July Recommendations for Adults
Read Everything Under the Sun - Adult Summer Reading Program 2008, June 2 to July 26!
Fiction
The Devils of Bakersfield by John Shannon - Jack Liffey and his daughter Maeve had planned to spend a restful night at Rancho Motel in Oildale on the last leg of their trip home from vacation. When Maeve is picked up by the BPD for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, she and her family become trapped in a modern day witch hunt. Jack and LAPD girlfriend Gloria find out what it means to be on the streets of Bakersfield when religious zealots take over the town. Followers of the Liffey series will enjoy the supporting cast of characters who are, as always, richly imagined.
The Fourth Man by Kjell Dahl - A psychological thriller set in the dark underworld of Oslo, DI Frolich of the Oslo Police falls for the sister of a gangster, then finds himself suspected of murder when she disappears. Streetwise, poetic, complex and with an edgy eroticism, fans of Fossum and Mankell will appreciate the modern twist on the classic noir femme fatale. Winner of Norway's Riverton Prize for Best Crime Novel.
A Guide to the Birds of East Africa by Nicholas Drayson - For the past three years, the widower Mr. Malik has been secretly in love with Rose Mbikwa, a woman who leads the weekly bird walks sponsored by the East African Ornithological Society. Just as Malik is getting up the nerve to invite Rose to the Nairobi Hunt Club Ball (the premier social occasion of the Kenyan calendar), who should pop up but Malik's nemesis from his school days. So begins the competition: whoever can identify the most species of birds in one week's time gets the privilege of asking the object of his affection to the ball.
The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry - Towner Whitney returns to Salem, Massachusetts where her family has lived for generations, when her favorite great aunt Eva drowns under mysterious circumstances. The story unfolds as Towner delves into the history of the Whitney clan, renowned for revealing destinies through "lace reading," and policeman John Rafferty investigates Eva's death. Barry excels at capturing the feel of smalltown life, and balances action with close looks at the characters' inner worlds. Her pacing and use of different perspectives show tremendous skill and will keep readers captivated all the way through.
The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen - In this irresistible follow-up to Garden Spells, Allen tells the tale of 27 year-old Josey Cirrini and her passion for paperback romances, pecan rolls, and one person in particular. Living in her mother's house is comforting and life is uneventful until local waitress Della Lee Baker dares Josey to step outside herself and discover the world. Brimming with warmth, wit, and a sprinkling of magic, here is a spellbinding tale of friendship, love, and the enchanting possibilities of every new day.
Nonfiction
The Breath of a Wok: Unlocking the Spirit of Chinese Wok Cooking Through Recipes and Lore by Grace Young - Publisher's Weekly: "Young offers a profound meditation on the wok's spiritual place, as well as its history and uses. She covers wok arcana, from an assessment of the best wok for a home kitchen to half a dozen "recipes" for seasoning a new wok, like Mr. Wen's Chinese Chive Rub. Favorite wok recipes of friends and family including Mary Chau, Martin Yan, and writer Amy Tan, are provided."
Hospital: Man, Woman, Birth, Death, Infinity, Plus Red Tape, Bad Behavior, Money, God, and Diversity on Steriods by Julie Salamon - In 2005, Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, unveiled a new state-of-the art, multimillion-dollar cancer center. Granted an astonishing "warts and all" level of access by the hospital higher-ups, Salamon spent a year following the doctors, patients, administrators, nurses, ambulance drivers, cooks, and cleaning staff. She explored not just the action on the ground—what happens between doctors and patients—but also the financial, ethical, technological, sociological, and cultural matters that the hospital community encounters every day.
The Slaves' War: The Civil War in the Words of Former Slaves by Andrew Ward - An acclaimed historian of nineteenth-century and African-American history, Andrew Ward gives us the first narrative of the Civil War told from the perspective of those whose destiny it decided. Woven together from hundreds of interviews, diaries, letters, and memoirs, here is the Civil War as seen from not only battlefields, capitals, and camps, but also slave quarters, kitchens, roadsides, farms, towns, and swamps. Speaking in a quintessentially American language of wit, candor, and biblical power, army cooks and launderers, runaways, teamsters, and gravediggers bring the war to vivid life.
Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You by Sam Gosling - Innovative researcher and psychologist Sam Gosling has been studying how people project and protect their inner selves. By exploring our desks, bedrooms, clothes and cars, he shows not only how we showcase our personalities in unexpected-and unplanned-ways, but also how we create personality in the first place, communicate it others, and interpret the world around us.
Why Do I Love These People: Honest and Amazing Stories of Real Families by Po Bronson - Of the 700 people interviewed, 19 stories were chosen as examples of how family life is created by hard work, compromise, and realistic expectations. The stories center on men and women who overcame destructive childhoods and their impulses to repeat what was inflicted upon them to create satisfying family relationships. The author examines such subjects as divorce, death, illness, money, prejudice, and abuse.
