Tag Archives: Staff Favorites

Summer Reading: Staff Picks!

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With another Thursday comes another opportunity for those of us here at the Library to bring you some of our recommendations for summer reading!

The weather seems to be cooperating (finally….for now…), and we’ve thoroughly enjoyed hearing all the details about our Patrons’ many plans for summer getaways, adventures, and staycations, and all the books that you are planning on bringing along with you.  For those who are still casting about for some reading material to aid in your rest or relaxations–or excitement and excursions–here are some of our selections.  This week, we’re aiming to bring you some series, both fiction and non-fiction, to help you plan for those long, lazy summer days:

 

From the South Branch:

3200247The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater:

This is a series of 4 YA books, the final one just came out a couple of months ago. I’m not usually a YA reader, but this series was definitely something special. It is a magical, breathless series of books with complex characters and a surprising level of great, dry humor that punctuates the nearly ceaseless action with a welcome chortle to break the tension. The stories are balanced and cinematic in their plotting and movement. I devoured them and the final one quite literally left me panting for breath. Highly recommended for a great, fast-paced summer read. A word of caution, though, if you start reading them, you won’t want to stop, so you might just want to put them all on hold so you can read them all together.

From Upstairs at the Main:

3583094Bill Nye Series: For some of us, Bill Nye will always be The Science Guy, and thus, we are all enormously grateful that he has kept teaching us as we grew up.  Within the past two years, we’ve had the good fortune to have two books: Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation, which not only deals with the theory of evolution, but also tackles the un-reality of race, the development of genetically-modified food, and the potential for alien life-forms; and Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the Worldin which Nye issues a new “call to greatness”, challenging people to harness their incredible potential to discover new sources of power, and new energy-efficient machines.  In both books, all that infectious energy and joyful curiosity that so many came to love is on full display, making for books that are as fun and engaging as they are informative.

From the Circulation Desk:

3644849The Ravenels Series: Lisa Kleypas

Kleypas was one of the authors who made historical romances into the wonderful genre–and undying staple of the romance industry–that it is today.  Now, after a number of years focusing on contemporaries, she has returned to her roots, and is in the process of creating a series that is just as steamy, just as endearing, and just as compelling as any she has ever written.  In Cold Hearted RakeDevon Ravenel has recently inherited an earldom–and also a house mired in debt, and inhabited by three young ladies and Kathleen, Lady Trenear, a beautiful young widow who challenges Devon in ways he never before imagined.  In Marrying Winterborne, which I am currently adoring, ruthless tyconn Rhys Winterborne and the innocent, utterly unique Lady Helen Ravenel marry for business purposes, but discover a passion together neither expect.  But as Rhys’ business enemies begin to hover around them, they both realize that true love takes far more than passion to create a happily-ever-after.

Safe travels, beloved patrons, and happy reading!

Summer Reading: Staff Picks!

Summer-Reading-Guide-HERO

It’s getting to be that time of year again, dear readers, when we all begin looking around for books to take with us on our summer getaways, our beach days, or our ‘staycation’ days.  And, once again, your friendly neighborhood library staff are here to help you find that perfect book to take with you on your adventures, be they far-flung expeditions, or cozy retreats.  We’ll be adding to this list over the course of the summer, so feel free to check back frequently for more updates.

One very general recommendation that we would like to make is that library books are very much like sandwiches: it’s much harder to enjoy them if they are sandy, or dunked in water (or carried off by a seagull, but that’s another story for another day).  So take care of your books the same way you would your lunch, as both are usually imperative to enjoying your vacation thoroughly.  This also ensures that the books have a long and healthy life, and get to go on lots of adventures with lots of patrons, so everyone wins!

And now, without further ado, here are just a few of the books that have been recommended for you from the staff of the Peabody Library!

