Reads From the Field

New Fiction 03/28/2017

noreply@blogger.com (Paula - Reference & Reader Services) — Tue, 28 Mar 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Here is a sampling of new fiction released this week. If you see something you line, simply click on the title to place a copy on hold through the library's catalog.

A Perfect Obsession by Heather Graham
Red Clover Inn by Carla Neggers
Never Trust a Stranger by Mary Monroe
The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti
My Darling Detective by Howard Norman

New Fiction 03/21/2017

noreply@blogger.com (Paula - Reference & Reader Services) — Tue, 21 Mar 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Here is a sampling of new fiction released this week. If you see something you line, simply click on the title to place a copy on hold through the library's catalog.

Man Overboard by Judith A. Jance
Vicious Circle by C.J. Box
Mississippi Blood by Greg Iles
If Not For You by Debbie Macomber
Murder on the Serpentine by Anne Perry
The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See
Mangrove Lightning by Randy Wayne White
Forever a Hero by Linda Lael Miller
Dead Man Switch by Matthew Quirk
Girl in Disguise by Greer Macallister

New Fiction 03/14/2017

noreply@blogger.com (Paula - Reference & Reader Services) — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Here is a sampling of new fiction released this week. If you see something you line, simply click on the title to place a copy on hold through the library's catalog.

The Devil's Triangle by Catherine Coulter
The Cutthroat by Clive Cussler
In This Grave Hour by Jacqueline Winspear
Never Let You Go by Chevy Stevens
Before the War by Fay Weldon
Without Warning by Joel Rosenberg

New Fiction 03/07/2017

noreply@blogger.com (Paula - Reference & Reader Services) — Tue, 07 Mar 2017 21:00:00 +0000

Here is a sampling of new fiction released this week. If you see something you line, simply click on the title to place a copy on hold through the library's catalog.

Dangerous Games by Danielle Steel
Wait For Dark by Kay Hooper
In the Name of the Family by Sarah Dunant
Pekoe Most Poison by Laura Childs
The Hollywood Daughter by Kate Alcott
Celine by Peter Heller
Close Enough to Touch by Colleen Oakley
Juror 3 by James Patterson
The Shut-In by James Patterson

New Fiction 2/28/2017

noreply@blogger.com (Paula - Reference & Reader Services) — Tue, 28 Feb 2017 21:00:00 +0000

Here is a sampling of new fiction released this week. If you see something you line, simply click on the title to place a copy on hold through the library's catalog.

Bone Box by Faye Kellerman
Banana Cream Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke
Broken Glass by V.C.Andrews
The Lioness Is the Hunter by Loren D. Estleman

Heist by James Patterson and Ree Jones

noreply@blogger.com (Marisa-Circulation) — Sat, 25 Feb 2017 21:00:00 +0000

It is morning. Right before the shops are going to open. Three people are sitting in a van. As they see a man approach carrying a bag, they jump out of the van and attack him. The man is carrying millions in diamonds. The trio have been playing this heist for weeks and everything is going as planned. Until two guys show up on motorcycles and try to rob them.

After the close call, the trio continue with their plan, to get to Amsterdam and exchange the diamonds for cash. But they have an aggressive cop after them plus the guys they stole the diamonds from. Will they be able to pull off this heist or will the plan go up in flames?

Another good, fast read from Patterson's Bookshots. This one is actually in a book called Kill or Be Killed with three other Bookshot stories.

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

noreply@blogger.com (Kara - Reference & Reader Services) — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 21:00:00 +0000

Surgeon and bestselling author of Complications: A Surgeon's Notes On an Imperfect Science Atul Gawande's latest book has you pondering what's really important at the end of life

Gawande says that in medical school, he was never taught about having those end of life conversations with patients on what are their priorities; what do they want at the end. Too often, when there is no cure, doctors focus on treatments to prolong life, but at the expense of quality of life.

He shares the stories of a pregnant woman who was diagnosed with a terminal cancer. After saving the baby, the doctor in agreement with Sara and her husband start rounds of aggressive treatments that leave her very sick. In her last hours she develops pneumonia from the lowered immune system due to the chemotherapy. She could barely breath and was in immense pain and distress. Gawande argues that perhaps they made the wrong decision in dealing with Sara's illness. What would her last days have been like had they focused on quality of life?

