BookClique

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Twenties Girl, by Sophie Kinsella

Nothing seems to be going right for Lara Lington, a twenty-something Londoner.  Her business partner deserted her, she can’t stop thinking about her ex-boyfriend, and she doesn’t want to go to the funeral of her 105-year-old great aunt Sadie. Then Sadie appears at her funeral as a 1920s flapper ghost, demanding that Lara help her find her lost necklace since she can’t cross over to the afterlife without it. Helped by Sadie, Lara goes on a hilarious quest to locate the necklace, while uncovering secrets, finding romance, and discovering the importance of her family and Sadie’s life. This book is laugh-out-loud chick-lit at its finest.

Liz C.

Filed under: Fiction by Neal
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After reading Ray Banks’ “Saturday’s Child”, I was thrilled when his “Sucker Punch” was released. What a fantastic mystery writer! Dark and violent, this book features private investigator Callum Innes and his newest gig: babysitting Liam Wooley, an amateur boxer who is traveling to California from the U.K. for a boxing competition. The boxing world is generally not a place for nice guys but when you factor in corruption, fixed fights, and hard cases like Callum Innes, it becomes even more sinister. Next toss in an American rich kid who thinks he can go all the way and his dad who is willing to do whatever it takes to get him there. Although most of the story takes place in L.A., it might as well be taking place in gritty Manchester where Liam and Cal normally reside. Callum is a great main character and would be offended if I described him as British (“Britain is not a country!”) or said that his name is unusual (“used to be until …people became ashamed of being English…they had to start stealing Irish and Scottish names…”), so I’ll just say Callum is intense. If you enjoy authors such as Ian Rankin, Ken Bruen, or Charlie Stella, if you like your detectives and P.I.s to have a lot of bad habits, a major chip on their shoulders, and be prone to violence, then this book is for you!

Stacy W.

Filed under: Fiction, Mystery by Neal
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Terrier by Tamora Pierce, 2006 – Book 1 of the Beka Cooper series
Young Adult fiction

Tamora Pierce has created a number of quartets featuring strong heroines – The Song of the Lioness, Protector of the Small, and Wild Magic – in the medieval fantasy land of Tortall. In Terrier, Pierce starts her new series hundreds of years in the past, when the mean streets of the Lower City were policed by Dogs, or law enforcers who tracked down the worst criminals and brought them to justice before the Lord Provost. Sixteen-year-old Beka Cooper is a trainee destined for greatness, we hope. Pierce readers will latch onto the last name and start the series wondering how Beka’s family line will eventually produce George Cooper, the Rogue, or famed King of Thieves. Terrier is written in first person, diary format, and the limited perspective increases the mystery as Beka tracks the Shadow Snake to recover stolen children. With Pierce working on the Circle Reforged series and graphic novels, the problem with the Beka Cooper series is the time between each book. Readers waited three years for book two, Bloodhound, and I can only cross my fingers with the optimistic release date of 2010 for Mastiff.

Cathy R.

Filed under: Fiction, Teen by Neal
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I actually read the book “The Art of Racing in the Rain” by Garth Stein a year ago but every time I see the cover I think “everyone should read this book-or at least all dog lovers”. I cannot explain how much I loved the book and the dog named Enzo that stars in it. Before I go any further I must inform you that Enzo does pass away in the end but he lived a good life and he was ready to go. I cried anyway! This story is written from Enzo’s point of view (but it is not cutesy) and he is a smart dog. Enzo attributes most of his intelligence to the fact that he spends a lot of time watching documentaries and other educational TV. His owner, Denny, is a race car driver who drives in endurance races. Denny loses his wife to illness and is barely keeping afloat financially. On top of all this, he has to wage a custody battle for his daughter with his late wife’s evil parents. Everything turns out fine in the end for Denny and his daughter Zoe. The last chapter will almost do you in as you read it and Enzo can barely walk or eat anymore-but he is so excited to pass away because he believes that he will come back as a man. I know there’s a lot of books out there starring dogs (some fact, some fiction) but I believe this one is a cut above the rest.

Stacy W.

Filed under: Fiction by Neal
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Tunneling to the center of the earth: stories

By Kevin Wilson

 I loved this book! First of all I love short stories. I love their economy and the way they (usually) leave you wanting more. This particular book of short stories is a real gem.  They sparkle with quirky, but surprisingly relatable characters.  They deal with loss and trying to hold on…to something.  In my favorite story the lead character slaves away daily in a Scrabble factory looking for  “Q” tiles.  And if that isn’t enough his parents died of spontaneous combustion.  These stories might be short but they are long on meaning and feeling. If you read this book be sure to read the authors notes. They are very funny.

Sherri M.

