Karen

  1. Unlikely Friendships

    Staff Pick Review:
    Mon, Apr 29, 2013
    Unlikely Friendships
    Link to this book

    This sweet, sweet book is aimed directly at people like me who like pretty much anything with fur, feathers, or four feet.  Written by National Geographic  magazine writer Jennifer Holland, it was suggested to me after a co-worker --who also has a menagerie of cats (and birds) at home-- happened upon it one day while perusing the New Books display shelves.

     

  2. You came back: a novel

    Staff Pick Review:
    Mon, Mar 4, 2013
    Link to this book

    I loved this book.   It's not a happy story, but it takes you on a journey every single parent can imagine.

  3. The light between oceans: a novel

    Staff Pick Review:
    Mon, Jan 7, 2013
    The light between oceans
    Link to this book

    Wonderful book.   The lighthouse captivated me right from the start.  Seeing them in New England when I was a child gives them a special place in my imagination.  I have always wanted to stay in one.  My mother has told us only recently that dad actually thought about chucking it all and buying one.   But back to the book.  I loved it and had a hard time putting it down.  The characters were alive, and every single thing felt real.  There is much pain and sadness, but you feel it inside yourself without actually having to wade through depres

  4. Wicked business

    Staff Pick Review:
    Wed, Nov 28, 2012
    Wicked business
    Link to this book

    Another just plain fun read! If you like the Stephanie Plumb books, you'll like this series too. Diesel, one of Ranger's employees, breaks out on his own set of adventures. They are full of the same madcap mayhem we see with Stephanie, Morelli and Ranger, but these add a layer of magic and mystical powers. Lizzy is a pastry chef in Salem Massachusetts who also happens to be a "finder". Her talent is sensing special properties of inanimate objects. Lizzy and Diesel are off on a mission to find another one of a set of magical stones before Wulf or any other bad guys can get it.

  5. Turn of Mind

    Staff Pick Review:
    Mon, Oct 22, 2012
    Link to this book

    The first sentence sets the perfect tone for this wonderful debut novel from Alice LaPlante.  "Something has happened."  With so much attention on Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, this book provides a thoughtful but thoroughly terrifying portrait of a victim.  Dr. Jennifer White is a renowned orthopedic surgeon.

  6. A Surrey State of Affairs

    Wed, Sep 12, 2012
    A Surrey State of Affairs (2012)
    Link to this book

    Loved this book! A BBC British comedy in print. The main character is drawn to perfection; Constance Harding is a totally clueless but well meaning, well-bred, English lady. Her home is "a comfortable five-bedroom Georgian house located on the outskirts of a pleasant village in Surrey." She defines herself as wife to Jeffrey, mother to Rupert (a 25 year old IT consultant) and Sophie (a slightly directionless adolescent); she dotes on her Eclectus parrot Darcy. This book is a year in her life, told through her blog entries.

  7. Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun

    Wed, Jan 25, 2012
    Assault with a deadly glue gun
    Link to this book
    The first title in a new series, this is a stitch from beginning to end! (Pun intended) The heroine, Anastasia Pollack, is the crafts editor at what she describes as a"medium classy" national women's magazine. She has just been informed her husband was not out of town at a work meeting, but gambling in Las Vegas, keeled over and died. Sounds funny so far, right? Suddenly she is a widow, with enormous debts, no assets, and a self-proclaimed communist mother in law (and devil-dog) permanently living with her. But the surprises just keep on coming!

  8. Mornings with Barney

    Mon, Dec 19, 2011
    Mornings with Barney
    Link to this book

    I know, I know, we all cried when we read or saw Marley and Me. Do you really want to read another book about a man and his dog? I say yes, you do -- this one is different. By now you have figured out that I am a sucker for any animal story.

  9. Best of Me

    Wed, Nov 9, 2011
    The Best of Me
    Link to this book

    Every single one of this author's books has made me cry! Sparks continues his normal style of getting to a place in your life where either you must make a big decision, or you have one forced upon you. The consequences are never quite what you expect. He makes you examine your choice, and makes you think about how your life, or someone else's, would be if circumstances were different. If only you didn't have to choose. If only you could go back and change a choice. If only you could have it both ways. This particular story brings Amanda and Dawson together after many years.

  10. Things We Didn't Say

    Mon, Oct 3, 2011
    Things We Didn't Say
    Link to this book

    I really liked this book!  The title is absolutely perfect, and says it all.  The characters and their interactions are very real; you are smack dab in the middle of this family’s life.  Mom and dad are divorced, the kids live with dad, and he is engaged to a woman they barely know, much less trust.  You feel their hopes, share their dreams and hurts with each disappointment.  The story is told through the voice of one character at a time; each character gets their turn to talk, but they talk only to you and not each other.  And that, dear reader, is the proble

  11. The True Story of Hansel and Gretel

    Wed, Aug 24, 2011
    True Story of Hansel and Gretel
    Link to this book

    Will we ever truly understand what it was like to be Jewish in World War II? Probably not, but this book adds another perspective. Just like in the fairy tale you remember, two children are abandoned in the woods and if you pay close attention there is even a trail of breadcrumbs. But it isn't because the stepmother doesn't like them. The family is running for their very lives. They must all lose their identities in order to survive. Even their names have to change. There is a cottage in the woods, a mysterious and frightening old woman, and a big oven.

  12. Before I go to sleep

    Mon, Jul 18, 2011
    Before I go to sleep
    Link to this book

    Our memories are what make us who we are. Imagine waking up in the morning and having absolutely no memory of your life. Now imagine doing that every day, for years. This is the situation for Christine, who has a rare form of amnesia. Each day is a blank slate. A first novel from British author S. J. Watson, I found this to be an exciting and haunting story. There are a few terms that give it a British flavor, but it could easily take place anywhere. The main character is someone you care about from page one, as she shares her life, one day at a time.

  13. Map of True Places

    Wed, Jun 8, 2011
    Map of True Places
    Link to this book

    Brunonia Barry is back with an emotionally resonant novel of tragedy, secrets, identity and love.

Send a Question or Comment to Appleton Public Library.

AddThis
Subscribe to Karen