Teeny Tales

The Night Circus - Adult Fiction

2012-01-29T11:43:00.000-08:00

Author: Erin Morgenstern. This is a debut novel.

Publication Date: 2011 Number of Pages: 387 Part of a Series: No.

Subject Heading(s):

Fantasy fiction

Magic

Magicians

Competition

Circus

Games

Circus performers

Good and evil

Geographical Setting/Time Period: London and Boston in the 19th century although the rest of the world is involved in the circus's travels.

Main Character(s):

Celia Brown: one of the game-players. She is six years old when the story begins. Her father is her trainer.

Marco: the second game-player. He is rescued from a London orphanage and trained in the ways of the game by his benefactor.

Secondary but important characters:

Prospero: a magician, father of Celia.

Alexander: also a magician, benefactor and trainer of Marco.

Widget and Poppet: twins born on opening night of the circus

Bailey Alden Clarke: a dreamer and contemporary of Widget and Poppet. He loves the circus and Poppet as well.

Chandresh Lefevre: an organizer of lavish events, inordinately lucky with returns on his dollar.

Plot Summary:

Two ancient magicians wager on the skills of two young people whom they train especially for the game. The venue for the challenge is a circus. Romance, intrigue and details describing the circus acts push the story through the time of telling. The players grow weary of the game and must struggle for a solution.

Appeal:

The tone of the book is romantic but not maudlin. There is mystery and delight in the lush descriptions of both the characters and the settings.

Brief quote:

Twelve of the fire performers quietly enter the courtyard with small platforms that they set up along the perimeter like numbers on a clock. Precisely one minute before the hour, they each ascend their respective platforms and pull from their backs shimmering black bows and arrows. At thirty seconds before midnight, they light the tips their arrows with small dancing yellow flames. Those in the crowd who had not noticed them previously now watch in wonder. At ten seconds before the hour, they raise their bows and aim the flaming arrows at the waiting well of curling iron. As the clock begins to chime near the gates, the first archer lets his arrow fly, soaring over the crowd and hitting its mark in a shower of sparks. (p. 93)

Prizes or Awards:

Starred reviews in Booklist, Library Journal, Publishers' Weekly and Kirkus. Novelist gives it a blue ribbon which I assume means First Prize!

Similar Works:

Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter. A cast of eccentric characters, unconventional stories and the circus as a setting ties these two titles together. Nights at the Circus is not quite as dark in tone as The Night Circus but does have a similar feel. (Novelist)

Reviewer’s Name: Nancy Rimassa

Adapted from Saricks, Joyce G. and Nancy Brown. Readers= Advisory Service in the Public Library 2^nd. Chicago: ALA, 1997.

Song Yet Sung - Historical Fiction

2011-12-21T20:29:00.000-08:00

Author: James McBride
Publication Date: 2008

Number of Pages: 368

Geographical Setting/Time Period: 19^thCentury Chesapeake Bay Region (1861-1865)

Main Character(s):

Liz Spocott (Strong and beautiful runaway who sees the future);

Patty Cannon (Heartless, wicked mass slave trader);

Denwood Long (A troubled sympathetic slave hunter);

Woolman (A kind feral black man);

Amber (generous and helpful slave who knows “the code”);

Kathleen Sullivan (Kind widow who treats her slaves like family)

Plot Summary:

Liz is an injured runaway slave who can see the future in her dreams; she helps 14 other runaways escape from Patty Cannon’s attic. Patty and her posse are in constant pursuit of the runaways. “The code” protects those who know it in finding assistance in their attempts to make it to the freedom line. When two young boys, one black one white, vanish the town scrambles to find them and everyone begins to realize who can be trusted, regardless of skin color.

Appeal:

This is a slow paced novel where the characters quest for freedom is intricately described. McBride uses authentic dialect between the characters to tell the story of the runaway slaves. The search for truth and freedom add to the sense of anticipation throughout the book with an overlying bleak tone. The dual perspective that McBride offers of the Underground Railroad and “the code” with references to Harriet Tubman and the future of Martin Luther King will appeal to readers.

Brief quote: “Them dreams you got, he said, the children that’s fat and running round, Killing each other. The colored men who dress up as boys, they ain’t no different from the folks around here. Some is up to the job of being decent, and some ain’t.”(160).

Prizes or Awards: None.

Similar Works:

The Color of Water: a Blackman’s tribute to his white mother by James McBride (similar details regarding African American Men; mother and son relationships; and ethnic identity)–Reader’s Advisory Online

Someone Knows my Name by Lawrence Hill (Similar themes regarding slaves and African American women)–NovelistPlus

Reviewer’sName:LenoreSt.John

AdaptedfromSaricks,JoyceG.andNancyBrown.Readers=AdvisoryServiceinthePublicLibrary2^nd.Chicago:ALA,1997.

The Paris Wife - Historical Fiction

2011-12-19T20:38:00.000-08:00

Author: Paula McLain Publication Date: 2011 Number of Pages: 318

Geographical Setting/Time Period: 1920-25, the jazz age in Paris

Main Characters:

Hadley Hemingway - the first wife of Ernest Hemingway. She is deeply in love with Ernest, supportive of his vision to be a great writer. but dependent on him to give her life purpose.

Ernest Hemingway - a charming, moody, selfish young man. He is driven by demons to write. His community of friends allow a patron supported lifestyle that seems unrealistic by today's standards.

Plot Summary: Friends of friends, two young people meet in Chicago and fall in love. They marry and move to Paris, pursuing the young man's dream to become a writer. The young woman, a musician of some talent, allows her skill to remain only a peripheral part her life, choosing to support her husband in his efforts. Their circle of friends supports a lifestyle that seems unrealistic by today's standards. The young man is a philanderer and eventually is forced to choose fidelity or divorce

Appeal: Character driven, the tone of the book is romantic. Based on historical fact, there is an inevitability to the narrative. There is a small sense of world-building as the culture of the Paris group in the 1920s is hinted at.

Brief quote: "I closed my eyes and let meyself fall, barreling down over the hard bumps. I'd had so much to drink I couldn't feel a thing -- nothing but a thrilling sense of wildness and freedom. It was a kind of euphoria, really, and fear was a key part of it." (p. 21)

Prizes or Awards: Starred reviews in Kirkus and Library Journal

Similar Works: Loving Frank by Nancy Horan,

Reviewer’s Name: Nancy Rimassa

Adapted from Saricks, Joyce G. and Nancy Brown. Reader’ Advisory Service in the Public Library 2nd. Chicago: ALA, 1997.

The Linnet Bird - Historical Fiction

2011-12-17T19:39:00.000-08:00

Author: Linda Holeman Publication Date: 2004

Number of pages: 376

Geographical Setting/Time Period: 1823-1840; Liverpool, England; Calcutta, India; Kashmir;

Main Characters:

Linnet Gow (aka Linnet Smallpiece, then Linnet Ingram): damaged girl with a strong sense of self.
Shaker (Geffrey) Smallpiece: good hearted librarian and amateur herbalist with palsied hands who helps Linny escape the streets. F
aith Vespry (then Snow): Linny’s spirited friend who convinces her to come to India.
Somers Ingram: Linny’s sadistic husband who shares a secret from the past with her.
Daoud: Pushtun chief, Linny’s first love.
David: Linny and Daoud’s child

Plot Summary:

At age 11, Linnet is sold into prostitution. She works until the age of seventeen, when Shaker befriends her and gives her a new identity as his cousin. Later she accompanies her friend Faith to India. She discovers Somers’ predilections, and he in turn figures out that she is not what she seems either. He threatens to expose her past until she agrees to a marriage of convenience with him. Later, Linny and Faith go on a trip to a far off town, with disastrous results. Linny ends up in Daoud’s comfortable, friendly village in Kashmir. She and Daoud fall in love but he must leave, so she goes back to Calcutta, where she finds she is pregnant with his child. She cleverly convinces Somers that the baby is his, and dulls her senses with opium after the baby is born. Somers puts all the pieces together and figures out who Linny really is, and that they have a terrible connection from the past. He threatens to have her institutionalized to keep all these secrets. The situation looks hopeless, but Linny is a very tough woman.

