Company by Adriana Trigiani
Published: November 26, 2013
For over a hundred years, the Angelini Shoe Company in Greenwich Village has relied on the leather produced by Vechiarelli & Son in Tuscany. This ancient business partnership provides the twist of fate for Valentine Roncalli to fall in love with Gianluca Vechiarelli, a tanner with a complex past . . . and a secret. But after the wedding celebrations are over, Valentine wakes up to the hard reality of juggling the demands of a new business and the needs of her new family. Confronted with painful choices, Valentine remembers the wise words that inspired her in the early days of her beloved Angelini Shoe Company: "A person who can build a pair of shoes can do just about anything." Now, the proud, passionate Valentine is going to fight for everything she wants and savor all she deserves--the bitter and the sweet of life itself. Romantic and poignant, told with humor and warmth, and bursting with a cast of endearing characters, The Supreme Macaroni Company is an unforgettable narrative about family, work, romance, and the unexpected turns of life and fate.

The Secret Rooms: A True Story of a Haunted Castle, a Plotting Duchess, and a Family Secret by Catherine Bailey
Published: December 31, 2013
For fans of Downton Abbey: the enthralling true story of family secrets and aristocratic intrigue in the days before WWI After the Ninth Duke of Rutland, one of the wealthiest men in Britain, died alone in a cramped room in the servants' quarters of Belvoir Castle on April 21, 1940, his son and heir ordered the room, which contained the Rutland family archives, sealed. Sixty years later, Catherine Bailey became the first historian given access. What she discovered was a mystery: The Duke had painstakingly erased three periods of his life from all family records;but why? As Bailey uncovers the answers, she also provides an intimate portrait of the very top of British society in the turbulent days leading up to World War I.

Dangerous Women edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois
Published: December 3, 2013
All new and original to this volume, the 21 stories in Dangerous Women include stories by twelve bestselling authors, and seven stories set in the authors' bestselling continuities--including a new "Outlander" story by Diana Gabaldon, a tale of Harry Dresden's world by Jim Butcher, a story from Lev Grossman set in the world of The Magicians, and a 35,000-word novella by George R. R. Martin about the Dance of the Dragons, the vast civil war that tore Westeros apart nearly two centuries before the events of A Game of Thrones. Also included are original stories of dangerous women--heroines and villains alike--by Brandon Sanderson, Joe Abercrombie, Sherrilynn Kenyon, Lawrence Block, Carrie Vaughn, S. M. Stirling, Sharon Kay Penman, and many others.

My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind by Scott Stossel
Published: December 31, 2013
A moving account of the author's struggles with anxiety, and of the history of efforts by scientists, philosophers, and writers to understand the condition As recently as thirty-five years ago, anxiety did not exist as a diagnostic category. Today, it is the most common form of officially classified mental illness. Scott Stossel gracefully guides us across the terrain of an affliction that is pervasive yet too often misunderstood. Drawing on his own long-standing battle with anxiety, Stossel presents an astonishing history, at once intimate and authoritative, of the efforts to understand the condition from medical, cultural, philosophical, and experiential perspectives. Stossel vividly depicts anxiety's human toll--its crippling impact, its devastating power to paralyze--while at the same time exploring how those who suffer from it find ways to manage and control it. If you were fascinated by Daniel Smith's Monkey Mind  or Andrew Solomon's The Noonday Demon, be sure to check out My Age of Anxiety.

The Trip to Echo Spring: On Writers and Drinking by Olivia Laing
Published: December 31, 2013
Why is that some of the greatest works of literature have been produced by writers in the grip of alcoholism, an addition that cost them personal happiness and caused harm to those who loved them? In The Trip to Echo Spring, Olivia Laing examines the link between creativity and alcohol through the work and lives of six extraordinary men: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, John Berryman, John Cheever, and Raymond Carver. All six of these writers were alcoholics, and the subject of drinking surfaces in some of their finest work, from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof to A Moveable Feast. Olivia Laing grew up in an alcoholic family herself. One spring, wanting to make sense of this ferocious, entangling disease, she took a journey across America that plunged her into the heart of these overlapping lives.

