Fiction – Page 19 – Staff Picks

Pure by Julianna Baggott

Pressia Belze is one of the masses who were exposed to the blast of the apocalyptic Detonations. Partridge Willux is a Pure — one of the fortunates who escaped into a massive, protective dome. Years after the Detonations, Pures remain sequestered and safe in the Dome while those outside struggle to survive amidst the rubble and unrest. Each group has become almost mythological to the other — no Pures leave the Dome, no outsiders enter. But when Pressia turns sixteen and flees to avoid mandatory enlistment by the brutal ruling militia, and Partridge escapes through the Dome’s filtration system in search of his lost mother, the two meet. Seeking safety and news of Partridge’s mother, they take to an underground network where danger lurks at every turn. In their flight, they uncover secrets about their pasts and their families, as well as a conspiracy that contradicts everything they thought they knew about the Dome and the Detonations. This story, the first in a planned trilogy, kept me awake and reading long past bedtime. Highly recommended for those who enjoyed Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games.

Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland

Set in bohemian New York City, this book shows what it was like to be a woman and an artist at the turn of the twentieth century. Louis Comfort Tiffany was one of the first to recognize women’s artistic abilities and have women working in his studio. Clara Driscoll is head of his women’s division and at times his muse. A colorful cast of characters share Clara’s triumphs and challenges. Based on truth, this is a moving glimpse into an important time in our history. Recommended.

The Strain: Book One of the Strain Trilogy by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan

A Boeing 777 jet arrives at JFK, stops dead and sits on the tarmac in darkness and silence. Dr. Ephraim Goodweather, head of a CDC rapid-response team, boards to investigate. The mysterious being that seemingly killed every passenger aboard is the subject of this chilling trilogy about a virus which brings the dead back as vampires. In a pawn shop in Harlem, holocaust survivor Abraham Setrakian has met this evil and may have the knowledge to destroy it. After a riveting start, the story degenerates into killing after killing, as Eph’s son, ex-wife, and friends are soon in danger. This one is still a must for all horror fans and will soon be a major motion picture.

The Mistress of Nothing by Kate Pullinger

When Lady Duff Gordon, stricken with tuberculosis, leaves her home and family for the hot, dry climate of Egypt, her lady’s maid, Sally, accompanies her. Much to Sally’s delight, Egypt offers her freedoms she would never have known in London. She wears native clothing, learns Arabic, and falls in love with their Egyptian interpreter, Omar. However, her new freedoms may prove her undoing. A riveting plot with fascinating characters based on real-life events, Sally’s story examines power, race and class distinctions during Queen Victoria’s era.

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

Let me begin this review by stating, for the record, that I do not consider myself a “football fan.” I don’t hate football, but I don’t go out of my way to watch football either. I literally watched the Super Bowl for the commercials and half-time show while ignoring the game to get food and drink refills! I also want to mention that many people will try to compare this book to Catherine Gilbert Murdock’s Dairy Queen books, since they also have a female main character who plays football, but this book isn’t just a Dairy Queen redux.

Jordan is much more than a girl who happens to play football — she is the quarterback and captain of one of the best high school football teams in Tennessee, a possible recruit for the University of Alabama [Roll Tide!], and the daughter of an NFL player. Football is in her blood and it has been her life for nearly all of her life, so she is very upset when a new quarterback moves to her school during the fall of her senior year. This is precisely when she needs to prove herself to college recruiters, and Ty is both a threat to her playing time AND a [really cute] distraction. Add the fact that Jordan’s dad isn’t really supportive of her playing football, throw in a changing relationship with her best friend [who is a guy], and you get a whole lot of story in one book. Luckily, it’s not too much to keep straight and it’s all very believable. The best part? There’s enough about practice and games to keep football fans interested without overdoing it for people who couldn’t care less. A great coming of age story with a side of teen love!