Appeal: This rather lurid, fast paced novel has rich detail of the Victorian Liverpool underworld, the British Raj era of India, and the landscape and social customs of same. The characters are intriguing, human and flawed. The people we care the most about change somewhat for the better over the course of the story. The novel combines historical detail and an engaging if somewhat predictable plot with a small amount of intense romance.

Brief Quote: “Everywhere, brilliant colors swarmed; I had to close my eyes for a moment to distinguish what I was seeing. Women’s saris in bright pink, orange and red, carts heaped with unfamiliar fruit and vegetables. Dark faces under white turbans. As we drew nearer the pier, I breathed in scents I couldn’t identify but which I was sure, from my reading, must be jasmine, sandalwood, cloves and ginger. But there was something else. Underneath it all there was a foetid, cloying odor, of urine, dirt and decay, A deep smell of rot that I recognized from the seeping cellars in Liverpool’s meanest courts” (p149).

Similar Works: The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber is also a vividly detailed historical fiction about Victorian society and underworld with a very sympathetic main character. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters takes place in the same era among the same kind of people, but is more of a gothic/mystery. The Observations by Jane Harris is also a mysterious Victorian novel.

Reviewer: Alexis Whitney

Fire in Beulah - Historical Fiction

2011-12-15T21:02:00.000-08:00

Author: Rilla Askew Pub. Date: 2001

Pages: 376

Geographical Setting/Time Period: Tulsa, OK / 1920-21

Main Characters:

• Althea Dedmeyer- secretive, disagreeable, and insecure wife of a wildcatter;

• Graceful Whiteside- Althea’s proud and enigmatic African-American housemaid;

• Japheth Whiteside- Althea’s violent, cunning, roustabout brother.

• Franklin Dedmeyer- a jovial and driven wildcatter.

Plot Summary:

Althea Dedmeyer (nee Whiteside) married into Tulsa’s high society when she found Franklin, a driven wildcatter with a kind heart. Secure in her station but emotionally dissatisfied and struggling with inner turmoil, she often releases her frustrations on her African-American housemaid, strong, deliberate Graceful. When Japheth Whiteside, Althea’s dangerous roustabout brother, arrives in Tulsa, his machinations threaten to collapse Althea’s carefully constructed reality, destroy Franklin’s oil partnership and hopes of tapping the next big gusher, and propel Tulsa society closer to racial violence. As racial tension explodes into the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921, Japheth stokes the hatred and Althea struggles to come to terms with African-Americans as real people with families and lives as she tries to help Graceful through the riot and back to her family.

Appeal:

• Pace- leisurely, significantly picks up near the end;

• Characters- unique and intimately portrayed; lifelike and relatable;

• Storyline- character-driven, layered and complex;

• Frame- engrossing, transporting, vivid, central to the story;

• Tone- ominous

Brief quote: “Althea snatched up the hat from the ally floor and reached her in an instant; she said again, “That was not your brother? Hear me?” Because she was unwilling that it be so. Because if they were going o drag niggers behind cars it should be nameless niggers, bad niggers, dangerous ones who raped white women and carried knives in their boots, not little boys who stared solemnly from photographs, and Althea said it again, hissed the words, “That wasn’t him!”” (p.320)

Prizes or Awards: American Book Award 2002; Gustavus Myers Outstanding Book Award 2003

Similar Works:

Harpsong or The Mercy Seat, also by Rilla Askew (style, historical fiction, setting);

The burning: massacre, destruction, and the Tulsa race riot of 1921 by Tim Madigan (nonfiction on same topic);

Mean Spirit by Linda Hogan (OK, race relations, oil industry, 1920s)

*All similar works and comparisons found through NoveList.

Reviewer’s Name: Cyndi Selinger

Adapted from Saricks, Joyce G. and Nancy Brown. Readers= Advisory Service in the Public Library 2nd. Chicago: ALA, 1997.

Code Talker - Historical Fiction

2011-12-13T21:24:00.000-08:00

Author: Joeseph Bruchac Publication Date: 2005

Number of Pages: 231

Setting: United States and Occupied Pacific Islands/ World War Two 1943-1945

Main Character:

Ned Begay- intelligent and eager Navajo student; loyal, capable, and strong Marine

Plot Summary: A grandfather addressing his grandchildren speaks of his life as a Navajo Marine. He begins with his time in mission school where he was taught the Navajo language was wrong and useless. Later he becomes a member of the elite group of code talkers for the Marine Corps in World War Two. His native tongue helped the US create an unbreakable code used for the most important messages in the war. He discusses his personal experiences in the war.

Appeal: Story line follows the life of the main character; Character fitting for the time period; Conversational style (first person) generates a quick pace but still historically and statistically detailed; Minimal graphic violence; Appeal to adults who read YA novels, interested in Native American literature, and/or enjoy personal accounts of war (fictional).

Brief quote: “Speaking. Speaking through that day and the next and the next. Even when our voices grew hoarse, we did not stop. Our Navajo nets kept everything connected like a spider’s strands spanning distant branches. The winds of batter lever broke our web. As the battle for Iwo Jima raged all around up, our voices held it together” (187).

Prizes or Awards: ALA Notable Children's Books Older Readers Category: 2006; YALSA Best Books for Young Adults: 2006; Starred Reviews in Booklist and Kirkus;

Similar Works: Heroes Don't Run: A Novel of the Pacific War by Harry Mazer: first person; personal war account; historical fiction; teen historical fiction; WW2 in the Pacific (found on NL, selected by reviewer)

Windtalkers: A novelization by Max Allen Collins: same subject matter; fast paced (found on NL, selected by reviewer) *movie tie-in, also available on DVD

The Pacific HBO miniseries (Nonfiction companion book of same title by Hugh Ambrose): World War Two in the Pacific (selected by reviewer)

Reviewer’s Name: Julia Robinson

Adapted from Saricks, Joyce G. and Nancy Brown. Readers’ Advisory Service in the Public Library 2^nd. Chicago: ALA, 1997.

The Master Butchers Singing Club - Historical Fiction

2011-12-12T19:50:00.000-08:00

Author: Louise Erdrich Publication Date: 2003

Number of Pages: 389

Geographical Setting/Time Period: Argus, North Dakota, 1918 - 1954

Main Character(s):

Delphine Watzka, a strong, quirky, capable young woman
Fidelis Waldvogel, a German immigrant, and the character that gives structure to the story.
Cyparian Lazarre, a gay acrobat and companion to Delphine.
Eva Kalb, wife to Fidelis

Plot Summary:
German immigrants between the two world wars create a life and business in a small town on the American plains. Locals and their stories are woven into the family’s tale when Fidelis starts a singing club for men. The family and the town endure through illness, accident, murder and finally the Great Depression.

Appeal: Pacing – The story is told at a relaxed pace. It is richly-layered and unfolds slowly as the characters think about the way their lives have turned.

Characterization – The characters are painted using details from the daily routines of their lives. Folks drift into the story and become a part of it without fanfare.

