Don't Miss Lists and Other Reading Resources

April - June 2008

Fiction | Non-Fiction | Feature
All Issues: July - September 2007 | October - December 2007 | January - March 2008 | April - June 2008 | July - September 2008

Anam, Tahmima. A GOLDEN AGE: A NOVEL.
In this dramatic historical novel set in Bangladesh in 1971, a widow, whose life revolves around her adult children, is drawn by them into involvement in their country's fight for independence from Pakistan.

Barker, Nicola. DARKMANS.
This idiosyncratic and playful novel, set in England, portrays the relationships among the members of three families of eccentric and troubled people.

Bloom, Amy. AWAY: A NOVEL.
Lillian Leyb, survivor of a Russian pogrom that took the lives of her husband and parents and separates her from her daughter, moves to New York and becomes seamstress at a Yiddish Theater. When she hears her daughter may still be alive, she crosses the US and walks through Siberia to find her.

Bock, Charles. BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN.
In this disturbing novel set in Las Vegas, a 12-year-old boy from an apparently happy family disappears into the seamy underworld of the adult entertainment industry.

Brooks, Geraldine. PEOPLE OF THE BOOK.
An Australian book specialist is summoned to Sarajevo to restore a beautifully illustrated 15th century Spanish-Jewish religious book, and uses tiny clues to uncover the remarkable story of the book and its owners through the centuries.

Enright, Anne. THE GATHERING.
In this Irish novel, a middle-aged woman, her 8 remaining sisters and brothers, and their mother get together for the funeral of her brother who committed suicide.

Gordimer, Nadine. BEETHOVEN WAS ONE-SIXTEENTH BLACK AND OTHER STORIES.
In several of the stories in this collection by Pulitzer Prize winner Gordimer that deal with politics and sexual mores, her characters are searching for family ties, uncovering histories they might not be prepared to handle.

Gottlieb, Eli. NOW YOU SEE HIM.
In this suspense novel, a man looks for answers and uncovers long-buried family secrets after his best friend from childhood kills his ex-girlfriend, and then commits suicide.

Hage, Rawi. DE NIRO'S GAME.
Two childhood friends grow up amid the violence of war-torn Beirut, Lebanon in the 1980's. The older boy eventually joins the militia, and the younger boy, the narrator, subsequently flees to Paris, where he learns about his friend's treachery.

Harris, Robert. THE GHOST.
In this fast-paced thriller, a professional ghostwriter takes a rush job rewriting the memoirs of a former British prime minister after the original writer dies under suspicious circumstances.

Hill, Lawrence. SOMEONE KNOWS MY NAME.
This historical novel set in the 18 th century tells the story of a young West African girl who is abducted and sold into slavery in South Carolina. She learns to read and write, eventually escapes, and assists the British in the American Revolutionary War.

King, Laurie R. TOUCHSTONE.
In this psychological thriller, a British man, whose brush with death in World War I has given him an unusual sensitivity to people telling lies, assists an American government official who is investigating violence in the American labor movement.

Lazar, Zachary. SWAY.
This novel is a fictional portrayal of the 1960's, centering on the Rolling Stones, Charles Manson, and the underground filmmaker, Kenneth Anger.

McFarland, Dennis. LETTER FROM POINT CLEAR.
Family conflicts and tensions result when a young woman suddenly and unexpectedly marries a charismatic evangelical preacher, and her older sister and their gay brother go back home to Alabama to meet him.

Millet, Lydia. HOW THE DEAD DREAM.
A man who has always concentrated on making money begins to experience intense loneliness after a series of personal losses. Subsequently, he becomes obsessed with endangered species, to the point of breaking into zoos at night to sleep in animals' pens.

Nahai, Gina B. CASPIAN RAIN.
This is the story of a poor and troubled Jewish family in Iran before the Islamic revolution of the 1980's, narrated by their twelve-year-old daughter.

Pérez-Reverte, Arturo. THE PAINTER OF BATTLES.
In this literary thriller, a former war photographer is threatened by an ex-soldier whose life was ruined after he appeared in one of the photographer's most famous photos.