From the Children’s Room:

3634615The Book of SpeculationErika Sawyer’s debut novel is a wonderfully inventive historical mystery that brings together circus freaks, mermaids, old love letters, with an intrepid librarian (we love books with intrepid librarians, for obvious reasons).  Simon Watson, the librarian in question, receives a strange old book from an antique bookseller that tells the story of Amos and Evangeline, doomed lovers who lived and worked in a traveling circus more than two hundred years ago…a story that has startling implications for Simon, and, particularly, for the women in his family.  Realizing that he has only weeks left to rescue his sister from their bizarre family’s fate, Simon begins trying to decode the story, and understand how a two-hundred-year-old love story has the power to reach across time and touch his own life so profoundly.   This is a book that even the most time-strapped amongst us devoured, so it’s a perfect choice for your own summertime adventures!

From Technical Services:

3708603I Let You Go: Our friends upstairs in Tech Services get their hands on all the new books first (I’m not jealous.  Not at all.), so we often here about the greatest new thing from them first.  This week, it’s Clare Mackintosh’s twisty, and consistently surprising thriller.  Jenna Gray’s life is forever changed by the moment her young son’s hand slipped out of hers, and by the car accident that followed.  Desperate to escape her memories, and find some kind of future, she moves to a ramshackle cottage on the Welsh coast, but no where seems far enough to escape the past.  Meanwhile, two Bristol detectives are still trying to get to the bottom of this hit-and-run, putting their professional and personal lives on the line to get to the bottom of an increasingly complicated case.  Mackintosh’s book is one that is sure to keep you guessing to the very end, with a surprise ending that will blow your socks off.

From the Circulation Desk:

3509416The Weirdness:  Summer is a perfect time for adventure and for trying new things, and it seems pretty fair to say that you have never read a book in any way like Jeremy Bushnell’s perfectly-titled debut.  Billy Ridgeway is a not-terribly-remarkable young wanna-be novelist living a not-terribly-remarkable life in New York…he has his friends.  He has a girlfriend (sort of).  He makes poor life choices.  And then, one day, he wakes up to find the Devil in his apartment, using his coffee-maker.  Lucifer explains (via a Powerpoint presentation) that the most powerful warlock on the eastern seaboard has stolen a small cat figurine that has the power to destroy the universe.  And that Billy is the only person who can help rescue it.  And, though I know it’s difficult, please believe me when I tell you it just gets stranger from here.  Despite the absolute outlandishness of this plot, and the utterly bizarre twists and turns of this undefinable story, there is something really touching about Billy’s journey, that makes it a perfect choice for someone looking for something totally off-the-wall different.

 

Whatever your summer brings, beloved patrons, may it be fun and memorable, and full of good stories!  Check back for more recommendations soon!

Ask and ye shall receive…

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First and foremost, I sincerely hope all of your Memorial Day celebrations were fun and restful and full of memories and sunscreen (says me and my sunburned feet).  And secondly, since we all need something to perk us up on the day back from a long holiday weekend, I thought I’d bring you this exciting tid-bit of Library News:

Did you know that you can request that the library purchase books that are not in our collection?

I have seen the slips at the Circulation Desk plenty of times, but I had never really thought about actually using them.  But then my Thursday Evening Colleague, who is also responsible for processing all the new books that come into the Library, told me that if there were books that we had discussed on this Blog that weren’t on our shelves, or in Overdrive, that I should request them.

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As a result, if you check out Overdrive, you’ll see a whole wealth of new books that have been added over the course of the past few weeks..particularly romances by Eloisa James, Jackie Ashenden, and Lauren Layne, as they are extra-special favorites of ours around here.  You’ll also find some unique historical selections, and a number of books from our “Best of 2015” series.  I can’t guarantee that all your literary needs and appetites will be met by our additions to Overdrive, but we definitely gave it our best shot!

Additionally, I also thought it would be fun to request a few books over which we have consistently raved over the past year (and by “we” I mean “I”).  That way, we could have copies on hand to share with you, and also ensured that we had complete series from authors so that you could start at the debut and binge-read whenever the mood took you.

