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Read at your own Risk.... Banned Book Week Coming Soon to a Library Near You Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2015

Artwork courtesy of the American Library Association
    Which book will you dare to read?
    The glass castle : a memoir / Jeannette Walls  The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks / Rebecca SklootOf mice and men / John Steinbeck    
For more information on this years band and challenged books go to the ILA.ORG

In Honor of the Road World Championships, Sep 19-27

Cycling's Greatest Misadventures edited by Erich Schweikher and Paul DiamondThe History of Cycling in Fifty Bikes by Tom AmbroseThe Complete Book of Road Cycling & Racing by Will Peveler

Cycling's Greatest Misadventures edited by Erich Schweikher and Paul Diamond

"Cycling's Greatest Misadventures" presents twenty-seven true stories which cross the spectrum from terrifying to comical to downright bizarre. In these pages both everyday riders and pros tell their stories of freak accidents, animal attacks, sabotage, idiotic decisions, eerie or unexplained incidents, and other jaw dropping, adrenalin-pumping calamities. (Publisher Summary)


The History of Cycling in Fifty Bikes by Tom Ambrose

For an invention with a history of just 200 years, the simple bicycle has changed the world in many ways. From the Velocipede to the Pinarello, The History of Cycling in Fifty Bikes by Tom Ambrose relates this history by telling the stories of 50 iconic machines that have shaped the world. (Publisher Summary)

The Complete Book of Road Cycling & Racing by Will Peveler

Every road rider has goals. Yours may be to begin racing, to become more competitive, or to win a specific tour. Not interested in racing? Perhaps you want to complete your first century ride, improve your overall fitness, or ride father and faster just for the sheer joy of flying on two wheels.(Publisher Summary)

Human-Animal Bonds

Hannah's Dream by Diane Hammond
Hannah's Dream by Diane Hammond

On the animal kingdom's 10-point scale of adorable critters, golden retriever puppies regularly come in on top, while aging gray elephants rarely make it onto the list. But when it comes to lovability, Hannah, the sole elephant at Seattle's dilapidated Max L. Biedelman Zoo, is off the charts.Enter Neva Wilson, an energetic young zookeeper whose creative ideas for Hannah's well-being immediately put her afoul of Harriet Saul, the zoo's petty, tyrannical administrator. To save Hannah's life, Samson and Neva scheme to transfer her to an elephant sanctuary, though their plan comes with great personal risk. (Booklist Starred Review)

Pegasus by Danielle Steel
Pegasus by Danielle Steel

Warned by well-placed friends to flee late 1930s Germany because he is partly Jewish, the aristocratic Nicolas von Bingen heads to America with his two sons—and two snowy white Lipizzaner horses, which serve as Nick's entrée into the magical world of the Ringling Brothers Circus. Wouldn't you know he falls in love with a tightrope walker. Inspired by the author's own family history. (Library Journal Reviews)

The Cat Sitter's Whiskers by Blaize and John Clement
The Cat Sitter's Whiskers by Blaize and John Clement
http://alpha1.suffolk.lib.ny.us/record=b4785040~S37
The appealing 10th Dixie Hemingway mystery finds the former sheriff's deputy and professional pet sitter heading off to feed her clients early one morning in Siesta Key, Fla. Dixie's first customer is an eight-year-old Maine Coon cat, whose owners, the Kellers, have left him at their art-filled ranch house while they're away. Inside Dixie comes face-to-face with an intruder wearing a Tibetan mask, from Mrs. Keller's collection. The man knocks her out with a stone figurine. When Dixie regains consciousness, she calls the police. Oddly, no valuables are missing, nor is there any sign that someone broke into the house. (Publisher Weekly Reviews)

The Language of Hoofbeats by Catherine Ryan Hyde
The Language of Hoofbeats by Catherine Ryan Hyde
http://alpha1.suffolk.lib.ny.us/record=b4799945~S37
Jackie and Paula, with their adopted son and two foster children, have moved to Easley, California, to start a new life. Their most recent foster child, Star, has only been with them three weeks and keeps everyone at arm's length. Star immediately stirs up trouble with their new neighbor, Clementine, when she befriends Clementine's horse, Comet. Clementine, unable to properly care for the horse, resents the easy bond between Star and Comet, a gift to her now-deceased daughter. Star, angry over Comet's neglect, runs away with the horse, throwing the neighbors together in unexpected ways. (Booklist Reviews)

