The New American Plate Cookbook by the American Institute for Cancer Research

This cookbook, by the American Institute for Cancer Research, is making the recommendation that we increase our daily intake of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans so that it equals 2/3rds of our daily food intake. They encourage us to do this gradually, by first adding some additional fruits and vegetables to our diet. As we become accustomed to having less meat and starches, the authors provide us with a multitude of tasty recipes. They suggest using olive or canola oil and trying to “cook once, eat twice”, to reduce the amount of time in the kitchen.

As I perused the recipes, several sounded especially appropriate for autumn. Acorn squash stuffed with apricots and cornbread or cider glazed sweet potatoes with cranberries are perfect side or main dishes for a cooler fall evening. Some delicious main entrees include baked fish with tomatoes, spinach and olives, cranberry chicken, or shrimp with grapefruit and black bean salsa. The soup recipes that piqued my interest were fresh corn bisque, summer squash soup and chilled strawberry soup. As with most cookbooks, the authors end with dessert recipes. The chocolate angel food cake with raspberries and the fresh plum tart are definitely on my list to try.

Tompkins County Public Library has a variety of cookbooks that are sure to appeal to everyone. Bon Appetit! - Reviewed by Deb

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

2003 was the year of Dan Brown and The Da Vinci Code. Selling over 80 million copies to date, the book was translated into 44 languages and a major movie came out a few years later. Those in the publishing world kept asking one question –could Dan Brown do it again? The Lost Symbol, released in mid September, answers with a resounding yes. Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is back in Boston when he receives a phone call from the office of his mentor, Peter Solomon, asking him to quickly get on a plane and deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Yet when Langdon arrives, he finds the Capitol empty, except for Solomon’s severed hand, which is now covered with tattoos of ancient symbols.

The Lost Symbol is set over a tense evening in Washington D.C., when Langdon and Peter’s sister, Katherine Solomon join forces to not only find Peter, but to solve an ancient Masonic mystery. Brown draws readers in with short, quickly paced chapters that alternate story lines and gives readers an in-depth background of the historical Washington buildings, secret societies, the intertwined role of history and science, and hidden histories. Brown also creates one of the most evil characters in recent thrillers, Mal’akh, who brings terror to Washington, and tries to expose long lost Masonic secrets.

Those looking for a quick, thrilling read, or those interested in books set in Washington will find it with The Lost Symbol. The Tompkins County Public Library has 20 copies to check out, as well as 3 copies of the audio version. - Reviewed by Sarah

Phaedra by Tangerine Dream

"....to sleep, perchance to tangerine dream..."

If you are looking for a great album to fall asleep to, then this album is for you. Even the painting on the cover and the song titles themselves can put you to sleep (I like to think that the music on the albums are soundtracks for the group's album covers). Phaedra, which was released in 1974, was Tangerine Dream's fifth album (if you don't count Green Desert, which was recorded in 1973, but not released until the mid 80's) and for me, was the album where Tangerine Dream, by then consisting of Christopher Franke, Peter Baumann and founding member Edgar Froese, finally came into their own with their unique brand of electronic, ambient background music. The first four albums, particularly Atem and Alpha Centauri, sounded too much like the group Pink Floyd around the time of Saucerful Of Secrets (I like that era of Pink Floyd, but Tangerine Dream were no Pink Floyd!). And the double album Zeit was four sides of sheer boredom....kind of like an ambient version of Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music. What made Phaedra so different was the abandonment of any acoustic drumming and the use of the sequencer, which provides the pulse for a good section of the 17 and a half minute title track, which takes up the entire first half of the album. To me, this is 17 and a half minutes of absolute soothing, electronic ambient bliss, my only complaint being that it's not long enough!

The second half isn't quite as spectacular, but it does get off to a good start with the mellotron dominated tune Mysterious Semblance at the Strand of Nightmares, which gets my vote for best Tangerine Dream song title of all time and outer space. It is also the only piece here to have anything even slightly resembling a melody. This band was never really about melodies or catchy guitar riffs, anyway. There are no vocals, so you can't sing along to it. No drums, so you can't tap your foot to it or dance to it. This is not music that one can memorize. Just put it the background, turn the speakers up and let the music absorb you or wrap around you like a blanket.

What's nice is that I don't even consider this Tangerine Dream's best album. I think they got even better at this kind of music on their next four albums, Rubycon, Ricochet, Stratosfear and the live album Encore. Phaedra is a great album, but it was really only the beginning for this group. Highly recommended if you have problems falling asleep at night! - Reviewed by Rich

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

Recently, on my drive into work, I listened to National Public Radio and there was a piece on Sandra Cisneros. It was the 25th anniversary of The House on Mango Street. Having not read it, I thought I would borrow it from our library. The author’s poetic and narrative style in this short novel truly captivated me. Each short chapter left me with a feeling that I was in the protagonist's mind and knew her well. Cisneros, with her fluid and descriptive writing style, managed to paint a vivid picture of life for a Mexican-American girl in her early teens growing up in a poor neighborhood in Chicago. Now I am hooked and want to read her other works. - Reviewed by Patricia

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick

Ralph Truitt, a wealthy businessman, ran a newspaper ad, seeking a “reliable wife”. As a widower, he was lonely living in a desolate Wisconsin town. Catherine Land responded and journeyed through the middle of the winter with plans to marry Ralph and then slowly poison him to gain his wealth.

