The Director's Pick  
Read what the director has to say about the latest book releases. This is the same article which is published regularly in the 
Cuba Patriot.

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Take a look at some of the sites which the are recommended by the Cuba Circulating Library's Director.

The Director's Pick    

New fiction at Cuba Library for May 21 Patriot

            May mysteries have something for everyone!  Critics say that Jane Haddam is at her best in her latest book “Cheating at Solitaire” which offers a glimpse into the world of wealth and fame.  Following the death of a movie crew member filming on Margaret’s Harbor (think Martha’s Vineyard ), the island’s one man police force requests the assistance of former FBI agent Gregor Demarkian. Parnell Hall’s “Puzzle Lady” is asked to write a sudoko puzzle book for a Japanese company. Unfortunately the contract is signed with the wrong company…mayhem ensues. Tthe book  is called “The Sudoko Puzzle Murders.”

            Fans of culinary cozies like those of Diane Mott Davidson should eat up Katherine Hall Page’s Faith Fairchild series. Cooking lore and recipes are part of the conventional “body-found-by-caterers” plot.  The newest is called “The Body in the Gallery.” As Halloween approaches, P.I. Savannah Reid finds herself knee-deep in tricks and treats when a member of the Skeleton Key Three, a debutante clique, goes missing, and the wealthy host of the annual Halloween bash is murdered. Check out G.A. McKevett’s “Poisoned Tarts.” Tired of always being the hostess, celebrity chef Augusta Simpson tries to distance herself as her fiftieth birthday approaches. She and a handsome fellow chef invite a select group to take an on-air cooking class.  Instead of just preaching to the foodie masses, they will teach regular people how to make rich, sensuous meals. The class is not all that becomes “rich and sensuous.” “Comfort Food” is by Kate Jacobs, author of last year’s very popular “Friday Night Knitting Club.”

            Elizabeth George’s English mysteries are always a treat. Following his wife’s murder, Detective Thomas Lynley resigns from Scotland Yard and embarks on exhaustive hikes along the Cornish coast where he sees a young man fall to his death. The book is called “Careless in Red.”

            In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and an explosion at the vampire summit, Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse’s  boyfriend disappears. In the ensuing battles, Sookie faces danger, death and betrayal by someone she loves. Check out this 8^th  wacky and weird entry in Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire Mysteries, “From Dead to Worse.” Stephanie Myer vampire novels have been at the top of the teen charts for several years. Her first adult novel, “The Host” lives up to the hype, blending science fiction and romance. Myer creates a physical body that two beings inhabit -  Human  Melanie and  Wanderer, the Soul.

            Aravind Adiga’s debut novel is set in New Delhi where newcomer Balram Halwai is disillusioned by the city’s 21^st century materialism and violence. From a poor village, he is hired to be the chauffer for a rich family. Critics say that “The White Tiger” is a page-turner that offers an angry and unadorned portrait of India as seen from the bottom of the heap.  Jhumpa Lahiri’s best selling “The Unaccustomed Earth” is also about India . This set of eight stories explores the gulf that separates expatriate Bengali parents from their American-raised children—and that gulf also separates the children from India .  

            At the beginning of Joyce Carol Oates's 36th novel “The Gravedigger’s Daughter,” Rebecca Schwart is mistaken for another woman, Hazel Jones, on a footpath in 1959 Chatauqua Falls , N.Y. After this threat, she and her son Niley flee and she takes the name of the woman for whom she was just mistaken and becomes Hazel Jones. Rebecca's Hazel navigates American norms as a waitress, salesperson and finally common-law wife of the heir of the Gallagher media fortune, a man in whom she never confides her past.

            Summer chick lit includes Chris Radish’s  “Searching for Paradise in Parker, Pa. ,” a warm-fuzzy that tracks the troubled marriage of Lucky and Addy Lipton. Lucky's Kingdom of Krap—the garage littered with dismantled appliances and every other project Lucky never finished—has brought Addy to the breaking point in her stale marriage, but  the last straw is when their planned trip to Costa Rica (with its possibilities for romantic rejuvenation) doesn't happen. Meg Wolitzer shows her feminist views as she examines the lives of four NYC women who take a ten-year break from their careers to raise children. The “Ten Year Nap” is beautifully written with messages for readers on many levels.

            James Patterson is one of the best-loved and most prolific authors of today. “Sundays at Tiffany’s” is the story of Jane, a lonely little girl who whose mother has no time for her. Jane does have one friend-a handsome, comforting, funny man named Michael-but only she can see him. Years later, Jane is in her thirties and just as alone as ever. Then she meets a flesh-and-blood Michael who is exactly like the figure of her childhood imagination.

            Come in and check us out ! ! !

