The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

by Gabrielle Zevin

A.J. Fikry’s life is not what he expected it to be.  His wife has died and now his bookstore is experiencing the lowest sales volume since it opened.  Then something happens to totally change his life, a gift of sorts that makes his life worth living.  I truly enjoyed this book; it was very moving and an affirmation of why we read and why we love.  This title is available in all formats.

Beckie

Cooked

By Michael Pollan
Audio book format

Michael Pollan offers a new and unique twist on food with this non-fiction selection, examining the relationship of humans to food and food preparation through the four basic elements of earth, air, fire and water. Combining stories which include everything from nuances of yeast to our territorial claims of recipe origins, Pollan delivers a true learning experience. The history and transformation of some of our most basic and beloved culinary creations are revealed through his insightful observations in these four distinct arenas.

People spend less time than ever in the kitchen, yet we are more obsessed than ever with cooking. With that in mind, this book will cater to all foodies - the head chef and novice alike. As a fan of all things “cuisine”, I found Michael Pollan’s exploration of food a fascinating listen. Bon appétit!

~ Beth

Angels Walking

By Karen Kingsbury

Angels Walking is the first book in a new series by Karen Kingsbury. This story opens with 20 angels meeting in heaven to hear about the new mission they have before them. They are chosen for their compassion and understanding of the human heart. Two people need their help. Tyler Ames, a rising superstar baseball pitcher, and Sami Dawson, the only girl Tyler ever loved.
When Tyler is drafted into the minor leagues, he decides to take that route instead of a scholarship to college. His parents and his girlfriend all want him to go to college but he wants to be a superstar as soon as possible. When he leaves town to pursue his dream he and his parents are barely speaking. He even loses touch with Sami.

Just when Tyler thinks he has it made his life and plans come crashing down around him. He finds himself homeless, broke and relying on Oxycodone to get through the long days.
Meanwhile Sami has been getting on with her life. She has a successful boyfriend, a good job, a bright future. She has everything going for her. But is it right for her? She is starting to question it.
The two angels on assignment, Beck and Ember, need to restore hope to Tyler and Sami. Much is at stake for future generations. So begins the first mission of Angels Walking.

~ Dixie

An Irish Doctor in Peace and at War

By Patrick Taylor

I have always enjoyed the Irish Country series by Patrick Taylor. This latest book is no exception. He talks about his early years as a young doctor who is in love and plans to marry his sweetheart, Dierdre Mawhinney. Unfortunately, World War II puts a delay in his plans and takes him into the dangers of war. This book gives insight into the war from a totally different aspect.

Ballybucklebo is not ignored during the telling of this tale. Many different challenges are met by Fingal O’Reilly and his co-workers. Challenges include an outbreak of German measles and an odd tropical disease.

If you have enjoyed the Irish Country series by Patrick Taylor, I imagine you will also enjoy his latest installment. And if you have never read his series, I highly recommend you check it out. Copies are available in print and audio book.

~ Beckie

P.S. Click here to go to Patrick Taylor's website to learn more about the author and his books. He has a blog as well.

Perfect Witness

By Iris Johansen

Fifteen year old Teresa can read people's memories. Her Mafia father uses her talent to keep the upper-hand until he is murdered. Teresa flees to escape being used by her father's replacement. Mandak has been keeping an eye on Teresa because he has a problem he thinks her special talent will take care of.

Mandak rescues her from her pursuers and offers her a chance to learn how to control her talent in exchange for her help. Little did she know what she was getting into.

~ Rochelle

The Gathering

The first in the Darkness Rising series

By Kelley Armstrong

When you first meet Maya, a 16 year old girl living on Vancouver island, you think that her life is normal. She is quite mature for her age, has great friends, and amazing parents. Except that she lives in a medical research town, which is normal for her until a new kid links strange things that have been happening together and why everyone was chosen to live in this town.

I love reading Kelley Armstrong and this is one of my favorites of hers.

~ Crystal

Thug Kitchen

Not for the faint of heart, this cookbook is filled to the brim with words I won’t print here! It has its own website, Facebook page (with over a half million fans), Twitter feed, Tumblr account, and YouTube video (with “explicit” warning). The recipes are all very well explained, wonderful tips on food preparation scattered throughout, and it uses ingredients that I don’t have in my house but probably should. Most cookbooks that have these all-natural healthy meals (stuff like quinoa salad and red lentil burgers) are pretentious sounding, but this one is full of obscenities and luscious pictures. I can’t say I tried any of the recipes, because I just don’t keep chia seeds in my cupboard, but it made for a very entertaining read!

--Becky

Bridge to Haven

By Francine Rivers

I have liked every book I’ve read by Francine Rivers and this is no exception. This story is about Abra, the girl that was abandoned as a newborn in the small town of Haven. She is adopted by Pastor Freeman and his wife and they love her unconditionally. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, Abra has to go live with a different family. Thus begins Abra’s belief that she has been an unwanted nobody since the day she was born.