This story takes place in Wisconsin at the turn of the century when the local economy has suffered major setbacks. Ralph, as the wealthiest citizen, is both envied and pitied. As the story develops, we learn of his tragic life and of his "reliable wife's" checkered past. Throughout the story, we see scenes from their past lives which help us to understand their relationship and the culmination of the gradual effects of the poison. Goolrick’s development of the characters throughout this story gives us an intriguing look into lives which were torn apart by love and greed. The surprising ending reassures us that sometimes love does prevail. - Reviewed by Deb

Losing Mum and Pup: a Memoir by Christopher Buckley

Christopher Buckley has written a touching and often funny memoir of his famous parents. He is also the narrator and has a very easy-to-listen-to voice. Both his parents were captivating, exceptional people. Of course, William F. Buckley was the more famous former host of Firing Line and author of many, many books, newspaper and magazine articles. Patricia Buckley, apparently, was quite a memorable individual all on her own. It’s a wonderful thing to hear Mr. Buckley’s tribute to his parents and compassion for the difficulties they faced at the end of life. For those of us who have watched our parents go through somewhat similar travails in their final months or years, it’s comforting. - Reviewed by Nancy

Blackout by Gianluca Morozzi

Bologna, Italy is suffering from one of the hottest Bank Holidays ever seen. Unfortunately, this is bad news for the three people trapped in a high-rise elevator in a downtown apartment building. Readers learn early in the book that Aldo Ferro, a successful businessman and bar owner, is not who he appears to be. Actually a sadistic serial killer, he is returning to his private apartment in the building when he gets stuck in the elevator with Claudia, a young waitress returning home from work, and Tomas, a teenager who is planning to run away to Amsterdam with his girlfriend. What will happen to the three of them when the elevator gets stuck halfway up and there is no cell phone reception and the emergency alarms don’t work?

This psychological suspense novel is a perfect summer read for those who like suspense, characters with hidden secrets, and a shocking twist at the end. As the temperature rises in the elevator, and Ferro’s madness can’t be contained any more, readers are in for a fast-paced ride that never slows down. Morozzi switches characters often so readers can understand how all three characters are dealing with the stress of being trapped and there is plenty of tension to keep readers guessing what will happen in the end. While TCPL doesn’t own the movie version, there was a horror movie made in 2007 that closely (but not completely) follows the book and is available on Netflix. Readers looking for a quick, suspenseful summer read should find it in Blackout. – Reviewed by Sarah

Breakfast at Sally's: One Homeless Man's Inspirational Journey by Richard LeMieux

I was walking through the New Book section when this title caught my eye. I wondered, “Who is Sally and why is she making breakfast?” Within the first few pages, I learned that the author had been a very successful businessman in the publishing business. When his company failed, his life spiraled downward to the depths of despair. As his depression increased, his relationship with his family disintegrated and so did his finances. He eventually began to live in his car along with his dog and faithful companion, Willow.

Richard takes us through his journey of homelessness by sharing the stories of the people he befriended. It was through the kindness of strangers and groups like The Salvation Army ( Sally’s) and a church that he began to put his life back together. He learns that by caring about others, he is able to regain some of his former life. His relationship with his dog is a very special one. At one point in his life, the author was on the brink of suicide and it was only the love of his dog that saved him.

This is an inspirational story for these difficult times. - Reviewed by Deb

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Did you know that you can check out games for the Nintendo Wii at the library? Well, you can – our library system owns a few and can loan them. Ask your reference librarian how! In the meantime, here’s one suggestion for you: Super Smash Brothers Brawl!

It is a bit harder to review a video game than a book or movie, as a video game is by its nature an interactive experience. In the end, however, the question on any video game is: “Will I have fun playing this?” In the end, the answer is a resounding yes, especially if you have a multiplayer game going on.

We put this game in at a party having never played it before. So here’s the weakness of the game: you will have no idea what is going on, and you probably won’t gain one. But here’s the strength: you won’t care. It is just fun. Pick a character. Any character, and there are so many characters – 20 or so to start, with another 10 or so unlockable – and pick a stadium, and start pressing buttons. Each character has its own special moves, and I suppose you could try to learn them. But more fun things happen just button mashing.

And that’s the main fun of this game. 3 friends and I fighting, handing off Wiimotes to our friends between bouts, playing random characters to see what they could do, and different stadiums to see what would happen. And the stadiums matter – some of them shift shapes, or are constantly being destroyed at one end and built at the other. Some are more static. And weird stuff just happens. Probably the weirdest was when, in the middle of a 4 person brawl, a yellow lab from Nintendogs just popped up on screen – like 3/4s of the screen – and started barking at us for a few seconds. We don’t know if we caused that or if it just happened, but it’s something that we still talk about.

