Great reads at the Maricopa Public Library

Just recently I read a marvelous interview featuring British author PD James who at the age of 90 is writing another novel, though it will not feature Commander Adam Dalgliesh. For those of us who wish to someday write that great novel, take note; she wrote her first novel in her late 30’s while riding the commuter train to and from work.  Despite working in a variety of careers, becoming a writer was her most fulfilling life’s work. So for those of us who are still dreaming about becoming a successful writer, the time is now, not later.

In this installment of great reads, I’m happy to say there’s something for everyone, so let the journey to literary greatness begin and be inspired by the titles below:

Darren Shan concludes his bestselling Demonata series with “Hell’s Heroes.” James Patterson and co-author Peter de Jouge are out with “Miracle on the 17th Green.” Travis McKinley is at a crossroads in life as he turns 50. His marriage is on the brink of collapse, and he has a job he hates, but, while playing golf on Christmas Day, things change. The journey of three cubs Kallik, Toklo, Lusa and their companion Ujurak continues in Erin Hunter’s “Fire in the Sky.” The three bears face insurmountable odds as the land is gone and life begins on ice; though a bear vision promises safety, it may tear the bears apart forever.

Philip Margolin’s new book “Supreme Justice” continues where his previous bestseller left off. Attorney Brad Miller, FBI agent Keith Evans and private investigator Dana Clark are reunited on a case involving the Supreme Court, a woman’s appeal and a shootout that happened years ago. For those who love a literary mystery, you may enjoy Carlos Ruiz Zafron’s “The Angel’s Game.” A young man, David Martin, writes a successful short story which eventually leads him on a journey to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. 

Krista Carmichael’s teenage sister was murdered after she joined an online social network. Krista puts her life on the line when she joins, and the killer begins to stalk her in Terri Blackstock’s “Predator.” When a prominent citizen suffers a heart attack the same day a new roller coaster is unveiled at a Sea Haven’s New Jersey theme park, it’s viewed as an unfortunate event. However, when the body of a young girl is discovered, John Ceepak and his partner Danny Boyle are called in Chris Grabenstein’s “Rolling Thunder.”

Sonia was once a street urchin now living as a Black Magician of Kyralia. When her son Larkin goes missing, she starts her search but can’t leave the city or she’ll face exile. The adventure begins in Trudie Canavan’s “The Ambassadors Mission.” This is book one in “The Traitor Spy Trilogy.”

Brigid Pasulka offers readers a bit of Polish history in “A Long Long Time Ago and Essentially True.” A young Polish girl leaves her small village for a new life in Krakow, Poland, and gets a fresh perspective on her nation and personal history.  A novel of intrigue and espionage set in the Balkans at the start of World War II takes center stage in Alan Furst’s “Spies of the Balkans.” Callie Perry, her sister Steffi, her best friend Lila Grossman and Callie’s parents all receive a phone call that not only reunites them but changes them all in Jane Green’s “Promises to Keep.”

The one and only Nora Roberts reissues one of her early works published in the Silhouette Romance series. In “Black Hills” Lil Chance loves the Black Hills of Montana and cougars. Now, as owner of an animal sanctuary, she faces threats, animals are being killed and a family member disappears. The hero is none other than a man she loved a long time ago. 

Vampires have been ruling the bestseller lists for some time, but Richelle Mead is back with “Spirit Bound,” book five in the Vampire Academy series. Rose Hathaway made the wrong choice and returns to St. Vladimir to be with her best friend Lissa. As graduation nears, she longs for Dimitri who wants her back. In other vampire news, Ellen Schreiber’s “Love Bites,” is the newest entry in the Vampire Kisses novels. Raven and Alexander rekindle there romance after his parents return to Romania. When Alexander’s best friend Sebastian falls for a Dulls villain, Raven becomes concerned about her relationship with Alexander.

Children and young adults may enjoy the following books, featuring fantasy, mystery and a young James Bond. A religious cult known as the Outsiders is threatening the kingdom of Hibernia, and Halt, Will and Horace come to its rescue in John Flanagan’s “The Kings of Clonmel.” This is the author’s eighth book in the Ranger Apprentice saga.

James Bond knows he’s being watched and is fully aware of an evil plot to destroy his school, Eton. When he escapes to Austria accompanied by a beautiful girl, he is reunited with a bitter enemy in Charlie Higson’s “By Royal Command-Young Bond.” For those keeping track of young Bond’s adventures, this is book five. 

Charlie Higson’s second new book is “The Enemy.” The city of London is overcome with a mysterious illness killing its citizens while a group of 14 children travel across the city to escape. A new series hits bookshelves and takes place in a most unlikely setting-Amish country. Kathleen Fuller introduces a new heroine, Mary Beth Mullet, in “A Summer Feast,” the first book in the Mysteries of Middlefield. 

There is a new book in the 39 Clues series entitled “Storm Warning” by Linda Sue Park.  Book nine has Amy and Dan Cahill discovering a long-hidden secret that some people have died trying to protect. Julie Andrews and her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton introduce young readers to “The Very Fairy Princess.” Little Geraldine believes she’s a fairy princess and the fun begins. Dan Gutman, author of “The Homework Machine,” sets his new story at Cape Bluff Elementary School in “The Talent Show.” The only question for readers is who will win? For children, fear of the unknown can be crippling, but David Soman tackles the issue in his new book “Ladybug Girl at the Beach.”

For my non-fiction fans, a variety of titles ranging from memoirs to biography to comics are available for your reading pleasure. Piper Kerman’s “Orange is the New Black” is her memoir about her year in prison. Wilbert Rideau’s “In the Place of Justice: A Story of Punishment and Deliverance” is an inmate’s memoir about life in the Louisiana State Penitentiary. The life of Cornelius Vanderbilt is told in the award winning “The First Tycoon” by TJ Stiles.

Kenneth Davis focuses on six events in our nation’s history in “Flawed Founders, Fallen Heroes and Forgotten Fighters from America’s Hidden History.” Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Misty May-Treanor tells her story in “Misty: Digging Deep in Volleyball and Life.” David Herlihy, a noted cycling historian, gives fans of the sport an intriguing story in “The Epic Tale of an American Adventurer and His Mysterious Disappearance.”  He tells the story of Frank Lenz, a cyclist who went on an around the world journey using a “safety bicycle” and disappeared.

Pedro Gomez-Romero gives fans of the IPad a resource guide to help those who are into the latest computer craze in “IPad for Dummies.” Renters have rights but so do landlords, and Marcia Stewart has written a new book for those looking to own rental property or who already do in “Every Landlord’s Legal Guide.” Berkeley Breathed is back with “Bloom County #2” a collection of strips from 1982-1984.

Daniel Okrent’s “Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition” is an historical account of life in America when all liquor was banned. GJ Schaefer takes a look at death from a man’s point of view and, thereby, provides a source book on how to deal with grief and healing in “The Widower’s Toolbox: Repairing Your Life After Losing Your Spouse.”

There are those who say trust your intuition when it comes to life. Now Christopher Chabis and Danielle Simons tackle the subject in “The Invisible Gorilla and Other Ways Our Intuitions Deceive Us.” This new book provides readers with insight on how our brains work.

So there you have it, new titles that will entertain, educate or inspire you to do the unthinkable—write. So, to all of my fellow aspiring writers, I hope there was a book or two that has you thinking about starting your own book. More literary inspiration is headed your way.  Happy reading!

Roberta Cianciosi, an avid reader and a published writer, will be offering information on new books available at the library each month.

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