New fiction at Cuba Library for May 14 Patriot

            Fans of historical fiction, a dramatization of  actual events, have many titles to choose from this month.  Marek Halter continues his dramatization of Biblical characters with the well-reviewed “Mary of Nazareth.” Halter captures the turbulent world of a young idealistic woman who risks everything to bring a miracle to her people. The novel describes the influence three men have in her life: her father, a rebel and Joseph, a family friend. Author Conn Iggulden’s “Genghis: Lords of the Bow” continues the saga of the powerful Mongolian overlord  as he embarks on a bold new quest to conquer the mighty and rich Chin empire, leaving a trail of destruction behind as he makes his way to Yenking, the capital of the empire. “The Rosetta Key” is Willliam Dietrich’s follow up to “Napoleon’s Pyramids.” Catapulted into Jerusalem in pursuit of an Ancient Egyptian scroll reputed to have magical powers, Ethan gage, an“18^th century style Indiana Jones” must prevent the scroll from falling into the wrong hands.                                                          The experiences of Elizabeth I make for the ultimate royal bedtime story and Alison Weir’s offering “The Lady Elizabeth” tells of her tumultuous life before ascending to the throne. From the time of her mother Anne Boleyn’s death when Elizabeth was three, to her inheritance of the throne when in her twenties, danger always came at her. Several times Elizabeth barely escaped alive  Robert Alexander’s final installment of a trilogy that began with “Rasputin’s Daughter,”  followed by “The Kitchen Boy,” is called “The Romanov Bride.” It is about a villager seeking vengeance who joins an underground group that assassinates the grand duke of Russia , irrevocably affecting the remainder of his wife’s life.  Sally Gunning, whose first novel “The Widow’s War” is very popular here, has penned another story of a woman struggling against the terms of her indentured servitude as she is torn between the demands of a new master and the needs of a life-long friend. She is forced to run away to Boston where she learns a new trade and a new life. This starred-review title is “Bound.”  Newt Gingrich’s follow-up to “Pearl Harbor” finds Admiral Yamamoto struggling with the discovery that his government failed to formally declare war on America prior to the attack at Pearl Harbor . The novel is called “Days of Infamy.”

            Another popular genre is romance and there are several well-reviewed new titles this month. Joan Johnston combines romance and mystery in her latest “A Stranger’s Game.” When an FBI agent picks up a pretty woman outside a Texas bar, he learns that she is busy breaking into homes in the area trying to clear her name in a wrongful conviction of murdering her parents.  Jude Deveraux’s books are always popular. Having an unreturned love for a man she met as a child, Cassandra impulsively breaks an engagement to become the now-widowed man’s nanny.  But “Secrets” from the past threaten her chances of winning his heart. Compared to veteran author Deveraux, Debbie Macomber is the new kid on the block. Her Blossom Street romances are wildly popular. “Twenty Wishes” is about a list created by thirty-eight year old widow and successful bookstore owner Anne Marie. While seeking to fulfill her wishes, Anne Marie meets an eight year old girl who helps her complete her list with unexpected results. In Amanda Quick's (Jayne Ann Krentz's pseudonym) latest installment to the Arcane Society series, Leona Hewitt, a crystal reader, and Thaddeus Ware, a hypnotist, meet trying to steal the same relic—the aurora stone—from a private collection, but a murdered prostitute and a trap protecting the stone initially complicate their success.  Critics complain that Hewitt and Ware are “passionless lovers” but praise the mystery they are both involved in. The book is called “The Third Circle.”

            Come and check us out and don’t forget to vote on May 20!

New fiction at Cuba Library for April 30 Patriot

            New suspense titles this week include a bizarre international thriller by David Baldacci. “The Whole Truth” is about reaction to a frightening video making the rounds on the internet. In it, a young Russian named Constantin  claims that release of the video means he has been executed…but is it a hoax? Journalist Katie James is after “the whole truth” behind the actions of US government officials. When the wife who hired an assassin to kill him, one of Santa Fe ’s top criminal lawyers Ed Eagle, struggles to survive and protect his new girlfriend when his ex-wife escapes from prison. This Stuart Woods thriller is called “Santa Fe Dead.”  The very popular Iris Johansen has penned another suspenseful book that is hard to put down.  Obsessed with finding the body of her daughter, forensic sculptor Eve Duncan enlists the aid of psychic Megan Blair (2007’s “Pandora’s Daughter”).  The tension is high and the pace is relentless as Johansen adds depth to her popular characters as she continues this suspenseful series.

            Critics say that author Harlan Coben’s genius is to make the seemingly mundane terrifying. In “Hold Tight” computer spyware, text messages and cell phones deliver a series of shocks to a family who installed a program on their son’s computer that can monitor his every keystroke. Through technology, Coben juxtaposes a serial killer’s spree with an ordinary family’s life, bringing terror home when their son disappears. More suspense can be found in Nicci French’s  “Losing You.” Nina Landry awaits the return of her fifteen-year-old daughter from a friend’s house. She begins to worry when Charlie doesn’t come home and even worse, no one, not even the police, take the disappearance seriously.  

            “Miracle at Speedy Motors” is another delightful Botswanna tale by Alexander McCall Smith. This time, Ladies’ Detective  Precious  Ramotswe investigates the death of an elderly American tourist while her husband suddenly decides to mortgage the garage at Speedy Motors. While on a honeymoon trip to Egypt , Arkansas bookseller Claire Mallory is plunged into a mystery when her daughter and friend are chased through the back alleys by unknown pursuers. “Mummy Dearest” is by Joan Hess.