Psychological Suspense

As Night Falls by Jenny MilchmanCentralia by Mike DellossoThe Gates of Evangeline by Hester YoungThose we Left Behind by Stuart Neville


As Night Falls by Jenny Milchman

After winning the Mary Higgins Clark award for Cover of Snow (2013), Milchman returns with her third stand-alone thriller set in upstate New York. The suspense starts building right from the get-go when we learn that Sandy, a therapist, and her husband, Ben, have built their dream home in a desolate area, which they share with their sullen teenage daughter and a sweet old dog. Meanwhile, Nick, who has been in prison for more than 20 years, has devised a brilliant plan for escape, and he takes fellow inmate Harlan along on the breakout. The pair end up invading Sandy's home. The story moves back and forth between the home invasion and Nick's childhood; often such flashbacks are intended to make the bad guy more sympathetic—but not in this case. The tense finale is fueled by a shocking twist involving a walloping secret Sandy has kept from her family. (Booklist Reviews)

Centralia by Mike Dellosso

Peter Ryan is still mourning the loss of his wife and daughter two months after they died in a tragic car accident he can't remember. However, he senses something is not right as flashes of memory call up scenes of a different existence he doesn't recollect. Friends chalk it up to post-traumatic stress disorder, but Peter's faith won't allow him to believe that his family is dead. When he finds a note from his daughter, indicating that she and her mother have been kidnapped and taken to a mysterious place called Centralia, Peter goes on the run. What he discovers forever changes how he sees himself. (Library Journal Reviews)

The Gates of Evangeline by Hester Young

In the first of a planned trilogy, a writer grieving the loss of her 4-year-old son becomes enmeshed with the subjects of her true-crime book-in-progress. Shortly after the tragic death of her only child, Keegan, from a brain aneurysm, Charlotte "Charlie" Cates changes careers. Leaving her job at a Cosmopolitan-like Manhattan magazine, she accepts an assignment from a true-crime publisher to chronicle the disappearance of toddler Gabriel Deveau nearly 30 years before from his home, a Louisiana estate called Evangeline.  Once ensconced in a guest cottage at Evangeline—the Deveau family thinks she's there to write a revisionist family history—Charlie begins digging. (Kirkus Reviews)

Those We Left Behind by Stuart Neville

Two brothers bound by love and need repeat the deadly pattern of a past crime. Ciaran Devine was only 12 when he was convicted of killing his foster father. Seven years later, he's being released from the Young Offenders Centre into a world he's ill equipped to handle. Paula Cunningham, the probation officer assigned to his case, consults with DCI Serena Flanagan, who established a rapport with the boy after the murder. At the time, Flanagan had her doubts about his confession. (Kirkus Reviews)

Evil at Work

Because She Can by Bridie ClarkThe Second Assistant by Clare Naylor and Mimi HareThe Knockoff by Lucy Sykes and Jo PiazzaBond Girl by Erin Duffy

Because She Can by Bridie Clark

In a New York minute, Claire Truman lands both a plum position at a top publishing house and the man she's wanted for ten years...then reality intervenes. Her new boss is Vivian Grant, a notoriously ruthless tyrant known for her tirades, traumatized assistants, and tabloid-inspired bestsellers. Soon Claire's job is stealing more and more of her time and her relationship with her fiancé begins to feel the strain. It doesn't help that she's working late nights with a brilliant-and handsome-first-time author. As Vivian's outrageous demands continue to escalate, Claire wonders if she likes where the fast track is taking her-and worries about what she might turn into... (Publisher Summary)