I have to admit, I felt a little sheepish at first requesting these books for the Library.  On top of giving me a paycheck for hanging out with you and The Books, our Library (and, indeed, NOBLE as a whole) offers some incredible resources, programs, and expertise free of change to the entire community.  After all it’s given me, it seemed a wee bit selfish to ask for more.  But the truth of the matter is that Libraries thrive when patrons utilize them, and they get better when given a chance to respond to patrons needs and desires.  As we’ve said before, we’re here because of you, and we’re here for you, and knowing what you want to read, or hear, or see, will only help to make us better.

Now, the other truth is that our budget is not bottomless, so there are times of the year when we are in a good position to respond to Book Purchase Requests, and times when we simply are not.  But if there are books you would like to see on our shelves, be sure to come by, talk to one of the marvelous Librarians, and fill out a Book Purchase Request form soon!

And, in case you were wondering, here are a few of the books that I requested.  You can see them on the Free For All’s display by the Circulation Desk, too:

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2709181Johannes Cabal the Necromancer: As you can see from the photo above, Johannes Cabal has been given pride of place in this week’s display, not only because this series has some truly inspired cover art, but also because this series, by Free For All Favorite author Jonathan L. Howard is one of my favorites ever.  In this debut, we meet Johannes Cabal, a necromancer of some little infamy, who sold his soul to the Devil in order to learn the secrets of his particular science.  Now, he wants his soul back–but Hell doesn’t offer a very simple exchange policy.  Instead, Johannes finds himself with a ramshackle traveling circus, and the job of capturing one hundred souls in order to trade for his one.

This series, which is currently four books long, is endlessly inventive, borrowing, parodying, and redefining a number of timeless literary tropes, from the locked room mystery (in Johannes’ case, the room is onboard a dirigible full of potatoes) to the horrors of weird fiction (including the Dreamlands, where Cabal confronts fear itself in the shape of the Phobia Animus), and the horrors of an undead invasion, courtesy of Cabal’s brother, Horst.  It also features, at its heart, one of the most intriguing, conniving, and sympathetic antiheroes you’ll ever meet. Maybe it’s because Cabal respects the Dewey Decimal system.  Maybe it’s because he’s an even bigger introvert than I am. Maybe it’s because, despite all his terrible habits and volatile tempers, Howard does such a perfect job at showing, in most subtle of ways, what makes Cabal really tick, that it’s impossible not to root for him in the end.  But you don’t have to take my word for it.  The Library now has the complete series, and has already pre-ordered Book Five: The Fall of the House of Cabal, due out in late September.

2702516Sandman Slim: The Library had one book from Richard Kadrey’s genre-exploding and addictive series already, but we’re now filling out the series, so that you can have every adventure in this paranormal, dark-fantasy noir at your fingertips.  Kadrey’s writing style alone is a marvel–like the best noir authors, he manages to fit a world of significance, emotion, and power into a single short sentence, or a punchy snatch of dialogue, making these really dark, twisty plots into a story that is ruthlessly gripping from beginning to end.  What I also really appreciate is how fearless Kadrey is in his plotting…when we first meet James Stark (aka Sandman Slim), he has recently escaped from Hell, where he was sent after being betrayed by his fellow magicians.  After spending eleven years killing monsters, Stark is far from human, and is planning on every trick he’s learned in order to get revenge for himself, and for the girl he left behind.  From this foundation, inventive enough in itself, this series has expanded to encompass the sleaze of Hollywood to the depths of Hell itself, and confronted Weimar Republic mystic societies, horrific and deadly shopping malls, and the death of Death himself.  I can promise you, you haven’t read anything like these books before, and if for that reason alone, it’s time you gave them a try.

Happy Tuesday, and happy reading!

Always bring an extra axle….

I remember when I was in third grade, our computer teacher brought out an 8-inch floppy disk (yes, you read that correctly), and told us that we were in for a treat.  We were about to learn all about American history with this computer, by experiencing the trip that so many settlers made into the western frontiers.

