Simply Elegant Flowers with Michael George by Michael George
The staffer who read this calls this book about flowers, the flower industry and flower arranging "pretty and uplifting".   She loves the neat stuff he does with stems (you have to see the pictures to appreciate this).


Little Cakes from the Whimsical Bakehouse by Kaye Hansen
This book is about baking individual sized cakes of all kinds, like the blueberry crumb cake that the staffers that read this call "so cute".


One of our staffers has been enjoying the books of Joseph Wambaugh.  She can see a progresson in his books from being extremely serious, drab and dark to having more of a humorous aspect-albiet tongue in cheek.   She likes that you can tell that he hung around police stations and got the real inside story.


The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo is a book one of our staffers tried because he has been hailed as the best crime writer in Europe.  He is a Norwegian writer, and this book is set against the historical background of Norway's involvement in World War II.  She says you've really go to become involved with this book to enjoy it.


The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller
The staff member who read this said this was a good book to read while in the hospital waiting room, it's not deep.


American Chica: Two Worlds, One Childhood by Marie Arana (which we also have in Spanish)
The staffer who read this found this book by a woman who grew up as the child of a Peruvian and an American interesting.  The first part where she talked about her childhood in Peru was fascinating to her as she didn't know much about the country.  The rest of the book, about her experiences in America, was also pretty good.


One of our staffers can't wait to read Our Daily Meds: how the pharmaceutical companies transformed themselves into slick marketing machines and hooked the nation on prescription drugs by Melody Peterson.  He is really interested in finding out what she has to say about this topic.


Another one that one of our staff members can't wait to read is Kluge: The haphazard construction of the human mind by Gary Marcus.  It's about the odd anomolies of the human mind.


We had fun passing around Perfumes: The Guide by Luca Turin.  The authors tested and rated perfumes, giving them a 1 to 5 star ranking.  What makes it fun is the witty and cruel comments, such as one cologne that they describes as a "soapy nightmare".  What is also surprising is that it wasn't just the top-dollar perfumes and colognes which got 5 star rankings.  Check it out and see how your favorite fragrence rates!


The Lady in Blue by Javier Sierra
The staff member who read this one listened to it as an audiobook.  She says it's definitely for someone who enjoys a mystical/fantasy element to their stories, as the story centers around a nun from the past who supposedly had the ability to bilocate--be in two places at once.  The stories of several people, from the past and present, who are touched by this nun intertwine as the reader is lead on a quest to find out the secret of her mystical ability.


The Color of Water: A black man's tribute to his white mother by James McBride
The staffer who read this is facilitating the book discussion the library is holding on it this Sunday.  The author's mother was the Jewish daughter of Polish immigrants--but he never knew this as she was disowned after her marriage to a black man and refused to talk about her past.  He was able to get her to tell her story for this book, which alternates her story with the author's own story of what it was like to grow up as her son, one of the twelve children she had with two black husbands.  It is an inspiring and fascinating look at how racial issues affected these two individuals, and how strength and determination can overcome the lousiest circumstances life can throw at you.


One of our staffers has been enjoying the Dragonback series by Timothy Zahn, and recently read the fifth installment Dragon and Judge.  He thought this would be the end of the series, but NO, the book ended with many loose ends that still need to be tied up and so he'll have to wait for the next installment.


One of our staffers wants to learn more about the Sistine chapel, and was encouraged her to read The Agony and the Ectasy: A biographical novel of Michelango by Irving Stone.  This historical novel is lengthy but it is an excellent way to learn about Michelango and his work.


The Wildwood Boys by James Carlos Blake is the fictionalized story of Bloody Bill Anderson, who lead a band of guerrilla warriors in Kansas during the "bleeding Kansas" period.  The staffer who read it decribes it as a violent, disturbing, and yet fascinating story of a well-educated barbiarian. 


Netherland by Joseph O'Neill
The staff member who just started this describes it as very well written.  It is supposed to be one of the best  post 9/11 books about New York.  The main character is a Dutch gentleman who develops an interest in cricket.


So Brave Young and Handsome by Lief Enger
The staff member who read this had previously read Peace Like a River by Enger and loved it so she thought she'd give his new book a try.  She loves this one as well and can't recommend it highly enough.  It is a historical novel set in the 1910's and starts out in Minnesota, and like Engers' previous novels it has a mystical twist.


The Family That Couldn't Sleep: A Medical Mystery by D.T. Max
The staffer reading this on was hooked by the medical mystery aspect of it, it is about prion diseases (the most famous of these is Mad Cow Disease) and how scientists discovered what they are and how they are caused.