Hey, Check This Out!

 

 

"Gone Girl"

by Gillian Flynn

 

Marriage can be a real killer. On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police, media, and Amy's parents, the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer? As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife?

 

With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around.

Hey, Check This Out!

THE HOBBIT

J.R.R. TOLKIEN

 

 J.R.R. Tolkien's enchanting prelude to his Lord of the Rings trilogy centers around Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely traveling any farther than his pantry or cellar. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard Gandalf and a company of dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an adventure. They have launched a plot to raid the treasure hoard guarded by Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon. Bilbo reluctantly joins their quest, unaware that on his journey to the Lonely Mountain he will encounter both a magic ring and a frightening creature known as Gollum.

 

Check it out today! And make sure to look for other Tolkien
works as well, including The Silmarillion and The Book of Lost Tales.

What We're Reading!

Finished that summer reading? Have you found yourself at the end of your booklist? Looking for something to fill that literary void? Read on to find out what we here at the Salem Township Public Library are reading! Check them out today!

Summerland

Elin Hilderbrand

"This novel was very well written. Having read some of Hilderbrand's previous novels, I found this one to have a more in-depth construction of the characters, of the people involved. The author seemed to have a greater emotional insight into the characters, which in turn made them seem far more vivid than in her previous works."

What begins as a local tradition is torn asunder when Nantucket High student Penny Alistair is tragically killed in a car accident, an accident that leaves her twin brother in a coma. The other passengers, Penny's boyfriend Jake and her friend Demeter, are physically unhurt - but the emotional damage is overwhelming. As summer unfolds, startling truths are revealed about the survivors and their parents - secrets kept, promises broken, hearts betrayed. Elin Hilderbrand explores the power of community, family, and honesty, and proves that even from the ashes of sorrow, new love can still take flight.

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America

by Erik Larson

"I like how the author juxtaposes the lives of the architect and the murderer. They share a lot of the same characteristics: they're both very charming, very intelligent, and passionate with their respective works. It's just very interesting because about half of what the author's writing is from actual letters and correspondances: words that were said, ideas that were real. For example, he mentions that a lot of people have forgotten that there was ever a World's Fair in Chicago, which is true. Its very interesting."

Erik Larson—author of #1 bestseller In the Garden of Beasts—intertwines the true tale of the 1893 World's Fair and the cunning serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims to their death. Combining meticulous research with nail-biting storytelling, Erik Larson has crafted a narrative with all the wonder of newly discovered history and the thrills of the best fiction.

Insomnia

by Stephen King

"As anyone who has extensively read Stephen King knows, Derry is a town with a wickedness beneath its surface. Having just finished It, I was very excited to return to Derry, and this novel does not disappoint. It is not as emotionally engaging as some of his other works, but it definitely more complex and far more intruiging. At times it can feel as if you're lost within the plot, but its important to remember that this is as much an entry into King's Dark Tower series as it is a standalone novel. The spook level? Somewhere inbetween Bag of Bones and Tommyknockers."

Ralph Roberts can't get to sleep. Literally. Ever since the death of his wife, he has been up all night, and its beginning to affect his sanity.  He's seeing some pretty strange things, things no-one else is seeing: colors, auruas, and strange little bald men with scalpels. No wonder he can't get back to sleep. But what Ralph discovers is far more terrifying than anything he could ever dream. You see, Derry is a town that is not at all what it seems and what Ralph discovers about his beloved home will leave him at the center of an apocalyptic war between the forces of good and evil.

What We've Enjoyed!

Looking for an entertaining read for your little one(s)?

Something to keep you turning the pages late into the night?

Here are a few reccomendations from staff and fellow patrons!

CHILDREN'S BOOKS

 Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems

"When Trixie, Daddy, and Knuffle Bunny take a trip to the neighborhood Laundromat, an exciting adventure takes ensues as Trixie realizes 'somebunny' was left behind. Using a combination of muted black-and-white photographs and expressive illustrations, this stunning book tells a brilliantly true-to-life tale about what happens when Daddy's in charge and things go terribly, hilariously wrong."

ADULT FICTION

"Three Pines Mystery" Series by Louise Penny

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montreal. Jane Neal, a local fixture in the tiny hamlet of Three Pines, just north of the U.S. border, has been found dead in the woods. So begins Still Life, the introduction to what is not only an engaging protagonist in Inspector Gamache, who commands his forces--and this series--with integrity and quiet courage, but also a winning and talented new writer of traditional mysteries in the person of Louise Penny.

What We're Reading

Staff Member: Stacy


I Would Recommend: "Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides


"It's an epic of a novel that spans 50+ years and follows three generations of a Greek-American family. Our narrator, Calliope (or Cal), takes us on a journey, spilling family secrets long-ado hidden from everyone. Remarkably funny for the subject matter; gut-wrenching at times. Whether or not you agree with Cal's decisions, you can't help but root for him. A book you can set down and pick back up time and again, you won't be able to forget what happen no matter how long you've been away from it. You'll want to read it straight through!"

