Fiction: General

The Weight of Heaven by Thrity Umrigar – In the wake of the death of their young son, Ellie and Frank Benton move from Michigan to India, where Frank has a job with a multinational herbal remedy corporation. Ellie settles into her new life happily, but the only bright spot in Frank’s life is his new connection with a young Indian boy. Umrigar looks with melancholy at the collision of two cultures.

The Barfighter by Ivan G. Goldman – Lee is a journalist who boxed for the Army to avoid Vietnam. In this novel, set in the 1980’s, Lee lands in an anger management class following a wicked bar brawl. Also in the class is a young guy, a natural boxer, whom Lee introduces to his salty old former manager, and the three underdogs set out to take on the sleazy, crooked world of professional boxing.

Asta in the Wings by Jan Elizabeth Watson – Asta, 7, and her older brother Orion struggle to make sense of life in rural Maine with a delusional mother who claims the entire outside world is a dangerous wasteland. Hey, some days I’d agree with her…but Asta and Orion get quite a surprise when they first encounter the “real” world. This surprising first novel is funny and sad and intelligent, and invites us to see the world through fresh eyes. Readers who enjoyed Matthew Kneale’s When We Were Romans may find echoes here, though the writers’ approaches are quite different.

The Way We Were by Marcia Willett – If you love Maeve Binchy and haven’t yet discovered Marcia Willett, you are in for a happy surprise. In this novel, the ghosts of the past come back to haunt Tiggy. Back in the 1970’s, just after she was widowed, a pregnant Tiggy moved in with her best friend Julia’s chaotic family. Now Tiggy’s son is grown and married and about to become a parent himself, and Tiggy faces some decisions about which secrets should remain secret.

Take One by Karen Kingsbury – Chase and Keith leave Indonesian mission work to make a film in Hollywood, a film they hope will bring the message of God to the world. It’s not clear that God is really on their side, though, what with touchy actors and production mishaps. John Baxter (from the author’s beloved Baxter Series) to the rescue!

Life Without Summer by Lynne Griffin – Tessa’s 4-year old daughter was killed by a hit-and-run driver outside her preschool. Tessa is paralyzed by grief, angered by the police’s insistence that they’ll never catch the driver, and comforted only by her therapist, Celia. Celia’s troubled herself by problems in her second marriage, her relationship with her alcoholic ex, and the problems of their teenaged son. Can these two help each other? (Well, sure they can.)

Fiction: Mystery and Suspense
Tea Time for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith – Precious Ramotswe and the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency must discover why a local football team is suffering from an unexpected losing streak, but Precious is preoccupied by the possible demise of her beloved van, and by rival Violet Sephotho’s designs on Mma’s fiancé.

First Family by David Baldacci – Former Secret Service agents Sean King and Michelle Maxwell (Simple Genius) are drawn back into Presidential circles after a child is kidnapped from a birthday party at Camp David.

Loitering with Intent by Stuart Woods – Stone Barrington enjoys Key West (and a lovely Swedish doctor) while searching for a 26-year-old whose signature is needed to complete the sale of a family business – that’s a family business worth $ 20 million.

Deadlock by Iris Johansen – Artifacts expert Emily Hudson and best friend Joel Levy are on a mission for the UN when they’re attacked and held hostage by a ruthless terrorist. Special operative Jon Garrett is off to save them.

Woman with Birthmark by Håkan Nesser – Inspector Van Veeteren is on the trail of a mysterious woman hell-bent on revenge in the latest entry in this excellent Swedish series.

Living Witness by Jane Haddam – Gregor Demarkian investigates the brutal beating of the one and only school board member who voted against the inclusion of Intelligent Design in the Snow Hill, Pennsylvania curriculum.

Dead Man’s Puzzle by Parnell Hall – OK, there’s a mysterious death, but the real attractions are a Sudoku puzzle by Will Shortz and three Manny Nosowsky crosswords. This series is the puzzle-lovers equivalent of all those recipe-laden cozy mysteries.

The Trail of the Wild Rose by Anthony Eglin – Dr. Lawrence Kingston returns to solve the secrets of an ancient Chinese rose and a group of plant-hunters who seem to be targets of a mysterious attacker. Who knew gardening was so dangerous?

