[bksvol-discuss] Fw: Fiction A to Z November 2008

From: "Amber Wallenstein" <amber.wallens@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:44:33 -0500
Fiction A to Z November 2008

"Every parting is a form of death, as every reunion is a type of heaven."
~ Tryon Edwards (1809-1894), American theologian
New and Recently Released!

A Country Called Home: A Novel - by Kim Barnes
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 9/30/2008
ISBN: 9780307268952
ISBN-10: 0307268950
Newlywed Helen Deracotte, daughter of a wealthy Connecticut family, has 
followed her idealistic husband Thomas to an isolated farm in 1960s Idaho. 
There,
she is unprepared for the life she's now expected to lead, sans friends, 
family, or even electricity, and the arrival of baby Elise does little to 
alleviate
the situation. Manny, the local teen who does most of the farm work (Thomas is 
usually off fishing), provides the only bright spot in her life, but their
relationship leads to consequences that reverberate for years. The era and 
especially the setting of this haunting story are eloquently captured, and the
lives of the characters are "revealed with wrenching detail" (Publishers 
Weekly).
First Chapter

The Development: Nine Stories - by John Barth
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 10/7/2008
ISBN: 9780547072487
ISBN-10: 0547072481
The townhouses of Heron Bay Estates, on Maryland's Eastern Shore, mostly cater 
to older folks who want something smaller than a freestanding house but who
aren't quite ready for the retirement home. But through small events like a 
toga party or sightings of a local Peeping Tom, the residents experience both
the pleasures and the indignities of old age. The loosely linked stories that 
form The Development play with not only the format but with readers' 
expectations;
both long-time fans of author John Barth's work and readers new to him will 
enjoy the tales, which are "urbane, discursive and humorous, often bawdy and
never sentimental" (Publishers Weekly).

A Guide to the Birds of East Africa - by Nicholas Drayson
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 9/18/2008
ISBN: 9780547152585
ISBN-10: 0547152582
Fans of Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels will 
find much to like in this charming, lighthearted novel starring a shy, honorable
widower named Mr. Malik. As the Nairobi Hunt Club Ball approaches, Mr. Malik 
would dearly like to invite fellow birdwatcher Rose Mbikwa, but he is 
disheartened
to note the return of a bully from high school, the flashy Harry Khan, who also 
has his eye on the lovely Rose. To determine who will receive the right
to ask her out, the birdwatching club decides on a gentlemanly 
contest--whichever man sights the most bird species in a week will win the 
right to ask
Rose to the dance. Hijinks ensue, and as you follow them, you might just 
develop a love of birdwatching yourself.
First Chapter

I See You Everywhere - by Julia Glass
Publisher: Pantheon Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 10/14/2008
ISBN: 9780375422751
ISBN-10: 0375422757
Louisa and Clement Jardine are as different as two sisters could be--one is 
conscientious and analytical, the other a rebellious daredevil. In alternating
chapters, the sisters share their perspectives on their sometimes close, 
sometimes strained relationship. Twenty-five years pass in this manner, as each
woman seeks happiness, love, and success. Apparently based fairly heavily on 
award-winning author Julia Glass' own life, I See You Everywhere is likely
to appeal most to readers who enjoy reading about the ups and downs in 
relationships between sisters.
First Chapter

Fault Lines - by Nancy Huston
Publisher: PGW
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 10/1/2008
ISBN: 9780802170514
ISBN-10: 080217051X
Six-year-old Sol might be a genius, but he's not the only gifted person in his 
family--and he is only one of the four six-year-olds retelling his family's
history, for his narrative turn is followed by his father's, then his 
grandmother's, and finally his great-grandmother's. Sol's grandmother Sadie, 
determined
as a child and as an adult to discover her family's secret history, provides 
the impetus for them all to visit Germany, but it is the stories that the
six-year-olds tell that show exactly where the family came from and exactly who 
they are. This award-winning novel has been praised for "the emotional
intricacies that are the hallmark of the best family stories" (Booklist).
First Chapter

Thank You for All Things - by Sandra Kring
Publisher: Bantam Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 9/30/2008
ISBN: 9780385341202
ISBN-10: 0385341202
Eleven-year-old twins Lucy and Milo McGowan live in a grungy Chicago apartment 
that they're rarely allowed to leave--their mother homeschools the 
extraordinarily
intelligent children. While Milo is uninterested in people (he prefers 
memorizing the digits of pi), Lucy has a lively curiosity, especially when it 
comes
to her family and her unknown father. When her mother reluctantly returns to 
her childhood home in Wisconsin, twins in tow, to care for her much-despised
father, Lucy sees it as an opportunity to learn more about the family she knows 
so little about. The result is "a beautiful, witty story that rings with
heartbreak, hope and laughter"(Publishers Weekly).
First Chapter
Focus on: Reunions

The Ghost at the Table: A Novel - by Suzanne Berne
Publisher: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 10/20/2006
ISBN: 9781565123342
ISBN-10: 1565123344
In a family marked by estrangement, perfect Frances--married with kids, her 
father's favorite--is hosting a Thanksgiving reunion; her younger sister 
Cynthia--single,
perpetually in Frances' shadow, and still affected by her lonely 
childhood--feels obliged to attend. Although Frances does not agree, Cynthia 
believes
her father was responsible for their mother's death many years ago. As 
resentment and the long-running disagreement boil to the surface, Cynthia's 
objectivity
as narrator seems to slip. Fans of domestic dramas will especially relish the 
fire that consumes a family heirloom.

Gods in Alabama - by Joshilyn Jackson
Publisher: Warner Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 6/13/2006
ISBN: 9780446694537
ISBN-10: 0446694533
Ten years ago, when Arlene Fleet left tiny Possett, Alabama, she vowed never to 
return--in fact, that was part of her deal with God: if he kept the body
of high-school quarterback Jim Beverly hidden, she'd never lie, wouldn't 
fornicate, and would never return home. Turns out, God may not have kept his end
of the deal. So back to Alabama Arlene goes, just in time for her uncle's 
retirement party, with her Yankee African-American boyfriend in tow (which 
causes
no minor stir, for Aunt Florence--the family dynamo--is racist. And not fond of 
city-boy Northerners.). Try the first chapter of this utterly witty book--if
you're hooked by Arlene's sass, you'll be glad you did.
First Chapter

The Same Sweet Girls - by Cassandra King
Publisher: Hyperion
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 1/1/2005
ISBN: 9781401300388
ISBN-10: 1401300383
For 30 years, the Same Sweet Girls--a tight-knit group of six Southern women, 
friends since college--have come together for biannual reunions. This year,
they're meeting on Dauphin Island in Alabama. Nearing 50, they all have some 
serious issues to work through (depression, a loveless marriage, and so on),
and they rely on each other for support. But when one of their number gets 
sick, the group is spurred like never before to fix their personal problems
before it's too late. This novel by the wife of author Pat Conroy might be just 
what the doctor ordered for fans of women's fiction or Southern literature.

Dedication: A Novel - by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
Publisher: Atria Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 6/5/2007
ISBN: 9781416540137
ISBN-10: 141654013X
Jake Sharpe is America's most popular musician, having ridden a wave of number 
one hits to the top of the music scene. Many of his songs are about love
and heartbreak--and all of these have been based on the girl he abandoned at 
the senior prom, the now 30-year-old Kate Hollis. Hearing (via a 4:43 AM phone
call) that he's returned to their hometown for a visit, she too flies back home 
to resolve her lingering resentment by confronting him. Too bad her luggage
(containing any number of devastating outfits) got lost on the trip, leaving 
her clad only in yoga pants and the shirt she slept in... If you're looking
for some light-hearted chick-lit this holiday season, you've come to the right 
place.
First Chapter

The Birthdays: A Novel - by Heidi Pitlor
Publisher: W.W. Norton
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 6/1/2007
ISBN: 9780393329933
ISBN-10: 0393329933
To celebrate their father's 75th birthday, the Miller siblings--all of whom are 
expecting first children of their own--have come together at the Maine summer
house owned by middle child Jake, who, though successful, still struggles with 
insecurity. Jake and his wife are expecting twins, while Jake's older brother,
a recent paraplegic, is obsessed with the sperm donor whose donation allowed 
his wife to have a baby. And the youngest, Hilary, is single--and has no idea
who fathered the child she's carrying. This debut novel would be a good read 
for anyone who enjoys reading about families, parenthood, and the relationships
between husbands and wives and brothers and sisters.

The Book of Joe - by Jonathan Tropper
Publisher: Delta
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 1/25/2005
ISBN: 9780385338103
ISBN-10: 0385338104
Joe Goffman never really had to grow up--he became rich and famous early on 
when he published a novel, and he's pretty much coasted through life since then.
He hasn't ever returned home--because everyone there is furious that their 
private lives ended up in his bestselling book. And the movie (starring Leonardo
DiCaprio and Kirsten Dunst) that followed. But when his father is felled by a 
stroke, Joe returns home to face his family and former friends, and perhaps,
for once, accept responsibility for his actions. Look for "fantastically funny 
dialogue" (Booklist)--and perhaps eventually a real movie.
First Chapter
[bksvol-discuss] Fw: Fiction A to Z November 2008

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