A Good Mix: Family Fiction, Historical Drama and a Dog Story

Another week of great new reads from the staff. Why not stop in to pick up one of these great new books or browse our new book area? Happy reading!

Love and Shame and Love By Peter Orner, November 2011, 439 pages.

Covering four generations of the Popper family, Peter Orner illuminates the countless ways that love both makes us whole and completely unravels us. A comic and sorrowful tapestry of memory of connection and disconnection, this novel explores the universals with stunning originality and wisdom. Literary fiction fans will enjoy along with readers that appreciate novels that explore the concept of the family dynamic.

The Maid By Kimberly Cutter, October 2011, 287 pages.

“The Maid” in question in Kimberly Cutter’s debut novel is Jehanne, Joan of Arc, and this beautifully conceptualized story of her few years of glory puts flesh and blood on the long-stereotyped image, giving readers an unexpected shiver of connection with a mostly forgotten icon. Rich with unspoken love and battlefield valor, The Maid is a novel about the power and uncertainty of faith, and the exhilarating and devastating consequences of fame. Historical fiction fans will certainly be thrilled with this debut novel.

Roam: a Novel with Music By Alan Lazar, November 2011, 306 pages.  

Born under a sparkling crescent moon, Nelson is a bright-eyed, inquisitive half beagle, half poodle. He lives with Katey and Don, newlyweds whose marriage is straining under the pressures of domesticity, but Katey’s devotion to Nelson buoys the pup even as he worries his home may be falling apart. The author of this new novel is also a musician and composer, whose music you have heard in over 50 films and TV shows. Some of the chapters end with “Quick Response” codes that link you to music that forms the soundtrack to the novel. Dog lovers will certainly enjoy along with fans of the novels The Art of Racing in the Rain and The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. 

Reviews brought to you each week by ibrarians Jennifer Niederhausen, Dona Stein and Heather Timko, Adult Services Division, Strongsville Branch Library.