            Alice Hoffman’s latest novel, “Third Angel” is getting great reviews. Hoffman explores the complex and ever-changing nature of love in a novel that follows the lives of three women in love with the wrong men. Elizabeth Strout’s new novel is a fascinating look at the life of Olive Kitteridge, a retired school teacher and unofficial small town crier. Her interest in others’ lives include those of a lounge singer, a young man grieving over his lost mother and her own resentful son. This haunting book is called “Olive Kitteridge: A Novel in Stories.”  Elizabeth Berg’s new book makes striking use of the power of a short story. Food is the source both of solace and misery for Berg’s smart, dreamy and pragmatic women. The collection is called “The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted and Other Small Acts of Liberation.” “The Winding Ways Quilt,” the latest installment in Jennifer Chiaverini’s popular series, brings newcomers into the Circle of Quilters who share the original members’ struggles to balance their creative lives with friendships, work and family demands.

            Katie Crouch’s debut novel follows Southern debutante Sarah Walters as she comes of age in Charleston , SC. , and eventually leaves home for a new life in New York City . She keeps in touch with her childhood friends and in fact, must suddenly return when tragedy strikes. The novel is called “Girls in Trucks.” Come in and check us out!

New nonfiction at Cuba Library

            There is such variety in adult nonfiction, it is hard to group them for purposes of description.  A few are new editions of well-known standards like “Warman’s Antiques and Collectibles 2009” and “The Occupational Outlook Handbook 2008-09.” Others are on the bestseller lists, like “A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose,” popular because it was featured on Oprah’s Book Club,” or Presbyterian pastor Tim Keller’s “The Reason for God.”  Keller writes for skeptics, mining material from literary classics, philosophy, anthropology and a multitude of other disciplines to make an intellectual and compelling case for the existence of God.

            Four deal with health and development issues.  “Yoga for Arthritis” is a popular addition to the collection since over 7 million Americans suffer from arthritis.  Arthritis restricts movement, yoga increases range of motion: these two were made for each other.  “Kim Lyon’s Your Body, Your Life” is a twelve week program to increase physical, mental and emotional fitness by Kim Lyons from NBC’s hit show, “The Biggest Loser.” “Germ Proof Your Kids: The Complete Guide to Protecting (without overprotecting) Your Family from Infections” demystifies childhood infections.   “What Your Preschooler Needs to Know” is another in the Core Knowledge series by UVA Professor E.D. Hirsch. “It’s a Boy! Understanding Your Son’s Development from Birth to Age 18” by Michael Thompson addresses recent troubling studies that underscore the developmental differences between girls and boys that often compel boys to underachieve in school and embrace destructive behavior.

            Advice books include the beginning of a marriage “Smart Couple’s Guide to the Wedding of Your Dreams” and the end, “Make Any Divorce Better: Specific Steps to Make Things Smoother, Faster, Less Painful and Save You Lots of Money.” “Green, Greener, Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-Smart Choices” categorizes eco-friendly life style suggestions with tips that help readers select products that fit their individual needs in areas such as food, transportation, personal care and cleaning products.

            One new craft book this week is a beauty.  “Paper Cutouts” has full-size patterns for stunning and complex lacy designs. The finished wall and window decorations are worth the very tedious effort.

            New biographies include Julie Andrews’ “Home: A Memoir of My Early Years” and Nancy Horan’s “Loving Frank,” the ultimately tragic love story of Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Cheney. “Losing It” is actress Valerie Bertinelli’s bestselling account of her life backstage and in the spotlight. Here are the ups and downs of teen stardom, of her complicated marriage to a brilliant, tormented rock guitarist Eddie Van Halen, and of her very public struggle with her weight. Come in and “check us out!!!”

New fiction at Cuba Library for April 15 Patriot

            Mysteries are the most popular genre fiction in this area. There are many new titles to choose from by some of America ’s best known authors. Popular, prolific  Mary Higgins Clark’s “Where are You Now” is about the mysterious disappearance of twenty-one-year-old Charles MacKenzie Jr., a Columbia University senior, who walked out of his apartment ten years ago without a word to his college roommates and has never been seen again. However, he does make one phone call to his mother every year: on Mother's Day. Each time, he assures her he is fine, refuses to answer her frantic questions, then hangs up.  This year his sister intends to find him. Daughter Carol Higgins Clark has penned her 11^th Regan Reilly mystery. “Zapped” is set in NYC during the blackout of 2003. Regan enters her apartment, unaware that a nervous thief, is hiding in the front closet, a thief who knows about a hidden safe that Regan has yet to discover. Minutes later, the blackout begins.

            Carolyn Hart’s books are also very popular.  In the aftermath of a million-dollar coin collection theft, bookstore owner Annie Darling and her PI husband are further perplexed by a client’s murder in the home that the Darlings are restoring.   This newest entry in Hart’s “Death on Demand” series is called “Death Walked In.” Sue Henry also has a long running series character, Alaska champion musher Jessie Arnold. While getting ready to run the Iditarod, she stumbles upon a corpse during a practice run down a local trail. The book is called “Degrees of Separation.” Ann Ross  writes about Miss Julia, a steel magnolia of a certain age who has been doing just fine since her philandering husband passed away over ten years ago. In the latest hilarious adventure “Miss Julia Paints the Town,” she tries to scare off developers by exposing the town’s most eccentric characters. The plan backfires.

