banna
The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted -- Elizabeth Berg (Random House)
Every woman will find her friends, her mother, her daughter, her sisters, and herself in this collection of wonderful, vivid short stories. Funny, poignant, tender, the stories acknowledge women’s intense connections to food, family, and friendship, celebrating some small and not-so-small acts of defiance and rebellion that startle and delight the characters (and, maybe, the reader). Men: you should read these stories, too, especially if you love women or just don’t “get” them.
The Entertainer and the Dybbuk - Sid Fleischman (Greenwillow)
Newbery medalist Sid Fleischman has done the almost unthinkable: he’s written a gripping, moving book about bearing witness to the Holocaust that contains a generous sprinkling of wry humor. An American soldier who stays on in Europe after the war becomes possessed by a “dybbuk,” the spirit of a dead person. This dybbuk is a 13-year-old Holocaust victim determined to bring down the Nazi who killed him and so many others. An imaginative approach to this difficult, important theme.
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie - Mirjam Pressler (Front Street)
All her life 18-year-old Johanna has been told that she owes her comfortable, privileged life in a large German city to the upscale department store her grandfather founded and built up with his own hands. A school project leads her to interview a Holocaust survivor who reveals that the store, which belonged to the woman’s family, was appropriated by the Nazis and given to Johanna’s grandfather. This excellent, thought-provoking book will be the springboard for much intense soul-searching and discussion.
Listening Is an Act of Love - David Isay, ed.
The premise is simple: two people who know each other well in a recording booth, one interviewing the other about a special memory or event. The results are anything but simple: true stories of real people, deeply felt and tenderly, poignantly, and sometimes humorously expressed. The stories are fascinating; the human dynamics are profoundly moving.
Slam - Nick Hornby
Such an authentic teen voice, filled with longing, self-consciousness, bravado, and humor. Just shy of his 16th birthday and just beginning to pull his life together, Sam learns that he’s going to be a father. A passionate skateboarder, he turns as always to his Tony Hawk poster, which talks to him, for advice in grappling with the demands of his new life. This is one of the best young adult novels I’ve ever read.
Book of a Thousand Days - Shannon Hale
Medieval Mongolia may strike you as an odd setting for a book that will capture teens’ imaginations and hearts, but this book is a real hit. Dashti, the narrator, must act with ingenuity, compassion, and bravery to save herself and the Lady she serves. This engrossing retelling of a little-known Grimm’s tale has it all – adventure, disguise, suspense, and romance!
The Groucho Letters: Letters from and to Groucho Marx - Groucho Marx
Hallelujah! I’m thrilled that this long-unavailable book has been reissued! For years – decades, really – this was my favorite book to give to anyone convalescing, depressed, or just out of sorts. Groucho was one of the great wits of the 20th century, and these letters, which cover a wide range of topics, could make a block of granite laugh.
The Lost: A Search for Six of the Six Million - Daniel Mendelsohn
It’s a mystery and a family saga and a Holocaust story. It’s one of the most extraordinary and powerful books I’ve ever read. From childhood, Mendelsohn knew only two things about his great uncle: that he resembles him so strikingly his elderly relatives cry when they see him, and that the uncle, his wife, and their four daughters were “killed by the Nazis.” He makes it his mission to learn both how they died and how they lived. The process takes him to Ukraine, Australia, Israel, Sweden, and Denmark, and you’ll feel compelled to stay with him every step of the way.
Starting Out Sideways - Mary E. Mitchell
Starting Out Sideways gives us characters who aren’t just three dimensional; by the book’s end we’ve added them to our circle of close friends and eccentric family members. Roseanne Plow, who works with developmentally disabled adults, must juggle her job, her Donna-Reed-as-drill-sergeant mother, and her grief at being dumped by her putz (her mother’s term) of a husband, all while coming to terms with a newly revealed family secret that profoundly challenges her sense of self. Both moving and funny, it’s a great choice for book groups – there’s much to digest and discuss.
Let Me Finish - Roger Angell
Angell is such a fine writer; he makes any subject fascinating. In these autobiographical essays, the subject – Angell’s life – is fascinating in and of itself. The essays touch on his many decades and extraordinary colleagues at The New Yorker magazine, his World War II experience, his amazing parents (including his stepfather, E.B. White), the roots of his love of baseball, even an ode to the martini. This book is a wonderful extended visit with one of the best writers of his generation.
Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies: A Guide to Language for Fun and Spite – June Casagrande
I was initially intrigued by Lynne Truss’s Eats, Shoots and Leaves. Alas, when I started to read it I found it didactic, prissy, and impractical – after all, it’s British; they punctuate differently. But I love language and, though I should probably be embarrassed to confess it, I’m eager to read a great book about grammar and punctuation. So much the better if it’s laugh-out-loud funny, which Grammar Snobs. . . most definitely is.
The Southpaw and Bang the Drum Slowly – Mark Harris
I’m going out on a limb here, but I think these two books are quite possibly the best baseball fiction ever written (Apologies to Ring Lardner.) They’re both written in the first person by Henry Wiggen, a pitcher for the New York Mammoths. With warmth and humor, they explore coming of age, finding one’s place in the world, and the passionate love of baseball. Read them in the above order.
Atonement - Ian McEwan
Set in England, this splendidly written novel focuses on class, maturity, and secrets. McEwan takes a sort of Roshomon approach, looking at a very specific moment from different points of view and at different points in time before, during, and after World War II. I was drawn into the book slowly, but once there I was riveted.
Understood Betsy - Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Although written in 1917, this book speaks powerfully and delightfully to today’s kids. Elizabeth Ann lives in a city with two elderly relatives who smother and indulge her. When one of them becomes ill, she’s sent to live in rural Vermont, where she’s called Betsy, given chores, and expected to stand on her own two feet. How she learns to do so makes a great story.
84, Charing Cross Road - Helene Hanf
In 1949, Helene Hanff, a New York City writer with eccentric literary taste, spotted a London bookseller’s ad in a magazine. She tentatively ordered some books, and thus began a marvelous 20-year, trans-Atlantic correspondence. This charming, moving collection of letters is an absolute must-read for anyone who loves books and/or England.
Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen -Julie Powell
Love to cook? Eat? Read? Laugh? A yes to any of those questions means read this book. On her 29th birthday, Julie Powell decided her life needed a new focus. She chose to cook her way through Julia Child’s classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking – all 524 recipes – by her 30th birthday. How she managed to do it without losing her job, her husband, or her sense of humor makes one hugely entertaining story.
My Family and Other Animals – Gerald Durrell
When Durrell was 10, his deliciously eccentric mother moved him and his three siblings from damp, chilly England to the Greek island of Corfu. A budding naturalist, he writes with contagious passion about Corfu’s flora and fauna. And he writes with warmth and great humor about the adventures of his highly idiosyncratic family – which includes his big brother Lawrence, author of the (to me, pompous and overwritten) Alexandria Quartet. I’ve reread My Family and Other Animals with delight every few years since I was 15.
Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith – Anne Lamott
Okay, first you really should read Lamott’s earlier book, Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith. She’s the only writer I’ve read who can address issues of faith in a way people of all faiths – or no faith at all – can respond to. She’s not the least bit preachy or gooey. Her essays are insightful, poignant, startling, and laugh-out-loud funny by turns. She’ll become your new best friend. And then you’ll just have to read Plan B, so you can spend more wonderful time with her.
joan
Telex From Cuba by Rachel Kushner (Scribner)
This was Cuba back in the day when Batista was just taking over and Fidel and Raul were up in the mountains plotting revolution. It was 1952 and Americans off cruise ships (my parents included) were living it up in Havana. The good times were not to last though. A very fine first novel of how American expats and business executives lived and lost a privileged life in Cuba.
The Outlander by Gil Adamson (Ecco)
The Outlander is a young wife who has just killed her abusive husband. It's 1903 and she is fleeing across the American West pursued by her two vengeful brothers-in-law. She encounters a host of dubious characters along the way and learns to survive the most unimaginable situations. This would make a great movie!
Sepulchre - Kate Mosse
A fine, scary tale of revenge, the occult and murder set in Carcassone, France. Over 500 pages here but very fast reading. What with tarot cards, haunted sepulchres and devil-like apparitions, I couldn't put the book down.
Merle's Door - Ted Kerasote
While on a camping trip, the author found Merle - or was it the other way around? It was the start of a great thirteen-year relationship. One learned from the other. It's less about "training" a dog to conform to one's wishes and more about understanding the nature of dogs. If you have a dog or dogs, this is the book to read.
