The Wild Truth by Carine McCandless

20 Friday Feb 2015

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Biography, Non-fiction

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abused children, adventurers, brothers and sisters, Chistopher Johnson McCandless, dysfunctional families

Carine McCandless, the sister of Chris McCandless whose life was so eloquently portrayed by Jon Krakauer in INTO THE WILD, has now written her own poignant and heartfelt story. Krakauer’s book moved thousands of readers, each of whom had his/her own idea about why Chris McCandless left the world behind and went into the wilds of Alaska. His sister, however, explains that he was running away from his troubled and abusive family. As Leo Tolstoy said in Anna Karenina, “All happy families are alike, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”

“The Wild Truth is an important book on two fronts: It sets the record straight about a story that has touched thousands of readers, and it opens up a conversation about hideous domestic violence hidden behind a mask of prosperity and propriety.”–NPR.org

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The Homesman by Glendon Swarthout

13 Friday Feb 2015

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction, Historical Fiction, western

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Midwest, suicidal behavior, Western stories, women pioneers

The Homesman was originally published in 1988 but has recently been released as a paperback in conjunction with a major motion picture starring Tommy Lee Jones and Hilary Swank. It’s always fun to read the book first and then see the movie! The main characters, George Briggs, a low-life claim jumper, and Mary Bee Cuddy, an indomitable and resourceful spinster, are forced into some sort of functioning relationship as they trek back to the East from the Midwest during the 1850’s, battling ice storms, Indian attacks, famine and loneliness. The book highlights the plight of American frontier women and the hardships that they endured. After reading this book, the reader will appreciate the comforts of 21st century living.

“I tell friends what The Homesman is about and their eyes open wide and they can’t wait to read it. And that’s just the plot. Swarthout puts you there, in time and place. I love the way he writes.” (Elmore Leonard)

“No reader should even attempt to guess what happens. Surprise piles upon surprise… Glendon Swarthout has honed writing excellence to a nearly unsurpassable level… A powerful novel… A classic of vivid realism and gripping storytelling.” (Associated Press)

“Totally involving from its very first words… a dangerous journey into the soul, an exploration of the relationships of men and women to each other, to their environments and—ultimately most devastatingly—to themselves.” (Los Angeles Times Book Review)

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In the Woods by Tana French

15 Thursday Jan 2015

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction, mystery

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detectives, Dublin, Ireland, murder investigation, mystery

This is a gripping, beautifully written mystery set in Ireland. The narrator, a detective who was part of an unsolved case as a child, is confronted with his past when another crime takes place in his hometown decades later. I was intrigued to learn that this is the first in a series of loosely linked books, all part of the “Dublin Murder Squad,” and I look forward to reading the next one.

“Tana French’s In the Woods is tangled, dark, and impossible to put down. With a story like a freight train and characters so vivid that I found myself wondering what they were doing while I wasn’t reading it, it’s one of the best books I’ve read this year. In fact, it’s so good that I wish I’d written it – it’s absolutely brilliant.” — Kelly Braffet, author of LAST SEEN LEAVING and JOSIE AND JACK

“With her utterly beautiful and brilliantly evocative prose, Tana French invites us into a murky netherworld so seductive and engrossing that we can’t turn away, even when we try. Ms. French is an extraordinary writer and IN THE WOODS is a stellar debut. “– Lisa Unger, author of the New York Times bestseller BEAUTIFUL LIES and SLIVER OF TRUTH –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour by Lynne Olson

08 Thursday Jan 2015

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Non-fiction

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alliances, diplomatic history, military leadership, US-Great Britian foreign relations, World War II

Lynne Olson focuses on three extraordinary Americans who were in London from 1939-1945, Edward R. Morrow, the broadcast journalist, John Gilbert Winant, the American ambassador to Great Britain, and Averell Harriman, a confidante of both Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. Their relationships with each other and others, including Pamela Churchill, the prime minister’s daughter-in-law and Tommy Hitchcock, a wealthy bon-vivant who flew fighter planes, changed the course of history. The author brings war-torn London alive in a fascinating way! This book was a great hit with Weston’s new Non-Fiction Book Discussion Group.