Storyline – is character-driven, told in third person with several viewpoints offered to the reader

Frame – The story begins on two separate continents, chapters alternating briefly between two sets of characters. Soon the separate parts are joined by the actions of the characters and the story moves more quickly.

Tone – is somewhat melancholy and introspective although there are moments of violence and suspense.

Brief quote: “Step-and-a-Half hummed in her sleep and sank deeper into her own tune, a junker’s pile of tattered courting verse and hunter’s wisdom and the utterances of itinerants or words that sprang from a bit of grass or a scrap of cloud or a prophetic pig’s knuckle, in a world where butchers sing like angels.”

Prizes or Awards: Finalist for National Book Award, America’s preeminent literary prize.

Similar Works: My Antonia by Willa Cather (character-driven, relaxed pace, introspective story about immigrants), Novelist.

Reviewer’s Name: Nancy Rimassa

Best Free Reference Web Site 2011

2011-09-04T16:32:00.000-07:00

Looking for an ebook? Go here http://openlibrary.org/

The Bird Sisters - Domestic fiction

2011-06-29T15:50:00.000-07:00

Author: Rebecca Rasmussen Publication Date: 2011
Number of Pages: 290
Setting: Rural Wisconsin

Time Period: Now with flashback memories to the summer of 1947

Main Characters:

Milly – sixteen year old beauty with emerald eyes, she is a placatory and a good cook. She is in love with the son of her father’s employer.
Twiss – the younger sister, a wild child who never wears a dress or does anything anyone tells her to do. She loves her golf pro father and under his tutelage has become proficient at golf
Bett – the cousin from Minnesota, she is slightly older, sent for the summer to keep her out of the way as her parents go through getting a divorce. She is plain and very poor.

Plot Summary: This book tells a charming yet sober tale of two girls struggling to grow up amid family turmoil and poverty. The sisters can see that their parents have grown far apart but refuse to see the reason for it. Their father is a terrible provider in an era when that is what men did. Their mother coming from a more privileged family cannot envision the tasks that must be done to keep her family alive and well. The children try hard to bring their father in from the barn where he has gone to live.

Bett, a cousin, daughter of the mother's sister, arrives and brings with her a storm of knowledge about love, truth or consequences, and something even more devious, which threatens to cripple the family. Misunderstandings and opportunity too enticing to be turned down drive the family farther and farther apart.

Appeal: Bittersweet but good-natured, the pace is slow and character driven.

Brief quote: “Whenever her mother had been particularly unhappy in the past, she’d tell the story of how she and her aunt had given up their inheritances and married for love.

“We weren’t given what we were promised,” she’d say.

“What were you promised?” Milly would say.

“I don’t remember any more.”

Prizes or Awards: Starred review in Library Journal

Similar Works: While My Sister Sleeps by Barbara Delinsky. This is a story of a sister who lives in her older siblings shadow and the sacrifices that the relationship demands.

Reviewer's Name: Nancy Rimassa

Adapted from Saricks, Joyce G. and Nancy Brown. Readers' Advisory Service in the Public Library 2nd Edition. chicago. ALA, 1997.

The Last Picture Show

2011-05-24T20:18:00.000-07:00

Author: McMurtry, Larry

Title: The Last Picture Show

Publication Date: 1966 (1^ST pub.) 1979 (Penguin Books)

Number of pages: 220 p. (trade pbk.)

Part of a Series: Last Picture Show series, book #1 (4 books in series)

Subject Heading(s):

Adultery
Coming of age
Dating
Death
High school seniors
Literary fiction
Male friendship
Man woman relationships
Oil workers
Psychological fiction
Rich and poor
Small towns
Teenagers – Sexuality
Thalia, Texas
The Fifties (20^th century)
Western stories

Geographical Setting / Time period: Thalia, Texas (imaginary place) / late 1940s – early 1950s

Main Character(s):

Sonny – a handsome, introspective young man, given to bouts of depression and loneliness

Duane – Sonny’s friend, Duane is less reflective but hopelessly in love with the town’s prettiest girl

Ruth Popper – a small but pretty woman who seems withdrawn, tired, and nervous most of the time

Plot Summary: Sonny and his best friend, Duane, navigate the perils of late adolescence in the small town of Thalia, Texas. Although the boys think they are practically grown men, Sonny finds he has a lot to learn when he meets Ruth Popper, the football coach’s forty-year old wife. Sonny and Duane learn about life, death, betrayal, and love in this coming of age tale.

Appeal: Characterization is the main appeal factor for this book. The main characters are fully developed and there are a lot of interesting secondary characters. The frame of the small Texas town of Thalia is also very important, as is the bittersweet coming of age aspect of the story. McMurtry’s elegant, yet direct language makes for an engrossing story.

Brief quote: “She was silent a moment. ‘Do you know what it means to be heartbroken?’ she said. ‘It means your heart isn’t whole, so you can’t really do anything wholeheartedly.’” (Ruth talking to Sonny, p. 97)

Prizes or Awards: Jesse H. Jones Award from the Texas Institute of Letters in 1967 (has won this for two other titles as well)

Similar Works:

Cormac McCarthy – Border Trilogy (All the Pretty Horses 1^st book) – Texas author ; stories of the west ; adolescents and 1950s

John Irving – The World According to Garp – strong character development with good dialogue

Ken Kesey – Sometimes a Great Notion – vivid characters, strong dialogue

Notes: Made into a movie starring Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, and Cybill Shepherd in 1971

Reviewer’s Name: Jennifer Lehner

Cold Sassy Tree - Historical Fiction

2011-05-23T20:11:00.000-07:00

Author: Olive Ann Burns

Publication Date: 1984

Number of Pages: 391
Part of a Series: Yes, Cold Sassy series, 1

Subject Heading(s):

Coming of age story
Country life
Family
Georgia
Historical Fiction
May-December romance
Small town life
Southern Fiction
Teenage boy

Geographical Setting/Time Period: Georgia, 1906.

Main Character(s):

Will Tweedy – fourteen-year-old free spirit who likes to break the rules.

E. Rucker Blakeslee – Will’s brash and domineering grandfather who likes to live by his own rules.

Mattie Lou Blakeslee – Will’s deceased grandmother who was an amazing gardener and caretaker of the sick.

Miss Love Simpson – the pretty strong-willed woman who becomes Rucker Blakeslee’s second wife.

Mary Willis Tweedy – Will’s nervous mother who is still mourning her mother’s death.

Hoyt Tweedy – Will’s stern but loving father who accepts and embraces change.

Plot Summary: Coming of age story of a young man set within a conservative southern town in the early 1900’s. This young man and his family deal with the death of the family matriarch as well as the scandalous elopement of their father/grandfather with a young Yankee woman half his age.

Appeal: Detailed and descriptive story of the life and times of a fictional Southern family set in the early 1900’s. Authentic dialects are used to give specific details to the lives and actions of the family as they adapt to the societal and technological changes within their family and town.

Brief quote: I went up to her house a week after her passing. I guess I hoped she would seem less dead there. (pg 54)

Prizes or Awards: ALA Best Books for Young Adults 1985

Similar Works:

Leaving Cold Sassy: the unfinished sequel to Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns (story picks up in Will Tweedy’s 25^th year in Cold Sassy, GA);

Empire Falls by Richard Russo (small town fiction with detailed settings and quirky characters);

Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison (coming of age story set in the south, family centered story, female author)

Reviewer's Name: Patricia Lowrey

Adapted from Saricks, Joyce G. and Nancy Brown. Readers= Advisory Service in the Public Library 2^nd. Chicago: ALA, 1997.

