Don't Miss Lists and Other Reading Resources

October - December 2007

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Antrim, Taylor. THE HEADMASTER RITUAL.
The sinister headmaster of a prestigious prep school sends a team, including his own son and a new history teacher, to a model UN forum, where real-world terrorism intrudes.

Burdett, John. BANGKOK HAUNTS.
This is the third in a series of police procedural/thrillers featuring a Buddhist Thai policeman whose investigations lead him through the seamy underworld of the Thai sex trade.

Carlson, Ron. FIVE SKIES.
Three men with painful pasts find friendship and renewal while building a motorcycle stunt ramp together at the edge of a Rocky Mountain gorge.

Carter, Stephen L. NEW ENGLAND WHITE.
In this literary thriller, a charismatic black economics professor is found dead on a back road in a New England college town.

Clark, Clare. THE NATURE OF MONSTERS.
In this suspense novel set in 18 th century London, a pregnant teenager is sold into service to an apothecary, who uses her pregnancy for sadistic scientific research.

Gibson, William. SPOOK COUNTRY.
In this surreal science fiction thriller, a former rock band singer who has become a journalist discovers a mysterious shipping container that attracts the attention of Cuban spies and the U.S. government.

Grossman, Austin. SOON I WILL BE INVINCIBLE.
This fantasy novel pits a team of superheroes against a supervillain with nefarious plans to take over the world; the unusual twist is that all the characters, even the cyborgs, have ordinary human emotions.

Hamill, Pete. NORTH RIVER.
In this novel set in New York City during the Great Depression in 1934, a doctor, whose wife has deserted him, unexpectedly finds himself caring for his 2-year-old grandson and has his life threatened after saving the life of a gangster friend.

Holland, Travis. THE ARCHIVIST'S STORY.
In this novel set in Soviet Russia in the late 1930's, a prison employee, whose job is to authenticate confiscated literature and destroy it, meets the imprisoned writer Isaac Babel, and decides to steal and save one of his stories.

McEwan, Ian. ON CHESIL BEACH.
This short novel set in the 1960's provides a sexually graphic description of the disastrous wedding night of two young Londoners, whose romantic dreams are changed by their inexperience and inability to communicate their fears.

Maupin, Armistead. MICHAEL TOLLIVER LIVES.
This novel updates the lives of characters from the author's "Tales of the City," focusing on Michael Tolliver, now in his mid-fifties and enjoying a successful and healthy life in San Francisco, despite being HIV-positive.

Mitchell, Emily. THE LAST SUMMER OF THE WORLD.
This novel portrays the life of pioneer art-photographer Edward Steichen, as seen through his own eyes, including the stormy dissolution of his first marriage and his experiences with airborne reconnaissance work during World War I.

Moore, Susanna. THE BIG GIRLS.
This novel, set in a women's prison, has four narrators: an inmate who murdered her own children, her therapist, a corrections officer, and an actress who the inmate believes is her long-lost sister.

Murr, Naeem. THE PERFECT MAN.
A young boy born in India is sent to a small Missouri town, home to a cast of eccentrics with dark secrets, to be cared for by his uncle's mistress.

Oates, Joyce Carol. THE GRAVEDIGGER'S DAUGHTER.
The main character of this novel is the daughter of a family that fled Nazi Germany in the 1930s and settled in upstate New York, where her father took the only job open to him, that of a gravedigger. After marrying and having a son, she flees her abusive husband, changes her name, and eventually meets a decent older man, who nurtures her son's musical gifts.

O'Hagan, Andrew. BE NEAR ME.
An intellectual Catholic priest, whose parish in Scotland is made up of working class alcoholics, falls under the spell of a charismatic teenager who leads him into drug use and a sexual abuse scandal.

Patterson, Kevin. CONSUMPTION: A NOVEL.
In this Canadian novel set in the late 1960's, an Inuit woman rejoins her family at their Arctic home near Hudson Bay after six years of treatment for tuberculosis at a Montreal hospital, and finds that her people's traditional way of life has changed forever.

