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Staff Recommendations
April 2008
Children's Books | Adult Books | Teen Books
Movies | Music
Below you'll find materials recommended by library staff.
Children's Books
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Grandpa's Treasure, by Rhonda Telfer (E Telfer) Local Western Springs author Rhonda Telfer presents a charming story about two boys, Aaron and Will, and their visit to Aaron's family farm. Aaron's grandfather gives the boys a tour of the surroundings, and they engage in imaginative play and exploration. In Telfer's book we see kids relishing the lore and history of a farm, diving into corn, and exploring the valuable Midwest heritage of farming. We hope that Rhonda gives us a reading in the Library soon! --Shannon, Head of Youth Services |
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Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid, by Lemony Snicket (J Snicket) "A library is like an island in the middle of a vast sea of ignorance, particularly if the library is very tall and the surrounding area has been flooded." Lemony Snicket, author of the wildly popular Series of Unfortunate Events gives us a tongue-in-cheek book full of ponderings and proverbs. Don't expect a fiction story like Series, but do expect a book of wit and a bouquet of alarming and inescapable truths. Recommended for third grade and up. --Shannon, Head of Youth Services |
Adult Books
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Lady Killer, by Lisa Scottoline (M Scottoline) Whether you're a long-time fan of the Rosato & Associates characters or are just drawn to this book's bright pink and black cover, you won't be disappointed by Scottoline's latest. Mary DiNunzio is on top of her game at her small law firm, bringing in money by the boatload and helping out all the folks in her old South Philly neighborhood. Then she is thrust back in time when an old high school nemesis, Trish Gambone, bursts into her office seeking help. Trish has hooked up with Bobby Mancuso, a drug-dealing mobster who physically abuses her. She tells Mary she's afraid that Bobby is going to kill her and begs Mary to help. Before Mary can even process it all (she once dated Bobby!) Trish flounces out of her office and disappears the next day. This starts Mary on a hunt for Trish, which takes her back in time to the girl she used to be. This fast-paced book has a lot of funny moments mixed in, and the characters are so well-drawn you feel like you're sitting in the kitchen with Mary and her family eating a giant plate of pasta. --Jamie, Reference Librarian |
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Good Dog. Stay., by Anna Quindlen (636.7 Qui) This slim book is perfect. Those who like Anna Quindlen's fine writing and humor will like it. Those who like pets and books about pets--especially dogs--will like it. And those who are just looking for a quick, touching read with wonderful photographs will like it. Good Dog. Stay. is a longing, that Quindlen's beloved Labrador Retriever Beau could stay with her more than a scant fifteen years. It is a memoir of how he came to be part of her family, of what he meant to the author, her husband and three children, "In a world that seems so uncertain, in lives that seem sometimes to ricochet from challenge to upheaval and back again, a dog can be counted on in a way that's true of little else." To cap it off, this book is an upbeat guide to a happier life: "...that's what I learned from watching Beau over his lifetime: to roll with the punches, to take things as they come, to measure myself not in terms of the past or the future but of the present, to raise my nose in the air from time to time and, at least metaphorically, holler, 'I smell bacon!'" --Christine Ricker, Circulation |
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The Warmest Room in the House: How the Kitchen Became the Heart of the American Home, by Steve Gdula (643.3 Gdu) Butter was once a USDA food group, according to Steven Gdula in this microhistory of 20th century American food culture. That is only one of many startling statements in this entertaining book. Though the author says that the kitchen is the topic of The Warmest Room in the House, the focus seems broader to me. How the kitchen transformed from a hellishly-hot sinkhole to a shiny, comfortable room where you entertain guests is one of the major plots, but there are many others. He chronicles trends in meat-eating and vegetarianism, the appliance industry, government food regulation, the restaurant industry, and food habits displayed through motion pictures and television. He also concentrates on the history of cookbooks and the home economics movement, as well as diet crazes through the century. --Rick, Adult Services Librarian |
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At Large and At Small, by Anne Fadiman (814.54 Fad) Fadiman's new book is a collection of familiar essays, a literary form that she says is endangered. This type of essay blends qualities of the critical essay with the personal essay. Most readers will not bother thinking about such distinctions but will instead just enjoy her reflective writing. I most enjoyed her essay "Ice Cream" in which she mixes the history of the dessert with her personal experiences and thoughts. I laughed when she suggested that eighteenth-century physician Filippo Baldini, who wrote about the benefits of eating Italian ices, might write her a prescription for Ben & Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk. --Rick, Adult Services Librarian |
