Sleepers
05/08/08
The Lee County Library System staff would like to introduce you to some
authors or titles that might be new to you. Can't get enough? See our
Previously Featured Sleepers List.
Would you like to
review or recommend a book? Click here
to submit a Sleeper
of your own on
the page.
The
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
by Mark
Haddon
Haddon’s debut novel is a quirky, satisfying read. Christopher Boone is
15 years old, autistic, mathematically gifted, and socially hopeless. When he
finds his neighbor’s dog impaled on a garden fork, he resolves to find out who
killed it. Christopher’s search for the killer leads to some discoveries about
himself as well.
What Was
She Thinking: Notes on a Scandal by
Zoe Heller
Barbara Covett is a lonely older woman who sets
out to tell the story of her friend’s downfall. Sheba is a new teacher, who
Barbara takes under her wing. When Sheba’s affair with a 15-year-old student
is discovered, Barbara is the only one she can turn to. Ultimately, Barbara’s
true character is revealed along with that of Sheba. The novel is an
interesting, penetrating character study.
An
Inconvenient Wife
by Megan Chance
Life
in the 1880s in New York City isn’t going well for wealthy Lucy Carleton.
She dislikes the constraints placed on her by society, and suffers a
common female disorder “hysteria”. Her husband insists on yet another
doctor, one who specializes in the new field of neurology. The results of her
therapy will surprise readers.
Dating Dead Men
by Harley Jane Kozak
Wollie Shelley is managing a card shop and dating
40 men in 60 days for a research project when she falls for the man who kidnaps
her while she’s visiting her brother at a mental hospital. Suddenly she’s running from the Mob, and rescuing a ferret
named Margaret in a caper mystery for any Janet Evanovich fan.
The Touch
by Colleen McCullough
Australia is the late1800s presents great
opportunity for those willing to work and take risks.
This compelling family saga centers on entrepreneur Alexander Kinross and
the two loves of his life, Elizabeth, his young sheltered Scottish bride, and
Ruby, his worldly and sensual mistress. History
comes alive as their lives intermingle with a rich cast of characters.
Mirage
by Bandula Chandraratna
This
controversial self-published book by a Sri Lankan author was the center of
attention when it was not shortlisted for a Booker Prize in 1999.
Sayeed lives in an Arab shantytown on the outskirts of a large
mid-eastern city in which he works as a hospital porter.
His younger brother, for whom he has sacrificed his inherited home and
land, has found a young widow for Sayeed to marry.
The resulting marriage and the tragedy following the young couple’s
settling into the shantytown reveal the volatility of lands in which religious
extremism and the breakdown of traditional ways of life interact.
A Burning in Homeland
by Richard Yancey
In his first novel, Yancey has incorporated all the elements of a good
southern story. Told through the eyes of seven-year-old “Shiny” Parker,
the tale begins with a mysterious fire that destroys the home of the
pastor and his family in Homeland, Florida. All is lost save for a pile
of letters that the pastor’s wife managed to rescue. Why she rescued the
letters is a gripping story of desperate love.
A Choice of Angels by
Charles Sobczak
Ayse, a young Muslim student from Turkey, and Daniel, son of a Baptist minister,
meet at college in Georgia and fall in love. The resistance, displeasure and
intolerance with which their two very religious families react create problems
for the young lovers – problems that take years to resolve. “A Choice of Angels”
is a story of love, but it also demonstrates the damage caused by the
intolerance and narrow-mindedness that often occur among people of differing
religious persuasions. Local author, Charles Sobczak, presents a
thought-provoking novel that may cause readers to re-examine their own beliefs
and behavior.
Gilgamesh by Joan London
When Edith's luckless World War I veteran
father dies and the two daughters and their unstable mother are eking
out a living, their London cousin and his handsome Armenian friend, Aram,
visit, changing Edith's life forever. Edith begins to live as though she
were part of the Gilgamesh epic of the Middle East after she bears
Aram's son, and takes an incredible journey by freighter and the Orient
Express.
The Awakening by
Donna Boyd
After a devastating accident has taken the life of her husband and
child, Mary is left with only scattered memories of her previous life.
Awakened from a coma, she returns home, only to be haunted by visions of
her husband and daughter, who tell her it is she who is dead, not they.
But she couldn’t be dead…could she? Can she discover the truth before
it’s too late?
Storm Front by
Jim Butcher
This first mystery introduces private
detective Harry Dresden, the one the Chicago Police Department calls in when
they have a particularly grisly double murder. Why? Because Harry Dresden is a
wizard, and it looks like magic is involved in the crime.
Shadows on the Coast of Maine by Lea Wait
Maggie Summers, an antique print dealer, is summoned to the newly purchased home
of old friends, who are being tortured by phone calls, baby cries, and fire, and
then, murder.
Land of the Living by Nicci French
Abbie Devereaux awakes to find herself tied up, her head covered by a hood. She
has no memory of how she came to be in this situation. Unknown hands touch her
in the dark, and an unknown voice threatens her life. Miraculously she escapes,
only to find police and friends doubting her story. French spins a suspenseful
tale that will keep you guessing until the end.
