The uncommon reader  by Alan Bennett
Recommended by Laurie, Fiction Readers Advisor

The Queen of England, never realized that a bookmobile stopped in a side 
yard of the palace once a week until she follows her yapping, incorrigible
corgis around a corner to the library van’s door. Out of courtesy, she decides
she ought to borrow a book, starting her majesty on an eye-opening journey 
into the world of literature that she had never really been aware of before
This charmingly tart novella by playwright/author Alan Bennett is easily
enjoyed in a day
Find this book in the new fiction collection of the Main Library

Free for all: Oddballs, geeks, and gangstas
in the public library by Don Borchert
Recommended by Lucia, Head of Adult
Services

Don Borchert, assistant librarian in the L.A. County system,
blows the cover on the real world of public librarianship. This
should be a “must read” for every candidate seeking a master’s  
in library science degree. Everyone who holds a job in the
public library field already knows exactly what the author
reveals, but will be delighted to know how universal the
experience is. From the page to the senior librarian, Borchert
gives the insiders’ view of handling school children left
behind ‘til closing time, the very phishy patron, drug dealers,
hip hop clashes with other minority cultures, summer reading
programs, donated materials and the amazing job the Friends
do, volunteers, special encounters with animal programs,
romance, government politics, office politics, “regulars” and
the Renaissance patron, the life cycle of the civil servant, and
how to use vacation when there aren’t enough staffers to cover
the schedule. We need a second reserve copy just for the staff room!
Find this book in the new nonfiction  collection of the  Main
Library 

Closely paralleling real life, the fictional former British prime minister Adam Lang
in Harris' new novel fell out of favor in his home country for his stubborn 
support of the unnamed American president's "war on terror."  A moderately 
successful ghostwriter of autobiographies of former rock stars and other faded 
celebrities is handpicked to help Lang finish his memoirs after the first "ghost"
dies accidentally.  He is flown to the U.S. and ferried out to work with Lang in an
isolated Martha's Vineyard house in the off-season. He's offered big bucks to get 
the job done fast. Without a lot of hold-your-breath moments, the suspense
(as the unnamed ghost narrates the story) quietly builds, with its perfectly 
plausible explanation of recent political history the scariest part...especially for 
readers of the Democratic persuasion.
Find this book in the new fiction collection of the Main Library 
and the East and West branches.

The double bind by Chris Bohjalian
Recommended by Laurie, Fiction Readers Advisor

Laurel Estabrook survived a vicious attack by two masked men while she
was on a bike ride, and, though still fragile, goes back to her Vermont
college the following year, graduating with a degree in social work.
She’s working at a local homeless shelter when a treasured collection of
photographs and undeveloped negatives left behind by one of the shelter’s
former occupants starts her on a trail to figure out the secret linking
the photographer, Bobbie Crocker, to the Buchanans, the family of
socialites involved in the long-ago scandal with the infamous Jay Gatsby
of West Egg, New York. This novel packs a wallop both with its powerful
story and its reminder that victims of homelessness, addiction, trauma,
and mental illness once led “normal” lives.
Find this book in the fiction  collections of the 
East and West branches and the Main  Library

Porch Talk:  Stories of decency, common sense and other 
endangered species.  by Phillip Gulley. 
Recommended by Keith, Assistant Director

Porch Talk is filled with common sense stories of family and friends in a small 
town .  Evening visits on the front porch were a sharp contrast to big screen 
television and surfing the Internet.  Gulley masterfully weaves his stories and 
reflections on life with his casual sense of humor.  Is there really a relationship 
between the declining number of hardware stores and the incidence of 
depression?  He is a Quaker minister so many of his stories have the flavor of a thinly disguised sermons but it seems more like listening to tales of Lake 
Wobegon than sitting in church.    
Find this book in the new nonfiction  collection of the 
Main  Library 

The Phoenix Chronicles  by Colleen Roberts
Recommended by Lucia, Head of Adult Services
Brockton author, Colleen Roberts, offers wisdom stories about love, 
race, work, and family in our city. Her stories plunge the reader into a 
vividly  realized world where the ordinary is both real and poignant. 
The stories illuminate ethical decisions that people make everyday, often 
unconsciously, often wrongly. Some face tough realities like pulling out of an 
abusive relationship, others, how not to let the past pull you down. These stories  
are so real, you’ll whistle with the shock of recognition. Colleen Roberts brings a 
lifetime of experience, observation, and solid values to the art of writing; her 
stories do not just entertain, they resonate with truth. Her characters speak a 
familiar language, they sound real and so are the problems they face. Madison 
Turner, a teacher who falls on her face, wins the reader’s compassion.  Toby
Maxwell discovers race is an intrinsic part of her identity. Lydia learns to have
hope again after years of domestic abuse. Ms. Roberts’s stories bring  
a refreshing, authentic vision to African American literature. May she continue
to put pen to paper.  
Find this book in the fiction  collection of the  Main  Library 