The reader also learns about how assisted living facilities had gotten their start and about a nursing home who allowed animals as part of therapy and what a difference that made in the lives of its residents. Finally, Gawande discusses the treatments of his own father who had a rare spinal cancer, and the difficulty of having that conversation with his parents, both of whom are doctors.

Dying is something that will effect all of us one day and many of us have or will see a loved one die. Gawande gives us an alternative to dying that steps away from the medical and focuses on the living. Highly recommended.

New Fiction 02/21/2017

noreply@blogger.com (Paula - Reference & Reader Services) — Tue, 21 Feb 2017 21:00:00 +0000

Here is a sampling of new fiction released this week. If you see something you like, simply click on the title to place a copy on hold through the library's catalog.

Most Dangerous Place by James Grippando
Death of a Ghost by M.C.Beaton
Devil In Spring by Lisa Kleypas
A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline
Empire's End by Chuck Wendig
The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan
The Crow Trap by Ann Cleeves
I See You by Clare Mackintosh
The Mother's Promise by Sally Hepworth
The Schooldays of Jesus by J.M. Coetzee

The Perfect Girl by Gilly Macmillan

noreply@blogger.com (Marisa-Circulation) — Sat, 18 Feb 2017 21:00:00 +0000

Zoe is starting her life over. After a horrific accident when she was fourteen, Zoe and her mom, Maria, have moved from Devon to Bristol. Maria has remarried to Chris, who has a son, Lucas. Zoe and Lucas are both piano prodigies are putting on a concert. But just as they start, a man comes barreling down the aisle screaming at Zoe calling her a murderer.

When they arrive back at home, Maria finally tells Chris the truth about what happened three years ago with Zoe. By the morning Maria is dead. Zoe is devastated and terrified that she will be accused. But by the end of the day the killer will be revealed.

This was a pretty good psychological thriller. The author doesn't leave you hanging too long to find out the details of Zoe's past. And the chapters alternate between characters for different points of view. I would recommend this thriller.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

noreply@blogger.com (Colette) — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 21:00:00 +0000

Shadow Moon is not in a good place. He's just been released from prison, where he's been serving a 3 year sentence for assault, and he's also just found out that his wife has been killed in an accident. Seated on the plane next to him is a man who calls himself Wednesday, and who seems to know an awful lot about Shadow. Wednesday offers Shadow a job, and with nothing left of his former life to keep him, Shadow accepts. Wednesday isn't very forthcoming about what the job entails, just that Shadow will be his assistant/bodyguard/driver.

At first, it seems that Wednesday is just a first rate con man, but as Shadow comes to find out, he is actually the Norse god Odin. Furthermore, he's on a mission to gather the rest of the old gods who've settled all across the country, and get them to join him in waging war against the new gods who seem to be taking over. Soon, Shadow finds himself caught up in an epic battle.

This book's been around for awhile, but if you haven't had a chance to read it yet, there's still time before it comes to the small screen in April. And I promise you, it's a rollicking great read.

New Fiction 02/14/2017

noreply@blogger.com (Paula - Reference & Reader Services) — Tue, 14 Feb 2017 21:00:00 +0000

Here is a sampling of new fiction released this week. If you see something you like, simply click on the title to place a copy on hold through the library's catalog.

Heartbreak Hotel by Jonathan Kellerman
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
On Turpentine Lane by Elinor Lipman
Gunmetal Gray by Mark Greaney
The Dark Flood Rises by Margaret Drabble

The River at Night by Erica Ferencik

noreply@blogger.com (Marisa-Circulation) — Sat, 11 Feb 2017 21:00:00 +0000

Wini Allen isn't to sure about this trip she has planned with her three friends. It is to go white water rafting in Maine at a very isolated river. But Pia, the ringleader, convinces her and Wini does want to see her friends after such a rough year.

