The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe

From Library Journal: "Schwalbe and his mother, Mary Anne, always had a bond forged with books, and after she was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer, they strengthened that bond by forming a "book club" together. Throughout this memoir, Schwalbe and his mother discuss characters and themes from the books they read, and Schwalbe considers these same characters and themes in relation to his mother, who, as an administrator at Harvard and the Dalton School in New York City and a widely admired humanitarian, tirelessly strove to help others. In the process, Schwalbe shows why books were so important to him and his mother: they introduce readers to new worlds and fabulous characters while, at the same time, they help explain the world in which the readers themselves live. This book will bring tears to readers' eyes-it is an essential title for lovers of memoir. Recommended for anyone who enjoys books about mothers and sons, books about the love of books, and books about the strength of families."

Library closed for the holidays

The library will be closed from December 24-25. We will be open our normal hours on Wednesday, December 26 (10-7pm). Happy holidays!

Death at SeaWorld by David Kirby

From Publishers Weekly: "Journalist Kirby offers another passionate industry expose, focusing on SeaWorld Orlando's popular orca display and its costs in happiness and safety for both the animals and the humans who care for them. The main issue at hand is trainer Dawn Brancheau's death, caused in 2010 by the orca and star SeaWorld attraction Tilikum, but Kirby's painstaking account takes its time before arriving at this central tragedy. In addition to the long history of previous violent incidents involving captive killer whales, Kirby teaches readers more than they ever expected to learn about such subjects as marine park management and orca social dynamics. This comprehensive background can sometimes be more diligent than engrossing, but the narrative goes into high gear with its concluding confrontation between what Kirby portrays as SeaWorld's corporate juggernaut, and the scrappy "anti-cap" (captivity) activists. From this latter camp, the book gives the most attention to disillusioned former trainer Jeff Ventre and, taking center stage as the story's heroine, marine biologist Naomi Rose. Kirby's exhaustively researched chronicle offers the definitive look at its subject, coming down squarely on Rose's side to conclude that the human use of orcas for entertainment does neither species any favors."

New music at the library

Some Nights by Fun

The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection by Taylor Swift

Runner by The Sea and Cake

Making Mirrors by Gotye

First of a Living Breed by Homeboy Sandman

Bohemian Girl by Terese Svobode

From Library Journal: "Set at the beginning of the Civil War, Svoboda's fifth novel is told from the unusual perspective of Harriet, a young woman whose father has sold her into slavery to settle a gambling debt owed to a Native American obsessed with building a mound. After escaping captivity, she encounters a range of colorful individuals on the American frontier, her adventures recalling those of Huck and Jim in Twain's classic American novel. To protect herself, she eventually feigns the identity of a slain shopkeeper's niece and assumes ownership of his store while also pretending to be the mother of an abandoned child. In this nod to Willa Cather's My Ántonia, Svoboda offers a brave and believable heroine who not only perseveres but thrives amid strange characters and harsh times."

Twelve Desperate Miles: The Epic WWII Voyage of the SS Contessa by Tim Brady

From Kirkus Reviews: "The first American offensive against Hitler, the November 1942 invasion of North Africa, began with a commando raid to capture an airfield outside Casablanca. The idea originated with eager American spies on the spot and impressed Gen. Patton, commander of forces invading the beaches in Morocco. He didn't tell his superiors (Marshall and Eisenhower), who expressed dismay when they learned of it. Reaching the airport required that two ships travel 12 miles up a shallow river, impossible without a local pilot; the spies found one, René Malevergne, a discovery probably responsible for this book because he kept a diary. Taking advantage of this historical treasure, Brady builds his story around this local resistance figure and recounts Malevergne's experiences under the Vichy government, his odyssey when he was smuggled out of Morocco to Gibraltar, flown to Britain and then to America before recrossing the Atlantic. He observed the landing from his hometown (Vichy French forces resisted; the Americans suffered hundred of casualties) and then piloted the ships, successfully reaching the airport despite obstructions, collisions and enemy fire. An entertaining story of individual heroism, which Brady surrounds by an equally entertaining account of the North African invasion, the largest amphibious operation in history at the time."