The Second Assistant by Clare Naylor and Mimi Hare

No political science degree could ever prepare Elizabeth Miller for her new job as a second assistant at The Agency, whose clients include everyone you’ve never met—but you know who they’re sleeping with. A former congressional intern in Washington, Lizzie made a bid for a life change that landed her a job a world away, where ethics and First Amendment debates take a backseat to pleading the Fifth for Ritalin-snorting boss Scott Wagner. He’s the hottest young agent in Hollywood, who devotes his days to playing online poker—that is, when he’s not closing a $30 million deal for one of his AAA-list clients. And while getting six-hundred-dollar highlights from Cameron’s colorist or organizing the strippers for George’s birthday party come close to causing heart failure for this East Coast girl, the real dangers lurk elsewhere. (Publisher Summary)

The Knockoff by Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza

When Imogen returns to work at Glossy after six months away, she can barely recognize her own magazine. Eve, fresh out of Harvard Business School, has fired “the gray hairs,” put the managing editor in a supply closet, stopped using the landlines, and hired a bevy of manicured and questionably attired underlings who text and tweet their way through meetings. Imogen, darling of the fashion world, may have Alexander Wang and Diane von Furstenberg on speed dial, but she can’t tell Facebook from Foursquare. Under Eve’s reign, Glossy is rapidly becoming a digital sweatshop—hackathons rage all night, girls who sleep get fired, and “fun” means mandatory, company-wide coordinated dances to Beyoncé. Wildly out of her depth, Imogen faces a choice—pack up her Smythson notebooks and quit, or channel her inner geek and take on Eve to save both the magazine and her career. A glittering, uproarious, sharply drawn story filled with thinly veiled fashion personalities,The Knockoff is an insider’s look at the ever-changing world of fashion and a fabulous romp for our Internet-addicted age. (Publisher Summary)

Bond Girl by Erin Duffy

Alex Garrett, a recent college graduate who began her Wall Street career in 2006, dreams of fast-talking days on the trading floor while living a life tied to a government bond desk and performing other peculiar tasks. After fighting her way into the elitist boys' club and making it in bond sales at Cromwell Pierce, one of Wall Street's most esteemed brokerage firms, Alex Garret must decide whether to stick with Cromwell Pierce or head for the hills when the financial crisis hits.(Publisher Summary)

Somewhere in Time

Time Salvager by Wesley Chu
Time Salvager by Wesley Chu

James Griffin-Mars, a highly trained "chronman," travels from 26th-century Earth to past eras on numerous planets, salvaging coveted relics and materials to maintain humanity's power supply without breaking Time Laws (for instance, bringing someone back from the past) or affecting the time line. An apparently unstoppable plague has made Earth one of the least desirable places to live; fortunately, advanced technology lets James communicate by thought, provides powerful armor, and shields him from environmental discomforts. Haunted by people he has left to die in the past (his sister; a Nazi soldier; "the legendary Grace Priestly") and wishing only to complete his contract, James accepts a dangerous mission from menacing private corporation Valta, leading to life-changing choices. Like James, intriguing secondary characters such as High Auditor Levin and James's handler, Smitt, wrestle with increasingly complex ethical dilemmas; meanwhile, 21st-century scientist Elise, for whom James breaks the first Time Law, becomes his moral conscience and romantic interest, as well as a source of hope for a dying planet. Chu (The Lives of Tao) creates a fascinating world, strange and familiar, infused with humor, sorrow, courage, greed, and sacrifice. This page-turner is a riveting, gratifying read. (Publisher Weekly Reviews)

Legends & Lies: The Real West

Bill O'Reilly's Legends & Lies: The Real West  written by David Fisher
Bill O'Reilly's Legends & Lies: The Real West
written by David Fisher


How did Davy Crockett save President Jackson's life only to end up dying at the Alamo? Was the Lone Ranger based on a real lawman-and was he an African American? What amazing detective work led to the capture of Black Bart, the "gentleman bandit" and one of the west's most famous stagecoach robbers? Did Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid really die in a hail of bullets in South America? Generations of Americans have grown up on TV shows, movies and books about these western icons. But what really happened in the Wild West? All the stories you think you know, and others that will astonish you, are here--some heroic, some brutal and bloody, all riveting. Included are the legends featured in Bill O'Reilly's ten week run of historic episodic specials-from Kit Carson to Jesse James, Wild Bill Hickok to Doc Holliday-- accompanied by two bonus chapters on Daniel Boone and Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley.Frontier America was a place where instinct mattered more than education, and courage was necessary for survival. It was a place where luck made a difference and legends were made. Heavily illustrated with spectacular artwork that further brings this history to life, and told in fast-paced, immersive narrative, Legends and Lies is an irresistible, adventure-packed ride back into one of the most storied era of our nation's rich history.

