Staff,
Board, and Volunteer Favorites of 2003
FICTION
F ALBO,
LARGE TYPE F ALBO, CD F ALBO, TC F ALBO Albom, Mitch.
Five People You Meet in Heaven
Although short, this book delivers a powerful message. We
all have our hopes of what lies ahead for us in the hereafter.
This story gives us one man's idea of heaven. Some that
he meets are cherished people from his life while others
are people he never expected to see in heaven. There is
even a meeting with someone he never knew on earth, but,
even so, he came to find out that he had made a significant
impact on this other life. It makes you wonder how many
times in our daily lives we may say or do something that
makes a difference, be it for the good or for the bad. Life
is like a beautiful tapestry made of many different colors
and strands. If we are to believe, as this writer does,
then we will see that God is the weaver of this tapestry
and that for all that happens there is a purpose.
--Chris Crow, Circulation Clerk
F BROW,
LARGE TYPE F BROW, CD F BROW, TC F BROW Brown, Dan.
The Da Vinci Code
It not only was a good, quick read-it made you want to learn
more about the subjects discussed in the book (art, religion,
etc.)--Carol Crane, Tech Processing
A suspense driven mystery which prevents you from putting
it down once you start reading. You will want to re-examine
some of Da Vinci's works when you are done reading.--Paul
Odell, School Liaison Librarian
F BYAT Byatt, A.S. Possession
Byatt must be a genius. In this Booker Prize winning novel,
she includes complex interwoven contemporary and historical
(Victorian) literary criticism, poetry, journals, letters,
straight prose, and dialogue. It's full of love, intrigue,
mystery, and is very, very literary-beautifully so.--Hedy
N.R. Hustedde, Information Librarian
F DAI (will
also soon be part of our DIBS-Discussions in Boxes-series)
Dai Sijie. Balzac and the Little Chinese
Seamstress
At fewer than 200 pages, I was enchanted by this fable-like
story juxtaposed with the setting of Mao's Cultural Revolution.
Two sons of Chinese intellectuals are sentenced to re-education
by the peasants in a small mountain village. Both of them
fall in love with the tailor's daughter and seek to educate
and woo her by telling her the tales of Balzac and other great
western authors.--Barb Kuttler, Part-time
Reference Librarian
F ERDR
Erdrich, Louise. The Last Report on
the Miracles at Little No Horse Part of a magical
historical family saga which some critics have compared
to Faulkner and his southern Yoknapatawpha County. Great
storytelling-both prequel and sequel to Erdrich's other
books. Minor characters from previous books become surprisingly
major characters here. Ribald humor-achingly poignant-wonderfully
poetic. On vacation this summer, my husband and I stopped
at Erdrich's Birch Bark Books in Minneapolis and she was
there, beautiful and modest.--Hedy
N.R. Hustedde, Information Librarian
F GRIS,
TC F GRIS Grisham, John. The Partner
I just couldn't put it down…--Mark
Zikra, Maintenance Page
F GULL,
LARGE TYPE F GULL, TC F GULL Gulley, Philip.
Home to Harmony I was pleasantly surprised
by the amount of droll humor. Given that the author is a
Quaker minister, I expected it might be much more staid
and dry. I couldn't have been more wrong. The lead character,
Sam Gardner, is a Quaker minister in the fictional Indiana
town of Harmony. The conversational flow from one situation
to another is uncanny. Told in the first person, Sam relates
tales of the townspeople, splicing one story to the next,
showing how individual events often trickle down to intertwine
with other events.--Gina Barrett,
Business Office
F LAND,
LARGE TYPE F LAND Landvik, Lorna. Angry
Housewives Eating Bon-Bons A friend, who said that
reading Tall Pine Polka (F LAND) made her laugh so
hard "that my bed shook," first introduced me
to this writer. I enjoyed that book and went on to read
and enjoy the sleeper hit Patty Jane's House of Curl
(F LAND, TC F LAND) and her latest book Welcome to the
Great Mysterious (F LAND). Angry Housewives…is
a delight! The book follows the lives of five unique women
who live in a Minneapolis neighborhood. Their individual
stories, experiences, shared laughter and tears over a 40-year
period will leave you both laughing and crying. These women
share and mature and lend each other support, in part through
discussions at their monthly book club. The book is about
the special friendships that women share and makes one realize
and appreciate the thought that there is nothing like best
friends.
