Fiction

Amano, Kozue. Aqua v.1. Tokyopop, 2008. (Graphic Novel/Manga)

The planet Mars has been terra-formed and renamed Aqua. It’s now a water planet. Akari Mizunashi has just arrived on Aqua from Earth to pursue her dream of becoming an Undine. Undine’s are gondola tour guides in the city of Neo-Venizia, which has been built to replicate the ancient earth city of Venice. Before she left earth, Akari learned to row a gondola using a computer simulator. Unfortunately, Akari learned to row backwards and will now have to correct the problem. Join Akari and her friends on their unusual adventures on the planet Aqua. This book is recommended for teens age 13 and up. - Maya Jones, BPL, West End Branch

Brooks, Geraldine. People of the Book. Viking, 2008.

Geraldine Brooks has another winner with her imagining of the historical beginnings and world travel of the Sarajevo Haggadah, a medieval illuminated Hebrew manuscript. The sections alternating between past and present are flawlessly done. It seems nothing will EVER top her "Year of Wonders" but this is a solid effort that all her fans and new readers alike will enjoy! - Holley Wesley, Mt. Brook Public Library

Gerritsen, Tess. The Bone Garden. Ballantine, 2007.

Newly divorced Julia Hamill has struck out on her own and moved into a quaint old house. Julia is comfortable in her new home, working in her garden; that is, until she uncovers a skeleton while digging amongst the weeds in her backyard. A mysterious phone call from an old gentleman who claims to know the history of her old home soon follows; and the quest begins between Julia and her elderly friend to uncover the long history and story behind the old house. Moving back and forth between centuries (following the people behind the home's history), it is the 1800s, and young Rose has just lost her older sister to childbed fever. Now faced with caring for baby Meggy while avoiding her sister's abusive husband, Rose finds herself homeless and despondent. But she makes her way; Rose is a survivor, and finds her niece a wet-nurse to stay with, while also finding herself a place to lay her head at night. Meanwhile, Boston is besieged by a series of horrific murders, and the killer is dubbed the West End Reaper. The only two people to witness the killer are Rose and Norris--a dashing young medical student who cared for her sister during her illness. The two join together in their collective desire to see the killer caught--and in their need to protect Rose's young niece Meggy, who seems to somehow be at the center of everything. A stand-alone novel by Gerritsen, with only a cameo appearance from one of the characters from her series, this novel is chocked full of suspense and romance, in addition to being rich in detailing the history of the medical profession overall. I loved this book and found it impossible to put down. – Leslie West, Vestavia Hills Public Library

Graham, Jo. Black Ships. Orbit, 2008.

A retelling of Aeneid. Gull's childhood injury leads her to the caves of the Lady of the Dead, where she eventually takes up the mantle of prophetess and leads a king to his destiny. Epic and tender. HiGhLy ReCoMmEnDeD!!! - Holley Wesley, Mt. Brook Public Library

Grimwood, Ken. Replay.

The main character dies at age 43 at the beginning of the story, only to "awaken" in his college dorm room 20 years earlier with complete memory and knowledge of the future. What a concept! And this happens to him over and over and over again. He has the chance to live wildly different lives each time based on knowledge and wisdom he acquires through each new 20 year span. He can avoid mistakes and try new options. And halfway through our story he meets a woman who is also "replaying". They fall in love and find each other to replay each new incarnation. The whole idea I find fascinating. I've entertained myself on countless occasions imagining what I might do differently if given the gift of replaying. It would be very interesting to wake up in my college dorm room with my whole life to live over again, with all the knowledge that I have now, at my disposal then! How many roads untaken would I go down, and what would those lives be like? Wonderful story, fascinating ideas, highly recommended reading......... – Leslie West, Vestavia Hills Public Library

Groff, Lauren. The Monsters of Templeton. Voice/Hyperion, c2008.