Innocence by Dean Koontz
Published: December 10, 2013
He lives in solitude beneath the city, an exile from society, which will destroy him if he is ever seen. She dwells in seclusion, a fugitive from enemies who will do her harm if she is ever found. But the bond between them runs deeper than the tragedies that have scarred their lives. Something more than chance—and nothing less than destiny—has brought them together in a world whose hour of reckoning is fast approaching. In Innocence, Koontz blends mystery, suspense, and acute insight into the human soul in a tale that will resonate with readers forever.

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.

Book Review: Parasite

Based on her memories, Sal Mitchell is only six years old. She woke up from a coma remembering NOTHING. She had to learn to read, write, walk, talk, she was a real blank slate. It's believed her recovery is all thanks to a parasite that was implanted in pre-crash Sally's body.

Parasite is set in the year 2027, when having a parasite has become all the rage -- after all, they saved us. Due to over-medication, lots of vaccines, and fear of dirt (simplistic terms here), medicine wasn't working anymore.

Just that kept me reading because it really is kind of becoming a problem...did you hear that antibiotics don't work (or will eventually stop working) against superbugs and pharmaceutical companies aren't doing anything about it because it doesn't make them money? (Again bringing it back to the basics.)

The REALLY scary stuff starts happening when the "sleeping sickness" starts spreading across the country. No one knows what's causing it and no one knows who it will hit next....creepy, no? I mean, parasites living inside people by choice and scary sicknesses with no known cause or cure...eek!

When I started reading a few readalikes came to mind:

Oryx and Crake -- because science is scary and pigoons and Crakers seem to go with optional parasites to keep people healthy in my head.
The 5th Wave -- because aliens and parasites are related and they live inside us. Wait, what?!
The Host -- (kind of obvious here) because both books have parastic things living inside bodies.

- Melissa (Downtown)

Book Review: The Monuments Men

The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History is an interesting look at a largely unknown group of World War II heroes. I first became interested in the story because I vaguely knew about the upcoming movie, then I read The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes and realized the movie was based on real life. It wasn't just some story George Clooney made up!

While there were many times I found it difficult to follow the story -- jumping back and forth between the Monuments Men made it difficult to keep up with any one road to art recovery -- I was fascinated by the men and women that were involved. I think I would have preferred it to be broken down into the path each MFAA officer took to recover the art, but that probably would have been just as tricky because there are so many moving parts. (Plus my biggest issue with any book that deals with war battles is that I become lost in the terminology and trying to keep 1st Army something separated from 3rd or 7th in my head.)

I'm very interested to see how they make this work as a film. I imagine they'll make them more of a cohesive group rather than the disorganized "group" the MFAA was. Either way, art history, true stories, WWII, combined with George Clooney, Matt Damon, moving pictures in color -- can you really go wrong there? It'll be like Ocean's Eleven meets the greatest art history story never told. - Melissa (Downtown)

Library Closed - Read magazines online

All four Chandler Public Libraries will be closed for Veterans Day, Monday, November 11.

You can access current magazines through the library website, even while the library's closed, using Zinio.

Step 1: Access the Zinio Website
a) Visit chandlerlibrary.org
b) Roll the cursor over READ, then click Ebooks and Digital Media.
c) Choose Zinio.

Step 2: Choose your magazine
a) Browse or search the library’s collection of magazines.

Step 3: Log In
a) The first time you log in, choose “Create New Account.”
b) Enter your library card number under Barcode, then an email address and password.
Next time you access Zinio, use this email and password.

Step 4: Create a Personal Zinio Account
a) You must create a second account for Zinio (the first one just identified you as a library user). Use the same username and password as above.
b) Choose "Your Library." Click a magazine cover to read it.
IMPORTANT! My Library will open in a new window or tab. Keep the other window/tab open in order to return to the Chandler Library collection and browse for more magazines.
If you are being asked to pay, go to the Return to Library window or tab instead.

Optional: Download a Mobile App
If you want to read Zinio magazines on your iPad, tablet, or smartphone, download the appropriate app. Make sure you do Steps 1-4 on a computer first.
a) Go to the iTunes or Google Play store to download the Zinio app. (Kindle Fire users, see staff for assistance.)
b) To check out a new magazine from the library, you will need to use a browser on your device to go to the library's website (see Step 1).
c) Once you've checked out a magazine, you can use the Zinio app to read it.

