From Publishers Weekly The nice little life that account executive Lisa Alvarez has spent the last eight years constructing is about to fall apart. She’s due to marry her boss in barely a month when painful reminders of her dead baby daughter and her ex-husband Nick Maddux force themselves on her. Both Lisa and Nick have tried to make new lives for themselves since the baby’s death, although Nick has embraced his daughter’s short life by becoming a master craftsman of cradles while Lisa has simply shut the door on her past. Their reunion is fiery, passionate and difficult to read, in part because Lisa is not a congenial character, having turned herself into a career-driven robot. The story veers between Lisa and Nick’s rediscovery of their love and the burgeoning love of Nick’s sister, Maggie, and sexy screen writer Jeremy Hunt. Maggie and Jeremy are both attractive and deserved more length and breadth than author Freethy (Daniel’s Gift) gave them. A magical leitmotif throughout does, however, go some way towards transcending these weaknesses.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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One True Love
From Library Journal Four weeks before she is to be married, a frantic call for help from her childhood best friend drags Lisa Alvarez out of her safe, well-ordered existence in Los Angeles and back into a life she thought she had left behind, with painful, romantic, and ultimately satisfying results. A pair of wary, emotionally fragile protagonists, a cast of exceptional secondary characters (including three engagingly realistic children), and a multilayered plot that deftly interweaves humor, passion, and the tragedy of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome result in a poignant, heartwrenching, yet heartwarming story that is laced with love and a gentle hint of fantasy. It may appeal to readers who enjoy the work of Debbie Macomber, LaVyrle Spencer, and Kristin Hannah. Freethy (Ask Mariah, Avon, 1997) won a Rita Award in 1997 and lives in the San Francisco Bay area.
Cotillion
Young Kitty Charing stands to inherit a vast fortune from her irascible great-uncle Matthew–provided she marries one of her cousins. Kitty is not wholly adverse to the plan, if the right nephew proposes. Unfortunately, Kitty has set her heart on Jack Westruther, a confirmed rake, who seems to have no inclination to marry her anytime soon. In an effort to make Jack jealous, and to see a little more of the world than her isolated life on her great-uncle’s estate has afforded her, Kitty devises a plan. She convinces yet another of her cousins, the honorable Freddy Standen, to pretend to be engaged to her. Her plan would bring her to London on a visit to Freddy’s family and (hopefully) render the elusive Mr. Westruther madly jealous. Thus begins Cotillion, arguably the funniest, most charming of Georgette Heyer’s many delightful Regency romances.
No sooner does Kitty arrive in London than she becomes embroiled in the romantic difficulties of several new acquaintances. Kitty’s French cousin, Camille, a professional gambler, has won the heart of her new friend, Olivia–who also happens to be the object of Jack Westruther’s dishonorable intentions. Meanwhile, Kitty’s doltish cousin Lord Dolphinton has fallen in love with a merchant’s daughter who’s embattled with his mother and needs his help. Finally, there is Kitty herself, who begins to wonder if the dandified Freddy might not be the man for her after all. As in all of Georgette Heyer’s books, Cotillion transcends genre–it is, quite simply, wonderful literature. Historically accurate down to the finest details of dress, deportment, and speech, Heyer was also a master at creating unforgettable, comic characters, and Kitty Charing and Freddy Standen stand out as one of her most charming romantic duos ever. –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal Miss Catherine Charing is in a difficult situation. Her irascible and eccentric guardian, Mr. Matthew Penicuik, will bestow his entire fortune on her only if she will marry one of his great-nephews, not a choice lot. The Rev. Hugh Rattney is a self-righteous prig; Capt. Claud Rattney is a well-known rake; Lord Dolphinton is none too bright and frightened to death of his Mama; the Honorable Frederick Standon is a useless fribble; and Kitty’s hero, Capt. Jack Westruther, resisting Uncle Matthew’s tyrannical ways, has refused to even show up. If Kitty does not accept one of them, she will be penniless and homeless. Driven to folly by these circumstances, she attempts to flee to London to find a position as a governess. Heyer’s characterizations are at their sharpest as her people change and grow in unexpected directions. The book is a joy to listen to, as Phyllida Nash manages to keep the complicated cast of characters both separate and equal. Highly recommended for all public library collections where romance or the author’s works are popular.ABarbara Rhodes, Northeast Texas Lib. Syst., Garland
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. –This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.
Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games)
From School Library Journal Starred Review. Gr 7 Up–Every year in Panem, the dystopic nation that exists where the U.S. used to be, the Capitol holds a televised tournament in which two teen “tributes” from each of the surrounding districts fight a gruesome battle to the death. In The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, the tributes from impoverished District Twelve, thwarted the Gamemakers, forcing them to let both teens survive. In this rabidly anticipated sequel, Katniss, again the narrator, returns home to find herself more the center of attention than ever. The sinister President Snow surprises her with a visit, and Katniss’s fear when Snow meets with her alone is both palpable and justified. Catching Fire is divided into three parts: Katniss and Peeta’s mandatory Victory Tour through the districts, preparations for the 75th Annual Hunger Games, and a truncated version of the Games themselves. Slower paced than its predecessor, this sequel explores the nation of Panem: its power structure, rumors of a secret district, and a spreading rebellion, ignited by Katniss and Peeta’s subversive victory. Katniss also deepens as a character. Though initially bewildered by the attention paid to her, she comes almost to embrace her status as the rebels’ symbolic leader. Though more of the story takes place outside the arena than within, this sequel has enough action to please Hunger Games fans and leaves enough questions tantalizingly unanswered for readers to be desperate for the next installment.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Bookmarks Magazine Reviewers were happy to report that the Hunger Games trilogy is alive and well, and all looked forward to the third book in the series after this one’s stunning conclusion. But they disagreed over whether Catching Fire was as good as the original book Hunger Games or should be viewed as somewhat of a “sophomore slump.” Several critics who remained unconvinced by Katniss’s romantic dilemma made unfavorable comparisons to the human-vampire-werewolf love triangle in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series. But most reviewers felt that Catching Fire was still a thrill because Collins replicated her initial success at balancing action, violence, and heroism in a way that will enthrall young readers without giving them (too many) nightmares.
Summer Secrets
From Publishers Weekly Eight years ago, Duncan McKenna and his three daughters won a punishing around-the-world-sailboat race. Though Kate, Ashley and Caroline McKenna are haunted by the journey’s aftermath, they support their beloved father in keeping its ugly truths hidden. Then reporter Tyler Jamison arrives on idyllic Castleton Island, claiming he wants to write a story about the race. Tyler is actually bent on learning which of the McKenna girls gave birth to a child during it-a child illegally adopted by his brother, who may lose a custody battle if the identity of the birth mother isn’t discovered. While Kate and Tyler circle each other in mingled suspicion and sexual attraction, her sisters struggle with Duncan’s alcoholism and their own demons. Events reach crisis point during a sudden summer storm that forces the family to confront their fears and lies. Some improbable plot contrivances mar the novel’s realistic texture, and the girls’ support of their father’s destructive dreams often seems disturbing rather than devoted. Despite these lapses, Freethy’s (Love Will Find a Way, etc.) zesty storytelling will keep readers hooked, and the sisters’ loving but prickly interactions will make anyone with a sibling smile.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist Reporter Tyler Jamison knows that the once-famous McKenna family is hiding something but doesn’t know that it could devastate Tyler and his brother. Eight years earlier, Duncan McKenna and his three teenage daughters, Kate, Ashley, and Caroline, won the Winston Around the World Challenge with their sailboat, Moon Dancer. But instead of feeling jubilant after the hard-earned victory, each of them falls into a personal hell, Duncan’s fueled by alcohol. They’ve stuck together and kept their secret, and now, out of the blue, a reporter is trying to pry it out of them. Then Kate begins to develop an attachment to Tyler, feeling guilty because of the lies she has told him to protect her family. Tyler wants to start a relationship with her, too, but he has also told lies, even though they’re lies of omission. He knows that when he reveals who he really is, the hatred will be so great that any chance at love will be permanently destroyed. What really happened during the race? Freethy skillfully keeps the reader on the hook, and her tantalizing and believable tale has it all– romance, adventure, and mystery. Shelley Mosley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
The Hunger Games
From Publishers Weekly Starred Review. SignatureReviewed by Megan Whalen TurnerIf there really are only seven original plots in the world, it’s odd that boy meets girl is always mentioned, and society goes bad and attacks the good guy never is. Yet we have Fahrenheit 451, The Giver, The House of the Scorpion—and now, following a long tradition of Brave New Worlds, The Hunger Games. Collins hasn’t tied her future to a specific date, or weighted it down with too much finger wagging. Rather less 1984 and rather more Death Race 2000, hers is a gripping story set in a postapocalyptic world where a replacement for the United States demands a tribute from each of its territories: two children to be used as gladiators in a televised fight to the death.Katniss, from what was once Appalachia, offers to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, but after this ultimate sacrifice, she is entirely focused on survival at any cost. It is her teammate, Peeta, who recognizes the importance of holding on to one’s humanity in such inhuman circumstances. It’s a credit to Collins’s skill at characterization that Katniss, like a new Theseus, is cold, calculating and still likable. She has the attributes to be a winner, where Peeta has the grace to be a good loser.It’s no accident that these games are presented as pop culture. Every generation projects its fear: runaway science, communism, overpopulation, nuclear wars and, now, reality TV. The State of Panem—which needs to keep its tributaries subdued and its citizens complacent—may have created the Games, but mindless television is the real danger, the means by which society pacifies its citizens and punishes those who fail to conform. Will its connection to reality TV, ubiquitous today, date the book? It might, but for now, it makes this the right book at the right time. What happens if we choose entertainment over humanity? In Collins’s world, we’ll be obsessed with grooming, we’ll talk funny, and all our sentences will end with the same rise as questions. When Katniss is sent to stylists to be made more telegenic before she competes, she stands naked in front of them, strangely unembarrassed. They’re so unlike people that I’m no more self-conscious than if a trio of oddly colored birds were pecking around my feet, she thinks. In order not to hate these creatures who are sending her to her death, she imagines them as pets. It isn’t just the contestants who risk the loss of their humanity. It is all who watch.Katniss struggles to win not only the Games but the inherent contest for audience approval. Because this is the first book in a series, not everything is resolved, and what is left unanswered is the central question. Has she sacrificed too much? We know what she has given up to survive, but not whether the price was too high. Readers will wait eagerly to learn more.Megan Whalen Turner is the author of the Newbery Honor book The Thief and its sequels, The Queen of Attolia and The King of Attolia. The next book in the series will be published by Greenwillow in 2010.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. –This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From School Library Journal Grade 7 Up -In a not-too-distant future, the United States of America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year, two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the televised games are broadcasted throughout Panem as the 24 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss’s young sister, Prim, is selected as the mining district’s female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart, Peeta, the son of the town baker who seems to have all the fighting skills of a lump of bread dough, will be pitted against bigger, stronger representatives who have trained for this their whole lives. Collins’s characters are completely realistic and sympathetic as they form alliances and friendships in the face of overwhelming odds; the plot is tense, dramatic, and engrossing. This book will definitely resonate with the generation raised on reality shows like ‘Survivor’ and ‘American Gladiator.’ Book one of a planned trilogy.Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. –This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin
Amazon Best Books of the Month, May 2011: In the Garden of Beasts is a vivid portrait of Berlin during the first years of Hitler’s reign, brought to life through the stories of two people: William E. Dodd, who in 1933 became America’s first ambassador to Hitler’s regime, and his scandalously carefree daughter, Martha. Ambassador Dodd, an unassuming and scholarly man, is an odd fit among the extravagance of the Nazi elite. His frugality annoys his fellow Americans in the State Department and Dodd’s growing misgivings about Hitler’s ambitions fall on deaf ears among his peers, who are content to “give Hitler everything he wants.” Martha, on the other hand, is mesmerized by the glamorous parties and the high-minded conversation of Berlin’s salon society—and flings herself headlong into numerous affairs with the city’s elite, most notably the head of the Gestapo and a Soviet spy. Both become players in the exhilarating (and terrifying) story of Hitler’s obsession for absolute power, which culminates in the events of one murderous night, later known as “the Night of Long Knives.” The rise of Nazi Germany is a well-chronicled time in history, which makes In the Garden of Beasts all the more remarkable. Erik Larson has crafted a gripping, deeply-intimate narrative with a climax that reads like the best political thriller, where we are stunned with each turn of the page, even though we already know the outcome. –Shane Hansanuwat
Review “By far his best and most enthralling work of novelistic history….There has been nothing quite like Mr. Larson’s story of the four Dodds….The Dodd’s story is rich with incident, populated by fascinating secondary characters, tinged with rising peril and pityingly persuasive about the futility of Dodd’s mission….powerful, poignant…a transportingly true story.”–The New York Times
“Larson’s strengths as a storyteller have never been stronger than they are here, and this story is far more important than either “The Devil in the White City” or “Thunderstruck.” How the United States dithered as Hitler rose to power is a cautionary tale that bears repeating, and Larson has told it masterfully.”–Cleveland Plain Dealer
“Reads like an elegant thriller…utterly compelling… marvelous stuff. An excellent and entertaining book that deserves to be a bestseller, and probably will be.”—The Washington Post
“Larson’s scholarship is impressive, but it’s his pacing and knack for suspense that elevates the book from the matter-of-fact to the sublime.”–Pittsburgh Review
“A master at writing true tales as riveting as fiction.”–People (3 1/2 stars)
“Larson has done it again, expertly weaving together a fresh new narrative from ominous days of the 20th century.”–Associated Press
“”Mesmerizing…cinematic, improbable yet true.”–Philadelphia Inquirer
“[L]ike slipping slowly into a nightmare, with logic perverted and morality upended….It all makes for a powerful, unsettling immediacy.”–Bruce Handy, Vanity Fair
“Dazzling….Reads like a suspense novel, replete with colorful characters, both familiar and those previously relegated to the shadows. Like Christopher Isherwood’s Berlin Stories or Victor Klemperer’s Diaries, IN THE GARDEN OF BEASTS is an on-the-ground documentary of a society going mad in slow motion.”–The Chicago Sun-Times
“[G]ripping, a nightmare narrative of a terrible time. It raises again the question never fully answered about the Nazi era—what evil humans are capable of, and what means are necessary to cage the beast.”–The Seattle Times
“In this mesmerizing portrait of the Nazi capital, Larson plumbs a far more diabolical urban cauldron than in his bestselling The Devil in the White City…a vivid, atmospheric panorama of the Third Reich and its leaders, including murderous Nazi factional infighting, through the accretion of small crimes and petty thuggery.”–Publishers Weekly(Starred Review)
Praise for Erik Larson
THUNDERSTRUCK
“A ripping yarn of murder and invention.”—Los Angeles Times
“Larson’s gift for rendering an historical era with vibrant tactility and filling it with surprising personalities makes Thunderstruck an irresistible tale.”—The Washington Post Book World
“Gripping….An edge-of-the-seat read.”—People
DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY
“[Larson] relentlessly fuses history and entertainment to give this nonfiction book the dramatic effect of a novel….a dynamic, enveloping book.”
—The New York Times
“A hugely engrossing chronicle of events public and private. Exceedingly well-documented, exhaustive without being excessive, and utterly fascinating.”
—Chicago Tribune
“An irresistible page-turner that reads like the most compelling, sleep-defying fiction.”—Time Out New York
ISAAC’S STORM
“A gripping account…fascinating to its core, and all the more compelling for being true.”—New York Times Book Review
“Superb…Larson has made the Great Hurricane live again.”—The Wall Street Journal
“Gripping….The Jaws of hurricane yarns.”—Newsday
Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back
Product Description
A young boy emerges from life-saving surgery with remarkable stories of his visit to heaven.
Heaven Is for Real is the true story of the four-year old son of a small town Nebraska pastor who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven. He survives and begins talking about being able to look down and see the doctor operating and his dad praying in the waiting room. The family didn’t know what to believe but soon the evidence was clear.
Colton said he met his miscarried sister, whom no one had told him about, and his great grandfather who died 30 years before Colton was born, then shared impossible-to-know details about each. He describes the horse that only Jesus could ride, about how “reaaally big” God and his chair are, and how the Holy Spirit “shoots down power” from heaven to help us.
Told by the father, but often in Colton’s own words, the disarmingly simple message is heaven is a real place, Jesus really loves children, and be ready, there is a coming last battle.
About the Author Todd Burpo is pastor of Crossroads Wesleyan, a wrestling coach, a volunteer fireman, and he operates a garage door company with his wife, Sonja, who is also a children’s minister, busy pastor’s wife, and mom. Colton, now an active 11-year-old, has an older sister Cassie and a younger brother Colby. The family lives in Imperial, Nebraska.
Lynn Vincent is the New York Times best-selling writer of Same Kind of Different as Me and Going Rogue: An American Life. The author or co-author of nine books, Vincent is a senior writer for WORLD magazine and a lecturer in writing at the King’s College in New York City. She lives in San Diego, California. –This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
Blood of My Brother
Review Raves for James LePore’s A World I Never Made:
“Jim LePore is a great discovery.” — William Landay
“An outstanding first novel, and a wonderful thriller.” — Blogcritics
“I highly recommend this compelling suspense story filled with vivid characters and haunting storylines. A story that will stay with the reader long after the final page.” — Bella Online
“A compelling page-turner––one of those wonderful books with characters as strong as the story and a story worth read- ing. Don’t miss it.” — M.J. Rose, author of The Memorist
“Nothing could have torn my attention away from this story. A World I Never Made by James LePore is a must read for thriller fans!” — Cheryl’s Book Nook
“The plot of this intriguing, suspenseful novel is taut, moves rather rapidly, and mesmerizes the reader with each new complex, mysterious detail. James LePore knows how to spin an international thriller tale that slowly reveals an inner, fascinating depth to each character and to the developing connections between each and all. Well, well-done, James LePore!” — Crystal Reviews
“Author James LePore has created a remarkable, gripping tale of suspense in his debut novel. A World I Never Made is filled with strong, vividly described international characters to whom the reader will quickly form an attachment, all the while being transported through wonderfully described exotic lands. The combination creates an atmosphere of breathless suspense affording readers a desire to continue reading up until the thrilling, yet tender, conclusion.” — Feathered Quill Book Reviews
“The suspense will keep you white-knuckled as the plot unfolds with plenty of depth and intelligence. In fact, A World I Never Made kept me so enthralled that I simply didn’t want it to end. So if you’re looking for a new author who can knock you breathless with a clever thriller, James LePore is the one to pick.” — Nights and Weekends
“The key to this exciting thriller is the cast, especially the Nolan father and daughter . . . fans will enjoy this one sitting suspense thriller.” — The Mystery Gazette
“James LePore writes in an exciting and most readable style. He is an artist at building the suspense as the story progresses to its ultimate conclusion. There is just enough doubt about the possible outcomes to keep the reader wondering and turning pages. A World I Never Made is a fine tale filled with love, adventure, mystery and suspense.” — Mainly Mysteries
“A carefully crafted, well written book with a rich cast of characters and a plot as complicated and convoluted as the characters themselves.” — Reader Views
“An unputdownable novel.” — Everything Distills into Reading
Product Description When Jay Cassio’s best friend is murdered in a job clearly done by professionals, the walls that he has built to protect himself from the world of others begin to shatter. Dan Del Colliano had been his confidante and protector since the men were children on the savage streets of Newark, New Jersey. When Dan supports and revives Jay after Jay’s parents die in a plane crash, their bond deepens to something beyond brotherhood, beyond blood. Now Jay, a successful lawyer, must find out why Dan died and find a way to seek justice for his murder. Isabel Perez has lived a life both tainted and charmed since she was a teenager in Mexico. She holds powerful sway over men and has even more powerful alliances with people no one should ever try to cross. She desperately wants her freedom from the chains these people have placed on her. When Jay catapults into her world, their connection is electric, their alliance is lethal, and their future is anything but certain. Once again, James LePore has given us a novel of passions, intense moral complexities, and irresistible thrills. Filled with characters you will embrace and characters you will fear, Blood of My Brother is a story about a quest for revenge and redemption you won’t soon forget.
One True Love
From Publishers Weekly The nice little life that account executive Lisa Alvarez has spent the last eight years constructing is about to fall apart. She’s due to marry her boss in barely a month when painful reminders of her dead baby daughter and her ex-husband Nick Maddux force themselves on her. Both Lisa and Nick have tried to make new lives for themselves since the baby’s death, although Nick has embraced his daughter’s short life by becoming a master craftsman of cradles while Lisa has simply shut the door on her past. Their reunion is fiery, passionate and difficult to read, in part because Lisa is not a congenial character, having turned herself into a career-driven robot. The story veers between Lisa and Nick’s rediscovery of their love and the burgeoning love of Nick’s sister, Maggie, and sexy screen writer Jeremy Hunt. Maggie and Jeremy are both attractive and deserved more length and breadth than author Freethy (Daniel’s Gift) gave them. A magical leitmotif throughout does, however, go some way towards transcending these weaknesses.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal Four weeks before she is to be married, a frantic call for help from her childhood best friend drags Lisa Alvarez out of her safe, well-ordered existence in Los Angeles and back into a life she thought she had left behind, with painful, romantic, and ultimately satisfying results. A pair of wary, emotionally fragile protagonists, a cast of exceptional secondary characters (including three engagingly realistic children), and a multilayered plot that deftly interweaves humor, passion, and the tragedy of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome result in a poignant, heartwrenching, yet heartwarming story that is laced with love and a gentle hint of fantasy. It may appeal to readers who enjoy the work of Debbie Macomber, LaVyrle Spencer, and Kristin Hannah. Freethy (Ask Mariah, Avon, 1997) won a Rita Award in 1997 and lives in the San Francisco Bay area.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Summer Secrets
From Publishers Weekly Eight years ago, Duncan McKenna and his three daughters won a punishing around-the-world-sailboat race. Though Kate, Ashley and Caroline McKenna are haunted by the journey’s aftermath, they support their beloved father in keeping its ugly truths hidden. Then reporter Tyler Jamison arrives on idyllic Castleton Island, claiming he wants to write a story about the race. Tyler is actually bent on learning which of the McKenna girls gave birth to a child during it-a child illegally adopted by his brother, who may lose a custody battle if the identity of the birth mother isn’t discovered. While Kate and Tyler circle each other in mingled suspicion and sexual attraction, her sisters struggle with Duncan’s alcoholism and their own demons. Events reach crisis point during a sudden summer storm that forces the family to confront their fears and lies. Some improbable plot contrivances mar the novel’s realistic texture, and the girls’ support of their father’s destructive dreams often seems disturbing rather than devoted. Despite these lapses, Freethy’s (Love Will Find a Way, etc.) zesty storytelling will keep readers hooked, and the sisters’ loving but prickly interactions will make anyone with a sibling smile.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
