A Patron Recommends

In Walking on Water, the fifth entry in the New York Times bestselling Walk series, Richard Paul Evans’s hero Alan Christoffersen must say some painful goodbyes and learn some important lessons as he comes to the end of his cross-country walk to Key West.

After the death of his beloved wife, after the loss of his advertising business to his once-trusted partner, after bankruptcy forced him from his home, Alan's daring cross-country journey—a walk across America, from Seattle to Key West, with only the pack on his back—has taught him lessons about love, forgiveness and, most of all, hope.

Now Alan must again return west to face yet another crisis, one that threatens to upend his world just as he had begun to heal from so much loss, leaving him unsure of whether he can reach the end his journey. It will take the love of a new friend, and the wisdom of an old friend, to help him to finally leave the past behind and find the strength and hope to live again.

New to the Walk Series? Here are the books listed in reading order and available at the library:

1. The Walk

2. Miles to Go

3. The Road to Grace

4. A Step of Faith

Uplifting Story of One Man's Dream

When it comes to pursuing your goals, the world can sometimes get in the way.  It was always Joe Moglia's dream to be a college football coach.  In 1983, he was the defensive coordinator for Dartmouth but with a family of four to feed, he left coaching for a career in business.  Years later, after turning around floundering brokerage firm TD Ameritrade, Moglia left the corporate world to return to college level football coaching.  4th and Goal: One Man's Quest to Recapture His Dream, tells Moglia's inspirational story and is sure to be a hit with football fans and believers in the American Dream.

Inspiring new nonfiction

Looking for some new nonfiction that will inspire and uplift you?  Try:

• Master Class: Living Longer, Stronger, and Happier - Drawing from the latest research in psychology as well as inspirational stories from active seniors, this guide shows how to build and maintain an enriching, happy lifestyle in the golden years of life.
• A Golden Voice: How Faith, Hard Work, and Humility Brought Me from the Streets to Salvation - A former homeless man featured in a viral YouTube video shares the complete story of how he lost his successful career to a crack addiction, tracing his journey through homelessness and crime before finding love and redemption.
• How Much Is Enough? - Analyzes questions that arose from the 2008 financial crisis while assessing the predictions of John Maynard Keynes, sharing the authors' views of a positive life and how recent generations have traded morality for wealth.
• Perfect Chaos - Recounts the co-author's descent into suicidal depression due to bipolar disorder and her family's efforts to secure treatments, a pursuit that required daily struggles to manage symptoms, understand the disorder, and rebuild trust.

Happy reading from Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library!

'The Dog that Talked to God' and other inspirational canines

Love inspirational dog stories? In the new Christian fiction book The Dog that Talked to God, a middle-aged widow named Mary Fassler adopts a miniature schnauzer with the surprising ability to speak.  With the help of her canine companion's simple faith, Mary sorts through the Job-worthy mess of her life.  For other books like The Dog that Talked to God, try Emily and Einstein, a secular story about a widow with a loveable dog, or The Art of Racing in the Rain, written from the point of view of a dying dog who meditates on the wisdom of his widowed master.

Can't get enough Amish Inspirational fiction?

Fans of big-name Amish inspirational writers like Wanda Brunstetter and Beverly Lewis might also want to try relative newcomer Jerry Eicher.  The third book in his Little Valley series, Ella Finds Love Again, has just been published.  Start with book 1, A Wedding Quilt for Ella, in which Ella copes with the loss of her fiancee Aden, and continue with book 2, Ella's Wish, in which Ella looks after motherless girls while dealing with two suitors.  Readers looking for other writers of Amish inspirational fiction might also want to try Marta Perry (Rachel's Garden) or Suzanne Woods Fisher (start with The Choice, Book 1 of Lancaster County Secrets).

2011: A New You

Looking to make a personal change in this coming year? Here is a list of 5 potentially useful new books recommended by the January 2011 issue Book Page and available through your community library.

• Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life by Karen Armstrong (on order)
• Peace and Plenty: Finding Your Path to Financial Serenity by Sarah Ban (currently available from partner libraries)
• Your Creative Brain: Seven Steps to Maximize Imagination, Productivity, and Innovation in Your Life by Shelley Carson (currently available from partner libraries)
• The Chemistry of Calm A Powerful, Drug-Free Plan to Quiet Your Fears & Overcome Your Anxiety by Henry Emmons
• The New Normal: An Agenda for Responsible Living by David Wann (on order)

Share your New Year's resolutions with your community library; comment on this post!

Patron enthusiastically recommends Debbie Macomber's books

Recently, Linda from Shirley enthusiastically recommended Debbie Macomber to the Readers' Advisory Librarian. Linda said she loved the way Macomber's books keep characters' intimate passions private, and how they are real page-turners that keep a strong hold on a reader's heart. The book that got her hooked on Macomber? Changing Habits (2003), about three very different women who enter a convent in Minneapolis, then change, grow, and ultimately leave the sisterhood.

For Debbie Macomber fans, Novelist (a readers' advisory database free to Mastics-Moriches-Shirley cardholders) also recommends Jan Karon's Mitford series (start with At Home in Mitford) and the Navy-oriented love stories by Susan Wiggs (start with The Ocean Between Us).