True Sisters by Sandra Dallas

From Kirkus Reviews: "A calamitous chapter in American history is illustrated by the intertwined tales of four women who survived it. The settling of the American West is full of stories, but one of its greatest tales of heroism and endurance is not well known. In the mid-1800s, Mormon leader Brigham Young instructed the followers of his new religion to leave their lives in the sinful Old World and travel to Zion, or Salt Lake, to what would one day be Utah. At his command, hundreds traveled to Iowa City, the westernmost point of the railroad, and constructed wooden handcarts, chosen for their economy, to make the 1,300-mile trek by foot. Despite the challenges—the wood was green and many, formerly city dwellers, were unfit for the journey—some groups traveled safely. Not so the Martin Company, 650 who set out in July 1856 to find ferocious heat, starvation and deadly winter storms before arriving. To illustrate this forgotten chapter, Dallas focuses on four women: Louisa, the adoring bride of a company leader; Anne, a non-Mormon who resents her convert husband for forcing her from an easy life in London; lovelorn Nannie, who travels to support her beloved, pregnant sister and brother-in-law; and Jessie, a self-reliant farm girl who chafes at the religion's strict rules. Together with a detailed cast of supporting characters, they bear and bury children and other loved ones, finding a kind of sisterhood and inner strength. They are further burdened (and bound) by the rampant sexism of the new faith, which encourages polygamy and views new women as "fresh fish." Dallas' vivid prose makes the journey's escalating hardships feel real, as Anne "no longer kept track of time or distance, just pushed the cart in a kind of daze, her mind as much a blur as the snow that fell." This fact-based historical fiction, celebrating sisterhood and heroism, makes for a surefire winner."

Two Graves by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

From Publishers Weekly: "Preston and Child's high-adrenaline 12th thriller featuring maverick FBI agent Aloysius Pendergast wraps up the trilogy that began with 2010's Fever Dream and continued with 2011's Cold Vengeance with a bang. Just as Pendergast is reunited one evening in Manhattan's Central Park with his beloved wife, Helen, who he thought died 12 years earlier, Helen falls victim to a gang of well-organized kidnappers. Despite Pendergast's impressive combination of brains and brawn as well as network of helpers, his efforts to rescue Helen don't play out as he anticipated. Meanwhile, a serial murderer dubbed the Hotel Killer has been targeting guests of Manhattan hotels, mutilating his victims and leaving behind a piece of his own body (e.g., a finger, an ear lobe) to taunt the NYPD. Given the growing cast of characters and their complex backstories, those already familiar with the bestselling authors' fictional world will most enjoy this intelligent suspense novel."

Thank you celebration at the library!

In order to thank you for your patience during our September closure and for your patronage in general, we are throwing a party this Friday, December 7, from 4-6 at the library! There will be treats, children's crafts, face painting, live music provided by Neal Topliff, chair massages from Essential Chiropractic, and an appearance by children's author Jacqueline West (who will sign and sell copies of her books). Belle, a trained therapy dog, will be available for kids to read to, and we'll have a Sony PRS-505 eReader to give away as a door prize! See you then!

Cold Days by Jim Butcher

The latest Harry Dresden book is finally here and I'm happy to report that after what many reviewers (and I) considered a brief dip in quality in the 13th book, Butcher is back on his game in the 14th book! From Library Journal: "Harry Dresden is alive! But despite being returned from death, things aren't looking up for Dresden. He is now the Winter Knight at the beck-and-call of Mab, faerie Queen of Air and Darkness, and she wants him to do the impossible: kill an immortal. Secondly, Demonreach, Harry's getaway island, is under siege from some powerful outside forces and is keeping a dark secret Harry must protect. Fighting enemies new and old, with problems building and time running out, our hero must also battle within himself to keep the Winter mantel from consuming his soul and turning him into a merciless and evil killer."