Petterson, Per. OUT STEALING HORSES.
An old Norwegian man, who has lived in solitude since the death of his wife, discovers that his only neighbor is an old childhood friend; meeting the friend again after fifty years reminds him of a summer when they were boys, and a terrible accident that occurred.

See, Lisa. PEONY IN LOVE.
This complex novel is set in 17th century China, where an aristocratic young woman, captivated by a romantic opera, Peony Pavilion, chooses to waste away of lovesickness for a poet she barely knows, rather than enter into an arranged marriage.

Silva, Daniel. THE SECRET SERVANT.
In this spy thriller, an Israeli intelligence operative unearths a plot by Islamic extremists to kidnap the daughter of the U.S. ambassador in London.

Thompson, Jean. THROW LIKE A GIRL: STORIES.
These 12 gritty short stories focus on girls and women; most of them have made bad choices involving men.

Wiggins, Marianne. THE SHADOW CATCHER.
This novel portrays the life of photographer Edward S. Curtis, who became famous for his images of American Indian life; in a parallel story, Wiggins herself is a character who is trying to learn the true identity of a man falsely claiming to be her own father.

 

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.

 

Affair with a Flawed Man

Nancy Horan's first novel is titled Loving Frank and it details architect Frank Lloyd Wright's affair with mother, writer and translator Mamah Borthwick. Although this is a work of fiction, it is based on historical facts and much of the novel takes place in Spring Green, Wisconsin as Taliesin was built as a home for Mamah and Frank. The novel spans many years starting with Mamah's husband Edward Cheney hiring Wright to design a new house for his family. It is during this time that Mamah becomes a close confidant for Frank and they start their affair. Beautifully written and heartbreaking, this novel is a great read that presents the main characters as people who are in love despite the societal pressures to keep them apart. Descriptions of Mamah's conflict between her life as a married woman who is devoted to her children and and a life with Frank working as a translator of great feminist works are well written and complex. Mamah sees her life as having to choose between a life of domesticity and a career. This is complex enough to make the reader also question the best path. As has been detailed in many works, Wright was not well liked in Wisconsin (Isthmus article) and this novel does not sugarcoat the facts that Frank Lloyd Wright didn't pay his bills and was not well received in Spring Green, especially by the local newspapers who hounded Mamah and Frank at Taliesin. If you're looking for a beautifully written Wisconsin-themed historical novel with a strong main character, this one's for you.

- Reviewed by Emily at Lakeview

 

Stranded in Syracuse

Madeline Dare, a former Long island socialite, finds herself in Syracuse married to a railroad worker whose travels take him away from home in the debut mystery A Field of Darkness by Cornelia Read.

Madeline writes lightweight features for the local newspaper when she learns about the bizarre 20-year old murder of two young women dubbed the "Rose Girls" after the thorny crowns encircling their heads. As Madeline begins to investigate the cold case, she discovers that her preppy cousin, Lapthorne Townsend, is one of the suspects since his army dog tags were found at the murder scene.

Madeline retraces the girls' final hours spent in the company of two soldiers at the New York State Fair in an attempt to clear her cousin's name. Instead she finds dark family secrets that will challenge her own beliefs. Along the way she also encounters several colorful characters as well as another murder.

This book's witty dialogue and feisty heroine make A Field of Darkness a fun read. I hope this mystery is just the beginning of a long writing career.

- Reviewed by Lesley at Central

 

Angier, Natalie. THE CANON: A WHIRLIGIG TOUR OF THE BEAUTIFUL BASICS OF SCIENCE. 500 An45c.

Bach, Steven. LENI: THE LIFE AND WORK OF LENI RIEFENSTAHL. 791.430233092 R443b.
Bennetts, Leslie. THE FEMININE MISTAKE: ARE WE GIVING UP TOO MUCH? 331.4 B439f.
Blank, Hanne. VIRGIN: THE UNTOUCHED HISTORY. 306.4 B611v.
Brogan, Hugh. ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLE: A LIFE. 944.007202 T565b.
Brown, Carolyn. CHANCE AND CIRCUMSTANCE: TWENTY YEARS WITH CAGE AND CUNNINGHAM. 792.80280922 B812c.