In the Company of the Courtesan - Sarah Dunant
In Italy in 1521, Fiametta, a high priced courtesan and her dwarf companion, Bucino flee the sacking of Rome, leaving their lavish lifestyle behind. They head for Venice where an uncertain future awaits them. A bawdy tale of the beauty and nastiness of that era. A good read!
The World without Us - Alan Weisman
We're not taking very good care of the Earth and it would appear it could do very well without us if humans suddenly disappeared in some cataclysmic event. An astonishing and well-researched story of how man-made creations will crumble away and nature would take over. Makes one pause and think we've got to do things better here.
The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food - Judith Jones
Did you grow up on bland American food? I did and in the 1950's that was pretty standard. The author, an editor at Knopf Publishing back then (and still is) was a really good cook and knew American cuisine could use some jazzing up. Good friends with Julia Child, James Beard and others, she published their books and introduced the U.S. to a brand new world of food. And to think of all those years I wasted eating macaroni and cheese!
Loving Frank - Nancy Horan
One hundred years ago this was the "scandal of the season." Frank Lloyd Wright, the architect had left his wife and family and took off for Europe with the wife of one of his clients. She was Mamah Cheney, a truly remarkable woman and an early feminist who is seldom mentioned in books about Wright's life. An insight into the early life of a complex genius who I remember as a very old man.
Later, at the Bar - Rebecca Barry
There's a fictional bar in upstate NY that, with a little imagination, could be right here in Oswego. The regulars are an assorted lot that you can't help liking, hard drinking scoundrels that they are. A good summer read.
Luncheon of the Boating Party - Susan Vreeland
Imagine yourself in Paris in 1881 at the height of Impressionism. Auguste Renoir has asked you to pose along with 13 other of his bohemian friends for what will become one of his most famous paintings, "Luncheon of the Boating Party". What fun! This book takes you back into an era of hedonism and a wonderful world of art.
My Family and Other Animals – Gerald Durrell
As a 10 year old, the zoologist, Gerald Durrell spent a year on the island of Corfu. His eccentric English family-his brother was Lawrence Durrell of "Alexandria Quartet" fame- couldn't take another dreary English winter and headed south. A book to read on a dark winter' s day in Oswego. Images of Corfu with a hot sun, exotic flowers and the "critters" the budding zoologist loved to collect.
The Blue Pages-A Directory of Companies Rated by Their Politics and Practices (Polipoint Press)
Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, this is a handy little book to take along when you go shopping – for anything! Each listing of 4,000 different companies has a paragraph describing political contributions, business practices, non-discrimination policies, etc. Some companies contribute heavily to a political party while others are more equitable. Interesting to see how your hard-earned cash is being spent by someone else.
Underground London/Travels Beneath the City Streets - Stephen Smith
The city of London has many wonderful attractions but beneath the pavement lurks a fascinating buried world of catacombs, underground rivers, plague pits and a medieval abbey whose remains lie buried under a large supermarket. Layers of history under a modern-day city – there’s more there than meets the eye.
The Story of Chicago May - Nuala O'Faolain
In 1890 a beautiful nineteen year old ran away from her farm home in County Longford, Ireland and headed for the United States. May Duignan became a prostitute, a bank robber and accomplice of some of the most notorious crooks of the 19th century. An entertaining story of a woman who lived life exactly as she wanted.
jackie
The Year of Living Biblically - A.J. Jacobs (Simon & Schuster)
If you are looking for a fun yet intelligent read, buy this book! Jacobs has masterfully written a leveled account of the Bible’s most known and most bizarre laws. (You can only eat fruit from trees that are at least four years old??) There were parts of this that left me laughing out loud, and factual parts where I sat back in wonder at the Biblical gems Jacobs plucked out.
Panic in Level 4 - Richard Preston (Random House)
Don’t let the title of this book spook or fool you. Yes, Preston has some of his trademarked terrifying tales of epidemiology and genetic wonders, but his prowess is executed in more benign topics as well. The essay about two mathematician brothers trying to find meaning in the vast randomness of π will leave even math phobics reeling in the beauty of numbers.
The Plague of Doves - Louise Erdrich (HarperCollins)
In the late 19th century, the massacre of a white family caused the lynching of two innocent Ojibwe men. Decades later, we follow the narratives of those on and off the reservation as they untangle the past that has left grudges on both sides. Not only is this book a historical wonder, the author’s writing style will leave you speechless.
Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver (HarperCollins)
In 1959, an evangelical minister brings his wife and four daughters on a mission trip to the Congo. Everything that happens next is voiced in intervals by each of the women. (One daughter actually speaks in palindromes!) As everything unravels politically and emotionally around them, each woman finds strength and survival where she least expected it.
The View from the Seventh Layer - Kevin Brockmeier (Pantheon)
This is the best short-story collection you will read all year. Brockmeier manages to fit more eloquence and emotion in ten pages than most authors can struggle to fit into a full-length novel. The fables are so beautifu,l I sometimes felt myself out of breath by the sheer beauty of the phrasing and resolution; and, “The Human Soul as a Rube Goldberg Device” is a brilliant adult take on choose-your-own adventure novels.
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid - Bill Bryson (Broadway)
Told through child-like hyperbole, Bryson writes of growing up in the 50’s and covers everything from his mother’s awful cooking to the terror of being a child during the cold war. This book is great for all ages, so don’t pass it by because you were born any time before or after the 50s. I promise that you will not be disappointed and you will be laughing out loud to boot!
Heartless Stone - Tom Zoellner (Picador USA)
If you think all books on the diamond business are the same, this book begs to differ. It’s impossible to write about diamonds without talking about DeBeers, but Zoellner also takes us to the blood-free mines in Canada and Australia, the diamond cutting factories of India and how diamonds affect cultures around the world. This book has thoroughly backed my convictions to never get a diamond, but it also shows people how to get one without losing sleep over how it got to you.
Love is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time - Rob Sheffield (Three Rivers Press)
Do you like music? Have you ever made a mix tape (or CD) for someone? Can you handle a little bit of a love story? Read this book! Rob Sheffield masters the delicate balance of love for music and heartbreaking memoir in this beautiful book.
The Complete Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi (Pantheon)
Please read this graphic novel before you see the movie. In fact, read it even if you aren’t going to the movie. Like Spiegelman did with Maus, Satrapi shows us the political and personal upheaval of her country through images, letting the reader get close enough to learn the history of her life in Iran but not be overwhelmed by the horrors of war.
The Dogs of Babel – Carolyn Parkhurst (Back Bay Press)
It’s a weird topic, I know: a widowed husband takes a sabbatical from his college career so that he can devote all his attention to the task of making his dog speak. Why? Because the dog may hold the answers to his wife’s death. The way Parkhurst blends and contrasts not only the grieving process but love from beast and man is mesmerizing, heartbreaking and thrilling.
Trespass – Valerie Martin (Nan A. Talese)
Without having children, it hard for me to fully internalize the terror of this book; but, believe me when I say that Martin’s illumination of the tense alienation a mother receives after she voices a (justified) dislike for her future daughter-in-law is chilling. This book not only screamed to not be put down, it was so real that I started worrying about children I don’t even have yet!
Last Town on Earth – Thomas Mullen (Random House)
Inspired by tales of towns that had quarantined themselves during the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, Mullen weaves together the effects of a cataclysmic event that results from Commonwealth, a small town in Washington, barring its door to strangers. If you are looking for some historical fiction to curl up with and remind you all the good and bad pieces of humanity, I recommend this book.
No Country for Old Men – Cormac McCarthy (Vintage Books)
There may be words out there to explain the depth, scope and glory of this book, but if they’re out there, they aren’t in our language. McCarthy’s grace with character development is unparalleled; and, the way this modern Western stretches itself out to reveal the effects of our choices is majestic.
South of the Border, West of the Sun - Haruki Murakami (Vintage Books)
In this chillingly mournful book, Murakami peels back the prosperous façade of Hajime’s life to show how the memories of a person once loved can lay in wait, biding their time to reveal all the secrets that burden them. This is a subtle book, but the melancholy romance of it will linger with you, giving you pause to remember the past loves in your own life.
Born on a Blue Day – Daniel Tammet (Free Press)
If there is an autistic memoir out there, I’ve either read it or it’s on my list to be read. I have a zealousness to read more and more about it. That said, if you want to go inside the mind of an autistic individual and attempt to see the world through his/her eyes, this is the one I most recommend. Tammet’s descriptions are not only well written, they are fleshed out and visually stunning.
The Witch’s Trinity – Erika Mailman (Crown Pub.)
Mailman writes of the witch trials in northern Germany in the 1500s and the terror of living in a time when condemnation needed only a finger to point at a target. This book was so hauntingly well written and captivating that I literally felt it in my stomach for days after finishing it. This is the kind of book where people will be talking to you and you don’t hear them because you are so utterly hypnotized by the page before you.
The Meaning of Tingo – Adam Jacot De Boinod
Finding himself fascinated with the words in other languages that are either hard to translate or very culture specific, De Boinod spent a few years researching these word gems and gathered them into a delightfully organized book. I know, I know, it sounds boring, but I swear it is hilarious. Where else will you learn that Albanians have 27 different words to describe mustaches, that the Finnish language is home to the longest palindromes, or learn the illustrious meaning of tingo? (Its translation: to take all the objects one desires from the house of a friend, one at a time, by borrowing them.)
The Handmaid's Tale & Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood
In these books, Atwood gives us a terrifying glimpse at humanity’s future if we remain set on our path to control man and nature. Handmaid portends what could come if we finally snap the thin line between church and state, resulting in a republic of Christian fundamentalists who rule with horrific moral justice and strip women of all rights. Oryx and Crake deals with our incessant zeal to bridle nature through bioengineering and organ harvesting. Through amazingly gripping prose and plot flow, Atwood shows the reader how small steps can lead to an end result that is apocalyptic at best.
Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster – Svetlana Alexievich
This -- as I am sure you can imagine -- is not the feel-good book of the year.You shouldn't read it for stories of kindness from nature or man, but rather man's folly to man and science. We should learn from this and fear its repeat. What went on in the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster is abominable: government corruption, split families, manipulation of the lower classes and horrendous side effects to the fall-out. But, there are people who want their stories told: people who were silenced, people that never left the sides of the dying loved ones, people that stayed and remain there to this day.
john
Our Story Begins - Tobias Wolff (Knopf)
Once again, Tobias Wolff lives up to his acclaimed title of the "master storyteller." It is truly amazing how much of a story he can tell in so few pages. Our Story Begins contains ten all new short stories in addition to twenty-one of his old classics. Each story is as unique and page-turning as the next.
A Monk Jumped Over a Wall - Jay Nussbaum
Corporate lawyer J.J. Spencer promptly loses his job after aiding a family in financial trouble at the expense of his employers. On the same day he is fired, Spencer is beaten, arrested and threatened with being disbarred. While fighting to keep his license to practice law, Spencer recalls the events leading up to his downfall and finally discovers his calling in life.
A Long Way from Chicago - Richard Peck
In the summer of 1929, Joe and Mary Alice are forced by the difficult times of the great depression to spend their summer vacation in rural Illinois with their grandmother who is almost a complete stranger to them, and slightly "rough around the edges." The summer ahead seems like it will be a disaster, but the outcome may surprise you.
The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway
Post War France, 1920's. The lives and adventures of several American expatriates are documented and the "lost generation" life style is epitomized. Jake Barnes, forever
impacted by an injury received during the Great War, must continue his life knowing that because of his wounds, he will never be able to marry the girl he loves. Drinking, bullfighting, lovers’ triangles and Hemingway's first great success are what comprise this excellent novel.
Harris and Me - Gary Paulsen
The hilarious tale of a boy's summer spent on a farm with his mischievous and one-of-a-kind cousin Harris. From an unstable home, the narrator has spent his childhood spending time with different relatives. The prospect of moving from the Philippines to a farm seems horrible, but the narrator is in for the time of his life.
sophie
The Host - Stephenie Meyer (Little Brown)
Meyer has produced a riveting novel that is filled with innovative ideas. Although its size may be intimidating, The Host was not out of my sight/hands until it was finished. It's classified as sci-fi but it contains so much more...including romance, action, and heartbreak. If you haven't read it yet, do yourself a favor and start!
P.S. I Love You - Cecelia Ahern (HarperCollins)
What would you do if your loved one was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor? For sole mates Holly and Gerry, that is exactly what happened and cost Gerry his life. As Holly tries to move on with her life, she is guided by letters that Gerry left behind to help guide her. Ahern masterfully describes the feeling of loss and creates an original story of how to move on and continue living when an unexpected tragedy occurs. This book causes an emotional rollercoaster ranging from crying to laughing in just one page!
