A Rowling by Any Other Name

J.K. Rowling set the literary world abuzz a few weeks ago when it was revealed she had published the detective novel The Cuckoo’s Calling earlier this year under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. In response we’ve put together a list of famous authors who have published under pseudonyms:

The author: Stephen King

The alias: Richard Bachman

The books: The Bachman Books

Early in his career Stephen King published four novels under the name Richard Bachman— Rage, The Long Walk, Roadwork, and The Running Man. His reasons for using the pseudonym were two-fold: first, his publisher didn’t want to flood the market with Stephen King novels; and second, he wanted to see if he could replicate his success under a different name. Eventually he was outed when astute readers noticed similarities in style between Bachman and King.    
  

The author: Nora Roberts

The alias: J.D. Robb

The books: The In Death series

The In Death series is another case of a writer’s prodigious output overwhelming a publisher and causing the writer to take on a pseudonym. When prolific romance author Roberts wanted to branch out into the suspense genre, her agent suggested she publish under a different name. Combining the first initials of her oldest sons, Roberts came up with the name J.D. Robb for use on her futuristic novels about Lt. Eve Dallas.

The author: Barbara Mertz

The aliases: Barbara Michaels, Elizabeth Peters
The books:  Peters’ Amanda Peabody series; Michaels’ Wings of the Falcon and more

Some writers adopt a pseudonym to distinguish their scholarly writings from their fiction.  Thus, Dr. Barbara Mertz, author of two non-fiction titles on Egyptology, is more widely known by her two pseudonyms—Barbara Michaels, the nom de plume on her supernatural thrillers, and Elizabeth Peters, the pen name she uses for her mystery series about the adventures of Egyptologist Amelia Peabody.

The author: Ann Rice 
The alias: A.N. Roquelaure

The books: The Sleeping Beauty trilogy

And some writers adopt a pseudonym for work too sensational to be published under their real name.  Such was the case for the original printings of Ann Rice’s steamy trilogy of erotic novels The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty, Beauty’s Punishment, and Beauty’s Release. With the name A.N. Roquelaure, Rice even provided an obscure hint that the name was hiding the author’s true identity:  roquelaure is an old French word for a type of cloak. 

The author: Ruth Rendell

The alias: Barbara Vine

The books:  King Solomon’s Carpet, Anna’s Book, and more

Authors often use a pseudonym to hide their true identity or branch out into a completely different genre; for Ruth Rendell it was more a matter of making a slight adjustment to her usual style so she could approach her psychological mysteries from a different perspective. Both her real name and pseudonym were on the cover of her earliest works as Barbara Vine, further proof that she had no desire to fool her readers.      

The author: Jayne Castle

The aliases: Jayne Ann Krentz and Amanda Quick

The books: Midnight Crystal by Jayne Castle, Deception by Amanda Quick, and others

Romance author Jayne Castle is best known for her pseudonym Jayne Ann Krentz, though her first novels were published using her real name. Because she had signed a contract giving away her rights to the Castle name, it was only after switching publishers mid-career that she began to use Krentz, her married name. Later she would go back to using Castle for futuristic romances and adopt the name Amanda Quick for historical romance novels.   

The author: Evan Hunter

The alias: Ed McBain

The books:  The 87^th Precinct series

In 1952, young writer Salvatore Albert Lombino legally changed his name to Evan Hunter, a name deemed more appealing for American readers.  Two years later he had a huge hit with The Blackboard Jungle, which was later turned into a successful movie.  Today he is probably best known for his work as Ed McBain, particularly his 87^th Precinct series of crime fiction. In a strange twist, Evan Hunter wrote the screenplay for the film version of Ed McBain’s novel Fuzz.

The author: Madeleine Wickham

The alias: Sophie Kinsella

The books: The Tennis Party, The Gatecrasher, Cocktails for Three, and more

Former financial journalist turned chick lit author Madeleine Wickham had penned several novels, including her debut The Tennis Party, when she anonymously submitted the manuscript for Confessions of a Shopaholic to her publisher. Unaware of her true identity, they agreed to publish the novel, which became a smashing success and spawned a handful of sequels. With the publication of Can You Keep a Secret?, it was revealed that Kinsella and Wickham were one and the same. 