More about Zinio
• No due dates. Keep magazines as long as you like!
• No checkout limit. Check out as many as you want.

The Book Thief: Join the discussion

What did you think of The Book Thief? Here are two differing opinions of the novel, which comes to the big screen November 8:

An amazing and original story set in Germany during the second world war. It's narrated by Death, who manages to be a wonderful storyteller and shows it has a lot of compassion. If you love books and words then you should read this book. One of my all time favourites. - themadmaiden (Aquabrowser user)

Things that altered my feelings of this book: All the hype (seriously, people REALLY love this book). The misleading title (I thought it was going to be about a girl that stole books and did something with them). The narrator (it probably didn't help that I had just watched the beginning of Meet Joe Black around the time that I started reading it. I just kept thinking of Brad Pitt telling me this story...) - Melissa (Goodreads user)

Join the discussion! Submit your own review, to be shared with other libraries around the world that use the Aquabrowser catalog. After searching the catalog for the book, look for the My Discoveries button in the upper left. Register to create an account (this account is with Aquabrowser, and is separate from your Chandler Library account).

Once you're logged in, scroll down below the book information and above the item availability. You will now see a field where you can write a review or rate the book.

The November 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. We'd love to hear what you think about the titles, so if you love it or hate it be sure to let us know!

Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield
Published: November 5, 2013

Caught up in a moment of boyhood competition, William Bellman recklessly aims his slingshot at a rook resting on a branch, killing the bird instantly. It is a small but cruel act, and is soon forgotten. By the time he is grown, with a wife and children of his own, William seems to have put the whole incident behind him. It was as if he never killed the thing at all. But rooks don t forget . . . Years later, when a stranger mysteriously enters William s life, his fortunes begin to turn and the terrible and unforeseen consequences of his past indiscretion take root. In a desperate bid to save the only precious thing he has left, he enters into a rather strange bargain, with an even stranger partner. Together, they found a decidedly macabre business. And Bellman & Black is born.

Through the Evil Days: A Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mystery by Julia Spencer-Fleming
Published: November 5, 2013

The eighth book in the series begins on a frigid January night, Chief of Police Russ Van Alstyne and Reverend Clare Fergusson are called to the scene of a raging fire, that quickly becomes a double homicide and kidnapping. Which is the very last thing Russ needs...Currently he's struggling with the prospect of impending fatherhood. And his new wife is not at all happy with his proposal for their long-delayed honeymoon: a week in an unelectrified ice-fishing cabin. The vestry of St. Alban's Church has called for the bishop to investigate Clare's "unpriestly" pregnancy. She has one week to find out if she will be scolded, censured, or suspended from her duties. Officer Hadley Knox is having a miserable January as well. Her on-again-off-again lover, Kevin Flynn, has seven days to weigh an offer from the Syracuse Police Department that might take him half a state away. As the days and hours tick by, Russ and Clare fight personal and professional battles they've never encountered. In the course of this one tumultuous week the lives of the Millers-Kill residents readers have come to love and cherish change forever.

The Death of Santini: The Story of a Father and His Son by Pat Conroy
Published: October 29, 2013

While the publication of The Great Santini brought Pat Conroy much acclaim, the rift it caused with his father brought even more attention. Their long-simmering conflict burst into the open, fracturing an already battered family. But as Pat tenderly chronicles here, even the oldest of wounds can heal. In the final years of Don Conroy's life, he and his son reached a rapprochement of sorts. Quite unexpectedly, the Santini who had freely doled out physical abuse to his wife and children refocused his ire on those who had turned on Pat over the years. The Death of Santini is at once a heart-wrenching account of personal and family struggle and a poignant lesson in how the ties of blood can both strangle and offer succor. It is an act of reckoning, an exorcism of demons, but one whose ultimate conclusion is that love can soften even the meanest of men, lending significance to one of the most-often quoted lines from Pat's bestselling novel The Prince of Tides: "In families there are no crimes beyond forgiveness."

