Award Winners - 2012 Edgar Allan Poe Awards

Mystery Writers of America celebrates the anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe's birth by announcing the nominations for Edgar Allan Poe Awards, honoring the best in mystery fiction, nonfiction, and television published or produced the previous year. The Edgar® Awards for 2011 were presented on April 26, 2012. Winners are listed in bold.

Best Novel

The Ranger by Ace Atkins (F Atk)

Gone by Mo Hayder (F Hay)

The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino (F Hig)

1222 by Anne Holt (F Hol)

Field Gray by Philip Kerr (F Ker)

Best First Novel

Red on Red by Edward Conlon (F Con)

Last to Fold by David Duffy (F Duf)

All Cry Chaos by Leonard Rosen (F Ros)

Bent Road by Lori Roy (F Roy)

Purgatory Chasm by Steve Ulfelder (F Ulf)

Best Paperback Original

The Company Man by Robert Jackson Bennett (F Ben)

The Faces of Angels by Lucretia Grindle (F Gri)

The Dog Sox by Russell Hill

Death of the Mantis by Michael Stanley (F Sta)

Vienna Twilight by Frank Tallis (F Tal)

Best Fact Crime

The Murder of the Century: The Gilded Age Crime That Scandalized a City and Sparked the Tabloid Wars by Paul Collins

The Savage City: Race, Murder, and a Generation on the Edge by T.J. English

Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard (973.8 Mil)

Girl, Wanted: The Chase for Sarah Pender by Steve Miller

The Man in the Rockefeller Suit: The Astonishing Rise and Spectacular Fall of a Serial Imposter by Mark Seal (364 Sea)

Best Critical Biographical

The Tattooed Girl: The Enigma of Stieg Larsson and the Secrets Behind the Most Compelling Thrillers of our Time by Dan Burstein, Arne de Keijzer & John-Henri Holmberg

Agatha Christie: Murder in the Making by John Curran (823 Cur)

On Conan Doyle: Or, the Whole Art of Storytelling by Michael Dirda (823 Dir)

Detecting Women: Gender and the Hollywood Detective Film by Philippa Gates

Scripting Hitchcock: Psycho, The Birds and Marnie by Walter Raubicheck and Walter Srebnick

Mary Higgins Clark

Now You See Me by S.J. Bolton (F Bol)

Come and Find Me by Hallie Ephron

Death on Tour by Janice Hamrick (F Ham)

Learning to Swim by Sara J. Henry (F Hen)

Murder Most Persuasive by Tracy Kiely

New book club bags!

Hey book clubs! We've nearly doubled our collection of Book Club in a Bag kits. Many of our additions were just released in paperback, so they're very new titles. We've also added several more non-fiction books to spice things up a bit. Here's a list of titles currently available:

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
In the Woods by Tana French
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Little Bee by Chris Cleave
Midnight Rising by Tony Horwitz - coming August 2012!
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - coming July 2012!
Pale Rose of England by Sandra Worth
The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
Room by Emma Donoghue
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
The Sisters Brothers by Patrick de Witt
State of Wonder by Ann Patchet
The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers

Award Winners - 2011 Bram Stoker Award Winners

Each year, the Horror Writers Association presents the Bram Stoker Awards for Superior Achievement, named in honor of Bram Stoker, author of the seminal horror work, Dracula. The Bram Stoker Awards were instituted immediately after the organization's incorporation in 1987. Last years' awards were presented on March 31, 2012. Come check some out at the library!

Novel: Flesh Eaters by Joe McKinney (F McK)
First Novel: Isis Unbound by Allyson Bird (only available in Kindle format from Amazon)
Long Fiction: “The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine” by Peter Straub (on order)
Short Fiction: “Herman Wouk Is Still Alive” by Stephen King (The Atlantic Magazine, May 2011)
Anthology: Demons: Encounters with the Devil and his Minions, Fallen Angels and the Possessed edited by John Skipp (SC Dem)
Fiction Collection: The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares by Joyce Carol Oates (F Oat)
Vampire Novel of the Century: Richard Matheson for his modern classic I Am Legend (F Mat)

Samuels Says - "Which books have covers that you love?"

This month for our display, we asked the staff, "Which books have covers that you love?" (We shouldn't judge books by their covers, but we do!) Here are our picks— we'd love to hear yours too!

