Monday Murder Mystery

Here are a couple of who done its to tickle your fancy....

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Crawlspace: / by Sarah Graves.
Six years after the alleged death of murderer Randy Dodd, true-crime writer Jake Tiptree and her assistant journey to the city of Eastport to investigate suspicions that Dodd faked his death, an effort that is challenged by sinister threats and the abduction of Jake's son.

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The Man from Beijing / by Henning Mankell
From the internationally acclaimed author of the Kurt Wallander mysteries comes an extraordinary stand-alone novel - both a mystery and a sweeping drama - that traces the legacy of the nineteenth-century slave trade between China and America.

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City of Dragons / by Kelli Stanley.
Discovering a murdered body during San Francisco's 1940 Chinese New Year celebration, private investigator Miranda Corbie ignores a precinct edict to cover up the case and pursues leads in Chinatown tenements, a Little Osaka tailor shop and a high-class bordello.

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The Fourth Assassin / by Matt Beynon Rees.
Arriving to visit his son in a heavily Palestinian area of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, Omar Yussef discovers the beheaded body of one of the boy's roommates and when his son is arrested as a suspect, Omar must prove his innocence.

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Cemetery Road / Gar Anthony
When Errol 'Handy' White returns to his native Los Angeles to attend the funeral of his old friend R. J. Burrow, who has been brutally murdered, a terrible secret threatens to reveal itself.


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Murder in the Palais Royal /by Cara Black.
Accused of shooting her partner, Aimée Leduc must also contend with the fact that someone is impersonating her, a taxman is investigating her firm, and two murders may have a connection to the youth Aimée sent to prison.

Nathalie Cooke dishes about Great Canadian Food

Great Canadian food may sound like a paradox to some. I must confess mea culpa. The dish that first came to my mind was poutine - not necessarily haute cuisine but a pretty good guilty pleasure once every blue moon.

If there is anyone who might know about great Canadian food, it would surely be Professor Nathalie Cooke from McGill University. Cooke (whose last name is so perfect for someone who researched and discusses the culture and history of cuisine) will be at our library this Thursday February 11th at 6:30 p.m. to unravel the rich culture, history and practices of Canadian cuisine in her lecture Great Canadian Food and Food Stories.

Cooke recently penned the book What’s to Eat? Entrées in Canadian Food History which takes an introspective approach to Canada’s food history and culture explaining how present day practices such as the slow food movement and buying locally are invariably linked to the past. As Cooke explains, the book primarily centres itself with: “what Canadians eat, did eat and what our meals tell us about ourselves”. She is also the Editor in Chief of Cuizine: The (e) journal of Canadian Food Cultures.

In her lecture, Cooke will share her zest for iconically Canadian cuisine and explain its origins taking her audience on a gastronomic, cultural and historical journey throughout the country.

Tickets are three dollars for this event and can be purchased either at the Main Circulation Desk or at the door the night of the lecture.

Look forward to seeing you there!

Book of the month - Mistress of Nothing

Imagine immersing yourself in nineteenth century England, where you are the lady’s maid of an aristocratic figure in society. Life in England is only difficult because the Lady you are serving is someone who is struggling with a debilitating illness---tuberculosis. The only relief your Lady gets from the sickness is when she is in a relatively hot climate, for living in damp and chilly England is not a solution. This is where we are introduced to Sally and her Lady, Lucie Duff Gordon.

Gordon plans to spend a year or two in Egypt, to see if this will bring some kind of temporary cure for her condition. The story of their travel down to the country of pyramids and tombs is told through Sally’s voice and is seen through her eyes. Even though Sally is Gordon’s maid, we get a sense of an old friendship between the two women as they share the sights and sounds of Alexandria, Luxor and the Nile.

They hire Omar as a personal guide for their Egyptian tour, while they learn the Arabic language, undo their suffocating Victorian stays and clothe themselves in the free flowing fabrics of the exotic Middle East.

The novel takes us to a wonderful foreign place of sand storms and Arabian culture, political unrest and conflicts within Sally herself. As a single woman in her late twenties/early thirties, Sally is not only considered a lady’s maid, but an “Old Maid”. She has devoted herself to serve Lady Duff Gordon till the end, which indicates that she has accepted her fate of living in celibacy. Her frame of mind slowly starts to change once they set foot in Egypt. When Sally finds she has feelings for Omar, she betrays Lady Duff Gordon in ways that are unthinkable to the dying woman and she must face the harsh consequences of her actions.

