TRAINS AND LOVERS

 

We will be discussing Trains and Lovers by Alexander McCall Smith at our February book club meeting.

Trains and Lovers is the story of four strangers traveling by train from Edinburgh to London.  Along the way they entertain one another with stories of how trains have changed their lives.

Alexander McCall Smith is the author of numerous works including the Corduroy Mansions series, the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, the 44 Scotland Street series, and the Isabel Dalhousie series.

For more information on Alexander McCall Smith visit http://www.randomhouse.com/features/mccallsmith/main.php

For similar reads to Trains and Lovers try one of the titles listed below.

A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy follows Chicky and her niece Orla who turn a coastal Ireland mansion into a holiday resort.  They receive a variety of guests throughout the week who all share in one another's laughter and heartache.
Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts: Wedding baker, Laurel McBane is surrounded by romance working at a wedding planning company with her best friends.  Will she get the happily ever after she is looking for?

Rogue by Danielle Steel tells the story of Maxine Williams and her ex-husband.  He wants her to work as a partner in a project that could change many lives.  What will she decide?

Picture from http://syndetics.com/index.php?isbn=9780307908544/lc.jpg&client=arrowheadlbs&type=rn12

CONSPIRACIES

Who doesn't love a good conspiracy?  I recently finished reading Brad Meltzer's History Decoded, and I thought it would be fun to put together a list of some conspiracy books.

Nonfiction:
History Decoded: the 10 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time by Brad Meltzer
Conspiracy of Fools: a True Story by Kurt Eichenwald
They Killed Our President: 63 Reasons to Believe There Was a Conspiracy to Assassinate JFK by Jesse Ventura
Legacy of Ashes: the History of the CIA by Tim Weiner
The Day After Roswell by Philip Corso
Killing Lincoln: the Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever by Bill O'Reilly
The Lincoln Murder Conspiracies by William Hanchett

Fiction:
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
The Camel Club by David Baldacci
Capitol Conspiracy by William Bernhardt
The Conspiracy Club by Jonathan Kellerman
The Inner Circle by Brad Meltzer

Movies:
The Conspirator
National Treasure
National Treasure 2
Best of Ancient Aliens

Picture from http://syndetics.com/index.php?isbn=9780761177456/lc.jpg&client=arrowheadlbs&type=rn12

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: PETER LERANGIS

I recently finished reading the first two entries in Peter Lerangis' new series: The Seven Wonders.  I enjoyed the first book, but I think I liked the second one even more.  I can't wait to see what happens next!

Peter Lerangis is the author of multiple middle grade series as well as young adult books.

The Seven Wonders series (The Colossus Rises and Lost in Bablyon)
39 Clues (one of many authors) series
Spy X series
Watchers series

Young Adult Titles:
Somebody, Please Tell Me Who I Am
WTF
Smiler's Bones

For more information on Peter Lerangis or his books, visit http://peterlerangis.com/ 

Already read The Seven Wonders entries?  Try one of these books to hold you over until the next one comes out!

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Berry
Goddess of Yesterday by Caroline B. Cooney
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper

Picture from http://syndetics.com/index.php?isbn=9780062070401/lc.jpg&client=arrowheadlbs&type=rn12

ROMANTIC READS

Looking for something to keep you occupied and inside by the fire during the cold month of January?  Try one of these romantic reads.

Overseas by Beatriz Williams is a captivating novel about a cynical Wall Street analyst who falls in love with a billionaire with a mysterious past.  Their romance has ties to a relationship with a World War I British officer and an American who held vital information regarding a mission.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon tells the story of Claire Randall who is leading a double life.  She has a husband in one century and a lover in another.  A former combat nurse, Claire is back from war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon.  While vacationing, she touches a boulder in one of the ancient stone circles found on the British Isles and is suddenly an outlander in a Scotland at war.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger follows Henry DeTamble, who travels involuntarily through time, and Clare Abshire, whose life takes a normal sequential route.  Henry and Clare's passionate love affair endures across time.  This is a story of fate and belief in love.

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness: Diana Bishop, witch and historian, discovers an enchanted manuscript, and, as a result, captures the attention of vampire Matthew Clairmont.

My Name Is Memory by Ann Brashares tells a story of a man who spends centuries falling in love with the same girl.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen is a novel of star-crossed lovers set in the circus world of the 1930s. Jacob Jankowski jumps onto a passing train and is thrown into the world of the circus.  It is there that he meets Marlena, the star of the equestrian act and wife of the animal trainer, and Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her.



Picture from http://syndetics.com/index.php?isbn=9780399157646/lc.jpg&client=arrowheadlbs&type=rn12

2013 Notable Juvenile & YA Books

Last week was all about younger readers - this week we post some of the Association of Library Services to Children (ALSC)'s notable titles for slightly older readers and young adults. You can find many of these books downstairs in our juvenile fiction section, or upstairs in the young adult section.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
Drama by Raina Telgemeier
Invisible Microbe: Tuberculosis and the Never-Ending Search for a Cure by Jim Murphy and Alison Blank.
My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher
Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
Son by Lois Lowry