Someone Else’s Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson
Published: November 19, 2013

For single mom Shandi Pierce, life is a juggling act. She's finishing college; raising her delightful three-year-old genius son, Nathan, aka Natty Bumppo; and keeping the peace between her eternally warring, long-divorced Christian mother and Jewish father. She's got enough to deal with before she gets caught in the middle of a stickup in a gas station mini-mart and falls in love with a great wall of a man named William Ashe, who steps between the armed robber and her son to shield the child from danger. Shandi doesn't know that her blond god has his own baggage. When he looked down the barrel of the gun in the gas station he believed it was destiny: it's been exactly one year since a tragic act of physics shattered his universe. But William doesn't define destiny the way other people do. A brilliant geneticist who believes in science and numbers, destiny to him is about choice. Now, William and Shandi are about to meet their so-called destinies head-on, making choices that will reveal unexpected truths about love, life, and the world they think they know.

The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan
Published: November 5, 2013

Shanghai, 1912. Violet Minturn is the daughter of the American madam of the city's most exclusive courtesan house. When political upheaval separates Violet from her mother, she is forced to become a "virgin courtesan." Half-Chinese, half-American, Violet grapples with her place in the worlds of East and West--until she merges her two identities to become a shrewd courtesan, though privately she still struggles to understand who she is. San Francisco, 1897. Violet's mother chooses a disastrous course as a sixteen-year-old, following a Chinese painter to Shanghai, where she finds herself shocked by her lover's adherence to Chinese traditions. Fueled by betrayals, both women refuse to submit to fate, persisting in their quests to recover what was taken from them: respect; a secure future; and love, from their parents, husbands, and children.

Lies You Wanted to Hear by James Whitfield Thomson
Published: November 5, 2013

Alone in an empty house, Lucy tries to imagine the lives of her two young children. They have been gone for seven years, and she is tormented by the role she played in that heartbreaking loss. You can hardly see a glimpse of the sexy, edgy woman she used to be. Back then, she was a magnet for men like Matt, who loved her beyond reason, and Griffin, who wouldn't let go but always left her wanting more. Now the lies they told and the choices they made have come to haunt all three of them.

The Cartographer of No Man’s Land by P. S. Duffy
Published: October 28, 2013

When adventurous Ebbin goes missing at the front in 1916, Angus defies his pacifist upbringing to join the war and search for his beloved brother-in-law. With his navigation experience, Angus is assured a position as a cartographer in London. But upon arriving overseas he is instead sent directly into the trenches, where he experiences the visceral shock of battle. Meanwhile, at home, his perceptive son Simon Peter must navigate escalating hostility in a fishing village torn by grief and a rising suspicion of anyone expressing less than patriotic enthusiasm for the war.

The Raven’s Eye: A Brock and Kolla Mystery by Barry Maitland
Published: November 12, 2013

DI Kathy Kolla of Scotland Yard is called in as a matter of course by the local Paddington police when a woman turns up dead in what appears to be an accident. On her houseboat, Vicky Hawks is found by one of her neighbors having apparently succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning due to improper ventilation of the narrowboat's heating system. But while the cause of death seems apparent and there's no reason for Kolla to think otherwise, something about this death still bothers her. Meanwhile, her boss, DCI Brock, is wrestling with harsh budget cuts and a new Commander who is determined to make fundamental changes to the system--including limiting resources devoted to investigations. Struggling against the limitations imposed by the new order at Scotland Yard, Brock and Kolla find themselves pulling at the loose strings in the death of Vicky Hawks, trying to find out who she really was, what she was up to, and how her death might be related to another earlier tragic accidental death.

Death of a Nightingale by Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis
Published: November 5, 2013

Nina. Natasha. Olga. Three women united by one terrifying secret. But only one of them has killed to keep it. Natasha Doroshenko, a Ukrainian woman who has been convicted of the attempted murder of her Danish fiancé, escapes police custody on her way to an interrogation in Copenhagen's police headquarters. That night, the frozen, tortured body of Michael, the ex-fiancé, is found in a car, and the manhunt for Natasha escalates. It isn't the first time the young Ukrainian woman has lost a partner to violent ends: her first husband was also murdered, three years earlier in Kiev, and in the same manner: tortured to death in a car. Danish Red Cross nurse Nina Borg has been following Natasha's case for several years now, since Natasha first took refuge at a crisis center where Nina works. Nina, who had tried to help Natasha leave her abusive fiancé more than once, just can't see the young Ukrainian mother as a vicious killer. But in her effort to protect Natasha's daughter and discover the truth, Nina realizes there is much she didn't know about this woman and her past. The mystery has long and bloody roots, going back to a terrible famine that devastated Stalinist Ukraine in 1934, when a ten-year-old girl with the voice of a nightingale sang her family into shallow graves.