In other words, the game is just bizarre fun. You don’t know what’s going on, and that’s the point. Just play and have fun.

For Nintendo Wii only. - Reviewed by John

Home: a Memoir of My Early Years by Julie Andrews

The best part of this audiobook experience is being able to listen to Julie Andrews. She may not be singing, but her reading voice is very pleasing to the ear. She tells of her close, warmly supportive relationship with her father and the sadness of her parents’ divorce. It was her stepfather who started her on her career path though his effect on her was not completely positive by any means. For many years she performed in music halls with her mother and stepfather and the money she earned helped her family through the difficult postwar period in Britain. Eventually her talent, intelligence and luck led her far from home. There are plenty of good stories about the years on Broadway. Her naturally upbeat outlook and compassion for the human condition shine through this memoir. - Reviewed by Nancy

My Abandonment by Peter Rock

13-year-old Caroline lives with her father (only known as Father throughout the book) outside of Portland, Oregon. The two don’t live like a normal family, instead choosing to live hidden in caves and shelters in an Oregon state park. Father is meticulous about not being detected, and has worked out an elaborate life full of living off the forest, covering their tracks, and having separate “city” clothes for when the two venture weekly into the city for trips to the bank, library, and grocery store. Extremely intelligent for her age, and loving Father dearly, Caroline accepts this way of life and relishes her freedom in the forest. Unfortunately the two are detected by police one afternoon because of Caroline not being careful enough.

Based on a true story, yet a fictional account, Rock draws readers in to the quiet, simple survival-based life of Caroline and Father. When their unconventional lifestyle forces authorities to house them on a farm, making Father work on the farm and preparing Caroline for school, it becomes too much for Father and he takes Caroline back into the woods, with tragic consequences. In real life, the father and daughter have never been seen again since retreating back to the woods. In Rock’s fictional tale, readers slowly begin to realize what is actually happening to the two and why they need to retreat from the real world.

While the story is full of unsettling moments, and readers may want to look away at the end of the story, it is also a gorgeous story of love, survival, and human mystery. Rock has captured the innocence of Caroline as a 13-year-old confused girl perfectly, and also the counter-culture community of Portland rings true. I finished this book at 1 A.M. one morning and could not stop thinking about it. While people may be intrigued that this is based on a true story, Rock is a confident writer who takes readers onto a journey they won’t forget, even if he used real life for inspiration. Highly recommended if you are looking for something different to read or if you are interested in fiction set in the Northwest. -Reviewed by Sarah

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: a Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective by Kate Summerscale

A horrible child murder took place in the summer of 1860 at Road Hill House in a small English village. One of the first Scotland Yard detective inspectors was sent to solve the mystery of who might be cruel enough to kill a sleeping three year old boy and cast his body in the servants’ privy. Countless lurid, highly opinionated newspaper articles and average, everyday gossip made this case a national sensation.

Kate Summerscale does a wonderful job of interweaving the history of detective novels with the events and personae of this real life case. The basic facts of the case will capture your interest and the individual characters intrigue you with their layers of deep, dark secrets that may well have laid the groundwork for a violent death. - Reviewed by Nancy

Spain and the World Table by Martha Rose Shulman

Having spent my third year of college in Spain, I am always on the look out for Spanish cookbooks. In Spain and the World Table, I found a treasure trove of traditional and modern recipes. Martha Shulman worked in conjunction with the Culinary Institute of America to assemble dishes that range from tapas to desserts. My favorite part of any cookbook is always the introduction and the history behind the recipes and ingredients.

Martha addresses the beginnings of the Spanish table through the regional dishes which were based on ingredients which were readily available to the people. This is why Spanish cities near the sea are famous for paella (a saffron, rice and seafood dish) and many that use salt cod as the main ingredient. The National Dish of Spain is the tortilla Espanola which is an omelet made with eggs and potatoes and is served both as a main dish as well as an appetizer or tapa. Gazpacho, a cold tomato soup, has many variations. The author even includes a recipe for one with beets and cherries. Cocido is a stew with beans, meat and sausage that I ate each week with my Spanish family. The recipe in this cookbook is just as I remember it.

Spaniards eat a light breakfast, a large meal after noon, have drinks and snacks in the late afternoon and then another meal later in the evening. Each evening on our way home from class, we would stop and have chocolate and churros. Chocolate is something like hot, thick chocolate pudding in which you would dip your churro ( a stick-like fried donut). Many evenings, we would also head to the local tavernas to “tomar algo” ( which literally means, “to take something”). There we would enjoy a glass of wine or beer and some tapas. Tapas are small snacks that range from a thin slice of ham, a pickled egg, slice of tortilla, anchovies or olives.

