[bksvol-discuss] Fw: Fiction A to Z July 2009
- From: "Amber Wallenstein" <amber.wallens@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 20 Jul 2009 07:21:31 -0400
Fiction A to Z July 2009
"Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability."
~ Sam Keen, American philosopher
New and Recently Released!
My Father's Tears and Other Stories - by John Updike
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 06/02/2009
ISBN-13: 9780307271563
ISBN-10: 0307271560
This final collection of stories from the Pulitzer Prize-winning John
Updike--completed before his death from cancer this past January--ranges across
American
history from the Depression to the days after 9/11. Though most feature New
England suburbs or Updike's native Pennsylvania, his characters venture to
lands as far away as Morocco and India. And while the stories all alight on the
indignities of aging or the unavoidable prospect of death, they also reflect
upon the choices one makes in life. If you've read your way through Updike's
entire oeuvre and haven't yet discovered the work of his son David try his
newest collection, the recently published Old Girlfriends.
First Chapter
In the Kitchen: A Novel - by Monica Ali
Publisher: Scribner
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 06/16/2009
ISBN-13: 9781416571681
ISBN-10: 141657168X
The restaurant in London's Imperial Hotel is run by executive chef Gabriel
Lightfoot, who, having turned it around, is diligently working towards owning
a restaurant of his own. Meanwhile, he's got his hands full with bickering if
talented cooks, a bullying general manager, the impending death of his father,
and trouble at home. Gabe is under a lot of pressure, and the unmourned death
of the night porter--found dead in the hotel's basement--threatens to unmoor
him completely. Between the rowdiness of a busy kitchen--manned by "a United
Nations task force"--and Gabe's internal conflict, In the Kitchen will appeal
to readers who appreciate the multiculturalism in books by authors like Zadie
Smith.
First Chapter
The crowning glory of Calla Lily Ponder - Wells, Rebecca
Publisher: HarperCollins
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 07/07/2009
ISBN-13: 9780060175313
ISBN-10: 0060175311
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. From the best-selling author of Divine Secrets of the
Ya-Ya Sisterhood.
Twenties girl : a novel - Kinsella, Sophie
Publisher: Dial Press
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 07/21/2009
ISBN-13: 9780385342025
ISBN-10: 0385342020
Kinsella, author of the wildly popular Shopaholic series, takes an
unconventional turn in her latest novel. Lara Lington is nursing a broken heart
and trying
to keep her business afloat, but -- not so typically -- she is also dealing
with the ghost of her great-aunt Sadie. Sadie appears as a young woman, a feisty
flapper, who wants Laras help finding a treasured beaded necklace. Lara's
search leads her to Londons National Gallery, where a famous portrait holds the
key to the necklace's origins and to her wealthy uncle, whose rapid rise to
success may have received an unexplained boost. As Lara helps Sadie find her
peace, Sadie helps Lara learn to enjoy life again. With Sadie's urging, Lara
embarks on a new romance, wears vintage flapper clothing, and even learns
the Charleston. Kinsella juggles romance, mystery, and a spirited spirit with
quirky but thoroughly charming results.
First Chapter
A Short History of Women: A Novel - by Kate Walbert
Publisher: Scribner
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 06/16/2009
ISBN-13: 9781416594987
ISBN-10: 1416594981
In this novel--which deftly brings together themes of feminism, war, and
class--several generations of Townsend women look for roles that expand beyond
that of wife and/or mother, with varying degrees of success. It all starts with
Dorothy Trevor Townsend, who in 1914 starves herself for her cause. Her
orphaned children are separated; both end up leaving England for the U.S.,
where her daughter refuses to marry or bear children. When Dorothy's
granddaughter--also
named Dorothy--is 70, she makes radical changes to her life, which only serves
to embarrass and infuriate her own grown daughters. Kirkus Reviews calls
A Short History of Women "daring and devastating: 20th-century history made
personal."
First Chapter
The New Valley - by Josh Weil
Publisher: Grove Press
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 06/03/2009
ISBN-13: 9780802118912
ISBN-10: 0802118917
This collection of three linked novellas--a debut from Fulbright-winning author
Josh Weil--draws the reader into the remote and unforgiving hill country
between Virginia and West Virginia. There's a solitary man at the heart of each
novella--a farmer contemplating his isolation after his father's suicide,
a single father facing old age alone after his need for control drives away his
daughter, and a mildly developmentally disabled man in love with a married
woman. These men, loners all, are struggling to find meaning in their lives;
the ways in which they succeed and fail are powerfully captured in these
remarkable
stories.
Summertime!
Call Me by Your Name - by André Aciman
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 01/23/2007
ISBN-13: 9780374299217
ISBN-10: 0374299218
Though well accustomed to the scholars who inhabit his family's Italian seaside
villa each summer at his professor father's invitation, 17-year-old Elio
nevertheless finds the arrival of a handsome, charming American named Oliver
earth-shaking. What starts as an uneven friendship soon develops into much
more as the two embark on a hidden relationship marked by a passion and desire
that will stay with both men throughout their lives. Narrated by Elio some
years after the summer that transformed his life, this tale of awakening love
is "an exceptionally beautiful book" (The New York Times).