The basic story in this odd town of Templeton is interesting but unfortunately the historical story intertwined with it left me somewhat confused. The following review is from Kirkus Reviews. Cooperstown, N.Y., and its most famous native son provide first-time novelist Groff with much of the grist for this sprawling tale of a young woman searching for her father. In The Pioneers, James Fenimore Cooper rechristened his (and Groff's) hometown as Templeton; she not only adopts the name, but grafts her protagonist onto the family tree of a character from the novel, Judge Marmaduke Temple. Grad student Willie Upton slinks back into Templeton in the summer of 2002 just as the corpse of a mysterious, 50-foot creature surfaces in Lake Glimmerglass. She's had a disastrous affair with a married professor and isn't sure she can go back to Stanford, Willie tells her feisty single mother. Vi, who always claimed not to know which member of her San Francisco commune knocked her up in 1973, has a surprise of her own. In truth, Willie's father lives in Templeton and doesn't even know he has a daughter. Vi won't tell Willie his name, but (implausibly) drops a big hint. Like Vi, Willie's dad is descended from Judge Temple, who apparently scattered illegitimate children across the 18th-century landscape. As Willie hunts through old documents for clues to her parentage, the voices of generations of Templeton residents mingle with those of such archetypal Cooper creations as Natty Bumppo and Chingachgook in a narrative that winds through 250 years of American history. The secrets uncovered include murder, arson, poisonous intra-family rivalries and the exploitation of slaves and Native Americans. The leviathan pulled out of the lake seems less of a monster than some of Templeton's respectable founders. Willie and other contemporary citizens are far nicer; readers will be pleased when the likable heroine meets her father, reconciles with Vi and forms a tentative new relationship with a decent guy. But there seem to be two novels here, and they don't fit together terribly well. Flawed, but commendably ambitious and stuffed with ideas�many of them not well developed, but inspiring hope for a more disciplined second effort from this talented newcomer. - Mondretta Williams, Leeds Public Library

Haldeman, Joe. The Accidental Time Machine. Ace Books, 2007.

A time-travel yarn in the classic style from Haldeman (A Separate War, 2006, etc.).In 2058, MIT graduate student Matt Fuller realizes that the calibrator he's built is actually a forward-traveling time machine. He tests it with a pet turtle, and then sticks it into a 1956 bright-red Thunderbird and escapes his rather unpromising present. Each time the machine is activated, it travels farther ahead. His first jaunt lands him about a month into the future, where he's faced with a murder charge; subsequent trips, impelled either by simply awkward or by downright dangerous situations, transport him to strange and often unpleasant futures, inhabited by religious fundamentalists, ignorant lotus-eaters or, apparently, by no humans at all. Along with two companions, an innocent young woman and a potentially duplicitous artificial intelligence, Matt persists in his journey, armed with evidence that suggests that just ahead of him lies the means to return to his starting point. A great deal of fun and compulsively readable while it lasts, and it leaves the reader wanting more. - Mondretta Williams, Leeds Public Library

Hall, Sarah. The Electric Michelangelo. Harper Perennial, 2005.

The steady flow of prose washes over you, but there is no sensation of drowning. Exquisite descriptive language, powerful images and characters you come to care about very much make this a book to be savored slowly like a rich dessert. - Holley Wesley, Mt. Brook Public Library

Hosseini, Khaled. A Thousand Splendid Suns. Riverhead Books, 2007.

Set against the political turmoil of Afghanistan, this novel is the story
of two women. Mariam, the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy businessman,
and Laila, the much younger daughter of a teacher, both become wives to an
abusive shoemaker in Kabul. At first rivals, the two become close
friends, almost as mother and daughter. The story is ultimately a story
of survival, friendship and, in the end, hope. - Marilyn Sessions, Springville Road Public Library

Hunt, Diann. Hot Flashes & Cold Cream. Thomas Nelson, 2007.

Maggie Hayden is fifty years old and has been happily married to Gordon for thirty years. They are the proud parents of two children who are out of the nest. Now Maggie spends her days cleaning the house and talking to their bald Chihuahua that has a bladder problem. Someone at sometime named him Crusher. ( A little humor inspired that.) Maggie's best friend, Lily, promotes the use of herbal supplements to help Maggie with her hot flashes, night sweats and short term memory lapses. Since Maggie loves Gordon deeply she does not want to share him with anyone-especially his young paralegal, Celine, who could pass for Paris or an old acquaintance recently divorced named Debra who keeps appearing where Gordon just happens to be. Fortunately, Maggie has met two young people who like her and need her. It doesn't hurt that they work in her favorite coffeehouse. This is a wonderful story about a woman and those around her who find time passing and their bodies and minds changing along with it. Any woman who has been there will enjoy this book. - Beth Hutcheson, Homewood Public Library

Hunt, Diann. RV There Yet? Thomas Nelson, 2006.