The most famous Spanish dessert is flan, which is a custard with caramel topping. Martha has recipes for several versions of this, including one topped with mission figs. This is a colorful and informative cookbook that took me back to my special year in Spain. - Reviewed by Deb

All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot

If you ever enjoyed the Masterpiece Theater series, All Creatures Great and Small, you will like this audiobook. Christopher Timothy, who starred in the series, is the reader. It was comforting and pleasurable to hear stories about the characters from the series I saw more than twenty years ago. The animal inhabitants of the Yorkshire Dales, Skeldale House, Darrowby, Sigfried, Tristan and Helen are all brought back to life through listening to this audiobook. Yes, the stories are heartwarming and compassionate and hearing them read by Christopher Timothy made the drive to and from work much more amusing than it usually is. - Reviewed by Nancy

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman is a massively talented author. He’s responsible for some of the best graphic novel work of recent times – Sandman – and for some incredible novels like American Gods, Anansi Boys, and Stardust. He’s turned his attention to children’s literature of late, with The Wolves in the Walls, Coraline, and the, amazingly, Newberry Award winning Graveyard Book.

If I seem a little astounded he won the Newberry, it has nothing to do with his talent, and everything to do with everything Gaiman writes is kind of... well, creepy. Gaiman is at his best when the world his characters inhabit is off kilter from the one we inhabit, filled with monsters, darkness, and magic, and forces better left alone, even if they are also filled with wonder. I’m astounded that he’s a successful children’s writer at all, let alone a Newberry award winning one.

So what about the book for which he won? It’s an interesting tale. A child with a murdered family is raised by the ghosts and other supernatural residents of a graveyard-turned-nature preserve. It is based, thematically, on The Jungle Book, replacing the animals with the ghosts etc. Indeed, the supernatural setting allows for things to make slightly more sense than they might have otherwise, Bod (the child) exhibits odd bits of supernatural powers at times, picked up from those raising him.

It’s creepy. It’s sad. It’s meant to be. Gaiman would be no more interested in writing a happy-go-lucky everything is fine story about rainbows and unicorns than you would be in eating glass. If it has a failing, it is merely that we don’t learn quite enough about the forces that are gathering against Bod before the ultimate confrontation with them, so things can feel a little rushed and a little empty.

Is it Gaiman’s best work? No, not really. American Gods far outstrips this story, and even among his kids' books, Coraline is probably more interesting. That said, even the worst Gaiman story is better than 90% of the stuff out there, and this is not Gaiman’s worst work either.

The only warning is know what your children can handle. If they can handle some supernatural, if they can handle a little violence, if they can handle some scares, then they will enjoy this. If they don’t like such things, this won’t be the book for them. And like the very best children’s literature, this should hold a place on an adult’s bookshelf as well. - Reviewed by John

Salvage by Jane Kotapish

Salvage, by Jane Kotapish, follows the life of an unnamed woman in her thirties as she struggles with her past and its impact on her life. She has just moved back to rural Virginia after witnessing a horrific accident in Manhattan. The story moves backward and forward in time frequently, slowly revealing the sense of mystery and the ghosts of the past that haunt this young woman.

Kotapish weaves her tale with brilliant images and exquisite, honest, and poetic lines. She explores the teetering gray line that separates reality from illusion through the main character and relationship with her mother. This story is light on plot. If you need a plot driven story, this isn’t for you. However, if you appreciate writing that allows you to truly feel your way into a character’s life, you’ll be amazed. You'll come across lines like, “I love testing out cuss words on Nancy. They hold no weight, garner no reaction, so I can mouth the uncomfortable, fraught words like dented coins between my teeth, swirl them around and spit them out at random.”

There is a great deal of pain in this book, but it is humorous and beautiful enough to keep the reader going and hoping for the main character’s future. This is one I'll read again simply for the gorgeous writing. - Reviewed by Cassandra

Leni: the Life and Work of Leni Riefenstahl by Steven Bach

Leni Riefenstahl was a fascinating character on the world stage. Talented and ambitious, she relentlessly pursued her goals without much concern for morality or ethics or any basic human emotions other than self-interest.

She came of age in Germany when the Nazis were on the rise. She accepted their help and support so that she might become a famous film director. In the post-World War II era, she would deny that Hitler or Goebbels ever played a part in advancing her career. Steven Bach provides plenty of documentation to make Leni look like a collaborator. Still, she was an artist with an indomitable drive to succeed.

Steven Bach does a good job of separating fact from fiction in Leni’s life. The book doesn’t make Leni completely sympathetic, but you will probably admire her energy and want to take another look at her films, Triumph of the Will and Olympia, or her books Vanishing Africa and The Last of the Nuba. VHS copies of Olympia and the two book titles are available in the Finger Lakes Library System. - Reviewed by Nancy

The Mighty Queens of Freeville: a Mother, a Daughter and the People Who Raised Them by Amy Dickinson

Anyone who has read advice in the “Ask Amy” column in the newspaper will appreciate the behind the scenes look into the life of Amy Dickinson. As a child growing up on a farm in Freeville, New York, Amy and her family experienced the dissolution of the family farm and the divorce of her parents. As a single mother, her mom not only took care of her family, but she held a job and went back to college. Witnessing her mom’s trials and tribulations gave Amy the opportunity to formulate some coping skills that she would need later in her own life.