When smooth talker Dylan comes to town, Abra falls hard and despite warnings from those who love her, she goes to Hollywood with him. Abra finds out quickly what is expected of her and what she needs to do to become “somebody”. The fame she enjoys for a season comes at a steep price. Will there ever be someone who loves her for who she really is?

All the time Abra is gone, many people in Haven hold her up in prayer. One particular young man, Joshua, never forgets her. He tries more than once to find her and finally thinks that she doesn’t want to be found. He needs to get on with his life.

Like her other books, I couldn’t put this book down. Can’t wait for the next one!

~ Dixie

Rare Birds of North America

By Steve N. G. Howell, Ian Lewington & Will Russell

We have many bird guides at the Burton Public Library - some of them are authoritative with excellent pictures and comprehensive text.  This is not one of those guides.  This book is for the experienced birder who is looking for the rare bird.

The pictures are downright lovely to look at!  The text is full of field identification information.  I found the comments section for each species to be the fun part.  It lists historical references to bird sightings as well as more recent accounts.  I have a lot to learn before I need this book, but for the real birder this book would be a nice find.

-Holly

A Sensible Arrangement

By Tracie Peterson

Marty Olson answers an ad for a Lone Star Bride. She agrees to marry Jake to escape Texas and the memories of her life on the ranch. Jake needs to satisify the board of the bank he works for, as they believe a man of his position should be married. Both being married before, Marty and Jake agree they are both past the romance and love and this is to be only an arrangement not a true marriage.

While Marty tries to fit into a new social class, things at the bank and in the economy start to fall apart. She doesn’t really like this life but it is keeping her far from Texas. Banks are closing across the country and it could happen to the bank where Jake works. Then where would they go? She does not want to return to Texas. Jake on the other hand is only working at the bank to save enough money to buy a ranch and return to Texas.

As they get to know each other better strong feelings grow between them. Marty should have told Jake her secret at the start. Now she has to tell him and it could be the thing to drive him away!

This is Tracie Peterson’s 100th book and also book #1 of the Lone Star Brides series.

~ Dixie

Distortion

By Terri Blackstock

Juliet Cole witnesses her husband’s murder and believes it is a random shooting. Telling her young sons about their Dad is one of the hardest things she has ever had to do. Then she listens to her husband’s voicemail . Was this shooting planned?

This starts her search for the truth. As she and her family do their own research the news gets worse and worse. Now she realizes that her children are in danger. Who was this man she was married to for fifteen years? Was everything she believed about him and their life together a lie?

~ Dixie

Attachments: a novel

By Rainbow Rowell

Love this author's name! She is a well-known, award-winning author of young adult fiction and has written a couple of novels about adults. Attachments takes place in late 1999 at a newspaper headquarters in Nebraska. The main characters, Jennifer and Beth, work as a copy editor and movie reviewer, respectively. Though they know their emails are being monitored by their publisher, they persist in carrying on personal email conversations. Lincoln, who still lives at home with mom and can't seem to kick-start his post-college life, is a new hire whose job is to read the employees email and warn them when the email is used inappropriately. Over the course of months, Lincoln can't stop himself from reading the exchanges between Jennifer and Beth and begins to fall in love with Beth, whom he's never seen. This is such a sweet story with excellent character development. I liked all three characters and the plot was well-paced and almost believable. A fun read!

~ Linda

Where'd You Go Bernadette?

By Maria Semple
Audiobook format
Starred Review from Publisher's Weekly

The story opens with Bea's 8th grade report card. She got straight A's...actually straight S's for "Surpasses Excellence" in her preppy Seattle girls' school. As a reward for her good grades, Bea's parents, Bernadette and Elgin, have promised her whatever she wants. She chooses a family trip to Antarctica at Christmas time.

Bernadette Fox is a wife and mother with huge anxiety issues. It had become so bad that she hired an offshore virtual assistant to handle her every day interactions in order to avoid contact with the outside world. Bernadette was a world-renowned architect 20 years before who (after facing several personal tragedies) went into hiding.

Her husband Elgin is a high-level Microsoft engineer who worries about her sanity after many "mishaps". And then, Bernadette disappears....

The author wrote for the television series "Mad About You" and "Arrested Development". You can sense her wry sense of humor in this book.

Bernadette pokes fun at helicopter Moms, the city of Seattle, Canadians, yuppies and environmentalists. It is written from Bernadette's point of view, but it is really Bea's story. The reader will have you laughing out loud in this hilarious & heartwarming story.

~ Paula

Scarlet

The second book in the Lunar Chronicles
By Marissa Meyer

Very good book, my favorite in the series so far. A bit slow to get in to at first, but once you're in you're hooked!

~ Crystal

A Long Way Down

Available on DVD

The plot is simple enough.  Four people contemplate jumping from a London high-rise on New Year's Eve.  As they talk each out of it, they realize that they might be able to help each other. This surrogate family couldn't be more different.  As they bumble along, they help each other in the most amusing, dysfunctional and caring ways.

I read the book "A Long Way Down" by Nick Hornby years ago.  The movie, released last week on DVD is just as good.  It is witty, funny and downright sweet at times.

-Holly