Monday, August 5, 2013

Book reviews

THE CUCKOO'S CALLING, by Robert Galbraith
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The Cuckoo's Calling is a 2013 crime fiction novel by J. K. Rowling, published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.

A brilliant mystery in a classic vein: Detective Cormoran Strike investigates a supermodel's suicide.
After losing his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan, Cormoran Strike is barely scraping by as a private investigator. Strike is down to one client, and creditors are calling. He has also just broken up with his longtime girlfriend and is living in his office.

Then John Bristow walks through his door with an amazing story: His sister, thelegendary supermodel Lula Landry, known to her friends as the Cuckoo, famously fell to her death a few months earlier. The police ruled it a suicide, but John refuses to believe that. The case plunges Strike into the world of multimillionaire beauties, rock-star boyfriends, and desperate designers, and it introduces him to every variety of pleasure, enticement, seduction, and delusion known to man.

You may think you know detectives, but you've never met one quite like Strike. You may think you know about the wealthy and famous, but you've never seen them under an investigation like this.
Review
"One of the books of the year." (USA Today)
"Rowling switches genres seamlessly...a gritty, absorbing tale." (People (3.5/4 stars))
"An extravagant, alien, fascinating world for its characters to explore...great pleasures." (Slate)

Inferno by Dan Brown
In his international blockbusters The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, and The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown masterfully fused history, art, codes, and symbols. In this riveting new thriller, Brown returns to his element and has crafted his highest-stakes novel to date.
In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology, Robert Langdon, is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history’s most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces . . . Dante’s Inferno.
Against this backdrop, Langdon battles a chilling adversary and grapples with an ingenious riddle that pulls him into a landscape of classic art, secret passageways, and futuristic science. Drawing from Dante’s dark epic poem, Langdon races to find answers and decide whom to trust . . . before the world is irrevocably altered.

THE ENGLISH GIRL, by Daniel Silva
Daniel Silva delivers another spectacular thriller starring Gabriel Allon: The English Girl.
When a beautiful young British woman vanishes on the island of Corsica, a prime minister's career is threatened with destruction. Allon, the wayward son of Israeli intelligence, is thrust into a game of shadows where nothing is what it seems...and where the only thing more dangerous than his enemies might be the truth._
Silva's work has captured the imagination of millions worldwide. His #1 New York Times bestselling series, which chronicles the adventures of art-restorer and master spy Gabriel Allon, has earned the praise of readers and reviewers everywhere. This captivating new page-turner from the undisputed master of spy fiction is sure to thrill new and old fans alike.
Review
“Smart, unpredictable, and packed with bits of history, art, heart, and imagination, this is a page turner to be savored….When it comes to the vast club of practitioners of international spycraft, Silva is a cut above them all, and The English Girl is a masterwork.” (Neal Thompson, Amazon.com)

“As usual, Silva takes the reader hostage from page one with his canny mix of spy craft and suspense….Silva’s ongoing ability to combine le Carré-like texture with high energy plotting has produced a string of commercial and critical successes. Chalk up another one.” (Booklist)

The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian
From the New York Times bestselling author of Midwives and The Sandcastle Girls comes a spellbinding novel of love, despair, and revenge—set in war-ravaged Tuscany.
Set against an exquisitely rendered Italian countryside, The Light in the Ruins unveils a breathtaking story of moral paradox, human frailty, and the mysterious ways of the heart.
Editorial Reviews
Review
New York Times Bestseller
 
One of Barnes & Noble's “Best Books of July.” 

One of Oprah Magazine's “Ten Titles to Pick Up Right Now.”


"A mystery that reminds us of the harrowing choices World War II forced on so many. Beautifully structured, written with restrained intensity and suspenseful to the end, this is both a satisfying mystery and a gut-wrenching account of moral dilemma in a time of moral struggle." 
People, 4 Stars
The Alchemist Paperback by Paulo Coelho
"My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer," the boy told the alchemist one night as they looked up at the moonless sky." Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams."
The Alchemist is the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found. From his home in Spain he journeys to the markets of Tangiers and across the Egyptian desert to a fateful encounter with the alchemist.

FIRST SIGHT, by Danielle Steel
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Paris, L.A., and the world of ready to wear fashion provide rich backdrops for Danielle Steel’s deeply involving story of a gifted designer whose talent and drive have brought her everything—except the ability to erase her past and trust relationships.
First Sight is as complex and compelling as modern life itself. Careers, families, histories, losses, duty, obligation, and fear of losing control and getting hurt. It is a tale of daring to take risks, and losing control just enough to have a life, when the opportunity presents itself. When two very different worlds and strong-willed people collide, everything changes in an instant, as they confront the age-old question of whether to lay oneself bare and risk intimacy—or not. Are they brave enough to face what comes next? And will they do it together or apart?
Review
"A novel about love, in all its heartbreaking and splendid forms" Kirkus Reviews "This poignant romance is sure to thrill her many loyal fans and reach many new readers, too" Booklist -

  1. THIS TOWN Two Parties and a Funeral-Plus, Plenty of Valet Parking!-in America's Gilded Capital, by Mark Leibovich
The #1 New York Times and Washington Post bestseller
Outrageous, fascinating, and destined to win Leibovich a whole host of, er, new friends, This Town is must reading, whether you’re inside the Beltway—or just trying to get there.
Review
This Town is as entertaining for the broader picture it paints of a capital that corrupts even the most incorruptible as it is for the salacious gossip that dominated early reviews. Books like Leibovich’s are important resources for historians who, a century from now, will use This Town as a trove of background information for a pivotal period when our politics became poisonous.”—Reid Wilson, The National Journal

“Leibovich delivers the reportorial goods. He is in all the parties, and supplies a wildly entertaining anthrolopogical tour.”—Jonathan Chait, New York Magazine
  1. LEAN IN, Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg with Nell Scovell
Written with both humor and wisdom, Sandberg’s book is an inspiring call to action and a blueprint for individual growth. Lean In is destined to change the conversation from what women can’t do to what they can.

