What the staff is reading...

Me, Michelyn in Adult - reading Fire and Ice by Anne Stuart. The last one in her Ice series that I have not read. I'm enjoying it, but the romance is still not as believable as Bastien and Chloe's in Black Ice.

Kate in the Children's Dept - Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris and Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Lori in Teens - reading People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks for the Mt. Laurel Book Club

Katie, Director - reading Ice by Linda Howard. "It was a fairly enjoyable read, but it ended too quickly and it was a bit abrupt. The action and adventure in the novel was fast paced and overall a good way to pass an afternoon. Not her best work, but certainly not her worst."

Dee in Circulation is reading Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married by Marian Keyes

Brent Watson to Sign Books at Heardmont Senior Center

Author, sports column writer and business owner Brent Watson will be at the Heardmont Senior Center (catty-corner from the library across 119) on Thursday, November 19th at 11:00am. He will be discussing his business, Comfort Keepers, a company that provides help with meals, housework, transportation and respite care to disabled or handicapped persons. He will also talk about his autobiography, Come Take a Walk With Me, a book that follows Brent through his childhood years and the events surrounding a terrible car crash that took the life of his brother and left him paralyzed from the waist down.

For more information on this event, please contact Theresa Green, director of the Senior Center at 205.991.5657

Book Review of Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Last week I read Becca Fitzpatrick's debut novel, Hush, Hush. I have to say that I really, really enjoyed this book. It's a young adult paranormal, yet it manages to stand out from the pack. Now, having said that: I kept having to remind myself that the characters were teenagers. I was sucked into this story from the beginning and stayed up to finish the book in one night. It's edgier than Twilight and goes in a different direction with the paranormal aspect. There are definite dark and dangerous undertones througout the novel. The main characters, Patch and Nora, were well developed, although Patch is more in line with a typical Anne Stuart hero or "gamma hero." I'm still not exactly sure where he falls in the good/evil spectrum... The action was constant, and although I took issue with some of the choices that Nora made --- it made for a fabulous story!!! Seriously, if you are looking for a fun escapist read - this is the book for you!

From Product Description:

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment. But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel. For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

Ice Storm by Anne Stuart - Review

I reviewed Black Ice by Anne Stuart earlier this year and since then I've read 2 more in the Ice series, Cold as Ice and I just finished Ice Storm. I have 2 more in the series to go before I finish. Again, I can't believe I have missed this author. Apparently I need to branch out from my usual romantic suspense authors.


I loved Ice Storm. It was as good as Bastien's story in Black Ice. This book focuses on the head of the mysterious "Committee", Isobel Lambert. I was reluctant to read this at first because I'm not fond of seemingly invincible women w/ little or no emotion. Perhaps it's b/c I can't relate, I don't know, but anyway Isobel is not all powerful and we learn her back story and how she came to be the ageless "ice queen". Of course there is a hero, who is very bad...or is he? Like Bastien, the "hero" in Ice Storm is not the typical alpha male (hard manly-man but putty in the hands of his woman), no he is an anti-hero. You dislike him most of the book, but he is also intriguing and you secretly want him to win. i hope everyone checks this series out.

Ice Series
1. Black Ice (2005)
2. Cold as Ice (2006)
3. Ice Blue (2007)
4. Ice Storm (2007)
5. Fire and Ice (2008)


Product Description of Ice Storm:
Behind her mask is a deadly secret . . .

The powerful head of the covert mercenary organization The Committee, Isobel Lambert is a sleek, sophisticated professional who comes into contact with some of the most dangerous people in the world. But beneath Isobel's cool exterior a ghost exists, haunting her with memories of another life . . . a life that ended long ago.

But Isobel's past and present are about to collide when Serafin, mercenary, assassin and the most dangerous man in the world, makes a deal with The Committee. Seventeen years ago Isobel shot him and left him for dead. Now it looks as if he's tracked her down for revenge. But Isobel knows all too well that looks can be deceiving . . . and that's what she's counting on to keep her cover in this international masquerade of murder.

Michelyn

'Outlander' author Diana Gabaldon by numbers

My favorite author Diana Gabaldon's career done by numbers in USA Today

If you haven't read 'Outlander' yet, shame on you, just kidding, but it's one of the best epic romantic sagas ever written. I've lost months of my life to that series. I still haven't read the latest one, Echo in the Bone, but at some point I'm going to have to squeeze it in.

Michelyn

Mike Huckabee Book Signing

Governor Mike Huckabee has a new book out titled: A Simple Christmas: 12 Stories That Celebrate the True Holiday Spirit. In this book Huckabee recounts twelve Christmas memories--often funny, sometimes deeply moving--that range from his childhood in Arkansas to his years as a young husband and father to his time as a governor and then a presidential candidate. These true stories will help you smile, take a deep breath, and maybe slow down your own holiday treadmill. For instance: As kids, Mike and his sister would sneak open their gifts before Christmas, play with them, then rewrap them so their parents wouldn't notice. The plan worked great for several years until one Christmas morning when young Mike unwrapped a brand-new football...that was covered in mud. That led to a powerful lesson about patience. Description from book jacket.