I loved the vocabulary in the book and trying to figure out if Sally’s ties to Omar and her Lady will ever be reconciled. I did not want to put the book down because I always wanted to know where they would go next and how the story would unfold, especially when there is a severe break in communication between the two women. The novel begs you to ask if keeping secrets from those close to you will only damage the relationship or save it. If you love Victorian Literature then this is the book for you. I thought this novel was enjoyable and a fast read!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

It’s not often that a book totally consumes my life but for the last couple of days I haven’t been able to put “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” down. It started out slow and I have to admit that I wanted to skip a little further ahead but once I got into the story my life jumped into hold mode while I eagerly consumed this fast pace thriller. Every time I tried to put it down to do something else I found my thoughts wondering back to Mikael and Lisbeth and their frantic quest to figure out what happened to Harriet Vanger decades ago when she went missing from her family’s home.

The story takes place in Sweden. Henrik Vanger is getting up in age and is determined to discover what happened to his niece all those many years ago when she went missing from a family gathering on the family’s island. He hires the recently disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist to investigate the cold case with hopes that he will finally find the answer to Harriet’s disappearance. Lisbeth, a tattooed, multi-pierced, punk, super hacker becomes his sidekick helping him gather the information as they go digging up dirty family secrets looking for clues.

It was a great read and I encourage anyone who enjoys a good suspense novel to pick it up. When you’re done, check out the sequel The Girl who Played with Fire It too is promising to be a great story.

Hot New Books -- Jan 11, 2010

Here is a sample of some new books the library has added to its collection. Enjoy!

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Alone / by Loren D. Estleman.
Struggling to keep his beloved run-down movie palace from being condemned, film archivist Valentino attends a gala party held in memory of Greta Garbo and learns about a letter revealing the icon's scandalous affair, a situation that is complicated by a blackmailer's untimely murder.

“Hollywood Goofiness, Odeon Restoration, Movie History, Film Preservation, Garbo, Murder, Detection, Romance, and Humor!”

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Your Face Tomorrow : poison, shadow and farewell. Volume 3 / Javier Marías.
In the sequel to Your face tomorrow : dance and dream, MI6 recruit Jaime Deza returns to Madrid to spy on and protect his own family, a mission that involves psychologically grueling losses.

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Deeper Than the Dead / by Tami Hoag.
A California town is rocked to its core when four children stumble upon a murder victim, drawing Special Agent Tony Mendez into a search for a psychopathic serial killer called the 'See-No-Evil' killer.

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Remarkable Creatures / by Tracy Chevalier.
Tracy Chevalier's sixth novel, Remarkable Creatures, traces the dramatized life of pioneer fossil collector Mary Anning of Lyme Regis in seaside 19th century England.

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A Good Fall : stories / by Ha Jin.
An anthology by the National Book Award-winning author of The Bridegroom contains intricately detailed pieces illuminating the experiences of Chinese immigrants in America.

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Not my Daughter / by Barbara Delinsky.
Devastated by her teenage daughter's pregnancy, single mother and high school principal Susan Tate is targeted by unfair criticism when the pregnancies of additional teens are rumored to be part of a pact.

"Emotionally intelligent … exploring the battlefields of contemporary life."

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Iron River / by T. Jefferson Parker.
Charlie Hood runs the California-Mexico border with the ATF, searching for the iron river--the massive and illegal flow of firearms that fuels the cartel wars south of the border -- and soon finds a disturbing personal connection.

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A Fair Maiden / by Joyce Carol Oates.
Approached by an elegant and seemingly harmless older gentleman while babysitting, 16-year-old Katya Spivak is entranced and agrees to pose for his newest painting. As the relationship progresses she realizes that he may have a hidden agenda.

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The Lock Artist / by Steve Hamilton.
After miraculously surviving an act of violence as a child, the mute Michael grows up with the ability to open any lock or safe, a talent he sells to any buyer in the crime world. However, a botched heist forces him to go home where he must face the secret that has kept him so quiet.

"A smart, inventive thriller, packed with safe-cracking trade secrets.”

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Noah's Compass / by Anne Tyler.
Preparing to retire early from an unfulfilling teaching, Liam Pennywell struggles to remember missing memories of the night before he awoke in the hospital with a head injury, an effort that leads to unexpected discoveries.


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Trial by Fire / by J.A. Jance.
Taking a media relations position with the Yavapai County Police Department, former television journalist Ali Reynolds investigates a fire and the identity of an injured amnesiac woman, a case that unleashes a family drama and a remorseless killer.