My Extraordinary Ordinary Life by Sissy Spacek

From Booklist: "The key here is that phrase,“extraordinary ordinary.” Spacek, who hails from Quitman, Texas, got into show business by accident, playing her guitar for a group of friends while she was visiting her cousin, actor Rip Torn, in New York. She lucked into stardom with her second movie, Terrence Malick’s instant classic Badlands (on the set of which she also met the movie’s art director, Jack Fisk, to whom she is still married). Spacek wound up in her Oscar-winning role in Coal Miner’s Daughter because Loretta Lynn, the movie’s biographical subject, had been telling people Spacek should play her in the movie. Readers looking for one of those dirt-dishing Hollywood memoirs should keep looking, as this is the story of an ordinary, down-to-earth woman who has lived, quite by chance, a life that has more than a few extraordinary aspects. There’s plenty of behind-the-scenes insight, but that’s not what the book is about. This is one star bio that puts family above fame, tranquility above stardom."

Why Does the World Exist? An Existential Detective Story by Jim Holt

From the New York Times Book Review: "“There could have been nothing. It might have been easier. Instead there is something. The universe exists, and we are here to ask about it. Why? In Why Does the World Exist?, Jim Holt, an elegant and witty writer comfortably at home in the problem’s weird interzone between philosophy and scientific cosmology, sets out in search of such answers. ...There is no way to do justice to any of these theories in a brief review, but Holt traces the reasoning behind each one with care and clarity—such clarity that each idea seems resoundingly sensible even as it turns one’s brain to a soup of incredulity.... I can imagine few more enjoyable ways of thinking than to read this book.”"

America Again: Re-becoming the Greatness We Never Weren't by Stephen Colbert

I could have put a book review here, but I think Colbert's summary of the book is way more entertaining: "Book store nation, in the history of mankind there has never been a greater country than America. You could say we're the #1 nation at being the best at greatness. But as perfect as America is in every single way, America is broken! And we can't exchange it because we're 236 years past the 30-day return window. Look around--we don't make anything anymore, we've mortgaged our future to China, and the Apologist-in-Chief goes on world tours just to bow before foreign leaders. Worse, the L.A.Four Seasons Hotel doesn't even have a dedicated phone button for the Spa. You have to dial an extension! Where did we lose our way?! It's high time we restored America to the greatness it never lost! Luckily, AMERICA AGAIN will single bookedly pull this country back from the brink... [T]he dose of truth [America] needs to get back on track." -Randy

The Legend of Broken by Caleb Carr

From the Barnes and Noble Review: "Where, oh where has Caleb Carr been? After triumphs that began with the 1994 bestseller The Alienist, he stopped publishing fiction after The Italian Secretary of 2005. Like its predecessors, The Legend of Broken combines Carr's consummate storytelling powers with his willingness to defy easy expectations. Set in the fortress of Broken in medieval Germany, the fiction pits the kingdom's brave defenders, attackers, and those with their own agendas against one another. Exhilarating and multilayered, the novel exhibits the author's talent at presenting full-bodied characters in unfamiliar historical settings. A talented writer back on the map; editor's recommendation."

The Broken Ones by Stephen Irwin

From Library Journal: "The world is reeling from a natural disaster that occurred a few years earlier. In just one day, Earth's poles shifted to affect climate, agriculture, and governmental infrastructure and setting off a global economic crisis. This event is known as Gray Wednesday, the day when the spectral and living worlds became one. Set in Australia, Irwin's (The Dead Path) novel is a dystopian tale of crime and the supernatural. Each person is haunted by a ghost, someone from his or her past. However, the identity of the ghost that haunts Det. Oscar Mariani is unknown to him. Mariani is no typical cop: he works only with those who claim to have committed their crimes-murders-at the direction of their ghosts. In a haunted world, Mariani must track down a serial killer who is murdering young women and mutilating their bodies with cryptic occult symbols. Genre-bending and imaginative, Irwin's sophomore novel is part fantasy, part supernatural crime thriller. Similar in style and content to the works of Cherie Priest and Richard Matheson, this will appeal to a variety of genre readers who enjoy intelligent fiction that pushes boundaries."