Omnitopia Dawn -Speculative fiction

2011-05-21T21:20:00.000-07:00

Author: Diane Duane

Publication Date: 2010

Number of Pages: 360

Part of a Series: First in series, second book projected publication August 2011

Subject Heading(s):

Computer games - fiction
Computer programmers - fiction
Science fiction
Artificial intelligence

Geographical Setting/Time Period: Near future United States

Main Characters:

Dev Logan - world's seventh or eighth richest man and genius programmer. He is the creator of Omnitopia, a Massive Multi-Player Online Role Playing Game which has become an obsession for millions of people around the word.
Rik Maliani - a player and a good guy, recently knighted in the game universe and given the tools to create his own world withing the game universe of Omnitopia.
Phill Sorenson - partner in the early days of building Omnitopia, and filled with a revengeful outlook on life. He is determined to take Dev down.

Plot Summary:

On the eve of an exciting new game functionality roll-out, while the software is at its most vulnerable, the system is attacked. Dev and his loyal employees in the guise of their virtual personae battle to save the game manager from extinction and the players universe from crashing. Some players are logged in with special total immersion equipment; no one knows what will happen to those Beta testers if they are logged in when the game goes down. Millions of dollars are at stake as well; that loss could mean the end of the game.

Appeal:

Near prescient, the book will appeal to MMPORPG gamers who will fantasize about being involved. The story is intricately plotted and character driven. It has a fairly-relaxed pace given the sense of urgency that the author is trying to create. The tone of the book is suspenseful and the writing style is descriptive but not overly so.

Brief quote:
"Dev's fury at those who wanted to destory this game that he had created and watched grow and who wanted to destroy it just make money and hurt him was growing by the moment. Distantly in the background he was now starting to hear the shouted communications of the system security teams and their allies in the Palace of the Princes of Hell as they fought to keep the attackers out of the core, away from the main logic bundles, the great stacks of ARGOT modules that made the game run. They were losing." (p. 319)

Prizes or Awards: Publishers' Weekly makes it a starred review in September 2010

Similar Works:
The Flood by William C. Dietz is the offical novel of the Xbox game
The Fall of Reach by Eric S. Nylund

Reviewer’s Name: Nancy Rimassa

Adapted from Saricks, Joyce G. and Nancy Brown. Reader’ Advisory Service in the Public Library 2^nd. Chicago: ALA, 1997.

Shanghai Girls: a Novel - Historical fiction

2011-05-18T21:57:00.000-07:00

Author: Lisa See

Publication Date: 2009

Number of pages: 314 (hdbk.)

Part of a Series: No series

Subject Heading(s):

Arranged marriage
China
Chinese-American women
Domestic fiction
Family secrets
Historical fiction
Illegal immigrants
Immigrants – United States
Los Angeles
Loyalty
Poverty
Prejudice
Race relations
Shanghai
Sisters
Women’s lives and relationships
World War II

Geographical Setting / Time period: Shanghai, China and Los Angeles, CA / 1937-1957

Main Character(s):

Pearl Chin – the older Chin daughter, bookish, tall, and stubbornly modern, but bound to her sister by a sense of duty

May Chin – the younger Chin daughter, May is beautiful, charming and spoiled as well as modern

Sam Louie – Pearl’s husband by arranged marriage, Sam is resilient, strong, and usually silent

Joy Louie – born in America to May but raised by Pearl and Sam, Joy is an optimistic, idealistic go-getter who seeks the truth

Plot Summary: Peal and May Chin are two young adult sisters living the life of the privileged in Shanghai at the start of the novel. However, that life soon comes to a crashing halt when they discover their family is destitute and that they have been sold into arranged marriages to men in California to help pay off their father’s gambling debts. The novel covers the next twenty years of their lives as they survive invasion, warfare, immigration, and prejudice through their unique bond as sisters.

Appeal: This measured novel focused on well-developed, introspective characterization and detailed descriptions of historical events in China and Los Angeles. The storyline is character-driven, domestic, and totally open-ended. The novel features accurate and authentic details of the Battle of Shanghai (1937), the bombing of Pearl Harbor (1941), the development of Chinatown in Los Angeles, the Communist takeover of Shanghai (1949), and the Confession Program in the US. There are also many details about traditional Chinese culture and life as an immigrant in America. The style of the novel is very candid and personal as it is in first-person point of view.

Brief quote: “I thought I was modern. I thought I had choice. I thought I was nothing like my mother. But my father’s gambling has swept all that away. I’m to be sold – traded like so many other girls before me – to help my family. I feel so trapped and so helpless that I can hardly breathe.” (p.25-26 : spoken by Pearl)

Awards: Honorable mention from the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature

Similar Works:

Inheritance – Lan Samantha Chang – features daughter forced into arranged marriage as a result of her father’s gambling debts, sets in 1930s in China and US. Relationship between sisters.

Joy Luck Club – Amy Tan – discusses women’s relationships and stories of Chinese immigrants in San Francisco

Midnight at the Dragon Café – Judy Fong Bates – the story of a young Chinese immigrant girl as she and her family struggle to assimilate in Ontario in the 1950s.

Notes: Interesting FAQ page about the book on author’s website: http://www.lisasee.com/shanghaigirls/shanghaiquestions.php

Reviewer’s Name: Jennifer Lehner

Love and other drugs - Alternative Format

2011-05-18T05:59:00.000-07:00

Director: Edward Zwick

Release Date: November 2010

Part of a Series: No. Based on the non-fiction book Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman by Jamie Reidy

Subject Heading(s):

Beautiful Women
Prescription Drug Abuse
Comedy
Pharmaceutical Sales
Doctors
Selflessness
Family Relationships
Unconditional Love
Parkinson’s Disease
Viagra

Geographical Setting/

Time Period: Late 1990s- Ohio

Main Character(s):

Jamie Randall: played by Jake Gyllenhall is a charming womanizer with a soft side.
Maggie Murdock: played by Anne Hathaway is a beautifully strong and independent woman battling Parkinson’s Disease.

Plot Summary: Jamie Randall lands his dream job as a pharmaceutical sales rep for Viagra. He is surrounded by beautiful women and luxury. After having a one night stand with Maggie who is battling Parkinson’s disease; he realizes that he is more caring and selfless than he thought possible.

Appeal: This movie combines drama with a lot of comedy, making light of serious situations and life struggles. This uplifting love story will give hope to viewers and appeal to those looking for something a little deeper than the typical romantic comedy. This movie gives viewers a look back at technology just ten years prior with the use of flip phones and beepers.

Brief quote: “You meet a thousand people, then you meet that one person and your life is changed”.

Prizes or Awards: Nominated for the Satellite Award given by the International Press Academy. -IMDB

Similar Works:

Sweet November (Similar themes of love and sickness)
A lot like love (similar themes of true love starting off with a one night stand)

Reviewer’s Name: Lenore St. John

Form adapted from Saricks, Joyce G. and Nancy Brown. Readers= Advisory Service in the Public Library 2^nd. Chicago: ALA, 1997.

