The Joy of a Good Listen

I love listening to stories. Some audio books are just so well read they beg to be listened to again and again. Stephen Briggs' reading of The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett is one such story.
This is the tale of Tiffany Aching, a young girl with keen observation skills who becomes entwined in the magical world. With a firm grasp on reality, and her frying pan, Tiffany finds herself in league with the Nac Mac Feegle (also known as the Wee Free Men). While best known for their fightin', stealin' and drinkin', the little blue men also become fiercely protective of Tiffany when she must rescue her sticky little brother Wentworth from the Queen of the Elves.

Although a delightful fantasy, this story is ultimately about common sense, standing up for "them as can't" and the magic of truly seeing what is around you.

To find this book in the Library, go to our website at www.newberglibrary.org

Reviewed by Korie B.

Book Club Selection for September

In Out Stealing Horses, Norwegian writer Per Petterson delivers the simple story of a man reviewing his past. But he does so in such an ethereal and intriguing way that it is by no means a simple novel.

Trond, an aging widower, has set out to live in quiet isolation as, he declares, he always wanted to do. But a chance encounter with a boyhood acquaintance brings back a flood of memories of one summer that shaped his future. The story weaves in and out of this fateful summer and the present like the prominent river that flows through it. Filled with both relationships with people and with nature, Petterson describes even the most mundane tasks with beautiful prose.

This will be our first book group read for September. We’ll meet to discuss it on September 16th at 7:00 p.m in the Library. I encourage you to read this wonderful novel and join us for further discussion!

To find this book in the Library go to our catalog at www.newberglibrary.org or stop in and we’ll supply you with a book group copy.

Reviewed by Lori M.

No spoilers here, just read it!

OK, so the last few Twilight Saga books by Stephenie Meyer were a bit formulaic, but they still sucked me in. I've been anxiously awaiting Breaking Dawn since I devoured the last book, and I was not disappointed. In fact, I was completely surprised. Meyer breaks the mold in this thrilling conclusion to the saga taking main characters to new depths. Should I say more? I think I would rather let you be surprised by the twists and turns. Just read it, it won't disappoint.

Written for young adults but a great read for adults too!

Reviewed (sort of) by Korie B.

A Satisfying Mystery with More

Although there's a mystery at the center of the novel, What Was Lost by Catherine O'Flynn doesn't feel primarily like a mystery. The first section follows 10-year-old detective Kate as she navigates her Birmingham, U.K. neighborhood in a world where almost no one notices her. Her whole life has a somewhat sinister feel to it, including her teacher Mrs. Finnegan who is "criminally unsuited to teaching small children."

The second section of the book takes place twenty years later and centers around Lisa, a young woman who works in a music store in the Green Oaks shopping mall in the same neighborhood. The strongest parts of the book are the painful, true and funny descriptions of the tedium and humiliation of working in customer service while serving a sadistic and ambitious boss. According to the author's bio, she was drawing on her experience working in record stores.

The two sections of the book tie together and overlap in many directions for an interesting and satisfying conclusion.

To find this book in the Library, go to our website at www.newberglibrary.org

Reviewed by Jean

Books as History

Imagine a rare religious book is discovered in the aftermath of the Bosnian war in Sarajevo. This is how People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks begins. Dr. Hanna Heath is asked to assess the condition of the Sarajevo Haggadah and try to re-create its historical journey. The book holds religious connections for Jews, Christians and Muslims and therefore is an important find.

Brooks leads the reader back and forth from the present day research and Hanna’s personal story to the past where we enter into the historical episodes of each clue found from the book. The rose colored stains, insect wing, missing clasps, drop of salt and the white hair each hold their own historical story and the reader is transported backwards as each clue unfolds with this book ending at the beginning of the books journey in 1480 Seville.

This is a good read, especially for those who enjoy historical fiction.

To find this book in the Library go to our website at www.newberglibrary.org

Reviewed by Denise

Searching for Light in a Dark World

Imagine living in a city where the only light is provided by electricity. Then imagine that electricity is starting to fail. Every time the lights go out, you are plunged into total and utter darkness! That is the scenario of this captivating book, The City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau.

Lina and Doon are two twelve year olds living in Ember. They have both just finished school and have become workers in the stringently regulated system that keeps everything flowing in the city. But soon they realize something is wrong. Supplies such as food and clothing are running out, the mayor has a terrible secret, and people are beginning to panic whenever the lights go out (which is more and more often!). Together Lina and Doon must solve the age-old mystery of Ember and find out what is beyond the “unknown regions” surrounding the city.

This is a wonderful and captivating read. It’s geared primarily to middle school readers but I enjoyed it thoroughly. Both the characters and the action are well written and plausible, despite the slightly science fiction quality of this futuristic/apocalyptic world.

This book is part of a series which continues with the People of the Spark and the Prophet of Yonwood, which I definitely have on my list to read next (a fourth and final book is scheduled to come out in the Fall). The City of Ember is also being made into a movie coming out in October.

To find this book in the Library, go to our website at www.newberglibrary.org

Reviewed by Lori M.