Starred Reviews: June 2010
Jun 2, 2010June 2010 delivers 58 starred reviews from our two print issues and Xpress Reviews (online-only). Audio cranks it up with standout nonfiction from the likes of James Rawn Jr. and Sarah Rose. For all you summer fiction hounds, look no further than library favorite Karin Slaughter and award winner Dinaw Mengestu. Science will keep you engrossed with tales of a tiger (John Valliant) and bread (Amy Scherber). - Heather McCormack
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ARTS & HUMANITIES
American Moderns on Paper: Masterworks from the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. Yale Univ. in assn. with Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. 2010. 216p. ed. by Elizabeth Mankin Kornhauser. illus. index. ISBN 978-0-300-15166-4. $60. FINE ARTS
This volume is a necessary and highly recommended addition to research art library collections.
Greenspan, Charlotte. Pick Yourself Up: Dorothy Fields and the American Musical. Oxford Univ. (Broadway Legacies). Sept. 2010. c.384p. photogs. index. ISBN 978-0-19-511110-1. $27.95. MUSIC
Recommended as an excellent contribution to the burgeoning literature on the American songbook.
Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg: The Letters. Viking. Jul. 2010. c.528p. ed. by Bill Morgan & David Stanford. index. ISBN 978-0-670-02194-9. $35. LIT
This remarkable collection of letters...documents their friendship through 1963, six years before Kerouac's untimely death.
Young, Anastasia. The Workbench Guide to Jewelry Techniques. Interweave. 2010. 320p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-1-59668-169-9. $34.95. CRAFTS
A good replacement for older books.
AUDIO
Barclay, Linwood. Never Look Away. 11 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 12? hrs. Brilliance Audio. 2010. ISBN 978-1-4418-0422-8. $92.97; 11 CDs. retail ed.; 1 MP3-CD. library/retail eds.; digital download. F
Highly recommended for Barclay fans and for anyone enjoying a good thriller.
Blake, Sarah. The Postmistress. 9 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 10? hrs. Blackstone Audio. 2010. ISBN 978-1-4417-2571-4. $100; 1 MP3-CD. library ed.; 9 CDs. retail ed. Penguin Audio; Playaway digital; digital download. F
F
Actress/narrator Orlagh Cassidy does a superb job of rendering this quietly powerful story.
Durrow, Heidi W. The Girl Who Fell from the Sky. 6 CDs. retail ed. unabridged. 7 hrs. HighBridge Audio. 2010. ISBN 978-1-59887-923-0. $29.95; Playaway digital; digital download. F
The characters are drawn so vividly and portrayed so well by the narrators that their voices will continue to resonate long after the book is done.
Hirsch, James S. Willie Mays: The Life, the Legend. 23 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 27? hrs. Recorded Bks. 2010. ISBN 978-1-4407-7655-7. $123.75; 8 CDs. retail ed. abridged. 10 hrs. S. & S. Audio; Playaway digital; digital download. BIOG/SPORTS
An engaging listen recommended for all baseball fans.
Hopkins, Tom. Selling in Tough Times: Secrets to Selling When No One Is Buying. 6 CDs. retail ed. unabridged. 7 hrs. Hachette Audio. 2010. ISBN 978-1-60024-925-9. $24.98; digital download. BUS
The practical exercises and sample seller-buyer conversations are especially helpful.
Malzieu, Mathias. The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart. tr. from French by Sarah Ardizzone. 5 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 5 hrs. Blackstone Audio. 2010. ISBN 978-1-4417-2659-9. $29.95; 1 MP3-CD. library ed.; Playaway digital; digital download. F
Malzieu's dark, fanciful Tim Burton-esque story is dually delightful and sorrowful.
Quartey, Kwei. Wife of the Gods. 8 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 9? hrs. Tantor Audio. 2010. ISBN 978-1-4001-4341-2. $69.99; 8 CDs. retail ed.; 1 MP3-CD. retail ed.; Playaway digital; digital download. F
Eleven-time Audie Award nominee Simon Prebble's consistently strong narration is a joy to hear. Highly recommended.
Rawn, James, Jr. Root and Branch: Charles Hamilton Houston, Thurgood Marshall, and the Struggle To End Segregation. 8 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 10 hrs. Books on Tape. 2010. ISBN 978-0-307-71489-3. $80; digital download. HIST/BIOG
Historians and history buffs alike will find this inspirational.