The author: Patricia O’Brien
The alias: Kate Alcott
The book: The Dressmaker 

Patricia O’Brien adopted a pseudonym out of necessity.  When twelve publishers rejected her manuscript for The Dressmaker because of lackluster sales on her previous novel, O’Brien decided to resubmit the book, this time using the name Kate Alcott.  Her clever ploy worked, resulting in a book deal, a hit novel, and renewed interest her historical fiction novels, such as Harriet and Isabella, written as O’Brien.         

The author: Donald Westlake
The alias: Richard Stark
The books: Payback, Flashfire, Breakout, and more 

Richard Stark was one of more than 10 pseudonyms used by crime writer Donald Westlake during a career in which he authored over 100 books. Of the 28 novels published under the Stark moniker, 24 featured his famed protagonist Parker, a ruthless but highly skilled thief. The Parker series has been the basis for several movies, including Parker starring Jason Statham, Payback starring Mel Gibson, and Point Black starring Lee Marvin.

The author: Daniel Handler
The alias: Lemony Snicket

The book: Adverbs

Okay, this is one occasion where the pseudonym is probably more famous than the real name. As Lemony Snicket, Daniel Handler wrote the amazingly popular and wickedly funny children’s books A Series of Unfortunate Events, though many people are unaware of his novels for adults published under his given name. His book Adverbs is a clever collection of interwoven stories about the various permutations of love.

The author: Agatha Christie
The alias: Mary Westmacott
The books: Six Mary Westmacott novels

Even Agatha Christie, the Grand Dame of Mystery, needed a break from her usual genre every now and then. From 1930 to 1956 Christie published six novels using the name Mary Westmacott. Unlike her usual whodunits, the Westmacott novels are often described as psychological romances. Some readers feel Christie’s best work is contained in these realistic character studies about doomed romances and illicit affairs.

The author: Eleanor Hibbert
The aliases: Jean Plaidy, Victoria Holt, Philippa Carr
The books: Too many to name

Why stop at one pseudonym? This seems to be the question posed by Eleanor Hibbert, an author who had tremendous success writing under several different names. After writing 32 contemporary novels in 20 years as Eleanor Burford, her maiden name, Hibbert didn’t truly hit it big until she began publishing historical fiction under the name Jean Plaidy. She again matched this success with a series of Gothic romances written as Victoria Holt. Finally, she produced another 19 novels as Philippa Carr. Whew!

The alias: Ellis Peters
The author: Edith Pargeter
The books: The Brother Cadfael series

It’s funny how an author’s work under a pseudonym can sometimes overshadow their work under their real name. Such is the case with Edith Pargeter, who wrote more than 20 well received novels under her given name, but whose Brother Cadfael series, written as Ellis Peters, remains her most popular work. Pargeter’s substantial body of work proves she was capable of writing in a variety of genres, and her Heaven Tree trilogy is a meticulously researched historical saga of 13^th century England.

Music - Washington, D.C.

All Samuels Public Library cardholders are eligible for three free downloads a week from Freegal, a massive online database containing over 500,000 songs.  Sifting through such an enormous selection of music can be a daunting task, so we here at Samuels have decided to offer a few suggestions for the overwhelmed (or new) Freegal user.  This week we recommend three artists from the nation's capital:
 

Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers

“We Need Money”

From the Good to Go soundtrack

Chuck Brown, “The Godfather of Go-go,” earned his nickname for his contributions to go-go, a style of funk music made popular in D.C.  A mainstay in the District’s music scene for decades, Brown had a big hit in the 1980s with “We Need Money.”  Over a loose groove he wryly chants the memorable lines, “Mastercard, Visa, American Express/I ain’t got nothing against no credit cards, but the cash is the best.”

Thievery Corporation

“Lebanese Blonde”

From The Chillout Album 1

The duo of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton formed Thievery Corporation at Washington, D.C.’s Eighteenth Street Lounge in 1995.  Together they craft smooth dance music perfect for nights of chilling at the club.  The seductive “Lebanese Blonde” incorporates world music sounds—bongos, a sitar, a reggae horn section—with house beats and a sultry vocal performance from D.C. singer Pam Bricker.      

Black Tambourine

“Throw Aggi Off The Bridge”

From Black Tambourine

They may not have been the most famous band to emerge from the Washington, D.C. music scene, but short-lived indie rockers Black Tambourine have amassed a large cult following over the years despite never releasing a proper album.  “Throw Aggi Off the Bridge” is representative of the fuzzy, feedback-drenched style of a band who created a lasting legacy in D.C. with a mere 10 songs.        