            Reluctantly heading back to her old boarding school, amateur sleuth Ellie Haskell has to confront a dark secret from her past when a beloved lacrosse coach Ms. Chips, dies unexpectedly. This 13^th in the witty cozy mystery series is called “Goodbye Ms. Chips.” Herbalist China Bayles is Susan Wittig Albert’s long running character. In “Nightshade” China learns her half-brother is hiding secrets surrounding the death of their father. “Turn up the Heat” finds murder on the menu at Simmer, a popular Boston restaurant, in the third saucy cozy to feature gourmet girl Chloe Parker from daughter-and-mother writing team Jessica Conant-Park and Susan Conant.

            Jeffrey Archer’s first-hand experience of being incarcerated allows his latest tale to ring true. Four upper-crust friends from Cambridge University known as the Musketeers conspire to frame Danny Cartwright, an illiterate London East Ender, for the murder of Danny's oldest friend.  The outcome of the intriguing trial, which pits a relatively novice defense lawyer against a skilled prosecutor, is a 22-year sentence for Danny. In maximum-security Belmarsh prison, Danny is lucky enough to share a cell with Sir Nicholas Moncrieff, who teaches him to read and write. In a trick familiar to those who are familiar with Dumas’ “The Three Muskateers,” Danny escapes by impersonating Moncrieff and hatches an intricate scheme to punish the Musketeers and clear his name. This page-turner is called “A Prisoner of Birth.”

            There are a number of new women’s fiction books by popular authors. Dorothea Benton Frank’s “ Bulls Island ” is set in the beautiful South Carolina low country she describes so well. After twenty years, Elizabeth "Betts" McGee has finally managed to put her past behind her. She hasn't been home since the tragic night that ended her engagement to Charleston 's golden boy, J. D. Langley. Jennifer Weiner’s “Certain Girls” is a sequel to “Good in Bed.” Thirteen year old Joy Shapiro vacillates between loving and hating her mother who struggles to let her “baby’ grow up. Rebellious heiress Haven Travis returns to town single after marrying a man whom her family disapproved. She vows to never again fall for the wrong man but her vow is undermined by the presence of a sexy Texan from the wrong side of the tracks. “Blue Eyed Devil” is by Lisa Klepas. Come in and check us out ! ! !

New fiction at Cuba Library for April 9 Patriot

            The “Best books of 2007” lists are coming out. Tim Willocks’ “The Religion” has been named the best historical novel. Kidnapped as a boy and reared as a Muslim warrior, Mattis Tannhauser is seduced by women and war in an action-packed romp set in 1565. “The Second Objective” has been named the best suspense novel. Critics say author Mark Frost deftly mixes plot and characters in his tale set at the end of WWII. With defeat near, the Nazis send a secret brigade, led by a charismatic SS officer to infiltrate the advancing Allies. Other novels named to the America Library Association’s “Best” list include Joe Hill’s “Heart Shaped Box (horror fiction),”  Susan Elizabeth Philips’ “Natural Born Charmer (romance), Kathleen Ann Goonan’s “In War Times” (science fiction) and a Cuba readers’ favorite, Sarah Allen’s “Garden Spells” (women’s fiction).

            There are many new suspense titles this month. Ben Black’s “The Silver Swan” follows Irish psychologist Quirke as he looks into the suspicious death of a young woman named Deidre. This tense and engrossing novel offers a look into her harrowing life of poverty, abuse and sordid affairs while owning a beauty salon called the Silver Swan. Joseph Wambaugh is well-known as a chronicler of the lives of cops. “Hollywood Crows,” a name referring to a Hollywood division of non-street working cops who focus on quality of life issues. The narrative veers between the Crows and a zany bunch of street cops that are investigating a nefarious nightclub owner just divorced from the beautiful Margot, who hopes to commit the perfect murder.

            True crime writer Kristi Benz, searching for the one case that will make her famous, gets her wish when she enrolls in college to investigate the brutal murders of three troubled girls. This latest thriller by Lisa Jackson is called “Lost Souls.” Fans of Peter Robinson will not want to miss his 17^th  suspense novel to feature DCI Alan Banks. Banks and his on-again-off-again partner and lover, Det. Insp. Annie Cabbot, race to solve a string of brutal murders. The book is called “Friend of the Devil.” Jonathon Kellerman’s new Alex Delaware novel, “Compulsion” finds the criminal psychologist paired with an LAPD detective to track down one of the most ruthless killers they have ever encountered.

            Bill Floyd’s debut novel “The Killer’s Wife” is about a woman who relocates to a new town after her husband is sentenced to death for killing a dozen people in a ten year spree.  She lives under a pseudonym with her young son for six uneventful years until the vengeful father of one of the victims locates her and publicly reveals her secrets. Then a copycat killer mimicking those earlier murders strikes close to home. Reviewers say Floyd has crafted a “spellbinding powerhouse thriller.” Minette Walters’ new book is about a British lieutenant who returns from Iraq a changed man due to head injuries. He rejects his former life until he finds that he is the chief suspect in a series of recent murders. The book is called “Chameleon’s Shadow.”