Rose, Sarah. For All the Tea in China: How England Stole the World's Favorite Drink and Changed History. 7 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 8 hrs. Tantor Audio. 2010. ISBN 978-1-4001-4537-9. $59.99; 7 CDs. retail ed.; 1 MP3-CD. retail ed.; Playaway digital; digital download. HIST
Journalist Rose (www.sarahrose.com) is a rarity, an author who skillfully narrates her own lush work, capturing every nuance perfectly.
Selected Shorts: American Classics. 3 CDs. retail ed. unabridged. 3 hours. Symphony Space. 2010. ISBN 978-1-934033-12-8. $28; digital download. F
Each performer breathes life into his/her story, transporting listeners to another place and time.
CHRISTIAN FICTION
Howard, Evan Drake. The Galilean Secret. Guidepost Bks. 2010. c.448p. ISBN 978-0-8249-4794-1. $24.99. CF
In the spirit of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, Howard brings us the story of Karim Musalah, a young Palestinian who flees his father's radical and terrorist connections.
FICTION
Belfer, Lauren. A Fierce Radiance. Harper: HarperCollins. Jun. 2010. c.544p. ISBN 978-0-06-125251-8. $24.99. F
Belfer once again blends fiction and facts with riveting results.
Brady, Joan. Venom. Touchstone: S. & S. Aug. 2010. c.384p. ISBN 978-0-7432-7011-3. $26.99. F
Highly recommended for fans of classic Robert Ludlum, Ken Follett, or the TV series MI5.
Brown, Janelle. This Is Where We Live. Spiegel & Grau. Jun. 2010. c.336p. ISBN 978-0-385-52403-2. $25. F
This telling look at how the current economic crisis affects one family shows that Brown is no one-hit wonder.
Cameron, W. Bruce. A Dog's Purpose: A Novel for Humans. Forge: Tor. Jul. 2010. c.320p. ISBN 978-0-7653-2626-3. $22.99. F
By turns funny, heartwarming, and touching without being overly sentimental.
Doerr, Anthony. Memory Wall. Scribner. Jul. 2010. c.256p. ISBN 978-1-4391-8280-2. $24. F
Reading [this book] will recharge your neurons and stimulate a few memories of its own.
Doig, Ivan. Work Song. Riverhead: Penguin Group (USA). Jul. 2010. c.288p. ISBN 978-1-59448-762-0. $25.95. F
Recommend this to everyone you know; essential.
Dryden, Alex. Moscow Sting. Ecco: HarperCollins. Aug. 2010. c.368p. ISBN 978-0-06-196684-2. $24.99. F
An exceptional spy story. Boy, is this good!
Handeland, Lori. Shakespeare Undead. Griffin: St. Martin's. Jun. 2010. c.320p. ISBN 978-0-312-64152-8. pap. $13.99. FANTASY
Sure to appeal to fans of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Jane Slayre, but paranormal romance fans will cheer the loudest.
Means, David. The Spot. Faber & Faber. Jun. 2010. c.176p. ISBN 978-0-86547-912-8. $23. F
A perfect choice for summer reading to help provide a bit of a chill.
Mengestu, Dinaw. How To Read the Air. Riverhead: Penguin Group (USA). Oct. 2010. c.320p. ISBN 978-1-59448-770-5. $25.95. F
The characters in Mengestu's triumphant second novel (after the award-winning The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears) are forever having what one of them calls a "leaving experience."
Meyer, Deon. Thirteen Hours. Atlantic Monthly. Sept. 2010. c.384p. tr. from Afrikaans by K.L. Seegers. ISBN 978-0-8021-1958-2. $24.
Meyer again has produced a winner.
Mi?ille, China. Kraken. Del Rey: Ballantine. Jun. 2010. c.496p. ISBN 978-0-345-49749-9. $26. FANTASY
Not for the squeamish...H.P. Lovecraft and H.G. Wells with a distinctive 21st-century spin.
Mustian, Mark T. The Gendarme. Amy Einhorn: Putnam. Sept. 2010. c.304p. ISBN 978-0-399-15634-2. $25.95. F
First novelist Mustian...[tells] his haunting story in brief bursts of luminous yet entirely unsentimental prose.