Amy provides some humorous looks into life in a small town in upstate New York. One of my favorites is when she taught Sunday School and one of her students ate an important piece of the manger scene. Ever present is her remarkable relationship with her daughter and her invaluable support from her female relatives (thus the “Mighty Queens of Freeville”). I can see them sitting at the local diner hashing out the daily news and plotting how to best deal with anything that life sends their way!

This is a wonderful account of how a local girl found success and happiness right here in Tompkins County. - Reviewed by Deb

The Ten Year Nap by Meg Wolitzer

I generally avoid articles, blogs, books and the like that seem to inflame the “mommy wars” where judgments fly fast and loose about others’ parenting choices. Yet I was intrigued by this book’s wry title and decided to dive in.

The book is meant to be a look at the lives of four professional women who chose to leave the world of work behind after the birth of their children. While the characters acknowledge they are fortunate to have such a choice, given that most families have no alternative to a two-working-parent household, I still bristled at their privilege and narrow existence. As a result, I didn’t much like or care about most of the characters. There also wasn’t much happening until about two-thirds of the way through, so if you are looking for a forward-moving, plot-driven book this isn’t for you.

The author also used the practice of including as separate chapters flashbacks to stories about the protagonists’ parents (and in one instance, Nadia Comaneci!) to flesh out how the women came to be who they are. I found it distracting and ineffective.

Did I expect too much from this book, thinking it would provide some insight into and sense of satisfaction with my own work/life/parenting decisions? I think not. In this instance, I was merely looking for characters whose life stories were interesting and possibly relatable. I didn’t find them. - Reviewed by Suzanne

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

A fateful meeting on a Nigerian beach years before sets the tone for this heartbreaking novel by British author Cleave. London magazine editor Sarah and her husband Andrew are having marital problems. Sarah is involved in an affair and feels she must decide if she wants to stay with her husband and young son, Charlie. When a free invitation comes addressed in her name to the magazine she edits, she decides that the trip to the Nigerian coast would be the perfect getaway to save her marriage.

One perfectly normal, sunny afternoon on the coast turns into a nightmare, when two young girls, Little Bee and her sister, suddenly run towards Sarah and Andrew. They are being chased by soldiers who are destroying area villages in their quest for oil. The soldiers give Andrew an ultimatum – chop off a finger and Little Bee’s sister will live. His decision results in everyone’s lives changing forever.

Perfect for book groups, this quiet and stunning novel shows how a “what if this happened to me?” situation changes everything. Frightening, yet also redemptive, the novel alternates narration between Little Bee and Sarah. It is also a novel about the growing friendship, against many odds, between Sarah and Little Bee, especially since Little Bee shows up on Sarah’s doorstep many years later – and also on the day of Andrew’s memorial service. How did she survive and know how to find Sarah? What led Andrew to take his life? All the mysteries are solved by the heart-wrenching end that readers can see slowly building up. Cleave, also the author of the outstanding novel, Incendiary, is definitely a writer to watch. I also found this novel to be very similar to Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones, a review of which can be read at http://www.tcpl.org/sarah/2007/12/74-mister-pip-by-lloyd-jones.html – Reviewed by Sarah

A Very British Gangster

A look at the real life of Gotti-esque Dominic Noonan of Manchester, England. He gets things done for his community members that the police and social service agencies can’t achieve such as reuniting a mother with her baby “stolen” by the grandparents or making sure one neighbor doesn’t feel free to assault another neighbor with a hammer. Of course, Dom doesn’t have to worry about what he can legally do to effect change. He does whatever he thinks will work even though that might include threats of or actual violence.

There are a whole bunch of Noonans, brothers, cousins, godchildren, in Dom’s “security business.” When one of his brothers dies in a motorcycle accident, so many people come to show respect that the police have to spend thousands of pounds on crowd and traffic control. If you liked watching the Sopranos, try this Manchester version of crime family life. - Reviewed by Nancy

The Ultimates, volumes 1 and 2 by Mark Millar

Marvel’s Ultimate line is an attempt to solve many of the problems casual readers have with comic books and comic book collections, sometimes called graphic novels. The Ultimate line takes the characters who exist in Marvel’s mainstream books and strips them back down to their essence, taking out most of the continuity that has creeped up over the years, and making their origins more believable to 21st century science – more genetic engineering and less radiation.