The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise: A Novel - Literary fiction

2011-05-15T08:49:00.000-07:00

Author: Julia Stuart

Publication Date: 2010

Number of Pages: 304 (hardcover)

Part of a Series: No

Subject Heading(s):

Bereavement in families
British humor
Child’s death
Conflict in Marriage
Healing
British history
Humorous stories
Literary Fiction
London, England
Love story
Loss
Zoo Keepers

Geographical Setting: London, England

Time Period: present day

Main Character(s):

Balthazar Jones- a history buff who enjoys giving tours as Beefeater of the London Tower, a grieving father, and a husband who tends to hold his emotions inside rather than share them with his wife
Hebe Jones- an independent, hard working, grieving woman who is the wife of Bathalzar Jones and works at the London Underground’s Lost Property Office
Milo- the Jones’ son who passes away at the age of 11, but plays a big part in the novel through flashbacks and references to his life
Mrs. Cook- the oldest tortoise in existence, family pet of the Jones’

Plot Summary: Balthazar Jones and his wife Hebe live in the Tower of London. Balthazar is a Beefeater who provides tours of the historical tower. When the Queen decides to reintroduce the zoo on the Tower grounds, Balthazar is asked to become the zoo keeper. At first he is hesitant but soon he falls in love with the animals and the zoo becomes a hit among the tourists and the other residents of the Tower. However, not all is perfect in Balthazar’s life as the grief from his young son’s death has slowly torn apart his marriage. In order to restore their relationship the Jones’ must work through their grief by learning to communicate more effectively and move on.

Appeal:

Tone: humorous but mixed with hints of seriousness in its themes
Characterization: told in 3^rd person but readers come to understand and get to know the original cast of characters through their thoughts and actions, secondary characters are important to the plot;
Story line: unique story plot but filled with themes of loss, love, and healing to which all readers will relate;
Style/Language: charming;
Frame/Setting: The Tower of London and the history surrounding this historical site is an important part of this novel and is weaved in throughout, history buffs will enjoy this aspect

Brief quote: “Balthazar Jones had been collecting rain for almost three years, a compulsion that had started shortly after the death of his only child. At first he thought that rain was simply an infuriating part of the job, which, along with the damp from their abominable lodgings, produced in all the Beefeaters a ruthless specimen of fungus that flourished on the backs of their knees.” (7)

Prizes or Awards:

NY Times Bestseller (August 2010),

highly recommended in Library Journal and Publisher’s Weekly,

Entertainment Weekly grade A review,

People Magazine 4 out of 4 stars review

Similar Works:

The Hound in the Left-Hand Corner by Giles Waterfield – humorous stories, takes place in London in a historical museum which is similar to the historical London Tower

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer- takes place in England, original story plot, unique characters, charming style and language (LibraryThing)

Reviewer’s Name: Taryn Kingery

Adapted from Saricks, Joyce G. and Nancy Brown. Readers= Advisory Service in the Public Library 2^nd. Chicago: ALA, 1997.

After Dark (Afutadaku) - Literary fiction

2011-05-15T08:33:00.000-07:00

Author: Haruki Murakami (trans. Jay Rubin)

Publication Date: 2007 (original publication 2004)

Number of Pages: 191

Part of a Series: No.

Subject Heading(s):

Alienation (Social Psychology)
Interpersonal Relations
Japanese Fiction
Jazz
Literary Fiction
Magical Realism
Psychological Fiction
Sex Workers

Geographical Setting/ Time Period: A city in modern-day Japan

Main Character(s):

Us: Quiet, transparent, and intuitive, we the readers and the author narrate the story in our observance of it.

Mari Asai: A bookish, unambitious student of Chinese at the University of Foreign studies, who feels she has nothing to show for her individualism.

Eri Asai: A beautiful, shallow model who is in a deep sleep, and wakes up to her existential angst.

Kaoru: An ex-female-wrestler and current love hotel manager, who is not afraid of gangsters.

Takahashi: A talented, but not brilliant, trombonist and law student who does everything very slowly and is full of long stories.

Plot Summary: Over the course of a night, Mari Asai meets Takahashi, a boy she knew once in high school, and Kaoru, whom she assists in helping a Chinese prostitute, who’s been beaten and robbed in Kaoru’s love hotel. Through their conversations, the reader comes to understand their inner lives and uncertainties. While this is occurring Eri Asai, who has been in a deep sleep, wakes up to the horror that is her identity and existence, and the salaryman who attacked the prostitute finishes a hard night’s work.

Appeal: Written in a stream-of-consciousness style that plays off of the jazz riffs in Takashi’s beloved “Five Spot After Dark,” Murakami blends straightforward sentences with lyrical prose with scripted comedy routines. The characters are flawed with deep lives of their own, into which the reader is given glimpses as they react to the plot at their own, steady pace. The tone of the novel is gray and depersonalized, set a few paces back from the action, with bursts of humor. This helps to set up the reader for some disconcerting elements, which feel horrifying in comparison to the dreamy undertone of the rest of the novel. The familiar and solid setting of a Denny’s serves to emphasize the surreal nature of the inner lives of the characters.

Brief quote: pg. 3

In our broad sweep, the city looks like a single gigantic creature—or more like a single collective entity created by many intertwining organisms. Countless arteries stretch to the ends of its elusive body, circulating a continuous supply of fresh blood cells, sending out new data and collecting the old, sending out new consumables and collecting the old, sending out new contradictions and collecting the old.

Prizes or Awards:

Nominee for the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 2008, which is sponsored by the University of Oklahoma and World Literature Today. Haruki Murakami has received the Franz Kafka Prize from the Czech Republic in 2006 and the Jerusalem Prize in 2009. In 2007 and 2008 he received honorary doctorates from the University of Liege and Princeton University, respectively.

Similar Works: From NoveList’s Author Read-Alikes

Kobo Abe, The Woman in the Dunes, surrealist Japanese novel that explores themes of alienation and diverges sharply from traditional Japanese literature.
David Mitchell, Ghostwritten: A Novel in Nine Parts, interweaves the stories of nine characters throughout the world and portrays the alienation and loneliness in modern life.

Reviewer’s Name: Natalie Garner

Adapted from Saricks, Joyce G. and Nancy Brown. Readers= Advisory Service in the Public Library 2^nd. Chicago: ALA, 1997.

Everything is illuminated - Literary Fiction

2011-05-15T08:25:00.000-07:00

Author: Jonathan Safran Foer

Publication Date: 2002

Number of Pages: 276

Part of a Series: No

Subject Heading(s):

Americans -- Ukraine – Fiction
Bildungsromane
Grandfather and child
Grandfathers -- Fiction
Guilt in men
Holocaust, Jewish (1933-1945)
Holocaust survivors
Humorous fiction
Jewish-Americans in Ukraine
Novelists -- Fiction
Novels within novels
Translators
World War II
World War, 1939-1945 -- Ukraine – Fiction
Young men -- Fiction

Note: Bildungsromane: A novel mainly about the moral, psychological, and/or intellectual development of a protagonist, typically a young adult (see wiktionary.org)

Geographical Setting/ Time Period: United States and Ukraine; 1997

Main Character(s):

Jonathan Safran Foer- a young, Jewish-American college student who has a penchant for collecting strange items

Alex Perchov- a young Ukrainian translator, his knowledge of American culture is at least a decade out of date

Grandfather- Alex’s disgruntled grandfather, a taxi driver who claims to be blind and insists his “deranged seeing-eye bitch,” Sammie Davis Jr., Jr., go everywhere with him.

Plot Summary: Jonathan, a fictitious writer who happens to share the author’s name, goes to the Ukraine armed only with a photograph and a story in search of Augustine, the woman who saved Jonathan’s grandfather during the Nazi invasion of Ukraine. Jonathan’s translator, Alex, along with Alex’s grandfather guide Jonathan across the Ukrainian countryside in search of the lost story of his grandfather’s youth.