Joan:

The River of Doubt by Candice Millard (918.1 Mil)

In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson (943.086 Lar)

The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan (394.12 Pol)

Haunted Ground by Erin Hart (F Har)

The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection by Alexander McCall Smith (F McC)

Believing the Lie by Elizabeth George (F Geo)

The Year We Left Home by Jean Thompson (F Tho)

Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson (F Atk)

I Am Half-sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley (F Bra)

I Thought You Were Dead by Peter Nelson (F Nel)

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (F Mor)

Walking in Circles before Lying Down by Merrill Markoe (F Mar)

Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks (F Bro)

The Dog Who Knew Too Much by Spencer Quinn (F Qui)

Unsaid by Neil Abramson (F Abr)

Still Alice by Lisa Genova (F Gen)

I Still Dream about You by Fannie Flagg (F Fla)

Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill (F Hil)

Until Tuesday by Luis Carlos  Montalván (362.4 Mon)

Boo:

Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner

Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik (F Lan)

Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand (F Hil)

Beach Trip by Cathy Holton (F Hol)

Embrace the Grim Reaper by Judy Clemens (F Cle)

The Help by Kathryn Stockett (F Sto)

Lifeguard by James Patterson (F Pat)

Soldier Dogs by Maria Goodavage (355.424 Goo)

My Summer of Southern Discomfort by Stephanie Gayle (F Gay)

Waking Up Dixie by Haywood Smith (F Smi)

Lowcountry Summer by Dorthea Frank (F Fra)

The Outer Banks House by Diann DuCharme (F DuC)

The Hot Flash Club Chills Out by Nancy Thayer (F Tha)

Dollar Daze by Karin Gillespie (F Gil)

Jacob’s Ladder by Brian Keaney (F Kea)

Jacob’s Ladder by Donald McCaig (F McC)

Out to Pasture by Effie Leland (F Wi)

I’d Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman (F Lip)

Sonata for Miriam by Linda Olsson (F Ols) — it has the cool name! :)

Toys by James Patterson (F Pat)

Other Waters by Eleni Gage (F Gag)

Cooking the Books by Kerry Greenwood (F Gre)

Sugar Rush by Donna Kauffman (F Kau)

American Pickers Guide to Picking by Libby Callaway (745.107 Cal)

Katie:

Anything by Tana French (F Fre)

Shiver, Linger, and Forever by Maggie Stiefvater (YAF Sti)

Perfect by Ellen Hopkins (YAF Hop)

The Returning by Christine Hinwood (YAF Hin)

Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williams (YAF Wil)

Everlasting by Angie Frazier (YAF Fra)

Graceling by Kristin Cashore (YAF Cas)

Dracula My Love by Syrie James (F Jam)

If Jack’s in Love by Stephen Wetta (F Wet)

The Street Sweeper by Elliot Perlman (F Per)

Kristin:

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (F Mor)

The Art of French Kissing by Kristin Harmel (F Har)

Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland (F Vre)

The Two Lives of Miss Charlotte Merryweather by Alexandra Potter (F Pot)

Fly Me to the Moon by Alyson Nöel (F Noe)

Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination by Helen Fielding (F Fie)

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran (F Mor)

Mermaid by Carolyn Turgeon (F Tur)

The Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones (F Jon)

Bookends and Mr. Maybe by Jane Green (F Gre)

War Dances by Sherman Alexie (F Ale)

The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart  by Mathias Malzieu (F Mal)

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake (F Bla)

Any in the Sookie Stackhouse series, especially Dead Reckoning and Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris (F Har)

The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova (F Kos)

Her Fearful Symmetry and The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger (F Nif)

Confederates in the Attic (973.7 Hor) and Blue Latitudes (910.92 Hor) by Tony Horwitz

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Landing by Emma Donoghue (F Don)

Jennifer Government by Max Barry (F Bar)

A Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cossé

Death’s Excellent Vacation (SC Dea)

One Day by David Nicholls (F Nic)

This Book is Overdue! by Marilyn Johnson (027 Joh)

Almost anything by Bill Bryson—A Walk in the Woods (917.4 Bry), The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid (Bio Bryson Bill), Notes from a Small Island (910.104 Br), Neither Here Nor There (914.0455 Bry), etc.

Tamara:

The Double-Jack Murders by Patrick F. McManus (F McM)

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (J F Sel)

Horton Halfpott by Tom Angleberger  (J F Ang)  - it glows in the dark!

