Monday, January 31, 2011

Still Life by Louise Penny

book jacketRecommendation from Valerie Osborne, Consultant
Northeastern Maine Library District:
I  suspect that one of the reasons I have enjoyed the Inspector Gamache mysteries by Louise Penny is because the setting is so close to our own in Maine.  My parents were both Franco-Americans.  I see parts of my own clan in some of the characters.  It is this richness of the character development, the proximity to our own border, and a finely constructed plot that keeps me reading each book in the series.  If you are looking for a fast paced read, you won’t find it here.  If you are looking to immerse yourself in the life of a village, with characters you will either love or hate, this might be just what you are looking for!

Request Still Life from the Bangor Public Library

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

book jacket
Recommendation from a blog follower:
I just read "Abraham Lincoln:  Vampire Hunter" by Seth Grahame-Smith.  I got it on a whim because I had seen the "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" book that he had written and thought the cover and idea of it was humorous.  I enjoy reading supernatural fiction (which includes vampires among other creatures) and thought I'd give it a whirl.  The first few pages and book jacket seemed intriguing enough.  Well needless to say it was a great read.  The historical fiction basis of it was mixed nicely with actual dates and events from Mr. Lincoln's life.  The aspect of vampires being integrated into the story was done seamlessly as if they really existed in real life.  The story left you wondering "what if it were really true?" at the end because it was done so well.  I enjoyed it's creativity and engaging story and I recommend it.  For those of you who aren't supernatural fans, this book has enough of a historical fiction flair and a journey that will satisfy your needs otherwise.

Request Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter from the Bangor Public Library

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Picard

book jacket
Recommendation from a library patron:
I truly enjoyed this book.  It is a murder mystery, but the mystery unfolds slowly, and the characters are so well crafted I found myself drawn to their story.  The best story I've read in a while.

Book review:
A decades-old mystery is solved and a woman’s haunting questions put to rest in Pickard’s latest thriller. When she was just three years old, Jody Linder lost both parents in one night, when her father, Hugh Jay—eldest son of the wealthiest rancher in the small town of Rose, Kansas—was killed and her mother, Laurie, vanished. Raised by grandparents, Hugh Senior and Annabelle Linder, and with loving support from three uncles, Jody spends years collecting human detritus around the area’s towering Testament Rocks, where authorities once searched for clues to Laurie’s disappearance. Jody’s world is rocked 23 years later when Billy Crosby, the vicious drunk convicted of her father’s murder on circumstantial evidence, is released for a new trial; his return to town brings events to a head. In her second stand-alone (after The Virgin of Small Plains, 2006), Pickard shows her storytelling skills, weaving elements of deception, revenge, and romance into a novel with full-bodied characters who deal with tragedy as best they can; Annabelle Linder’s encounter with Crosby’s wife is particularly moving. From an award-winning author, this is engrossing fiction with an eminently satisfying denouement.
~Starred Review from Booklist

Request The Scent of Rain and Lightning at the Bangor Public Library