Parasite by Mira Grant
Published: October 29, 2013

A decade in the future, humanity thrives in the absence of sickness and disease. We owe our good health to a humble parasite - a genetically engineered tapeworm developed by the pioneering SymboGen Corporation. When implanted, the Intestinal Bodyguard worm protects us from illness, boosts our immune system - even secretes designer drugs. It's been successful beyond the scientists' wildest dreams. Now, years on, almost every human being has a SymboGen tapeworm living within them. But these parasites are getting restless. They want their own lives . . . and will do anything to get them.

So...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.

Book Review: Poppet

Four years ago, a patient at a secure psychiatric facility was discovered dead, following rumors of a ghost that was tormenting her. AJ, the senior nursing coordinator at the facility, remembers how difficult it was to quiet the rumor... but now it's happening again. Patients talk of the ghost walking through the hallways, invading their rooms, sitting on their chests. Two patients are driven to gruesome episodes of self-harm, and one soon dies under questionable circumstances. AJ starts to doubt his own judgments - did he see someone lurking outside the window? Can he trust Melanie, the facility director, who seems anxious to cover up the incidents? Should he go to the police, and jeopardize the relationship he's just started with Melanie? But the police have problems of their own. Detective Jack Caffery has been haunted by an unsolved case, and he must convince the person he's been covering for to finally come forward.

Poppet is the latest novel by award-winning mystery author Mo Hayder. The sixth title to feature Jack Caffery, it's an easy introduction for anyone new to the series. Hayder's novels are known for their twists - things are rarely as straightforward as they seem. But she is also a master of character psychology, both the disturbing minds of the criminals, and those of the investigators, who are often not much less disturbed. - Michelle (Sunset)

Book Review: Cool Gray City of Love

Few cities have such a place in the American imagination as San Francisco, and few writers know San Francisco as well as long-time resident and journalist Gary Kamiya. In Cool Gray City of Love, Kamiya takes us on a walk around his favorite town, going chapter-by-chapter through various neighborhoods and sites, as well as through the city's cultural, political, and even geological history. He takes us through the Presidio, with its history of somewhat bungled conquest; through the wild artificiality of Golden Gate Park, a garden claimed from sand dunes; through Japantown, with its undercurrent of both racial oppression and interracial cooperation; through the Tenderloin, a slum that continues to occupy prime real estate in one of the most expensive cities in the world because - as Kamiya says - the city wants it to. Reading these fascinating, funny, and often bittersweet stories does more than give you a local expert's view of San Francisco. It shows you what it means to love a place deeply, in all its tragedy and beauty. - Michelle (Sunset)

Library Closed - Get info on the Affordable Care Act

All four Chandler Public Libraries will be closed on Columbus Day, Monday, October 14, for staff training. Regular hours will resume on Tuesday, October 15. (Hamilton and Basha branches open at 9:00 a.m. on October 15 and return to their regular 7:30 a.m. opening on Wednesday, October 16.)

Questions about the Affordable Care Act? As a community information resource, the library has collected information about ACA in one location. Visit the ACA page on our website for important dates, what you need to apply, and relevant websites and phone numbers.

Please note: Library staff are NOT healthcare specialists and CANNOT advise you on the healthcare plan you should choose. Please visit our ACA page for phone numbers to call if you have questions.

Book Review: Longbourn

Sarah is a brave, hardworking young woman employed by the Bennett family. When the Bingley family comes to the neighborhood AND the Bennetts hire a new footman, things begin changing in Sarah's world. And it's a world I've always been curious about...

Every time I read a Jane Austen novel, I think about what's going on in the world outside the houses and small villages the stories take place in. Austen gives you a very insular view of the world and I don't mean that in a bad way, but you just get tiny glimpses if you get any at all.

Longbourn filled in some of those gaps about the life for the other half of British society in Regency England. It could easily stand alone, and you don't have to be a fan of Pride and Prejudice to love the story here. I think it will appeal to fans of Downton Abbey or Upstairs, Downstairs and even to general historical fiction fans. - Melissa (Downtown)

The October LibraryReads List!

Wait...what is LibraryReads? A list of new or soon-to-be published titles selected and recommended by librarians and library staff from across the country. We've included descriptions* below and you can head to the LibraryReads website to see brief reviews submitted by librarians. We'd love to hear what you think about the titles, so if you love it or hate it be sure to let us know!

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
Published: October 1, 2013

Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a "wonderful" husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things, Don sets out to find the perfect partner.

Longbourn by Jo Baker
Published: October 8, 2013

In this irresistibly imagined belowstairs answer to Pride and Prejudice, the servants take center stage. Sarah, the orphaned housemaid, spends her days scrubbing the laundry, polishing the floors, and emptying the chamber pots for the Bennet household. But there is just as much romance, heartbreak, and intrigue downstairs at Longbourn as there is upstairs. When a mysterious new footman arrives, the orderly realm of the servants’ hall threatens to be completely, perhaps irrevocably, upended.

The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
Published: September 24, 2013

Growing up in Calcutta, born just fifteen months apart, Subhash and Udayan Mitra are inseparable brothers, one often mistaken for the other. But they are also opposites, with gravely different futures ahead of them. It is the 1960s, and Udayan-charismatic and impulsive-finds himself drawn to the Naxalite movement, a rebellion waged to eradicate inequity and poverty: he will give everything, risk all, for what he believes. Subhash, the dutiful son, does not share his brother's political passion; he leaves home to pursue a life of scientific research in a quiet, coastal corner of America. But when Subhash learns what happened to his brother in the lowland outside their family's home, he comes back to India, hoping to pick up the pieces of a shattered family, and to heal the wounds Udayan left behind-including those seared in the heart of his brother's wife.

Cartwheel by Jennifer duBois
Published: September 24, 2013

When Lily Hayes arrives in Buenos Aires for her semester abroad, she is enchanted by everything she encounters: the colorful buildings, the street food, the handsome, elusive man next door. Her studious roommate Katy is a bit of a bore, but Lily didn’t come to Argentina to hang out with other Americans. Five weeks later, Katy is found brutally murdered in their shared home, and Lily is the prime suspect. But who is Lily Hayes? It depends on who’s asking. As the case takes shape—revealing deceptions, secrets, and suspicious DNA—Lily appears alternately sinister and guileless through the eyes of those around her: the media, her family, the man who loves her and the man who seeks her conviction.

Hawthorn & Child by Keith Ridgway
Published: September 23, 2013

Hawthorn and Child are mid-ranking London detectives tasked with finding significance in scattered facts. They are comic ghosts - one white and gay, one black and straight - turning up repeatedly and ineffectively to haunt the scene of some catastrophe or another, appearing and disappearing along with a ghost car, a crime boss, a pickpocket, a dead race-car driver, and a pack of wolves. Mysteries are everywhere, but the biggest of all is our mysterious - and hopeless - compulsion to solve them.

The Stop: How the Fight for Good Food Transformed a Community and Inspired a Movement by Nick Saul & Andrea Curtis
Published: September 24, 2013

In 1998, when Nick Saul became executive director of The Stop, the little urban food bank was like thousands of other cramped, dreary, makeshift spaces, a last-hope refuge where desperate people could stave off hunger for one more day with a hamper full of canned salt, sugar and fat. The produce was wilted and the packaged foods were food-industry castoffs—mislabeled products and misguided experiments that no one wanted to buy. For users of the food bank, knowing that this was their best bet for a meal was a humiliating experience. Since that time, The Stop has undergone a radical reinvention. Participation has overcome embarrassment, and the isolation of poverty has been replaced with a vibrant community that uses food to build hope and skills, and to reach out to those who need a meal, a hand and a voice.

We Are Water by Wally Lamb
Published: October 22, 2013

After 27 years of marriage and three children, Anna Oh--wife, mother, outsider artist--has fallen in love with Viveca, the wealthy Manhattan art dealer who orchestrated her success. They plan to wed in the Oh family's hometown of Three Rivers in Connecticut. But the wedding provokes some very mixed reactions and opens a Pandora's Box of toxic secrets--dark and painful truths that have festered below the surface of the Ohs' lives.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Published: October 22, 2013

A young boy in New York City, Theo Decker, miraculously survives an accident that takes the life of his mother. Alone and abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by a friends family and struggles to make sense of his new life. In the years that follow, he becomes entranced by one of the few things that reminds him of his mother: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the art underworld.

