20 Book Club Picks (Part 2)

June 25, 2013June 5, 2014 / Linda / Leave a comment

Here’s another batch of favorite books for book clubs.

(If you missed the first batch, here’s the link.)

Wild – Cheryl Strayed
The Thirteenth Tale – Diane Setterfield
The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins
Room – Emma Donoghue
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks – Rebecca Skloot
Eat, Pray, Love – Elizabeth Gilbert
Three Cups of Tea – Greg Mortenson
The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
Moloka’i – Alan Brennert
The Secret Life of Bees – Sue Monk Kidd
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – Jonathan Safran Foer
The Shack – Wm. Paul Young
My Sister’s Keeper – Jodi Picoult
Never Let Me Go – Kazuo Ishiguro
The Light Between Oceans – M.L. Stedman
The Forgotten Garden – Kate Morton
The Kitchen House – Kathleen Grissom
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie – Alan Bradley
Middlesex – Jeffrey Eugenides

Linda reads: Barefoot In The Sun by Roxanne St Clair

June 20, 2013August 27, 2014 / Linda / Leave a comment

This is book 3 of the Barefoot Bay series. You do not have to read them in order, however if you would like to, the first book is Barefoot in the Sand, the second book is Barefoot in the Rain.

Zoe Tamarin has been on the run since she was a child when her neighbor, Pasha, rescued her from a nightmare foster home. They’ve lived in the shadows, never staying in one place too long, not being able to live any sort of normal life. Zoe did manage to fall in love along the way, however, with Dr. Oliver Bradbury and decides to confess that she’s really not who he thinks she is. The confession and Oliver’s reaction go very badly and Zoe, once again, disappears.

Oliver marries another woman, has a child, divorces the woman, and moves to Florida with his son to start a new life in a new medical practice that helps cancer patients with new, experimental techniques. It is a coincidence that both Zoe and Oliver end up in the same Florida town.

When Zoe discovers that Pasha has terminal cancer, she seeks out Oliver to see if he will help (albeit, under the radar as Pasha cannot reveal her true identity). This proves to be a difficult task, as Pasha is too frightened her past will be discovered, and Oliver and Zoe do not trust each other.

The chemistry between Zoe and Oliver is explosive, but their resentment and outside influences interfere with their quest to reconcile. Both have heart-wrenching secrets that each needs to help the other overcome. Will Zoe run again or stay and fight for the life and love she yearns for?

This is a heartwarming, emotional story of love, loss and the quest for happily ever after.

Orwell’s 1984 is Back on Bestseller Lists After NSA Leak

June 15, 2013May 1, 2015 / Linda / 1 Comment

George Orwell

Since revelations about the government’s massive surveillance program became public knowledge, sales of the novel 1984 by George Orwell (pen name of Eric Arthur Blair) jumped significantly, according to Amazon. Within 24 hours, sales increased by 6,000% – jumping from 7,636 place to the 123^rd spot.

The book was originally published on June 8, 1949. In this dystopian future, Great Britain society is being monitored by round the clock surveillance. The story centers around Winston Smith who dreams that it might be possible to oppose the government and bring about change, and the lessons he learns along the way. The book has been mentioned by President Obama, Senator Bernie Sanders and various media outlets. The publisher, Penguin, says there is clearly a connection between the current news about the NSA whistle blower and the increase in sales.

The Cheshire Library has several copies located in the Young Adult section, and it is also available in e-book and audiobook formats through our Downloadable Catalog.

Jazz Titans Tony Bennett and Dave Brubeck

June 11, 2013June 5, 2014 / Linda / Leave a comment

Pioneers of jazz, longtime friends, and performers, Tony Bennett and Dave Brubeck only have one recorded performance together and it was a spur of the moment, once in a lifetime event.

On August 29, 1962, the Kennedy administration organized a concert at the Sylvan Theater on the grounds of the Washington Monument as a token of appreciation for the corps of college students who had summer internships in the capital. It featured separate sets by Mr. Bennett – who had just released I Left My Heart In San Francisco, and the Brubeck quartet, one of the most popular jazz groups in the country. At the end of the concert, Mr. Bennett joined members of the quartet for four songs – totally unrehearsed. The full concert lasted about an hour and was recorded, but it somehow was lost in Sony Records’ vaults. It wasn’t until Dave Brubeck’s death in December 2012, that Mr. Bennett recalled the concert and that prompted Sony Music’s archivists to search for the recording.

The CD,Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions, Live 1962, has just been released and is available for your listening pleasure from the Cheshire Library.

Other music CDs by both Mr. Bennett and Mr. Brubeck can be found in the library’s Jazz section. Mr. Brubeck’s newest CD is The Best of Dave Brubeck.

Mr. Bennett has a new biography called Life Is A Gift, also available at the Cheshire Library.

Mr. Bennett was recently interviewed on CBS This Morning. You can watch that interview here.

Author Johanna Lindsey

June 8, 2013June 5, 2014 / Linda / Leave a comment

Johanna Lindsey

June marks a big milestone for New York Times bestselling historical romance author Johanna Lindsey. Her 50^th novel, One Heart To Win, a western set tale, will be released on June 11.

When she was younger, she was such an avid reader, she found she couldn’t get enough historical romances to read. She decided to write a book for her own enjoyment – Captive Bride. It wound up being published in 1977 and was an immediate success.

Johanna’s books span various eras of history – Middle Ages, Regency England, American Old West and the Viking era. Her stories portray vivid adventures to foreign lands and time periods.

One Heart To Win is on order at the Cheshire Library. You may place a hold on it if you wish.