Book of the Month - Little Giant of Aberdeen County

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County, by Tiffany Baker is the story of Truly Plaice, an unusually large child who enormous size killed her mother during childbirth. Her sister Serena Jane is her opposite, petite and pretty and perfect. When their father, who never quite recovers from the loss of his wife also dies the the two sisters are separated, sent to live with different families. Truly is made an outcast by her size and her inability (and, occasionally, her refusal) to fit in. In more ways than one, she just doesn’t fit the mold; that makes life in a small town difficult, to say the least. The book follows Truly into womanhood and when her sister, Serena Jane flees a loveless marriage to the town doctor, it is Truly who comes to her brother-in-law's rescue and becomes the woman of the house. Family secrets ensue and Truly finds some answers and love in unexpected places .This is a good read, filled with interesting characters as well as a touch of magic.

The hour I first believed, by Wally Lamb

I loved Wally Lamb’s two previous books, She’s come undone and I know this much is true, so it was with great anticipation that I awaited publication of his new novel, The Hour I first believed.

In many ways I was not disappointed. Lamb travels well beyond his earlier work and embodies in his new work the themes of myth, good and evil, psychology, family history stretching back many generations, and the questions of faith that lie at the heart of everyday life.

It begins ominously with a true event: the murderous shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado by two students. Woven into this event is Lamb’s protagonist, Caelum Quirk, a teacher at the school who was out of town during the event and his wife Maureen, a nurse at the school. Lamb places Maureen in the library where much of the killing spree took place where she hides and prays for her life in a cupboard. She survives but at a huge cost – she cannot overcome the trauma. Maureen and Caelum leave Colorado and return to his family home in Connecticut where she fights to regain her sanity and Caelum attempts to deal with his wife’s increasing demise. Along the way he discovers his family history as well as his own place in the world. Caelum is a very different man from the cynical one we meet at the beginning of the novel.

This is a book about tragedy and about what happens after. It is also about faith and believing even in face of tragic senseless events. As Lamb himself describes, The Hour I first believed is "the story of an alienated man's quest for human connection, it's a meditation on faith, a fugue about the ravages of war, an investigation of the ways in which chaos can alter the course of our lives, and the ways in which our ancestors may be whispering to us."

Despite its flaws, (it is very long, perhaps unnecessarily so) it is a brilliant book. I did expect some great revelation at the end, a profound marking of the “Hour”. Sadly, there was no event, nor great revelation (unless of course I missed it). But, perhaps this is really what faith is all about. There is no “hour” that one first believes, no magical turning on of a light. Faith is a journey, a quest, built brick by brick, block by block. It is the totality of one’s life made up of the small events, good and bad, and how we approach them and deal with them. And ultimately faith is about connecting with people, believing that one can find good in the world despite the ever present Minotaur.

Pick of the month - The Gargoyle -

I just finished reading The Gargoyle, by Andrew Davidson and what an incredible read it was. You will be engrossed and (and sometimes grossed out at the gruesome details) but you will not be able to put this book down.

If you love history and mythology and believe in the power of love as well as destiny, this is the book for you! The story is about a gorgeously handsome but soulless man, who stars in pornographic films for a living. One night, while strung out on booze and cocaine, he is in a terrible car accident in which he suffers burns over much of his body.

While in hospital, where he wants only to die, he meets a psychiatric patient who is said to be schizophrenic who tells him tragic and heart wrenching love stories from the past in such faraway lands as Japan, Iceland and Italy, including, she claims, the story of their own love affair which occurred in 14th century Germany.

He tells himself that this is only part of her delusions. But is it? Can they have really have had a romance that has lasted 7 centuries? The story contains meticulous historical details, permeated by Dante references. The writing is smart and at times cheeky, wonderfully hypnotic. The pace is fast, impossible to put down. Don’t miss this one!

Book of the Month

My favourite book of the summer has to be The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski. This first novel tells the story of a mute boy, his dog breeding family and the dogs he raises and communicates with only by sign language. The story takes place in Wisconsin and tells the story of the Sawtelle family whose grandfather began to breed unusual dogs that come to be known as the Sawtelle dogs.

These dogs are remarkable and highly intelligent being bred for temperament and intelligence and kept and rigorously trained until young adulthood, rather than sold as young puppies then ruined. His sons carry on his work, but among human families, undesirable traits aren't so easily predicted, and family tragedy brought on by bad blood and evil ensues.

When Edgar must vanish, he takes three of his dogs and the story of their journey through the backwoods of Wisconsin is startling bursting with courage, loyalty and undeniable beauty. If you own dogs, you will never look at your dogs the same way!

Who did it?

March is mystery month!!

The perfect month to become acquainted with the library's mystery displays. They are a great way to become acquainted with mystery authors which deal with particular themes, themes you might not have even imagined existed. To date, we have had one on Jewish mysteries, Culinary Mysteries, Bibliomysteries, Cold Case Files, as well as some author displays which featured well known mystery writers Jeffrey Deaver, Carolyn Hart, Jan Burke, and Edna Buchanan. Look for upcoming displays featuring Senior Sleuths, Forensic mysteries and mysteries where music plays a theme.