“Ingenious history . . . All three men were colorful, larger-than-life figures, and Olson’s absorbing narrative does them justice.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)\

“An engaging history . . . a vibrant city fueled by courage and resolve.”—The Christian Science Monitor

“[A] cracking good read.”—New York Post

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Even This I Get to Experience by Norman Lear

29 Monday Dec 2014

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Biography

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comedy, directors, producers, screenwriters, television culture

From the comedic genius who brought you Archie Bunker in “All in the Family”, “Maude”, “The Jeffersons”, and countless other TV productions comes Norman Lear’s autobiography. An extraordinary, funny, touchingly warm and beautifully written review of a life lived, for 92 years, with love, passion, honesty, and humor.

“This is, flat out, one of the best Hollywood memoirs ever written… An absolute treasure.”-Booklist (starred)

“The Norman Lear who emerges from “Even This I Get to Experience” is engaging and unpompous, an amusing storyteller who pokes fun at himself and writes with brutal honesty about his life, especially his childhood. And what a story!”-The Wall Street Journal“Immensely likeable…[Lear] isn’t always a mensch in “Even This I Get to Experience” (italics, characteristically, his), but at least he can write like one…. In this city, Norman Lear and his post-coaxial contemporaries built a mass medium with their bare hands. On good days — as Lear well recalls, and recalls well — they made it sing. If only more with their talent had lived so long; if only more who live so long had his talent.”-Los Angeles TimesFind this book Find the audio cd’s

Rise: a Soldier, a Dream and a Promise Kept by Daniel Rodriquez with Joe Layden

22 Monday Dec 2014

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Biography, Non-fiction, Sports

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Afghan War, Clemson Tigers, football, post-traumatic stress disorder, United States Army, veterans

An inspirational story of a young man who barely graduated from high school, enlisted in the Army, saw combat in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and then promised himself that if he returned to the US alive that he would play college football. Pure guts and determination propelled this young man from the battle field to the football field. A must read!

“Daniel Rodriguez–a decorated combat veteran–doesn’t sugarcoat the hard parts of his life. A warrior who fought on the battlefield, wrestled with PTSD, and now wins victories on the gridiron, his story reminds us that with grit and determination we can move through suffering to strength. Rise is an inspiring story of a resilient warrior who knows what it means to keep a promise.” –Eric Greitens, Navy SEAL and author of New York Times bestseller, The Heart and the Fist

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Hunting and Gathering by Anna Gavalda; translated from the French by Alison Anderson

10 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction

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France, friendship, marginality, Paris

I discovered this diamond in the rough. Four people, having hit rock bottom in their varied lives, who don’t even really like each other but are forced to live in an apartment in Paris because there is nowhere else, somehow rise above their broken lives. Through dialogue alone, one learns about their back stories. From the dust cover: “Apart, they may be homeless, but together, this curious, damaged quartet may be able to face the world”. This is a hopeful, uplifting book. Their journey-to-find joy will stick with you long after you have put the book down. I have heard from some who make it a point to re-read this book every year.

“Enjoyable, well-paced and engaging” — Houston Times Literary Supplement

“Like Amelie, Hunting and Gathering stops at nothing to make the reader feel good. Reading it reminded me of tucking into one of those beautifully constructed little cakes that you see in the windows of elegant French patisseries” Sunday Telegraph

“An elegant, ironic tale. This will be a classic.” Cosmopolitan

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Care of Wooden Floors by Will Wiles

03 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction

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black humor, care and maintenance, comedy, domestic, housesitting, wooden floors

Witty, dark, and hysterical are just a few of the adjectives that describe this novel. British humor at its best.

“If you are a fan of Kafka, you should enjoy this novel, which is reminiscent of The Metamorphosis.” —Kirkus Reviews

“One of the funniest and cleverest books of the year.….Care of Wooden Floors reads like a farce directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and the novel’s denouement will surprise even the most jaded readers.” —Washington Independent Review of Books

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feastonbooksblog

~ Time is precious – read the best first

The Wild Truth by Carine McCandless

The Homesman by Glendon Swarthout

In the Woods by Tana French

Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour by Lynne Olson

Even This I Get to Experience by Norman Lear

Rise: a Soldier, a Dream and a Promise Kept by Daniel Rodriquez with Joe Layden

Hunting and Gathering by Anna Gavalda; translated from the French by Alison Anderson

Care of Wooden Floors by Will Wiles