Book of the Month - Day After Night

Anita Diamant’s Day After Night is based on the real life drama that took place in October 1945 in the British run, Atlit interment camp for Holocaust survivors. It follows the day to day lives of several of the women in the camp, narrating how they came to be in the camp and what their hopes and dreams are for the future. Several of their stories are tragic as they recount the horrors they witnessed and the loved ones they lost but their stories are uplifting as well for they never lose hope. Hope for their future, hope for freedom and continued survival.

It’s the first time in a long time that I’ve been moved to tears over a work of fiction but this was a very special book. Simon and Schuster very graciously sent the library a copy to read (we are very delighted that they did !). Day after Night is not the normal genre of book I would normally pick up on my own to read but I’m happy that I did. The bonds of friendship that were created and shared between the four main characters made for a fascinating read.

Reserve your copy today at your local library.

Hot New Books -- December 21, 2009

Here is a sample of some recently acquired books the library has added to its collection...

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Lady Vernon and Her Daughter /by Jane Rubino and Caitlen Rubino-Bradway.
An interpretation of Austen's novella 'Lady Susan' finds a widow losing her family home through entail to her deceased husband's brother and dealing with her daughter's romantic prospects, which are complicated by a need for financial security.

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The Monster in the Box /by Ruth Rendell.
In Edgar-winner Rendell's 22nd Inspector Wexford novel, the British police detective confronts a man from his past, Eric Targo, who he suspects is guilty of multiple murders.

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The Disciple / by Stephen Coonts.When it is discovered that Iran is weeks away from having operational nuclear weapons and that Ahmadinejad is plotting a brutal holy war, CIA agents Tommy Carmellini and Jake Grafton receive vital information from a group of Iranian dissidents and begin a world-saving race against time.F H313mMama Dearest / by E. Lynn Harris.Yancey Harrington Braxton's plans to star in a reality television series are threatened by Madison B., an up-and-coming star and Yancey's long-lost daughter, as well as her own mother, Ava Middlebrooks, who is desperate for a comeback.

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Breathless / by Dean Koontz.
Isolating himself in the Colorado Rockies, craftsman Grady Adams encounters a pair of beautiful furred animals that challenge everything he and a local veterinarian understand about the natural world, a discovery for which they are targeted by government forces.

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Nanny Returns /by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus.
In this sequel to the Nanny diaries, Nan returns to New York after 10 years abroad and is approached by a drunken 16-year-old Grayer X, who describes his parents' brutal divorce and prompts her re-entry into child care for the elite.

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A Dead Hand / by Paul Theroux.When Jerry Delfont, a travel writer with writer's block, receives a letter from an American philanthropist, Mrs Merrill Unger, with news of a scandal involving an Indian friend of her son's, he is sufficiently intrigued to pursue the story.

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Devil’s Dream / Madison Smartt Bell
A captivating portrait of Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest. Set between 1845 and 1865 Forrest marries Mary Ann Montgomery, becomes a guilt-stricken slave trader and, during the Civil War, is targeted for destruction by General Sherman.

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Too Much Money / Dominick Dunne
Readers mourned Dunne's passing in August 2009, but Dunne grants us one more good read in this glittering high-society satire.

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Stones into Schools: promoting peace with books, not bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan / Greg Mortenson.From the author of Three Cups of Tea, the continuing story of this determined humanitarian's efforts to promote peace through education.

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The Fatal Strain: on the trail of the coming avian flu pandemic / Alan Sipress.With the current focus on the H1N1, people may have forgotten about the avian flu scare of a few years ago. The deadly avian, or H5N1, flu centered in Asia and garnered similar headlines in 2004, announcing fears of a pandemic. Sipress comes bearing the unhappy news that the avian flu threat grows more dire every day.

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Save the Deli: in search of perfect pastrami, crusty rye and the heart of Jewish delicatessen / David Sax.Journalist and life-long deli obsessive, David Sax writes about the state of the Jewish delicatessen--a cuisine that once sat at the very center of Jewish life which now has become endangered by assimilation, homogenization, and health food trends.

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Green Metropolis / David Owen
While the conventional wisdom condemns it as an environmental nightmare, the author argues that Manhattan is by far the greenest place in America, a model of sustainability.

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The Horse Boy: a father's quest to heal his son / Rupert Isaacson.
After noticing that their autistic son improved immeasurably when taken horse back riding, the parents of an autistic boy trek to the Mongolian steppes to consult shamans in a last-ditch effort to alter his unraveling behavior. Isaacson hit on the self-described crazy idea of taking Rowan to the original horse people, the Mongolians, and find shamans who could help heal their son.