Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and no matter much I toss and turn looking for the comfort that will lull me back to sleep, I just can’t find the perfect pillow to body to bed combination. I can continue to flip and flop like a hooked fish, or cast about for my book du jour and my ever handy flashlight. Recently finding myself awake in the wee morning hours, I skipped the restlessness and immediately immersed myself in Along for the Ride. Often my late night book forays aren’t that successful. I read just enough to hijack my thoughts in another direction, but the next day, move onto another title. Along for the Ride, however, proved to be TOO good of a remedy. I honestly couldn’t put it down! Even at 3:00 am!

Ever since she popped out of the womb, Auden’s parents — both college professors — had treated her like an adult. And in wanting to please them she concentrated on academics and missed out on the most basic kid/young adult stuff — close friends, hangin’ out, even her high school prom. With her parents divorced and her Dad remarried and a father again, Auden, on a whim, decides to spend her summer before college with him and his new family. Without any great expectations, her visit turns out to be surprisingly educational. For the first time books prove not to be the fount of her new knowledge. By connecting with another teen (male, and on a his own personal quest), Auden, over a couple of months, makes up for a lifetime of social deprivation.

Along for the Ride is a teen book, but with two daughters of my own who have left their teen years behind, I learned something about family dynamics that I hope will help me better understand my own parents. I highly recommend Sarah Dessen’s title for anyone (age, unimportant) in the market for a highly engaging, equally entertaining, intelligent story.

Fritzi Newton – Miller Branch

Liaquat Ahamed’s Lords of Finance is a history of early 20th century central banking. Individuals (all ten of them) who are passionately interested in the subject will doubtless find this title compelling. However, a good writer can turn the most unlikely material into pure gold, and Mr. Ahamed’s great achievement is his success in making Lords of Finance fascinating to the rest of us. That’s fortunate because the subtitle actually ought to be "Why did the Great Depression happen?"

The narrative primarily revolves around four men, the individuals who ran the central banks of Britain, France, Germany, and the United States in the 1920s and 30s. Most of its focus is on the economic effects of the first World War.

By almost any standard World War I was the most catastrophic event in modern history. This includes World War II which, while larger, could not have happened if World War I had not destroyed the the political, economic, and social structures that existed before 1914.

Much of Lords of Finance outlines the decade-long efforts of the western world’s central bankers and political leaders to undo the financial devastation of the war – concentrating on three aspects, in particular. One was the destruction of the pre-1914 gold standard. Another was the running sore of war debts and German reparations. The final problem was the vast economic distortion the war caused by triggering the abrupt rise of a new financial superpower – the United States.

Ending, as we know, with the Great Depression and a Second World War, this is not a story with a happy ending. The point of the book is how the twin calamities of the 30s and 40s largely flowed from decisions made and policies implemented between 1914 and 1929. As the author writes, "For many years people believed – even today many continue to do so – that an economic cataclysm of the magnitude of the Great Depression could have only been the result of mysterious and inexorable tectonic forces that governments were somehow powerless to resist." However, "I maintain that the Great Depression was not some act of God," rather, it was a result of "the most dramatic sequence of collective blunders ever made by financial officials."

Making such a claim stick is a tall order, and to make it, a book needs to be well-documented and convincingly written. Lords of Finance is just that. It’s also fascinating to read.

Joe McHugh – Administration Office

Possibly best known for his roles in The Producers, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, and Young Frankenstein, Gene Wilder is a true craftsman of comedy. Many people are familiar with his late and most fabulous wife Gilda Radner, and his other creative partnerships with Mel Brooks and Richard Pryor.

You can learn a variety of tidbits from Wilder’s autobiography Kiss Me Like A Stranger; however, you may not be aware of his novels. In fact, he currently has two published: My French Whore and The Woman Who Wouldn’t. Both books are easy, welcome reads with a little bit of lust and lots of laughter.

My French Whore is quite a provocative title for a positively sweet tale of an American deserter who, in the midst of war, is caught between accidental heroism and unexpected love. It is easy to picture Wilder as the young private Peachy, hailing from Milwaukee, escaping a failed marriage and throwing himself into the trenches. In this historical novel he softly weaves together the sweetness of romance with mistaken identity and the awkward humor of cowardice.

With his unique gift, Wilder, in the very same moment, can bring you to your knees with laughter, and then tug the right strings wound tightly around your heart. There is a human behind the humor, a Wilder behind the wit, and a simple girl behind My French Whore.