The Last Hero: A Discworld Fable by Terry Pratchett (F Pra)

Snuff by Terry Pratchett (F Pra)

The Bromeliad Trilogy—Truckers, Diggers, and Wings by Terry Pratchett (YAF Pra)

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde and the rest of the Thursday Next series (F Ffo)

Storms of My Grandchildren by James Hansen (363.738 Han)

Geek: Fantasy Novel by E. Archer (YAF Arc)

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia (YAF Gar)

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman  (YAF Gai)

Stardust by Neil Gaiman (F Gai)

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (F Gai)

The Annotated Peter Pan by James Barrie (823 Bar)

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (YAF Cla)

Becoming Queen Victoria by Kate Williams (Bio Victoria Queen)

The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall by Mary Downing Hahn (JF Hah)

Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett (F Pra)

Julie and Julia by Julie Powell (641.5 Pow)

100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson (JF Wil)

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King (813.54 Kin)

Any of the Sweet Potato Queens books by Jill Conner Browne

Any of the Sisters Grimm books by Michael Buckley (J F Buc)

Any of Jan Brett’s books (E Bre)

Any of Graeme Base’s books (E Bas)

Jeanne:

Ireland in Poetry (821.008 Ir)

Amandine by Marlena de Blasi (F De B)

Escape to Provence by Owen Franken (914.4 Fra)

Dewey by Vicki Myron (636.8 Myr)

The Rough Guide to Scandinavia (914.8 Rou)

The New Mediterranean Diet Cookbook (641.59 Jen)

The Night Drifter by Susan Carroll (F Ca)

When Passion Rules by Johanna Lindsey (F Lin)

Waverly Inspirations (747 Wav)

Dog on It by Spencer Quinn (F Qui)

The Land of Mango Sunsets by Dorthea Benton Frank (F Fra)

Garden Spells by Sarah Allen (F All)

The Harrowsmith Salad Garden (635.7 Fo)

Herb Garden Design by Ethne Clark (635.7 Cla)

Daffodils for American Gardens by Brent Heath (635.934 He)

The Last Flowers of Manet (759.4 Mo)

Ben:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling (YAF Row)

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien (F To)

A Fault in Our Stars by John Green (YAF Gre)

Horton Halfpott by Tom Angleberger (J F Ang)

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (F Tol)

Lord of the Flies by William Golding (Classic PB Gol)

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (YAF Col)

The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss (ER Seu)

Dork Diaries by Rachel Renée Russell (J F Rus)

Ghost Hunt by Jason Halves (J F Hal)

Michal:

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden (F Gol)

Wings by Aprilynne Pike (YAF Pik)

Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (YAF Rya)

Forget-Her-Nots by Amy Brecount White (YAF Whi)

Gothic Lolita by Dakota Lane (YAF Lan)

Wait till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn (J F Hah)

The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir (942.052 We)

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld (YAF Wes)

Skinned by Robin Wasserman (YAF Was)

Mister Monday by Garth Nix (YAF Nix)

Melissa:

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (F Mor)

Slovenia by Tamra Orr (J 949.73 Orr) - I liked it so much that I had to vacation there!

Any Tana French book (F Fre)

The Year We Seized the Day by Elizabeth Best (796.51 Bes)

The Woman Who Changed Her Brain (362.3 Arr)

Jessica:

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff (YAF Yov) - divinely creepy!

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (YAF Fit)

Everneath by Brodi Ashton (YAF Ash) - I want her dress.

Beastly by Alex Flinn (YAF Fli)

Graceling by Kristin Cashore (YAF Cas)

Fallen by Lauren Kate (YAF Kat)

The Space between Trees by Kate Williams (YAF Wil)

Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williams (YAF Wil)

How to (Un)cage a Girl by Francesca Lia Block (YAF 811 Blo)

Wither by Lauren DeStefano (YAF DeS)

The Girl with Glass Feet by Ali Shaw (F Sha)

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (YAF Sti)

Blood Magic by Tessa Grafton (YAF Gra)

Soulless by Gail Carriger (F Car)

A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na (E Na)

John:

Krakatoa (363.349 Win) and The Map that Changed the World (550.92 Win) by Simon Winchester

Batman: The Complete History by Les Daniels (741.5 Dan)

Peanuts: The Art of Charles M. Schulz by Charles Schulz (741.5 Sch)

The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer (F Mai)

Any in the Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket (YAF Sni)

The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories (SC Bla)

Anything Considered by Peter Mayle (F May)

Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safron Foer (F Foe)

Zombies! Zombies! Zombies! edited by Otto Penzler (F Zom)

The Sweetest Fig by Chris van Allsburg (E Va)