Wini, Pia, Sandra, and Rachel are driving from Boston to Maine. As they get closer and closer to there destination, it becomes more and more isolated. They finally arrive and meet their guide. As they start their rafting everything seems to be going good until a tragic accident happens. Now they must find a way to get back home alive.

This book is getting alot of buzz but it was just alright for me. The book didn't really get going until about halfway through and then the thrills were just okay. And I didn't really like the characters. They all just seemed selfish to me. If you liked the movies The River Wild and Deliverance, you could give this a read.

Jerusalem by Alan Moore

noreply@blogger.com (Colette) — Thu, 09 Feb 2017 21:00:00 +0000

What to say about Alan Moore's Jerusalem? How do you even begin to describe a book that is just so gosh darn big, not just in size, but in sheer magnitude of thought? Clocking in at over 1200 pages, Jerusalem takes place in Moore's hometown of Northhampton, and in the section of town known as the Boroughs. At the center of the story is Michael Warren, who's just been in an industrial accident and had a very surreal experience while he was unconscious. Did he die and come back to life? If so, why?

As he talks things through later with his sister Alma, he begins to remember another experience that he had as a young child, and together they piece together a kind of living history, not only of their family, but of the Boroughs itself. Alma, an artist, then portrays the story through her art in an epic art show.

In between, the reader is taken on a journey of a thousand years of history, both past, present and future, with a cast of characters that includes politicians, artists, clergymen, prostitutes, ghosts, fiends, demons, angels, and literary characters. Using many different writing styles and told from many different points of view, Moore's tale is much more than a detailed fictionalized historical account. It's a dark, twisted love story for Northhampton, its people, and their ways of living. Do you need to read this book? Yes. Yes you do.

New Fiction 02/07/2017

noreply@blogger.com (Paula - Reference & Reader Services) — Tue, 07 Feb 2017 21:00:00 +0000

Here is a sampling of new fiction released this week. If you see something you like, simply click on the title to place a copy on hold through the library's catalog.

Echoes In Death by J.D. Robb
My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella
Born of Vengeance by Sherrilyn Kenyon
A Darkness Absolute by Kelley Armstrong
Robert B. Parker's Revelation by Robert Knott
What You Break by Reed Farrel Coleman

Her Every Fear By Peter Swanson

noreply@blogger.com (Marisa-Circulation) — Sat, 04 Feb 2017 21:00:00 +0000

Kate Priddy is trying to live a normal life after her boyfriend held her hostage. When her cousin, Corbin, emails about doing an apartment swap Kate decides it is time. For six months Kate will live in Boston and Corbin will live in London. On Kate's first night her next door neighbor, Audrey, seems to be missing. By the next morning, it is confirmed that Audrey is dead.

Soon the police are questioning everyone and want to search Kate's apartment. Kate goes along and is wondering if Corbin has something to do with it. Kate goes about her life and meets her other neighbors including, Alan, who she finds out was obsessed with Audrey. She also meets Jack, who claims to be an ex-boyfriend of Audrey's and was worried about her every since Audrey started seeing Corbin.

Now Kate isn't sure if her cousin is innocent or not. And she doesn't know who to trust. She just wants a normal life but it isn't meant to be. Because the killer is watching her.

I loved this book. It was suspenseful and the characters were really interesting. It reminded me of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window, which is a favorite movie of mine. This is one to read. Now I am excited to read his other books, The Kind Worth Killing and The Girl With a Clock For a Heart.

Security by Gina Wohlsdorf

noreply@blogger.com (Marisa-Circulation) — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 21:00:00 +0000

Manderly Hotel is getting ready for it's grand opening. It is located in Santa Barbara, California and is a high class hotel that leaves nothing wanting. A select few of the staff are staying over to keep preparing for the opening. Tessa, the manger, is one of the remaining. But she is in for a shock when a man from her past shows up. Not really wanting to deal with him she tries to ignore him.

Brian has come to Manderly to put the past behind him and Tessa and to maybe start a future with her. He joins her as she makes her rounds. But unbeknownst to them, there is a killer loose in the hotel. As they reconnect, the killer is killing off the staff one by one. When they realize the danger, will it be to late?

