Strength in What Remains

By Tracy Kidder

In 1994, a young man named Deo, escapes from the genocidal civil war in Burundi to the United States. He has $200, knows no one, and speaks no English. Deo’s harrowing story of survival both in Burundi and New York City makes fascinating reading. His journey back to Burundi to establish a medical clinic was inspiring. I found myself wondering several times how author Tracy Kidder was able to encourage Deo to tell his story.

This book can be checked out at the Newberg Library. www.newberglibrary.org

Review by Jean S.

The Financial Lives of the Poets

By Jess Walter

Matt Prior left his reporting job to start a financial advice poetry website, poetfolio.com. When that doesn't work, he returns to the newspaper only to be laid off as the paper downsizes. When the book begins, Matt's house is a week away from foreclosure and he suspects his wife is having an affair. Additionally, the household includes two young sons and Matt's senile father. Matt needs money and so Matt decides he could make a lot of money by selling pot. What could possible go wrong with this plan? He makes so many bad choices that I found the book kind of stressful, although amusing. My husband kept laughing out loud and didn't find it stressful at all. As a bonus, most of the chapters feature Matt's poetry. Well-written and quirky.

This book can be found at our website: http://www.newberglibrary.org/

This book was reviewed by Jean S.

Honolulu

Alan Brennert has written another wonderful story set in Hawaii. The story takes place in the early 1900s as Koreans and other nationalities immigrate to Hawaii for various reasons. Korea is under attack from the Japanese. Jin and 3 other picture brides from Korea decide to leave and travel to Hawaii, a foreign and tropical land, only to discover their husbands are not what they were led to believe. Spanning four decades, Jin marries, has children, experiences hardships and abuse, joy and love. Additionally Brennert intertwines the history of Hawaii and its governmental struggles throughout the book.

This book is available at the Newberg library (http://www.newberglibrary.org/)

Reviewed by Denise R

Shanghai Girls

Lisa See has again written an intriguing story, this time about 2 young Chinese women. The story starts in 1937 when the city of Shanghai is the Paris of Asia. May (18) and Pearl (21) live in moderate luxury enjoying some of the finer things of life until they find out their dad has gambled away all their wealth and has sold them as wives. As the girls process this news, the Japanese attack and May and Pearl's lives are forever changed. The reader follows the women to America and their struggle to get a foothold in a country that doesn't want them. Though Lisa See takes us through 20 plus years of history, the underlying story line is about two girls forced to become woman and their struggle to find their identity in a new country. Chinese or American? As the sisters face devastating situations their sisterly devotion provides the rock of their existence.

To find this book in our library go to our web page at http://www.newberglibrary.org/

Reveiw written by Denise R

The Magicians

Lev Grossman's newest book is advertised to be a grown up version of Harry Potter. Though the book does involve a magic school, the similarly ends there. The storyline is about Quentin, a over achieving & brilliant teen, trying to find out who he is and what will bring him happiness in life. His secret desire is to travel to the land of Fillory, a make believe land in a series of children's books. He believes he will bebfulfilled and find happiness. What joy to be accepted into the mysterious and exclusive college of magic. Believing this training will enable him to succeed in his goal, he works hard. But upon graduation life is boring and shallow. When the opportunity comes to travel to another dimension, he jumps at the chance. However the journey is nothing like he expected.

The book holds your attention but leaves loose ends. There are parts of the story that lack follow through. I would recommend the book if you enjoy fantasy and magic, but it is not the next best seller in this genre.

To find this book at the Newberg library, visit our web: www.newberglibrary.org

Reviewed by Denise R

Audio Book Review

Wesley the Owl by Stacey O'Brien

If you are an animal lover, you will enjoy this book about a special barn owl. Stacey, an assistant at Cal State Institute owl laboratory becomes the surrogate mom to a permanently injured owlet. Over the next 19 years, Stacey learns about owl antics, habits and his unique personality. The reader of the audio book, Renee Raudman, does a wonderful job of voice inflections catching the nuances of the emotions and story line. I am sure its a good read, but it is definitely a good listen.

To find this book at the library visit our web page: http://www.newberglibrary.org/

This review written by Denise R

My Stroke of Insight

My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor

Jill, a brain scientist, has a massive stroke at the age of 37. Her story tells how it felt to have the stroke and her journey through recovery. It would eventually take her 8 years to fully heal. As the reader joins her journey, Jill recounts the thoughts and steps it took to recover the function of her injured left brain. Jill alternates between two distinct realities: the euphoric and kinesthentic right brian and the rational detail-oriented left brain. By stepping into her right brain she learned that the feeling of nirvana is never more than a mere thought away.

