The Snowman by Jo Nesbo

Recommended by Jen R.
At the first snow, a woman has gone missing and the mysterious appearance of a snowman signifies the work of a serial killer. Detective Harry Hole and his new female partner form a strong professional relationship, but struggle with their own personal problems. Who the Snowman is will surprise you! A great book for fans of crime and serial killer fiction.
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The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

Recommended by Jean
A rags-to-riches story which begins in turn-of-the-century London and ends in New York City. Well-written, this story kept me interested until the end. Highly recommended.
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At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson

Recommended by Jo Ann
643.1 BRY [sound recording]

Bryson's narration of the audio version is a real treat. He lives in a 1851 former rectory and takes us on an entertaining tour of each room and how it has evolved over centuries. As People magazine writes, "If this book doesn't supply you with five years' worth of dinner conversation, you're not paying attention." Amazon's Best Book of the Month in 2010.
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A Widow's Story by Joyce Carol Oates

Recommended by JoAnn
B Oates

Oates's 78 year old husband was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia, improved considerably, then suddenly died from a hospital infection. Married for 46 years, she is barely able to cope with her loss, and this memoir is a somewhat 'stream of consciousness' revelation detailing her private pain.
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The Informationist by Taylor Stevens

Recommended by Lauren
FIC Stevens

Wondering what to read next after The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo? Try this suspenseful, fast-paced thriller by debut author Taylor Stevens. Series heroine Vanessa "Michael" Munroe, renowned for her expert ability to acquire and analyze information, is hired by a Texas oil tycoon to search for his missing daughter Emily. Munroe's investigation takes place in dangerous and remote areas of Africa where the girl vanished several years earlier. Can Munroe find Emily before she becomes the hunted herself? An action-packed plot, with a bit of romance, in the unique settings of Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon, made for a great read.
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Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

Recommended by Barbara

940.5472 HIL

Meet Louie Zamperini. In his 90s now, he's had a life full of amazing adventures:

- a juvenile delinquent in California during the 1920s

- a world class runner competing in the 1936 Berlin Olympics

- a bombardier in the Army Air Corps over the Pacific in WWII

Planes crash, sharks attack, and Japanese POW camps all figure in this true story of cruelty, survival, courage, heroism, but most of all, undying spirit. From the author of the award-winning "Seabiscuit".

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Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork

Recommended by Jen R.

YA Stork

Marcelo Sandoval is 17-years-old with a non-classified, highly-functioning Autism-Spectrum disorder who spent a comfortable life so far sleeping in his backyard tree house and attending private schools. His father, a corporate attorney, coerses Marcelo to spend the summer working in the mailroom at his firm, in hopes that Marcelo will learn the ways of the "real world". When Marcelo finds a disturbing photo, he sets out on a personal journey to right the wrongs he experiences through the subtleties of life in the "real world".

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Swamplandia! by Karen Russell

Recommended by Jen R.

Fic Russell

Twelve-year-old Ava Bigtree and her family are alligator wrestlers who own Swamplandia, a tourist attraction in the Florida Everglades. When Hilola, mother and star of the big show, dies, Swamplandia falls apart and the family follows suit. Each family member embarks on a personal journey to save the Bigtree name and family business. This book is refreshing, humorous, and well written.

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The Case for Israel by Alan Dershowitz

Recommended by JoAnn

956.94 DER

Harvard Law professor Dershowitz, presents a fair, balanced, and sensible set of possible solutions toward a resolution of the on-going bombings and strife in Israel.

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Up From the Blue by Susan Henderson

Recommended by Jean

FIC Henderson

This story of how a family deals with mental illness in the 1970s is both heartbreaking and revealing. I enjoyed the author's writing style and how the story is told from the child and adult points of view.

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The Price of Stones: Building a School for My Village by Twesigye Jackson Kaguri

Recommended by JoAnn
372.1826 KAG

An amazing story of how one person's dream of helping those less fortunate turns into reality. The author grew up in rural Uganda in poverty, managed to earn a university degree, then returned to his home with hope to open a free school for AIDS orphans. Overcoming many obstacles, he founded the Nyaka AIDS Orphans School.
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The Rug Merchant by Megan Mullins

Recommended by JoAnn
Fic Mullins

A debut novel about Ushman, a middle-aged Iranian rug merchant hoping for a better life in America, whose loneliness and rejection by his wife in Turkey leads to relationships with a young college girl and a customer of his. An interesting read about cultural diversity and peoples' needs.
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A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

Recommended by Donna
SF Martin

If you like Science Fiction, give this book a try. It's a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal. You either win the "Game of Thrones" or you die. Soon to be an HBO mini-series!

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A Friend of the Family by Lauren Grodstein

Recommended by Jean
FIC Grodstein

A heart-breaking story of two families whose lives are torn apart. A well written and suspenseful with book discussion notes in the back of the book. The story touches on friendship, parenting and life in modern suburbia. Lots to discuss!


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The Secret Kept by Tatiana de Rosnay

Recommended by JoAnn

FIC Rosnay

de Rosnay (Sarah's Key) intrigues us with another drama of suspense and romance. Frenchman Antoine Rey and his sister confront the mysterious dark death, 30 years prior, of his mother. Complex family relationships, the painful death of a friend, emotional assistance from new girlfriend Angele who is a mortician...all force Antoine to confront his past and present relationships, to 'grow-up', and begin the healing process.

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Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

Recommended by Donna

FIC Hoffman

This story takes place in 1967 in Ohio. CeeCee grows up with a father who travels often for business and a mother who is schizophrenic. When her mother is killed in an accident, CeeCee goes to live with an aunt down South. This move dramatically changes her life for the better.

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Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel by Jeannette Walls

Recommended by JoAnn
FIC Walls

Walls writes another winner (Glass Castle was her first) with her interesting narrative that draws the reader through the early life of her grandmother. Life in early 1900 West Texas was one difficult, spirit-breaking trial after another for Lily, but her indomitable determination and pluck reveals a true heroine of the Wild West.


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The Executor by Jesse Kellerman

Recommended by Jean
FIC Kellerman

What a great book! A suspenseful and well written story of a graduate student whose life takes a turn after answering an ad in a newspaper. Lots of plot twists and a surprise ending. I loved it!
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Little Bee by Chris Cleave

FIC Cleave
Recommended by Jen R.

A haunting incident on an African beach binds and forever changes the lives of a Nigerian refugee girl and an affluent family from London. This is a serious book with serious characters. Each character tries to free him/herself of guilt and accept the consequences that come with their own decisions.
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Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

FIC McCann

Recommended by Jen R.

In McCann’s novel, the true story of tight-rope walker Philippe Petit binds together the lives of ten unique individuals who all have their own stories to tell. The novel unfolds steadily with finesse, describing the tragedy and triumph of each character. The characters converge at the end effortlessly. The book reads itself.
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