What Our Staff is Reading - September 2006

The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe
Fiction 2002
A career woman is called home by her estranged mother. She doesn't know her mother is dying and her mother doesn't know her daughter's successful life has fallen apart. How they make peace and decide what is really important makes for a "good read".
Reviewed by MJC

Drums Along the Mohawk by Walter D. Edmonds
Fiction 1936
Set in New York State during the revolutionary war, this book tells the story of Gil and Lana Martin and their quest to have a home and family amidst the turmoil of war. This beautifully written historical story about ordinary people happens to be my absolute favorite novel.
Reviewed by MJC

Flavor of the Month: Why Smart People Fall for Fads by Joel Best
Non-fiction 2006
This book would more accurately be subtitled, "Why Smart Institutions Fall for Fads." Best's work is not about hula-hoops, pet rocks, or mood rings, which are harmless and fun. Instead he analyzes why and how organizations--businesses, schools, hospitals, governments--fall for potentially costly "reforms," new management styles (remember TQM?) and unproven remedies. Don't miss the chapter on fad-proofing your workplace.
Reviewed by Betty

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Fiction 2005
Told through letters and flashbacks, this novel slowly and delightfully builds in complexity and intensity. A young woman finds an ancient book and old letters in her father's library and starts to unravel her father's past search for Vlad the Impaler. Intriguing characters and relationships, exotic locations and sprawling history, make this vampire story truly unique.
Reviewed by mac

Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee by Charles J. Shields
Non-fiction 2006
If you are a fan of To Kill a Mockingbird, this book is a must read. It tells the story of Harper Lee -- her life, her writing, her friendship with Truman Capote and why she never wrote another book.
Reviewed by mac

The Nosy Neighbor by Fern Michaels
Fiction 2005
I admit, the dog on the cover grabbed me... A very successful lawyer quits her job, moves to the suburbs and is visited by the FBI. The FBI has questions about her fiance, who is not who he says he is. Meanwhile, she meets her neighbor whose dog is a friend of her dog, and turns to him for help. Rather predictable but an enjoyable read.
Reviewed by MJC

Not Me by Michael Lavigne
Fiction 2005
The main character returns to his parent's home to settle things when his father, who is a Holocaust survivor and Alzheimer victim, is placed in a nursing home. There he is mysteriously given a set of journals written by his father. What he reads leads to discoveries that leave an impact across the generations.
Reviewed by sjc

Once Upon a Day by Lisa Tucker
Fiction 2006
This is a story about a young woman whose father has sheltered his children from the outside world for most of their lives. As she ventures out into the world, she discovers the shocking truth about the horrible, single event that caused her father to keep her and her brother hidden away for so long.
Reviewed by rt

Second Honeymoon by Joanna Trollope
Fiction 2006
Edie and Russell Boyd approach their empty nest with vastly different feelings. When the last of their three children finally moves out, the conflict begins. Edie falls apart while cleaning her son's room and Russell can't wait to have his wife's attentions focused on his own needs. However, the empty nest doesn’t last forever in this compelling book.
Reviewed by AJS

Snow Island by Katherine Towler
Fiction 2002
A coming of age story set on an island off the New England coast just before the start of WWII. I found it interesting how island life and the coming war affected the various characters, with a bit of a surprise ending.
Reviewed by MJC