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Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible , by A. J. Jacobs (220 Jac) Jacobs is the author of The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World (031 Jac), a funny and fascinating account of his time spent reading the Encyclopaedia Britannica cover-to-cover. After that feat, he wondered, "What could I do next? The only intellectual endeavor that seemed a worthy follow-up was to explore the most influential book in the world, the all-time best seller, the Bible." And explore it he did by living its precepts "come hell or high water," including growing a Moses-like beard; journeying to Israel and tending sheep; and, in order to experience slavery, accepting a college student as an intern when he agrees to be called his "slave," since an unpaid internship is the closest thing to legal slavery in modern America! This book is worth reading for its humor and anecdotes alone, but the insights, inspirations and spiritual growth make it truly memorable. -- Christine Ricker, Circulation |
Books for Teens
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Firehorse, by Diane Lee Wilson (YA Wilson) The time is 1872, and 15-year-old Rachel moves from Illinois to Boston, where her father has taken a newspaper job. Because of the move, Rachel has to leave her beloved pony behind. Not only that, but Boston is full of unrest, with fires being set by a suspected arsonist. When Rachel accompanies her older brother to the fire station, she meets a horse (named Governor's Girl) that has been severely burned. The vet and fire captain want to put the horse down, but Rachel saves her. So starts Rachel's journey of adventure and independence. --Jamie, Reference Librarian |
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Tamar: A Novel of Espionage, Passion, and Betrayal, by Mal Peet (YA Peet) Tamar was named by her strange but beloved grandfather. She is 15 when he commits suicide, leaving her devastated and realizing that she knows nothing at all about him. Then she finds his box of World War II mementos and decides that she is going to find out what everything means. As Tamar uncovers wartime secrets, she finds who she was named after, and more. --Jamie, Reference Librarian |
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One Trick Pony, by Daniella Brodsky (YA Brodsky) The four regulars at a Brooklyn coffee shop called One Trick Pony are heartbroken when it closes down. Jesse, Abigail, Randall, and Kate feel like things will never be the same. Then an intriguing French woman named Caroline buys and reopens the coffee shop, and the four friends are right-nothing will ever be the same again! --Jamie, Reference Librarian |
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The Black Book of Secrets, by F.E. Higgins (YA Higgins) If you like dark and mysterious stories, The Black Book of Secrets is for you! Ludlow Fitch is running from a terrible past and arrives at a remote village in the middle of the night. The village offers him security and a job as an assistant to the local (and weird) pawnbroker. Ludlow's job is to transcribe an ancient leather-bound book--The Black Book of Secrets. --Jamie, Reference Librarian |
Movies
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Volver (DVD Vol) Do you believe in ghosts? Raimunda (Penelope Cruz) does not. She is a modern women trying to raise a daughter in a culture that persists in its superstitions. Even a move to the city has not helped her escape in the Spanish film Volver by director Pedro Almodovar. Yet, there is a mystery that she can not explain, if only she will notice. Volver will remind film fans of Alfred Hitchcock's work, where the everyday world can become very dangerous. Not for sensitive viewers. --Rick, Adult Services Librarian |
Music
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As I Am/Alicia Keys (CD 781.63 KEY) All the rave reviews for Alicia Keys' latest album are spot on: it makes for a great listening experience. The entire album works, but here are my personal favorites: Go Ahead, the second track, is destined to become the 21st-century girls' break-up anthem with its thumping refrain: "Must be crazy/ If you think I'm gone fall for this anymore/ Everybody say no no no no"; the gentle Superwoman rings with hints of Maya Angelou's famed poem Phenomenal Woman; the first single from the album, No One, is irresistibly singable; Lesson Learned, a duet with John Mayer, brings forth a unique melody and beautiful vocals that take it beyond your typical jilted-lover song; and finally, Teenage Love Affair is a poppy, almost disco-like tune that evokes memories of old roller rink days. Whether you're already a fan of R&B or you're just looking for something different, check out As I Am. --Jamie, Reference Librarian |
Staff Recommendations Archive