Devil’s Garden by Ace Atkins –Did Fatty Arbuckle kill actress Virginia Rappe in San Francisco in 1921? It’s Pinkerton agent Dashiell Hammett’s job to find out. Have fun.


Audiobooks
Long Lost by Harlan Coben
The Best American Mystery Stories
Our Game by John Le Carré
Still Life by Joy Fielding

DVD’s
Changeling
MI-5 (series 6)
Sports Night

Non-Fiction – General
A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages by Kristin Chenoweth with Joni Rodgers – A bright, funny, light little memoir from the Broadway and TV actress.

All My Patients Have Tales: Favorite Stories from a Vet’s Practice by Jeff Wells – Short snippets from the early years of one man’s life as a veterinarian; tasty little hors d’oeuvres for animal-lovers.

The Art of the Heist: Confessions of a Master Art Thief, Rock-and-Roller, and Prodigal Son by Myles J. Connor Jr. with Jenny Siler – Ok, this guy was such a master art thief that the FBI considered him a serious suspect in the still-unsolved Gardener Museum heist despite the fact he was in jail at the time.

Ecological Intelligence: How Knowing the Hidden Impacts of What We Buy Can Change Everything by Daniel Goleman – Goleman wants you to know that a lot of those “green” products aren’t. He argues for “radical transparency” to empower consumers to make good decisions.

Society Without God: What the Least Religious Nations Can Tell Us about Contentment by Phil Zuckerman – Sociology Professor Zuckerman researched life in Denmark and Sweden to show how the least religious Western societies tackle issues of life and death, good and evil. How do countries so high on the “godless” scale score so high on the happiness scale? Read it and see.

The Deen Family Cookbook by Paula Deen with Melissa Clark

Hungry Girl: 200 Recipes Under 200 Calories by Lisa Lillien

Audiobooks
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Brainwave Journey by Jeff Thompson
Readers and Writers (from New York Public Radio)
Wiser in Battle by Ricardo S. Sanchez

Fiction: General
The Geometry of Sisters by Luanne Rice – Love, loyalty, and hope are explored in the setting of a very special private academy.

The Perfect Poison by Amanda Quick – The latest Arcane Society mystery features a Victorian botanist who can detect any type of poison. Lucinda detects traces of a very rare poison at one murder scene, and it’s especially upsetting since the poison derives from a fern she, and she alone, owned. Who stole her fern? And is the thief also a murderer?

The Last Secret by Mary McGarry Morris – Nora’s life is shattered when she learns of her husband’s longstanding affair, and when she is forced to confront a terrible incident from her own youth. Are secrets ever better than truth?

Turn Coat by Jim Butcher – Warden Morgan has been accused of treason by the White Council, and only Harry Dresden can prove the Council wrong. Of course, Harry and Morgan don’t much like each other, and most of the Council would like to be rid of Harry, too. Don’t start the series here, but if you’re a Dresden fan, read on.

Fiction: Mystery and Suspense
Look Again by Lisa Scottoline – Journalist Ellen Gleeson is sure she adopted her son perfectly legally – until she sees his picture on a “Lost Child” flyer.

Boneman’s Daughters by Ted Dekker – Intelligence officer Ryan Evans’s daughter has been abducted by a serial killer, and Ryan’s hot on the Bone Man’s trail. Problem is, the FBI thinks Ryan is the Bone Man.

Cursed by Carol Higgins Clark – Regan Reilly’s just moved to New York with her husband, but it’s cold and nasty and her friend Abigail needs help, so it’s back to LA for the PI.

Nightwalker by Heather Graham – A gorgeous redhead, a private detective, and the ghost of a murdered man untangle a puzzle that starts in a casino and may end in a ghost town. Have fun.