The Ultimates are Marvel’s attempt at bringing the Avengers in to the Ultimate line of comics. All in all, it’s a successful attempt, at least in the first series. (The Ultimates lasted only 13 issues, collected in to the two volumes. There have been subsequent collections, Ultimates 2 and Ultimates 3, that have been less successful) You don’t need to know anything about the comic book characters to understand what’s going on in this book, they reintroduce everyone (with one exception; the Hulk – and even with him, they give enough of an explanation so that you don’t get lost). Certainly, fans of Marvel are more likely to notice some of the similarities and differences between this and normal Marvel stories, but it is not needed.

Ultimates is, by nature, an ensemble cast, but it focuses on Captain America. This Captain America is a very patriotic, fairly conservative, but ultimately a friendly guy who has been given powers by an experiment that let him be an ultimate soldier. He’s also one of the few characters with powers that is, more or less, still balanced. Iron Man is an alcoholic, though a functioning one. Thor is a deranged medical student... or maybe a Norse God. Giant Man and Wasp are in an abusive relationship, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are kind of ickily all over each other for a brother and sister... you need Captain America to hold on to in this story, because believe it or not, he’s the every man you feel your connection to.

In the end, the story is fairly straightforward comic book fare, but its well done, and the takes on these characters is a bit more realistic and updated than a lot of other comic book stories. If you’ve been thinking of getting in to super-hero comics, this isn’t a bad place to start. You could also consider volume 1 of Ultimate Spider-man or volume 1 of Ultimate X-men. - Reviewed by John

The Novels of Ariana Franklin

If you like, historical fiction, mysteries or just plain good writing, I highly recommend Ariana Franklin. She is described by Karen Harper, author of the Elizabeth I mystery series, as "bold, brilliant... the medieval answer to Kay Scarpetta and the CSI detectives." She is as good as Ellis Peters and is a winner of the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger Award. A former journalist herself, Franklin writes with the immediacy of journalism. She does meticulous research and seamlessly matches fiction with fact. Start by reading Mistress of the Art of Death when you will be introduced to her heroine Adelia, who is doctor and medieval pathologist - not a common or safe career for a woman. Follow with City of Shadows and you will be left poised for more. Be warned, however, today's torture is nothing compared to medieval torture and she leaves none of the cruelty and horror of those times out of her writing. Highly recommended and TCPL has both books. - Reviewed by Sally

The Sinner by Petra Hammesfahr

The Sinner, a psychological thriller by German author Petra Hammesfahr, was a haunting page-turner that was difficult to put down. The mystery revolves around Cora Bender, a young mother who suddenly and inexplicably stabs a man during a family outing at the lake. Her sudden attack on this newlywed who was necking with his wife on a nearby blanket horrified the onlookers and puzzled the police detective-in-charge, Inspector Grovian. Based on the evidence - witnesses and Cora's own admission of guilt - it should be an open-and-shut case.

However, good mysteries don't work that way. Inspector Grovian, puzzled by Cora's apparent lack motive for the murder, was intrigued. Whatever Grovian's reasons - professional pride, guilt over his relationship with his own daughter (who, like Cora, was in her twenties), Cora's alternating fits of apathy, despair, terror and arrogance - the Inspector probed and pried to explain the crime.

Meanwhile, Cora descends into a deep, black hole of memories that almost surface but cannot emerge clearly enough to explain the murder.

Author Hammesfahr continually reels out clues. In the beginning, I savored the story and followed the leads to piece it together. After about 100 pages, though, I needed to know the answer and could not put the book down.

The Sinner - as one might suspect from the title - is loaded with sex overshadowed by religious fanaticism and psychological trauma. It flirts with incest and sadomasochism. It drew me into Cora's deep well of pain and, like the Inspector, I could not figure her out until the very last page.

I highly recommend it for curious adults who enjoy suspense and a well-written mystery. TCPL also owns a copy of The Sinner in German. - Reviewed by Joyce

Victorian London Street Life in Historic Photographs by John Thomson

This book was originally published as Street Life in London in 1877. The photographs aren’t quaint or pretty, but document real people in real places. John Thomson, the photographer, and Adolphe Smith interviewed some of the people in the pictures and wrote sympathetic descriptions of their lives. As is noted in the preface, this is a new perspective on the poor.

The first photograph is titled “London Nomads” and it tells almost the whole story: the wooden caravan ‘home on wheels’ with a couple of kids peeking out the door, adults with worn clothes, tired faces and the bare earth beneath their feet. They wander about, making money when they can.

Perhaps saddest of all is the picture of one of the “Crawlers.” They are generally old women who have fallen into extreme poverty and live sometimes in the workhouse and sometimes in an available doorway. There are many more photographs that make Victorian London come alive for a moment. - Reviewed by Nancy

The Last Queen by C. W. Gortner

Juana of Castile, also known as “Juana, the Mad”, was the daughter of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain. She saw her parents drive the Moors from Granada and unify the kingdoms of Spain. In an effort to expand the Spanish rule, Juana was sent to Flanders to marry Philip the Fair when she was only sixteen. Her sister, Catherine of Aragon, was sent to England to marry Henry VIII for the same reason.