"I was born twice: first, as a baby girl, on a remarkably smogless Detroit day of January 1960; and then again, as a teenage boy, in an emergency room near Petoskey, Michigan, in August of l974. . . My birth certificate lists my name as Calliope Helen Stephanides. My most recent driver’s license...records my first name simply as Cal."

So begins the breathtaking story of Calliope Stephanides and three generations of the Greek-American Stephanides family who travel from a tiny village overlooking Mount Olympus in Asia Minor to Prohibition-era Detroit, witnessing its glory days as the Motor City, and the race riots of 1967, before they move out to the tree-lined streets of suburban Grosse Pointe, Michigan. To understand why Calliope is not like other girls, she has to uncover a guilty family secret and the astonishing genetic history that turns Callie into Cal, one of the most audacious and wondrous narrators in contemporary fiction. Lyrical and thrilling, Middlesex is an exhilarating reinvention of the American epic.

Middlesex is the winner of the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

What We're Reading

Staff Member: Fay

I Would Recommend: "In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin" by Erik Larson 

"A tremendously well told story! This is about William E. Dodd, America's first ambassador to Hitler's regime in 1933, and his family: his scandalous daughter, Martha, and his wife and son. This book tells vividly the story of the rise of Nazi Germany and their obsession for absolute power and the effect it had on Germany and the Dodd family. Very informative with an insight into the war before it began, with an insider's view of how Hitler came to power."

The time is 1933, the place, Berlin, when William E. Dodd becomes America's first ambassador to Hitler's Germany in a year that proved to be a turning point in history. 

A mild-mannered professor from Chicago, Dodd brings along his wife, son, and flamboyant daughter, Martha. Enamored of the “New Germany,” Martha has one affair after another, including with the surprisingly honorable first chief of the Gestapo, Rudolf Diels. But as evidence of Jewish persecution mounts, her father telegraphs his concerns to a largely indifferent State Department back home. Dodd watches with alarm as Jews are attacked, the press is censored, and drafts of frightening new laws begin to circulate. As that first year unfolds and the shadows deepen, the Dodds experience days full of excitement, intrigue, romance—and ultimately, horror, when a climactic spasm of violence and murder reveals Hitler’s true character and ruthless ambition.

Suffused with the tense atmosphere of the period, and with unforgettable portraits of the bizarre Göring and the expectedly charming--yet wholly sinister--Goebbels, In the Garden of Beasts lends a stunning, eyewitness perspective on events as they unfold in real time, revealing an era of surprising nuance and complexity. The result is a dazzling, addictively readable work that speaks volumes about why the world did not recognize the grave threat posed by Hitler until Berlin, and Europe, were awash in blood and terror.

What We're Reading!

Staff Member: Sue

I Would Recommend: "Wonderland Creek" by Lynn Austin

"I enjoyed this book because I was born in the mountains of West Virginia, where this story takes place. Although it takes place many years before I was born, I could still see the similarities. It really helps you understand the importance of a library in a rural community. I especially enjoyed the antics and mystery that Alice had to go through---she's a girl from Chicago who finds herself in eastern Kentucky after all!"

 

Alice Grace Ripley lives in a dream world, her nose stuck in a book. But the happily-ever-after life she's planned on suddenly falls apart when her boyfriend, Gordon, breaks up with her and she loses her beloved job at the library because of cutbacks due to the Great Depression. Fleeing small-town gossip, Alice heads to the mountains of eastern Kentucky to deliver five boxes of donated books to the library of the tiny coal-mining village of Acorn. Once there, Alice volunteers to stay for two weeks to help the librarian, Leslie McDougal. But Leslie, as well as the four lady librarians who travel to the remote homes of Acorn to deliver books, are far different than she anticipated. While Alice finds herself trapped in Acorn against her will, she soon finds that real-life adventure and mystery ---and especially romance--- are far better than her humble dreams could have imagined.

Check it out today!

What We're Reading!

Staff Member: Dylan


I Would Recommend: "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

"I had actually heard of this series a few years ago from a friend, but not being a big reader of YA (young adult) books, I wasn't really interested in reading it. My friend was persistent though and absolutely demanded that I read it. Needless to say, I loved it. It's a fast-paced, action-packed read that was far more mature than I had expected. It was surprisingly emotional as well. I hadn't expected to find myself so invested in  the characters, but halfway through I realized I was rooting for their survival as much as I was their escape...and lamenting for those that didn't make it out alive. I think that anyone can find something in it to enjoy. After all, at its core The Hunger Games is a survivalist futuristic fantasy teen romance. No wonder we can hardly keep it on the shelves!" 

   In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen is horrified when her younger sister is selected and decides to volunteer herself in her sister's place. But Katniss has been close to dead before and survival, for her, is second nature. If she is to win though, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Check it out today!