Audiobooks
Grave Goods by Ariana Franklin
Dead Silence by Randy Wayne White
Life Sentences by Laura Lippman


DVD’s
Oliver Twist

Vanished Smile: The Mysterious Theft of the Mona Lisa by R. A. Scotti

A Lion Called Christian: The True Story of the Remarkable Bond Between Two Friends and a Lion by Anthony Bourke and John Rendall

Just When I Thought I’d Dropped My Last Egg: Life and Other Calamities by Kathie Lee Gifford

I’ll Scream Later by Marlee Matlin

Mommywood by Tori Spelling

10-10-10: 10 Minutes 10 Months 10 Years: A Life-Transforming Idea by Suzy Welch

The Green Bride Guide: How to Create an Earth-Friendly Wedding on Any Budget by Kate L. Harrison

Fiction: General

Darling Jim by Christian Moerk – If you’re looking for something a little different, you’ve just found it. Jim is an itinerant Irish storyteller, weaving magic with his words, seducing the ladies, and hiding a shadowy past. Is that past linked to the murders of three women in a Dublin suburb? There’s definitely a touch of mystery here, but this novel is not primarily a mystery.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton – A little girl is discovered all alone on a ship headed for Australia in 1913. She carries a small suitcase and a book of beautiful, wondrous fairy tales. When the little girl grows up and learns that her “parents” did not give birth to her, she sets off to find her true heritage. The journey brings her to a mysterious manor in Cornwall. Morton (The House at Riverton) has a special style, grounded in realism, shadowed by Gothic elements, but lit by magic.

Buffalo Lockjaw by Greg Ames – James Fitzroy is headed home for a family Thanksgiving, probably his mother’s last. James is also wondering how long it will take his Buffalo friends to discover he isn’t the hotshot New Yorker they think he is, but just a regular guy writing greeting cards. What happens when a normal guy who screws up occasionally tries to go home again?

Thanks for the Memories by Cecilia Ahern – In this romance of second chances Joyce Conway, recovering from a horrible accident, finds herself overwhelmed by odd moments of déjà vu. Meanwhile, blood donor Justin Hitchcock has suddenly started to receive unexpected anonymous gifts.

Then Comes Seduction by Mary Balogh – In this historical romance Baron Montford, a gambling rake, is challenged to seduce Katherine Huxtable within a fortnight. Katherine is not entirely opposed to the idea…

Fiction: Mystery and Suspense
Borderline by Nevada Barr - Anna Pidgeon is still trying to recover from the horrible killings on Isle Royale. Her new husband Paul whisks her off on a raft trip through Big Bend…which might have worked out better if they hadn’t come across a half-drowned pregnant woman in deep, dark danger.

Lords of Corruption by Kyle Mills – Josh Hagarty thought he was working for a special charity in war-torn Africa, but now it seems he may have been a bit naïve. His guide’s a thug, and his predecessor didn’t quit so much as wind up dismembered in a jungle. Now Josh’s sister is being threatened, and the only place he can turn for help is to a lovely Scandinavian aid worker. If you can suspend disbelief and let yourself get caught up in the story you might find this a page-turner.

Deep Waters by Kate Charles – A British celebrity couple’s baby dies. It might be crib death; it might not. The family lives in curate Callie Anson’s parish, and despite the best advice of her vicar, Callie is determined to try to help them. This is the third Callie Anson mystery, following Charles’s successful Book of Psalms series.

Just Take My Heart by Mary Higgins Clark – Assistant prosecutor Emily Wallace is drawn into a very tangled web when she takes on a case involving the ex-roommate of a Broadway star and a career criminal.

She Shoots to Conquer by Dorothy Cannell – Series heroine Ellie Haskell, faithful husband Ben, and sturdy sidekick Mrs. Malloy entangle themselves in a reality show. Lord Belfry is determined to save his decrepit family home, so he offers himself up as the prize on Here Comes the Bride. Will Mrs. Malloy win herself a lord at last?


Audiobooks
The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl

DVD’s
Breathless
Gabrielle
In Treatment (season one)
Mamma Mia!
Quantum of Solace
Slumdog Millionaire

We Are Our Mothers’ Daughters by Cokie Roberts – Roberts offers a tenth anniversary update of her splendid profiles of noteworthy women. Older profiles are updated; new ones added.

Love Child: A Memoir of Family Lost and Found by Allegra Huston – Allegra Huston’s mother died in an accident when Allegra was four. She was sent off to live with her father, director John Huston. The, at twelve years of age, she was introduced to yet another father, British aristocrat John Julius Norwich. This memoir explores questions of family and identity.

