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