Reading Lists - Christian Fiction for Men

We’ve previously written about Christian fiction for women—see our “Bonnet Fiction” reading list—but what about Christian fiction for men?  This list contains Christian novels in a variety of manly genres, from westerns and legal thrillers to paranormal suspense and adventure fantasy.    
 
Nothing to Hide 
by J. Mark Bertrand 
When a decapitated body turns up in a local park, Detective Roland March finds himself embroiled in a complicated mystery involving Mexican drug cartels and the FBI.  Bertrand mixes thrilling suspense with complex issues of faith and morality in this excellent mystery novel. 

Sun Dance
by Sigmund Brouwer 
Because of his excellent scouting skills and good standing with Chief Red Cloud, Marshal Samuel Keaton is asked by Lieutenant Grimshaw of the U.S. Calvary to guide a detachment of officers through hostile Sioux territory.  When the expedition goes horribly awry, Keaton sees the error of his arrogance and realizes he must place his trust in God if he wants to find redemption. 

Lion of Babylon 
by T. Davis Bunn 
The Middle East is the setting for this tense thriller by prolific Christian author T. Davis Bunn.  Featuring an ex-Intelligence Officer who returns to the field when a friend/former colleague disappears in  Baghdad, the action packed Lion of Babylon is filled with vivid descriptions, humane characterizations, and thoughtful insights into an often misunderstood area of the world.    

River Rising
by Athol Dickson 
Winner of a Christy Award for Best Suspense novel, River Rising mixes mystery and miraculous events when an unknown preacher wanders into rural Pilotsville, Louisiana right before the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927.  Dickson skillfully handles what could have been an overly sentimental novel by realistically portraying the physical hardships and spiritual struggles of his characters. 

Soon 
by Jerry B. Jenkins
Jenkins, co-author of the popular Left Behind series, ventures out on his own in this electrifying apocalyptic novel.  36 years after World War III left the earth devastated, the nations of the world have outlawed all religions in an effort for peace, though the Christian underground movement continues to grow in the wake of miraculous signs and wonders. 

The Dead Don’t Dance 
by Charles Martin 
Men who enjoy literary fiction and aren’t scared off by a little emotion will enjoy The Dead Don’t Dance,  a poignant character-driven novel of a man faced with many trials and tribulations.  Protagonist Dylan Styles lives a comfortable life until his pregnant wife goes into a coma.  Alone and full of despair, Dylan seeks to understand God’s plan for his life.       

Eli
by Bill Myers 
The thought-provoking Eli by Bill Myers imagines a parallel universe where the Son of God arrives in our own contemporary age rather than 2,000 years ago.  Eli, the Christ figure in the story, is born in a laundromat and grows up to expose the hypocrisies of modern religious attitudes, mirroring Jesus’s own experiences with the Pharisees in the synagogues.      

The Visitation 
by Frank Peretti 
Frank Peretti gained renown as one of the best selling and most celebrated Christian fiction authors for his paranormal thrillers about spiritual warfare.  The Visitation, like his classic This Present Darkness, contains many supernatural elements.  Jaded minister Travis Jordan tries to uncover the truth about a miracle performing visitor who has amassed a large following in his town. 

The Legend of the Firefish 
by Bryan Polivka 
If you like adventures on the high seas and fantasy stories involving mythical beasts, then you’ll love this book.  Failed seminary student turned skilled swordsman Packer Throme seeks to catch the legendary Firefish, and his hunt has him crossing paths with a band of murderous pirates.  An inspiring tale of faith, The Legend of the Firefish is the story of one man’s quest for purpose in life. 

The Twelfth Imam 
by Joel C. Rosenberg 
The Twelfth Imam is the first book in an exciting suspense series from Joel C. Rosenberg, a WORLD Magazine contributor and author of the best-selling The Last Jihad.  David Shirazi, an undercover CIA operative who has infiltrated the Iranian government, must find the location of two missing nuclear warheads before an attack is launched on Israel.  

Dying Declaration 
by Randy Singer 
Dying Declaration, an arresting legal thriller from Randy Singer, does not shy away from difficult moral and theological issues.  The plot concerns a couple whose son dies when they believe his ailments do not need medical attention and can be cured solely through prayer.  To their defense comes Charles Arnold, a lawyer and street preacher who is persuaded to take the case. 

