THE SPELLMAN FILES by Lisa Lutz

FIC
LUTZ

In the hilarious tradition of Stephanie Plum, Isabel "Izzy" Spellman's adventures are laugh-out-loud-funny, but she has her own unique situation and voice, Izzy works for her own unique situation and voice, Izzy works for her dysfunctional family's PI business, and the Spellman family relationships are all too similar to their business transactions.

When Izzy's twelve-year -old sister Rae disappears, the family wonders if her obsession with "recreational" surveillance has gotten her into trouble and must use all its collective professional expertise to find her before it's too late.

A SKATING LIFE, by Dorothy Hamill

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HAMILL

Dorothy Hamill won the Olympic gold medal for figure skating in 1976. In this autobiography she discusses the difficult training regimen and her rise through the ranks to competitive success. She also tell of turmoil in her personal life. Both of her parents suffered from depression at a time when the illness was not understood. She describes the impact their behavior had on her life as well as her own battles with depression in recent years. She also talks about the relationship and financial issues that plagued her as an adult. While there is much to find discouraging in her memoir, there are happy moments and an uplifting ending.

CIRCLE OF SISTERS by Judith Flanders

920.72

FLA

The sisters are Alice Kipling, Georgiana Burne-Jones, Agnes Poynter, and Louisa Baldwin.

From their humble beginnings as daughters of a Methodist minister in mid-nineteenth century England, they are known to us today through their husbands and children. Alice was the mother of Rudyard Kipling, England's unofficial poet laureate of empire, Georgiana was married to Edward Burne-Jones, the famous Pre-Raphaelite artist, Agnes was the wife of Edward Poynter, the head of the Royal Academy of the Arts, and Louisa Baldwin was the mother of Stanley Baldwin, three-time Prime Minister of Great Britain.

A fascinating look at the daily life of women in the Victorian era as well as a glimpse of these famous lives.

WEST WITH THE NIGHT by Beryl Markham

BIOG
MARKHAM, B.

Pioneer aviator Markham recounts memories of her childhood and young adulthood in Africa, first on her father's farm and then, after its sale and the end of that way of life, as a horse trainer and, later, pilot. Her descriptions of the people with whom she lived and worked bring them to life even today, and her stories of Africa conjure up a place long gone. This memoir is a pleasure to read.

WHEN A CROCODILE EATS THE SUN by Peter Godwin

BIOG

GODWIN

Journalist Peter Godwin grew up in Zimbabwe and returned to his native country when his father suffered a serious heart attack. His country's decline during the last 10 years is juxtaposed with his parent's decline, both physical and economic (due to the policies of dictator Robert Mugabe). This is a moving story that will appeal to fans of Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight.

ONE DROP: MY FATHER'S HIDDEN LIFE by Bliss Broyard

BIOG

BROYARD

Bliss Broyard knew her father, Anatole Broyard, as the successful book critic for the New York Times and later, as the editor of the New York Times Book Review. In the months before he died of cancer, he yearned to reveal a lifelong secret to his children but succumbed before he mustered up the courage.

It was their mother who told the children that their father had actually been African-American. His light-skinned parents had moved from New Orleans to New York in 1927 where they passed for white in order to get work.

For Bliss, "raised white in Connecticut," this revelation set off a search for identity and reunions with a large extended family in the South. One Drop is a compelling look at the complexities of race from a very personal perspective.

JOHN ADAMS, by David McCullough

BIOG

ADAMS

Winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for biography, John Adams is brought to life through the skill of historian David McCullough. Adams was an extraordinary many whose work significantly affected our country's future. From his early days as a country lawyer, through to his work at the Continental congress and White House, Adams was a patriot whose devotion to his country was unsurpassed. His relationships with Jefferson, Franklin, as well as his wife and son are explored fully. You will read about famous events as well as those less famous with a fresh perspective, and get to know the man that some regarded as "out of his senses."

THE FILM CLUB by David Gilmour

BIOG
GILMOUR

In this memoir Canadian movie critic David Gilmour and his ex-wife decide to let their struggling 10th grade son, Jesse, drop out of school if he agrees to watch a film three times a week. Gilmour gets to pick our the films and they have to watch them together. Gilmour reasons that by choosing every possible genre, he would at least be offering Jesse some kind of education that would help make his way in the world--something public school had failed to provide.

Jesse learns many lessons during these sessions with his father and realizes that growing up is a lot more than just going to school. He does return to the educational system, but on his own terms. Gilmour also finds his life changed in surprising ways during the many hours he spends with his son.

BLACK and WHITE by Dani Shapiro

FIC
SHAPIRO

Clara Brodeur is an adult now but has spent most of her life rebelling against her famous mother, photographer Ruth Dunne. She has been estranged from Ruth for 14 years, living in Maine with her husband and daughter.

One day she receives a phone call from her sister informing her of her mother's imminent death. Clara reluctantly returns to Manhattan to find her mother surrounded protectively by adoring interns and assistants. She realizes that she must come to terms with the past for the sake of her daughter and her own sanity.

The emotional scars of Ruth's questionable photographs of Clara, taken throughout her childhood, are slowly healed with the help of her family and the maturity that comes with age.

DEAD LINES by Greg Bear

FIC

BEA

Peter Russell's career as a soft-porn director fell victim to the more popular hardcore pornography. His marriage disintegrated after the murder of his daughter. When his best friend dies, little is left Peter besides his job as a general dogsbody to a multi-millionaire.

Asked to help sell the "Trans," a sort of cell phone with unlimited bandwidth and perfect reception, Peter accepts a boxful of them. Soon Peter starts seeing dead people. Peter's story is not so much science fiction as horror. Readers who like Dean Koontz's milder horror stories are a likely audience.

HONOR AMONG THIEVES by Jeffrey Archer

FIC

ARCHER

Saddam Hussein has hired the Mafia and stolen the Declaration of Independence. He plans to burn it in front of reporters and the eyes of the world on the Fourth of July. Law professor and CIA agent Scott Bradely is to star in a scheme to recover the Declaration, hopefully with the help of Hannah Kopec, a Mossad agent and Bradley's former lover. Hannah, however, is heartbroken, believing she successfully assassinated Scott under orders from Mossad. Plots and counterplots interweave seamlessly, keeping the reader guessing. While nearly all of this story is wildly improbable, it is lots of fun, and Archer seems to write with tongue in cheek.