Schlink, Bernhard. HOMECOMING.
A man raised by a single mother in post-World War II Germany becomes fascinated by an ex-soldier, and sets out to track down the apartment where the story took place, leading him into a complicated love affair and to questions about his father, who was supposedly lost during the war.

Schwartz, John Burnham. THE COMMONER.
In this novel inspired by the life of the present Japanese Empress, a young upper-class woman growing up in postwar Japan becomes the first commoner to marry into the monarchy, and finds her life oppressive under the rigid constraints of her position.

Walters, Minette. THE CHAMELEON'S SHADOW.
In this thriller, a British Army officer evacuated to London after being wounded in Iraq experiences terrifying attacks of violent rage and becomes a suspect in a series of brutal murders.

Wells, Ken. CRAWFISH MOUNTAIN.
In this fast-paced and farcical novel set in Louisiana, the owners of a tract of pristine bayou wetland battle an oil company which wants to run a pipeline through their land.

 

MORE FROM MADREADS: Book News and Reviews from Madison Public Library

Madison Public Library librarians review a new book every day on our blog, MADreads.  Get ideas on new books to read, and share your thoughts with us.

The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller

When I saw the blurb for this book, it seemed as if it was a ripped-from-the-headlines plot: wife of politician loves him and stays at his side despite his likely numerous affairs. When one affair with much younger woman is too obvious to deny, they remain married but lead separate lives.

Now here's the thing: this exceptional novel by Sue Miller alternates between two couples, the couple described above and a much younger newly married couple that live next door. And the saga above took place a long, long time ago. So, rather than being a veiled Clinton-esque tale, the novel really is about marriage generally and the difficulty in maintaining your own identity in the face of marriage and family. By juxtaposing these two very different marriages from very different generations, she illuminates each woman's choices and decisions much more than if the story had been merely about one of the two.

I also usually like a non-linear style. Miller works wonders with it here, as the Senator's wife's side of the story shifts back and forth from present to past and from one couple to the other. It gives the reader a chance to delve more deeply into the characters, considering their desires and motivations without fully understanding them yet, than if it had been just plot-plot-plot in a straightforward fashion.

This novel left me wondering why I still haven't read much of Sue Miller's work. She's on my 'read everything she's written' list now.

- Reviewed by Liz, Central Library

 

The Robin Hood of L.A.

T. Jefferson Parker's latest thriller L.A. Outlaws features anti-hero Allison Murrieta who claims to be a direct descendant of the legendary 19th-Century California bandit Joaquin Murrieta.

By day Allison is history teacher Suzanne Jones, the mother of three sons living in Los Angeles. By night she dons a wig and mask and, while carrying a derringer, robs fast food restaurants using a different car each time. She never uses her gun, gives part of her loot to charity and has become a media star.

Everything changes one day when she witnesses a gangland-style killing while stealing diamonds belonging to a master criminal known as the Bull. Lupercio, the assassin, works for the Bull, knows that Murrieta/Jones took them and sets off after her.

As she is leaving the scene Suzanne is stopped by L.A. deputy sheriff Charles Hood as a witness to the murders. The deputy is interested in Jones and wants her to identify the killer. With Lupercio in pursuit, Suzanne and Hood try to stay one step ahead of the assassin as he tries to recover the diamonds.

Parker is the bestselling author of 14 previous novels and is one of only three writers to be awarded the Edgar award for best novel more than once.

- Reviewed by Lesley, Central Library

 

Adams, John. MY DEAREST FRIEND: LETTERS OF ABIGAIL AND JOHN ADAMS. Edited by Margaret A. Hogan.

