The Worst Hard Time, by Timothy Egan

978.032 EGA

Recommended by Irene

What do you do when you are in the midst of the horror of devastation that never lets up? The Worst Hard Time, by Timothy Egan, tells the very real story of surviving the dust bowl years of the Great Depression as recounted by those who lived through it. This is a very real, very powerful book.

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The Long Tail, by Chris Anderson

658.802 AND

Recommended by Jim

“The theory of the long tail is that our culture and economy is increasingly shifting away from a focus on a relatively small number of ‘hits’ (mainstream products and markers) at the head of the demand curve, and toward a huge number of niches in the tail.” – Chris Anderson

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Blood Diamonds, by Greg Campbell

966.404 CAM

Recommended by Donna

Is a diamond forever, or deadly? That depends on which side of the Atlantic you live on. Follow one reporter’s journey to Africa and discover how young men are killed or taken as slaves to dig for illegal diamonds, and how children are kidnapped and used as soldiers to guard the men. He follows a trail that leads to Al-Qaeda buying smuggled diamonds and converting them into millions of dollars to fund terrorist activities. This book will make you think twice about “a girl’s best friend”!

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Thirteenth tale, by Diane Setterfield

FIC SETTERFIELD

Recommended by Irene

An old and ailing writer, Ms. Winter, summons young biographer Margaret Lea, to write her life story. There are disturbing parallels in the two women’s lives. As Margaret records the story it is so bizarre she begins to doubt its truth. Engaging and disturbing this take keeps the reader turning the pages.

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Alienist, by Caleb Carr

FIC CARR

Recommended by Irene

On a cold March night in 1896 New York City, NY Times reporter, John Schuyler Moore, is dragging into a vast criminal underworld after encountering the horribly mutilated body of an adolescent boy prostitute.

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Private sector, by Brian Haig

FIC HAIG

Recommended by Susan




Maverick U.S. Army attorney Sean Drummond is “on loan” to a prestigious Washington DC law firm when fellow JAG officer Lisa Morrow is brutally murdered. Is it coincidence that Lisa just finished private sector duty with the same firm? When more women are killed, it seems a vicious serial killer is on the loose – but Sean smells corruption. A fast-paced thriller with a likeable, wisecracking hero who plays very close to the vest. Drummond is the hero of Haig’s earlier titles, but this one reads well by itself.

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Time to be in earnest: a fragment of autobiography, by P.D. James

B JAMES

Recommended by Jo Ann

British crime writer, P.D. James, reflects on one year of her life at age 77 through her daily diary. Looking back on childhood moments which influenced her attitudes and ideas, and taking us through her 88 years of memories of the war, marriage, her writing career, Britain, the BBC, etc., James skillfully interposes these thoughts with her diary entries.

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My Life in France, by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme

B CHILD

Recommended by Jo Ann

As a newly married wife of a diplomat sent to France after WWII, Julia recounts her early years ‘finding’ her talent and interest in French cooking. She’s a Californian who knows nothing about cooking or France, so she decides to sign p with the Cordon Bleu. Her perseverance and hard work lead to the writing of a French cookbook for Americans, and the rest is history! A fun and interesting read.

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Moving Target, by Elizabeth Lowell

FIC LOWELL

Recommended by Jo Ann

When weaver Serena Charters’ reclusive grandmother is murdered, she inherits some medieval manuscript pages and a hand-woven scarf. She decides to determine if they are genuine pages from the priceless Book of the Learned, which puts her life in harm’s way. She meets handsome writer, Eric North, who works for an art appraiser and also has connections to this book. Another of Lowell’s romantic suspense novels with her engaging and descriptive prose.

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On Agate Hill: a Novel, by Lee Smith

FIC SMITH

Recommended by Leah

Molly Petree has been orphaned and is living with her Uncle Junius on the dying plantation, Agate Hill in North Carolina. Life is hard and dangerous there and she is soon rescued by her father’s military friend Simon Black. He has sworn to take care of Molly to make up for past mistakes and sends her off to the Gatewood Academy in Virginia. There her life changes forever. Molly’s story is told through letters and diary entries from 1872-1927. Her life is filled with colorful and unusual characters, sadness and joy, humor and music.

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Partner in Crime, by Judith A. Jance

MYS Jance
Recommended by Susan Groytyahann

Veteran mystery writer Jance merges her two popular series in this unusual title. Sheriff Johanna Brady of Cochise County Arizona has a brutal poisoning on her hands. When it turns out the victim was in Witness Protection through the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, things get complicated. J.P. Beaumont, formerly a Seattle PD Detective and now an AGO investigator, is sent to Bisbee to “assist.” Beau is the hero of Jance’s other series, and at first Johanna fiercely resents his intrusion on her turf, as well as his supervisor’s lack of cooperation. Sparks fly as these two dynamic, headstrong investigators match wits with each other and the murderer. A tour de force that can be read independently of either terrific series, but is more fun with an early title or two from each to draw on.

