Review: The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop and Cafe by Mary Simses

Title: The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop and Cafe

Author: Mary Simses

Genre: Women's fiction

Pages: 344

Published: 2013

This is the debut novel by author, Mary Simses, who apparently is good friends with James Patterson, whom she refers to as Jim, in her acknowledgements. He also wrote a blurb for her front cover. With some mighty big shoes to fill, this book did not disappoint. Ellen Branford, a big city Manhattan girl, is engaged to Hayden Croft who comes from a very important political family. To grant her grandmother's dying wish, Ellen has to travel to the small town of Beacon, Maine, to deliver a letter her grandmother has written. While there, her entire life is turned upside and down and she must make some difficult decisions regarding her future. 

 

I just love anything written in a small town setting - there are always such interesting and quirky characters. I would highly recommend this one, especially if you are a fan of Fannie Flagg's books.

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Reviewed by Kim

As always, feel free to call us to check on an item's availability at 720-4106, or try our Barnard Crossing Branch at 663-3357. You can also check our online catalog 24/7 at http://greecepubliclibrary.org/. Click on the title above to link directly to the item in our catalog!

Review: Diners, Dives and Dead Ends by Terri L. Austin

Title: Diners, Dives and Dead Ends

Author: Terri L. Austin

Genre: Cozy mystery

Pages: 318

Published: 2012

Rose Strickland, former rich girl turned waitress/part time college student, doesn’t quite know what she wants to do with her life yet. Despite her disapproving and disappointed snobby parents, she’s pretty content while she figures things out. Life is okay at the diner, working with her best friend Roxy, though less than exciting… until her other best friend, Axton, disappears after leaving her with his backpack and a mysterious hard drive inside. Soon, her life is turned upside down as she is tracked down by a very powerful (and very attractive) man who had something to do with Axton’s disappearance, and knows way too much about her life. Now, Rose is chasing down leads, using her stun gun, and living life dangerously while on the hunt to find her best friend and bring him home.

I seriously loved this book! I thought it was just fantastic and the writing was great. I especially liked the cast of characters. Rose was down to earth, hardworking, independent, and just plain fierce. She refuses to back down to the menacing man behind Axton’s disappearance, and she refuses to back down to her parents, who disapprove of her being a waitress, and kicked her out of the house after she decided to transfer to a college not of their choosing. The rest of the characters were awesome as well, with her goofy, anime-loving, strangely-dressing friend Roxy, the old but feisty Ma, her boss at the diner, and some IT guys helping her to solve the mystery. I thought the mystery aspect was interesting and suspenseful, but I also enjoyed the non-mystery side stories too, like Rose’s strained relationship with her family. This book was really funny and witty too. The only complaint I have is this one small story line that happened at the end of the book, in the last 20 pages or so. Rose finds herself in a very strange situation that I didn’t really feel tied in with the rest of the story. This is really minor complaint though, believe me. All in all, this was an awesome read with really strong characters. I’m dying to read the next book so I can read about Rose and all of her friends again!

My Rating: 4.5/5
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Reviewed by Stephanie

As always, feel free to call us to check on an item's availability at 720-4106, or try our Barnard Crossing Branch at 663-3357. You can also check our online catalog 24/7 at http://greecepubliclibrary.org/. Click on the title above to link directly to the item in our catalog!

Review: The Mouse-Proof Kitchen by Saira Shah

Title: The Mouse-Proof Kitchen

Author: Saira Shah

Genre: Contemporary fiction

Pages: 352

Published: 2013

I have been looking at this book on the shelf for a little while now, very intrigued by the title, when I finally decided to read the description in the book jacket. Anna is a professional chef and when she and her husband are expecting their baby, they decide they are going to move away from London and relocate to France to raise their child. Unfortunately, things do not go according to plan when their baby is born with some major disabilities and they have to reconsider their decision to uproot their lives.