Get a copy signed when Gov. Huckabee comes to the Books A Million at Brookwood Village on Sunday November 22nd from 3-4. You may have to get a ticket the day before so call the store to find out at (205)870-0213.

For more about Governor Huckabee go to his website, www.mikehuckabee.com

Mt Laurel Book Club Review for South of Broad

The Mt Laurel Book Club met Thursday evening at Chuck and Gwynne Sams home to discuss Pat Conroy's South of Broad. The book, which has been considered to be the publishing event of the year, was liked by everyone and many members had already recommended the book to others to read. We had a great discussion due to the dynamic characters and situations that our hero, Leopold Bloom King, faced throughout the novel. The novel follows Leo King and the group of friends that he makes one summer for the next twenty years of their lives. It's a heavy book that deals with abuse, the 80's AIDS epidemic and other serious topics, but there were definite moments of humor. (I think we decided during the meeting that the novel covered every type of prejudice that we could think of that fit the scope of the novel's characters). Charleston was vividly portrayed in the novel - it could easily be said that Charleston was as much a character as the people in the book. Check this one out if you are looking for a thought-provoking read!!!

From Booklist
An unlikely group of Charlestonian teens forms a friendship in 1969, just as the certainties and verities of southern society are quaked by the social and political forces unleashed earlier in the decade. They come from all walks of life, from the privileged homes of the aristocracy, from an orphanage, from a broken home where an alcoholic mother and her twins live in fear of a murderous father, from the home of public high school’s first black football coach, and from the home of the same school’s principal. The group’s fulcrum, Leopold Bloom King, second son of an ex-nun Joyce scholar, who is also the school’s principal, and a science-teacher father, is just climbing out of childhood mental illness after having discovered his handsome, popular, athletic, scholarly older brother dead from suicide. Over the next two decades, these friends find success in journalism, the bar, law enforcement, music, and Hollywood. Echoing some themes from his earlier novels, Conroy fleshes out the almost impossibly dramatic details of each of the friends’ lives in this vast, intricate story, and he reveals truths about love, lust, classism, racism, religion, and what it means to be shaped by a particular place, be it Charleston, South Carolina, or anywhere else in the U.S. --Mark Knoblauch

Book Review - The Care and Taming of a Rogue

So thanks to the wonder of social media, Facebook to be exact, I was made aware of a new release by bestselling author, Suzanne Enoch. I picked The Care and Taming of a Rogue up over the weekend and was thoroughly entertained. (Any book that features a dashing hero with a pet monkey for a sidekick has me enthralled from page one!) The premise is that Captain Bennett Wolfe (afore mentioned dashing hero) has arrived back in London after a three year expedition in Africa to discover that he has been declared dead and his meticulous work attributed to someone else. So, what's a barely civilized man to do? Get even, of course. Then he meets the bookish Lady Phillipa Eddington and his straight forward plan of revenge becomes sidetracked as he tries to learn the most savage environment of all, courtship! I truly enjoyed this book, the plot moved along with enough twists for me to stay engaged and the character development was perfect. So, if you are a fan of the romance genre, be sure to pick this one up...



From product description:

How to tell if a man is an unrepentant rogue:
1. He has no patience for frivolous debutantes

2. He kisses you after a single dance

3. He makes you forget yourself and kiss him back . . .
After years away from London, Captain Bennett Wolfe is back—and alive, much to Society's surprise. Having been presumed dead, this rugged adventurer is now much sought after by every marriage-minded young woman . . . but Bennett only has eyes for the intriguing Lady Phillipa Eddison.
Phillipa would rather read than flirt, but she does know a thing or two about proper courtship rituals. A gentleman does not kiss a lady senseless, and he certainly does not bring his pet monkey when he comes calling. Lady Phillipa's ever been so scandalized . . . or tempted. She simply must teach Bennett some manners—before she succumbs to temptation as wild as the man who offers it.

Mt. Laurel Book Club Meeting This Thursday!

The Mt. Laurel Book Club will be meeting this Thursday at 7 pm to discuss South of Broad by Pat Conroy. Call Lori at 439-5512 for meeting location and additional details!

From Booklist:

An unlikely group of Charlestonian teens forms a friendship in 1969, just as the certainties and verities of southern society are quaked by the social and political forces unleashed earlier in the decade. They come from all walks of life, from the privileged homes of the aristocracy, from an orphanage, from a broken home where an alcoholic mother and her twins live in fear of a murderous father, from the home of public high school’s first black football coach, and from the home of the same school’s principal. The group’s fulcrum, Leopold Bloom King, second son of an ex-nun Joyce scholar, who is also the school’s principal, and a science-teacher father, is just climbing out of childhood mental illness after having discovered his handsome, popular, athletic, scholarly older brother dead from suicide. Over the next two decades, these friends find success in journalism, the bar, law enforcement, music, and Hollywood. Echoing some themes from his earlier novels, Conroy fleshes out the almost impossibly dramatic details of each of the friends’ lives in this vast, intricate story, and he reveals truths about love, lust, classism, racism, religion, and what it means to be shaped by a particular place, be it Charleston, South Carolina, or anywhere else in the U.S. --Mark Knoblauch