The Tilted World by Tom Franklin & Beth Ann Fennelly
Published: October 1, 2013

The year is 1927. As rains swell the Mississippi, the mighty river threatens to burst its banks and engulf all in its path, including federal revenue agent Ted Ingersoll and his partner, Ham Johnson. Arriving in the tiny hamlet of Hobnob, Mississippi, to investigate the disappearance of two fellow agents on the trail of a local bootlegger, they unexpectedly find an abandoned baby boy at a crime scene.

Hunting Season: Immigration and Murder in an All-American Town by Mirta Ojito
Published: October 15, 2013

In November of 2008, Marcelo Lucero, a thirty-seven-year-old undocumented Ecuadorean immigrant, was brutally attacked and murdered by a group of teenagers as he walked the streets of Patchogue, a quiet Long Island town. The teenaged attackers were out "hunting for beaners," their slur for Latinos, and Lucero was to become another victim of the anti-immigration fever spreading in the United States. But in death, Lucero's name became a symbol of everything that was wrong with our broken immigration system: porous borders, lax law enforcement, and the rise of bigotry. With a strong commitment to telling all sides of the story, journalist Mirta Ojito unravels the engrossing narrative with objectivity and insight, providing an invaluable peephole into one of American's most pressing issues.

So...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, stay tuned to our Facebook page for our next "Book Recs" session, browse our Book Lists page, and check out the September LibraryReads list. 

*Book descriptions from the publisher.

Book Review: Take, Burn or Destroy

The year is 1794, the height of the French Revolution, and British navy commander Charles Hayden has been given two conflicting assignments: to catch a French ship hiding in the fog of the English Channel, and to meet a spy who has crucial information for the English. Hayden is torn by his own troubles: an estranged fiancee and a pair of scheming women who have bilked him out of his fortune. In his worried state of mind, he makes a error of judgment - and finds himself surrounded in a dense fog by six French warships.

Take, Burn or Destroy is the third in a series of naval adventures featuring Charles Hayden, a commander whose background - an English father and a French mother - gives him a unique perspective on this tumultuous era in history. The novel is a stand-alone volume, and enough background is given that a reader can easily pick up the series here, but to start at the beginning, check out Under Enemy Colors, which was reviewed at this post.  - Michelle (Sunset)

International Talk Like A Pirate Day

Arrr, matey! Are ye lookin’ fer books ‘n swashbucklin’ adventures on the high seas 'bout yer pirate hearties? Yo-ho-ho! Ye’ve come to thee right place!

Every year on September 19th, across the globe folks practice their Pirate language skills and celebrate International Talk Like A Pirate Day. We thought you might be interested in a few books to help you prepare for the big day and perhaps go on a couple of adventures on the high seas with our fictional pirate friends. There’s something for everyone in our list below!

Fer Little Wee Ones:

• Shiver Me Letters by June Sobel 
• A Pirate’s Guide to Recess by James Preller 
• Pirates Don’t Take Baths by John Segal 
• LEGO Ninjago: Pirates vs Ninja 

Fer Readin' Sprogs: 

• Pirates Past Noon by Mary Pope Osborne 
• Peter & The Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson 
• The Most Famous Pirates by Cynthia Jenson-Elliot 
• Smells Like Pirates by Suzanne Selfors

Fer Rascally Teens:

• Under the Jolly Roger by L.A. Meyer 
• Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
• The Princess Bride by William Goldman
• Airborn by Kenneth Oppel

Fer Older Landlubbers: 

• Cinnamon & Gunpowder by Eli Brown
• Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton
• Empire of Blue Water by Stephan Talty
• The Rogue Pirate’s Bride by Shana Galen

Find more items by searching the catalog for Subject: Pirates. On the right-side of your browser, you can refine your search by Type of Material, Publication Date, or Literary Form (fiction, nonfiction, etc).

Want to learn to speak Pirate? 

Mango Languages – Mango is an online language-learning system that can help you learn languages like Pirate, Spanish, French, Japanese, German, and more! If you want to learn on the go, download the Mango Library app on your iPhone or Android smartphone.