Paul: A Novel            
by Walter Wangerin 
Follow the dramatic transformation of Saul of Tarsus from self-righteous Pharisee to impassioned missionary in this fascinating fictionalization of the life of the Apostle Paul.  Steeped in historical and biblical research, Paul: A Novel will give you a new take on one of the most important figures of the early church.    

The Sacrifice
by Robert Whitlow 
Christy Award-winning author Robert Whitlow draws upon his  experience as a private  attorney in writing his fine legal thrillers. His stunning The Sacrifice, a story about a lawyer who agrees to represent a young man accused of a horrific church shooting, will have you on the edge of your seat. 

Music - Girl Power: Japan!

All Samuels Public Library cardholders are eligible for three free downloads a week from Freegal, a massive online database containing over 500,000 songs.  Sifting through such an enormous selection of music can be a daunting task, so we here at Samuels have decided to offer a few suggestions for the overwhelmed (or new) Freegal user.  This week we recommend three great songs by female Japanese pop/rock artists:

Takako Minekawa

"Fantastic Cat"

From Roomic Cube

Armed with a moog synthesizer and some nonsensical sing-song lyrics, Takako Minekawa crafts an absurdly fun earworm of a tune about a happy happy fantastic cat. The poppy peppiness and bloops and bleeps would feel right at home in the bright flashing colors of an anime cartoon or an old school Nintendo video game, two other awesome imports from Japan.

The 5.6.7.8’s

“Woo Hoo”

From Bomb the Twist

Garage rock girl group The 5.6.7.8’s were immortalized by Quentin Tarantino when they appeared as the house band at a Japanese go-go club during a climactic fight scene in Kill Bill: Vol. 1. “Woo Hoo,” one of the songs made famous by the movie, is a blistering two minutes of rockabilly riffs and ferocious drum fills, with the only lyrics being the “woo hoo” of the title.

Puffy Amiyumi

“Love So Pure”

From Hi Hi Puffy Amiyumi

Huge stars in their native Japan, Puffy Amiyumi may be familiar to American audiences fond of the Cartoon Network—they performed the theme song to Teen Titans, and their own Hi Hi Puffy Amiyumi cartoon ran for three seasons. This compilation gathers tracks in both English and Japanese, and the English-language “Love So Pure,” with its Beatle-esque buoyancy and ooh-la-las, is one of the standouts on an album filled with great tunes.

Reading Lists - Parallel Narratives

Recently I’ve noticed a trend in women’s fiction toward “parallel narratives.” These are novels that contain two different storylines, usually separated by time and even place, but that somehow relate to each other. Some involve different generations of the same family. Some involve different residents of the same house. Some have a more subtle connection. Whatever the case, the parallel narratives add a wonderful complexity to each character’s story. I, for one, hope this trend continues.

The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff

The story of Ann Eliza Young's crusade against polygamy interwines with a tale of murder involving a polygamist family in present-day Utah.

The Ashford Affair by Lauren Willig

Feeling unfulfilled in the face of an imminent legal partnership and a broken engagement, Manhattan lawyer Clementine Evans learns of a long-buried family secret that leads her to the inner circles of World War I British society and the red hills of Kenya.

Blackberry Winter by Sarah Jio

Seattle, 1933. Vera Ray kisses her 3-year-old son, Daniel, good night and leaves for work. In the morning, though it's May 2--a heavy snow is falling and Daniel's bed is empty. Seattle, present day. On May 2, reporter Claire Aldridge awakens to another late-season snowstorm. Assigned to cover this "blackberry winter" and its predecessor decades earlier, Claire learns of Daniel's unsolved abduction and vows to unearth the truth.

The Bungalow by Sarah Jio

In the summer of 1942, Anne sets off to serve in the Army Nurse Corps in Bora-Bora. She is drawn to a soldier named Westry, and the two share a private world until they witness a crime, Westry is redeployed, and the idyll vanishes into the winds of war. The Bungalow chronicles Anne's determination to discover the truth about the twin losses--of life, and of love--that have haunted her for 70 years.

The Chemistry of Tears by Peter Carey

When Catherine Gehrig's married lover dies suddenly she is grief-stricken. To help distract her from her pain, she is given a project at work which requires her to research and put together a nineteenth century mechanical automaton originally built in Germany. Catherine gets more and more involved in the past as she learns about the Englishman, Henry Brandling, who commissioned the magical automaton for his consumptive son.