Cleopatra and Anthony: Power, Love, and Politics in the Ancient World by Diana Preston – Oxford historian Preston looks closely at one of the most dramatic couples of all time, whose love changed empires.

Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde by Jeff Guinn – And Jeff Guinn looks at another truly dramatic couple, highlighting their hopeless ineptness.

The Hornet’s Sting: The Amazing Untold Story of World War II Spy Thomas Sneum by Mark Ryan – Sneum was a daring, dashing Danish spy who dabbled in seduction and murder-by-crossbow. Never heard of him? Now’s your chance!

To the End of the Earth: Our Epic Journey to the North Pole and the Legend of Peary and Henson by Tom Avery – It’s a continuing controversy: did Peary and Henson actually reach the North Pole? In 2005 Tom Avery and his team attempted to recreate Peary’s mission using identical equipment.

Off the Beaten Path: A Travel Guide to More than 1,000 Scenic and Interesting Places Still Uncrowded and Inviting from Reader’s Digest

'wichcraft: craft a sandwich into a meal and a meal into a sandwich by Tom Colicchio with Sisha Ortúzar; text by Rhona Silverbush; photographs by Bill Bettencourt

Real Solutions for Busy Moms: Your Guide to Success and Sanity by Kathy Ireland

Fiction: General
The Winner Stands Alone by Paulo Coelho – Coelho explores the world of high fashion and celebrity in a morality tale set at the Cannes Film Festival. Russian entrepreneur Igor will do anything – literally anything – to regain his ex-wife, Eva.

Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Pattillo – Scholar Emma Douglas believed in Jane Austen, lived her life by Jane Austen, and then found her husband in bed with another woman. Suddenly, Austenesque romance seems like a cruel joke. So what does Emma do? She sets of to England in search of the lost letters of Jane Austen.

Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story by Carolyn Turgeon – This little book blends faery magic and gritty city reality. The narrator, Lil, explains that she was Cinderella’s fairy godmother. She defied fate and fell for the prince herself, taking her goddaughter’s place. As punishment she’s been sent to live amongst the hapless mortals in New York City. If she can just set this poor girl she found in the East Village on the path to her soulmate, maybe the other fairies will relent and let her return to the fairy world again. Then again, can you trust what Lil tells you?

The Leisure Seeker by Michael Zadoorian – This novel is affectionate, ironic, often humorous, but it has a dark side as well. John and Ella Robina are in their eighties. She ahs cancer, he has Alzheimer’s. Together they set off in their 1978 Leisure Seeker for one final adventure.

Secrets to Happiness by Sarah Dunn – Holly’s still at least a little in love with the guy who left her, and everyone around her is either having an affair, about to have one, or asking for advice on whether to have on or not. Holly sensibly sets out to replace her ex – with a nice, new, younger man and an even more loveable dog.

The Lost Quilter by Jennifer Chiaverini – Joanna was a very special quilter. She was a runaway slave who found brief, happy freedom in Elm Creek, until slave catchers took her back south. She managed to leave her son in freedom, though, and she left behind a special quilt as well.

Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas – Jack Travis opens his door to find Ella Varner holding a baby. The baby’s mom is Ella’s sister, and she swears Jack is the father. Jack’s never loved anyone before. Ella thinks love always brings trouble. Hmmm. I wonder if these two have a future.

Lavender Morning by Jude Devereaux – Jocelyn’s dear friend, old Miss Edi, dies, leaving Joce a house, a mystery, and an introduction to a very interesting young lawyer.

Reunion by Therese Fowler – Talk show host Blue Reynolds has everything she wants, except for the son she secretly gave up for an illegal adoption years ago. Will she risk everything to find him? Well, sure, and she might just find more love than she bargained for.

The Passion of Mary-Margaret by Lisa Samson – Back when she was still at her convent school, before she became a nun, Mary-Margaret was tempted by Jude Keller. Now, years later, he’s back in her life, and God may be calling her to a surprising new path..

Fiction: Mystery and Suspense
Malice by Lisa Jackson – New Orleans detective Rick Bentz starts seeing his first wife everywhere – which is a problem, since she died 12 years ago. Rick is starting to wonder whether Jennifer is really dead. Then a string of new murders apparently related to her death begins, and Rick’s new wife may be the next target.