The Clothes They Stood Up In by Alan Bennett (F Ben)

Look Me in the Eye by John Elder Robison (362.196 Rob)

Rock & Roll Generation: Teen Life in the 50s (306.0973 Roc)

Vanished Smile by R.A. Scotti (759.5 Sco)

Film Crazy by Patrick McGilligan (791.43 McG)

Burn This Book edited by Toni Morrison (808.8 Mor)

Plum Pie by P.G. Wodehouse (F Wo)

Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk (F Pal)

Wyatt:

Grandpa’s Teeth by Rod Clement (E Cl)

A Career as an Auto Mechanic by Tamra B. Orr (J 629.28 Orr)

Dr. Dog by Babette Cole (J 613.4 Co)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney (J F Kin)

Chocolate Fever by Robert Kimmel Smith (J F Smi)

Snail City by Jane O’Connor (ER O’Co)

R Robot Saves Lunch by R. Nicholas Kuszyk (E Kus)
Chip Wants a Dog by William Wegman (E Weg)

Betty:

Secretariat’s Meadow by Kate Chenery Tweedy (636.12 Twe)

Storey’s Horse-Lover’s Encyclopedia (636.1 Sto)

Baring Arms by Jo-Ann Power (F Pow)

Kathy J.:

Holly Claus: The Christmas Princess by Brittney Ryan (E Rya)
Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo (E DiC)
Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes (E Hen)
The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani (F Tri)
Sam the Snowman by Susan Winget (E Win)
The Fancy Nancy books by Jane O’Connor (E O’Co)
The Angelina Ballerina books by Katharine Holabird (E Hol)

Samuels Says - "Which books made you cry the most?"

April showers! This month for our display, we asked the staff, "Which books made you cry the most?" (These can be tears of sadness, joy, or mirth. Or the book could just make you feel a strong emotions without tears, if you prefer.) Here are our picks— we'd love to hear yours too!

Joan:

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein (F Ste) — I cried from page 1 all the way through!
Unsaid: A Novel by Neil Abramson (F Abr)
Still Alice by Lisa Genova (F Gen)
The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon (F Sim)
I Thought You Were Dead: A Love Story by Pete Nelson (F Nel)
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (F Seb)
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand (940.54 Hil)
What Came before He Shot Her by Elizabeth George (F Geo)
Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks (F Bro)
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (F Ver)
The Help by Kathryn Stockett (F Sto)
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (F Gru)
A Time to Kill by John Grisham (F Gri)
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (F Hos)
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (F Kid)
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (F Lee)
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi (820.9 Naf)
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (F Con)
Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak (F Pas)
The Space between Us by Thrity Umrigar (F Umr)

Kristin:

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (F Ish) and the film (DVD F Nev)
Suite Française by Iréne Nèmirovsky (F Nem)
I Gave My Heart to Know This by Ellen Baker (F Bak)
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford (F For)
Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie (F Sha)
Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult (F Pic)
One Day by David Nicholls (F Nic) and the film (DVD F One)
Room by Emma Donoghue (F Don)
The Bedford Boys by Alex Kershaw (940.542142 Ker)
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (F Gru) and the film (DVD F Wat)
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (F Nif)
Lucky by Alice Sebold (364.1532 Seb)
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (YAF Zus)
Atonement by Ian McEwan (F McE) and the film (DVD F Ato)
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (Classic PB Pla)
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier (F Fra) and the film (DVD F Col)
The Hours by Michael Cunningham (F Cun) and the film (DVD F Hou)
The Notebook, Message in a Bottle, A Bend in the Road, (all F Spa) and Three Weeks with My Brother (813.54 Spa) by Nicholas Sparks
ZooBorns Cats! — sooooooooooooo precious (591.39 Ble)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (YAF Row)
Tessa Masterson Will Go to Prom by Emily Franklin & Brendan Halpin (YAF Fra)

Jeanne:

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks (F Spa)
The Wedding Officer by Anthony Capella (F Cap)
House of Daughters by Sarah-Kate Lynch (F Lyn)
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (F Bro)
Sophie by Emma Pearse (636.737 Pea)
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (F Fla)
The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman (F Ric)
Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux (F Dev)
Firebird by Janice Graham (F Gra)
Three Wishes by Barbara Delinksy (F Del)
The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller (F Wal)

Jessica:

The Harry Potter series, especially The Half-blood Prince and The Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (YAF Row)
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (YAF Rya)
I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder (YAF Sch)
The Georgia Nicholson series by Louise Rennison (YAF Ren)
Everneath by Brodi Ashton (YAF Ash)
Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa (YAF Ara)
Hallowed by Cynthia Hand (YAF Han)
Michael Rosen’s Sad Book (E Ros)

Boo:

Brian’s Song by William Blinn (YA 812.54 Bli) and the movie Brian’s Song (DVD 791.45 Bri)
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks (F Spa)
Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah (F Han)
Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom (F Alb)
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch (E Mun)
Emily and Einstein by Linda F. Lee (F Lee)
Kindred Spirits by Sarah Strohmeyer (F Str)
The Help by Kathryn Stockett (F Sto)
The Snow Angel by Glenn Beck (F Bec)
The Same Sweet Girls by Cassandra King (F Kin)
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (F Mit)
Night by Elie Wiesel (Bio Wiesel Elie)
The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards (F Edw)
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (F Fit)
Susannah’s Garden by Debbie Macomber (F Mac)

Betty:

Love Story by Erich Segal (F Seg)
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (Classic PB Alc)
The Spellman series by Lisa Lutz (F Lut) — tears of laughter!
Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo (133.901 Bur)

Katie:

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (F Seb) :(
Is Everyone Hanging Out without Me? by Mindy Kaling (818 Kal) :)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (YAF Row) :(
Georgia Nicholson series by Louise Rennison (YAF Ren) :)
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult (F Pic) :(
Seriously—I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres (Bio DeGeneres Ellen) :)
One Day by David Nicholls (F Nic) :(
Bossypants by Tina Fey (Bio Fey Tina) :)
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein (JF Sil) :(
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch (E Mun) :(

Melissa:

Marley & Me by John Grogan (636.752 Gro) :(
The Green Mile by Stephen King (F Kin) :(
I’m a Stranger Here Myself by Bill Bryson (973.92 Bry) :)
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown (978 Bro) :(
Belle Weather by Celia Rivenbark (Overdrive) :)
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls (YAF Raw) :(
Old Yeller by Fred Gipson (JF Gip) :(

Ben:

Crash by Jerry Spinelli (JF Spi)
The Crucible by Arthur Miller (Classic PB 812.52 Mil)
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare (822.33 Sha)
Othello by William Shakespeare (822.33 Sha)
Oedipus by Sophocles (882 Sop)
Timaeus by Plato (in The Works of Plato, 888.4 Pla)
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls (YAF Raw)
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White (JPB W)
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (YAF Hin)
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (F Lee)

Kathy J:

Love You Forever by Robert Munsch (E Mun)
Any episode of Little House on the Prairie!
Shades of Blue by Karen Kingsbury (F Kin)
One Tuesday Morning by Karen Kingsbury (F Kin)

Tamara:

Old Yeller by Frank Gipson (YAF Gip)
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch (E Mun)
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (Classic PB Alc)
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (JF Mon)
Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K. Massie (920 Mas)
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom (Bio Ten Boom Corrie)
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown (978 Bro)
Graceling by Kristen Cashore (YAF Cas)
Lassie Come Home by Eric Knight (JF Kni)
Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank G. Gilbreth, Jr. (920 Gil)
We Free Men by Terry Pratchett (YAF Pra) — funny!
Watership Down by Richard Adams (F Ada)

Cheryl:

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell (JF Sew)
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White (JF Whi)
This Heart of Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (F Phi)
Home by Jeannie Baker (E Bak)
The Wump World by Bill Peet

Michal:

Wringer by Jerry Spinelli (JF Spi)
It Might Have Been What He Said by Eden Collinsworth (F Col)
Titanic Voices: Memories from the Fateful Voyage (363.123 Ti)
The Enemy by Charlie Higson (YAF Hig)
Soldier’s Heart by Gary Paulsen (YAF Pau)
The Senator’s Wife by Sue Miller (F Mil)
The Life of Elizabeth I by Alison Weir (Bio Elizabeth I) — her personal life seemed sad
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (Bio Frank Anne)
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (YAF Rya) — the apocalyptic vision was so sad

Wyatt:

Michael Rosen’s Sad Book (E Ros)
Maus by Art Spiegelman (940.5318 Spi)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Reading Lists - Political Thrillers

Remember awhile ago (November 10) I wrote how much we love helping people find good books to read? The other day a patron wanted some espionage/thriller/political novels like Vince Flynn's. He left with a short list of authors to try, and he left me with inspiration for this reading list. I'll admit that I often have a hard time coming up with "guy books," so I especially loved this suggestion!