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It was the first time any of us had played The Oregon Trail, but it certainly wouldn’t be the last.  I am fully aware of how much I am dating myself, but honestly, there were few things we anticipated more than getting to go to computer class (which we had once every two weeks, kids…back in the dark ages) and watch those little pixelated oxen trudge across the utterly unremarkable pixelated green landscape for an hour.  Every once in a while, one of us would commandeer the mouse and go hunting–I’m pretty sure we were solely responsible for wiping out the bison population of the continent several times over in our zeal.

dysenteryTechnology, needless to say, has come a long way since we watched that dopey little oxen shuffle to Oregon, but I don’t know if I’ve ever had quite as much fun as I did then with a game.  It was a form of magic to us–a learning tool that forced us to use our imagination and patience, rather than skill, in order to win (or, at least, survive). In fact several media outlets refer to my cohort as The Oregon Trail generation…which may explain an interesting trend literary trend….

Recently, a number of us Library Folk have begun reading “Fantastical American West” novels–that is, books that are set within the 19th century, and deal with all the themes of a traditional western–everything from brushing horses to encountering Natives–but also involve magical elements as a central point of the plot.  Some books invoke demons and ghosts, while other bestow otherworldly talents on their characters that develop over the course of their journey.  The possibilities are as vast as the Old West itself.

But that magical element serves another purpose, especially for readers, and especially for those readers of the Oregon Trail Generation.  It helps us reclaim that sense of not knowing what might happen next; to explore imaginatively; to wonder, purely and simply.

What is also remarkable about this emerging genre, is how prominently it features strong, unique, and powerful heroines at the forefront.  There are not your typical westerns by any stretch–but that might just be their strongest point.  The original Oregon Trail game was democratic–anyone could lead a wagon train, and anyone could be struck down with a broken leg, or typhus.  The Fantastical American West returns that sense of democracy and equality, giving male and female characters alike the power to change their destinies and make the journey that will change them forever.

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Hooray!

If you grew up playing the Oregon Trail, I can’t recommend checking out the Fantastical American West genre, starting with the selections below.  Oh, and for those of you who would like to revisit the Good Old Days, click here to access the Internet Archive…..where you can play the 1990 version of Oregon Trail for yourself.

3680958Silver on the Road: I’ve mentioned this book before in a different context, but, having just finished it myself, I can say that this book is absolutely worth your time, whether you were (are) a fan of the Oregon Trail, or a fan of magic in literature, or both.  Isabelle has spent all her life in a saloon run by the Devil himself, on the edge of the great, unknown west.  When she turns sixteen, she agrees to become his left hand–without knowing quite what that entails.  So, in order to learn her task, she is sent with Gabriel,a  seasoned rider, out to explore the territory, and see what powers are at work there.  Laura Anne Gilman has a remarkable talent for crafting a setting–I genuinely felt the dust of the trail on my skin while reading.  Best of all, because none of the characters are fully aware of what is going on, the reader is kept somewhat in the dark, as well.  Thus, though the pace of this book isn’t rapid-fire, the compulsion to keep reading, to explore, and to understand just what Isabelle is meant to do on her journey, is almost irresistible.  I loved that, even in her darkest moments, Isabelle remained the strong, capable, and incredibly determined heroine that she was, and I cannot wait to see what happens in the next installment of this series, due out in October.

3699334The Curse of Jacob Tracy: The cover of this book may look like that of a traditional western novel (expect for those bats, of course…), but don’t let that fool you.  This is a book as steeped in history as it is in magic, and presents a wholly unique perspective on the idea of a ‘frontier’.  Ever since he nearly died at Antietam, Jacob Tracy has been able to see the dead.  At first, it nearly drove him mad (especially as he was studying to be a priest before enlisting), but lately, he’s simply been trying to ignore the spirits who cross his path, traveling west with his business partner, Boz, in order to escape the spirits lingering around his home in St. Louis.  That is, until his path crosses with the enigmatic Miss Fairweather, a woman as talented as she is infuriating.  Miss Fairweather knows about Jacob, and all that he can do, and promises to cure him…for a price.  Holly Messenger’s debut is a wildly imaginative–and genuinely creepy one–again, because Trace has a hard time telling the real from the ghostly (and ghastly), it’s often a bit tricky for the reader to tell who is spectral, and who is real.  But that only makes Trace’s adventures more intriguing, and his work with Miss Fairweather (who is a force of nature in and of herself) that much more enjoyable.