This book is well writtien and organized. If you enjoy science and health subjects, this is a great read.

To find this book in our library visit our website at http://www.newberglibrary.org/

reviewed by Denise R

Lost in Austen

Lost in Austen: Create your own Jan Austen Adventure

By Emma Campbell Webster

Yes, you read correctly, it's a Jane Austen Choose Your Own Adventure! If you are not a Jane Austen fan you might enjoy this story as well with its abridged plots and occasional death scenes.
With sarcastic wit the author sends the reader (aka Elizabeth Bennett) on a mission: "To marry both prudently and for love." In a delightful tangle of Jane Austen plots and characters, you must wend your way through the story avoiding the many pitfalls along the way. Webster's chiding and occasional praise along the adventure add humor to an already fun Jane Austen romp. I must admit I needed several bookmarks to read this book so I could read out all of options. To be completely honest I would not have survived well in Jane Austen's time (do you paint or stitch a screen?). Nonetheless, as a Jane Austen addict I had so much fun with this book it was hard to bring it back to the library.

Book reveiwed by Korie B.

To find this book, visit our website at www.newberglibrary.org

The Sorceress

The Sorceress by Michael Scott

I love getting carried away by a good story. Michael Scott's latest book, The Sorceress, solidified The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel as one of my favorite series. Book three in a six part series, The Sorceress draws you deeper and deeper into the world of the Immortals,the Elders, Dark Elders and a host of other mythical and magical creatures. A web of historical legends, mythical beings and objects, this book will delight those looking for a great fantasy story.

YA book Series: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

Book reviwed by Korie B.

To find this book visit our website at www.newberglibrary.org

The Angel's Game

The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

If you enjoyed Zafon's "Shadow of the Wind" you will not be disappointed with his latest book. The Angel's Game again takes place in Barcelona and we again visit the "Cemetary of the Forgotten Books" but 50 some years earlier. Start with a mysterious book and add murder, the devil, love, mystery and friendship and you have an intriguing and bewitching story. If you liked Zafon's writing story in "Shadow of the Wind" you will enjoy his latest book. Though dark, the story keeps the reader hooked as the story twists finally coming to the end without a real end.

This review written by Denise R.

To find this book visit our web site at www.newberglibrary.org

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

The Sweetmess at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

Eleven-year-old Flavia is a brilliant child living in 1950's England, and living life mostly under the radar of the adults in her life. Tormenting and being tormented by her sisters, her life is relatively mundane (although punctuated by her love of chemistry) until she discoveres a dead body on the family estate. Winner of the Crime Writers' Association Debut Dagger Award, this delicious mystery is flavored with unpredictability and delightful to the last bite.

This review was written by Korie B.

This book can be found by searching our website at: www.newberglibrary.org

A List of Adult Graphic Novels

Box Office Poison by Alex Robinson
Goodbye Chunky Rice by Craig Thompson
Jar of Fools by Jason Lutes
Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron by Daniel Clowes
Perdida by Jessica Abel

To find these books please visit http://www.newberglibrary.org/

Adult Graphic Novels Arrive

Graphic novels are the new genre. What are they? They look like bound comic books, but the definition is that the work needs to be of substantial length and be understood as a single work. Much of the growth and popularity of this genre is due to the Japanese graphic novels known as "manga" that often were about superheroes/groups and their adventures. There is now a growing number of graphic novels just for adults that go beyond the superheros. They include autobiographies, historical dramas and first hand documentary journalism. Come in and look over our new collection.

Brooklyn: A Novel

Brooklyn: A Novel by Colm Toibin

Eilis Lacey has come to age in a small town of Ireland in the years following World War II. She lives in the shadow of her older sister Rose who works and seems to have her life in order. Life is not exciting and there is little opportunity for work or love. Eilis is offered a chance to go to America to "better her situation" by Father Flood and agrees to the opportunity. The story line follows her life in Brooklyn as she adjusts to being Irish in America, a job and living in a boarding house with 5 other Irish girls. . She attends dances, helps at the church and studies for her bookkeeping courses and along the way meets a handsome Italian man, Tony. When a family crisis calls her back to Ireland she must decide whether to return to America or stay and continue to live out her mother's and community's expectations.

For those readers who enjoy a book written about the thoughts and feelings of the main character, this book is for them. The book does not move fast and has little plot or tension. It does give a nice rendition of the New York area following the war.

To find this title in our library go to our website at: http://www.newberglibrary.org/

This review was written by Denise

Animals Make us Humans

Animals Make us Human, Creating the Best Life for Animals by Temple Grandin

Dogs are the only animals that can follow a person's gaze or pointing finger to find out where a piece of food is hidden. Cats have social needs (they aren't the loners we think they are). Cows establish close relationships with their sisters and mothers. Dolphins and whales are multicultural.