Dear John – Nicholas Sparks
John Tyree’s day-to-day schedule follows a routine of working out, training, and more working out, a routine common to most army men. John’s so-called “routine life” is suddenly changed on his first military leave. Savannah Curtis, a woman with whom he has spent a mere few days seems to be a woman that John cannot shake from his mind. Both realize they have fallen in love; neither expected the events of September 11th to unfold. John is faced with a huge decision, reenlist or Savannah?
The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
The Little Prince shows the reality of the fact that once you lose your imagination, you are no longer a child. One of the most important lessons the Little Prince learns throughout his travels is that his love for an ordinary rose means more to him than anything else. He soon finds himself forced to decide to follow his heart or to continue his travels. This is a great read for adults who need a shock of reality that it’s the little things that count and for teenagers who still have their imaginations.
Forever in Blue – Ann Brashares
In the final novel of the Traveling Pants series, the Septembers find themselves going their own ways. This summer, the girls learn that: it’s better to be safe than sorry, love the one who loves you not the one who happens to be available, relationships have bumps but everything will work out, and stand up for yourself. Tibby, Bee, Lena, and Carmen use the pants as their way to keep their “sisterhood” alive even when they cannot be together.
Without You - Anthony Rapp (Simon & Schuster)
If you love Rent, the musical which is now a major motion picture, Without You will bring light to many unanswered questions and interesting highlights of the production. Anthony Rapp, the original Mark, shows how practices, rehearsals, tryouts, opening night, and finally the way that Rent helped him to overcome many obstacles throughout his life. This is an inspiring novel for singers who are looking to become the next stars of Broadway and for ALL Rent lovers.
Nobody Does It Better - Cecily von Ziegesar (Little, Brown)
While the anticipation of acceptance letters from colleges is at its peak, the seniors of Constance Billiard become enthralled with their annual "senior skip day.” Blair Warendorf and Nate Archibald, the so-called "perfect couple" become a non-existent couple when Blair catches Nate cheating on her with none other than Blair's drop-dead gorgeous best friend, Serena. In this quick, run read, Ziegesar shows the ups and downs of high school life.
sarah
You Know Where to Find Me – Rachel Cohn (Simon & Schuster)
Miles wouldn't consider herself to be anyone particularly special but she was ‘known' by association. Laura, her cousin and best friend since they were born, is popular, nice, beautiful, and basically perfect. But Miles knows Laura is not perfect; she has her demons like everyone else. When Laura commits suicide Miles has given up. For her, life is no longer worth living. She falls into a prescription drug haze. Will a near-death experience wake her up and make her start living her life or will it be too late?
Skin Deep - E.M. Crane (Delacorte)
Andrea Anderson has accepted the fact that she will finish her high school career as a Nobody. In her classes she seems to be invisible and at home she endures the wrath of her mother. Andrea's entire outlook on life is flipped upside down when she takes a job caring for Mrs. Menapace, her sick neighbor. What she thought would be an easy summer job turned into an experience that would change her life.
Twilight - Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown)
Bella Swan moved to the middle of no-where Forks, Washington to live with her father for her senior year of high school. She was an instant celebrity upon her arrival; however, instead of her newfound popularity, the only thing Bella desires is Edward Cullen. Through incredible determination, Bella works her way into Edward's life. She discovers that he is a one-hundred-year-old vampire who cannot resist her blood. Meyer provides pure emotion and a suspense-filled plot that leaves you wanting more; thankfully she wrote a sequel...
Crank - Ellen Hopkins (Simon & Schuster)
On a trip to visit her absent father, Kristina meets Adam, the drop dead gorgeous next-door neighbor. At a party, Adam introduces her to a "friend" named ‘the monster' also nicknamed "Crank." Kristina forms an alter ego -Bree- when under the monster's spell. Bree is outgoing, fun, and worst of all, best friends with the monster. In a few short days she changes from an A-plus student into a crank (drug) addict juggling two boyfriends and throwing her life away. Written in ‘verse' or poems, Hopkins vividly describes the way drugs quickly take over one’s life and ruin it.
In a local book group or belong to one that needs to get the word out? We can help. Visit our local 
Keep up on the happenings in your Oswego community, join our 
Saw a book at a huge national chain store or large online retailer? If we don't have it on the shelf, we can order it for you for pick-up here locally. Browse globally but act locally!