How to Eat a Cupcake by Meg Donohue

From Publishers Weekly: "Donohue's sweet debut is a clever exploration of how a West Coast mean girl grows up and gives in to friendship, love, and dozens of delicious cupcakes. Julia St. Clair, a spoiled and pampered Pacific Heights princess, returns home to marry and comes face-to-face with childhood playmate Annie Quintana, daughter of the St. Clair family's Ecuadoran cook and now a rising pastry chef. In high school, Julia cruelly betrayed Annie just before Annie's mother died under mysterious circumstances. After Annie caters a charity event at the mansion where she grew up, the two 28-year-olds reconnect, and Annie accepts Julia's offer to go into business with a cupcake shop. Julia's handsome ex-beau Jake muscles his way between the old friends as they tentatively try to forgive, forget, and get rich-if a sinister stalker doesn't destroy their successful cupcakery first. While the revenge-fueled thriller plays out, Julia finally reveals a dark secret to Annie and begins to embrace the love of her long-suffering fiance, while Annie finds a crazy love of her own with a pompous produce farmer. Donohue's culinary romantic thriller will keep readers hungry for more."

Great book you may have missed: My Cat, Spit McGee by Willie Morris

From Booklist: "The former editor in chief of Harper's magazine follows his 1995 boy-and-his-dog memoir, My Dog Skip, with an equally moving account of the cat he owned in adulthood, who traveled under the name Spit McGee. Of course, one does not "own" a cat, and Morris "owns up" to that fact as well as the fact that until he fell under the spell of Spit McGee, he did not consider himself a cat person in the least. But it was Morris "who actually delivered him at birth, and [has] saved his life four times." Now Spit is eight years old, and he and Morris are pretty tight. Morris talks about the entire story of their association and muses over typical feline traits, such as their dining habits and their adoration of new things to explore, and he makes general comments on feline-human history. Like the previous book about his dog, this one is particularly poignant without being maudlin. You've read pet books before but never one as meaningfully or even beautifully written as this one and its predecessor."

Author visit

The Red Wing Public Library and the Friends of the Library are pleased to present award winning Minnesota author Greg Breining. His most recent book is Paddle North: Canoeing the Boundary Waters-Quetico Wilderness. He will be speaking in the Library's Foot Room at 10:00am on Saturday, November 24. The program is free and open to the public. Please come join us!

The Panther by Nelson DeMille

From Booklist: " This gripping thriller (set early in 2004) finds antiterrorist agent John Corey and his wife, FBI agent Kate Mayfield, joining an investigative team in Yemen. Their stated mission: to continue looking into the suicide bombing of the USS Cole, the military vessel that was attacked by al-Qaeda in the port of Aden three-and-a-half years earlier. Their unstated mission: to bring to justice the mastermind of the Cole bombing, the man known as the Panther. As with previous Corey novels, the book balances suspense and action with humor: Corey relates the story in the first person, spicing his narrative with witty or sarcastic asides and other entertaining verbal meanderings, as though he’s telling us the story at a far remove, when the tense and potentially deadly events of the mission have been tempered by time and distance. Packed as usual with memorable characters (including one who’s starred in a couple of his own DeMille novels), political commentary, gritty atmosphere, and action, the book will be gobbled up by the author’s many fans, but readers unfamiliar with DeMille’s work (if there still are any) should be steered in its direction, too. It’s a first-class thriller, regardless of whether John Corey is the reader’s old friend or a new acquaintance."

Happy Thanksgiving!

The library will be closed on Thursday, November 22 due to the Thanksgiving Day holiday. We will be open our regular hours on Friday (10am-6pm) and Saturday (9am-3pm).

Holiday Stroll Stories with the Red Wing Royal Ambassadors

Come join the 2012 Red Wing Royal Ambassadors as they read holiday stories before the Holiday Stroll parade! Friday, November 23 at 4:00pm in the story well. The event is free and open to the public - no registration is required. Happy Holidays!