Dallek, Robert. NIXON AND KISSINGER: PARTNERS IN POWER. 973. 9240922 D163n.
Dalrymple, William. THE LAST MUGHAL: THE FALL OF A DYNASTY: DELHI, 1857. 954.0317 D169l.
Damrosch, David. THE BURIED BOOK: THE LOSS AND REDISCOVERY OF THE GREAT EPIC OF GILGAMESH. 809.93353 D189b.
Denton, Sally. PASSION AND PRINCIPLE: JOHN AND JESSIE FRÉMONT, THE COUPLE WHOSE POWER, POLITICS, AND LOVE SHAPED NINETEETH-CENTURY AMERICA. 973.60922 D435j.
Doty, Mark. DOG YEARS: A MEMOIR. 811.54 D742zdo.

Frater, Alexander. TALES FROM THE TORRID ZONE: TRAVELS IN THE DEEP TROPICS. 910.913 F865t.
Friedlander, Saul. THE YEARS OF EXTERMINATION: NAZI GERMANY AND THE JEWS, 1939-1945. 940.5318 F913n v2.

Gawande, Atul. BETTER: A SURGEON’S NOTES ON PERFORMANCE. 616 G248b.
Geng, Steve. THICK AS THIEVES: A BROTHER, A SISTER – A TRUE STORY OF TURBULENT LIVES. 974.7043092 G287g.
Glavin, Terry. THE SIXTH EXTINCTION: JOURNEY AMONG THE LOST AND LEFT BEHIND. 333.9522 G469s.
Godwin, Peter. WHEN A CROCODILE EATS THE SUN: A MEMOIR OF AFRICA. 968.91051092 G549g.
Groopman, Jerome. HOW DOCTORS THINK. 610 G918h.

Halberstadt, Alex. LONELY AVENUE: THE UNLIKELY LIFE AND TIMES OF DOC POMUS. 782.42164092 P773h.
Heilpern, John. JOHN OSBORNE: THE MANY LIVES OF THE ANGRY YOUNG MAN. 822.914 Os1zh.
Herbert, Zbignew. THE COLLECTED POEMS: 1956-1998. 891.85173 H415c.
Hofstadter, Douglas R. I AM A STRANGE LOOP. 153 H677i.
Homes, A.M. THE MISTRESS’S DAUGHTER. 362.734092 H753h.
Howell, Georgina. GERTRUDE BELL: QUEEN OF THE DESERT, SHAPER OF NATIONS. 956.02092 B413h.

Igo, Sarah E. THE AVERAGED AMERICAN: SURVEYS, CITIZENS, AND THE MAKING OF A MASS PUBLIC. 301.072073 Ig6a
Issacson, Walter. EINSTEIN: HIS LIFE AND UNIVERSE. 30.092 Ei68i.
Issenberg, Sasha. THE SUSHI ECONOMY: GLOBALIZATION AND THE MAKING OF A MODERN DELICACY. 641.692 Is2s.

James, Clive. CULTURAL AMNESIA: NECESSARY MEMORIES FROM HISTORY AND THE ARTS. 909.09821 J231c.
Jaspin, Elliot. BURIED IN THE BITTER WATERS: THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF RACIAL CLEANSING IN AMERICA. 305.896073 J313b.

Kennedy, Pagan. THE FIRST MAN-MADE MAN: THE STORY OF TWO SEX CHANGES, ONE LOVE AFFAIR, AND A TWENTIETH-CENTURY MEDICAL REVOLUTION. 306.7680941 K385f.
Kolata, Gina. RETHINKING THIN: THE NEW SCIENCE OF WEIGHT LOSS AND THE MYTHS AND REALTIIES OF DIETING. 613.25 K83r.

Leader, Zachary. THE LIFE OF KINGSLEY AMIS. 828.91409 Am57l.
LeBor, Adam. CITY OF ORANGES: AN INTIMATE HISTORY OF ARABS AND JEWS IN JAFFA. 956.948 L493c.
Lee, Hermione. EDITH WHARTON. 813.52 W555zle.
Levin, Gail. BECOMING JUDY CHICAGO: A BIOGRAPHY OF THE ARTIST. 700.92 C432lb.

