Great reads at the Maricopa Public Library

Greetings, once again, to all my fellow bibliophiles, whose lust for the written word is as passionate as ever. The Maricopa Public Library’s Summer Reading Program is in full swing, and I’m happy to say I’ve clocked in a few hours already. Just keep in mind I plan on winning second place; I want the Barnes and Noble Gift Card. 

As one picks and chooses which books will interest them, keep these rules in mind (“Words To Live By,” as stated by Julia Keller of the Chicago Tribune):  Buy at least one book in the next month that will make your friends say, “You’re reading that?” Read a classic – but put a strip of black electrical tape over the word “classic” if it appears anywhere on the cover or title page. Avoid any book with an exclamation point in the title. Mark in your books. Underline passages you love or hate. Argue in the margins. Reread.

So, let’s begin:

Four beautiful young women have been murdered, and a bridal veil is found with each victim. FBI special agent Brad Raines needs help; a young woman named Paradise who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia aides our agent in Ted Dekker’s “The Bride Collector.” Hard drinking Dublin pathologist Quirke, who just happens to be blessed with an insatiable curiosity, is called into service by none other than his daughter when her best friend mysteriously disappears in Benjamin Black’s “Elegy for April.”

Anna Quindlen, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who also just happens to be a bestselling author, has a new book “Every Last One.” The story centers on Mary Beth Latham who puts family above career and even her marriage. When one of her sons becomes depressed, an act of violence shatters the family, and the healing process begins.  Piano man Richie Rossiter dies suddenly, and his two families come face to face, each bringing long-held animosities with them in Joanna Trollope’s “The Other Family.”

When I first read a Mary Higgins Clark mystery, it kept me up most of the night. Her faithful fans have a new read to keep you up late as well. A long-held family secret, a beautiful young doctor, a family fortune and, of course, murder are the key ingredients in her new book “The Shadow of Your Smile.” Like mother, like daughter, sometime fellow contributor Carol Higgins Clark has a new Regan Reilly mystery “Wrecked.” Regan and her husband Jack are celebrating their first wedding anniversary in Cape Cod. As with any good mystery even the best-laid plans go awry when a bad storm hits and a body goes missing.

Yann Martel took the literary world by storm with his bestselling book “The Life of Pi,” and many years later he’s back. This is the story of a famous writer who receives a letter from a struggling writer who just happens to be a taxidermist. Thus readers will meet Beatrice a donkey and Virgil a howling monkey in Martel’s “Beatrice and Virgil.” David Balducci brings back Shaw and journalist Katie James in a new fast-paced whirlwind adventure “Deliver Us From Evil.” Stone Barrington and his partner Dino are enjoying dinner at Elaine’s when Herbie Fisher, a former client, shows up carrying with him 14 million in cash. Hmm!  When a single gunshot fails to hit Herbie, Stone and Dino are on the case in Stuart Wood’s “Lucid Intervals.”

San Francisco is the setting; two women are murdered, and Lindsey Boxer lusts for her partner Rich. Can it get even more complicated — yes. This time, one of the killers gives Lindsey the ultimate ultimatum in James Patterson’s “The 9th Judgment,” book nine in the Women’s Murder Club series. We leave California and travel back in time in Isabel Allende’s “Island Beneath the Sea,” set in what we now know as Haiti. This is the story of a young slave girl TÉTÉ and her owner Valmorain.

Nora Roberts delights fans with each new book, which ultimately becomes a mega bestseller. In “Savor the Moment,” book three in the Brides Quartet, very successful baker Laurel finds her attraction to Parker’s brother too good to ignore. Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi visit the Okavango Delta to investigate some troubling events at a safari lodge in Alexander McCall Smith’s “The Double Comfort Safari Club,” book eleven in his beloved series. 

Julia Roberts played a young woman known to leave a few besotted men at the altar in the film “Runaway Bride.” Readers may find her alter ego in the lovely Lady Elizabeth Banning, a headstrong woman with a penchant for jilting fiancés. However, this time she saves a man when she actually marries him in Karen Robards’ “Shameless.”

The conclave regroups to stop the evil magician Belasco’s destruction of Triagia in the stunning conclusion to the Demonwar Saga in Raymond E. Feist’s “At the Gates of Darkness.” The Church of God Awaiting seeks to destroy Charis, a place that is a haven for those who cherish freedom in David Weber’s “A Mighty Fortress.” Closing out our new fiction is PC Cast’s “Burned.” Zoey Redbird’s life is falling apart, and her friends have only seven days to save her. This is book seven in the House of Night series.

Major League Baseball is just weeks away from its mid-season all-star break, but did you know that one town has contributed 79 major league stars. It’s definitely a fact that one can read all about in Mark Kurlansky’s “The Eastern Stars.” He writes about the sport’s impact on a poor community known as San Pedro de Macoris, located in the sugar-growing region of the Dominican Republic. 

In history class we learned about the Great Depression, and, if you listen to some, we might be headed there again. The story of Wall Street’s biggest collapse since the depression is the focus of Roger Lowenstein’s “The End of Wall Street.” If this financial issue has you in a tizzy, and the current political climate is making you dizzy, read Dick Morris’ “2010: Take Back America.” This is the political pundit’s advice to the nation as we head to November’s all-important, mid-term elections.

Some say boys are easier to raise than girls, and others say just the opposite. Whatever your personal belief, James Dobson gives advice and encouragement to those raising girls in “Bringing up Girls,” America’s next generation of women. Joyce Meyer has inspirational tips to share in “Eat the Cookie…Buy the Shoes.”  She shares with readers the importance of celebrating life and not feeling guilty. 

Frank Sinatra, Liz Taylor, the royals of Great Britain, Nancy Reagan and Jackie Kennedy went under the microscope of the famed biographer Kitty Kelley whether they liked it or not. This time, it’s Oprah, and you can add her to the list of unhappy subjects with Kelley’s new must read “Oprah.”  Rounding out our new, non-fiction reads is David Grann’s “The Devil and Sherlock Holmes.” Grann writes about true stories of murder, madness and passion.

So there you have it for the time being. I wish I could write about more new books but as you are well aware, space is limited. I’ll be back with more titles to share that will either keep you up late at night or it just might provoke you to take a mental health day to read a good book. Happy reading!
 
Roberta Cianciosi heads the Friends of the Maricopa Public Library. She is an avid reader, a published writer and will be offering information on new books available at the library each month.

Photo by Joyce Hollis

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