The subject matter of this book is absolutely heartbreaking, having a baby born with major medical problems and they are afraid to fall in love with their baby, not knowing what the future holds for her. I thought this was very well written and honest, although very sad. I would definitely recommend it.
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Reviewed by Kim

As always, feel free to call us to check on an item's availability at 720-4106, or try our Barnard Crossing Branch at 663-3357. You can also check our online catalog 24/7 at http://greecepubliclibrary.org/. Click on the title above to link directly to the item in our catalog!

Connect on Social Media!

Social media is becoming an increasingly popular way to connect with people and companies all around the world. So, what is it exactly? Simply put, social media is social networking and communicating via websites and applications. We love connecting with library patrons via our social media websites. Here are the ones we use, and how you can find us!

Facebook: this is one of the biggest social networking sites around. Facebook allows you to befriend people you know, as well as "like" or follow company pages for updates, photos, links, and more. We would love it if you "liked" our pages! Our Greece Facebook page is HERE and our Barnard Crossing Facebook page is HERE.

Twitter: this one is growing exponentially and becoming more and more popular by the day! Twitter allows its users to post "tweets" or updates, but the catch is that each tweet must be 140 characters or less. We post updates, interesting links, and more! Follow us on Twitter HERE.

Goodreads: this is like Facebook but for booklovers! It is social networking + books. Goodreads allows you to make virtual bookshelves where you can shelve books you want to read, have read, or are currently reading. You can also add your own custom shelves if you'd like to, so you can shelve by genre, age group, or whatever you'd like. People keep track of their books in a variety of ways on Goodreads. You can also add friends so you can see what they are reading too and discuss! There are also book recommendations, groups you can join for connecting, giveaways and SO much more. This is the perfect site for book lovers, especially those who want to catalog or track what they are reading or want to read. Add us as a friend on Goodreads HERE to see what our staff is reading and recommends!

Pinterest: this is like a virtual corkboard! Users can create a variety of virtual boards to pin photos and other things they find online to. Come and see what we've been pinning HERE and follow us. We pin lots of books, information, and other neat things!

Review: The Engagements by J. Courney Sullivan

Title: The Engagements

Author: J. Courtney Sullivan

Genre: Women's fiction

Pages: 383

Published: 2013

I recently read Maine, also by J. Courtney Sullivan, which was a very good book, so I was excited to read this one as well. It is really four stories within one book and I found it kind of confusing, as I would just be getting into what was going on with one set of characters and the next chapter would be about a completely different set of characters in a completely different time period. Now this usually works if the stories are interconnected in some way, but these really weren't. I feel like she could have written four different books successfully, as the story lines were good for each, but I didn't think they worked well together. I think she did try to tie a couple of them together at the very end, but it was not very clear and I didn't really feel the need to go back and reread to figure it out. Not a bad read, but could have been better if it was streamlined a bit. 
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Reviewed by Kim

As always, feel free to call us to check on an item's availability at 720-4106, or try our Barnard Crossing Branch at 663-3357. You can also check our online catalog 24/7 at http://greecepubliclibrary.org/. Click on the title above to link directly to the item in our catalog!

DVD Review: Prisoners

Prisoners, starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal is a fantastic, tense thriller. Jackman stars as Keller Dover whose worst nightmare has come true: his six year old daughter and her friend have gone missing. The only clue is a mysterious RV that was parked outside in their neighborhood. Gyllenhaal stars as a detective who arrests the driver of the RV, a mentally challenged young man. When there is not enough evidence to hold him, he gets released. Dover, however, is convinced that he is guilty and decides to take it upon himself to make sure his daughter is found and justice is served. 

WOW, is my initial reaction to this movie. It was quite long, clocking in at 153 minutes, yet it flew by. I was completely wrapped into the story and incredibly anxious to see how it would all end up. I was dying to know where the girls were and if they would be found alive. The suspense was incredibly powerful and the mystery was hard to crack.

This movie also shows the devastating impact of a missing persons case. The father was going nuts and his desperation led him to do some pretty extreme things. The mother was depressed and sleeping constantly. The whole family was torn up, and I think this is probably a pretty accurate and realistic portrayal of this horrible situation.