Okorafor, Nnedi. Who Fears Death. DAW, dist. by Penguin. Jun. 2010. c.400p. ISBN 978-0-7564-0617-2. $24.95. FANTASY
In her astonishing debut, Okorafor has created a desolate, postapocalyptic Africa of endless desert, failing technology, superstition, and magic.
Scott, A.D. A Small Death in the Great Glen. Atria: S. & S. Aug. 2010. c.416p. ISBN 978-1-4391-5493-9. pap. $15. F
Strongly recommended for fans of atmospheric suspense.
Slaughter, Karin. Broken. Delacorte. Jul. 2010. c.416p. ISBN 978-0-385-34197-4. $26. F
Move over, Catherine Coulter-Slaughter may be today's top female suspense writer.
Straub, Peter. A Special Place: The Heart of a Dark Matter. Pegasus. Jul. 2010. c.128p. ISBN 978-1-60598-102-4. pap. $12.95. HORROR
This is high quality disturbing horror.
Stuart, Julia. The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise. Doubleday. Sept. 2010. c.304p. ISBN 978-0-385-53328-7. $24.95. F
Charming, witty, and heartfelt, Stuart's second novel is even more delightful than her debut.
Weisgarber, Ann. The Personal History of Rachel DuPree. Viking. Aug. 2010. c.336p. ISBN 978-0-670-02201-4. $25.95. F
This debut novel won the Texas Institute of Letters' Steven Turner Award for Best Work of First Fiction.
MYSTERY
Bolton, S.J. Blood Harvest. Minotaur: St. Martin's. Jun. 2010. c.432p. ISBN 978-0-312-60051-8. $25.99. M
This suspenseful tale is sure to satisfy readers, even if it leaves them a little sleep deprived.
Cohen, Gabriel. The Ninth Step. Minotaur: St. Martin's. Jun. 2010. c.278p. ISBN 978-0-312-62501-6. $24.99. M
An engrossing read, but do not get too comfortable because Cohen is a master at misdirection.
Dial, Connie. The Broken Blue Line. Permanent. Jun. 2010. c.256p. ISBN 978-1-57962-200-8. $28. M
Twenty-seven years in the Hollywood Division of the LAPD gives Dial that true insider's view of law enforcement.
Hayman, James. The Chill of Night. Minotaur: St. Martin's. Jul. 2010. c.352p. ISBN 978-0-312-53271-0. $24.99. M
Hayman has penned an engrossing whodunit with a tenacious investigator, who luckily also happens to have the gift of a photographic memory.
Spencer, Sally. The Ring of Death: A DCI Monika Paniatowski Mystery. Severn House. Jun. 2010. c.233p. ISBN 978-0-7278-6868-8. $28.95. M
Heartbreaking and heart wrenching, this is Spencer at her best.
Wiprud, Brian M. Buy Back. Minotaur: St. Martin's. Jun. 2010. c.309p. ISBN 978-0-312
60188-1. $24.99. M
Let's hope we see more Tommy Davin.
REFERENCE
Feminism and Women's Rights Worldwide. 3 vols. Praeger. (Women's Psychology). 2009. ed. by Michele A. Paludi. index. ISBN 978-0-313-37596-5. $154.95; Online: ABC-CLIO eBook Collection REF
The writing style is clear, and the personal accounts from women across generations add interest.
Milestone Documents in World History: Exploring the Primary Sources That Shaped the World. 4 vols. Schlager Group: Salem. (Milestone Documents). 2010. 1900p. ed. by Brian Bonhomme & Cathleen Boivin. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-9797758-6-4. $395; Online: Salem History REF
The distinctive features of this resource make it excellent for Advanced Placement world history students, undergraduates, and history academics.
ROMANCE
Bourne, Joanna. The Forbidden Rose. Berkley Sensation: Penguin Group (USA). Jun. 2010. 368p. ISBN 978-0-425-23561-4. pap. $7.99. HISTORICAL
Intriguing, refreshing, and rewarding.
Dreyer, Eileen. Barely a Lady. Forever: Grand Central. (Drake's Rakes, Bk. 1). Jul. 2010. c.432p. ISBN 978-0-446-54208-1. pap. $6.99. HISTORICAL
Vivid descriptions, inventive plotting, beautifully delineated characters, and stunning emotional depth ensure the success of Dreyer's historical romance debut.