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

A long-lost letter arriving at its destination fifty years after it was sent lures Edie Burchill to crumbling Milderhurst Castle, home of the three elderly Blythe sisters, where Edie's mother was sent to stay as a teenager during World War II.

The Dream of Scipio by Iain Pears

An ancient manuscript called "The Dream of Scipio" links three separate centuries—the 5th, the end of the Roman Empire; the 14th, the time of the Black Death; and the 20th during World War II—and three stories of love, all set in Provence.

Everything She Thought She Wanted by Elizabeth Buchan

Barbara, a married mother in 1959, and Siena, a career woman 40 years later, face the challenge of finding their happiness, each in her own way. This wise, witty novel weaves together the stories of these women, one with too many choices, one with too few.

The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley

A modern day woman with psychic abilities helps uncover the provenance of a small wooden carving, tracing it all the way back to eighteenth century Scotland and Russia.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

Abandoned on a 1913 voyage to Australia, Nell is raised by a dock master and his wife who do not tell her until she is an adult that she is not their child, leading Nell to return to England and eventually hand down her quest for answers to her granddaughter.

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg

Mrs. Threadgoode's tale of two high-spirited women of the 1930s, Idgie and Ruth, helps Evelyn, a 1980s woman in a sad slump of middle age, to begin to rejuvenate her own life.

The Girl on the Cliff by Lucinda Riley

Grania Ryan returns home to Ireland and forms a close friendship with a young girl whose family history is intertwined with Grania's own.

The Hours by Michael Cunningham

The spirit of Virginia Woolf permeates the lives of several American readers as evidenced in this trio of tales about the author Woolf, a New Yorker planning a party to honor a writer, and a young mother reading Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway.

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

Living out her final days in a nursing home, ninety-eight-year-old Grace remembers the secrets surrounding the 1924 suicide of a young poet during a glittering society party hosted by Grace's English aristocrat employers, a family that is shattered by war.

The House Girl by Tara Conklin

Lina Sparrow, an ambitious first-year associate in a Manhattan law firm, searches for the "perfect plaintiff" to lead a historic class-action lawsuit worth trillions of dollars in reparations for descendants of American slaves. She searches for a descendent of Josephine Bell, a house girl rumored to have been the actual artist of a series of stunning paintings credited to her white mistress.

I Gave My Heart to Know This by Ellen Baker

Decades after the women in her family and their friend are shattered by the losses of two beloved men during World War II, Julia is approached by her long-lost great-grandmother and untangles a dark secret.

The Island House by Posie Graeme-Evans

Visiting the ancient Scottish island of Findnar to investigate the unfinished work of her late archaeologist father, doctoral student Freya Dane discovers the story of an early ninth-century Pictish orphan who was forced to make a wrenching choice between her faith and the Viking she loved.

Juliet by Anne Fortier

Julie Jacobs inherits a key to a safety deposit box in Siena, Italy, and is told it will lead her to an old family treasure. Launched into a quest to discover the history of her ancestor Giulietta, Julie crosses paths with the descendants of the families involved in Shakespeare's unforgettable blood feud.

The Kashmir Shawl by Rosie Thomas

In 1941, newlywed Nerys Watkins accompanies her husband to a missionary posting in the exotic lakeside city of Srinagar, where she is swept up in a liaison that completely changes her life, a transformation that is explored by a descendant generations later.

Keeping the House by Ellen Baker

Lonely, restless, and bored with her life as a housewife in 1950s Pine Rapids, Wisconsin, Dolly Magnuson becomes fascinated by the abandoned grand old house on the hill overlooking the town and sets out to unravel the dark secrets of the family that had once owned it.

The Last Camellia by Sarah Jio

When garden designer Addison takes up residence at an old English manor, she stumbles upon a mystery dating back to World War II that involves the enchanting camellia orchard and an old gardener's notebook, which conceals a series of horrible crimes.

The Last Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes

More than forty years after a car accident causes Jennifer Stirling to lose her memory on the day she planned to leave her husband for a mysterious lover, journalist Ellie becomes obsessed by the story and seeks the truth in the hopes of revitalizing her career.

The Lavender Garden by Lucinda Riley

After she inherits her childhood home, a magnificent chateau in Le Cote d'Azur, France, Emilie de la Martinieres realizes that it may hold secrets to her family's enigmatic past during World War II.