In this list, you'll find conspiracies, terrorism, and spy games set in the dangerous world of cutthroat politics.

The Birthday Present by Barbara Vine
Ivor Tesham, a member of Parliament, decides to give his married mistress an unusual birthday gift. He hires two men to kidnap her and transport her, bound and gagged, to their weekend love nest. When the kidnapping goes terribly wrong and results in murder, Ivor becomes trapped in a dangerous game of his own making.

Blink of an Eye by William S. Cohen
After a nuclear bomb flattens a major American city, national security advisor Sean Falcone is charged with identifying the attackers, but if his sources are incorrect, it could mean inciting war with the entire Muslim world. Cohen is a former Republican senator and congressman who also served as President Clinton's Secretary of Defense.

By Order of the President by W.E.B. Griffin
In the first of the Presidential Agent series, a leased Boeing 727 mysteriously vanishes after two passengers murder the pilot. Army intelligence officer Major Carlos Guillermo Castillo, a veteran of the Special Forces, is called in by the president of the United States to uncover the truth and embarks on an undercover investigation into a case with frightening implications.

The Camel Club by David Baldacci
It exists at the fringes of D.C., has no power, and consists of four eccentric members. Their simple goal is to find the "truth" behind their country's actions. The Camel Club studies conspiracy theories, current events, and the machinations of government, but never in their wildest nightmares could they imagine the conspiracy they are about to uncover.

The Eleventh Commandment by Jeffrey Archer
Connor Fitzgerald has led a double life for the last 28 years as the CIA's most deadly assassin. Just days before his retirement, he comes across an enemy he can't handle—his own boss, director of the CIA. The Eleventh Commandment? "Thou shalt not get caught. But if you are, deny absolutely that you have anything to do with the CIA."

Empire of Lies by Andrew Klavan
Jason Harrow must return to New York when he learns his daughter is in trouble. Realizing he's either incredibly paranoid or that Serena knows enough about a terrorist group to endanger herself and everyone around her, he tries to prevent "the End of Civilization as We Know It" while confronting his fear that he's inherited his mother's insanity.

Eye of the Storm by Jack Higgins
In the first Sean Dillon thriller, elusive master terrorist Sean Dillon reemerges during the Gulf War when Saddam Hussein hires him to assassinate Margaret Thatcher. Only Martin Brosnan, an American Special Forces hero and IRA member turned college professor, can stop him.

Fade by Kyle Mills
Salam al Fayed (aka Fade), an American agent of Arab ancestry and a former Navy SEAL, becomes bitter when his latest mission ends in failure and his employers treat him badly. So when his former friend and colleague, Homeland Security agent Matt Egan, is ordered to persuade Fade to put aside his anger and join an undercover team in the Middle East, Fade has a one-word answer.

The Faithful Spy by Alex Berenson
In the first of the John Wells series, Wells, an undercover operative who has infiltrated al Qaeda, is trapped between his terrorist associates and the CIA, which no longer trusts his loyalty, when he becomes a prime suspect in two bombings in Los Angeles. Be warned, this novel is not for the squeamish: the torture sequences and bombing descriptions are graphic and chillingly real.

The First Counsel by Brad Meltzer
A young White House lawyer, Michael Garrick, begins dating the President's daughter, Nora Hartson. Michael thinks he can handle the pressures of the White House and all the power. Then, while together late one night, he and Nora witness something they were never meant to see—and become ensnared in a secret scheme by a White House insider that includes betrayal and murder.

Gatekeeper by Philip Shelby
Hollis Fremont has been at a dream job in Paris at the American Embassy for three months. She's also having an affair with a high-ranking embassy official. Soon events are set in motion that plunge her into the midst of a plot to kill a presidential candidate, and she realizes that she cannot trust anyone around her. No damsel in distress, Hollis puts her own life at risk to stop the assassination attempt.

The Good Son by Michael Gruber
Somewhere in Pakistan, Sonia Laghari and 8 fellow members of a symposium on peace are being held captive by armed terrorists. Sonia, a religious woman and Jungian psychologist, has become the de facto leader of the kidnapped group. Meanwhile her son Theo, an ex-Delta soldier, uses his military connections to find and free the victims.

Hawke by Ted Bell
Alexander Hawke is a daring, dashing, and handsome billionaire adventurer who occasionally does “favors” for the U,S, and British governments. In the first of the series, Hawke heads for the Caribbean on a secret mission to locate an experimental stealth submarine, which has fallen into the hands of an unstable government planning a strike against the U.S.