Mountains of the Moon by I. J. Kay

From Library Journal: "Kay's first novel follows the tragic life of Lulu, a character whose name changes with the circumstances of her existence. The story begins with Lulu's release from prison after a decade of internment. Despite her history, Lulu approaches one dire situation after the next with a trusting, almost guileless outlook. Those who can empathize with Kay's damaged character will applaud her journey to the Mountains of the Moon in central Africa and her lifelong battle to rise above her past. The reader should be aware that Kay's narrative often shifts without warning between past and present, creating a storyline that can be difficult to follow. This is a challenging novel. The flashbacks and staccato sentence structure contribute to a chaotic tone. However, the book will appeal to readers drawn to unconventional works."

Blood Feud: The Hatfields and the McCoys - the Epic Story of Murder and Vengeance by Lisa Alther

From the Minneapolis Star-Tribune: "Well researched and finely written...Alther goes beyond the bloody facts, showing how utterly American the feud was, and how it reverberates yet today...But the best part is tracking the bloodstained characters through their astounding, outrageous lives. Lots of photographs spice things up even more.""

This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz (winner of the 2012 National Book Award for fiction)

From Publishers Weekly: "Decisively back in the form that permanently etched his name onto a list of unforgettable writers, Diaz brings life to the short story with a voice that demands attention. Often caught between hopeless romanticism and flippant machismo, Diaz's characters are as vulnerable and maddening as they are endearing and sexy. Among other familiar voices in this collection, Yunior reappears, older but not necessarily wiser, particularly as his once invincible brother Rafa struggles with cancer and everything else it means to be sick, poor, and uninsured. But as the title reveals, the beautiful, defiant, and impossible ladies that claw away at Yunior's soul drive this book. As before, Diaz's searing, sometimes hilarious, and always disarming language holds everything together with just enough of a sense that it all could fall to pieces in the process-if it hasn't already. Drown inspired an entire generation of imitators and with this collection, readers will remember why everyone wants to write like Diaz, bring him home, or both. Raw and honest, these stories pulsate with raspy ghetto hip-hop and the subtler yet more vital echo of the human heart."

The Brothers Grimm

It's been 200 years since the brothers Grimm first published their Children's Stories and Household Tales. Marking the anniversary are two wonderful new collections of their tales: The Annotated Brothers Grimm (The Bicentennial Edition), edited by Maria Tatar and Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version, edited by Phillip Pullman, author of The Golden Compass. Well worth a look!

New DVDs

Just arrived at the library (Rotten Tomatoes 90% and up edition...):

The Avengers (Rotten Tomatoes rating 92%)

Bernie (Rotten Tomatoes rating 92%)







Being John Malkovich (Rotten Tomatoes rating 93%)







The Last of the Mohicans (Rotten Tomatoes rating 97%)







The Best of Youth (Rotten Tomatoes rating 95%)

The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers

From Publishers Weekly: "This moving debut from Powers (a former Army machine gunner) is a study of combat, guilt, and friendship forged under fire. Pvt. John Bartle, 21, and Pvt. Daniel Murphy, 18, meet at Fort Dix, N.J., where Bartle is assigned to watch over Murphy. The duo is deployed to Iraq, and the novel alternates between the men's war zone experiences and Bartle's life after returning home. Early on, it emerges that Murphy has been killed; Bartle is haunted by guilt, and the details of Murphy's death surface slowly. Powers writes gripping battle scenes, and his portrait of male friendship, while cheerless, is deeply felt. As a poet, the author's prose is ambitious, which sets his treatment of the theme apart-as in this musing from Bartle: "though it's hard to get close to saying what the heart is, it must at least be that which rushes to spill out of those parentheses which were the beginning and end of my war." The sparse scene where Bartle finally recounts Murphy's fate is masterful and Powers's style and story are haunting."

Soundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor by Hali Felt

From Library Journal: "After reading an obituary of cartographer Marie Tharp, Felt became intrigued by this "forgotten" woman of the 20th century. In an era when women were relegated to being secretaries, Tharp, who earned a master's degree in geology, was hired as a research assistant in 1948 at Columbia University's Lamont Geological Observatory to assist mainly male graduate students with their research. She began working with Bruce Heezen, a graduate student and later Tharp's partner, interpreting soundings data (records of sonar pings measuring the ocean's depth) compiled from his ocean expeditions. Using Heezen's data, Tharp plotted and created the first maps of the ocean floor, which laid the groundwork for proving the then controversial theory of continental drift. Some consider her maps one of the most remarkable achievements in modern cartography, and Felt's biography brings her contributions to life."