--Caran Johnson, Volunteer & Outreach
Services
Great book about a book club that spans decades and the
support and friendship of the women in it. Full of humor
and "laugh out loud" moments. Very heartwarming!--Nancy
Medema, Lead Library Assistant
F LHEU
L'Heureux, John. The Miracle: A Novel
Of all the books I read this past year, nothing captured my
imagination like this book. It is the story of a young priest
who is sent to a small parish in New Hampshire to care for
an older priest who is dying of Lou Gehrig's disease. It will
give you much to think about as the various characters ponder
questions of faith and life.--Vicki
Seeck, Children's Aide, Youth Services
F LIGH
Lightman, Alan P. Einstein's Dreams
I had never read a fiction book like this before. Both book
design and content are exquisite. Each chapter is a different
description of a theory of time and parallel universes with
interludes from the physicist Einstein's life. It's like
a prose poem-no, it IS a prose poem. Thought-provoking and
lovely for those of a scientific and/or literary bent. It
is easy to see why this novel has become a cult favorite
and also appears in the syllabi of physics instructors.--Hedy
N.R. Hustedde, Information Librarian
F MART
Martel, Yann. Life of Pi
This is the story of a 16-year-old Indian boy named Pi who
endures months at sea in a lifeboat he shares with a Bengal
tiger. Although the book is entirely fiction, the author
leads the reader to believe it is true. It is not only beautifully
written and thought-provoking, but an original and exciting
tale of faith and survival.--Susan
Groff, Information Services & Technical Services Volunteer
F MCCR
McCrumb, Sharyn. Ghost Riders
Ms. McCrumb is an exceptionally talented regional author.
"Ghost Riders" refers to a Civil War unit that
supposedly fought the last battle of the War. The Appalachian
area is ripe pickings for this intriguing author, who just
happens to make her home in the area.--Carol
L. Scharff, Media Services
F MCGA
McGahern, John. By the Lake
If you've ever daydreamed of chucking your hectic urban
life and living out the rest of your days in a little Irish
country town à la James Herriot's "All Creatures
Great and Small,"* pour yourself a nice cuppa (or a
stiff whiskey) and enjoy this marvelous evocation of place
and the souls who inhabit it. Warning: If you're looking
for plot and a lot of action, this is not your book. It
contains lovely character studies and a vivid sense of the
cyclical nature of life on a farm. *I know, I know, that's
Yorkshire, England, not Ireland!--Barb
Kuttler, Part-time Reference Librarian
F
MOOR Moore, Christopher. Lamb: The Gospel
According
to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
Levi, known as Biff, Jesus' best childhood friend, has been
brought back to life by an angel to write a new Gospel,
one that will fill in the years that the other Gospels miss.
What happened to Joshua (Jesus' proper name) during the
years between when he's born and when he picks up his ministry
at age 30? Riotously funny, very irreverent, ultimately
inspiring.--Maria Levetzow, Young
Adult Librarian
F
RAY Ray, Jeanne. Eat Cake
Jeanne Ray's books are so funny. They deal with real life
situations, and the characters are so well-developed you
feel like you know them.--Judi Sarafin,
Librarian
(request
through InterLibrary Loan) Seiffert, Rachel.
The Dark Room
Seiffert's book presents three "short stories"
linked by the common element of World War II. The stories
touch on the usual issues of the Holocaust and aggression,
but the discussion of these larger issues is couched in
the exploration of three very different individual lives.
The book presents an unusual treatment of a dark period
in the 20th century.--Michael Hustedde,
Volunteer
F
SHIE, LARGE TYPE F SHIE, CD F SHIE, TC F SHIE Shields,
Carol. Unless
Carol Shields, who won the Pulitzer Prize for Stone Diaries,
passed away in 2003 and this novel is her last work. It
tells the story of a woman author whose child has become
a homeless person and how the family copes with this situation.
There is also a fascinating subplot on the author's construction
of her new novel. Carol Shields is a marvelous writer and
you will love this book.--Vicki Seeck,
Children's Aide,Youth Services
F
WOLI, LARGE TYPE F WOLI Wolitzer, Meg. The
Wife
Pithy, dry wit; plot twists--Catherine
Worsley, Practicum Student
ROM
ROBE, LARGE TYPE ROM ROBE, CD ROM ROBE, TC ROM ROBE Roberts,
Nora. Birthright
Fiction/Romance--Mary Burkhead, Circulation/Periodicals
YA
SF PIER Pierce, Tamora. Alanna: The
First Adventure in the quartet "Song of the Lioness"
This is a fantasy book. It's an easy read. I mean that there
are no "big" words and it is action all the way
through. The book made me want to read the rest of the quartet
and any other books by Ms. Pierce. I would say this book
is more for teens than adults, but anyone would enjoy it.--Kelly
Gaul, Tech. Teen
M
COBE, LARGE TYPE M COBE, TC M COBE Coben, Harlan.