The Lost Hours by Karen White

When Piper Mills was twelve, she helped her grandfather bury a box that belonged to her grandmother in the backyard. For twelve years, it remained untouched. After her grandmother is sent away to a nursing home, she remembers the box buried in the backyard. In it are torn pages from a scrapbook, a charm necklace—and a newspaper article from 1939 about the body of an infant found floating in the Savannah River.

The Map of Love by Ahdaf Soueif

At the end of the twentieth century, Isabel Parkman, a divorced American journalist, journeys to Egypt to unravel the truth behind her ancestor, an English widow who, in 1901, fell in love with an Egyptian man.

Mary Coin by Marisa Silver

This novel imagines the lives of the subject of the photograph, photographer, and a college professor who finds a connection to a family legacy in the image of the iconic "Migrant Mother."

The Night Journal by Elizabeth Crook

Meg, the great-granddaughter of a southwestern frontierswoman, accompanies her grandmother to a family property that is being excavated and makes a discovery that challenges the authenticity of stories about her famous family's history.

On Folly Beach by Karen White

Janie Hamilton is a widow at age twenty-nine, having lost her husband in Afghanistan. Mired in grief, she's unable to move on until she comes across hidden love notes in a box of books purchased from the store Folly's Finds. Intrigued by what appears to be a clandestine love affair from the 1940s, Janie is prompted to move to Folly Beach, South Carolina, where she purchases the local bookstore.

The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee

In 1942, Will Trusdale, an Englishman newly arrived in Hong Kong, has fallen into a passionate relationship with Trudy Liang, a beautiful Eurasian socialite. But when WWII strikes, Will is sent to an internment camp, while Trudy remains outside. Ten years later, Claire Pendleton comes to Hong Kong and meets the enigmatic Will. As long-buried secrets start to emerge, Claire learns that sometimes the price of survival is love.

Possession by A. S. Byatt

This is a tale of a pair of young scholars researching the lives of two Victorian poets. As they uncover their letters, journals, and poems, and track their movements from London to Yorkshire—from spiritualist séances to the fairy-haunted far west of Brittany—what emerges is an extraordinary counterpoint of passions and ideas.

              

The Red Queen by Margaret Drabble

Receiving the 200-year-old memoir of a Korean crown princess from an anonymous sender, Oxford student Barbara Halliwell reads about the princess's life and finds profound changes occurring within her present-day London home.

The Rossetti Letter by Christi Phillips

Fearing that her research will be rendered useless if a Cambridge professor proves his theory about 17^th century Venetian courtesan Alessandra Rossetti, Ph.D. candidate Claire Donovan agrees to chaperone a troubled teen in order to gain passage to the professor's presentation in Venice. Alessandra and Claire experience intrigue, espionage, and romance in their own centuries.

Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

On the sixtieth anniversary of the 1942 roundup of Jews by the French police in the Vel d'Hiv section of Paris, American journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article on this dark episode during World War II and embarks on investigation that leads her to long-hidden family secrets and to the ordeal of Sarah, a young girl caught up in the raid.

The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton

Withdrawing from a family party to the solitude of her tree house, sixteen-year-old Laurel Nicolson witnesses a shocking murder that throughout a subsequent half century shapes her beliefs, her acting career, and the lives of three strangers from vastly different cultures.

Sepulchre by Kate Mosse

The stories of two women separated by more than a century are brought together by a series of visions that are related to the tarot and a small church, known as a Sepulchre in the grounds of the Domaine de la Cade.

Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum

For 50 years, Anna Schlemmer has refused to talk about her life in Germany during World War II. Her daughter, Trudy, was only three when she and her mother were liberated by an American soldier and went to live with him in Minnesota. Trudy's sole evidence of the past is an old photograph; a family portrait showing Anna, Trudy, and a Nazi officer, the Obersturmfuumlehrer of Buchenwald.

Three Weeks in December by Audrey Schulman

Jeremy is an engineer who leaves small-town Maine in 1899 to oversee the construction of a railroad across East Africa, and finds himself the reluctant hunter of two lions killing his men in nightly attacks. Max is an American ethnobotanist who travels to Rwanda in 2000 in search of an obscure vine that could become a lifesaving pharmaceutical, but finds herself shadowing a family of gorillas threatened by a violent rebel group from nearby Congo.

The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian

This novel relates parallel stories of a woman who falls in love with an Armenian soldier during the Armenian Genocide in Aleppo, Syria, in 1915 and a woman prompted to rediscover her Armenian past in Bronxville, New York, in 2012.