Exit Ghost  by Phillip Roth
Recommended by Lucia, Head of Adult Services

Roth’s character, Nathan Zuckerman, returns to Manhattan for
a “procedure” to correct a post-prostate operation. He leaves
his safe, isolated Berkshire home for the trauma and
tribulation of the Big Apple. In a series of coincidences he
encounters the mistress of his former mentor, engages an
exchange of domiciles with a young couple that also write,
and grapples with an ambitious young buck that wants to
“expose” the assumed secret of this overlooked and deceased
mentor. Feeling like a modern day Rip Van Winkle, Nathan
lodges his own campaign of words against careerists, the post
Roosevelt administrations, literary critics, homegrown
terrorists, and cell phones. For some this might read like,
“Kid, get off my lawn!” For others, like myself, you will be
calling up friends and family to read aloud whole passages.  
Find this book in the fiction  collection of the 
Main  Library 

The Post Birthday World  by Lionel Shriver
Recommended by Laurie, Fiction Readers Advisor.
Irina McGovern, like the author of this novel, is an American living in 
London. A children's book illustrator, Irina leads a quiet, somewhat stodgy 
life with Lawrence Trainer, another American expatriate, until, like a bolt 
from the blue, she is smitten with laconic snooker star Ramsey Acton, who 
is about as different from intellectual and serious Lawrence as possible.  On 
this one particular evening, Irina finds herself at a crossroads in life; should 
she stay the course with Lawrence or pursue this sudden, electric passion 
for another man? In alternating chapters, readers follow Irina down both 
paths, as she lies in the bed(s) she has made, wondering what if.  An intriguing
look at male/female relationships, recommended especially to 
anyone who enjoys English slang and turns of phrase.
Find this book in the new-fiction  collection of the  Main  Library

Ricochet  by Sandra Brown
Recommended by Laurie, Fiction Readers Advisor.

Trying to bring down a notorious criminal Robert
Savich, Detective Sergeant Duncan Hatcher of the Savannah 
Police Department is stymied by aristocratic Judge Cato
Laird's declaration of a mistrial. While still fuming after a night in jail for 
causing a disturbance in court, Duncan meets and mouths off to Elise Laird, 
the judge's wife, as sexy and beautiful as the judge is rich. Duncan and his 
partner are dubious when they are called to the scene of an apparent 
burglary at the judge's mansion. An intruder has been shot dead with one 
shot by li'l old Elise who claims self-defense, but something about the story 
told by Elise and the judge doesn't ring true. Shortly afterwards, Elise reveals to Duncan privately, an even more
unbelievable story about the shooting.

As hot and steamy as a Savannah summer, this page-turner 
is recommended for any thriller fan who likes a sexylove story
along with action-packed suspense.
Find this book in the fiction and large print  collections of the 
Main  Library and West Branch

 

About Alice  by Calvin Trillin
Recommended by Lucia, Head of Adult Services

Feeling parched for clean, elegant prose? Pick up Calvin
Trillin’s About Alice. Trillin’s tribute to his wife gives so
much pleasure from the rich vignettes describing her dress and
demeanor to her pithy quips, the reader can’t help but wish he
or she had met her. Some stories beg to be read aloud, such as
her remark to Governor Pataki after a moving speech he gave
at the Yale Westchester Alumni Association. Other pieces,
dealing with her optimistic battles against cancer, are worth
savoring silently. If nothing else, you will find yourself
running to pick up other books by this author because there are
few contemporary writers with his seemingly effortless style
Find this book in the New Biography  collection of the  Main  
Library

Letter to a Godchild by Reynolds Price
Recommend
ed by Lucia, Head of Adult Services

Have you ever wondered what to buy for your godchild after he 
or she turns 10?  When your godchild enters high school or college, 
what can you give him or her that will provide spiritual guidance, 
but not be overbearing or didactic?  Reynolds Price offers a thoughtful 
appraisal of his own spiritual development with references to 
classical religious texts that might guide a young person in quest 
of enriching his or her connection with God. Happily his letter to his 
own godchild does not preach or chest beat, but rather shares an 
honest examination of the importance of faith in his life. Nor does Price
confine himself to strictly religious scripts, institutions, or 
structures as models. He includes music, art, poetry, and 
architecture as inspirations for faith, noting that no society regards as 
beautiful any work that extols evil, citing the lack of beauty or truth in 
Nazi literature or the Ku Klux Klan. His specific recommendations of 
texts and music could also be a guide to both the godparent and the 
godchild. This expanded letter is less than one hundred pages long, 
but it offers an excellent blueprint for spiritual growth.
Find this book in the New Nonfiction  collection of the 
Main  Library