Wanderlust


Honolulu by Alan Brennert
Honolulu by Alan Brennert

“In Korea in those days, newborn girls were not deemed important enough to be graced with formal names, but were instead given nicknames, which often reflected the parents’ feelings on the birth of a daughter: I knew a girl named Anger, and another called Pity. As for me, my parents named me Regret.”Journeying to 1914 Hawaii as a mail-order "picture bride," Korean-born Jin finds her hopes for education and a better life devastated by the realities of a rushed marriage to an embittered laborer; a situation throughout which she works to overcome limited opportunities and prejudice in order to improve circumstances for her fellow brides.(Publisher Summary)

The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan

Amy Tan’s The Valley of Amazement is a sweeping, evocative epic of two women’s intertwined fates and their search for identity, that moves from the lavish parlors of Shanghai courtesans to the fog-shrouded mountains of a remote Chinese village. Spanning more than forty years and two continents, The Valley of Amazement resurrects pivotal episodes in history: from the collapse of China’s last imperial dynasty, to the rise of the Republic, the explosive growth of lucrative foreign trade and anti-foreign sentiment, to the inner workings of courtesan houses and the lives of the foreign “Shanghailanders” living in the International Settlement, both erased by World War II. (Publisher Summary)

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel by Deborah Moggach
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel by Deborah Moggach

When Ravi Kapoor, an overworked London doctor, reaches the breaking point with his difficult father-in-law, he asks his wife: “Can’t we just send him away somewhere? Somewhere far, far away.” His prayer is seemingly answered when Ravi’s entrepreneurial cousin sets up a retirement home in India, hoping to re-create in Bangalore an elegant lost corner of England. Several retirees are enticed by the promise of indulgent living at a bargain price, but upon arriving, they are dismayed to find that restoration of the once sophisticated hotel has stalled, and that such amenities as water and electricity are . . . infrequent. But what their new life lacks in luxury, they come to find, it’s plentiful in adventure, stunning beauty, and unexpected love. (Publisher Summary)

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

In nineteenth-century China, in a remote Hunan county, a girl named Lily, at the tender age of seven, is paired with a laotong, “old same,” in an emotional match that will last a lifetime. The laotong, Snow Flower, introduces herself by sending Lily a silk fan on which she’s painted a poem in nu shu, a unique language that Chinese women created in order to communicate in secret, away from the influence of men. As the years pass, Lily and Snow Flower send messages on fans, compose stories on handkerchiefs, reaching out of isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. But when a misunderstanding arises, their deep friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart. (Publisher Summary)

The Promise by Beth Wiseman
The Promise by Beth Wiseman

Tate Webber has loved Mallory for many years. He understands that Mallory will never be happy with him until her deepest heart’s desire is satisfied. When Mallory decides to travel across the world to fulfill her dreams, Tate begs her not to go but tries to give her the space she needs. Mallory embarks on her dangerous journey only to discover how swiftly and easily promises can be broken. And Mallory can only pray that she will make it out alive. Inspired by actual events, The Promise is a riveting love story that asks the question: how far will we go for love? (Publisher Summary)

The Sun also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
The Sun also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

The Sun Also Rises is a classic example of Hemingway’s spare but powerful writing style. A poignant look at the disillusionment and angst of the post-World War I generation, the novel introduces two of Hemingway’s most unforgettable characters: Jake Barnes and Lady Brett Ashley. The story follows the flamboyant Brett and the hapless Jake as they journey from the wild nightlife of 1920s Paris to the brutal bullfighting rings of Spain with a motley group of expatriates. It is an age of moral bankruptcy, spiritual dissolution, unrealized love and vanishing illusions. (Publisher Summary)