The author tells her story of romance and betrayal through Juana’s voice. In the beginning, her marriage to Philip was one of passion. As their family grew, so did their problems. By marrying Juana, Philip assumed that he would become the King of Spain. After Queen Isabella died, there were major confrontations as both her husband and father positioned themselves to rule Spain. Juana was imprisoned under the accusation that she was mad. As her relationship with both her father and husband began to deteriorate, she became the victim of their plots. Her estranged husband Philip, became ill and died before he could become the King of Spain. Although abused by him, Juana was deeply affected by his death. She traveled throughout Spain in an effort to assert her control and Philip, in his coffin, traveled with her. She was rumored to have had his coffin opened several times so she could see him again. For this and other peculiarities, she became known as “Juana La Loca.”

C. W. Gortner gives the reader new insight into the world of the Spanish royal family and humanizes the woman who was the last Queen from the royal lineage. - Reviewed by Deb

An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination: a Memoir by Elizabeth McCracken

McCracken writes in her memoir this simple sentence: “This is the happiest story in the world with the saddest ending.” She was a successful novelist and writing instructor in her 30’s when she met her husband and decided to start a family. Always resigned to be a spinster, McCracken was surprised when she quickly became pregnant and embraced her growing family. What happens next is the basis of this beautiful, poignant memoir. Days away from giving birth, she loses her baby and is forced to deliver her stillborn son in a hospital in France, where the new couple is living.

Powerful, bittersweet, but never self-pitying, McCracken explores what her life was like during that horrible time in France. The memoir is also humorous, uplifting, and happy in the end, when readers learn that McCracken is typing the manuscript with her new son (born a year after losing her first child) in her lap. One of the best examinations of grief, this memoir topped many “must read” lists in 2008, and would be perfect for those who loved The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion. - Reviewed by Sarah

Stand Up by Jethro Tull

How do I love this album? Oh, let me count the ways!! First of all, there's the cover, which I love so much that I got a t-shirt with it on the front. It is a drawing done from woodcuts off all four Jethro Tull members, which at the time consisted of vocalist/ flutist/acoustic guitar player Ian Anderson, bassist Glenn Cornick, drummer Clive Bunker and (then) new guitarist Martin Barre. The combination of yellows and browns and the leaves in the background and the band members' attire give the cover a very woodsy feel, which suits the music to a t...shirt. The artist even gives Ian Anderson an extra finger, maybe to better help him play his flute! Secondly, I like how if you put the last three song titles together without any commas (We Used to Know Reasons for Waiting for a Thousand Mothers) that you get a sentence! Third, I have some very pleasant memories of my walk back from the music store after buying this on vinyl in the summer of 1980. Fourth, and most importantly, there are the songs themselves, which I adore; even some of the lesser ones, like Back to the Family and For A Thousand Mothers, have one or two things to recommend about them.

The blues (which was all over the Tull’s debut album, This Was) still shows up on the album’s opening number, A New Day Yesterday, where Ian Anderson plays both harmonica and flute. Great tune - I think it sounds a bit like early Black Sabbath (Tony Iommi was in Jethro Tull for a few weeks before Martin Barre and I am now thinking that perhaps he had a hand in creating this song). Tull’s jazzy rendition of Bach’s Bouree is a pure delight, with Ian Anderson singing, breathing, sneezing and grunting into his flute. It also features a short but memorable bass guitar solo. Look Into The Sun and Reasons For Waiting are two overlooked and very folksy sounding tunes, both of them full of beautiful and sad vocal melodies, the latter featuring a string section and guitarist Martin Barre on flute. Nothing Is Easy is an up-tempo, bluesy hard rock number, during which each band member gets a chance to show off on their respective instruments. Fat Man, which shows off Ian Anderson’s unique sense of humor, sees Tull experimenting with world music and has balalaika and bongo drums on it.

Elsewhere, We Used to Know has a chord progression that Ian Anderson says The Eagles later stole for Hotel California (I think that's bollocks myself!) and is a fun song to play on guitar. Jeffrey Goes to Leicester Square is a short, but odd number, with Ian Anderson playing mandolin and guitarist Martin Barre once again on flute. The other two previously mentioned tunes, Back To the Family and For a Thousand Mothers are a bit too sloppily produced and played for my liking, but they still rock out quite a bit.

Overall, I think Stand Up is one of Jethro Tull's finest albums. It may not be as sophisticated musically and production wise of some of their later albums, but it is still a great record. And it's more than worth having on vinyl, as well, especially if you can find an original pressing, which comes with a pop-up of the band members! - Reviewed by Rich

Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Mostly True Stories of Growing Up Scieszka by Jon Scieszka

Every single page of this book made me laugh with unadulterated delight at the antics and adventures Jon grew up with that shaped his life and his work. It also made me extremely glad that I didn’t have to grow up with five brothers...wow, it sounds dangerous!