First Chapter
An American Summer - by Frank Deford
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 05/01/2003
ISBN-13: 9781402200595
ISBN-10: 1402200595
In 1954, when he is 14, Christy Bannister moves with his father to Baltimore,
where he faces a long, lonely summer. Until, that is, he meets the Slade family,
whose 23-year-old daughter, Kathryn, lives at home, encased in a portable iron
lung. Once an accomplished swimmer, Kathryn decides to coach Christy so
that he can race in the Labor Day celebration, but her friendship becomes much
more important as she shows him what it means to be courageous. Faced with
ethical quandaries at home, Christy comes to rely on Kathryn, who in turn
relies on him to share stories of the world beyond her backyard. You'll want
to read this if you remember the 1950s, or are looking for a touching
coming-of-age story.
First Chapter
Three Junes - by Julia Glass
Publisher: Pantheon Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 05/01/2002
ISBN-13: 9780375421440
ISBN-10: 0375421440
There are three summers--three Junes, to be precise--at the heart of this
debut, which dwells on the coincidences that bring people together and the fear
that can keep them apart. The first June is in 1989, when recently widowed Paul
MacLeod travels through Greece. The second is in 1995, and focuses on Paul's
son, Fenno, who has briefly returned home to Scotland, and who reflects on his
relationships with his brothers and his former lovers. The third, in 1999,
features an artist whom Paul had met during his summer in Greece. This
"dazzling portrait of family life" (Publishers Weekly) won the National Book
Award
in 2002.
First Chapter
Barefoot: A Novel - by Elin Hilderbrand
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 07/02/2007
ISBN-13: 9780316018586
ISBN-10: 0316018589
Faced with grueling treatments for late-stage lung cancer, 30-something
alpha-mom Vicki flees Connecticut for Nantucket Island, where she plans to have
chemotherapy locally while staying at her family's beach house. She's
accompanied by her two small children as well as by her sister Brenda and her
friend
Melanie, who, like Brenda, is running from troubles of her own. None of the
women is truly able to care for the kids, so they've hired a local college
student home for the summer, Josh, who becomes a source of support for all
three women. It's an emotional summer for everyone; mothers especially will
be drawn in by Vicki's relationship with her children.
Body Surfing: A Novel - by Anita Shreve
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 04/24/2007
ISBN-13: 9780316059855
ISBN-10: 0316059854
At 29, Sydney has already been divorced by one husband and widowed by a second.
As she begins the starting-over process once more, she takes a summer job
tutoring a beautiful and talented--if not academically minded--18-year-old.
Though Sydney and Julie get along just fine, there are tensions beneath the
surface of Julie's seemingly happy family, which come to a head when Julie's
older brothers--35-year-old Ben and 31-year-old Jeff--come home for a visit.
Anita Shreve is known for the elegance of her stories; if you're a fan, keep a
lookout for A Change in Altitude, which is due to be published in October.
First Chapter
The Hot Flash Club Chills Out: A Novel - by Nancy Thayer
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 05/01/2007
ISBN-13: 9780345485540
ISBN-10: 0345485548
In this 4th outing for the members of the Hot Flash Club, the women escape
Boston and head to the island of Nantucket to spend the summer house-sitting.
Each of the women is facing turbulence at home--whether it be a troubled
romantic relationship (Faye, Polly), family demands (Alice, Marilyn), or a
disappointing
search for Mr. Right (Shirley)--and they're eager for a relaxing summer. But as
we all know, life doesn't stop just because you're on vacation. Women of
a certain age will appreciate the strong friendships portrayed here.
First Chapter
Summer on Blossom Street - Macomber, Debbie
Publisher: Mira
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 05/01/2009
ISBN-13: 9780778326434
ISBN-10: 0778326438
Macomber's new Blossom Street novel begins in Lydia's store, A Good Yarn,
located in downtown Seattle. Lydia has a new class, Knit to Quit, for people who
need to redirect their energies while trying to quit negative habits. Phoebe
joins on impulse. She's just called off her engagement for the second time
and needs to quit her fianc', a controlling, self-absorbed manipulator. The
small class also attracts Bryan, whose stress-filled job has made this young
man a prime candidate for a heart attack. Both find that the knitting helps
them with their problems, and brings them together. Our old friend Alix joins
to help her quit smoking before she tries to get pregnant. And Lydia herself is
a major player this time as she and her husband decide to adopt a baby.
What happens instead is heartwarming in the extreme. Macomber's typical
strengths are at full capacity in this must-read for her fans, who will find
their
emotions fully engaged and completely satisfied
First Chapter
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