A Day that Changed America

September 11, An Oral History by Dean E. MurphyMurphy's book is a 9/11 oral history. He is a New York Times reporter, and his collection of approximately 40 survivor stories is underscored by the idea that when September 11 "was all over, it was a day of national calamity. But it was also a day of individual human heartache." The personal accounts he compiles here serve to support that sentiment to the fullest. One can't find a more eloquent explanation of the situation at the World Trade Center than the words spoken by the woman who was master of the keys at the Center: "I wasn't burnt or severely bruised. My pain was somewhere else--and it still is. Inside my heart, it hurts so bad." And only the most inured readers will not react with tears to the story of the sight-impaired man being carefully led down the stairs from high in the Center by his devoted seeing-eye dog. (Booklist Reviews)


A Nation Challenged designed by Toshiya Masuda
A Nation Challenged designed by Toshiya Masuda

A powerful and eye-filling photographic chronicle of the award-winning New York Times 's coverage of 9/11 and its aftermath worldwide, including the war in Afghanistan In an unprecedented effort, The New York Times opens its picture archive of September 11th and the aftermath at home and abroad. Special charts and graphics supply another level of clarity and understanding, while the brilliant photographs provide counterpoint and perspective to carefully chosen text. (Publisher Summary)

Manhunt by Peter Bergen
Manhunt by Peter Bergen

Here are riveting new details of bin Laden’s flight after the crushing defeat of the Taliban to Tora Bora, where American forces came startlingly close to capturing him, and of the fugitive leader’s attempts to find a secure hiding place. As the only journalist to gain access to bin Laden’s Abbottabad compound before the Pakistani government demolished it, Bergen paints a vivid picture of bin Laden’s grim, Spartan life in hiding and his struggle to maintain control of al-Qaeda even as American drones systematically picked off his key lieutenants. (Publisher Summary)

Why America Slept by Gerald Posner
Why America Slept by Gerald Posner

The author of Case Closed offers an inside look at the terrorist attacks on September 11th and the reasons why the disaster was not prevented, discussing how breakdowns in intelligence, political infighting, and communications allowed terrorists to make an unprecedented attack on American soil.  (Publisher Summary)

Hard Measures by Jose Rodriguez
Hard Measures by Jose Rodriguez

A leading CIA counter-terrorist at the head of covert operations that contributed to the defeat of Osama Bin Laden traces his unlikely journey from a law student and CIA recruit to a top American spy, addressing questions related to his political views and controversial decision to destroy tapes of CIA interrogations. (Publisher Summary)

Echos of the Past

If Walls Could Talk by Lucy WorsleyLetters of Note compiled by Shaun UsherThe Manor by Mac Griswold

If Walls Could Talk by Lucy Worsley

Why did the flushing toilet take two centuries to catch on? Why did medieval people sleep sitting up? When were the two "dirty centuries"? Why did gas lighting cause Victorian ladies to faint? Why, for centuries, did people fear fruit? All these questions will be answered in this juicy, smelly, and truly intimate history of home life. Lucy Worsley takes us through the bedroom, bathroom, living room, and kitchen, covering the architectural history of each room, but concentrating on what people actually did in bed, in the bath, at the table, and at the stove. From sauce-stirring to breast-feeding this book will make you see your home with new eyes. (Publisher Summary)

Letters of Note compiled by Shaun Usher

Based on the blog of the same name, this collection of letters is so handsome that it looks like a coffee-table book, but it's more than that. In it, Queen Elizabeth II sends a note to President Dwight Eisenhower reflecting on Mamie and Ike's visit to Balmoral Castle: she appends her recipe for scones. The chairman of the Whitehall Vigilance Committee receives a package with a note from Jack the Ripper accompanied by half a human kidney, pickled in wine: "I fried and ate it was very nise." Gandhi appeals to Hitler as the only one who can avert the impending war. Bank robber Clyde Barrow tells Henry Ford he only drives Fords. Francis Crick alerts his son about DNA. A wife writes to her samurai husband on the eve of battle (he died in the fighting, she committed suicide) and an ex-slave addresses his former master. This treasure trove of fascinating material includes more than 125 letters from both the famous and the unknown dating as far back as 1340 BCE, many reproduced in facsimile. (Library Journal Reviews)

