A decades-old murder case comes alive
Brunonia Barry is back with another novel set in Salem with some crossover characters from The Lace Reader and The Map of True Places.
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Book reviews by library staff and guest contributors
Top 10 Sci-Tech books
This is the time of year for top 10 lists. Booklist puts out various top 10 lists throughout the year, including Top 10 Sci-Tech: 2017. Are you looking for a good science or technology book to read? Then check ou the below titles. They cover a wide range of topics including space, animals, microbes, techology, and the universe.
Murder in Bombay
Compared to the bustling streets of 1920s Bombay, the secluded zenana of an observant Muslim household would seem the least likely site for a murder. Yet for the three newly widowed wives of a wealthy factory owner, simply keeping men out does nothing to keep motives and means of killing from lurking among them.
The Fest goes on
Though the big weekend of Wisconsin Book Festival events is past, the Book Fest goes on year round. Next up is a visit from the incredible Alexander McCall Smith. He's here to talk about the latest in the Precious Ramotswe series, The House of Unexpected Sisters:
Roots and Wings
Listen Slowly by Thanhha Lai, audio edition Harper Collins Audio, 2015 read by Lulu Lam
Crime and chocolate
Lady Arianna Hadley has led a colorful, and hard, life because of the choices her father made. After his murder Arianna takes on a disguise and the role of French chef in an aristocratic household, so she can support herself. Her specialty is making incredible creations from the newest food fad in Regency England, chocolate. Her precarious existence is threatened when the Prince Regent takes ill after consuming one of her desserts.
Sympathy for the reluctant fundamentalist
Written by Iranian-American author and filmmaker Laleh Khadivi, A Good Country is an unnerving, yet somehow beautiful, slow burn of a novel. Khadivi’s prose has a loose and languid long-windedness -- where description and dialog bleed together -- that mimics with stunning naturalism the druggy bleariness of its main character’s day-to-day existence.
Girl saves dog, dog saves girl
Nicole Georges had a messed up childhood with a mom who didn’t parent very well and a drunk step-dad who was cruel to her gerbil. Nicole loved animals and had a whole menagerie, but like her mom, she didn’t give her charges what they needed most, and they suffered. As a teenager she adopted Beija, a sharpei/corgi mix, to give to her boyfriend in an attempt to heal his unhappy past. Unsurprisingly his parents didn’t go along with the plan. So Nicole was stuck with Beija, who was prickly, growly, and disliked men and children.
A few books for that October chill
There are so many ways to celebrate the beauty of autumn. For many, it involves getting out cozy sweaters and adding pumpkin to everything. For some of us, it means our reading turns a bit darker. What better way to get in the Halloween spirit than to start an October horror novel binge?
All books, most of the time
I’m a late convert to podcasts. When everyone else jumped on board three years ago and was listening to Serial, I wasn’t. I can’t even tell you why. I do like true crime stuff and I’m a bit of a news junkie. But I haven't been an audio-type person (not audio books anyway). So the podcast world was passing me by. Until recently. After a friend showed me how easy it was, I dove in. Thanks to Beth, I’ve developed a nice list of ‘casts that I regularly listen to, some (though not all) of my current favorites include:
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