Appeal: The language style is unique. The story is told through both Jonathan and Alex, a young Ukrainian man who speaks in a combination of Ukrainian-taught broken English heavily influenced by American pop culture. The story unfolds slowly, interspersed with comedic moments that result from Alex’s use of English and the interactions between the three main characters. The characters themselves, even minor ones, are interesting, richly developed, and unique. While not suspenseful, the story Foer travels across the world to uncover is engaging. The frame, Ukraine from the 1700s to the present, and the details of Jewish life are essential to the story development. The emotions and experiences of the main characters will resonate with readers as they experience the truth unfold through Alex’s words and Jonathan’s retelling of his family history. The telling is very straightforward, so there are some references to sex and explicit descriptions of the human body. It is important to note that the ending is somewhat open and the narrative ends abruptly.

Brief quote: “But first I am burdened to recite my good appearance. I am unequivocally tall. I do not know any women who are taller than me. The women I know who are taller than me are lesbians, for whom 1969 was a very momentous year. I have handsome hairs, which are split in the middle. This is because Mother used to split them on the side when I was a boy, and to spleen her I split them in the middle.” (page 3-4)

Prizes or Awards:

2002 National Jewish Book Award,
2003 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing
The 2002 Guardian First Book Award.
Kirkus & Publishers Weekly starred reviews.
Movie adaptation released in 2005, starring Elijah Wood.

Similar Works: The History of Love by Nicole Krauss (Novels within novels; translators; Holocaust survivors)

Reviewer’s Name: Lori Chatman

Adapted from Saricks, Joyce G. and Nancy Brown. Readers= Advisory Service in the Public Library 2^nd. Chicago: ALA, 1997.

People of the Book - Literary fiction

2011-05-14T17:13:00.000-07:00

Author: Geraldine Brooks

Publication Date: 2008

Number of Pages: 372

Part of a Series: no

Subject Heading(s):

Books-conservation and restoration-fiction
Judaism-prayers and devotions-fiction
Rare books- fiction
Religious persecution
Toleration
Greed
Manuscripts
Religious liberty
Sacred books
Voyages and travel

Geographical Setting/ Time Period: modern day- Bosnia, Australia, U.S., Israel and the past Spain, Italy, Austria, Bosnia

Main Character(s):

Hanna Heath- the Australian rare book conservator who tries to find the story behind the books she works on;

Ozren Karaman- the brave librarian who saved the Haggadah during the bombing in Sarajevo

Plot Summary: The Sarajevo Haggadah, an ancient illustrated Hebrew manuscript, has reappeared after the cease fire in Sarajevo. Hanna has been approved by the UN and the Bosnians to inspect the manuscript and restore it so it can be placed on display with other religious items that will showcase that various cultures and religions enrich each other. Thus begins a journey which takes the reader back to specific times in the manuscript’s history based on small items found during the restoration.

Appeal: This book has many stories within the main story. It delves into many issues concerning religion and some politics. It progresses at a fairly leisurely pace. This would appeal to many historical fiction readers as it is detailed and visits various places at different times in history. The characters are well written and strong. Note: This book has a map on the inside cover of the trip that the manuscript has taken.

Brief quote: “Here in this museum in 1894, M. Martell had worked his soft cloth and his small brushes over the old and blackened pieces of metal until the silver once again gleamed in the light. For just a moment, the very dispassionate M. Martell had lost his head. ‘The clasps,’ he had written, ‘are extraordinarily beautiful.’” (page 104)

Prizes or Awards: Australian Book Industry Awards Book of the Year and Literary Fiction Book of the Year, Massachusetts Book Awards Fiction Award and School Library Journal’s Adult Books for High School Students 2008

Similar Works:

Sarah’s Key by, Tatiana de Rosnay (NoveList- Jewish history, WWII)

Kepler by John Banville (NoveList- intricate plot historical fiction, religious persecution)

Reviewer’s Name: Erin Bedford

Adapted from Saricks, Joyce G. and Nancy Brown. Readers= Advisory Service in the Public Library 2^nd. Chicago: ALA, 1997.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Historical fiction

2011-05-13T17:54:00.000-07:00

Author: Jamie Ford

Publication Date: 2009, debut novel

Number of Pages: 285 (hardcover)

Part of a Series: No

Subject Heading(s):

Chinese Americans
Japanese Americans
WWII
Japanese internment
Racism
Seattle
historical fiction
family
friendship
love story
jazz
The forties (20^th century)
father and son
memories,
widowers

Geographical Setting:Seattle, WA

Time Period: 1942-1945 and 1986

Main Character(s):

Henry Lee-a smart, independent, Chinese American boy who readers also encounter as a man with many sweet yet painful memories;

Keiko Okabe-an artistic, confident Japanese American girl whose family is taken away to internment camps in the U.S. during WWII

Plot Summary: Henry Lee becomes a teenager during WWII and is considered an outsider by many simply because he is Asian. To make the situation worse, his father commands that Henry wear a pin that says, “I am Chinese” and attend an all white school where racism is rampant. But, when a Japanese American girl, Keiko Okabe, is also sent to the white school, he quickly makes friends with her and the two bond through their Asian heritage and because they are both considered outsiders. However, Keiko and her family, along with thousands of other Japanese Americans, are forced to move into a Japanese internment camp to ensure they don’t take part in any espionage against America. Henry and Keiko vow to wait for each other as their relationship has become more than just friends. However, things don’t go quite as planned due to Henry’s father’s hatred toward all things Japanese and they both move on. 40 years later, after some of Keiko’s old belongings are found in a Japanese hotel, Henry’s son and future daughter-in-law encourage him to reunite and regain the relationship they once had.

Appeal:

Frame/Setting: 2/3 of the book is set in WWII in the Asian district of Seattle, WA with real events and real places mentioned

Storyline: Seattle during WWII, character and historical events are interwoven successfully, episodic and alternates between WWII time period and the 1980s, chapter titles include dates

Style/Language: lots of conversation about the war, also some Chinese and Japanese phrases

Pacing: leisurely

Characterization: gets more intimate and matures as you read about Henry becoming a teenager and then a man and it feels as if you have known him for a long time

Tone: like the title states, some bitterness mixed with some sweetness

Brief quote: “Loyalty. We’re still loyal to the United States of America. Why? Because we too are Americans. We don’t agree, but we will show our loyalty by our obedience. Do you understand, Henry?

All Henry could do was sign and nod. He knew that concept all too well. Painfully well. Obedience as a sign of loyalty, as an expression of honor, even as an act of love, was a well-worn theme in his household.” (229)

Prizes or Awards: Asian Pacific American Award for Literature: Adult Fiction (2009) given by the Asian/American Librarians Association; Montana Book Award (2009) given by Friends of the Missoula Public Library to recognize noteworthy literature by an author from Montana, books about Montana, or themes important to the state of Montana

Similar Works:

Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas- Japanese Americans, mass internment, WWII, historical fiction, teenagers (NoveList)

The Whirlwind by Carol Matas- Seattle, Japanese Americans, mass internment, teenage boys, prejudice, historical fiction, adult books for teens (NoveList)

Reviewer’s Name: Taryn Kingery

Adapted from Saricks, Joyce G. and Nancy Brown. Readers= Advisory Service in the Public Library 2^nd. Chicago: ALA, 1997.

When the Emperor Was Divine - Historical Fiction

2011-05-13T17:38:00.000-07:00

Author: Julie Otsuka

Publication Date: 2002

Number of Pages: 144

Part of a Series: No

Subject Heading(s):

Adult books for young adults
Japanese Americans
Concentration Camps
Japanese-American Internment
Historical Fiction—Literary Historical Novels—United States—20^th Century
United States, World War II
Internment Camp
War Stories

Geographical Setting/ Time Period: United States, World War II

Main Character(s):

A mother, who must pack up her family’s home when the relocation order is given.
A girl, 10 years old at the beginning of the story, she likes boys, jump rope, and making up stories.
A boy, 7 years old at the beginning of the story, he wears a fedora given to him by his father, likes horses and dreams of heroes and outlaws.
A father, who writes letters to his family once a week. They are marked “Detained Enemy Alien Mail.”