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The Dante Club, by Matthew Pearl

FIC PEARL
Recommended by Irene Goldberg
The historical facts are true, the Dante allusions are true, but the murders are pure fiction. A delightful novel about a small group of scholars who realize that a series of local murders are modeled on the descriptions of Hell’s punishments from Dante’s Inferno, even as they work on the first American translation of the work.

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Jesus Land, by Julia Scheeres

373.7293 SCH
Recommended by Irene

It’s the 80s in rural Indiana. In order to prove their open-mindedness and religious charitable nature, Julia Scheeres’ parents adopt a black boy her age to grow up with her. Her mother does more church attending than parenting; her father has an explosive temper. These kids can’t win. This memoir makes you laugh and then gasp in horror. A must read.

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Hot Money, by Dick Francis

MYS FRANCIS
Recommended by Susan

Famous British jockey-turned-mystery-wrier Francis bases his wonderful thrillers around the racing industry and its ancillary support services, but they are all, ultimately, about people. He carried this furthest in his most unusual title, Hot Money. Murder has tainted the convoluted relationships of much-married tycoon Malcolm Pembroke with his three ex-wives and eight children. Someone murdered his most recent wife and later tried to kill him. Malcolm turns to his estranged son Ian, an amateur jockey, for protection, but his boisterous, outgoing nature makes him impossible to shelter anywhere in England. After several more murder attempts, Ian introduces Malcolm to the United States racing scene half a world away, and begins trying to untangle the deadly resentments among his half-siblings. Peeling away layers of emotional and financial neediness, Ian discovers an unspeakable crime from the past and sets a dangerous trap for the killer.

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Heavenly Date and Other Flirtations, by Alexander McCall Smith

FIC MCCALL SMITH
Recommended by Jo Ann

Fans of this delightful author (bestseller: No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency) will enjoy these entertaining short stories. The nine stories focus on the trials and tribulations of dating…set in various countries between 1950 and 1960, and range from the humorous to the absurd to the wistfully romantic.
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Heat and Dust, by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

FIC JHABVALA
Recommended by Jo Ann
A Booker Prize winner, this well-written Anglo-Indian romance takes place in 1923 colonial India between the beautiful Englishwoman, Olivia, and Prince Nawab. The scandal intrigues the grand-daughter, who tells the story.

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Killer Stuff by Sharon Fiffer

Recommended by Sue

MYS Fiffer

Killer Stuff is the first of Sharon Fiffer’s Jane Wheel mysteries. Jane, a suburban Indiana mother of one, was downsized from a high-powered corporate position. She takes up antique dealing in these delightful cozy mysteries. Jane starts her new career as a “picker,” someone who scours garage sales for collectibles and sells them to established dealers. Jane is getting good at finding quality stock, but she has an unfortunate tendency to find – bodies! As a suspect in a murder case, Jane meets Detective Bruce Oh. In future volumes, they become a great team, with Jane’s intuitiveness and local knowledge complementing Oh’s cool logic. Later titles are Dead Guy’s Stuff, Buried Stuff, and Hollywood Stuff. Fiffer delivers clever plots, a delightfully quirky supporting cast, and tons of antique finds to die for!

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The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, by Kim Edwards

Recommended by Donna

FIC EDWARDS

This is a book of fiction that takes place in the early 1960s. On a snowy night a woman gives birth to twins, a healthy boy and a girl with Down Syndrome. Unbeknownst to the mother, the father sends the baby girl away. The story tells of a grieving mother who cannot forget her only daughter and a brother who feels the loss of his twin.

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Messenger of Truth: a Maisie Dobbs novel, by Jacqueline Winspear

Recommended by Danielle

FIC WINSPEAR

Set in England during the 1920s, this is the 4^th book about Maisie Dobbs’ adventures as a female private investigator. Times for women have changed while most of the men were off fighting the war leaving the women responsible for supporting the family. In this episode, Maisie must help find out if the death of her client’s famous artist brother was indeed an accident or murder.

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Rattled, by Debra Galant

Recommended by Jennifer

FIC GALANT

Set in a new “McMansion” community of suburban New Jersey, Heather Peters, a superficial, materialistic, lawyer’s wife and class mom, finds trouble when her handyman, a local egg farmer, kills an endangered rattlesnake on her back porch. Animal rights activists are alarmed and Peters is arrested at her misfit son’s school on Back-to-School Night. A national media frenzy surrounds Peters, the “rattlesnake killer,” forces animal rights activists to act on behalf of snakes, exposes the land developer’s crooked business deals, and embarrasses the Homeowners Association in her community. Peters is forced to save her reputation and her family’s home at Galapagos Estates. A funny book.

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