The Manor by Mac Griswold

Cultural landscape historian Griswold examines the history of slavery, immigration, architecture, and family, all through the story of one house, the Sylvester Manor, built in 1733 and still standing today in Shelter Harbor, New York. Griswold's work is, in fact, a biography of the house, or at least the property on which the house now stands. In this meticulously researched contribution to US landscape history, Griswold's engaging prose and obvious attachment to the house and the generations of people, black and white, who crossed its threshold make this work an enchanting read. The author uses the treasure trove of documents saved by the family, garden and architectural plans, and artifacts found during an archaeological dig to reconstruct the social history of the manor's generations of inhabitants. Griswold's narrative style makes this a fascinating read for those interested in historical archaeology, landscape history, or in the social history of Northern slavery. (Choice Reviews)

Dazzeling Debuts

The Secret Life of Anna Blanc by Jennifer KincheloeThe Book of Lost and Found by Lucy Foley The Mapmaker's Children by Sarah McCoy

The Secret Life of Anna Blanc by Jennifer Kincheloe

If the police find out, she'll get fired; if her father finds out, he'll disown her; and if her fiance finds out, he'll cancel the wedding and stop pouring money into her father's collapsing bank. Midway into her investigation, the police chief's son, Joe Singer, learns her true identity. And shortly thereafter she learns about blackmail. Anna must choose—either hunt the villain and risk losing her father, fiance, and wealth, or abandon her dream and leave the killer on the loose. (Publisher Summary)


Kate Darling's enigmatic mother--a once-famous ballerina--has passed away, leaving Kate bereft. When her grandmother falls ill and bequeaths to Kate a small portrait of a woman who bears a striking resemblance to Kate's mother, Kate uncovers a mystery that may upend everything she thought she knew. Kate's journey to find the true identity of the woman in the portrait takes her to some of the world's most iconic and indulgent locales, revealing a love story that began in the wild 1920s and was disrupted by war and could now spark new love for Kate. Alternating between Kate's present-day hunt and voices from the past, the Book of Lost and Found casts light on family secrets and love-both lost and found.
 (Publisher Summary)

The Mapmaker's Children by Sarah McCoy

When Sarah Brown, daughter of abolitionist John Brown, realizes that her artistic talents may be able to help save the lives of slaves fleeing north, she becomes one of the Underground Railroad's leading mapmakers, taking her cues from the slave code quilts and hiding her maps within her paintings. She boldly embraces this calling after being told the shocking news that she can't bear children, but as the country steers toward bloody civil war, Sarah faces difficult sacrifices that could put all she loves in peril. Eden, a modern woman desperate to conceive a child with her husband, moves to an old house in the suburbs and discovers a porcelain head hidden in the root cellar--the remains of an Underground Railroad doll with an extraordinary past of secret messages, danger and deliverance. Ingeniously plotted to a riveting end, Sarah and Eden's woven lives connect the past to the present, forcing each of them to define courage, family, love, and legacy in a new way.



Book to Movie Alert

Black Mass: The Irish Mob, the Fbi, and a Devil's Deal by Dick Lehr
Black Mass: The Irish Mob, the Fbi, and a Devil's Deal by Dick Lehr

John Connolly and James "Whitey" Bulger grew up together on the tough streets of South Boston. Decades later, they met again when Connolly was a major figure in the FBI's Boston office and Bulger was godfather of the Irish Mob. This is the true story of what happened between them as a dark deal spiraled out of control, leading to drug dealing, racketeering, and murder. (Publisher Summary)

Game Point

A Necessary Spectacle by Selena RobertsThe Rivals by Johnette HowardThe Tennis Partner by Abraham Verghese