Plot Summary: In spring of 1942, a woman headed to the library sees a sign in the post office window. She turns back home to pack. She is a Japanese woman who has been living in the United States for the last 20 years. Her husband has already been taken by the FBI, accused of treason in the days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. She and her children will now leave their white stucco house in Berkeley, California, carrying one suitcase each, and be sent to live in a crowded camp in the Utah desert.

Appeal: Simply and beautifully written story of the hardship and loss experienced by Japanese families during World War II. Each of the five chapters is from a different perspective. Lyrical, spare writing style.

Brief quote: “The boy played marbles on the laundry room floor. He played Chinese checkers. He roamed through the barracks with the other boys in his block, playing cops and robbers and war. Kill the Germans! Kill the Japs!”

Prizes or Awards:

Alex Award, 2003 (recognizes outstanding adult books for teens);

Booklist Editor’s Choice—Best Fiction Books, 2002;

Booklist Editor’s Choice—Adult Books for Young Adults, 2002;

New York Times notable books—Fiction an d Poetry, 2002.

Similar Works:

Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Watatsuki Houston (memoirs of WWII internment camps,);

Legend of Fire Horse Woman by Jeanne Watatsuki Houston (historical fiction, Japanese-American families, WWII,);

A Fence Away from Freedom: Japanese-Americans during World War II by Ellen Levine (non-fiction account of WWII internment camps, used as a source by the author),

White Rose: Una Rosa Blanca (poetic, spare language, literary historical fiction)

Reviewer’s Name: Joy Woods

Adapted from Saricks, Joyce G. and Nancy Brown. Readers= Advisory Service in the Public Library 2^nd. Chicago: ALA, 1997.

The Lady and the Unicorn - Historical fiction

2011-02-16T15:12:00.000-08:00

Author: Tracy Chevalier

Title: The Lady and the Unicorn

Publication Date: 2004

Number of Pages: 248

Part of a Series: No

Subject Heading(s):

Belgium
Brussels
Family
France
Historical Fiction
Lady
Le Viste
Nicolas des Innocents
Paris
Tapestries
Textile Industry
Unicorns
Weaving
Women’s roles

Geographical Setting/ Time Period: Paris, France; Brussels, Belgium, 1490-1492

Main Character(s):

Nicolas des Innocents- Self-important, womanizing, kind of stupid artist who designs the Unicorn Tapestries.
Claude LeViste- Wild, curious, hard headed daughter of a the nobleman, the object of Nicolas des Innocents lust.
Aelinor Georges- good hearted, hard working blind daughter of the weaver of the Unicorn Tapestries.

Plot Summary: Nicolas des Innocents has been commissioned to paint the designs for tapestries of a nobleman. While he is negotiating the design, Nicolas meets Claude LeViste and becomes infatuated with her. One of the ladies maids catches them in a compromising position. Because of this, Nicolas is sent to Brussels to help weave the tapestries and keep out of trouble. Nicolas shakes up things wherever he goes, sometimes for better rather than worse.

Appeal: Setting-time period in France, Frame- the Unicorn Tapestries, details about weaving, Style-written in alternating view-points, Characterization.

Brief quote: “A look of cunning came over Marie-Céleste’s face. “I suppose you want to come and see me there, don’t you?” I gaped at her, amazed she was flirting with me after all that had happened But then, she could be useful to me. I smiled and brushed a freather from her shoulder. “Might do.” Pg. 138.

Prizes or Awards: Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award - Historical Novels: 2004

School Library Journal's Adult Books for High School Students: 2004

Similar Works: The Girl with the Pearl Earring Tracy Chevalier (descriptive, historical fiction, women’s roles)

Ophelia’s Fan Chirstine Balint (characters, historical fiction, women’s roles) NLP

Reviewer’s Name: Amanda Hegge

Form adapted from Saricks, Joyce G. and Nancy Brown. Readers= Advisory Service in the Public Library 2^nd. Chicago: ALA, 1997.

Inés of My Soul - Historical fiction

2011-02-16T15:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Isabel Allende (trans. Margaret Sayers Peden)

Title: Inés of My Soul/ Inés del Alma Mia

Publication Date: 2006

Number of Pages: 313

Part of a Series: No

Subject Heading(s

16th century
Biographical Novels
Chile
Conquistadors
Cultured Warrior
Historical Fiction
Imperialism
Independence in Women
Ines Suarez
Lady of War
Pedro de Valdivia
Spanish Fiction

Geographical Setting/ Time Period: 16^th century Spain and the Americas (Chile)

Main Character(s):

Doña Inés Suárez: An intelligent and passionate woman, as well as a fierce and unmerciful conquistadora, she is capable of both charity and murder.
Pedro de Valdivia: Inés’s lover and the first royal governor of Chile, who struggles with his sense of honor and his lust for glory.

Plot Summary: This memoir is a fictional account of the life of Inés Suárez, who was a conquistadora and a national heroine. In rich detail, Allende portrays how Inés rose from a “widow of the Americas” in a small city in Spain to become an influential figure in the conquering of Chile and the founding and defending of Santiago. Join Inés as she travels a vast expanse of ocean and battles numerous perils and challenges in search of freedom, power, and love.

Appeal: With rich historical detail, this novel unfolds leisurely, yet it features many exciting passages of the dangers the conquistadors and those they conquered faced. Although it is from the perspective of a conquistadora, it is written with an understanding of the impact the conquistadors had on the inhabitants of the Americas. The story is character-centered and the language features Spanish terms, yet it is not difficult to understand. The novel tackles issues of feminism, class, race, and religion.

Brief quote: pg. 43

The line that divides reality from imagination is very thin, and at my age is no longer interesting, for now everything is subjective. Memory is also colored by vanity. Even with Death sitting in a chair near my table, waiting, I still am influenced by vanity, not just when I rouge my cheeks if visitors are coming, but when I am writing my story. Is there anything more vain than an autobiography?

Prizes or Awards: This work won Booklist’s Editor’s Choice award as one of the Best Fiction Books of 2006. Isabel Allende has received a number of awards, including the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize in 1998 and the Chilean National Prize for Literature in 2010.

Similar Works:

Julia Alvarez, In the Time of the Butterflies/En el Tiempo de las Mariposas, historical novel set in the last days of the Trujillo regime of the Dominican Republic, about the lives of Las Mariposas, three sisters who became revolutionaries and martyrs.

Rosario Ferré, The House on the Lagoon/La Casa de la Laguna, fictional novel about a woman writing an historical novel about her and her husband’s families in the history of Puerto Rico, which her husband then finds and writes his own interpretation of events, feminist and tackles issues of class and race.

Reviewer’s Name: Natalie Garner

Form adapted from Saricks, Joyce G. and Nancy Brown. Readers= Advisory Service in the Public Library 2^nd. Chicago: ALA, 1997.

