I Heard It On NPR!

Open the door and fall into a good book!
author unknown


Couldn't have said it better myself! How else to welcome the
cooler weather?

I enjoy listening to NPR, the music, the news, the chat, and especially the books. What I enjoy even more is when the book(s) they are talking about can be found right here in our library. Love that.

Here's some books I heard about on NPR:

Thomas Friedman's 'Hot, Flat and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution and How It Can Renew America.'

It's (way past) time for a green revolution and Friedman wants Americans to lead the way. The title says it all-the world is hot, flat and crowded and unless we address these issues where will the world be, what will the quality of life be, in the twenty-first century? Friedman wants America to get its groove back and shares with us how he thinks we can do it.

Curtis Sittenfeld's American Wife

Fictional account of a Republican first lady who finds she doesn't always agree with his political decisions, sees him for what he is, stands by his side because what else can she do? Yeah, you will find yourself wondering is this really about Laura Bush?

Annie Proulx's Fine Just the Way It Is: Wyoming Stories 3

Proulx shares her love of Wyoming in her third volume of stories. Her description of this state are beautiful and as always, her writing style is gritty and her stories will take you are a trip to the west, past and present.

Bob Woodward's The War Within: A Secret White House History 2006-2008

The title says it all....and if it weren't for the fact this is non-fiction you might think you were reading a political suspense novel. As usual, Woodward has given us information-while feeling it is all true we wish it wasn't.

Jane Mayer's The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals

The events of September 11, 2001 left our country's most powerful leaders shaken. Decisions made from that date show a government whose legacy will be remembered as one of the most disturbing chapters in our history. Mayer also gives us a hard look at the media and how it has presented the news the last six years.

Oliver Sack's Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain

Fascinating stories by a famed neurologist who found out how the power of music affected patients' lives. He explains the power how music can have a peculiar power over us and shares his studies with music on some of his patients, and the results, both successful and unsuccessful, are amazing.

Lynne Rossetto Kasper & Sally Swift's Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper: Recipes, Stories, and Opinions from Public Radio's Award Winning Food Show

This is one of my favorite types of book: food, stories and sharing. What could be better? I dare you to take this book out and not be tempted to make the fried hard-boiled eggs! Oh yea, you read right.

Turn on NPR, listen to some cool jazz, grab your favorite beverage, put your feet up and fall into a good book. Happy Reading!

A Little Magic for a Summer Night

Anyone who says they have only

one life to live must not know how

to read a book.

Author Unknown

Garden Spells

Sarah Addison Allen

Here is one of the best way to spend one of those last summer nights; a little whimsy, a little magic, a little enchantment and a lot of love. The Waverley sisters of Bascom NC, have always been as different as night and day. Sidney, the younger sister, left home right after she graduated without a goodbye: she despised everything about Bascom, the house, the magical garden and her sister, while Claire, the older sister, loved everything about it. Claire started a catering business-which quickly became the busiest one around. The main reason for that is the magical garden behind the family home where it is believed that Claire puts a little something magical in her foods that have quite an effect on people. There is also an apple tree that seems to have a mind of its own, tossing apples at people which, when eaten, can cause them to have the most fabulous dream or a horrible nightmare.

Claire has the surprise of her life when one day her sister Sidney shows up with her five-year old daughter,Bay-who Claire didn't even know existed. It's been ten years since the sisters have seen or talked to each other and Claire knows that something happened for Sidney to return home and waits for her sister to tell her. For Bay this is heaven! She falls in love with everything just like her Aunt Claire.

Find out how the Waverley sisters learn to come together, heal the wounds from their past, respect each other and realize that what they give to each other is love. I wanted to spend more time in Bascom with Claire, Sidney and their delightful cast of characters who will make you smile when you're done and leave you feeling good.

Take it Easy......