Can you imagine three independent women traveling cross country in an RV together? DeDe, Millie and Lydia had met at a camp in Colorado one summer in high school. Now they are more mature, as in fiftyish, menopausal and premenopausal. When they got word that Aspen Creek Bible Camp was in need of help from its alumni, the three friends decided to take time off from their "regular lives" and have an adventure. They met at Lydia's in Maine and got reacquainted while preparing for the
trip. Waldo, the recreational vehicle, had weeds growing up around it but Lydia thought "he" should be okay. On the trip from Maine to Colorado DeDe had time to reconsider her troubled relationship with Rob, Millie was paranoid about her job at the library and Lydia continued missing her late husband. Each expected to see certain people they remembered from camp. They also expected to work at fixing up the buildings and grounds of a place that meant good times. What happened on the way was unexpected and the group they reunited with at Aspen camp was a surprise, too. Millie's organizational skills helped and so did Lydia's culinary expertise. But Millie's trumpet playing resulted in a somewhat scary outcome. Time to rethink life, relationships and how we spend our time was productive for many of the alums. This is sure a fun read full of chick humor and situations. It is a good story about friends laughing, listening and caring about one another as they go through 'adventures.'  - Beth Hutcheson, Homewood Public Library

McCaig, Donald. Rhett Butler’s People. St. Martin’s Press, 2007.

McCaig's Rhett is thoroughly modern, both a product of his Charleston plantation and an emphatic rejection of it. He is filled with romance and ingenuity, grit and wit, and a toughness matched only by a sense of humility that evokes so gracefully the hardship and heartbreak of a society falling apart. It's not hard to love Rhett in his weakness for Scarlett's love, but it is entirely amazing to love him as he rescues Belle Watling, mentors her bright young son Tazewell, adores his sister Rosemary, dotes on dear Bonnie Blue, and defends his best friend Tunis Bonneau to the very end. McCaig broadens the canvas, giving Rhett new dueling and blockade-running adventures and adding intriguing characters like Confederate cavalier-turned-Klansman Andrew Ravanel, a rancid version of Ashley Wilkes who romances Rhett's sister Rosemary. He paints a richer, darker panorama of a Civil War-era South where poor whites seethe with resentment and slavery and racism are brutal facts of life that an instinctive gentleman like Rhett can work around but not openly challenge. McCaig thus imparts a Faulknerian tone to the saga that sharpens Mitchell's critique of Southern nostalgia without losing the epic sweep and romantic pathos. The result is an engrossing update of GWTW that fans of the original will definitely give a damn about. - – Leslie West, Vestavia Hills Public Library

Noire. G-Spot. Ballentine, 2006.

Set in Harlem New York the notorious Granite “G” is the drug-dealing money-hungry, controlling owner and operator of the G-Spot, the hottest social night club in New York City. Granite “G”, a certified gangster, has run Harlem with an iron fist for several years and his reputation is as bad as he is. Ms. Juicy Stanfield, the book’s main character, is a very attractive, very sexy 19 year old college student, who studies dance at a local college. She has been untouched by any other man and Granite “G” has claimed her as his main squeeze. As the book progresses, we discover that Ms. Juicy has an insatiable appetite for sex and Granite “G” being 27 years her senior, just can’t keep up nor satisfy her sexually. The book focuses on Juicy’s sexual fantasies and escapades as she strives to be fulfilled sexually, while trying to loosen the tight grip that her controlling man Granite “G” has on her. Filled with explicit language and sex scenes, G-Spot is hot! An interesting Urban Fiction erotic tale. - Andrei Jones, Five Points West Library

Riefe, Barbara. Against All Odds: The Lucy Scott Mitchum Story. Forge Books, 1996.

Lucy and Noah were living in Baltimore in 1849. The economy was shaky and people who had jobs were hanging onto them even if they didn't like them. Except that Noah had heard about the gold strike in California and he, too, wanted to try his luck finding their fortune. Thus ended Lucy's dream of being trained to teach school. The process of selling their home and most furnishings began. From Baltimore they traveled to Council Bluffs, Iowa, where they gathered and prepared supplies and equipment for the wagon train trip. Since most trains had left earlier in the year, this train only had four wagons. Three of those would be continuing to Oregon from the point where Lucy, Noah and their daughter headed toward California. The group toughened with the journey and learned to depend on one another in everything from cooking,
driving, fighting and tending the sick. They learned new ways of washing clothes, starting cook fires and conserving water. Lucy had made good friends during the months of travel so when the train separated it was truly wrenching. Mail delivery in that day was uncertain and travel to visit friends was not only costly but involved sailing great distances and hoping the ships made port. The trip west was undertaken by Lucy and their daughter because Noah wanted to find gold. Once they arrived in the Sacramento Valley another new life was beginning. This story is from the woman's perspective which shows how strong they had to be, how they held things together and kept all going. Once they left Council Bluffs they were not just involved in a trip, they were committed to survival and a new way of life. The prospect of fighting Indians and other outlaws was scary and fighting natural elements like crossing mountains and deserts and meeting with snakes, wolves and bears were tests that demanded their all. Would we be up to such a test today? . - Beth Hutcheson, Homewood Public Library

Smith, Lee. Family Linen. Ballentine Publishers, 1996.