Shanghai Girls - Historical

2011-02-16T14:52:00.000-08:00

Author: Lisa See

Title: Shanghai Girls

Publication Date: 2009

Number of Pages: 342 (eBook)

Part of a Series: No

Subject Heading(s):

Abuse- Fiction
Immigrants- United States- Fiction
China- Fiction
Los Angeles- Chinatown-Fiction
Chinese- United States- Fiction
Rape victims- Fiction
Discrimination - Fiction
Sisters- Fiction
Family Secrets- Fiction
War Crimes- Fiction

Geographical Setting/ Time Period: 1937 Shanghai, 1937-57 Los Angeles

Main Character(s):

Pearl- Older sister, considered the smarter and plainer sister, Dragon
May- Younger, prettier sister, works in Hollywood, Sheep

Plot Summary: When their Baba gambles away everything and the Japanese invade, May and Pearl’s middle class happiness is shattered as they must escape China only to live in arranged marriages in LA in a controlling and cruel household. They struggle to find happiness amid turbulent times (WWII and Korean War) in racist America as their loyalty and lives are challenged during the Red Scare.

Appeal: Historical details of Shanghai and LA’s Chinatown; detailed and introspective; incorporation of Chinese sayings and beliefs; family dynamics

Brief quote: “Your sister is a Dragon. The Dragon and the Tiger will always fight for dominance. She must hope for a son- and what mother doesn’t wish for this thing?- because then their deeper positions will be clear. Every mother must obey her son, even if she is a Dragon. If your sister was a Sheep, I would be concerned.” Pg 117-118 (in eBook)

Prizes or Awards: nominated for the 2010 Asian Pacific American Award for Literature

Similar Works:

Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan- details, setting, and family relationships (JC)
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck- details, setting, culture (JC)
The Rape of Nanking: by Iris Chang- Nonfictional look at the Japanese invasion that See describes in Shanghai Girls (JC)

Reviewer’s Name: Jessica Conley

Form adapted from Saricks, Joyce G. and Nancy Brown. Readers= Advisory Service in the Public Library 2^nd. Chicago: ALA, 1997.

Anansi Boys - Fantasy

2011-02-13T22:10:00.000-08:00

Author: Neil Gaiman (audio book voiced by Lenny Henry)

Title: Anansi Boys

Publication Date: 2005

Number of Pages: 334

Part of a Series: Yes. Sequel to American Gods

Subject Heading(s):

African Diaspora
All Myths Are True
Anansi
British
Caribbean Mythology
Divine Parentage
Fat Charlie Nancy
Feathered Fiend
Humor
Magical Realism
Mythopoeic Fantasy
Petting Zoo People
Reality Warper
Trickster Gods
Urban Fantasy

Geographical Setting/ Time Period: Present day England, Florida, & the Beginning of the World.

Main Character(s):

Fat Charlie Nancy: A perpetually-unlucky accountant, who is terrified of singing.
Spider: Charlie’s brother and an exceptionally cool person, and if you don’t agree, you will after he tells you to.
Anansi: A Spider God who weaves mischief and stories wherever he goes, he decides to die for a bit and let Charlie and Spider learn to weave stories for themselves.
Grahame Coats & Tiger: A sociopathic showbiz agent who loves clichés and idioms, and a sociopathic Big Cat God who hates clichés, idioms, and Anansi.

Plot Summary: Tormented by his father’s embarrassing antics throughout his life, Fat Charlie Nancy does not get the respite he expects when his father unexpectedly (and rather embarrassingly) dies. Instead, he gets the benefit of a long-lost brother, who steals his identity, gets him arrested, and seduces his fiancée. In order to get rid of him, Fat Charlie has to go an unusual route, for his father and brother are gods. Unfortunately for Fat Charlie, the bargain he makes to rid himself of his brother has a price he didn’t expect. The family must reunite to fight off the wrath of gods and men, and to save the people they love.

Appeal: This humorous urban fantasy features parallel worlds, the magic of the gods, and a story of mythic significance, of good versus evil. Throughout the book Gaiman provides Anansi stories for those readers who are not familiar with the god. The book provide multiple points-of-view, in which the characters journey to self-discovery, to find their identity as humans and as gods; the book explores how much magic and divinity are related to the will and confidence to use them. The story unfolds leisurely, but picks up pace near the end of the novel, with the interjections from other parts of the story adding to the anticipation. The language of the story is interesting, because many of the characters are of Afro-Caribbean origin; the dialog is written in an accent, but not a phonetic accent, so readability should not be a problem. Additionally, Lenny Henry does an excellent job of portraying the accents in the audio book.

Brief quote: pg. 213: Spider turned, and said something else that sounded a lot like ‘frigate.’ There may not have been a million penguins waddling and slipping and belly-sliding toward the brothers, but it certainly looked that way. As a general rule, the only things properly terrified by the approach of penguins tend to be small fish, but when the numbers get large enough . . . .

Prizes or Awards: It debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times Bestseller List and has won many awards, including the Locus Award, an annual award from Locus, a magazine that published news and information about the Science Fiction and Fantasy industry, the British Fantasy Society Award, and the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award in 2006. It also won the Alex Award, awarded by the ALA for books written for adults that appeal to young adults.

Similar Works:

Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, Good Omens, Humorous urban fantasy take on Armageddon (the film Dogma is loosely based on it).

Robin McKinley, Sunshine, Urban fantasy that, although dark, is upbeat; Gaiman praised the book.

Special Features: The last page includes an illustration of a spider by Neil Gaiman.

Reviewer’s Name: Natalie Garner

Form adapted from Saricks, Joyce G. and Nancy Brown. Readers= Advisory Service in the Public Library 2^nd. Chicago: ALA, 1997.

Blameless (The Parasol Protectorate) - Steampunk

2011-02-12T07:24:00.000-08:00

Author: Gail Carriger

Title: Blameless: an Alexia Tarabotti Novel

Publication Date: 2010

Number of Pages: 355

Part of a Series: Yes, book 3 of the Parasol Protectorate, 1^st is Soulless

Subject Heading(s):

Comedy of manners
London (England) - History - 1800-1950 - Fiction
Tarabotti, Alexia (Fictitious character) - Fiction
Italy - Fiction
Steampunk
Vampires –Fiction
Knights Templar- Fiction
Supernatural romance- Fiction
Werewolves - Fiction

Geographical Setting/ Time Period: Victorian era: England, France and Italy

Main Character(s):

Lady Alexia Tarabotti Maccon- Pregnant preternatural, strong, witty and always hungry.
Lord Conall Maccon- Alpha of Woolsey werewolf pack, husband of Alexia, ruggedly handsome, bold and currently acting like a fool
Madame Lefoux- French milliner/inventor who dresses like a man
Professor Lyall- Beta werewolf of Woolsey pack and voice of reason

Plot Summary: Everyone knows that supernaturals can’t reproduce, so Lady Maccon finds herself disgraced and kicked out when Lord Maccon learns she is pregnant. Suddenly without the protection of the pack and with a bite order on her neck, she heads off to Italy, accompanied by Madame Lefoux, seeking vindication of her honor and proof that Lord Maccon is the father. Shunned by the pack and society, hunted by the vampire hives, and held as guest/specimen by the Knights Templar, Alexia must rely on her wits, her friends, and her parasol.

Appeal: Witty dialog; clever inventions; London society and fashion; outrageous and engaging characters; action and danger.

Brief quote: “Alexia thought this was dreadfully boorish. The least they could do was answer with a, ‘No, killing is all we are interested in at the moment, but thank you kindly for the offer all the same.’ Alexia had, in part, compensated for a lack of soul through the liberal application of manners.” Pg 121-122

Prizes or Awards: Starred review Publishers Weekly, two weeks on NY Times Bestsellers, 1^st book in series received Alex Award (adult book with YA appeal)

Similar Works: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith- comedy of manners with supernatural twist, pacing

Reviewer’s Name: Jessica Conley

Form adapted from Saricks, Joyce G. and Nancy Brown. Readers= Advisory Service in the Public Library 2^nd. Chicago: ALA, 1997.