Every night, I have to read a book,
so that my mind will stop thinking
about things that I stress about.
Britney Spears

'Tis the middle of August, it gets darker a little bit earlier each evening, and it is time to kick back and enjoy the last days and nights of the summer to the fullest. Guess what my suggestion to you is? Settle in with a little light reading that leaves you with a smile when you finish. Here are some that I enjoyed and hope you do too:


Standoff by Sandra Brown

Brown is know for her romance novels but a best kept secret is that she can write a good suspense story. This is one of my favorites. You can read it in one night and you might find you want to-I had to read the entire book because I had to know what happened. You never know when life will toss you a curve ball and how it will change your view of what's important. I plug her suspense novels quite a bit so this secret will be short lived. (Okay....you won't smile, but you will be glad you read it!)

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

Quirky, strange funny little tale of a serial killer who only kills those that deserve it. He should know who deserves it since he works for the police department in Miami, Fl. If you like off-beat, this is a character for you. Enjoy the humor and remember that Dexter is....odd. What can I say? I liked him......


The Ladies of Covington Send Their Love by Joan Medlicott

Meet three wonderful widows who show that life can be better after sixty. Amelia, Grace and Hannah are living in a boarding house in Pennsylvania and are miserable. They take a chance and show that no matter what your age, every day can be a delight and joy. Proof that life is what you make it. I loved the feeling I had when I was done reading it, a smiler.

Julie and Romeo by Jeanne Ray

Laugh out loud hilarious tale of two people, over sixty, Julie and Romeo, who find romance, love, and sex regardless of what obstacles are in the way, which are numerous. Seems there is a long standing family feud, a eighty year old mother, and adult children who have their own idea at how a sixty year old should act. Above all there is love. I laughed so hard reading this book-just wonderful. One of my all time favorites.

Then She Found Me by Elinor Lipman

How is it, you're thirty-six, you have come to terms with the fact you were adopted, you are settled and comfortable with your life, and surprise! Turns out your real mother has decided to become part of your life, is a flamboyant TV talk show host and is determined to change your life. Meet April Epner, see how her life gets turned upside down. Relationships will be what you let them as April discover. Funny, sad and enjoyable. I was happy to pay a visit to the characters in this books and you will be to.....will make you smile.


Crazy for You by Jennifer Crusie

Quinn McKenzie is living the life, teaching at the local school, friends and family who love and support her, and is dating the nicest guy in the world., and bored. How could adopting a dog change things? Quinn isn't bored for much longer-seems there are other people who want that dog and Quinn finds more excitement then she ever expected. Some life changes are just crazy, are a pleasant surprise and work out for the best. Crusie is one of the best at chick lit.

Okay, just a few suggestions to help take it easy the rest of the summer. I hope you enjoy them and have some fun reading some of them, I did---happy reading!

Check Us Out!

Of all the diversions of life, there is none so proper to fill up its empty spaces as the reading of useful and entertaining authors.
Joseph Addison





Here are some of the most useful and entertaining authors who made me smile! What a plethora of new books!



It was hot and he walked
into a library to cool off-
"I'm a writer today now because of a librarian giving me To Kill a Mockingbird back in 1968." Author Michael Connelly-lucky for us!



Take a look at a few of the new additions to our collection, see any you like? I hardly know where to begin. Well, yes I do.....James Lee Burke and Daniel Silva are my two top picks. I can always count on a good mystery from Burke and an edge of your seat thriller from Silva.

Gargoyle is getting rave reviews and looks to be the book to read and it is the debut of the author; One Minute to Midnight: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Castro on the Brink of Nuclear War is about the Cuban Missile Crisis; The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society is another debut that has been given good reviews; Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned inot a War on American Ideals is about the Bush White House and the Iraqi War; Last Lecture is not new but with the passing of the author I felt the need to remind everyone what a wonderful book it is on how to live life to the fullest. So many books, what a bumper crop of good reading!

Come on in-check us out, something for everyone-Murder? Love? Heartbreak? Tension? Politics? Old friends....new authors...come on in and lose yourself in the total bliss of books, new and old. What will you choose?