Nightwoods by Charles Frazier

Charles Frazier, the author of the best selling Cold Mountaun and Thirteen Moons, hits a home run once again with Nightwoods, the intriguing and suspenseful story of a young woman living a solitary, isolated life in rural North Carolina. Luce is content with her life as the caretaker of an abandoned lodge, far from the nearest small town. Her harsh upbringing has led her to belive that people will only hurt and disappoint her, so she lives off the land, with only rare human contact. Her world is upended when she becomes the guardian of her murdered sister’s children. Damaged by witnessing their mother’s brutal murder, they will not speak and are interested only in setting fires. As she struggles to find a way to bring the children back to reality, Luce also finds her own life opening to both hopeful and sinister elements that will alter her views forever. Although set in the 1960s, this timeless story will touch readers who enjoy stories with lush settings and compelling, characters.

Payback Time by Carl Deuker

Mitch True has wanted to be a reporter ever since his dad took him to see All the President’s Men when he was little [in a theater that shows old movies, of course]. He has been on the school paper, The Lincoln Light, since freshman year. He assumed he would become the editor during senior year because his only competition, Alyssa Hanson, was not a very talented writer. Alyssa got the editor position based on a popular vote and then moved Mitch from lead reporter to sports. Although he was initially unhappy, Mitch quickly realized that Alyssa made a great editor and that the sports writer position was likely to give him a lot more exposure before graduation. But this story is not just about how some kid learned to adapt when his life plan didn’t pan out. It’s a whole lot juicier than that!

When Mitch and the sports photographer, Kimi Yon, went to interview the quarterback, they noticed something fishy about a new player. He was throwing amazing passes before practice started but pretended to be only mediocre when people started paying attention to him. He also looked older than the rest of the guys on the team. Everyone knew Coach McNulty was unhappy coaching high school football and wantedto get hired on at a college . . . so, could he be cheating by bringing in a guy who was ineligible to play? Mitch and Kimi decided to dig up the truth and to get this story out. But there’s just one problem — they’re not even close to guessing this guy’s secret and have no idea how much danger they could be in if they dig too deep.

The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman

Alice Hoffman’s newest book, The Dovekeepers, is a mesmerizing story based on the 1st century battle at Masada between Jewish zealots and the Romans who were determined to eliminate them. According to 1st century historian Josephus, over 900 Jews, expelled from Jerusalem, sacrificed everything to reach what they hoped would be a safe haven in a Judean desert fortress. The story unfolds in the voices of four incredible women, each with different backgrounds and talents but dedicated to the survival of their faith and families. The tragic and iconic final battle of the small outpost against the vast might of the Roman military, and the survival of two women and five children, is both horrifying and uplifting. This is a book that you won’t want to put down!

The Penguin Who Knew Too Much: A Meg Langslow Mystery by Donna Andrews

This is the eighth book in the Meg Langslow series, all of which have birds in the titles and in the stories. It all started with Peacocks. The books do not have to be read in order. Some have more laughs than others. This one is laugh out loud funny. You get exposed to Meg’s ever-growing extended family. A body is found in her home while she and her fiancé are planning their wedding. To add to the mix, a zoo-load of animals is being dumped off at their home. Just sit back and enjoy.

Day After Night by Anita Diamant

Just when I thought I had heard of most of the twists and turns related to the Holocaust, another facet is discovered. This novel, based on a true situation, tells the story of four young women who go to Israel after World War II. They were placed by the British in Atlit, an internment camp for “illegal” immigrants. We learn about life at the camp, the different paths which brought the women to Atlit, and their life afterwards. It is a richly told story by the author of The Red Tent.

A Room on Lorelei Street by Mary E. Pearson

Zoe Beth Buckman has got more than her fair share of troubles. Ever since her dad died, her mom has been a wreck. Her parents were always drinkers, but now it is clear to Zoe that her mom is an alcoholic who is going to drink herself to death if she doesn’t change her ways. Zoe’s grandmother insists that she needs to stay and take care of her ailing mother, but Zoe is sick and tired of it all — sick of the secrets and tired of being more of a mom than a daughter. After things at school start to be affected by her home life, Zoe decides that she needs to get out on her own. She finds a room for rent on Lorelei Street, but she isn’t quite sure how she will be able to make ends meet. All she knows is that she needs to get out before she is sucked any further into the vortex of her mother’s misery, and she is willing to do almost anything to make it work.