Peaches for Father Francis by Joanne Harris

From Library Journal: "In this sequel to Harris's wonderful Chocolat and The Girl with No Shadow, Vianne Rocher and her daughters, Anouk and Rosette, return to the village of Lansquenet after receiving a mysterious letter that alludes to brewing troubles and asks Vianne for help. A growing Muslim community has taken over the derelict shanties across the river, filled the air with the scent of exotic spices, and built a minaret. The traditionalist French residents are disturbed and afraid. Vianne's chocolate shop, turned into a school for Muslim girls, has been torched and Father Francis Reynaud accused of the crime. Once her nemesis, Father Francis is at the heart of the turmoil that is fragmenting the village. Is he the real villain? Can Vianne work her magic again and reunite the community? Harris's skill at vibrantly depicting the charm and eccentricity of rural French life is at the heart of this delightful novel. Harris has used this story as a plea for tolerance and understanding, but her message is not the least pedantic. Fans of the first two books will delight in becoming reacquainted with Vianne, her dashing man, Roux, and her clever daughters."

The Prophet by Michael Koryta

From Library Journal: "Brothers Adam and Kent Austin have been estranged for years over the events that led to their sister's murder while they were in high school. Each, in his own way and for his own reasons, has chosen to associate with criminals in his adult life. Adam is a bail bondsman; Kent is the local high school football coach who serves as part-time spiritual counselor in a nearby prison. The murder of a teenage girl that mirrors their sister's killing and that seems to implicate them reunites the Austin siblings. As local police and the FBI work to solve the case, the brothers' feelings of family loyalty and need result in a tenuous love-hate relationship that leads to mistrust, misjudgment, and disaster. Koryta's latest thriller powerfully portrays the angst of the dysfunctional family stretched to the breaking point by blame and guilt. The tension and suspense is relieved only by scenes depicting Kent's football team in fierce combat at the state finals. Gut-wrenching at every level."

It's Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided with the New Politics of Extremism by Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein

From the publisher: "Congressional scholars Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein identify two overriding problems that have led Congress - and the United States - to the brink of institutional collapse. The first is the serious mismatch between our political parties, which have become as vehemently adversarial as parliamentary parties, and a governing system that, unlike a parliamentary democracy, makes it extremely difficult for majorities to act. Second, while both parties participate in tribal warfare,both sides are not equally culpable. The political system faces what the authors call 'asymmetric polarization,' with the Republican Party implacably refusing to allow anything that might help the Democrats politically, no matter the cost. With dysfunction rooted in long-term political trends, a coarsened political culture and a new partisan media, the authors conclude that there is no 'silver bullet' reform that can solve everything. But they offer a panoply of useful ideas and reforms, endorsing some solutions, like greater public participation and institutional restructuring of the House and Senate, while debunking others, like independent or third-party candidates. Above all, they call on the media as well asthe public at large to focus on the true causes of dysfunction rather than just throwing the bums out every election cycle. Until voters learn to act strategically to reward problem solving and punish obstruction, American democracy will remain in serious danger."

Great mystery series you may have missed

Twenty-one books to date and still going strong, Donna Leon's Guido Brunetti series, set in Venice, entertains both as mysteries and as a guide to Venice and Italian society. Of the latest, Library Journal says "Leon's 21st Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery begins with the discovery of a corpse in one of Venice's canals. The victim had been stabbed and suffered from a disfiguring disease, and Brunetti feels that he has seen this man before. As the investigation progresses, Brunetti is forced to follow leads in the unfamiliar territory of the Italian mainland, for that is where the dead man, eventually identified as a veterinarian, lived and worked. Brunetti must navigate among powerful families and corporate interests to unravel the dark motives behind this murder. Followers of the series and lovers of Venice will appreciate Leon's fascinating details of life in this unique city; she also includes some pointed asides about the current European financial crisis and its origins. This is a strong series entry, but newcomers should probably start earlier in the series to familiarize themselves with recurring characters." I agree! Start at the beginning and you're in for an extended treat. -Randy

Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair With Trash by Edward Humes

From Library Journal: "Pulitzer Prize and Pen Award winner Humes turns his impressive investigative skills to the subject of the economic and environmental consequences of America's waste crisis. Focusing on Puente Hills-the megalandfill serving the Los Angeles area and the largest municipal dump in the country-he explains how landfillsÅactually encourage Americans to discard (instead of recycle) because once hauled away, our trash is virtually invisible to us. But Humes also showcases some ecoenterprises that creatively repurpose refuse. Recology converts restaurant food waste into compost for California vineyards, and TerraCycle uses earthworms to convert university dining hall waste into fertilizer. There are even garbage dump artists who fashion works of art from trash. This is a horrifying, well-documented, and fascinating study of how profligate waste became a normal part of American consumer behavior and what it's going to take for our society to shift from a disposable economy to a reusable one...This should be a "One Book" reading selection in every American community."

Astray by Emma Donoghue

From Library Journal: "A woman in 1901 New York who discovers that her reputed father was actually a female in disguise. Two aging sculptors in 1968 Ontario, women before their time, reliving their glory days. A brother in 1854 London convincing the sister who's sold her body to support him to sell her story instead so that they can emigrate. A horrific instance of rape during the American Revolution. A mistress in 1864 Texas conniving to run away with her slave. These are among the stories in the new collection from Man Booker finalist Donoghue, each inspired by a news account or letter and each a little gem. Donoghue's characters face struggle or loss with determined grace; their situations are inherently dramatic, but the writing is smartly underplayed, refusing to hit hysterical high notes. What's equally intriguing is that each story concludes with the account that inspired it, which lets readers see the leap from fact to fiction. Working in a different vein from the wrenching Room, Donoghue has created masterly pieces that show what short fiction can do."

The Untold Civil War: Exploring the Human Side of War by James Robertson

From Library Journal: "Beautifully illustrated and engagingly written, this thematically arranged book reveals the human side of America's bloodiest war. While the generals, battles, and politicians are given their place, Robertson spends more time discussing the smaller, everyday experiences of soldiers and civilians. Photographs, cartoons, and other illustrations make up more than half of the content, with accompanying captions formulated so that one need not even read all the text to appreciate the book and learn from it. This book is meant more for browsing, but it would also be an excellent resource for anyone seeking a visually driven history or even examples of Civil War illustration."

Staff pick - I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

Sometimes I’m in the mood to read something light-hearted, simple, and fun. Sophie Kinsella’s I’ve Got Your Number certainly fits the bill. Poppy Wyatt loses her engagement ring—a family heirloom on her fiancés side, and then her phone gets stolen. Luck is on her side, though, when she finds a phone in a garbage can. (Though the owner of the phone, Sam, doesn’t agree.) There begins the rollercoaster ride of text messages, emails, and hiding the fact that she lost her engagement ring from Magnus and his family. The footnotes Poppy used in telling her story were a definite bonus. If you enjoy romantic comedies, you might want to give this one a try. - Laura

Weird United States: Freaky Field Trip Through the 50 States by Matt Lake and Randy Fairbanks

From Publishers Weekly: "Readers taking road trips this summer (or armchair ones, considering gas prices) will be prepared with this photographic tour of American oddities, an addition to the Weird U.S. series. Attractions include the Watts Towers in Los Angeles, which artist Simon Rodia built using objects collected by neighborhood kids; the mysterious Marfa lights in Presidio County, Tex.; and the archaeological site in Groton, Conn., known as Gungywamp. The world's biggest ball of twine makes an appearance, as does the smallest park (located in Portland, Ore.), while a section on "Haunted Highways" includes the cryptically named "Shades of Death Road" in Warren County, N.J. Lake and Fairbanks's lively descriptions demonstrate the enthusiasm that subjects like Mothman, Sarah Winchester, and the FeeJee Mermaid deserve."