No Second Chance
Kept you guessing!--Carol Crane, Tech
Processing
NONFICTION
IOWA
305.9622 SC Schwieder, Dorothy et al. Buxton:
A Black Utopia in the Heartland
Buxton introduced me to a chapter of Iowa history of which
I was totally unaware. I love learning new things. Buxton
tells the story of a town established by the Consolidated
Coal Company. Most of its 5000 residents were African Americans.
The joyous thing is that this 1900-1920's community was
racially harmonious with integrated schools and equal pay.
The sad thing is it no longer exists.--Faye
Clow, Director
248.246
WI Winner, Lauren F. Girl Meets God:
On the Path to a Spiritual Life
"Quirky" is the way this memoir has been described
and that is a very apt phrase. The author describes her
journey from Reform Judaism to Orthodox Judaism to Christianity.
It is not a straight line journey and you will leave with
a deep appreciation for both faiths and how the author tries
to integrate them both in her life.--Vicki
Seeck, Children's Aide, Youth Services
305.4209
KH Khouri, Norma. Honor Lost: Love and
Death in Modern-Day Jordan--Susan
DeGeeter, Clerk/Tech. Processing
364.1523
LA, LARGE TYPE 364.1523 LA, CD 364.1523 LA, TC 364.1523
LA Larson, Erik. The Devil in the White
City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed
America
The 1893 Chicago World's Fair is the setting for this true
crime story that reads like fiction. In alternating chapters,
Larson follows the careers of two men: Daniel H. Burnham,
the Fair's architect, and H.H. Holmes, the "Devil"
of the title-a serial killer who masquerades as a charming
doctor.--Barb Reardon, Information
Librarian
508.73
KL Klinkenborg, Verlyn. The Rural Life
This is a series of essays about the author's life in rural
New York. Of interest is that the author grew up in rural
Iowa, near Jefferson. He manages to evoke rural living with
beautiful language and with deep reverence and thanksgiving.--Vicki
Seeck, Children's Aide, Youth Services
611
RO Roach, Mary. Stiff: The Curious Lives
of Human Cadavers
This witty, funny book is about cadavers and issues surrounding
death. The author describes the many productive uses of
cadavers in medicine and research by forensic scientists.
She has a reverent but very funny approach to this topic,
which is not very often discussed. Very interesting!--Pat
Laas, Trustee
910.4
GE Gelman, Rita Golden. Tales of a Female
Nomad: Living at Large in the World
A memoir of a woman who was married for 20+ years. With
seemingly no signs of trouble, her husband tells her that
he needs a break from their marriage. Flabbergasted, she
takes off on an adventure, traveling little mountain villages
in Mexico. The book follows her through many years and many
different locales, never putting her in the tourist-y type
of areas. It is a great book for those who would love to
drop everything, including their fears, and see the world.--Crystal,
Youth Services
973.931
IV, CD 973.931 IV, TC 973.931 IV Ivins, Molly.
Bushwhacked: Life in George W. Bush's America
This is an absolute must-read for anyone who values the freedoms
and rights that we enjoy in America today. Ivins describes
in incredible detail the political corruption of George W.
Bush from his term as Governor of Texas through the current
presidential administration, giving insights into his policies
and agendas that would horrify any American and make all of
us re-evaluate our priorities in regard to how we vote and
how we can and should become more involved in our government.
Ivins makes it very clear that if Bush continues on the current
path he has chosen to lead the country, we face a very bleak
future economically, socially, and morally. I would encourage
people to read or listen to this and really think about where
we are headed as a nation and as a people.--LuAnn
Hogan, Library Clerk-Technical Services
974.492
CO Colt, George Howe. The Big House:
A Century in the Life of an American Summer Home
This story of a summer home on Cape Cod and the family that
inhabits it is nonfiction but reads like fiction. I particularly
enjoyed all the interesting historical detail.--Rita
Rosauer, Senior Manager
B BENJAMIN
Benjamin, David. The Life and Times
of the Last Kid Picked
If your childhood happened in the 1950s Midwest, this memoir
will ring true. Benjamin manages even to make those all
too familiar childhood fears (being the last kid picked)
funny without losing their poignancy.