Fiction
The Devils of Bakersfield by John Shannon - Jack Liffey and his daughter Maeve had planned to spend a restful night at Rancho Motel in Oildale on the last leg of their trip home from vacation. When Maeve is picked up by the BPD for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, she and her family become trapped in a modern day witch hunt. Jack and LAPD girlfriend Gloria find out what it means to be on the streets of Bakersfield when religious zealots take over the town. Followers of the Liffey series will enjoy the supporting cast of characters who are, as always, richly imagined.
The Fourth Man by Kjell Dahl - A psychological thriller set in the dark underworld of Oslo, DI Frolich of the Oslo Police falls for the sister of a gangster, then finds himself suspected of murder when she disappears. Streetwise, poetic, complex and with an edgy eroticism, fans of Fossum and Mankell will appreciate the modern twist on the classic noir femme fatale. Winner of Norway's Riverton Prize for Best Crime Novel.
A Guide to the Birds of East Africa by Nicholas Drayson - For the past three years, the widower Mr. Malik has been secretly in love with Rose Mbikwa, a woman who leads the weekly bird walks sponsored by the East African Ornithological Society. Just as Malik is getting up the nerve to invite Rose to the Nairobi Hunt Club Ball (the premier social occasion of the Kenyan calendar), who should pop up but Malik's nemesis from his school days. So begins the competition: whoever can identify the most species of birds in one week's time gets the privilege of asking the object of his affection to the ball.
The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry - Towner Whitney returns to Salem, Massachusetts where her family has lived for generations, when her favorite great aunt Eva drowns under mysterious circumstances. The story unfolds as Towner delves into the history of the Whitney clan, renowned for revealing destinies through "lace reading," and policeman John Rafferty investigates Eva's death. Barry excels at capturing the feel of smalltown life, and balances action with close looks at the characters' inner worlds. Her pacing and use of different perspectives show tremendous skill and will keep readers captivated all the way through.
The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen - In this irresistible follow-up to Garden Spells, Allen tells the tale of 27 year-old Josey Cirrini and her passion for paperback romances, pecan rolls, and one person in particular. Living in her mother's house is comforting and life is uneventful until local waitress Della Lee Baker dares Josey to step outside herself and discover the world. Brimming with warmth, wit, and a sprinkling of magic, here is a spellbinding tale of friendship, love, and the enchanting possibilities of every new day.
Nonfiction
The Breath of a Wok: Unlocking the Spirit of Chinese Wok Cooking Through Recipes and Lore by Grace Young - Publisher's Weekly: "Young offers a profound meditation on the wok's spiritual place, as well as its history and uses. She covers wok arcana, from an assessment of the best wok for a home kitchen to half a dozen "recipes" for seasoning a new wok, like Mr. Wen's Chinese Chive Rub. Favorite wok recipes of friends and family including Mary Chau, Martin Yan, and writer Amy Tan, are provided."
Hospital: Man, Woman, Birth, Death, Infinity, Plus Red Tape, Bad Behavior, Money, God, and Diversity on Steriods by Julie Salamon - In 2005, Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, unveiled a new state-of-the art, multimillion-dollar cancer center. Granted an astonishing "warts and all" level of access by the hospital higher-ups, Salamon spent a year following the doctors, patients, administrators, nurses, ambulance drivers, cooks, and cleaning staff. She explored not just the action on the ground—what happens between doctors and patients—but also the financial, ethical, technological, sociological, and cultural matters that the hospital community encounters every day.
The Slaves' War: The Civil War in the Words of Former Slaves by Andrew Ward - An acclaimed historian of nineteenth-century and African-American history, Andrew Ward gives us the first narrative of the Civil War told from the perspective of those whose destiny it decided. Woven together from hundreds of interviews, diaries, letters, and memoirs, here is the Civil War as seen from not only battlefields, capitals, and camps, but also slave quarters, kitchens, roadsides, farms, towns, and swamps. Speaking in a quintessentially American language of wit, candor, and biblical power, army cooks and launderers, runaways, teamsters, and gravediggers bring the war to vivid life.
Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You by Sam Gosling - Innovative researcher and psychologist Sam Gosling has been studying how people project and protect their inner selves. By exploring our desks, bedrooms, clothes and cars, he shows not only how we showcase our personalities in unexpected-and unplanned-ways, but also how we create personality in the first place, communicate it others, and interpret the world around us.
Why Do I Love These People: Honest and Amazing Stories of Real Families by Po Bronson - Of the 700 people interviewed, 19 stories were chosen as examples of how family life is created by hard work, compromise, and realistic expectations. The stories center on men and women who overcame destructive childhoods and their impulses to repeat what was inflicted upon them to create satisfying family relationships. The author examines such subjects as divorce, death, illness, money, prejudice, and abuse.
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