Lisa Anne Walker

The Ghost by Robert Harris. This is not a ghost story but the story of a ghost writer. It is a wonderfully taut political thriller. A ghost writer agrees to continue the memoirs of an unnamed recently retired British prime minister. The first writer has disappeared and is believed to have drowned falling overboard of the ferry that goes back and forth to the private island off the coast of New England. However, the new ghost writer soon learns that the disappearance may not have been an unfortunate accident. It seems someone doesn't want the memoirs written or doesn't want them written the way the prime minister wants them written. There appears to be an inconstancy in the way the PM tells his story and the information the ghost writer digs up. The ghost writer finds himself not only writing the memoirs dictated to him, but find that he needs to solve the reason why the first writer was killed and what damning information he had discovered about the prime minister and his politics. The inconsistencies begin to point to a strange political cover-up, but the writer is not quite sure what is being covered-up and by who. He ultimately discovers the reason, and it is not what it seemed to be. The writing is crisp and clear, the plot sufficiently twisty to stay interesting but not confusing, and a good ending.

Lisa Anne Walker

The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger This is the second book that I always recommend when people ask me to suggest a good book to read. This book is a non-fiction account of the Andrea Gale, a fishing boat that has the unfortunate bad luck to wind up smack in the middle of a rare type of storm off the coast of New England, USA. The book was made into a movie starring George Clooney, but the movie only entails the story of the boat and crew. The book, however, is filled to the brim with very interesting information surrounding the storm. The story of the Andrea Gale is the center point the rest of the book revolves around. For example, Junger did extensive research on the making of this type of storm. He goes into great detail about the meteorology. He also talks about deep-sea rescuers: their training and the work they do. He talks about others caught out in the storm. How a ship can survive the waves caused and how a wave can destroy. There is a lot of information in this book. Junger did a great deal of homework to present every angle of a storm of this magnitude. He even discusses the science adn experience of drowning. Yet the writing is so compelling, never dull, that even die-hard fiction fans will enjoy the read.

Lisa Anne Walker

Life of Pi by Yan Martel (eAudiobook). When people ask me to recommend a book, this is one of the first that I suggest. I love this book. The basic story involves a boy and a tiger stuck on a life raft. The idea may seem absurd, but their attempts to learn to live with each other in a type of harmony is a metaphor for life. Pi is a teen living in India when his life is changed dramatically when his father decides to move the family and the family zoo to Canada. Pi is very curious and observant. In the zoo he finds meaning in the lives of the animals. He is also a seeker. Though he is young, he wonders about the truth of belief, of religion. So he searches out believers to hear what they have to say. The story is never about fast action, mysteries, or romance. Instead it is a quiet book about what it means to not just survive life but to learn to live it and begin to understand it. Martel's prose always borders on poetic while conveying a strange story of acceptance. I have found that people either are bored with this book because of the lack of fast paced action or they absolutely fall in love with it.

Tiera Aubrey

The Husband by Dean Koontz (eAudiobook). I have always been a huge fan of Dean Koontz’ writing and I’m happy to say he didn’t let me down with this novel. The story takes place in California and centers around a man named Mitch who gets a mysterious phone call that tells him his wife (Holly) has been kidnapped. And if that isn’t enough to draw you in, they want her ransomed for two million dollars and he only has a few days to comply – and here’s the kicker… his profession is a gardener. He even goes so far as to state this obvious glitch to the kidnappers – how can a gardener come up with that kind of money in that short amount of time? The reason behind this seemingly impossible demand comes to light throughout the story as well as how Mitch, motivated by his intense love for his wife, tries desperately to keep the kidnappers happy. As a typical Dean Koontz novel – there are several twists and turns as well as his wonderful sarcastic humor. The only thing that would have made this book more enjoyable for me is if Mitch’s childhood wasn’t so dark. The upside of the slow revelations of his past is that it really makes me feel like I had a golden childhood and that I’m the best mother in the world!

Lisa Anne Walker

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russel.  This is a sci-fi novel but not quite in the same vain as most sci-fi. Set only a slightly in the future, it is the story of a Jesuit priest, Sandoz, who with a small crew travels to a far away planet. They originally learned of the planet when a beautiful 'song' is picked up on the massive scientific radios of Earth. Sandoz believes the song is of God and that it is his mission to go to this planet (he is a good man who loves to help people). Once the small crew gets to the planet, they meet some inhabitants, but not the ones who sing. So they befriend these. They spend a lot of time working with these and learning the language. They also find these people are oppressed, so they try to help them. Later the crew meets a singer and they are introduced to the city. But nothing is what they thought it would be. The writing is very good and addictive. I found myself reading for long stretches at a time. This is a sci-fi with many deep questions such as faith, oppression, etc. There is no happy ending. This is an excellent book whether you like sci-fi or not.

Reviews turned in by 6/13/11.

Titles are linked to the library catalog, the eBook catalog, and the eAudiobook catalog when possible.