Kleypas, Lisa. Love in the Afternoon. (Hathaways, Bk. 5). St. Martin's. Jul. 2010. 352p. ISBN 978-0-312-60539-1. pap. $7.99. HISTORICAL
Fans will be reluctant to let this engaging Victorian family go.
Thomas, Sherry. His at Night. Bantam. Jun. 2010. c.352p. ISBN 978-0-553-59244-3. pap. $7.99. HISTORICAL
With lush sensuality, intense emotion, lyrical writing, and exquisitely realized characters, Thomas has delivered another unforgettable winner.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Armitage, Allan M. Armitage's Vines and Climbers: A Gardener's Guide to the Best Vertical Plants. Timber. 2010. 212p. illus. index. ISBN 978-1-60469-039-2. $29.95. GARDENING
Home gardeners finally have an up-to-date, go-to plant directory for vertical gardening.
Chesman, Andrea. Recipes from the Root Cellar: 250 Ways To Enjoy Winter Vegetables. Storey. Jul. 2010. c.400p. illus. index. ISBN 978-1-60342-545-2. pap. $18.95. COOKING
Chesman provides information on individual vegetables from availability, storage, and how to buy them to preparation, cooking ideas, and how much equals a cup.
Eden-Eadon, Colin. Woodwork: A Step-by-Step Photographic Guide to Successful Woodworking. DK. 2010. 400p. photogs. index. ISBN 978-0-7566-4306-5. $40. DIY
The 25 projects, including furnishings and household products, start from simple and build to complex.
French, Thomas. Zoo Story: Life and Death in the Garden of Captives. Hyperion. Jul. 2010. c.288p. bibliog. ISBN 978-1-4013-2346-2. $24.99. NAT HIST
[This] is a story that needs to be told, and French does it superbly.
Kelly, Donna (text) & Marty Snortum (photogs.). Quesadillas. Gibbs Smith. 2010. 128p. photogs. index. ISBN 978-1-4236-0503-4. $14.99. COOKING
These simple recipes, with ten ingredients or less, are perfect to make with children.
Moffett, Mark W. Adventures Among Ants: A Global Safari with a Cast of Trillions. Univ. of California. 2010. c.288p. illus. index. ISBN 978-0-520-26199-0. $29.95. NAT HIST
This marvelous volume illustrated with the author's close-up photographs will delight biologists, naturalists, and general readers with a natural history bent.
Pyne, Stephen J. Voyager: Seeking Newer Worlds in the Third Great Age of Discovery. Viking. Jul. 2010. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-670-02183-3. $29.95. SCI
Readers interested in the history of spaceflight and the history of human exploration will be especially enthralled.
Scherber, Amy & Toy Kim Dupree (text) & Aim? Herring (photogs.). Amy's Bread: Artisan-Style Breads, Sandwiches, Pizzas, and More from New York City's Favorite Bakery. rev. ed. Wiley. 2010. 276p. photogs. index. ISBN 978-0-470-17075-5. $35. COOKING
Highly recommended, especially for New York libraries.
Vaillant, John. The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival. Knopf. Aug. 2010. c.352p. photogs. maps. bibliog. ISBN 978-0-307-26893-8. $26.95. NAT HIST
What spirits this adventure narrative from compelling to brilliant is Vaillant's use of the tiger hunt as an allegorical lens through which to understand the cultural, economic, and environmental devastation of post-Communist Russia.
SOCIAL SCIENCES
Biddle, Daniel R. & Murray Dubin. Tasting Freedom: Octavius Catto and the Battle for Equality in Civil War America. Temple Univ. Sept. 2010. c.656p. illus. ISBN 978-1-59213-465-6. $35. HIST
Biddle and Dubin have produced an entrancing portrait of a leading Renaissance man for equal rights.
Click: Young Women on the Moments They Knew They Were Feminists. Seal, dist. by Publishers Group West. 2010. c.280p. ed. by Courtney E. Martin & J. Courtney Sullivan. ISBN 978-1-58005-285-6. pap. $16.95. SOC SCI
Highly recommended for all feminists, as well as men and women who are still a bit reluctant to embrace their feminist identity.
Ferguson, Niall. High Financier: The Lives and Time of Siegmund Warburg. Penguin Pr: Penguin Group (USA). Jul. 2010. c.352p. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-1-59420-246-9. $35. BIOG
Ferguson has written a most engrossing and edifying tale of high finance.
