Books By Theme: You're In Luck...

Luck Uglies 
by Paul Durham

Strange things are happening in Village Drowning, and a terrifying encounter has Rye O'Chanter convinced that the monstrous, supposedly extinct Bog Noblins have returned. 
Now Rye's only hope is an exiled secret society so notorious its name can't be spoken aloud: the Luck Uglies. As Rye dives into Village Drowning's maze of secrets, rules, and lies, she'll discover the truth behind the village's legends of outlaws and beasts...and that it may take a villain to save them from the monsters.

A Whole Lot of Lucky
by Danette Haworth

Hailee Richardson never realized how much she hated her Salvation Army life and Goodwill accessories until the night her family wins the lottery. All of a sudden she's no longer the only girl at school without a cell phone or a brand-new bike! And the newfound popularity that comes with being a lottery winner is just what she's always dreamed of. But the glow of her smartphone and fancy new clothes wears off when Hailee is transferred to Magnolia Academy, a private school. All of a sudden, her best friend and parents seem shabby compared to the beautiful Magnolia moms and the popular bad-girl Nikki, who seems to want to be her friend.

Lucky Strike
by Bobbie Pyron

Nate Harlow would love to be lucky, just once! He'd like to win a prize, get picked first, call a coin toss right, even! But his best friend, Genesis Beam (aka Gen), believes in science and logic, and she doesn't think for one second that there's such a thing as luck, good or bad. She doesn't care what names the other kids call them. She cares about being right, about saving the turtles of Paradise Beach, and she cares about Nate.

The Junction of Sunshine and Lucky
by Holly Schindler

August “Auggie” Jones lives with her Grandpa Gus, a trash hauler, in a poor part of town. So when her wealthy classmate’s father starts the House Beautification Committee, it’s homes like Auggie’s that are deemed “in violation.” Auggie is determined to prove that she is not as run-down as the outside of her house might suggest. Using the kind of items Gus usually hauls to the scrap heap, a broken toaster becomes a flower; church windows turn into a rainbow walkway; and an old car gets new life as spinning whirligigs. What starts out as a home renovation project becomes much more as Auggie and her grandpa discover a talent they never knew they had—and redefine a whole town’s perception of beauty, one recycled sculpture at a time.

Three Times Lucky
by Sheila Turnage

Rising sixth grader Miss Moses LoBeau lives in the small town of Tupelo Landing, NC, where everyone's business is fair game and no secret is sacred. She washed ashore in a hurricane eleven years ago, and she's been making waves ever since. Although Mo hopes someday to find her "upstream mother," she's found a home with the Colonel--a café owner with a forgotten past of his own--and Miss Lana, the fabulous café hostess. She will protect those she loves with every bit of her strong will and tough attitude. So when a lawman comes to town asking about a murder, Mo and her best friend, Dale Earnhardt Johnson III, set out to uncover the truth in hopes of saving the only family Mo has ever known.

Books By Theme: If You Liked The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George

If you liked The Little Paris Bookshop...

Fifty-year-old Jean Perdu is a literary apothecary on his barge bookshop moored on the Seine in Paris. Gifted at prescribing just the right book for what ails his devoted customers, he is unable to cure his own heart, broken two decades earlier when Manon, the married love of his life, vanishes after leaving behind just a letter that Perdu refused to read-that is, until now, with devastating consequences. Walking out on his first tender encounter with a woman in 20 years, Perdu flees south, setting sail with Max, a young, best-selling author with writer's block, as his uninvited guest. Triumph over tragedy is played out in the beauty of France's canals, in the quirky goodness of its people, and in Perdu's determination to seek forgiveness and reclaim joy.

Then Try These Titles:

The Bookshop
by Penelope Fitzgerald

While The Little Paris Bookshop portrays a French bookseller who takes his floating shop on an unexpected journey, and The Bookshop features a woman striving to establish her shop in an uncomprehending English village, both offer understated, pensive storytelling.



The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
by Mary Ann Shaffer

These romantic novels about the love of literature feature characters that are eager to share their book knowledge for the good of others. While Guernsey is a more serious novel than Paris Bookshop, both are clever and fun to read.

The Uncommon Reader 
by Alan Bennett

In these whimsical, engaging novels, purveyors of books offer wisdom, healing and self-awareness to their clients, through their love of reading. Uncommon Reader is lighter in tone than Little Paris Bookshop, but both are warm, witty stories about books.