Bainbridge, David. BEYOND THE ZONULES OF ZINN: A FANTASTIC JOURNEY THROUGH YOUR BRAIN.
Berger, Joseph. THE WORLD IN A CITY: TRAVELING THE GLOBE THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOODS OF THE NEW NEW YORK.
Bergreen, Laurence. MARCO POLO: FROM VENICE TO XANADU.
Boylan, Jennifer Finney. I’M LOOKING THROUGH YOU: GROWING UP HAUNTED.
Brandt, Allan M. THE CIGARETTE CENTURY: THE RISE, FALL, AND DEADLY PERSISTENCE OF THE PRODUCT THAT DEFINED AMERICA.
Brownstein, Ronald. THE SECOND CIVIL WAR: HOW EXTREME PARTISANSHIP HAS PARALYZED WASHINGTON AND POLARIZED AMERICA.
Broyard, Bliss. ONE DROP: MY FATHER’S HIDDEN LIFE – A STORY OF RACE AND FAMILY SECRETS.
Brzezinski, Matthew. RED MOON RISING: SPUTNIK AND THE HIDDEN RIVALRIES THAT IGNITED THE SPACE AGE.

Capote, Truman. PORTRAITS AND OBSERVATIONS: THE ESSAYS OF TRUMAN CAPOTE.
Carr, Jonathan. THE WAGNER CLAN: THE SAGA OF GERMANY’S MOST ILLUSTRIOUS AND INFAMOUS FAMILY.
Chang, Ha-Joon. BAD SAMARITANS: THE MYTH OF FREE TRADE AND THE SECRET HISTORY OF CAPITALISM.
Colquhoun, Kate. TASTE: THE STORY OF BRITAIN THROUGH ITS COOKING.
Cordery, Stacy A. ALICE: ALICE ROOSEVELT LONGWORTH, FROM WHITE HOUSE PRINCESS TO WASHINGTON POWER BROKER.
Cravens, Gwyneth. POWER TO SAVE THE WORLD: THE TRUTH ABOUT NUCLEAR ENERGY.

De Hartog, Jan. A VIEW OF THE OCEAN.
Doyle, Arthur Conan. ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE: A LIFE IN LETTERS.

Faludi, Susan. THE TERROR DREAM: FEAR AND FANTASY IN POST-9/11 AMERICA.
Faust, Drew Gilpin. THIS REPUBLIC OF SUFFERING: DEATH AND THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.
Figes, Orlando. THE WHISPERERS: PRIVATE LIFE IN STALIN’S RUSSIA.

Gay, Peter. MODERNISM: THE LURE OF HERESY; FROM BAUDELAIRE TO BECKETT AND BEYOND.
Goldberg, Jonah. LIBERAL FASCISM: THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN LEFT FROM MUSSOLINI TO THE POLITICS OF MEANING.
Goodman, Martin. ROME AND JERUSALEM: THE CLASH OF ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS.
Gray, John. BLACK MASS: APOCALYPTIC RELIGION AND THE DEATH OF UTOPIA.

Harrington, Anne. THE CURE WITHIN: A HISTORY OF MIND-BODY MEDICINE.
Harvey, Matthea. MODERN LIFE: POEMS.
Hass, Robert. TIME AND MATERIALS: POEMS, 1997-2005.

Jones, Judith. THE TENTH MUSE: MY LIFE IN FOOD.

Kavanagh, Julie. NUREYEV: THE LIFE.
Kennedy, Hugh. THE GREAT ARAB CONQUESTS: HOW THE SPREAD OF ISLAM CHANGED THE WORLD WE LIVE IN.
Krugman, Paul. THE CONSCIENCE OF A LIBERAL.

Lax. Eric. CONVERSATIONS WITH WOODY ALLEN: HIS FILMS, THE MOVIES AND MOVIEMAKING.
Layden, Joe. THE LAST GREAT FIGHT: THE EXTRAORDINARY TALE OF TWO MEN AND HOW ONE FIGHT CHANGED THEIR LIVES FOREVER.
Lee, Li-Young. BEHIND MY EYES. (Poetry)
Levy, David. LOVE AND SEX WITH ROBOTS: THE EVOLUTION OF HUMAN-ROBOT RELATIONSHIPS.
Lewis, David Levering. GOD’S CRUCIBLE: ISLAM AND THE MAKING OF EUROPE, 570-1215.
Lindsay, D. Michael. FAITH IN THE HALLS OF POWER: HOW EVANGELICALS JOINED THE AMERICAN ELITE.

