Monday, July 28, 2014

THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS

 
Our book for next month's book club meeting will be The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.  This work tells the story of Henrietta Lacks and her cells.  These cells became an important part of scientific discovery and led to developments such as the polio vaccine and gene mapping.  Her cells have been used by many, and yet, she remains unknown.  This is her story.

If you are interested in more information on the author or Henrietta Lacks, you can visit http://rebeccaskloot.com/

If you liked The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, give one of these works a try:

Stiff by Mary Roach
The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family by Annette Gordon-Reed
Generation Rx by Gerg Critser
Abraham Lincoln's DNA and Other Adventures in Genetics by Philip Reilly
Blood Work by Holly Tucker
The Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard

Fiction Readalikes:

The Second Time Around by Mary Higgins Clark
The Mystery of Breathing by Perri Klass
The Footprints of God by Greg Iles
Mr. and Miss Anonymous by Fern Michaels
Fifth Vial by Michael Palmer
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley


Picture from http://syndetics.com/index.php?isbn=9781400052172/lc.jpg&client=arrowheadlbs&type=rn12

Monday, July 21, 2014

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: DEBORAH HARKNESS

Deborah Harkness is the bestselling author of the All Souls Trilogy.  The final book, The Book of Life, was released last week, and fans of the series will finally learn what the witches had discovered centuries ago.  After traveling through time, Diana and Matthew return to the present to face new problems and old enemies.  The search for Ashmole 782 and its missing pages takes on more urgency as they face their biggest threat to their future.


When she isn't writing, Deborah teaches European history and the history of science at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

For more information on the author or the series, visit http://deborahharkness.com/





The All Souls Trilogy:
A Discovery of Witches
Shadow of Night
The Book of Life

Want more?  Try one of these titles listed below!

The Demon Lover by Juliet Dark
Overseas by Beatriz Williams
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
The Witching Hour by Anne Rice
Dark Curse by Christine Feehan
Faefever by Karen Marie Moning
The Diviners by Libba Bray
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield


Picture from http://syndetics.com/index.php?isbn=9780670025596/lc.jpg&client=arrowheadlbs&type=rn12

Monday, July 14, 2014

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: ANN BRASHARES

You may know Ann Brashares from her bestselling Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, but she has also written stand alone novels.  Her most recent work, The Here and Now, was just released this year.

The Here and Now tells the story of Prenna James, who immigrated to New York when she was 12.  However, she did not come from another country, but from another time.  She is from a future where an illness has killed millions.  Prenna and the others who escaped must follow a strict set of rules: don't reveal where you are from, don't interfere with history, and don't be intimate with anyone outside of your community.  This is not a problem for Prenna until she falls for Ethan Jarves...

Works by Ann Brashares:
The Here and Now
3 Willows
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
The Second Summer of the Sisterhood
Girls in Pants
Forever in Blue
Sisterhood Everlasting
My Name Is Memory
The Last Summer (of You and Me)

Books similar to The Here and Now:
Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone
Things Hoped For by Andrew Clements
The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau
Until the End of Time by Danielle Steel
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Picture from http://syndetics.com/index.php?isbn=9780385906296/lc.jpg&client=arrowheadlbs&type=rn12

Monday, July 7, 2014

SHOELESS JOE

Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella tells the story of reclusive author J. D. Salinger and an Iowa baseball fan who has built an authentic baseball field on his farm property for Shoeless Joe Jackson and other baseball players.

Growing up Field of Dreams was a family favorite, and I still love the movie today.  I have never read the book it is based on, so I am really looking forward to this month's Book to Movie discussion.  Pick up a copy today, and join us at Creekside Place on July 31st!

 
Looking for more baseball?  Give one of these books a try.

Calico Joe by John Grisham is set during the Cubs and Mets 1973 season.  It traces the paths of Joe Castle, a rookie hitter, and Warren Tracey, a hard-throwing pitcher.

The Great American Novel by Philip Roth follows the Ruppert Mundys of the Patriot League in this rearrangement of baseball's history.

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach takes place at Westish College.  Baseball star Henry Skrimshander is destined for the big-leagues, but when a routine throw goes off course, the fates of five people are upended.

The Natural by Bernard Malamud tells the story of Roy Hobbs as he attempts to become the best there ever was.  It is a story of pride, second chances, and baseball.

Or, check out one of these baseball movies!

Field of Dreams
The Natural
42
Pride and Perseverance: The Story of the Negro Leagues
Moneyball
A Braves New World
Bad News Bears
Pitcher and the Pin-Up
Bull Durham


Picture from http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=shoeless+joe