Great reads at the Maricopa Public Library

Greetings once again, to all my fellow bibliophiles; I’m happy to announce the arrival of some great new books that will dot the shelves of our local library. I hope all of you who love to read have signed up for the Maricopa Public Library’s Summer Reading Program, and, if you haven’t done so yet, get going. You may register online via the library’s website or sign up in person and receive your first log. The deadline to register ends this month and the program officially begins June 1.

Whether you enjoy fiction, non-fiction or a little of both, you’ll have a smorgasbord to choose from this month to satisfy all your literary desires. So, get pencil and paper and let’s begin.

I’ve always been a fan of mystery writer Anne Perry and her detective Thomas Pitt mysteries. For those unfamiliar with this character, Thomas Pitt started out as a bobby who marries outside his social class and gradually works his way up the ladder. He is always called upon to solve those murders involving members of the Victorian upper class where the utmost sensitivity is needed in such gruesome affairs. Perry gives her readers an intriguing mystery that’s well paced and a little bit of historical fact to support it all. However, the author every now and then has taken a holiday or two in her work, and her new novel takes readers on a trip back in time. In “The Sheen on the Silk” we leave Victorian England and travel to Byzantium in the year 1272 where a woman named Anna arrives, seeking to find out the truth about her brother who’s imprisoned for murder. 

The horrors of Vietnam and the men who fought the war come to life in Karl Malantes’s newly released “Matterhorn.” Television writer, Jeffrey Stepakoff enters the fiction arena with his first novel “Fireworks Over Toccoa.” This work may interest those who are fans of author Nicholas Sparks, as the story centers on the relationship of a couple, known as Lily and Jake, as they travel on that bumpy road called love. The setting is China, and a young, high-spirited girl known as Pearl, the daughter of Christian missionaries becomes friends with a young Chinese girl Willow in Anchee Min’s “Pearl of China.” Pearl would later become the one and only Pearl S. Buck, the activist and Nobel Prize winner for literature.

If the art of quilting is your passion, then you may or may not have read the work of Jennifer Chiaverini. An unexpected trip to Hawaii helps Bonnie Markham heal after the Elm Creek Quilt Camp ends, her marriage crumbles and her business tanks in “The Aloha Quilt.” 

When he was young, Raff Cody loved ants; he also trespassed on a reputed murderer’s property.Years later, after having graduated from law school, he returns to travel through those very same woods in his quest to save Lake Nokobee in E.O. Wilson’s “Anthill.”  They say talent runs in the family, and Thomas Steinbeck is one very lucky man indeed, as he is the son of author John Steinbeck. His new novel, “In the Shadow of the Cypress” delves into the secrets of the Chinese immigrants who settled on California’s Monterey Coast. Artifacts discovered after a natural disaster eventually lead to a young American scientist seeking clues a century later.

Another child of a famous novelist enters the realm of fiction. Christopher Rice, son of Anne Rice, is out with “In Moonlit Earth.” A young man is accused of committing a terrorist act, and his sister comes to his aid. 

Over the years, Sue Miller has entertained many readers with her stories that deal with families and the issues we confront in our daily lives. In her new book “The Lake Shore Limited,” Wilhelmina-Billy-Gertz writes a play about a terrorist bombing of the Lake Shore Limited. The play and those who are involved in the performance take center stage.  Seventeen-year-old Rosie Ferguson lives what many think is a perfect life; for her mother Elizabeth, the harsh realities of her daughter’s lies and the consequences that follow are told in Anne Lamott’s “Imperfect Birds.” In Swandyke, a small town near Colorado’s Tenmile Range, snow separates and heads downward, catching a group of nine children t in its path. Only four survive, and their stories are told in Sandra Dallas’ “Whiter Than Snow.” For those who enjoy fantasy, Mercy Thompson is back in “Silver Borne” by Patricia Briggs. This time around, Mercy comes to the aid of the werewolf pack’s leader when a book of secrets is revealed. 

As a kid, I enjoyed watching Batman and Robin on my Aunt Madeline and Uncle Ange’s colored TV. Things have certainly changed since then, and Grant Morrison’s “Batman Reborn” is the first new volume in a brand new series featuring this superhero. Speaking of heroes, if Harry Dresden is your favorite, then Jim Butcher has made you very happy with his new adventure “Changes,” book twelve in the Dresden Files series. Harry’s lover, Susan Rodriguez, had a secret that’s been discovered by Arianna Ortega, the Duchess of the Red Court. Harry must do whatever he can because this time he must save his son. Fans looking for a good mystery need not despair, as two of the genre’s greats have books that beckon to be read. 

Elizabeth Peters’ favorite Egyptologist Amelia Peabody is back at work, this time in Palestine on the eve of World War One in “A River in the Sky.” Along for the ride are her husband Emerson and her son Ramses. Martha Grimes made Richard Jury a household name, and, in “The Black Cat,” our man Jury is riddled with guilt when he’s involved in a tragic accident. Still, duty calls when a young woman is murdered, and the only witness is a black cat. Finally, the last of the new, fiction titles tells the tale of fifteen-year-old John Cleaver, who works in a mortuary and has dreams always dealing with death. In Dan Wells’ “I Am Not a Serial Killer,” John’s dark side comes into play when a serial killer must be stopped.  Whereas we end on life’s dark side in the world of fiction, we persevere and delve into those real life issues that may entertain, enlighten or educate us.

Men think women are hard to understand, and woman think men are complicated beings, too. However, it takes a woman and not a man to explore the male brain in Louann Brizendine’s “The Male Brain.” Maryn McKenna had a lot of questions about MRSA and sought answers to this most serious and deadly killer. Those questions are answered in “Superbug: The Fatal Menace of MRSA.”

Every once in a while, a Hostess cupcake is a sweet treat I savor with the frosting being the best part of all. In Karen Tack’s “What’s New Cupcake,” she shows readers how to use candy and snacks found at the grocery store that can be used to make incredibly appetizing cupcakes.  For the time being, I’ll stick with Hostess, and, when I want to eat healthy, I’ll read Lisa Lillien’s “Hungry Girl 123.” Kristen Van Ogtrop’s “Just Let Me Lie Down” tackles motherhood, career and trying to manage it all.

Everyone has advice and some love to give it: there are plenty who wish to ignore it, but fans of Chelsea Handler’s sidekick Chuy Bravo won’t mind with his new book “Little Nuggets of Wisdom.” He shares with readers his views on life, finance and family. The last of the new non-fiction deals with William Shakespeare. For years some have said the bard never wrote his most famous plays, yet William Shapiro, author of “1599-A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare,” debunks the critics in “Contested Will.”

So, there you have it for the time being at least. I’ve got so many new titles to write about, but, alas, very little space to fit it all in perfectly. Yet do not despair; I’ll be back with more titles very soon. 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