3651574Walk on Earth a Stranger: The Fantastical American West is also a prominent setting for YA novels, as well, offer the later subset of Millennials a chance to savor all the wild and wondrous things the West has to offer those who chose to explore.  In this adventure, Lee Westfall is making that journey along with her family and best friend, in the hopes of making it to the Klondike, and gold that is reported to found there.  But Lee has a secret gift–she can sense gold.  And while that gift has helped her keep those she loves safe, it also opens her up to a world of danger.  Because Lee lives in a world where gold is the be all and end all, and there are plenty who would kill to know how to find it .  This opening of Rae Carson’s Gold Seer Trilogy is a fascinating and richly detailed gem of a book that not only treats its setting, but also its heroine with an enormous amount of respect.

The Romance Garden!

And with the beginning of a new month comes our next installment of The Romance Garden, in which the library’s genre devotees and self-proclaimed romance experts share with you some of our favorite reads.

Both of our recommendations this month come as the result of overcoming our previous expectations or assumptions, and realizing that beyond our prejudices lurked a story that captivated us.  Which is my terribly clumsy way to encourage you to try a new book, or a whole new genre–whether it’s for a Reading Resolution, or just because life is too short not to give something new a try.  Either way, we hope that these books give you a few suggestions where to start!

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Bridget:

3211332Kiss of Steel by Bec McMaster

We all know that I love Draculaperhaps a bit more than is healthy, but I’ve always had troublesome relationship with romance novels that feature vampires (or some creature that goes by a different name with similar traits).  Similarly, I am something of a steampunk geek, which makes me very picky about my steampunk authors.  So when I came across Bec McMaster’s London Steampunk Series, my hesitations were legion.  The premise sounded so good: an alternative London where steam power rules, and where vampires reign–there had to be a catch, right?

Allow me to state here and now: There is no catch.

McMaster puts a great deal of effort crafting her London, from its grimy, fog-shrouded streets to its decadent finery covering a thin veneer of decay and distrust.  And her characters are stunning–conflicted and troubled, and genuinely at the end of their rope, making each scene increasingly intense.

Everyone knows to stay out of Whitechapel.  Not only is it a notoriously dangerous place, but it is ruled by Blade, the master of a rookeries.  The man who faced down the entire ruling Echelon single-handedly, and proved himself ruthless and cunning enough to win.  But if Honoria Todd is going to save her family, Whitechapel, and Blade himself, might be her only hope.  When Honoria and Blade come face-to-face, they are both in for a surprise.  Honoria is far stronger and far more determined than Blade ever imagined, and Blade himself is losing his battle with the cravings that plague all those like him–but could Honoria hold the key to curing him?

The atmosphere and the tension in this book were superb, but at it’s heart, this book is about the relationships we make that save us.  Honoria and Blade’s story is one about trusting others, and learning to trust ourselves in the process, and the side plots, particularly the one involving Honoria’s younger brother, is simply touching, and adds to the quest that Honoria is undertaking enormously.  Better yet, this book is only the first in a growing series, and each installment is a smash-hit, too!

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Kelley:

3616322 (1)Mad, Bad, and Dangerous in Plaid by Suzanne Enoch

“To love a person is to learn the song that is in their heart, and to sing it to them when they have forgotten.” ~Thomas Chandler

The first thing I will say about this novel is don’t judge a book by its cover. The titles of most romance novels make me laugh out loud, and this one was no exception, but the thing that made my eyes roll and avoid taking it home to read was the “Scot rhymes with HOT…” tagline emblazoned on the cover’s upper left corner. Seriously?

So what changed, you may ask? It’s that time of year when all of the book review journals, blogs and websites post their “Best Books of the Year,” and Mad, Bad, and Dangerous in Plaid featured repeatedly on the romance lists. Being a sucker for a good Highland romance, all of those terrific reviews were too much for me to resist, so I finally decided to give Suzanne Enoch’s latest entry in the Scandalous Highlanders series a chance, and I’m pleased to say I’m glad that I did.