The Inside Ring by Michael Lawson
Following an assassination attempt that wounds the president and kills his closest friend, General Andy Banks, the Secretary of Homeland Security, who had warned the Secret Service about the attack, initiates an investigation. He goes to Joe DeMarco, a fix-it man who’s never dealt with something of quite this magnitude.

The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva
In the first Gabriel Allon novel, the Israeli intelligence chief recalls Gabriel and Jacqueline to eliminate a top Palestinian terrorist, who is part of a plot to halt peace talks by assassinating Yasir Arafat. The former agents were once lovers, and their pasts and enemies come back to haunt them as the terrorist begins his campaign of murder. Silva has covered Middle East politics as a journalist and CNN producer.

Last Snow by Eric Lustbader
Jack McClure, Special Advisor and closest friend to the new U.S. president, takes on a personal mission along with his official one—keeping his two incompatible companions (Annika Dementieva, a rogue Russian FSB agent, and Alli Carson, the President's daughter) safe and finding those responsible for murdering an American senator who was supposedly on a political trip to the Ukraine.

The Lions of Lucerne by Brad Thor
In the first of the Scot Harvath series, a group of Secret Service agents is massacred in Utah and the president of the United States is abducted. Surviving agent Harvath vows to avenge his murdered colleagues and find the kidnappers. The terrorists publicly demand $500 million and privately insist that an anti–fossil fuel proposal in Congress be killed.

The Machiavelli Covenant by Allan Folsom
While investigating the murder of a former girlfriend, her child, and her congressman husband, former LAPD detective Nicholas Marten stumbles upon a secret, illegal bioweapons program. He also finds himself allied with another man trying to foil a cabal bent on creating a new world order—the U.S. president himself, John Henry Harris.

The Man with the Baltic Stare by James Church
Inspector O, the wily North Korean police detective, is ordered out of retirement to Pyongyang. His task is to cover up a crime of passion committed by the young leader of a transitional government vital to a tenuous peace agreement between the two Koreas. Inspector O finds his life threatened when the case tests his loyalties.

Metzger’s Dog by Thomas Perry
Veteran CIA operative Ben Porterfield is ordered to recover some top-secret papers (revealing government-sponsored research on "psywar": how to wreak havoc, panic, and mayhem in assorted Latin American nations) from the terrorists who seized them while stealing $1 million worth of cocaine.

Mounting Fears by Stuart Woods
In the aftermath of his vice president's unexpected death, President Will Lee finds his efforts to select a replacement hampered by a rogue CIA agent's vengeful plot against the first lady and a nuclear threat in Pakistan. To make matters worse, the new VP chooses becomes entangled in a love triangle that could ruin Lee’s re-election bid.

Pursuit of Honor by Vince Flynn
The National Counterterrorism Center is struck by a series of devastating explosions with catastrophic results. With three al Qaeda terrorists still at large, CIA superagent and counterterrorism expert Mitch Rapp must thread his way through the naysayers on Capitol Hill—and silently, swiftly, do what he must for the sake of his country and the pursuit of honor.

Quantico by Greg Bear
Just a handful of years from today, global terrorism has escalated out of control. When the political situation in the United States becomes balanced against the administration, only three FBI agents and one bio-terror expert are left to deal with a domestic terrorist, who has started telling certain fanatics that he can make gene-keyed anthrax to destroy their hereditary enemies .

The Rules of the Game by Leonard Downie
Journalist Sarah Page uncovers evidence of appalling corruption in defense contracts related to the War on Terror, to private security contractors, and to government involvement in torture, rendition, and murder. Her findings puts her life at risk. Meanwhile, President Susan Cameron must choose between her political future and the nation's well-being after learning of Sarah's discoveries.

The Twelfth Imam by Joel C. Rosenberg
Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, Iranian-American CIA operative David Shirazi must infiltrate and disrupt Iran's nuclear weapons program, leaving no trace of U.S. involvement. When he learns of a prophet called the Twelfth Imam, proclaiming himself a messiah, Shirazi worries that a war of apocalyptic proportions may be in the offing.

The Walls of Jericho by Jon Land
When a serial killer stalking Jericho threatens peace talks between Palestine and Israel, a Palestinian detective and an Israeli Shin Bet agent must set aside their differences to stop the killer before he destroys the talks. The two soon discover that there is something more sinister behind the murders and their forced collaboration.