Long Lost by Harlan Coben – Myron Bolitar’s ex-lover surfaces in Paris after a long disappearance. She needs Myron’s help proving she didn’t murder her ex-husband, but this mystery is more than just a domestic case. Soon Interpol and the Mossad get involved as well. Oh, whom to trust?

Schemers by Bill Pronzini – Nameless (yes, that’s how Pronzini’s series detective is known) should never have answered the phone. Now he’s up to his neck with two weird cases: the theft of eight rare detective novels from a locked private library, and the defacement of a headstone.

All the Colors of Darkness by Peter Robinson – Did the amateur theatre set and costume designer hang himself from the tree, or did someone else help? How ishis death linked to his wealthy lover’s demise? DI Annie Cabbot needs help from Chief Inspector Alan Banks.

In the Dark by Brian Freeman – An author’s questions about a thirty-year-old murder case raise ghosts from the past and incite murders in the present. Detective Jonathan Stride is involved twice over, investigating the new cases and recalling the past victim, his wife’s older sister.

August Heat by Andrea Camilleri, translated by Stephen Sartarelli– Sicilian Inspector Montalbano fights melancholy and crime through a long, hot August. This is a smart, quirky, international series.

Murder in the Latin Quarter by Cara Black - Is Aimée being scammed, or is the stranger at the doorstep really her half-sister?

Wormwood by Susan Wittig Albert – Herbalist and amateur sleuth China Bayles leaves Texas for two weeks to rest up at a historic Shaker community in Kentucky, where she finds medicinal herbs, misfortune, and murder. Warning: dangerously yummy looking recipes included.

Fatally Flaky by Diane Mott Davidson – Caterer Goldy Schulz has her hands full baking wedding cakes, but there should be just enough time to investigate the death of her son’s godfather’s best friend and the nefarious goings-on at the local spa. Warning: dangerously yummy looking recipes included.

Dare to Die by Carolyn Hart – Annie and Max Darling throw a lovely party, but they didn’t intend to invite a murderer.

Short Stories
Dear Husband by Joyce Carol Oates – This year’s Oates collection holds fourteen stories about contemporary American families.

Aftershock & Others by F. Paul Wilson – Nineteen “oddities” from a skilled storyteller: this collection includes a really good Repairman Jack short story, Interlude at Duane’s.


Audiobooks
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift


DVD’s
Monarch of the Glen (series 1 and 2)
Notes on a Scandal
She Stoops to Conquer

Non-Fiction: Biography and Memoir
Growing Up Again: Life, Loves, and Oh Yeah, Diabetes by Mary Tyler Moore – This is a short, positive, informative memoir focusing on the actress’s struggle with type 1 diabetes.

Joker One: A Marine Platoon’s Story of Courage, Leadership, and Brotherhood by Donovan Campbell – Campbell led a forty-man infantry platoon assigned to ramadi. This is the story of a committed leader (who is also a graduate of Princeton and the Harvard Business School) and his very memorable men.

Non-Fiction: General
Supersense: Why We Believe the Unbelievable by Bruce M. Hood – Hood explores the cognitive science behind superstition, religion, and supernatural beliefs.

Where Did Pluto Go? A Beginner’s Guide to Understanding the “New Solar System” by Paul Sutherland with Foreword by Neil deGrasse Tyson – Good information, heaps of amazing illustrations, and a way-cool planisphere: what more could you want!

Your Call Is (not that) Important to Us: Customer Service and What It Reveals About Our World and Our Lives by Emily Yellin – The first chapter is entitled “Random Acts of Rudeness,” and we’re off and running. This is not just a report on the sorry state of customer service in the twenty-first century; it is also an informed call for change. One hopes the call is not routed to an offshore “service” center…

Power Rules: How Common Sense Can Rescue American Foreign Policy by Leslie H. Gelb – Gelb is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and president Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations. Gelb advocates partnership and a “principle of mutual indispensability.”

A Guide to Special Education Advocacy: What Parents, Clinicians and Advocates Need to Know by Matthew Cohen – Cohen is a lawyer specializing in mental health issues. His book is clear, brief, and straightforward.


DVD’s
The Art of Soccer
The Family That Walks on All Fours
Man on Wire