The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier

As she investigates her ancestors, the Tournier family, Ella Turner is drawn back 500 years to the sixteenth century world of Isabelle du Moulin. She is haunted by Isabelle, a woman who was brutally persecuted under suspicion of practicing witchcraft. Ella's search uncovers a long-hidden tragedy and reveals the shocking fate of her ancestor.

Villa Triste by Lucretia Grindle

When two sisters are forced to make impossible decisions while living under the brutal Nazi occupation of Italy, their actions set off a chain of events that ultimately impact a murder investigation sixty years later.

Wildflower Hill by Kimberley Freeman

Emma, a prima ballerina in London, is at a crossroads after an injured knee ruins her career. Returning home to Australia, she learns of a strange inheritance from her grandmother Beattie: a sheep station in isolated Tasmania. Beattie also found herself at a crossroads as a young woman in Scotland, pregnant and unwed. She eventually found success—but only after following an unconventional path that was often dangerous and heartbreaking.

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

In 1708, an invading Jacobite fleet nearly succeeded in landing the exiled James Stewart in Scotland to reclaim his crown. Now, Carrie hopes to turn that story into her next bestselling novel. Settling herself in the shadow of Slains Castle, she creates a heroine named for one of her ancestors. But when she discovers her novel is more fact than fiction, she might be only living person who knows the truth of the ultimate betrayal that happened centuries ago.

Movie Lists - Westerns

On the Samuels Reads blog we've already given you many fine answers to the questions "What should I read?" and "What should I listen to?"  Now we want to give our suggestions to the library user who asks "What should I watch?" This list contains a selection of the many fine Western movies available for checkout here at Samuels Library.  

High Noon (1952) 

Marshall Will Kane (Gary Cooper) is about to set off on his honeymoon with his new bride (Grace Kelly) when word arrives that an outlaw he imprisoned years earlier is returning to town in search of vengeance. Having already turned in his badge, Kane is under no obligation to stay and yet he nobly decides to face this villain and begins seeking the aid of the townsfolk. Taut and fraught with suspense, High Noon is a classic film that is often viewed as a criticism of the Red Scare of the 1950s. 

Little Big Man (1970) 

Based on a novel by Thomas Berger, Little Big Man is an imaginative and poignant look at the American frontier as told through the remembrances of a 121-year-old man. Jack Crabb (Dustin Hoffman) has lived a long and eventful life: he’s been kidnapped by Indians, earned a reputation as a gunslinger, worked with Wild Bill Hickock, and ridden with General Custer. Initially quite humorous, the movie eventually becomes a heartbreaking critique of our country’s treatment of Native Americans. 

Lonely Are the Brave (1962) 

One of the best Westerns set in the modern age, Lonely Are the Brave features a magnificent performance by Kirk Douglas in the role of Jack Burns. Very much a throwback to another era, Burns becomes a wanted man when his rugged individualism puts him in direct opposition of the law. The thrilling climax pits the lone cowboy against a helicopter, a standoff which represents the collision of two very different eras.  

The Magnificent Seven (1960) 

One of the coolest Westerns ever, The Magnificent Seven stars Yul Brynner as Chris Larabee Adams, the leader of a group of seven gunfighters hired by a poor Mexican village as protection against a group of vicious bandits. With a cast that includes Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Robert Vaughn, and Charles Bronson, this movie has a collection of tough guys that puts The Expendables to shame.    

Red River (1948) 

An immense cattle drive and a family feud between a father and son take center stage in genre-hopping director Howard Hawks’s Red River. When Thomas Dunson (John Wayne) and his adopted son Matt Garth (Montgomery Clift) butt heads in the middle of moving their herd from Texas to Missouri, Garth and the hired hands wrest control from Dunson and proceed without him. Knowing that a John Wayne character will never go down without a fight, you can guess what happens next...

   

Seven Men from Now (1956)

Cult favorite Budd Boetticher directed this lost classic that has been praised by film critic Leonard Maltin as being “one of the best movies you’ve never seen.” Randolph Scott, in a role reminiscent of John Wayne’s Ethan Edwards in The Searchers (also from 1956), plays Ben Stride, a man plagued by guilt and anger. Joined by a scene stealing Lee Marvin, Stride sets out to find the seven men responsible for his wife’s death. 

