July 2008 Staff Book Reviews

Last Updated on Wednesday, 15 September 2010 15:14

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As summer heats up you may be looking for something to do while you hang out in a cool place. Why not read one of the following books our staff has recently enjoyed? The July Staff Book Reviews have something for everyone - hurricanes, murder, love and pigeons. You should be able to find at least one review to tempt your literary fancy.

Harriet and Isabella by Patricia O'Brien

Genre: Adult Historical Fiction
Staff Reviewer: Theresa Jaye Dickson, Associate Director, Planning and Operations

This is a history in novel form (not as grand as the work of EL Doctorow, but in the same vein and with equal ambition). It explores the struggles of the famous Beecher family - our early version of the Kennedys. An overbearing father, a favored by terribly flawed son, and of course Harriet Beecher Stowe and her sister Isabella Beecher Hooker, a suffragist. The times are alive with change as the Civil War has settled the question of slavery, but women's rights are still mired in the expectations of the tribal. And there is a trial, based on morals and lying and the need to hold women to different standards than men - and a vibrant family that destroys itself even as it represents the best of the American character. The author's notes at the end are wonderful and she even has book discussion questions for the book clubs that choose this title. I enjoyed it immensely and will read her other "history novel", The Glory Cloak:a novel.

Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson and Sudden Sea: the great hurricane of 1938 by R.A. Scotti

Genre: Adult Nonfiction
Staff Reviewer: Theresa Tittle, Norman Public Library

These two books will give the reader a greater appreciation of hurricane season which began on June 1st and runs through November 30th. In these books the authors relate the fascinating true tales of two massive storms that forever changed the regions they impacted. Before Katrina took on New Orleans in 2005, the great storm of 1900 devastated Galveston while the hurricane of 1938 leveled the Rhode Island coastline. The 1900 Galveston storm is ranked as the deadliest hurricane in U.S. history and is estimated to have killed between 8,000 and 12,000 people. The storm of 1938 killed 600 New Englanders and destroyed over 8,000 homes. The authors of these two books not only detail the remarkable ferocity of the storms but the bureaucratic, scientific and personnel issues of the nascent Weather Bureau as well. Both storms took place in the days prior to satellite imagery, radar, and computer weather models but Larson in particular details the hubris of the weather forecasters at the turn of the century in thinking they knew everything there was to know about hurricanes and the deadly impact of such hubris. Scotti relates how in 1938 the lack of storm tracking technology and limited understanding of weather systems allowed forecasters to "lose" the hurricane as it raced up the east coast resulting in no warning to New Englanders as to the true nature of the coming storm. These books provide fascinating insights into a world where forecasters thought they knew everything there was to know about predicting weather, but they were wrong.

The Pigeon Wants A Puppy by Mo Willems

Genre: Picture Book
Staff Reviewer: Adri Edwards-Johnson, Virtual Library

My house is new to the children books thing. Having a toddler we try to find books and music that will keep Mom and Dad as entertained as our little girl. And Pigeon Wants a Puppy is such a book! Not having read any of the other Pigeon books we didn't know what we were in store for - but Mo Willems Pigeon has the personality and energy of a toddler - but with a larger vocabulary which makes it that much funnier. Whether your little one(s) want a puppy, cat or walrus as a pet - you all will enjoy this book.

Dolly and the Bird of Paradise by Dorothy Dunnett

Genre: Adult Mystery
Staff Reviewer: Valerie Kimball, Center for Reader's Services

Rita Geddes is a make-up artist who encounters portraitist Johnson Johnson in Londa, Madeira, Barbados, and on his yacht, the eponymous Dolly - murder, piracy, drug smuggling, and a climactic hurricane ensue. This prequel to the mystery series by the late, great Scottish novelist, Dorothy Dennett has all her signature elements: fascinating characters, clever word play and twisting intrigue, but not the intricacies and elegant development of her historical series.


Embers: a novel by Sandor Marai

Genre:Adult Fiction
Staff Reviewer: Cindy Stevens, Center for Reader's Services

In this novel, Sandor Marai delves into the secrets of the heart and asks the questions, what is love, friendship, trust, loyalty and honor? Two men, one an aristocrat and the other his dearest friend, meet after 41 years of silence. In one night the truth of a fateful day is laid bare with the answering of two questions and the embers of old rivalries, hatreds and jealousies are stirred and then left to die. The depth of human emotions are plumbed. Pride, passion and ego and also examined. This is a starkly haunting tale published in Hungary in 1942. The translation from German to English is excellent. The language is rich with wonderful, detailed imagery and intricate dialogue. The reader may not have a detailed physical image of the characters, but Marai has constructed a tangible impression of both men and the one person no longer there, but whose presence is strongly felt. Embers is an elegant book with a steady, even pace which unfolds the story with subtlety and painstaking deliberateness. I even loved the typeset, a very graceful and fluid "old style" font. Embers was an international bestseller and highly recommended.


Oh, My Stars! by Lorna Landvik

Genre: Adult Fiction
Staff Reviewer: Cindy Stevens, Center for Reader's Services

Lorna Landvik is one of my favorite authors. She is not as well know but she writes a great story. in Oh, My Stars the protagonist, Violet, is born in a poor, southern town. Her mother runs off with the pharmacist when she is 6, her father is cruel to her, she grows up to be very tall, has a very deep, masculine voice and is ugly. To make matters worse, she loses her arm in a factory accident. Sounds like a terrible book? Nope! She is smart and very talented as a seamstress. Although she has plans to see the country and end her life on the Golden Gate Bridge, her bus runs into a tree in a South Dakota town during a rainstorm and her life takes a different turn. I love the characters in this story and it has a plot twist that surprised me. It turned out to be a really "feel good" book. GSR - Great Summer Read!

84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

Genre: Adult Nonfiction
Staff Reviewer: Shaye White, Virtual Library Volunteer

This is a collection of the real correspondence between Helene Hanff and the English bookstore, Marks & Co., which begins in 1949 and lasts for 20 years until the bookstore closes. The letters begin with Helene's request for a list of books that she wants cheap yet in good condition. As Helene receives the books at her New York apartment, she begins to write more requests that reveal her true personality. Mark Doel, who handles her orders, attempts to remain professional, but he can't help but reveal himself to her as he responds. Soon Helene begins sending care packages to the office in an attempt to help them survive war torn England and gains the friendship of the whole office and Mark Doel's wife. The collection of letters between Helene and the office are wonderful glimpses at the friendship that connected people who never met. The letters are easy to read and practically fly by, making it difficult to set the book down. Overall Helene creates a funny and heartwarming story. The copy I read includes the sequel, The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street, which is the journal Helene keeps when she finally visits England in 1971 after 84 Charing Cross Road is published. Even though the bookstore has closed, Helene is able to solidify her 20 year friendships and satisfy her longing to see the England where her favorite authors walked.