Read-alike Guides - Jodi Picoult

 If you like the works of Jodi Picoult, you might enjoy one of these books:

Halfway House by Katharine Noel
Angie is a diligent student and all-star swimmer, but her entire world changes when it becomes apparent that she is mentally ill in a story of how families live through crisis. Noel considers the ways manic depression touches each member of the family with an uncanny ability to convey the disease as experienced by the patient.

Home Fires by Luanne Rice
Anne has just lost her young daughter in a tragic accident and her husband to another woman. With her world in upheaval, Anne returns to the secluded island hometown that her sister never escaped. A fire in the women's ancestral home drives Anne to rescue the one object she holds most dear and to be rescued by Thomas Devlin, a scarred firefighter with his own unfortunate past.

Mothers and Other Liars by Amy Bourret
Bourret also writes compellingly about sympathetic characters faced with agonizing ethical decisions. In this debut novel, Ruby never dreamed that she had done anything wrong by rescuing Lark, an infant abandoned at a truck stop. What decision will she make years later when she sees Lark's picture in the newspaper as a missing child?

Past the Bleachers by Chris Bohjalian
Bohjalian is another New England author who favors close examination of hot button issues in small town settings. After Bill Parrish loses his young son Nathaniel to leukemia, he fills the void in his life by coaching a local Little League team and becoming attached to a mute boy, Lucky, who eerily reminds Bill of his own lost son.

Save Me by Lisa Scottoline
A bestselling author of legal thrillers, Scottoline seems to excel at stand-alone domestic suspense as well. Volunteering at her daughter's school so that she can keep an eye on a bully, Rose faces a difficult choice when her daughter is tormented at the same time an explosion occurs in the cafeteria, a situation that causes Rose to be blamed for the bully's injuries.

Stolen by Susan Lewis
Lewis writes compelling, emotional tales about sensational subjects with understated execution. Lucy’s parents have always been there for her, and when she moves to the country to take over their thriving auction business, she knows she's made the right decision. Then, quite suddenly, she discovers a shocking truth that forces her to question everything she has ever known.

Testimony by Anita Shreve
A New England boarding school is rocked in the wake of a sex scandal in which participants were caught on videotape, a situation that derails the innocence and best intentions of students, parents, and others in life-shattering ways. Shreve offers sensitive portrayals of her characters in emotional stories with psychological depths.

A Theory of Relativity by Jacquelyn Mitchard
Readers with a preference for observing how families in turmoil deal with shocking situations will appreciate this novel of grieving grandparents locked in an anguished custody battle for the sole surviving daughter of parents lost in a car accident. Also try Mitchard’s The Deep End of the Ocean, Oprah’s first book club selection.

Truth and Consequences by Alison Lurie
University director Jane Mackenzie is dismayed when her injured husband falls for Delia, a beautiful writer who has recently joined the center's staff. The situation is complicated when Jane develops feelings for Delia's husband. Lurie explores what happens when the truth isn't always told, as well as the consequences of our every choice in this engrossing, wonderfully written novel.

While I Was Gone by Sue Miller
Miller’s stories have a more literary quality and delve more deeply into character's emotions. Here, Jo Becker is supremely content with her life, and she doesn't talk about the summer of 1968 when she walked away from another husband, another family and into a completely different identity only to be jerked back to her previous life after the brutal murder of her best friend.

Books by Picoult you shouldn’t miss:

My Sister’s Keeper
Conceived to provide a bone marrow match for her leukemia-stricken sister, teenage Anna begins to question her moral obligations in light of countless medical procedures and decides to fight for the right to make decisions about her own body. The drama unfolds from the points of view of Anna, her parents, the self-absorbed lawyer, the court-appointed guardian ad litem, and Anna’s troubled older brother.

Nineteen Minutes
Peter Houghton, an alienated teen who has been bullied for years by the popular crowd, brings weapons to his high school one day and opens fire, killing 10 people. Alex Cormier, the judge assigned to Peter's case, tries to maintain her objectivity as she struggles to understand her daughter, Josie, one of the surviving witnesses of the shooting.

Sing You Home
Ten years of infertility issues culminate in the destruction of music therapist Zoe Baxter's marriage, after which she falls in love with another woman. They want to start a family, but Zoe’s ex, Max, stands in the way. Picoult explores both gay rights and the legal aspects of fertility treatment in this novel, which includes a CD of folk songs she wrote with Ellen Wilber.