I really enjoyed this book. At first I was confused about the narration but then it is revealed who is telling us the story. The only thing I wasn't sure about is why it was happening. Definitely one I would recommend.

New Fiction 01/31/2017

noreply@blogger.com (Paula - Reference & Reader Services) — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 21:00:00 +0000

Here is a sampling of new fiction released this week. If you see something you like, simply click on the title to place a copy on hold through the library's catalog.

Drowning Tides by Karen Harper
Copycat by Kimberla Lawson Roby
Rather Be the Devil by Ian Rankin
Moving Target by Lynette Eason
Unpunished by Lisa Black
The Prisoner by Alex Berenson

Sacking the Quarterback by James Patterson and Samantha Towle

noreply@blogger.com (Marisa-Circulation) — Sat, 28 Jan 2017 21:00:00 +0000

Melissa St. James isn't a fan of late night calls. But as a ADA she is always on call. This call was different. Her boss is calling to let her know that star quarterback, Greyson Knight, has been arrested for drug possession and her boss wants to make an example of him.

When Melissa meets Greyson for the first time she is shocked at how attracted she is to him. And not only that but she is convinced he is lying about the drugs. As she starts to work with him, she tries to fight her desire and tries to get him to tell her the truth.

Another fun Bookshot! I really enjoyed the characters and the story. It was a little predictable but I still liked it!

Her Rebel Heart by Jamie Farrell

noreply@blogger.com (Kara - Reference & Reader Services) — Thu, 26 Jan 2017 21:00:00 +0000

Georgia college physics professor Kaci Boudreaux eyes military pilot Lance Wheeler alone at the bar and convinces him to kiss her in order to prove to her ex husband that they are over. Lance likes the spirit of this sassy blonde but walks away mid-kiss. He was just left at the altar by his ex-fiancee.

Kaci next sees Lance as a member of the winning team at the pumpkin chucking contest where her physics students have rigged a pretty sweet catapult. After another unfortunate pumpkin incident, Lance wants to get to know this spirited, potato-gun wielding women.

When he learns of her upcoming presentation in Germany and her fear of flying, he is determined to help. Kaci finds herself falling for this military man, but when she learns that he will be deploying soon, she might crash and burn their romance.

With the recent women’s marches across the nation, Farrell’s timely novel features a feisty protagonist working in a male dominated-field who will be an inspiration to readers. Some of the romantic scenes could use a little work (“he wanted to feel the skin on her elbows”) and will hopefully improve in future offerings. According to the author, although Her Rebel Heart is the latest, it takes place before Southern Fried Blues and Moonshine & Magnolias and should be read first.

New Fiction 01/24/2017

noreply@blogger.com (Paula - Reference & Reader Services) — Tue, 24 Jan 2017 21:00:00 +0000

Here is a sampling of new fiction released this week. If you see something you like, simply click on the title to place a copy on hold through the library's catalog.

Fatal by John Lescroart
Clownfish Blues by Tim Dorsey
The Fifth Petal by Brunonia Barry
Eleventh Grave in Moonlight by Darynda Jones
Days Without End by Sebastian Barry
Power Game by Christine Feehan

Hunted by James Patterson and Andrew Holmes

noreply@blogger.com (Marisa-Circulation) — Sat, 21 Jan 2017 21:00:00 +0000

Former Special Forces officer David Shelley is going undercover. His old Special Forces teammate has turned up dead and MI-5 believes he was murdered. Strictly off books, David is pretending to be homeless to find out what happened.

While on the streets, David learns about a game that rich men are playing. They take a homeless man to an elegant, elusive estate and hunt him. David wants to be the next one picked. He will make them all pay.

I am really enjoying these BookShots. I don't want to write too much since it is such a short book. The book kept me guessing if David was going to get his justice and survive.

The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain

noreply@blogger.com (Kara - Reference & Reader Services) — Thu, 19 Jan 2017 21:00:00 +0000

School counselor Riley MacPherson is back in her hometown of New Bern, North Carolina to clear out the house and take care of things after the death of her father. Her brother Danny, who shattered his leg in Iraq and now lives in an old trailer on the family's RV park, has lots of bitterness and isn't much help. She learns of an old friend of her mother's, Jeannie, who is eager to help with an estate sale and the selling of the house.