Shane (1953) 

Western aficionados will always argue over their favorites in the genre—for me no discussion about the best westerns of all time is complete without mentioning Shane, the story of a quiet stranger (Alan Ladd) who comes to a small frontier town and reluctantly becomes involved in a deadly feud between a group of peaceful settlers and the rich ranchers who run the town.     

Stagecoach (1939) 

The first masterpiece from the legendary Western duo of John Ford and John Wayne, Stagecoach was Ford’s first film to utilize picturesque Monument Valley and Wayne’s breakout role as a star. The film centers on the interactions of a disparate group of stagecoach riders traveling together through dangerous territory and contains an excellent cast, including Claire Trevor, Thomas Mitchell, Donald Meek, Andy Devine, and John Carradine.

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005) 

Tommy Lee Jones starred in and directed this critically acclaimed story about the murder of an illegal Mexican immigrant in Texas and the great lengths an American rancher goes to carry out his dead friend’s burial wishes. Jones, in a performance that earned him the Best Actor award at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival, plays dutiful rancher Pete Perkins, a man who still abides by the Old West’s code of honor in an era of moral indifference.      

True Grit (2010)

Fans of John Wayne were skeptical when the Coen Brothers announced their intention to remake his beloved western with Jeff Bridges in the role of Rooster Cogburn, the ornery old U.S. Marshall who helps a young woman search for her father’s killer. They need not have worried—the 2010 version proves every bit as enjoyable as the original. Bridges puts his own stamp on Cogburn, Hailee Steinfeld turns in a tough performance as Mattie Ross, and Matt Damon is especially amusing as the dandyish LaBoeuf.    

Unforgiven (1992) 

Clint Eastwood plays with his own image as a Western icon in Unforgiven, a complex and thought-provoking movie that stands as one of the high points in his long and illustrious career. Will Munny is not the laconic, confident tough guy Eastwood usually plays; Munny is an old, tired, and nearly broken ex-gunfighter who reluctantly returns to the profession in need of money for his family. 

The Wild Bunch (1969) 

A group of outlaws attempt one last heist in The Wild Bunch, a film often cited as the last great western from the genre’s golden days. Fittingly enough, the film’s main theme is the death of the Old West and the frontier culture that spawned a million lawless gunfighters. Director Sam Peckinpaugh jam-packs the movie with every trick in the book, from slow-motion photography and rapid editing to an over-the-top violence that still feels indulgent today.      

Winchester ’73 (1950) 

Jimmy Stewart kicked off a new, darker phase in his career by playing the revenge obsessed Lin McAdam in Winchester ’73, the first of the five westerns he would make with director Anthony Mann. While searching for the man who wronged him, McAdam wins a rare and highly sought after Winchester rifle, only to have it stolen. The gripping story follows McAdam’s search and the journey of the prized rifle as it switches hands.      

Music - Daft Punk

All Samuels Public Library cardholders are eligible for three free downloads a week from Freegal, a massive online database containing over 500,000 songs.  Sifting through such an enormous selection of music can be a daunting task, so we here at Samuels have decided to offer a few suggestions for the overwhelmed (or new) Freegal user.  This week we celebrate three songs from my personal ‘most anticipated album of the year,’ Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories: 

“Get Lucky” 
 When snippets of the first single off Random Access Memories surfaced more than a month ago I was salivating with giddy impatience over Daft Punk’s first proper album since 2005’s somewhat disappointing Human After All.  I played the 15 second clip ten times in a row, and when the full song was released I put it on repeat another ten times.  More disco sounding than the electronic music the duo is known for, “Get Lucky” feels like it’s going to be the smash hit of the summer.

“Instant Crush” 
 I admit I was initially puzzled by the announcement of a collaboration between Daft Punk and Julian Casablancas, lead singer of The Strokes, thinking it would result in a stylistic mismatch.  However, hearing the '80s influenced “Instant Crush” put my ears at ease—Casablancas’s rock chops and processed vocals provide a perfect counterpoint to the robotic pop sheen of Daft Punk.  And oh what a melody!  Instant crush indeed.     

   
“Giorgio by Moroder” 
Possibly the most ambitious song on the album, “Giorgio by Moroder” features a spoken clip by pioneering electronic/disco producer Giorgio Moroder.  While Moroder relates his personal history in the music business, the band starts off playing some funky disco in a traditional vein which slowly builds into a smooth synthesizer showcase before finally climaxing in a wild and joyous all-out prog jam.  The final effect is mesmerizing.