If you are looking for a thrilling movie, this is it! You will be shocked by the many revelations and happenings that occur, and you will be on the edge of your seat the whole time. 
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Reviewed by Stephanie

As always, feel free to call us to check on an item's availability at 720-4106, or try our Barnard Crossing Branch at 663-3357. You can also check our online catalog 24/7 at http://greecepubliclibrary.org/. Click on the title above to link directly to the item in our catalog!

Review: Ladies' Night by Mary Kay Andrews

Title: Ladies' Night

Author: Mary Kay Andrews

Genre: Women's fiction

Pages: 458

Published: 2013

I am a big fan of Mary Kay Andrews and her southern characters. Ladies' Night follows one of her themes where a woman who has worked so hard to achieve her goals is cheated out of everything she owns by a man she loved and trusted and tries to get her life back together. Some of her books are lighter than others, but this is one of her more serious works. It's hard not to like the main character, Grace, and easy to hate her rotten husband, Ben. This is set in the southern Florida area, which especially with our weather lately, made me want to go there very badly and very soon. If you'd like to escape to a warmer, sunnier climate, at least in your mind, then I would recommend this book.
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Reviewed by Kim

As always, feel free to call us to check on an item's availability at 720-4106, or try our Barnard Crossing Branch at 663-3357. You can also check our online catalog 24/7 at http://greecepubliclibrary.org/. Click on the title above to link directly to the item in our catalog!

DVD Review: Bates Motel, Season One

I just finished watching the first season of Bates Motel on DVD, and I must say... it was addicting! I was watching episodes back to back, and they all ended with a cliffhanger, so I was really glad I was watching on DVD instead of on TV where I'd have to wait for new episodes every week.

Bates Motel is supposed to a be a prequel to the classic horror film, Psycho (which I haven't seen but really need to now). It tells the story of a teenage Norman Bates and his mother, Norma. Norman's father has just passed away, and his mother has purchased a run down motel in a new town, White Pine Bay, to start over. Almost immediately after arriving, strange and sinister things start happening, many of them caused by the Bates family themselves. We see the strange relationship between Norman and his mother, and start to see how Norman eventually becomes what he becomes: psycho.

I really, really enjoyed this thrilling show. I wouldn't really describe it as horror, but more of a mystery suspense. At first, I thought that Norma, the mother, was the crazy one, but as I continued watching, I started to think maybe it was Norman who was. Watch it for yourself and see what you think... I'm still not sure!

Norman, though a little strange for his age, seems mostly levelheaded and typical. He does have an unusually close relationship with his mother, but he also falls for girls, listens to music, and fights with his brother, like most teenage boys do. Secrets are eventually revealed, though, that make you wonder if Norman really is what he seems to be...

In addition to the strange Bates family, the town itself is really strange and sinister. There are so many illegal things taking place and mysterious happenings that your head will be spinning!

All in all, this is a great show for those who love suspense. I really cannot wait for season two to air so that I can uncover even more mysteries of the Bates family and White Pine Bay!
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Reviewed by Stephanie

As always, feel free to call us to check on an item's availability at 720-4106, or try our Barnard Crossing Branch at 663-3357. You can also check our online catalog 24/7 at http://greecepubliclibrary.org/. Click on the title above to link directly to the item in our catalog!

Review: The Supreme Macaroni Company by Adriana Trigiani

Title: The Supreme Macaroni Company

Author: Adriana Trigiani

Genre: Southern fiction

Pages: 338

Published: 2013

I love Trigiani, but not this time. This is the third in the Valentine series and I was really looking forward to it! This one just left me flat. I was left with the feeling that the author just wanted to finish off the trilogy. 

With that said, I loved The Shoemaker’s Wife.  It was her last novel (2012) and it was a standalone.  The Shoemaker’s Wife is a sweeping epic love story that spans two continents and two World Wars. If you haven’t read her yet, try The Shoemaker’s Wife, I am sure you will love it. 

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Reviewed by Diane

As always, feel free to call us to check on an item's availability at 720-4106, or try our Barnard Crossing Branch at 663-3357. You can also check our online catalog 24/7 at http://greecepubliclibrary.org/. Click on the title above to link directly to the item in our catalog!