Lisa Ann Walker


The Other by Thomas Tryon This is an older book, 1971, that I recently read. Several horror writers such as Stephen King commented that they believed this book to be a rare gem of truly good horror fiction. Normally, I don't read much in the horror genre, but I was curious. I am glad I did. The book centers on a set of about 11 year old twins Niles and Holland. The two boys have just begun their summer vacation from school in 30s New England. They are often bored and seeking things to do. Unfortunately, one of the twins has a nasty cruel streak that leads the two boys into serious trouble. The family of the boys is struck down several times in the summer by the tragic loss of loved ones and pets. No one understands why this one family suffers so many accidents and deaths. The boys know something, but they won't tell, not even their beloved grandmother who now lives with them because their mother has had a mysterious nervous breakdown and never leaves her bedroom. Like all good horror/thrillers, this story has a good twist--twice! The author has written a wonderful good read minus the literary porn, no graphic violence, and profanity that litters too much of today's books.

Lisa Ann Walker

Twisted Tree by Kent Meyers I was pleasantly surprised by the beauty of this novel. The description on the book leads you to believe that it is a story about a serial killer and one of his victims, this is actually a small part of the story. The murder acts as the center point of the compass: each chapter is inside the mind of one of the people from the vicitim's hometown. Their connection to her may be direct but more often it is distant and indirect. Each person's inner thoughts/dreams/failures are revealed to show how easy it is to misunderstand each other. The town is in North Dakota, a nearly isolated part of the country near the Badlands. Meyers' writing brings this area to life so that the setting becomes another character of the novel. The desolation of the world around them becomes a part of the desolation that many of them feel inside, not necessarily because of where they live, but how their lives have unfolded. This is not a who-done-it or CSI type investigation of the crime, instead it is a beautifully written testament of those left behind, the living, that the victim was once part of. We do get to see inside the killer's head, but not for the reason of attempting to solve the crime, but a chance to see the eerily his thoughts are not that much different from the thoughts of the others. He has hopes and dreams and questions too. The novel is not sentimental, it makes no attempts to apologize or seek pity for any of the characters. Instead it is simply a quiet, non-intrusive peek into the joys and disappointments of regular people.

Amanda England

I just finished “Dead Reckoning,”  (ebook) the latest installment of the “Sookie Stackhouse” series by Charlaine Harris. Sookie finds herself learning more about her fae history and how she ended up with her special talent. An unwelcome visitor from her past also comes back to stir up some trouble for Sam’s bar, and of course, Sookie herself. Sookie learns that Eric is keeping a secret from her, one of which Pam is forbidden to share. Even Bubba comes back for a rare performance, sequined jump suit and all. More family secrets are unlocked, new characters are introduced and of course, someone (ok, multiple someones) die. In an interesting twist, Harris brings two characters from a different series of hers into the world of Sookie. These characters have been in past Sookie books, but having recently read this “new” series, it was relevant to me. I really love when authors do that! There was no cliffhanger ending, so I am content in waiting a year for the next book. All in all, this was a good book, but not the most exciting in the series. In fact, it’s quite a bit tamer. The series is fantastic and one that is best read one book after another, with the exception of these later installments. I think now would be a good time for a reader to start this series. Be warned, however, if you watch HBO’s True Blood. The books appear to be a springboard for the show and there are very few similarities between the two. Do not expect the two to be identical.

Amy Hall

Barbossa's lip curled disapprovingly. "Now this is the last straw, " he said. "Girls and zombies are one thing, but escaped slaves?" From "Legends of the Bretheren Court: The Caribbean" by Rob Kidd As a fan of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies, I thought that the book that I found for a buck at a summer book sale last year could be good-after all, how could the further adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow be all that bad? Well-Jack and Barbossa were true to the movies and were good, but the author kept throwing in all of these other characters. (There were even Incas involved!)So, I would have to agree with Barbossa's assessment-it is the last straw. Not sure that I care to read any of the other books in the series, but it was OK for a quick summer read and OK for a buck.

Carol Bopp

The Snowman (ebook, eAudiobook) by Jo Nesbo This thriller was translated into English from Norwegian. The names and places are unfamiliar to the American reader, but the prose is crisp, dialogue terse, and the story is compelling. I enjoyed this and would recommend this book for a reader who enjoys fiction from other countries.

Sheryl Richey

It is the 4th book in the Mortal Instruments Series, "City of Fallen Angels". I have read the previous three in the series, and I highly recommend to the reader that he or she start with Book One. I believe that if I had not done so, I would have been pretty well lost in the scheme of things, and would have not finished what is a very good book. The author is Cassandra Clare, and the books are, in order, "City of Bones", "City of Ashes", "City of Glass". The main characters are modern day teenagers, living (well, residing) in New York City. The focus of the book is Clary, a teen living with her widowed mother. Clary is almost immediately introduced to the world of Shadowhunters, mortal beings who hunt and destroy demons, along with other undesirables, as needed. The book is full of the trials and tribulations of the average teenager, most of whom are also dealing with powers of the supernatural. We find love, hate, battle, revenge, mystery, and some rather shocking twists along the way. While there is no explicit sex, there is a lot of violence, and some very disturbing subject matter. This series is definately NOT for the young teen reader. Along with Shadowhunters, we encounter demons of all shapes and sizes, vampires, faeries, werewolves, and wizards. I may have forgotten to mention a creature or two, and if not, they will probably appear in a future book. The next book is due out in May 2012. There is also a prequel series, "Infernal Devices", that I am anxious to begin. A very good read, I have passed it on to my family and friends. Enjoy.