The Center of Everything by Laura Moriarty
Evelyn Bucknow lives with her single mother in a small Kansas town. This debut
novel takes a refreshing look at life from Evelyn’s perspective. When you first
meet her, she’s in 4th grade. Her thoughts and reactions as she moves through
adolescence are shared with the reader, providing much amusement, as well as
perhaps, a rediscovery of emotions and situations we all experienced growing up.
Windfallen by Jojo Moyes
In this
poignant novel, Moyes tells the story of two women whose lives are
intertwined because of a beautiful house set on the cliffs high above a
sleepy English village. Moyes is a first-rate storyteller, and fans of
Rosamunde Pilcher and Maeve Binchy will enjoy this novel.
The Wife by Meg Wolitzer
Joe and Joan Castleman are en route to Finland where Joe is to receive the
prestigious Helsinki Award for Literature. At 35,000 feet, after forty years of
marriage, Joan knows that she must leave her husband. The reasons for this
decision unfold through Joan’s recollections of their marriage, her husband’s
career and her own unfulfilled dreams. The surprise ending left me with the
feeling that this woman would be well worth knowing.
Eat Cake by Jeanne Ray
Ray is the author of "Julie and Romeo" and "Step-Ball-Change." Ruth’s husband
loses his job at the same time her father breaks both wrists and moves in.
Unfortunately, Ruth’s mother already lives there, and hates Ruth’s father. Throw
in a teenage daughter, and college tuition, and you have chaos. Ruth’s only
escape is into the world of cakes, a place she’s always escaped to in her mind.
Slave
Trade by Susan Wright
In a post-nuclear world, Earth secretly trades humans to aliens for
their technology. Judged as “genetically inferior” to her alien
masters, Rose, a sci-fi Harriet Tubman, heroically escapes and
establishes an “underground railroad” of sorts. Deeply disturbing, this
novel has strong parallels to the American slave trade. You’ll be
thinking about it long after you’ve read the last page.
Jane Austen in
Boca by Paula Cohen
This delightfully
funny Florida romance is set in Boca Raton and features three retired
girlfriends searching for mates, particularly a “nice widower with a comfortable
living.” Modeled after the classic Pride and Prejudice, this novel proves that
love is as complicated and heartbreaking at 70 as it is at 16. Light and
fast-paced, it’s the perfect summer read.
Island Justice by Elizabeth Winthrop
In "Island Justice", set on a small island off the New England coast,
Winthrop examines our notions of home. Maggie Hammond finds herself unwillingly
drawn into the complex, insular lives of the islands’ winter residents. Fans of
Anne Tyler and Alice Hoffman will enjoy this compelling novel.
Derailed by James Siegel
It begins as an ordinary day for Charles Schine until he meets the
mysterious, seductive Lucuinda on the train ride to work. The encounter will
change his life in unimaginable ways. Siegel has written a suspenseful tale of
murder, betrayal and revenge.
Murder in Hell’s Kitchen by Lee Harris
The author of the Christine Bennett holiday mysteries introduces a new character
in this intriguing story. Detective Jane Bauer is just two months away from
retirement from the NYPD when she’s assigned to a task force dealing with cold
cases. Four years earlier, a man was found dead in the entry to his apartment.
Now, when the detectives return to the case, everyone from the building is gone.
Detective Inspector Huss by Helene Tursten
Detective Inspector Irene Huss is an investigator in the Violent Crimes Unit in
Goteborg, Sweden. In this detail-rich novel, you learn about contemporary Sweden
and make the acquaintance of a remarkable woman, whose life is enriched by her
job and her family. And, you will puzzle through an intriguing mystery.
Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman by Elizabeth
Buchan
For twenty-five years, Rose Lloyd has had a good life, successfully juggling
marriage, motherhood and a career. What happens when that marriage falls apart?
This reflective look at today’s world is full of humor, charm and honesty. Set
in London, the story can be said to be at the same time very British and
applicable to us all.
Monkeewrench by P. J. Tracy
Monkeewrench, a
software company, designs a Serial Killer Detective game. They’re forced to
join forces with the police when someone emulates the murders in the game.
Fear Itself by Jonathan Nasaw
Nasaw’s second novel gives new meaning to the phrase "scared to death." Soon
to be retired FBI Special Agent E. I. Pender is after a serial killer who preys
on people with phobias and kills them by bringing their worst fears to life.
Last Train to Paradise by Les Standiford
Whether you are a native of Florida, or a winter visitor, you’ll want to add
"Last Train to Paradise" to your reading list. Standiford, best known for his
novels, treats the reader to a lively account of the construction of the Key
West Railroad, an engineering challenge that detractors said would never be
built.
Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons
by Lorna Landvik
Not only does she have one of the best titles of the year, but Landvik also uses
an old premise to good advantage. Five women in Minnesota are in a book club
for over thirty years. Landvik’s characters come alive and have individual
personalities in this enjoyable novel.
Contributors
The following Lee County Library System staff have contributed reviews to the Sleepers section:
| Lesa Holstine | Linda Holland | Maryellen Woodside | Beth Lindsay |
| Claudia West | Andrea Carter | Donna Rosenheck | Nina Lithgow |
| Jessica Girlando | Barbara Davis | Betsy Colvin | Maureen Pollock |
| Emily Edwards | Sally Bissell | Luraden Harris | Angel Ortiz |
| Rachel Cooke | Judy Rosse | Marcella Dooney |
visits since 10/29/99
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