This book revolves around a Southern family that has their share of secrets. This book is not only a WHO-DUN-IT? but also very, very funny. The characters are all related somehow and are all very comical. The writing flows and you will immediately be caught up in the great story and plot. This book revolves around a Southern family that has their share of secrets. This book is not only a WHO-DUN-IT but also very, very funny. The characters are all related somehow and are all very comical. The writing flows and you will immediately be caught up in the great story and plot.
We first meet Sybill, one of the family, who finally seeks help from a hypnotist for her dreadful recurring headaches. The hypnotist puts her under and BAM! Sybill flashes back to her childhood and remembers witnessing a horrible, awful, dreadful murder that involves her sweet, kind, proper, mother, Miss Elizabeth. Sybill returns at once to her hometown of Booker Creek for answers. Unfortunately, Miss Elizabeth is unconscious in the hospital and cannot answer any of her questions. But the story does not end there!!!! Then we meet all of Sybill's family -- her sister Myrtle who has it all -- money, THE house, a doctor hubby, looks great, is the perfect hostess, has the perfect life or does she? Myrtle's husband, Dr. Don, who runs the entire show and loves his wife's family, perhaps a little too much -- and a cast of other brothers/sisters/nieces/ nephews/cousins -- they are all unique and wonderful and FUN. This is a book that I highly recommend. Lee Smith has the absolute best writing ability to weave, weave, weave, the story, the characters, the plot, and all the FUN into a great big satisfying book that is full of insights into life, laughs, and surprises. Read this book. You won't be disappointed. Ms. Smith is one of THE BEST AUTHORS around these days! You can't go wrong!!!!! – Leslie West, Vestavia Hills Public Library

Vinge, Vernor. Rainbows End. Tor, 2006. (Hugo Award, 2007)

Robert Gu, once recognized as a major literary figure, has Alzheimer’s Disease, but in the technologically advanced world of 2025, he can be cured. Not only is his mental health restored, but the genetic treatment also gives him back his youthful strength and appearance even though he is in his seventies. Still, he must cope with having lost nearly twenty years of his life, and in that twenty years the world has become unrecognizable. Many people remain in constant touch with the internet through interfaces built into their clothes and by wearing special contact lenses; a Luddite of that era would be described as someone who doesn’t “wear.” Books as we know them have almost completely disappeared in favor of advanced online databases. And Gu must adjust to personal difficulties as well: before his illness he was a literary genius but none too likeable as a human being, a man who reveled in humiliating family and colleagues unable to measure up to his dazzling intellect. Now he is enrolled in the equivalent of remedial classes at the local secondary school, forced to rely on his grand-daughter and her circle of friends for assistance. As Gu struggles to gain a foothold in this bewildering future, he is drawn into a plot for development of a mind control device. As the extent of the plot becomes clearer to him, Gu plays a dangerous double game of appearing to be a struggling student in a “brave new world” while working to thwart the schemes of the cabal behind the weapon.
Rainbows End starts slowly but rewards the persistent reader. Once Robert Gu enters the narrative, the plot springs to life and doesn’t slow down for the rest of the novel. The climactic protest scene at the library of U.C. San Diego, featuring demonstrators disguised as various characters from fantasy, science fiction, and anime, is a riot in more ways than one. Whether the reader takes a dim view of technology or welcomes each new development with wonder, Rainbows End will appeal to both technophobe and technophile and is strongly recommended. – Mary Ann Ellis, Birmingham Public Library

Willett, Jincy. Winner of the National Book Award. RB Large Print, 2003.

This is an unusual novel that is somehow able to be at once bleak and hilarious, lighthearted and profound. It is the story of fraternal twin sisters. One is a woman of enormous appetites, sexual and otherwise. The other gave up sex without once trying it, and she live a controlled, dignified life of the mind. They are an odd pair, set down in an odd Rhode Island town, where everyone has a story to tell. – Beth Hutcheson, Homewood Public Library