Books by Theme: Endangered Places

Mother of God: An Extraordinary Journey into the Uncharted Tributaries...
by Paul Rosolie

Uncharted territory is difficult to find these days, which is part of what makes the Madre de Dios region of the Amazon Basin unique. Nature writer Paul Rosolie first visited the area as an 18-year-old college student volunteering at a biological research station in Peru, where he fell in love with the jungle's primeval splendor. In this "vividly written narrative" (Kirkus Reviews), Rosolie recounts eye-opening adventures, from fostering an orphaned anteater and encountering isolated tribes to contracting MRSA and nearly being devoured by a 25-foot anaconda.

The Reef: A Passionate History 
by Iain McCalman 

More than 1,400 miles in length, the Great Barrier Reef is the largest structure ever built by living organisms (so big it's visible from space). This organic maze of coral reefs, islands, and estuaries is one of the most biologically diverse areas on the planet, home to thousands of species from microscopic organisms to megafauna. However, like other natural wonders, it's also in danger of being destroyed by human activity. While describing the natural history (extensive) and ecological value (priceless) of the Reef, author Iain McCalman traces the region's influence on European explorers, indigenous peoples, and individuals inspired by its unique natural beauty. Pick up this book and learn more about this amazing place while it still exists.

Fire and Ice: Soot, Solidarity, and Survival on the Roof of the World
by Jonathan Mingle

Welcome to Kumik, India, a 1,000-year-old village in the Himalayas whose inhabitants long ago learned to cultivate the harsh mountain terrain by collecting water from melted snow. However, as the region's glaciers recede, the village declines. The main culprit? Soot. Among the most toxic, yet least studied, of pollutants, soot -- also known as black carbon -- is the byproduct of combustion. And while the Himalayas may seem remote, Kumik's plight parallels that of places all over the world. This sobering account of environmental devastation provides insight into a lesser-studied aspect of climate change.


The Galapagos: A Natural History
by Henry Nicholls

Home to some 4,000 species of flora and fauna (of which 1,600 are endemic), the Galápagos Islands are renowned for their extraordinary biodiversity. Made famous by Charles Darwin, who featured the Galápagos prominently in The Voyage of the Beagle, this archipelago off the coast of Ecuador has also hosted many human visitors, from fishermen and pirates to scientists and ecotourists. In addition to exploring the islands' unique geological features and ecology, this sweeping account examines ongoing threats to the Galápagos caused by human activity, including pollution, habitat destruction, and climate change.

Books By Theme: If you like Ann Patchett...

Ann Patchett is the author of six novels, The Patron Saint of Liars, Taft, The Magician's Assistant, Bel Canto, Run, and State of Wonder. She was the editor of Best American Short Stories, 2006, and has written three books of nonfiction, Truth & Beauty, about her friendship with the writer, Lucy Grealy, What now? an expansion of her graduation address at Sarah Lawrence College, and, most recently, This is the Story of a Happy Marriage, a collection of essays that examines the theme of commitment. 

If you've read and enjoyed Patchett's work, you'll probably like these authors too!
(Click on each author's name for their full list of works.)

Anne Tyler

Though Anne Tyler's writing is down to earth and Ann Patchett's contains hints of magical realism, both authors show deep insight into human nature in their thoughtful, somewhat bittersweet, character-driven novels. Both develop themes defining friendship and family in contemporary America; and how different yet interlinked people respond to significant life events.

Sara Gruen

Literary fiction writers Ann Patchett and Sara Gruen, both favorites of book groups, write thought-provoking works of social commentary. Their novels feature richly layered characters, complex moral dilemmas, beautifully crafted prose, and evocative, often exotic settings.

Gloria Naylor

Both authors create moving, character-driven novels, often with a hint of magical realism. In prose that skillfully shifts from direct to poetic, psychological and social issues play out between families, friends, and the contemporary American world around them. Their insights can be bittersweet but they promote hope in a thoughtful manner. 

Books By Theme: What to read after Small Great Things

Jodi Picoult’s new book Small Great Things explores racial prejudice through three perspectives: Ruth, a black nurse charged with the murder of a white supremacist’s baby; Turk, the white supremacist; and Kennedy, Ruth’s white public defender who, while well-intentioned, harbors racial biases of her own.

After last week's fiction and nonfiction pairing post, I couldn't stop thinking about how relevant this book is right now to our country and what nonfiction books would follow Picoult's book nicely. 

Here are my picks:

Between the World and Me
by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Between the World and Me speaks to issues of race at a time when young black men continue to die at the hands of police officers with disturbing regularity. In this sense, Coates's book is quite timely. Moreover, his central thesis is deeply disturbing: "There is nothing uniquely evil in these destroyers or even in this moment. The destroyers are merely men enforcing the whims of our country, correctly interpreting its heritage and legacy." Some readers may shrink from such language, but his argument is as rhetorically sound as it is passionately delivered. "I cannot hide the world from you," Coates explains to his young son. Between the World and Me is an unrelentingly frank work expressed so perfectly that the truth of it resonates with every word.

Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead
by Frank Meeink

Frank’s violent childhood in South Philadelphia primed him to hate, while addiction made him easy prey for a small group of skinhead gang recruiters. By 16 he had become one of the most notorious skinhead gang leaders on the East Coast and by 18 he was doing hard time. Teamed up with African-American players in a prison football league, Frank learned to question his hatred, and after being paroled he defected from the white supremacy movement and began speaking on behalf of the Anti-Defamation League. A story of fighting the demons of hatred and addiction, Frank's downfall and ultimate redemption has the power to open hearts and change lives.

Waking Up White
by Debby Irving

By sharing her sometimes cringe-worthy struggle to understand racism and racial tensions, she offers a fresh perspective on bias, stereotypes, manners, and tolerance. As Irving unpacks her own long-held beliefs about colorblindness, being a good person, and wanting to help people of color, she reveals how each of these well-intentioned mindsets actually perpetuated her ill-conceived ideas about race. She also explains why and how she's changed the way she talks about racism, works in racially mixed groups, and understands the antiracism movement as a whole. Exercises at the end of each chapter prompt readers to explore their own racialized ideas. Waking Up White's personal narrative is designed to work well as a rapid read, a book group book, or support reading for courses exploring racial and cultural issues.

The New Jim Crow
by Michelle Alexander

With dazzling candor, legal scholar Michelle Alexander argues that "we have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it." By targeting black men through the War on Drugs and decimating communities of color, the U.S. criminal justice system functions as a contemporary system of racial control—relegating millions to a permanent second-class status—even as it formally adheres to the principle of colorblindness. In the words of Benjamin Todd Jealous, president and CEO of the NAACP, this book is a "call to action."

Nonfiction November Week 4: Become the Expert

Today’s Nonfiction November (hosted by Katie at Doing Dewey, Lory at Emerald City Book Review, Rachel at Hibernator’s Library, Julz at Julz Reads, and Sarah's Book Shelves) topic is book experts:

Be The Expert/Ask the Expert/Become the Expert: Three ways to join in this week! You can either share 3 or more books on a single topic that you have read and can recommend (be the expert), you can put the call out for good nonfiction on a specific topic that you have been dying to read (ask the expert), or you can create your own list of books on a topic that you’d like to read (become the expert).

I'm choosing to become the expert on genetics since one of my nonfiction goals is to read more science nonfiction and these books have been on my to read list for awhile. 

The Violinist's Thumb: And Other Tales of Love, War, and Genius, as Written by Our Genetic Code
by Sam Kean

Kean explores the wonders of the magical building block of life: DNA. There are genes to explain crazy cat ladies, why other people have no fingerprints, and why some people survive nuclear bombs. Genes illuminate everything from JFK's bronze skin (it wasn't a tan) to Einstein's genius. They prove that Neanderthals and humans bred thousands of years more recently than any of us would feel comfortable thinking. They can even allow some people, because of the exceptional flexibility of their thumbs and fingers, to become truly singular violinists. Kean's vibrant storytelling once again makes science entertaining, explaining human history and whimsy while showing how DNA will influence our species' future.

Your Inner Fish: A Journey Into the 3.5 Billion Year History of the Human Body
by Neil Shubin

Neil Shubin, a leading paleontologist and professor of anatomy who discovered Tiktaalik--the "missing link" that made headlines around the world in April 2006--tells the story of evolution by tracing the organs of the human body back millions of years, long before the first creatures walked the earth. By examining fossils and DNA, Shubin shows us that our hands actually resemble fish fins, our head is organized like that of a long-extinct jawless fish, and major parts of our genome look and function like those of worms and bacteria.

The Gene: An Intimate History 
by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Weaving science, social history, and personal narrative to tell us the story of one of the most important conceptual breakthroughs of modern times, Mukherjee animates the quest to understand human heredity and its surprising influence on our lives, personalities, identities, fates, and choices. Throughout the narrative, the story of Mukherjee's own family—with its tragic and bewildering history of mental illness—cuts like a bright, red line, reminding us of the many questions that hang over our ability to translate the science of genetics from the laboratory to the real world. 

Books By Theme: So Funny It's Scary!

The Zero Degree Zombie Zone by Patrik Henry Bass

Bakari Johnson's worries about running for fourth-grade hall monitor against popular Tariq suddenly seem less important after he's sucked into an icy, otherworldly dimension. The wicked, spiky ice king Zenon has lost a magical ring in Bakari's school, and he's sending Bakari back to find it…or else Zenon's hordes of ice zombies will invade the school! Unfortunately, to complete the quest, Bakari and his friend Wardell will have to convince Tariq and his queen-bee cousin, Keisha, to help them. Cartoon illustrations keep the action front and center in this fast-moving supernatural adventure.

The Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier; illustrated by Douglas Holgate

After monsters attack the town of Wakefield, 13-year-old foster kid Jack is among the few who haven't been zombified. Venturing out of his treehouse fortress, Jack uses his video gaming skills to tackle various "Feats of Apocalyptic Success," which include assembling a team of other survivors (such as his science-geek friend Quentin, middle school bully Dirk, and pet monster Rover), and rescuing his crush, June Del Toro (whether she needs rescuing or not). Blending wisecracking characters with splattering monster guts, this cartoon-illustrated series-starter is sure to draw in fans of Paolo Bacigalupi's Zombie Baseball Beatdown.

Lumberjanes: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson and Grace Ellis; illustrated by Shannon Watters and Brooke Allen

From the outside, Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet's Camp for Hardcore Lady Types looks like a pretty typical Lumberjanes scout camp. But cabin-mates Mal, Molly, April, Jo, and Ripley are earning their merit badges through some pretty bizarre supernatural activities: arm-wrestling giants, battling three-eyed beasts, and escaping traps in an underground cave, to name just a few. If you're hooked on this upbeat, high-octane comic book starring kick-butt heroines who believe in "friendship to the max!", we've got good news for you: this collection is the 1st of many in the ongoing Lumberjanes series.

Zombie Tag by Hannah Moskowitz

In a world where the paranormal is possible, 12-year-old Will believes that the recent death of his older brother, Graham, doesn't have to be permanent. After researching a previous zombie uprising, Will finds a way to raise all the dead people in town, including Graham. However, real zombies turn out to be the opposite of exciting, and having slow, unfeeling zombie Graham around only makes Will miss his brother more. Zombie Tag offers an unusual combination of horror, humor, and bittersweet emotions; for zombie stories with less shambling and more brain-eating, try John Kloepfer's Zombie Chasers.

Books By Theme: Espionage

"One mark of Elizabethan success is that the queen survived to die in her bed in 1603.

But it was a near-run thing."

~ from Stephen Alford's The Watchers

The Watchers: A Secret History of the Reign of Elizabeth I
by Stephen Alford

Catholic foes at home and abroad plotted tirelessly to murder or overthrow England's Queen Elizabeth I; in turn, her chief "spymaster," Sir Francis Walsingham, established a dazzlingly complex network of agents who safeguarded her long reign with ruthless cunning and efficiency. The Watchers illuminates 16th-century spygames in an action-packed narrative laced with masterful understanding of Elizabethan society's greatest hopes and fears. Fans of the period will love this "irresistible" (Booklist) read; political history buffs interested in the roots of modern espionage -- or the fine line between national security and repression -- will, too.

The Good Spy: The Life and Death of Robert Ames 
by Kai Bird

In The Good Spy, author Kai Bird builds a comprehensive profile of CIA intelligence officer Robert Ames, who died in the 1983 bombing of the American Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon. Ames specialized in Arabic language and Arab history and politics, becoming a recognized expert who served as a key policy advisor to U.S. decision makers. Committed to finding solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Ames emphasized fact-finding and rational policy analysis despite American partisan political pressures and decreasing stability in Lebanon and Iran. This page-turner portrays a family man and dedicated professional within a detailed history of the region, along with information about the bombers and where they were as of the book's 2014 publication.

The Spy Who Loved: The Secrets and Lives of Christine Granville 
by Clare Mulley

In The Spy Who Loved, author Clare Mulley vividly depicts the exploits of Christine Granville, one of the few female British special agents operating behind enemy lines during World War II. Despite the British Intelligence Service's opposition to women's participation, she provided invaluable assistance to the Allied cause, employing her remarkable facility with languages, considerable courage and physical ability, and charismatic personality. Mulley did extensive documentary research on Granville (who was murdered in 1952), making up for her associates' reluctance to supply personal recollections of her exploits. For additional page-turning accounts of female British intelligence agents, try Sarah Helm's A Life in Secrets or Marcus Binney's The Women Who Lived for Danger.

Good Hunting: An American Spymaster's Story
by Jack Devine with Vernon Loeb

Jack Devine, who retired in 1999 as the associate director of overseas operations for the CIA, served under U.S. presidents from Richard Nixon to Bill Clinton. In this compelling memoir, he relates the history of covert actions during that period, details several instances of mole-hunting in the Agency, and discusses the state of intelligence work since his retirement: he continues to support the use of covert operations while expressing doubt about the current emphasis on paramilitary actions. Whether you're fascinated by spycraft or more interested in the undercover history of the late 20th century, you'll find Good Hunting an engaging and informative read.