            Well known suspense authors Nevada Barr, Heather Graham, Anne Perry and Karen Robards also have new titles out.

            Looking for a feisty female lead? Handsome love interest? Sparkling, witty dialogue? Amateur sleuth outdoes the pros?  Check out  Sandra Balzo’s mystery, “Grounds for Murder.” It has all the right ingredients as charming and funny coffee-shop owner Maggy Thorsen finds the evidence and motive in the murder of the owner of a rival chain of coffee shops. James Hunt’s “Goodbye Sister Disco” is a roller-coaster crime thriller that also has all the right ingredients: a wealthy kidnap victim and plenty of action with a nail-biting ending.

            Come in and check us out ! ! !

New books at Cuba Library for April 2 Patriot

            Author Richard Price studies how a person’s conscience operates when faced with bad deeds in a violent urban environment. He is the master at peeling back layers like he did in 2003’s “Samaritan,” the story of a TV writer who returns to teach at his alma mater in the slums of Trenton , NJ . In 2008’s  “Lush Life” Price turns his unrelenting eye on Manhattan's Lower East Side, producing, critics say,   “a manic crescendo of a novel” that explores the repercussions of a seemingly random shooting. When bartender Ike Marcus is shot to death after barhopping with friends, NYPD Det. Matty Clark  first focuses on restaurant manager and struggling writer Eric Cash, who claims the group was accosted by would-be muggers, despite eyewitnesses saying otherwise. As the investigation continues, Price steps back and follows the lives of the alleged shooters—teenagers Tristan Acevedo and Little Dap Williams, who live in a nearby housing project—as well as Ike's grieving father, Billy.

Critics say that Lauren Goff’s “Monsters of Templeton” is the most original and inventive debut novel since “The Time Travelers Wife.” At the start of Groff's lyrical tale, 28-year-old Wilhelmina “Willie” Upton returns to her picturesque hometown of Templeton, N.Y. after a disastrous affair with her graduate school professor during an archeological dig in Alaska . In Templeton, Willie's shocked to find that her once-bohemian mother, Vi, has found religion and also reveals to Willie that her father wasn't a nameless hippie from Vi's commune days, but a man living in Templeton. With only the scantiest of clues, Willie is determined to untangle the roots of the town's greatest families and discover her father's identity.  Templeton is reputedly Cooperstown , NY .      

           Another debut novel getting starred reviews this month is Bill Floyd’s “The Killer’s Wife,” about a woman who relocates to a new town after her husband is sentenced to death for killing a dozen people in a ten year spree.  She lives under a pseudonym with her young son for six uneventful years until the vengeful father of one of the victims locates her and publicly reveals her secrets. Then a copycat killer mimicking those earlier murders strikes close to home. Reviewers say Floyd has crafted a “spellbinding powerhouse thriller.”

            “Black Widow” is the fifteenth appearance of Randy Wayne White’s popular hero, Marine biologist and special-ops agent Doc Ford.  Voodoo queen Black Widow is a sexually ambiguous dragon lady who runs a sophisticated blackmail enterprise in the Caribbean that snags a rich young woman, who is Ford’s goddaughter, out for a final fling before marrying. Ford finds much more than he bargained for when he arrives on the Caribbean islands to confront the blackmailer.  James Patterson’s one-time co-writer Andrew Gross has penned another solo novel called “Dark Tide.” This suspenseful tale is about the widow of a man killed in a tragic commuter t rain accident who successfully rebuilt her life with two teenage children until a pair of strangers arrive demanding large sums from her late husband’s investment business. Suspense also reigns in “Mafiya,” Charlie Stella’s page turning tale of Agnes Lynn, a former prostitute now working as an office temp. Her friend Rachel, still “in the trade,” turns up dead. Agnes’ investigation turns up a mysterious Arab, a snuff film and the Russian mafia. Critics are giving the novel starred reviews, noting how refreshing it is to read about a “flawed” heroine. Well-known suspense writer Minette Walters’ new book is about a British lieutenant who returns from Iraq a changed man due to head injuries. He rejects his former life until he finds himself the chief suspect in a series of recent murders. The book is called “Chameleon’s Shadow.”

            New mysteries include another Irish-born Molly Murphy tale by Rhys Bowen. In  “Tell Me Pretty Maiden” Murphy stumbles upon a young mute woman lying unconscious in a snowbank in Central Park . Louise Penny’s newest mystery “Cruelest Month” finds the idyllic town of Three Pines rocked by a murder during an impromptu Easter séance at a haunted house. Lisa Lutz’ follow up to “The Spellman Files” finds Izzy struggling to regain her PI license after her fourth arrest and David’s marriage to Petra . Nearly a quarter of a million copies of “Curse of the Spellmans” have been printed. Do you see a bestseller coming?  Come in and check us out ! ! !

