November 2011 Movers & Shakers
Here are the noteworthy titles that have been racing up our most popular charts this month.
(showing 1-6 of 6)
The Time in Between
by María Dueñas
Abandoned by her lover and saddled with his debts in Morocco, a resourceful Spanish seamstress reinvents herself as a couture dressmaker for the wives of Nazi officers. The book is set in North Africa and Spain during the years before World War II, and the designer's skills turn to espionage when she begins stitching in code for British Intelligence. Book Him Danno says, "The story is so compelling and slowly grabs you that you do not notice how tightly it has you trapped." Abandoned by her lover and saddled with his debts in Morocco, a resourceful Spanish seamstress reinvents herself as a couture dressmaker for the wives of Nazi officers. The book is set in North Africa and Spain during the years before World War II, and the designer's skills turn to espionage when she begins stitching in code for British Intelligence. Book Him Danno says, "The story is so compelling and slowly grabs you that you do not notice how tightly it has you trapped."
11/22/63
by Stephen King
Well-meaning high school English teacher Jake Epping honors his promise to a dying friend and travels back in time to prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Transported to 1958, he heads to Texas and begins to investigate alleged lone gunman Lee Harvey Oswald but finds that history can react violently to change. Rowena says, "So many interesting elements brought to bear in this epic tale—told in King's trademark simple, ingenious manner." Well-meaning high school English teacher Jake Epping honors his promise to a dying friend and travels back in time to prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Transported to 1958, he heads to Texas and begins to investigate alleged lone gunman Lee Harvey Oswald but finds that history can react violently to change. Rowena says, "So many interesting elements brought to bear in this epic tale—told in King's trademark simple, ingenious manner."
Blue Nights
by Joan Didion
The celebrated author of The Year of Magical Thinking offers another memoir brimming with emotion. She reflects on her grief about her daughter's death, her guilt about her choices as a mother, and her fears as the end of her life draws near. Christie calls it "relentlessly unflinching" and says, "Didion's writing remains unparalleled. It's like looking into the sun." The celebrated author of The Year of Magical Thinking offers another memoir brimming with emotion. She reflects on her grief about her daughter's death, her guilt about her choices as a mother, and her fears as the end of her life draws near. Christie calls it "relentlessly unflinching" and says, "Didion's writing remains unparalleled. It's like looking into the sun."
The Boy in the Suitcase (Nina Borg, #1)
by Lene Kaaberbøl
When an old friend asks Nina to retrieve a suitcase from the Copenhagen train station, she is shocked to find a drugged three-year-old boy inside. Too scared to go to the police, she unravels the mystery herself, risking her life to protect a child in this tense Danish thriller. Gail calls it "atmospheric, rich with psychological insights, and [with] one of the most frightening villains to inhabit a page." When an old friend asks Nina to retrieve a suitcase from the Copenhagen train station, she is shocked to find a drugged three-year-old boy inside. Too scared to go to the police, she unravels the mystery herself, risking her life to protect a child in this tense Danish thriller. Gail calls it "atmospheric, rich with psychological insights, and [with] one of the most frightening villains to inhabit a page."
Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman
by Robert K. Massie
Notorious for her parade of lovers but respected for revitalizing Russia, Catherine the Great rose from obscurity to become a powerful empress. This narrative biography from a Pulitzer Prize-winning author relates how the tenacious woman embraced the country's culture and applied Enlightenment philosophy to modernize her adopted homeland. Susan says, "Massie never obscures the portrait of the woman in his portrayal of the empress. His biography of Catherine is thoroughly captivating." Notorious for her parade of lovers but respected for revitalizing Russia, Catherine the Great rose from obscurity to become a powerful empress. This narrative biography from a Pulitzer Prize-winning author relates how the tenacious woman embraced the country's culture and applied Enlightenment philosophy to modernize her adopted homeland. Susan says, "Massie never obscures the portrait of the woman in his portrayal of the empress. His biography of Catherine is thoroughly captivating."
The Sharp Time
by Mary O'Connell (Goodreads Author)
Enter an intense week-in-the-life of high school senior Sandinista Jones, a teen who is now alone in the world after her mother's death. Reeling with grief and bitterness, she clashes with a teacher but finds friendship at the funky vintage shop where she works. Bailey says about this young adult novel, "I could think of nothing else while I was reading. It is so blatantly honest and real that you can't help but get sucked in." Enter an intense week-in-the-life of high school senior Sandinista Jones, a teen who is now alone in the world after her mother's death. Reeling with grief and bitterness, she clashes with a teacher but finds friendship at the funky vintage shop where she works. Bailey says about this young adult novel, "I could think of nothing else while I was reading. It is so blatantly honest and real that you can't help but get sucked in."