JP Protasio – Savage Branch

Every once in a while you discover a horror film that makes you wrestle with the ending for days afterwards. It seeps into you and causes restless sleep, and not just because it’s scary. Based on the Stephen King novella of the same name, The Mist mixes the unimaginable with the all-too-familiar and may very well make you feel uncomfortable and unnerved. And like so many of Stephen King’s works, this film takes you somewhere you think of as safe — in this case, the grocery store — and makes it the creepiest place around.

The incredible cast (including Thomas Jane and Andre Braugher playing neighbors pitted against each other) couldn’t have done a better job…though maybe Marcia Gay Harden might have toned it down JUST a tad. She plays a religious fanatic the way it’s been played in countless horror films before (think Piper Laurie in Carrie, but slightly less bitter).  I love it though, when a man she’s trying to preach to responds with: "I do believe in God, I just don’t think He’s the vengeful, bloodthirsty (replace curse word with family friendly word here) you make him out to be."

Whereas I don’t remember the book being so deep…the movie really captures the current cultural divide and the absolutes people cling to so desperately, often causing them to lash out at others who politely disagree.

I won’t ruin the ending, but let’s just say it blindsides you. It throws out so much that really gets to you: nail-biting suspense…humanity…inhumanity (a lot of the people are far worse than the supernatural creatures they battle inside the grocery store), emotions…tough, protective women…sensitive, protective men…

The Mist is an intense experience and never quite the film you’re expecting, a combination making it a cut above (way above!) all the other horror films you’ve seen until now.

Angie Engles – Central Library

The beautifully illustrated book jacket of The Forgotten Garden with its stone cottage set in an old, English walled garden transports you into its serenity. Had the book jacket not been so exquisite, I may never have picked this book to read and what a shame that would have been!!

The Forgotten Garden is a story of old houses and family secrets. Abandoned on a ship headed for Australia in 1913, a little girl arrives with nothing in her suitcase but a few clothes and a beautiful bound book of fairy tales. Unclaimed and unidentified, she is taken in and raised by the kindly dockmaster and his wife. Just like in a fairy tale, on her twenty-first birthday, they tell her the truth and “Nell” travels to the Cornish coast to unravel the mystery of her true identity. Following Nell’s death, her granddaughter Cassandra picks up the search upon inheriting Cliff Cottage on the grounds of Blackhurst Manor. Here she discovers the forgotten garden and unlocks the secrets of the beautiful book of fairy tales.

According to the author, she was inspired by the Lost Gardens of Heligan, "a 400 year old Cornwall estate that had been completely consumed by the wilderness until it was rediscovered and restored in the late 20th century." Kate Morton captivated me with her storytelling as I was carried, past and present, from London to colonial Australia and back to Cornwall.

Eve Olsen – Central Library

I don’t remember how I first heard about Coop, but I’m glad I found it. Author Michael Perry, a native of Wisconsin, tells the story of being on 37 acres of farmland with fallen fences and overgrown fields, wanting to raise pigs and chickens. In the midst of all this, his pregnant wife has plans of delivering their baby at home.

By trade Perry is a writer — the contributing editor to Men’s Health, with articles appearing in other publications, as well. This, as he says in the book, is his "bread and butter." While working on Coop, he was busy writing; occasionally performing in his band; trying to raise his own chickens and pigs; but above all, being a good husband and father.

I love the way Perry writes about his childhood — the many children his parents took in to raise in addition to their own; their simple life on the farm; and the quiet faith that gave them a solid grounding. One example that stands out in my mind is "Sunday Popcorn." Mike’s mother would make popcorn in a pan on the stove while the family gathered around the kitchen table to help with passing plates of food, mixing up Kool-Aid, and salting the popcorn. During the second part of this Sunday night tradition, everyone was allowed to bring a book to read at the table (prohibited at any other time). Even today, members of the grown families still return to their parents’ house to participate in "Sunday Popcorn."

Perry seems like a down-to-earth, "real" person; he doesn’t put on airs, writing about both his mistakes and his achievements. Once in a while he throws in words I’d never heard before (like "tatterdemalion"), but he covers mundane things, as well as humorous stories — being bitten in the butt while wrestling a pig, accidentally killing one of his chickens by dropping a whole bale of chicken wire on top of it, and explaining how his father once drove home with a "giant lactating Holstein tethered to the bumper of his Ford Falcon."

Coupled with his writing from the heart, covering topics such as the birth of his daughter, and the death of a good friend, Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting is a title you won’t want to miss.

Michele Happel – Miller Branch

I dare you. I dare you to pick up this book and read it. I dare you to read it and not come away inspired to grab your camera (whether it’s a point and shoot or a single lens reflex).  Learning to See Creatively is a treasure-trove of inspiration. Bryan Peterson presents real-life stories of the classes he has taught, and the happenstance of being in the right place at the right time, adding a wonderful dimension to the point he’s trying to make in each chapter. If that doesn’t work for you, maybe the exercises will. I loved the way the exercises encourage you to see differently, from a new perspective. I’ve learned so much from reading this book; it is quickly becoming my photography bible. But if those two things don’t engage you, then certainly his beautiful photography, sprinkled liberally throughout the book, will.