Acclaimed animal scientist/author Temple Grandin is a person with autism and a unique ability to understand how animals think. In her latest book, Animals Make us Human, she focuses on how to create the best life for animals - domestic and wild. Grandin explains that a good life needs three things: health, freedom from pain and negative emotions and activities that turn on seeking and play. Even if you believe you know a lot about animals, this book will surprise and intrigue you. I highly recommend it!

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

Reviewed by S. Easterly

A Reliable Wife

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick

This novel, about a rich man in 1907 Wisconsin who advertises for a wife, is not what I expected. I guess no one in the book, wealthy Ralph Truitt or his mail order bride Catherine Land, got what they expected either. Set just outside a little town rife with madness, the plot develops with twists, turns and a lot of (not very explicit) sex. The Washington Post called this "a bizarre tale of forgiveness", and I guess it is. I liked it a lot.

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

Reviewed by Jean S.

The Little Stranger

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

I love unreliable narrators! At least, I think he was unreliable. This is a gothic novel set in a decaying English country house just before World War II. The narrator, Dr. Farraday, whose mother was once a maid at the house, gets called to the house to care for a sick maid and gradually becomes emeshed with the impoverished family who is barely able to keep the house running. There's a sort of mystery at the core as major and minor tragedies overtake the house and the family. This is a long book, but the kind of book that rolls along in the best gothic brooding tradition.

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

Reviewed by Jean S.

Great Children and Adult Read

Mr. Katapat's Incredible Adventures

by Stephane Barroux

Every day, Mr. Katapat heads to the library. That's right, the library. It's where all the excitement begins." I know, I know, picture books are generally for children, but I think adults would enjoy this one best. It's the story of a man who lives in books until he bumps into someone who opens his eyes to a whole new story. It's a library love story. Sigh.

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

Reviewed by Korie B.

New Nonfiction

If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name, by Heather Lende

You wouldn't think life stories based around obituaries would be so charming and uplifting, but I found this collection of short stories to be both. Truly a celebration of life, and an ode to small town Alaska, Heather Lende paints a picture of Alaskan life so appealing I wanted to move next door to her. But then I remembered I don't like really cold weather and I need sunlight all year around, or at least as much as we get here in Oregon.

Heather Lende is also a contributor on NPR's and a columnist for magazines around the U.S.

To find this book in the Library to our website at http://www.newberglibrary.org/

Reviewed by Korie B.

The Way Home

This is another great quick read by The Wire writer George Pelecanos.

Like most of his work it's set in Washington D.C. and involves petty (and not so petty) criminals and gangs. The main charaters in this novel are Chris Flynn, first seen in juvenile prison, and his father George. The story skips ahead a few years, and follows the twisted path of mistakes and violence, but is ultimately a story about redemption. Pelecanos does a great job of drawing his charaters.

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

Reviewed by Jean S

Check out some of our New Items

FICTION

Italian Shoes by Henning Mankill
Love Stories in this Town by Amanda Eyre Ward
The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly
Still Alice by Lisa Genova
Woodsburner by John Piper



INSPIRATIONAL

Flickering Light by Jane Kirkpatrick
Cousin's Promise by Wanda E Brunstetter
Shadows of Lancaster County by Mindy Starns Clark
Take One by Karen Kingsbury



NON FICTION

Just When I thought I'd Dropped my Last Egg by Kathie Lee Gifford
The World is What it Is by Patrick French
Resilience by Elizabeth Edwards
Paul Newman by Shawn Levy

New Author's first Book

Pictures of an Exhibition by Sara Houghteling

Set in Paris, the majority of the story takes place as WWII has just ended. Max Berenzon is the son of an art dealer and his pianist wife. When Paris falls the family goes into hiding. After the war Max returns to discover all the family's art collection has vanished. The remainder of the book is about Max's quest to find the missing art and hopefully garner his dad's approval. During his search he discovers the truth of the tragic disappearance of his closest friend, the heroism of his lost love and uncovers a family secret.

The book is a good read but sometimes I got lost in the artist's names, their works and the various art dealers. The title interested me but I didn't feel represented this story of lost art.

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

Reviewed by Denise R.

The Last Dickens

The Last Dickens: A Novel by Matthew Pearl

I'm a sucker for stories that seemingly bring me closer to my favorite characters or authors, and The Last Dickens is exactly that...
Set in 1870's Boston, Matthew Pearl weaves a story of murder and mystery surrounding the unfinished work of Charles Dickens' The Mystery of Edwin Drood. When Dickens' American publishers hear of the author's untimely death, they are anxious to get their hands on the last installment of the tale before anyone else to keep their small publishing company afloat. But it soon becomes a matter of life-and-death when the young man sent to retrieve the installment from the Boston docks is found murdered.
Matthew Pearl is also the author of The Dante Club and The Poe Shadow.

