Looking for a Good Book to Read?

This week we bring to you three great new books. We hope you will visit the library soon to check-out these and many more new books. Happy Reading!

Illuminations: a Novel of Hildegard von Bingen
By Mary Sharratt, October 2012, 274 pages. 

This new novel is based on the true story of Hildegard von Bingen, born in 1098, who was offered by her parents as a tithe to the Church as a young child. She triumphed to become a powerful abbess, composer, and prophet, who was willing to sacrifice everything to defend her beliefs in a dangerous time of oppression. If you enjoyed Ann Patchett’s Bel Canto, you will like this story about one of the most extraordinary women of the Middle Ages. 

The Mirrored World: a Novel
By Debra Dean, August 2012, 243 pages.

The author of The Madonnas of Leningrad returns with an elegant retelling of the life of St. Xenia, one of Russia's most revered and mysterious holy figures. This historical fiction set mostly during the reign of Catherine the Great recounts the unlikely transformation of a young girl, a child of privilege, into a saint beloved by the poor. Fans of Susan Vreeland and readers who loved The Winter Palace by Eva Stachniak will want to check out this evocative novel.

The Jewels of Paradise
By Donna Leon, October 2012, 244 pages.

Caterina Pellegrini, a native Venetian with a doctorate in baroque opera, must determine the rightful ownership of two locked trunks belonging to a famous composer who has been dead for centuries. Leon has written a superb novel that is full of intrigue, music, history and greed. This stand-alone novel is a great new read for mystery lovers.

Reviews brought to you each week by Librarians – Jennifer Niederhausen, Dona Stein, & Heather Timko
Adult Services Division
Strongsville Branch Library