Peterson has encouraged me to be a better photographer. He has motivated me to keep trying, to keep learning, to see things differently or creatively. I’m getting out of my rut and shooting from different angles, in different situations, with different exposures. I still have a great deal to learn, but this book certainly jump-started my photography education.

To expand your skills even more, check out two classes that are happening this fall: Fun With Your SLR Camera — Exposure & Composition and Lenses & Lighting. These classes are being offered by the same two instructors who taught the DSLR class in the spring. I attended that class and got so much out of it.  Every attendee requested that the instructors return to teach separate classes. (They presented so much good information, there wasn’t enough time for it all). I am looking forward to both classes. Hope to see you there so that we can be inspired together.

Beth Tribe – Central Library

Imagine for a moment that you took a few years off from a project, turned your attention to other things, and realized what you were missing while you were gone. The four members of Imperial Teen did just that — working respectively on individual projects before reuniting to reflect on their separation. The result, The Hair, The TV, The Baby & the Band (a title summing up their individual projects), is a collection of pop tunes that are instrumentally aggressive, yet lyrically reflective. Together they embrace a variety of pop styles, showcasing the talents of the band. The collection is consistently brilliant and I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll immediately find an earworm or two.

As a listener, you get the idea that there’s something autobiographical here. "Shim Sham", "The Hair, The TV, The Baby & the Band", and the hard-driving "One Two" tell the story of the band getting back together and re-starting the creative process. These lead into "Room with a View," which ought to be the thirtysomething’s national anthem, as the band gives up on pretending to be twenty and confronts the truths of their new situations. “Used to stop at the red light / and now we go to the gym.” There’s plenty of reflection here, as the band’s “family drama” plays out in song; however, the mood stays positive and optimistic, and the song turns into a celebration.

It may be true that you can never go home again, but Imperial Teen’s The Hair, The TV, The Baby & the Band shows that you can certainly pick up threads of the past and weave them together to recapture the magic. For something that is both great sounding and substantial, don’t miss The Hair, The TV, The Baby & the Band by Imperial Teen!

John Jewitt – Savage Branch

Do you know what you want to be when you grow up?

Imager by L. E. Modesitt introduces Rhennthyl, a young man trying to answer that question. He knows he doesn’t want to be a wool factor like his father and brother. He seems to do very well for a time as a journeyman portrait painter, until starting to exhibit signs of magic. Then, the studio where Rhenn works explodes…after he ill-wishes his master’s odious son. Not sure what fate awaits him, he crosses the Bridge of Hopes to enroll in the college of Imagers.

In this world created by Modesitt, magic is called imaging — which happens when one of the talented few imagine something and it becomes real. This seems all good when you want to replace a broken vase, but has some less obvious applications such as imaging air into a person’s heart to stop it.

Reading the first half of Imager reminded me of attending college. Rhenn enters into a crash course of science, philosophy, and government, which, in turn, offers a surprisingly thorough way to provide world building. It also leads to fairly slow plotting. But once unknown bad guys begin taking shots at Rhenn on a fairly regular basis, the story progresses more quickly.

Rather than a rip-roaring adventure itself, this first book in a new series works more to set the scene for future installments. Rhenn does solve the mystery of who’s shooting at him and why, but his advancement as a talented imager seems to matter as much as back-alley shenanigans. Imager is a well written, but fairly quiet, introduction to a world and a main character about to experience political upheaval on a large scale and professional upheaval on a personal level. The second book is due to be published in October, and I’ll be waiting to read it. I want to see what Rhenn is capable of now that he’s grown up and has answered the question of what he wants to do with his life.

Kristen Blount – Administration Office

Jan Elvin’s father William Elvin served as a lieutenant in Patton’s Third Army and helped liberate the Ebensee Concentration Camp; as she was to realize in retrospect, her father’s civilian life was plagued by horrific nightmares of combat and the camps. After his death at age 86, the author read her father’s riveting WWII journals of the Allied offensive in Germany. She subsequently interviewed family members and fellow soldiers in a quest to understand the effects of post traumatic stress disorder on members of her family.

Please join us at Miller Branch on Thursday, October 1, 7 pm for Ms Elvin’s tender, thoroughly researched, and revealing story The Box from Braunau: In Search of My Father’s War. Register online or by calling 410-313-1950.

Ginny Leslie – Miller Branch