Rowena MacLawry grew up in the Scottish Highlands, and spent much of her time with her three older brothers, who raised her, and their friend, Lachlan MacTier. From the time she was a child, she adored Lachlan, but even as she came of age to marry, he still saw her as the little girl who drove him crazy with her theatrical bids for his attention. Fed up with the pursuit of an uninterested man, Rowena takes herself to London to shed her wild Highland ways, become a proper lady, and rid herself of her feelings for Lachlan MacTier.

When Rowena returns she is much changed, and in addition to a fancy wardrobe, Lachlan finds she’s abandoned her Highland upbringing, covering her brogue when she speaks, showing more interest in poetry than riding horses, and considering potential husbands from a pool of polished London dandies. It’s time for both Lachlan and Rowena to see each other as they really are, not as the young girl’s perfect image of a knight in shining armor, or an older gentleman’s irritated impressions of a young girl. Enoch develops their romance beautifully, and perhaps the loveliest part of all is that in the process of learning about each other, Lachlan also helps Rowena rediscover herself as she remembers her pride in her Highland heritage.

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Our Favorites: The Peabody Library’s Favorite Reads of 2015

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We’re moving our weekly wrap-up of our favorite reads of 2015 up a few days, since the holidays are looming large at the end of the week.  This week’s selection comes to you from the Main Library’s Circulation Desk…or, as I like to think of it, the All You Can Read Buffet.  We hope you find some new books on here to start your new year off in literary style!

2385584Half of a Yellow SunThe winner of this year’s Baileys “Best of the Best” award (handed out to one of the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction is also one of our staff’s favorite reads of the yet.  Set during the Biafran War, Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel weaves an intricate tale of handful of lives that are shaped forever by their own decisions, and by the world events that bring them all together.  The Observer called this work “An immense achievement, Half of a Yellow Sun has a ramshackle freedom and exuberant ambition.”  Though at times tragic and difficult to read, this is a book that continues that is, at its heart, inspiring and impossible to forget.

3521491The Bellweather RhapsodyWe’ve mentioned this book before, but it is just too unique, too quirky, and too delightful a book not to mention again.  Kate Racculia, herself a child musician, has composed a brilliantly original and enthusiastic tale about a group of young musicians trapped in the decaying grandeur of a luxury hotel during a massive blizzard…at the same time, a possible murder mystery that has overtones of a crime committed over a decade earlier adds an energy and urgency to an already chaotic scene.  I missed a bus stop because of this book–and ended up being grateful, as the return trip gave me time to finish it, and revel in the pitch-perfect, twisted ending!

3131718Suckerpunch: *Guilty pleasure alert*…I love noir novels.  I am consistently blown away with the way that noir writers can capture a huge range of emotion in the shortest of sentences, and convey a world of meaning in a brief snippet of dialogue.  And Jeremy Brown is one talented writer.  This book, which is the opening of a trilogy, introduces Aaron “Woodshed” Wallace, a talented fighter and surprisingly good guy, who can’t seem to get out of his own way, and is still fighting in small-time bouts.  So when he’s offered the chance to fight a rising MMA superstar, he jumps at it.  But the night before the fight, he runs into an old acquaintance who gets him involved in an underground betting ring that might not just lose Wallace his fight, but the few people about whom he actually cares.  I enjoyed every moment of this outlandish, surprisingly funny, gritty, and superlatively well-written story, and was really thrilled to see Brown buck the noir convention and give us a hero who isn’t a misogynist, and a heroine who is admirably capable of taking care of herself.

213982714-18, Understanding the Great War: Many of you wonderful people know that your blog-writer-in-chief is in grad school, and studying the First World War, so it’s only natural that some of my school stuff appears on this list.  This book is one of the most accessible, sympathetic, and insightful book on the First World War that I’ve read in a while.  Though it mostly deals with the French history of the war, authors Stéphane Audoin-Rouzeau and Annette Becker refuse to compare the First World War to the Second, or to any other historic event.  Their emphasis is on how truly significant this war was for those who lived through it, how alien a world it was for those who had to live through it, and how the legacy of the war changed the course of world history.  It’s a beautifully written and incredibly informative book that scholars and armchair historians alike can appreciate.