New nonfiction at Cuba Library for March 25 Patriot

            Biographies on four very different people are here.  “Cornplanter: Chief Warrior of the Allegany Senecas” traces his rise to prominence as a Seneca military leader during the American Revolution and his later diplomatic success in negotiations with the Federal government. The book was written by anthropology professor Thomas Abler. David Sheff is the author of “Beautiful Boy.” It is the heartbreaking story of his once capable and bright teenage son’s addiction to methamphetamines, his downward spiral and the impact on him and his family. A happier story is found in “The Game of My Life: A True Story of Challenge.” It is about Jason “J-Mac” McElwain, the basketball player from WNY who scored 20 points in the final three minutes of his last high school basketball game. McElwain tells about being autistic “directly from the heart.” Modern veterinary medicine is explored in a 24 hour romp by animal surgeon Nick Trout. Titled “Tell Me Where it Hurts,” it includes a riveting midnight operation as well as tales about corpulent cats and a bisexual Boxer. Trout also considers the myriad of treatment options now available as well as quality-of-life issues.

            Thinking of traveling soon? Check out “Pauline Frommer’s New York City ,” or “Rick Steve’s Best of Europe” or the moneysaving guide called “Complete Travel Detective Bible.” Trusted Today show travel editor Peter Greenberg tells which airline seats are the best and worst, how you can vacation in a lighthouse, a monastery, or even a converted prison.  Which countries require you to get visas before you visit? Or won't let you in even if you have a passport? Which airlines are the worst "bumping" offenders? How you can avoid hidden fees?

            Advice books are always popular. According to author Richard Florida,  while your choice of a mate, or your career choice are among the most important decisions you’ll ever make, so is your choice of where to live. Where you live affects every aspect of your life and he describes community types like “strollerville” and “ethnic enclave.” The book is called “Who’s Your City: How the Creative Economy is Making Where You Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life.” Authoritative economic advice is related by Suze Orman in her revised classic “The Road to Wealth.” She discusses everything from credit card management to mortgages and insurance needs. According to well known author John Gray, many men and women give up on trying to make a relationship work because they are exhausted by the stressful demands of balancing  work and home. Mars and Venus collide because because they fail to see the stress their partners are under. Gray analyzes typical conflicts and how they can be defused in “Why Mars and Venus Collide.”

            There are numerous books that feature “fun” activities. Check out “Homemade: How to Make Hundreds of Everyday Products Fast, Fresh and More Naturally” which has over 700 recipes for cooking, cleaning and health-care products that can be made less expensively at home. New cookbooks include “Cookies, Brownies and Bars” and “Party Animal Cakes” which is a simple guide to creating wonderful cakes for children’s parties. Do you ever wish you could remember the titles of movies that you wanted to see? Check out “Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide 2008” which has over 17,000 entries or “Leonard Maltin’s Classic Movie Guide” which describes 9000 classics.

            Are you looking forward to Spring? Check out “Stone Landscaping” which has creative ideas for using stone with water features and in rock gardens, fireplaces and firepits, archways and grottos.  Spring also brings thoughts of gardens. Check out the well-reviewed “Grow Vegetables.” Even if you have only a few hours a week and a very small space, “Grow Vegetables” teaches you the tools and methods you need to produce your own vegetables.

            Are you a “Complete Idiot?” Whether you answer yes or no, the “Complete Idiot’s Guide” books are very popular. The newest ones are guides to “Global Warming” and “Starting an eBay Business.”

            We still have plenty of tax forms, and did you know that you can pick up an Angel Ministries Food Order form at the Library? Come in and check us out! ! !

New fiction at Cuba Library for March 19 Patriot

            Established authors and newcomers have books on the bestseller list this week. Jodi Picoult is one of the most popular authors at the Cuba Library. Her books present   provocative and relevant moral dilemmas that readers can relate to. Her fifteenth book “Change of Heart” is about capital punishment. A carpenter sentenced to death for a double homicide seems to be performing miracles in prison. Newcomer Hillary Jordan’s first novel is getting starred reviews. “Mudbound” is set in the rural Mississippi delta just after WWII, where a sophisticated urbanite moves when she marries late in life. Through well-developed characters in Laura’s new life, the novel explores material and social deprivation, racism and love. “ Mill Town ” is also the story of change that does not come easily.  Apsley is a beleaguered factory town in transition from its blue-collar past to a modern suburb. From a small town's darkest episode comes an unexpected story about the power of honesty. The novel is by P.D. LaFleur.                                                  Two titles have single working mothers reestablishing relationships with their mothers.  Attorney Emily Rhode gives up her practice and leaves her boyfriend to move home when her mother becomes ill. She takes a job as a receptionist at her father's law firm and moves in with her mother, getting to know her parents in a way she hadn't before, and in the process learning more about herself. Jill Davis’ “Ask Again Later” is a book that is both very funny and deeply moving. Prolific writer Joy Fielding delivers another suspenseful tale. Feisty newspaper columnist Charley Webb reestablishes a connection with her mother who abandoned the family when Charley was a child. The book is called “Charley’s Web.”

            Critics say the tension never lets up in “Judas Horse,” a thriller from Emmy-nominated television writer April Smith. When an FBI agent is killed in remote Oregon wilderness, Special Agent Ana Grey goes deep undercover to investigate. His death is linked to a group of anarchists hiding behind the façade of an animal rights organization.