I don’t think anyone could come away from this book without enjoying (vicariously) growing up in the Scieszka household. His mom was a nurse with a wild sense of humor plus a determination to give her boys a good education and encourage them to excel, however hard they might try to avoid it. Their father, a principal in a school on the other side of town, was “more of a quiet joker” but had the best tool for raising a pack of boys - being a respectful listener. It was he who dubbed the pack “knuckleheads” – it was easier than saying all 6 of their names when he needed to get all six of their attentions! Jon’s life was filled with sparring, broken bones, jokes, pranks, one-upmanship, hand-me-downs, fun, learning experiences (LOTS of learning from mistakes and bad behavior!) and humorous affection.

No one who went to Catholic school, as all six of the Scieszca boys did, could come away without lots of crazy stories about nuns and their particular style of teaching. Many of them were extremely frightening, but there was one nun, Sister Helen Jude, who was convinced that loving attention works much better than fear when teaching children. Jon gets to prove that with his grateful (and hilarious) chapter on schooling.

The chapter titled “Crossing Swords” gets my vote for “most hysterical”. Six boys, finally in the car, ready for church. One HAS to go pee, (“No, urinate” says Mom, who wants her children to grow up intelligently). Of course then the next one has to go and the next and the next. O.K. so, it takes way too long for them to go one at a time, so...well you’ll have to read it to believe it...

It’s hard to describe the general hilarity of this book with my own words, so I will just entreat you - if you need to have renewed faith in the world, if you want to know what kind of a life makes a writer like Jon Scieszka, if you could just use a really good laugh, then pick up this book and read it! You won’t regret it. - Reviewed by TCPL staff

World War Z: an Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

This is, quite simply, one of the more interesting books I've read in the last year. It’s not exactly a novel - somewhat in the spirit of The Good War - it’s a collection of (fictional) reports about an outbreak of zombie-ism that nearly wipes out the human race. Ten years after humankind manages to survive this worldwide effort to wipe out the living dead, a U.N. worker is compiling these oral histories into a report on what happened - for better understanding of the events and to prevent them from reoccurring.

While it would seem that dozens of stories might get confusing, or at least not give a very clear picture of the war, the author makes it easier by setting things up linearly, moving forward in time from the earliest signs of the upcoming plague, through the sudden massive outbreaks, the disastrous first responses, the turning point, the end, and the aftermath of the war. One can get a clear impression of the general order of the plague and the war.

While a zombie "novel", if one can call it that, the focus isn't actually on the zombies. They are omnipresent, of course, but these are very human stories. Stories about how doctors failed to understand the problems at first. Stories about government corruption. Stories about panic. Stories about heroism, villainy, triumph, and failure, about tough moral choices and about how morality can go out the window in times of difficulty. In short, the horror in this book is less about the zombies and more about the humans.

And above all, the human stories are so real. While one or two may force you to suspend disbelief (in particular, a blind swordsman) most are quite realistic, perhaps even painfully so. People head north because the zombies tend to freeze in cold temperatures, forgetting that, frankly, so do humans. A company releases a placebo vaccination that people buy by the scores - even after it’s revealed it doesn't work, just for that glimmer of hope. And so on, and so on. Almost every action taken, good or bad, you completely believe that the human being there might have taken it.

Another strong point of this book is that while all the stories are written by one man, he manages to give the individual people telling their stories their own voices. Each story doesn't just read like the same person telling it, a great danger in this kind of book. What lapses there are can be easily explained by the fact that one man is collecting the stories, but all in all the rural Chinese doctor and the hardline Israeli soldier and the scared Japanese youth all sound different enough for it to be believable.

This book doesn't exist in a vacuum, it has a companion, somewhat more lighthearted book called How to Survive a Zombie Uprising which I admittedly have not read, and there is an audio-version of World War Z, with different actors playing the parts, which is supposedly brilliant (I've not listened to it yet). It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it can appeal to a far wider audience than just "the horror crowd", because it’s a human story. – Reviewed by John

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

I have just finished The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, a YA novel by a new American author living in the UK. It was reviewed in the Financial Times as a book that should be read by adults and not allowed to sit buried on the YA shelves. The reviewer said that like The Golden Compass, it would appeal to adults. It is one of the fastest paced books I have read and once I got into it, I found it difficult to put down. The language takes some getting used to. The graphic design of the novel is important and one must pay attention to it. It requires one's full attention when reading. The book is the first in what is planned to be a trilogy. I can't wait for the next book to be published. I finished this one feeling like I was almost falling off the edge of a precipice. I almost regret reading it as I so desperately want to know what is going to happen next. The story is about a boy running away from the community where he has been living where there are no women, and everyone can hear everyone's and everything's thoughts. From the incessant thoughts of men, animals, strange swamp creatures, the noise is everywhere and palpable.

I am really hoping our Teen Librarian will arrange an adult/teen book discussion group to discuss this novel. - Reviewed by Sally