Psychics in Fiction

October 30, 2014October 30, 2014 / Mary / Leave a comment

Did you know that October 31^st is Increase Your Psychic Powers Day?

I didn’t know it. Guess that means I’m not psychic. But I was curious so, like a good librarian, I began researching the topic. And discovered… Well, not a whole lot.

The day is rumored to have its origins in England back in the nineteenth century even though no one seems to have heard of this holiday until recently. Halloween is regarded as the day when the veil between the physical world and the spiritual world is weakest, so some believe if you are going to try out your psychic powers October 31 is the best day to do it.

I guess if I were psychic I would have known all about it.

Anyway, I decided to abandon the research and delve into the world of fiction. And here I hit paydirt. Literature abounds with tales of psychics.

Andrew Greeley, famous for his Blackie Ryan mysteries, also has a series about Nuala Anne McGrail, Irish immigrant, beautiful, a gifted singer, and, oh yes, psychic. She uses her psychic skills to solve mysteries. The first book in this series of twelve is Irish Gold.

The Arcane Society novels by Amanda Quick and Jayne Ann Krentz (who just happen to be the same person) revolve around a mysterious society of people with psychic powers. The Amanda Quick books are set in England at the end of the nineteenth century. The Krentz books are all modern. All the tales are romantic suspense with a dash of psychic power.

Kay Hooper has a mystery series that is described as psychic suspense. Her hero is FBI agent Noah Bishop, whose rare gift for seeing what others do not helps him solve the most puzzling cases. The books are denoted by the tagline Bishop/Special Crimes Unit and as of 2013 there fifteen titles in the series.

There are many, many more great novels about psychics. If you have a feeling you’d like to peruse a few, here is a short list, in no particular order, of ten more popular titles:

Road Dogs by Elmore Leonard
The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
By the Light of the Moon by Dean Koontz
Pandora’s Daughter by Iris Johansen
Before I Say Goodbye by Mary Higgins Calrk
Darkness My Old Friend by Lisa Unger
What I Had Before I Had You by Sarah Cornwell
The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho
The Dead Path by Stephen Irwin
The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley

For a lengthier list of titles, concentrate really, really hard… Or just click this link and peruse our catalog.

Linda Reads: In Your Dreams by Kristan Higgins

October 16, 2014October 15, 2014 / Linda / Leave a comment

In Your Dreams by Kristan Higgins is book 4 of the Blue Heron Series, however, you do not have to read the books in order.

Publisher’s summary – Everyone loves Jack Holland, but Emmaline Neal needs him. Her ex-fiancé is getting married in Malibu and, obviously, she can’t go to the wedding alone. In Manningsport, New York, tall, blond and gorgeous Jack Holland is practically a cottage industry when it comes to rescuing desperate women. He knows the drill, Em figures, so he won’t get the wrong idea.

What Jack needs is an excuse to leave town. Ever since rescuing four teenagers from a car wreck, he’s been hailed as a hero and the attention is making him itchy, especially since his too-pretty ex-wife is back, angling for a reunion. He’s always liked Emmaline. She needs a weekend date? No problem.

So when they wind up in bed together, Em chalks it up to red wine and chocolate cake, just one impulsive night not to be repeated. But Jack’s pushing for more, and if she lets down her guard, either she’ll get her heart crushed again, or discover that Jack’s worth more than just dreaming about.

My take: This may sound like the typical, happily ever after, sappy love story, but I was very pleasantly surprised to find it much more complex. Ms. Higgins really goes deep down inside the heart and soul of Jack and Emmaline, taking us on quite a ride through these imperfect characters’ lives. Through well-placed flashbacks and snappy dialogue, we watch these two unlikely people go from acquaintances, to overcoming tremendous obstacles, to falling in love. The story is tender and traumatic, emotional and funny, sweet and inspiring.

Ms. Higgins does a wonderful job covering the topics of childhood bullying and PTSD. We normally associate PTSD with war time, but Jack’s PTSD stems from his rescue of town teenagers from a horrific car accident.

Throw in a puppy, wine making, hockey, small town police department, and a quirky, interesting supporting cast, and you’ve got the perfect must read romance!

This is, by far, my favorite book written by Kristan Higgins.

The other books in this series, in order, are: The Best Man, The Perfect Match, Waiting on You.

Book Club Picks – It’s All About Love

September 25, 2014September 25, 2014 / Linda / Leave a comment

The hustle and bustle of summer is over. It’s a great time to settle in with a warm and fuzzy romance. Here are a few to choose from.

