I was initially bored with the descriptions of stylish clothing worn by the "beautiful girl" sisters — 21-year-old Pearl and 18-year-old May. However, as I persisted listening to the CD of Shanghai Girls by Lisa See, I became totally immersed in the imagery of the sights and sounds of 1930s Shanghai. The sisters were somewhat "modern" Chinese girls, living with traditional parents, while hiding their modeling job for a local commercial artist. The two also enjoyed late night dining and entertainment.

Here is what Pearl said about her relationship with her younger sister May: "Whenever you have two sisters – or siblings of any number or either sex – comparisons are made. May and I were born in Yin Bo Village, less than a half day’s walk from Canton. We’re only three years apart, but we couldn’t be more different. She’s funny; I’m criticized for being too somber. She’s tiny and has an adorable fleshiness to her; I’m tall and thin. May, who just graduated from high school, has no interest in reading anything beyond the gossip columns; I graduated from college five weeks ago. "

When their father’s financial circumstances decline, Pearl and May are shocked and dismayed to learn that he has arranged marriages for them in exchange for monetary assistance. 

With the onslaught of war, the family is torn apart and nothing is ever the same again. Pearl and May discover troubling family secrets, lies, and betrayals as they face the harsh realities of coming-of-age in a war-torn world.  Eventually they both endure the often tedious, humiliating immigration process into the United States via Angel Island — only to face even more difficult challenges in a new country.

The bonds of love, friendship, and sibling rivalry were brilliantly exposed in Shanghai Girls. Share this gem with your sisters! Chock-full of universal themes worth discussing, I would recommend See’s engaging, thought-provoking novel for most book clubs. 

Elaine Johnson – Central Library

Everyone should listen to The Graveyard Book because Neil Gaiman reads it himself. Should that matter? Aside from Gaiman’s amazing voice and entertaining delivery, he wrote the darn thing, so it’s a safe bet that his portrayals are close to the author’s intentions. I’m not advocating that only authors record their works; that’s a horrific thought, since many writers write because they’re socially impaired in some way (too harsh?). But Gaiman has genuine acting talent, and the gleefully wicked humor in the book is as apparent in his voice as a wink.

As for the actual work…darkly delightful! I’m amazed it’s for younger readers — not because kids can’t handle it, but because it is so dark and clever. Believe me, I think kids are entitled to the dark and clever in this world, but publishers seem more interested in adult approval ($$$$).

It’s probably labeled "children’s" because the protagonist is young. Nobody "Bod" Owens is just a toddler when he wanders into a graveyard, unaware that his entire family has been murdered and the killer is looking for him. The graveyard’s residents (noncorporeal) decide to care for Bod. As Bod grows, he wishes he could connect more with his ghostly family since he doesn’t really fit in with the living. In other words, he feels like other adolescents except, with a smattering of supernatural.

Please don’t assume that it’s a typical coming-of-age story, though. Not only did Mr. Gaiman model Bod’s tale on Kipling’s Jungle Book; despite the surreal, the characters are so palpable, you WANT to know them (even the scary ones). I have a small crush on Silas, Bod’s neither living nor dead "godfather" figure. I’m even intrigued by the creepy society of "Every Man Jack" (it has to exist because it’s too wonderfully sinister not to).

I had The Graveyard Book slated for discussion at the Nosy Grown-Ups (formerly Nosy Parents) Book Club meeting in October, but no one attended. I may schedule it again because it is just that good.  Please note that Nosy Grown-Ups books are available at the Central Library Fiction Desk, and the discussions are held in Central’s meeting room at 7:00 pm on the second Thursday of each month.

Sorry for the commercial interruption — now please go read (wonderful illustrations in the book) and/or listen to The Graveyard Book. Or, better yet, do both…I did!

Joanne Sobieck-Lingg – Central Library

The first page of Team of Rivals finds attorney Abraham Lincoln restless in his modest, sparsely furnished home in Springfield, Illinois, with wife Mary Todd, young sons Robert, William and Tadd, and various other loyal friends. It was May 18, 1860 — the day when the fledgling Republican Party made its decision for a presidential nominee.

Meanwhile, a confident William Henry Seward, the jovial Senator from the state of New York, waited in Auburn, certain that the Republican nomination was his; Ohio governor Salmon Chase gathered his two daughters for a morning reading of Scripture while awaiting the balloting returns; and devoted family man Judge Edward Bates and wife Julia waited with confidence and security for the nomination results.

The election decision — that Lincoln was the nominee — stunned the nation. But this unknown, self-made man raised in poverty became the leader that the country desperately needed as Southern states seceded from the Union and civil war threatened.

His affable, tolerant personality led Lincoln to include Republican rivals in the close embrace of his inner circle. How he accomplished this — and then guided the country through the more difficult years of its history — comprises Goodwin’s 2005 political biography. Included also are the stories of the Lincoln family, as well as the three rivals and their families.

Barack Obama is a fan of this treatment of Lincoln’s presidency. The book gained national recognition after his 2008 election when he announced he was using the model from  A Team of Rivals as a template for the formation his own cabinet.

Doris Kearns Goodwin has won the Pulitzer Prize in history for No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II. Her other works include bestsellers Wait Till Next Year, The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys, and Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream.

Please join the Eclectic Evenings Book Discussion in reflecting on Team of Rivals. Meet on November 10 at 7:00 pm in Howard County Central Library’s story room. Team of Rivals is available for pick-up in Playaway format and on CD, as well as in print at the Central Library Fiction Desk. For further information, call 410.313.7834.

Jeanie Pfefferkorn – Central Library

On the heels of Angela’s Ashes and ‘Tis, Frank McCourt’s life story continues in his final book, Teacher Man. While he wrote about his childhood in the mega-hit Angela’s Ashes, it’s his teaching experience that receives the full force of his dark, poignant humor in this 2005 memoir.

“When I look back on my childhood, I wonder how I survived at all,” McCourt declares in the second paragraph of Teacher Man. "It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while.” He triumphed over his miserable Irish childhood by moving to the United States, and at the age of 27, becoming an English teacher in the public schools of New York City.

On his first day of teaching school, he faced five classes of 30 or so students at McKee Vocational and Technical High School in Staten Island. His first class ignored him, and when the students made projectiles of the mouthy student Petey’s lunch, McCourt stopped the fight by eating his sandwich–his first act of classroom management. Thus began his unconventional yet exceptionally effective thirty-year teaching career. He capped his teaching experiences with the writing and publication of his three highly acclaimed memoirs.

This wonderfully entertaining book begs to be read by teachers, students, and parents (in other words, by anyone) as McCourt leads his reader not only through his classroom, but also through his graduate degrees, marriage, parenthood, and divorce, and life in mid-twentieth-century New York City. He also includes some teaching tips, such as the teaching of creative writing using cookbooks, restaurant critiques from the New York Times, and a picnic to culminate the unit.

His prose is lovely and he excels in accurately catching his students’ dialogue. The end of Teacher Man finds a student calling, “Hey, Mr. McCourt, you should write a book,” and with a twinkle of his phenomenal but then unrealized success in his eye, Teacher Man says, “I’ll try.”

The finest way to honor a writer is to read his work. After Frank McCourt’s July 19 death, I honored McCourt by listening to his rough Irish brogue as he read the book on CD, and highly recommend experiencing Teacher Man in this format.

Jeanie Pfefferkorn – Central Library

When Gwen married Peter she was sure she had found Mr. Right. The two had a comfortable relationship and from the outside, close friends were envious of the couple’s togetherness. But then Gwen ran into Elliot.

Elliot of the dark curly hair; Elliot the brooder; Elliot, the man she briefly, yet intensely loved in college; Elliot who had pushed her to explore her mother’s drowning. Still unable to face an event that happened when she was five, Gwen instead banished Elliot from her life.

Seeing him again now was disorienting. Although Peter had his foibles, Gwen was committed to her husband and their future together. But, as ambiguous as it sounds, there was something about Elliot that just made sense to Gwen. When Elliot invites himself to a party that the couple plans to attend later that evening, Gwen won’t admit to herself that she is both nervous, yet electric with anticipation about reconnecting with her long-lost beau.

As the party winds down, the remaining friends have all had a few drinks too many. The conversation turns philosophical and Elliot reveals that his mother, a formidable figure, is dying. To ease her numbered days, he told her that he has not only found his soul mate, but they’ve married. His dilemma — he must either produce a wife or confess that he lied.

When Gwen chokes on a piece of meat and can’t breathe, it is Elliot who saves her life. With goading from the group and in gratitude to Elliot, Peter offers Gwen as Elliot’s "pretend wife." Little does he know that Gwen has been "submerged" all these years following her mother’s drowning. Reconnecting with Elliot and his welcoming quirky family finally helps her jettison to the surface.

Fritzi Newton – Miller Branch

“Jamie,” I said. My voice was hoarse with sleep and swallowed tears. “Jamie. I want you to mark me." “What?” he said, startled. The tiny sgian dhu he carried in his stocking was lying within reach, its handle of carved staghorn dark against the piled clothing. I reached for it and handed it to him. “Cut me,” I said urgently. “Deep enough to leave a scar. I want to take away your touch with me . ." (From Dragonfly In Amber – Book 2 in The Outlander Series)

It’s 1945. The Scottish Highlands. And on a hill dotted with ancient stones and lush healing herbs near the time of Beltane (that ancient Celtic fire festival of witches and druids, flowers and fertility), British ex-field nurse Claire Randall is suddenly witness to the unexplainable: straight from the cleft of one stone comes a painful cacophony of terrifying screams. Claire, raised by an unorthodox archaeologist uncle, is greatly alarmed, but an indomitable will and curiosity draw her in. Besides, phenomena can always be explained, precise methodology applied to any situation –- even the inability to conceive a child. Certainly Claire’s scholarly, mild-mannered husband Frank would attest to that.

Only Claire is no longer sure as some supreme metaphysical force hurtles her backward through the chasm of time — to 1743 Scotland. There she is partisan first, and pawn second, to a bloody Jacobite uprising, clan intrigue, and Highlander fealty. As well, she is an Outlander –- a stranger or Sassanach, and she will come to endure suspicion and brutal punishment for espionage, witchcraft, and more. Yet when the chance to return to her present day life miraculously arrives, will she leave? Can she leave? For here, against all scientific rationale, Claire has also found warrior outlaw, James Fraser — a man destined to share her soul through all eternity.

Intense, immediate, panoramic, and passionate. That the reader has spent more than eight hundred pages in the 18th century — inside Gabaldon’s wonderfully complex and character-driven universe, will never occur…until it’s time to come up for air!

Outlander. Still nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, compares.

Aimee Zuccarini – East Columbia Branch

Editors Note: Diana Gabaldon will present her 7th book in the Outlander series, An Echo in the Bone, on September 29 at 12 noon at East Columbia Branch’s 50+ Center. Click here to register.

Jack Reacher was one of five passengers on a subway car heading uptown at 2:00 am. Twenty years ago an Israeli army captain showed Reacher a list of behavioral indicators of suicide bombers. The list contained twelve points for men and eleven points for women. Susan Mark was the fifth passenger on the subway car and by his studious observation, Reacher had just identified 11 points.

Lee Child’s works are the epitome of the thriller genre. They are quick, can’t-put-down books, and his 13th tale, Gone Tomorrow starts with a bang. Literally. Readers should know that there is always some violence in the Jack Reacher series; this book has a particularly gory scene, but the suspense throughout the book kept me turning pages.

I like the fact that the Reacher character, although a lone wolf, is not a drunk, or a druggie, or depressed, or down on his luck. Reacher is one of the good guys. An ex-MP with the rank of major and a whole lot of training, he is absolute, confident, and resolved in his beliefs.

Lee Child’s writing style consists of quick, short sentences which take on a unique staccato rhythm throughout the book. This is easily read as a stand alone; however, if you become a Jack Reacher fan (which I hope you will), go back and read Killing Floor.

Eve Olsen – Central Library

After listening to President Barack Obama’s two outstanding autobiographical memoirs Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance and The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream,  I decided to listen to Renegade: The Making of a President by Richard Wolffe for an outside viewpoint. Wolffe is a journalist and political analyst for MSNBC-TV.  

The author took me inside the mind of the gifted man who is our new President.  Although already extremely impressed with Obama’s intellect, humility, and empathy for others, this book solidified my allegiance to the world leader. In my opinion President Obama is truly a classy man.

Wolffe was allowed inside the cloistered cadre of Obama’s advisors from the beginning of his presidential campaign, through the grueling Iowa caucuses, and eventually on to victory.  Through these exclusive interviews, Wolff aptly conveyed the mutual love and respect between Obama and his trusted advisors. I had no idea that Marty Nesbitt, one of Obama’s best friends and campaign treasurer, was such an emotional man.  It was refreshing to learn that Obama valued differences of opinion among his inner circle — Rahm Emanuel (Chief of Staff), Valerie Jarrett (Senior Advisor), David Axelrod (Senior Advisor), and Pete Rouse (Senior Advisor).

Check out this gem of a book; you will be delighted and amazed. I recommend the audio version — the CD is narrated by actor and screenwriter Arthur Morey who has an uncanny ability to replicate the President’s speech patterns, as well as those of other staff members.

Elaine Johnson – Central Library

Twists and turns of plot, mystery, and a setting in Dublin, Ireland — what more could one ask of an engaging read?

The theme of identity permeates The Likeness by Tanya French, both in a literal and figurative sense. In fact, to explain the convoluted plot is to defy logic; but read the book, and see how the author makes all of these details plausible.

Cassie Maddox of the Dublin Murder Squad must go undercover to assume the identity of Alexandra “Lexie” Madison, whose body is found in an old stone cottage in a village outside of Dublin. Lexie was a graduate student at Trinity College and had lived with four other students in a unique communal housing arrangement in the village. Cassie highly resembles Lexie, and in a further twist, the name “Lexie Madison” was created by Cassie and a detective partner on another investigation. Complicated so far?

Imagine further how Detective Maddox must live with the four other housemates never knowing who, if any of them, may have tried to kill Lexie. The detective will lead a group of undergraduates in literature tutorials at Trinity College and continue work on Lexie’s thesis — since she had been a student at the famous institution herself, those details come somewhat more easily than the minutiae of daily living with housemates Daniel, Abbey, Justine and Rafe. Will something as mundane as a food preference give her away?

I was drawn to The Likeness after reading some favorable reviews. Not one to depend on other reviewers or even agree with them, I can still “highly recommend” this title. Along with her detective partners, Cassie first appeared in Into the Woods, French’s Edgar-winning prior novel. However, I have not read the first title, so readers can be assured that this second work can stand alone both in plot and characterization.

The Library also owns this work as a CD featuring narrator Heather O’Neill reading with a lilting Irish accent. Try either the book or the CD to acquaint yourself with the work of Tana French.

Jean Salkeld – Administration Office

I was almost late for work because of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Don’t let the teen label fool you; this book is for adults, too. Collins delivers an intense novel with "edge of your seat" action.

The annual Hunger Games are a last man standing battle-to-the-death — in which contestants (aka "tributes") are children ages 12 – 18. The champion wins a life of luxury and extra concessions for his or her district. Tributes are selected by a lottery called "the reaping," although volunteers are also accepted.

Katniss, from the coal mining district of Appalachia, helps her family survive by illegal hunting in the local woods. When, against all odds, her younger sister’s name is drawn, Katniss volunteers instead. Her fellow tribute, Peeta, excels at the mental aspect of the games, while Katniss masters the physical. They make a devastating team, except they work with the knowledge that only one person can win. Who wins? I’m not telling!

The Hunger Games offers the ultimate in reality TV as it’s broadcast in real time from the arena, a closely controlled area of wilderness. Each year the arena holds different challenges, from freezing temperatures to a lack of water. The games definitely favor those candidates who have spent their youth in training, instead of simply surviving. The author doesn’t pull many punches as the contestants have to cope with their horrible circumstances, including sometimes brutal consequences. In one section Katniss blows up a supply depot and has to continue despite being deaf in one ear after the explosion shatters her eardrum.

Beyond the arena, Collins does a great job of painting the big picture. The decadent capital city contrasts strongly to the poverty of Katniss’ District 12, and it becomes clear that the politics are positively Orwellian. The government uses the games to control the outlying districts, until this year, when the contestants seem to turn the games against the authorities.

The annual Hunger Games may have ended, but the more important maneuverings have only begun. Unfortunately, I have to wait for the sequel (to be published this fall) to learn whether a happy ending will work out in Collins‘ desperate view of the future.

Kristen Blount – Administration Office