To find these books, please visit our library website at http://www.newberglibrary.org/

Reviewed by Korie B.

Thanks for the Memories

Thanks for the Memories by Cecelia Ahern

I admit it: I often judge books by their covers. This book I read solely on the recommendation of the brilliantly designed cover, but was not disappointed. Cecelia Ahern's latest book is the story of a woman who gets a blood transfusion after an accident only to suddenly find herself suddenly endowed with another person's memories and knowledge. This tale is told back and forth between the donor and recipient, and it isn't long before you start rooting for them to get together. Although the ending is mostly predictable from the first chapter, the read is still delightful. I especially enjoyed the interactions between fathers and daughters in this novel- it was laugh-out-loud-funny at times.

Cecelia Ahern is also the author of the book P.S. I Love You, which is also a movie starring Gerard Butler and Hilary Swank.

To find these items please visit our website at www.newberglibrary.org

Reviewed by Korie B.

Pulitzer Prize wining fiction

Elizabeth Strout recently won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction with her book Olive Kitteridge. Boy is it well deserved. Set up in 13 short vignettes, the whole book is tied together with one character, Olive Kitteridge who plays both small and large parts depending on the story. Strout evokes the human condition beautifully, describing the simplest details with heart wrenching beauty. In many of the stories, nothing much really happens, but Strout is able to draw the reader in to the inner of lives of her characters so deeply that one becomes mesmerized with their thoughts and feelings. I found this a very emotional but worthwhile read. Highly recommended.

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

Reviewed by Lori M.

Against Medical Advice

Against Medical Advice by James Patterson and Hal Friedman

Though one of the authors is the famous thriller writer James Patterson, this true story is told through the voice of Cory, a young boy who suddenly manifests various tics and involuntary utterances.

At the age of 5 Cory awakes one morning with an uncontrollable urge to twitch his neck. Cody is soon diagnosed with Tourette's syndrom and OCD and embarks on a torteous journey of specialists, treatments and drugs. Seeing the disease through the eyes of the victim sheds light on the uncontrollableness of the disease and the struggle a young man has living with the disease's outbursts and trying to be just normal. This is a true story of one's boy journey through hell and his triumph in the end.

The book reads easily and the voice pulls you in as you feel this young man's frustrations. Kudos goes to the parents of Cory for their supernatural support of him, their willingness to try most anything and to love him through all of it.

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

Reviewed by Denise

Good Help is Hard to Find

The Help by Kathryn Stockett takes place is a world that is totally alien to me. A world where everybody has a maid. Where the lines between black and white people are carefully drawn. And where speaking out against the status quo can get one killed.

It is 1963 in Mississippi and the civil rights movement is only a murmur in the distance. The white women in town can’t live without their black maids, who cook their food, clean their homes and take care of their children. Yet, at the same time, they don’t want these maids using the same bathrooms as they do. When a young white woman sets out to write the stories these maids have to tell about their lives, we get a keen insight into these color lines and how they affected people both black and white during this turbulent period.

Stockett draws interesting and very well rounded characters and the story is compelling. The white people are not shown as evil ignorant Southerners, just people with some very deeply imbedded ideas about how the world should be. And the black people are not portrayed as noble martyrs but simply as human beings hoping for something better.

Though I know a lot about the civil rights movement, I was touched by the personal stories of bravery in this book. Though they are fictional, I could see how the smallest act of defiance during this time period could be an important step in equality and freedom.

Besides the historical and political themes of the book, it’s also just a great read. There are some terrific characters that you’ll simply fall in love with. I would highly recommend it!



Reviewed by Lori M

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

New at the Library

Non-Fiction
Inaugural Address by Barack Obama
A. Lincoln: a Biography by Ronald C. White Jr.
Crave: Why You Binge Eat and How to Stop by Cynthia M. Bulik
Next 100 Years: A Forecast for the 20th Century by George Friedman
Flat Belly Diet by Liz Vaccariello

Fiction
The Birthday Present by Barbara Vine
Drood by Dan Simmons
Revenge of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz
Shatter by Michael Robotham
The Vagrants by Yiyun Li

DVDs
Nights in Rodanthe
City of Ember
Brideshead Revisited
The Duchess
Autism: the musical

Inspirational
When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin
Let them Eat Fruitcake by Melody Carlson
On a Whim by Robin Jones Gunn
Promise for Spring by Kim Vogel Sawyer
Rebecca's Reward by Lauraine Snelling

Audio Books
American Lion by Jon Meacham
Bones of the Dragon by Margaret Weis
The Good Rat: A True Story by Jimmy Breslin
Heaven by Randy Alcorn
Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich
Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani

To find these books in the Library, visit our website at www.newberglibrary.org

Princess Leia did what?