Filed under: Fiction by Neal
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Entertainment reporter Jill Rappaport has written a wonderful children’s book called “Jack and Jill” that deals with cancer. Jack is one of Jill’s many dogs and he lives a happy life with Jill on her farm, doing the kinds of things that dogs love to do. When bone cancer threatens to destroy everything, Jack gets his leg amputated by the vet to stop the cancer from spreading. The book shows how even though Jack only has three legs and losing one was scary, he goes back to being the same doggy and doing the same things he always loved to do. Filled with photographs of Jack both before and after his amputation, this book might help ease the scariness a child feels when they or someone in their life develops cancer. My favorite part of the book is where Jack writes that he “discovered” that he wasn’t the only three-legged dog in the world-there are lots of other “tripods” all over the place. I know from an interview I saw that sadly, Jack has passed away, but the book does not mention this and the amputation did add several years to his life (good years-not years that he was laying around ill all the time). A great book for animal lovers and/or those dealing with serious illness.

Stacy W

Filed under: Children's, Non Fiction by Neal
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Death by Pantyhose , the sixth title in the Jaine Austen Mystery series by Laura Levine, continues the tradition of the series with its quirky humor, quick pace, lovable characters, and zany situations. This time Jaine Austen, a financially down-on-her-luck writer and part-time detective who is not in any way related to the famous author of the same name, is hired by an excruciatingly unfunny feminist comic named Dorcas to spruce up her comedy act. To prep for her work, Jaine goes to a local comedy club to watch Dorcas perform. After watching Dorcas tell some bad jokes and cut up pantyhose for the finale of her act, Jaine and the entire club witnesses an angry altercation between Dorcas and another comic named Vic. This arrogant and immoral rival comic, who also happens to be Dorcas’ ex-husband, is soon after found murdered–strangled by a pair of pantyhose like the kind Dorcas shreds during her act. Dorcas is the main suspect and Jaine, who firmly believes in her client’s innocence, is on the case to save Dorcas and to bring the guilty party to justice. As the investigation continues and suspects come out the woodwork, Jaine must use all of her sleuthing skills to separate truth from deception. There are also fun appearances of series regulars, including: Jaine’s fabulous next door neighbor Lance, her sweet best friend Kandi, her regal and manipulative cat Prozac, and frequent emails from her retired eccentric parents. Author Laura Levine, a veteran comedy writer with The Bob Newhart, Show, Laverne & Shirley, and Three’s Company, keeps her fans eagerly anticipating more mysteries and more laughs. Those new to the series will want to start with the first book in the series, This Pen for Hire.

Jessica P.

Filed under: Fiction, Mystery by Neal
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Normally a novel written in verse is not my cup of tea but “Sharp Teeth” by Toby

Barlow got great reviews and I liked the subject (werewolves) so I thought I would give it a try-I am really glad I did! The setting is L.A. and a pack of werewolves plot to take over the city in a way that might actually work. The werewolves in this book do not change from human to dog during a full moon-they can change back and forth whenever they want. What they decide to do (after getting the city to go no kill at its animal shelter) is to infiltrate the dog pound in their canine forms and get adopted out into families and then they can wreak havoc. But things do not go smoothly as one of the werewolves decides she doesn’t want that life anymore and falls in love (in her human form) with one of the dogcatchers, Anthony. Anthony is the only decent employee at the pound because the others either thrive on animal cruelty, don’t care about animals, or are looking to make money on the side by secretly selling dogs they catch to dogfighters. There are also various other “packs” of werewolves in the story and the packs do not get along or have the same goals. Last, but not least, there is a human bad guy employing some of the wolves to do his dirty work and a cop trying to figure everything out. I’m still not going to look for more novels written in verse, but for some reason it works really well with this story and is a very easy, fast read.

Stacy W.

Filed under: Fiction by Neal
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Columbine by Dave Cullen

This book is what it claims to be: not just an account of the events of April 20, 1999, but also an analysis of the events leading up to the day that two high school seniors decided to blow up their high school and mow down as many survivors as possible and the ensuing investigation that quickly became muddled in speculation, cover ups, and runaway rumors. Dave Cullen has done a superb job of giving readers another perspective of the massacre America simply refers to as “Columbine”.

Since that day, the accepted theory behind the attack has been that these two boys were outcasts who were bullied to the point of murder and that they wanted to kill as many bullying jocks as they could. Cullen offers a thesis that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold did not just plan to kill jocks, they planned to indiscriminately kill as many people at Columbine as possible. Using the two boys’ journals, evidence gathered from the boys’ homes the day of the shootings, personal interviews with friends and victims, and tens of thousands of police documents, including “The Basement Tapes,” Dave Cullen paints a picture that is much more elaborate than the chain of events the mainstream media has given.

Perhaps one of the features that sets this book apart is its broad focus on several groups: the killers, the victims, the police, and the community. He demonizes no one, but also refuses to relieve any responsibility from those involved. Were Harris and Klebold bullied? Probably, but Cullen believes it irresponsible to acknowledge this as the sole catalyst for an event so vicious, pre-meditated, and cold-hearted.

This book is not for the faint of heart. It will evoke emotions from even hardened readers, but is not sensational. Columbine will probably prove to be controversial, but it is an excellent fresh perspective on the events surrounding that horrible day, and one that everyone should pick up.

Sarah P.

Filed under: Non Fiction by Neal
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