Staff Reads for May

People of the Book Geraldine Brooks
Combining the elements of a complex love story and exciting mystery, Brooks’s latest, historical novel is about the discovery of an ancient Jewish text and the adventures of its passionate restorer.
The Prince of Frogtown Rick Bragg 306.8742 BRA
Another poignant, humorous memoir from journalist Rick Bragg but this one focuses on the hard scrabble life of his father and his stepson. Braggs’s description of the Appalachian landscape and narration of his childhood are wonderful.
Run Ann Patchett
A wise novel about belonging and parenthood that attempts to define family and human concerns without being heavy-handed. A timely book whose characters we know quite well by the story’s end.

What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception Scott McClellan 973.931 MCC
Former White House press secretary McClellan examines the Bush administration’s inept handling of such crises as Hurricane Katrina, the Iraq war, and Washington’s political infighting.
Codex 632: The Secret Identity of Christopher Columbus José Rodrigues dos Santos
The pursuit to uncover Christopher Columbus’s true identity is fascinating but eventually bogged down with convoluted details and plot twists. And the hero’s personal problems offer little to enrich this sometimes thought-provoking novel of hidden documents and historical enigmas.
Marrying Mozart Stephanie Cowell
The four Weber daughters share a rich artistic world with their parents as they struggle to find suitable husbands and a place for their unusual talents. Until one evening when young Amadeus walks into their lives. The strongest element of the story is Cowell’s realistic descriptions of eighteenth century Austria….you feel a part of this world and want to learn more about the life of Mozart.
Enders Game Orson Scott Card
Earth is under attack from alien “buggers,” and Ender Wiggin finds himself the unlikely hero fighting the aliens to save mankind. First in the Ender’s saga, Card’s series is filled with features sci-fi fans love including war games, genetic engineering and suspenseful plot twists.
Unmentionables: Poems Beth Ann Fennelly 811.54 FEN
What happens when a child of troubled parents grows up, gets married, has children of her own, and settles down to writing and teaching poetry? Fennelly’s very likable third book of verse attempts to such questions with vigor and ease.
MC