1940116The Burning of Bridget Cleary: One more non-fiction book for your delectation.  Linguistic historian Angela Bourke does a beautiful job bringing to life the story of Bridget Cleary, a fiery, defiant, and fascinating Irishwoman who was murdered by her husband in 1895.  What makes this story unique, however, was the fact that her husband, Michael, claimed that Bridget had been kidnapped by fairies, and he had actually killed the proxy that the fairies had left behind.  This case gives her the opportunity to explore the role of folklore, particularly in Irish culture, the history of the period, including British imperialism, the role of women, and the importance of historic archives.  And she does it all in an accessible, thoroughly engaging way.  I teach this book in my class, and it’s one of the few books my students actually enjoy reading, so I hope you do, too!

2260048Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell:  Arabella and Lady Pole both claim this book as their favorite read of 2015…which you may have been able to tell by our weekly proselytizing.  Set during the Napoleonic Wars, this book focuses on the two magicians who join forces to save England–but it is so much more.  It is a story about the things we do for those people, and those things, that we love, a tale about growing up, a sweet love story, and a brilliant epic full of magical action and intrigue.  It is entirely possible that this magical, imaginative, wholly delightful novel will also be among our favorite reads of 2016, because we can’t resist the need to read it again very soon.  Also, you should see the BBC adaptation, which is glorious.

Our Favorites: The Peabody Library’s Favorite Reads of 2015

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It’s time again, Beloved Patrons, for another round of staff favorites for this year!  This week’s selection comes from The Man Upstairs Who Pays the Bills, who you can thank for keeping the lovely heat/air-conditioning running (and…you know…the lights, too):

One of his favorite authors is Don Brown, whose Navy Justice series, featuring Navy JAG lawyers, are quite the page turners.  You can also check out his Navy JAG series:

3662985DetainedAfter a father and son, both Lebanese nationals, are imprisoned for terrorism on purely false charges,  JAG Officer Matt Davis is left to defend them against powerful federal prosecutors, one of whom is his love, Emily Gardner.  This high-stakes adventure takes Davis from the shores of the US to Lebanon and to Cuba is a race against time to save two people caught up in an international conspiracy.

 

2216423The Runaway JuryJohn Grisham’s thriller is a classic that still has the power to grab your attention…At the center of a multimillion-dollar legal hurricane are twelve men and women who have been investigated, watched, manipulated, and harassed by high-priced lawyers and consultants who will stop at nothing to secure a verdict.  But only a handful of people know the truth: that this jury has a leader, and the verdict belongs to him.  He is known only as Juror #2. But he has a name, a past, and he has planned his every move with the help of a beautiful woman on the outside.

 

1186476The Firm: And fans of Grisham shouldn’t miss this other classic legal thriller: When Mitch McDeere signed on with Bendini, Lambert & Locke of Memphis, he thought that he and his beautiful wife, Abby, were on their way. The firm leased him a BMW, paid off his school loans, arranged a mortgage, and hired the McDeeres a decorator. Mitch should have remembered what his brother Ray–doing fifteen years in a Tennessee jail–already knew: You never get nothing for nothing. Now the FBI has the lowdown on Mitch’s firm and needs his help. Mitch is caught between a rock and a hard place, with no choice–if he wants to live.

 

2221922The Hunt for Red OctoberAnd you can’t miss Tom Clancy’s smash-hit Cold War thriller, and the book that introduced his beloved Jack Ryan….Somewhere under the Atlantic, a Soviet sub commander has just made a fateful decision: the Red October is heading west. The Americans want her. The Russians want her back. And the most incredible chase in history is on….Word on the street is that Clancy’s novel is so accurate that he was rumored to have been debriefed by the White House….

Enjoy, Beloved Patrons, and keep your eyes out for our next round of our favorite reads of 2015!