Sugarhouse: A Memoir by Matthew Batt

From Publishers Weekly: "A fixer-upper is just the thing to usher a young couple into adulthood, in this winsome memoir. Writing professor Batt and his wife, in the midst of the housing bubble, found their dream home-and when that deal fell through, settled for a Salt Lake City crack house that came complete with an eye-watering stench, tacky wood paneling, and hidden structural defects. The ensuing renovation gave the neophyte handyman an epic test of masculine resolve, a new appreciation for the aesthetics of slate flooring and poured-concrete countertops, and insight into the foundation of a successful marriage-namely, complete submission to female authority over decor. Meanwhile, Batt weathers upheavals among his extended relations-deaths, tensions, his cantankerous grandfather's embarrassing fling with a younger gold digger-that form an alternately antic and glum commentary on the ricketiness of the home-building enterprise. Batt's home-rehab picaresque is hilarious, engrossing, and stocked with a cast of squirrely tradesmen and manic realtors."

This Bright River by Patrick Somerville

From Library Journal: "Ben returns to his hometown to prepare his late uncle's home for sale. A recovering addict and ex-felon, Ben feels adrift, but he seeks to rebuild some sort of relationship with his family and find direction for his life. He encounters Lauren, a high school classmate, who has escaped an abusive marriage. They find solace in each other, but dark secrets put both of them in peril. With a tantalizing opening that the reader won't make sense of until near the end, Somerville's second novel is more complex than it first appears. Ben (and one suspects, the author) loves puzzles, and as he attempts to unravel his family's secrets, Somerville drops clues and telling details, the significance of which only later become clear to the reader. Despite its dark edges (increasingly so as it progresses), this novel is also richly funny, engrossing, and humane. Though it contains elements of a murder mystery and thriller, this is a literary novel for readers who want to be simultaneously caught up in a story and impressed by the author's copious craft and skill"

We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People by Peter Van Buren

From Publishers Weekly: "In this shocking and darkly hilarious expose of the reconstruction of post-Saddam Iraq, former State Department team leader Van Buren describes the tragicomedy that has been American efforts at nation building, marked by bizarre decisions and wrongheaded priorities. The streets of Baghdad are piled high with mountains of trash; food and clean water are increasingly scarce, but since 2003, the State Department has poured money into such absurdities as outfitting schools (that lack electricity) with computers and importing French pastry chefs to teach cooking lessons. Programs are stymied by cultural ignorance, undermined by local corruption, and badly managed by well-intentioned if oblivious administrators. But photo ops have been enough to satisfy the higher-ups. "If publicity were democracy," Van Buren remarks, "this place would have looked like ancient Athens." A story of the American ambassador and his lawn elegantly evokes the disconnect between American intention and Iraqi suffering: despite blistering heat, seed-stealing birds, and the astronomical cost of water, the ambassador demanded-and achieved-an emerald green garden within the embassy walls. "We made things in Iraq look the way we wanted them to look," Van Buren writes. With lyrical prose and biting wit, this book reveals the devastating arrogance of imperial ambition and folly."

The Twelve by Justin Cronin

From Library Journal: "In this second book of his epic vampire trilogy (after The Passage), Cronin once again deposits readers on the front lines of a human-made apocalypse. On the North American continent, a failed government experiment has turned most of humanity into lethal, vampirelike creatures called virals and destroyed the world as we know it. Cronin's story follows the human survivors, moving smoothly between "Year Zero," when the outbreak began, and a period 97 years later, when the remaining pockets of humanity seek not only to survive but also to eradicate the viral plague and defeat a despotic regime that has risen to power. Cronin's masterly prose and intricate plotting bring an entire world to life; his cast features both the flawed and the heroic, including an impressive number of strong female characters, and the vast scope of his story begs favorable comparisons to epics such as J.R.R. Tolkein's The Lord of the Rings and Stephen King's The Stand. Readers left hanging at the end of the first book will find some resolution here, but also twists, turns, and new developments that will make them desperate for book three. Strongly recommended for readers who enjoy- thrillers, science fiction, and epic adventure tales."