...............

Rene's Picks

Rene is our extremely busy events coordinator, who schedules author programs and handles advertising.  She even has time to read!

Infidel (Paperback)

$15.99
ISBN-13: 9780743289696
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Free Press, 4/2008

This book has changed by way of viewing the world and raised so many questions.  The conversations on the many different topics covered in this book have continued well beyond the initial reading.
Ayaa  describes her life growing up as a Muslin in Somalia.  But
most interesting is the route she took as a refugee in Holland and
the subsequent examination of her beliefs.


Does Islam actually advocate violence?  Does Western tolerance of
diversity contribute to the continuation of barbaric practices? 
Does Islam need a renaissance to change it's aggressive tenets?
The Muslin world is now an integral part of ours and this book gives
a viewpoint worth looking at.

--

The Night Circus (Hardcover)

$26.95
ISBN-13: 9780385534635
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Doubleday, 9/2011

Everything about this book is magical. "The circus arrives without warning...it is simply there, when yesterday it was not." It is only open at night. It is the Circus of Dreams.

The joy of reading such a book is in admiring the author's ability to create a world and characters so remarkable, yet so believable. And I love the way Erin uses words. Each day I eagerly looked forward to sitting down again to enter this magical, sinister, amazing world. And to compensate for having the book come to an end...the conclusion is perfect!


Doc (Hardcover)

$26.00
ISBN-13: 9781400068043
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Random House, 5/2011
Mary Doria Russell is a master at making her characters real - I know them intimately and care about them intensely. DOC brings to life the entire cast of characters we've seen in the movies and read about in stories of the Old West, like Wyatt Earp, Batt Masterson and Doc Holliday. This is historical fiction at its best.

$45.00
ISBN-13: 9780807834558
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: University of North Carolina Press, 4/2011
I wish Miller had written this when our family was doing everything outdoors; I would have been much better prepared. He suggests trips for anyone's interests, along with all the options at each site, and he provides gear checklists. Joe has hiked these trails, most with his family, so this is a realistic and well-tested guide that will help you thoroughly enjoy your time outside.

$25.00
ISBN-13: 9780307453020
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Crown, 2/2011
Lisa, like many of us, was in the throes of a mid-life crisis and was seeking a more meaningful life. She was making some efforts and then chance stepped in with a man who was on his way to Bhutan. When he wrote asking if she would be interested in helping with a start-up radio station there, her life changed and a new adventure began. Lisa's story gives us an insight into "the happiest place on earth" and the changes it has undergone with modernization. And by sharing her personal life we see the real growth a person can experience with the realization that "life is brimming all around."

$15.95
ISBN-13: 9780307275905
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Vintage, 1/2011
Grann wrote the amazing story of the Amazonian explorer in The Lost City of Z, and here he gives us more true stories of people obsessed in some way: The Sherlockians vs. the Doyleans. A French boy takes on the identity of a family's missing son. Was a man executed in Texas really innocent? Each story is fascinating and Grann writes with such skill that you have no choice but to read to the end...and then start the next one.

$15.00
ISBN-13: 9780312430009
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Picador, 1/2011
I want all doctors to read this book! Inspired by the checklists that pilots developed to avert disasters, Gawande, a physician, developed his own checklist for doctors. It is simple, tested and has reduced mistakes and saved lives. His strategy could be applied to many situations with dramatic effect. Add this to your must read list and then pass it on to your doctor.

Life with Maxie (Hardcover)

$12.99
ISBN-13: 9781423616276
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Gibbs Smith Publishers, 9/2010
I admire Diane Rehm and am drawn to any book with her name on it. This little book gives us a glimpse into her life through her interactions with her little dog, Maxie. As a longtime listener to her radio show it's very interesting to hear what goes on behind the scenes. Remember when she fell and broke her hip? Maxie was in the car. She couldn't leave him, so in that condition she drove him home and then went to the hospital. A charming, intimate gift book.

Middlemarch (Mass Market Paperback)

$6.99
ISBN-13: 9780553211801
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Bantam Classics, 2/1985
Basic human emotions, both noble and base, have not changed over the centuries, but the style in which they're written has.  I love the language of 17th Century England.  Eliot's keen observations of women and their place in society and their concerns make this classic a relevant and enjoyable read today.

$16.00
ISBN-13: 9781400096794
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Anchor, 9/2008
Fascinating. Informative. Timely.

I learned so much about the members of the Supreme Court, their appointments
and how they function.

A must read for all citizens.

Sweeping Up Glass (Paperback)

$15.00
ISBN-13: 9780385343039
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Delta, 8/2009
This story is told by Olivia, a tough and resilient woman.  Her voice is intense and real.  The twists and turns of the story were unexpected ... I couldn't stop reading until I found out what happened at the end.

The Air We Breathe (Paperback)

$14.95
ISBN-13: 9780393333077
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: W. W. Norton & Company, 10/2008
I became a fan of Andrea Barrett's writing after reading SHIP FEVER, a collection of short stories. Her new novel is equally wonderful! It is set in 1916 at a TB sanitorium in the Adirondacks that treats poor immigrants. She masterfully intertwines science & history into a compelling story about love & fear.

$14.00
ISBN-13: 9780802144171
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Grove Press, 4/2009
As in PEACE LIKE A RIVER, it feels like Leif's hero, Monte, is telling this story just to me. It is a personal story set in 1915 of a friendship that takes Monte on an unexpected and life changing journey from Minnesota to Mexico.

$21.95
ISBN-13: 9780670019618
Availability: Special Order - Subject to Availability
Published: Viking Adult, 4/2008
This memoir in verse is riveting. Richey expresses beautifully and clearly the feelings of a mother. She speaks for all of us who have sons at war and lets the rest of us understand and empathize with this experience.

A Thread of Grace (Paperback)

$15.00
ISBN-13: 9780449004135
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: Ballantine Books, 12/2005
This is what historical fiction should be. Ms. Russell's extensive research and beautiful writing transport us to Italy during the final years of WWII. Her characters are exquisitely drawn and quickly you come to know and care about them deeply. Through their eyes we see the Italians who offered hope and the Jews who fled to Italy. We see their struggle and their courage in fighting the invading Nazis. This is a powerful, moving and engrossing book.

Bloodsworth (Paperback)

$13.95
ISBN-13: 9781565125148
Availability: Special Order - Subject to Availability
Published: Shannon Ravenel Books, 9/2005
Can you imagine being convicted of a crime you didn't commit and spending 9 years in prison, most on death row? This is what happened to Kirk Bloodsworth. This is the story of all the people involved in this drama: the lawyer who after all appeals had been exhausted still believed in Kirk's innocence; the detectives, the victim, the prison guard, the scientist improving the capabilities of DNA testing and Kirk himself. It is a compelling story that will force you to look more closely at our system of justice.