Review

Praise for Lean In (#1 National Bestseller) 

“Honest and brave . . . The new manifesto for women in the workplace.”
            —Oprah Winfrey 

 “Lean In is an inauguration more than a last word, and an occasion for celebration . . . Many, many women, young and old, elite and otherwise, will find it prescriptive, refreshing, and perhaps even revolutionary.”
             —Anna Holmes, The New Yorker 

3. HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, My Life and Legacy as the Duck Commander  by Phil Robertson with Mark Schlabach

In this eye-opening and rousing book, you’ll find stories that will shock you, as well as those that will inspire you. You’ll get to know the man behind the legend, and you’ll come away better for it.

SELF-HELP


Hope Conquers All: Inspiring Stories of Love and Healing from CaringBridge


HOPE CONQUERS ALL will contain stories from people of all ages and backgrounds. The adversities they face vary greatly, from children with cancer, to adults requiring life-saving transplants, to victims of horrific accidents, but their stories are unified-hope does conquer all. 

And CaringBridge is a place where hope grows. It's a site that helps people reach out and stay in touch through moments of great need. It inspires them and instills hope; it helps foster and encourage much-needed emotional connection. These intimate personal stories, which reveal the underlying spiritual presence that connects us all, will encourage people to create channels of love and support in their own lives.
Review

"There is an old saying in medicine: 'The secret of patient care is in caring for the patient.' That's a way of saying that love and compassion help people heal. This is what CaringBridge stands for, and it's what makes our world a better, kinder place." (Larry Dossey, MD, author of the Healing Words and Prayer Is Good Medicine)

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

In Quiet, Susan Cain argues that we dramatically undervalue introverts and shows how much we lose in doing so. She charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal throughout the twentieth century and explores how deeply it has come to permeate our culture. She also introduces us to successful introverts—from a witty, high-octane public speaker who recharges in solitude after his talks, to a record-breaking salesman who quietly taps into the power of questions. Passionately argued, superbly researched, and filled with indelible stories of real people, Quiet has the power to permanently change how we see introverts and, equally important, how they see themselves.


1.     PETE THE CAT: THE WHEELS ON THE BUS, by James Dean
2.     THE DAY THE CRAYONS QUIT, by Drew Daywalt. Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
3.     GOODNIGHT, GOODNIGHT, CONSTRUCTION SITE, by Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld
4.     STEAM TRAIN, DREAM TRAIN, by Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld
5.     THIS IS NOT MY HAT, by Jon Klassen
1.     WONDER, by R. J. Palacio
2.     THE SON OF SOBEK, by Rick Riordan
3.     THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN, by Katherine Applegate
4.     THE CARE AND KEEPING OF YOU 1, by Valorie Schaefer. Illustrated by Josee Masse
5.     THE GRAVEYARD BOOK, by Neil Gaiman with Dave McKean
1.     THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, by John Green
2.     DIVERGENT, by Veronica Roth
3.     INSURGENT, by Veronica Roth
4.     LOOKING FOR ALASKA, by John Green
5.     THE BOOK THIEF, by Markus Zusak
1.     THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS, by Cassandra Clare
2.     THE HUNGER GAMES, by Suzanne Collins
3.     PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS, by Rick Riordan
4.     DORK DIARIES, by Rachel Renée Russell
5.     MIDDLE SCHOOL, by James Patterson and Lisa Papademetriou. Illustrated by Neil Swaab
1.     BEFORE WATCHMEN: COMEDIAN/RORSCHACH, by Brian Azzarello and J. G. Jones
2.     PACIFIC RIM: TALES FROM YEAR ZERO, by Travis Beacham and Sean Chen
3.     BEFORE WATCHMEN: NITE OWL/DR. MANHATTAN, by Adam Hughes
4.     HARLAN ELLISON'S 7 AGAINST CHAOS, by Harlan Ellison and Paul Chadwick
5.     CASTLE: A CALM BEFORE STORM, by Peter David and Robert Atkins

1.     AVATAR, THE LAST AIRBENDER, PART 2, by Gene Luen Yang and others
2.     SAGA, VOL. 2, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
3.     THE WALKING DEAD, VOL, 18, by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard
4.     SAGA, VOL. 1, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
5.     JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK, VOL. 2, by Mikel Janin

1.     SAILOR MOON, VOL. 12, by Naoko Takeuchi
2.     ALICE IN THE COUNTRY OF CLOVER: CHESHIRE CAT WALTZ, VOL. 5, by QuinRose and Mamenosuke Fujimaru
3.     MAYO CHIKI, VOL. 3, by Hajime Asano
4.     BLEACH, VOL. 57, by Tite Kubo

5.     BLUE EXORCIST, VOL. 10, by Kazue Kato

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