A Thousand Cuts

This novel by Simon Lelic, is very well done, but there's no one I can recommend it to because it's so upsetting. It opens after a school shooting at a secondary school in England that left two students and a teacher dead, as well as the shooter. Every other chapter is a different monologue from a different speaker talking to Detective Inspector Lucia May about some aspect of the tragedy. The alternate chapters portray what is happening in May's life as she pieces together what led to the shooting. May's own life parallels the shooter's as she is bullied unmercifully in her workplace as the shooter was in his. This is Lelic's first novel and he does a great job. The different characters speak in different voices and are quickly and compellingly fleshed out. I will definitely be on the lookout for his next book.

Book reveiw by Jean

This book can be found at www.newberglibrary.org

The Swan Thieves

If you loved The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, you might enjoy The Swan Thieves. Like her first novel, Kostova’s second book is big, dense, and character-driven. It alternates between the present and the past with alternating narrators converging into a single mystery. Somehow I found the story of Dracula more believable and compelling than the story of an obsessed psychiatrist. Though rather long I did think The Swan Thieves was fun to read.

Reviewed by Jean

Another reviewer writes:

Though starting slow, The Swan Thieves is a wild exploration of the artist's universe, a journey deep into the heart of French Impressionism. The book crosses centuries & countries in its attempt to solve a present day mystery. Painter Robert Oliver attacks a canvas in the National Gallery of Art. Dr. Marlow, assigned to Oliver, becomes frustrated with Oliver for his actions and his odd explanation. Dr Marlow embarks on an unconventional search for answers, however, the journey may reveal truths for Marlow as well as for Oliver. While The Swan Thieves is less accomplished than The Historian, it is a story worth reading and mystery worth solving.

Reviewed by Sue E

This book can be found on our web site: http://www.newberglibrary.org/

The Lace Reader

The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry is a mystery with a bit of thriller thrown in. The book starts with the quote, "My name is Towner Whitney....... Never believe me. I lie all the time." Throughout the book, the reader tries to figure out what is true and what is thought to be true. The setting is in Salem Mass. where the local "witches" have opened many tourist attractions and where a sect, the "Calvinists" has set up camp to defy the "witches". The friction of the two groups is intertwined into the story of Towner and why she didn't want to leave Califronia to return home. She said she never would, but now......

This book can be found at the Newberg Public Library www. newberglibrary.org

Book reviewed by Denise R

Jane Bites Back

Jane Austen never died- she was turned into a vampire. Yep, that's the premise of Michael Thomas Ford's new novel, Jane Bites Back. I was intrigued by the idea, but I figured I would be putting it down after the first 20 pages. Instead I found myself sucked into this sarcastic, witty and humorous story about Jane Austen, an old rival, an old flame, a new flame, publishing in modern times and running a small business.
Despite the vampires the story was not gory, unlike Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith (which I never finished). You could enjoy this story without being a Jane Austen fan, although you will miss some of the nuances. If you are a Jane Austen fan and you take yourself very seriously, this book is not for you. If you are a Jane Austen fan who sometimes likes vampires and sometimes likes romance more than you like to admit, this book might be just your cup of tea.

This book reviewed by Korie

This book can be found at our web page www.newberglibrary.org

Firmin by Sam Savage

Firmin is distraught. One of 13 children, he resides in an old book store in Boston's Scollay Square. His days are filled with reading everything and anything and watching old movies at the run down movie house (where the flicks become x rated after midnight). His only friend Jerry has died and the city is bulldozing down Scollay Square . What is a rat to do? Yes, Fermin is a rat and the narrator of this witty lit story. A fun and short read: only 164 pages.

Reviewed by Denise

This book can be found in our catalog: http://www.newberglibrary.org/

The Ginseng Hunter

Jeff Talarigo, author of The Pearl Diver, has written another evocative tale. The stories of a lone ginseng hunter who harvests one ginseng root a day and a North Korean mother and daughter who are forcibly separated during a famine are intertwined. Unaware of the larger world and the tragedy happening in his own country, the hunter listens to the tales the young Korean girl shares as he makes his monthly trip to Yanji. Her stories reveal the sad truth of what is happening across the river. Sparsely and eloquently written, the book is well worth every minute you spend reading it.

This book is available at the Newberg Library (www.newberglibrary.org)

Review by Denise and Rea

A Separate Country

Robert Hicks follows his best seller "Widow of the South" with another historical novel. Set in New Orleans shortly after the end of the civil war, General Hood arrives trying to forget the atrocities of the war and the part he played in it. He marries a beautiful and alluring woman, starts a business, hoping to move on. But yellow fever and poverty, lust and greed fill the city and Hood has to make some difficult decisions regarding his life and his family's.

This book can be found at our library www.newberglibrary.org

Review by Denise R