Book Review: The Ocean at the End of the Lane

A man returns to his childhood home for a funeral, and finds himself walking down the lane to the old house with the duck pond in front. As a boy he made friends with Lettie, the girl who lived there with her mother and grandmother, and as he sits by the pond he recalls some long-forgotten memories: how he and Lettie encountered something terrifying in the fields around her house, how the boy accidentally brought it home with him, and how only Lettie and her family could free him and save his life.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane is Neil Gaiman's first book for adults in eight years, and he does what he's best at - capturing childhood fears and making them larger than life again, even as an adult mind questions whether any of these terrifying things are real. Is the duck pond really the ocean, as Lettie says it is? Is the new housekeeper human or not? Did Lettie really move to Australia, or has the middle-aged narrator forgotten what really happened to her? Gaiman's exploration of memory and fear is a gripping walk into a past we might think we've left behind us. - Michelle (Sunset)

Book Review: Fin & Lady

I loved Lady. I loved Fin. I loved Cathleen Schine's novel Fin & Lady. At the beginning of this book, we discover Fin is now an orphan. His father died when he was very young and his mother has died. The only family he has left is his eccentric, much-older sister Lady. Fin has only met her once before when he was five (he's now eleven), but he has fond memories of his time with her.

As I read, I slowly began to realize that someone close to Fin is telling the story, but it wasn't until the very end that I realized who it was. A wonderful story about family, love, and growing up in the 1960s.

If you're a fan of coming-of-age stories that give you a sense of both time and place (and memorable characters), like Cold Sassy Tree, then definitely read this book. - Melissa (Downtown)

Big Books of Fall 2013

Every fall the literary heavyweights and fan favorites return -- this year is no exception! In fact there are several sequels to old favorites hitting shelves this Fall , like The Shining, Bridget Jones's Diary, and A Time to Kill. Check out our list of what we're looking forward to in the coming months and visit the articles below to see what has the web buzzing.

What We're Waiting For:

• Longbourn by Jo Baker -- Pride & Prejudice fan? Check out this "Upstairs, Downstairs" twist on the classic Regency romance.
• We Are Water by Wally Lamb -- From the author of I Know This Much is True comes a layered portrait of marriage, family, and the inexorable need for understanding and connection.
• The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg -- If you're a fan of Southern fiction, Flagg returns with a new comic mystery novel about two women who are forced to re-imagine who they are and what they are capable of.
• The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion -- A funny and moving debut novel about a socially awkward genetics professor and his quest to find a wife. 
• Reality Boy by A.S. King -- Printz Honor author A.S. King explores the desperate reality of a former child "star" struggling to break free of his anger.
• David & Goliath: The Triumph of the Underdog by Malcolm Gladwell -- Gladwell returns and challenges how we think about obstacles and disadvantages.
• Parasite by Mira Grant -- Science fiction fan? The Newsflesh trilogy author returns with a thriller set in the near future where humanity is free of disease thanks to the Intestinal Bodyguard, a tapeworm. However, the parasites start getting restless...
• Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman -- From the bestselling author of Coraline comes a story about a father running out to buy milk for his children's breakfast cereal and having several adventures along the way -- including aliens, pirates, and dinosaurs.

Big Sequels:

• Sycamore Row by John Grisham -- sequel to A Time to Kill
• Doctor Sleep by Stephen King -- sequel to The Shining
• Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding -- sequel to Bridget Jones's Diary and The Edge of Reason
• MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood -- sequel to Oryx & Crake and The Year of the Flood
• Allegiant by Veronica Roth -- sequel to Divergent and Insurgent 
• Just One Year by Gayle Forman -- sequel to Just One Day
• Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger -- sequel to Etiquette & Espionage
• The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater -- sequel to The Raven Boys

Around the Web:

• Fall 2013 Books Preview: The Season's Big Books via Publishers Weekly
• 43 New Books for Fall 2013 via The Seattle Times
• Must-Read Fiction Preview: Best Books for Fall 2013 via Bookish
• The Season in Books via New York Magazine
• Fall Books Preview: 14 Big Fall Books to Watch Out For via Entertainment Weekly

*Book descriptions and cover images from the publisher.

What books are you waiting for?