Friday, July 31, 2015

RITA Awards Announced!

The Romance Writers of America (RWA), the trade association for aspiring and published romance fiction authors, announced the winners for the 2015 RITA on July 25. The RITA—the highest award of distinction in romance fiction—recognizes excellence in published romance novels. 


Contemporary Romance: Long
Baby It's You by Jane Graves

Contemporary Romance: Mid-length
One In a Million by Jill Shalvis

Historical Romance
Fool Me Twice by Meredith Duran

Inspirational Romance
Deceived by Irene Hannon

Paranormal Romance
Evernight by Kristen Callihan

Romantic Suspense
Concealed in Death by J.D. Robb

Young Adult Romance
Boys Like You by Juliana Stone


For more information on the RITA Awards including awards for novellas and unpublished works:
https://www.rwa.org/p/cm/ld/fid=1640

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Forthcoming fiction in September

Here are some new Fiction titles coming out in September. You can reserve them by searching our Online Catalog, or give us a call at 847-729-7500.

The Hanging Girl by Jussi Adler-Olsen
The Darling Dahlias and the Eleven o’Clock Lady by Susan Wittig Albert
The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood
Dishing the Dirt by M.C. Beaton
The Bark Before Christmas by Laurien Berenson
The Girl With the Deep Blue Eyes by Lawrence Block
The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher
Driving Heat by Richard Castle
Make Me by Lee Child
The Man Who Fell From the Sky by Margaret Coel
The End Game by Catherine Coulter
The Solomon Curse by Clive Cussler
The Last Midwife by Sandra Dallas
Obsession Falls by Christina Dodd
The Scam by Janet Evanovich
Dark Ghost by Christine Feehan
A Lesson in Hope by Philip Gulley
Dragon Heart by Cecilia Holland
Dance of the Bones by J.A. Jance
Shadow Play by Iris Johansen
Come Rain or Come Shine by Jan Karon
The Drowning by Camilla Lackberg
The Photograph by Beverly Lewis
Entry Island by Peter May
Christmas in Mustang Creek by Linda Lael Miller
A Knights Bridge Christmas by Carla Neggers
The Murder House by James Patterson
Corridors of the Night by Anne Perry
Devoted in Death by J.D. Robb
Two Years, Eight Months and Twenty-eight Nights by Salman Rushdie
Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
Undercover by Danielle Steel
Shanghai Redemption: An Inspector Chen Novel by Qiu Xiaolong

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Women in War Time

Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale, is a moving story of two sisters in occupied France during World War II. Life during wartime could be horrible for those in battle, but what was it like for those not in the direct line of fire?

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
An emotional story of three women, an American journalist in London, the postmistress of a small town in Cape Cod, and the wife of the town doctor, whose lives intertwine as World War II begins.

Charlotte Gray by Sebastian Faulks
After leaving Scotland, Charlotte meets and falls in love with an RAF pilot. When he is lost over occupied France, she volunteers to join the Resistance to find him.









City of Women by David Gillham
Berlin, 1943. With her husband away in the army, Sigurd’s life is tense and difficult, but she has a secret, a Jewish lover. As the war continues, she is drawn ever deeper into the struggle to survive and what it means to those involved.







Trapeze by Simon Mawer
Nineteen years old and fluent in French, Marian Sutro is recruited by the British to work in German-occupied France as a saboteur. Her mission: go to Paris and convince an old flame, an atomic physicist, to work for the Allies.







Lisette’s List by Susan Vreeland

Sent to Provence to care for her husband’s ailing grandfather, Lisette discovers he is the owner of a fabulous art collection. Her husband hid the paintings before being sent to the front. As the Germans move in, she must find a way to protect the priceless works of art.

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

What season is it?


Have you been wondering what’s going on with the weather? Here it is, mid-July, and it still feels like Spring. Some of us might not mind the cooler temperatures, but it's supposed to be hot and muggy. After all, it's summer in the city! So, is it global warming? Whether you agree or not with this theory, it is worth looking into.
There are several thought provoking documentaries, on DVD and CD:
Let's start with An Inconvenient Truth:a Global Warming, hosted by former Vice-President Al Gore, as he talks about the myths and truths of global warming. 
From 2005, Global warming: the signs and the science. Filmed in the U.S., Asia and South America, it profiles the people affected by the changing climate and how they are making a difference in their communities.
For a visual look, there's Chasing ice, which documents the receding of the Solheim glacier in Iceland as a result of climate change.
On CD is Earth's changing climate, a 6-disc collection of lectures by Professor Richard Wolfson of Middlebury College.

For more information on climate change, the weather and the environment, please check the Library's catalog. 

Monday, July 13, 2015

Waiting for Harper Lee’s new book



We are a patient people, as shown by the long waiting lists at libraries for a recently re-discovered book manuscript. In the mid-1950s, before To Kill a Mockingbird was published, Harper Lee had written Go Set a Watchman. The events take place two decades after the original story. In this new book, Scout returns to her father’s home in Maycomb, Alabama in the midst of social and political turbulence. The town and many of the same characters appear, but now Scout arrives home, a child no more, and sees everything with new eyes.
The novel is set to be released in mid-July. In the meantime, you might enjoy dipping into the novels and stories of a few other noteworthy Southern writers.

Truman Capote was Harper Lee’s childhood friend and neighbor while growing up in Monroeville, Alabama. His book The Complete Stories of Truman Capote might be a good way to slip into a Southern state of mind.  Reynolds Price, another small-town Southerner who grew up  listening to grown-ups tell entertaining stories full of local colorwas called "one of our greatest novelists" by Harper Lee herself.  Kate Vaiden is one of the favorites of many of Price's readers.
Also fitting right in with this stellar group is Eudora Welty, who grew up in Jackson, Mississippi. We have her Complete Novels which includes The Optimist's Daughter, Delta Wedding, and Losing Battles (also available in individual editions).
Carson McCullers' Complete Novels is another repository of Southern stories now considered classics. One of her titles most often recognized is The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter.
Finally, we have Flannery O'Connor, playing out her darkly tragic yet humorous religious themes in stories with strange, memorable characters. Her book  A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories is considered one of the most original story collections of her time. She wrote her recently discovered and published spiritual diary, A Prayer Journal (2013) during her time away at college in Iowa. It offers readers insight into her deep passion for writing and religion. 
Of course, there are many other Southern writers, and discovering more about their lives and books seems like an enjoyable way to wait for Go Set a Watchman. 
For an interesting article on Harper Lee, visit:
http://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/02/the_favorite_thing_i_ever_read.html