Tuesday, June 17, 2014

New book releases for 6/17/14

There are some great new releases today in fiction! Feel free to click on the links below to our catalog, or give us a call to place a hold on any item.

All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner (women's fiction)


Top Secret Twenty One by Janet Evanovich (mystery, humor)


Terminal City by Linda Fairstein (thriller)
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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 titles above to link directly to the item in our catalog!  

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Review: Real Happy Family by Caeli Wolfson Widger

Author: Caeli Wolfson Widger
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Pages: 361
Published: 2014

Lorelei Branch is a struggling actress and actually lands a part-time gig on a reality show. That is until she does not get picked as a permanent cast member and her mother, Colleen, launches into a racist rant on national TV and ruins any future Lorelei may have in the public eye. Lorelei decides to cut ties with her mother, who is overly attached to her. The story centers around Lorelei's descent into drug use and her mother's search to find her. To that end, Colleen agrees to be in a reality show with a staged intervention to get the family back together.

This book started out kind of slow, but then it got more interesting. The main characters were not very likeable, but the story line really hooked me. I gave this an 8 out of 10 just because it did start out kind of slow and I wasn't sure I was going to finish it, but I'm glad I stuck with 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!  

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Review: The Other Story by Tatiana De Rosnay

Author: Tatiana De Rosnay
Genre:  Suspense/ Fiction
Pages:  307
Published: 2014

This book is by the author of Sarah’s Key.  

After the runaway success of his first novel, Nicholas Duhamel retreats to a luxurious Italian resort in an effort to finally start his second novel. He’s astounded that his publisher purchased the rights to his second book sight-unseen, but she assures him that that’s the norm for such an in-demand author. With the contract signed, and the advance paid out, all that’s left is for Nicholas to get some real writing done. Unfortunately, the words don’t seem to flow as easily this time around. Alternately enamored with and suffocated by his newfound fame, Nicholas has to come to terms with his identity as a famous author.  

There is some strong sexual  language in the book involving sexting.

Most reviews of the book said it was disappointing. I had to finish to see if Nicholas would redeem himself and find the inspiration for his next novel. 
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Reviewed by Cathy

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!

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Review: The Divorce Papers by Susan Rieger

Author: Susan Rieger
Genre: Women's fiction
Pages: 461
Published: 2014

Sophie Diehl is an associate criminal attorney working for an old-line New England Firm and she very much appreciates the fact that most of her clients are behind bars.  She hates face-to-face contact, but one week, all the partners are out of the office, so she is forced to do the intake interview for a new divorce client.  Although she is promised that is all she'll have to do, the client takes a liking to her and insists on Sophie continuing as her lawyer.

This was such a fun book to read.  It's written in all e-mails and interoffice memos, but surprisingly gives detailed looks into the character's lives.  I loved the characters (except for the ones you're supposed to hate) and was sad to see it end.  I would love to see this as a series!!
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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!

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Review: Sorry by Zoran Drvenkar

Title: Sorry
Author: Zoran Drevnkar
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 2011 
Published: 299

Four 20-something friends, Kris, Tamara, Wolf, and Frauke, living in Germany, have not much to do and not much direction, and on a whim one night, decide to start up an agency. It will be called Sorry, and they will apologize for people for all sorts of things. Sounds strange, but soon, they are getting call after call, and are raking in the money. Their latest client, however, is a killer, and he has called them to apologize to his victim, and to dispose of the body. He taunts them endlessly, and as they try to discover his identity before he comes after them, the question remains: why did he do this? And, are they next?
This was book was GOOD. And crazy. It was also bizarre, and graphic, and addicting and I’m STILL trying to wrap my head around it. A short “story” here will give you a brief summary of my up and down thoughts: A librarian coworker saw me reading this when I had first started, and asked how it was. I was only about 20 pages in and my response was: “weird. Its narration for a killer is from the point of view ‘you.’” A couple days later, halfway into the book, she saw me reading and asked again how I liked it. My response this time was drastically different: “it’s really good. It started out strange, but stick with it.” This is what I would tell you, too. But first, a warning: this book is extremely graphic and very disturbing and dark, including such things as rape, pedophilia, and gory killings. If you can handle that, and you love thrillers, then this is an excellent book for you. But it is bizarre! It has shifting narration: from each of the four friend’s perspectives, “you,” AKA the killer, “I,” who is unknown until the very end, and from “the man who wasn’t there,” someone who is watching the friends, but also is not revealed until later on in the book. So many strange and disturbing things happen and while the odd narration can be unsettling, I grew to like it, after hating it at first. I liked the book so much because it never stops and never relents. The action and mystery just keep at it until the very end, and I liked how unique the story was, both in its plot and its take on narration. This book truly is not for everyone; you must not have a weak stomach, and you have to enjoy “bizarre.” If both of these things apply to you, and you’re up for something really different, and exciting, then I’d recommend you pick this book up ASAP… but you’ve been warned!
5/5 stars!
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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!

Monday, May 12, 2014

Review: Blackberry Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Author: Joanne Fluke
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 357
Published: 2014
 
"Life is never really quiet for Hannah Swensen. Her mother's wedding is a month away and guess who's in charge of the planning? Yet just when her biggest challenge seems to be whether to use buttercream or fondant for the wedding cake, Hannah accidentally hits a stranger with her cookie truck on a winding country road in a raging storm. Hannah is wracked with guilt, but things get even worse when she's arrested . . . for murder!"
 
I am a huge fan of Fluke's murder mysteries. The murders are never too gory and I love the recipes for all the desserts.  I admit the love triangle Hannah finds herself in is starting to bore me, she (or the author) just needs to make a decision.
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Reviewed by Cathy

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!

Monday, May 5, 2014

Review: Without Warning by David Rosenfelt

Author: David Rosenfelt
Genre: Suspense
Pages: 295
Published: 2014

I am a huge fan of David Rosenfelt, so I'm always excited when a new book comes out. Without Warning is a stand alone thriller, not part of the Andy Carpenter series, which is awesome. While the Andy Carpenter books have some humor in them, the stand-alones usually do not and this was no exception. Jake Robbins is the Chief of Police of the small town of Wilton. After a hurricane comes through town, a time capsule which was buried, comes to the surface with a dead body on top it. The capsule is opened, hoping to provide some clues and predictions made years ago are starting to come true. Along with the editor of the paper, Katie Sanford, Chief Robbins is trying to discover the author of these dire predictions in the hopes of preventing more deaths. 
 
This was a suspense novel in every sense of the word, as I was kept guessing until the very end. This is a must read for any fans of David Rosenfelt (although I am anxiously awaiting the next in the Andy Carpenter series) or anyone who loves a good thriller.
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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!