In the midst of the arduous process of going through her dad's collections, she sneaks a look in a box that Jeannie was trying to take out of the house. Inside are newspaper clippings about her deceased sister, Lisa, who died when Riley was only a toddler. All she was ever told was that Lisa, a prodigy violinist, was depressed and committed suicide, but the newspaper clippings reveal a different story.

Lisa was about to face going to trial for the murder of her violin instructor. Her kayak was found in the frigid Potomac river and a suicide note in her bedroom, but no body was ever discovered. Riley wonders if her sister might still be alive, especially when a couple at the RV park suggest that might be the case.

Riley is determined to find the sister she never knew, but her search might put Lisa in jeopardy if she is indeed still alive and living under a different identity. At every turn a new secret is revealed about her family in this page-turning novel, making Riley and readers wonder if she ever really knew her family at all. This is the first book I've read by the prolific Chamberlain, and is one I would enthusiastically recommend.

New Fiction 01/17/2017

noreply@blogger.com (Paula - Reference & Reader Services) — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 21:00:00 +0000

Here is a sampling of new fiction released this week. If you see something you like, simply click on the title to place a copy on hold through the library's catalog.

Man on the Run by Carl Weber
Feversong by Karen Marie Moning
A Puzzle to be Named Later by Parnell Hall
Empire Games by Charles Stross
Martians Abroad by Carrie Vaughn
The Rising by Heather Graham
The Wicked City by Beatriz Williams

When All the Girls Have Gone by Jayne Ann Krentz

noreply@blogger.com (Marisa-Circulation) — Sat, 14 Jan 2017 21:00:00 +0000

Charlotte Sawyer has finally found her calling. She is the activities coordinator at a nursing home in Seattle. She has her step-sister, Jocelyn, and is happy with her life. Even the unfortunate engagement to a man who called off the wedding five days before it was going to happen, can't rock her optimism. But then she finds out that her sister's best friend Louise is dead. And there is no way to get a hold of Jocelyn. She is on a month long tech free retreat.

While checking the mail at Jocelyn's, Charlotte finds an envelope from Louise. Charlotte goes to Louise's and finds private investigator, Max Cutler. Max has been hired by Louise's cousin to find out what happened to her. He doesn't believe she overdosed but was murdered.

Charlotte and Max team up and soon discover that Jocelyn isn't at her retreat. Now they turn to the investment group the women were in with three other women. But something isn't adding up with the group. And it looks like an event from the past might also have something to do with what is happening now. Can Charlotte and Max solve the mystery before it is too late?

Another great one by Jayne Ann Krentz. The characters and the story were engaging and suspenseful. I am a big fan of Jayne Ann Krentz and always recommend all her genres of writing.

Royally Roma by Teri Wilson

noreply@blogger.com (Kara - Reference & Reader Services) — Thu, 12 Jan 2017 21:00:00 +0000

Crown Prince of Lazaretto, Niccolo Le Torre is sitting in the piazza of a prestigious Roman hotel drowning his frustrations in alcohol. Always the dependable one, Niccolo is on a press tour to rectify the shame his playboy brother has brought on the family once again.

When he lays eyes on Julia Costa, a beautiful private tour guide, who mistakes him for her client, he can’t help but follow along. A budding archaeologist Julia is an American who came to Rome to escape her own family drama. Shirking his duties is out of character for Nico, so alarms bells are raised when he fails to appear on schedule, which means he is on the lam from his security crew and grandfather. Julia keeps Nico as her charge until he pays her for the tour.

But eventually Julia discovers his real identity and a confusion about her motivation might jeopardize the future of two young people who are destined for love.

Wilson’s (The Art of Us) series opener is a delightful romp that incorporates the culture of the Eternal city, which is a ripe environment for love, into this temperate romance. Readers will be just as enthralled with Rome as Nico and Julia are with each other.

Originally published in Xpress Reviews: E-Originals | January 20, 2017