Martin, Steve. BORN STANDING UP: A COMIC’S LIFE.
Miles, Jonathan. THE WRECK OF THE MEDUSA: THE MOST FAMOUS SEA DISASTER OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.
THE MITFORDS: LETTERS BETWEEN SIX SISTERS. Edited by Charlotte Mosley.
Montefiore, Simon Sebag. YOUNG STALIN.
Moody, A. David. EZRA POUND: POET: A PORTRAIT OF THE MAN AND HIS WORLD, V.1: THE YOUNG GENIUS, 1885-1920.

Neufeld, Michael J. VON BRAUN: DREAMER OF SPACE, ENGINEER OF WAR.
Nordhaus, Ted. BREAK THROUGH: FROM THE DEATH OF ENVIRONMENTALISM TO THE POLITICS OF POSSIBILITY.
Notley, Alice. IN THE PINES. (Poetry)
Novick, Sheldon M. HENRY JAMES: THE MATURE MASTER.

O’Kane, Bernard. TREASURES OF ISLAM: ARTISTIC GLORIES OF THE MUSLIM WORLD.
ON UGLINESS. Edited by Umberto Eco.

Plowden, David. DAVID PLOWDEN: VANISHING POINT: FIFTY YEARS OF PHOTOGRAPHY.

Qazwini, Hassan. AMERICAN CRESCENT: A MUSLIM CLERIC ON THE POWER OF HIS FAITH, THE STRUGGLE AGAINST PREJUDICE, AND THE FUTURE OF ISLAM AND AMERICA.

Rediker, Marcus. THE SLAVE SHIP: A HUMAN HISTORY.
Repcheck, Jack. COPERNICUS’ SECRET: HOW THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION BEGAN.
Reséndez, Andrés. A LAND SO STRANGE: THE EPIC JOURNEY OF CABEZA DE VACA.
Richardson, John. A LIFE OF PICASSO: THE TRIUMPHANT YEARS, 1917-1932.
Robb, Graham. THE DISCOVERY OF FRANCE: A HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE FIRST WORLD WAR.

Sandoval-Strausz, A.K. HOTEL: AN AMERICAN HISTORY.
Saviano, Roberto. GOMORRAH. (Organized crime in Naples.)
Schechter, Harold. THE DEVIL’S GENTLEMAN: PRIVILEGE, POISON, AND THE TRIAL THAT USHERED IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY.
Schell, Jonathan. THE SEVENTH DECADE: THE NEW SHAPE OF NUCLEAR DANGER.
Schlesinger, Arthur M., Jr. JOURNALS: 1952-2000.
Schwartz, Gary. THE REMBRANDT BOOK.
Shulman, Seth. THE TELEPHONE GAMBIT: CHASING ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL’S SECRET.
Spalding, Linda. WHO NAMED THE KNIFE: A BOOK OF MURDER AND MEMORY.

Talbot, David. BROTHERS: THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF THE KENNEDY YEARS.
Taylor, Charles. A SECULAR AGE.
Terkel, Studs. TOUCH AND GO: A MEMOIR.
Tungate, Mark. ADLAND: A GLOBAL HISTORY OF ADVERTISING.

Updike, John. DUE CONSIDERATION: ESSAYS AND CRITICISM.

Weiner, Eric. THE GEOGRAPHY OF BLISS: ONE GRUMP’S SEARCH FOR THE HAPPIEST PLACES IN THE WORLD.
Weitz, Eric D. WEIMAR GERMANY: PROMISE AND TRAGEDY.
Wenner, Jann. GONZO: THE LIFE OF HUNTER S. THOMPSON: AN ORAL BIOGRAPHY.
Wilcove, David S. NO WAY HOME: THE DECLINE OF THE WORLD’S GREAT ANIMAL MIGRATIONS.
Wills, Garry. HEAD AND HEART: AMERICAN CHRISTIANITIES.
Winik, Jay. THE GREAT UPHEAVAL: AMERICA AND THE BIRTH OF THE MODERN WORLD, 1788-1800.

Zevon, Crystal. I’LL SLEEP WHEN I’M DEAD: THE DIRTY LIFE AND TIMES OF WARREN ZEVON.

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