A Necessary Spectacle by Selena Roberts

On September 20, 1973, Billie Jean King defeated aging male former Wimbledon champion Bobby Riggs in a nationally televised match ballyhooed as the "Battle of the Sexes." At the time, it seemed like made-for-television tripe, but there were larger issues at stake, many understood only by King and a handful of supporters. Roberts explores the events leading up to the match as well as the subsequent consequences. Riggs had created a context for the match by proclaiming women players so inferior to men that the best woman couldn't beat an over-the-hill hustler. His first challenge match against Australian Margaret Court, seemed to prove his point as he demolished one of the top-tier female stars. But Court was no Billie Jean. Roberts explores the match in terms of its cultural significance, its impact on Title IX legislation, and the rise of feminism. (Booklist Reviews)

The Rivals by Johnette Howard

For 16 years, Evert and Navratilova faced each other on the tennis court; they met 80 times-and 60 times in finals. Newsday columnist Howard captivatingly tells the story of how these two women came together from disparate worlds and founded a complicated though lasting friendship. Evert, the charming, pony-tailed daughter of a middle-class, all-American family, captured many fans' hearts when she arrived on the scene at 16. Navratilova, on the other hand, exuded seriousness; her determined look and sturdy frame matched her history, a dramatic, heart-wrenching one that involved leaving her family behind in communist Czechoslovakia. Howard shows how Evert and Navratilova's paths slowly merged, until they finally faced each other for the first time in 1973. (Publisher Weekly Reviews)

The Tennis Partner by Abraham Verghese

Verghese had just taken a teaching position when he met intern David Smith, a former tennis pro who turned to medicine when his athletic career ended. With twice-weekly meetings over a net, a shared profession, and other common interests, the two became good friends. Verghese found in Smith and tennis a refuge from his own failing marriage and general middle-age angst. Just as Verghese began to discover renewed satisfaction in his work, Smith's life became engulfed in turmoil. He had a number of destructive relationships with women, and, a former drug addict, he lapsed back into substance abuse, which left him unable--physically or legally--to continue in medicine. This is a meditation on friendship, its fragile underpinnings, and, sadly, its limits. But it also reveals that through the shared experience of sport, men especially can forge a enduring relationship. (Booklist Starred Review)

Ghost Stories for around the Campfire


Ghost Summer by Tananarive Due
Ghost Summer by Tananarive Due

In her debut collection of short fiction, Due takes us to Gracetown, a small Florida town that has both literal and figurative ghost; into future scenarios that seem all too real; and provides empathetic portraits of those whose lives are touched by Otherness. The title novella, Ghost Summer, won a Kindred Award from the Carl Brandon Society. This collection includes Patient Zero, The Lake, The Knowing, Herd Immunity, and many other stories. (Publisher Summary)

Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman
Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman

Trigger Warning explores the masks we all wear and the people we are beneath them to reveal our vulnerabilities and our truest selves. Here is a rich cornucopia of poetry, horror and ghosts stories, science fiction and fairy tales, that explore the realm of experience and emotion. Trigger Warning includes a very special Doctor Who story that was written for the fiftieth anniversary of the beloved series as well Black Dog, and more. (Publisher Summary)

A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

The lives of the Barretts, a normal suburban New England family, are torn apart when 14-year-old Marjorie begins to display signs of what at first seems to be acute schizophrenia, a condition which only gets worse, leading them to believe it's actually demonic possession, as they become the center of a reality TV show. A chilling thriller that brilliantly blends domestic drama, psychological suspense, and a touch of modern horror. (Publisher Summary)

The Damned by Andrew Pyper
The Damned by Andrew Pyper

Danny Orchard died on his 16th birthday-and so did his twin sister, Ashleigh-but only Danny came back. He wrote a bestselling memoir about his experience of heaven called The After, but despite his fame and fortune he's never been able to enjoy his second chance at life. His sister won't let him. Charming and magnetic in life, Ash appeared perfect to outsiders but the budding psychopath privately terrorized her family, and that hasn't stopped with her death. (Publisher Summary)
Ghosts of Long Island II by Kerriann Flanagan Brosky
Ghosts of Long Island II by Kerriann Flanagan Brosky

After extensive research, and interviews with Long Islanders conducted with paranormal investigator Joe Giaquinto, Ms. Brosky has written 30 new accounts of paranormal happenings and haunted locations on Long Island.