McGrath, Melanie. THE LONG EXILE: A TALE OF INUIT BETRAYAL AND SURVIVIAL IN THE HIGH ARCTIC. 305.89712 M178l.
McKibben, Bill. DEEP ECONOMY: THE WEALTH OF COMMUNITIES AND THE DURABLE FUTURE. 306.3 M21d.
Mead, Rebecca. ONE PERFECT DAY: THE SELLING OF THE AMERICAN WEDDING. 395.22 M461o.
Millner, Caille. THE GOLDEN ROAD: NOTES ON MY GENTRIFICATION. 979.4004960730092 M623m.
Moore, Lucy. LIBERTY: THE LIVES AND TIMES OF SIX WOMEN IN REVOLUTIONARY FRANCE. 944.040922 M784l.
Mundy, Liza. EVERYTHING CONCEIVABLE: HOW ASSISTED REPRODUCTION IS CHANGING MEN, WOMEN, AND THE WORLD. 362.19669206 M923e.
Murphy, Cait. CRAZY ’08: HOW A CAST OF CRANKS, ROGUES, BONEHEADS, AND MAGNATES CREATED THE GREATEST YEAR IN BASEBALL HISTORY. 796.3570973 M952c.

Nicolson, Juliet. THE PERFECT SUMMER: ENGLAND IN 1911, JUST BEFORE THE STORM. 942.083 N548p.
Nissenson, Marilyn. THE LADY UPSTAIRS: DOROTHY SCHIFF AND THE NEW YORK POST. 070.5092 Sch32n.
Nolen, Stephanie. 28: STORIES OF AIDS IN AFRICA. 362.19697920096 N717t.
Nouvian, Claire. THE DEEP. (Creatures from the sea.) 591.77 D36d
Nusseibeh, Sari. ONCE UPON A COUNTRY: A PALESTINIAN LIFE. 956.9442054092 N944n.

Olson, Lynne. TROUBLESOME YOUNG MEN: THE REBELS WHO BROUGHT CHURCHILL TO POWER AND HELPED SAVE ENGLAND. 941.084 Ol8t.
O’Malley, Padraig. SHADES OF DIFFERENCE: MAC MAHARAJ AND THE STRUGGLE FOR SOUTH AFRICA. 968.06092 M277o.

Pagels, Elaine. READING JUDAS: THE GOSPEL OF JUDAS AND THE SHAPING OF CHRISTIANITY. 229.8 P146r.
Pite, Ralph. THOMAS HARDY: THE GUARDED LIFE. 823.8 H222zpt.

St. Clair, William. THE DOOR OF NO RETURN: THE HISTORY OF CAPE COAST CASTLE AND THE ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE. 306.36209667 St22d.
Sisman, Adam. THE FRIENDSHIP: WORDSWORTH AND COLERIDGE. 821.7090 Si83f.
Smardz Frost, Karolyn. I’VE GOT A HOME IN GLORY LAND: THE TRUE STORY OF TWO RUNAWAY SLAVES WHOSE FLIGHT TO FREEDOM CHANGED HISTORY. 973.3620922 Sm25i.
Smith, Jean Edward. FDR. 973.917092 R677sf.
Sontag, Susan. AT THE SAME TIME: ESSAYS AND SPEECHES. 814.54 So59s.

Thubron, Colin. SHADOW OF THE SILK ROAD. 915.8 T421s.
Trynka, Paul. IGGY POP: OPEN UP AND BLEED. 782.42166092 P81t.

Vollmann, William T. POOR PEOPLE. 362.5 V886p.

Wallis, Michael. BILLY THE KID: THE ENDLESS RIDE. 364.1552092 B497w.
Waugh, Alexander. FATHERS AND SONS: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A FAMILY. 823.912 W357f.
Weinreb, Michael. THE KINGS OF NEW YORK: A YEAR AMONG THE GEEKS, ODDBALLS, AND GENIUSES WHO MAKE UP AMERICA’S TOP HIGH SCHOOL CHESS TEAM. 794.1097472 W433k.

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