Return to Tradd Street by Karen White – Struggling to complete renovations on her house before her baby arrives, single mother and psychic realtor Melanie Middleton seeks help from the man who broke her heart when a series of hauntings plaguing her house turn violent.

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philip Sendker – When a successful New York lawyer suddenly disappears without a trace, neither his wife nor his daughter has any idea where he might be–until they find a love letter he wrote many years before, to a Burmese woman who is unknown to them.

Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts – After suffering through an intense year of public and police scrutiny after being wrongly implicated in his fiancâe’s murder, Boston lawyer Eli Landon takes sanctuary in a centuries-old family home and falls in love with resident housekeeper Abra Walsh, with whom he is entangled in an old, life-threatening mystery.

Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham – A struggling actress in 1990s New York City searches for work and the perfect hair product while befriending a rival and resisting her father’s pressure to get a “real” job.

Three Sisters by Susan Mallery – Buying one of the famed Three Sisters Queen Anne houses on Blackberry Island, Dr. Andi Gordon, deciding that both her life and home are in need of some major renovations, forms an unbreakable bond with her neighbors–two very different women who are dealing with their own struggles.

The Summer Girls by Mary Alice Monroe – Summoned by their Charleston society grandmother to a historic family home on Sullivan’s Island, estranged sisters Carson, Eudora and Harper share a summer of healing and forgiveness while exploring the tenacious complexities of sisterhood and friendship.

Hissy Fit by Mary Kay Andrews – Calling off her high-society wedding after discovering her fiancâe’s infidelity, Keely Murdock faces financial ruin before receiving assistance–and an opportunity for revenge–from the new owner of a local bra company.

The Inn At Rose Harbor by Debbie Macomber – Jo Marie Rose opens the Rose Harbor Inn bed and breakfast in Cedar Cove in order to start a new life, but the inn and its first guests bring surprises into Jo’s life.

Twelve Times Blessed by Jacquelyn Mitchard – A year in the life of a fortysomething woman reveals the reflections of widow True Dickinson, who has raised a son and built a successful small business while putting off the kind of romance she desperately desires.

War Brides by Helen Bryan – Five women form a bond of friendship in the English village of Crowmarch Priors as they find their lives altered by loss and love during World War II.

Linda Reads: The Beekeeper’s Ball by Susan Wiggs

August 19, 2014July 25, 2014 / Linda / Leave a comment

The Beekeeper’s Ball by Susan Wiggs is book two of the Bella Vista Chronicles. Book One, The Apple Orchard was previously reviewed here. It is best to read book one first.

Thirty year old Isabel Johansen is a talented chef who had to suddenly leave culinary school under traumatic circumstances. She returned to her beloved home in Archangel to transform the family estate of a beautiful hacienda, apple orchards, gardens, and beehives to a destination cooking school. It’s a huge undertaking, especially since she is also planning her half-sister Tess’s wedding. But a stranger shows up, and Isabel’s carefully ordered plans are put into jeopardy.

Cormac O’Neill is an award winning, world famous journalist. Unbeknown by Isabel, he’s on his way to Bella Vista to meet Isabel’s grandfather, Magnus, to help write Magnus’ life story – a powerful, moving story of the Danish Resistance during World War II, the two women who shared his life, and the friend who helped him go to America and build his apple orchards.

Ms. Wiggs beautifully weaves the two plot lines – Magnus’s prior life, and the present day struggles of Isabel trying to build her cooking school, plan her sister’s wedding and overcome a painful episode that forced her to quit culinary school. A sweet and understated romance blooms between Isabel and Cormac as they both learn to overcome their painful pasts.

Once again, Ms. Wiggs has written a visually appealing, moving story about love, lost, forgiveness and family. Her incredible descriptions bring you right into the middle of World War II and smoothly transition to the lush, fragrant hills of present day California. This book ends with the promise of an exciting story regarding Isabel and Tess’ father’s untimely death in the next installment of Bella Vista.

10 Books We’re Looking Forward to in August

August 12, 2014July 25, 2014 / Louise / Leave a comment

Thrills, history, fantasy, and a bit of romance are all coming to Cheshire Library shelves in August. Just the thing to get us through the lazy, hazy days of summer!

Every month, librarians from around the country pick the top ten new books they’d most like to share with readers. The results are published on LibraryReads.org. One of the goals of LibraryReads is to highlight the important role public libraries play in building buzz for new books and new authors. Click through to read more about what new and upcoming books librarians consider buzzworthy this month. The top ten titles for August are: