StaffSelectionsJanuary

Curious what the staff reads? Here are staff selections for January.

Lucy

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Too Much Money

By Dominick Dunne

See how the “other half” lives. This is a story about high society in New York City complete with social climbers, back biters and cook stealers. VERY similar to One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell which I thought was a bit more fun.

Angela

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The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder

By Rebecca Wells

From Publishers Weekly

Wells (Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood) weaves more of the magic that made her a bestseller. At first, Calla Lily Ponder appears to be just like any other young woman growing up in the small town of La Luna, La., where life is simple and Calla Lily is supported by a loving, tightly knit family and a colorful cast of locals. But after a series of hometown heartbreaks, Calla Lily sets out for New Orleans to attend a prestigious beauty academy with dreams of one day opening her own salon. Calla Lily soon learns that while the Big Easy offers a fresh start, adventures and exhilarating new friends, it also presents its own set of tragedies and setbacks. The novel is chock-full of Southern charm and sassy wisdom, and despite its sugary sweetness, it benefits from a hearty dose of Wells's trademark charisma. Calla Lily's story may not be as involved or satisfying as that of the Ya-Yas, but she's sure to be a crowd-pleaser thanks to her humble aspirations, ever hopeful heart and perseverance no matter what fate throws at her.

Michelle

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A Creed Country Christmas

By Linda Lael Miller

I was searching for a warm, fuzzy kind of book for the holidays, and this book did not disappoint. It was a sweet, simple, and quick read for the busy holiday season.

From Publishers Weekly:

Miller delivers a holiday heartwarmer her fans are sure to adore. When Juliana Mitchell runs out of money, she loses the Indian school she runs in 1910 Montana, and the four children in her care are left with nowhere to go. Lucky for her (and them), she meets rancher Lincoln Creed, whose daughter is in desperate need of a governess. But things don't work out exactly as Creed envisioned, and it turns out Juliana could fulfill a much larger role in the Creed home. Things look like they're turning out well for everyone, but an Indian affairs agent might upset the happy if unconventional setup. Mitchell makes for a sympathetic heroine, and in Creed, Miller has moved beyond the usual quiet frontiersman to create a sensitive, loyal gentleman that readers will love.

April

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The Neighbor

By Lisa Gardner

I needed a quick easy read that would provide suspense and intrigue. This book met my needs and although fairly predictable it did have a few unique twists.

Publishers Weekly

In bestseller Gardner's gripping 11th thriller, Sgt. Det. D.D. Warren, last seen in 2007's Hide, looks into the curious disappearance of Sandra Jones, a sixth-grade social studies teacher, from her South Boston home: Sandra's keys and purse were on the kitchen counter, nothing was disturbed, and her four-year-old daughter, Ree, to whom she was devoted, was asleep upstairs. The missing woman's reporter husband, Jason, becomes an immediate suspect because he refuses to answer questions and appears to have destroyed evidence. As a media frenzy envelopes the case, Warren's investigation reveals the couple's life as anything but perfect or normal. Full of inventive twists, this highly entertaining novel delivers a shocking solution as well as a perfectly realized sense of justice.

Ann

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Going Bovine

By Libba Bray

Going Bovine - this young adult book starts off with a bang. You learn that the main character of the book believes he has been dying since he was 5 years old when he drowned (but was brought back to life) at Disney World in the It's a Small World ride. Cameron, the main character, is now 16 years old and is in for an adventure in the book. The whole premise of the book is that Cameron is dying (for real) from Mad Cow Disease - hence the title Going Bovine. The book is a journey that Cameron takes during his last few weeks. I really enjoyed this story until I was 3/4 done then the story took a turn that I thought was terrible. I would recommend this book but stop reading it before the end; it is better to leave the story hanging there then to find out what truly happens.

Jessie

A Christmas Carol

By Charles Dickens

My recent classic novel kick, in conjunction with the holiday season, inspired me to read the original version of arguably the most well known Christmas story in the world. Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is a short novella that has inspired more retellings and movie interpretations than there are pages in the book. The main character and his personality are very closely associated still today. As a result, the word “scrooge” has been added to the English dictionary and used to describe any old, miserly individual.

For anyone unfamiliar with the story, Ebenezer Scrooge, a bitter Christmas-hating old man, undergoes a miraculous transformation with the help of three ghosts. In the course of one night the ghostly trio chronicles the Christmases of Scrooge’s life: past, present and future. And when they are done, we can feel the transformation not only in Scrooge, but also in ourselves. This book is guaranteed to get you in the spirit of Christmas!