Baltimore PI Tess Monaghan becomes involved in a big-budget TV show filming in the city. When a staffer is murdered, the good acting skills of those closest make easy solutions out of the question. This Laura Lippman mystery is called “Another Thing to Fall.” Sensible Philadelphia debutante Nora Blackbird turns sleuth when her friend becomes a suspect in the murder of a prominent Philadelphia philanthropist. “Murder Melts in Your Mouth” is the latest Blackbird sisters’ mystery by Nancy Martin.

            Suspense authors often have returning protagonists.  Stephen White’s hero, psychotherapist Alan Gregory makes his fifteenth appearance in “Dead Time,” which refers to the time of shock and grief after learning of the death of a close friend. The funeral brings together Gregory and his ex-wife, in a very uncomfortable reunion.  Linda Fairstein’s Alexandra Cooper makes her tenth appearance in a scorcher crime novel called “Killer Heat.” The assistant DA alternates between the courtroom and crime scenes amid the sweltering summer heat of Manhattan . While she works to convict a serial rapist, and find out the cause of disappearance of several young women, she also receives threats from a vengeance-seeking drug gang. Critics say this is a red-hot thriller!

In “Desert Cut,” two girls disappear from an Arizona town with a big secret.  PI Lena Jones butts heads with the sheriff of Los Perdidos, home to many illegal immigrants and a huge chemical plant. This well-reviewed novel is by relatively unknown author Betty White.

            Anne Rice’s second volume in her series portraying the life of Christ begins prior to his baptism. It  explores Jesus’ life as he waits for an unmistakable sign from God and concludes with the miracle at Cana .  Critics say that “Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana ” is “excellent historical fiction with sensitive, humanizing religious interpretation.” Come in and check us out ! ! !

New fiction at Cuba Library for March 12 Patriot

            Settle down with a cozy mystery and watch that pesky lingering March snow fly by! Mary Daheim’s   “The Alpine Tailor” is her 20^th mystery set in placid Alpine, Washington featuring newspaper publisher Emma Lord. An intriguing plot and the usual cast of lovable characters make this another winner. Tamar Myers has also found a successful formula and setting, with her Pennsylvania Dutch mysteries with recipes. “As the World Churns” finds small town girl Magdalena Yoder, who is married to big-time Manhattan doctor Gabriel Rosen, emceeing the first annual Hernia Holstein Competition. But then someone murders the contest's originator, Doc Shafor, while he's admiring the cows, and both Gabriel and his daughter Alison go missing. Magdalena and her mother-in-law investigate. Murder also comes to Lake Eden , Minnesota in Johanna Fluke’s 10th Hannah Swenson mystery (after 2007's Key Lime Pie Murder).  “The Carrot Cake Murder” centers on a family reunion that turns deadly when a long-lost uncle is found dead with two pieces of Hannah’s famous carrot cake next to his body.

            M.C. Beaton’s peevish constable Hamish Macbeth stars in his 23^rd book. The 50-year-old Scottish detective takes pity on a beautiful Turkish maid named Ayesha who is in danger of being deported, and asks her to marry him. When Ayesha goes missing and her sweet, elderly employer, Mrs. Gentle, turns up murdered, Hamish discovers that his bride-to-be wasn't exactly who she claimed to be.  The book is called “Death of a Gentle Lady.” In a sequel to “Wild Indigo,” Bureau of Land Management agent Jamaica Wild and her wolf companion are sent to assist at a wildfire on a reservation where the words of a dying man send her on a quest to unravel a mystery. This second “wild” mystery is a terrific blend of riveting plot and Indian lore. “Wild Inferno” is by Sandi Ault.

             Pulitzer Prize-winning author Steven Milhauser is one of the most inventive contemporary fiction writers. “Dangerous Laughter: Thirteen Stories” starts with a hilarious and creative story called “Cat ‘n Mouse.” The mouse understands that while the inept cat can make multiple mistakes, he can only make one.

            Laurel, a high-end quilt maker, sees the ghost of a little girl in her bedroom one night. When it leads her to the backyard and a dead girl in the swimming pool, the life Laurel had hoped to build in her gated Florida neighborhood with her video-game designer husband, David, and their young teen daughter, Shelby, starts to fall apart. Though the police clear the drowning as accidental, it soon appears that daughter Shelby may have been involved. This gripping novel by Southern author Joshilyn Jackson is called “The Girl Who Stopped Swimming.” Fans of Michael Connelly will enjoy former drug agent James Born’s new book featuring ATF agent Alex Duarte, first introduced in “Field of Fire.” The capture of a small-time drug dealer creates a domino effect and Duarte is sent to New Orleans to take out a larger distributor. The target turns out to be a “really big fish” that leads them into a vast conspiracy that threatens millions of lives. This fast-paced book with lots of twists is called “Burn Zone.”