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

In Victorian times, plants and flowers held symbolic meaning: you might give your love interest a bouquet of tulips (declaration of love), your enemy one of tansy (I declare war against you). In Diffenbaugh’s novel, eighteen-year-old Victoria, alone and homeless, has just aged out of the foster care system. Victoria’s knowledge of the sentiments conveyed by flowers proves to be her salvation and leads to employment with a florist. Gruff, defensive Victoria cautiously begins to bloom in her new life, until a life-altering event derails her delicate progress. In alternating chapters, Diffenbaugh weaves Victoria’s past and present until the two meet in a tender conclusion.

Definitely not Mr. Darcy by Karen Doornebos

Chloe Parker is thirty-nine, divorced, owner of a failing letterpress business, and a total Jane Austen fan. Desperate for cash to save her business and insure a good future for her daughter, Abigail, she applies and is accepted for a position on what she thinks is a total immersion documentary about Jane Austen’s England. Imagine her suprise when she discovers that it is actually a period reality show, an 1812 version of The Bachelor. This is outrageous! This is ridiculous! This is still $100,ooo on the line. And so, Chloe decides to give it her best shot to win the heart of Mr. Sebastian Wrightman, a total hunk. She’ll just ignore the tender feelings she begins to have for his cousin, Henry, who is also on the show in a secondary position. In the process, she has to cope with nineteenth century hygiene or lack thereof, unpalatable food, and all the strict rules of society at that time. Light and amusing, as well as informative about Victorian England. Enjoy.

Blood Wounds by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Willa has it pretty good. Her mom got remarried, but her step-dad [Jack] is a genuinely nice guy who loves her as if she is his own daughter. She even gets along really well with her step-sisters and their mom. Unfortunately, Willa’s happy little life is about to fall apart. When her mom’s best friend calls from Texas, freaking out about a guy named Budge, a missing twin, and an Amber Alert, Willa starts to realize that there is a lot she doesn’t know about the life she left behind. As it turns out, Budge is her birth father’s nickname. The twin is one of Budge’s daughters from his second marriage. And the Amber Alert was put in place because Budge’s wife and two other daughters were found murdered… Stabbed to death. If that wasn’t freaky enough, Budge and his daughter were potentially sighted at a gas station along a highway that leads to the town where Willa and her mom now live. How do you even begin to process that information?!?

Bumped by Megan McCafferty

In a world where the Human Sterility Virus (HSV) causes nearly everyone to become sterile after the age of 18, teenage pregnancy becomes both necessary AND trendy. It’s pretty disturbing to think of a world in which teenage girls are basically pimped out as incubators, but McCafferty manages to keep the tone light and funny overall. I especially enjoyed the “FunBumps” (complete with moving “babies” inside) and the t-shirts for tweens that proclaimed they were “Born to Breed.” Some people have accused this book of glorifying teenage pregnancy, but I think they got it completely wrong. If anything, this book derides our culture’s current obsession with teen pregnancy. Shows like 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom, while reportedly intending to show the harsh reality of teen pregnancy, have actually resulted in the glamorization of teen pregnancy. Need proof? How about news stories about pregnancy pacts, girls trying to get pregnant to get on the show, and the surge in popularity of the names “Maci” and “Bentley” (the names of a featured teen mom and her son).

Beyond the insanity of HSV and teen pregnancy for hire, there is another level of complexity with twin sisters (Melody and Harmony) who were separated at birth and reunited as teens. Harmony was raised in Goodside, a highly religious, gated community in Pennsylvania, where she was raised with the singular goal of being a good wife and mother. Melody grew up in a “normal” community in New Jersey, where she was given every advantage toward the end of attending the best college and bringing in a large amount of money as a surrogate. I cannot even begin to describe how awkward it is when Harmony comes to town to try and “save” Melody from her life of sin, but I can assure you that the questions raised by this book will stick with you long after you put it down.