--Vicki Seeck, Children's Aide, Youth
Services
B BLUNT
Blunt, Judy. Breaking Clean
(I hope it is not too late to add a book to the Favorites
list, but I just finished one of the best books I have ever
read. It was so good, I read it again as soon as I finished.)
This is a memoir of the author's life growing up on a ranch
in northern Montana and her subsequent life as a rancher's
wife. It vividly describes her life in this harsh landscape
and why she decided she had to leave. The writing is so
honest and true that it will take your breath away.--Vicki
Seeck, Children's Aide, Youth Services
B GUTHRIE,
TC B GUTHRIE Guthrie, Woody. Bound for
Glory
Woody Guthrie's autobiography-oh, he's flawed, but he's
funny and his heart is big. I'm proud that he's American.
He suffered in so many ways and gave so much (whether he
meant to or not). My husband and I were inspired to buy
a song-stone for his monument in Okemah, Oklahoma. Guthrie
really describes the dust bowl and the depression of the
1930s like few others have. People at that time could feel
the dust and dirt in their teeth and on their skin. They
wore ALL their clothes (many layers) because they didn't
own a suitcase, but, by golly, on the other hand, money
didn't own them. When I recently heard an adult mixed chorus
from Austria sing "This Land Is Your Land," I
was moved more than ever for having read this book. If you
choose to listen to it, Woody's famous son, Arlo Guthrie,
is the reader on the book on tape.--Hedy
N.R. Hustedde, Information Librarian
B KHRUSHCHEV
Taubman, William. Khrushchev: The Man
and His Era
This book will be a commitment (876 pages worth), but it
will give you an understanding of how Communism came to
Russia and how the Soviet Union was ruled by Stalin and
Khrushchev. Taubman is an excellent writer and had access
to sources not previously available for use by western scholars.
Khrushchev's story is at once fascinating and depressing-a
lesson on how absolute power is so dangerous.--Vicki
Seeck, Children's Aide, Youth Services
YA B
PAULSEN Paulsen, Gary. How Angel Peterson
Got His Name
Paulsen is back with the Harry and Me-like collection of
daredevil (dare I say, stupid?) stunts pulled by his childhood
friends. It's amazing that any of them are still alive today.--Maria
Levetzow, Young Adult Librarian
JSF
NIMM Nimmo, Jenny. Midnight for Charlie
Bone
A juvenile read in the mold of Harry Potter. This is the
first book in another series (Children of the Red King)
that continues the age-old battle of good vs. evil. Charlie
discovers he can hear the thoughts of people in photographs
and has to attend Bloor's Academy as one of the chosen.
--Paul Odell, School Liaison Librarian
JSF
ROWL, JUV BOCD JSF ROWL, JUV BOT JSF ROWL Rowling,
J.K. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The 5th book in the Harry Potter series. I can't wait for
book 6!--Paul Odell, School Liaison
Librarian
DVD
F KEEP, VC F KEEP Keeping the Faith
A touching movie about friends. Ben Stiller, Edward Norton,
and Jenna Elfman grew up together as good friends. One became
a priest, another a rabbi, and the other…well, watch
and enjoy. As one library patron said, "She was the
glue that held it all together," but those two guys
are outstanding in their roles as well.--Carol
L. Scharff, Media Services
DVD
F PIAN, VC F PIAN The Pianist
This movie (produced by Roman Polanski) was based on the
life of Polish composer Wladyslaw Szpilman, a very talented
musician who was forced to give up his piano in order to
support his family during the war. He was separated from
his family as the war progresses and has to hide in abandoned
buildings, often going without food and the basics needs
of life (water, heat, clothing, etc.) in Warsaw. The actor,
Adrien Brody, deserved all the awards given him for this
movie. It is a defintie must see! It will make you cry and
definitely think about what life must have been like in
Warsaw in 1939-1945.
CD CL SZPILMAN Music Inspired by the Motion Picture
The Pianist
The CD is a collection of every piece of music Szpilman
ever played or composed. His daughter, Andrzej, put together
her father's songs and had it produced in the U.S. after
his death.--Shar, Reception
