Moon Tiger, by Penelope Lively

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Moon Tiger, Booker Award Winner for 1987, is the story of Claudia Hampton, a free-spirited woman reporter in Egypt during WWII. As she lies in her hospital bed dying, she imagines herself writing a history of the world. In fact, she is re-creating her own life.

As Claudia weaves in and out of consciousness, the reader is drawn into Claudia's past. Her own story is intertwined with those of her brother, her daughter, her sometimes lover (and daughter's father), and her great love, Tom, who perished in combat. That love affair plays a central role in the novel, and in the narrator's life.

This is a unique book, resembling a rich tapestry. Each new visitor at Claudia's bedside weaves yet another part of the cloth. By the book's end, we come to love Claudia, despite her egotism and stridency. An author who is able to accomplish this, and to draw a character in her full humanity, is special, indeed.

Baking Cakes In Kigali

Main character, Angel, bakes cakes for special occasions. As her customers settle in over a cup of tea to tell her about the upcoming party, the reader learns about current issues in Central Africa. A real education told in a compellingly readable style.


2009-08
Delacorte Press
0385343434
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Lorraine's Picks

Red Leaves by Thomas Cook
Another mystery that is many notches above the norm is RED LEAVES by Thomas H Cook. New MysteryReader.com says it best! " In this ominous tale of escalating threat and desperation, and of lives irrevocably unraveling, we see how easily one man can hide behind the veneer of a pleasant life, ignoring the reprehensible truths just a blink away."
One seldom comes across a mystery of such depth and clarity!
For everyone.
Lorraine
Posted by Lorraine at 9:13 PM 0 comments
Labels: outstanding "mystery"
Friday, December 18, 2009

Seasonal Stuff

Well, we've had some cold and some snow and so now is the time to hunker down with items of the season. The list below contains books and movies that are celebrating the holiday season. The library owns copies of them all (and more that are not listed!), so enjoy!

FICTION
Bayard, Louis. Mr. Tinothy: A novel.
Burrough, Augusten. You Better Not Cry.
Card, Orson Scott. A War of Gifts.
Clark, Mary Higgins. Christmas Thief.
Davidson, Diane Mott. Sweet Revenge.
Dickens, Charles. Charles Dickens a Christmas Carol.
Dunnett, Kaitlyn. A Wee Christmas Homicide.
Henry, O. Gift of the Magi.
Kahn, Sharon. Out of the Frying Pan.
Morrell, David. The Spy who came for Christmas.
Perry, Anne. A Christmas beginning.
Rice, Luanne. Silver Bells.

NON-FICTION
Gwynelle. Practicing Kwanzaa Year Round. 394.2683 DIS
Issacs, Ronald H. Sacred Seasons. 296.43 ISA
Pacheo, Ferdie. Christmas Eve Cookbook. 641.568 PAC
Raphael, Chaim. Festival Days. 296.43 RAP
Restad, Penne. Christmas in America. 394.26 RES
Sarna, Johnathan. A Time to Every Purpose. 296.7 SAR

MOVIES
A Christmas Carol
Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights
Elf
Our Favorite Things
Santa Clause
Scrooged
White Christmas

Birds of America

Publisher:	A. Knopf :
Pub date:	1998.
Pages:	291 p. ;
ISBN:	0679445978

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Birds of America is a collection of poignant stories about average people. It is classic Lorrie Moore, employing artistic use of language and witty dialogue. Humor deflects, somewhat, the sadness in each story, although each deals with loss or mortality.

What makes this collection one of the best I've ever read is the sheer humanity of the characters depicted. Each story has a character who is struggling with something monumental in his or her life. Each looks realistically at the situation and, in the end, makes a choice that is the best given all options. The characters recognize life's ironies as well as its unfairness. But none have time for self-pity.

If you are a fan of Lorrie Moore, or if you enjoyed her latest novel, A Gate at the Stairs, this collection is well worth reading. It is filled with pathos, yes, but the strength of the human spirit in the face of all odds, rings clearly.

Heat Wave

For anyone who has watched the tv series, Castle, this book will be very familiar. Castle is now a magazine writer named Rook, but Nikki Heat is still a NYPD homicide detective with her 2 squad members, Raley and Ochoa, known collectively as "Roach."
The book reads just like the television show is laid out. Start with a murder and add twists and turns until you reach the point of solving the crime.
The characters are well drawn, with enough mystery surrounding them - what exactly happened to Heat's mother? and tension - will Heat and Rook get together? - to keep the story moving.
A short book at only 196 pages it's the kind of fast read that is a perfect escape from the winter weather.
Reader's should be aware that the author "Richard Castle" is not a real author, he is a television character. The awards listed in his bio on the book jacket do not exist and "In a Hail of Bullets" is not a real book. But, don't let any of that stop you from reading the very real "Heat Wave."