Maybe you only know Carrie Fisher as the daughter of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher (and, infamously, the step-daughter of Elizabeth Taylor). Or you maybe you only think of her as Princess Leia in the Star Wars movies. Or perhaps you’ve enjoyed her funny and acerbic novels like Postcards from the Edge and Delusions of Grandma.

Well, if you think you know Carrie Fisher at all, you haven’t read her new memoir Wishful Drinking. Fisher cultivated the book from a one-woman show she does by the same name and she doesn’t hold anything back.

Fisher unhinges her famously sharp wit to make such things as a father’s abandonment, drug addiction, mental illness and a dead friend in one’s bed absolutely hilarious! Holding nothing back, she recounts all sorts of juicy tidbits making them less about gossip and more about the pieces that have made her what she is today. Never whiney, and far for the spoiled Hollywood brats we often see in the media today, Fisher delivers a smart biting tell-all about how growing up famous (and, more importantly suffering from drug addiction and mental illness) affected her. If you like your memoirs nutty, this might be a good read for you!

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

Reviewed by Lori M.

Love, secrecy, passion and devotion...

The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee takes place in Hong Kong during two time periods, 1941-42 and 1952-1953. The reader gets a glimpse of pre-occupation Hong Kong through Will’s eyes and follows his story through the Japanese occupation. The reader then follows Claire, the young British piano teacher, as she teaches young Locket, the daughter of the wealthy Mr. and Mrs. Chen in the 1950s. The story glides back and forth between the two decades revealing Will’s life along with the Chen’s and other characters. The connections among several of the characters unfold as the book progresses.

The story is well written and the characters believable. Love, secrecy, passion and devotion are brought up through the various characters’ stories. The reader is challenged to determine how far one would go under stressful situations to survive and /or hold on to your integrity. What does bring happiness? What is love?

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

Reviewed by Denise

A Good Old Fashioned Adventure Tale

With touches of Robert Louis Stevenson and a hint of Oliver Twist, The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti is an orphan’s adventure into the dark underworld of Colonial New England. Ren is twelve years old and remembers nothing of life before being abandoned at the orphanage at St. Anthony’s. He also can’t remember how he lost his left hand.

Nearing an age where he’s bound for involuntary army service if he isn’t adopted, Ren suddenly finds himself swept away by a man claiming to be his brother. He soon finds that this conniving con man is not his brother, but he may have a connection to where Ren comes from. Meeting all sorts of shady characters along the way, Ren learns to be a grifter himself. But, as the title suggests, he has a hard time letting go of being good.

This is a terrifically bleak adventure full of great characters and unexpected situations. It’s pretty gross too, but that only adds to the story! For anyone who loves a good old fashioned tale of adventure this is a great read!

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


Reviewed by Lori M.

What's Hot at the Library!

New Fiction
Lethal Legacy by Linda Fairstein
Dangerous Laughter: 13 Stories by Steven Millhauser
Among the Mad: a Maisie Dobbs novel by Jacqueline Winspear
The Piano Teacher by Janice YK Lee

New Nonfiction
Animals Make Us Human by Temple Grandin
Guilty by Ann Coulter
Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan by Suze Orman
We Can Have Peace in the Middle East by Jimmy Carter
The Well Dressed Ape by Hannah Holmes
Voluntary Madness by Norah Vincent

To find these books in the Library, go to our website at www.newberglibrary.org

A Modern Chinese Woman

Twenty Fragments of a Ravenous Youth by Xiaolu Guo is a strange little book about the experiences of a Chinese woman finding herself despite being lost in a sea of people in a country where she does not fit in. The book is divided into twenty chapters, hence the title, and follows FenFang as she travels from her peasant village to the city. In her quest for simple survival, FenFang also seeks love, friendship, and some vaguely indefinably sense of her artistic self. Weaving in and out of boyfriends, jobs, apartments, and loneliness, FenFang is an outcast, from her family, her culture, and herself. Though there is no clean conclusion to this poetic story, it is a lovely read and quite different from what you might expect from a Chinese writer.

Guo wrote the original novel in Chinese and only recently translated it into English, “reworking” it rather than going for a word-for-word translation. I found the character and the novel fascinating!

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

Reviewed by Lori M.