            Critics say that readers may need a day off work after finishing Charlie Newton’s breakneck debut novel because they will have been up all night reading it. A real-life Chicago cop serves as the inspiration for heroine Patti Black in this dark, dizzy and bewildering novel called “ Calumet City .”  John Lescroart is an old hand at writing suspense novels.  At the start of the 10th thriller to feature DA Dismas Hardy, Hardy agrees to wrap up some of the caseload of a Bay Area lawyer who has mysteriously disappeared. After discovering that the lawyer was set to appeal an apparently straightforward murder case, Hardy realizes that the crime had its origins in Iraq , where the alleged killer and his victim first met. “Betrayal” is a tense, nail-biting drama.

            One reviewer wonders why, in this day of rampant technological change, do readers continue to be fascinated by stories of dusty manuscripts found on rickety shelves? Remember “The Celestine Prophecy,” “The Name of the Rose,” “The Rule of Four,” and “The Da Vinci Code?” Now we have Pulitzer prize-winning Geraldine Brooks’ spellbinding “People of the Book.” Brooks draws upon her experience as a correspondent in Bosnia for the Wall Street Journal to construct a story around a book — small, rare and very old — and the people into whose hands it had fallen over five centuries, people who "had known unbearable stress: pogrom, Inquisition, exile, genocide, war."

            New Christian fiction includes a title by a new author, and one by an old favorite.   South Carolina is the setting for Nicole Seitz’ poignant novel about two middle-aged sisters’ journey to self-discovery.  The publisher compares  “Trouble the Water” with Sue Monk Kidd’s “Secret Life of Bees.” Tracie Peterson second book in her Ladies of Liberty series is here. In  “Lady of Hidden Intent,”  Catherine Newbury’s father is accused of slave trading in 19^th century England so she must flee to a new life in America .

            Come in and check us out ! ! !

New fiction at Cuba Library for March 5 Patriot

            There are many new titles in the “woman’s fiction ” genre, novels with themes that are appealing to women. Relative newcomer Mary Kay Andrews (“Savannah Blues”) tells about Gina Foxton, a chef who is trying to land a job on a national cooking channel, challenged by both her unfaithful boyfriend and interfering mother. The book is called “Deep Dish.” Fans of Fannie Flagg will enjoy Susan Gilmore’s debut novel, “Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen.” It’s the early 1970s. The town of Ringgold , Georgia, has a population of 1,923, one traffic light, one Dairy Queen, and one Catherine Grace Cline. The daughter of Ringgold’s third-generation Baptist preacher, Catherine Grace is dying to escape her small-town life.             “The Last Beach Bungalow” is also a debut novel. Author Jennie Nash writes about April Newton, a cancer survivor who should be celebrating, but instead is restless. She feels her husband slipping away, and though the spectacular, stylish house he's building for her should be a fresh start, April finds herself wanting something more. She becomes obsessed with winning the right to buy the last bungalow in Redondo Beach                                                                                          Popular “chick lit” authors Deborah Smith, Kristin Hannah and Danielle Steel have new titles out. Smith tells about a Connecticut heiress who learns she's adopted and travels to a poor cattle ranch in northern Florida to find her birth parents. “A Gentle Rain” tells about her unexpected romance with the ranch's owner. Hannah’s latest, “ Firefly Lane ” is about two women, Kate and Tully, who have been inseparable friends since childhood. They have vowed to be there for each other forever and have kept that promise for thirty years until certain choices and events tear them apart. The book is called “ Firefly Lane .” Steel’s latest damsel-in-distress is an Academy-award winning actress whose career is on hold following the death of her husband. “Honor Thyself” is the story of how she tries to make sense of her life by looking into her past. It is called “Honor Thyself.”

            Sophie Kinsella has many fans because of the popularity of her “Shopaholic” series. Her new stand-alone novel “Remember Me?” is about a young woman who awakens in a hospital. The last thing she can remember is being a down-on-her-luck underling in a department store with a loser boyfriend. She is shocked to learn it is now three years later, she runs the store and is married to a gorgeous real estate agent.  Critics say that Rebecca Johnson’s debut novel is “unflinching and heartbreaking” as it explores the different ways people react to tragedy. It is called “And Sometimes Why.” Another debut novel getting rave reviews is by Therese Fowler. It is the heartbreaking story of Meg Powell who gives up the love of her life to marry another man if he will forgive a mortgage her irresponsible father can’t pay. Seventeen years later, Meg is a successful doctor in a loveless marriage with a troubled teenage daughter. The book is titled “Souvenir.” Fern Michael’s “Fast Track” is another tale in her popular Revenge of the Sisterhood series. Back in the United States and settled in a new home on Big Pine Mountain in North Carolina, Myra, Kathryn, Annie, Alexis, Isabelle, Yoko, and Nikki of the Sisterhood are meeting their new employers, who have a dangerous new assignment in mind. Christian author Tracie Peterson has started a new series, the Broadmoor Legacy. The first, “A Daughter’s Inheritance” is about seventeen-year-old Fanny, who receives a surprising inheritance and she discovers just how oppressive society can be... and that she may be trusting the wrong people.

“Johnny One-Eye: A Tale of the American Revolution” is getting excellent reviews. One critic writes “Never before has the American Revolution been so glorious or tawdry as in Jerome Charyn’s picaresque adventure of spies, harlots and Founding Fathers.” His smart and funny novel repaints revolutionary America as a tumultuous combination of adventure and intrigue. Come in and check us out ! ! !

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